Act I Chapter III: Percy Gets a Sneak Peek at His Death
Percy's third dream was the worst one yet. He opened his eyes to find himself back in that terrifying room with the giant on a throne. Percy didn't feel fear this time. There was no ice shooting through his veins. Instead, he felt nothing.
Percy tried to speak and ask where he was. Before he could form words, something began to build up in the back of his throat. He tried to clear away the blockage, only to choke on the attempt. Percy found himself unable to breathe, and his eyes widened.
Both hands shot to his neck as he began to cough uncontrollably. Pain started in his chest like his lungs were screaming for oxygen. His eyes moved down to focus on the bronze tip of a sword that stuck out of his chest. It was stained red with blood. His blood.
Percy tasted blood building in the back of his throat, and he began choking on the liquid flooding his windpipe. His legs shook and he could no longer bear his weight. Percy collapsed to his knees and stared down at the sword. The sword began to glow brightly, nearly blinding him.
I'm sorry. It had to be this way.
Just like that, the light was gone. The pain stopped, and he could breathe again. The sword disappeared from his chest and appeared in front of his eyes. He slowly moved his gaze forward and saw the light was now in front of him. It formed the image of a person but not enough for Percy to make out any features. The figure of light reached out and pulled him into a warm embrace. Percy felt his lips stretch into a smile, and he hugged them back.
The light faded away, and Percy found himself hugging nothing. He lowered his arms and looked around. There was nothing but all-encompassing darkness. The ground beneath his feet felt solid, but he couldn't tell if it was grass, dirt, stone, or something else entirely.
Percy heard noises in the distance. He turned his head and saw nothing. It took him a few moments to walk towards the voice. Nothing held him back this time, and he hurried towards the sounds. As he got closer, he heard a repeated exchange between two voices: one male and one female.
There has to be another way! You can't do this!
I am strong enough. I can handle this.
Percy didn't know why, but he knew that he needed them to stop. As he opened his mouth to tell them to stop, he heard laughing. Cruel, evil cackling. It drowned out the arguing and seemed to be all around Percy. A chill ran down his spine, and Percy felt the ground disappear from beneath him. He fell into a pit of darkness and woke up screaming.
Percy wasn't done screaming before two arms wrapped around him and pulled him close. He turned and buried his face into his mother's comforting shoulder. His breathing was labored, and he was shaking. Calming down seemed impossible, until Sally rubbed his back and hummed softly in his ear.
Percy's heart was beating at a mile a minute. His breath came out in rapid gasps. He couldn't even hug his mother back properly because of how bad his body shook. Percy hadn't felt terror like this in a long time. It felt like it was going down to his very soul.
"It's okay, sweetie. I'm here. It's okay," Sally whispered. Percy nodded and tried to calm his breathing. "Just take deep breaths. In and out."
Percy did as he was told, focusing on drawing in huge breaths and letting them out. One of Sally's hands rubbed his back, and her other hand gently gripped his shoulder. When he had calmed down his breathing, he stayed there until the pit in his gut went away. Percy finally pulled away and looked up at his mother.
"What happened?" Sally asked quietly. There was concern etched on her face. She gently wiped the sweat away from Percy's brow and kissed his forehead.
"Nightmare," Percy began. He looked down and shook his head as the memory of the nightmare tried to come back to his mind. "It was so real."
"Tell me what happened," Sally said gently. Percy didn't answer and then shook his head once again. "Percy, look at me. It's okay. You can tell me."
"Not right now. Please. I just need to calm down," Percy replied. Sally looked like she was biting the inside of her cheek in worry, but she nodded. Her hand continued to rub his back.
"Your birthday is tomorrow," Sally said, changing the subject. Percy could hear the smile forming on her face. "What do you want to do?"
"Can we still go to Montauk?" Percy asked. It had been their yearly tradition for as long as he could remember. It would be just him and Sally going down to the beach. They would rent out a cabin for the weekend and just enjoy themselves. Sally always seemed to relax around the water, shedding a few years of age.
"Of course," Sally said. She ran a hand through Percy's hair. "Do you want to do anything else? I want this birthday to be special."
"Every birthday is special with you," Percy admitted. He pulled away and smiled as he saw his mother was beaming. "Does Paul want to come this year?"
"Do you want him to?" Sally asked carefully, hope creeping into her tone. Percy studied her. He had nothing against Paul. In fact, Paul was probably the kindest person to him besides his mother, and he knew that Sally really did like Paul.
"I do," Percy promised. "You're so happy around him, and he's a good person. I enjoy being around him."
Somehow, Sally smiled even more. She kissed Percy's forehead, "You calm down, and I'll go ask Paul."
