Chapter 20: Insanity and Dreams
Sorry for the long wait!
Percy's Pov:
Annabeth was in pure white clothes, but they were stained from blood. I would have changed her, but I didn't want to invade her privacy. And I would have let the weird-wind-spirit thingys change her, but I didn't trust them to handle my Wise Girl.
I didn't trust anyone to even touch my Annabeth when she was weakened like this.
I sat by her bed for days, idly talking to her, reading books, watching this French show "Miraculous Ladybug," (A/N: It's real and it is the best show in the universe) and ignoring all the mortals crying out to me.
It was painful. Mortals weeping, sometimes screaming, and I didn't leave her. I had a bad headache most of the time.
I felt like I was going insane. I didn't talk to anyone even though I heard the doorbell ring a couple of times. I only talked to Annabeth, and she couldn't reply. Daily I nursed her wounds.
I didn't sleep for five days, not wanting to give satisfaction to the god who stranded my fiancee in the desert, who made her bleed.
But I couldn't stay awake forever. I felt my eyes droop several times, I tried to keep them open, but I couldn't. I closed my eyes, exhausted, only to open them a moment later completely refreshed.
I was in the sea, and I couldn't swim. I don't know how I knew what it felt like, but soon I was underwater, sinking. I tried to swim and I tried to breathe, but the water filled my lungs and the salty taste hurt. My nose hurt, also, and I tried to snort out the water, but failed.
I closed my eyes again only to open them and able to breath easily. I hated Hypnos.
This time I was in a dark theatre. I was the only one in the seats. The stage lit up, a powerful beam of light, focused on a chair. And in that chair was Annabeth. She looked beautiful, perfectly healthy and cut-free.
I smiled slightly; it was good to see my Wise Girl so healthy. I shook my head. It wasn't her, it was a dream. This was Hypnos' world.
Suddenly a man came out of the left curtain. I snarled, and tried to leap towards him, but realized that my hands were cuffed to either side of the strangely comfortable chair.
The man had light brown hair and was dressed in a completely black suit. He was wearing sunglasses, and I glared at him.
"Awfully dark for sunglasses, isn't it?" I retorted.
"Ah, but I am looking upon something so light and beautiful…" he said looking at Annabeth.
Fear shone in Annabeth's eyes. "Stay away from my Wise Girl!" I shouted.
"Ah, she is wise, isn't she? She escaped from my land, after all. But do not worry, Percy Jackson. I am not interested in your little girlfriend. I'm just interested in hurting you." The man reached out to touch Annabeth's chin. He stroked her jawline, and I only realized that he had a knife in his hand after her jaw shone from the light reflecting off her dark red blood.
"No!" I shouted, struggling from the chains. I felt… a weakness in me, and I felt like I had before I was a god. All the way before I knew the gods existed, when I was just a troubled kid who brought trouble everywhere. Defenseless. Stupid.
And alone. So, so blocked off from everyone else. I had put Annabeth in danger. My head drooped. I couldn't even look at Annabeth. I was too ashamed.
"Hey! You have to look! It's part of the fun! I can make you be tortured, too! It's MY dream!" the man screamed.
My head snapped up. "Hypnos?" I asked. I regretted looking up, though. Annabeth was covered in blood.
She was still beautiful, though. To me she would always beautiful.
Looking down, I sighed. A god had me in his element. He was torturing the one I love, and I couldn't help thinking, why us?
Why did my friends and I always have such hard lives?
I just wanted my Annabeth.
Roses are red
Violets are blue
I'd be ever so happy
If you'd review
It's not that hard
So don't just follow
Review what you think
And don't leave me in sorrow
~giraffesplaycello