002 ⇏ video

[oikodomae]

[ when the feed comes on, the first thing you'll notice is a head of curly blonde hair, extremely messy, and a hand running through it. Annabeth's currently looking down at something, unable to look at the feed just yet. Probably in fear of not being able to keep her voice stable when she finally starts speaking. ]

If anyone has seen Percy Jackson, Luke Castellan or Wichita since the jump...can you just. Get them to contact me? Or come find me? Or tell me where you saw them? I'll have my device on me at all times, but for some reason I can't connect to Percy’s and Luke’s and I think it’s connecting to Wichita’s but she’s not answering and I don't know if it's just the ship or...

[ she trails off momentarily, needing that half a second to take a breath and drop her hand, lift her head to the feed. She looks exhausted, like she hasn't sleep in days (not since the jump) and a little on edge. Her eyes, normally a much lighter grey, have taken to something like a dark cloud. Like the chaos that comes with a thunder storm. Her jaw is set, determined, but there's something a little off about her. A little dark. ]

I also need to know if there is any way to know, for sure, when someone goes home, and isn't just lost on the ship. Not theories, but facts, if there is a way to check that kind of thing.

[ She swallows, hard, but continues – eyes never leaving the camera. ]

Also, I wanted to know what happens when you die. Here. On board. I'm not interested in ideas on the afterlife and all that [ she made the mistake already of asking people about their beliefs once before, not again ] but more so if you die, does your body remain here? And if you have more to do, back home, does that mean you never go back? Does your story just end, and your time both there and here is over?

I just…yeah.

[ there's a pause and then she nods, having said all she planned on saying, and she ends the feed. ]

Comments

voice

[idkmybffbloodwing]

[Wichita's missing? Shit. That explains why she wasn't at her shift in the bar the other evening. She's too good a bartender to go getting herself lost.]

Dunno about the first two, but I haven't seen Wichita either. I'll let you know if she turns up.

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[oikodomae]

Thanks. She usually answers when I text her but I can't tell if she's even getting the messages...

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[tumbleweeds]

... If you can't connect to their comms, they're gone. Don't know about the rest, other than that the body stays here.

[ Jaye sighs, running a hand through her hair. ]

Shit.

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[oikodomae]

Gone back home?

[ She needs to make sure, for certain. ]

So even if you know there's more, if- if someone's been here from your future. Knows you're there. [ which is a lie, she doesn't know this for sure but hypothetically ] If you die you don't go home?

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[tumbleweeds]

Gone back home, yeah. If they were just dead on the ship, the communicator would still work.

[ Things that probably aren't helping oops. ]

I don't know. Maybe you do and it's a bunch of time shit that I don't really get.

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[oikodomae]

On the entire ship? Even in the parts no one's allowed to go in?

[ chances are she's not really gonna believe you so it won't matter anyway ]

Yeah, I guess I was trying to see if anyone did understand.

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[tumbleweeds]

Yeah. It'll pick up that it's on board and work and everything, just sending a message would probably suck and be all full of static or delayed or some shit.

[ She shakes her head. ]

We did have someone who died here and then reappeared, not remembering anything, if that helps.

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[northerner]

Annabeth.

[ robb's voice is very quiet. ]

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[oikodomae]

[ no. no no no no no Robb Stark is not allowed to look at her like that and make her feel like she's seven all over again. He's not. ]

He's here, Robb. He has to be. He wouldn't-

[ She takes a breath, swallows, resets. ]

Yes?

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[northerner]

[ to stay aboard this ship is to know loss. robb has lost many of those he cares about, more than he cares to remember. it is painful, it will always be painful to be left behind and see the ones you love pulled away from you. ]

The ship gives no one a choice. And Percy would never ignore your calls in this manner.

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[oikodomae]

No.

[ She's done this before, this 'he's here one minute gone the next'. She's lost him and got him back, just got him back, and she won't accept this. She can't. ]

Something wrong. It has to be.

[ Annabeth's voice does not shake. She does not sound desperate. She's remaining completely calm because everything's okay. Everything's going to be okay. ]

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[northerner]

[ at robb's side, grey wind whines. robb looks down and away, sinks his hand into the direwolf's fur while he tries to think of what to say. ]

When my sister left, I thought the same. I swore it was a mistake and I searched the ship twice over. It came to naught.

[ a pause, and then. ]

I'd not see you do the same.

[thatsaflaregun]

That's something of a complicated question, sistah.

[There's a long enough pause to make it seem like that's it, but he goes on.]

And personally, I like to think this isn't it. That somehow we all get to the happiest version of our lives and all of this just... Goes away.

[oikodomae]

It's a complicated situation.

[ she almost turns it off, thinking he's done, before he continues and she's pulled back again. ]

Like to doesn't always mean it is.

[thatsaflaregun]

Aye. But what choice do we really have? We can either assume the worst and go mad from it or we can try to hope there's something better.

[oikodomae]

We can do something about it.

[thatsaflaregun]

You have any ideas then, sistah?

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[starked]

Don't you dare.

[ It's simple and to the point, because oh Tony know knows that reaction, Tony knows the desire to want to die on the ship. Having the important things ripped away from you does that to a person. Makes them want to jump out of the airlock, makes them go into the bowels of the ship because they want to be alone so that there's no one that can be taken from them.

That's the joke of this ship, isn't it? When you get stuck here and the people you don't want to lose, can't lose end up leaving you or dying or— ]

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[oikodomae]

[ If she were actually in her right mind, maybe she'd recognize the fact he's just looking out for her. Trying to talk her back off a ledge she's all but jumped off, already.

No, right now? Right now it's a challenge. ]

Or what?

[ It's childish and immature and she already hates herself for saying it, but she won't let him know that. No, Annabeth will just clench her teeth because she won't sit here and do nothing. She can't. Not if there's a possibility that Percy is still out there... ]

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[starked]

Or I'm going to lock you in a room only I can unlock. Alternatively, comment to our illustrious head of security that you might be a danger to everyone and have you locked in the brig. Either one I'm good with.

[ Never let it be said that after all this time that Tony backs down from a challenge. Annabeth may be out of her mind and may want to spit out the challenge and spit at Tony, but he's seen better. He's done better. ]

You wanna know why I went out and lost my eye, Annabeth? I promise, it's relevant to the suicide mission you want to pull because Percy's gone.

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[oikodomae]

I'd like to see you try.

[ She'll be gone in a minute, walk right out into the parts of the ship she hasn't seen, hasn't explored. She'll disappear until she finds him and not a moment sooner. Nevermind the way her brain is telling her otherwise, warning her against challenging a god. She did that with Hera, and look what she did. Look what she did to Percy.

But her eyes narrow, because she doesn't want to know, but she also can't help but feel curious. Tony's baiting her and she knows it, but... ]

What?

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[became]

Nothing living-- formerly or not-- survives the jumps.

[ sympathetic but not couched in comforting terms. also not... all the way true, but neal's got his lies, they're like comfort objects. ]

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[oikodomae]

You know that for a fact?

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[became]

I know what comes back-- if they come back-- isn't what left.

[ a beat. ]

My friend disappeared and came back the same, but it was with the rest of us, a few jumps later-- if you want to see them again, don't look anywhere but stasis.

[ he's not sure if he's warning her or punishing himself for the third name on the list, but there's a reason this isn't his usual video. ]

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[oikodomae]

But you don't know him.

[ It's awful, but try. Percy has outlived worse odds, and she can't stop believing he's okay. ]

I'm sorry about your friend. [ And even if she wanted to, she can't help but be curious. ] What do you mean you came back a few jumps later?