Chandler and I sat in the back of the car, discussing my dreams with me, the book open to us on our laps. Once we had deciphered them, I recognized one voice in my dream; the other girl's voice was Chandler's, so I knew that we had met her for a purpose, we were just unaware of what that purpose was at the moment.
However, it made me feel better to know that all demigods get dreams and not just me. But, Chandler informed me that my dreams might be more prophetic then other demigod's dreams because their dreams hint what is happening to people, when mine might tell me what's going to happen later on.
That didn't make me feel better, though. I didn't want to know who the owner of that haunting voice was. I didn't want to see this person. Even though the voice was somewhat pleasant, I could sense evil and mayhem swirling in the tone. I could sense an urgent want or desire for something. I say something because I'm not sure what that thing is. But, I do have a pretty good idea of what it may be, which is most likely me.
Even though I didn't want to meet, nor fight this person, I would have to defeat them. If I didn't, they would keep on sending monsters after me and leave me entirely clueless with these blind dreams. I couldn't let my friends get hurt, even if I did have the power to heal people with barely even touching them, I couldn't just waste their safety like that.
I closed the book when I discovered that Chandler fell asleep on my shoulder. It was dark outside, but the car's lights shone over the road and Adam carefully drove. I sighed and looked at him in the rear-view mirror. He met my gaze instantly.
"Why don't you find a hotel?" I asked him with my eyes again, trying not to disturb Chandler's sleep. He nodded but it wasn't a while until he turned off of an exit ramp and to a hotel.
My eyes droopily shut but then quickly opened again, I was suddenly very tired, but I didn't want to fall asleep. The room was dark and the TV whispered the nightly news, evenly shining its light everywhere. I glanced at Chandler; she was curled up on the couch and wrapped up in a blanket, asleep. My eyes found Adam in the bundle of sheets in the bed to my right, he was asleep too. His shoulders rose and fell simply and without anxiety, drifting away in an innocent sleep, I was kind of jealous that these two were so peaceful, while I had to deal with the mind-rattling illusions of dreams that disturbed my sleep quite often.
That's was pretty selfish thought of me to think, I should just be glad that they're alive and breathing. I dug my face deeper into the white pillows and shut my eyes, just letting the hum of the TV be my lullaby. I did fall asleep, but a dream soon flooded my mind.
I was kneeling over Chandler's body, her eyes shut to the world in a deep sleep. Tears slipped down my cheeks and from my eyes as my hand hovered over her stomach. Her stomach had a big gash in it and she was bleeding heavily. Barely any silver light escaped my hand as I fervently murmured a Greek healing spell—which I have no idea how I knew healing spells suddenly—but her cut wasn't moving and bit by bit, her pale face was growing lighter and lighter by the second, death was arriving quicker and quicker it seemed.
Someone voice echoed through my ears, calling my name. I looked to my right, but that wasn't such a good idea because a blinding light struck my guiltless eyes.
"Althea!" That was Adam, "A little help, here?" He was yelling over to me, a long electrified sword—which looked like a metal lightning bolt- grasped in his white-knuckled hands. My bow appeared and I got up, loading it. My whole body was quivering from a mixture of fright, worry and tiredness, but that still didn't throw off my aim. My eyebrows furrowed as I aimed and my fingertip let go of the string, my last arrow gleamed with silver light that it outmatched the light of the man Adam was fighting. His head snapped towards me and I got a better look at him, he looked like a male version of the Statue of Liberty. His head, surprisingly, had a halo with spikes, but more like rays, shooting out from it. So, altogether, it looked like a miniature sun crowned his head. He didn't deserve that crown. My arrow flew through the air in slow motion, Adam and my eyes slowly watching it, along with this other man's eyes which were wide in sudden fear and knowing that defeat was almost knocking on his door. We all saw the arrow tip touch his luminescent aura, but I woke up and so did Adam, at the same time.
We were both sitting upright in our beds, our eyes broad with shock and awe at what we had just seen. Adam ran a hand through his hair and looked at me, pulling the sheets away from his body, his toes barely touching the carpeted floor.
"Did you see that too?" He asked and I nodded.
"It, it was weird," I croaked. Adam got up and sat on the edge of my bed.
"I think that's what might happen in the future, Althy." He quickly glanced at Chandler who moved in her sleep a bit. He brought his voice down to a softer whisper. "At least we know who is trying to get you now." I continued to nod, but I bit my lip.
"Let's consult the book."
