Heroes of Olympus: After the War

Chapter 15

Frank

Frank regretted going to sleep, because as soon as his head touched the pillow, he was sucked into a dream.

Frank stood in a dark room, at least he thought it was a room. It was hard to tell when it was pitch black. Suddenly, all the air began to be sucked out of Frank lungs. The air that came out of him was like smoke, it swirled around him while he fought to breath.

One of Franks hands was clutchign his throat, while the other flailed around trying to clear the grey whirlwind.

Suddenly it all stopped, the smoke dissapated and Frank could breath once more. He fell to the ground gasping.

" That is how it would feel to sufficate under pressure, Frank Zhang. " a voice snarled in the darkness.      " To have all the life sucked out of you, did you enjoy my demonstration? "

Frank knew that voice anywhere. Gaea. But Gaea was gone, how could she be haughting him in his dreams when she was gone?

Gaea laughed, a cruel, tormenting laugh. " You think I wouldn't come back to haunt you? Of course I would, after you seven demigods defeated me. I'd gladly kill all of you. "

" Go away, Gaea. " Frank told her, confidently. " Your dead. We killed you. "

Gaea swirled into his vision, draped in her dirt robes, her grainy hair bellowing out beside her, body made completely out of sand and dirt.

She laughed once more. " You can never kill me. As long as the earth remains, so do I. I may not be in my complete form, but I'll always be alive. In your mind, haunting you. "

The suffication returned. Frank gasped for air, his arms flailing, while Gaea watched him with a look of satisfaction on her dirt face.

" No! " Frank shouted, bolting upright in his hammock, only to then realize it was a dream. He took a deep breath and wiped the sweat of his forehead. Beside him, Leo and Hazel were still asleep in their hammocks, somehow not woken up from his shouting.

Just a dream. He told himself. Just a dream.

" Nightmares? " a voice said from behing him. Frank whirled around to see Timber standing there in a tatered sleeveless white nightgown, her curly hair swept over her pale shoulder. 

" How'd you know? " Frank asked. Timber smiled. " You were thrashing around, clawing at your hammock and murmuring to yourself about suffication and a dead earth goddess. So I quickly jumped to the comclusion that you were having a nightmare. "

Frank sighed. " I thought they would all stop after we defeated Gaea, but I guess not. " Timber shook her head sadly. " Nightmares never stop, Frank. Trust me, I wake up from them everyday, only to find that I'm living in them. "

Frank stared up and Timber. She always had the haunted look in her eyes, and she was so frail looking, except when she was hunting down prey. But just from taking one good look at her, you could tell that she was living in nightmares, and they never ended.

" Want some tea? " Timber asked Frank, bringing him back to reality. " It helps calm the nerves. " Frank nodded. " Sure. "

Timber walked over to the kitchen and begain to boil a pot of water. Frank stood up and walked over and leaned against the wooden counter. 

" What about you? " He asked. " What are you doing up? " Timber answer without looking up from making the tea. " Same as you, I guess. Nightmares. "

" What happened? " Frank asked.

" I've been having the same one for weeks. " Timber said, looking out the window. " I'm trapped in this glass room, while theres a fire. I'm banging on the glass, screaming and trying to get out. And while I'm trapped, there are these people that our standing outside of the room just watching me. Then I realize that all of them our people that I used to know. And they're just standing there, not bothering to help me. "

Timber took a deep breath, and began pouring the tea into mugs. She continued the story.

" I'm screaming and yelling, I'm banging on the glass, trying to break it because the fire is getting closer to me. Then suddenly all around me the glass started to crack. And then just as it's about to break, just as the fires about to engulf me, I wake up. "

" How long have you been having this dream? " Frank asked.

" Since before you guys got here, maybe a few weeks. " Timber replied. " And it's always the same, nothing ever changes. "

Timber furrowed her brow. " I think the glass room signafies my curse, and the people standing outside the room stand for all the people that forgot me and never bothered to help me when I needed them. And the fire that is all around me is fear. " 

"  Fear of what? " Frank asked, perplexed. 

" Fear of being trapped on this island forever. " Timber replied. " Just like in the dream, I'm afraid of the fire because I trapped within the glass. Just like how I'm trapped on this island. "

There was a several moments of silence between the two, before Timber finnaly spoke.

She waved her hand in the air, dissmissing the matter. " But whatever, who cares. It's just a stupid dream. And it's not going to help being scared, because fear doesnt just weigh you down, so that you have trouble getting up. It shut's you down, so that you can't get up. That is what fear does. And I'm not going to give into it. "

Timber then set you mug down on the counter. " Well, I'm going to try and get some sleep. " she told Frank. " You should do the same. "

Frank nodded and watched as Timber went over to her hammock and before he knew it she was asleep. As Frank laid down in his hammock after finnishing off his tea he replayed Timbers words in his head.

" And it's not going to help being scared, because fear doesnt just weigh you down, so that you have trouble getting up. It shut's you down, so that you can't get up. That is what fear does. And I'm not going to give into it. "

 

I wanted to dedicate this chapter to papillons_rule since she or he, dedicated as chapter to me in her story. I just want to thank her - or him -, and I hope that this dedication shows enough of my thanks. 

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and just wait theres more to come. It's going to be like the climax.

You wont want to miss it.

Chow!

~*Hunter72*~