The forest breaks at one point and turns into. "A swap. Are you kidding me!" i complain glancing down at my now water logged shoes and the stained hems of my jeans. I glance up around at the others. Percy has a grim look on his face as we continue to push forward. We had seen the yellow fog of it from a couple of miles back and I asked Percy what it was, but he just mumbled something under his breathe like giant and swamp. I didn't take him seriously. I mean come on. A swap? In Tartarus?
"I told you." Percy replied, Nico snickered and I rolled my eyes as we continued to walk through the dense fog. Hazel and Jason had switched places not too far back. The rest of us were too stubborn to ride Nightwing relying on our feet to do the walking. I think Jason only agreed because well it's his sister. Nightwing sloshed through the mud and water slowly. Hazel held tightly to both him and Thalia. Who still hadn't stirred.
"Is she breathing?" I questioned at one point. Jason, slightly scared had checked and breathed out a sigh of relief when he realized she was.
"Gods Violet he could of had a heart attack." Percy teases glancing up at the blond boy who makes a face at Percy.
"That would have been funny. Of all the things he could die of. A heart attack is what got him." Hazel laughs a little as we continued down the dusty landscape.
"Is this even water?" I questioned kicking some of it up. "It doesn't feel like water." I wasn't even really touching it. The level wasn't too high and it lapped around the soles, and sides of my shoes. It didn't look right and it definitely didn't smell right either. I bent down to touch it but Percy grabbed my arm and stopped me.
"I wouldn't." He said lightly. Now that was scary.
"Why?" I questioned. Nico and Jason glanced at us as Nightwing paused.
"Because you're right. It's not water." I stared at the bleary surface of it and could have sworn I saw some ghoulish faces shimmering there. I shuddered.
"Well what is it?" Percy shrugged.
"The only thing I know is last time Annabeth dragged me through here it drained me. Just being near it." Percy shudders as well and goosebumps begin to travel up my skin. "I was already dying when it happened I didn't feel the affect of it." His teeth were chattering and I felt like throwing up all of a sudden.
"Are you guys ok?" Hazel asks from up high.
"I think I might..." I didn't finish the sentence as I began to fall backwards. Nico caught me and Jason grabbed Percy.
"We have to get them out of here." Jason said but his voice echoed inside my brain and rattled around in my ears. I felt heavy and couldn't feel Nico's arm around me.
"Hazel try and wake Thalia." Someone suggests. They sound like they're far away or speaking underwater. I think I'm drowning for a couple of minutes.
"Violet! Damnit calm down." A voice mutters in my ear. I must go limp again because they don't complain again.
"What happened? What's wrong with them?" I'm pretty sure that's Thialia. Opening my eyes unaware that they were closed I blink several times trying to gain my bearings. My vision is blurry and somebody mumbles out a response. Or I think they mumble out a response. They could be actually speaking correctly and I just hear it as mumbling. There's a lot of shuffling then someone hoisting me up and telling me to hold on tightly. I think I say something but I can't feel my lips move. The heaviness is too much for me to bear. I black out.
This dream. Isn't like the other ones. There's no darkness. So deep horrible voice. I'm sitting on top of Camp Half-Blood Hill under that pine tree where the dragon has its tail wrapped around the trunk and shimmering gold fleece sits upon one of the lower branches. Oddly enough I'm holding a sandwich in my hand. Is this a picnic? "Hey come on Violet!" A voice says off to my right. Startled I look up and find Nico actually smiling down at me.
"Umm what?" Nico rolls his dark eyes and takes my hand. He feels solid. He feels real.
"Put your food down come on. Newbie." He says excitedly. Sure enough there's a large crowd gathering around down the hill. Nico pulls me along with him and we take off for the crowd elbowing our way to the front. Nobody seems to mind. In fact nobody seems to notice us at all.
"That's Leo and this is Frank." My brother and Annabeth stand side by side and are pointing out their friends to the dark haired girl.
"Hephaestus?" The girl asks staring at Leo.
"Was it the gadgets." This is strangely familiar.
"Hey Percy what's going on?" He doesn't turn when I call him. I glance at Nico and find that he isn't standing next to me anymore. "Nico?" I question glancing around the crowd, but he's gone or he was never here. I move around my brother and his girlfriend to get a good look at this new girl before I realize it's me. I'm standing there. That's why it seems so familiar. The crowd turns and faces me then, me me not the me in the middle.
"Prophecy." They echo.
"What?" I ask in confusion.
"You are not one of us." That's just Percy this time. I back up a little scared but the crowd has closed ranks around me and I can't break free. "Not one of us." The crowd repeats.
"I..I.. My dad! Poseidon!" I stutter out.
"Prophecy." The repeat.
"You shall find in her in the eagles wake." Jason speaks above the rest as they begin to chant in hushed tones.
"And all should quake, for fear." Annabeth continues this cold look on her face.
"She holds more power than she knows how to wield." Percy finishes. I think that's it because they stop chanting and nobody speaks. Then it's like I'm watching them shed their own skin because they rip apart in front of me and there stand these blackened gross figures. They attack and I scream.
Jolting awake and breathing heavily like I've just ran a marathon, I gasp for air and look at my surroundings. "Cool it girly. You're fine." A voice says. Panting I turn looking straight at Thialia who is flexing out her right arm and testing her fingers. I get the feeling she might do that for the rest of her life.
