Hola! Okay, most of this chapter is dreams and memories. No joke.
So voting is closed, in this chapter Zack gets a glimpse of a memory of hers. I kinda combined two of my options, but I think you'll like it. Shout out to Meepmeep123 who helped inspire the memory!
VIRTUAL HUGS TO: Sunleaves17, Pokemonchen, and Meepmeep123
Replies:
Pokemonchen: Yup. Very intense. :) YES HE DOES! F*** YEAH ZACK!
Meepmeep123: haha! Yay! I like when I stir emotions in you guys! And, oops. My internet was down earlier so instead of writing in Google docs I've been writing in Microsoft Word today, and they correct different things and ignore different things and blahblahblah...plus, as I told osmeone earlier, I don't really look these over before I update cuz that takes time that I sometimes don't have if I wanna update that day. I try to edit as I write but it's not a perfect system, especially when whatever I'm writing in doesn't correct me. And Yay! SUPER EXTRA SMILEY FACE!
Anyhoo, yeah. Loved writing these chapters today! Excited for whats coming up! All at school and practice tomorrow I'm gonna be like 'I could be writing right now!' And at practice I'm sure I'll come up with 496539892 ideas, cuz when your swimming long lengths you have some time to think.
ANYHOO
REVIEW PLEASE! IT MAKES MY LIFE! And I wanna get to 200 reviews! So far, getting from 100-200 is happening a lot quicker than 0-100! YAY!
XD XD XD XD
:DDDD SUPER EXTRA SMILEY FACE!
Song: None.
Disclaimer: None. Jk. But, I think we've covered I'm not Rick Riordan.
Or am I and all my ramblings have been a clever disguise. *Suspicious face*
No.
Sadly, I am not Rick Riordan, because I would not have let them f*** up my movie.
READ ON!
Everywhere there was fog. I squinted, but I could make out nothing.
"Hello?" I asked. My voice sounded different. Then the fog cleared and I looked around, seeing that I was standing on a balcony. Glancing around at the view I guessed it was New York City, except it was so quiet. There were no cars honking or people shouting. It was deafening.
Then I realized I wasn't alone. There were teenagers with me, but they didn't acknowledge me. Four caught my attention for some reason. Two were males who had just entered, and the other two were girls. One of them looked eerily familiar and was lying down on a lounge chair, looking awfully sickly.
One of the boys unwrapped the girl on the lounge chair's bandages, revealing an awful wound.
"Annabeth…" the other male muttered, looking distraught.
I took a step back in shock. I was looking at sixteen year old version of my mom and dad, and my mom looked on the verge of death. I didn't recognize the other two.
"Poison on the dagger," my mom muttered. "Pretty stupid of me, huh?"
The boy kneeling by my mother exhaled in relief. He assured them that my mom would be fine and dabbed some nectar on it. My mom gripped my father's hand.
"Ow. Ow, ow!"
The boy just kept treating and humming. He then stood. He got a couple of demigods, at least that's what I assumed they were, to go steal-excuse me, 'purchase'-some mortal supplies. He then ushered all the demigods out, leaving it just my parents, the other girl, and I. But really just my parents and that one girl.
The girl declared it her fault.
"No. Silena how is it your fault?" My mom asked. I realized this was my namesake. The depending-who-your-talking-to traitor/hero.
She mumbled something and my parents tried to cheer her up. She decided she needed to go to Camp. Something about the Ares cabin and a girl named Clarisse. They agreed to let her go.
After she left, my mom and dad just kinda looked at each other.
"You're cute when you're worried. Your eyebrows get all scrunched up."
I realized this must have been after they got together, and, if I had to guess, right in the middle of the First Great Prophecy.
"You are NOT going to die while I owe you a favor. Why did you take that knife for me?"
"You would've done the same for me." My mom said instantly, without hesitation, without doubt.
"How did you know?" My dad asked.
"Know what?" My mom asked, puzzled.
My father glanced around, then leaned in. I stepped forward so I could hear. "My Achilles Spot. If you hadn't taken that knife I would have died."
I stumbled back. Achilles Spot? Like…the Achilles Curse? I never knew about this! I know for a fact that my dad didn't have it when he died, but I also know that that curse is supposed to be impossible to lose. The heck?
