Chapter 25: Meet Your Nightmare

Words: 3,876

Recap: So long story short. Professor Rose is a spy. Jack is essentially the jailer for the Will 'o Wisp after an Underworld Civil War *shiver* and to top it off, Professor Rose's iris had oddly turned bright blue so she may or may not be possessed or changed contact lenses.

Who am I kidding? I am never that lucky.

Peeves cried in alarm through his muffled mouth seeing the possessed Professor Rose glaring through her furious bright blue eyes that's not the least natural. Riptide was already on my hand as I pointed at her once more. Only this time, the threat was different.

Professor Ro-I mean, the Wisp-I mean, you know what? Let's just call her Rose Wisp. She smiled a creepy kind of smile that spell the word wicked. We both knew my sword would only just go through her and the Wisps would barely feel it.

So there was only one option available for us.

I grabbed the pumpkin where Jack seemed to be chained to and shouted: "Run!"

Clearly, I didn't need to tell twice with Lily because she whirled around, running with a pace fast enough to rival me. Rose 'o Wisp only needed to wave her hand forward and the Wisps began to chase us, acting like her little minions. Peeves was forced to follow along with us while the Bind Spell was still in place.

We tried getting out of the forest as fast as we could but Jack's way of helping by spouting out random directions wasn't helping at all and in fac; got us lost in the process.

"Would you shut up?!"

"Oh, so now you want me to shut up when you've been wanting me to talk. And I thought you Americans have a thing about freedom of speech, isn't that right Peeves?"

"Mmmehum-mmf-mmmffufeh"

"Preach it, Brother!"

"Ugh, and I thought Peeves was annoying," Lily groaned. She then gave a yelp as the track became treacherous, uplifted roots and loose ground threatening to trip us in our fleeing. However, if only by luck, we managed to keep our footing and run on, though our situation did not seem to be getting any better, my witch friend beginning to breathe heavily.

"C'mon Lily!" I shouted, the dizzying directions messing with my understanding of the forest.

I didn't know how much further we had to run until the tree line would come, but I knew any waver in our speed would give Rose Wisp more than enough time to catch up. Snapping my eyes around quickly, I tried to recognize anything that could even hint to a position in the forest, a grunt of aggravation coming when no such blessing came.

We needed help, that much I knew, but all the summons and pleas I sent to the horses residing in the Forbidden Forest were met with radio silence, causing a growl to rattle my throat.

Why when you need them the most-

"You aren't going to be able to call any of those horned trotters of yours now! The Wisps ain't gonna let that happen!" Jack shouted over the wind, seeing the look on my face.

"Σκατά!" I cursed aloud.

"I don't know what you just said but I don't condone it!" Lily called, jumping over a rock and ducking under a branch.

"You can't escape from fate Percy Jackson," the echoed voice of Rose Wisp's voice gave an eerie feeling that makes her stern commanding voice a hundred times better, "You'll become us."

"That sounds nice but no thanks!" I cried back at her.

The forest layout became much more familiar and at the reminder, I forced Lily to take a sidestepped and let our body roll down from a steep hill. We tumbled down, down below. Falling down, we tossed, swirled, twisted, and turned out of control as we plunge down.

Once we reached the base, I didn't let a single rest delayed us, dragging Lily to a hole beneath the roots of a tree and clamped her mouth shut. I slowed my breathing. Crouching down within the shadows of the forest and hoped the light of its form that had passed us by would not shine our hiding spot.

The seconds ticked within the subconscious of my mind to fill the void of silence, and it felt like hours until there was only darkness left that overtook us. It may be the first time I relaxed from being in the dark

"Are they gone?" Lily whispered.

Cautiously, I stretched my head out and found no signs of the Wisps and Rose 'o Wisp. "She's gone, we better take this chance to make it out of the forest."

"Uhh, Percy…"

"Yeah?" I said absentmindedly while I kept my eyes watchful from the point we came and to where we'll most likely need to go through.

"You didn't happen to insulted a few Centaurs in your time here, wouldn't you?" she asked, something I should have alerted me from the off-topic question but I was too focused on my surrounding.

"Oh...I guess you can say that happened. Though I'm not the only one at fault they were pretty rude too and very uptight with sorely lacking in the humor department."

"Is that so Half-Blood?" hoarse a voice that made my sweat dropped cold. It was followed by the sound of hooves that definitely came more from more than one being.

I sighed and wanted to bang my head against the nearest tree bark, "Let me guess, they're right behind me aren't they?"

