Heroes of Chaos 3: Subconscious Memories

Annabeth 21

Percy seemed to be having trouble getting his story out.

"I can't tell you everything, not yet anyway."

"Why not?" asked Jason.

"Because there's some things that I don't even understand and there are some things that haven't been proven yet."

Everyone else shared a glance, I was perfectly comfortable in Percy's lap. He had grown a little in the last two years. His arms were more muscular and his grip seemed more level.

Percy let out a breath, I could hear the heart beat as his chest expanded next to my head.

"First of all, when we get back to camp, no matter who asks the questions or what the question is, I will answer them."

Percy looked at each one of them in turn, and, in turn, each one of them nodded.

"Like I said, it happened after that Capture-the-Flag game where Nicholas cheated and everyone found out who he really was."

"He said he wanted to talk. Said he wanted to apologize for what he'd done, as well as he wanted me to meet someone. But when he lead me outside of the camp boarders."

He stopped there. I felt his whole body tense up and his arms shook just enough for me to look up at him. He wasn't make eye contact with anyone, but I could see his eyes shaking.

"Let me guess, one of his men was laying in wait," I said softly.

"Not just any man, Void was waiting there."

Parker and Peter sucked in a sharp breath.

"What did this Void person want?" asked Leo.

Percy shook his head.

"To this day I honestly have no idea, he-"

He paused again. No one wanted to say it, but I'm sure we all knew what Percy was implying.

"That's where all the blood came from," Nico said.

Percy nodded.

"I remember that afterwards he took me to a dungeon of some kind. I remember that there were weird shadow people everywhere. I was strapped to a table. I couldn't breath very well, but I know that the smell of blood hung steady in the air of the dungeon. Then the next thing I know I was in my bedroom at Chaos's palace. My body was bandaged basically all over and I felt like I had just been hit with one of Zeus's lightning bolts. I could barely sit up. Chaos took care of me after that. Told me that I had been asleep for almost a century. Told me about Parker and Peter. He asked me what exactly I remembered. I really couldn't say. But the way he looked at me, I honestly doubt that I had been asleep all those years."

There was silence that followed his story. I grasped what he meant, but I'm pretty sure I was one of the few that did. I snuggled deeper into his chest and his arms tightened around me. I just wanted him to know that he wasn't alone, that he never had to be alone. Never again.