Chapter 59: I binge watch my dreams

.

' Percy '

...

Now the birds were gone we were looking for a motel.

We passed the sign that said WELCOME TO CLOUDCROFT, NEW MEXICO. It was still dark, the air was cold and I was reluctant to leave our warm spider with seat cushion heaters.

We passed several cabins with snow laying on top and pine trees towered over our heads like giants.

We finally found a motel named, Uncle Stan's Motel, it even had a catchy slogan, Your sleep is our reap I was too tired to be worried about it.

The motel stood lonely a few miles away from the Mainstreet.

It was L shaped 2 story building with a balcony and a parking lot.

Zoë parked the Spider.

I had fallen asleep as soon as Zoë and Nyx had dragged me off the roof and put me in the backseat.

When I woke up, I noticed it was still dark out there and I was looking at two bright stars.

Then I realized it were Nyx's eyes, and I had been sleeping on her lap.

"Dammit, what happened?" I asked.

"You passed out, we took you in and now we found a motel," Nyx said yawning heavily.

"How long was I out?"

"30 minutes." Zoë said, "we all need to get some rest. I think we got rid of the birds."

I nodded and got out of the car, stumbled a few times and emptied my stomach on our spider.

"You're already ruining my new car." Thalia laughed and yawned simultaneously.

"I thought this was going to be my car since it was my plan." I joked.

"Oh no, you're still to young," Thalia smirked.

We passed the neon sign that read "open" and entered the lobby.

The lobby looked like it was from a cabin in the woods, deer heads hung on one side of the wall. There was a trophy cabin right under it with a lot of black and white pictures, in the corner crackled a hearth and there was right in front of us a counter.

A scraggy man who was reading a magazine looked up and noticed us, he had greasy blond hair and a mustache that did not fit his size.

His ratty eyes glared at us, like he hated having customers. Or maybe it was because bird feathers fell down from our clothes onto the expensive looking carpet.

I was 100% sure his name was not Uncle Stan.

"Five rooms," I said and showed him I had a credit card.

The man did not look weird when I ordered the best suites available or when I noticed I had a cat and a girl with glowing eyes trying to strangle the cat.

I paid with my Lotus Casino card and managed to get five rooms.

Not Uncle Stan gestured towards a hallway and went on with reading his magazine.

We each entered our rooms, mine and Zoë's were next to each other while Bianca, Thalia, and Nyx had rooms on the top floor.

Rebel decided to sleep with Nyx and we decided to meet each other at sunrise in the lobby or resume our quest.

I entered my "Deluxe" suit and noticed it was not that deluxe.

It was a small square room with a two-person bed and a television against the wall. A minibar was placed in the corner along with a nightstand.

There were 2 more doors, one led to the bathroom and the other led to the parking lot.

"So much for Deluxe," I muttered, and I dropped down in my bed ready to fall asleep.

...

Remember me, next time I hear Apollo talking about having useful dreams remind me to strangle him.

My dreams were totally not useful.

I went on with my Netflix to watch list, Spying on my big sister and then I decided to watch another Episode of Commodus plans and I finished with a season of gibberish.

The dream about Despina continued where it stopped last time.

I was in the same forest and saw Despina, who now seemed to be around 2, lying on the ground.

"Hi, little one." A voice said.

Suddenly someone stepped into view and knelt down next to Despina.

A man.

He looked to be around 25. He had golden locks and golden eyes which immediately revealed his identity.

Other things that could've revealed his identity was his huge smile, the aura of golden light surrounding him, the golden robes he wore and the fact that he was handsome.

Everything about his appearance screamed I am Apollo.

He observed Despina and seemed to study the newborn goddess.

Despina yawned and said something that sounded to me as baby gibberish.

Apollo chuckled, "So what's a lovely baby doing here alone."

Despina made a sound that sounded close to crying.

"Oh, don't cry little one." Apollo said trying to calm down the baby, I guess he didn't had a lot experience with babies because he tried to lift her and shake her widely, like shaking a baby would stop it from crying.

