Echoes of Days Past

**Echoes of Days Past**

Percy woke up to an unnatural silence; one normally absent from the bustling halls of the first year dorms. It didn't take long for him to realize he wasn't in the familiar mess of his team's room. He stepped across the bare wooden floors, sneakers thumping against the hard surface.

Strange, he thought. Percy was no doubt in a school, but it wasn't Beacon Academy. Even stranger, it felt slightly familiar, like rereading a book you set down years ago. Though he couldn't quite put his finger on it, the memories of the layout began to piece themselves together in the back of his mind.

Turning the corner, he began up old staircase of dusty footprints and faded colors. Each step creaked under his weight. The stairs continued higher and higher, and something inside Percy clicked once he reached the fourth floor. Walking down the hallway, Percy's head began to buzz with familiar sensations of coldness, relief, pain, hope...

He noticed a single figure standing alone, peering out the glass windows.

"Break is about to start, you know."

The words seemed to come out naturally as Percy gazed at the dark haired boy. Without another soul in the barren hallway, his voice reverberated off the white walls until it melted into the dusty air. Following his stare out the window, noise suddenly flared up. Laughter vibrantly filled the atmosphere outside those walls. School children ran around chasing one another, stumbling across the freshly cut grass and packed dirt. Beyond the glass, it looked like a different world.

"I know." The youth rasped quietly, not bothering to turn away from the window. "I don't like recess. The other kids won't ask me to play."

The words, despite their somber message, brought a slight grin to Percy's lips. There was something familiar about the child, though he wasn't quite sure. Again, the words flowed spontaneously.

"That's right," he replied knowlingly. "They wouldn't even look at you."

At this, the boy gazed back at him, with black bangs nearly covering his lifeless blue eyes. "Who are you?"

Smiling, Percy scratched his nose. "That depends. Who are *you*?"

"Perseus." The name bounced off the silent walls, before distorting into nothing. As if a cord had been cut, the vibrant voices from outside faded and the air grew stale. The hallway seemed to stretch until the end was nowhere in sight. Though it was only a single name, the weight it carried traveled to more than the two individuals.

"That's funny. I'm also Percy."

"I don't think it's funny." As he began to walk away, Percy followed silently, eyes darting into the empty classrooms and colorless lockers along the walls. Once again, the emotions swirled. Anger, loneliness, joy, regret...

"You don't like funny, do you? You always hated jokes, because they were always meant for someone else."

The boy came to a stop wordlessly. His already frail back seemed to shrink in response.

"You also hate parties, because you were never invite to any even though you wanted to go. And you hate music, because no one would share it with you even if you wanted to listen. Then you hated writing, because no one would read whatever you wrote-"

"...Even when I worked hard on it."

"You also hate P.E. because-"

"-no one would group with me."

"And you hate-"

"-basketball, because no one ever passed me the ball. And I hate break time, because it shows how distant I am from everyone. And I hate family day, because no one ever comes to see me. And I hate group projects because the teacher forces people together, and I hate art because I never know what to draw for other people, and I hate-"

The boy had started to shake, fists clenched by his sides. With every line, his trembling grew stronger and voice grew louder. The shallow breaths between each phrase devolved into unsteady whimpers, and the words blended together until there were nothing but sobs.

Sighing, Percy placed his hand on the boy's hair and gently tossled it. It all came together.

"When I think about it," he whispered kindly, "there wasn't a single thing you didn't hate."

The sobbing suddenly ceased, and the boy's hunched back stiffened without a sound. For a brief moment, not a single noise could be heard in the void of space.

"I don't have any friends and my sister is gone. I don't even have a real family. Nobody wants me around." As he glanced back at Percy, tears silently streamed down his cheeks. His eyes swelled in sadness but his broken voice desperately attempted to give nothing away.

"Can I just go die?"

Closing his eyes, Percy held the boy close to him. The tears began to soak his shirt, slowly dripping towards the ground. As each drop plopped onto the wooden floor, a splash of color returned to the bleak building. The lockers regained their familiar shade of crimson, and the desks returned to their russet texture. How had he ever forgotten this building?

"No, I don't think you should." Taking out a cloth from his pocket, Percy began to gently wipe away the sorrow on the boy's face. "You see, very soon you'll meet a talkative guy who's a little bit annoying. But, his heart's in the right place, and he'll come find you even if you won't look for him. You two will be best friends until you leave. Then you'll go on a journey and meet a very smart girl who will stay by you, and a cocky but caring guy, and then a nice snarky girl. I'm not sure why, but they'll come to like you, even if you're a weirdo."

The young boy rubbed his face with a sleeve and stared up at Percy. His eyes were clouded in doubt, shifting into guilt and sorrow. Then, finally, into hope.

"Really?"

Percy unwrapped his scarf from around his neck and wove it gently around the boy's, barely covering his nose and mouth. He would need it for the dark times ahead, before the sun would break through those gray skies.

"Yeah."

Opening his eyes, Percy found himself gazing in an all-too familiar sunlit dorm. The three other beds beside his were already empty, but still showed signs of recent use. Like always, the one to his right was well made and the other two were left messily abandoned. Yawning, he reached for the scarf he had always tied on the bedpost. Feeling it's usual warmth and comfort, Percy started thinking about the day.

It was a weekend, with plenty of time left for work and training. Some studying to do for Professor Port's tactics class, some writing to finish for Professor Gosling's social studies course. Percy often thought about sleeping in, saving the brunt of the load for the comfort of deep night's solitude. However, today he leapt out of bed without wasting a single second. Matching the tidy mattress next to his, Percy straightened out his sheets and blankets, along with folding his sleepwear neatly into a pile.

Packing his bag, he imagined the day ahead. This late, the dining hall would be nearly empty, except for Nyx who always overslept regardless of the day. He imagined Verona tutoring the team with Rivern groaning and Lucia dozing off. He imagined Terry popping out of nowhere to visit him, even though he wasn't supposed to.

Smiling, Percy picked up his bag and slung the Lunar Kites over his shoulder. He twisted the knob with a jolt, swinging the door wide open. It was a new day.