dust colours [open]

Alec sat beside several stacks of worn, dusty tapestries with his head against the wall, eyes half-closed, rocking to and fro.

He had come up to the attic on an unexplainable whim, but now as an afterthought, it didn't seem to have been the best idea. Alec supposed he should have known, but still. He was used to unearthly presences, so it was not the mummified Oracle that affected him. Besides, he was familiar with it as well, having already been on a quest. Just as he brushed past a cabinet of old relics, however, something reminded him of... something.

The part of his mind that Alec had locked away deep within itself, in the darkest, most obscure depths of his consciousness, seemed to suddenly slip out of his control, forcing its way back into the limelight. The lapses in concentration were becoming more profound and soon, Alec anticipated, the blinding, flashing images would start. He would again be separated from the world and its achingly vivid colours. On anyone else, it might have been a relief. For the son of Hades, there was only fear.

Collapsing against the side of the cabinet, Alec slid down with his back to the wall, letting his head rest against the crumbly paint. He could now taste the moist air of tunnels and soil far underground, like the damp dirt was just inches from his face. A quick groan escaping his lips, Alec realised that he was hyperventilating. He took several long breaths, but was already too far gone to tell if it was helping or not.

Come on. His mind was a blur of cobwebs and grey stonework. Get on with it. At least it was deep into the night and nobody would see him in this state.

Just as that particular thought occurred to Alec, footsteps thudded up the steps. He watched through a fading haze of colour as the door handle trembled and turned.

Alec looked up at the girl, barely managing to lift his eyelids, certainly not bothering to flick away the strands of dark blonde that covered half his vision.

She was surprised—and for good reason. Alec pictured himself in her point of view, a fellow demigod half shrouded in darkness, slumped against a wall in a eerie old attic full of dusty relics. Not to mention that a few paces away was the unmentionable oracle of delphi, which was probably older and creepier than everything else in the room combined. Not the least disturbing scene.

The girl's high tone pierced like a sharp lance, penetrating his already disoriented mind with crude efficiency.

"Not so loud." He meant to sound harsh, but with the effort of keeping the illusions at bay, Alec couldn't even manage that anymore. His voice came out in a dry whisper. He found it harder to concentrate on the reality of the room around him, yet to let his mind meander by itself would bring only fear.

He was simply prolonging the inevitable, and one moment's distraction would drag him into a whirling torrent of memories.

Alec longed to get it over with, and he was ready a moment ago, but he couldn't fully surrender his will with someone in close proximity. Frustration skimmed about mockingly and danced in his chest. While given over to that post-traumatic trance, he would have no control over his mind or his physical body. Alec would relive the labyrinth once again. From past experience, having someone around, apart from his sister, never turned out well. The slightest touch could have him in a crazed fury. As he obviously couldn't leave, she needed to stay away. It was sheer luck that the girl hadn't appeared a little later.

Each second felt like an eternity of agony, but Alec forced himself to speak. "Please, get out." His voice was steadier this time, but there was a glint in his eyes that could have been a threat or an apt sign of insanity for all anyone knew. At that moment, getting out would've been a wise decision.

Forcing himself to focus, Alec pushed away the visions even knowing that it would hurt later on. He really should have been to a therapist. But how would he explain the mental lapses? Underground mazes and monsters and unthinkable horrors that definitely could not exist in the mortal world. He didn't want to be shipped off to that sort of institute.

The answer was painfully obvious. "Because I can't?" Alec ignored the middle section of her questions, trying to decide if he could hold out till she was done with her whatever. He couldn't, and the girl was obviously not going to leave. He gave up trying.

"Go on then, I won't stop you." There was a dark gleam of challenge in his eyes.

Then a thought struck him. Resisting only increased the pain, so why would he sacrifice more of his sanity for the safety of someone he didn't even know?

Well, there's the oracle, he argued. I wouldn't want to damage it. The argument sounded weak even to himself.

Excuses, Alec. The voice was a silent whisper, winding itself around his will and prying the mental wall of his mind apart. You never cared before, you shouldn't care now.

"Yeah, maybe I don't." Perhaps he had mumbled it aloud, perhaps he had not. Either way, there was to be no more battle. His half closed eyes glazed over, and Alec gave himself up at last to the demands of his broken mind. It was up to the Fates now, whatever happened.