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CHAPTER EIGHT.


God damnit!

I swear on the River of Styx. Sometimes, I really hate being a fucking demigod.

Right now, I don't know whether I'm dreaming or not, since I'm back in the Underworld. Seeing as I'm used to being surrounded by dead people and monsters constantly, it didn't really come as a shock to me. The only emotion that I feel is confusion.

I'm sitting down in the middle of a tiny hill overlooking the River of Lethe, digging my palms in the unevenly cut grass. I see the random silhouettes of several dead people roaming around, but they make sure they skirted around the river.

I laugh as I see one of the ghosts accidentally slip and dunk a toe – just one toe, in the river, and look around without a clue in the world. He's dead and has amnesia. And now he doesn't know whether he has to go to the Fields of Punishment, Asphodel, or Elysium.

This happens about five times per year.

I told my dad to give these ghosts a map, but did he listen?

The ghost, already as confused as he was, starts making his way towards the Fields of Punishment. He's an earnest looking old man, with a balding head and tiny spectacles that rested on the very tip of his nose. He looked absolutely harmless, and somehow reminded me of those doting grandfathers who rambled on and on about their childhood stories. I panic. He's not supposed to go there!

"HEY! YOU! OLD MAN!" I shout to him as loud as I can, but he doesn't even acknowledge me. In fact, nobody does, not even the ghosts just a few meters away from me.

"Damn it," I curse as I sit back down moodily. I am dreaming after all.

I turn away from the old man, not wanting to see him walk literally go to hell. My dad may be the King of the Dead, but I was born with a heart.

"If you don't watch out, that could be you."

I jerk my head to the direction of the voice, but no one is there. That voice was nearby. I know it.

"Over here." I see a hand being waved in front of my face. I turn my head and see, yet again, the beaming face of Apollo in another one of my dreams.

"Moved on from sending me to nothingness, eh?" I cock an eyebrow and stare at him.

He chuckles.

"What're you trying to tell me this time?" I demand.

He smirks. "Just watch."

"Watch? Watch what –" but I shut up midway through my sentence as I notice this extremely muscular fellow with a leather jacket about a size too small stooping down beside the river.

I look at Apollo, who looks as if he's enjoying this whole charade. Honestly, he treats everything like it's some really bad sitcom, filled with someone's really sick idea of a joke, or something just extremely unfunny altogether – but this dude ends up in hysterics anyway.

I, on the other hand, am torn between worrying that this guy might fall right into the river and end up like that unfortunate old man from before, who unknowingly walked into eternal doom, and being confused about the nagging feeling of déjà-vu I get whenever I look at him.

I move in closer, and look back at Apollo who, instead of stopping me, coaxes me to go on. When I turn back round, I see that the guy – I don't know if he's one those abnormally and unhealthily curious people, or just downright stupid – actually reaching into the river.

"Hey, don't, stop!" But of course, since I'm just the luckiest demigod to be born on this damn planet, he can't hear me since I'm just some manifestation of myself during my subconscious, dreaming state.

I run over to him – close enough so I can see what he's up to, but far enough that I don't slip and accidentally plunge into the river. I see that he's attached actually holding this metal rod, which, at the end, has a tiny loop where a glass vial seemed to be attached.

Oh, my unholy father! He's taking water from the River Lethe!

I could only guess for what purposes he was going to use it for, but, Gods, imagine that kind of power in the wrong hands . . .

I continue to watch him. He carefully retracts the rod and sets the glass vial now filled to the brim with Lethe water on the ground. He covers the vial, and then takes out yet another precaution (this guy really planned this out carefully), which is a pair of tongs he uses to slip the vial out of the metal loop. When the vial is on the ground, he brings out a piece of cloth and wraps it around it. Only when he begins to use the cloth to wipe out the excess water do I realize that he's actually wearing gloves. Oh, and, I also realize that he's actually a ghost.

Now, what in the Underworld would compel a ghost to retrieve water from the River Lethe? No clue. He's dead, after all. He doesn't have much options left, and stealing water from the Lethe is certainly not one of them.

Not that stealing water from the Lethe is illegal. There's no rule against and or about it. I mean; there isn't that many people bonkers enough to actually attempt it.

Still, this guy . . . he was so concise with the whole process, I'm sure this wasn't the first time he's done it.

I'm pulled out of my reverie when someone passes by, well, no, it could've been through me, but I was in a daze. Anyway, the aforementioned person approaches Mr. Lethe-Stealer. They were wearing a (very sinister) hooded cloak and talked in whispered voices.

I creep closer to them to hear their conversation.

"I don't understand why you're doing this," Mr. Lethe-Stealer says. "You could just kill him and get it over with. He deserves it."

"No – he doesn't. You're just angry because one of his ghosts killed you." The hooded figure, as it turns out, is actually girl (well, judging by the voice. It could just be a boy who hasn't gone through puberty yet).

"And killing me doesn't warrant him deserving of receiving the same fate?" Lethe-Stealer spits.