"What the hell.." I mutter finding Nico, Hazel, Jason and Percy all splayed out in different ways on the ground. Percy is the one closest to me and he's sitting up staring at me.
"You alright?" I take a couple deep breathes before answering.
"Yeah umm. Where are we?" I feel.. Tiny. Everything is big. I mean we weren't any smaller just the place we were in was meant for well.. A giant. Moss and gray rugs covered the black floor like someone was trying to cover it up. There was a bed big enough for half of of the Camp back home to sleep in and giant bags filled with plants, what looked like meat and leather hanging from the dome shaped ceiling. Off to the side Nightwing was nestled next to a roaring fire and way off in the corner was a sheep pen.
"Either we're in a horrible version of the ride Small World or still in Tartarus and in a giant.. House?" I finished rubbing my head.
"Small world?" Jason repeats.
"Disneyland." I say confused.
"What's Disneyland?" I stare at him in shock.
"Back to the topic. Are you ok?" Percy repeats. I don't listens though.
"He doesn't know what Disneyland is! You live in California! Even I've been to Disneyland and I moved around!" Percy sighs and rolls his eyes.
"She's fine." Nico says with a roll of his eyes.
"What happened?" I question running a hand through my hair.
"You two passed out from whatever was in that water not water." Thalia grumbles crossing her arms over her chest like she's satisfied everything works properly.
"Ok so where are we? How long have we been out?" I question continuing to take in the details of this weird hut.
"About a day." I do a double take as Hazel speaks.
"A day! What have you guys been doing?" I demand. Nico shrugs.
"Eating, sleeping, gouging my eyes out." I give him a look. "For fun there was nothing else to do." He explains grumpily. I sigh.
"So. About where we are.." I reply slowly.
"Damasen's hut." Hazel spoke up.
"How did you know?" Percy asks a bit bewildered.
"He told us." She said shrugging.
"Wait how long have you been up Percy? How do you know where we are?" I but in before Percy can ask another question.
"I've been here before. What do you mean he told us?" Percy says just as there's a giant roar outside. I jump up and reach for my sword.
"Don't bother. I'm surprised you guys didn't wake up the first time he killed that thing out there." Jason says with a small smile. There are two distinct roars then a couple snapping of bones. I cringe. Moments later a tall figure looms in the doorway.
"They're awake." The voice booms.
"Yeah Percy woke up right when you left." The giant huffs and throws down a couple of things behind us.
"Damasen." Percy says in surprise.
"Percy Jackson." Does every monster use his full name?
"Hades said..." The giant laughed.
"Hades? Yeah the others told me." He gestures toward our friends.
"So you have a sister Percy. She smells different than the rest of you." The giant points at me with one large index finger. I arch an eyebrow at this.
"What do you mean?" I question. The giant shrugs his large shoulders.
"You're just different. You smell like the sea and the sky." I cock my head.
"What do you mean I smell like the sea and the sky?" The giant taps his fingers against his chin.
"Well they. Smell like death." He says pointing at Hazel and Nico. "They smell of the sky." He in turn gestures toward Grace and Thalia. "And he smells like the ocean, but you smell like the sea and the sky." I frown.
"Is it because I've been hanging around Jason too much and he smells bad?" Jason gives me an indignant look.
"Hey!" He cries out. Hazel laughs.
"Nope." He doesn't offer another explanation but Percy has questions of his own.
"So what happened? Where's Bob?" Someone else comes through the doorway.
"Bob is here and so is Small Bob." At first I don't understand what he means as the looming silver figure strides in. He's Bob but who is "Small Bob". That's when I notice the kitten running around his ankles. Nightwing can smell it too. The hellhound bound up and startles the kitten who claws it's way up Bob's leg. Nightwing is about to charge.
"Whoa! Hey there bud!" I shout scrambling up and blocking the hellhounds path. It looks at me startled and cocks it's head as if to say Hungry. Want eat Small Bob. I shake my head at him. "No eating the kitten." I scold him. The hellhound humphs and sits back down. Damasen tosses him something that he catches in his mouth and begins to chew on.
"Bob!" Percy cries out in shock. the titan smiles at my brother and i see Nico even grin. "How are you doing? How's small Bob?" Percy asks enthusiastically.
"Fine. All is fine. Small Bob died but Bob got him back." the kitten purrs and rubs it's cheek against the Titan's and it's about the weirdest thing I've ever seen in my entire life.
"So back to the present. Did you dream Violet? You kept mumbling in your sleep. We couldn't understand you." Jason says. All eye's are on me again. Except Bob's or small Bob's, or Damasen's or Nightwing's.
"Umm yeah.. This one was weird as well." i reply slowly bringing my knees up to my chest and wrapping my arms around them. They wait for me to explain. "I was sort of reliving the first day i arrived at camp except you guys were monsters and ate me alive after your whole chanting thing." i say making small gestures with my hands.
"We were chanting." Percy repeats. I nod.
"You kept saying I wasn't one of you and repeating that prophecy about me. The smaller one." Percy nods slowly as Jason says it out loud.
"You will find her in the eagle's wake, and all should quake, for fear. She has more power than she knows how to wield." the sentences make me shiver. What does it mean? What does any of it mean?