The door to his cell opened, but he didn't look up.
"I have food for you." The auburn haired woman said.
"They're giving me a last meal then?" The boy replied flatly. "I guess it's the least they could do before they kill me."
"They aren't going to...
Camp looked dark and sad. Thalia's tree stood where it always did, but the leaves on it were not as green as they used to be. Peleus lay beneath it, his head on his forelegs. I patted his head gently but he didn't look up.
There were no laughing children, there was no clash of metal on metal coming from the arena or the forges. Everything was silent.
I understood why when I walked down to the campfire pit. A pyre had been built, and an empty shroud laid on top of it.
A shroud with tridents along the edge laid on top, folded like the camp always did when a body couldn't be recovered.
This was my funeral. Again.
I walked through the crowd. No one acknowledged me, but they moved out of the way absentmindedly.
Annabeth was near the front, tears in her eyes. I sighed and went over, putting my hand on her shoulder.
She looked up and put her hand on the shoulder I touched. "Chiron, this isn't right."
The centaur sighed. "This is the gods we're talking about."
"He's not in the Underworld!" She insisted.
"Annabeth. If they sent him to a completely different world, he wouldn't come back to our afterlife."
She shook her head. "He's only been gone for seven months-"
"Wait what?" That got my attention immediately. I'd only been gone for a couple weeks.
"Annabeth, eventually we have to let go."
"Fine." She snapped. "Burn his shroud. Mourn him. I will not."
And with that, my girlfriend whirled and pushed through the crowd. I ran after her.
She couldn't hear me, but I fell in step with her. "Don't give up on me, Wise Girl. I'll get to you, I swear. I love you, and I will not stop until I have you in my arms again."
No response, but I didn't need one. I wasn't going to get one anyway. Saying it out loud felt like a promise. Hades, it was a promise. It didn't matter if she could hear it or not.
"Percy? Percy!"
I turned around, frowning. No one was looking at me. What on Earth...
"Percy, wake up!"
I opened my eyes. Roran was standing over me. I could hear the sounds of battle around the ship.
"Where are we? What's going on?" I shot to my feet, grabbing my sword.
"We're upriver. There's a battle on the banks." Roran said seriously.
There was a strange thumping noise. The others looked confused but I ran for the ship railing. "Dragon!"
She was huge, much bigger than Anareem. Bright blue, with a brown-haired rider on her back.
"That's Eragon." Roran breathed.
"He on our side?" I asked.
He nodded.
I nodded back and climbed onto the railing. "Anareem!"
She burst out of the water behind the barges and I ran along the railing to her, climbing on. No saddle. I'd be fine.
'Look at her! She's so gorgeous! Percy, I can't believe it!' The white dragon seemed enamored with the other dragon.
We shot up to meet them.
"Who are you?" The blue dragon's rider shouted.
"I'm Percy! I'm Roran's friend!" I answered. "This is Anareem."
"She's small."
"She's young."
'Hardly as young as you think!' Anareem protested. The brown-haired rider laughed.
