I'd like to think I wasn't too suspicious looking as I staggered my way through the Manhattan streets, but the reality is I'm in incredible pain. My arms are wrapped around my chest in a useless attempt to control my bleeding, and the holy water is still burning my wounds and causing a thin white smoke to creep out of my jacket.
It looks like I'm intentionally crushing a lit cigarette against my body, and it isn't going out.
To add insult to injury, the one day I needed to dodge any random NYPD patrols, I pass no less than three squad cars. Luckily only one of the six cops attached to those cars even got so much as a good glance at me, and he was too busy getting an earful from some homeless guy about a 'flying horse' that he saw over the East River. Hopefully the malt liquor smell will be a hint for the cop to not take him too seriously.
I finally reach Rachel's building and compose myself enough to the doorman, who has already seen me a few times by now to know who I am seeing. He greets me with a "Hey Percy, she already called down to let me know you were on your way, go on ahead," as he cocks his head toward the elevator.
What?
How did she know I was coming over?
I stagger into the elevator and press the button for the penthouse floor. As the elevator closes, the doorman leans over from his station and gives me one last look of mild concern. I give him a pained smile with my arms still wrapped around my chest, ignoring another wisp of smoke that has escaped my jacket.
By the time I reach her front door, I can't even stand up straight. I ring the doorbell and almost immediately hear footsteps from the other side. When I lay my eyes on her the first thing I notice is that she has recently showered, wearing jeans and a tank top, and brushing her hair with a plastic blue hairbrush.
Suddenly I realize my dad was right, I shouldn't have come over.
"Hey you…oh God…Percy what happened?" she says in a sudden panic, reaching out to help me walk through the door.
"You should see the other guy…well girl…girls," I manage to get out. "Your parents aren't here, right?"
"Pfft…of course not," she says…dumping me on the nearest couch. When I open up my jacket a cloud of smoke billows up and out towards the ceiling, my wounds still burning and bubbling. I now have gotten a good look at my shirt too, which is soaked with blood and torn to shreds in the front.
"Can you bring me some water…and some towels?" I ask, trying not to scream at the sight of how bad my situation is. She nods and runs toward another room. I remove my jacket and the piece of clothing formerly known as my shirt. I'm not so worried about bleeding all over her expensive couch, as any blood that's leaving my body is being burned away by the holy water that's still seeped into my wounds.
I take a moment in between wincing in pain to look around the room while I wait for Rachel. Slow music is playing at low volume on the IPod docking station on the hutch, and there are candles lit about in various places instead of having any lamps on. What was she doing before I got here? Normally she is in her studio with the huge windows because she needs natural light to paint.
I see a closed sketch pad on the coffee table in front of me, but even the small physical act of reaching over to look at it sounds too painful to consider.
She emerges from a doorway with a glass bottle filled with oddly blue water, an empty plastic bucket, and a washcloth.
"That might not be enough water…if it is water…" I gasp as she sits next to me, taking the torn and bloodied t-shirt from me and throwing it into the bucket. I'm guessing she doesn't want any blood trickling down on the Persian rug below our feet that is probably more valuable than all the combined possessions in my mom's apartment.
"Percy, your Dad stopped by a few minutes before you got here to drop this off. It is exactly what you need," she says with a certainty I can't argue with.
"My dad? Was here? But…" and before I can say anything further Rachel has pushed me to lay down completely on the couch.
"He said this might feel a bit cold," she says with concern, before pouring it on me. I seize up as the freezing liquid starts to fill my wounds. I try to look down to see what is happening, but the blood starts to rush out of my head, and my eyes close. The last thing I hear is Rachel Elizabeth Dare say in this sweetest voice possible, "Rest Percy, you're safe here."
I open my eyes in a haze. I appear to be sitting up now, in a tight space, not a room…but a car. A limo to be exact.
This seems familiar to me, but…how?
What the hell was in that bottle?
Before I can make my way out to see where I am, the door opens and a teenage girl climbs in. A beautiful teenage girl, wearing a sundress and busily texting away on her phone. Describing her beyond her clothes is a bit of a challenge though. She kind of has Annabeth's eyes and hair, but Rachel's expressions, and maybe a bit of this celebrity that I like…
"It's me, Percy, Aphrodite. You're giving me that look again like you can't figure it out…" she says as she puts her phone away in her tiny, useless looking purse.
"Oh, uh…" I mumble stupidly, suddenly very worried about my appearance.
"Speaking of that, you really don't know what she was doing before you got there. The low-to-non-existent lighting, the candles, the make-out music, why she seemed nervous and excited to see you before realizing you were about to bleed all over her penthouse? None of these are good enough clues?" she asks, giving me a look of annoyance.
"I…wait…where am I?" I ask, wondering if anything that just happened really happened.
"We are in your dreams, Percy. Physically, you are in Miss Dare's house. On her couch. Where she is freaking out about whether you are going to wake up or not," she explains.
"Well…am I?"
"Pfft. Oh Percy…do you honestly think this is how you are going to die given everything else you have to suffer? Wait 'suffer' is not the right word…how about…'experience'," she reconsiders.
"You mean the great prophecy?" I ask, thinking it should be obvious.
"That thing is important too," she replies, waving her hand dismissively in a way that makes it sound like the least important thing ever, "but I was talking about the other super important thing that you and I talked about in this very limo".
I point my eyes upwards trying to remember, and she gets a frustrated look again.
"Don't give me that look," I answer defensively, "My brain doesn't work around you even in my best condition. Now I'm down a pint of blood or more and I just passed out from shock".
Her expression softens. "You're so cute when you're frustrated," she says with a sympathetic smile, and I start blushing immediately.
It's amazing how fast she can disarm you with a compliment.
"So why are we here?"
"You are at a crossroads, Percy. I wanted to make sure you understand that what you do here when you wake could change your relationship with Rachel, and however indirectly, Annabeth".
"Are we supposed to go somewhere? Do something? I mean, if that's true Rachel can see whatever path…"
She shakes her head.
"It's a figurative path, Percy, and I have to leave it at that. You'll do the right thing, of that much I'm certain," and the scene before me begins to melt.
TBC