twenty two
sweet dreams?

THEY FOUND THEMSELVES IN the Big House where Percy explained how he'd caused the explosion at Mount St. Helens and gotten blasted out of the volcano. That he'd been marooned on an island. Then Hephaestus found him and told him he could leave. That a magic raft had carried him back to camp.

Lennon could tell that he wasn't telling the full story. Like the explanation for the white linen clothes he wore. It was obvious that he had been on Ogyia's island. There was no other answer.

The whole time he spoke, Lennon hadn't looked at him. She was sure if she did she would either cry or scream at him, she wasn't sure. She could feel his eyes on her though, trying to catch her eye.

"You've been gone two weeks," Annabeth said. "When we heard the explosion, we thought—"

"We thought you were dead," Lennon finished bitterly. "But you were just chilling on an island," She made the mistake of glancing at him and saw his sad eyes. She looked away.

"I know," He said. "I'm sorry. But I figured out how to get through the Labyrinth. I talked to Hephaestus."

"He told you the answer?" Annabeth asked, intrigued.

"Well, he sort of told me that I already knew. And I do. I understand now."

He told them and Lennon's brows shot up in surprise. She still didn't want to look at Percy so she looked at Annabeth instead, who gaped at him.

"Percy, that's crazy!"

Chiron sat back in his wheelchair and stroked his beard. "There is precedent, however. Theseus had the help of Ariadne. Harriet Tubman, daughter of Hermes, used many mortals on her Underground Railroad for just this reason."

"But this is my quest," Annabeth said desperately. "I need to lead it."

Chiron looked uncomfortable. "My dear, it is your quest. But you need help."

"And this is supposed to help? Please! It's wrong. It's cowardly. It's—"

"It's not cowardly Beth," Lennon spoke up, glancing at her friend. "We need the help,"

"She's right," Percy said, almost willing Lennon to look at him. She stared down at her hands, watching a wisp of light weave through her fingers. "It's hard to admit we need a mortal's help. But it's true."

Annabeth threw up her hands with a groan of annoyance. She got up and stormed out of the room. Percy frowned as he watched her walk away, then he glanced at Lennon to catch her watching him.

He sent her a small smile. "Thanks for backing me up Len,"

Her eyes sharpened and she could feel tears pricking the back of her eyes. And, against her anger toward him, her cheeks reddened. "That wasn't for you, I just know we need help. That doesn't mean I'm not mad at you!" She stormed away, blinking away tears.

Lennon had found herself retreating to the Strawberry Fields. She sat in her favorite spot playing with wisps of light.

She didn't know why she was so angry. She didn't think she was angry at Percy but any time she opened her mouth, she yelled at him. All she really wanted to do was hug him. She had gone so long hoping he was alive and now he was back.

What she did know, is she didn't want to cry. She didn't want everyone to see her sad or they might lose her hope. Lennon was always there for everyone. She couldn't be weak.

"Uh... Lennon?"

She glanced up to see Percy standing before her, much to her surprise.

"Julian told me you usually come to the fields since..." He trails off. "Can I sit?" He asks unsurely.

Lennon doesn't trust herself to speak so she only nods.

He sat down across from her. "Look, I'm— I'm sorry I've made you mad I just," He lets out an exhausted sigh, running a hand through his hair.

At that moment, all Lennon can think about is how stupid she's been. Percy had almost killed himself causing the volcano eruption and was stranded for 2 weeks only to come back and have her yelling at him. She may not understand why she's angry but it's not fair to him.

She dropped her face in her hands in shame. "Gods I'm sorry. I promise I'm not mad at you, I'm just... I don't know, exhausted or sad or frustrated or... probably all three,"

"Hey, Len it's okay," He put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Lennon looked up from her hands to see him smiling comfortingly at her. She can feel her face flush with red. Not good. Not good. She covered her face again.

"Yup okay. Very okay!"

Percy chuckled at her and she silently cursed him as her face went redder. "I've missed you, Lennon,"

If he kept speaking, her face would surely be redder than the strawberries surrounding them. So, Lennon did what she'd been wanting to do for the past 2 weeks. She reached over and pulled him into a hug.

There was a pause, as he was taken surprise by the hug, but then he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. They both hugged each other like the other was an anchor and they were lost at sea.

"So, I'm guessing you missed me? A lot," Percy says teasingly.

She pushes away from him with a scoff. "Oh, I can't stand you,"

"Really? 'Cause it seemed like you miss me,"

She punches his arm. "Shut up,"

He winces and puts a hand on his arm. "Ow, careful, I'm still healing,"

She widens her eyes and gasps. "You are? I'm so sorry. I was just joking. I didn't think you were still— and it's taken you that long to heal— I—"

"Lennon! Lennon," he lets a small laugh as he puts his hands on her shoulders to stop her from rambling. "I was messing with you. I'm all healed,"

She runs a hand down her face, sighing exasperatedly.