"Your guess is correct," growled another gruff but a much more familiar voice. I turned around and plastered a smile.

"Reagan! Buddy, glad to see your head's fine, and Bane! How you doing?" I tried showing a friendly smile alongside my cheery voice that no one can deny was anything but forced.

Their response was to pull an arrow at me. "We warn you not to enter this forest again," Bane groused.

"Ah, yes, see...funny story. The thing is-RUN!" I pulled Lily once more and broke into a run, arrows went whistling past me and I had Lily carry the pumpkin while I have Riptide on the other. Slicing away the arrows that could have hit me. Good thing they were good aimers because none seem to be coming at Lily.

It was not long after that I felt like I was forgetting something but was too focused not getting skewered. So Peeves' muffled cry of being left in the forest went deaf to my ears.

Sorry Peeves, but ask me and I'll say that you kind of deserve it.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, running away from pissed off Centaurs on our tail.

"Must you make enemies wherever you go?!" Lily yelled out to me.

"The gods seem to want me to have enemies! Can't help you with that."

You think things couldn't get any worse than this. Well imagined as we ran through the dank murky dark forest, out came Rose 'o Wisp with her Hell Minions lighting her face in a glimmer of creepy blue light right in front of us and hissing out our names.

It was also a blessing in disguise because seeing her, I used that opportunity to yelled out duck and arrows came whizzing past and onto the Wisps and Rose. A glance was enough to tell that nothing hit anything fatal but I winced that I had to resort to hurting her in the process. Bane, who was leading up front, tried to give himself the brakes but instead, his sudden change of momentum threw him off and got him tangled up with Rose 'o Wisp. Not one to miss an opportunity, I pulled Lily up and we ran away for the third time that.

"Thanks, Bane, I owe you one!" I shouted, grinning all the way while grabbing Lily's wrist, and bolting from the two tangled bodies. The centaur shouted a rather icky cuss at our backs while we fled again, renewed vigor in our stride until we finally exited the forest. We let out a huff of relief but didn't lessen the pace until we reached the castle. We didn't expect to see anyone up at the dead of night, so imagine our surprise when we saw Severus, standing in the middle of the Entrance Hall alone.

"Severus, you're okay!" Lily cried, her voice filled with relief and excitement and broke into a run to give him a hug but I stopped her midway from coming closer to him.

It was good to have Sev awake, looking fine and lively. In fact, it was too good to be true. And given something this good while in the middle of a crisis always seemed to be a catch.

"Good instinct there, Lad," said Jack, "You should be glad your friend here knows what's up. That's your friend's body sure, but that ain't your friend Lassie."

As if to prove a point, Sev made a creepy grin that stretched out from ear to ear and Sev rarely smiled, not to mention grinning like a loon like he's doing now. Then, to add the creepiness, two more join him with the same expression and coming to stand behind him. It was Narcissa and Bertha. All of them had identical fiery blue eyes that glow unnaturally.

Lily gulped at the sight, "Should we-"

"No need to say it."

We ran to the side and began climbing up the Maze Stairs. I dared to look behind and was surprised to find they were gaining at us really fast, even the Fat Bertha! We kept going forward nonetheless but then up ahead at top of the stairs was Angela, ready to block us. Again we were sandwiched between enemies. This looks bad.

The good thing was, Jack was right. The Wisps were idiots.

I let go of Lily and with a silent apology to my fellow Hufflepuff, I sidestepped away from her and emerging from behind, I went and put her in a chokehold. The lack of air through her windpipe got her to struggle at first but she blacked out before long.

Before I let her go though, a scream caused my blood to run cold. I turned to find Lily being pulled down by Severus and Narcissa. I didn't let the time my mind ran to think as my body moved on its own with practiced movement, I pulled out my wand, aimed and cried "Flipendo!"

The spell hit Sev right on target and the push caused him to fell on top of Bertha. Lily used this chance to have her free hand grabbed her wand and used the same spell as me at Miss Black before she caught up to me and we ran wildly down the hallway before we sagged down with the pillars on our back, taking a bit for a breather. Once we were sure there wasn't any Possession Version of the Walking Dead coming at us, I stood and asked Jack how to turn everything back to normal.

"That's a problem itself, seeing as you're not a ghost and I'm chained, though that can be remedied with my plan, you won't like it."

"I don't care, we have possessed people running around trying to take our bodies. Tell me!"

