Act I Chapter II: Percy Has a Glimpse of the End of the World
Somehow, Percy's next dream was weirder than the first. He opened his eyes and found himself standing in a desolate field. The grass beneath his feet was withering, looking more like the ash of the fire from his first dream. Percy looked up, and he stared.
Two figures stood in the field. It looked like the world around them had ended, and they just wanted to duel. Percy wanted to shout for them to stop. To ask why they were fighting for in a place like this. He tried to move forward, but it felt like he was moving through mud. His eyes moved back to the figures.
One was kneeling on the ground. They wore a black cloak that covered most of their body, enforcing an aura of darkness on them. They slowly stood and brushed the cloak aside to grab the golden hilt of a weapon from their belt. Black armor that looked like the kind Percy had seen from Paul's lectures about Roman history showed for a moment before being encircled by the black cloak. The darkness wrapped around them like another set of armor, or a second skin.
Across from them stood a feminine figure. She wore leather armor and a hood that covered her head. Moonlight seemed to radiate off of her. and she held a bow firmly in her hands. Two daggers hung from this woman's belt, but she made no move to grab one. She just grabbed an arrow from the bag slung across her back and notched it.
The two of them stared each other down for a long moment, reminding Percy of an old western standoff. The hooded woman fired the arrow. The other figure dodged past the arrow, and the two clashed. A bright, golden light exploded from their location, and Percy was forced to look away to avoid his eyes feeling like they were being melted out of his skull.
As Percy averted his gaze, he raised his arm to cover his eyes. The light was so bright he felt it burning his skin. A cry left him from the intense pain, but as soon as it hit, it was gone. He gasped and slowly lowered his arm. Percy tried to blink the dots out of his vision. When his vision was clear, he looked around.
Percy no longer stood in the field of dying grass. The ground was made of some kind of marble, and he could feel how cold it was through his socks and shoes. A shiver wracked his body as he looked up. There was another throne-like structure in front of him, like from his first dream.
It only took Percy a moment to realize that it was a throne, and it was occupied. Percy slowly looked up at the twenty-foot figure that stood from the throne. The giant stared down at him, darkness seeming to radiate off of them. The dark, evil eyes were solely focused on Percy.
Perseus Jackson
The voice was cold, and Percy felt ice run through his body. He started to shake as his body was consumed by fear. Percy tried to speak. Instead, the giant waved his hand, and Percy's dream ended
Percy's eyes snapped open, and he heard laughing all around him. It took him a few moments to lift his head from his notebook, a trail of drool being left behind. Percy wiped his mouth and felt his ear tips burn as he realized everyone was watching and laughing at him.
Things became worse as he looked up and saw the teacher standing over him. Their math teacher, an old, bitter woman that went by the name Mrs. Dodds, looked down upon him with hellfire in her eyes. Something about her scared Percy to his core. She always wore this leather jacket that was one size too small, and biker jeans. When she called upon someone in class, it looked like she would stab them if they got the question wrong, and when they were wrong, she would hiss and mutter to herself in this strange language that he almost felt like he recognized.
"Perseus Jackson," Mrs. Dodds hissed. Percy tensed at the usage of his full name. It was only reserved for when his mother was really mad at him, and he always told his teachers just to call him Percy. Mrs. Dodds did not listen to him. "Talk to me after class."
"Yes ma'am," Percy said weakly. He was trying so hard this year not to get kicked out of school. He had cut down most of his behavioral incidents, but it seemed like some of the teachers went out of the way to get him in trouble. He didn't go on field trips, so no other crazy incidents would happen.
Mrs. Dodds turned on her heel and walked back towards the front of the class, continuing the math lesson. Percy sunk into his chair and tried to ignore the stares. He tried to focus on the board in front of him, but the numbers danced off of the board. His mind drifted back to the dream.
In the morning, he could chalk up his brain running wild, but two weird dreams in the same day? He wasn't so sure now. Who were those two people fighting? And then, that figure on the throne. Who was that? Was he going crazy?
Percy debated telling Grover, but he was worried that his friend wouldn't believe him. Worse, Grover might be extremely worried and suggest he go to a therapist or tell his mother. And, telling his mother would be even worse. She would baby him all night. Maybe, it was just a lack of sleep and an overactive mind.
Percy forced himself to stay awake for the rest of class, but he didn't learn anything. His mind kept playing the two dreams over and over again. Most dreams he forgot the details of, maybe remembering pieces here or there. He did not remember every single second of it like he was now.
After analyzing the dream for what felt like a thousand times, the bell rang. He slumped further in his seat as the class stood and left the room. He was left alone with his teacher. Percy slowly stood and threw his notebook into his backpack, not even bothering to turn away from the blank page. Mrs. Dodds watched him like her eyes had been replaced by lasers.
