Little Dreamer

By: xXxDaughteroftheKingxXx

AN: I wrote this on the basis of demigod dreams, and how terrible it would be to see the future...and not know how to prevent it.

Little Dreamer is about Sofia Jackson—daughter of Percy and Annabeth Jackson, who, like her parents, is succumbed to prophetic dreams, only worse. More like, Percy's dreams, combined with Rachel's dreams. Percy's dreams are warnings. Rachel's dreams/visions/sights show her the future.

So, the background on this, is, the story begins with six year-old Sofia—'Sofie'—Jackson having familiar dream which she has had before. From then on, it becomes somewhat explanatory, but not too much.

Hope you enjoy. This music ht tp:/www. youtube. com/watch?v =qMfoRqbS-Ko (take the spaces out) might be good to listen to, especially in the dreams. For the second snippet, after the first page break, I would listen to Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift.

Disclaimer: I don't own PJO/HoO.

"Run… run as fast as you can, my little dreamer… But I will catch up to you. …You cannot run forever."

The woman's voice sent shivers down her spine, and she whimpered quietly, hiding behind a burning tree. The entire place was burning, and she… she didn't know why, but she was incredibly sad about it. Teenagers were screaming, weird green people were trying to extinguish the trees, people who were part goat ran around, trying(and, sadly, failing) to help… It was mass chaos.

And, then there was the woman's maniacal laughing. Taunting. Claiming that, if Sofia obeyed her, she could prevent all of this. She could stop this place from beyond destroyed. She could… she could… she could save her father from danger that, as far as she knew, he wasn't in.

"Bend to my will, little dreamer," whispered the woman again. A shadow appeared in front of her; it appeared in the shape of a woman, older than her mother, with long black hair and eyes to match. She had bright red lips, a pale, haughty face, and a tall, slime figured. She was a frightening kind of beautiful… Nothing like how her mother was. "I swear on my own immortal life that I will spare this place… if you merely serve me."

Her voice was always a hiss; she never spoke above a whisper, but Sofia could hear her clearly. She stepped back as far as she could, without walking into the burning tree, and whimpered. "Leave me alone," she croaked. "My-my mommy says this… this is a d-dream."

A soft laugh came from the shadow. "Does she?" she purred. "My dear child, your mother and father lie to you. I am real—this is your future. But, you can change it."

Sofia's head spun. Yes, she had inherited her mother's intelligence, but she was still only six years old—nearly seven—and this was hard to wrap her mind around. Her small hands reached up to her raven black hair, and she ran her fingers through it nervously. It was a habit.

"It's just a dream," she began chanting softly, "it's just a dream. It's just a dream…"

The shadow-woman laughed once again, shaking her head disapprovingly. "Very persistent, I see," she mused. "Nevertheless, I know that even your will can be crumbled. And I know just how."

The dream shifted.

Sofia screamed, falling to her knees. Everytime one of her dreams—and she knew this was one of them—changed, she always ended up falling in the midst of them. The child looked up, observing her surroundings, and her heart sank.

She had seen this place before. She was in a dark, scary palace that looked like it was made of black rock. She could hear the wind howling outside, could feel the chilliness of the damp dungeon. She stood to her feet, shivering, and walked forward. It wasn't in her will; it felt subconscious.

"Yes." The woman had returned. Sofia looked around frantically for her, but found nothing but the shadows of the dungeon, the dim light of the lanterns, and the cells to look at. "Keep walking, my little dreamer. Keep walking."

She knew where the woman was guiding her to… more like who the woman was guiding her to. After what seemed like forever, Sofia reached the end of the dungeon, and she looked straight forward, to see her father, once again.

As always, he looked terrible. His black hair, which she had as well, was greasy and untamed, like he hadn't bathed in months. His figure was skinny—much too skinny—and his clothes were torn badly. His wrists and ankles were found in chains made of the shadows; his head was bowed so low that it touched his chest. He sat on his knees, unmoving.

"Do you not see, child?" the woman said softly. Sofia could almost feel her breath trickling her neck; she shuddered. "You can prevent this."

A shadow crossed in her dad's cell, approaching him. The shadows seemed to bend at its will, and Sofia found herself looking at the woman once again. In horror, she watched at the woman forced her father to look up, despite the sheer exhaustion he must've been experiencing.

