The last chapter of Series One, Roxie Belle and the Demigods! There is a sequel, keep an eye out, it shall be updated ASAP-ahhhh~
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS! RICK RIORDAN DOES! I also do not own any of the characters within this fan fiction, save for the ones that I already claimed as my own!
Chapter Fourteen: The Cursed Rescues the Captured!
We ended up at a marina full of boats the next morning. I woke up with Asmodeus still in my hands, but he was awake and just watching the events unfold. He was still too sore to move. Adam pulled into a parking lot and we all got out.
"Ahh, just my kind of place," Taylor sighed, stretching, "I've had enough with killer farmers and ghost deserts. The sea is where it's at."
"So, how exactly are we going to get out to the island that has Adam's arm on it?" I asked, looking at her. Taylor blinked, then beamed, giving me a thumbs up after popping some of her gum.
"Ha, I have no idea."
"Taylor!" I protested, but Eden spoke instead.
"She doesn't have to know. We just needs to help us get there, really. The island is somewhere just off the coast of Cali. It's very noticeable… It's layered heavily in Mist to keep it hidden from mortals."
"Why?" Alex asked. Eden stared at him and Adam shrugged his shoulders.
"Yes, sister, tell him why." He mocked. Eden scowled at him angrily, then whipped around to frown at us.
"The reason it's covered in Mist is because island is invested with monsters, high and low. There's been no known hero that's lived to tell their journey to and from." She explained.
"Sounds dangerous." I muttered.
"Sounds safe." Alex corrected sarcastically, shaking his head. Eden rolled her eyes and Taylor merely shrugged.
"Hey, we should make it out okay, I mean, not super okay, but alive at least. We've got a son of Zeus, a son of Ares, a daughter of Ares, a daughter of Poseidon, and a daughter of Prometheus. I'd say we're pretty prepared." She boosted confidently with a nod.
"I like girls with confidence." Alex grinned. Taylor snorted and shoved a hand in his face, refusing to look at him. Adam frowned a bit, but no one really spoke to him as we headed out. We went to the shore where the foamy sea water lapped at the white sand with a comforting, lulling 'sshh sshh' sound. It reminded me of my dream with Mira whispering to her child.
"We need a boat." I deadpanned watching Taylor bend over and smile, letting her fingers drag through the water. She looked up and nodded before looking down the shore.
"Well, it looks like there's a little boat just down the shoreline here, but it's not ours…"
"And your point is…?" Adam drawled. Taylor scowled, but she held up her finger as if to say 'wait right here' and sprinted down the beach, kicking up sand. I was starting to sweat, realizing I was still dressed in my winter jacket. I handed Asmodeus to Alex as I stripped off my jacket, snaking my thermal turtleneck off under my camp shirt before cramming them both into my bag. I took Asmodeus again and he was grumbling a little, holding his ribcage.
"I wanna go back home…" He mumbled.
"I'm sorry, Asmodeus," I sighed miserably, "When we get back, I promise you that I'll pay you back. We'll get you all healed up and I'll get you whatever you want for Christmas too. I'll even let you open your present first."
"I feel better now." Asmodeus grinned. I rolled my eyes, smirking, then heard a yell and looked up to see Taylor easily sailing the boat over toward us, waving.
"Come on, you guys! All set!"
We all shared looks and got on the boat, but I sort of felt sick being on the thing as it rocked through the waves. Taylor was just having the time of her life, laughing as a warm breeze of salty sea air blasted her blonde, blue highlighted hair back. Alex was watching her with a grin, laughing every so often while Eden and Adam seemed to be the only one sulking.
It was like we were floating forever before we neared a giant blob in the distance, surrounded by a thick layer of blue Mist. I frowned and Taylor looked up from playing a card game with Alex and Eden.
"Looks like we're here." Eden muttered grimly. We all nodded and got ready to leave the boat. I found a small box at the back of the boat and poured out its contents, throwing my thermal shirt in. I placed Asmodeus inside and he glared at me.
"What're you doing? I'm coming with!"
"No, you're not. You're still in pain and wounded. Coming with us is suicide."
"I'll heal!"
"No, you won't. Not without help."
"Just give me some of that stuff that you and the others take when you need it!"
"No way, Asmodeus. You may have a good sense of smell and be the size of a pop bottle, but you're still human. Humans can't take ambrosia or nectar. It'll make you burst into ashes. No, what you need is rest. I'm going to leave you here and if you need help there's a whistle under the seat and just blow as hard as you can, but be careful."
