Post by Ψ ADMIN SUSHI Ψ on Feb 5, 2011 9:35:01 GMT -5
(( I had this like terrible percy jackson related dream the other night and I woke up knowing I had to write it into a story somehow. Not sure where I will go with this but I like what I have thus far. Takes place not too long after Last Olympian. Let me know what you guys think. ))
B A D
D R E A M S
D R E A M S
Percy sat in shocked silence staring the opposite wall. The cabin was dark still it had to be around three in the morning but there was no sleeping after that dream. Actually it was more fitting to call it nightmare because there was absolutely no liking or loving what Percy had just seen. He felt tears softly roll down his cheeks. He dabbed them dry. He had never woke up crying before even from his dreams of Kronos and Luke. Percy had seen some terrible things before in his dreams but this topped it all.
He drew in a deep breath but his heart felt like dead weight in his chest. Percy tried to erase the images but they wouldn’t leave him. Anxiety caused the blood to pump hard through his veins. Percy climbed out of his bunk and quickly dressed in the clothes from the day before. Haphazardly slipping his shoes on he quietly left his cabin. It was way after curfew but Percy wouldn’t mind suffering the consequences. He just had to be sure that she was all right. He tiptoed across the quad to the Athena cabin. The entire was dead silent; Percy had never seen it so dead or quiet before. It was eerie. Peering into one of the window Percy squinted in the dark hoping to spot Annabeth sleeping in her bunk, but he couldn’t see anything. He would just have to trust that she was all right.
Percy didn’t return to Cabin Three, instead he continued through the dark camp and toward the woods. Any demigod going into the woods at night had a death wish but again Percy needed to know what his dream and he was desperate. He passed through the trees with Riptide drawn and ready for any monster that may want to try and have a son of Poseidon as a late night snack. He heard a few snapping twigs and he swung at shadows but the monsters stayed away. It was as if they knew he was on an important mission and it would be in their benefit to stay in their hiding places. After several minute Percy made to a cave. He could a faint glowing light coming from within. He approached with caution and cupped his hand over his mouth to call to the tenant.
“Rachel, are you awake?”
There was no response at first and Percy thought about calling again but he heard movement from within the cave. The dim light brightened and began to move toward Percy and the entrance. A girl with tangled red hair, a blanket draped over her shoulders, an oil lamp in one hand and a seriously annoyed look in her eyes stopped at the mouth of the cave.
“Why do people ask that? I mean if I am asleep I’m sure as hell not going to answer. And if you’re persistent which you are Perseus Jackson, then I’m going to wake up. Next time just say hey Rachel it’s a quarter past way too early to be awake and I am going to bother you now so just wake up.” She sighed and her hip jetted out to the side. Percy stood there and blinked fully catching the sarcasm in her voice but choosing to ignore it.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
She rolled her eyes and looked around. “What are you doing out here, and how did you get here without a flashlight?”
Percy shrugged, “Demigod instincts?”
“Sure. But answer the real question, why are you here knocking on my humble abode at 3:30 in the morning?”
Percy drew in a breath and hesitated. “I had a dream, well a nightmare rather.”
“And this couldn’t wait till morning because?”
“Because Annabeth dies.”
Rachel’s face went sheet white in the light of the oil lamp. She eyed Percy careful and gestured for him to enter. He Percy had never been inside Rachel’s cave before. He still thought it was weird that she lived in a cave in the forest. Sure Apollo had made mention of her living out here as the Oracle but Percy thought he was joking.
Inside the cave didn’t exactly look like a cave. The open room was lined with purple and pink curtains. One the walls hung photos of Rachel’s family and a few of her friends. There were also a few framed pieces of art by some of Rachel’s favorite artist, Van Gogh, Picasso and a few others Percy couldn’t remember. On one side of the room was a large four-post bed with a comforter that was speckled with paint. Percy wasn’t sure if was meant to look that way or if Rachel had gotten bored one day. There was a one of those psychiatrist couches, a few beanbag chairs and a massive entertainment system. It looked dusty like she hadn’t touched it in while. There were of course art easels and paints. Percy could tell Apollo set the entire thing up and Rachel came in and added her personal touches.
“Sit.” She said gruffly taking a seat on the couch. Percy glanced at one of the beanbag chairs and back to Rachel giving her a look that said you have got to be kidding. She wasn’t of course. Percy sat and sank into the beans. It was awkward. Percy was glad no one else was around to see him because he must have looked ridiculous.
“This is nice.” Percy said.
“It’s not bad. My ears must have been buzzing because I thought I heard you said you dreamed about Annabeth dying?”
Percy tried to sit up in the chair but it was working on swallowing him whole. He shifted for a few seconds but decided it would be best to remain still. “Yes and no. I mean in my dream she died but” he paused “it’s a long story.”
Rachel raised an eyebrow, “I know you didn’t just come out here to tell me that you dreamed Annabeth died and nothing else. Man up and spill.”
Percy avoided Rachel’s gaze. He shifted again in the beanbag chair of doom and started from the beginning.
“I don’t remember how it started I was kind of launched into the action. We were inside some kind of ruins, like in ancient Greece—“
“There weren’t really ruins in ancient Greece they would have just been buildings.” Rachel interrupted.
