Yeah! Another chapter!
Anyways, I just want to thank everybody who's reviewed on this story and basically anyone who's reading it :)
And another thing!
I figured out (12 chapters too late...) that this story had too many characters and an inconsistent/confusing plot. (I apologize)
If anyone wants to know why Rush was acting so strangely against the Gegenees, just send me a message or a review and I'll send u a short excerpt about why he was acting like that. But otherwise, I won't add it in the story, because I've decided to cut out some scenes/situation that I planned to have. (trying to make the plot simpler)
But anyhoos, hope you enjoy the chapter ;)
Chapter 13: Dreams and Illusions
Percy POV
"Thanks, Asclepius," I said, as the little man stepped away from the hippocampus.
"It's what I do," he said simply.
I caught the slightest smile on his face.
"Buddy!" Tyson said gleefully, rushing to him.
Asclepius backed up a bit and feigned a smile. "I'll be going now. Good luck on your journey."
He scurried into the forests and quickly disappeared.
"Don't think he wants to be carried away by Tyson again," I grinned.
"Or be chased by an angry Annabeth," she muttered, an obvious tone of threat in her voice.
I swiftly slid on Buddy, far from Annabeth's reach.
"You ready, Grover?" I asked, pretending to ignore Annabeth.
He cautiously sniffed the pithos and looked up warily.
"We're close."
"We've got this, Grover," I assured him. "Achlys is going down."
The sky glowed with the shimmering aura of dusk as the hippocampi waded next to an island. I yawned and landed fast first in the sand. I was exhausted. I forced myself up and watched the glittering tails disappear into the breaking waves. Grover was looking off in the distance, the sun enhancing the shadows on his face.
"What's wrong, G-man?"
He didn't look at me but merely pointed to the distance. On the horizon, two rocks smashed together in violent waves, the clashing rocks.
"That island beside it, Achlys is there."
"Ah, don't worry," I said.
"This monster has the guts to face the gods," Grover said. "Don't you think you're taking this a little lightly?"
I grinned and shook my head. "I'm shaking inside, G-man, but there's no use worrying. Besides, Achlys is only one of the seven monsters."
"I'll try, Percy."
"Don't worry. Just get a good sleep tonight. I have a feeling we'll need it tomorrow."
I looked over at Grover. He had already curled up in the soft sand and was snoring softly. It's amazing what a Grover can do. I laid down and stared at the dark sky.
"So, what's gonna happen, gods?" I muttered.
I knew I should've been anxious for tomorrow's fight, but I was too worn out from the ride over the seas to feel worried. My eyelids felt heavy as the twinkling stars turned into an inky darkness of sleep.
I was standing on a rocky shore. The scene looked familiar. My dream-self slowly turned and examined the stormy surroundings. Harsh winds crashed against the monstrous waves. A woman in a white dress stood on a jagged rock in the middle of the storm. A small bundle was cuddled in her arms. A baby? What was a child doing here? The woman seemed to be staring at something in the skies. An eagle as large as a plane soared down from the skies and shrieked, shaking the cliffs. The woman lifted her hand and the sea rose behind her. The eagle's red eyes gleamed and shot down in a dive. She cut her hand through the air and the water followed her movement, crashing into the enormous eagle. It spread its massive wings and tried to resist the colossal weight of the sea. The woman swiftly brought her hand down and a hurricane of water swallowed the eagle. It gave a final shriek and disappeared underneath a violent splash of water. The woman ducked her head and sheltered the child. She hummed a lullaby to soothe the crying infant. The baby wailed as a bright golden figure flew down from the skies. It was another eagle, but this had a more…godly aura. The woman shook with fright but still tried to calm the baby with a quivering hand.
Charybdis, you have defied the King of Gods and will receive divine punishment, Zeus boomed with a thunderous voice.
No, Zeus! Charybdis pleaded. I was simply…
Supporting your father, Poseidon, in the war? the eagle interrupted. A chuckle that resembled the grumble of thunder sounded through the air. You should've considered your decision twice.
