Act I Chapter IV: Percy Gets More Questions Than Answers

Percy's final dream started out in the darkness that had consumed his sleep for the past few days now. He blinked and found the world in front of him slowly turning bright. He stared at the twelve figures that stood encircling him. Percy turned his head and found someone standing back to back with him, but he couldn't see their features. It felt like the two of them were facing off against the world.

Twelve thrones grow cold. We shall be the ones to warm them. After all, what have the gods given us?

Percy looked back at the figures in front of him. It was too dark to see what they looked like, but they radiated power. Percy knew he should have felt fear. He should have been shaking. Especially since these twenty-foot figures were sizing him up. His hands balled into a fist, and he started to shake, but it was not from fear.

Perseus Jackson

Percy blinked and found that the figures were gone. He was standing in a field. No. Not just a field: a battlefield. He could barely make out the ugly scars on the earth where fires had burned and rage. There were small bits of rubble that had been long covered by grass and weeds. Looking around this place sent a feeling of longing through his chest.

Rise

Percy turned his head and yelled. He fell back and hit the grass. Percy scrambled backward and stared up at the creature, the wolf, in front of him. This wolf was seven feet tall, ears pointed and tail taunt, ready to pounce. The wolf had red fur and silver eyes like the moon.

And find your way. Follow the path to the Wolf House.

Percy gasped as he found himself sitting in a nearly destroyed house. The ground was made of stone, and bones littered the ground. The wolf stood across from him and looked around at the destroyed home before making a motion like the shaking of a head. Percy blinked a few times and turned his head. He found himself in just a forest with trees all around. Percy started to float away from the clearing, through the forest, onto a street, past multiple street signs, past a sign that said West Orange, New Jersey, and all the way back to his home in New York.

Percy blinked and found himself back in a place of darkness, like it was an old friend. He thought back to the directions that felt as if they had been seared into his brain. He felt pain shoot through his skull, and the world dissolved into a rapid series of images.

A bronze sword. A figure wrapped in darkness. A golden belt clutched in a bloody hand. A trident encased in blood and water. The last image that flashed was something he would think of for the rest of the day: a person on their knees with a sword stabbed through their back and out of their chest. Another figure stood behind them holding onto the sword's handle. A third figure was mid-step as if they were trying to stop the exchange, but two more were about to block their path.

The image stopped, and Percy found himself in a well-lit place. He stood in a pure white room as if it was made of light itself. The floor and walls were made of marble. Three figures sat in rocking chairs and seemed to be knitting the world's biggest sock. One looked up at him.

This old woman had sunken eyes that were pure black. Her white hair was pulled back in a bun. The two old women next to her looked the same. One held onto a large ball of yarn and stared intently at it. Another carefully unwound some of the yarn and seemed to visually measure it. The last old lady lifted her scissors and then cut the string.

Become the hero you were meant to be.

A gasp escaped Percy as he woke up. His mind slowly ran through this newest dream. Then, he immediately stood, nearly tripping over his blanket. Percy could chalk up the other dreams, the nightmares, to a restless mind, too much sugar, or a horror movie. But this? No, this couldn't be explained by anything. It was too lifelike. Too real.

Percy didn't know where he could go. He couldn't tell anyone at school. They would refer him to the nurse or the guidance counselor, and they would call him crazy. Grover or Tyson wouldn't know what to make of this. There was only one person that Percy could go to, and while his mother may not know how to help, she could comfort him.

Percy stumbled into the hallway and turned. He walked as fast as he could towards the living room and then into the kitchen. Sally and Paul were cooking eggs. They looked happy, and while Percy didn't want to ruin the moment, he had to talk to someone.

"I had a nightmare," Percy began. Both jumped and looked at him. Sally's face screwed up in concern, while Paul's stayed neutral. He seemed to have his full attention on Percy, though. "It wasn't just one nightmare. I had another yesterday, and two more before that. And, I'm scared."

"Percy, tell us about it," Sally said. There was a grim look on her face. She turned off the stove and placed the eggs to the side. Sally walked towards Percy and wrapped him in a hug. Paul walked up behind and placed a gentle hand to Percy's shoulder.

Percy took a few deep breaths and pulled away. He sat down, and Sally poured him a glass of water. As Percy drank the water, he slowly recited his nightmares, starting with the earliest one and ending with the newest. Paul and Sally listened in silence.

