Lucy

Chapter Eight

When Lucy got back home, she reappeared in her bedroom and washed the blood off of her hands in the ensuite. She hadn't had a minute to herself before Clav walked in, having sensed her close presence. 

"I can't have one second?" Lucy complained.

"Sorry Lucy, but your boy's got himself into trouble," He said without actually seeming sorry.

Lucy laughed, "My boy?"

Clav nodded without a second thought and gestured to follow him. Lucy followed him to the third floor, frowning as she thought why he would possibly have come to this floor.

"What was he doing here? Did you just let him wander?" Lucy asked.

"Well, yeah. What's the harm?"

"I don't know, he could die?" Lucy gave him a pointed look.

"Oh we can't have that" Clav laughed, he couldn't care less if the boy died, but he knew Lucy didn't want him dead, even if she said otherwise, he could read his boss like an open book sometimes. 

Lucy grit her teeth together and punched Clav in the arm, it wasn't playful, but it also wasn't as hard as she could have. Clav whimpered, which was always funny to watch because he was huge. He gripped his bruising arm as they walked. 

Clav stopped at room 104 and Lucy sighed, putting a hand to her forehead.

"Idiot" she mumbled, it was meant for both Clav and Percy. She opened the door without hesitation. As she did a burst of wind hit her in the face and blew her hair back, snow came with it, sticking to her eyelashes and latching onto her ink black hair. 

The door didn't lead to a room like you may expect, but rather it was an entrance to a part of the mind, the part that controlled and created your fears. Living in your own fear's would kill most people, she estimated Percy would be dead within ten minutes. 

"Stay here," She told Clav, he nodded. Lucy took a step inside and the door shut behind her. She was in a snowstorm at night. Though the temperature wouldn't affect her, she knew it was freezing cold. Looking around, the door had disappeared. She couldn't see very far ahead of her, she put a hand over her eyes to stop the snow from hitting them and made her way forward. If Percy had left footprints, they would be gone by now. 

Lucy passed a few white trees, tall pine trees. She wondered where she was, and she wondered angrily to herself why she was here. Why did she even bother? After walking for a few minutes in the cold, and catching no sign of Percy, she came to a swerving road. It could hardly be seen with all the snow, but it was definitely there, likely used often. She picked a direction, left, and followed the road.

A car came into view, it was easy to see because it was a mess, parts were strewn everywhere, it had been turned completely upside down, smoke rose from the front half. One of the headlights flickered on and off. The only thing she could hear was the exceptionally strong wind. She approached the vehicle and as she grew closer a second shape became visible. He was hunched next to the car, trying his best to open the back door, and failing. 

Lucy made her way around to the side of the car he was on, Percy hadn't noticed her, he was savagely trying to get the door open.

"It's not real" She had to yell so he could hear her over the wind. Percy didn't even look up, he was in a total state of panic. Lucy knelt down and looked in the car, there were no windows, the car was in such a horrible state that there was only a small gap where the window had once been and shattered glass everywhere. 

In the front driver seat was a man, probably in his early forties, Lucy could see that he was breathing, though not often, blood trickled from the top of his head to his greying hair, and pooled at the roof of the wrecked car. 

In the back seat, the place Percy was trying so desperately to reach, was a little girl, she was probably around 8 or 9. She was not breathing, her little body had been crushed, though remained intact, enough so that Percy figured she was still saveable. She had most likely died on impact. Lucy guessed this girl was his sister.

"Percy, it's not real, it's all in your mind" Percy just shook his head in reply.  Lucy sighed and opened the door for him, it took her only a short burst of her strength. Percy reached for his sister and pulled her out relatively easily, she hung like a wet rag in his arms. 

"Ella. Ella!" Percy shook his dead sister "no, no please, no."

Lucy watched silently, she could not help him, it was just a memory. She couldn't fully understand his tears, because she hadn't felt anything like this in a very long time, but her heart ached for him, even she managed to feel sympathy in this moment.

"Percy. Percy, we need to leave before you hurt yourself" Lucy was persistent, but he wasn't listening. The only way they could leave was if he stopped thinking, stopped believing. One of her hounds had been caught in a room like this and he'd killed himself in twelve minutes.

Percy laid his sister down in front of them and cried. Lucy reached over Ella's body and put her hand on Percy's fist, it felt odd to do this, but it seemed like what he needed. Finally, he looked at her, the sadness in his eyes was hard to look at, but she met his painful stare with a fierce on of her own.

"This isn't real, it's a memory and you need to snap out of it" Lucy was speaking loudly over the wind, Percy's tears still fell, but he was thinking. He knew this had already happened. The wind suddenly started to die down, the falling softer. Lucy didn't hesitate, she took Percy's hand forced him to stand with her. Ella was gone, so was the car, they were back in the hallway, standing in front of room 104. 

Clav raised an eyebrow and Lucy had dropped her hand before Percy even realized they were back in the hallway. Percy looked bewildered, at a loss for words. He used his sweater to dry the tears on his face, adjusting his glasses in the process. Then he looked at Lucy, embarrassed.

"Thanks" He mumbled and looked at the floor. She felt the urge to ask if he was okay. Why did she care? 

"Stick to the first floor from now on" Lucy said, and she turned and walked away, leaving Percy looking guilty and upset. 

"Now on? How long am I staying?" Percy muttered to himself. Clav shrugged, Percy had forgotten he was there. 

"As long as she wants. My guess is a while" Clav said. Percy frowned, why did she want him around? She might not kill him, but if she didn't, would he have to stay in the Underworld? After what he just went through, he would much rather leave. Besides, he had a life on earth, if he wasn't there already (he was still confused about the whole idea). What was he supposed to do now?