Well, I've had one of the most embarrassing days in my lifetime today, here's a new chapter. Maybe nice reviews will cheer me up, it's been a horrible day...
Penny was suffocating, thick smoke surrounding her and choking her to death. Every breath that she took was only worse for her as she took in great amounts of dust and ash and burning heat. She struggled to force herself out of the room, but she was locked in. She slammed her body against the door, coughing and gagging as she scrambled to find fresh air. Dots swarmed over her face, light-headed and loosing air by the second.
It hurts, doesn't it? A voice asked, sounding pleased.
Now she was falling, miles and miles of freefall, unable to stop, her organs twisting around each other as she tumbled over and over and over. She waited for the end, for the sudden stop, the fatal death as her body was crushed on the ground.
It never came.
Suddenly she was in a room full of strange creatures, bugs and spiders and crustaceans crawling over her body, covering her face with their tiny feet, pinching and biting her skin. She was paralyzed in fright, unable to move, unable to knock the evil animals off her body, unable to scream for help.
But it doesn't hurt as much as this would, the voice said now, and she found herself looking into a room. A dark-haired boy was being whipped, over and over again, the scourge pulling flesh from his back every time it made contact. He looked up, sea-green eyes meeting her own.
"Percy!" she screamed, tugging at the chains that had appeared around her body, keeping them her from racing to him. She watched hopelessly as his torture continued, blood racing down his back in trails that seemed to be carved there. Tears flowed down her face, but struggling did no good. It only tightened the bonds against her skin.
How about this?
A regal, blonde-haired woman was slapped across the face by a metal-covered hand, causing blood to fall from a cut on her head. "Annabeth!"
Another girl, smaller, her small throat being squeezed by two large hands, slowly taking the life from her. "Hazel."
A body, red-hair spread out behind the obviously broken neck of its formerly living being. "Rachel."
A man being attacked, shape-shifting from a bear to a lizard to an elephant, arrows piercing his body no matter what form, until he fell the ground, not stirring. "Frank."
A satyr, collapsing to the ground as stones flew at him, crushing his skull. "Grover."
Another body, a brightly-red slit throat smiling up at her, pale skin more deathly than ever, dark hair stained with his own blood. "No! Nico! Please, please stop!"
The voice chuckled, reveling in Penny's misery. Are you sure, dear? The path you are on, it will result in this future.
"Tell me what to do! Tell me how to stop it!"
The voice only laughed again, and Penny's heart sank. That's too easy. Besides, I'd love to see this end. It will mean that I've won. And to tell you the truth, it's too late. It's only a matter of time before all the elements come into play. You'll know the end when it comes.
"I don't believe you!" Penny screamed, but her voice cracked, and the tears continued to fall. Was she really too late?
It's been prophesized since before your birth, Princess. You're years behind. You're just the final piece, the last shard that needs to be put into place to complete the vase. And it will be a spectacular vase, Penelope. I'll fill it with the blood of my enemies. And you will be the first. Goodnight dear, I'll see you again at the end of the world.
Penny awoke in her own bed and scrambled to the barred window. She stared outside, the night still dark and empty. She was trapped. And a trapped pawn cannot move forward, no matter how much you wished it to.
Jason slipped out of bed, leaving Piper sleeping peacefully. He pulled on robes and left the room, walking down the halls in relative silence. He slipped through a servant's passage, which were the equivalent of short cuts when it came to the palace, and turned in to a long abandoned room at the end of one of the passageways. He shut the door behind him, locked it, and yawned. "You know, meeting in the middle of the night sort of takes its toll. You could just come to my chambers, I've given permission before."
An elderly man stepped out of the shadows, holding a candle in one hand and a scroll in the other. "The Greek military numbers that you asked for, sire. And you know as well as I why we cannot meet during day light."
Jason nodded, yawning again as he took the scroll. "I know, but still, lack of sleep is not exactly helping me. And Piper's beginning to suspect something."
The old man nodded knowingly. "Ah, your wife may be a little too clever for her own good, sire. Although it does make for a wonderful Empress."
"Thank you, I think so as well," Jason said, unrolling the scroll at staring at it in the candlelight. He whistled to himself. "That's impressive."
"Might I suggest, sire, that you recall troops from the borders to return to defend Rome?"
"You really think that Greece will attack? I figured they would just come to threaten and ask for the return of the queen."
"Don't forget the princess, sire. Two counts of treachery against their crown? I would most definitely not put it against the Greeks to attack out of spite, not to mention the capture of two members of the king's family."
Jason sighed, massaging his temple with a hand and he continued reading the scroll. "The second time was Perseus' own fault. Sending a girl to do a man's work? He was practically asking for her to be caught."
"As I recall, the girl might have succeeded, sire."
Jason nodded. "Yes, but you warned me of her before she attacked. And you have my gratitude for the information. Be sure to thank your sources for me."
"Of course, sire. Do you require anything more from me?"
"Not this week. Go rest, recover your strength. As the winter solstice approaches, I'll be sure to ask more of you. And I'll remember to send out that troop withdrawal soon. The safer Rome is, the better."
The old man bowed and blew out the candle, leaving the room in darkness again. Jason turned unlocked the door behind him, exiting and walking back to his room. He opened the door to his chambers, being sure not to make a noise, and shut it behind him.
"So, are you going to tell me where you've been?" Piper asked, and Jason glanced up at the roof and muttered to himself, as if praying to the gods.
"Grabbing a bite to eat. I was hungry and I didn't want to call a servant and wake you."
"Jason, you nearly ate a horse at the banquet tonight."
Jason grinned and climbed back into the bed. "I'm always hungry, Pipes. Now go back to sleep," he said with a kiss on her forehead.
She tilted her head back and met his lips with hers. "I don't believe you. But this can wait 'til morning. Goodnight."
She tucked her head under his chin and was asleep within minutes, and Jason rolled his eyes with a small smile. Yep, Piper really was too clever for her own good.
