Touch Me, and I Burn
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Uncle Rick!
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Leo POV
She was sitting in dark cell against the wall, on a cold stone floor, hands and feet shackled. Her healthy glow had disappeared, her skin nearly translucent. Her glossy ringlets were dull and ragged and her t-shirt covered in a layer of grime. And her eyes, her honey brown ones, once so full of joy, had hardened with pain.
I tried to move towards her but my feet were glued to the floor. I tried to call out her name, but no sound left my lips. She didn't even look at me.
The barred door swung open with a bang and her eyes flicked upwards. A man strode into the room, exuding an air of power. He was tall and muscular, cloaked in a dark shimmery material, his face hidden by a deep cowl.
He grabbed Calypso by her hair and dragged her to her feet. I clenched my fists in frustration at my inability to stop him. She didn't even wince, instead met his gaze with the thousand years of strength I forgot she had.
"What do you want from me?" she hissed, spitting in his face.
"You know exactly what we want," He growled. His voice was unidentifiable, raspy and cold.
Calypo lashed out, biting the arm that held her hair so hard it drew blood. The man flinched and backhanded her across the face, hard. I could see the faint imprint of his hand on his cheek. I bristled with anger but there was nothing I could do. Her eyes flashed with a dangerous anger.
"You will do as I ask." he threw her back on to the floor, with a force even she wasn't strong enough to resist.
Her lip was bleeding a bit, but she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, staring up at his terrifying form. "Never," she gasped. "I will never help you."
I woke with a start.
My forehead was damp and the sheets were twisted around my legs. It was just a dream, right? A dream.
The clock on the wall of the Hespheastus Cabin showed it was nearly 4 am. I jumped out of bed, pushing the dream to the back of my mind. Percy was going to drop me off at Grand Central Station at 5, before the morning rush. According to the map, a ley line was in one of the abandoned subway paths.
After a quick shower, I dressed, making sure to secure my tool belt around my waist. I threw some food and water and a bunch of drachmas in my knapsack and left the cabin, slamming the door shut and waking up everyone up. Oops. I walked up to the Big House, ignoring the the annoyed cursing of my pissed off siblings, to where Percy and a drowsy Annabeth stood waiting.
"Ready to go?" Percy asked, yawning. I nodded, unsure.
"Don't worry, kiddo. You'll find her." Annabeth smiled reassuringly. She patted me on the back, kissed Percy on the cheek, and watched as we got into Argus's van. She waved and then turned around, stumbling sleepily back to her cabin.
Percy and I sat next to each other in tepid silence.
"Listen man,"
"Percy-I," we both started talking at the same time. "You go first," I said.
"Leo, I'm sorry. I asked the gods to free her and I never made sure they did. It's my fault that she's still there. And-I, I was on Ogygia once before, yes, but you know I love Annabeth more than anything right? Calypso...we never..I never...she'didn't.." Percy fumbled for the words.
"I get it Percy, don't worry about it. And hey, if they'd remembered, I'd have never met her, right?" I smiled at him. "By the way...have you ever had dreams before? Like scary ones?"
Percy groaned, "Ah gods, not again. What was it?" I described my dream to him, and with each sentence, his eyebrows furrowed a little further and his mouth set into a deep frown.
"It's not real...right? Just a dream?" The van came to a stop and the door slid open. Argus gestured out, his one hundred eyes blinking at me. Percy hustled me out the door.
"I...I don't know Leo. Go to Ogygia and find her if you can. Just...be careful," With those words, a worried Percy shut the door and the Delphi Strawberry Service van sped back into Manhattan traffic, leaving me alone on the first steps of a journey, more dangerous than I could imagine.