WEEK 13 - I can't lie to you about your chances, but you have my sympathies.

[al2955]

the pygmalion. . . ONLINE CAPTAIN'S LOG: WEEK (13)

sunday (41) survivors Something in the air breaks, shattering from deep within space itself - and to accompany that sensation is a psychic scream. The ship shakes, coming to a screeching halt as a bright light explodes outside it. It pulses, not unlike a heartbeat, that crawls and crawls along at a slow, grueling pace. The last illusion has been broken, the last mental tie severed and crushed. You've done well up until now, and you can reap the benefits of Her labor; the dead walk among you, after all, and as Her scream rings out, a burst of energy shoots through the residents of the Pygmalion. It's clearly a desperate bid, but it doesn't root itself in place. Instead, you feel lighter than ever - Her attempt to claim you has only unraveled the string that kept you in place. The 40% limit has been lifted, and you are at full capacity. The chains have been broken. Go freely, heroes. taken list profiles private conversations setting rulebook ENTER COMMAND_

Comments

[chiseler]

[She may want to kick him in the face, but all he can do is let out a surprised choked sort of laughter at her response. Annabeth has never gone easy on him. (Thalia had never gone easy on him either. Most of the girls in his life were complicated creatures and part of him wondered what that said about him personally.) No matter. He's borderline amused by her words and at the same time it's a barbed conversation with little holes in it that he's not sure how to avoid. Partially passing is something when it comes to Annabeth though.]

What, I'm not allowed to paraphrase? I believe the words were: "There was a time I thought...you were like a brother to me, but I didn't love you." I got the video reminder a few weeks ago.

So. I'd ask "what do I have to do to fully pass" but since you're YOU you won't actually tell me. Partially passing's still pretty good for some people isn't it? [Some people. Even the way it's written indicates that it's not good enough for him and they both know it.]

[wises]

[ to be fair she wants to strangle percy sometimes, too. luke is surrounded by complicated girls. annabeth has boys who annoy her half to death off and on. what does that say about her?

he's gotten all the questions right. but the "motives" had known things they shouldn't have known, too. ]

Apparently. I wouldn't suggest that to anyone from Six, though.

[ athena's children don't like failing tests? ]

Am I fully passing?

[ she doesn't think he's even bothering to test her. but luke and thalia had never really thought like that, precisely. and she'd liked that about them.

she still liked that about them. ]

[chiseler]

[Demigods are crazy that way, it seems. He isn't remotely surprised that she asks the question though he's lingering on an answer. Instead, he addresses the first piece.]

That's because you and your siblings are all over-the-top overachievers. I'd hate to see what any of you would do with "partial passing."

[He doodles again, little lines that mean nothing though she'll probably recognize some drawings. A pegasus from the front of the CHB shirts, Thalia's pine tree, the owl carved over the door of Cabin 6. Simple little things to fill in the space of time he doesn't have an answer.]

Annabeth, I think it's a little late for me to be testing you. We're on our way to the Nuwa, what do you think? [Annabeth has always been a priority even when Kronos had brainwashed him. In his own fucked-up way he tried to protect her, sort of. Now knowing she was a ship away, he'd still do whatever he could to reach her. Did she pass the reality test? Even if she was a different Annabeth than the one he remembered, she was still an Annabeth. That was enough.]

[wises]

So you're saying I get full marks.

[ not that it matters if he says it (it matters a little bit). annabeth isn't really one for doodling in the casual sense of the word. she makes plans. she sketches layouts or architecture. while she waited for him to keep writing, she'd started her own little drawings.

roman arches. the symbol of frey. a chinese finger trap.

they're not meaningless, but she doesn't explain.

she adds some detail to his cabin six owl, too. ]

I'd intended to wait to speak to you in person.

[ she got impatient. bruce and rose and everyone else are speaking to their "hostages" and they believe them fully. but their hostages are (mostly) living people. ]

[chiseler]

Passed with flying colors, even. [It's hard to say if it's true (but of course it is. Being back in his right mind, maybe he's a little more willing to be agreeable and make the world as perfect for her as possible.) The drawings receive little question marks next to them, and again, it confirms that time has passed for her. He doesn't know what any of this means, why she's drawing these specific items, but it's not the time to ask.]

