Shattered - Perseus Jackson

CH.18

The Swap

•Chapter Eighteen•

Percy looked at the boy in shock, he still couldn't completely wrap his head around this whole fiasco, but who wouldn't. The demigod just got told that he had a past life, and his past life was communicating with him, it was a hell of a crazy day for the demigod. The white haired boy watched Percy with a stoic face the demigods expression changing from confused to shock, to confused again, then back to shock.

"How have you managed to survive all of this?" Percy said, the white haired boy looked at Percy his bloodshot eyes making contact with his sea green ones.

"I didn't, I couldn't, they pushed me to the brink of insanity, until they did it, I finally snapped" The boy said.

"You have endured so much, don't you want revenge" Percy said, he could feel the memory of Annabeth suddenly pop into his mind, it was as if it was destined to happen, it was as if it was happening all over again. The boy shrugged.

"I do, but at the same time I don't. I have no emotion now, they made me insane, probably for the better, if I were to stay sane, I would have died multiple times" Perseus said In a monotone voice.

"They did horrible stuff to you" Percy said in pity

"They did do horrible stuff to me, they also did horrible stuff to you, we're one in the same. I can't hold a grudge, I'm just a shell of what used to be, I'm a shell of you, I used to be you, kind and fun loving, now, I'm bare" Perseus stated, his face a clear flatline

"Even if I wanted to hold a grudge and get revenge, I can't, I don't have kindness, I don't have love, I don't have resentment, I don't have anger, I don't have the emotions to even hold a grudge, in my mind, what's done is done, in this twisted up world, even killing or even doing the most scarring things, I brush it off as something that is ordinary, I lost the qualities of being human, or demigod" Perseus said sitting down.

"But, if I do go more insane than I am now, I laugh, I laugh in every situation, death, being hurt, I laugh it off like a madman" Perseus said, his face held no emotion a bare stone faced persona.

"It's just how the way the world works, trust people, they ended up breaking that trust, you either survive and endure and live happily ever after, you die, or survive but your still ultimately dead, I managed to survive, but look at me now, no emotion, no happiness" Perseus said. Percy was really starting to pity this guy, well he  was starting to pity himself, it was a weird day for him, a weird day indeed. He felt himself get sucked back into the world of reality, to the cruel harsh world. Perseus looked at the shrinking figure of Percy and waved.

Percy gasped bolting up right, the demigod couldn't believe what he has just witnessed, he was alive since the time of the first Titanomachy, or even the first Gigantomachy. It was as if his perspective on the world was flipped upside down. Percy shook his head and saw the sun starting to set, he was out for the whole day. Percy widened his eyes, it wasn't that long, but it was, it lasted the whole day.

Percy didn't feel like taking a rest, his mind was still boggled up and fuzzy about the whole encounter, the boy with white hair, the one who he thought was scary and gave him nightmares, Percy was now having a completely different view on the white haired boy, he learned that the boy was Perseus, the boy was actually him and not him at the same time, it was a weird day, even by Mythological standards. 

Percy kept his hands on his pockets and wandered the forest, the sun was casting beautiful rays upon the trees sending a vibrant orange glow. Percy was deep in thought, his mind swirling with crazy ideas and thoughts. He had to agree with Perseus, even if Perseus was angry he couldn't hold a grudge even if his life was at the line, it was to put it simply, impossible for Perseus to hate someone, or something. It was also impossible for Perseus to feel love, happiness, all of the traits that make life worth living for. Percy shook his head, even though Annabeth betrayed him and cheated on him, it wasn't to the extent of Perseus, his past self, he experienced something absolutely worse than death itself, it was something far more cruel.