Heroes with Wands

Chapter 26

Annabeth

My nightmare was one of the worst ones yet. The second my head hit the pillow, a shallow, cold man's voice took control.

Annabeth Chase, he said icily, The Doors of Death are open. Monsters are escaping from Tartarus. Maybe your deceased friends can escape like Gwendolyn did. Have you ever thought of what it would've been like if they survived? The Earth Mother can give this thought to you as a reality.

I saw Silena Beaureguard first. We walked arm in arm towards the Big House. The rest of the seven were there. Is this was he meant by a new reality, if they'd survived?

Charles Beckendorf was also there, waving. Silena and I broke apart and ran to Percy and Charlie. Clarisse, Silena, and I were sitting together at the Pegasus stables.. Silena laughed, and in my dream I felt myself crying.

Then I saw Michael Yew shooting fart arrows at the Ares cabin, starting another fight. As my dream self walked past, I laughed heartily. Michael gave me a high-five.

Luke. My breath caught in my throat. He was teaching sword-fighting alongside Percy and Jason. He winked and waved when I walked past. His smile was better than any I'd ever seen.

Silena and I rode our pegasi, laughing in the air and fighting with our knives. Luke, Percy, and Beckendorf yelled below us.

Beckendorf hauled Silena on his back and ran down to the beach. I heard the fireworks in the distance. Luke and Percy took my hands. Luke said, "How was your day, little sister?"

Little sister.

I swallowed a sob. Percy kissed me. It was the Fourth of July. Probably after the Titan War. Thalia and the Huntresses arrived in the woods.

Thalia, Luke, Percy and I sat on a blanket, laughing and watching the Hephaestus' cabin's fireworks crack in the sky.

Charlie and Silena sat together, kissing and laughing. Piper, Jason, and Leo were throwing sand at each other and building a sand castle. Hazel and Frank were running from each other and whenever they met up they'd kiss.

Michael and a pretty Demeter girl sat together. They looked really at ease together, like nothing else mattered. Travis Stoll and Katie Garder were kissing nearby.

Everything seemed so perfect. So happy and peaceful. I wanted to love it. And then the worst part came.

Thunderclouds boomed, but not like when Zeus was around. The earth trembled. Gaea's cold laugh echoed around us. She spoke three words: You're too late.

Without a second glance, Silena, Michael, and Charlie were swallowed up by the earth. I didn't see Luke, but I knew he was gone. Below them, I saw faces in the ground and skeletons crawling at the earth.

I screamed. Everyone flew into a panic. Thalia was clawing at the ground where Luke sat. I scrambled over to Silena's spot and sobbed. Percy stared blankly at Beckendorf's spot, trying to ponder whether or not what just happened was real.

I woke up screaming. Everyone rushed in to see what had happened. They saw me sitting straight up on my bed, shivering, sweating, and sobbing.

Too far gone. I didn't answer any of their questions. "Percy....I miss Silena and Beckendorf."

That seemed to catch everyone off guard. He seemed surprised. "Annabeth, what happened?"

My nose was running and everyone was staring at me intently. I told them about the voice and my dream. Their eyes never left me. All of them seemed concerned. Percy and Thalia sat next to me, holding me.