And that would require patience which is sort of a problem for us, isn't it? We might not be there for a little while. We're still flying. [He starts to form words, figures smearing as he tries again to formulate a thought.] It's been my goal for a couple of weeks to get to the Nuwa, but I didn't think I'd speak to you before then anyway.

Weird, isn't it?

[wises]

[ she adds "spqr" after the question mark by the arches. the symbol of frey takes longer. she has to sketch magnus's face from memory. it's enough like hers to make it obvious they share blood, but it's not divine blood they share. athena's children share features, but not the chase features. she leaves the finger trap alone. ]

I didn't expect to get to speak to you again. So sort of. On the other hand, weird is a subjective thing and I may have hit my limit at some point in the last year. Or before that.

We haven't had much word on what the Pygmalion has been doing until very recently.

[chiseler]

[Even without knowing about Camp Jupiter he vaguely recognizes what SPQR represents despite not being able to place it in any context. These are all just questions he has to ask her in person, especially who the other Chase is. That, combined with what she says, is enough to confirm what he hadn't wanted to ask until this moment.]

You're not the only one who's surprised. [It's not like he expected to wake up as himself again either.] Gonna guess that has something to do with why you and Percy were crawling around in Tartarus in the first place? At this point what about our lives isn't weird? We're kinda born to handle that.

[The lives of demigods are never easy and they both know it.] Sunny sort of gave us that hint when she spoke to us, too. Dunno why they felt the need to lie to us about your ship being in danger. What can I say? You know the story of Pygmalion just as well as me. Things here are going just about as well as you'd expect for a crew on a ship named after that guy. [The fuck-up ship is going strong even if they did it in the most messed-up ways.]

Least the aliens are gone. Got rid of the last one not too long ago. It's the one reason we're finally on our way.

[wises]

[ well i guess in persons are a thing so throws up hands ]

We got immunity when our game ended. Supposedly I haven't been in any danger for weeks.

[ "supposedly" because she never actually feels safe, ever. it's probably a demigod thing. some times are safer than others, but safety is a thing for mortals, or people whose lives aren't ridiculous. ]

You didn't kill anyone, or die. That counts for something.

[chiseler]

We first heard that you guys had full immunity turned on so that if we killed somebody and you didn't, you'd all get killed. Surprise, surprise, an all-powerful being that hardly talks to us lied to get their way. You'd think we'd be used to this by now.

Not like I'd believe her until I saw you for myself anyway.

[Is that a thing he can say? Can he still be protective of Annabeth after everything that's happened?]

Not sure if I should be offended that it counts or proud that it didn't come to that. After a while it kinda became clear killing people wouldn't actually get me what I wanted.

...will you tell me everything whenever I see you?

[wises]

[ even possessed, hurting annabeth had been a thing that had definitely thrown luke off. so. he probably can still be protective of her. it never exactly stopped. ]

Yes. It would be easier than making you read it all.

[ there's a pause as annabeth debates what to write. she doesn't really want to get into anything too emotional where people can read (...if they read ancient greek, which most people do not) but she didn't want to do that on skype, either. it limits her options. ]

When did you last actually sleep? If the answer is something stupid, you should rest up before you all get here.

[chiseler]

[It's probably one of those things so embedded in the core of who he is he couldn't turn it off even if he tried. Sort of the way that she knows his habits by now and he finds himself smiling faintly. Not skyping was a good choice, and this, while effective, is also bad for conducting incredibly long conversations.]

Of course the answer is something stupid. I have to make sure everything on the ship's operating smoothly and...well. It's a long story what's going on over here. I'll rest when everything's wiped out here.

We'll be there soon. I promise.

[wises]

[ "when everything's wiped out here" gods fucking damn it all she should have known better. ]

If you're in the middle of a battle, stop talking to me, idiot. Nothing's happening on this side. We'll be find until you get here, so go focus on killing things, I guess.

[chiseler]

We're driving through a giant eyeball and fighting alien drones and dealing with nightmares. I'll explain later. Right now the main thing is the eyeball, we took care of the rest.

Be good, see you soon, all that fun stuff.

[And maybe it's a sharp cut-off, but he wants to tell her in person. He's realizing he really will get to see her in person soon and that...is terrifying. He doesn't want to let her go, but the promise of seeing her soon is enough.]