The Spirits of the Universe (PJO)

Chapter 41--I Hijack a Dream

Falling unconscious in the middle of a chariot race to death was a risky move. There were a dozen safety hazards that I could think of at the top of my head, and that was without me counting the weapons we had haphazardly strewn around the vehicle. No matter what he did now, there was a high chance Paul was a dead man (or, more accurately, a dead spirit).

Maybe that's why I decided to help him. 

Unfortunately, time didn't take mercy on me and stop, though. A dagger sailed through the air beside me, while two arrows narrowly missed me and thunked into the wooden interior of our chariot.

They came from the eight Taraxippi surrounding us, whose two magically-steered chariots had us boxed in. Not good.

"Liam, you hold our right flank!" Aridne ordered. "We only have to hold on for half a minute. Percy, you're in charge of the left—" She cut herself off as she realized that I wasn't next to her.

"Percy? What are you doing? We need you!" Liam had been preparing to defend us, but now he was spun around to face me. 

"Paul's not okay!" I protested. "I have to take care of him."

"We're all going to die if you don't listen!" Aridne screamed. 

"Just give me one second! Let me make sure he's breathing . . ." Then I collapsed.

I don't know what exactly happened. And looking back, I still don't know. All I remember is that my hand touched his cold neck—and then the frigidness sucked me in. It was like I'd been captured by a black hole: one moment, I was surrounded by absolute chaos, while the next had . . . nothing. Nothing but pitch black.

End? Order? I asked, looking around. Do you know what's happening? Who am I kidding—you probably do.

No response.

C'mon, you think this is funny? This isn't the time to play a practical joke. I know you took over my body End. I don't know how you did without telling me, but as long as you save my friends, we can call it even—

Papa?

That's when I realized that maybe this wasn't a joke. Not a lot of people mistook me for a father (Most thought I was too immature to be one, but I beg to differ).

The feeling of my brain being sucked into a vacuum repeated itself, and the scenery shifted. I was no longer surrounded by darkness—but colors. I was back in the horse chariot. The sound of horse hooves beating dirt was overshadowed by the crowd . . .

Hold on. That didn't seem right. 

But it was. I could taste the air—stale with all the bodies around me. I had to squint in the morning sun. The hairs on my limbs all stood up on end as the electric atmosphere of shouts traveled through me. I wasn't in the chariot anymore.

I was in the stands—the stands that were supposed to be empty.

"Papa? Are you okay?" There was a tug on my hand, and I looked down to see a small girl glued to my leg. Her red pigtails were bound in blue ribbons, and her eyes were as round as dinner plates. 

I was definitely no longer in the chariot.

By now, however, I'd gotten a bit accustomed to the situation. It was clear that I wasn't in my body anymore. I was in the same situation as End and Order—stuck in someone's mind. That's why I wasn't taken aback when I responded automatically—sort of like a video playback—"I'm fine, dear." The voice was quiet and shaky—definitely not mine. Yelling orders on the battlefield had completely changed the tone of my voice from that of a regular civilian. "I was just absorbed in the race, that's all. Is there anything you need?"

"This horse race is boring," the girl pouted. I didn't know much about kids, but she was just adorable. Even though I knew I couldn't do anything, I had to resist the temptation of pleasing her by leaving. 

"Just a few more minutes," I said. "They have one more lap, and then I'll buy you ice cream. How does that sound?"

"Sounds wonderful!" The girl gave me a bright smile that momentarily made me forget that I was surrounded by dozens of people who hadn't heard of deodorant. 

She's more placatable than your average demigod. Maybe having kids isn't so bad after all.  Then my thoughts drifted back to my life on earth—back during the earlier days of my demigod career. Maybe if there'd been a spark of attraction between Annabeth and me when she kissed me the day after we'd stopped Kronos' invasion of Olympus, my musings would be more grounded in reality . . .

No. Annabeth and I had both decided against a relationship. I couldn't change the past—and why would I? Being best friends was great. I wouldn't want to ruin that. My ADHD brain was just being stupid. 

I focused back on the race, trying to distract myself. But that turned out to be my fatal mistake.

With loud neighs, the horses were whooshing by the stands one last time. Their riders leaned forward . . .

And then everything turned into chaos. 

Well, it wasn't exactly chaos. Riders were thrown off the horses, which then proceeded to drift to a stop. 

Then, as a team, they charged the stands.