Where You Go ― Jason Grace

xi. ghosts in her past

THE LAST THING Ophelia wanted to do on the quest to save Hera was get knocked out by a giant, one-eyed monster—and yet, that was exactly how her day was going. 

In the darkness she succumbed to, she dreamed of the ghost from the warehouse. 

She was shorter, or the ghost was taller, though the former seemed like the more sensible explanation as to why Ophelia was looking up at him so much. She knew she wasn't that short, at least not in the present moment, which pointed toward this dream being a memory from when she was younger.

The ghost was solid now, the worry erased from his face. He wore a purple shirt not that different from the shirt Jason had woken up in, though the sleeves were messily cut off to expose his deep brown arms to the sunlight. He was smirking down at her, a haughty look on his face, though there was a warmth to it. 

"Alright, ready?" the ghost said, crouching down like a runner about to take off in a sprint. 

"Ready to kick your butt," dream-Ophelia declared. She stuck her tongue out for good measure. 

The ghost laughed. "With those scrawny legs? My arms are longer." 

"Don't pick on your sister, Matt," a girl scolded from where she sat cross-legged in the grass next to the dirt track dream-Ophelia and the ghost—Matt—were standing on. Despite her reprimand, there was a sweet smile on her face. 

"Oh, c'mon, Gi, I do it with love," Matt said defensively, his smile growing as he looked at the girl. "Besides, she's gotta get used to tough love if she stands any chance of surviving the Wolf House." 

His tone was light, but there was a worried look in his eyes that real-Ophelia picked up on immediately. 

Gi rolled her eyes, but her smile only wavered a bit, that same hint of worry in her hazel eyes. "Alright, fine. You guys ready?" 

Dream-Ophelia nodded, a determined look on her face.

She and Matt both got into starting positions, taking off down the dirt path as soon as Gi shouted, "Go!"

The wind was a glorious feeling against dream-Ophelia's skin, blowing across her face with the speed she ran. She and Matt ran side-by-side for a few seconds, before Matt's longer legs allowed him to pull ahead of her. Dream-Ophelia growled in frustration, picking up speed. She pivoted around at a certain, predetermined point, taking off back toward the starting line. She ran as fast as her short legs could take her, but Matt still passed the line a few seconds before her. 

"Better luck next time, Phee," Matt teased, not even the slightest bit out of breath. Still, he accepted the bottle of water Gi handed him, chugging half the bottle in one go. 

"I'll beat you when I'm older," Dream-Ophelia declared. She plopped down next to Gi, who passed her a bottle of water as well. 

"I don't doubt it," Matt said with a smile, laying down with his head on Gi's lap. 

"You'll be a force to be reckoned with," Gi said, ruffling dream-Ophelia's hair before immediately fixing it again, which made Matt chuckle. 

Dream-Ophelia puffed her little chest out. "Of course I will," she declared. "I'm gonna go on so many quests and fight so many monsters! I'm gonna be famous—even more famous than that stupid son of Jupiter!" 

Gi smiled. "I can't wait to see it," she whispered, with just a hint of sadness dream-Ophelia didn't catch, but real-Ophelia could see clear as day. 

"Ophelia," Matt said. Dream-Ophelia didn't respond, as if she didn't hear. "Ophelia? Ophelia!" 

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