Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Eagle's Path || a PJO/AC Crossover

Chapter 18: The Dreams Part: 2

Frank POV: I watched as Jason, our retired Praetor comforted Piper while me and Hazel ate our dinner. I thought of how this quest was gonna play out. Am I scared? Yeah, you could say that. I can admit, even children of Mars could get scared at times, even with my fear of my soul burdened to a stick. But what the gods said, about those 'Assassins', 'Pieces of Eden', and everything else that'll come my way, I'm terrified. I'd hate to admit, upon my bravery to show I'm scared, not for myself, but for my friends, for the camps, and most especially for Hazel. I had to stop thinking about those thoughts, and throw them aside, for now. So I continued to eat at the table, with no thoughts of danger. Jason let his arm off around Piper, "Alright, well listen. I'm gonna head to sleep a little, and I'll see you tomorrow in the morning" he said to her. She nodded to him and replied with a simple "okay good night". "Goodnight" he said, and kissed her once more before leaving her at the table with us, and vanished into his room down the hall with a creak of the door. Piper continued to eat at her food, and more comfortable from her shocked expression from before, with a slight smile on her face. "You and Jason are a perfect couple meant to be" Hazel spoke sitting next to me, "you know that"? Piper looked up, looking at us. "Thanks" she replied, "you actually, literally sound like my mom". Now that, was kind of funny. I tried my best to mask my laugh of that comment with slight snickers. And the girls almost began laughing too, and so we continued to eat.
A few moments later, I was nearly done with my plate of spaghetti, but Piper put halfway of her meal aside, and said "goodnight guys". "'Night" we replied to her, and she left down the hall to her room. Me and Hazel were left at the large table as the others were asleep in their rooms.
A few minutes later, me and Hazel finished our meals and I agreed to do all the dishes for the night. So I grabbed the first plate, a little dish liquid and started scrubbing the sponge against the dirty plate, waging a war of soap against plate stains like there was no tomorrow. Until I felt hands wrap around my torso from behind me and I turned to see Hazel, happily closing her eyes, and said "I'm glad we're here again. Just like old times eh"? I smiled back at her, and turned my body to face hers. Wrapping my arms around Hazel, I kissed her on her forehead, and embraced her in a bear hug (no pun intended). "Yep" I replied, "another quest, another trip back on the Argo II". She smiled, and looked up at me, "but what are you thinking Frank"?
"About what"?
Hazel's smile faded "About the quest I mean. Don't you remember how difficult and dangerous the second Giant War was? Do you really think...". She was scared, I could tell, just like how he were first scared on our first quest to Alaska with Percy, but this was different; a quest about Assassins. People who know how to kill, quietly and dangerously. She had a sad glint in her Golden eyes, and she might've been... Might've been afraid of dying again on this quest, and I didn't want to lose her, like my mom or grandmother. But I had to keep hope, so I kissed her again on the forehead and said "no, I think we'll be fine".
"You think so"?
"I know so".
She nestled her face into my chest, and it was easy to tell she was reassured, and so was I. We let go from our hug, and she said "well, I'm gonna head to bed, and I'm gonna take the next patrol in a couple of hours. Don't stay up too long. Goodnight". She turned and I said "goodnight". And she disappeared into her room down the hall. And I continued to scrub at the pot, trying to scrub every piece of pasta off the side of the pot.
***Minutes Later***
Whew... That took a long time, but I got every dish as clean as possible and let them dry out overnight. But I was very exhausted to relax in the relax room of the ship and watch late night tv (A/N: in my version of the HOO world, Hephaestus rebuilt the ship with a room where which they could watch TV and movies, play video games or read). But I instead had a feeling to sleep in my room. So without a second thought of the relax room, I went and entered into my room, closing my door and crashed myself onto my bed. Looking around my room, there were so much stuff that Imm glad Hephaestus could salvage from the Argo's wreck. On one wall was one of my Gladius swords that I owned during the war, another one held the spear without the Dragon's tooth tip I used during the quest to Alaska, yeah I secretly still kept the spear shaft for memories to come and go. But one thing that hung on my wall, that I felt heartbroken to look at, was a picture of my mom, grandmother and I during our last Christmas at the Zhang house. Our very last Christmas before my mom went to war and I went to Camp Jupiter. The picture was covered in a little bit of soot and ash with the corners burnt off. I couldn't bear to look at it, too many bad memories, but I kind of wanted to look back at it just for a little while. Instead, I went and put on a skintight black t-shirt and a black, white, and red pair of shorts on, and threw my covers over my body, hoping to fall asleep. Fortunately, my exhaustion took the best of me, and I slept, safe and sound.