"Milady-"
"Asmodeus, I'm not asking you. I'm ordering you." I stated firmly. Asmodeus frowned at me, but slowly nodded and laid down on the shirt in the box. I covered him with a sleeve before I looked up, standing to see that we had landed. We jumped off into dark sand, the murky water lurking up onto shore before reeling back with a soft 'sssssh'.
The sand was littered with garbage and bones, skulls too and it made me shudder. The trees were tall and dark, creating a forest of eerie silence and darkness. The only sound was the ocean behind us, lapping up on shore before pulling back.
"We should split up." I heard Adam state and all at once, everyone shouted no.
"No way," Eden snapped, "We may have rescued you, but that doesn't mean we trust you!"
"Ditto," Taylor retorted, "You're a dunderhead for thinking so."
"I trust Travis and Conner more than I trust you." Alex agreed with a nod, folding his arms over his chest. I was surprised. Travis and Conner, the head counselors for the Hermes Cabin, were downright sneaky and clever, pulling pranks all the time. I nodded in agreement as well, however, because even I trusted those two more than Adam.
"They're right. You're in no position to think we'd even begin to trust you." I muttered. Adam glared at us.
"I'm not going to attack you with one arm on an island full of monsters. I'm not stupid! I just think we'll cover more ground that way. Taylor and Alex should go along the shoreline since Taylor's good with water and Alex could back her up with lightening in case a monster attacks. The rest of us can go into the woods and split off-"
"That's where your plan gets uncomfortable." Eden interrupted sharply. Adam scowled.
"I'm not going to make a run for it either. There's no where to run, especially without a boat and proper sailing skills." He snapped.
"If anything, you're coming with me." Eden responded firmly, folding her arms tightly over her chest. Adam glared daggers at her and I nodded.
"That's a good plan. We'll cover more ground, sure, but I trust you to keep Adam in line, Eden." I replied. Eden blinked and looked at me.
"But, Roxie, you'd be on your own." She pointed out. I paused. Whoa, didn't think about that… All alone in a big scary forest full of flesh-eating monsters without any help?
"I can handle it." I answered. I was getting doubtful looks and I sighed.
"If I need your help, I'll scream ahead of time, believe me." I assured. Still reluctant, but we finally agreed and split up. I headed right into the forest at a run, jumping over fallen trees and sinkholes. I walked and walked, but I only encountered a hellhound that I easily got rid of with my scythe. I kept walking and after a moment, I found myself walking into a clearing.
I frowned and immediately got a bad feeling. I stopped and looked around, momentarily wishing I had Asmodeus to sniff out the monsters, but then again, this island was infested. His nose would be on fire with the scent. I'm surprised he wasn't complaining back at the boat. Maybe the pain in his ribs was just that bad. I grimaced at the thought, then looked up.
I blinked in surprise as I found myself staring at the gray sky above past a dark ring of trees. The sound of a bird, maybe a hawk or something, squawked and I jumped, yelping, then clamped my hands over my mouth as the squawk turned frantic and terrified. I heard a growling and the sound of something mauling the bird before silence followed. I cringed and bolted out of the clearing, running as fast as I could. That was probably one of the creepiest things I've ever heard.
I ran for a bit before I slowed down, panting for air and bending over with my hands on my knees when I heard a twig snap. My eyes flashed and I looked between my legs to see pair of large, thick muscular legs behind me. My eyes widened and I shot upright, my body going cold before I whipped around and stumbled back, falling on my butt.
I stared up at what I recognized as the Minotaur. His long horns were curled and his glassy eyes were narrowed, his nose wet and dripping from what sounded like a cold because he sounded like he sneezed. He spread his arms and snarled at me. I yelped and screamed aloud before ducking forward, rolling as he charged at me. He ran right over top me, missing my head by an inch as he crashed into a tree. He growled and whipped around, stamping a hoof at the ground before charging again.
I scrambled out of the way, just barely in time and I whipped out my staff, smacking it on the ground so the blades sprung free. I jerked my head up in time for him to swing his arm around to swipe at me. I flinched and ducked back before slashing at him with my scythe. The blade cut his arm and he bellowed in agony, flailing his arm before charging at me.
I wasn't so lucky that time. I moved to duck, but he was expecting it and rammed his fist into my gut. Every last bit of oxygen left me as I went flying backwards, skidding through the dirt and fallen leaves before hitting a tree trunk. I gasped in pain, rolling over onto my stomach and letting go of my scythe to grasp at it. I groaned, cringing and I felt a warm rivulet of blood going down my chin. I looked up as the Minotaur threw itself up onto his hind legs and roared almost happily at its job well done. It mooed and lunged at me. I yelped and scrambled as fast as I could out of the way. The Minotaur slammed into the tree and its horn, the one that didn't look busted, was stuck in the tree. It blinked in surprise before snarling and punching at the tree, making it shake and whimper.
