Never Gonna Sleep Again

Do you remember how I said that my time sleeping on Galínios was entirely without dreams? The same couldn't be said now that I was back in New York.

To my frustration, I stood within an annoyingly familiar location, absolute nothingness. A thick, inky darkness surrounded me, locking me in place. In what I can only assume was a far off distance, thick clouds of varying colors drew nearer. With no other choice, I stared on as the prismatic clouds rumbled ever closer.

By the time they reached me, the clouds molded themselves into vaguely humanoid figures. The ghostly apparitions offered no discernable features.

"Everything is still going according to plan?" A haze obscured the small nuances of the voice, though it still seemed eerily familiar.

"Of course! I've never had such fun in millennia!"

"You have your fun, but don't forget to keep up your end of the bargain."

"Oh please, you loved watching that girl squirm."

"True. I just wish it were my hands around her throat."

"Patience. You have enough vendettas to go around. Plus, I need to make sure he gets to enjoy himself before we drive him further in."

"Yes. I must say, he has proven fairly troublesome in his loyalties. I just want to have this finished already, so those wenches get what they deserve!"

"Calm yourself. The first step went well. Now we need to continue splitting and tying bonds."

A soft rumbling let out, an all too familiar sign of their laughter.

"That's my specialty! Too long has it been since my mortals learn of my power!"

"Last time we worked with you, many who believed in us turned inward. We'd prefer not to endure another civil war."

Fortunately or unfortunately, the scene melted away before I could become any more confused. I now found myself standing in a field of moonlace. The silvery flowers let off a vibrant glow under the cloudy night sky. I turned to look around, and found myself gazing at a very animalistic battle.

Two birds of some sort were locked in combat, one clearly much bigger than the other. One would think that this would have ended quickly, but the smaller bird let out a cry that instantly incapacitated the larger and sent it falling into the meadow.

I rushed over to the downed avian to see that it was a barn owl. Mottled gold feathers encompassed its face, and its talons were as sharp as steel. Its stormy grey eyes pierced through the night, paralyzing me on the spot as it thrashed around on the ground. The very meadow itself seemed to be fighting as well. The moonlace flowers let off noxious fumes and the stalks entwined around the owl, strangling it.

I need to save the owl. I need to stop this fighting.

The other bird swooped down and attacked the owl. It looked to be a dove of sorts, though it appeared much less white than normal. Bronze feathers clung to its body, shining beautifully in the night. It continued letting out its cries and nearly knocked me unconscious. The owl finally managed to slash its way from the moonlace's grip and took to the skies again, viciously pursuing the dove.

I need to calm them down. I thought to myself. There has to be—

My thoughts were interrupted by a thunderous bray. I turned and was nearly knocked off my feet as a flaming horse raced past me. It was a light tan color, roughly the hue of peanuts. However, it had a mane of blood red fire that wickedly billowed from its head to its back. A crimson tail lashed out, setting the field of moonlace ablaze.

The animals and field seemed to war with one another. The owl raked its talons across anything that it could, including me. The dove would sing, incapacitating everyone, before dive bombing us with a bronze beak. The horse let off plumes of flame and smoke, burning the field and strangling the birds that flew above it. The field itself let off stronger fumes and lashed out at the horse, entangling it before the vines burnt to a crisp.

There was no way I could save them all and myself. The flames were too big, the fumes were too powerful, the songs were too intoxicating, the talons were too sharp.

I collapsed to the field as they fought, my ears ringing with the sound of their conflict. I couldn't stop them. There was no happy ending to this. In my misery, I lay there, praying for the flames to reach me.

My vision blackened before I found myself in another scene. I was trapped in a small jail cell. The cold cobblestones of the floor were oddly warm to my feet. A dark presence towered over me. I felt short of breath, and an immense cold pressure squeezed me, driving my bones further towards a singularity as it stretched the skin over my muscles. I writhed to escape the source, though I failed miserably. In my thrashing, my eyes left the shadow and settled on another in the room. A second figure stood there, terrifying me. My eyes widened and I audibly choked in absolute horror.

"Oh, don't mind her for now," the figure said. "She'll get to you in a bit."

The figure threw me across the cell and into the bars. I crashed into the metal wall, flaring pain throughout my body. My ankle felt broken. Blood dripped from my nose.

I cried out and struggled to breathe, but I wasn't able to rest. The force immediately came up behind me and yanked back on my hair. I gasped out and reached for the bars, trying to pull myself out of the steel grip.

The force thrust me forward, slamming me face first into the bars. I screamed in the agony wrought upon me. My nose was broken and my face was streaming with blood from several gashes along my forehead. For once, I felt truly cold. Despite my raw throat, I did my best to speak.

"I… I'm sorry," I gagged out.

I was twisted around and tossed into a corner of the cell. I landed with a sickening CRACK as my left arm splintered against the iron bars. The dark figure prowled up to me and knelt down. Its shadowy head moved forward and settled right next to my ear.

"Oh, no you're not," it whispered. "Not yet."