*Dream*
I was hoping I'd end up dreaming about sitting at the table at the Zhang house, eating dinner with my mom and grandmother since I was good at controlling my dreams at most times. Not this time it seems. I instead sat on a barrel as I somewhat ended up on an old ship. I stood up off the barrel and looked around as a bunch of sailers were moving cargo around and keeping the ship, cannons, and masts in check. Except these sailers looked more sloppy, carefree, and more brutal. Pirates. As I looked around, they all gave no attention to me standing there, and continued on. The ships were sailing with white sails blowing in the wind, and the main black flag was different in someway, as there was a skull in the center of a upside down-like V symbol with a curve underneath it; way different than a skull and crossbones. Looking closely at the front of the ships masthead, it resembled a bird with it's wings flying free in the sea. Above the door to the captains office was the name carved into the name plank of wood; 'The Jackdaw'. The ship, the Jackdaw was sailing in what I guessed to be the Caribbean seas, gulls screeching in the distance, the sun gleaming in my eyes, and the brilliant blue water reflecting the sunlight. It was just a beautiful view. I was beginning to walk around the ship, the Pirates giving no mind to me as though they were either ignoring me, or didn't even know I was there. I was walking up to the ship's wheel which was left unattended, before I felt a hand on my shoulder and heard someone say "going somewhere lad"? I turned and punched the man behind me in the face with success, he stepped back, and I first saw his hood fell back from his head, and revealed his face. He had a late thirties or forties look to his blue eyes and his face, but his dirty blonde hair was brushed back terribly into a small man-bun. He had a few scars on his face and a slight I shaved blonde beard. His clothing was different than the other pirates, wearing a brown leather vest by his aides, with white dirty robes with parts in blue such as the small collar. His two leather straps with the metal skull buckles, were strapped around his body and holstered his two flintlock pistols. He wore a red sash around his waist, held with a leather belt holding his other two pistols and two cutlass swords that reached to his brown leather boots. On his arms were brown leather pieces on his shoulders and wore a leather vambrace around his arms. In other words, he looked drunk. The man wiped the blood coming out from his nose, looking down at the blood stain, and angrily looked at me. "Oi, MATE"! He said in an english accent. "What in gods' name was THAT for"!?!? He began to approach me slowly and angrily. I reached back to grab my bow and arrows, only to find they weren't there. I looked around for the nearest weapon, and just my luck, there was a cutlass leaning against a barrel next to me. I picked it up and raised it at him. He back off and bit, raising his hands in surrender, and hadn't attempted to reach for his weapons. But underneath his vambrace was strangely, two sheathed blades underneath his arm. "Whoa, easy there lad. I mean no harm", I scoffed at that statement "yeah. That's what a Pirate always says before they gun you down on the gunport before they 'plunder' your ship". The man gave a slight chuckle at that comment, and lowered his hands, but I threatened... I mean urged him to keep them up. "And what sort of preposterous idea gave you such imagination as that"? I pushed my sword closer to his chin, and he stepped backwards a bit, and still, the Pirates gave no attention like me and... This guys weren't here. "Because my Camp's Praetor, Reyna has explained of how Pirates are to innocents. How they kill for their own will, take for their own greed, and hold hostages for their own prizes. Just like the other Pirates and Blackbeard as well as-"! "WAIT"! He exclaimed, "Blackbeard, as in, Ed Thatch"? I gave no reply, but just a nod. "Damn", he whispered, "I always thought the lad died all those years ago". I raised a brow. "Wait? You know him"? "Aye, the lad was a good friend of mine, ever since we were both privateers, during the war with the Spanish and British. And the last I saw him... He... He died for his personal vendetta aboard The Princess. Never knew the lad survived it all this time". Wait a minute, hold the phone! If this guy knew who Blackbeard, a son of Ares, then... Who is he? I lowered my sword slightly, and asked "have you ever been to Circe's island"? I asked, remembering that Reyna had told us the story about the Pirates on Circe's island. He shook his head. "You mean the goddess Circe? God no". So, if he knew Blackbeard, but never been to Circe's island, who was he? "Who are you"? The man wiped away the last of his blood with his sleeve, and introduced his name. "Edward Kenway. Assassin and Captain of the Jackdaw as you can see". Wait, so he's an Assassin, one of the enemies on this quest, then... Why does he look like a good guy? "Why are you here in my dreams"? I asked. "I guess I don't know, maybe the gods as you know gave me a chance to speak out to you, because of your quest. The one for that Piece of Eden. Because I'm here to warn you, that your path is a long and hard way, you don't even know what's coming to you". I scoffed. Who does this guy think he is, how he tries to determine me just because of this quest, and just to tell me that it's 'too dangerous'. "I can handle myself", I raised the sword once more. "Oh can you"? I nodded. "Well I beg to differ. Because I'm just like you". "YOU DON'T KNOW ME"! Edward made a little smirk on his face, "oh really? You have a vendetta for completing what you choose to fight for, and protect those who you care for. For me... I was someone with my own personal vendetta to riches and fortune, and try to gain a new life instead of living in labor to the king's privateers with others I cared for. But we have one thing in common; we've lost people". I raised a brow, not in angered confusion, but to admit he was right. My mom's gone, my grandmother's gone, but who did he lose? "I've lost my closest friends and lads I've known" he said. "I lost Thatch, Hornigold, Kidd, Bonnet, and the love of my life, Caroline. I was left to take care of my daughter Jennifer, and soon my son, Haytham. I loved my life after that until I was killed by Reginald Birch, who took my son from me, and kidnapped my daughter and changed Haytham from his soon-to-be purpose as an Assassin. So you tell me, who do you think you're more determined than me to search for such ancient devices"? Ancient devices? Doe she mean Artemis's golden bow? Otherwise called a 'Piece of Eden'? "But What...". Before I could finish that, the  dream was beginning to fade around me, rippling like the water that the Jackdaw sailed upon. And before even before I could once more, the dream almost faded, and before it ended, Edward said one last speech; "Nothing is True, Everything is Permitted".
And I awoke to a startle. What. Just. Happened?