" THE DREAM "
song: chamber of reflection
𝒎𝒂𝒄 𝒅𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒐
THE LAST THING Percy Jackson had expected was a visit from the goddess of love in his dreams. If he were being honest, he shouldn't have been all that surprised. But he couldn't help it when he was thrown into an old memory as soon as his head hit his pillow.
At first, he heard only words. It sounded like an old recording being played over.
"Percy and Andie sittin' in a tree..."
The voices sounded like teasing children as they mocked in high-pitched sync.
"K-i-s-s-i-n-g!"
"Shut up!" That voice, he recognized that voice.
Scenery began to take place around him. He was at his old camp, Camp Half-Blood. A lake slivered down along the side of the camp, and on the grassy side there were kids. He counted at least six girls, but one was obviously leading the rest as she made sure to stay in the front.
Then he saw her. A younger Andromeda (probably no older than thirteen) looked extremely angry as she stomped along the side of the lake, away from a group of girls chasing after her. They all wore the same orange shirts he had on the day he came to Camp Jupiter.
"First comes the love," A few of the girls began making kissy lips while the rest giggled. "Then comes the marriage-"
Andromeda swiveled on her heel. "I said shut up!"
"Oh, she's mad now," A girl snickered. Drew. He remembered her now. She was not his fondest memory.
Andromeda's fists clenched, but she ignored her and continued on her way. But the girls only followed her.
"You girls think she's still mad her boyfriend kissed me?" Drew cackled. Her scratchy voice could raise goosebumps to anyone within a 70 mile radius in Percy's opinion.
The rest of the girls ooh'ed her. Andromeda's steps skidded to a stop for good this time. She turned to face them fully. Drew and her group stopped a few feet away from her. "You all need to grow up! Drew, he didn't kiss you. So you can shove your little fantasy up your ass!"
At the last remark, Drew's smile dropped. Then she quickly regained it when she remembered her friends were watching beside her. "Sure he did. Right here. By this lake."
"Liar." Andromeda spat. But her tone wavered.
Thirteen-year-old Drew shrugged. "Believe what you want, witch freak. Either way, it happened. And there's nothing your ugly, stupid self can do about it."
Andromeda looked like she was about to swing at Drew. She took a step forward, but before she could raise a fist, the sound of running water made both the girls turn. Beside them, the water from the lake had begun to rise above the lake like a fountain, and when it reached a certain point, it splashed onto the land-straight into Drew.
A few silent moments passed, and they all stood there watching the completely soaked daughter of Aphrodite. Drew spit out a mouthful of water, face contorted to one of shock and horror. Then, the girl let out a shriek so loud her friends flinched behind her.
"What-" She spluttered, her eyes landing back on Andromeda, and all Percy could see was hatred. Nothing but pure hatred behind those eyes. "You! This is all your fault!"
Then without another word, she turned on her heel and marched off towards her cabin, her friends on her tail, and leaving a confused Andromeda by the lake.
Someone snorted from behind her. "Okay, that was kinda funny."
Younger Andromeda and older Percy turned in sync to see his younger self standing there. Yeesh, Percy thought, how did she let me keep that haircut.
Dream Andromeda scowled. "What do you want?"
Younger Percy's smile dropped at her tone, and he scowled back. "Nothing, I was just trying to help."
"Well, next time don't." She mumbled, shoving past him and continuing her walk. "I had it handled,"
"Sure you did," He scoffed. When he realized she wasn't stopping to snap back, he chased after her. "Green-eyes, wait!"
"What?" She snapped, turning back. He skidded to a stop, and his expression dropped when he noticed her glossed over eyes and pouty lips. "What do you want?"
"Are you crying?"
She turned away from him, roughly rubbing her eyes. "No, you idiot! Just leave me alone!"
"Okay, I will," He hesitated. "But just so you know, Drew's a liar."
"Yeah, I know," She mumbled.
"And you know you can't believe anything she says, right?" He spoke slowly.
"Yeah,"
"Well," Younger Percy awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes on the ground in front of him. "Just so you know, you're not stupid. Or ugly,"
The sniffling girl turned back to look at him.
"Well, not that stupid."
She rolled her eyes.
"...And i didn't kiss her," He put in quickly.
Andromeda raised her eyebrows. "You didn't?"
He stuck his tongue out at her confused tone. "No way. You actually think I would kiss a toad like her? Do I look like a desperate princess?"
The green-eyed girl looked like she was trying not to laugh. "Don't disrespect my Tiana like that. Also, it was a frog."
"Whatever," He snickered. "But if I did kiss her, would you actually be upset about it?"
Andromeda froze for a second at his question. But then she watched as Percy began to smirk the longer she stayed quiet. She scowled, shoving him away from her. "No! Why would I be upset!"
"Wow. Took you a little long to answer that, green-eyes."
She squinted at him. "Oh, did it?"
"Yeah, a little bit,"
"Did it really?"