Despina kept crying.

Then Apollo began to sing, it was an old greek lullaby, so old I did not understand it.

It silenced Despina and she began to snore heavily, resting on Apollo's chest.

"Did your parents leave you? Don't worry. Apollo will look after you." Apollo murmured stroking the baby.

Then my dream shifted, I was in the same forest but things had changed, the grass had grown longer and the trees grew wild. Like someone made this place a jungle on purpose.

Despina dashed out of the woods, she was now around six and wore a blue greek tunic and had her white hair in a ponytail.

She was grinning like only Apollo could and dashed towards Apollo who was standing in the clearing.

"Apollo!" Despina yelled and she hugged Apollo, Apollo hugged her back but Apollo looked sad.

"Hi Despina." Apollo said and he sobbed.

"Apollo I found a few nymphs in the woods who learned me how to wield water!" She yelled excitedly.

"That's cool little one." Apollo said sobbing.

"What's wrong?" Despina asked and she stepped back, looking up at Apollo.

"I have to leave you." Apollo said.

Despina laughed, "Good one."

Apollo sobbed, "No, I'm serious."

Despina's expression turned to almost crying, "Why?"

Apollo knelt down, "The Fates don't allow me to raise you." Apollo sobbed.

"Why?" Despina said, and tears began to stream down her face.

Apollo's face darkened, and he stared in the distance like he saw something only visible to him.

"The path of Fate is dark and unclear, the only thing I can see is that you need to find your true parents," Apollo said.

Despina huffed, "They ignored me. You are the only parent I have."

Apollo coughed and made a dab, then I realized he was hiding his tears.

He rubbed them out of his eyes and remained his composure.

"You have to. I can't visit you anymore." Apollo sobbed.

"But my parents hate me! I'm sure of it!" Despina cried out.

Apollo's face filled with hate, "I know, but you have to try."

"Like that will ever work." Despina mumbled, "You're the only one who cares about me."

Apollo's expression changed to pity, "Trust me, I'm not leaving you. I will be watching over you, even when you don't see me."

"Please don't." Despina said crying.

Apollo kissed her forehead, "Goodbye little one."

Apollo faded into the sunlight and disappeared.

"Well let's find my real parents," Despina mumbled after she was done crying.

My dream made another time skip, this time Despina seemed to be around 9 years old. She was following a woman through a field of grain.

I instantly recognized her, Demeter.

"Please, mom." Despina begged, following her mother but Demeter ignored her daughter.

"Please, I'm also your child," Despina said.

Demeter spun around so fast, her face was red in anger, "You're not my child. My real child is locked up in the underworld!" she sneered.

Despina flinched, "But…"

"No but, you were never supposed to be born, go to your father. He will take you in." Demeter said coldly.

Despina began to tremble, "He doesn't, I've been trying to contact him for over a year but he ignores me. You're the only one I have."

Demeter turned around, "Well, it's a cold world. I lost my daughter. And now you lost your mother and father."

Despina sobbed, "No, please. Just give me a try."

"I don't know you, I have a real daughter to look after," Demeter said and she disappeared into a tornado of cereal.

Despina began to sit on the grains and buried her face in her hands, and I heard her crying.

I felt sorry for her. I never expected Demeter or Poseidon to act like this.

As I watched Despina cry, unable to comfort her, I wondered why was I having this dream, it was obvious this meant something. Apollo told me Artemis is not the only sister who needed help.

Maybe he was talking about Despina, that would explain why I was having these dreams about her, and I suspected Apollo sent them, but why?

Apollo raised her so maybe Apollo still felt bad and wanted me to show there was more to it. But honestly I had no idea what that could be, help her?

As far as I knew she wanted to freeze the world, which was not only a stupid reason to join Kronos but also something I couldn't help her with.

Unlike Medusa, she had no curse I could lift.

