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He had tried so hard.
So, so, so hard for this not to happen!
The sky twisted, its wrathful face disintegrating his fellow campers. The ones he had tried so hard to protect and failed for the second time.
Screams filled his ears, and he wailed, filled with far more agony than the first time.
What was he going to do? What could he do? His thread was far too frayed, and his grandfather had lost too many fights with his grains to be able to even wield his scythe without burning Percy up.
At this point, wouldn’t it be better if Percy just gave up?
There was no protest, nothing that could stop him from looking up. Gold swarmed his vision as Chiron yelled for all the campers to enter their cabins.
A broken sob made its way out of his throat. He had tried so hard, done so well until now!
How had he even messed up if he didn’t remember how he had even gotten here? It didn’t make sense; he couldn’t even hear his grandfather.
A thought crossed his mind numbly, muffling the cries of the others for a moment. It was far too loud for only a few to be crying.
A recollection of past dreams, Percy figured suddenly, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt in his dream-like form. He was his 19-year-old self again, and there was a part of him that missed being so tall.
But… if he was having dreams about the sky…
Would it be like that night? The night before everything went wrong and he had woken up crying and screaming and he was inconsolable and his father couldn’t protect him-
Panic seized his heart, and his knees buckled in the nightmare, and even though he was far out of the sky’s reach, he knew what it was like to be burned under its sight.
Gold swam through his vision, snatching him from where he sat in his nightmare.
Now he was sitting in a meadow, gold swadiling him gently. It reminded him of all those nights when Ouranos tried to breach his dreams again, and Kronos would take Percy somewhere extra safe.
It reminded him of all those nights when he had to hide, had to look down, his neck burning and the feeling of being scorching hot to freezing cold with no in between-
-ous, precious! Kronos exclaimed, a vague shape appearing in the meadow in front of him, You are dreaming! This will not happen again, I assure you.
Percy couldn’t help it. Tears streamed down his face, and despite the fact that he knew he was dreaming, the ground felt so soft.
Sometimes, he wondered if he could just sink himself into it forever and let himself fade away.
Maybe somebody else could’ve taken the prophecy. Maybe it was Percy who ruined it and got everybody murdered in the end-
Your thoughts are overflowing, his grandfather's disembodied voice said with a level of softness that Percy was familiar with.
Take deep breaths. You will not die anytime soon, and I will see to it that you are well. You have so much to live for, and you have so much to see. We’ll get the scythe. We’ll save the world.
It sounded exhausting, Percy numbly thought as a golden thumb brushed his tears away. It tickled a bit, and his lips twitched upwards against his will.
But first, you must sleep. You need it, grandson, and I will make sure that you feel rested.
With that, he closed his eyes from within the dream and fell into a deep sleep, much deeper than usual.
Dreams of his family, mortal and immortal, mingling together as a campfire crackled and burned. He used to have this one quite frequently when it had been especially tough.
There had been a point when it had been this one so much that he had realized that he was dreaming, and his grandfather decided to change it up a little.
Another dream, his father teaching him how to swim on a dolphin. It made Percy laugh a bit, considering that he was sure that he knew how to.
It made him feel young, a nice feeling that he rarely got with the weight of the world resting on his shoulders. It made him feel safe.
Dreams upon dreams filled his mind with more peaceful, well-thought-out thoughts before he woke up.
Rise and shine, dearest, his grandfather said with an amused edge to his voice, Do you want to make something? Your mother is asleep. Maybe something in the ice chest?
“Refrigerator,” Percy corrected, rubbing his eyes sleepily as a smile graced his lips.
He faintly remembered having bad thoughts. Thoughts that were so familiar, they made his chest ache. But he also remembered having dreams that made his heart flutter with hope inside of it.
For today, Percy figured that was good enough to cancel out the bad dreams. He stumbled over to the kitchen, slipping on his favorite jacket as he walked.
The door beside his room creaked open, and Sally Jackson walked out with her flannel, white t-shirt, blue jeans, and sneakers.
She was always so ready for the day, and it was something that both Percy and his grandfather noticed.
I can see why my son chose such a wonderful woman. She truly does fit his spirit. Kronos commented, gold weaving around his irises with the influence.
“Look who’s up early today,” Sally said with a smile, ruffling Percy’s hair as she got a container out of one of the cupboards and filled it up with some leftovers of last night's fasolada.
Winter had been rolling in, and the break from school was getting closer and closer.
School was easier with his grandfather helping him, but it was still nice to get a break from school. He didn’t want his grandfather to have to work too hard.
Sally put the container into Percy’s lunch bag. “Have a nice day at school. Tell me more about how Pansie is doing. I hope she’s alright after her grandmother's passing.”
Percy grabbed his lunchbox, nodding mutely as he stuffed it into his backpack. “I will. Bye, mom!” His mother pecked him on the cheek, and he left the apartment, stepping on the bus to school.
Hope fluttered through his chest, a newfound determination rising in his throat. Gold laced the corners of his vision, comforting him.
Today would be good. He would make sure of it. We will make sure of it. His grandfather's voice chimed in, and Percy nodded so fiercely that he got a few weird looks.
He just needed a little extra time on his hands to get the scythe.
Good thing time was on his side.