sheep_game | Counting Stars

[ the hand closes around him and clenches.

and the last thing he hears is

YOU ARE MINE NOW, WHEREVER YOU GO.

— before the dream shatters, and they wake. (or not, if he goes on dreamwalking) ]

[ Whenever Ananke wakes up he's going to spend a few minutes in his room pulling himself back together before he even thinks of leaving his room. He paces in the hall for another minute before finally choosing Cepheus' door to knock on, but if he can't find him there then he's checking the salt lake next ]

[ he is in his room. there's a hesitation before he goes to get the door, but he does, sleep-disheveled and too tired to toss up any illusions to hide the bioluminescence effects.

winces when he sees ananke ]

Okay, I was hoping the you-being-there part was also just a dream.

Edited 2024-05-10 02:07 (UTC)

[ Oh. He already looked pretty shell-shocked, but he loses a little more color at that ]

You—saw that?

I didn't see anything you need to be ashamed of, so you can stop looking like that.

[ and then sighs, makes a doomed attempt to flatten his hair a little ]

Sorry about the...nightmare. You didn't need to deal with that.

[ does not stop looking like that ]

Is that what you're dealing with?

I am really, really used to nightmares.

[ Looks like he might cry again. Takes a deep breath and looks down instead ]

And here I thought my dreams were bad.

They probably are? This was just...

[ how much is he going to lie right now. can he lie to that expression right now. ]

...about average.

[ wow he hates that ]

Is that common for demigods?

Yeah, super common. We also get incredibly fun visions of what our enemies are up to, relive horrible memories of mythological figures, and sometimes get immortals giving us one on one time. Though there hasn't been much of any of those, here.

... I had a dream about Kevin too.

I'm going to guess it wasn't a great dream.

[ His breath catches in his throat the first time he tries to answer. Presses a hand over his eyes and takes a few calming breaths ]

We were running through Tartarus.

[ that's a sharp inhale he can't help, and he goes paler than he'd been a moment ago, hands at his sides going to fists ]

...I'm really sorry you had to see that.

I'm sorry you guys have to actually deal with that place. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

[ deep breaths don't help, it turns out ]

Most of us don't. Ananke, there are three living half-bloods right now who have been to Tartarus and escaped. One was Kevin. One was my girlfriend. And one was me. She and I fell in together, not too long after Kevin got out.

—Sorry. I should've thought about whether or not you'd been— I didn't mean to dredge up such bad memories.

I just said it wasn't common. How could you have known?

I...don't know.

[ quiet for a count of ten ]

...I'm sorry. I guess we both gave you, um. The worst night's sleep ever. Tell me if there's a way I can make it up to you?

You still shouldn't apologize for dreams you can't even control.

...But if you want to do something... Do you know how to make brownies? There's no way I'm getting back to sleep without something to take my mind off of...any of that.

I know how to not burn brownies. Probably.

I don't think I'm getting back to sleep either, anyway.

Cool. Scarab says he remembers my mom's recipe, so we can teach you to do better than just not burning them.

[ well, that makes him smile a little ]

Let's go.

[ and off to the kitchen! ]

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