Chapter 12: Lexi POV

"Izaya, please listen to me, please. We need to get out of here!" I hissed and shook my head angrily; struggling with the duct tape that now bound my wrists. Izaya stood only feet away from where I sat, stuck in a clumsy bundle and unable to get out.

Why couldn't I be like Maddi? I thought, cursing my weak limbs. Even though her Ares blood definitely helped her somewhat, Maddi really was strong like a bull. Since third grade she had always been the one to win arm-wrestling matches, had always carried the most books. Of course most of the books were mine, but it was still her that carried them. I could almost see the disappointment on her face. Lexi, she would scold, it's only duct tape. Break through it. It can't be that hard!

"Well it is." I mumbled, frowning as I talked to myself.

"Open your mind girl; I won't hurt you. I just want to talk." His voice was smooth like honey, hypnotizing. It willed me to melt, but I knew that I could not. If I gave into the dreams, the nightmares, I would be his slave. Morpheus would control me, just like he did Izaya. Izaya stood a few feet from me, motionless as a statue. Those dark violet eyes gazed at me with a heartless expression. Tears threatened to roll down my cheeks, but I held them in.

"I said, open your mind." Morpheus hissed. The God sat behind a large stone desk, changing forms with a speed that sickened me. My mind flipped back to the mythology books I had read, but I could only remember a paragraph about this God of Dreams. I felt helpless. Without information to take him down, with the strength to break these bonds, my only other options were… that was the problem. I could think of no other options.

"Girl, listen to me, look at me." Morpheus touched my mind in anger, poking and prodding at the wall was I was futilely trying to defend. "Athena has given you luck I see," Morpheus mused. "Wisdom too, but brains can always be outsmarted; in dreams." I gasped as he jabbed my mind at full force, at the power level only a God can control.

"You will never break me." I managed to say. The silver owl resting on the chain around my neck grew cold as ice, and an old saying came into my mind.

"Rage may blaze like fires by the Father of Hate, but Wisdom has cold power, ice cold victory that Mother of Victory creates."

A broad grin formed at my lips as Morpheus stood from his chair. He hadn't broken me because he couldn't break my mother; her power, that is. Athena was helping me, or the necklace was. Thoughts of the rebellion flew around my head and a twinge of pain blossomed deep in my stomach. It was only the necklace, and I bet my mother didn't want me to have it any longer. She didn't want children anymore; she and the rest of the Gods wanted to kill all demigods.

"Having fun?" Morpheus asked, knocking me out of my stupor. There are many thoughts I can put into your head girl. Listen to me and you can be anyone, have anything. I shook my head in defiance, blocking the thoughts as Morpheus ran them through my mind, nearly taking all control. Weak, he sneered, you are weak, and you shall be broken.

"No!" I screeched. The seat Izaya had imprisoned me on began to wobble as I thrashed my limbs. With delight I realized that the duct tape had started to loosen. The strain on my pulled back arms weakened, and I began to pull. My wrists ached as the tape gave resistance, and Morpheus chuckled.

"Don't even try. Izaya, I have some work to do. Keep the girl from leaving, as I command." Izaya nodded robotically, which made my heart sink. Morpheus, who had decided on the form of a cloaked man, left the room with a smirked etched on his godly face.

"Izaya, please, snap out of it. Don't let him control you!" I pleaded, shaking my torso in desperation. I had to get out of here, fast.

"Shut up, little girl." Izaya snapped his voice like ice. A tear rolled down my cheek and I stomped my foot like women did in those cheesy romantic comedies, the ones that you love, but hate to admit you do. Something snapped inside of me at that moment, and I exploded.

"No, you shut up! I can't believe you are letting him control you like this, Izaya! Fight him!" I screeched at the top of my lungs and glared at him with fury. I was sure that he could fight Morpheus, if only I could get him angry enough. Sadly, that didn't work. Instead, Izaya stormed over to me, took my chin roughly in his hand, and smacked my cheek. I blushed bright red and struggled not to sob as my cheek stung and throbbed. The skin on my back still stung, though the pain had lessened since my mind had been preoccupied. Blood had dried on my forehead from where my skull had cracked against the pavement, leaving my head throbbing.

