Noah,

Kate was fast asleep on my shoulder, her brown curls tumbling around the two of us. When we all stopped for gas about an hour ago, Sam was unable to stay away from his car (that or it was hard to hit on a girl when her younger brother is the one sitting in the passenger seat while you are in the back). He took over driving, and Charlie moved over to the car with Swift because Swift said she wanted to talk to her.

Chester watched them Swift's car from the passenger seat, and I was with Kate for the ride from then on. We didn't talk much at first. We were both on our phones. I was emailing Pixar, and she was doing gods-know-what. In fact, Kate seemed to be distancing herself from me.

And that was what I spent most of my conversation with Pixar talking about.

I talked to her for about an hour, and then we both signed off and said goodbye. Kate played on her phone for a little while longer before she put hers down, too.

Both Sam and Chester were too busy staring at the car in front of us to notice anything else, so Kate and I talked for a little bit. It was awkward small talk, and it made me realize that the freedom from awkwardness that we had with Azul had stayed with him when we left.

Suddenly, my mind was brought back to the kiss in Vegas. I couldn't look at her without remembering how she had looked that night, so amazingly beautiful. I couldn't look into her eyes without seeing the nervous look in her eyes. I couldn't look at her nervously rubbing her knuckle with her thumb without remembering that I had done that. I couldn't see her lips move to speak without remembering how they moved to kiss me. And I couldn't look at her without remembering the fact that I was the only one who knew these things.

But, while I couldn't forget it, I managed to move at least a little past it. And we got comfortable with each other enough to talk. And, just as we always seemed to, we were suddenly fine again. It was like we were back to a few years ago and best friends.

We were even comfortable enough where Kate fell asleep on me. She had been complaining about how tired she was, and, somehow, she ended up nestling her head on my shoulder. Now, she was fast asleep, and her rhythmic breathing was adorable.

I was stroking her hair, smiling down at her. There was nowhere else I would rather be…

And then the peaceful silence was broken.

"They're stopping. Sam noticed, "Why are they stopping? Kid, check my phone to see if they sent a message about it."

Chester, who had become "Kid" since Sam rejoined the car, had also learned to take orders, even if he moaned and groaned about it. He took out Sam's smartphone, and he looked through the messages as Swift's car began to turn off into a Waffle House.

"Nope, no message."

Sam watched them closer, and he followed them with the turn.

"Where are you going, Swift?" Sam thought aloud. Swift pulled her car into park at a random slot by Waffle House, and she turned off the car. Sam parked, and he basically jumped out the door as soon as the car was safely in park. Chester ran after him to go to Swift, both armed and convinced that something was up.

I stayed behind and began to try to wake up Kate.

"Kate," I began to shake Kate, rubbing her arm as her eyes began to blink open. She smiled up at me sleepily, her mind still waiting to turn on.

I felt a rush as she looked up at me, so tired but awake. Like I was the most amazing thing in the entire world. Like she loved me…

My entire body felt like it was stopping, and I couldn't move. I couldn't get away from her, I couldn't get up and go with the other's.

This is the way I wanted to feel that morning, I smiled, feeling a combination of a high and sadness. They were both so strong, reminding me of how good this felt and reminding me of how much I wanted to feel it when we woke up together in Vegas. And, while I was thinking about it, Kate was beginning to wake up, and, while she still had that look, I could feel our moment fleeting.

"What's going on?" she asked.

I was suddenly reminded of the fact that everyone else was going inside to find out why on earth Swift pulled over.

"Swift suddenly pulled off the road, going into Waffle House. They're going to check it out," I straighten my spine, which forces Kate to move and get off my shoulder. She moved back to her seat, and we both climbed out of the car and towards Swift's car where they were all talking.

"What do you mean, You got hungry?" Sam was staring at Swift like she was insane.

"I. Got. Hungry," Swift crossed her arms, "And this is food, is it not?"

Sam and Swift looked like they were headed towards a screaming match that would prove how stubborn they both were, which I thought would be rather entertaining and wanted to see. But Charlie stepped in and brought out her cell phone that was a gift from Hermes. Ever since he gave it to her (and it picked up her old number), she had been figuring it out and using it almost nonstop.