"Is there a reason for it this time?" Mrs. Dodds questioned. When Percy talked to her, he always felt like he was on trial, and the verdict had already been decided. He could only wait for her to announce his guilt and guide him to the executioner's block.
"I'm sorry," Percy mumbled as he looked down. If he didn't talk back, he would just be given detention.
"Bad dreams?" Mrs. Dodds hissed. Percy's eyes flickered up. His teacher studied him with a cold look.
"I just watched a horror movie the night before," Percy began. Mrs. Dodds made a noise in the back of her throat. A growl? She didn't look convinced. "It won't happen again."
"Dreams are often warnings," Mrs. Dodds said. "Do you know what your dreams can mean, Perseus Jackson? About what dangers lie in front of you, even if you don't know it."
"What?" Percy asked. He could have sworn that Mrs. Dodds' eyes started to shine. She opened her mouth to say something, but they heard a crashing noise.
Percy jumped and turned towards the door. His other best friend looked at the door sheepishly and then looked at Percy. Mrs. Dodds spoke, "You're dismissed, Perseus. Just don't sleep in my class again."
"I won't," Percy promised. He grabbed his backpack and hurried towards the front door. "Hey, Tyson. How are you doing?"
"Good," Tyson replied with a toothy grin. Percy smiled at him and then looked away. It wasn't that Tyson was ugly, but Percy just couldn't stand to look at him. Like Percy could focus on his mouth and lips, but he never made it beyond the nose. When he tried to look up, he just felt compelled to look away. It made him feel terrible.
Ugly or not, Tyson was one of Percy's best friends. They had met a year ago, about the time that Grover and Percy met. The only problem was that Tyson and Grover didn't talk to each other. Grover would always just make a noise, almost like a bleat, of terror when Tyson's name was mentioned, and Tyson always complained that Grover smelled like a goat.
That didn't stop Percy from hanging out with both of them. He protected both of them from their bullies the best he could. Tyson had joined the school through a program for homeless kids, and everyone always asked him when he was returning home to his box. Percy almost got suspended for punching them after they said that.
When they had been changing in PE once, Percy saw terrible scars on Tyson's back. He never asked where they came from, but he did feel this fierce desire to protect his friend. As they walked, Tyson spoke, "I don't like her."
"Me too, buddy. Me too," Percy agreed. He had invited Tyson over a few times before for dinner, and while Sally looked taken aback, she welcomed him over. Tyson was built like a football player, and it was probably a good thing he didn't fight back against his bullies. He could seriously hurt them. Percy just wished others wouldn't pick on him and try to force that reaction.
"She smells funny," Tyson commented as they made their way to their next class: PE.
"Like mothballs and smoke," Percy added. He smiled at the image of this decrepit old lady on a motorcycle smoking a cigarette and leaving everyone behind in the dust. The two of them stepped into the gym and made their way towards the locker room. Upon making it inside, they went towards their lockers in the back corner.
"Happy early birthday," Tyson said after a moment. He pulled off his backpack and opened it. Tyson pulled out a watch, and Percy stared at it. The strap was leather, and the watchface itself was made of this bronze-colored metal. The numbers were Roman numerals, and the minutes and second hands were golden arrows.
"Tyson, you shouldn't have," Percy said as guilt overtook him. "This must have cost a fortune."
"I made it," Tyson said proudly. Percy remembered that Tyson was always playing with bits of metal, but he didn't think Tyson could make anything like this. "At my job!"
"You have a job?" Percy asked in surprise. He knew that Tyson was most likely older than the other freshman, which would explain his huge figure. He had probably just been held back or never able to attend school before. A job, though? That was new.
Tyson nodded excitedly and handed the watch to Percy. After a few moments, Percy carefully put it on, "Thank you so much, Tyson. I didn't get you anything for your birthday. I don't even know when your birthday is."
"That's okay, Percy. You're special," Tyson said quietly. He looked Percy up and down. Percy smiled and studied the watch. "If you are ever in trouble, press in on the button. It will protect you just like you protect me."
"I'll take good care of it," Percy promised. He took the watch off and carefully placed it in his backpack. "Thank you again, Tyson."
"Anything for you," Tyson replied, and he pulled Percy into a hug. Percy would have hugged him back, but Tyson had his arms trapped to his side. When Percy was finally released from the deathgrip, he hugged Tyson back.
Percy turned to change his clothes. He kept staring at his backpack, where he had put his watch. Tyson said it would save his life someday, but he didn't think that being able to tell time would save him too much. Percy still appreciated the gift, though. He just wishes he knew how true Tyson's words would come to be.