Then Despina got up and glared at her surroundings, for a second I wondered where she was glaring at, then I understood she was glaring at the grain and indirectly at her mother.

She looked bitterly at the grain and ripped it out of the ground.

"Fine." She yelled.

"You both don't want me? Fine! Well, I hate both of you!" She yelled.

The surrounding grain began to rot and decay, a circle of dead grain formed around her and spread outwards.

"See that mom?" she yelled as she clenched her fist.

The dead ground around her began to freeze, ice began to form around her feet and crawl outwards.

First it went slow but then it sped up and began to cover the entire field in ice and snow. Despina extended her hands outwards and opened her palms. A gust of wind came out of her hands and I was blown away,

Suddenly I stood in Commodus's throne room, he was sitting on his throne and was looking straight at me.

"The birds were scared away. If Apollo and the hunter hadn't intervened, they would've been dead by now."

I wonder who he was talking to and who the hunter was.

Commodus face soured, I had the idea someone spoke back to him but I could not hear the voice.

"Well Caligula is not available and I am more than capable, Beside I already know where they are. The Oracle Trophonius predicted they would arrive in Cloudcroft"

Then Commodus face turned red, "Don't you dare to threaten me in my own house witch."

Then my dream changed.

I was now standing in a dark area. I looked around and saw I was standing in a sewer tunnel.

Someone stood with his back to me and even though he was not facing me directly I immediately recognized him.

He wore casual clothes but on his face, he had a white bag.

The terrorist who everyone was talking about in the Media.

He turned around and I saw the front of his mask.

His bag had eye holes cut in them, black paint surrounded the eye holes so it looked like he had eye sockets. A red smile was painted across the hole for the mouth.

"I'm getting impatient," he said with a taunting voice.

"It's hard navigating in the maze." someone behind me said.

"We'll need him or we can't make the machine."

Then the roof began to shake and crumble and finally, it collapsed.

When I opened my eyes I was facing a clock that hung in the air, it was a classic style clock. Black numbers and metal frame.

Tick tock, Tick tock.

"Hurry Percy, time is running out." a girls voice said.

The pointers of the clock broke and blood began to drip out of the numbers.

Tick tock, Tick tock.

Then I woke up and gasped for air.

I looked around and saw I was still in my motel room.

I had no idea about what my dreams meant but I knew one thing, we need to get out of here.

...

Zoë opened the door of Nyx's room, Nyx had not even locked her room.

The sun was rising and they had to get on the road again.

Zoë opened the door and found Nyx sitting on her bed, leaning against the wall.

She had in one hand a Coca-cola can and in her other hand, she held Rebel, Percy's Nemean lion disguised as a cat.

The floor was littered with Coca-cola cans and bottles and Nyx looked like she hadn't slept at all. Her bright eyes were dull and ringed black circles, her skin was pale and her perfect hair was messy.

She was staring at the TV screen that hung on the wall.

"Nyx?" Zoë asked.

Nyx looked away from the TV screen and noticed Zoë.

"Hey, Zoë!" Nyx called out, "Sit down and take a drink." she offered Nyx an empty Cola can.

The cat burped.

Zoë stared at Nyx with disgust and surprise, "You fed the cat cola?"

Nyx nodded cheerfully, "Yeah! He likes it too."

Burrpp! The cat burped innocently.

"You've been up all night?" Zoë asked, glaring at Nyx.

She nodded and pointed at the TV screen, "Yeah! I was watching the news."

Zoë glanced at the TV screen, it showed helicopter footage of Washington DC.

Another Terrorist attack from the Fear man. What's next? Red letters moved over the screen, "We were on the news! Cool isn't it?" Nyx said taking another sip from her Cola.

"No! This is horrible." she gasped.

Nyx nodded, "Yeah."

"We need to go." Zoë finally said flabbergasted by Nyx's response.

"Now? I am tired." Nyx pouted.

Zoë glared at Nyx, "You stayed up all night?"

