hey guys! it's me! i'm sooo sorry it took so long for me to update this story i've been insanely busy. i hope y'all enjoy this!

love y'all!

p.s.: the title is a pun and i love it.

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Hope

I sat in the cold jail cell. It was damp and the smell of mold filled my lungs day after day. The only light came from a dim bulb in the hallway, not even enough for me to see halfway across my confined space.

I'd been locked in here since my escape attempt. I would've lost track of time forever ago had I not scratched little marks into the wall. There was over a thousand now and more than half of the concrete was covered in small tally marks, organized into months and years. I've kept track since they put me in here over 3 years ago.

When those horrible men took me I was only nine. I've spent three miserable birthdays and this stupid room and I'm awfully sick of it.

The room is about the size of a Prius. There's a blanket and a sad little pillow in the back right corner. To the left there's a small toilet and an itsy sink that hasn't worked for two years. I can't do anything whatsoever to entertain myself in the utter darkness. For the first half of my time here I was the only person in the hall, now I have someone right across from me.

Her name is Taya and she's 11. Her parents were Apollo and her mortal mother and she grew up at Camp Jupiter. Technically, she's my aunt. She was said to be the Roman oracle. They took her when she was almost 10, right out of her home—just like me.

She doesn't have a family. Before they took her she lived in a small orphanage on the outskirts of New Rome. Her mother died when she was a baby...something bout a house fire. Taya grew up alone in the world. I promised her I'd never leave here without her and that we'd find her a family. I swore we'd leave someday.

Someday.

oOoOo

One of the huge guards came to my cell door. He rattled his keys around and grabbed my arm, pulling me out. I saw Taya give me an apologetic worried face as he cuffed me and walked me down the hallway.

From what I can tell, we're trapped in an abandoned hotel. Very fancy. The room where the cells are is probably where guests used to stay before they converted it to a child prison.

Every day, they take me out of the cell for a few hours to try to get me to predict the future. Of course it never works so they beat me instead. They take Taya too,

but usually a little after me.

I'm not sure why I'm locked in here, or why Taya is. I know there must be other kids here, we just don't see them. The men who have us all in here are huge, probably nine feet tall and pure muscle. I assume they're part of some big family of mutant super humans because they're unlike any monster my dad's taught me about.

My dad's. Daddy and Papa. My family, River and Brianna and Addie and amanda and little Nicky. Papa and Daddy must be ripped apart with me gone. They probably pretend to hold it together for River and Bri and my other siblings. I know they've fallen apart.

That's why I have to get out. Soon. Before it's too late.

The man locks me into the test chair. Another sits across from me with a clipboard. He's not getting any more information than he ever has.

He looks into the camera in the corner. I know there's a group of men watching the film from some unknown location.

"Hope Maria Solace. Age 13. Legacy of Apollo and Hades. Current oracle of Delphi."

He turned towards me and gestured for me to try to predict something.

"I've told you a million times," I pleaded. "I haven't gotten any visions and I can't predict things on command. I'm sorry."

Despite my statement they weren't convinced. I sat in the chair for two hours before returning to my personal slice of hell. Scratch that. I'm Hell's princess.That outta be a million times better than this.

A while after throwing me into my cell they slide a tray of slop through the slot in my door. A cup of water and a disgusting looking ham sandwich on some stale bread. Delicious.

I drink my water and pick at the bread.

I couldn't live like this anymore. I wasn't in a good condition. I was sickly and weak, I couldn't do anything without becoming instantly exhausted.

I was busting out.

Tomorrow.

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hahahahaha cliffhanger! please review, follow and favorite!

-taryn