"It said come here," Charlie brought out a screen with a notification.

"Who is it from?" Sam asked, still looking at Swift.

"We don't know," Swift shrugged.

"And you were just going to go in there?!"

Swift moved her jacket to where we could see her gun and dagger.

"We were all armed. You were the one who wasn't prepared," she smirked

Sam glared at her, and she was still smirking.

"Come on, let's go, guys," Swift turned to Aiden and Charlie. She led them in, and Sam stared, not sure if this was hot or annoying. So he just followed, and we did, too.

Swift looked around, and a young waitress moaned as she put up her phone, knowing she would have to take care of all of us. But then someone stood.

He was about our age, and he looked like a tired college student. He was wearing a pair of Homer Simpson pajamas and a wrinkled grey tee shirt with a soft black hoodie. His black hair was a wild mess and had been slept in. His brown eyes were tired, but they were excited to see us. He is waving, though it lacks energy. He is slumped over, a little tired.

And I can tell exactly who it is given the message and his appearance.

"Hypnos," I looked at him, and he smiled.

"Come on, let's get waffles."

There was enough room for us all, and we all took a seat. I was across from him, and Kate was beside me, nervous. And I could tell she wanted to cling to my arm like she had been doing before. But she didn't.

"Ah, a woman of my kind. Tired. Hello, Kate," Hypnos smiled at Kate, which I pretty much took as him hitting on her, though I couldn't really tell. I tried not to glare, and I turned my attention to Charlie, who sat awkwardly between Aiden and Chester, both who refused to do the admiral thing and make it easier on her by sitting elsewhere. They both had their claim to her, and she had her claim to them. She didn't speak to either.

Sam and Swift were together, still being stubborn with one another about before.

It was funny to me how we all fit into little pieces of a group. There was the love-triangle sitting together. The couple that were into each other but didn't want to be together. And then there was Kate and me. I wasn't sure exactly what we were.

"Would you like a drink?" the young waitress asked, and Hypnos told us that we should. I got coffee like Kate, Chester, Sam, and Swift. Hypnos, Charlie, and Aiden all three got fruit juice, which shocked me. I expected Hypnos to grab coffee, but I guess it wouldn't have done much good anyhow.

There was small talk amongst us all as we waited for her return, and the drinks didn't take long to get to us. We all got them at once, and I was thinking of what we would probably say whenever he would later ask us of our journey and whether he would fall asleep during it when he raised his glass, telling us we should toast.

"To dreams."

I wasn't sure where he came up with it, but I toasted my coffee to his before taking a sip of the strong brew. I noticed his grin, and I was about to say something about it when the world turned black.

Kate,

One second, I was sitting at Waffle House and drinking my cup of coffee to wake me up, the next I was standing on the clouds of a starry night, the moon illuminating everything.

For most, this would have made them freak out. It still kind of got me on edge, but I wasn't going to freak. When you are related to a god, it means you are different. Now, it could mean that you just happen to like owls a lot and nothing important happens to you that would cause you to learn that the goddess of owls is in your DNA. But it could also, and does in this case, mean that things get crazy and gods get weird.

And this was nothing if not weird.

Hypnos sat on throne made of mattresses, wearing a blue silk robe and a sleeping cap. He looked a bit more prestigious, but I still saw the tired college kid that I did at Waffle House. He was holding a scepter and leaning back sleepily on his throne.

"Hello, Kate," he yawned.

I stared at him, mad that he was so calm. I was probably angrier about his calm demeanor than the fact that he kind of kidnapped me.

"Where are we?" I looked around, "Where are the others?"

I didn't see anyone, just a sky full of clouds fluffy and stable enough to walk on. The stars were everywhere and were more beautiful than I had ever seen them to be before. The moon was so big, but I didn't see Artemis or any of the other gods. It was just Hypnos and me.

"I don't know," Hypnos shrugged, and I stared at him, "It is just a part of my imagination, I guess. We aren't really anywhere."

