Prince beyond the Stars (Percy Jackson/Son of Chaos Fan-Fiction)

Chapter XVII

-Rho-

There were a lot of campers standing around me, their gazes pointed at a person in the middle. I didn't get a clear view from where I was standing, because I was standing in the back of the crowd. I walked forward, and almost doubled over from shock, because the person standing in the middle was Phi.
I frowned as I watched was happening.
The campers were shouting at him, insulting him and accusing him of crimes I didn't think he would ever commit. Confused I saw Annabeth standing with Sean de la Roij, and a simple thought had entered my mind.
Had this been the day from Percy's life that had caused him to be the way he was now? But some things weren't right. I didn't see Poseidon around, and I knew Percy had been disowned by him, so he must have been around then. I swallowed when I noticed the necklace around Annabeths neck.
I thought I had been confused before, but I guess it could get worse.
Annabeth didn't have the necklace around then, I realized. I felt the nausea erupt in my stomach as I realized this wasn't the day that had happened five hundred years ago. Because Bianca, Zoe, Beckendorf and I hadn't been around. I saw Ayme standing in the background. She wasn't even born back then. And there was sure as hell not a pit to Tartarus reopened.
I felt the bile work up my throat and forced it down. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I staggered back when I heard a voice that had I had known for my entire life.
It was mine.
'Are you sure, Percy? Are you still refusing to believe the truth?'
It was the only sentence I could hear clearly. I didn't know what I was doing, what was happening. It was like I couldn't control my body. It seemed to have a will on its own. I saw Percy fall down to his knees. One look at his face, and I felt my hope of him getting up disappear.
He was done.
He didn't want to fight anymore. There was nothing I could do when he crumpled on the ground and the man in black approached him slowly. An invisible source kept me in my place, and I watched the man place his hand on Percy's forehead. The moment he touched it, Percy disappeared into nothing. Just like that.

I awoke with a gasp, breathing heavily as I felt the sweat trickle down my forehead. It was only a dream, I said to myself. It wasn't real. It couldn’t be real. But something deep inside me told me there was more behind it than I thought there was. What if it was true?
I looked around, finding myself to be in the Chaos cabin and hurried out to Percy's room. I slammed the door open, only to find his bed untouched. When I looked at his room, as saw a really thin layer of dust lying on the floor.
I frowned as I noticed it on the wardrobe too, and even on his bed. I run downstairs, not bothering to keep it quiet, when I noticed the living room of the cabin to be in the exact same state as Percy's room. I swallowed before running upstairs again, and found what I had been fearing for. My room also looked like someone hadn't been in it for about a week.

Suddenly I heard a gasp coming from across my room and I bolted out of my room, barging into Zoe's. She sat wide-eyed on her bed, breathing heavily as she looked at me. I saw it coming and grabbed a bucket from her bathroom in time, because Zoe vomited all she had eaten out in a matter of seconds.
'Luke, did you.. did you see that to?' she asked me while she got out of bed unsteadily.
I nodded, not being able to answer her question in words.
Zoe brought the bucket to the bathroom and tried to clean it up as much as she could. 'It wasn't real, right?' she whispered to me.
This time, I couldn't answer her. I stared at my feet, watching the little flocks of dust whirl around my toes.
'Luke,' she demanded. I looked up to her, and I saw my worry reflected in her eyes.
'I think it was real,' I choked. 'Look around. It seems like we haven't been living for a week. Everything is covered with dust, Percy hasn't slept in his room last night, and I really doubt he has these last few days.'
Zoe didn't move. 'How is that possible? How come we have not lived? I'm sure we're not the only ones who have been out for a while.'
Her words cleared my mind a little bit more. I guess she was true and I run towards Silena's bedroom, not bothering to knock before I entered. I found Beckendorf sitting in front of her, trying to calm her down, and he looked at me to find out if I had the explanation for all of this for him.
I didn't.
I turned around immediately and motioned them along with Zoe to follow me towards the big house. Perhaps the campers would now more about it, because it had left me in the dark.