The words hung in the air, heavy and suffocating.
"The storm was born from your power, Mykel Stone."
I stood frozen, the weight of Somnos's declaration pressing down on me like a boulder. Percy and Annabeth exchanged glances, both waiting for my reaction. But what could I say? I didn't even know how my power worked half the time, let alone how I'd accidentally unleashed a cataclysmic Dreamstorm. My thoughts felt scattered, like leaves caught in a gale.
"Wait," I managed to stammer, my voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't mean for this to happen."
Somnos remained seated on his throne, his glowing eyes locked onto mine. He didn't seem angry, more… curious. Like I was some puzzle he was trying to solve.
"It does not matter what you intended," Somnos replied, his voice as deep as the storm itself. "The Dreamsea responds to you, Mykel. It has since the day you were born. The question is—do you have the strength to control it?"
"Control it?" Percy cut in, stepping forward with a confused look. "He didn't even know this place existed until, like, an hour ago! How's he supposed to control a storm of dreams?"
Annabeth was silent, watching me with a calculating gaze. I could tell she was already working through the puzzle in her mind, trying to figure out the mechanics of this new revelation.
Somnos remained unfazed. "Dreams are not merely figments of the mind. They are living things, born from the imagination, sustained by belief. You, Mykel, have the rare gift of shaping them. But your power has been left untended, untrained. And now, it is spilling into the waking world."
I swallowed hard, the enormity of it all crashing down on me. I was a demigod, sure, and I'd dealt with monsters and gods and the occasional math test, but this… this was something else. The Dreamsea was its own force—vast, ancient, and terrifying. If I didn't learn to control it, I'd be responsible for tearing apart the boundary between dreams and reality.
"How?" I asked, my voice cracking. "How do I control it?"
Somnos leaned back, folding his hands in his lap. "The Dreamstorm can only be quelled by its source. You must dive deep into the heart of the storm—into the very core of the Dreamsea—and reclaim what is yours."
I stared at him, feeling the cold claws of fear grip my insides. "And if I fail?"
His eyes gleamed. "Then the storm will continue to grow, consuming both the dream world and the waking world, until there is nothing left."
Percy let out a low whistle. "No pressure."
Annabeth stepped forward, her mind already racing ahead. "If the Dreamsea is responding to Mykel, then that means he's somehow connected to it on a fundamental level. We need to figure out how to harness that connection."
I nodded slowly, my head still spinning. "But how do I even begin to dive into the Dreamsea?"
"Through your dreams," Somnos answered, his voice a whisper now, as if speaking from a great distance. "You must enter your own dream. Only then will you find the path to the storm's core."
My own dream? That sounded… impossible. Dreams were fleeting, untouchable, and trying to control one felt like grabbing smoke with your bare hands. But then again, I'd already done the impossible—survived monster attacks, fought beside heroes, and walked through the Dreamsea. This was just one more challenge. Right?
Percy clapped me on the shoulder. "Well, if anyone can do it, it's you, Myke."
I shot him a weak smile, but inside, my stomach churned with anxiety. Somnos had made it sound so simple, but I had no idea how to enter my own dream, let alone confront a storm within it.
"We'll help," Annabeth said firmly, reading my mind. "You're not alone in this."
I took a deep breath, steadying myself. "Okay. So… how do I start?"
Somnos gestured toward the swirling mist at the far end of the temple, where the air seemed to shimmer with a strange, otherworldly light. "There," he said. "The gateway to the Dreamsea. Step through, and you will find yourself within your own dream. But beware—the deeper you go, the more difficult it will be to return."
"Great," Percy muttered. "Always with the ominous warnings."
But there was no other choice. The storm was my responsibility, and if I didn't act, the entire world—dream and waking alike—would be torn apart. I had to do this.
With a determined nod, I stepped toward the shimmering gateway. As I approached, the air around me grew heavy, thick with the scent of lavender and something else—something ancient and unknowable. I could feel the pull of the Dreamsea growing stronger, tugging at my consciousness, urging me to dive in.
Annabeth and Percy stood beside me, their faces a mix of concern and determination. "We're right behind you," Annabeth said, her voice steady. "We'll pull you back if anything goes wrong."
I nodded, taking one final deep breath. "Alright. Here goes nothing."
And with that, I stepped through the gateway.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The moment I crossed the threshold, the world shifted again. Colors exploded around me—blues, purples, and golds blending into a swirling vortex of light. I felt myself falling, spiraling downward through layers of dreams and memories. Images flashed before my eyes—faces, places, moments from my past—each one more vivid than the last.
For a moment, I couldn't tell where the dream began and where I ended. I was everywhere and nowhere at once, floating through a sea of memories, emotions, and half-forgotten thoughts.
Then, just as quickly as it had begun, the sensation stopped.
I found myself standing in a vast, open field. The sky above was a deep, inky blue, dotted with stars that shimmered like diamonds. The air was cool and still, and in the distance, I could see a lone figure standing at the edge of the horizon.
I knew immediately where I was.
This was my dream.
The figure in the distance turned toward me, and my heart skipped a beat. It was my father—Morpheus, the god of dreams.
"Mykel," he said, his voice carrying across the field like a gentle breeze. "It's time to awaken your true power."
I swallowed hard, taking a step forward. "Dad… I need your help."
Morpheus smiled, his eyes soft and knowing. "You already have everything you need, my son. The Dreamsea is yours to command. But you must believe in your own strength."
I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could speak, the ground beneath us began to tremble. The stars above flickered, and the sky darkened, the Dreamstorm encroaching on the peaceful landscape.
Morpheus's expression grew serious. "The storm is coming, Mykel. And only you can stop it."
My heart pounded in my chest as the sky split open, revealing the swirling chaos of the Dreamstorm above. The winds howled, and the stars were swallowed by the growing darkness.
This was it. The moment I had been dreading.
I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath, and let the power of the Dreamsea flow through me.
It was time to face the storm.