𝐃𝐄𝐉𝐀 𝐕𝐔 • Percy Jackson.

II-18

       HE CAN'T HELP BUT THINK BACK TO THE DREAM. To the words of Eloise and Kronos, to the conversation between the god and his mother. He stood in a daze, the whole time as Percy and Luke fought, as the gears in his mind worked through everything. The timeline and what was happening during it all, until he reaches a small measly conclusion that was lacking a piece. The piece blocked out by an outside force. It was similar to a puzzle, but an entire section was gone, ruining the final masterpiece.  "Maybe it's your father, pity."  He recalls them from Eloise and perhaps it's true, but he thinks, deep in his subconscious, that those words are false. There is something else, stronger than his father, stronger than Kronos that blocked those words.

However, despite everything, he knows one thing for sure. I am the ghost. He thinks, a feeling of repulsion engulfs him as the conclusion settles in. He was not Amani Shah. At least, not initially. He was a spirit, until he crudely took over this shell and lived his life painted to be that of Amani Shah, doing it so well, nobody had suspected anything. But something had happened and he lost his memory, but it was after the car crash…He truly couldn't understand. There was so much missing, after all, how did this tie into his visions? His random blurts he'd say and wish he could take back.

He stayed dazed for a while, until he hears Grover's wails. "Perrrrrcy!" Grover bleated. Oh maybe I shouldn't be in a daze while Percy is about to die. He thought, absentmindedly, but with that the monster holding him dropped to the floor. It created a thud and all he could think while rubbing his neck was, geez he could've held my neck looser, before taking off his ring. 

Time. He thought. He needed to stall. He truly did not know if Percy would die in this moment, but he knew just a little bit more time and something would happen. "I'd worry about your own life before ending someone else's." Amani said, with a frown, standing behind Luke with the tip of his sword against his neck.

Luke seemed surprised, his body went tense, before slowly turning around to face him. He glanced at the fallen monster and then back at him, eyes glinting. "So you're back." Luke said, poking fun at his original dazed state. He tilted his head, "yeah you could say that." Though he truly wasn't all there. He was using every ounce of energy to not fall apart. "...Mani?" He just barely heard Percy's hoarse voice, Luke seemingly wanted to turn towards him, but he was quicker.

With a quick motion, his jaw was nicked, exposing the red blood under his skin. "I'd keep my eyes to the front." He said, calmly, and Luke's smile broadened. He wiped the blood off,  looking at him in a new light.  The two hairy guards wanted to step in, but look raised his hand to stop them. "You're pretty calm about this." Luke confronted, "always have been." He spoke. "I take it you refuse?" Luke asked, hinting at what Eloise had offered him. It gave him the final conclusion towards Eloise.

"So she joined you?" He asks instead, it was in a lower voice, reserved for only the two of them to hear. "You truly can't blame her, being abandoned like that, who wouldn't be angry?" Luke responded.

He decided to take his chance, to actively find his own answers. To question the world the way Eloise had once asked him to do so,  the one who had brought this chaos to him.

"Who poisoned Thalia's tree?" Luke rolled his eyes, "this again! I thought you were smarter." He snarled. "Just wanted confirmation." He reasoned, "it was Eloise, I ordered her." He said in a low tone. He didn't know why Luke was indulging in his questions, but he accepted it. "What does Kronos want with me?" He asks and Luke smiles. "You will be our turning point. You'll be our ace, to a new glory!" He marveled.

"Cut the bullshit. What do you really mean?" He ordered, "it's as I said. You join us Amani and we'll have a revolution." He offered, raising his hand out towards him. He could vaguely hear someone calling out his name to decline beyond the buzzing in his ears, and the whispers amongst the fog hissed.