“Fine, Greece then.” He grumbled. “Anyway, we’re in these ruins and we’re fighting something but I can’t make out what it is. And everything is just going from bad to worse. There’s a few other half bloods fighting with us and they start to fall one right after another. Then—“ Percy’s voice caught in his throat. He swallowed and paused his eyes scanning the empty air in front of him. “Annabeth died.”
Rachel pondered the story for a moment. “Sounds like a regular dream to me. I mean not saying that you have no right to be jarred by it but why did you come to me?”
“Rachel it felt like I was living it like all those other times I dreamed about Kronos. It felt real.”
“Okay yes, dreams can feel real but Percy demigod dreams, while crazy accurate happen in real time don’t they? This obviously hasn’t happened yet and its very unlikely you guys will be hopping a plane to Greece with several others from camp. It’s just a bad dream.” Rachel’s words didn’t comfort Percy at all. He knew how it felt in the dream and it felt more than real. He shook his head vigorously.
“You don’t get it Rachel. They weren’t demigods from camp, I had never seen them before. And this was real I felt it and I felt this really strong presence too, like a God or something.” Percy tried to lean forward but once again the beanbag held him back. He was coming real close to slicing and dicing the thing with Riptide.
“Percy, are you trying to say you had a vision, like a prophecy?” Rachel asked.
“No. I mean, I don’t know what visions are like but if this happens in the future then yeah I guess I was having a vision.” Percy concluded. “I didn’t know who to talk to about this and I know Annabeth would flip. I figured if I was having a vision it’d be your department.”
Rachel crossed her arms over her chest. "You're not having a vision. There is no possible way for you to have a vision. I'm the Oracle I should know, if anyone is seeing the future around here its me." She tossed her red hair over her shoulder. "I haven't seen Annabeth die or anything you were talking about. For now we can just assume it was a bad dream and leave it at that."
Percy pushed upward trying to free himself from the beanbag chair. He struggled for a minute and uncapped Riptide. With one slash the chair split open and tiny foam beans spilled everywhere. He finally was able to stand, "Rachel I know the difference between a dream and a demigod this crap is for real dream. And I was definitely having a demigod this is for real dream. I don't know how I was able to look into the future, maybe Apollo gave me a freebie. All I know is Annabeth dies and I can't live with the guilt!"
Rachel stared daggers at Percy, if looks could kill he would have been dead three times over. "You owe me a new beanbag chair." She said calmly.
Percy kicked the dead chair out of the way sending the Styrofoam beans skyward. "Forget about the chair. Didn't you hear me?"
"Yes, Percy Jackson I heard you. You were screaming in my face after all." She stood up and punched him in the arm. "That's for screaming at me. Now kindly step away from the beanbag you just brutally murdered and we'll think about this logically."
"Logic and demigod dreams, there is not combination." Percy breathed brushing the beans off of his shirt. They clung to him like magnets. He desperately flicked them aside but they continued to latch onto his body. He gave up after the first dozen or so tries. Looking back to Rachel he sighed and shook his head helplessly. "Rachel, I can't lose her."
Rachel saw the sadness and desperation in her friend's eyes. She blinked and hung her head a little unable to figure out how to help him. "I'm sorry, Percy. Maybe you should consult Chiron in the morning. I don't know how much help I can be even if this is a prophetic dream."
Percy did a double take to Rachel as she mentioned prophetic dreams. "Wait, prophetic dreams. Of course why didn't I think about that before."
Rachel raised an eyebrow and waited for Percy to finish his thought but he just went on mumbling to himself completely ignoring the oracle in the room. She waved a hand in front of his face. "Percy, I may be able to see the past, present and future but I can't see into your seaweed brain."
"Morpheus. I knew I felt the presence of a God even if there wasn't one visibly present in my dream itself. Morpheus did this." Percy said with excitement in his voice. He had just figured something out without Annabeth's help. This occasionally happened, he was kind of disappointed she wasn't around to see him arrive at the conclusion.
"Why would Morpheus send you a dream of Annabeth dying?" Rachel asked with a shrug.
"I don't know, you think I understand how Gods work?"
"Touche. But Percy, this just means it wasn't real."
Percy shook his head, "I'm still not sure. I mean maybe it does happen and he wanted me to see it so I could prevent it." He rolled his eyes and murmured to himself, "I have to change it."
Rachel cross the cave and opened the mini fridge in the corner. She took out two cans of coke offering one to Percy. He took it but didn't bother to pop it open. Rachel took a long sip and sat back down on the couch. "Now you have to go to Chiron about this."
"No."
"What?"
"I can't tell anyone about this, not even Annabeth." said Percy tossing the can of pop back and forth in his hands.
"Are you seriously this moronic? Percy, Annabeth dies in your dream and if there is a chance it could come true you should tell her." Rachel said. She was ready and willing to hit him again but he was out of reach.
Percy's face grew darker and sadder by the second. He stopped moving about and adverted his eyes from Rachel. Her brow furrowed realizing that Percy hadn't been telling the whole story. He left something out, some detail about his dream hadn't been shared with Rachel. She shifted uncomfortably. "Percy?"
Percy took a minute to himself before looking back to Rachel, tears now glinting in the corner of his eyes. "I didn't tell you the whole truth about the dream. Annabeth doesn't just die, she's killed...by me."