"No..." I moaned, "Please no! Don't! Stop! Take me instead but please, please don't eat her!" I felt a tear roll down my cheek, leaving a hot, wet trail in it's wake. "Please! I'll do anything! Let us be together!" The monster's head snapped around to face me.
"Anything at all, Perseus Jackson?" It hissed at me. Another tear fell out of my eye.
"Anything. Just spare her!"
The monster laughed. "You are foolish, Perseus, but very well." He tossed me the bit of blue cake he'd been holding and I dived to catch it. We were together again, perhaps only breifly, but together.
"You have your cake, Jackson. Now for your bargain! I order you to give me all your blue cookies!" It took a second for this to sink it. Suddenly, BAM! I felt like my strings had been cut. My knees buckled and I lay on the cold, uneven ground and let out such an awful, pitiful, despairing noise that I swear I shook the very foundations of this land.
I jerked awake, breathing heavily. I took inventory. I was at home. I was okay. My blue food was okay. Life was good. Thank the gods. It was just a dream.
After lying still for a few seconds I rolled onto my side. And who might I see on a stretcher bed next to me? Nico di Angelo. Asleep and unsuspecting. A plan worthy of the Hermes cabin began to formulate in my mind.
I silently jumped out of bed and went down the hall, being careful to make sure I didn't wake up Mum or Paul as I walked past their room. When I got to the bathroom I went over to the bath and filled it 3/4 of the way, using my awesome son-of-poseidon powers in the process to make sure the water didn't make any noise as it fell into the bath. When it was at 3/4 I turned off the taps, put a finger in the water and concentrated. As I did I felt a far-off cold sensation in the finger. I knew the water was getting colder. 14℃, 10℃, 7℃ and finally, 5℃ (41 degrees Fahrenheit for y'all Americans), the temperature I was aiming for. When I was satisfied I went back to the room I was sharing with Nico and went over to his bed.
"Oh you poor, unsuspecting son of Hades. If only you knew what you're in for." I whispered to his sleeping figure.
As quietly and as softy as I could, I bent down, picked up Nico and carried him to the bathroom. I used my mind to spit the water in the bath to either side, leaving a perfect, Nico sized hole. Slowly and carefully I lay Nico in the space and directed the water back over the top of him, leaving a very thin layer of air surrounding his entire body so he didn't wake up.
Having accomplished my plan I stood back up and walked over to the door. As soon as he woke up and moved, the surface tension would break, causing the freezing cold water to collapse onto him.
I took my final glance at him and left the room, heading downstairs to where I could finally hear sounds of movement.
Before I walk into the kitchen I ruffle up my hair and put on my tired face. Pushing the door open I see my mum at the bench drinking coffee and mixing a batter for some pancakes.
"Mornin' Mum." I mumble, doing a convincing impression of someone who had just woken up. She looked up and smiled.
"Good morning Percy! You're up early." She says happily. Ugh. Morning people.
"Yeah, I had a bad dream." I tell her. She looks worried for a second.
"Demigod stuff?"
I pause, "Uh, not really." The worried face disappears and she glances behind me, as if I'm hiding something.
"Where's Nico?"
"Oh, him. Yeah, he's still asleep. It looked like he was having a good dream and I didn't want to wake him." She looks at me suspiciously. I guess you could say that I'm not exactly known for my thoughtfulness of other people when there's an opportunity to prank. All the same, she drops it.
"Alrighty then, well if you just want to go and watch some TV I'll bring some pancakes to you when they're ready."
I smile. "Thanks, mum! I love you!" And race into the lounge room.
I'm only in their for about 10 minutes before Mum comes in with a plateful of steaming hot pancakes, dripping with maple syrup.
"Here you are." I instantly pick up the fork and start shoveling in pancakes.
"Thanks mum, you're the best!" I say, my mouth filled with blue pancakes and syrup running down my cheek. She laughs.
"You're welcome, sweetie. Just come and let me know when Nico's up."
"Sure thing. I'm sure he's having a fantastic drea-" I say, just before there's a loud splash from upstairs. My mum and I look up to the ceiling. Suddenly, there's a noisy eruption of coughing and wheezing.
"Is that...?" Mum starts.
"Yup." I say, popping the P. "Nico."
Once the coughing stops there's silence for half a second until an enormous, ear-splitting shout pierces the morning.
"PERSEUS JACKSON. I SWEAR TO EVERY SINGLE GOD THAT I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!"
I look at my mum who's staring at me, shaking her head.
"Well, I hope you have a nice morning, I shall see you in about an hour?" I tell her calmly, placing my fork onto my now empty plate.
I stand up and walk towards the front door. in the very instant I open the door, I hear a loud slipping noise and a few thumps and then a furious, sopping wet Nico holding his stygian iron sword appears at the top at the stairs.
"YOU BETTER STOP RIGHT THERE, JACKSON OR YOU'RE GONNA GET IT TEN TIMES WORSE!" he screams.
I step outside, wink at Nico and make a little kissing motion with my hands.
"Love you too." I tell him, right before I step outside the door and instantly break into a sprint, straight towards the Hudson river.
Let's just say that duelling Nico with his head on straight compared to versing a completely furious Nico who genuinely wants to kill me are two very different things. Just so it's clear, the embarrassment of running through freaking New York City with no shirt and only my pajama shorts on is nothing compared to what Nico will do if he catches me. Best to give him some time to cool off.
I hear the slam of a front door behind me when I'm halfway down the street.
"YOU. ARE. SO. FREAKING. DEAD. NOW!" He screams, making a couple of early morning walkers on the street turn to look at the skinny, pale, dripping wet kid running down the street screaming and disturbing their morning.
"Only if you can catch me, my friend! Only if you can catch me!" I shout back, without turning around. Now, I just had to make it to the river and I'm home free.
