Hello everyone! This is part one of the next chapter. I would prefer to keep them combined but when they're over 10 pages, it makes more sense to split them up. As I mentioned before, there will be one chapter released between "Annabeth's Birthday" and "I Plan My Entire Life." Apologies once again for releasing out of order, I'll be back on track again very soon. Feel free to leave suggestions in the review section. I have plans for where the story is going and it will cover the school year in relative detail, so I'm always open to ideas. There will be a lot of smaller things I'd love to add in. Enjoy! Part 2 will be up Saturday or Sunday.

P.S. I Promise the story won't be this dark throughout the whole thing.

Percy POV

Chapter 8 - I Have Some Nasty Nightmares, Part 1

Percy arrived back at Camp Half-Blood as the sun was going down. Dinner would be soon, but he wouldn't be going to the dining pavilion. I thanked Blackjack for all he had done today and headed back to cabin. I crashed into my bed, and after a few minutes, quickly fell into the embrace of restless nightmares.

I was back at the junkyard in the desert that I'd visited two and a half years ago, standing in the middle of the wreckage of the destroyed automaton. It was after dark, and the eerie quiet of the yard dominated the atmosphere. Occasionally, hollow whispers flew through the desert sands, spurred by a strong breeze. There was no hum to signify nearby cars, and the air lacked the quiet pad of scavenger's paws. Even the buzz of insects was absent. Nearby mountains could have been mistaken for razor sharp teeth against the light of the moon. I explored the ruins, moving from the giant toes to the robot's head. Upon reaching my destination, my heart skipped a beat.

Bianca sat, lounging on the nose as if she were sitting in a Lazy Boy recliner. She was dressed like a Huntress, silvery clothing, with the exception of her the green floppy hat she had been wearing when I met her. The light of the moon seemed to absorb into her skin, making her stronger. She had her eyes closed, with a smile on her face. A bow and quiver sat within an arm's reach. As I watched her, guilt forced a sound in the back of his throat somewhere between a grunt and a whimper. It hurt to see her, so lifelike.

She must have heard, as her eyes flew open as she reached for her bow. Her eyes settled on me, noticing for the first time, but she slowly relaxed and sat back into her former position. This time, the smile was gone and her eyes were open, regarding me with a mistrustful look.

"Bianca," I choked out. "How are you here?"

Now she stared straight at him, her eyes like venom, boring into my soul. "Funny," she said. "I thought you of all people would know why I'm...constricted here. You're responsible."

"I'm so sorry," I apologized. "I didn't want-"

"Didn't want what, Percy? For me to climb into this thing? Then why didn't you try to stop me when I said I was going to? You had heard the Oracle's prophecy. You knew exactly what was going to happen."

"No," I managed to say, through the tears. "This is never what I wanted."

Bianca shook her head, chuckling to herself. "Even now, he lies to himself," she said, looking up at the stars. "Can you believe it, Zoe? Even now, he can't admit it."

He couldn't even say anything in his own defence. He felt awful. Biana...she was so young, so innocent. When he met her, she had only just found out about her demigod side. She should have never been allowed on the quest. He should never have let her attack the automaton. It was his fault. He should have been the one in that machine when it was destroyed. Hearing laughing, he looked up.

"Finally," Bianca said, again looking upwards. "He begins to understand the depth of his guilt. Not that there is any hope." She lowered her head and looked into his eyes. He had never seen Bianca look like this. She looked like Nico….she looked like her father, Hades. Madness flickered deep in her own eyes, and I felt imprisoned, unable to look away. He was terrified.

"I will ensure my father condemns you to the worst torture imaginable when you finally perish," Bianca said, in a voice that was not her own. It sounded similar to how Kronos had spoke, steel scraping against steel. "You will not go to the Fields of Elysium...oh no, little hero," she continued. Now she sounded exactly as Kronos had. She began to laugh maniacally. "You will be thrown into the depths of Tartarus, into the uninhabitable lands. You will be hounded by monsters constantly, unable to defeat the droves which are reborn again and again. But this time...you will not have the daughter of Athena to aid you. There will be no escape."

Bianca's eyes began to glow, turning gold. As the light from her eyes grew, her laughter became louder and louder. The light from within her body dissolved her body, and the true form of my greatest enemy, Kronos, was revealed. I couldn't look away, the pain was so total it was paralyzing.

He awoke with a start. The sun had just set. The quiet gurgle of the fountain in the corner of his cabin was the only sound, aside from the distant sounds of demigods supping on their evening meal in the dining pavilion. I still had no motivation to eat, so I laid back down. I didn't really want to sleep either, but it's embrace seemed to pull me, as if it wanted to draw him back into another torturous dream. I gave in.

It took him a few moments to realize where he was standing, but when he did, he was horrified. He was in Connecticut. Before him, the house of May Castellan sat in the night, with low light emitting from the windows. I had to get out of here. I wouldn't, no, couldn't go in there. An unexpected voice next to him made him jump half way out of his skin.

"Seems pretty cozy, huh?" A young man with blond hair and a scar down the side of his face was standing next to him, dressed in an orange Camp-Half Blood tank top, beach shorts, and a camp necklace, adorned with several beads. He wore casual flip flops on his feet, and a sword was strapped to his hip.

"Luke?" I asked, "you're...why are you here? You hate this place."

The son of Hermes laughed, but it was warm, welcoming. This wasn't the Luke Percy knew. It was the version of Luke before he went over to Kronos. The one that had welcomed me to Camp Half-Blood. He'd been the coolest, nicest guy in the valley. Everyone liked and respected him. He'd taken Percy under his wing and explained everything, even stolen some toiletries for him.

"That's true," Luke responded. "But I think whatever's left of me likes to visit this place whenever it gets the chance. Probably because I felt so guilty that I never visited her. Come on in," he said invitingly.

I started to step back. "Luke, I don't want-"

He couldn't finish his sentence. Luke's sword was at his throat. His opponent smiled. "Come on, it's important that you see this."

Percy had no choice, so he walked towards the house, with Luke behind him, keeping him at swordpoint. As they entered the garden, I looked around at all of the figurines strewn around May Castellan's lawn. Many were destroyed, their remains strewn about. The debris covered the path, and Percy had to be careful not to trip.

Upon reaching the front door, I stopped. Luke prodded him with his sword and motioned. "Go ahead," he said. "It's unlocked." I entered the house.

All around, the place was a mess. The massive pile of plastic containers which once held sandwiches were spilled out onto the floor, producing a disgusting, overpowering smell. Furniture was overturned, pictures on the wall had their frames smashed. Long scratch marks on the ceiling created mysterious symbols and phrases in languages that I didn't recognize.

"What is it you thought the first time you came here, Percy? That you were jealous because I had a childhood in the suburbs, with a front lawn?" Luke laughed, but it was colder this time. "Yea, it was a real treat. I spent most of my time outside so I could avoid her fits.

"Luke," I began to say apprehensively, "Why am I here?"

Luke turned to him, his blue eyes full glowing with a pleasant smile. "Why, Percy, you're here to see what you've accomplished. What your legacy will be, as a demigod. You are mortal, after all." He pointed to a closed door. I could hear a quiet, consistent creaking behind it.

I approached the door. It's not as if I had any choice, was unarmed against Luke, the best sword fighter I'd ever faced. The door was open just a crack. As I pushed it inwards, I peered within.