Saving a Hero

CHAPTER 9

I wasn't sure what Nico and I were, but we had been hanging out more and more over the past week. I hadn't seen Annabeth, she was probably advising me now. Rumors started that Nico had slipped me a love potion and killed Annabeth. I didn't care about the rumors the campers spread, but they seemed to annoy Nico. He'd been spending most nights in my cabin, in my bed. This week was awesome. We'd had picnics in the woods, watched sunsets in the strawberries, and swam to the bottom of the lake via bubble. Now we were sitting on my cabins roof under a blanket. We were looking at the stars with our hands intertwined. We both went back down with the blanket and went to bed. 

I was running and my feet were bare. I internally rolled my eyes, I hadn't had one of these dreams in a while. I started running and looking behind me. I could hear footsteps behind me and it sounded like voices yelling. I ran some more and stopped. It was silent. I could see a light far in front of me. I started to run toward it. As I ran faces flew past me until I saw the light and noticed a Boyd lying under it. It was Nico. He was beat up and he looked pale and cold. I closed my eyes and Nico wasn't there anymore. I frantically turned around to be met with Nico on his knees crying. I reached out and my hand went through him. I walked in front of him and there was a body, my body. I was looking at myself, I was beat up and my eyes had a white good around then that was sizzling and bubbly. I wasn't sure it this was a dream or a glance of the future. Nico and I were replaced with the usual blackness of my dreams. Faces and places zoomed past me. Annabeth, Will, Nico, me with my eyes closed? And Camp Juipter. Everything went back, again. I could hear footsteps again, the air became damp, and hot. A figure was walking towards me. 

"So we meet again Perseus Jackson. As I said before the gods are not in your Gabor, but they have worked up quite a few obstacles for you, boy! I would not have been able to think of such terrible things that are to befall you dear Perseus!"

Achlys, again. Her cracked and sad voice was accompanied with smugness. She defiantly knew something I didn't. Before I could ask her anything she continued. 

"When you get your quest, Perseus, you'd better take that Hades spawn with you. If you don't, you'll regret it!"

She vanished with a devilish smile. I looked around the dark room, then at my feet. I was sinking, the ground was pulling me in, it felt like clay. The ground was up to my chin, I was drowning. I couldn't breath. 

I woke up in a cold sweat. Nico was still sleeping, cuddling my side. I closed my eyes, I could probably fall asleep again. I was almost asleep when I heard banging on my door. I jumped out of bed waking Nico up. I waved at him and ran to answer the door. It was a kid, he had dirt on his face and his clothes were covered in black soot. He was defiantly a son of Hephaestus. He was bouncing around at my doorstep, he could stand in one place. I smiled, he reminded me of Leo. He looked at me with wide eyes. 

"Percy! Chiron says to go to Rachel's cave because she has a quest for you, bye good luck!"

He blurted his words out and it took me a minute to process what he had said. When I did, he was already gone. I could see him running to the Hephaestus cabin. I raised my eyebrows.

"Great. Another quest."