I am not sure what to do with that information.

"Well, how did we get here?"

"I put something in your drinks that put you to sleep, and, as god of sleep, I just kinda snapped my fingers. And we got here."

"How?"

Hypnos shrugged.

I was getting annoyed easily with Hypnos, and I wasn't too great at hiding my annoyance.

"Well then, why?"

Now Hypnos smiled, sitting up straighter.

"To keep you going, to keep all of you going. To remind you of what you want and why you are fighting for it," Hypnos smiled, "To show your dream."

"What are you talking about?" I stared at him, his words jumbling up in my brain and not making sense. What was he talking about? What dream was he referring to? And what did it have to do with morale on our quest?

"See for yourself, Kate," he snapped, and things began to fade again. The moon was dulling, the stars were disappearing, the clouds were evaporating, and everything was turning to black.

I was frantic, looking around and calling out to Hypnos.

And then the vision took control of me…


Kate's Dream…

"I love you, Aaron. I do. I didn't mean anything I've done or said. I was always trying to get you," I said aloud as I typed the line to the latest episode of the TV drama I had been working on for three years. It wouldn't go down as a classic, but I liked it and so did the viewers that kept it going on.

My fingers kept working on the keyboard, writing the great admission of love between two of the star characters. I had been chosen to write the scene simply because I was the best, and they wanted the best for this scene.

Naturally, this was a chance to show off my abilities as a writer. And, naturally, I was blocked.

I had done everything for inspiration, even gone online to see what fans had posted they wanted for it. Nothing. I mean, there were some good suggestions, but nothing that felt really right. So I just stared at my computer screen.

I tried to call on my own life for inspiration, but I had never been in a situation where, after three seasons of loving each other and betrayal against each other, I was suddenly telling somebody that I loved him and trying to convince him not to hate me.

So I just kind of stared at my laptop.

"You're still writing," someone wrapped their arms around me from behind me, and they put their head on top of mine. Their breath smelled of salty sea air and the cinnamon tooth paste I loved and kept in our bathroom. Their soft tee shirt smelled of the ocean scented fabric softener that I had started buying recently.

I smiled, leaning back into the person.

"I am so close, I just need Elise to tell Aaron that she loves him. And they're golden."

"That's a big step, you can't rush it," the person intertwined their hand with mine, and I felt the cold metallic feeling of a ring. I looked down and smiled at our matched platinum wedding bands.

I rubbed my thumb over the ring, loving every day that I was the one who got to give it to him.

"And, while Elise tries to put all of her emotions into words, I am going to start on the morning chores," he kissed the top of my head, and I smiled. I loved my husband, I loved him more every day.

"Thank you," I squeezed his hand, and he kissed the top of my head once more before disappearing out of my office and leaving me with a computer screen.

I thought about what I feel for my husband, and I jotted down a new line to add in somewhere.

"I want to wake up one morning and smell my toothpaste in your mouth. I want to smell the fabric softener on your shirt that I just bought. I want to give you a wedding band and smile every time I see it," I wrote it down quickly on my nearby notepad, and I went back to the beginning lines that need to deliver three years-worth of emotion.

I was about to start hitting my head on my desk when I heard the adorable scamper of feet on the floors.

My smile turned wider than before, and I knew that my husband had woken them up.

There was scampering that only a little boy running from brushing his teeth could make, and there were giggles that only a little girl could make.

I could see it now. My husband would be dragging the little boy out of bed, saying he had to get up if he liked it or not. The little girl would giggle up a storm, and either my husband would carry him to the kitchen where he would plop him down on one of the chairs while the little girl ran of her free accord.

And her little feet were running towards my door.

I smiled, turning around in my chair to great her. My heart melted and my smile widened. The little girl was about three or four, wearing a pair of multicolored owl pajamas, and her brown curls were dancing around her as she ran towards me. She was giggling, and her smile was the most precious thing I had ever seen in the entire world.

"Mommy!"

She ran into my arms, and I hugged her tightly, kissing her hair as I held what was one of the most precious things in the entire world to me.