My mom just kinda zoned out, looking into the distance. Something I'd seen her do a lot when thinking of bad memories. "I don't know, Percy." She admitted. "I just had this feeling you were in danger. Where…" my mom paused. "Where is it?"
My dad paused. "The small of my back," he said eventually.
"Where? Here?" She asked as she put her hand on his back. My dad reached back and adjusted her fingers. I saw him stiffen when he stopped her.
"You saved me." He said. "Thanks."
She moved her hand away, but my father held on to it, not looking like he intended to let go.
"So you owe me. What else is new?" She said, aiming for nonchalance.
They watched the sun and each other. Love was apparent, except to them it seemed.
The fog reappeared. When it faded, once again I didn't know where I was. It clicked that I was in a Cabin at camp. It was huge, a giant statue dominating the room. I recognized it as Zeus. I snarled at it. I then heard a noise behind me. I turned, noticing not all the bunks were empty.
I walked over and my breath caught when I realized it was Zack. He was tossing and turning. His dream disturbing him. Suddenly he sat up shouting, "Lena!" Startled I fell back a few steps.
Zack ran his hand through his hair. "Lena." He murmured. "Lena's in trouble." He shot out of bed and sprinted out of the cabin.
How had he known?
Was there a connection between these two visions?
The fog returned, but it was different this time. Thicker. I realized I was awakening…
My eyes shot open. The light hurt and I had to shut my eyes again, groaning. Pain filled my every muscle and bone.
I felt pressure on my head. It took me a moment to separate it from the regular pressure in my head from the pain. Zack's hand was on my head, and he himself lied in a chair next to me, fast asleep.
"You're awake." I heard someone say.
With struggle I turned my head to see Chiron. I tried to nod, but it hurt too much. "Yeah." I croaked. "Lucky me."
I let my eyes wander, but tried to keep my head still. I was in the room I stayed in in the Big House. By my door there was a man…
With eyes all over his body.
"That's Argus." Chiron informed me. "He's head of our security. I'm afraid security is something your in need of right now."
'Security is something I've always needed,' I thought far away. Everything was getting far away. 'But it was something I never got.'
Everything darkened, but I was reminded of Zack's presence by the feeling of his hand on my head.
A very, very distant part of me continued my thought.
'Until now.'
The second time I awoke Zack was awake, stroking my hair. He smiled meekly when I opened my eyes. I was just glad no memories came that time I was unconscious.
"Hello, starshine," he told me. "The Earth says hello."
"Tell the Earth to shut up." I mumbled. He chuckled lightly, but there was little humor in it.
He didn't ask if I was okay, and I was grateful.
"Think you could help me sit up?" I asked.
He paused but then sighed. "You need some Nectar anyways."
He helped me get into a sitting position. I had to bite my lip to keep from screaming in pain, and Zack knew it. I saw him cringe every time I moved, knowing it hurt me.
"I'm sorry," he mumbled.
A very vague memory of him apologizing last night appeared, but whether it was real or not, I'm not sure.
"You apologize too much." I told him.
"Better than apologizing too little." He said numbly.
I tried to nod, but it ended in a cringe. Zack brought out a glass of nectar and held the straw for me to drink. At first I was embarrassed, but then I realized it would really hurt to move my arms.
It struck me how kind Zack was. In everyway he was such a better person than I was. I wasn't good at being nice. I once was. But that was a long time ago.
That's when I felt the cold again.
The odd thing?
Zack shivered too. His eyes widened and he dropped the glass, it shattered on the floor.
'No.' I thought. 'He will not get pulled in with me.'
But I didn't really get a say in it.
Because for the umpteenth time that day, I blacked out. This time, though, Zack blacked out with me.
"Come on! Come on!" I repeated, pulling on my mom and dad's hands. "Come on!"
My parent's laughed lovingly. "Be patient." My mom said.
"I don't wanna be…patent...pashant…" I frowned, trying to pronounce the word.
My dad laughed. "Don't worry, Dolphin. We're there."
We walked under an arch and I jumped up and down in excitement as I looked around. We were at some carnival in…Montana, I think.
