“Doesn’t it hurt, demigod?” 

Percy twitched uncomfortably, the sentence echoed in his head repeatedly, sending shivers down his spine as a cold bead of sweat slowly trickled down his forehead. 

“You’re not escaping this time.”

He moaned in discomfort, there seemed to be a pressure on his chest, making him hard to breathe properly. 

Did Percy knew that man before?

"My real face could scare the living hell out of you.”

Why did he sound so strangely familiar?

"I will kill her”

“No…” Percy muttered, rolling to his side, his knees now curled up and were touching his chest, as if attempting to gain what little comfort was left. “Don’t hurt her, don’t hurt her please.” 

“You know it’s not onlyher, little demigod. I could hurt lots more than just one.” 

Who was he?

“The ones you love, Percy.” 

Percy felt tears of despair roll down drop by drop from the corner of his eye. He shook his head in a childish way. 

“Please…”

“The game is on.” 

Almost immediately, Percy’s seaweed green eyes went wide open, as he gasped desperately for breath, beads of perspiration fell from his forehead. 

“Percy? Percy? Are you alright?” 

That voice in his dream…

“M…Mom?” Percy blinked away the drowsiness, only to see a familiar beloved face that he has missed for a long time. He tried to move, 

That voice in his dream sounded so strangely familiar...

“Percy!” His mother wrapped her arms tightly around him. His body immediately screamed at the pressure his mother was giving him on his chest. Despite the throbbing pain sending tremors through his frail body, Percy didn't care anymore. He sank into the warmth of his mother's embrace, relishing in the sudden moment of peace and tranquility his mother's simple action was bringing him. It felt as if everything had stopped, as if all the pain and suffering had just froze in time, and the silence was so reassuring. So calming. 

 “Oh, Percy I thought you were gone, I thought you were gone forever…” 

So comforting... Percy felt his eyes started to droop slightly, his body slacking against his mothers body, as drowsiness started to engulf him. 

"Percy? Percy!" 

Percy's eyes shot open as his worries and troubles surged back into his head, the questions he found no answer to seemed to come in piece slowly.

Who was it? Did he know him? 

“Mom!” 

Fear flooded in Percy’s mind, his heart rate increased with every second as the truth was revealed right in front of him, and he noticed what was that man going to do. 

Too slow to realise what was going to happen, didn’t you? 

There it was again. The voice in his head. It was coming back. The voice in his head, it was speaking to him again. [For more information: please see Teaser from “I’m Sorry, Annabeth]

“M-mom, no, you have to leave!” Percy pushed his mother away, both the pressure in his heart  and the pain aching all over his body making it hard to breath properly. “Mom, please!” 

Too late, Perseus. Too late. 

Sally brushed Percy’s hair aside, placing a small motherly kiss on his forehead. 

“It’s been a while since we’ve talked like this, Percy.” 

Percy looked into his mother’s sad brown eyes. They were watery, as if she was close to breaking into tears, yet her face held a small genuine smile. She was right. If he’d remember right, the last time they’ve seen each other was whenthe man captured her and lured him into the trap, and the last time they’ve spoken to each other was when Percy was traumatised in fear. 

The last time they’ve actually spoken face to face properly without anything bothering them in between was probably when a 16-year old Percy was trying to save Olympus from Kronos and Luke. 

Oh how he missed those days. 

“Does it still hurt?” 

Percy looked up, noticing his mother’s gaze has now shifted to the deep gash on his hand, Percy had already ripped a strip of cloth from his orange camp half blood T-shirt and wrapped it around the wound to stop the bleeding, but the blood had already stained the cloth into a dark crimson red, and now Percy's bloodied hand looked like as if he just dipped his hand into a pool of thick blood and hastily wrapped some cloth around it. Percy hid his hand behind him. 

“No, I’m fine, mom.” Percy insisted. “I can handle this.” 

Sally gently took Percy’s hand from his back and delicately took the strip of cloth off, spreading his hand wide, fished a handkerchief from her cardigan pocket and tenderly wrapped it around Percy’s hand with experienced hands, and when it was finished, she placed a small kiss through the cloth, placing it gently back onto Percy’s lap. Percy bit his lip to stop himself from wincing, but of course, his mother noticed his reaction. 

“There’s blood everywhere, Percy.” 

His mom was right. His trousers were stained a murky maroon colour, a part ripped from the woundthe woman had caused him while on the phone with Annabeth. The back of his T-shirt probably wasn’t orange in colour by now, and Percy could feel the bleak air stinging his raw skin. 

“I’m fine, Mom.” 

He was lying, and Sally knew it. Percy had been close to dying. If it wasn’t because of the ambrosia she smuggled over and forced it down Percy’s throat while he was out a while ago, Sally was certain Percy wasn’t going to live. 

She gently caressed the wound on Percy’s leg. It was sealing up now. Guess the ambrosia did help. 

“Percy, I just wanted to tell you…” 

At the exact same moment, the door swung open, the familiar face stared at the mother and son, and smirked at the wide frightened sea-green eyes of Percy Jackson.