Catch Fire || P. Jackson

𝟏.𝟎𝟖

She had relieved Pranjal from his shift only an hour or two prior. The younger boy had insisted on taking the morning shift the following day so Lea could attend the Senate meeting, which meant he had to get a proper sleep.

Wiping sleepy dust from her eyes, Lea pulled her door open and shivered from the rush of cold air.

Lit only by the faint glow of her room, Percy Jackson stood in her doorway looking like he had been run over by a giant. His usually messy hair stuck out in odd angles and one leg of his pyjama bottoms was rolled halfway up his leg. Dark circles sunk into his face.

"Lea." He breathed, running a hand through his hair. It only served to mess it up more. "I didn't know where to go."

"What's going on?" Judging by the darkness creeping in the windows, it was probably two or three in the morning. "Is someone hurt?"

"I just had a really bad nightmare. I couldn't wake Frank and I didn't know who else to go to. I figured you might have something to help me."

Even in the darkness, Lea could see how badly he was shaking. "It's okay. I'll get some stuff, make yourself comfy."

Doing as Lea instructed, Percy nestled himself into one of the golden sofas while Lea rushed off to gather supplies. He took the opportunity to study the photos on the wall. Some were in black and white and crumbling around the edges. Others looked like they had been printed mere months prior. Most of the medics in the pictures were either blonde or had black hair. The choice of photos seemed almost random, but that seemed to be the point. Each medic got space to represent what mattered the most to them.

The two demigods stayed in silence while Lea busied herself around him, procuring pillows and blankets as if from thin air. She passed a glass of golden liquid to him, before placing a relatively large pill in his open palm.

"What's this?"

"It's a herbal thing. It'll help you relax and sleep."

Percy raised an eyebrow uncertainly but nonetheless, he popped the pill in his mouth and washed it down with the nectar. His eyes fluttered shut momentarily. "Thank you." He breathed. When he opened his eyes once more, Lea had settled herself into the sofa opposite him. Her duvet was drawn tightly around her shoulders and she had a hot chocolate in her grasp. "No fair." Percy frowned. "Why don't I get one?"

Wordlessly, she gestured to the small table she had dragged into the room from beside one of the cots. Placed centre stage was a steaming hot chocolate. "This is where you say sorry."

"Yes, ma'am." Percy gulped the hot chocolate feverishly before he regarded Lea once more. "Sorry."

"Apology accepted."

"I had a dream." He began, swirling his chocolatey liquid in his mug. "I had lots of dreams, really but they were like snippets of dreams. There was a curly-haired faun in ragged clothes running to catch up with me. I told him I had no money but he was confused. He said his name was Grover and that someone was coming to find me. Then he disappeared and this blonde girl was there and she was saying to stay put and someone was coming too. But it wasn't a threat. It was like they thought they were saving me."

With a thoughtful hum, the daughter of Apollo rested her head on the back of the sofa. "Maybe, they think they are. What if they're from your life before? Y'know before you woke up with Lupa."

"But if they were so important, why can't I remember them?"

"That's like the whole point of amnesia, Percy." When Percy flashed his middle finger at her, she laughed. "Okay, okay. Maybe, y'know, they're just your friends. You remembered your dad, didn't you? You remembered apparently fighting Ares. You remember a lot of important things, maybe they just happened to not make the cut and will come back to you soon?"