"So," he draws out the word, dropping his hands to his lap. "You think Annabeth will be mad at me for long?"

Lennon shakes her head. "I don't know Percy. She's waited so long for her first quest and so far nothing has gone right,"

"That's how quests are,"

"Yeah, but she's wanted this since she was a kid. And now she needs help from a mortal. It's gonna be hard for her to accept,"

Percy nods in understanding, watching as she idly played with wisps of light.

"Lennon?"

She looks up at Percy to see him already looking at her. She averts her gaze to the Strawberries behind him. "Hmm?"

"How come you never spoke to me? Before last winter,"

She hums, thinking about it. "I think I was scared you would look down on me. I mean you had killed a minotaur right when you got to camp and you'd already had your first quest," She lets out a small laugh. It all seems trivial now. "I kind of avoided you,"

Percy frowns and he looks like a kicked puppy. It sends a twist in her heart. "I wouldn't have judged you,"

She shakes her head. "I didn't know you then, but now I do,"

"Yeah, I'm your closest friend, aren't I?" he teases, referencing her speech from earlier.

She shoves him playfully then settles down, toying with the hem of her t-shirt. "What made you think about that?"

He pauses. "I don't know. I had a lot of time to think on the... island," he looks like he immediately regrets bringing the island up.

She nods slowly. "How was it on the island?" She pauses. "I, um, know you were on Ogyia,"

"It was..." he anxiously rubs his hands together. "Peaceful. It was peaceful. I just feel so guilty,"

"Why?"

"Calypso. She's cursed to be there and I was her first friend and I just left her,"

Lennon can tell that was weighing on him. She can't think of any words to console him. She can't say it's for the greater good because that's not fair. The truth is that it was a hard decision. She nodded not knowing what to say.

"When this is all over, I'll figure out a way to convince the gods to free her,"

"I'll help. She's nice right?" He nods and Lennon hums. "She seems nice. I'd like to meet her someday,"

"Yeah, someday," He agrees sadly.

Then Lennon sighs and stands up, offering a hand to him. "Come on. It'll be dinner soon. We can't hide away forever,"

He takes her hand and stands up. "It is a nice place to hide away,"

She nods in agreement. "It is,"

They walked towards the exit.

Percy glances at her with a wry grin, "So what was it you were saying about me being the most caring person you know?"

Lennon shakes her head with a laugh, bumping his shoulder playfully. "I'm not gonna hear the end of that am I?"

He bumped her shoulder back. "Never,"

That night, Lennon dreamt of a little boy. He was a little brown-skinned boy and he sat in a chair, crying silently. He watches as a coffin was lowered into the ground.

"She has no family," A group of adults spoke in hushed tones but the boy was listening.

"Really? No siblings? What about her parents?"

"Died a few years ago,"

The person sighed. "What about the father?"

"Ruth never said anything about his father,"

The woman sighed sadly. "He's all alone,"

The boy sniffled as he watched dirt fill the hole. The image swirled and now the boy was maybe a year older. He was in a kitchen, washing dishes with other boys his age. There was a younger boy eagerly watching him.

"What are you gonna do when you're older?"

The brown-skinned boy chuckled at the boy's eagerness and shook his head. "Well, if I do everything right, a Jazz musician,"

The boy screwed up his face in confusion, "Jazz? Why Jazz?"

He dried a dish and set it aside before saying. "I like music. Simple as that," he shrugged, grabbing a new dish to dry.

Another boy a few feet away from him scoffed and said, "A musician? Shit like us don't go on to be musicians,"

"I'm gonna work for it,"

The boy scoffed, looking up and down. "Forget it, Hunter. You should know that someone like you won't ever amount to enough. Especially enough to become a musician,"

The boy, whose name Lennon now knew was Hunter, clenched his fist and looked down. He seemed to be counting to himself.

The other boy laughed at his silence. "You'll probably die in a ditch somewhere, just like your mother,"

Hunter stopped counting. The other boy took his silence as evidence that he'd won. Then in a flash Hunter whirled around and swung his fist at the boy.

As the boy stumbled to the ground, the image swirled once more. Hunter was sitting on a bed, looking down at his knuckles and flexing them. There were scars on his knuckles, meaning this had to be around the same time as the fight. He surely looked the same age.

The room he was in was surrounded by other beds. He was most likely in a boy's home, and the decor suggested it was maybe the 60s or late 50s.

A woman walked into the room. She was older and had an air of authority about her. "Hunter, someone is here to see you,"

He glanced up, confused. "Someone is here to see me,"

"That's what I said isn't it," She snapped.

Hunter only blinked, a mix of intrigue and confusion across his face. "Who?"