She trembled and unconsciously stroked the child in her arms. The golden eagle's head tilted as it noticed the infant.
A child, hm? Zeus' voice echoed, Perhaps I won't kill you.
Charybdis face was flooded with relief and thankfulness.
But that little child will settle for a mother in a different form, won't she?
Charybdis' mouth dropped open in horror.
Please, no, lord! I beg of you…
You shouldn't have sided with Poseidon, he said.
The eagle exploded into golden sparks. They connected with each other with static lines and slowly melded together. A small boy rushed out of the cave. He had curly black hair and bright green eyes. He couldn't have been more than nine years old.
Mother! he shouted.
Timoleon! Get back inside! she desperately commanded.
Get away, Timoleon! Charybdis' voice was harsh but you could see the pain and sorrow in her eyes.
The boy's eyes were wide with fear but he obediently backed away. He didn't venture far into the cave but instead crouched next to a rock at the entrance of the cave. The sparks in the sky were now an arc of black lightning. It flew straight towards Charybdis. It crashed through her water barricade like nothing and into her. I tried to move. I had to help, what was Zeus doing to her? But it felt as if I was encased in Kronos' time spell and I was immobile.
Ebony static arced around her body and she fell to her knees, screaming in agony. The small boy was screaming and trying to get through to his mom, but the violent sea made it impossible. Charybdis' slender features were swelling and a repulsive film of black slime was constricting her movements. Random lumps bulged out of the unrecognizable creature Charybdis had become. Her agonized screams were no longer humanoid, but turning into a hoarse and distorted roar that sounded like an angry beast.
The monster that Charybdis had become was still clutching onto the child. The black slime hadn't reached one limb. A single slender arm that hadn't been engulfed by Zeus' curse.
Timoleon! Charybdis' voice cried, breaking the monstrous roar.
The small boy was stunned and frozen as if he had been paralyzed. His eyes seemed to flicker in recognition of his mom's voice.
Yes? he replied weakly.
Take care of her for me, Charybdis' voice wavered, as if she hardly had the strength to support even her own voice.
A tentacle of water wrapped around the child and extended out to Timoleon.
What's happening? What's happening to you? he cried with a terrified wail. His feet were still rooted to the same place.
Promise to take care of her! Promise! her voice was barely audible.
The black slime engulfed her arm and across the tentacle of water holding the child. Timoleon stumbled forward and took the baby as the black gunk reached the child. His eyes flew open in horror and he quickly wrapped his arm around the baby. The ebony slime on the child plastered onto his arm. He winced in pain as the black slime burned into his arm. He looked at the child. She was crying but most of the black slime had left her body. Timoleon's arm had absorbed most of it.
He turned and looked at the sea. The enormous black monster, Charybdis, roared and sunk into the sea.
I promise, Mother, he said softly, his voice dripping with misery.
As the sea swallowed up Charybdis, all there was a spray of sea mist.
Achlys, Timoleon whispered.
I woke up with a terrible start. A storm of thoughts whirled through my head. Charybdis? How could have Zeus created that monster? I mean, he isn't the kindest god in the universe, but he couldn't have created that monster. And the child, Achlys? That baby was the wrath I had to destroy?
I tried to convince myself that the dream was just an illusion, a false mirage. But my mind knew that my dream had to be real, I had the experience as a half-blood to know this. I wiped off the film of perspiration on my brow. What had happened, though? Surely there had to be a deeper reason for Zeus to turn Charybdis into a gruesome creature. Deep inside, I felt that I should've told somebody, but I couldn't. I shoved myself up from the sand. I was too anxious to sleep anymore. Besides, I don't think I wanted to sleep after that.
"Percy, you okay?" Annabeth asked. She sat up, looking at me worriedly.
"Yeah," I instantly said.
She looked at me warily.
"I'm alright, don't worry."
She still looked skeptical but seemed to decide to trust me, for the moment, anyways.
