Chapter 30 I really hate dreams
Luke's POV
One of the only things I dislike more than Thursdays are dreams. I have a history with having horrible nightmares; most Half-Bloods do. But I like to think mine are worse than most, mainly because in my first life most of my dreams consisted of the things Kronos would do should I fail him. Since returning from the dead my dreams took me back in time to the most unpleasant experiences of my past life. So naturally I tried not to sleep unless I had to. Normally I was good at keeping myself awake, but this time I made a mistake. I had sat down at the small desk by the window of my hotel room. The late afternoon sun was warm on my shoulder, making it hard to stay focused on my old green diary, full of Halcyon's neat handwriting. The ac unit rattled quietly as it came on again, and the coffee pot gurgled as it brewed. But other than that my room was still and quiet. My eyes stung a little from staring without blinking so I closed them. And suddenly I found myself in a different place entirely. I cursed myself for falling asleep but was unable to force myself awake. That's never a good sign. My dream had brought me to a sketchy alleyway somewhere in Greece, the sun was low in horizon casting long dark shadows between the cramped buildings. Movement caught my eye and I saw myself carefully rounding the corner, with a hand on my sword. I tried to groan in protest of being dragged back to this moment from just a year ago, but no sound came. I was forced to be nothing but a silent spectator as I almost got myself killed just hours after coming back to the world of the living. Something rattled in the darkness of the alley and I continued to approach without my sword drawn. I don't fully remember why I hadn't had my sword out and ready. Maybe it was because I'd been reminded of a similar alleyway from years past, or maybe I just trusted my skill. Either way it'd been a mistake. Apparently being dead for almost a year will make you rusty at staying alive, which was made evident as something flew at me from the shadows. Startled, I stumbled back, my foot landing on a loose Coke can. As I started to fall I threw myself to one side hoping to catch myself with the aid of a trash can. Pros, it worked and the thing sailed past me. Cons, I had to use both hands to catch myself meaning I no longer had a hand on my sword, which thanks to the near fall had slid around in the scabbard to my back, out of easy reach. And what looked to be the mutant cousin of a ferret crossed with a raccoon and a zebra was already airborne for a second attempt. With no time to dodge, let alone struggle for my sword, the thing attached itself to my jean leg, grazing flesh with it's small sharp teeth. Panicking a little, I grabbed the lid of the metal trash can and bashed the monster with it. Although I dazed it, the monster held fast, so I grabbed it by the scruff and ripped it off my pant leg. Then I dropkicked it into the side of a building hard enough to make it explode into dust. No sooner than it did, another monster made its presence known, by stepping from the shadows and declaring in a raspy voice,
"Half-Blood, you will pay with your life for the destruction of my pet!"
"If you're that fond of it I can reunite you with it."
"Hahaha! Are you that foolish? Surely you demigods understand by now that even if you dispel one of us we won't remain in Tartarus for long. The Doors of Death are open and Mother Earth will continue to let her loyal servants back into the mortal world. So even if you manage to vaporize me it will only be a minor inconvenience. Your death however would be much more permanent."
"Then perhaps this is one big misunderstanding. Mother Earth also brought me back from the Underworld."
"You may have used the fragile line between life-and-death as an escape from whatever part of Hades you came from, but I highly doubt that my patron called you forth from his realm. So perhaps if I were to kill you and offer your blood as a sacrifice to the goddess, I would be rewarded for providing half of what's needed to wake her."
"Great idea and all, but I've already sacrificed my life once to give an immortal a physical form and I'm not eager to repeat that experience. So why don't you save yourself the inconvenience of being reduced to a pile of dust, and leave while you have the opportunity."
During our little chat I had managed to get a hand on my sword, unfortunately the monster had noticed, and came at me faster than I had been prepared for. I was unable to draw my sword in time and the monster shoved me hard in the chest, which resulted in the most humiliating moment of my life. As I fell I had the misfortune of falling butt first into the short metal trash can which I had taken the lid from. And thanks to my time in the Fields of Punishment I had become quite thin, meaning I folded like a taco, getting stuck inside the mostly empty trash can. The monster howled with laughter as I struggled to free myself, kicking my legs and flailing my arms, which only made me sink deeper into my metal prison. The monster looked down at me, actually wiping tears of laughter from its eyes. My face burned with anger at the monster and embarrassment from this whole ordeal. I was sure my situation couldn't get any worse, so of course at that moment the Fates had to prove me wrong. My sword had tried to follow me but had gotten caught by the handguard on the rim of the trashcan. Now it slipped from the scabbard landing pommel ferst exactly where I didn't want it. Groaning in pain my muscles tensed causing me to slip the rest of the way down into the can, as the monster fell to the ground laughing at me. Until the hull of a massive low flying warship passed directly overhead. My tormentor instantly fell silent as the vessel passed over us, it's oars keeping a mesmerizing rhythm as they stroked the sky, heading towards the place I had left just hours ago. Once it was out of sight the monster made a hasty retreat, muttering something about how the seven had lived longer than expected. My dream began to fade, and I was very thankful it wasn't going to make me relive the fire department being called to get me out of that cursed trash can. However, that wasn't the only dream the Fate's had planned for me. As the first one faded, another began to form, only this time I had the feeling that this dream was about a current event which was unfolding even as I dreamt. Slowly the scene came into focus, and I found myself in an open living room full of people who had served one way or another in my army. Scanning the faces in the room, I saw Alabaster, who had been in charge of conducting the ceremony which allowed Kronos to take up residence in my body. I also saw Samantha Rose, the blind daughter of Demeter, who had been the herbalist and poison expert on the ship. Next to her sat Eric, my older brother, who had mostly served as a recruiter disguised as an officer in the mortal police force. Across from him sat Mark, one of my best commanders, and the third best swordsmen of the age, despite being a son of Apollo. Though, I didn't see Martin, my old strategist, which I thought was strange. Mark and Martin were usually inseparable. Wherever one was, the other was sure to be close by. There were a handful of other people in the room, but Mark had begun to speak so turned my attention back to him.
"Alabaster, what is the meaning of summoning us here? Or have you forgotten how risky it is for us to gather like this?"
Around the room heads nodded and murmurs of agreement could be heard. Alabaster, seeming unbothered by this, merely raised his hand for silence, and once the grumbling died down he spoke.
"My reason for calling you all together is no laughing matter. I have recently discovered that our old leader, General Luke Castellon, is alive."
(Sorry about the long wait.)