/Just as the dark was rising, I heard you close the door again. Just as the light turns off, I know who I dream of. You My Everything by Ellie Goulding/
Chapter Six: Darkness Rising
Aaron woke with the sun, hearing footsteps thump around in the other room. Lying next to him, her red shirt clinging to her in places, but slipping off her left shoulder, showing off the fading scar on her bicep, was Cassia, her eyes shut. Soft, faint dark circles were under her eyes, from nights Aaron knew she had laid in her bed, sleepless and relentless. Her chest rose slightly up and then down in a familiar pattern, her fingers curled slightly as she slept diagonally, her legs lightly strewn across Aaron's knees, her head nearly hanging off the edge of the bed.
Aaron moved lightly and carefully from near her, to keep said girl from waking up. Aaron stretched up, and then slipped from under the covers. He adjusted Cassia so she didn't fall out of the bed, and then he began to walk to the door. He opened the door that led to his shared room with Finnick and Landon, and then walked though, closing the door behind him.
Finnick looked up at him, his eyes narrowing slightly. Finnick kept quiet though, knowing Aaron wouldn't have done anything. Landon, however, hadn't stirred a bit. He was in one of the beds, snoring like a grizzly bear. Aaron snorted, and walked to his bag, pulling his clothes out.
He grabbed a black t-shirt, and a pair of red jeans. He grabbed his black combat boots, and carried them to the bathroom. He dressed quickly, putting his clean clothes on, and then carrying his pajamas to put them in his bag.
He walked out the bathroom, and tucked his clothes into the bottom of his bag, and grabbed his smaller backpack, and tucked his quiver inside the bag. He collapsed his bow, and placed it next to the quiver. After that, he placed his nectar and ambrosia in his bag, tucking the money Hermes had given them into his wallet.
He heard the soft creak of movement come from the room next door to his, and figured Cassia was awake.
Cassia on the other hand, held her stomach, which was moving as if something was stirring inside of her. She walked to the nearest mirror in her room, and stared at herself, pressing her hand to her belly. She seemed and looked okay, so Cassia calmed down as the stirring inside of her stopped.
She sighed in relief, and walked to her bag, pulling out a red tank top, a pair of black ripped skinny jeans, and her red converse. She shivered as if she was cold, and grabbed her long grey cardigan, and laid the clothing on her bed.
She pulled her pajamas off, and pulled her tank top over her head, the fabric slipping over her dark, messy curls. She grabbed the skinny jeans and placed her legs inside, bending over slightly to pull the fabric over the heels off her feet. She straightened up, and sat on the edge of the side of the bed, slipping socks over her bare feet.
She shivered again, and grabbed her dark grey cardigan, and put it on, before sighing in relief at the warmth. She slipped her feet into the shoes, and laced them; standing up once she was done.
Cassia's eyes narrowed, as she felt as if someone or something was watching her. She whipped around, finding a snow white tipped with a pale pink and gold mixture lotus flower in mid-bloom on the dresser next to her bedside.
She walked over to it, and picked it up, but it sent a sting through her finger pads, and she dropped it just as quickly as she had picked it up. She winced slightly, and shook out her palms. She saw little pricks of red on her fingertips, but they went away just as fast as they had come.
Grabbing her small backpack, she put her quiver into it, and pulled out her pouch of throwing knives. She clipped to her belt, and pulled her cardigan over it to cover it up. She tucked her ambrosia and nectar into the bag, tucking her small pouch of money inside the backpack as well. She zipped the bag up, and picked the flower. It no longer hurt her, but seemed warming towards her.
The tip of the lotus, unseen to Cassia, with the mixture of gold and pink colors disappearing down the sides of the flower, moving towards Cassia's hands, and the colors hit the base of the flower, and went into Cassia's hands, the colors slightly staining her pale skin before disappearing under the surface of her skin.
Where had that flower come from?
Cassia walked out the room, slipping though the hotel room's door, and grabbing her abandoned room key that had once lain discarded on the table. Cassia felt fine now, and closed the door, chewing on a piece of mint gum. She walked to her left, and turned, facing the boys' room door. She knocked, and the door swung open to a dripping and hazy-eyed Landon.
Cassia snickered softly, seeing the red-headed boy slightly seething in anger. He was no longer in his pajamas or sleeping, but in a pair of black jeans, black combat boots, a red muscle shirt, and a black leather jacket.
"So," Cassia started, walking past the angry son of Ares, and sat down on the couch, crossing her legs. "Where are we going to start to look for Eris's temple and her apples?" She asked; holding down the bitter feeling she got from her dream last night, knowing the quest was just a decoy to a real problem that Cassia seemed to be the answer to.
