LOKI'S POV

Lucid dreaming.

It's something hard to do consciously. Something where you're sleeping, dreaming. But you're aware. You know what's happening. You know you're dreaming. Maybe you're not in control and everything seems normal until you wake up, but that's not important. 

Lucid dreaming.

That's what I had to do. 

If I could consciously slip into Dream, the chaotic substance that ran through the Worlds Below, go surfing for a mind with a body that wouldn't be missed and retain my sanity, I could escape. I could get out of here and find a place in the Known World and stop Percy from doing anything he would regret. 

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and leaned gently against the wall, my body singing with pain. 

Focus.

Concentrate.

I released the breath of air, allowing my mind to sink into a blank calm.

Sleep.

Dream.

It took a few attempts, but finally, it worked and I slipped into Dream's Realm of Lucid Dreaming as the cell I had been trapped in for so long crumbled into something different around me.

Cotton pink clouds, a proud white castle gleaming in the distance. I was on the soft sandy shores of this person's dream. I was soul surfing. However, the kind of person I needed was somebody who wouldn't be missed if they suddenly disappeared. Not a little girl with the dream of becoming a princess.

I don't know how long I spent searching for somebody adequate. The dangerous part of delving into Dream was interacting with its inhabitants. If you weren't careful your thoughts could become entangled with theirs and the more people you visit like that the more you lose yourself, multiple personalities become intertwined and you go slowly insane or become lost, drowning in Dream eternally, unable to anchor yourself, forever suffocating.

But finally, I found someone. Somebody who wouldn't be missed. A lowly criminal with no family left to speak of and no real will left to live. My possession of his body could be counted as a blessing. He doesn't have to end his miserable existence, but he doesn't have to live either and I get my ticket out of here.

It took a few more dream visits to get to know the person, to coax them into a false safety so I could get close enough to take over their mind and body.

But something made me uncertain.

Because the closer I got to my goal of freedom, the more brutal the sessions became, draining me of energy and making it harder to regain it. Sometimes I wouldn't even properly recover before they came back for another round.

It was almost as if Surt knew what I was planning, but I couldn't allow myself to believe that because that would mean spending the rest of eternity withering away in here.

That was not happening.

After a particularly bad session, I decided that now was the time to leave. I couldn't bear waiting anymore. Not when freedom was right there. I wouldn't usually rush, but I couldn't handle it any longer. 

Soon, I would be out of here...

~~~~

PERCY'S POV:

There we stood, right outside a cave mouth that had taken weeks to find. The Avengers were behind me and suited up, as per request. One way to enter the Black Fortress was through Hel's Realm, which meant finding and navigating the correct underground tunnels that would take us there.

I took a deep breath. "Alright, let's go."

"Hey, who designated you as the team leader?" Tony complained.

I shook my head, ignoring him. "Stay close. You really don't want to get lost down here." Then, without looking behind me, I stepped into the cave.

It was time to get Loki back...

~~~~

Well now, Loki's trying to escape before Percy launches a rescue mission but Percy's already on his way... oh dear. I'm attempting to update every story today because it's my birthday so hey, why the hell not?

Peace,

BTSWD
Borntosingwithdrama