Andromeda went to push him into the lake, but he grabbed her arm at the last minute. She screamed when they both fell into the water, creating a giant splash. The girl quickly swam to the surface, bursting through with a loud wheeze. Beside her, Percy had already reached the surface.
"You should see your face right now!" He breathed out between laughs.
She scowled, splashing his face. But when he froze, doing it back, it became a game. Soon enough, the two kids were becoming laughing messes in the water.
The dream shifted before Percy even had a chance to properly reminisce the memory, and it left him with more questions than before. The two kids were gone, and he stood alone, on a dock, outlooking nothing but water as far as he could see.
The water was so dark, it almost looked pitch black-and a large round reflection of the moon above shone in the distance. Waves crashed against the wooden poles below him. Though he was in a dream, he could still smell seawater. Light chatter made him turn his back to the sea, and was greeted to the sight of a stone path leading off the dock-straight towards a brightly lit gazebo.
Percy stepped onto the stone path, and as soon as he did so torches appeared on each side. They lined the stoned pathway, creating a guiding light in the dark night. He followed the torches, eventually arriving at the gazebo.
Inside, a polished marble fountain sat in the center, and right above it a crystalline chandelier hung. From a place unbeknownst to him, a soft orchestra was playing in the background.
"Hello, Percy."
A feminine voice echoed his name, and his head turned to see a woman standing beside the fountain that he swore he had not seen a single soul beside when he first glanced at it. She wore a silk dark blue dress with long sleeves that matched the dark sky above them. Pearls decorated her neck, and a pearl tiara was placed on her head. Her face consistently changed, mixing different features, but her hair had begun to change longer and darker, with more curls the longer he stared.
"Aphrodite," He said.
She smiled at being recognized. "I suppose you're wondering why I'm visiting, Percy."
"Maybe a little." Percy shrugged, watching closely as she began to walk around the fountain towards him. Small stars embroidered into the fabric of the gown began to shimmer with her movement.
Her eyes glinted, "Don't worry, I'm not here to talk about your quest-yet," Percy's eyes narrowed, memory flashing back to the dream that had reached him just before her. "Just wanted to stop by and see how my favorite lovebirds are doing."
"You showed me that memory, didn't you."
A smile pulled at her ruby red lips. "Are you not happy you've seen it? That you've seen Andromeda?"
Hearing her name come out of someone's mouth felt almost relieving. After being stranded at a camp he had no recollection of with complete strangers and no memory there had been a point where he had started to doubt there even was a girl named Andromeda. As if he had made it all up in his head. It had been awful, knowing he had such important details of her ingrained in his mind that she couldn't have been made up.
"I would be happy if I could see her now." Percy said. A sick feeling erupted in him when he realized Aphrodite had green eyes. They were definitely not that color earlier. "The real her."
She sighed. "Oh I wish you could, my hero. But there are rules Hera has asked me to abide by."
At her name, a small pool of anger erupted in him. Hera this, Hera that. How could she screw up something so important to him just with her name? "How was it different from when you sent us both to that...that dream?"
"Percy, I can only do so much for you two. That timeline was meant to be followed, and there were strict rules for that as well. Even if you wanted to, there would have been no possible way the both of you could find each other in the real world."
"So you put restrictions on a dream?" Percy spluttered, the anger in him only growing.
Aphrodite's smile didn't seem so considerate to Percy anymore. No. It seemed pitiful. And he didn't exactly like being pitied. He's had enough of it these past weeks.
"I am truly sorry, Percy." Aphrodite sighed, looking back down at the marble fountain. "Believe me, If I could bring you two together now...I would."
A bitter lump formed in his throat. She didn't get it. How could she? There was nothing the goddess could do to mend his aching heart, because it only ached for one person. And that person could be on the opposite side of the world for all he knew.
"But I know Hera has spoken to you," Aphrodite suddenly nodded along, as if remembering a past thought. "Has she informed you of the ship your Greek friends have built?"
"Yeah," He nodded. "The Argo II."
"Well," The goddess glanced around the gazebo, as if someone were trying to listen in on Percy's dream. "You didn't hear this from me, but I am recalling a special someone on the ship headed towards this camp,"
Percy froze. Aphrodite's eyes twinkled with mischief. Her green eyes. She didn't mean...
"Well, I'm afraid our time has to be cut short," The woman abruptly spoke, her high pitched tone nearly making Percy jump. "Just know I truly do believe in you, Perseus."
Around them, the setting began to vanish. Chipping away like an old painting. The goddess pressed her hand to her lips, and blew him a kiss. It literally was a kiss that floated into the air and landed right on his cheek. He blinked, confused.
"For luck," She winked.
"Wait, Aphrodite-" He started, his head still wrapped around their previous conversation. That special someone. He needed to know. He needed an answer. His wishful guesses weren't good enough.
But the goddess had disappeared without a sound. He turned around, looking down back to the dock he had originally come from. The world around him was all slowly turning brighter and brighter.
Just as he began to shield his eyes, he heard the love goddess's voice ring out,
"Stand tall, hero. For you two will be reunited soon enough,"