Memories of a Hero

10

The voice laughed manically. "Did I say I was going to free you?"

Then what happens next was too weird that Percy doubted he'd have the creativity to come up with it.

Atlas made choking sounds as the stomach area of his body starts to twist. Atlas's body started to contort, like he was Play-Doh being forced into a container that was clearly way too small. Then he started to twist again as his body got smaller and smaller, absorbed by a singular dot in the middle of his gut. Atlas made pained expressions but he didn't scream. Or most likely he couldn't.

It was gruesome to watch. As this was going on, the skies began to lower as the ground trembled. The heavens were going to fall on them.

As Atlas gets twisted and contorted into nothing, the sky stopped to descend. What remained of Atlas disappeared with the sound of a sharp snap of the fingers.

"Such a glorious sacrifice." The voice said. "Your death will be a valuable piece into my plan."

Then Percy felt an icy grip around his throat. "And as for you, Perseus Jackson." The darkness seemed to surround Percy, leaving nothing but darkness around him. "Such an ignorant mind. So desperate. So easily manipulated."

Percy tried to struggle, but he couldn't move. He couldn't shout. He couldn't even see anything. He was helpless.

"Be careful of where you tread, Perseus." The voice said with a menacing tone.

The darkness swallowed Percy as he woke up gasping for air. He felt suffocated. The air seemed heavier and felt harder to breathe in. His body was heating up and he was sweating heavily.

"Percy?" A familiar voice said next to him. "Are you okay?" He looked to his side to see Zoe half awake next to him.

Zoe wasn't really the type of woman to be sleeping next to a man, but after what Percy had been through, he hardly noticed. His head was spinning and his hands were shaking. He took off his shirt and sat on the floor as he leaned against the wall.

Everything seemed to be shaking. Percy needed something sturdy to hold on to. His heavy breathing gradually slowed. He could feel his body temperature dropping down. Percy didn't notice it before, but his skin was steaming.

That was no ordinary dream. Whatever power that was capable of doing something like that to Percy in his sleep was not someone he wanted to face. Percy was asleep and yet he felt like he'd been roasted inside out.

Zoe looked at him with concern. Her dark brown hair were messy from sleeping, to which Percy found was kinda beautiful.

Seeing Zoe's face made him calmer. The shaking in his hands reduced to a mere tremble. Percy took a deep breath. "Yeah," Percy said as he swallowed the lump in his throat. "I'm fine."

"You sure?" Zoe asked with genuine concern. "You don't look too good."

"It's okay." Percy took another deep breath. "I'm fine, honestly."

Zoe didn't look assured, but she wasn't going to argue. "Well try to keep it to yourself next time," She said before curling back on bed.

"Wait, why are you on my bed anyway?" Percy asked.

"Bianca already took the couch. Do you expect me to sleep on the floor?" Zoe asked.

"Why didn't you wake me up?"

"I tried but you slept like a rock. I got tired of waking you up so I just sleep next to you."

"You do know that breaks your rule of not sharing the same bed, right?"

"Desperate times calls for desperate measures," Zoe said. "Besides, nothing happened. So relax about it."

Percy decided that he wasn't going to question any further. He put on his shirt and went outside. He needed some fresh air.