"You attacked first. You were for the enemy side. We were for the enemy side. He was just protecting everyone else."

"Alright, I regret it now, but still. Just slit his throat while he's asleep. Easy-peasy."

"No, definitely not 'easy-peasy!' I can't just kill him, Derrick!"

"Yeah, and wiping his memory clean will make him love you back? I didn't think you were so naïve." He rolls his eyes.

I see her fists clench. "Just give me that!" she grabs the vial from Lethe-Stealer's (who's name is apparently 'Derrick') grasp.

"Hey, careful with that! You don't want to be reckless with that thing!" He hisses.

"Yeah, whatever." She takes out a bag and drops the vial into it, and replaces it in her pocket. "Goodbye, Derrick, may you rest in peace."

"Amen." He nods.

She turns around and I almost stop breathing from the shock. I only see a slither of her face, but that slither was enough.

The truth dawns on me.

I saw Derrick in a dream before.

The same dream I first saw Allison in.

They were talking about me.

Derrick wanted me dead.

I killed Derrick.

Somebody, please, just shoot me now.

And with that, I feel a sharp-shooting pain on my chest and I jolt awake.

I'm back inside the tent, but not the part of the tent I remember. I seem to have been flung all the way to the opposite side. That's not what surprised me the most, though.

In front of me, Thalia was holding a dagger to Allison's throat. Allison, who was turning out to be crazier and crazier by the second, had a mischievous smirk playing on her lips.

"Good morning, sunshine." I croak.

They both shoot daggers at my direction.

"I just wanted to ask one teensy-weensy question." I laugh nervously. "What the hell's going on?" I didn't mean to shout it. I'm just under an inordinate amount of stress right now.

Allison begins to cackle, and Thalia moves the dagger a few centimeters closer to her throat. "I woke up thinking the exact same thing," she says.

My eyes move to her hand, which has a glass vial wrapped around her fingers, though I have no idea whether it's empty or not. My dream comes rushing back to me.

"You." I point, jumping up in my anger and disbelief. "Why are you trying to wipe my memories clean?"

Thalia looks at me with a look of incredulity and confusion, but Allison just laughs. A laugh so mirthless it sends shivers down my spine.

"How did you find out about that?" she asks, clearly amused despite how things had turned out for her.

"Don't try to change the subject," I spit. "You're out for blood – my blood."

"Sweetie." I cringe at her referral. "I took all precautions so that I didn't have to kill you, but if you continue being difficult, I'd eventually have to."

"Look, lady," I say, taking a risky step closer to the pair of Hunters. "I don't know how you're able to go back and forth from the Underworld so easily, but if you step foot on my territory one more time, I'll throw you into the River Lethe."

She laughs, and laughs, and laughs. "You're extremely funny, do you know that? It's one of the reasons why I fell in love with you."

Thalia flinches and I'm afraid that she might just plunge the knife right into Allison's throat, but she doesn't.

"Okay, so you're in love me," I repeat the words, making sure to eye Thalia's reaction as I did. I told her this Allison chick had the hots for me, but did she believe me? She cringes a bit, but remains stoic, more or less. "Haha, that's funny, because I don't know anyone who tries to inflict harm on the person they love. Well, except my dad, but he's a whole different story."

She smiles. And I snap.

"You better start explaining, you sadistic bitch." I feel my anger seething. "Or else I'm killing you."

"Oh, but you could never do that," she says, but there's a twinge of fear in her words.

"You're trying to kill me, might as well play your stupid little game," I say. "Then you and your brother can be together again."

I know that was a cruel thing to say, but she deserved it.

"You –" she attempted to lunge forward, but the threat of the knife into her throat stopped her. "He can't rest in peace because of you, do you know that?"

I start feeling sympathetic for this neurotic pair, even if it's just a little bit. "I didn't mean to kill him. There was a point where the ghosts went out of control."

She eased a bit. "I know you didn't. That's why I never tried to kill you."

"But trying to wipe my memories? Why in the world –"

"Because I love you," she says it like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"You know, no matter how many times I've heard it, I still don't get it." I chuckle nervously.

Damn. I could cut the tension in this tent with a knife.

"To make you forget everything," she says. When Thalia's head turns to me, Allison mouths, "So you can forget her," her eyes flickering towards Thalia. She forces an expressionless face when Thalia turns back to her.

I'm at a loss for words.

"I figured I could take care of you. We could've started a new life together," she says with so much desire it scared me.

Honestly, she made it sound like we were going to get married.

No way in hell that was going to happen. Nope.

"But, why do you love me?" I ask her.