"You want to talk about Achlys?" Annabeth said, obviously implying the battle strategies against the wrath, but I couldn't help but think how close she hit to my dream.
"Um, actually, I was wondering…do you know how Charybdis became a monster?"
"Became?" she asked.
"I mean," I amended quickly, "Monsters don't just drop out of the sky, do they?"
We sat in silence for a moment as we thought of the Clommysanion Sow.
"Besides flying pigs."
"Actually, before she was a monster, Charybdis was a naiad."
"Really?" I said, trying to sound surprised.
"Yeah, she was the daughter of Poseidon. Well, there was this minor battle between Poseidon and Zeus. I think it was over some possession over land, or something, just a small issue. Anyways, since Charybdis was Poseidon's daughter, she obviously sided with Poseidon in the war. She would take possession of several lands for Poseidon. But then, Zeus started to think that Charybdis was taking too much land for Poseidon. He cursed her and turned her into a monster."
I was silent for a moment, not sure what to say.
"Percy, you know, it's not that bad. Charybdis was asking for it, taking so much land for Poseidon."
If she hadn't, though, what would Poseidon have done to her?
"I wonder what she was like before she was a monster," I said almost wistfully.
"Hm, that's a curious thought," Annabeth said, but she didn't sound that interested.
"You want to wake up Grover and get ready to fight Achlys?" she continued.
My heart skipped a beat as I imagined a small baby being hunted by a demigod. Namely, me.
"Um…I think that we should wait a while."
Annabeth raised her eyebrow. "Why?"
"Now that we're here, we can, um, survey the land and calculate the most proper battle solution against Achlys."
Time was what I needed after that dream. I don't think I could've handled fighting Achlys right after that vision. Annabeth was considering my 'suggestion'.
"Why not?" she said.
I held in a sigh of relief as she started pointed out different points of the island. While Annabeth contemplated over strategies, I had to compose myself enough to go against Achlys.
Felix POV
Byron swiftly drove his unique spear into the griffin's back. He glanced over at Garry.
"Garry, Idylla is nearby, right?" he said.
Garry nodded his head nervously. Sweat beaded on his dark tree-bark colored skin. The sun was shining really brightly, but I wasn't sure if it was from the heat.
"It's now or later, I guess," Byron said soberly. "Let's go."
I can't be nervous, I told myself, I can't be nervous. A list of reasons to be confident was run through my head. One, Byron was here. He was the son of Zeus and one of the strongest, if not the strongest, demigod there was. Two, Idylla had no physical prowess, her power was only manipulation. As long as I could keep control of my own emotions, it would be no problem overcoming her. Three, I was a satyr. If Idylla's ability was based on anything, even the slightest, of magic, my human-but-not-quite form would mess it up.
"Be on your toes," Byron, said as we ventured forward.
He had his hand curled into a fist around his ring. He hadn't laid out any strategy. Basically it was 'destroy Idylla at any chance you got'. Byron reasoned that if we had any of our resolve worrying about a strategy, Idylla would get the better of us.
"Oh, dear heroes, what brings you here," a beautifully melodic voice flowed through the air.
I could feel my brain floating away and I strained to focus. I turned to look at the monster we'd be facing. I felt my jaw drop. This was no monster. Idylla was a perfectly normal young woman, except for the fact that she was astonishingly stunning. Her blue-black hair flowed around her shoulders and her turquoise eyes twinkled with a lovely light. Her skin was absolutely flawless and she stood with a swan-like elegance.
Concentrate! I brought my mind back to focus. It kept wanting to be pulled away by her dreamy beauty. This is a monster, I fiercely reminded myself.
"Some strong souls, I see," she smiled with the perfect hint of shyness and sweetness.
I nodded dumbly. Felix! I thought. Draw your club. I struggled to hold out my weapon.
"My brave satyr. There is no reason do draw your weapon. How can I pose harm to you?" she asked.
My mind faltered. How could she harm me? She was just a nice beautiful lady. I took a tentative step forward.
