Awakened - T Stoll - Percy Jackson and The Olympians.

XVI

The Big House, while it still had it's comforting feeling, gave a sense of foreboding as I walked inside. Chiron, without his wheelchair, stands with his head slightly bowed as Katie sits in an armchair across from the sofa. Will, surprisingly enough, is here as well. Standing next to Chiron. 

Chiron smiles. "Ah, Imena. We brought Will. Just as an extra precaution." He explains as Will clutches a brown bag. "Lay down on the couch. I'm going to spread out some supplies and ambrosia bites." 

Suddenly, this all feels so real. Over the day, I've been able to just think about it as an event in the future. But it's happening now. I take a deep breath, walking a bit slowly over to the sofa and laying down on the soft velvet. "I have to wait for Travis to get here. He was walking Silena to her cabin." 

Katie sighs. "Very well." She mumbles. She looks up at me, smiling assuredly. "Don't worry, Mena. I'm right here. I'll be guiding you every step of the way. Just like we practiced." She pats my knee. 

The door to the Big House bursts open. Travis runs in, smiling apologetically. "Sorry, sorry. I'm here. I'm here." He says. A flutter goes through my stomach as a weight lifts off my chest. 

He walks over to me. "Excuse me. Sorry. Let me just squeeze past here." He mumbles to everyone else. Katie rolls her eyes as I sit up to let him sit down on the end of the sofa. I lay my head on his lap. Looking up at him. "You ready, sleepy?" He asks. Looking down at me. 

I nod. "Yes, I'm ready." 

Will kneels on the floor in front of us. Rolling out a brown cloth. He begins to lay down medical pliers, bandages, ambrosia bites, and bottles of healing ointments and creams. 

"Okay," Katie sighs. "Take a deep breath and close your eyes." 

I do as instructed. Katie continues. 

"Feel the environment around you. The weight of your body pushing down onto the sofa. The warm of the air on your skin-" 

Katie's voice blends away as the darkness of my eyelids wraps around me like a blanket. Yet, I hear three of her words whisper into my mind. Faint and barely audible. "Focus on Luke." 

I recall what he looks like. The dark curls of his hair and the gold of his eyes. The darkness around me stirs with an energy. As if it is some beast now awoken and eager to explore. 

I focus on the emotions that lingered deep inside his mind. Embedded into his void like silk. 

Suddenly, the darkness of my voids shifts to another. Despite the same pitch-black scene, it feels different. I feel loathing and pain, confusion and regret. I feel guilt. 

As I open my eyes and focus, an image comes into mind of a boy with pitch black hair and piercing gold eyes. 

Luke.