Sign of the Times

Deep talks (Pun intended)

"It's time, my lord," a boy said. "They are nearing the island, once they return it will be all your's. You will finally become powerful once more!"

"SILENCE, BOY!" another voice roared. "We have a visitor." The boy looked around the empty room he was in, looking for this visitor. "Can't you sense it? She is right there." The boy looked directly at me and my heart stopped.

The boy walked over to where I was standing. I tried to run, but my feet were stuck to the floor. The boy pulled his sword out of its sheath, not taking his eyes off of me. 

"I'm glad you were able to join us, Emelia," the voice said. The last thing I heard was an evil laugh before the boy's sword sliced right through where I was.

Normally, when I have nightmares, I wake with a start trying to decode them and figure out what the hell was going on. But, when I woke up, everything from the dream was quickly forgotten and all my brain could focus on was the most addicting sound: the sound of my mothers voice. 

"Come here, Emelia!" She sung. "Come be with my once more! One last time we could be together. Nothing else will matter . . . " 

There was no hesitation. I burst open the trap door and ran up onto the deck of the ship. Without hesitation, I threw myself overboard into the crashing waves that once took my mother's life but were now trying to help me see her once more. 

I swam harder than I have ever swam before. I needed to get to my mother again. I needed my mother again. One week or 80 years without her was still too long. Any amount of time without her was too long.

"Emelia!" Her voice yelled. I was getting closer. I wanted to yell for her, tell her I was coming, but every ounce of energy I had was going into swimming. 

Images of her hugging me and singing to me after a nasty monster attack flashed in my brain. The warmth of the hug from my memories was enough to combat the cold water. Her voice singing the only lullaby she knew was enough to keep me going. 

She feels so close, but so out of reach. All I want is to have her back I would give anything--

My body is pulled under the water by a pair of arms, the cold water breaking me out of the trance. I look at the boy who pulled me under, pulling his arms off of my waist. 

What was he doing? Why was he trying to keep me from my mom? 

I broke the surface again and my mother's voice filled my head again. Her soft voice that sang me to sleep every night--

The cold water covered my body once again. I fought against Percy, used every ounce of my strength to try and push him off of me, but it must've been the water thing that allowed him to hold on. 

He blew a bubble out his mouth that encased both of our heads in it, letting me take I breath I needed so badly. As soon as I had air in my lungs, I could only find one way of using it:

"What the fuck are you doing, Percy?" I yelled, successfully pushing myself out of his grip, but being careful to stay in the air bubble. "I have to go get my mom! She's not dead, she's out there!"

Percy shook his head, placing a hand on my shoulder that I quickly threw off. "Emelia, I'm so sorry, but that's not your mother," he said quietly. 

"What do you mean? I would know my mother's voice anywhere, she is right on that island! She is right there!" I cried, pointing behind me where my mother's voice had come from. 

"Emelia," he said quieter. "I'm so sorry, but that's not your mother. It's a siren. It's telling you what you most want to hear. I'm so sorry."

I felt my eyes well up with tears and the burning sensation in my nose. I wanted to yell at him that he was wrong, that he and his dad were both the same, trying to keep me and my mother apart. But the look of pure sadness, and regret on his face told me otherwise. 

A sob escaped my mouth before I could hold it back. Fear flashed across Percy's face before he hesitantly put his hand on my shoulder again. I wanted to push it off again, yell at him to leave me alone, but every bit of energy I had when I was swimming to the island was gone and all I could do was sit there and cry. 

"Emelia," he said, voice soft. "Are you --"

"I'm just peachy," I snapped, finally finding it in myself to slap his arm away. I don't care that he saved me, his voice was just another cruel reminder of what his father had done. 

Gods, I am right in his territory.

 "Take me back to the boat," I said, looking around at the water that encased me. My breath quickened, fearful of the water not allowing me to take my next one. "Now!"

"Hey, hey, you're safe. He isn't going to hurt you, I'm not going to hurt you. You are safe," he said, trying to reassure me, but it only did the opposite.

"How do you know that?" I cried. "You can't tell me that you are positive about that. Me showing up and being a possible prophecy child, you can't tell me your father would be happy about that. You know what, he probably is even mad that he didn't get me the first time." I couldn't help but laugh. "I probably shouldn't be saying any of these things while in his territory, but honestly, I couldn't give a shit."

"Look," he said. "I am not excusing what he did, nor saying that he ever had a reason to, but please don't give him more of a reason to kill you."

I finally looked at him. "Why? Do you not want to be the child of the prophecy that bad?"

He hesitated, looking at a fish swimming by. The fish stopped for a second and looked at him before moving on again. 

"Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood, I didn't want any of it." The smile on my face disappears. "Being a half-blood is dangerous. It's scary. Most of the time it gets us killed in painful, nasty ways. Being a child of the Big Three only amplifies this shit."

"Yeah, I think I am aware." I think back on all the monster attacks from back home that caused me to have to go overseas in the first place. 

"Yeah, I know, but what I am trying to say is that even though I didn't want any of this, doesn't mean that I would wish it on anyone. I thought that everything was awful, especially to me just because I was a son of the Big Three."

He sighed, hanging his head back. 

"You realized it was because of the prophecy. That's all it has ever been about," I interrupt. He nodded his head. 

"Yeah, I just don't want any more kids dying because of a stupid prophecy that might not even be about us."

"Well, that's ironic because if it isn't about us then we are dead."

"I guess you're right."