#flickerbell

mvndrvke:

"❝ what you gonna do now? ❞ ( cecil )"

Currently struggling to read the books assigned from Chiron (The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Essential Collection of Greek Myths and Heroes — though Chiron has emphasized the fact that these are not myths, but reality, for those at camp), Colton wonders if he’s the only demigod who finds trouble with reading both English (in spite of speaking the language well) and Ancient Greek. Ancient Greek is supposed to be easier than English, Chiron tells Colton, a bit unhelpfully.

Latin, in Colton’s humble opinion, was much easier to read and pronounce.

The page that Colton seems to be fixated on right now shows the unflinching stare of Medusa. The Gorgon’s snake hair writhes and twists, looking as if caught in mid hiss, and Colton can imagine the hissing in the too quiet evening. Medusa’s lips seem to form a “o” shape, and Colton isn’t sure if she is screaming in horror or fury.

“Medusa’s story is sad, isn’t it?” Colton had asked, once, and Chiron had looked almost startled. Perhaps no one had ever felt sorry for the ones dubbed as a monster before. Especially not from one that would be turned to stone by her, if she had the opportunity, joining the garden emporium that Colton has heard that Annabeth, Grover, and Percy visited when Annabeth and Percy were just 12 years old. Colton had offered an explanation without being asked to, thoughtfulness in carefully considered words. “She hadn’t always been a monster.”

Colton’s gaze darts back and forth over the words, silently mouthing some of the Ancient Greek to himself (not quite sure if the pronunciation would be correct), but Colton is still unable to find the focus needed. Instead, he focuses on the paintings included, wondering if the stories that he makes up for the pictures actually matches the depicted characters and scenes. When Cecil addresses him, however, Colton looks up suddenly from the book on his lap, tilting his head slightly; it’s almost as if by doing so, he hopes that will aid in recalling the name, hoping the one that he has in his mind is correct.

“Oh, hullo!” Colton smiles brightly, seeming to glow from the top of his head down to his bare feet, before shrugging indecisively. “—–Just gonna try to finish this chapter, I guess. … You’re Cecil, right?”

Cecil smiles when Colton greets him. “Hey,” he says, and drops down next to Colton, peering curiously at the book he’s reading. “Which one are you reading?” he asks. “One of Chiron’s top ten thousand books of the millennia? You really don’t need to read them all, he’ll never know.”

two things were quite surreal right here. first, that they even made it out alive. together. colton returning was something he didn’t expect - and still to this day he continued to wonder if it was well-deserved or just a method of fate to sink him down to that temptuous bliss again before yanking him back out just to hurt him more.

second, that he was about to dance with a bloke. well, they were war heroes right now, so to speak - and their relationship wasn’t a secret to anybody. his parents had been quite supportive of the idea - the only thing they were bothered about to begin with was colton being a clock spirit and not about him being a bloke. still he could feel the eyes emerging from the tiny figures in the thickening crowd.

“infinity seemed a bit much, isn’t it?” he looked at colton’s hands - corporeal, here. it was breathtaking. overwhelming to think of the reality of it all at once. green eyes glanced up at colton’s blue ones - that hue took a lot of getting used to - but at the same time felt like they have been blue all along.

“why don’t we take it one day at a time?” // @flickerbell ft. colton

the ballad of songbirds & snakes / @flickerbell