Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson franchise and under no circumstances are you to think that I do. I hardly even own the Chaos Army plot as it's a common theme. I own my plot and characters.
Perseus's PoV (1st)
There was only darkness. Miles of vast, lonely darkness. I could just barely make out the outline of my own hand two inches in front of my face.
I couldn't tell if I was dreaming or the universe had just given up on the idea of light.
"Perseus." A voice whispered. "This is far from the end."
"Order!" I called out. "What is this!?"
Order's voice chuckled.
"Tell me or I swear I'll make a courtroom pun!" I persisted.
"Percy, Percy, Percy. You don't understand yet, do you? This isn't a real place."
Suddenly, the darkness disappeared, leaving me in a blindingly white room. Three of the walls were blank, but one contained an extravagant mirror.
In it I saw my old self, the Percy Jackson who had been preoccupied enough with one Great Prophecy looming over his head, not the one who had been in countless wars and, well, had brown hair.
It was weird, staring at the eyes I hadn't seen in thirty years. Bright, vibrant sea green, intense as ever. My hair seemed messier than I recalled, but that was probably because my brown hair was easier to manage by a landslide.
It was at once that I became aware of the red behind me, given away in the mirror.
Behind me was Annabeth. And my mom. And Nico. And Thalia. And Chiron. And everyone I had left for the army.
Also, they were lying in their own blood, wounds trailing their entire body.
"Percy," Annabeth muttered quietly. "Not your fault."
I stared shocked at the bloody mess of my family, before taking a deep breath. "That's not gonna work Order. I know this is a dream... well, I know this is a nightmare. Sure, you definitely know how to get to me, good job on Annabeth trying to convince me it's not my fault: It adds realism. But, you spoiled it with the mirror."
Order growled. "I'll just have to try harder then."
The bodies and the room disappeared. The darkness returned.
Noah's PoV (3rd)
Noah would be majorly surprised if the plan went without any kinks.
He wasn't surprised.
The moment they entered the pocket dimension, Annabeth(or so he assumed it was her) gasped so loudly some heads turned.
The gasp was followed by an "oumf" and a whispered, "Shut up!"
He turned to glare at them, glad that(for whatever reason) the door cast a shadow.
He nodded his head over to the next available shadow and hoped they got the point, before waking on.
Three minutes in, and over half-way to their destination, he thought things were surprisingly good.
That was, of course, until the leader of Section Five, Lilianna, stepped in front of him.
"Hi, Noah!" She chirped. "Are you on your way to see Perseus?"
Noah stopped in step immediately, before walking around the girl. "Of course I am, Lilianna."
She smiled, spinning to walk beside him. "How's he doing?"
Noah sighed, throwing a glance to the demigods behind him. "The last time that I saw him, he was still slumbering. His wounds are healing nicely, though, so it's just a matter of time until he does awaken."
Lilianna stared at him before laughing. "Man, Noah, it's been too long since I've talked to you! I'd forgotten how weird your speech is!"
"I prefer traditional'," Noah stated, nodding slightly to the right to indicate a change in direction for the demigods.
As he turned, Lilianna followed, and he finally gritted out those seven words: "May I be of assistance to you?"
She shook her head, struggling to keep up with the fast pace. "No, I was just wondering if you were okay. You and Perseus are really close after all."
Noah was shocked by that. He didn't expect anyone to be worried for him while Percy was still unconscious. Or ever, for that matter.
"I'm, uh... fine. Fine, Lilianna, I'm all okay. Percy will be awake soon anyways. No need to worry about me." Noah stuttered out.
He could feel the suspicion emanating off Lilianna, and didn't need to look to know that she had narrowed her eyes.
"You know, Noah..." She drew out. "The thing about you emotion readers is that you're utter shit when it comes to lying about your feelings."
Noah snorted, remembering his life in his home-world.
"You could say that again." He noted grimly.
He felt her brief confusion before she continued. "You're as worried about Perseus as he would be for all of us combined. And that's a tall order when it comes to that idiot."
Can't really argue there.
"If you ever need to talk, just know you can come to me, alright? I won't mock or anything. That is, if you don't want to go to Chris and Alex. Not to mention Travis."
Noah nodded, noticing that he was at the tower Percy had created for the Section Leaders, their Second in Commands, and the Third in Line's.
It was majestically tall, crested decorations around every window frame. The main of it was stone, but there was this odd, blue texture that Noah could never place. Not to mention the pegasus statue that always resided on the rooftop.
"Well, I'll let you go then," Lilianna said. "Goodbye, Noah."
"Farewell." He muttered, too entranced by the building to notice her departure.
He came back to his senses soon after and led the group inside the building and into the nearest elevator.
The spell wore off just as the doors closed behind them.
"That was far too close for comfort."
Grover whistled. "So many phrases that would sound good a little shortened."
"I'm not poetic, I'm articulate. There's... more or less a difference." Noah snapped.
Annabeth was shifting balance every two seconds. "How many floors do we have to go up?"
