Will Solace
Dreams and Memories: Michael Yew, Where are you?
It was another morning where I would wake up with a start and end up not knowing how to really feel as dreams that caused the sudden wake replayed in my head. Yes, demigod dreams were never just dreams. More than often, it meant something or carried a message of some sort. As I thought and let the fact that I was up, probably lacking in sleep, I would find myself handling an Ace bandage, absently wrapping and unwrapping the dressing around my wrist in about five or ten different techniques, traditional or made up. This was a habit and I wouldn't have realized it until one of my siblings, Austin, approached me and asked. I didn't answer why but now I knew.
That dream was consistent and it usually took me back to the time during the last Titan war. The time where Percy Jackson came back with obviously grave news and dragged me out of the cabin to help and heal Annabeth Chase from a bad stab wound to the shoulder. That time, I never thought I would feel so drained and burnt out with healing. At least that was what I told myself and others who reacted to how I looked after each healing hymn hummed to Apollo. That took energy of course, but after Annabeth, even I felt like my knees were about to give in. If it weren't for the adrenaline and need for help going around, I would have given in. It wasn't the fatality brought by the child of Athena's poisoned wound or the mass of injured campers needing to help. It was when Percy came and instructed the rest to keep searching for Michael Yew at the short time of ceasefire. Scenes in the dream would shift to the search conceding unsuccessful presuming the missing son of Apollo had fallen with only remains of his bow. That was burned along with his shroud in memory of him and other deceased campers.
"He's not dead.." I remembered murmuring, refusing to admit to myself that my brother was gone. I was forced to step up and assume the head counselor position for the Apollo cabin in the middle of the war as Jake Mason did for the Hephaestus cabin. It was then I remembered the last words Michael said to me before leaving with Percy for the war,
"You're in charge while I'm gone. Look after them. Look after each other and don't lose hope.."
Scenes in the dream would blur and I would see the image of Michael Yew, bow in hand, standing at one side of the bridge, calling out to me. Before I could even reach out to my brother or call out his name, he would fade, and that's when I would wake up.
While manning the infirmary and after treating the last camper who would come in just from falling off the pegasi during training I sat down, still thinking back to the dream. Again, I found myself absently practicing with the Ace bandage on my own wrist. I knew what my dreams were about. A constant reminder of my brother.
"Michael Yew, where are you?"