Bloodied Water

•Chapter 27• The Boy and the Roman

Percy POV (Dream)

I stood in a black world. Trees were covered in blood and helmets of a Greek fashion. The sky was red and the moon shone yellow.

As I stared at the moon, I felt a twinge of guilt, like I failed a promise. I swore to never become like my enemies, yet I was the monster. The moon's shine was the only thing pleasant about this hell. It was large and bright, like Artemis was looking down upon me in her chariot.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Said an echoey voice.

To my right was a wispy figure. His body was like a black smoke as it swished around, barley forming a humanoid figure. It's eyes were black with red slitted irises that held malicious joy. It's hair was black with the creature being almost an exact copy of me. He laid back floating mid-air as if he was laying on a flying lawn chair.

"Who are you?" I asked. The ghost me giggled and began laughing. It arched its back and closed its eyes as it cackled.

"You ya idiot! Duh!" He smiled as he zoomed close to my face. He had the manner of a child and was playful, although, he had an off-putting manner that surrounded him, like the aura of a death god. "It felt good to stretch my legs back there! Thought I'd never get out!"

"I'll ask again asshole! WHO ARE YOU? What kind of hell is this place!" I was getting angry now. He suddenly grew in size, sighing contently at my outburst. His eyes glowed brighter and his aura increased, becoming almost suffocating. This guy talked like he was me back there....I then had the Sherlock Holmes idea to ask him. "You were the one who made me into that. Weren't you."

It's eyes glowed brighter as my anger rose, as if growing in power. Fake me swirled around me and came face to face with me before answering.

"I dunno, maybe I was. Maybe I wasn't. Either way, it happened." While saying this he flicked my forehead and laughed, his Smokey body flaying mocking in the small wind that traveled throughout my hell. He flew away and rested on a tree while playing with a large predator's skull like Scar from the that scene in the Lion King. He sang a nursery rhyme (The Itsy Bitsy Spider I believe) while moving the skull to match the lyrics while waiting for me to respond.

"So your like Wrath me?" I asked. He grew slightly angry and looked at me while crushing the skull. Bits and pieces of the head flew about and his eyes burned like Ares. His formed wobbled uneasily and flayed about as if losing integrity.

"OH! So Mr. Cam gets a cool name, but not ME?! And look what YOU made me do! Such a waste." His voiced echoed across the barren land, and he growled in frustration, throwing up his hands as he stared at the littered bones in glum with his arms crossed like a sad child.

"Cam got a name because he isn't a monster!" I let it slip. I was basically insulting me. No matter what, he was right. And I hated him for it. Hated him with a burning, fueled, fiery passion that scorched my very soul. He once again grew in size and his form regained its composure.

He paused before doubling over in laughter. This went on for ten seconds before he zoomed to my face again with malice in his eyes.

"Slaying countless monsters fighting for their lives in the name of aristocrats sitting on their thrones makes you noble? Heroic? Ha! You know not a thing of monstrosity boy! You can act all high and mighty as much as you like, but in the end, you really are a bastard!" Flashbacks of Gabe came to surface with those familiar words with the night on the fire escape also joining in. It was all so personal. Something only myself could come up with that would truly hurt me from the inside out. "Anyways, I better get going. My work here is done and you!" He paused and smiled. "You aren't going to survive long like this...godling."