Percy Jackson 9

There are many ways to wake up.

You might wake up because a monster is trying to eat you. Because a satyr bursts in screaming that the world is ending. Because Clarisse decided that five in the morning was the perfect time to work out. And I've experienced all three.

But during the last few months I would wake up for a strange reason.

I dreamed of a statue.

Ridiculous. Yes, I know.

She was a white marble girl on a pedestal with an almost melancholic expression.

I tried to ignore it. I had more important problems. The Camp was going through one of its worst periods, and Thalia's tree was dying.

Then the quest for the Golden Fleece appeared.

After several things like almost dying and questionable decisions, I ended up infiltrating Princess Andromeda for the second time.

The last thing I expected to find there was the girl of my dreams.

But there it was.

The place resembled a shrine. There were flowers, candles, and jewelry surrounding the pedestal.

And in the center was she.

For a second I forgot where I was. I forgot the mission. I forgot I was supposed to retrieve the Golden Fleece.

Luke found me watching her and smiled.

Beautiful, isn't it?

Luke walked up to the pedestal as if he were approaching something sacred and told me his story.

According to him, she was a daughter of Zeus. And everyone claimed that she was the chosen one of the great prophecy, who would one day end the Olympian reign and bring back the golden age.

So the gods punished her.

They turned her to stone and condemned her to remain conscious for centuries.

As Luke spoke, I could notice something different in his voice: obsession.

He looked at her like a shipwrecked man looks at dry land.

It was unsettling. And the worst part was that I couldn't take my eyes off her either.

The difference was that Luke wanted to possess her.

I wanted to save her.

I didn't understand why, but as I watched the frozen sadness on her marble face, I made a silent promise.

I would give him back his life.