"A relative, apparently," though she said it skeptically. "Doesn't matter. Get downstairs,"

He got up, following after the woman who led him to an office. She closed the door as he entered. There on the lounger was a blonde young man. Hunter didn't know who he was but Lennon knew immediately who it was. Her father.

"Hi Hunter," Her father smiled.

He blinked at him. "Hello," he paused. "I'm sorry, she said there was a relative here for me?"

Apollo broke into a grin, "That's me,"

Hunter was unconvinced. He let out a dry laugh. "Yeah, sure,"

"No, I am. See, I'm a god,"

Hunter looked at him deadpan before shaking his head. "Yeah, whatever," he walked towards the door but was slowed when a bright light shined behind him. He looked back only to see the man standing there with a ball of light in his hands.

"See? God," the light fizzled away as he grinned.

Hunter gaped at him, dropping to sit on the couch. "But how—"

"No time for that really. Now a question, do you like it here?"

"Here?"

"Yes, do you like it here?"

"No," Hunter said simply.

"Good. See, there's this camp for children of gods, demigods if you will,"

"Okay," Hunter muttered in a daze.

The man nodded. "Tonight you'll find some money under your pillow and your window conveniently left open," When Hunter didn't respond he spoke again. "I'm getting you to that camp,"

"I'm not..."

"You are," Hunter furrowed his brows at him, examining the god. "Us Gods don't have DNA structure,"

"Ok, so I'm demigod, or whatever it's called. You get me to this camp then what?"

The god shrugged. "You train to fight,"

Hunter paused thinking for a second. His voice was small and unsure. "I have... these dreams. It's impossible. But I know things before they happen,"

Apollo's grin faltered. Lennon knew all too well what this meant.

"It's a curse of prophecy. Tragedy,"

Hunter listened in confusion. "A curse?"

"It's rare but, sometimes children of Apollo, my children have this curse,"

"So what? I get to this camp and I'm cursed for the rest of my life?"

There was a guilty look on Apollo's face as he slowly nodded. "Yes,"

Lennon's mind swirled and images flashed through her head. Hunter was older, and more weary. He'd fought battles, and seen friends and peers die. When the swirling stops, this time Hunter is sitting on a bed once again. He's packing a bag when a girl walks in.

She has long dark hair, pulled back in a braid. "You can't go,"

Hunter, probably 18 or so now, stops his packing with a sigh. "Why not?"

She entered the cabin he was in. It looked older than Lennon remembered it, almost unfamiliar. "It's not safe. Stay at camp where it's safe,"

"I don't want to be a part of this life anymore, okay,"

"You don't have to fight. You can stay—"

He sighed. "That won't get me away. This life will still be there always. They'll pull me back somehow. You can't change my mind,"

The girl frowned. "That's it? You're gonna move away and hope you never have to fight a monster again,"

"I refuse to die in a battle," He had gone back to packing.

The girl shook her head. "You're making a mistake," she left the room.

Hunter sighed and the image melted away. An image flashes and he's playing piano at a small club, he catches eyes with a girl and smiles. A flash again and he's in his mid-twenties, standing in a tuxedo across from the same girl. She's wearing a wedding dress and they're both smiling at each other.

It almost makes Lennon hopeful. Maybe she could have a life like that.

A flash and he's holding a baby in his hands. He says something to his wife and she laughs. The baby reaches for his finger and holds it. Another flash and he's older, probably in his 40s or 50s. There are tears in his eyes as he stands over his wife, laying in a hospital bed. She says something to him, holding his face.

A flash and he's standing in front of her grave. His daughter, who's older now, stands next to him. There's an air of coldness around him. A flash and maybe a decade has passed. It's night and he's reading a book under lamplight.

A knock sounds and he gets up and walks to the door. He opens it to reveal a police officer.

"Your daughter is dead," The words are said slowly almost in slow motion.

Images flash of Hunter going to the graveyard, countless days with flowers. He stood before the twin graves.

Lennon shoots up out of her sleep. It's dark outside the cabin, and silent. She can't even hear Micheal's snoring.

"It is useless," a voice speaks to her.

Slowly, the cabin fades into a cave. Her bed remains, right before a large cavernous hole. That's where the voice comes from.

A chorus of whispers fills her ears. Useless. Useless. They continue until they get louder and louder.

"Stop it!" She yells, covering her ears. "Stop!"

The whispers quiet.

Then the voice echoes again. "Lennon Hart,"

Slowly, Lennon gets out the bed, looking down at the whole. An eerie feeling fills her as her name echoes.

"Cursed to a life of tragedy. Who's fault is that if not Apollo's?"

Lennon knows in an instant who she's speaking to. "Kronos,"

"Yes, child,"

"It's not Apollo's fault," she said simply. "It's fate,"

"He's a god," Kronos said in a patronizing tone. "You think he can't control fate?"

