Awakened Memories

My Life Climbs On The Creepy Scale

My Life Climbs On The Creepy Scale

Annabeth

We stood around the ping pong table for the meeting. Travis and Connor Stoll still shared the role of the Hermes cabin counselor and were shoving pencils up Clovis' sleeping nose. Clarisse sharpened her spear and Leo lit his fingers on fire. Piper tapped her leg nervously and the other counselors acted similarly. Grover sprayed ping pong balls with cheese whiz and chomped them down.

Chiron started the meeting. "Does anyone have any information about the Oneiroi that they can provide?"

No one said anything. I spoke up, "There are three of them. They are sons of Hypnos, but I don't know much. I'll go to Olympus sometime in the next few days to talk to Athena and see if she has any other information."

"All right. We will have another meeting in a few days, and if needed, we will consult the Oracle. If you find any other information regarding the Oneiroi or Typhon, contact me immediately. Now, unless anyone has anything else to say, go train." Chiron dismissed us and we left the Big House.

I caught up with Piper when I saw she had left without Leo. "Hey, Piper. How come you're not with Leo?"

"Oh, hi, Annabeth. Leo and I broke up a while ago. We're still friends. We just didn't really feel anything for each other anymore, and both agreed that breaking up would be best."

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's good that you're still friends, though. How has Camp been?"

"It's been good. The Hunters showed up once and beat us in Capture the Flag, which is what usually happens, I've heard. There's been a quest or two, but they weren't as big as the ones we heard of that you and Percy went on. Everything is pretty normal. But I can tell that you and Percy were really important to Camp Half-Blood. Everyone has felt the effects of both of you being gone, even the new campers who never met you until now. Other than that, typical mythological, train-you-to-fight-monsters-and-your-parent-is-a-Greek-god camp."

Piper and I laughed at her description. "Well, I'm glad Camp is functioning."

"What about you? You and Percy were fighting, weren't you? And you made up two days ago?"

"What—How did you—What?" I blurted.

"Daughter of Aphrodite, remember? I know these things. What happened?"

"Percy was hiding something from me, but I was also hiding something from him. I hid it because he had enough to worry about, and then I found out he hid it because he didn't want to get my hopes up. I was hiding the that some of the Amazons had been driven mad, and he was hiding that he was trying to find a way to give Chaos his powers back."

"Well, you both had good reasons. How did you fix it?"

"I had told him about the dreams when he drove away the Oneiroi, so he was the one who had to do the explaining. When he was on Olympus he talked to Aphrodite and used a free favor he had gotten from her. Then after he got here, he took me to the beach and Aphrodite had set up a picnic for us, but there was no food, just a blue cake. Percy explained that he was hiding the situation with Chaos, and one thing led to another, and we had both forgiven each other."

"Well, that is good that you sorted everything out. You should know, that if you two had broken up, some of my half-siblings would have cried. They talk about how you guys are such a cute couple, and they gave you a ship name, Percabeth. I don't get it, but that's what they do with their lives."

"That is kind of pathetic. It was nice to catch up with you, Piper. Tell Leo to flame on next time you see him."

Piper smiled. "I will, see you." She walked off and I made my way to the Amazon's cabin, to rest my eyes for a few minutes.

Tammy and a few other Amazons were in the cabin when I stepped through the door. "Hey, Tammy. You're in charge for a bit, I'm going to—" My speech was cut off as I collapsed to the ground and started gagging and writhing on the ground. Tammy fell to her knees next to me and tried to steady me. I vaguely heard her yell something to the other Amazons. My vision started to fade and my thoughts became disoriented as I was sucked into a disturbing dream.

I was in a strange room. It was dark. I couldn't see anything. Voices whispered around me and a ghost would come screeching by every few seconds. My ears hurt from the sounds. My throat was sore as if I had been screaming for hours. Nothing felt normal.

I looked down and saw a large pit that hadn't been there before. It seemed familiar. Tartarus. Loud roars came from it and something deep within the pit started to get bigger. Typhon.

Three males stood on the other side of the pit, their faces covered and indecipherable. They wore long black cloaks and my senses screamed that they were not normal. Their presence made the dream feel even more dreamlike. The Oneiroi.

The wind picked up and lightning cracked. Rain and hail started to pour. A storm started to form. A storm caused by ancient beings stirring.

Terrified mask-like faces floated in front of me and surrounded me. They screamed in different pitches and my mind couldn't handle them. I started to moan and crouched on the ground, clutching my ears. Then I started to scream too.

I felt my body start to morph. When I looked down, my body was transparent and no longer solid. I started to lift up into the air, and felt as if I was dissolving. The millions of pieces of me were being sucked away, into the large pit. It looked like a mouth, and as I came closer to it, the feeling of impending doom grew bigger. I came closer and closer, until—

I felt familiar warm lips against mine and tears on my face, which didn't belong to me. Familiar arms held me. I gasped and my eyes snapped open as the person pulled away. I breathed hard, hyperventilating. Percy's tortured sea-green eye started into mine. Tears slowly leaked out of it and from under his eyepatch.

Feeling returned to the rest of my body and I felt the soft sheets of one of the cots in the infirmary. My hands were clenched at my sides and my chest rose and fell quickly. I had an indescribable headache and my feet felt numb.

"Annabeth? Are you okay?" Percy's voice sounded strangled. My vision focused more and I saw that Thalia, Tammy, and Chiron stood behind him, with worried looks on their faces.

"I—I think so. What happened?" I rubbed a hand against my forehead and groaned.

"You had one of the dreams from the Oneiroi," Tammy's voice was choked up, "We thought you would be crazy when you woke up."

"I think I got close. But I woke up before it happened. How did you wake me?"

"That was me," Percy said. "I thought if you felt something familiar, it might pull you back. I guess it worked. Gods of Olympus, Annabeth, I thought I almost lost you again." Percy folded me into his arms again and I wrapped my arms around him.

Chiron spoke when we pulled away. "I am glad you are okay, Annabeth. That gave us quite a scare. I need you to stay here for tonight, just so we can make sure you will be all right."

"Okay. Can Percy stay with me?" I pleaded.

"Yes. Rest, Annabeth. Watch her, Percy. Until you think she will be okay, make sure you are watching her."

"Of course."

"We will let you sleep now." Tammy and Chiron left the infirmary. Thalia gave me a quick hug and a meaningful look at Percy before she followed them.

Without a word, Percy climbed into the cot with me and held me in his arms. I pressed my face against his chest and tried not to think about the dream. "Don't say anything, Percy. I just want to be with you right now, and sleep."

"I agree completely."

I closed my eyes and Percy's grip around me tightened. I was cautious and it took me a while to fall asleep, but eventually, I fell into a blissful, dreamless sleep.