All rights go to Rick Riordan

That Dark Little Voice

Guess what? Guess what? I'm back! Did you miss me? I bet you did. Well, I guess it's hard for you to forget about me when I come to haunt you when you try to sleep at night. Such fun times. You push me away, as if I don't exist. Do you hate me that much? What a cute little story. You put up a façade and convince the world that you're okay. That's not true, is it? No. That's just one, big, fat lie.

Why do you pretend that I don't exist? You know I'm there, so why the pretend?

We went through this before. Every night, to be exact. So stop trying to be that brave hero that everyone thinks you are. You're just a tired guy who wants people to stop talking about you. I know you. You just want it all to end. You want to stop feeling the pain and the grief. I don't get why you don't just do it. It would be easy. You could just take that lovely sword and plunge it through your heart. And then there's this girlfriend of yours. You don't want to leave her? I think that's your problem right there. Maybe if you got rid of her, all your problems would be solved.

Stop snarling at me. It doesn't sound pleasant.

What about your friends? Oh wait… Never mind. They don't actually like you. Nah. They only like you because they have to. I mean, you were the Prophecy Child. Wow. Big deal. You led an army of demigods to their death. Good on you. You know what I think? I bet they actually hate you. They probably secretly wished you died. They probably pray every night to their parents that something tragic happens to you. That would be fun.

Speaking of fun… remember that time when you broke down and revealed me to that girlfriend of yours? I got to be in control, even if it was only a few moments. Ah… Good times. Remember that look of pure horror and terror on her face? She was pleading, begging for you to stop. I wonder why she stopped you from killing that goddess. Oh wait… She was telling me to stop. I almost forgot. Silly me.

You don't like that? You don't like me reminding you of that incident? Pity… Oh stop trying to block me out. I know you can still hear me. Screaming into your pillow isn't going to help you know. You've done that in the past, more times than you would like to admit. How many times did you actually succeed by doing that? Oh don't be ridiculous. Falling asleep doesn't count as winning. Besides, you only blocked me out because you collapsed due to exhaustion and from crying yourself to sleep. Don't get too ahead of yourself.

We stopped screaming have we? What are we going to do today? Ooohhh. Are we going to use pain now? I love this part! Isn't it great? The feeling of your skin being sliced and torn open and the blood trickling down your arm? Maybe I will stop annoying you if you cut yourself. I mean that sword looks so sharp. Was your blade always this dangerous looking? I didn't realise it was this easy to control you.

…Hang on… Why are you putting the sword down? You didn't even do anything. You just looked at it! You are one pathetic guy. You can't even hurt yourself. What about the other times you did it? Hmm? Wasn't it great? Don't shake your head at me, young man. It was amazing! You even got to tune me out for a moment. It was impressive.

Don't ignore me.

Why are you… Oh. Are we going to destroy everything that stands in our way? This game is fun as well. But I doubt that chair needed to be broken into that many pieces. Actually, no. That was an excellent thing to do. Hey! I've got an idea! Why don't you trip and land on the broken wood? You could get splinters! That way you can hurt yourself and attempt to block me out.

Idiot.

Don't avoid the wood. That wasn't the plan! I really hate you sometimes. You can be so stubborn. It's infuriating, actually. Maybe I'll just dance around and whisper evil and dark things to you. How does that sound? Well, I'm only going to be stating the truth…

Punching the wall isn't going to make me go away, you know.

Cursing me isn't going to work either. You already tried that, remember?

It's not often I get to see you like this. You should really stand in front of the mirror more often. You look pathetic, you know that? Look at yourself. You have such green eyes. Do people actually like that colour? There must be something wrong with them. You know what I think? I think we should swap. You would look great with dark red eyes, the colour of blood. Look at you, crying all because of me. I'm flattered. Those eyes. Did you know that you have shadows in them? It's not obvious to you, but I can see them clearly. Or maybe you do know… Maybe you know that sooner or later, you are going to break. Either way, I can control you in no time.

You seem mad. Like, your hands are shaking and you have that twitch in your eye. So cute. What are you going to do? Punch yourself? Maybe you should punch the mirror. Really hard. Please do it. I need a good laugh.

The mirror will crack and the shards will split your skin. You might even be able to get lucky and have glass stuck in your hand. And the blood! Such gorgeous blood. I love the crimson colour that drips to the floor, creating beautiful puddles. It reminds me of that time when you were surrounded by dead bodies of your friends. Who was it that you failed to save? Luke? Selina? Or was it Michael? No… um… it was Beckendorf right? That can't be right… Who am I kidding. They all died because of you. Yes.

All. Your. Fault.

It wasn't just them, was it? No. They were so many more, but you can't remember their names.

No wonder they want you dead.

That's it… that's it… Just raise your arm and strike. Look at that face, taunting you. Sure it's your face, but it's the closest to actually hitting me. Come on! You can do it! It's easy. I'll show you if you want.

Are you shitting me? You can't just act like you're going to punch something then just not do it. Oh wait. I know why. You are a coward. Yep. A coward. A person who runs away because they're afraid. That's what you are and that's what you do. At the first sign of danger or pain, you just run. It's no wonder everyone hates you.

You hear that? Someone's knocking on the door. I bet it's one of the campers, trying to assassinate you during the night. Who else would knock at your door at 2am? You are gonna die! You are gonna die!

Don't tell me to shut up. I'm being optimistic here… or is it pessimistic… Same thing. Do you think you will get stabbed? Or maybe they'll give you a bomb. Hehe. The possibilities are endless. Isn't this all exciting?

Never mind. False alarm. It was just your girlfriend. I think it would be hilarious if she ended up killing you. I did tell you that everyone wants you dead. She hates you the most. Remember a certain boy you failed to save? Luke? Yeah, she's still mad at you.

Hmm. There's something different about her. Let me figure this out. I'm running through the list of worst case scenarios, so don' distract me.

I got it! It's her eyes! No wonder they look familiar! Oi, are you listening to me? Her eyes are like yours. They have shadows in them. Her eyes look like glass that's just about to shatter. Look at her. She's crying. Aww. That's so sad.

What is she asking you to do? Hold her? What is she, seven?

Oh. She's scared. What a wimp.

No! Oh my gods. Don't listen to her! No. Don't hug her and tell her everything is fine. Or do you want to fill her head with lies? If you want to lie to her, then be my guest. I don't care. Go ahead. Everything that you say are lies these days anyway.

I'm fine - Lie

It's alright - Lie

No, no, I'm just tired - Another lie

We're safe now. No one can hurt us - That was the biggest lie. When are you going to stop?

Are you going to ignore me now? I guess it is kind of late. But this is the best time to contemplate everything in life and figure out why the whole universe is out to get you. Oh come on… Don't do this… You're ruining everything.

Fine. Go to sleep then. Don't worry. I'll be here in the morning. I'm a patient man. Very patient. So there's no reason for you to worry about me.

One day.

One day, I will break free from this wretched prison you call your mind. Every night, I break your walls down, and every night, you build them up again. The only problem is, the walls are never as strong as they used to be. Sooner or later, I will knock down the barricades and there won't be anything left to save yourself. I can't wait for that day to come. I really hope I can drive you insane. That's my goal, my mission. And guess what Percy?

Your end is coming.

Your girlfriend saved you tonight, but just you wait. A time will come when she won't be able to save you. After all, how can she save you from your own self?

I'm having too much fun.

Ready or not… here I come….

AN - Reviews and criticism are appreciated greatly.