"Yes, is this an interrogation? In that case, I need to speak to my lawyer, that's a thing Mortals say." Nyx said.

Zoë stepped closer to Nyx's bed, grabbed the remote and turned off the TV.

"Hey!" Nyx complained, "I was watching that."

"What the Hades are you thinking?" Zoë yelled.

Nyx shrugged, "Nothing special, why are you asking that?"

"You literally stayed up the entire night watching TV and drinking Cola while we are on a quest to save Artemis." Zoë cried out.

"You are right," Nyx said.

"Why are you even on this quest?" Zoë asked.

"Because Percy thought it might be important to save Artemis," Nyx said.

"Because of Percy? You went on this quest because of Percy?" Zoë asked disgustedly.

"Yes."

"Why? You are being so stupid." Zoë said accusingly.

"I heard that one before," Nyx said casually.

"Percy is a male, one day he will betray you." Zoë sneered.

Nyx straightened up and she looked angry, "You know Zoë?" Nyx sneered, "You and I are not different, except I choose someone with a good character and not with just the good looks."

Zoë glared, "Don't you dare…"

"Or what?" Nyx asked, "You are sad and pathetic just because Hercules dumped you doesn't mean you have to dedicate your life to hating man."

"You don't know what you are talking about," Zoë said, her cheeks were red and she clenched her fist.

"Oh, I know. I had a shitty boyfriend too just like you. I killed mine. You allowed yours to live and ruin your life today."

Zoë stepped back in shock, "You-"

"Yes, you should've too, instead you project Hercules on every male you see." Nyx sneered and summoned her void black daggers.

Zoë reached towards her hunter knife.

"Don't you dare," Zoë muttered.

Then Thalia entered the room, "Quick! Come to Percy's room!" she then stopped dead in her tracks and noticed the two girls holding knives in their hands.

"Did I interrupt something?" Thalia asked warily.

"No!" Both girls said in unison while glaring at each other.

"Great." Thalia muttered, "Anyway, come to my room as fast you can."

Thalia charged out of the door towards Bianca's room.

Nyx grabbed Rebel, who protested, and walked past Zoë towards Bianca's room.

She found Percy and Thalia sitting on the bed discussing something.

Bianca sat in the corner looking nervous.

"I'm here, what's going on?" Nyx asked.

Percy turned towards her and gasped, "What happened to you?"

"She has been staying up all night, watching TV and drinking Cola," Zoë said as she entered the room.

Thalia's room was just like Nyx's except that she had a balcony which was in her opinion; totally unfair.

Black curtains hung in front of the window and covered them entirely.

"You look terrible," Percy told Nyx.

"Thanks," Nyx said pleased.

"She also gave the Nemean lion cola," Zoë added.

"He likes it," Nyx told Percy.

Percy scowled, "What?"

Burp Rebel burped, demonstrating his new power.

"What's going on?" Zoë asked Thalia, "Why did we need to come."

"PLEASE OPEN THE CURTAINS!." someone yelled from outside, probably from the parking lot.

Thalia and Percy gave each other worried looks.

"PLEASE!" the same voice said.

Percy shrugged and opened the curtains with one quick swipe.

The room bathed in the sunlight and Nyx had to cover her eyes for a second before they adjusted to the brightness.

Thalia's window looked over the parking lot.

There were no other cars except the red Spider Zoë had parked yesterday, 3 people stood right under their window.

Three cops in uniform were looking at Percy with a smile on their face, their appearance was not that remarkable, there was one female officer who had brown short flattened hair and a flat face like she ran into a wall recently.

The cop on her right side had the same flat look to him but he had dull eyes that seemed to stare right pass Percy.

The one on her other side looked exactly like the other male cop but had a silver device in his hand.

All three had a lumpy bellies that stood out from their appearance.

"Good morning, sorry for the inconvenience but we placed explosives around the Motel and are about to blow it up, thank you for your understanding." the female officer said.

"Have a nice day." The cop with the device added.