"Percy likes tall buildings. All I know is what floor number, but that doesn't mean the floors are in order. Tall buildings like this tend to get... messy." He explained, remembering the incident where the floor numbers went in the complete opposite direction.
And so they waited--Noah didn't remember the ride ever being this long before--and finally, the doors ticked open.
Annabeth was the first out, the others closely following suit. Noah gestured to them in a "follow me" gesture and walked as fast as he could to Percy's room.
It wasn't until he reached the door that he felt it.
Like a wave crashing on the shore came Percy's emotions, powerful and frantic. He'd felt this before. Percy was in the midst of a nightmare. Not a normal one either, a magically inflicted one.
Bursting into the room despite his growing headache, he soon found Percy thrashing around on his bed, Chris, Alex, and Travis at his side. Only Travis looked up when they entered--Alex and Chris were too busy restraining Percy, trying to calm him down.
A collective cry of "Percy!" came from behind him as the demigods rushed forwards, dropping to Percy's side as well, Annabeth immediately seizing his right hand.
It being too much, Noah couldn't take it. Not only Percy's emotions were flooding him, the worry of everyone else was as well.
He backed away, not being able to take it, and turned swiftly don the hall, not looking back to see the astonished faces of his friends.
Annabeth's PoV (1st)
Staring at Percy's scared, pained face, I felt useless.
I could see it on the faces of the others too. Nobody knew what to do or how to help. Percy was hurt and near crying, but it was all in his head.
There was nothing we could do.
Eventually, hours passed, and he had long since calmed but had not yet woken.
A finger tapped my shoulder.
I looked behind me to find Alex, holding a mug.
"Coffee?" He offered.
I shook my head, looking back at Percy.
It still struck me how different he looked, but I could still see the old him. In the smile lines--even if he'd hardened, he could never get rid of them--, in his restful expression, in that smile he'd thrown every now and then.
I remembered him, a few days ago, correcting grammar, and my heart swelled with pride.
Maybe I really had taught him something.
There was movement, and all eyes locked on Percy's shifting expression.
Blearily, his eyes opened, revealing those deep blue pools. Oh, how I wished they were green.
"Annabeth?" He asked, confused.
A grin erupted on everyone's faces, my own included.
"Percy!" I exclaimed, squeezing his hand harder. "Are you okay?"
He shifted his body, pulling himself up. He took notice of the room's occupants one by one, not looking too shocked at the sudden appearance of Nico, Thalia, and Grover.
"Hey." He greeted, looking to frightened to say anything else.
Thalia snorted. "'Hey'? Really? You have a lot of explaining to do, mister. Also, I need to get back at you for mocking the Huntresses, so expect that coming up soon."
Percy smiled, nerves seeming to calm. "It's good to see you too, Thalia. You two as well, guys. I missed you all a lot."
Nico seemed to relax too, before he suddenly pushed a fist into the air, shouting: "Yes! I can be gloomy again!"
The room went silent as he realized what he just said, leaving him to feel embarrassed on his own.
I frowned. "You didn't answer my question. How bad are your wounds?"
Percy tilted his head. "I don't even remember getting any."
Alex whistled. "Good job, buddy. You did it again."
I turned a glare on the two of them. "Again?"
The boys froze, becoming decidedly quiet.
I turned to look at the others and noticed Nico frowning as well. He was frowning at Alex. Weird.
It was only when I heard the shuffling when I looked at Percy again and had quite the shock.
He was getting out of bed.
He was getting out of bed.
"What're you doing!?" I yelled, grabbing onto his shoulders to make sure he didn't fall.
"I have to talk to Chaos." He muttered.
Chris came in next. "Not with those wounds, you're not. If Chaos wants to talk to you, he can come here."
"The old man's too slow. This can't wait."
To both of our surprise, he pushed past us, grabbed his shoes on the way out, and left.
"Should we...?" Grover asked, looking shocked.
Travis shook his head vehemently. "This is Percy, guys. If he thinks it's important, it's either really silly, or it is. I don't think he's in the mood to be silly."
I stared after where Percy had left, and, once again, felt useless.
Perseus's PoV (3rd)
His bones ached. His muscles were sore. He was pretty sure a few of his fingers were on fire, though it was unlikely.
But he had to keep walking. He had to get to Chaos. Chaos was the only one he could tell.
Alas, his legs failed him just outside the doorway.
There's no other option. I have to get to him.
Chaos! Chaos! Open your door!
He waited tersely, writhing on the floor.
Percy! You're awake! Where are you?! Why do I need to open my door?!
You just answered your own question, geezer.
Not two seconds later, the door swung open, revealing the teenage form of the oldest being alive.
"Percy!" He kneeled down, assessing the damage. "What are you doing?"
"Need... to talk... to you... Order, she..."
He didn't get to finish his sentence before darkness swallowed him again, leaving him wondering if he was even awake in the first place.
A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for waiting so long again! It really means a lot that you guys are still reading after all this frustratingly drawn out time. I hope you enjoyed the update.
Yours in demigodishness, and all that, and as always, until next time! *cheesy salute*