Unmaking Percy

Part I - V (The Sleeping Castle)

He was dragged to wakefulness on the floor of the castle bedroom. The sleep that he had fallen into seemed resentful of his leaving, and held onto him jealously with enticing hands. It took an impossible amount of effort to unhand himself, but he did it anyway, through a long, drawling, pained groan. At his side were Evans and Valeria, crawling to a crouch. He recognized in them the same languor that he was wading through. It had the slowness of oozing resin. Standing before them, looking terribly awake, was the sorceress.

"You couldn't even let me have that one bit of fun" she sulked. "Do you know how much effort it took to design that dream?"

Percy looked up at her. His vision was still unfocused. Sheet after sheet lifted from his eyes, until her features etched itself into his sight with more clarity. The other two were quicker to stand, though he could see their legs trembling with the effort.

"It would have lasted much longer if you'd been part of that palace, too" she went on addressing him. "You wouldn't have been so quick to dismiss those people, and leave when they expected you to stay. You might not have cared for them, but you would have cared what they thought. These two..." she glanced at Evans and Valeria with a look that was both scornful and sympathetic. "I can't tell you how long they would have wallowed in there before breaking the dream."

"You don't need to tell me, I know for myself" Percy groaned as he summoned his remaining energy to stand up. "Five more minutes in there with those people and I would probably have started to care, too."

Those people with headdresses and wineglasses and daggers. He looked down at his hand. There was no sign of a wound, but the pain lingered. He wondered what would have happened if the blade had run through his chest instead. The thought was enough for a hot, fetid breath of panic to engulf him.

"Fine – y'all can go" the fae sighed, raising her hands in a gesture of frustration.

It reminded him of what had happened the last time she had raised her hands, and all three gave a slight feline jump upon seeing it. Percy noticed how Valeria's and Evan's reactions, usually so well guarded and leashed, now twitched and shuddered at the surface, as though the polish of their self-control had just been scraped off by the dream.

"Calm your tits, I'm not going for round two" the sorceress chuckled.

"Will you release the curse on the servants and the guests?" Evans asked. His words had a light tremor to them, as though he was still gathering the pieces of his voice strewn about the bedroom floor.

"Sure. I didn't really mean to curse all those folks anyway, it just came out" she smirked.

"What about the girl and her family?" Percy asked.

"Sorry, hun, those stay put until someone properly breaks their curse. Don't worry, someone will come and kiss her in no time."

"I don't doubt it" Evans muttered.

Percy sent a regretful look at the sleeping shape behind the veils of the canopy bed. Valeria exchanged a curt nod with the enchantress. Brief and gruff as it was, Percy had the distinct impression that, without one of Valeria's nods to seal it, no deal could be made on earth. He suspected he would from then on require the sight of that tall woman in her blue tabard nodding at his every decision.

"Oh" Evans said suddenly as they made their way out of the room, turning back to the sorceress. "The animals – could you break their curse too, if you would be so kind?"

"The animals?" she blinked.

She had put on many acts during their encounter, and visibly enjoyed them all: but now she looked to Percy to be genuinely confused.