"We were thinking the Roman Coliseum." Aaron started, looking straight at everyone as Landon shut the door.
"Why there?" Finnick asked curiously.
"Because, in ancient times, there was enough strife and discord in that coliseum to demand Eris's attention; so maybe she would put her temple under a place where her domain thrived." Aaron explained.
Cassia nodded. "That sounds like our best bet as of now. So we should start there."
Landon smiled slightly at the thought of the coliseum. It was a great tie to his father, Ares, due to the amount of violence that had once occurred.
"Can we eat first though?" Landon asked, and the other three's stomach rumbled at the news of food.
"Definitely," Aaron told him.
Cassia sat down first at the circular table their waiter had led them to on the outdoor patio. The café was called Café Café, and it was directly outside the Coliseum. It was perfect. Aaron sat in between her and Finnick, who the two brothers were noticing all the Italian guys who had taken notice of Cassia, including their waiter, making Aaron feel conscious and overprotective. Landon held his hands in his lap, looking around.
They struggled to read from the menu, with the exception of Cassia, who had to play translator.
Their waiter came back and nodded at them, smiling. "Ready?" He asked in clear Italian, the boys furrowing their brows at him.
Cassia smiled. "He's asking if we are ready to order our meals and drinks."
The boys nodded, musing yes. "Si," Cassia told him, smiling gently.
"Drinks first," He told them in Italian.
"Drinks," Cassia told them in English. The boys told Cassia they just wanted water.
Cassia smiled at the waiter, and told him in perfect Italian, "I'll take the Bai Mu Dan tea, and is there any way you can add cinnamon to that?" The waiter nodded, smiling.
"Grazie," Cassia smiled. "Then we'll have three waters, please."
"Your meals?" The waiter asked.
Cassia listed off, "Roast Beef served with Roasted Potatoes and Side Salad for him," She told the waiter, pointing at Finnick, "Handmade Cannelloni with Spinach and Ricotta Cheese, for Aaron," She paused, faltering over Landon. "And for him, Veal Meatballs in Cedar Sauce with raisins and Pine Nuts. " She looked down at her menu, folding it up.
"And for me," She finished, "I'll take the Capo Verde." She said all of it in Italian, where their waiter seemed to be pleased with. "Grazie," She told him, as he walked away, taking up their menus.
Finnick stared at her, and asked, "What is Capo Verde?"
Cassia shook her head. "Its valeriana leaves, slices of chicken, avocado, and parmesan shavings."
Landon looked at Cassia's thin figure. "You don't eat a lot, do you Cassia?"
Cassia shook her head. "I eat enough to become full."
Landon grumbles something about girls and growing gracefully and how Cassia couldn't gain a bit of weight. Aaron smiles and chuckles at this, and maybe twenty minutes later, their food comes back, along with their drinks.
Cassia nods, and gives thanks to the waiter, and blows softly on her tea, cooling it. The scent of cinnamon fills her nose, and she smiles brightly, before slowly drinking the liquid.
The boys, however, dig into their meals, causing Cassia to shake her head. She quietly eats her food, hearing the boys in various orders moan out about how good their food was.
They finish up later on, and Cassia pulls out her money to pay, but Finnick beats her to it, and pays. Cassia doesn't grunt or fuss, she just lets him do it, her stomach stirring again slightly.
It stops just as fast as it had come, and Cassia shrugs the feelings off.
They grab their bags, and move towards the coliseum, Aaron leading the way.
Aaron stops at the top step of the coliseum, and he nods. "We should spilt up. We may be able to cover more ground that way." Finnick gives a nod of consent, and Landon agrees quietly. Three against one, Cassia decides not to argue it.
Aaron smiles. "Alright. I'll go this way, Cassia, you take one way, and Landon, Finnick, you all will fill in the gaps."
Cassia nods, and walks towards the right, her footsteps echoing as she walks through the busy hallways of the coliseum. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees a small golden Greek omega carved in the stone of the wall. She looks both left and right to see if anyone notices her, and seeing that the coast was clear, she walks over to it.
Cassia stood tall and pressed her fingers to the wall of the Coliseum, feeling vibrations against her fingers. It somewhat made since why they would look for Eris's temple here, due to all the strife that had once taken place here. But she thought it was somewhat idiotic to split up, because obviously, they would be stronger in numbers.
