Yes, this is an update. Trust me I'm just as excited as you probably are. I looove how this chapter came out and after finishing it tonight I just couldn't wait to share it with you.

A Drop In the Ocean
Chapter 9
Vulnerable

Percy was used to nightmares. The war had left her scarred and paranoid and her subconscious constantly picked on her darkest fears, bringing them to life almost every night as her eyes closed. The dreams were different every time but they all had the general pattern of blood and death, leaving her feverish and jumpy and unable to fall back into sleep.

That night was no different.

The dream started with Percy standing on the familiar beach at Camp Half-Blood, warm sand caressing her bare feet and a playful breeze ruffling her hair. The ocean stretched before her open and incomprehensibly large as always, but the color was wrong. Instead of the blue-green of her eyes, the waves which lapped against the shore were a deep burgundy red. A painfully familiar metallic smell tickled her nose and the demigoddess frowned, leaning closer towards the water only to realize it was no water at all but blood, warm and ghastly.

Gasping she made to step back, away from the shore where the sand was turning pink with blood, but stumbled over something, crashing onto the ground. Her eyes met a familiar pair of grey ones, staring unseen in front of them, blood trickling from the slash on Annabeth's throat and flowing to meet the ocean.

Percy screamed scrambling back from her best friend's dead body only to see that the obstacle she had stumbled over was Thalia's deathly pale, motionless hand.

"No, no, no, no" She cried out crawling away from the beach only to be met with an even more horrifying image. The whole Camp lay in tatters, rumble and bodies lingering on the ground coloring it red, rivers of blood streaming down the hill and towards the ocean. "This is my fault, my fault, my FAULT-"

"-Percy!"

With a gasp the demigoddess shot upright on the bed, instinctively drawing the dagger from underneath the pillow and swinging blindly in the direction of the voice. With deadly accuracy, even in her distressed state, the blade sliced through the air, a soft hiss sounding when it made contact. The noise drew Percy out of the grip the nightmare still had over her and blindly she reached out towards the nightstand. A soft click broke the silence and the room was suddenly illuminated by the glow of the bedside-lamp, revealing Triton standing at the foot of her bed, face pale and shocked, an already healing slash on his cheek weeping droplets of golden ichor.

They stared at each other for a long moment, while Percy tried to chase away the tremble of her limbs and normalize her rapid heartbeat. The prevalent sounds in the room were her panting breaths and the shift of fabric when she tried to untangle herself from the sheets which stubbornly clung to her sweaty skin.

Making a noise frustration she finally threw the covers on the floor and stood on unsteady feet, pushing past the still god and heading towards the balcony. Cold air stung her bare skin, the thin layer of snow which covered the ground instantly numbing her toes. The air cut like a dagger as it entered her lungs but she welcomed the sting, taking deep, desperate gulps of it.

She felt the air shift next to her, indicating another presence, but did not turn to address it, keeping her eyes onto the railing grasped between her fingers.

"I am sorry." Her voice was hoarse as she spoke, her throat raw from the screams she had probably released while in the throes of the nightmare. The apology felt hollow even as she voiced it, the realization that she had attacked and wounded a god just dawning on her. A shot of fear stabbed through her chest as she was faced with the real possibility of being smote where she stood by her half-brother.

But Triton did not smite her. Instead, he leaned against the railing next to her, peering into the darkness. "Does this happen often?" He asked quietly and Percy found herself unable to read his voice and too frightened to risk glancing at his expression.

"Almost every night since the end of the war." Tomorrow she would probably berate herself for the honest answer, but right now she felt hurt and vulnerable, her nerves rubbed raw by the dream. "Annabeth thinks I have PTSD." The demigoddess admitted finding herself in agreement with the daughter of Athena with every passing night. But it was no like she could do something about. Aside from the fact that she was unable to speak about her dreams to anyone, let alone her friends who always took the lead roles in them, it was not like she could go to some counselor and tell them she had participated in a war between gods and titans. That would achieve nothing but earn her one-way ticket to the nearest asylum. "Go back to sleep," She told him after a moment of silence. "There are still a few hours until sunrise."

That grabbed his attention because he shifted, looking towards her with a frown. "What about you?"

Percy let out a laugh tinted with bitterness at the idea of simply going back to sleep and facing another load of her demons. "I won't be sleeping anymore tonight." She heard Triton sigh, though was unsure if it was in frustration or something else. With a hand of her shoulder he turned her towards him, sea-green eyes dark as the bore into her own. He simply looked at her for awhile, searching her face for something. Thankfully the habitual scowl was gone from his face as he regarded her, even though the expression which had taken its place gave none of his thoughts away.

Whatever he was searching for, he seemed to have found it because after a moment he spoke again, hand still gripping her shoulder, the thin T-shirt doing nothing to ward against the warmth of his skin. "How about you go take a shower and when you are ready we will take the time to plan our next course of action, okay?"

Numbly, somewhat surprised by his consideration, Percy nodded, letting him nudge her back inside, where it was warm and cozy. Quickly as she could, she gathered her bathing supplies as well as a new pair of clothes, and made her way towards the bathroom. Stopping in front of the door, the demigoddess turned back towards Triton who had been silently watching her progression.

"Thanks." She told him quietly. "And I'm sorry." She disappeared behind the door before he could form a response.

The shower did miracles to lift her mood though the dream still lurked in the shadows of her mind as nightmares often did. Determined not to let it affect her and grateful she had the quest to occupy her thoughts, demigoddess squared her shoulders and walked out of the bathroom.

Triton was awake as she expected, sitting on his bed with the map of last night opened across his knees and him peering down at it, mumbling something under his breath. He looked up when she entered the room, gaze inquisitive, though thankfully he did not mention what happened before.

"So," Percy started, dumping her stuff on the bed and moving to glance at the map above his shoulder. "The Labyrinth? Wasn't it destroyed after Daedalus' death?"

"We thought so too," Triton admitted shifting a little to make space for her on the bed, which she took hesitantly. "Until a few months ago Athena discovered another entrance, still standing and functioning." He said the goddess' name like one would say a curse obviously sharing their father's intense dislike for the Olympian.

"So if there is an entrance-"

"-There must be something behind it." The god finished for her, excited for making a breakthrough. Percy frowned slightly, a foreboding feeling falling over her. Whatever it was that awaited them in the Labyrinth could not be good. She could vividly remember her last foray into Daedalus' famed construction and all the horrors that she had faced inside.

Forcefully brushing away her dark thoughts, she focused back on the map. "And where is that entrance?"

Silently, Triton tapped his finger against the map, making her lean closer so she could read the tiny script. "Grand Canyon? The entrance is in Grand Canyon?" At his affirmation she tried to calculate the distance and the transportation they could take, before cursing in Greek.

"What is it?"

"We're going to have to go through Los Angeles." Percy told him, watching the blood drain from his face.

"Oh, fuck."

So that's all for now. I hope you like this chapter as much as I do. Don't forget to tell me what you think in the reviews.

Much Love,
Just a Drop In The Ocean