distrust
Barty
Something wasn't right.
When Barty had signed up for the quest, he honestly hadn't given it that much thought. His only thought was that there was no way he would let Dorcas go on a mission alone.
Of course, he knew that quests were honourable and important missions. And when a fricking god turned up at Camp Jupiter, Barty knew something was up.
Gods didn't just show up for fun while kids were playing a war game. Barty could still remember standing on the battlefield when it was suddenly flooded with a bright light. He knew immediately that the hot guy in front of him must be a god. Normal mortals didn't look that good.
But anyway, the message was clear. This quest was important. And Barty didn't want to fail.
A lot of people probably thought he didn't care. With all the mischief Barty got up to, you'd think he didn't care. But in reality, the opposite was pretty much the case.
Barty cared. He cared a lot. Barty couldn't afford not to fulfil his tasks. He couldn't afford not to be good enough.
Barty blamed his stepfather.
His mum had been married to him when Pluto visited. To her horror, she found out shortly afterwards that she was pregnant. She had initially tried to make her husband believe that the child was his. When a boy was finally born, they named it after its ‘father’.
Bartemius Crouch Jr.
Life was fine, for a few years. Or at least, Barty assumed so. He couldn't remember.
When Barty was six years old, his mother became ill. The doctors prescribed her lots of medication, but she was no longer herself. Sometimes she couldn't even recognise Barty.
So one evening she confessed everything. Barty's mum was no longer mentally up to scratch. Most of the time she just babbled meaningless things to herself. But on that fateful day, she had an argument with her husband. She ended up telling him everything. Her affair with Pluto. And that Barty wasn't his son. From that day on, everything went downhill. Crouch Sr. had lost any affection he may have once had for his child.
From that moment on, Barty's childhood had become an endless list of tasks. His stepfather would ask something of him, Barty would try to carry it out. But in the end, it was never enough. Barty was never enough.
He had been eleven years old when his stepfather had beaten him for the first time. Barty had failed a test. He couldn't even remember the subject. Like so many demi-gods, Barty suffered from dislexya. Unfortunately, such ‘excuses’ did not apply to Sir Crouch. Barty's mum hadn't been herself for a long time. She could not have intervened.
When Barty was fourteen, his mum told him about this camp where people like him could train. Where he would be safe. However, he would first have to prove himself to the wolf-godess Lupa in the forest. Apparently, Pluto had sent her a vision in her sleep.
Sir Crouch thought she was mad. But he sent Barty into the forest anyway. Alone and without saying goodbye. Barty is pretty sure that his stepfather didn't believe a word his mother said. He had only seen one chance to get rid of Barty and had taken it.
Luckily for Barty, the Wolf House actually existed and he was accepted into Camp Jupiter shortly afterwards. There he met his best friend Dorcas and built a reasonably stable life for himself.
But the basic principles that Barty had internalised through Sir Crouch did not disappear so easily. That's why he still had a strong urge to do his tasks well. Dorcas had often told him not to beat himself up if he failed. But the truth was that, deep down, Barty always felt like he was failing. Because in the back of his mind there was still an emotionless voice that drove him on. It told him that he wasn't good enough. And sometimes Barty had the feeling that this voice was right.
When he had agreed to take part in the quest, Barty knew that this was his chance. He would prove that he was good enough. That he could fulfil his tasks. He had been pretty confident when he set off with Dorcas and Alice.
But he suspected that Alice hadn't told him and Dorcas everything. Barty didn't know why she was keeping something secret, but it made him nervous.
What's more, a stranger was now travelling with them. Narcissa Black had decided to join them for the time being. Barty didn't trust her. Dorcas seemed to think she was okay and Alice seemed to be taken with her too. But Barty would not be so easily satisfied.
He had tried to talk to Dorcas about his distrust, but she had rebuffed him. She had told him to be a little more open. Maybe Narcissa could help them.
But Barty noticed how the girl kept glancing nervously over her shoulder. She seemed somehow… off. Sometimes their eyes met. Barty had to admit, Narcissa could put on an intense stare, but she couldn't win against „the master of intense glaring“ like Dorcas liked to put it.
They were still walking through the forest. Alice walked ahead with Narcissa, while Barty and Dorcas followed them. Dorcas was telling him something, but he was only half listening. His eyes were fixed on the back of the blonde's head.
Just watch out, Barty thought.
I'll find out what you're up to.