"That's it, come forward, Felix, no need to worry," she said.
"Ah!" a voice screamed. Byron leaped forward with his spear and slashed out. Idylla ducked with snake-like reflexes. Suddenly, I realized what had happened. While Idylla was busy trying to manipulate me, Byron had been slightly released from Idylla's spell. He had taken control of the instance.
"Felix!" she cried. "Who is this tyrant?"
What was that evil son of Zeus doing? How dare he touch Idylla? I charged towards the boy and raised my club. His eyes hardened and he effortlessly blocked my overhead strike. He smacked my head with his spear.
"Felix! She's controlling you! Are you weak? You're weak! Being controlled pathetically like this. I thought you were strong. Apparently, I was wrong!" he shouted.
I was weak? No…Idylla just told me I was brave. Wait, Idylla was controlling me. She was making me weak. I swung out my club towards Idylla. I grinned, I had broken through her spell. Suddenly, in mid-swing, a gust of wind blew me backwards. I crashed into the ground.
"Don't hurt her," Garry said steely.
He was the son of Zephyrus, a wind god, so he had the ability to generate wind.
"Garry! She's a monster!" I shouted, trying to knock some sense in his head.
"A monster?" he said. "I'll destroy you for that insult."
He sliced his hand through the air and a whirl of wind knocked me against a rock. The wind was knocked out of me and struggled to take in short ragged breaths. Garry was advancing towards me when Idylla held out her hand.
"No need, Garry. Felix is simply confused. There is no reason to hurt him," she said soothingly.
He stood rooted in place, as if he was to her every command. "Come here, my noble soldier."
He followed. Idylla smiled again, but this time I noticed her fangs. Instantly, I remembered that Idylla fed on humans.
"Garry!" I yelled.
I pushed myself up, ignoring the intense pain in my back. The sudden movement pulled the ground under me. Before I knew it, I was on the ground again. I gritted my teeth. The pain in my back seemed to be multiplying. My vision was hazy and I couldn't see anything clearly. The dark figure of Garry approached Idylla. A bright flash knocked Idylla back. Out of my blurry vision, I could make out Byron standing over Garry.
"Get away!" he shouted, with unfamiliar ferociousness.
"Get down," Idylla snarled.
Her voice didn't have the normal coating of sweet honey. It was absolute ice cold and authority. My vision focused as Byron struggled to get up from his knees. It was as if another force was controlling him.
"Don't move, son of Zeus. You thought you were powerful? Against the power of words, you're helpless," she said.
This was an entirely different level of power and I could tell. Before, it was sugar and persuasion. Now, it was pure command and order. Byron was straining against the spell and was clearly exerting himself too far.
"Felix!" he shouted. "Get away from here! Send an Iris-message to camp, the other demigods, whatever! If I survive, I'll get to you. If not, you gotta help the other demigods destroy their wraths."
I sat frozen on the ground. How could I abandon them? We were a team!
"Go! Felix, now!" he yelled.
His expression had absolutely none of the happy-go-lucky guy before the fight with Idylla. He looked ragged and looked exhausted. But underneath that bedraggled exterior I could sense resolute, however desperate, determination. Somehow, I just had to trust him. I didn't understand his strategies and manner of deduction, but I had to trust him on this. I got to my feet and ran away as fast as I could.
"Stay!" Idylla shouted.
I could feel my strange satyr anatomy counteracting the spell. I couldn't resist the persuasion earlier since it was just words that hardly touched on enchantment, but now her demands required weighty magic. Magic and satyrs don't go very well together. Luckily, Idylla didn't know this. I heard Idylla seethe and as I turned back for a final glance, Idylla sprung at Garry, her fangs glinting in the sunlight. It took all my will to continue run. Byron had better somehow save himself and Garry from the situation. He had to.
So, how was it?
Hope u thought it was alright :/
I'll try to get the next chapter as quick as I can, but homework is being bombarding me and I'm already a slow updater ==