Percy nodded, and his mother stood. She left the room. Percy laid back on his bed and thought about the dream. His mind moved back to the two other dreams. He felt as if they were connected, but he could not figure out how.
And being stabbed? Even if he was in the body of someone else, it was absolutely terrifying. The blood that had been in his throat choking him was not something he wanted to relive, and thinking about it caused him to shiver. And, who was that figure of light that he hugged?
Was it even him in the dream? Was he having one of those weird out of body experiences and seeing what had happened to someone else? Not to mention the two arguing voices. It all left Percy with a headache. He placed two fingers on each temple and started to rub them.
Laying in bed wasn't going to give him an answer, but what would? Would he fall asleep again and unlock the final piece of the puzzle? Percy tried to get rid of his intrusive thoughts as he made it to his feet and grabbed a fresh change of clothes. A good shower would help him before going to school.
Percy's brain felt fried, and he knew that he didn't get a restful sleep once again. The last thing he needed to do was fall asleep in math class again. Mrs. Dodds might actually vaporize him this time, and Tyson might not be around to interrupt.
As Percy stepped into the hallway, he made his way towards the bathroom. It was the door before the living room, which allowed him to hear Sally and Paul talking. Paul spoke, "Is Percy okay?"
"Just a bad dream," Sally answered. Worry dominated her tone. "Can we talk, Paul? About Percy?"
Percy had been ready to step into the bathroom, but he froze upon hearing his name. Part of him felt guilt at eavesdropping, but who didn't listen in when their name was mentioned? Percy leaned against the wall and focused on their conversation.
"Of course," Paul agreed. It sounded like he was shifting papers, probably ones that he was grading.
"Percy is... special," Sally began. Percy felt his face heat up at the words. He knew that he had issues with his ADHD and dyslexia. It was hard for him to focus in class, and there were times when he had a bit of a temper when teachers acted like he was stupid.
"He is your son," Paul commented. It sounded like he was smiling. Percy gripped the wall. He hated when adults used words like special. It really meant something else they weren't allowed to say in good company.
"No. I mean, he is special. Different," Sally corrected. Percy's ears began to burn as well, but as Sally uttered another syllable, the phone rang. "I better get that."
Percy took a deep breath and walked out into the living room. Paul was sitting on the couch and had a stack of papers in his hands. He started to place them on the coffee table and began humming. Upon looking up, he smiled.
"Morning, Percy. You doing okay?" Paul greeted him. Percy nodded stiffly. "It's okay to be scared of nightmares. No one will look down on you."
"I'm fine," Percy waved off. In fact, his worry about his dream was dissipating and replaced by shame over what his mother had said. Sally was always patient with him. Always helping him. Did she actually think he was just a troublemaker?
"Well, I'm here to talk if you need it," Paul promised. Despite his racing mind and bad mood, Percy smiled slightly. There had only been one adult there for him for most of his life, and it was his mother.
"Did mom ask you about my birthday?" Percy questioned. Paul shook his head. "Well, we normally go to Montauk Beach each year. And, I was wondering if you wanted to come this year."
"Percy, I would love to," Paul happily accepted. His eyes were wide, and he looked taken aback. "Are you sure? I know this is a tradition between you and your mother."
"Well, you're dating her, and you're more of a father to me than Smelly Gabe ever was," Percy admitted. Paul's face shone with pride, and he smiled happily.
"Then, I accept. I'll also buy food on the way. Sally said there was a fast food place out of town the two of you have been looking at," Paul offered. Percy tried to fight the smile on his face from growing. While he wanted to go to that fast food place, he would feel bad if they did.
"Yeah. It's kind of expensive, though," Percy began. He knew that teachers didn't make the most money, and his birthday wasn't that special.
"It's your birthday," Paul said with a bright smile. He stood and clasped Percy's shoulder. "You deserve it. You should shower, and I'll make some breakfast. I'll also take you to school."
"Thanks," Percy replied. He heard Sally hang up the phone and tried to hide his frown. Percy turned away and walked back towards the bathroom. He stopped outside the door, unable to just ignore the possible continuation of the conversation about him.
"Who was that?" Paul asked. Percy grabbed the door handle, but he couldn't bring himself to step inside. Instead, he listened in on the conversation.
"Just an old... friend," Sally replied. She sounded nervous, or worried. Percy could imagine her twirling a bit of her hair. Maybe even biting her lip.
"Well, what did you want to tell me?" Paul wondered. "About Percy."
"We'll talk about it tonight," Sally promised. "Has Percy come out yet?"
"Oh yeah, he went to take a shower. I'll drive him to school," Paul said. As the conversation died, Percy stepped into the bathroom and closed the door, lost in thought. He wanted to know what his mother was going to say. Why was she telling Paul that he was special, and did she mean something bad by that? Or, was he special in another way?