"Hey, Baby," I pushed the little girl's hair out of her eyes, "How did you sleep? Did you have any more nightmares?"

I had been worrying about it from the night she had first appeared in my room, pouting as she ran in saying that she had a nightmare and that she needed to sleep with us. My husband assured me that it was normal for kids to have nightmares and that she would be fine, but my baby girl shared the blood of a god. I would never not worry.

The little girl shook her head proudly, and I kissed the top of her head.

"That's wonderful, Honey."

I heard sound of stomping into the kitchen, and I knew the little boy was up.

"What happened now?"

"Daddy said he had to get up or he would have to stay here and watch Spongebob while you work when we are going to the beach with Grandpa."

I knew that this was the ultimate threat. The children adored their grandparents on both sides, but the beach with Grandpa was something special. And they all knew it.

"I bet he got up, huh?"

The little girl, nodded her curls flying as she did.

"Come on, let's go check on those crazy boys."

I close my laptop with my hand before standing up and pulling her to sit on my waist. I carried her out of my office, closing the door again, and I began through the house.

It was New Athens.

I knew these plans.

Aunt Annabeth had made these buildings. She always kept some small, beautiful room that could be used as an office or playroom, though she made it typically clear that she wanted it to be an office.

I took the baby girl down the stairs where I got more of a confirmation of the Greek style and modern amenities that New Athens was famed for. The windows had been retracted to let the sheet curtains waft around the pillars and call us towards the backyard, but the button to close them again was waiting. Everything was beautiful and regal of Athens but still modern and functional.

I took her to the kitchen, where there was a seven year old little boy. He was completely beautiful. His hair was pitch black and curly, and his eyes were crystal blue. His smile was adorable, and he reminded me of…Noah.

I put down the little girl, and she pulled herself up to the chair across from her brother.

"Hey, Baby, you alright?" I smile at the beautiful boy, and he looks up at me.

"Daddy said I couldn't go to the beach with Grandpa!" the little boy points to where the sound of bacon sizzling is beginning to make me hungry.

And then what I swear to be the handsomest man in the entire world turns back to me, a smile on his lips.

"I did not. I said that, if he didn't get up, he couldn't go. He got up," he smirked.

I just kept smiling as I thought about how many times I had dreamed about this in my lifetime.

Daddy. The "Daddy" of my children was the complete man of my dreams. He was the guy I had known for as long as I could remember. He was my best friend, he was the guy I fell in love with when he graduated, and he was the guy I pushed away out of fear. But I did it.

I got him.

He was my mine.

Forever.

I woke up in the morning to him. I saw the wedding band that I put on his finger every day. I knew that his toothpaste was mine, that his hair smelled of the shampoo I bought him, and that his clothes smelled of what I put in the washing machine. My beautiful children were given to me by him, they call him "Daddy".

After everything we had been through together, Noah Jackson was mine, and I was his was.

"See you can still go," I smiled, running my fingers through the little boy's hair.

"Your mom gets it, too," Noah smiled, crossing his arms. I got up give my husband a peck on the cheek, and, the closer I get to him, the more it feels like a dream.

I smiled at him, looking back at the little boy and remembering a time when he looked and sometimes act like that. I got up, and I went to help Noah with breakfast.

"Your son is just like you," I whispered.

"I was not that stubborn."

I laughed, shaking my head.

"Sure, you weren't Noah," I shook my head.

He turned back to the little girl and smiled.

"But you certainly were just as adorable as our baby girl," Noah smiled, looking back at her with the sweetest look I swear I have ever seen.

"What do you mean 'I was'?" I laughed.

"Because now you are amazingly gorgeous," he wrapped his arms around my waist, leaving the bacon cooking, and his eyes looked straight into mine, almost stopping my heart. He leaned in to kiss me, but the perfect kiss was cut short by our son.

"Ew!"

Noah pulled away, and I came up to our son, tickling him.

"Ew yourself, Kiddo!"


