Author's Note:

Wow, I haven't uploaded anything for FanFiction in a while! Crazy.

Well, I'm finally getting away from Harry Potter for once! I saw this awesome trailer for the movie Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief and I reeeeaaaaally wanted to go see it. So, I went and was totally blown away. Then, I learned that it was actually a book. I went to the book store right away and bought the first couple in the Percy Jackson series and fell IN LOVE. Seriously, I never shut up. I feel so bad for my friends.

Anyways, so I'm now on the fourth installment and loving it! I was inspired randomly to write this one-shot and the plot in the books is completely disregarded. Like totally. So, don't say I didn't warn you! |=

Disclaimer: DO I HAVE TO? Ugh. Percy Jackson and all its characters/monsters are not mine! They're either Rick Riordan's or belong to Greek mythology! There. Happy?

Happy reading! (x

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Percy Jackson and the Olympians; One-shot
Linked Dreams

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Colours swirled around me, fading then returning. It smelled of rotten flesh one moment, then sweet peppermint the next. There was no feeling, in this place. For what I could see, other than endless colour, was ground – something to walk on. I tested it out, not really knowing how I was moving my unseen legs, and seemed to float across the horizon.

This is so weird.

I kept floating along, searching for nothing, but when the great big crevasse in the earth formed in the misty ground, I knew exactly why I was here.

Except it never came.

The voice of the banished Titan, Kronus, didn't rise from the depths of the crevasse. Only hollow smoke, like millions of wildfires burning, came from it. What was this place, if it was not Tartarus?

Oh, but it is Tartarus, Percy, a foggy thought that sounded vaguely like my best friend Annabeth's came from the crevasse. I tried to call her name, but there was no sound here. Giving up, I ran-floated to the edge of the huge crevasse and looked down.

That was my mistake.

Burning bodies filled the seemingly never-ending depths of the crevasse. No, they were not bodies, for they were not whole. They were spirits of the underworld, of Tartarus. But one glance at their faces told a much different story.

The spirits were those of my friends, my teachers and everyone who I've happened to stumble upon in my thirteen years of life. I saw Annabeth, Grover, Tyson, Thalia, Clarisse, Chiron and my mother. There were more, but it would take much too long to name them all. They were floating… but sinking. Flying, but crashing. It was the most bizarre experience I'd ever had. I tried calling to each of them, in vain.

Perce, Grover's thoughts came to me, we are burning. This is what your spirit will be like, if you should die. The Titan has grown strong, he has cursed you. Please, Percy, run. Go to the sea.

Go Percy; go to the sea, my mother's thoughts floated to me.

Tyson wants Percy to run! Percy should not burn, like his brother, I could feel Tyson's heart in the statement, floating to me as a thought.

Their thoughts were my strength, or so I thought.

I ran-floated off against the horizon, never making it farther than there. They had told me to go to the sea, but where was it? Where was the sea in Tartarus? I floated faster, pushing myself farther and farther but not going anywhere, still.

Then I heard it – the evil laughter.

Kronus' laughter quivered in the fog, although it did not float like a thought. It was a direct statement, a sound. Something I could hear. The laughter was becoming louder, almost unbearable.

I floated faster, trying to beat the laughter. But wherever I went – or didn't go – the laughter was there.

Percy!

A voice boomed in my ears. The powerful voice. The voice of my father.

Perseus Jackson, wake up! Kronus is planting images in your mind! Wake up! Poseidon's voice was lost then because something else had distracted me.

The spirits of my friends were gathering around me. Annabeth, Grover, Tyson – all of them. They all circled me, half burned and charred.

My mother stepped forward and spoke in Kronus' voice, Do not defy me, Percy Jackson. Join me in my crusade, because soon enough I will be alive once again. Olympus will crumble and you will be on my side, joining me in victory!

NEVER! I tried screaming at him… but he was my mother. I couldn't yell at my mother.

What a shame… then you shall burn in Tartarus for all eternity, when I kill you, my mother's mouth opened in a big O, as did everyone else's. Monster and demon spirits came from them and bound towards me.

