The Harvest Trials

Chapter XIX

Percy

I was on Olympus. I knew I was dreaming. I knew it was Friday, exactly a week from when Leo was tortured in the Cryo Chamber, and that I had just finished my first shift of the day with Frank and Will. I knew that as soon as I got back to the cell I passed out, trying to take advantage of the time I had before the seven o'clock shift. I hadn't had a dream in a long time, so this was strange.

On Olympus, I viewed the gods all in the throne room, arguing. Some looked bored, some worried, others anxious. I cleared my throat, hoping to catch someone's attention. 

"Percy!" My father called, running forward and wrapping me in a hug. I squirmed and pushed him off of me, backing away. The throne room went silent. "Percy..." Poseidon warned.

"Where have you been?" I asked, my voice sounding choked. "We can explain, Percy," Hera reasoned. I ignored her. She still holds the title for 'least favorite goddess EVER'.

When Zeus stepped off his throne to approach me, I knew the matter was serious. "Hades was finally able to summon your consciousness, boy. We've been trying to send a message for months."

I raised an eyebrow. The gods were trying to send a message to me? Was it about how they've been completely nonexistent in their children's' lives, right when we needed them the most? They better have a good excuse.

"Explain then," I said through gritted teeth. I could tell by the sorrowful look Poseidon was giving me that he could see the pain in my eyes. 

"Percy, when Gaia fell and damned the earth, she banished us to Olympus," Athena explained. "We cannot leave until the greatest hero of the age should open the gates of Olympus. We wanted to come and help you all, but we simply could not. We were willing to disregard the Ancient Laws to help. But we can't leave. The best we could do was to warn you."

"Warn me about what?" I asked, catching Hades's eye. "The end is near Percy," Hades spoke. "And you cannot give up hope. Your friends need you. Tell them where we are. Keep them going. And Percy," he said. "Remember."

I was confused for a moment. Then I heard Rachel's voice in my head. 'Perseus, you are not the hero.'

I was very confused about why I needed to hear something my friend drew in the sand during the Second Titan War. I was interrupted by Poseidon grabbing my shoulders and kissing the top of my head. "I love you, son. Be brave."

And then the dream world was dissolving. I was woken up by hands. Hands that belonged to guards. They were dragging me to my feet, getting ready to bring me to my second shift of the day. My fatigue and dread hit me all at once. I groaned, making eye contact with a distressed looking Jason. 

His eyes jogged my memory of what his father told me in my dream. "Jason, the gods-" But the cell door slammed shut before I could finish. An ominous feeling settled in my stomach on the way to the Harvesters. A horrible feeling of dread. I felt sick to my stomach. More so than usual.

When we got there, the guards let go of me and I was too weak to support myself so I fell to my knees. A guard got down on her knees in front of me, getting in my face. I recognized her as Montgomery. 

"Get in the Harvester, Jackson. It'll make it a lot easier on all of us if you just do it." Out of the corner of my eye I saw guards forcing Laurel Victor and Lou Ellen and a few others I couldn't see into Harvesters. 

"No," I whispered. Montgomery frowned. "What was that?" she asked, venom in her voice. "I said no," I spoke a little louder. Montgomery smirked. "I want to hear you beg."

Annabeth's face flashed through my mind of the time after I'd read the Great Prophecy for the first time. 'You're a coward, Percy Jackson!' she had said. 'You always run away from your problems.'