Suddenly, it was gone. I wasn't in New Athens in one of the homes my aunt had built. I was not in a kitchen with my husband cooking breakfast for our amazing children. I wasn't married to Noah, and he wasn't saying how much he loved me all the time. We didn't have two children. There wasn't a little boy who was just like his father and was currently upset about the threat of not going to the beach with their grandfather. There wasn't a little girl who looked just like me in owl pajamas.

It was all gone.

It had never existed.

The motherly love had evaporated, and I didn't feel the bliss of feeling a cold wedding band on my finger that Noah had given to me.

I suddenly felt hollow.

"Why did you show me that?" I was angry at Hypnos for giving me such happiness and snatching it away.

"Because you had to see it, Kate."

Noah,

One sip of my black coffee, and I was out.

It wasn't a gentle fade. It was just suddenly black. Everything was gone. It hit sharply with no warning beforehand.

One second, I was in a Waffle House, still thinking about that look Kate had given me when she woke up after falling asleep on my shoulder. Hypnos had gotten us all drinks, and I was bringing my cup of hot coffee to my lips and taking a sip.

Then, just as the hot coffee is running over my tongue, the world was black and everything was gone.

Then, just as fast and just as sudden as how it went to black, there was light once more.

It was night, the sky as black as ink. The stars were everywhere I looked, shining brighter and looking bigger than ever before. The moon was clearer than I had ever seen before. I was standing on a cloud like it was a platform, and it held me up. There was a sleepy little down below me, unaware that I was there.

And Hypnos sat on a cloud as well. The guy that once reminded me of a tired and possibly hungover college kid was now clearly a god. He was holding a scepter and sitting on a throne made of mattresses, and he suddenly looked somewhat regal.

"Hello, Noah," Hypnos yawned.

I looked around frantically.

"Where am I?"

Hypnos seemed to think about it, and he finally shrugged.

"I don't really know."

I stared at him.

"You don't…know?"

"Not really, this is a figment of my imagination. We could be anywhere or we could be nowhere," Hypnos shrugged as if this was common knowledge.

I wasn't sure what to say, how to press him, or anything.

So, I decided to ask my other questions.

"Where is everyone else then?"

"That is also a complicated question."

"Then why am I here?!" I was now getting angry.

"Ahh! There! I can give you answer to that!" he was excited that he could answer me, but, even when he was excited, he was tired.

It was almost pitiful, looking at a guy who would never be fully awake and would never be energetic no matter what he did.

"I am here to boost your morale! And to remind you of what you are fighting for!"

"Charlie," I answered without hesitation, "I am fighting for Charlie."

Hypnos's sleepy eyes met mine with an all-knowing glance, and he shook his head.

"Not just Charlie."

I stared at him, wondering what he meant.

"I am going to show you your dream, Noah Jackson."

Before I could say anything else, he snapped his fingers, and the world turned to black.


Noah's Dream…

It was a hot summer day. The heat hit us all full force, the sun unmercifully pounding its heat on us. There was a gentle breeze to try to help the heat, and it made it more relaxing. But it was still hot, and I still kept bringing my cold drink to my lips to cool me down.

We were out by the Camp Half-Blood lake on the little beach lying inside of New Athens. There were not many out. They were all smart enough to hide indoors with their fans on high and the AC down low. But we had apparently not gotten the memo.

My baby sister was lying on a beach towel, holding a book over her head as she tried to read just as she had every summer since she was seven. Only she wasn't a baby girl anymore.

She was all grown up.

She looked so much like Annabeth it was almost scary. She had grown into herself now. She was tall and lean, and guys fell all over her. Her skin was tanned, and there was a tattoo on her ankle of a date that I didn't really know. Her blonde curls were everywhere, and her sea green eyes were intently looking at the words on the page.

Charlie wasn't wearing The Little Mermaid Swimsuit she adored and always wore as a kid. She was not wearing Annabeth's sunglasses, and her book was Something Borrowed, not something from the tween area of the bookstore. She wasn't wrapped up in a big blue beach towel.

And she wasn't looking back at me, silently begging to go back into the water or for me to give her a piggy back ride.

She looked to be in her early twenties.

My little Charlotte was all grown up…

"So, where's your boy?" a girl stepped out onto the sand, and I could see her foot nudge Charlie.