ENOUGH, my father's booming voice came.

And then I woke up.

I was sprawled in my cot; the linens turned over and pulled this way and that. It looked like a monster had ripped through my sheets. I shuddered at the thought.

Then the full force of what I had just dreamt of hit me. Kronus, the great Titan, could implant dreams in your sleep – but I never thought he'd try it on me.

I sat bolt upright and wiped the sweat from my brow. Breathing heavily, I checked to see if my Cyclopes half-brother Tyson was awake. His one eye was closed and his enormous chest lifted with every breath. He was still asleep. With a heavy sigh, I tried to untangle myself from my sheets and get up to stretch.

You see, I did usually tend to have dreams like this here at Camp Half-Blood (a camp for demigods… it's a long story), so it wasn't really that much of a shock. They mostly showed me what was happening to someone I knew or what was going to happen in the near future. I wouldn't have been freaking out right now, really, if it hadn't been for one little detail of that dream.

My dad had spoken to me in it, urgently, like he didn't want me to see any more. Poseidon didn't really pay any attention to me, unless I prayed to him or something – so what was his voice doing in my dreams?

I finally got myself untangled and stood up. Stretching, I went to the front door of Poseidon's cabin. Looking out, I saw that the stars were abnormally bright. I wondered for a second what could make them be so, but my ADHD got the better of me and I started towards the sparkling waters of the camp beach.

I stepped into the cold water with my bear feet and felt instantly awake and alive. I decided then, that maybe I should take a dip in the water – clear out my thoughts. I stripped down to my boxers (even though if I were to jump in and will myself not to get wet, I wouldn't) and dived right in.

Stroke after stroke, my head become clearer and clearer. I stayed underwater for a while. I almost forgot about my dream until I saw a figure standing at the water's edge. Her blonde hair was tied back but falling out and her grey eyes were weary with tiredness.

I yelped in surprise and realized I was in nothing but my boxers. I stuck my head out of the water and smirked at the girl.

"Come on, Seaweed Brain. Get some clothes on," Annabeth called, laughing. She dropped a towel next to my pile of clothes and turned around so I could have some privacy.

I waded out of the water and picked up the towel, only to put it back down again because I didn't need it. I wasn't wet at all. I quickly changed; glancing back to make sure Annabeth wasn't looking. Finally when I was done, I sat down with my feet still in the water.

Annabeth turned back towards me and saw her towel on the ground, still folded.

"I always forget you don't need that," she stated, coming to sit next to me.

I let her rest her head on my shoulder, "You look miserable."

"Thanks, that's what every girl wants to hear," she rolled her eyes.

I chuckled slightly, "Since when were you a normal girl?"

She lifted her head from my shoulder and raised an eyebrow at me, "Be careful of what you say, Seaweed Brain."

"What I mean is, you don't care about that stuff," I looked her in the eye, "And plus, you know I don't mean it harshly. It's your opening to talk about it."

She put her head back on my shoulder and sighed.

"Unless you don't want to," I added quickly.

"No, no, that's not it. It's just… I saw your dream."

I froze. She saw what I saw? I said something intelligent like, "Oh."

"Hey, its okay," she whispered, "Your dad must really care about you."

"What do you mean?" I was taken aback. Usually she was sinister about the whole gods-being-parents thing. The goddess Athena, her mother, never spoke to her.

"Well, he stopped the dream from happening; if it had gone on longer, you could've been transported there and eaten by those monster spirits," her voice was concerned and frightened.

"You mean... Kronus can actually transport you places through your dreams?"

The sound of the waves almost drowned out what Annabeth said, "Possibly."

That was a frightening thought. Going to sleep, dreaming of Kronus and never waking up again.

Then a thought occurred to me.

"Annabeth, how did you see my dream? Do we have… an empathy link or something? Like me and Grover?"

Annabeth took her time answering. Sure, I trusted her and all… but really, sometimes I dreamt up some weird stuff. And about girls. (I'm 14, sue me.)