The following moments would scar me for eternity. Dark fists slammed into my face and cracked bone with every strike. My vision was lost as a blow across the left side of my face fractured my eye socket. My lips were busted and left partially dangling from my mouth. My neck cracked as my spine was forced to bend in ways it never should have. Blood flew from me in spurts and flashes. One moment, a small pool of my blood stained my clothes. The next, I was laying in a puddle half the size of my body. I was weak and powerless to defend myself.

The torment finally stopped as the beastly figure stood up to admire its work.

I was left grasping one of the bars in the little corner of the cell. It was my one item of comfort and direction; a lone piece of iron that sent a chill up my spine. I shivered and wept silent tears. My nose bubbled blood as I hyperventilated. My left eye was swollen shut.

The figure pulled away and left the cell before turning to the other in the room.

"Help yourself," it said.

The other figure approached me with something in its hands. Fear swept over me as I realized this pain was only beginning. I tried to say something, but my words were stuck in my broken throat.

An eternity seemed to pass as the figure struck me. A metallic sting crawled along my body whenever the blow landed. Every strike broke something inside of me. I could feel my body shutting down. The figure held nothing back.

Finally finding my voice, I sobbed and screamed until my voice was raw. The weapon cracked along my skin and bloodied every inch that it touched. In my small haze of thought, only one thing came to mind.

Of course a slave will obey the will of their master.

I woke with a start and threw myself out of bed. My hands clawed at my carpeted floor as I hastily dragged myself to the bathroom. The light flickered on and my head plunged into the bowl of my toilet. I wretched as my stomach unleashed the contents of my previous meal. Strong convulsions passed through my body as my gut twisted, the images of my nightmares branded themselves into my memory no matter how hard I tried to push them aside. A rancid burn stained my throat as my stomach was emptied of its contents.

"Percy?"

I looked up to see Calypso standing naked in the doorway, her hand rested on the frame. My nose bubbled and my eyes teared as I stared back at her.

"I'm a monster," I said to no one in particular. "I should be cast down to Tartarus for what I've done."

Calypso cautiously approached me before kneeling down and pressing her head against mine. She grabbed some toilet paper and wiped the mucus, tears, and drool from my face.

"You are no monster, Percy." Her soothing voice calmed my frayed nerves, but it did little to ease the pit in my stomach.

She gently pulled me away from the toilet and walked me out of the bathroom after flushing it. Slowly, but surely, we were redressed in our clothes from the previous day. We made our way down the hall and into the kitchen. Within seconds, she handed me a glass of water.

"Drink," she said.

Despite me not feeling like it, I did as she told me to. The cool water calmed my heartbeat and mildly eased the knot of tension in my gut.

Calypso's dark eyes studied me as I finished the drink. Her stance was friendly, yet reserved. Her lips were painfully neutral, making it impossible for me to know what she was thinking.

"What did you dream of?" she asked.

My head hung low. I wasn't quite sure even I could fully comprehend my dreams. Then again, that's just how demigods live. We don't have the luxury of peaceful sleep. Regardless, I turned my head away and shrunk in my shoulders, trying to make myself as small as possible.

Calypso wasn't taking that as an answer. She walked up to me and grabbed my shoulders.

"Percy, what did you dream? I want to help you, but you have to help me first."

Her dark eyes and gentle touch made it impossible to keep my guard up. I confessed my dreams to her. Though her face remained impassive as I spoke, I could see her hands tense up when I described the battle on the field of moonlace.

"It appears you have been blasted with the breath of Cerberus," she said.

I tilted my head. "What?"

"You have dreamt of the past, present, and future. Your past actions now haunt you. The present words of others are heard by you. A warning of what may come to pass was revealed to you."

Her logic was weird, but that's how things work in the Greek world.

"I guess. But what do they mean? And why are you still so supportive of me after what I did to Khione? Aren't you even a little worried that I might snap and do that to you?"

A sly smirk carved across her face. "Perhaps. But let's say that you do attack me. I would be powerless to stop you anyways. So I may as well try and support you to the best of my abilities."

That was actually a more depressing thought than I'm sure she intended. All of my girls, even Annabeth, would be absolutely powerless if I decided to brutalize them. Nothing I did to them could ever result in them fighting back. So far, I was already showing signs of doing that very thing.

"Also," she continued, "I know your actions were not your own. This dream of yours may have included the deity responsible for the enchantment. Perhaps there are gods who wish to see you suffer because of the harem. Or perhaps they are lashing out because they can't take it put on the ones who pushed it onto you."

I thought back on it. So far, the only ones that came to mind were Artemis and Hestia. Artemis was against this from the very beginning. As for Hestia, she admitted that she wasn't a supporter of this either. Still, it wouldn't explain why they would turn me into a sadistic torturer. Or why they would manipulate the lives of others at all. It just didn't seem like their kind of play.

"Okay," I said. "What about the fight that I saw?"

Calypso pursed her lips. "You are no fool, Percy. I believe you know very well what that dream was entailing."

I sighed. She was somewhat right. I figured it had to do with something in the future about a major conflict. But I couldn't figure for the life of me what all of the animals were fighting for.

"Maybe you could offer your input for that? I only have a vague idea of what it could mean…"

Calypso shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Percy, let's sit down for this."