I was eight years old and it was a cool autumn day. I wore a white dress that went down to my knees and a little pink sweater. My black hair billowed on my shoulders, as wild as it will be at sixteen.
I gestured to every ride, every game, every clown. Each one exciting me more than the previous one. I could barely contain my joy.
One clown walked up to me specifically and I squealed with pleasure. He looked like all the rest. Baggy, spotted dressings with a painted face, round nose, and an obnoxious wig. At sixteen I would punch him, at eight I wanted to hug him.
He bent down. "And who might you be?"
"Silena." I said.
"You're a very pretty girl, Silena. Would you care for a balloon?"
I think if I nodded my head any faster, it would have fallen off. He smiled and handed me a blue one. He tied it on my wrist and I hugged the strange man. When I let go he looked up at my parents.
"She's a very lovely girl." He told them.
They both smiled. "Thank you," my mom said politely. "We know."
After that I marveled at my balloon. I named it Bob the Balloon. I loved it.
I dragged my parents from game to game. There was one where you had to throw these balls at these cans and my dad held me as I through. I knocked one over and the nice man at the stand gave me a teddy bear. I thanked him as we walked away.
Then I pulled my parents to the food stands. They got me a hot dog, lemonade, and we all shared a funnel cake bigger than my head.
It was when we meandering that things went wrong. At one point I dropped my teddy bear. I ran back to grab it, but a man beat me to it. He picked it up and handed it to me.
"Here you go, Silena." At sixteen, I would immediately be on the alert. At eight I just smiled.
"Thank you." I said as I grabbed for the bear, but he didn't let go. I frowned. "Thank you, sir." I said, getting confused and frustrated. He didn't let go. I began to cry. "Give me my teddy!" I shouted.
Suddenly I was yanked back and my father was holding his sword to the mans throat. My mom held me away from them both.
"Mommy! That man took my teddy bear!"
She smoothed my hair. "I know sweetheart. I know."
"Annabeth." My dad said stiffly. "Get Silena out of here."
She nodded. "Be careful, Percy. I love you."
"I love you, both." He said softly. It was only later that I caught on that they said this before every battle, in case it was their last chance.
"Bye, daddy!" I called as my mom carried me away. "I'll see you in a bit!"
I heard my mom choke back a sob. Only later I realized this was because you could never be certain if you would see him again. I heard shouts and screams and I looked over my mommy's shoulder, seeing an odd mixture of fire and water.
"Mommy, what's daddy doing? Is he monster fighting?" I asked, even though I knew my parents hated it when I asked questions like this.
"Yeah," my mom said reluctantly. "Yeah, he is. He'll be okay, though, Silena." Later I would wonder who she was trying to reassure.
I just hugged her neck as she ran. We ran to the parking lot and drove to our motel. That night we waited for my father. My mom was tense the entire time. She told me to sleep, but with her so worried, I couldn't. It was making me worry.
Hours we waited. With each passing minute my mom grew more and more tense. Sometimes I would hear her whisper, "It's okay. Percy's handled worse. He'll be fine."
Somewhere after one in the morning a knock sounded in the room. My mom gripped her knife and looked through the peephole. She exhaled in apparent relief and threw the door open wide, pulling my father in a hug. My father wrapped his arms around her as well, seeming just as relieved.
I smiled and jumped off the bed. "Daddy!"
My parents pulled apart and my dad smiled. "Silena!" He held his arms out and I jumped into them. He then spun me around and I giggled. "What are you doing up, my little Dolphin?" He asked.
"Couldn't sleep." I told him.
"Well, maybe this will help." Then he pulled out my lost teddy bear.
I clapped. "You found it! Yay!" I wrapped my arms around his neck. "Thank you, daddy! Thank you, thank you!"
He smiled even wider, as did my mom. "Your welcome, my Silena."
I awoke, but I didn't open my eyes. I knew full well Zack had woken up as well, and that he had seen everything.
"Lena." He whispered, putting his forehead to mine.
I didn't respond or move.
"Silena." He said.
My eyes shot open. "Don't call me that." I snapped.
He pulled away and looked into my eyes.
"I'm sorry," was all he could say.
I was about to make some cruel retort about what, exactly, he could do with his apologies.
But then, instead, I began to cry.