sweet dreams • leo valdez

06

"So Jason is alive and safe?" Reyna asked her. Reyna looked more tired than shocked, and after the day they'd had, Delilah honestly didn't blame her.

After the dramatic ending of the War Games, Delilah and Reyna had gone back to the Praetorium to de-brief over the past day. She had to fill her friend in on the whole Jason situation, as well as tell Reyna about her role in the quest but there was a limit on what she could tell or confirm. For example, the existence of Camp Half-Blood on the other side of the country.

"Yes. Juno said she had to take him somewhere. This is how the prophecy will come into play." Delilah explained, trying to gage Reyna's reaction. She seemed part relieved, part hopeful.

Delilah had always known how Reyna had felt about Jason, and though Reyna had never outright admitted it, she hadn't denied anything when Delilah had insinuated it. She wasn't exactly sure how Jason felt. She'd always suspected that Jason had maybe liked her when Reyna first arrived at camp, but that had probably faded over the years. She was pretty sure Reyna knew that as well. Slightly sure. Reyna hadn't exactly been the same since Jason had gone, but she knew that was mostly out of worry.

"And you're not one of the Seven, but you are involved in the prophecy?" Reyna raised an eyebrow, as she took this all in.

"Exactly. And that's why Juno said I have to go with them to Alaska. I have to make sure everything works out and goes as it should." She said, her hand going to nervously play with her necklace, as she usually did when her nerves got the better of her.

"And if you succeed, Jason will return?" Reyna was definitely hopeful now.

"That's what Juno said." She said, also with a hopeful tone. Their little group wouldn't be complete until Jason returned.

"Jason's coming home." Reyna breathed out a sign of relief.

"He's coming home." She repeated.

•

That night, Delilah had a wild amount of dreams.

It took a while to settle on one in particular. She saw brief glimpses of a lot of things: a giant fire-breathing golden dragon head; Reyna flying over the sea on Scipio, slashing her sword at some harpies who were attacking her; Percy Jackson standing in a throne room in front of who she knew to be the Olympians from previous dreams; a giant statue being guarded by a terrifying spider-woman hybrid; a younger-looking version of that boy Leo Valdez with his hands on fire, shaking them around in fear but actually setting his surroundings more on fire; a taller Frank leading what looked like a Legion of ghosts.

Eventually, the scene landed on a dark cave. In that cave was Hazel Levesque standing with a woman who looked a lot like her (her mother, she guessed).

"All this, because your mother was greedy and cursed you with the gift of finding riches. In my sleeping state, I would have needed decades more, perhaps even centuries, before I found the power to resurrect Alcyoneus myself. But now he will wake and, soon, so shall I!" Delilah heard a voice echo throughout the cave, much like Mars' had earlier but much more powerful. It shook her to the core.

"Hazel, go. She'll let you live, but you must hurry." Ms Levesque stood up shaking as she rose. She looked weak, and very guilty towards her young daughter.

"No." Hazel said firmly, standing her ground. "I won't live. Not for that."

Suddenly, Hazel radiated an immense amount of power and the cave began to shake. The strange spire which had been rising from the ground bubbled and erupted like a volcano.

"Don't be foolish." The voice echoed again. "You will destroy yourself for nothing! Your mother will still die!"

Hazel met her mom's eyes, looking suddenly very apprehensive. Her mom spoke up, "You were my gift, Hazel. My most previous gift. I was foolish to think I needed anything else." Ms Levesque kissed Hazel on the head, holding her close.