DESERT DUO | LIFE SERIES – PJO AU tumblr drabble
When Scar smiles at him, Grian's heart clenches with primal giddiness. His own face lights against his own will, eyes crinkling fondly, whole demeanor shifting into what other occupants of the Desert call his 'lovesick expression', but they do not understand. This isn't human love, nor is it love.
--
In his defense, Grian is not in his right mind.
When Scar smiles at him, Grian's heart clenches with primal giddiness. His own face lights against his own will, eyes crinkling fondly, whole demeanor shifting into what other occupants of the Desert call his 'lovesick expression', but they do not understand. This isn't human love, nor is it love.
Grian is a creature of Chaos at his core, and god, he is pulled into the orbit of a man that seems like the only one not only capable of causing it, but directing, fueling his own ambitions with it, serving his goals. Making the chaos submit. Grian's ugly, monstrous part aches for Scar's presence, hungry for the atrocities he will commit. It's hideous.
Grian is not in his right mind, in his defense.
When he met Scar for the first time, they were all but children, himself with a cloak made of secrets and the weight of the world and fate on his shoulders, and Scar, bright green eyes, starstruck expression, almost scarless body and face. They were all but passing acquaintces, Grian impressed with a mark of Fates on the boy, but not curious enough to dig deeper.
It would be his downfall.
He was fourteen and Scar was thirteen, which felt like a millennia, but it changed when Scar got a quest just a year later, the first one in years, decades even. Grian didn't volunteer to accompany him, selfishly chose his secrets over another human.
That was a mistake, and it couldn't have happened otherwise.
Scar failed the quest, of course, alone and clumsy and unpolished as he was. He clawed his way back, however, a year later, alive through sheer luck and force of will, littered in scars that told a story of a man who fought his way back to life, quite literally.
Haggling himself out of Elysium. Sometimes Grian still thinks about that, with an excited rush of adrenaline down his spine. Scar's gift of persuasion will bring the world to its knees soon.
The new Scar, with a look that promised hellfire, a comfort of a cold blade etched in your back on a scorching hot knight, has taken to Grian, following him around, promising sweet nothings in a light voice, teasing tilt to every sentence. Others thought he was joking when he promised to bring Tartarus out to earth, Grian's nature, the monstrous thing in his heart, told him it was a promise.
He tried. In his defense, he really tried, but just one night of allowing himself the indulgence of actually absorbing Scar's words, a moment of weakness, with fingers, calloused and rough, treading oh so gently through Grian's hair, voice soft and light, painfully convincing yet nonchalant, perfect picture of plausible deniability.
It was so stupidly Scar, to be so calculating, but earnest, that Grian couldn't hell but giggle. Scar laughed quietly back, leaning over, and his hair brushed Grian's cheek.
Like spiderwebs, entwining his mind and soul, corrupting, prodding, pushing, testing the limits of how far the glass inside of him, carefully crafted to contain the ravenous beast, can be pressed before it collapses, like all other signs of Grian's futile resistance. Too tempting.
Then, Scar whispers, soft, "Grian", he presses his hands to Grian's cheeks, "Just say one word, and we will bring the world to its knees".
Grian still remembers, memories astoundingly fresh, as he gave in, with a gasp, the human facade he had built so carefully cracking apart as he came into being, becoming, with Scar watching, almost as enticed by it as Grian himself was, whispering, triumphant, "yes, baby, yes, that's how you like it, c'mon, Gri, I know you can give me more, you can be so much more–"
–and his existence snapped into place, untethered by morals and pretenses, and anything else mortals considered worthwhile.
They smiled at each other, and that was it.
Grian followed Scar out of the Camp, out of the mortal realm, talons ripping into people he once called friends and snuffing out the flame of their souls once the realization and horror set in, body instinctively going slack as an arm wrapped around his back, squeezing, and a warm laugh settled the burn down.
He showed Scar where Kronos lies himself, allowing the man set on destroying the world as they know it take the scythe, humming with appreciation, and stab it through the coffin's lid, taking the power for himself, turning to Grian with a grin, as if asking, "did you really think I would miss out on the main event?". Grian kneeled instead of answering, kissing the bleeding blade, pulse speeding up when the edge brushed his neck.
Grian gave up his soul and humanity for a life of servitude to a tyrant, and he is delirious with it. It is not happiness, because a creature like him cannot feel it, it is not satisfaction, because he always wants the nebulous more, the curse Scar cast on him that night.
It isn't love, no.
Grian smiles and allows himself to take in the faces of the campers, twisted by sorrow, grief and fear, before humming and leaning on Scar's shoulder, claws digging into his skin, close to his weak spot, dangeroudly, but not enough to graze. He wouldn't risk losing Scar like that.
It's the day they've been waiting for, and today, they take the throne. Scar smiles at him, and Grian smiles, too.
It's a grudge.
NOTES
This is a drabble out of context, but for some more info, bc I am not sure I will ever come back to it:
Grian is a son of Chaos who paraded around as a son of Eris (goddess of discord), looked human until Scar triggered him, giving him avian traits. Was raised by the Moirai for reasons he is not aware even within the fic's timeline.
Scar is a son of Peitho (goddess of persuasion), was partially raised by Pandora after a certain accident that left him alone. Can sometimes feel Fate, hence why he was interested in Grian from the beginning, but only properly figured out how to read people after his death. Moirai's Favorite.
Grian is technically responsible for Scar's death, since they were meant to go on that quest together, but Grian managed to get out of it through meddling with Fates. Scar knows it.
Grian lived his whole life with divinity (or rather monstrosity) under his skin, pretending to be an average demigod, afraid of himself, through his connections to his friends and force of will. His fatal flaw is self-satisfacfion before anything, though, so. Yeah.
The quest was essentially just Scar going through Secret Life, with a steady stream of tasks that led him into dooming himself until he crashed and burned.
Scott is the son of the Zeus who is the chosen one in this verse, but it is more like the prophecy of seven with multiple people participating almost equally. They are still shaken by Grian both turning on them and being, well, like this.
Uhhhhhhh, scar is 17 in the last scene, grian is 19
Idk ask me anything
