Chapter 1: Alone?

"Agh!" I let a painful scream escape my lips. I was terrified, bleeding to death, and alone, no not alone a strange female voice was laughing coldly in the darkness.

"You honestly believe we would keep you alive?" hissed a female voice.

I tried to move, to see where the voice was coming from, but it felt like daggers were piercing my insides. In fear, I cried out, "Why are you doing this to me? Where are you?" but that only made the laughing get louder.

"Hm, hm, hm you are so pathetic! I bet you don't even know where you are. Who you are. Or who I am… " the voice mused.

I thought hard, but pain flooded my eyes, as if something was blocking my mind. I fell to my knees and gasped as I landed on a cut that appeared to be going green with ooze. Fresh blood dripped from my other cuts like faucet dripping water, and I knew if I lost any more blood I would die.

"What do you want?" I asked still unable to stand.

"What do I want...? I want to see you…demigod dead!" The voice strutted towards me, and I saw her in the faint moonlight. I caught my breath, she was awful looking, chalk white skin, fangs, burning red eyes, but when I looked down she had the oddest legs. One bronze, the other… some goat like thing.

I tried to get to my feet, to back away.

She laughed again," You see who you're dealing with demigod, I am an empousa! And I will not fail again… I will not let you go…" She licked her blood dry lips.

I stayed still, in shock trying to process everything. I focused on my surroundings. It was dark, and still, but ashes were falling from the sky, trees were flaming a brilliant orange above me. I wondered what had happened here. I took a steady breath, and licked my lips, but all I tasted was blood.

"Demigod there is another choice, join our cause…and I won't kill you…" Her voice was becoming raspier, "Or tells me do you have any last words? Oh but then again no one's going to hear them… "

I made no moves, no sounds.

She made a low growling sound but, still I made no movement.

She clinched her fists, "Answer me demigod!"

I inhaled, trying to think of a way out… and I probably should've answered, but I didn't.

The empousa made an even loader growl and pounced at me, I tried to dodge but, she got me. The empousa strangled me, pinning me to a tree.

"I SAID ANSWER ME DEMIGOD!"her eyes burned brighter and her hair whipped in flames.

"I-I don't…know…" I said gasping for air. She squeezed tighter, and I felt something wet trickle down my neck. Was this the end? Is this how I'm gonna die?

The empousa noticed my fear and she was amused by it. She slammed me into the tree. Tears trickled down my cheeks.

"Well, what's your choice?" She screamed in my face.

So many emotions swirled my head. With an emotional outburst I screamed, "I DON'T KNOW! I-I don't… know…" More tears flooded my eyes.

"Hmm, tsk, tsk" she said with false sympathy," I do prefer male heroes, but you should do…" She bared her fangs, inching closer to my neck. I held my breath hoping it would hurt less, but there was only a high pitched scream, and I fell to the ground with a loud Thud.

Was I dead? No…I can't be I'm thinking aren't I? I opened my eyes only to see the empousa slowly turning to dust, her red eyes trained on me as she screamed, "No fair! Direct interference!"But she turned to dust and blew away.

My vision turned blurry, I felt my neck. The empousa punctured it with her talons. I was slowly dying, it hurt to breath, any adrenaline I had was gone, and once again I was not alone.