The Unclaimed

Chapter 44: The Next Morning

   The rest of the night was spent with me tossing and turning. My heart was pounding, I couldn't fall asleep for the life of me. By the time morning arrived, I was sure I looked like crap and I felt like crap. When I finally heard Thalia stir, I started to "wake-up."
   "Morning," I said softly. Thalia took one look at me and flinched.
   "Holy Hades, you look like crap Jessica." Even though I knew she didn't mean it badly, I still looked down at the ground in shame. "I didn't mean it that way. I'm so sorry, that came out sounding worse than I meant it to. It's just, your appearance took me by surprise. Did you get any sleep at all last night?" I shrugged.
   "Only if you count the small portion of time where I was plagued by horrible and terrifying dreams." I said in response. Just mentioning my dreams was enough to make my palms start sweating and my heart beat to speed up.
   "What were they of?" She asked me. Thalia walked over to my bed and sat beside me while I talked.
   "The first portion of it was just quick flashes of awful images," I began.
   "Such as what," she questioned me softly.
   "The one that probably showed up the most was Michaels corpse," just the thought of it made a shudder run up my spine. "But other people were dead as well. And then camp was on fire. It was just awful." Thalia gave me a hug and rubbed my back reassuringly.
   "I hate to ask this but what was the second portion of your dream?" I froze.  Once I could finally talk again, I took a deep breath.
   "It was really weird," I began. "It was about my father. Or to put it better, my potential fathers." Her hand paused on my back. I continued. "When it started I think I was in the underworld. There were spirits and lots of screaming could be heard. I couldn't move. Then I heard voices. They were talking about m: saying how I was there to early, how I wasn't supposed to be there, and that I was in danger." Her face paled. I kept going. "Then it changed; I was on Olympus in the throne room.  I could think freely but I couldn't move on my own free will. Then I heard a voice. It started talking to me, asking me who my father was. It showed me images that related to Zeus, Hades, and Ares." I had to stop talking. Thalia noticed my pause.
   "What happened next?" She asked me softly.
   "The voice told me to walk to the throne of my father," I said. "It told me to follow my heart, that my heart would always lead me down the right path. Even in the hardest of situations."  I took a breath before I continued. "I was so close to finding out the answer Thalia. I walked to a throne but I couldn't see which it was. And just as I was about to be able to see it, I woke up." I didn't realize that I had started crying until now. It just made me feel so desperate, my answer had been right in front of me and then it was yanked away.
   "I'm so sorry," Thalia didn't seem to know what to say. "That must be a horrible feeling." I nodded. She put a hand on my shoulder. "Listen, let's go get breakfast with the others ok. I know this dream must have left you feeling unsettled but tomorrow is when you will find out your answers. The quest is nearly over and then you'll get to see Michael; he gets his memory back tomorrow." My spirits automatically lifted at her words. Together we stood and exited the tent, ready to see the others.