Paul seemed concerned, but also interested. His eyes seemed to light up when Percy talked about the battle between two figures, but pure confusion came to his face when Percy mentioned the series of flashes and the voice that spoke the final line to him.

Sally's face remained the same the entire time: a grim look. But also something else: acceptance.

"Percy, you need to pack a bag," Sally said after Percy finished his story. Her voice was so quiet that Percy thought he had misheard her.

"What?" Percy asked. Paul looked just as confused. Sally stood and walked towards a small side closest. She pulled out a duffel bag that Percy had never seen before. "Are we moving again?"

"No, sweetie," Sally assured. She placed the duffel bag on the table. "I was hoping we could go to Montauk first. Celebrate one more birthday together. But, that's not possible now."

"Is this what we were talking about last night?" Paul asked. Sally nodded. "I really thought you were playing a late prank on me."

"I wish," Sally whispered. Percy looked in between the two as confusion took over. He gripped his glass of water.

"Mom," Percy began. "What's going on?"

"Percy, I promise I will explain it all on the way, but we cannot waste any more time," Sally said. Percy frowned, but he forced himself to nod. He grabbed the duffel bag and walked towards his room.

Percy wasn't sure what to pack, so he grabbed enough clothes to last him for over a week. He also grabbed the watch that Tyson had made for him and put it on his wrist. He then walked towards his bathroom and grabbed his toothpaste, toothbrush, and deodorant. He walked into the hallway and looked back at his room. There was this feeling in his gut that he wouldn't see it again for a long time. Percy swallowed back his fear and apprehension. He made his way towards the living room.

"Mom, I have to know what is going on," Percy declared. It took a moment for his mother to look at him. She brushed hair out of his face and smiled sadly. Paul stood off to the side with a grim look on his face.

"As soon as we're in the car," Sally promised.

"This isn't because of Gabe, is it?" Percy asked quietly. A frown came to his mother's face, and she pulled him into a tight hug.

"No, it's not sweetie. I promise," Sally whispered. She rubbed his back. "I swear to you that Gabe will never bother you or me again. He is gone."

"So, it's about my dream then. Who were the people fighting? The two arguing? Those figures that looked down on me? What is the Wolf House? Those places," Percy rambled. He pulled away and tried to hide his frustration. It wasn't like his mother to hide things from him, so why was today different? What was going on?

Sally sighed and grabbed the golden pen. She rolled it back and forth between her fingers, "Percy, I want to tell you everything, but some knowledge is powerful. So powerful that it can expose you to danger that you never knew existed. Dangers I have been hiding you from. And, I am going to tell you everything once we are heading somewhere safer. You just have to be patient with me."

"Okay," Percy ceased. He sighed and lowered his head. Patience wasn't his strong suit, and his mother knew that. Percy would try to be patient. He would do his best to not bother her with any more questions until they got into the car.

"Paul, can you take him to the car? I have a call I need to make," Sally said.

"Who are you going to call?" Percy questioned as his curiosity peaked once again.

"Someone that can help us. Has been helping us," Sally answered.

"What?" Percy asked in confusion. His mother gave him a sympathetic look and moved towards the kitchen and the landline. Percy started to follow. "What do you mean?"

"Percy, please just get in the car with Paul," Sally begged.

"Is it my father?" Percy asked suddenly. Sally looked at him, and a sad smile came to his mother's face. "I know that you are going to tell me everything later, but is my father the one helping you?"

"No," Sally finally answered. She shook her head. "I haven't seen your father since I had you. Since he gave me that pen. He told me you would need it one day, and he told me that you would be a great hero. You would help save the world."

"Save the world," Percy slowly repeated. Just like the voice said in his dream. Sally nodded and wiped her eyes. "Mom?"

"Go to the car. Please," Sally whispered. It looked like she was ready to start crying, and if she did, Percy might as well.

"Okay," Percy finally said. He hugged Sally tightly and then turned towards Paul. It looked like Paul was just as confused as him. Percy gripped the duffel bag that he was holding onto, and he followed behind Paul, lost in thought.

What did Percy's father mean by him being a hero? What did all of his dreams even mean? There were those thrones, that fight, the arguing voices, the evil laugh, the figure that looked down at him, those images, and how could he forget the feeling of him being stabbed in the chest? Of dying. As Percy left the apartment, he shot a glance back at his mother. Sally paced back and forth with her phone in her hand. As Percy looked forward, he felt like everything in his life was about to change.