Disclaimer: I do NOT own Anything!

Percy's POV:

I woke up with a massive headache, with the light pouring into my eyes I groaned and rolled over onto the soft sand. I suddenly shot to my feet and looked around to find myself on a beach of an island. I looked down and noticed a note on the ground. I picked it up and read it to myself.

'Perseus meet me at the summit of the tallest mountain of this island. There you will find what you have been seeking, however to reach the peak you must pass through several tests, you will need to pass each of these tests without your powers, weapons or armor. You only have your skill to rely on. Good luck'

I frowned and checked my pockets only to find them empty and I sighed.

"Great so I'm stuck on an island with no weapons or materials and I'm half naked, great..." I complained aloud before I looked to the sky and saw the large mountain in the distance "Let's get moving"

I started walking towards the mountain through the forest which was extremely tight with trees. I stumbled over roots and shrubs, cursing as I made very slow progress. After a while I reached a small pond and I crouched down to take a small drink. I cupped the water in my hands and went to sip the water when I heard rustling. I let the water drop and I looked around wildly only to find nothing moving. I bent down again and recupped the water when I heard the rustling again.

"Percy! Run Percy!" I heard someone say and I looked around again only to find nothing however the location looked familiar now

"I've never been here before..." I said as I shook off the feeling and drank some water

"Mom!!" a young voice said and I leapt up and looked around yet again to find nothing out of place

Shaking the uneasy feeling I had gained I moved on hurriedly, almost running from the pond. After a few minutes I calmed myself down and kept walking. However, the voices stayed in my head as I pondered them. As I was walking I looked down at the ground in front of me and I stumbled back.

"A body!" I said but as I blinked and rubbed my eyes it was only a bunch of roots "No just roots..." I said thoroughly creeped out by this point

I started moving again determined to make it to the top of the mountain. I kept walking for what seemed like hours, but I felt like I hardly moved a mile. I looked up and sighed as I noticed the sun setting. I found a river and made a small camp; the tent was made out of leaves and sticks and the fire was small but it had to be that way so the whole forest didn't burn.

"I will make more progress tomorrow, I have to" I said to myself as I laid down to go to sleep

As soon as I closed my eyes I fell into a deep sleep.

(Dream)

Third Person POV:

A young boy and an older woman were running through a forest in the black of night. They both had ragged outfits and no shoes but that didn't seem to bother either of them as they ran like prey being hunted by predators.

"Come on we need to keep running" The woman said as the young boy tripped over his own two feet

"Okay mommy" the boy said as he stood up and despite the blood on his knee from tripping he kept running over the soil and roots

The two kept running throughout the night and soon the boy collapsed from exhaustion, the woman, not looking any better than the boy stood standing as she listened for anything that could be hostile.

"I think were safe for now my sunshine" The woman said as she kneeled next to the boy before looking around

They were at a small pond and the woman sighed in relief. She picked the young boy up and carried him over to the water and using one of her arms to hold the boy up she cupped the water into his mouth. He drank the water quickly as if absorbing it into himself.

"M-More please... mommy, can I have more please?" The boy asked and the mother smiled softly

"Yes of course my baby boy, you can have as much as you want" She said as she cupped more water and allowed the boy to drink the water for several more minutes before she herself took a drink

Once she did that she pulled the boy close to her and fell asleep in between some bushes to hide them. The boy closed his eyes for what only seemed like minutes but as soon as he awoke he heard the screams of his mother.

"Percy! Run Percy!" She yelled as the boy got up and saw armored men trying to subdue the woman

The boy got up and started to run as fast as his legs could carry him. He kept running and stumbling over roots and rocks but he never looked back, he was always a good boy, always did what his mother asked him too without question. However, no matter how fast he ran, no matter how far he got, in the end, when his legs gave out, the men would catch him. The boy knew this and as he ran, tears streamed down his face. He wanted to be safe from those evil men who had beaten and defiled his mother, reduced her to what she was. But as he thought of this he tripped over a rock and landed face first into the dirt. Behind him were the shouts of the men who made this life of his horrible but he was powerless.

Soon the men caught up and grabbed the boy by his arms and hauled him back the way he came. They passed the pond but the boy could not see his mother. He held out hope that she was okay but deep down, he knew otherwise, however he ignored that part of him.

The walk back was long but when he arrived at the gods forsaken camp that had him chained like an animal he clenched his fists and stayed silent.

"Alright BOY, your going to learn first hand what we do with those who try to escape" a man said as he cracked a long rope with leather strips at the end

In a moments notice his shirt was shredded as he let out his first cry of pain.

"One" The man said as he lashed out again causing the boy's back to arch painfully as blood poured down his back "Two" the man counted before repeating the process over and over again only allowing small breaks for salt to be rubbed into the boy's wounds

After an hour or two of the torture, the boy was thrown into a cage with several other children and slightly older kids. They all rushed to the boy and pulled him far away from the door and to the back of the cage and attempted to tend to his wounds.

Days past, and the boy was worked to near death, but he never gave in, never gave up. Soon the others started acting like him. Being silently obedient until the moment came to run. They worked endless hours, doing whatever they could to avoid punishment, the boy's wounds scarred over but he wasn't scared of them. He ignored them or used their lingering pain to drive his silence.

Then one day a loud commotion was heard throughout the camp. The boy, feeling the tension in the air made his move, he grabbed whatever he could, which was a small dagger at a man's hip and cut the man's Achilles tendon. The other kids around him did similar things and they all made a run for freedom. The boy ran the way his mother and him ran months before, this time however, he was stronger, he kept running and soon reached the pond where he last saw his mother. The boy stopped for a quick drink to replenish his energy before continuing his running. However, as he made his way from the pond, he saw a body.

The boy looked at it for a moment before shock and horror reached him. For so long, even without seeing her, he believed his mother to be safe and alright. However, he was now faced with the cold corpse of his mother, her through slit and her stomach gutted. The boy felt tears of anger and rage flow down his cheeks before he ran off. He ran until he couldn't run anymore. He found a large and strong river and decided that he should end it. He couldn't live without his mother, the only light he had in his dark and miserable life, and she was gone. He jumped into the river and blew out all of his air, he then opened his mouth and inhaled the water. However, as he blacked out from the lack of oxygen, a young man appeared wearing a black traditional Greek outfit. His eyes were as black as the boy's life, but they held a gentle kindness to them.

"You have a long hard road ahead of you my boy. Never give up, and never give in, never let the darkness control you, you must control the darkness, for even in the darkest of voids can burn the most beautiful of fire" the man said in a wise and ancient voice "You have a gift that none other share. A gift that, in the future will play a vital role. How you use this gift is up to you, but your light does not vanish here, it yet shines bright amongst the darkness that surrounds you. Be like a river, let nothing stand in your way" He said before he vanished into thin air and the boy passed out

(Dream End)
Percy's POV:

I sat straight up and felt my heart racing at an unhealthy pace. I got out of my shelter and went to the river and noticed it wasn't quite as large as the one in my dream but just looking at it made me wonder.

'What was that all about...?'

A/N: Muwhahahhahahahaha anyway I got to get to bed, I have work early tomorrow again so yay... night!

~Major Nich

f