Lennon didn't respond. The truth was she didn't know. She didn't think Apollo had the power to end her curse.

"Join me, Lennon. Get retribution for your curse. For all the other children who shared your fate. They are all dead. Will you be dead?"

She scoffed. "I'd still die if I joined you. You don't care about us,"

"You would bleed for the gods who have never done a thing for you?"

"Leave me alone,"

"Luke told me you could be useful. I suppose not,"

She shook her head. The echoes were louder. "Go away!"

"I can tell you this. You will die soon. No matter what happens, you will die. It is fate's design,"

"Shut up!" she shook her head. Whispers of You will die surrounded her. They were ringing in her ears. A sharp pain made her forehead throb. "Leave me alone!" she yelled.

Then hands reached for her and she thrashed, trying to break free. Then a melody floated through her ears and the whispers quieted.

"Lennon!"

She opened her eyes to see Julian next to her bed. Her siblings surrounded her with worried looks. Michael was hugging her.

She frowned, "What's wrong did something happen?"

Michael let go and he looked... he looked scared for her. "You were screaming and sobbing in your sleep. I tried to get you to calm down but you were thrashing around. Will had to sing a hymn to get you to calm down,"

She touched her face and felt tears. She sat up and wiped her face.

Julian frowned at her. "Your dreams have never been that bad,"

"Do— Do you need something?" Will looked terrified.

She reached over and squeezed his hand with a smile. "No, it's okay,"

"You wanna talk about it?" Emelee asked with a smile.

Lennon shook her head and she must've looked out of it because Lee stepped in. "Guys let's give her a little space,"

They all mumbled understanding and each sleepily went back to their bunks. But, not without sending her another smile or hugging her. When they all dispersed, Lee stayed behind.

"Are you gonna be okay for tomorrow?"

She shrugged as if the dream hadn't affected her. "It was just another dream,"

He gave her a look. "That wasn't just another dream. You were screaming, Len,"

"I'll be fine Lee," She gave him her best, beaming smile. "Cross my heart, hope not to die,"

He shook his head with a small laugh. "Okay, Len. Get some sleep," He squeezed her hand and went back to his bunk.

She laid back on her bed, rubbing her face to wake herself up. She'd worried her siblings, something she never wanted to do. She looked up at the bottom of the top bunk where Julian was hopefully going back to sleep. She hoped he did. Lennon knew she wouldn't be getting any more sleep that night.

The next morning Will and Julian accompanied Lennon to send her off. She had thrown on her camp t-shirt and even did her hair in one of the cool braids Silena had taught her. Anything to look put together. If she looked exhausted they would know that she hadn't slept.

They met the others on Half-Blood Hill on the road. Will gave her a tight hug and Julian sent the others a smile.

"Good luck,"

Annabeth looked weary but she still smiled at him. "Thanks, Julian,"

He nodded and gave Lennon a playful shove. "You'll be good?" He gave her the same look he'd given her when she woke up screaming.

She sighed glancing away. "I told you I'm fine," She didn't want the others to think anything of it so she pulled him into a hug. "Bye,"

He let go. "Bye," He and Will trekked back down the hill.

Percy frowned. "What was that about?"

She shrugged, "Nothing," and stood by Annabeth, giving her hand a comforting squeeze. "We should get going,"

The ride in the van was filled with tense air. It was like Percy was nervous to say the wrong thing and upset Annabeth. It seemed none of them had slept well. Percy looked exhausted and Annabeth seemed a bit queasy.

"Bad dreams?" Percy seemed to work up the courage to ask.

Annabeth shook her head. "An Iris message from Eurytion."

"Eurytion?" He repeated in surprise.

Lennon frowned, glancing at the blonde. "Is something wrong with Nico?"

"He left the ranch last night, heading back into the maze. Nico was gone before he woke up. Orthus tracked his scent as far as the cattle guard. Eurytion said he'd been hearing Nico talk to himself the last few nights. Only now he thinks Nico was talking with the ghost again, Minos."

Lennon huffed annoyedly at the name Minos.

"He's in danger," Percy said.

"No kidding. Minos is one of the judges of the dead, but he's got a vicious streak a mile wide. I don't know what he wants with Nico, but—"

"That's not what I meant," Percy corrected. "I had this dream last night..." He told them about Luke, how he'd mentioned Quintus, and how his men had found a half-blood alone in the maze.

Annabeth's jaw clenched. "That's very, very bad."

"Maybe the half-blood isn't Nico," Lennon tried.

However, the blonde shook her head. "Even if it isn't, that's not good," he

"So what do we do?" Percy asked.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "Well, it's a good thing you have a plan to guide us, huh?"

Lennon winced at her tone. This would not be good.

AUTHORS NOTE:
lol.
don't be a ghost reader pls vote and comment!!