Adam and I tried to be sneaky in getting the book, but unfortunately, it was near Chandler and she woke up. I guess she was a light sleeper.
"What are you guys doing?" She whispered and sat up, rubbing her eyes. I glanced at Adam and he shrugged at me in response. I sighed and sat back on my knees.
"We had a dream." Chandler's eyebrows rose.
"Both of you did?"
"Correct." I said and she looked a little dazed but nodded and joined us on the floor.
"What was it about?" She took the book and started looking through it. I nudged Adam's shoulder.
"We think that it will take place in the future," He said and looked at Chandler, but she only nodded, so he continued, "I saw that Althea was trying to heal you and I was fighting this guy. He looked like a male version of the Statue of Liberty." She looked up swiftly.
"He looked like the Statue of Liberty?" She pondered.
"Yeah," Adam nodded. "Except the book, he didn't have a book or the candle thingy, and he wasn't green or anything, just very bright and shiny." She flipped through some pages, more to the back of the book and stopped.
"Ah, here we are," She said with a smile, "Helios, the Titan lord of light." I raised an eyebrow.
"Helios?" I gave Adam an incredulous look. "Helios was the one we were battling?" Adam looked at Chandler.
"So, we're going to fight him?" Chandler nodded but kept looking at the book.
"Most likely, I just wonder why he wants you." She said. I sighed and shook my head.
"I don't know why either," I countered and Adam looked at me.
"He's the one who probably kidnapped Lacey," His eyes widened with impulsive information and he turned towards me. "He probably sent one of his monsters to Italy for you, but the monster stole her instead!" I tapped my chin; it was all making sense now.
"You just might be right, Adam," I said and smiled at him. "We just need to know why he wants to kidnap me and if he has any weaknesses?" I looked expectantly at Chandler. She did her infamous wave of dismissal at me as her fingertips scrolled down the page.
"I'm looking, I'm looking," She grumbled. Adam and I chatted while she looked.
"Well, his weakness must be your silver arrows," He quietly held.
"Yeah, most definitely," I looked up from my hands that rested in my criss-crossed legs, "It's just, did you see Chandler?" He hesitated before nodding.
"Yes, I did, but why wasn't your healing power working?" I shook my head.
"I don't really know, I guess it doesn't work when I'm drained of energy." Adam sighed and frowned a little.
"Well, that's not going to help us a lot, then, cause' this guy is powerful." I sadly nodded.
"I just wonder what he did to Chandler," Adam's eyes ever so quickly flickered over to Chandler and back to mine. "What if he didn't do anything to her?" He asked. My eyebrows rose and I buried my face in my hands, trying to prevent the agonizing confusion that rushed through my mind. I had to somehow prevent Chandler from getting hurt; even just replaying the dream in my head and re-seeing the sight of her awfully pale, the amount of blood leaving her body absolutely killed me. For some reason, she was now like a sister to me, an extra ligament to my body; it's odd how strangers can become your best friend in minutes. Ya' know, one fiery fight with empousae—Chandler later that told me that that was the name of those freaky women -and your friends for life. Not that I didn't mind having her for company, if it wasn't for her, we still would we driving around, clueless and information less. Chandler tapped my shoulder and my thoughts cleared instantly, ready to hear new ones. Once my gaze met hers, she began.
"I couldn't find any weaknesses of his, but, I did find out where he could be." She stopped, I think, just to build up suspenseful tension.
"Well, where?" I pursued.
"Most likely the sunniest place on earth."
"Which is…?" Adam continued.
"Most likely somewhere in Arizona," She sighed a little and dug through my bag, which was near the couch and found the map. She gently rested the book on the couch and rolled out the map on the table, pointing to Arizona.
"I think I read somewhere that Yuma, Arizona is the sunniest place on earth." My shoulders sagged.
"We have to go to Arizona to beat this guy?" That came out whineier than I had expected. I saw Adam holding back a laugh with a smirk and Chandler rolled her eyes.
"Yes, ding dong." She replied. I raised an eyebrow.
"Ding dong? Since when did we travel to the 50s?" I was truly joking, but Chandler looked peeved as she pursed her lips, rolling up the map.
"My mother doesn't let me use curse words, okay?" I shrugged.
"That's cool." Adam randomly said, it was an attempt to break the tongue-tied tension that I had, unknowingly, started. We both looked at him. He squirmed under the sudden awareness and shrugged also.
"I mean, 50s lingo is 'boss'." Chandler and I looked at each other and after a couple of seconds, we burst into laughter.