Leaving no room for argument, she strode out into the living room and took a seat on the couch. When she saw that I was still in the kitchen, she patted the spot next to her with a stern look on her face.

Begrudgingly, I walked over and sat next to her. It's not that I didn't want to be with her. Quite the opposite. I was just anxious about what her insight would offer. I took notice of the moonlace garden in the window. Now they bloomed beautifully, though my dream certainly marred my thoughts on them.

She took my hand into hers and sighed. "Percy, as I said, this was a dream of events that haven't come to pass. From what you described, I would imagine several people close to you will be on potentially hostile terms with one another. And unless there is someone else you know of that moonlace would represent, I believe I will be one of those people."

I could only stare, dumbfounded. "But that doesn't make sense."

"Doesn't it?" she asked, "Percy, there are plenty of reasons for people to be at odds with others. I, for one, can easily see why I may be in conflict with some of the others in the future."

I grimaced. "By 'others,' you don't mean—"

"Yes, Percy, I do. I have harbored a jealousy towards Annabeth ever since I heard her name. You would call out for her so often in your sleep that it broke my heart. When you left, I… I found myself cursing Annabeth. That someone else could have won your heart before I had the chance…"

"Cal," I said, "that was in the past. Even then, I don't think Annabeth is holding that against you. I for sure am not."

She glared at me. "You don't get it, Percy. Even today, I am still jealous of Annabeth."

That was news to me.

"What? Why?"

"Because I honestly feel like she doesn't deserve you. Now, I may not be in the best state to judge. After all, I have not seen everything you two have done together. Nor will I ever know the extremities you have gone to for each other. However, based on what I have seen, she seems to be more like a parent to you than a partner."

Thinking back on it, Piper said something similar. She remarked on how I shouldn't have to be afraid of Annabeth. But then again, if someone was screwing with my love life…

"Okay," I said. "But that doesn't explain why you would be jealous of her. I already asked you to be my mistress. You're on the same level as her."

"Am I?" she asked. "Let's face it. No one will ever truly be on the same level as Annabeth. Despite the fact that so far I have only seen you go to her for permission, she is still the one that outranks everyone. Let me ask, where is she when you need her nowadays?"

"At Olympus. Taking care of literal god level tasks. She can't just bail on that."

"Nor am I saying that she should. What I am saying is that so far, I have yet to see you go to her for anything other than to ask for her permission to simply spend the night with your mother. That is not something that I would consider healthy."

I was at a loss for words. I wanted to keep arguing to defend Annabeth. Honestly, I was now seeing the spite that Calypso held. But I also couldn't say that this was just coincidence. The fact that both her and Piper were both saying something about this must have meant more than I was willing to admit.

"Well… that explains your spot in the dream. What about the others?"

Calypso frowned. "Can you truly think of no others who would fight over you?"

"Well. The owl is most definitely Annabeth." I looked at Calypso and she nodded for me to continue. "The dove could be Piper. But I don't know who the horse is. That's a symbol of Poseidon."

"Not exactly. The way you described it, I would have first assumed Helios. However, given the likelihood of that, I believe it would be more reasonable to assume a child of a war god."

My eyebrows furrowed. "But Ares didn't…" That's when it hit me.

Reyna.

It would make perfect sense for her to be in conflict with the others, especially Piper. I knew it. Things were going to get ugly between everyone. I'm just surprised that Rachel wasn't in this toss up.

I looked Calypso in the eyes. "So you now have a premonition that you're going to be in conflict with the others, and you're just going to accept it?"

She shrugged. "What else would you have me do? Percy, I can't just put aside my own feelings for you. I finally have someone to call mine after thousands of years. There's no way I would let you go without a fight."

"But you won't have to. None of you will. Forget the harem laws; I could marry all of you and end the conflict there."

"You could try. However, that will not end the conflict between everyone. Take it from me. As I said, I will not let you go without a fight. However, I do not believe that it will be a battle of fists that ensues between us. But rather… a battle of other sorts."

Her flirty gaze made me realize exactly what she was getting at. They weren't going to fight for me, they were going to compete for my affections. I can't say that really surprised me. The moment they were all thrown into this harem, I knew it wouldn't be too long before some conflict arose between them.

"Then what do you suppose I do about it?"

She smirked. "Honestly? Enjoy what happens. No matter what we are willing to do, I feel that you will win regardless. Who knows? Perhaps this could be a fun competition between all of us. I know very well that I'll do what I can to keep hold of your affections."

With that, she leaned her head against my shoulder.

"Speaking of which," she continued. "Were you serious about your request? Or was that just a 'heat of the moment' type of situation?"

I leaned my head against hers and took her hand into my own. "Of course I meant it."

"... But why? Why me? Surely you are closer to everyone else."

"Well, for one thing, you above all of us deserve some freedom after spending so long in isolation. Also, I gave up an opportunity to spend an eternity with you once. I was given a second chance. There is no way in Hades that I won't take it."

Her lips curled into a smile against my neck. She let out a soft breath and passed silently into a slumber. I don't know when exactly it happened, but the long day and night finally took its hold and put me to sleep. My head hit the cushions of the couch and Calypso rested on top of me, gently breathing against my chest.