Child of Time

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Octagon, Octopus, Octillion...Ocho

PERCY

Have you ever wanted to just bash your head into a wall just because it was the only thing you could do? Just because it seemed like the right thing to do at that moment in time although knowing you'd regret it right after.

That's me. Right now.

"I hate everything." I banged my head against the wall again. "Especially that useless excuse of a brother." I hit by head again and was about to do it once more when a hand caught my forehead to stop me from doing so. Sometimes I really hate having friends.

I groaned and flopped myself to the ground, rubbing my hand against my head.

"May I ask why you're bashing your head against the wall?" I glance at Nico before shrugging.

"Why not?" was my only answer, which technically is a question, but I don't give a flying fish about it.

Nico sighs and sits down beside me, grabbing onto my hand as I lean my head into his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I always do that," I lied and tried to stand up, but Nico held onto my hand tighter and kept me sitting on the ground. I groaned and accepted my fate, dropping my head on his shoulder once more.

"I've been having a lot of weird dreams ever since I woke up after those two weeks of...sleeping. It always feels...so real like it had actually happened. It...changes a lot. Mostly it's about us storming Olympus and there's fighting everywhere. Sometimes the fighting was here, in Othrys, instead, but it always ends the same. Different, but still the same, you get it?"

Nico nods, his face showing concern and confusion.

"How does it end?"

I opened my mouth to tell him before closing it again. I let out a deep breath before I dropping my head to Nico's stomach and wrapped my arms around him. He adjusted his position so he was mostly lying down to get more comfortable.

"Someone always dies." Nico stiffened before rubbing my back in a soothing motion. "It's a different person each time, a different killing method, but it's always Zeus who kills them. All I could do was run forward and try to get there in time, but I'm always too late. It feels so real that once I wake up, I just have to make sure that...they didn't actually die."

"That was why you ran into my room a few days ago looking scared out of your mind until you leaped at me." I only nodded my head and tightened my grip on him.

"What if it actually happens, Nico. What if one of you die and I can't save you."

"We aren't going to die, Perseus. These are just nightmares that are trying to mess with your head."

"It feels like the same thing I got with Bianca," I whispered to him. "I knew that was real. I could feel it. It's the same with these."

I pull myself up and look into Nico's eyes. "I don't want you guys to die. I don't like seeing it every night. All the blood everywhere and you guys getting stabbed or struck with lightning, I can't watch that every time I go to sleep. I don't want to witness it when it actually happens. I can't watch that knowing that it would be my fault if you guys died."

"Hey, no, don't say that." Nico pulled me into a hug. "If we die, it won't be your fault. We decide to fight against them because we want to. We know what could happen, but we do it anyway. None of it's going to be your fault."

I wanted to believe him. I really did, but I couldn't. I knew he wouldn't blame me, but he can't stop me from blaming myself. I saw it, I saw how I run towards them as if everything was in slow motion only to watch them topple to the ground. If I was faster I could have saved them, if only I could work with my powers without choking up blood.