I hurriedly grabbed up my scythe and reeled it around, slamming a blade harshly into the Minotaur's back. Blood spewed from the wound before the thing crumpled to the ground like it was made of ashes. I sighed in relief, falling backwards onto my butt again as I stared at where the Minotaur had been. It made a good few dents in the tree that seemed to shrivel in pain.
I frowned, then slowly rose to my feet, brushing myself off. I winced at a throbbing pain in my ribcage and gut area, probably from the right hook that thing gave me. I made a mental note that next time, I'd torture the thing. Make it my next hamburger.
I tapped my scythe, letting it fling back into its normal self. I sighed and started to limp on, but I stopped at the loud sound of crackling lightening and thunder. Rushing water followed and I jerked my head up, taking a couple steps back until I could see past the trees in a clearing. The sky was darker and I could see almost a tornado of lightening blasting down at the earth and I could only guess Alex and Taylor had met up with their fair share of monsters. I grimaced and looked down, then blinked, finding myself staring at some columns of stone. I turned around and realized I was standing on the stairs of a small Greek-style pavilion with an empty stand at the center. I looked around, then approached the stand.
Dust layered the top as if whatever was there was long gone, disappeared, vanished… Stolen. I stared at it, then looked around quickly, suspiciously. What would this be doing in the middle of a monster swarmed island? In the middle of forest?
"Looking for something?" A voice sang. I blinked and whipped around in shock. An empousa stood across from me, her hair thick columns of flames as she narrowed her eyes dangerously. She stepped forward, her bronze leg clanking and the donkey one thumping on the dirt. Where her left arm was, there was a familiar mechanical one, hanging limp, but there. My eyes widened."You! That's not yours!" I blurted stupidly. The empousa snarled.
"Well, no duh! But you think I care? This thing is mine now, so get ready to face my-"
"OH NO," I shouted, making her blink and stare at me, "HECK NO! I just came all the way from New York, faced a killer old woman, made a death-defying escape from a mad-house of illusions, rescued a traitor, almost LOST my human, and just about got killed by a Minotaur and I am NOT going to put up with some cheerleading ass-legged monster to get that traitor's arm back, so just hand it over! I am seriously not in the mood!" The empousa stared at me, then rose an eyebrow, confused.
"Killer old woman?" She asked, but I didn't answer her. I didn't have to because I saw the next part coming. Eden came up behind the empousa, leaping off Adam's hand and slamming an axe down on the empousa's head. She burst into flames and Adam's arm dropped to the dirt and leaves. Adam went to snatch it up, but Eden got it first, glaring at him.
"Oh, no you don't," She snapped, then looked at me and nodded, "Nice rant there, Roxie. We heard you loud and clear." I blushed lightly, but smiled anyway, rubbing the back of my sore head.
"Yea, sure. Anytime." I answered. Adam scowled.
"Give me my arm! You promised-"
"Not on the River Styx," Eden answered sharply, "We're going to give it back to you as soon as we reach the shore. Taylor's got a friend who'll reattach this for you, but you have to promise not to be a big baby and embarrass me like the time we visited Julian the Cannibal."
"Shut up!" Adam snarled angrily and he was blushing visibly. I guess crying and screaming in pain wasn't something big in the Ares family. We headed to the shore, meeting up with Taylor and Alex on the way. Both of them were beat up pretty badly with bruises and cuts and I think Alex's wrist was broken because it was bent funny, but otherwise, we were alive.
"Jeez," Asmodeus mused as we got back to the boat, "You guys looked like you went to a monster infested island."
"Shut up, Asmodeus." I huffed and he just snickered. Taylor closed her eyes and seemed to concentrate, directing the water with a hand and using it to coax the water for us to bump along back to shore. By the time we did get back to the clean white sands of the shore, the sun was out and beaming hotly down on us, heating the sand.
"I'll contact Tyson. Anyone got a drachma?" Taylor asked, glancing at us. I nodded and flipped a coin at her. She turned to face the water, where we had forced Adam to kick the water, letting it splash up and creating a rainbow. He looked pretty peeved about doing it, but he was doing it. Taylor flicked the coin in and recited the calling. For a moment, there was only static before a vision came into focus of what I could only guess was the forges of the Cyclopes.
