Percy Jackson: Daughter of Shadows

11. I Dream of Flying Boys

Places to never go again: Alcatraz with a giant half snake woman. 

 We were nearing the exit when Kampe came after us. "Move! Come on, I can't keep smacking her in the face! Get Briares out of here!" Viktor yelled, swinging his sword. "I'm trying! Briares isn't moving!" Percy shouted back. "He's full of fear, I can sense it" I said, stabbing one of Kampe's wolf heads. "Percy, Tyson, get Briares to rip those bars apart. Grover, find us a way out of here. Annabeth, toss me your dagger, I'm going to kill this bitch" Kampe laughed. "Did you mother never teach you manners?" I snorted. "Did yours ever teach you how to actually win?" I sunk Annabeth's dagger into her side. Kampe screamed and grabbed ahold of Viktor. "VIKTOR!" Viktor sliced off her arm, and Kampe turned to dust. Viktor fell to the ground. "Vik, please say something" I said, pulling him up. He slumped on my shoulder. "Coconuts have water in them" I laughed. "You idiot" "I'm your idiot" "I know" Percy whistled. "Come on, lovebirds!" I turned bright red. "We're not lovebirds!" "Sure, sure. Come on, Wise Girl's decided to camp for the night." 

   I summoned a fire in my palm. Annabeth shuddered. "I will never get used to that" "Sure you will, once I do it another hundred times" I said, tossing it onto Grover's pile of sticks. "I'll take first watch" Viktor said, standing up. "You sure?" "Yeah. You get some sleep; I'll handle the monsters and traitor half-bloods" I smiled. "Thanks" Viktor grinned. "Well, I kind of owe you for stealing your bracelet to make a slingshot" "WHAT?!" He held up a wooden slingshot with a leather string. "I'm going to kill you" "Sure you are" Viktor sat next to Tyson, who was already fast asleep. One by one, Percy and the others went to sleep, and I tried to stay up. "Dad, let me sleep, please? I need this" I whispered, my eyes slowly closing. 

   I was watching an old man and his son; they were gliding through the air. "Daedalus..." I thought. "That means that's... Icarus" I watched as the boy soared through the air, his father below him. "Stop that!" Daedalus said, panicking. Icarus looked at his father's worried face. "Don't worry, Father! I have complete faith in your inventions-" The left wing began to fall apart. Icarus panicked. "Icarus! Glide! Extend the wings!" Daedalus cried. But Icarus just flapped his arms, the wings falling apart. Icarus began to fall, plummeting to the ocean. "Father!" "Icarus!" "No!" I yelled, and my dream changed. 

  A bright light glowed on my face. "Hey, sweetheart" I growled. "Nobody calls me sweet-HELIOS?!" Helios grinned. "Hey, Lilly of the Valley" I blushed. "Shut up. What are you doing here?" "Thought I'd pull you out of that dream. Not my best moment in the past" I snorted. "Did you ever have one?" "Hey!" I laughed. "It's nice to see you. It's been a while" Helios smiled. "It has" Remember when I compared him to Apollo? There's a reason for that. They look alike, tan skin, golden hair, but Apollo's a god, and they're supposed to be the pinnacle of perfection. Helios is a Titan and got reborn in the twenty-first century after years of hibernation. Apollo detests imperfection, Helios embraces it. Mind you, I hated it when he tried to grow a beard. Once, I actually had to chase him around Brooklyn with scissors and a razor to get rid of it the seventh time. Not to mention all of his freckles and moles all over his body. (There's a mole on his neck that I've kissed innumerable times in the past) Helios sat next to me. "Heard you got claimed" I groaned. "Did everyone but me know?" Helios bobbed his head. "Sort of. I suspected it, but I thought Charon was more likely, as you two always seemed to get along. Then again, you're both massive introverts, so-" I shoved him. "Hey!" "You're an introvert too, dipshit" "Yeah, yeah. Heard about your brother and sister too. I'm sorry" "Did you father them and then dump all the responsibilities on me?" Helios shook his head. "Then you have nothing to be sorry for. I deal with it. Bianca can't come back, and Nico won't want to come back to camp, I know that. I was like that" "And now?" I looked away.

 "I don't know."