Charlie put down the book, and she put her hand to where she was shielding her eyes from the sun. She was so grown up that it almost killed me…

"Working," Charlie sighed with a small smile, "You know him."

Then she seemed to notice something else. She sat up and smiled wide, putting out her arms.

"Come here, Baby! You know you want to hang out with me!" Charlie gave her a big smile, giving her a 'Come Here' motion. It was the same motion I used to give her when she was little when I wanted to hug her.

"Auntie Charlie!" a little girl's voice yelled happily, and I peered up to see that the woman who had nudged Charlie was holding a little girl who looked to be about three or four.

And the woman holding the little girl was none other than Katherine Moore, my best friend and dream girl.

Kate handed the little girl to Charlie, who hugged her tightly, and Charlie began to talk to her as Kate sat down on the sand beside me, leaning onto me, and I wrapped my arm around her. Charlie was talking about how much she looked like her mother and all that jazz. But I couldn't listen, I could only feel Kate leaning on me and putting her head on my shoulder.

Then her hand wrapped around mine, and I felt the coolness of something metal.

I looked down and saw our matching wedding bands, and I brought her hand up to my lips.

Kate smiled at me, and she leaned her head back on my shoulder. Her eyes drifted to the water.

"Baby," Kate nudged me, and I looked at her.

Kate looked even more beautiful now. Her brown curls were in a braid down her back, and her hair was out of her beautiful face. Her grey eyes were so warm and so happy, happier than I had ever seen them. She wasn't wearing a bit of make-up, and I liked her better that way.

She pointed to the water where a little boy was swimming around like an expert, gliding through like Charlie did as a child. He was getting farther and farther from us, and he was getting closer and closer to where the lake monsters swam mostly.

I knew what Kate wanted me to do, and, even if it hadn't been her telling me to do it, I knew I would have anyway.

I took out my hand, and I made a pulling motion.

The boy who had been swimming out to far began to glide back to us, the water obeying my wish.

"DAD!" the little boy yelled angrily, and I looked back to Kate.

"Thank you, Honey," Kate kissed my cheek.

"Aw," Charlie cooed, and we both looked back to her to see that she was holding on to the little girl with her head on the little girl's shoulder, "Aren't your parents so adorable?"

The little girl nodded fast, and Charlie smiled at her job well done.

"You know, Baby, you should ask Auntie Charlie when she is going to give you a cousin?" Kate smiled victoriously.

Charlie reddened, and she looked down to the little girl as she turned around and began to ask when she would get married and if she could be in the wedding. Charlie blushed a deeper shade of red with every question.

"Can I wear pink to your wedding? I like pink! You should wear pink, too!" the little girl keeps going, "You know, he really loves you. I heard him say it once."

"Oh, Honey," Charlie put her hand over the little girl's mouth, "Do you want to go in the water? I'll go with you."

The little girl nodded, and Charlie picked her up and began to take her in the lake while she glared at the two of us.

"It feels so weird seeing the girl that was once the baby in the family all grown up and carrying our baby," Kate squeezed my hand tightly, and I rubbed her arm with my free hand.

"You had to say that," I laughed.

"She'll marry him, you know that. In a few years, we will be holding her baby."

"That was the perfect thing to say to me," I pouted, putting my head on top of hers.

"She is grown up, has her own life," Kate smiled, "I'm proud of her."

She looked back to me.

"You know, I'm proud of us, too."

She leaned in to kiss me, and I smiled wide as I leaned in with her.


Right as our lips were about to touch, the world turned to black again, and I opened my eyes to see the clouds again. Hypnos was still sitting there as if nothing had happened. His head was back on the mattress throne, and I could tell that he was about to fall asleep.

"Hypnos!"

He sat up straight and tried to pretend that he hadn't been about to fall asleep.

"Hey, so, how'd it go?"

I didn't know what to say.

Kate.

Kate had been my wife. We had two kids. We were happy. Our baby girl knew Charlie as her aunt and asked her if she could wear pink in her wedding. We had a son who I had to pull in with my water powers. Kate and I had matching wedding bands…

It was too much to think about, it was swarming around too fast.

