"This is me trying..." (Book 1 of the Storm Decology)

"You must, you must live"

"I was asleep for five days" I gasped, as Annabeth helped lower me into the taxi. "How did I sleep for five days without waking up?"

"I have no clue," Annabeth said, looking up at the taxi driver. Percy looked over at me and gave me a tired smile. I looked into the mirror. The veins all up my neck and chin were all black and inky.

"You had a connection with the lion didnt you?" someone said beside me. I looked to my right, expecting to see Annabeth. I saw Thalia instead.

"I suppose" I said, wondering if everyone else could see her too.

"Maybe its because he saw himself in you, your brave, fearless, reckless, impatient, intimidating, proud, I could go on and on, but I won't" Thalia said, she smiled wryly. "You seeing me right now is using up your last reserves of energy. You taking that blade for Perseus-"

"Percy" I said immediately, correcting her. "He doesnt like being called Perseus, he said, that being called Persus reminds of him of the huge shoes he has to fill"

"Taking the blade for Percy was one of the stupidest and noble things youve done. And now youre paying the price with your life"

"My life hasnt been worth living since you died" I said, feeling the sharp pang of her loss like another knife to the chest. I meant what I had said, losing her felt as though I lost a piece of myself. A very large piece quite frankly.

"You must, you must live"

"You've been seeing Hades in your dreams and decided it would be a great idea, not to tell me?" I said, my voice higher than normal. This was ridiculous. Why wouldnt he have told us?

"Well, I dont know if it's Hades," I rolled my eyes.

"The throne room sounds like Hades," Grover said. "That's the way its normally described"

Percy shook his head. "Somethings wrong. The throne room wasnt the main part of the dream. And that voice from the pit . . . I didnt know. It just didnt feel like a gods voice."

Annabeth paled and looked at me, she turned away from Percy and mouthed slowly. "Kronos"

No, it couldnt be. Kronos has been in the pits of Tartarus for centuries. I shook my head, and brushed it off. The hair on the back of my neck had risen as she said that. Names held too much power to be thrown around nonchalantly.

"What?" Percy said, looking in between the both of us.

"Oh . . . nothing. I was just– No, it has to be Hades. Maybe he sent this thief, this invisible person, to get the master bolt, and something went wrong–"

"Like what?" Percy asked, like a child intercepting the delivery. I thought, staring at the backpack on Percys back, it was radiating energy.

"Give me the bag" I said to Percy, stretching my hand out, calling the energy to my hands, channeling the energy. I could feel it, It wanted to answer my summons, but something was holding it back, something just as, if not more powerful than I.

Percy reluctantly gave me the backpack. I opened it. There was nothing in there, besides a box of oreos and leftover clothes. I felt my fingers spark as they brushed the bottom of the bag. What was hiding?

Westland rolled by. We passed a sign that said California State Line, 12 miles.

I stared out the taxi window. My bicep was throbbing and the black inky veins were too, my eyes were heavy and I wished nothing more than to sleep.

"Vicky" Percy said, he was the one sitting beside me, he shook my shoulder lightly, jarring me awake. What was it? Why couldnt I just sleep? "Why are you so cold?" He said, pressing his hand against my cheek, his hands were warm, I leaned into his touch slightly. He wrapped his arms around me, I stiffened, not having the strength to recoil from the physical touch.