I'm not dead xD But anyways... Yeah, I just hit a wall with this one last time and I kind of felt bad for making Alisa such a jerk so I wrote this little tidbit.

Keyword: Little

*dies* I think this is the shortest chapter yet

GLN3: Kind of... But not exactly. There are a few other pieces of the puzzle that I haven't added in yet ;)

(: :)

Cockapoo: Sorry! xD Didn't mean to scare you xD

(: :)

I don't own PJO. Seriously, do I LOOK like Riordan to you?

When I opened my eyes, it was like awaking from one nightmare and entering another. But this one was an almost welcome one at times. The darkness had a sort of opened-armed feeling as if enveloping me in an embrace rather than attempting to hurt or kidnap me. The trees seemed to shake in the wind, hitting the tent we had all been squished into and casting shadows throughout. The lightning seemed more majestic than evil, although it still caused shivers up my spine and anxiety to fill me. The loud pitter patter of rain fell, hitting the tarp at a regular beat.

But what seemed ridiculous is that rather than fearing the curtain of darkness around me or the shadows I feared the rain and lightning, the storm itself. My hands gripped at the material of my sleeping bag, threatening to rip it in my grasp at every clap of thunder. My hands shook and my body heat seemed to evaporate into the night. A headache pounded my brain in painful, unstoppable throbs. It was like dying but worse.

A hand fell on my shoulder. "You okay, kiddo?"

Alisa.

"I-I don't want you to just tell me everything I've done wrong," I said, the words flying out of my mouth one after the other as if chased out. "And I know that's exactly what you'll do!"

"Let's take this outside," she sighed. "This is going to become a fighting match quick and I don't want to wake everyone up."

I slipped into my jacket and put my hair into a tight ponytail before pulling the hood of my sweater overtop and stepping outside. My teeth clenched, eyes set forward. I began playing furiously with the hem of my jacket, keeping my face downcast. It seemed to be the only way to keep myself from bursting into screams.

"Look, just because I talk bad about Zeus and we don't see eye to eye does not mean I'm some sort of badmouthing ass, got it?" Alisa said sternly. But when she saw my nervous ticking, my hands choking the life out of my jacket, her eyes seemed to soften. Her voice grew softer too. "Y-you had another nightmare, didn't you?"

My eyes stayed trained to the ground, heart beating a mile a minute as if attempting to break out of my chest.

"Another nightmare about him..."

I nodded softly and was surprised by her arms around me.

"Hey, look at me."

My eyes slowly looked upward, setting themselves on hers. My nervous movements still continued as the storm grew even stronger.

"That's not all, is it?"

I shook my head softly; face burrowing itself into her jacket. She seemed to tense at the movement but soon just gave in, patting my head awkwardly and whispering calming words into my ear until I seemed to calm down.

"You're scared... of something."

I nodded again, comforted by her embrace.

"Since you're a child of Hades, I'm guessing it's not the dark," she said, putting the pieces together as if they were some big puzzle. "You're dad doesn't have good relations with Poseidon or Zeus –heck, he doesn't have good relations with anyone really– so either you're scared of the rain or the lightning. And from the way you seem to jump whenever lightning strikes, I'd say that's your fear."

I nod slightly, letting her walk me back to the girls tent.

"You're not so bad," she adds as a I curl myself into a ball in my sleeping bag. "Don't be a hot-shot and I might just like you."