And I couldn't forget the way it felt for her to be tucked in my arms, to hold my hand, to have her head on my shoulder.

It killed me that it was gone, that she was gone, and that the two of us weren't together.

"I will take that as a not so good."

Hypnos shrugged.

"You just had to see that you aren't just fighting for Charlie.

Charlie,

It was awkward to sit there between Aiden and Chester, especially given the fact that I had been in the car with Aiden and Swift instead of being in the car with Chester. They both seemed to sense that it was a big deal, which I wished they wouldn't. Swift was the one who wanted me in the car, but I couldn't blame it on her like I wanted. I had decided to get in the car with her and with Aiden.

I had gotten closer to Chester when we were in Vegas, and that had been things a little more awkward between us all, which I did not even know was possible. I didn't speak to either much when we were with Azul, but I did keep smiling whenever Aiden was being sweet to Weslin.

And it was almost as if I had started World War III by getting out of the Jeep.

I was trying not to think about it as I took a sip of my juice, and I didn't have to deal with it long as the first taste of the orange juice on my tongue made the world turn black.

And, almost as suddenly as everything was black, I was standing on clouds, a sleepy little town below. The stars were bright and more numerous that I had ever seen, and moon was bright and so easy to see every mark on it. And then there was Hypnos.

Wearing a silk robe. Holding a scepter. And sitting on a throne made of mattresses.

Nothing about this was normal.

But nothing had been normal in my life.

Ever.

So, I guess I adjusted to this shock pretty easily and pretty fast.

"Hi, Charlie," he waved, and I let out a weak wave as I kept looking around.

"Hi, Hypnos."

He yawned.

"So, uh…" I looked at him, "Where are me?"

"I don't know."

"What?"

"Long story."

"Where is everyone else?"

Hypnos shrugged.

"It is really complicated."

"Complicated," I thought aloud, nodding, and I began to wonder if his tiredness was hurting him in the logic department.

Hypnos nodded.

"So, um, why am I here then?"

"Oh, you know. Tell you your dream. Keep up morale. The typical."

I knit my eyes in confusion.

"This is typical?"

"I've done it before."

"You have?"

He nodded.

"I know you have a lot questions, I get it. But I kinda need a nap, so yeah."

I knit my eyebrows, and I was about to question him when he snapped his fingers.


Charlie's Dream…

Come on, stay. We haven't spoken in forever, Elizabeth told me, the sea monster's eyes begging.

Elizabeth was a sea monster that I had been running into since I started working at the Camp Half-Blood Lake aquatics center. I had majored in Marine Biology, and I had hoped to work in New Athens. I was about to take an offer in Bermuda when my uncle who worked as marine biologist decided to open a program working to protect and care for the water at Camp Half-Blood, and he really wanted someone related to Poseidon and Athena. I took it as soon as I could manage past the shock and excitement. I met and named Elizabeth my first day.

And Elizabeth had become a pretty good friend since.

"I have to get home. But I have to go into the water on Monday. We can catch up then."

Fine, Elizabeth swam off, and I stood up from the dock, walking towards the office.

"You're still here?" my coworker, Ethan, asked, as he was putting on his coat.

"Yeah, I'm leaving though," I grabbed my bag from my desk, and I gave the fish in the fish tank food before I was going to leave.

"Bye, Charlie," he smiled before leaving, but I wasn't too far behind him.

The center was on the edge of town, and I had to drive, which was pretty uncommon in New Athens. There wasn't much traffic, which felt great after having grown up in New York City. I was thinking about the commute I had done when I was kid to get to and from school, and I happily noted that it was a much shorter ride to the school.

It was the last day of school, and, as I drove up, everything was jittery as everyone was dying to get out. All three schools were near each other in what was known as the school area. The Elementary School, Middle School, and High School all had their own pick-ups, and there was a central pick up that I would later have to use. But, for now, I could just drive up to the elementary pick-up.

I smiled as I looked out through the faces of kids as the bell rang and they all started out of the school.

