Warriors of Wisdom

Chapter Fourteen

If you're a demigod, then there's no use in hoping for no dreams. Because they just keep on coming. I wondered if Morpheus, god of dreams, had some grudge against demigods and cursed us with terrible dreams. That what I thought.
The first dream was vaguely familiar. I was in a circular room with a pole in the middle. There were many Greek monsters surrounding the pole: telkhines, hellhounds, Cyclopes, empousae, a manticore, some dracanae, Laistrygonians, and many others. They all made a semi-circle around the pole. The thing hanging from it groaned and looked up. It was Asher.

"Well!" one of the dracanae hissed. "The half blood lives! May we destroy him now?"

"Yeah!" one of the emposai giggled. It definitely wasn't one of the vampires in the station, because I didn't recognize her. "He's very handsome. I'd love to eat his flesh!" Many monsters murmured in agreement.

"Silence!" the Laistrygonian yelled, his voice booming over the others. "The only reason we are keeping the boy is so that we can lure his sister here! She has powers beyond anything we have ever seen before. She's the one we want to destroy!" Many monsters growled. There was a species that held clubs, and they started banging them against the floor. Monsters hissed. Fangs were bared. Battle cries were let loose. These guys really wanted me dead.
   
One of the monsters piped up. "Sir, who's her godly parent?" it asked. "Maybe we can learn how to defeat her powers if we know her parent's field of power." Everyone else murmured in agreement. The others seemed to want to know the answer.

"It's, um, well," The giant fumbled.

"Athena," Asher spoke up. "My sister and I are children of Athena."

I didn't get to see what happened next, because the scene changed. It was the same dream I had the other night, where I was in a temple, and Hayden pushed me away from him. The ground split between us, and the wall was rising. Hayden and Alex were screaming at me to go on without them, and shakily I got up. I ran through a long hallway, where shadows cast ghostly images and every step I took seemed to trigger demonly whistles. The temple crumbled on top of me, and my dream decided that at that moment was the best time to change my dream.

I was standing in a huge temple with nothing in it, except for one woman that wore long, flowy white robes and bronze battle armor. A Greek war helmet adorned her long, dark hair. Something seemed familiar about her: her gray eyes, her dark hair that matched mine, the clever smile that stretched across her face, which meant that she was up to something.
   
"Mom?" I questioned.
   
"Yes, my daughter. I am sorry that I couldn't speak to you before, or that I can't speak to you in person, but Zeus has ordered that us non-nature related gods stay put on Mount Olympus. He has cut off all communication with our children, especially you three on your quest. But Hephaestus has given me this device that allows me to talk to you in this dream, but only for a few minutes." Her face was stern.
   
"Athena, or Mother, or Mom, or whatever. I need your guidance. I am trying to save Asher, your son and my brother, but I don't know how. Hayden and Alex keep saying that I'm a good leader, but I think they're just saying that to make me feel better. Please, give me some advice."
   
My mom just gave me a firm smile. "And your companions are right, Callisto. You are a good leader. One of the best ones that I have ever seen. And your companions, they are very good as well. That boy, Hayden, is an amazing fighter and defender. As he told you before, I helped guide him to Camp Half Blood. And Alex, he is also very powerful, especially with that charmspeak of his. But if you really do seek my advice, just know this: wisdom is a difficult thing. It can be used, taught, or taken advantage of. It can have a mind of its own sometimes. What matters is what you decide to do with it. Wisdom is what brings mortals and heroes to greatness. Not winging it, not hacking their enemies to pieces absentmindedly. Wisdom is a more powerful weapon than a sword or a dagger." The dream seemed to flash and flicker, like a TV with terrible signal. "That is my cue to leave. Zeus has detected an illegal dream message. Just know, Callisto, that I have always been watching over you, and that I have always believed in you and the woman you would become. You have made me so proud. Farewell, for now." The dream flickered away, and that was when I woke up.

...

   
My eyes slowly fluttered open. In front of me, cars and trucks and buses and all sorts of vehicles zoomed by. People were walking by where I was as well. I glanced up and down the street, and for some reason, it looked strangely familiar. I looked to see where I was. My head was resting on someone's lap, and my legs were propped up on a the bench that I was apparently sitting on. A soft hand was strokng my hair gently, and I found the motion intriguing. Before I could even think, are these people even the friends that I traveled with, I heard someone speak up.

"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty," Hayden smiled down at me, and I realized that I had been dozing away on his lap, and his hand had been stroking my hair.

"She lives!" Alex exclaimed, though he looked like he was trying not to laugh. I yawned and sat up, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

"Where are we?" I yawned. "And how long was I out?"

"First off, welcome to Morro Bay, California! Only a few miles away from Los Angeles! And second off, you crashed on the bus and you were asleep for about," Hayden counted his fingers. "Two hours."

"Well that's just great." It was night out, and I felt like we would need some rest.

"So, where are we gonna stay for the night?" Hayden yawned.

"Wait, we're in Morro Bay?"
   
"Pretty sure, that's what the driver said when he dropped us off here." Alex glanced at me. "Why?"

I bolted out of my seat. Morro Bay, Christmas, it all tied together. I almost forgot about it.

"Come on," I beckoned. "I've got a place where we can stay." I started walking down the street with the boys on my trail. I turned a few street corners, strolled past a few shops and restaurants, and ran across every block, all while making sure the boys were behind me. This place was so familiar, it was like being back at home. We trudged into a small neighborhood, where almost all of the houses were made out of bricks. I smiled, nostalgia washing over me. I told the guys to follow me. I walked to the end of the street. It was still here, except the house was decorated with Christmas decorations. The old Mustang was parked in the driveway. I climbed up the concrete steps up to the door.

"Why are we here?" Hayden asked, but I just rang the doorbell nervously. I didn't even know if he was here, or if he was even up at this hour, but I had to try. I heard muffled footsteps behind the door, and slowly, the door creaked open. Standing in the doorway was a middle-aged man, with a bathrobe and fuzzy slippers on. When he saw me, his eyes widened.

"Callisto?" the man said surprisingly.

"Hey Dad," I said, greeting my father. "Mind if we stay for the night?"