Percy opened his eyes and looked around. He was surrounded by darkness. As he turned around, a familiar face was to be seen.

She was standing there, a few meters away from him, also being surrounded by the darkness. Her face stretched into a demented smile when she saw him. She was walking. But not in his direction.

She was walking into the darkness. 

“What are you doing?” Percy asked. 

The girl smiled gently at him and placed a finger to her lips. 

“I am finding sanity.” 

The girl stepped closer into the darkness.

A sudden shock of dread and panic hit Percy. 

He tried to run to the girl’s side. But the more he ran, the farther she was away from him. 

Please, he thought, don’t die on me. 

The girl’s honey-blonde hair swayed gently in the air, as the girl leaned closer and closer into the darkness. 

“Wait!” 

The girl turned around, and tears were in her grey, dead eyes. 

“Goodbye, Percy.” 

Her legs took flight as she disappeared into the darkness. 

“ANNABETH!” 

Percy’s nightmare was interrupted by the slamming open of the door. His eyes snapped open, as he noticed that he was covered in cold sweat, and his heart was throbbing with pain. 

“I never thought you would survive my magic.” The woman walked next to Percy, kneeling down beside him. “The impact was the same as a heart-attack on a mortal.” 

Percy opened his mouth as if to say something, but the pain in his chest was exceedingly agonising. The only sound he could make out was a loud and excruciating groan. 

The lady put a finger on Percy’s lips. 

“Hush, young hero.” she smiled slyly. “Don’t push yourself. Saving the world isn’t the most important thing for a normal little demigod.” 

Percy pushed her hand away, as he clutched his aching chest hastily. His heartbeat had accelerated abnormally, and with each passing second he felt the air around him getting thinner and thinner. 

The lady laughed evilly as she strode around Percy, her high-heels clopped loudly in the soundless room. Percy’s vision started to blur. 

“Such a young age, and already saving the world, oh, so heroic.” the woman said sarcastically, her bony hand disappeared under her cloak, and it drew out a long and sharp knife. 

“It’s so sad to ravage such young flesh,” the knife met the skin on Percy’s cheek. The blade danced on his flesh erratically. “So sad to draw out such fresh blood.” He felt a small streak of metallic blood trickle down the side of his mouth. He coughed weakly. Was he going to die? Was this the end? 

“I’m not letting you die so quickly, so don’t worry.” Wow. It seemed as if she could read minds as well.

“Gee, thanks for the comfort.” Percy muttered. The woman ignored him. She pulled out a crystal ball from her pocket and turned to Percy. 

“Would you like to have a surprise?” 

The woman wrapped her hand around the crystal ball and the air around them seemed to shift, and then an image appeared right before them. 

An image of Olympus. 

Most of the gods were sitting there, some chatting with each other, some minding their own businesses. But Percy couldn’t seem to take his eyes off one particular god. 

“Lord Poseidon.” the woman smirked mockingly. “What a pleasure to meet you.”