I could not believe that I had only fallen off the motorcycle a few hours ago. It was around 8am, but for some reason, no students walked the academy halls. The rooms were still dark, the doors still locked, and the paintings weren't being admired. I pondered this for a moment, mentally trying to nurse the stinging in my cheek. Izaya was strong, and he had slapped me at full force for sure. Biting my lip in desperation, I tried to talk once again.

"Izaya, I can't believe you had the guts to smack your partner." Keeping my voice low, I began to weaken the duct tape once again. Part of it had ripped, leaving a small tear that was my escape. Izaya's eyes were raw with anger. Cringing in fear of getting another mark on my face, I waited tentatively for his reply.

"You are not my partner; I don't have a partner. I only have a master." His voice was so controlled. It made me wonder what dreams Morpheus was giving to him. Was Morpheus entirely controlling him, torturing his inner conscious with nightmares so that it could no longer surface?

I wondered why Morpheus was being so dangerous; all of the myths and stories from my books said he was a messenger, peaceful. He gave people dreams, visions, and nightmares as needed. His mother, the goddess Nyx, was also peaceful. She made the night, Artemis made the moon, and Hypnos made sleep. They were all supposedly peaceful gods and goddesses, all working together to make the world we lived in. Was it because we were demigods? I would never understand or comprehend why we even needed a rebellion. Gods knew deep inside that they needed their children. If it had been Zeus's decision, which I was pretty sure it must have been, then why did all of the Gods believe the same?

"I'm your partner Izaya, you know I am. Please, just snap out of it! We could convince Morpheus to join the rebellion; we could get him on our side!" Once again I pleaded, trying to look him straight in the eyes. His expression had become confused, and I hope that meant he was fighting for control. His eyes shut and his hands balled up into fists. The duct tape on my hands ripped down the side, and I fumbled with my wrists to let my hands escape. Exhilaration thrilled through me, only to be crushed by one sadly familiar voice.

"Don't move girl, or I will give him the worst nightmare he has ever experienced." Morpheus strode through the room with lightning fast speed as I began to untangle my arms from behind me. Izaya, unaware of Morpheus's presence, seemed deep in thought, his brow furrowed with confusion. With one swift movement, I stood up, putting my hands out in front of me. Morpheus growled, but did nothing. "Didn't I tell you not to move girl?" He smirked, his eyes trailing toward Izaya's form.

"Don't touch him." The words came out of my mouth without a warning. It surprised me how angry I had gotten; I really felt like punching someone. Feeling utterly stupid, I realized that although the robotic Izaya had taken my sword, he had forgotten about the white dagger that felt red hot against my waist. A thrill of adrenaline left me feeling more confident, and I continued to speak. "Don't you touch him, don't you ever hurt him." I stated, my voice slightly shaking as Morpheus watched with a careless expression. "Just let us leave. I don't want any trouble." I tried to mimic the voice Maddi used when she fought with boys, normal but laced with venom.

"Oh, you can cause trouble?" Morpheus asked with a sarcastic tone, mocking me. "What did you plan on doing? Were you going to take that dagger and stab me? I'm immortal. I'm a god." His booming laughter filled the room, and I took that chance to grasp my dagger. Taking a step forward, I searched inside my mind for an escape plan. How did Maddi always fight her way out of things? She didn't have to fight a god though, I thought bitterly. Automatically, I mentally sifted through my mind for any information I had learned in my mythology books. I couldn't think of anything, but I had to try something. I was a child of Athena, the goddess of wisdom, goddess of battle strategy. I could do this, I could outsmart Morpheus. Glancing over to Izaya, my heart lifted in triumph. Although he still held a stiff stance and was expressionless as a robot, his violet eyes gave me a look, and I knew he was back. Morpheus, still laughing at my presentation, barely noticed the silent communication.

"Morpheus, I have a proposition for you." I made my voice sweet, feminine, innocent as I could. Morpheus raised his eyebrows.
"What is this proposition you have, daughter of Athena? I shall not fall for your riddles or tricks." Taking a deep breath, I said what was, at that time, an almost certain death sentence for both Izaya and I.
"This is not a riddle, nor a trick." I stated in a firm voice. "This is a deal; a bet if you wish to call it that." A spark of interest came into his godly yellow eyes.
"And what is this bet about, little demigod? Surely you know that your chances are less than slim against an immortal."
"I wouldn't say that is always true." Keeping my voice low, I gave him a look right in his eyes, daring him to challenge me.
"Well, what is your proposition?" Morpheus's voice turned slightly hostile, and he again changed form, settling on a form of a normal, muscular man with black hair that came down to his shoulders.
"If you can beat Izaya and me in a fight, then we stay here with you. If we beat you, you let us go. The condition though, is that you can't use any of your powers. No mind tricks and no dreams." Izaya stared at me with a shocked expression, his hand immediately going to the crimson blade strapped to his hip. Morpheus considered my offer for about three seconds before a bronze sword appeared in his hand.

