WHEN THE WOLVES COME HOME
a sneak peek of my bellarke / percy jackson & the olympians au fanfiction for @bellarkebigbang
“Clarke,” he breathed, his voice already wrecked. She was staring at him, her eyes dark and her lips parted. It took everything in him to keep his eyes firmly locked on hers and to stop himself from closing the distance between them. “Clarke, listen to me.”
He was momentarily distracted by her lips, and by the way her shallow breaths ghosted along his skin, and the way he could feel her heart pounding against her chest.
“I need you to think really hard on something, okay? Can you do that for me?”
“You called me smart earlier, Bellamy. Where’s that confidence now? Don’t think I can handle it?” She grinned widely at him and his chest tightened.
He almost hated himself for the question he was going to ask - if his hunch was right, then she wouldn’t be smiling this widely afterwards.
She inched back from him the slightest bit. The smile instantly wiped from her face. Her gaze grew distant. “I- What? What do you mean?”
Bellamy watched her closely. Her forehead creased. She blinked rapidly a few times.
He took this as a good sign.
“What day is it?” he pressed, his words coming out slower than before. “Really think, okay? What is the date?”
She looked at him in confusion. “Why?”
She dropped her arms from around his neck and took a few steps away from him. She shook her head, making her hair bounce around her face.
“Clarke. The date. What is it?”
Their eyes locked again. His palms were slick with sweat. His heart was thudding rapidly in his chest.
“July 28th. Right? Or is it July 27th? I- wait. No. It’s the 28th.” She stared at Bellamy for a long moment, studying the way his expression completely fell. “Why?”
Dionysus’ words came back to him. ‘Lotus Hotel is a beacon; the building draws you in and you want to stay. And, you know black holes; time runs differently in them.’
Time ran differently inside the hotel.
His stomach rolled. Dread swept through him.
Clarke placed a hand on his forearm, jarring him from his thoughts. “Bellamy? What is it? What’s-”
His eyes locked onto hers. He couldn’t explain it, but his chest grew tight with emotion and his breath stuttered.
“Clarke,” he said slowly. Bellamy attempted to keep his voice even and calm, which was a nearly impossible task. He was terrified, and angry, and- “Wake up.”
Her lip curled in annoyance. “Rude, much? I am awake. Gods-”
“I mean it.” He stepped closer to her. “Look at me. Look. I need you to focus.”
Clarke scoffed. “What’s your damage? I am up!”
“It isn’t July, Clarke. It’s September. Alright? You get that? September.” The annoyance was slowly melting from her expression, but her eyes weren’t shifting with understanding. “You’ve been in here for longer than you think.”
“That- That’s impossible.”
“It’s possible.” He quickly changed tactics. “You said ‘gods’ earlier. You remember? You-”
“Of course I remember!” she snapped, heatedly. She narrowed her eyes. It was a stark difference from the soft touches and heated glances they were sharing only minutes ago.
“What were you referring to then?” he pressed. “You said ‘gods.’ What did you mean?”
“I don’t know,” she bit, “it’s just a saying.”
Bellamy blew out a steadying breath and tried again. “We both know it isn’t a saying. Listen to me. The Greek gods are real and we live among them. Did you know that?”
He watched as her expression went blank. Her eyes grew glassy.
“You’re the granddaughter of one of them. Your father, he was the son of one. He’s a demigod.” Bellamy racked his brain. “Jake. His name is Jake, right? You remember him?”
Clarke was growing pale. Her hands were shaking at her sides. “Dad?”
“Yes, your dad.” He didn’t chase her as she stumbled backwards. He could see she needed air to breathe, space to think, and a wall to clutch to keep upright. “Greek mythology is real - all the stories and the legends and heroes and monsters.”
The more he talked, the more pieces of the puzzle he put together himself.
“This hotel is a trap,” Bellamy explained. “It’s a beacon for the descendants of the gods. It draws us in and keeps us there forever. I should’ve realized before - it’s the home of the lotus-eaters.” It all made sense now. “In ancient times, the lotus-eaters would capture innocent people and keep them prisoner with the use of a lotus flower with apathetic properties.”
“I don’t-” Clarke shook her head. “I don’t understand. What’s happening? What-”
“You’ve been trapped here for months.” He could sense he was almost there - he could tell that she was so close to getting it. He gave one final push. “It’s time to wake up, Clarke. It’s time we go back home.”
im very excited to post this fic in June! the art by @goddess-clarke for this fic is FANTASTIC as well 💜 be sure to check out the event’s page to see more sneak peaks of the awesome work being done for this event!
& LET ME KNOW IF YOUD LIKE TO BE ADDED TO THE TAG LIST!