A gift for @txny-dragon written and drawn by @plumblossom37 based on the prompt “Meg meets death (or Death)”
The first time she met death, she was with Nero.
The bright yellow tape surrounded the area where her real father lay with huge slash marks across his gut. They were a deep red colour, matching with the rose that her mother gave to them.
She looked at the body full of horror, disbelief, and guilt. She turned away and sobbed into the purple suit of her father’s murderer; its toxic scent filled her nose. A dark feather flickered in and out of sight on the steps of the New York Public Library.
A change of the light, and it was gone. Swift like the wind.
The second time she met death, she didn’t remember it.
Nero’s imperial household was a palace of toxic. They were forced to train, to kill anyone and anything that their stepfather wanted them to.
It was inevitable.
The third time she met death, it was at the hands of Nero's colleague – Caligula. Only a while before were they all sitting together, eating fish tacos, chilling out on the Santa Barbara shore.
Jason Grace was stabbed twice in the back. She’ll kill him, she’ll kill him-
And her dummy former god nearly faced death, too, because he had the stupid idea of his to stab himself with the talking tree arrow. And all she could do in that cyclone of wind was watch in horror and disbelief.
She faced death countless times in Camp Jupiter. That stinking dead-but-not-really purple skeleton king. Everyone who died in the battle.
And almost that dummy big brother-of-hers-but-not-really, again.
She faced death a lot in those six months. For a daughter of Demeter, who was the goddess of growing plants and stuff, she sure did face a lot of death instead.
Then, she was free.
Nero could cause no more harm. And Apollo rid the world of that big snake, again. So suddenly, she was in charge of her step siblings, and she was back in Aeithales. And Lester was, too. He came by quite often, even when he was all goddy again. She had a feeling that he didn’t really like it up there.
-
The first time she met Death, it was only an accident. Deciding to leave Aeithales for a small while to get away from her step siblings and cool down was a mistake, apparently.
Skipping all the details, she was now faced with this emo-looking guy with large, black, feathery wings. And a tablet. In the middle of Actual Nowhere.
“McCaffrey?” Mr. Emo Bird Guy asked. Warily, she nodded once.
“Hmm.” he tapped some things on that tablet. “Well-”
“Meg!” She heard Apollo's faint voice in the far distance of… nothing.
All of a sudden, she felt her body mending back together, shifting back into place, and then the nothing was replaced with something. She suddenly felt the dry ground underneath her, and squinted open her eyes to see Apollo, with his extremely goddy getup. Ah. That's where the light was coming from.
She lifted her hand to shield her eyes.
“Ugh. too bright.” Meg heard some apologies, then the light faded away. She opened her eyes again, and Lester was there looming over her like a tree in the forest.
“As I was saying,” continued Mr. Emo Bird Guy from the other side, simultaneously giving her whiplash, “it appears that you aren’t on the list.” He looked at Lester. “She’ll be fine this time.”
Lester thanked Mr. Emo Bird Guy, who nodded in response and then disappeared as Lester turned his head back to face her, fussing over her and giving her ambrosia and stuff. Typical dummy Lester.
The second time she met Death, Lester brought him over for both his friends to meet under better, lighter circumstances, or something.
“So!” Lester said. “Thanatos, Meg McCaffrey.” He gestured to Meg. “Meg, Thanatos.” He gestured to Mr. Emo Bird Guy, whose name was apparently Thanatos. They stared at each other for a few moments.
“You’re that Emo Bird Guy from last time?” she asked, crossing her arms. Lester wheezed at the comment (“Emo Bird Guy– Meg, no–”) as Thanatos blinked.
“I… suppose I am,” he said, as Lester laughed even harder in the background. If he continued doubling over any further, she figured he would turn into those koru plants.
“Are you this dummy’s friend?” She jerked a thumb at Lester, who was still busy trying to quell his laughter. (“Give me a second–”)
“Of sorts, yes. We tolerate each other. That idiot stressed the Hades out of me on his trials, however. If I wasn't immortal, he would have taken off a third of my lifespan,” he muttered with exasperation (but Meg could hear fondness in there, too.) She snickered in response.