"Boy, you really are impatient. Very well, to seal it away, you first need a ghost on your side and since I'm chained, one of you needs to break me out of my seal while the other must get possessed."

""What?!"" we both almost cried aloud together. "You better know what you're saying Jack because you're testing my patience here." I threatened with my teeth bare at him.

"No, this is the important part. You see...last time they don't know what it was capable off so it was easy to dupe it. And unlike other undead souls, they're connected telepathically all the time and shared a mind. Notice how she keep saying 'us' instead of 'me'?" I thought back at Rose's words and nodded when my memory confirmed him to be right. "See? Essentially, you trick one and you trick them all, you weaken one and you weaken them all."

"If I distract one, I'll distract them all." I let out in realization. I exchanged look with Lily and we both seem to have the same thing in mind if the identical wide eyes and gaping mouth were any tellings. She didn't like it.

"Percy, no!" said Lily.

"Percy, yes!" said Jack.

"Percy will decide for himself thank you," I snarked, "And unfortunately I have to agree with Jack on this one Lily. Whatever you need to free Jack would take time and you need all the time you can get with them running around and we can't risk them adding more bodies falling to their hands."

"Ha! The boy is smart."

"Then let me do it," Lily offered, "They're after me in the first place for some reason so I'd be the best bait we got."

I was about to say no to her as she did to me, but Hecate's message flashed in my mind and I knew she was talking about the choice I'll make right now that determines my fate and hers. One will have you face your nightmares, the other will have you forsake a friend, I remembered the words from the letter. I took a deep breath and looked at her with as much as seriousness muster to my face.

"Lily, I mean no offense to you but you have no chance fighting against their influence. You would just be another possessed victim. I've been trained for this so I can handle it." Lily looked like she wanted to protest but I cut her off, "You have a harder job. You listen to Jack here and do whatever you can to seal the wisps back. If things became too much, go find any of the teachers, Dumbledore if possible, can I trust you to save Hogwarts?"

That seemed to put her off guard at the burden I'm placing on her, but her bright green eyes hardened and she nodded.

So I began running away from her but stopped short, sending her one last look and said to her, "Good Luck."

She nodded, managed a smile and said, "You too."

I managed a weak smile as well before running onward to my nightmare.

"Wait!" Jack cried. Ruining a perfectly good goodbye scene before a tense mental battle I need to prepare.

"What is it now Jack?"

"Got any Drachma?" he asked me. I was about to ask him what for or buzz off either way, I could have said from how irritated I was but Jack had more to say, "Lassie would need a few if she wants to break the seal around me."

Getting my answer, I nodded. Then fished out a few Drachma coins I had just in case to Lily's hand. Her eyes showed confusion on what it was and why I have it, but before she could voice it out, I ran off.

. . .

You know, I can explain to you how I dashingly went out to sacrifice myself to suffer my worst nightmare in clever ways that makes you go breathless in awe and starry-eyed at me.

Sorry to disappoint you, but the fact was more like that I called out to them and yelled, "Hey, Blue's clues, you need someone to clue you in what a natural disaster you are?!" afterward they attack me like a pack of piranhas.

Years of being a demigod and I've experienced a lot of things from funny to downright crazy. Fought a god? Check. Turn to a guinea pig? Check. Make a mountain explode? Check. Swim through the River Styx? Checkity-check. Being possessed? That's a whole new experience.

It felt like being doused in cold water. Your whole body felt cold and it's like you became numb and detached to it. I didn't relent that easily and struggled as I could before the darkness took me away.

And when I tried to open my eyes, I was surprised to find myself staring at the bright blue sky and the prickling grass soothing underneath me. This wasn't how I imagined my nightmare would be, and it became more confusing when I sat straight and was looking over the outline of Camp Half-Blood. I blinked once, trying to discern what I was seeing but that was quickly shielded when someone dumped me an actually shield on my lap. I looked up to cried out 'Hey!' to whoever thrown it but the word got stuck in my throat when I saw the smiling face of my girlfriend.

"Come on Seaweed Brain, it's almost time for dinner."

Dinner, but isn't it day time?

I looked up and instead of the blue sky I saw before was the starry night with all the constellations in full view. I didn't get to think much before Annabeth pulled me up and give me a chaste kiss then pulled me toward Camp Fire. The Poseidon Table and the Zeus Table had become something of The Seven designate table, saving the war and all we kind of became the exception among exceptions.

