The Sun and The Sea

We Have A Dam Problem

Finley's light brown hair whipped around in the brash wind. Tears sprung to her eyes. She wasn't sure if it was from the sand that hit her eyes or the sadness she felt in her heart. 

All around her, the land was in ruins. There were no trees or grass. The sun was gone from the sky despite the deep orange color that it assumed. The ground beneath her was nothing but grainy sand. Buildings and people were foreign in this wasteland. Instead, they were replaced by monsters and dead bodies. 

Light Bringer fell to the ground with a soft thud when she took notice of the bodies at her feet. 

They were just bodies. 

Thalia, Percy, Grover, and Annabeth laid at her feet. 

"No," she breathed as she rushed to find a pulse. 

There was no point, it was clear from the blood loss they all suffered they were gone. 

"Please wake up," she pleaded. 

Ahead a tall throne made purely of brick stood. Large, dark, and knarled branches sprouted from it. Someone sat in it. Their sandy hair was matted with dirt. A scar ran along their face, through their eyebrow, and down their cheek. 

"Luke?" Finley questioned, but when they opened their eyes, it wasn't Luke. 

The person sitting upon the throne did not have his blue eyes. 

They were golden. 

***

It was a rough night . . .or day for the group. They lost Bianca in the early hours of the morning. Finley had cried herself to sleep, filling herself with guilt. Percy was blaming himself. Thalia was driving as Zoe struggled with grief herself. 

Percy's sea-green eyes drifted to the girl that was using his shoulder as a pillow. Small puffs of air escaped her nose as she exhaled. Her dark lashes laid ethereally against tan her skin. Her light brown hair tumbled down her back as she had taken it out of its braid. 

His mind wandered back to what Aphrodite said.

Why was he truly on this quest?

To save Artemis? Maybe. 

To save Annabeth? Of course, she was one of his best friends. He saw her in the same light he saw Grover. 

But it was Aphrodite's third option that confused him. 

To protect Finley, to make sure she didn't get hurt on this quest.

Percy knew better than anyone else she could take care of herself. She could better nearly everyone in a fight at camp. She was resourceful and smart. 

But yet, the option she gave him was relevant. He didn't want her to get hurt while on this quest. He didn't want her to be the one to become lost in the land with no rain nor did he want her to perish by a parent's hand. 

Suddenly Finley shot up, quickly lifting her head from his shoulder. Her breathing was erratic. She rubbed the tips of her fingers together, a tick Percy noticed she did when she was nervous or scared. 

"Sunny?" He asked. "Are you alright?"

Her head snapped towards him. Her eyes were wide as she nodded. Responding in a faint voice, she said, "Yeah, yeah, of course, I am."

Percy didn't seem convinced but didn't push the topic. 

Finley plugged her headphones into her ears before resting her head on the window, trying to decide what her dream meant.