The Experiment

Chapter 12

A week later, I couldn't fall asleep. I didn't know why, but something was stopping me.

Then finally, at around two in the morning, I fell asleep. It was like wide awake, wide awake, then boom! Asleep in an instant. It just struck me. Like whatever had been keeping me awake was ripped out and whisked away. Anyways, it was weird.

That brought on a bad dream.

     It was war. Zeus and all the other gods were on one side of camp, and Hades and his demons were on the other. I was trapped in the middle. Everyone was screaming at me to make a decision.

    I couldn't decide. I didn't know. I just couldn't.

     So the war raged on. I was caught in the middle. Then it was them against me. Everyone was stabbing and shooting at me. Then I was dead.

    But nobody cared. Cole and Kacey stomped on my body. Percy and Annabeth walked right by. Chiron leaped on top of it. Cole turned around and spit on me, calling me fat, ugly, and weak.

     I woke up crying. The tears were wet and warm. I quickly wiped them away. I sighed and rolled over, with no intention to go back to sleep.

   When I got out of bed that morning, there was a piece of paper underneath Zeus's statue. I knelt down and picked it up, unraveling it slowly.

    The future of the world as you know it rests in your hands. You must pick a side. That side must be mine, or else the world will be an awful place. Hades doesn't care about you. He's using you. The only way for you to win is to join my side.
          - your father, Zeus

     I shoved the note deep into my pocket. I needed to make a decision.

    But which side was good? Zeus or Hades? Zeus says Hades is bad, but what if it's the other way around.

      It would be so much easier if I was normal.

     The next night, I dreamt about Hades. I don't know if it was real or not, but it felt like he was trying to communicate with me threw my dream.

    I was in a room. It was more like a cave. Somehow, I could tell it was underground. It was just like instinct.

    There was a large red throne in the middle of the room. In it, sat Hades himself.

     He cackled deeply. "Welcome to the Underworld!" He yelled, his boomy voice echoing throughout the room. It reverberated throughout my body, sending an unpleasant chill up my spine. I recoiled and stepped further away from the god.

     "How do you like my home? This is where you will live someday, if you choose my side. This all could be yours. Everything you've ever wanted. Riches, gold, mansions, servants, everything. I can promise to keep your friends safe. Whatever you want? But I need you to pledge your loyalty to my side. Come to the dark side, Electra."

    "But how do I know if it's right?"

     "Who freaking cares if it's right? It's what I told you to do, so you will listen. I know what's best for you. I command you to join my side," by now Hades was screaming.

   I was scared. To be completely honest, I was horrified. Seriously.

    "I barely know you! I'm not going to blindly follow you into war!" I argued.

     "You dare try to defy me?" Hades shrieked. Someone should have warned me not to make him angry. How was I supposed to know that all the gods have anger issues. That is not quite common knowledge.

    Just before I was blown to freaking bits, I woke up. I sat up straight in my bed, almost falling to the floor. My chest ached, because my heart pounded, and my breathing was rough and ragged.

    I sensed the war was coming soon. My guess turned out to be right, because later that morning, Chiron called a counselor meeting.

   "We are in grave danger. The war has started at Olympus. It gets worse. They're both headed here," Chiron explained.

  "Why?" Percy asked. They should have just called this the Percy, Annabeth, Chiron meeting. That's pretty much what it felt like to me, anyways.

   "For Electra. My dear, you are the key to winning this war. You have powers beyond your comprehension. You could be the most powerful demigod of all time. Who's ever side you're on will be the winning one, it's almost a guaranty."

   "But what side do we want to win?"

    "I personally am on Zeus's side, but there are some campers here that I am almost certain are on Hades' side. You must choose who you want to win, not who I want to win."

    After the meeting, I filled Cole in on the whole thing, since he wasn't a counselor. Then I told him about my dreams, about Hades offer, and about my undecisiveness .

   "I wouldn't trust Hades, if I were you. He seems shady. Plus, do you really want the whole world to be like the underworld?"

  "I don't know. I've never been there. Not really anyways. It could be paradise for all we know. Plus, he said I could have all the riches I want, and that we would all be safe. Permanent safety is huge for a demigod. You know that. Can I really pass this opportunity up?"

  "I don't know. He could be lying. How much do you really know about him?"

  "Not much, but I don't know much about anything in my life right now. Except you. I feel like I'm finally getting to know the real you, so that's one good thing."

   "The real me isn't all that interesting. Don't get your hopes up. It's not sunshine and rainbows in me, you know."

   "I know, but we all have flaws."

   "If you have any, I haven't seen them yet." I blushed.

    "Anyways, there's a war coming. We should probably get back to training."