"I shall accept your challenge; no tricks. You shall still lose though. I will take pleasure in killing you." Without a further glance, Morpheus took a fighting stance. Izaya backed over to me and handed me the white hilted sword, unsheathing his own crimson sword. With shaking hands I grasped the sword, pleased to find that I could lift the metal. Glancing over to Izaya, I tried to copy the way he stood, holding the sword like an extension of my arm. My head went back to the thousands of books I had read recently, and I tried to fill my mind with the information about one thing: sword fighting. Information flashed through my mind. During my Greek and self-defense obsession around a month ago, I had read a volume about Greek style fighting, and also a few chapters on fencing techniques. After that I had moved on to the current mythology books stuffed in Izaya's duffel bag. Morpheus still held his stiff stance a few feet away, waiting for Izaya or me to make the first move. I took a deep breath.

What did I know about fighting? I asked myself. Strategies came into my mind by the hundreds, and I briefly remembered the sparring class Maddi had dragged me to. It had been just my luck that the library had been closed, and she had taken me to her Taekwondo class. Maddi then convinced her professor to let me join the class. Strapped up in body-armor, I had struggled to punch, kick, block, and spar with weapons and fists alike. Testing my stance and balance, I felt as ready as I ever would to fight an immortal god. Sharing a look with Izaya, we charged. Morpheus was ready for us, a large grin on his twisted face.

I raised the sword as high as I was able, and with a determined look, swung the blade forward. The sound of clashing metal filled the silent gallery as Morpheus struck his brawn against our own. I ducked as the bronze weapon nearly decapitated me, moving back as I tried feigning a blow. I swung once again with all of my strength, missing Morpheus's arm by a millisecond before he blocked it with sickening strength. Izaya was blocking and hitting and fighting with a stamina that would surprise even Maddi. Morpheus focused mostly on him, although I gave quite a few blows of my own. My eyes fluttered restlessly around the room as my ADHD began to act up, thrilling me with adrenaline and scattering my focus. I backed away from the clash with lithe speed, ideas flaring in my head. A daughter of Athena may not have been able to trick him with riddles, but I could outsmart him in battle.

Making my way to the other side of the brawl, I tried to surprise Morpheus from behind. There was no way to tell who was winning the fight, but I soon found out. With one swift motion, Morpheus knocked Izaya on the head with his hilt.
Izaya dropped like a rock.

Anger flooded through my body, adding to the thrill of the battle's adrenaline. With a feral scream I charged at Morpheus from behind, my sword raised. The metal collided with Morpheus's back, and he fell forward, surprised for the moment. A red haze clouded my vision as I tackled the immortal, and, grabbing my dagger, placed the blade at the nape of his neck. Breathing heavily, Morpheus began to laugh.

"Oh fine, go on." He chuckled, "Take the boy and leave little girl. Athena has once again outsmarted me, and for that you may leave." My body shot up like a rocket and I backed away from the laughing man, dagger raised defensively. To my utter astonishment, he rolled his eyes. Izaya moaned from the ground near me and I hurried toward him.

"Izaya everything is okay, get up." I whispered, nudging his form with the tip of my shoe. With a sudden burst of humor I realized I was wearing my favorite black flats; the ones that cost around sixty dollars and were from the new fashion collection. They now were soaked and dotted with mud. Izaya stirred slightly, but didn't open his eyes.

"You have two minutes girl." Morpheus growled, getting up. With a huge sigh, I realized what I had to do. Stooping down and putting my sword back on my belt, I began to drag Izaya. My arms strained from his weight, and I began to pant. Oh, take it like a man Lexi, I scolded myself. Morpheus watched with curious eyes as I pulled Izaya down the large hallway and out the door.

Five minutes later, he was beginning to wake up, and I was cruising on the motorcycle toward JFK Plaza. Another demigod awaited us.