"You brought this on him, dreamer," she sneered, forcing the man to stare at Sofia. Green met gray. Sofia could very well see the tiredness… the lack of hope in her father's eyes… He wasn't the man she knew… He was… broken.

The woman's grip seemed to tighten on Sofia's father's jaw, and she let out a small chuckle. The shadows around his arms and legs grew tighter; the shadows in the cell began closing in on the two. Sofia still wasn't sure what was happening, but the shadows came closer to her father, until he was practically submerged in them. It looked as if he couldn't breathe.

"Serve me, Sofia Jackson," the woman purred as the shadows closed in on her father. His expression was pained; he looked ready to beg for a painless death. "Serve me, and none of this was happening."

Then, the shadows overtook the woman and her father, and Sofia found herself falling once again.

"Sofie. Wake up. Sofie. Wake up," a familiar voice said. The little girl let out a small whimper as two strong arms shook her, once again saying, "Sofie. Wake up."

Sofia gasped as her eyes shot open. Light flooded her eyes, and she found herself staring at her father… who looked perfectly fine, just worried. His black hair was very much unlike how it was in the dream, and his green eyes held that defiant spark, along with worry. Her mother and brother sat on the bed as well with equally concerned faces.

Sofie's father stared down at her anxiously, his large hand gripping her tiny one. "Nightmares?" he said gravely, and in response, Sofie nodded, burying her head into his chest.

The tears began spilling down her cheeks, and she sobbed into her father's shirt, soaking it. He muttered words of encouragement to her, promising that he was alright, and that the woman wouldn't hurt her… But she couldn't stop thinking about her father in the dream… About that place that was burning…

"I'm never going to leave you, Sof," her father whispered. "I promise you… You're safe, baby. Nothing's going to hurt you."

That went on for several minutes following, and while her father's words were reassuring, Sofia couldn't stop thinking about the mysterious woman.

"The time has come, Sofia," the woman chuckled. Sofie looked around frantically; she was in the middle of nowhere, in the nighttime, no less. She could barely see anything; only the moon gave her light.

"You had your chance to save him," she murmured, and Sofie had the feeling that the woman was speaking of her father. She looked even more earnestly, and her eyes fell on a tall man, running and breathing heavily.

She let out a small cry, to get his attention, but he paid her no attention. He ran, glancing backwards warily every now and then, stumbling here and there. The woman laughed again, "He cannot hear you, little dreamer. This has already come to pass… You are too late."

Then, her father stumbled again, and he fell to the ground. The shadows seemed to enclose around him, and his lips opened in a silent scream. A harsh laugh filled the silent air as Sofie's dad disappeared right before her eyes, the shadows completely swallowing him.

She whipped around angrily, as if facing the shadow-woman. "What did you do to him?" she demanded, her voice full of contempt.

A chuckle. "Nothing you didn't already know about, my dear," she replied silkily. "I do believe you're regretting not doing anything, hmm?"

Sofie gritted her teeth as the woman continued, "But, you cannot do anything now. I gave you the chance to save your father. You don't want the Night as your enemy… But, now, you already do."

Sofie gasped, sitting up in her bed. She was covered in a cold sweat, and seeing the dark didn't make her feel any better. Luckily, her door was open, so light peeked through the dark room. Her heart beating wildly, she got up out of bed, and dragged herself to Dylan's room, which was just across the hall.

Not bothering to knock on the door, Sofie entered her brother's room, only to see him sprawled out on his bed, snoring(and drooling) as usual. She walked towards his bed, carefully avoiding the clutter on the ground, and grabbed his shoulders.

"Dylan," Sofie muttered, "wake up. Dylan, wake up." Everytime she said that sentence, she would shake him, and he would groan or stir. After five or six cycles of that, Dylan's green eyes finally fluttered open, and he yawned.

"Sofie?" the fourteen year-old said sleepily as he sat up, rubbing his eyes. "That you?"

"It's me," she replied quietly, sitting on his bed. "Dylan, I…"

Dylan sat up quickly, blonde hair ruffled. In a hushed whisper, he said, "Nightmares?"

Sofie nodded grimly. "It's begun."

The End?

AN: I could write an actual story from there... *shrugs* Who knows. Thanks for reading.