Can I Come Home Yet? {Camp Half-Blood Fan-Fiction}

Chapter 4: Memory?

Luciana's POV

"I'll go."

All eyes turned to Katie.

"I'll be the fifth one." She said, and nodded.

"Pretty brave for a plant princess." Clarisse said sarcastically.

"Well we didn't see you volunteering." I said.

"That goes for you too, loser." Clarisse remarked.

"You have such a thick head." Isaid.

"Excuse me?" Clarisse said angrily.

"I said that you have such a thick head." I repeated.

"And why is that?" Clarisse clenched her teeth.

"You are a dumbass. I was the first to volunteer! Gods, I was the only one to hear the damn prophecy!" I exclaimed.

"Calm down! Both of you!" Nico said. "The five have been decided already."

"Nico is right." Chiron stated. "Alright: pack up. You leave tomorrow. This meeting is dismissed."

Everyone headed out, leaving me behind. I approached Chiron. "I don't know where I should stay. I don't have a cabin."

"You can stay with me." A voice said, making me jump.

I turned around, noticing Nico leaned against the door frame. "Are you okay with that?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

I smiled softly. "Thanks."

He gave me a small smile. "C'mon, let's go."

I followed him over to the cabin. When I got a better view of it, I stopped in my tracks.

Noticing my sudden halting, Nico turned to me. "What's wrong?"

But I couldn't hear him. "There's a window on the right." I murmured. "You used to look out the window all the time, for you could see the lake. I always wondered why.... You eventually moved your bed so you could face it as you fell asleep. You would feel safe.... You looked like your surname, 'angel'..." I couldn't see straight. I felt dizzy. I put my hand to my head, and noticed my appeared like I longed for something. I could hardly keep my eyes open.

Befuddled, Nico looked at me with wide eyes. "How did you..."

I felt myself falling. I closed my eyes, waiting to feel the hard ground. But it never came. I felt cold arms under me, hoisting me back up on my feet.

"Come on...let's get you inside." Nico murmured, guiding me to his cabin. We made it up the steps, and opened the door. He led me to a bed, and I plopped onto it, closing my eyes. Within seconds, I fell asleep.

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My feet ached. I felt as if I was walking in a combination of human insides and glass that was on a fire. All around me, I saw a red darkness. The only thing I could see was the monsters that were surrounding me.

I kept my eyes down on the ground, my face depicting sorrow and pain as we trudged along a path that I felt I had walked on many times before. Something pushed me forward, making me fall on my hands and knees.

"Clumsy girl." One of them behind me said. "Must I punish you again?"

"P-Please no..." I whimpered, my eyes welling up with tears. "N-Not again..."

He ignored me. "If I must, then I must." He pulled something off of his belt, lashing it out on the side.

Crack!

The whip. My bottom lip trembled.

Crack! It said, unleashing its wrath against my back, opening old wounds and creating new ones. I screamed.

Crack! Screams filled the air, along with laughter.

One of them groaned, crouching down to me. "I just don't get it..."

"What don't you get, Ephos?" The one with the whip asked.

"You know, Aphis. I don't get why we can't just kill her."

Aphis rolled his eyes. "Gaea's orders. No questions asked."

"Well I'm asking!"

"And you will get no answer!"

"Silence, fools!" One hissed. He hadn't spoke the whole journey.

"Namith...?" One murmured.

"It is for leverage over her father." Namith said.

"Is that right?" Aphis sneered. "Who would be a stupid fool to claim this thing as his daughter? No god is stupid enough."

"Hades is the 'stupid fool'." Namith said matter-of-factly.

Ephos raised an eyebrow, nudging me with his foot. "This lame excuse for a girl is Hades' daughter?"

"Yes." Namith nodded.

"But are we ever going to kill her?"

"Eventually, yes. But you must be patient, Ephos. It may be years until then."

Ephos rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Let's get out of here."

Aphis sighed, and the whip met my back once more.

Crack!

I screamed.

"Luciana!!" I heard. "WAKE UP!!"

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I gasped for air, tears rolling down my face. I clawed at my throat, the pain still present.

"No, no don't do that." Nico murmured, taking my hands away from my neck. He wiped my eyes, and pulled me into a hug. "Hey...calm down...it was only a dream..." He stroked my hair.

I shook my head, and coughed. "N-no...i-it was real...I know it was..." I shook in fear.

"What was real?" He pulled back just enough to look into my eyes worriedly.

I looked at him, showing him the fear I had in me. "Tartarus."