Kidnapped

13: The God Complex

Percy POV

No one really spoke to each other after phase 5.

The blue room affected all of us. Elysium demonstrated the amount of power and control that they held. They knew everything about our lives. They knew about our families, friends, and generally what was important.

Fortunately, no one got seriously hurt from the blue room. Drew Tanaka was our only fatality. Without Reyna's jammer key, several of us would've perished (including myself). I just wished that I could've saved Drew. If only I had been fast enough or bold enough, she would still be alive. It was my fault, and I hated it.

However, I couldn't change what happened just like my mom couldn't survive her cancer. Some things just happen even if the people don't deserve it.

I sighed as I pushed through the water.

But, even swimming wasn't helping to lighten my mood. It was the next day, and depression was washing over me like a fog.

I had been preparing for my mother's death for months now, but I never imagined that I wouldn't be there to say goodbye. I wanted to express my sincerest love and gratitude for my mother. I was going to hold her hand when she let out her final breath. That was the plan. That was her desire.

However, I couldn't even fulfill her final wish because of Elysium. Because of Zeus, Ares, and Hera, especially.

I paused at the shallow end of the pool. I breathed deeply as I wiped the water out of my eyes and face. My black hair fell over my eyes, and I ran my hand through it. The clock on the wall read 10:30 pm.

It was getting late, yet I didn't want to go back to the room. I didn't want to interact with anyone. No one was asking questions, but I just wanted to be alone. Regardless, I got out of the pool and dried myself before walking back to the dorm room.

I stared at the empty bed next to Rachel's. Drew's stuff was neatly placed on her bed similar to how Ethan's area was situated.

My hair was still damp as I climbed onto my bed. Jason was already in his bed below me. As I mentioned, no one was talking or interacting. We were all tired and upset.

The group had been getting closer to each other. So, a death definetly rattled everyone.

"Perce," Jason whispered.

"What is it, mate?" I asked. I turned around to face him from above. His hand was resting behind his head as he looked up at me. His expressions were sad.

Jason hesitated before sitting up. I decided to go down to him. Something was bothering him, and he clearly wanted to talk.

"What is it, Jason?" I asked as I sat next to him.

"I'm an orphan. My dad left me, my sister, and my mom when I was a baby. Then, my mom passed away when I was a kid. I lived in an orphanage until college," Jason expressed sadly.

"I'm sorry, Jason. That's rough," I said.

"In the blue room, they showed me something that happened when I was a kid. It was 16 years ago, yet Elysium knew about it," Jason stammered.

I didn't know what to tell him. His admission was surprising. Honestly, I've been through quite a bit of hardship as a kid. Elysium didn't pull those memories on me though. They didn't know about them. However, Elysium knew Jason even when he was a kid.

"I don't understand. None of the others got childhood memories as far as I checked. They all received memories or experiences that were more recent."

"Jason, I think that they've been studying us as subjects for a few months, but you seem to be a special case," I answered unhelpfully.