One particular Cyclopes seemed to notice the message and his single, calf-brown eye widened in surprise as he turned to face the message. He was covered in grim and grease, holding what looked like a metal wing in his hand.
"Sister! You call me!" He beamed happily. Taylor smiled, waving.
"Tyson! We need you to do us a big favor… Our friend here needs his arm back on. Think you can do that?" She asked. Tyson blinked, tilting his head.
"Friend needs… Arm? But, I don't know how to put on little human's arm."
"No, no. It's a metal arm. See?" Taylor held it up and Tyson's eye got big with excitement.
"Metal arm! So nice, very nice! Tyson will take Rainbow and be there as fast as he can!" He exclaimed and the message was off. Taylor blinked and turned to face us as Adam fell on his butt in the water out of exhaustion from kicking the water. He was glaring at us like we were the biggest pack of kittens in the world.
"That was easy," Taylor mused, "He must be lonely again… I thought Percy was visiting, guess not. He's such a procrastinator." She huffed and handed Eden Adam's arm. Adam glared at us some more.
"May I PLEASE have my arm back?" He demanded. Eden hummed.
"Hmm, I dunno, he said please you guys." She mused, a taunting smirk on her face as she looked at us. Taylor giggled and I smirked, Alex snickering. Adam turned a nice shade of embarrassing pink as he clenched his fist.
"He said please. I think he should get to hold it until Tyson gets here." Taylor said at last with a nod, still trying to stifle her giggles. Alex laughed.
"Iiii think he should say please again." He declared.
"I like Alex's idea." I agreed with a grin. Taylor burst into giggles again.
"You guys are terrible!" She managed. Adam was red now, whether from embarrassment or fury or both, but he was shaking. Eden nodded, turning to Adam, holding up a finger like a mother scolding her child.
"All right, but you have to say 'Thank you very much for rescuing me and getting my arm back. Can you pretty, pretty please, big sister, give me my arm back?' And you have to say it nicely, no cursing." She added. Adam was still trembling, his eye twitching. He took a deep, shuddering breath before glaring as powerfully as he could at Eden, who stood over him with a cocky smirk as she held his arm in her hand.
"Th-Thank you very m-much for r-rescuing me and getting my arm b-back…" He started shakily, obviously furious. Eden raised an eyebrow, wagging a finger at him.
"And?" She asked. Adam gritted his teeth, fuming.
"Can you p-pretty, pretty p-please, b-b… Big sister, give me my arm back?" He managed to seethe. Eden hummed thoughtfully, tapping the index finger of Adam's mechanical hand on her chin, folding an arm over her chest.
"Hmm, I dunno. What do you think guys?" She asked, looking at us. I grinned."I think he's earned it." I replied, nodding at her. Taylor tried to contain her laughter, but she couldn't and we only caught the words 'oh, jeez' and 'sure, why not?' Alex snickered and merely nodded. Eden looked at Adam and handed his arm out, hand first.
"Come on, get up." She commanded. Adam snatched his arm away from her and heaved himself up alone, scowling at us.
"Damn all of you." He snapped angrily, looking away and basically pouting like a child. We still laughed about it, even Asmodeus, but I made sure to keep him close in case Adam decided to take out his anger on him again. We waited for Tyson, who eventually showed up… On Rainbow, a weird looking seahorse kind of thing. The name was way too long for me to remember or even spell, so I just settled for calling him Rainbow too.
Tyson sat down on the beach with Adam almost sitting in his lap so he could reattach his arm. Adam was still pink from our earlier teasing and he still looked so peeved and even humiliated and I would have felt bad for him… If he hadn't of broken my human's ribs!
Adam cringed and gasped every so often as Tyson tried to reattach the arm. He kept cooing to Adam, which I think kind of annoyed Adam more than the pain. It just made Eden smirk and Alex and Taylor snicker. Asmodeus kept taunting him, but of course, he was in my hands and I was holding him pretty close so Adam couldn't hear him, just me and the other three. I was glad that Asmodeus was at least trying to get back to his normal self.
"Done! Not so bad, yes, son of Ares?" Tyson asked. Adam shifted his arm a little, only wincing once before nodding.
"Yea… Thanks, I guess…" He muttered. Eden clapped him on the back and he jumped, glaring at her. She smirked. Tyson beamed, clasping his hands.
"Welcome, son of Ares!" He exclaimed. Taylor smiled.
"Nice work, Tyson. Glad I can count on you when I'm in a jam." She replied. Tyson blinked.
"Toast?"