Leo was there, with half-finished contraception I'm not so sure about and making blowing kisses to Calypso who was talking animatedly with the Hecate kids about magic. Jason was whispering to Piper's ear and giggling with one another. Hazel and Frank kept bumping one another while trying to take the same kind of food, they apologized but then laughed at each other's silliness. I looked to the side and Chiron was there, happily eating dinner while winning in a piccolo game with Mr. D. I spotted Nico and Will being all chummy with one another and Nico must have said something funny when all the Apollo kids laughed. The Artemis Table was filled with the Huntress and I locked eyes with Thalia who gave me a challenging smile on the next Flag Game, her blue eyes that were identical with Jason's own pair showed confidence her team would win.

Clearly, she hasn't faced us, Seven.

Then somehow from afar, on the beach I could see my Mom, wearing a nice dark green dress that sparkles during the night. Laughing and dancing with dad, Poseidon, like a pair of teenagers in their lovesick years. I smiled widely at the scene.

The night went on just like that we cheered, we laughed, we talked, it was bliss.

It was just... a shame.

Annabeth nudged me by the side and gave me a smile, her beautiful smile she gives just for me, the kind you know when she smiles at me you know she loves me. "So Percy, what's knocking in that big seaweed head of yours?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothing, just that...y'now...the camp is peaceful, my friends and family are here, no quest or any world-ending danger….and I've got you by my side."

Annabeth tilted her head, frowning in thought as she tried to analyze me with her gray eyes I love so much, "Percy, you sounded like there is a problem."

I was avoiding her eyes but now that I turned fully to her, and couldn't help the sad resigned smile I gave her, "Because this isn't real."

As soon as the words slipped out of my mouth, the ground shook in a violent earthquake, and a giant hole opened up below us that sucked everything of Camp Half-Blood down, down, into the deepest pit of the earth I knew as Tartarus.

It was almost disappointing that my nightmare hasn't changed since and predictable.

But it didn't make it any less horrifying.

With enemies on all front. The gloomy pit was surrounded by a wall of bronze and beyond that, a three-fold layer of night. All the enemies I've defeated, my friends defeated, and enemies I don't even know the name was attacking and it took everything we got to tackle them. Cries of desperate plea and tears of pain echoed all around me. We were falling, we were losing, we were dying but still, we fought.

I draw Riptide and attacked The Three Gorgon sister, then the Nemean Lion, then the Minotaur, and I think Kronos was there...in Luke's form and that made me pissed more than afraid as I tackled him. It didn't matter that air of Tartarus made it harder to breathe, it didn't matter that every step I walked caused blister, I fought and fought and fought and I couldn't find seem to find an end.

Before I knew it, Luke-Kronos is gone and everything was silent. Making me confused. I then turned and regret that I did. Numerous bodies were strewn all over, Jason and Piper were struck with the same spear through their chest. Frank was using his left burning wood to save Hazel and she was crying in tears. Leo exploded into fire crushing various monsters with him only for them to reform back. Thalia had arrows all over her like a pincushion.

In one word, it was chaos.

My breath began to hitch and choking scream cried out of my mouth. I failed them, I didn't save them. Someone was walking behind me, most likely ready to take me by surprised, stricken by grief, I wanted to take out all my anger at the nearest target so I whirled around and lunge with Riptide out-

-and struck the chest of Annabeth.

I blinked, not wanting to believe my own action. Annabeth just stared, her gray eyes-oh her gray eyes-was wide in surprise and only one word escaped her bloodied mouth.

"Why?"

Immediately I released my grip on Riptide and move to catch her as she fell. My tears kept me from seeing her beautiful face clearly, it didn't matter if she was dressed to a party or just a finished a dozen round with a monster, she was always beautiful to me, even when her face became pale and her lips turned blue. I couldn't manage any word between sobs as I cradle her cold body in my arms. Putting her head near my chest, desperately wanting to feel any warmth from her. My eyes shifted and I found that we were on the bank of the Acheron River. The shrieking pain and agony came to me like a whisper, nudging me to jump because I failed to protect them. That their blood was on my hands. That I am no less of a murderer.

I wanted to. At that moment, how much I wanted to just end the pain. That I'm tired of fighting. Tired of struggling and wanted to just end everything.

But the same pain that was giving me grief also was giving me strength. The hoard of monsters was still around, my sword was still on hand, my body can still move. My friends all died fighting, and some are still are. I can't stop. I won't stop. If I have to die, I'll die fighting to my last breath.

So that was the start of the never-ending survival in Tartarus.