.:Redefined:.
..::Chapter One::..
...:::Delphi's Daughter:::...
The corridor was made of stone, dripping with filthy, ice chilled water. The walls were streaked with grime and sticky sludge, webbing the stone bricks with stripes of mud. A hollow breeze was blowing by, seeming to pass everything it blew into and only freezing it further. I desperately hugged myself with my bare arms, chattering with such racket that the little clicks of noise echoed like I had chattered through a large megaphone. Maybe it was the way that sounds carried on throughout the dark, looming hallway, but I could've sworn I heard distant slithering- like huge snakes wriggling about the domed dungeon-like hall.
I turned frantically. How did I get here? I knew I had never seen this place before, but it had seemed so familiar. I knew I had somehow walked these corridors before, avoided the slime covered walls, and stepped around the dark, rippling puddles of water on the floor. It was a creepy feeling, almost as if I knew I should know and remember something but I don't.
A blast of cold air seeped through my red curls, the bluster making my green t-shirt flap back and forth. A shudder ran its way down my spine until the goosebumps rose and went, the gust of wind passing by harmlessly to claim its next victim with an icy cold wind. I knew I shouldn't stay there. I would freeze to death, certainly. And this place didn't exactly have a very homely appeal. Something about ti told me people had suffered here, as well as the structure itself. It was beaten and worn and unsound. I wasn't going to stick around and wait for it to collapse- me with it.
I took a shaky step backwards, pivoting on my heels. I faced a split tunnel that snaked out through two different doorways and leading to God knows where. I considered for a moment, until I heard a slithering noise like a giant serpent and a quaking roar down the other. I decided it was best to go the other way.
I looked at the tunnels expectantly, like a horrible creature would somehow emerge from the gaping shadowy door. I reminded myself that it wouldn't help much if I stood there like a dead log. I gathered my senses and spun, dashing down the other direction of the corridor before I could tell myself otherwise.
I avoided the black shadows in case something was lurking beneath them. But soon, with chills running down my spine in a racing shudder, I came upon a U-turn with light protruding from the shadows like the opening to heaven. I wouldn't take this enticing appeal for granted, though, because my leap of relief faded quicker than it had arrived. I soon heard two gruff voices on the other side, both of them seemed wildly familiar.
I listened, straining my hearing and cupping a shaking hand around my ear.
"- really want to eat me, don't you?" a boy's voice rattled and echoed down the hall. It sent jolts of electricity through my veins.
If voices could have weight, the next one would have weighed tons. "Yes. You look delicious. I haven't had demigod casserole in many moons. But, unfortunately, I cannot. The boss said not to."
Demigod. Boss. Delicious?
"Not to eat me?" the boy sounded surprised, but thankful. "But I thought she'd love to see me be baked into a dining platter."
"The boss said you could be a part of us someday. You had a 'bright future'," the strong voice said in disgust, and I heard him pretend to gag spontaneously. "I con't know what's wrong with the boss, but it sure has something to do with what happened yesterday."
"Oh really?" the voice was nothing compared to the second one. "And what exactly happened yesterday?"
A few heavy footsteps shook the cavern of stones and I flattened myself against the wall.
"That's for me to know, and for you to shut up. The boss said nothing about throwing you off of a cliff."
"Is that so?" the other voice smarted off. "Your 'boss' won't be too happy when the boy with the bright future is found in pieces at the bottom of a cliff, now will he?"
I heard a snort of rage, huge footsteps that turned into a run, and I felt and heard something smash against the wall. It began to crack and crumble, the wall behind me, and I prayed with all my heart that the tunnel wouldn't collapse.
It apparently worked, because the wall stopped shaking and the room went intensely quiet. At first, I thought the room had collapsed on its own, but I remembered the light. It was still flooding into the tunnel like distinct water, so it obviously was still perfectly in order.
"I don't know why you crazies think I'm special in any way," the boy said, snorting and chuckling like he thought it was hilarious someone wanted to throw him off of a cliff.
"I thought I told you to shut your mouth," the large voice snapped.
"Whatever." I heard chains rattling, like marbles in a vase.
"I'll be right back," the loud voice replied. "I think I'll just cook up your arm or something. Arms can be replaced, right?"
The small voice went quiet, and the bigger one laughed, cackling furiously.
More sets of distinguishing footsteps shook the tunnels and made dust and dirt fly from the ceiling. It took me only a moment to realize that the footsteps were coming my way. I was frozen for many seconds, listening to the huge footsteps approach and a shadow cast along the patch of light streaming from the room. I caught on to my senses and snapped back to reality. I jumped to the side, into the slimy shadows. I tried not to grimace and shoot up in disgust when I felt something cold run down my arm like ice water.
I waited impatiently for the man-or thing- to pass. Pass without noticing me. Soon, something dark and bulging emerged from the light and was swallowed by shadows. I could barely even see the outline of the creature, but I could definitely see it was too large for a normal human. I held my breath and made no noise audible as the monster disappeared down the halls and around a corner I noted not to go down.
I finally released a puff of air. A cold mushroom cloud of vapor showed my breath in the air, as I hugged my shoulders and pulled myself off the ground and on my feet. The air was rigid and clouded with intense silence. I looked once more at the corridor the monster went into. No sign of it. My only option, though, right now, was to go the way it had came.
I stared at the flood of light. No noise escaped the room now. I decided it was safe, if not mid-safe.
I leaped around the corner without further hesitation, just in case I backed down. Terror clogged my lungs and I wheezed a noisy gulp of oxygen before peering around the corner. The room was humongous. With stony dirt walls and dirt floor, a cauldron planted in the center with green liquid bubbling and popping inside it, it looked like a witch's lair. The smell was like rotting flesh, raw meat, oil, burning coal smoke, and dry blood- like hot metal you could taste in the air itself. I retreated instinctively but reminded myself if I went the other way, I was surely doomed to spending the rest of my life in a monster's stomach.
I skirted around the corner gingerly, as if the wall was on fire and covered with pointed knives. I stalked my way into the room with careful precision, in case this room really was about to collapse. I made my way to the center, my eyes darting around the room. I kept clear of the liquid. It smelled tainted of poison and acids. I dared not get any more than five feet from it.
No matter how much my instincts told me to run, I stayed firmly planted in the middle of the room. When I heard the chains rattle and the sharp, small footsteps sound form the darkest corner, I thought I would die of fear.
I stared at the shadow, my eyes narrowing. I backed aways from it, avoiding the cauldron, my hands outstretched like I really though I could take on one of those creatures. But the more I stood there and the more I realized I wasn't being killed, the more ridiculous I felt. It was even worse when I heard a soft chuckle.
"I won't eat you."
It took me by surprise. My eyes raked the room intensely and as fierce as I could allow, when it spoke again.
"I'm not a Cyclops. It's fine. Trust me. I'm a half-blood."
Something emerged from the shadows and was engulfed with warm light. It wasn't exactly as I had expected, and I felt pretty embarrassed.
He looked like a regular teenage boy, with dark brown hair and blue eyes, an orange t-shirt with a bronze breastplate covering the front. He stared at me like I was a psycho, but with understanding. His expression was blank until he smiled and walked forward.
"What is a mortal doing here?" he said. "A daughter of Delphi, no less."
"A daughter of-?"
"You need to get out of here," he said. "Dreams become reality if you remain in them so long."
Before I could reply, he reached out a hand and waved it across me. It was like I was at the bottom of a lake, clear water rippling and blurring my vision. I felt like I was sinking slowly, darkness enveloped me, and all sounds and sights were distant and away.
A daughter of Delphi.
Hm. Cliffy! Reviews are appreciated, flames are openly accepted. (:
