The Awakening

That Scroll

Percy's POV

As soon as I landed in front of the base, I broke down crying. I didn't even notice the people running down the steps to the treehouse in my fit of tears.

It wasn't until smooth, but strong hands cupped my face that I finally looked up, into worried grey eyes.

My knees burned from the contact with the uneven ground, sticks and stones making indents in my kneecaps, but I didn't care. I just wanted my sister back.

My girlfriend dragged her thumbs across my wet cheeks, gently swiping away my tears. I simply stared into her eyes, asking for comfort that only she could provide.

She didn't disappoint when she got down on her own knees, wrapping me in her warmth. Others were bombarding me with questions, especially Mr. Forkle and Keefe, but I couldn't bring myself to answer one, yet. I could barely find my voice.

I distinctly remembered Jason and Frank helping me to the common room of the treehouse, letting me slump into a reclining chair in one corner. Mr. Forkle had left in a frenzy, hailing the Collective and other elves.

My friends slumped into the chairs of the round meeting table, positioned away from my isolated position. They knew that I needed to calm down before I even tried to explain anything. Even Annabeth kept her distance, though I could tell she was worrying due to the gnawing of her bottom lip and the fleeting glances she sent me.

I didn't even look at the reactions of my other friends, too afraid to see the pity or extreme grief, in Keefe's case, that they exhibited.

Instead, I leaned back in the chair, trying to control my breathing and temper. I needed a good, long rest, before I acted impulsively or irrationally.

I needed to be in my best state of mind when I rescued my sister.

The last lingering thought in my mind was that she wouldn't be here to make me do a stupid singing concert. She would've forced me and threatened me into it.

But, what she wouldn't realize through all of my sarcasm and jokes, was that I would've done it for her in a heartbeat.

I would do anything for my sister.

Unknown's POV

The plan had worked almost perfectly; the girl was successfully delivered to the Neverseen, but the boy was unfortunately safe.

Good thing we didn't necessarily need both.

The boy would've definitely been a more reliable option, with his combative experience and greater exposure to violence, but the girl was the more entertaining option.

I definitely didn't think the kids would be stupid enough to listen to any encouragement in favor of that meeting. The idiots were leading themselves into a simple, but effective trap.

Now, I just needed that scroll.

Brant's POV

She wasn't waking up.

We had our best physicians working on her mangled body. Her ankle was so charred that you could almost see he bone, courtesy of me. She broke her other leg in the fall after sending her brother away, as well as a new gash on the back of her head.

Of course, I had saved myself from actually crash-landing on the ground, but it slipped my mind that she had passed out.

Oops.

I was almost killed for that mistake, but I reminded Fintan, Gethen, and Ruy how important I was in our plans. They backed down almost immediately.

When the doctors informed us of her condition, Fintan set the lead one on fire and put another doctor in charge, telling them to try again. Gethen was trying to probe her mind while she was weak, but she had put up an extra layer of blockage before she fell unconscious.

Ruy was useless like always.

I walked back into the room she was kept in, past the two guards positioned in the doorway. They didn't acknowledge me because they knew I only came here when my temper was too untamable.

She lie on the small mattress, blonde hair framing her face perfectly and lips slightly parted. To many, she would look dead, what with the angry red marks lining her face, neck, and arms. But, she the vitals told a different story, perfectly healthy; not an easy feat after all of these years.

She was our first and only test subject on the ogre-manufactured solution; soporadine.

We'd give her the antidote every once in a while, a necessary task to make sure her body doesn't shut down on itself. But, other than that, she'd be asleep, a peaceful smile on her burned face.

The guilt struck hard every time I had to see her imperfectly flawed face, but I forced myself to do it. It was something I needed to work on, something that Fintan reminded me every week.

I wasn't borderline insane because I killed her. No, I saved her from my own fire. She was put through a test and failed. I was just righting a necessary wrong, but it was ultimately my choice not to leave her burning alive.

But then, I faced the consequences of my actions, seeing her beautiful resting face, but never getting her back fully. It was Fintan's punishment for my failure in killing her.

And, every time I saw Sophie fighting against me, with that same determined, yet innocent persona that she always wore, I was reminded of my love. I hated Sophie for resurfacing painful memories, but I hated myself more.

I hesitantly reached out to caress her sleeping face, but pulled back my hand at the last minute. Letting out a frustrated breath of air, I turned on my heels, making my way out of the door I had just come in not too many minutes ago.

Approaching the hospital wing, I was aware of few people crowding the halls. It was almost midnight, an ideal time to be away from seeing and socializing with people.

I drifted off to the side where a plain white door blended into the same colored corridor walls. Tapping a specific pattern into the wall allowed for the door to pop open with a resounding click. I marched stepped inside, analyzing my surroundings as the door clicked closed behind me.

In the center of the room, a familiar girl with blonde hair was strapped down to a cold, metal table. Her face was frozen in that peaceful smile she had during our free fall. I was instantly reminded of the woman I had just visited, my anger soaring and sadness aching to be heard.

Closing the distance between us, I approached Sophie's right side. I reached out, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

Leaning down, I put all of my effort and confidence into my next words; "Wake up."

And just like that, her eyes snapped open, focusing on me with a glazed and hazy look.

Of course, the Neverseen had done our own experimenting with genetics, in older elves. Only one elf volunteered, the one that was already presumed dead. A member of the original Project Moonlark aided in the tests and research that went into the elve's new ability.

Guess who that elf was?

That's right, I was now a Mesmer-in-training.

The Neverseen had a lot more up our sleeves than the Black Swan and those kids might've thought. Especially, our prized possession of the woman I couldn't seem to get out of my thoughts in the long years since her 'death'.

Jolie Ruewen.

A/N: and here is the first turning point in the book🕺