A Mental Demigod Book One (Percy Jackson Fanfiction)

Chapter Five

I had weird dreams full of barnyard animals that wanted to kill me and weird golden lights and powder.

When I woke up, I was sitting in a deck chair on a huge porch, gazing across the meadow at green hills. The breeze smelled of strawberries.

On a table beside me was a tall glass that was filled with something that looked like apple juice, with a paper parasol stuck through a maraschino cherry and a straw.

I tried to grab it, but my hand slipped before I got a good grip and almost made it fall.

"Careful," said a voice. I looked to see a girl with blonde hair curled like a princess's and startlingly gray, like storm clouds.

Who are you? I asked. What's going on? Where am I? What happened? Where's Grover? Is he really—

"Slow down," she said. "I have no idea what you are saying, but I'm sure that you have many questions."

I nodded.

"I'm Annabeth," she said. "Your name's Perseus, right?"

I winced, but nodded.

"We found you on the hill," Annabeth told me. "I went back for this. I thought you might want it." She pulled out a black-and-white bull's horn, thee base jagged and the tip splattered with dried blood.

I picked it up.

"Careful, it's sharp," Annabeth said. "I mean, we use sharp things here, but you're new and—"

It's fine. I smiled at her before turning my attention back to the horn. I've used sharp things before.

"I really need to learn sign language," Annabeth muttered.

The Minotaur horn. . . I signed. Mrs. Dodds. . . Furies. . . Greek myths. . .

"Why do you use sign language anyway? Can't hear? Can't talk? Don't talk?"

I held up three fingers without looking. I saw Annabeth nod out of the corner of my eyes.

"You also might want to know about Grover," Annabeth said sadly, and I immediately knew that she knew him too.

I looked up. Is he really. . .

Even if Annabeth didn't know any sign language, she could still guess what I had signed. She nodded silently and looked down.

Annabeth then helped me pick up the glass and put the straw through my lips.

I recoiled at the taste, because I had expected apple juice. But it wasn't that at all. It tasted like blue cookies. The blue cookies that I hadn't eaten in five whole years. . .

He felt something wet on his cheek. He went to wipe it off and looked at his finger. He was shocked to see that it had been a tear. He hadn't cried in so long, and now he seemed to be crying left and right.

"What's wrong?" Annabeth asked. "Nectar is supposed to make you feel happy. . . warm inside."

And though I felt sad, I could feel that too. A warm feeling was spreading through my mind and body.

It is, I said. But my mom. . . dead. . .

I mouthed the words "mom" and "dead" silently while staring at the ground. Annabeth's mouth made an 'o'.

I drained the glass, feeling sad and happy at the sane tine.

Annabeth then took the glass from me gingerly and set it back down on the table. "Come on. Chiron and Mr. D are waiting."