"No, it's not an empathy link," I felt her close her eyes, "But I think some kind of connection is going on. I knew it'd happen with you and Grover, maybe even Thalia… but now she's gone. I never thought it'd be between…"

"Us," I finished for her, "But why not? We're friends and all. We've been through a lot…"

"It's not that simple." Annabeth's voice shook.

"What do you have the same link with Luke or something?" I said it before thinking.

Her sob was enough to make me feel like the biggest idiot alive.

"Oh gods, I'm so sorry, Annabeth," I put my arms around her and let her cry into my chest.

"People think I'm crazy, they think I'm so stupid for believing that Luke is honestly okay! But they don't see what I see!" she lifted her head a little to look me in the eye, a very serious expression on her tear-smudged face, "Percy, he's under some trance. He's not doing what Kronus wants with his own free will. Kronus got into his dreams, too. He drove Luke mad."

A new round of sobs ensued as she said, "It's not his fault."

As much as I believed Annabeth, I still had a bad feeling about this. (And my bad feelings usually were partially correct.) But whatever she saw in his dreams, they were really disturbing, because Annabeth never cried.

"Annabeth, come on, it's okay!" I tried to calm her, with no avail, "Hey, if you're worried about Kronus using my dreams to sway my decision – that might not even be mine in the first place – then you're crazy. You know I'd never do it. You know me."

This only made her cry harder.

I don't know how long we sat there in silence, my arms around Annabeth, her face buried in my orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt, but finally she cried herself to hiccups. I wasn't really paying attention, but she must've said something because, well, she pinched my side.

I jerked back wildly and caught my breath. Annabeth started giggling like a little school girl… and I couldn't help but burst into laughter. I must've sounded like a wild hyena.

"Sorry," she said, resting back on my shoulder again.

"No you're not," I said, rubbing my side.

"Well, you're not listening!"

"Hello – ADHD. You have it too!"

"Look, I know that you probably would never do it – decide to go against the gods, side with the Titans. But promise me?"

"What?"

She pulled back from my shoulder and her grey eyes bore into my sea green.

"That you'll always stick with me, Grover and Tyson. We're a team and we're going to fight with and for you. Promise me you'll never leave? Please?"

She looked so earnest, but I didn't need any persuading to answer that one.

"Of course."

"No, you have to promise it!"

"Okay, I promise."

This wasn't near enough for Annabeth, "Swear it to the gods!"

"I swear it to the gods!"

"What exactly?"

"I promise that I'll always stick with you."

Finally, she smiled and a playful glint was in her eye.

"Good. Let's get back to the cabins before someone finds us here."

I nodded, got up and then helped Annabeth up.

"You know, you don't have to make me promise all that stuff," I said, starting off up the hill back to the cabins, "Apparently that's my fatal flaw, the whole 'putting your friends before the world' thing."

Annabeth nudged me, "Hey, that's not such a terrible thing. Well, for me at least."

"Who said you were my friend?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes and muttered, "Seaweed Brain."

Finally, we were at the lit hearth in the middle of the half-circle of cabins. Athena's cabin was on the goddess' side and Poseidon's cabin was on the gods' side of the half-circle.

I stopped and turned to Annabeth. Her blonde hair glowed gold in the firelight, which made her eyes even greyer. I gave her a long hug.

Oh, I should add here that no, we are so not together. Ew, Annabeth's like my sister (well, she's my second cousin, but who's counting?).

"By the way, you are my friend – just so we're clear," I added, pulling away.

I started over to Poseidon's cabin when I heard Annabeth call, "That's cool, cause you're not mine!"

I rolled my eyes and decided not to pick a fight right now. I was surprisingly dead tired.

Also, Annabeth happened to be the daughter of the goddess of wisdom and battle strategy.

Would you pick a fight with her?

Yeah, I thought not.

Back through the front door of Poseidon's cabin I went, right to my bed where I collapsed and fell instantly asleep. This time, I dreamt of water and the sea. Peaceful and harmless.

How I liked it.

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Author's Note:

How's that suchish writing, eh?

I'll definitely be carrying on with the Percy Jackson stuff! I'm officially obsessed! x__x

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