Do Not Go Gentle

When Darkness Wins

I am officially off my month-long hiatus! Sorry that I took so long to update, I was going through some personal stuff, but now I am ready to jump back on the horse and get rolling! To my gracious readers- thank you for all your support!

Ally.

WARNING: THIS CHAPTER INCLUDES AN ACCOUNT OF SELF-HARM- DO NOT READ IF THIS WILL ACT AS A TRIGGER! (skip the last section of the chapter)

It was cold.

The sound of droplets of water raining down from the ceiling of the cave grounded me to my version of reality.

The roar of the waterfall was a blur.

I focused on the sight of the tiny droplets hitting the puddles and creating ripples that broke the calm. My breath was coming out in gasps. A tear dripped down my face, falling off my chin and slid onto the cool ground.

The first tear broke a dam that created a downpour to rain down from my face. I wondered if my tears would create a puddle of their own.

"Seaweed Brain!"

A whimper escaped my lips. Why do they keep haunting me?

"Seaweed Brain, I know you can hear me!"

I don't want to be pulled into a nightmare. Not again.

"Persephone Jackson, stop ignoring me!"

Blonde princess curls. Stormy grey eyes.

"Annabeth?" My voice came out in a hoarse whisper.

Her tanned face started to fade into my vision. The tiny dimples that showed when she smiled were there, too. Her grey eyes were glowing with pride, something that I remembered fondly. I always liked it when she was proud of me.

"Get up, Seaweed Brain. I know you have kelp between your ears, but you missed lunch and are on your way to missing dinner, too."

I grinned at my friend. I remember this memory. We had just defeated Kronos, and I was spending more time than ever in the water. It's where I felt the most alive.

"I'm not stupid, Wise Girl."

I sounded so young.

I was so young. Naïve. I thought I had just snapped the long string of bad luck that always seemed to find me. The weight of the world had just left my shoulders... I survived. I had gone into a battle where I thought I would die, but I lived.

If I had only known how long that would last.

"Of course not, Perse. You're just slightly slow."

I heard myself let out a laugh. A choked sob echoed through the cavern. I missed my friend. I missed Annabeth.

Then, I let myself be taken into the dream.

But it wasn't just a dream.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The next thing I remember, I was trudging through the forests surrounding Imladris. I could hear the birds in the trees and the sounds of the crickets that echoed throughout the lands as the sun was falling past the horizon.

I didn't know how long it had been since I'd fled the company of Goldilocks and Geren.

Hopefully not too long.

But the sky is telling me differently. It must've been about a day because the last time I remember seeing the sun, it was in the same spot along the horizon.