She contemplates before answering me. "Because you were different," she says. I stare at her, urging her to say more. "During the war my brother and I, mere sons of Nemesis, were working for the enemy. Several of us Nemesis children were. Our mother was overlooked, and our mother overlooked us. We wanted redemption," she pauses before continuing. "I was hurt in the middle of the battle. Nobody helped me. Nobody even gave me a second look. I was almost trampled by a herd of giants when one of your ghosts saved me and gave me ambrosia for my wounds. After that, I refused to do Kronos' bidding and attempted to go over to your side. At just the sight of me, however, your teammates attacked me. That was when you, to whom I already owed my life to, grabbed me and flung me aside, and ordered your ghosts to take care of me. I'm not sure if you remember, but I can never forget."

I sit down on the floor unable to stand any longer. The whole tent is silent.

Just to add to the already overlapping awkwardness of the situation, Allison adds, "You could never love me, though. You only had eyes," she glances at Thalia, "for her."

I look everywhere except at Thalia.

Funnily enough, I start to realize that I'm still wearing only boxers. I had left my clothes back in the forest.

I have no idea at which point in time I began to stop caring that I was half-naked.

I guess the gravity of the whole situation with Allison was just too much to handle, especially all in one sitting. It's like trying to eat twenty pies in one go.

Despite the tension off the moment, Thalia relaxes a bit. I see her shoulders slump in ease.

Big mistake.

At that moment, Allison lunges foreward and tries to take the knife from Thalia.

I trap her to the ground with a shadow as I pull Thalia away from her.

She starts to struggle against the shadow, and just to scare her; I make it so she starts to sink a little bit more with each movement, kinda like quicksand. She eventually realizes and stays still.

Thalia starts to laugh as she reaches for her knife and pockets it.

"Now why are you laughing?" I complain.

"This is all just so odd," she says. She looks at me, eyeing me up and down, and I suddenly get very self-conscious that I'm nearly naked. And then she glances at Allison, who's frozen like a statue and looks as if she had passed out. I don't ease up on her though – my shadows are staying firmer than ever.

I whisper into Thalia's ear. "I told you she had the hots for me."

"Shut up, you shouldn't be taking any of this as lightly as you are," she snaps.

"You're just angry because I'm right and you're wrong," I josh.

"You shouldn't be gloating," she says. "If it weren't for me, you'd be dead."

"Wait – what?"

"If I hadn't come in here and saw her pinning you down with her hands on your throat, she would've strangled you to death."

I tighten the shadows around Allison.

"You said you weren't trying to kill me!" I shout. "I thought you were just going to wipe my memory!"

"I told you I'd kill you if I had no other options," she says. "I'm out of Lethe water."

"And killing me was the only option you fucking had left?" I practically scream.

She remains quiet.

My life is a living hell.

"Why didn't you say so a while ago?" I shout frantically, not knowing to whom I was shouting it to. "You know what – never mind."

I move over to a corner of the tent, and sit down there moodily. Thalia follows me and sits beside me, and I don't know whether I'm happy about her concern or not. I'm honestly not in the mood for human interaction.

"Not so smug now, eh?" she teases.

"Yeah, well, shut up," I say. "I'm calling it even."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night . . . " she winks.

"Yeah, well, no matter what I do, I never get decent shut eye anymore. Something always ruins it for me."

"Did you dream again?" her eyes widen.

"I think Apollo's taken a liking to me. He seriously enjoys my anguish." I smile bitterly.

"Don't all the gods?" she says.

"I didn't think all the gods liked my suffering," I scoff.

"Oh, no! I didn't mean they all like you suffering, I meant, they enjoy all our suffering in general!" she panics.

I remain silent. I pinch my arm to stop myself from laughing as I watched her have a panic attack.

"Okay, Thals, calm down, I know you didn't mean it," I say, taking both her shoulders in my hands and looking her in the eyes.

She sighs and begins laughing. "Nico, you stress me out way too much."

"Ah, I see you've decided to use my first name," I say matter-of-factly.

She shakes her head amidst her laughter.

And at that moment, I almost forget everything that's happening. I even forget that Allison's even here. I wish that this could last forever.

But, of course, you almost never get what you wish for.

"Thalia, are you in here?"

At the sound of Artemis' voice, Thalia jumps up and distances herself from me. Artemis enters the tent. I stand up in surprise as I feel her presence radiating everywhere.

But she doesn't look at me, or Thalia. She's look at Allison's direction, her eyes wide with shock.

"Allison?" she croaks. "Why are you here –"

I look at Allison, and I realize that I accidentally released my bonds around her. But it's too late. She looks at Artemis and she smirks, and within seconds she jumps on me (who is, unfortunately, still only in my boxers. Gods, kill me now, Artemis has seen me in my boxers) and kisses me full on the lips.

Needless to say, Artemis won't be a very happy camper.


REVIEW!

Ah, yes, the disclaimer is my very sad attempt to spoof "Super Bass" by Nicki Minaj and make it my disclaimer 'cause I couldn't think of another, more creative way to do it.

Just a few more chapters and I can finally say that this story is "Complete!"

I'm still contemplating whether I should have an Epilogue or not. I have an idea for it, but I'm still deciding. It all just depends, really.

I know Allison is a bit crazy, but it adds spice, doesn't it?

From - Schoe :)