Cabin 13

49| The Waters of Oblivion

Will and Nico had been roaming around with, so far, no luck. But Nico didn't have particularly high hopes on just stumbling upon Percy, that would be too easy.

"I don't get it, did Eros not send Percy with us?" Will asked, pushing his way through some brush.

"That doesn't make any sense, he must have just gone off for a joy ride somewhere."

Will rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah, I guess."

... 

Piper parked the golf cart in the sand, after searching the deserted beach for Percy. He sat in the sand looking out at the sea. The girls quickly jogged over, Piper quite annoyed and Hazel still a bit groggy from being aroused so suddenly.

 "Percy? What the heck are you doing?!" Piper asked, exasperated, "You can't just run off!"

He didn't reply to her demanding tone, only took a deep breath of the salty fresh air, sighing, "Don't the waves look inviting?"

His dream-like tone took Piper completely off guard, her eyes narrowed as she stared at Percy.

Hazel nodded, looking out at the ocean, "Yes, it's a lovely day to take a swim," she said.

Piper shook her head, "Come on, Percy. We need to get back to the hotel to meet up with the others."

Again, he ignored her, whispering to Hazel, "The waves are calling for you," his tone was soft and alluring.

Hazel slowly blinked, looking out to the sea, her eyes seemed to glaze over as she nodded absentmindedly, starting to walk into the water.

Piper's jaw dropped, "Hazel, what are you doing?!"

But, like Percy, she didn't respond, only going further into the water with a big ditsy smile on her face.

She quickly turned to Percy, "What the heck is going on?"

Percy sat in the sand, just barely centimeters from the water, he looked calm as he stared out at the waves, saying once again, "Don't the waves look inviting?"

Piper was getting chills, Percy's dreamy tone was scary and Hazel frolicking in the water was even more terrifying. She slowly sat down next to Percy, trying a different approach.

"Yes, the waves are quite captivating."

A lazy smile crossed his face as he whispered to her, "The waves are calling for you."

That's when she felt it, the tempting power behind those words. Looking out at the water, suddenly a desire to join Hazel in the waves overtook her. She quickly snapped herself out of it, what was going on?

She composed herself, trying to mimic Percy's tone, asking, "Do they call to you too?"

He laid down in the sand and left her in silence, so long she thought he wasn't going to reply, before he said, "Yes, they always do." He paused, "but I'm afraid I'll only disrupt her waters."

Piper blinked, "Her?"

He lazily nodded. 

"Who?"

Percy shook his head, "Shhh," he pointed out to the sea, "just enjoy the waves."

Again she seemed deeply drawn to the water, watching Hazel swim around looking so blissful didn't help either. But again, she pushed down the feeling. Is this what it feels like when I use charmspeak, she thought.

A sigh came from Piper's right, "Don't the waves look inviting?"

Piper jolted at the lulling feminine tone, snapping her head to the sound of the voice she found a woman sitting beside her in the sand. 

She blinked, making sure she wasn't seeing things. The woman was deathly pale, with long dark hair, she wore a flowing white dress that looked from the 1800s. Her eyes, like Percy's, were fixated on the ocean's horizon.

Piper quickly answered the woman the same way she had Percy, "Yes, the waves are quite captivating."

She nodded, asking, "Do the waves call to you, child?"

Piper took a deep breath, thinking carefully of her response, "The son of Poseidon says they do."

The woman nodded again, sighing, "I see."

"Do they call to you?"

"If they have, I have long ago forgotten to answer," the woman said, her words full of sorrow.

Piper frowned, "Who are you?"

The woman's eyes narrowed as if that was a hard question for her to answer, "I'm afraid I've forgotten that too." She paused, lost in thought, "But I believe my name is Lethe."

Lethe? Like the river in the Underworld?  She slowly put together the pieces, wishing Annabeth was here with her extensive knowledge. 

But if she was remembering right, the river was named after the old Greek spirit of forgetfulness and oblivion. The title seemed to fit the woeful woman sitting beside her. 

Piper frowned, "Are these waves connected to your river?"

The spirit blinked, "Perhaps, though I must've forgotten, it seems I am tied here to these waters."

Piper turned to Percy, he looked so peaceful, as did Hazel, that she wanted to join them in their oblivion and she was finding that being this close to Lethe clouded the mind. It was becoming increasingly harder to remember why she was here...