nobody's soldier, percy jackson

11. the dreams of a tortured goddess

Venus walked through the empty white hall, layer of water on the marble floor.

With every step she took, there was a ripple.

There was nothing lining the walls, and it seemed to be never ending, just a long hall with blank walls so white it was almost blinding.

"Venus," Aphrodite's voice said like a soft melody, causing the young goddess to stop in her tracks. She smiled when she saw her daughter turn around.

"You're doing this wrong," her mother sighed, shaking her head.

"Doing what wrong?" Venus spat, her tone harsher than she would have hoped.

"The boy," Aphrodite answered as if it was obvious. "You're hurting him."

"What boy? Percy?"

Aphrodite nodded, closing her eyes as Venus said his name. "That boy is the one you will break."

"I don't... want to break him," Venus scoffed. "Or anyone!"

"That doesn't matter," Aphrodite shook her head, looking down at her daughter. "You're going to ruin him."

"I'm not," Venus said firmly. "I'm not going to be like the rest of you."

Aphrodite's expression shifted. Her eyes turned dark and she looked cold.

"You already are."

Venus staggered back, only to be pushed forward. When she turned, she saw her father glaring at her.

"Stupid girl," Ares said. "Go on. Hurt him. Kill him. It's what you're supposed to do."

"I'm not meant to kill anyone!" Venus yelled.

"Goddess of murder," Aphrodite whispered in Venus' ear.

"Born to be a killer," Ares grinned.

"I don't— I don't want to hurt anyone," Venus said, her voice shrinking into a quiet whimper.

"It doesn't matter what you want," Ares scoffed. "It's what you are."

"You stood there and let them kill her," Aphrodite reminded her, placing a firm hand on Venus' shoulder. "You wanted it to happen."

"No— no! I wanted to stop it! I tried to stop it!"

"You're so afraid," Aphrodite hissed. "Afraid of yourself."

"Weak," Ares said in agreement.

They told her what she was too scared to admit. She hated everything that she was. People were terrified of her because of what she controlled, and she was terrified of herself.

Venus had tried so hard not to become a murderer, not to let any death happen when she was around, but no matter how hard she prayed, she would never get the answer she wanted.

Venus tried to step away, but her mother's fingers dug into her, causing her to cry out.

Aphrodite pushed Venus down onto the ground, a darkness surrounding the family, disguising the white hall as a pure black cloud, or simply revealing itself.

"Every murder that has happened since your birth is on you," Ares said, standing over his daughter. "Your fault."

Venus lifted her head to look at him as she tried to pick herself up, shaking. It felt like she was being pulled down into the water beneath them, like hands were clasping at her wrists, hoping to drown her.

"Oh, sweet girl," Aphrodite sighed, kneeling down in front of Venus.

Venus flinched as her mother brushed her hand across her cheek.

"It's always going to be your fault."

The image of her parents faded away, being replaced by Medusa, her snakes mangled as she hit the ground.

"No!" Venus shouted as the air shifted to a dark monster.

The clawed creature raised a hand to Venus, but she stood.

A dagger appeared in her hand and she struck it into where she assumed was its heart.

It froze.

Venus sunk the blade in deeper, an anger she had never felt before coursing through her.

She felt its hands on her, but they had changed into one of a mortal humans.

Venus looked down for a moment, seeing how it had transformed into a boy. When she looked back up, she saw Percy staring at her.

He let out a choking gasp as she pulled the dagger from him.

Venus stepped back, watching Percy's body fall down. "No," she whispered.

She turned to see the bodies of Grover and Annabeth lying in front of her.

"Stop it!" Venus ordered, though she knew there was nobody listening.

"I'm not a bad person!" she begged. "I'm not a killer!"

Everywhere she looked, there were pools of blood seeping through the water, bodies scattered around her.

The water turned dark red, black bones reaching up from the depths and wrapping around her.

The bones snaked around every inch of her until one hand met her mouth.

Venus screamed.

"Hey!" Percy said, shaking her awake. "Hey, what's wrong? You were screaming. Did you have a nightmare?"

Venus quickly lifted herself up. She had been lying in the backseat of the cab, her head apparently resting on Percy's lap.

She didn't know where Grover and Annabeth were. They must have been outside, trying to figure out the next part of their plan.

"Are you okay?" Percy asked, seeing the tears running down her face.

Venus didn't speak. She put her hands on him, trying to convince herself that she wasn't still dreaming. She needed to be sure that he was real.

"What—"

Percy was stopped by her pulling him closer and wrapping her arms around him.

He was hesitant to return it. As soon as he did, Venus started crying into his shoulder. He felt almost stuck, having her shaking in his arms, unsure of what he was supposed to do.

"It's okay. I'm here," he said quietly. "I got you. I promise."

"I'm not gonna break you," Venus whispered through a quiet sob.

Percy didn't know how to respond. How was he supposed to respond? She seemed to disturbed, like any wrong word could send her into a spiral.

Venus was holding onto him like he was her lifeline. Her grip was so tight it could have left marks, but it was also gentle and soft, like she was trying not to hurt him.

Percy didn't move. He didn't speak.

He just held her.