And then I saw them.

There was a beautiful little girl who looked to be about nine was holding the hand of a little boy who looked to be about five.

I smiled as I waved at them, and the little boy's face lit up as he waved. The little girl smiled, too, and they both hurried towards me. The little girl opened the door for her little brother before jumping in the front seat, excited and ready to tell me all about her day. I smiled as I listened while helping the little boy and making sure he was safely buckled in.

As the little girl began to finish up her story, I smiled.

"I'm glad it was a good day, Honey," I kissed the top of her head, and she blushed, mortified.

"Mom, there are people around!"

I rolled my eyes.

"No one is around. We are driving."

"People can see in the car."

I shook my head as I kept driving.

"How was your day, Sweetie?" I looked in the rearview mirror to see the little boy in a Spiderman tee shirt.

"Fun! Mrs. Greene let us watch The Lorax, and we got popcorn. And David threw some in Lara's hair," the little boy smiled contently.

He was so unbelievably adorable.

"Hey, so is Dad home?" the girl seemed to be over her embarrassment as she turned back to me, and I frowned as I shook my head.

"Sorry guys, he'll be home tomorrow. I promise," I watched as a bit of their New Summer Joy began to dull, and I tried to deflect it by turning on the radio and letting the little girl control the dial while the little boy got out a video game to play.

It did not take very long to get to our house towards the edge of the town, closer to the lake.

As soon as the car was parked, the two kids had already jumped out of the car, and they were hurrying towards the door, probably wanting to change into swimsuits and head down to the lake. I got out of the car and walked towards the door at a normal pace, but they were acting like it was an eternity.

I unlocked the door and let the two kids come in.

They both happily discarded of their backpacks at the door, and my daughter stopped to feed the fish that she called GiGi in the living room before sitting down on the sofa beside her brother. I came into the living room, and I was going to get my laptop from the kitchen when my son was turning the channel to Johnny Test.

I was sitting in my favorite chair and turning on the computer when my children both gasped.

"Daddy!" my son yelled as he began to run towards the door, and my daughter was running even faster.

I turned around, putting down my laptop, and there he was in the flesh.

He put his bag on the floor just in time before the two kids basically trampled him with their hugs. He wrapped them up both in a tight embrace, and he began to tell them how much he missed them before giving them both a kiss on the top of their heads.

He looked to me, and I smiled.

And the next thing I knew, I was wrapped up in a hug, too, and he was telling me how much he missed me. He gave me a brief kiss before our two children would start screaming about how gross we were.

I smiled so wide I thought that the smile wouldn't even fit on my face. I wrapped my hand around his and felt the cool metal of a wedding ring, and that made me smile even wider. He smiled back at me just wide, and he turned back to the kids.

"So, I'm thinking we go get pizza to celebrate the start of the summer. Do you think that is a good plan?"

They both eagerly nodded, and he smiled down at them.

"Go get ready then."

They both went off, and I looked back at him with a smile.

"You came home early."

"I missed you guys," he pushed my hair out of my eyes, and I smiled at him.

"I missed you, too."

He wrapped his arms around me, and he leaned in to kiss me.

And the moment was gone.


I was back with Hypnos in the clouds, who was well into a good nap.

I wanted to wake him up and get mad at him for falling asleep, but I was silent. I didn't move, I barely breathed. I might as well have turned into a statue of Charlie. I stood there, just staring at Hypnos as my mind began to race.

I wasn't sure my brain had ever worked so fast. Thoughts were running in and out of my head. Memories were remembered. Faces recognized once more. And feelings resurfaced. It was like my entire brain was on meltdown, and it was threatening to explode from the pressure.

But I was frozen and peaceful on the outside.

Hypnos was beginning to wake, and he noticed me once more.

"So, you're shocked I take it."

No answer.

"If you really think about it, it isn't that surprising, and you know it. You're just scared to admit it," Hypnos told me, and I knew we were thinking about the same thing. I had seen the face of the man I loved, the one I wanted to have a family with, the one that was part of my dream life.

And I knew exactly who it was.