She groaned, feeling the vibrations stop, but soon enough, when she pulled her hand back, a small part of the wall drew back, revealing nothing but darkness. Cassia pulled out her dagger at the top of the stairwell before walking down the hallway. She hears the echo of her boots as she walked down the stairwell, as her breath becomes visible to her. The wall shuts behind her, closing her in. She yells loudly, before the room begins to fill with smoke.
Meanwhile, Aaron had walked left of the direction Cassia had went in, and he held Eris's golden apple blossom in his hands, the poor flower opening up slightly, but not enough. Aaron walked past the same statue of Mars he had walked past twice now, pressing his lips together. He closed his eyes, pressing the charm of his necklace against his palm. Suddenly, a figure ran into him, and he opened his eyes quickly. A red-haired girl, with greenish-blue eyes stared at him, her eyes narrowed in a glare.
"You ran into me," He said harshly, narrowing his eyes.
"Excuse me?" She hissed back, and shifting her arm, Aaron noticed a tattoo of a dove with bars underneath the dove, and he raised a brow.
"I said you ran into me. Are you deaf or just hard of hearing? Would you like an aid?" Aaron said sarcastically, pressing his free hand into a fist. He really didn't have time for this.
The girl sneers, and Aaron snorts. "You wouldn't be the first to do that to me," He tells her. But before she can respond, a loud growl erupts from the center of the Coliseum. They both go running towards the noise, instead of away from it.
Landon walked in the center of the Coliseum, feeling somewhat at home. He hears the loud screams, and wonders what all the noise was about. Suddenly, he sees it, a nine headed Hydra stands in the corridor, a blonde haired boy holding a Gladius. Next to him, was a blonde haired boy holding a boy. Now, the boy with the boy he knew. Finnick. The two boys seemed to be arguing, as Finnick was lighting the tips of his arrows on fire. The Hydra prepares one of its various heads to let out fire, and Landon runs, and grabs both of the boys.
The ground where both boys formerly stood was stained with a large scorch mark, and Finnick pants, thanking Landon.
However, the other boy, marked with a sign of Mars, and four bars underneath the symbol, glares hastily. "I didn't need your help."
Landon glares. "Are you serious? You almost died!"
Landon pulls out his Gladius, and stands next to Finnick, who tightly grips his bow. "You all cut the heads. I'll light them on fire."
Aaron and the girl come running. "Jem!" The girl yells.
Jem, the arrogant boy who said he didn't need Landon's help, turns around, and smiles. "Clara! Good, I could use your help."
Clara nods, and pulls out her bow. "I'll distract it."
She begins to fire arrows, the Hydra growling, and Aaron pulls out his sword, standing by Landon. "So, we charge it, get as close as possible, and cut the heads off. Okay?"
Landon nods. "Hold your ground," He instructs.
The three boys, Jem, Landon, and Aaron charge the hydra's various heads, and the Hydra, lowers three heads at them, and each boy swipes, and cuts the heads. Quickly, Finnick shoots his arrows, and the stumps of the heads wither.
Soon, the hydra dies, and the four demigods pant, clutching their chests.
Clara and Jem walk away without a word, without thanks, and the three leftover boys stare.
"So," Landon asks. "Did you find anything?"
The other two boys shake their heads in failure.
"Where's Cassia?" Finnick asks.
Meanwhile, Cassia scrambles to the ground, trying to hold in her remaining oxygen. The smoke makes her eyes water, and her vision blurs.
She hears a man's voice ring out, that sounds an awful lot like nails running down a chalkboard. She winces.
"Cassia," The man calls out. "Do you know who I am?"
"Kronos," She mumbles, holding herself, trying to force air into her lungs. "What do you want?" He chuckles at her voice, and she frowns.
"That flower, was no flower, Cassia."
"What?" She croaks.
"That flower was special. You see, that flower, carried Luke's reproductive seed, along with traces of mine. It injected itself into your bloodstream completely, as I planned it to do so. With the help of Hecate, it has already found itself to your reproductive system, it being charmed to do so. It has fertilized one of your eggs, but, it was charmed to not start out in the beginning, but towards the middle, almost in the end. So, now that stirring in your stomach, is something growing rapidly, to catch up to where it was charmed to be, about six, seven months. And, my dear, and now, I'll let you figure out the rest. Your dream should help you find an answer."
Cassia gasps. "You indirectly impregnated me." She stutters. "I'm carrying you, Luke, and my child. That baby… in my dream… was the one I am carrying now, isn't it?"
Kronos gives a bitter chuckle. "Smart girl. Now, what will you do now? Carrying a child of mine? How will you explain that, Cassia dearest?"
Kronos leaves Cassia with that as she sits up from the floor, gasping for air. That happened, that was real.
Cassia was, well…
Pregnant.