"No, not that kind of- Never mind. I'll visit you next week and I'll bring Percy with me, all right?" Taylor asked. Tyson beamed and nodded. We said our farewells before Tyson was off, riding Rainbow into the deep blue sea, one of the weirdest sights I think I've ever seen. We turned to look at the glob of Mount Othrys in the distance before moving forward and all the while, Adam seemed pretty antsy and annoyed at the same time.
"You know she was just joking." I told him, referring to our little game with him back on the shore. Adam frowned at me, then looked away with a light scowl.
"Couldn't care less…"
"Then why're you so upset?"
"Uneasy." Adam one-worded me. I rolled my eyes, then looked at Asmodeus in my hands and he just huffed a little, resting propped up against the heels of my hands. We flagged at one of those van-like taxis once we made it into town and paid them with a twenty and a gold drachma, which is probably why they began to speed down the highway. I shut my eyes tightly as we drove, my heart pounding.
Please, please, let this work.
We came to a halt at the foot of the mountain as thick mist swirled around it darkly, eerily and from the looks of it, a storm was brewing overhead, thunder grumbling and lightening gliding through the clouds and mist. We got out and headed up the mountain, but we ended up meeting a detour that I didn't expect.
A group of girls were seated around a tree with golden apples, a large hundred-headed dragon curled around it, snoring so smoke billowed from all its noses. One of the girls looked up and scowled, her pure black eyes glittering.
"Turn back, no demigods allowed!" She snapped. The other girls nodded in agreement and I rolled my eyes. Eden snorted.
"Shut up and let us pass. We're here to see the sons of Iapetus." She stated. Several pairs of black eyes glowed as the girls rose to their feet.
"What do you want with them?"
"Does thee have a death wish?"
"Turn back!"
"Don't make us wake up Ladon!"
"Don't make me rip your heads off! And all your dragon's heads too." Eden added in annoyance when she noticed the dragon, but she knew as well as I did that Ladon wasn't a dragon to mess with. The girls giggled, but bitterly as the first one scowled, waving a hand and pointing a finger.
"Go back-"
"Silence your mouths, girls, or you'll stir the dragon." A terribly familiar voice snapped. My blood turned to ice in my veins and even Asmodeus stiffened in my hands before jerking his head up. Everyone else turned to the path ahead to see a muscular, bulky man standing there with his dark hair slicked back and his eyes stony. He wore a nice, primped up Italian silk suit that reminded me almost of the ones Charon wore. I guess it was big with the immortals.
The girls scurried back, flashing us all sharp glares before looking toward the Titan known as Atlas, the one who was supposed to be holding up the heavens.
"What the heck are you doing here?" I demanded right away. Atlas smirked, putting a hand in his pocket while giving the collar of his suit a little tug, just to make sure he looked good while looking murderous at the same time.
"To greet my little niece and her idiotic friends, why else?"
"And who's holding up the sky?" Taylor asked uneasily. I didn't get why she seemed nervous at first, but then I thought about it more and more and realized…
"Menoetius, of course. I've forgotten how stupid he was and it was easy to trick him into taking the burden. Unfortunately… That body of his is going to waste away." He mused.
"NO!" I blurted. Ladon shifted, huffing a little in his sleep. Atlas frowned, then looked at us and beckoned. I didn't know what else to do, but lead the way forward behind Atlas. We followed silently, the only sound being some kind of faint growling from above and the Hesperides hissing in disapproval behind us.
We walked to the top and sure enough, Menoetius was shouting at the top of his lungs, barking out curses in all sorts of languages… And he was still in Nero's body. He was shaking and his golden eyes seemed to burn hatefully as he snarled.
"Atlas! You rotten traitor! Prometheus! Epimetheus, you COWARDS!" He screamed, his eye twitching. Atlas rolled his eyes, folding his arms over his chest.
"Such a whiny brat, always was… You know full well Epimetheus is off on business and Prometheus, well…" Atlas paused to look at me and I stared back for a moment.
"What about my dad?" I demanded. Atlas looked back at Menoetius, who spat on the ground angrily.
"He's busy too. Well, you must have come here for a reason and judging by the fact that he's here, you're going to exchange him for your friend." He gestured to Adam, who twitched and glared at me.
"You swore on the River Styx…" He started, but Taylor whipped out her sword and Eden took out her axes, Alex unsheathing his sword to point at Adam's back. Adam continued to glare at me, seething hatred. I turned to Atlas, who seemed a bit amused by this turn of events.
"A trade," I started, "Transfer Menoetius's soul into Adam's body. He's a son of Ares, stronger and quicker. He's more physically capable than Nero, who's hardly fit for it."
"Y-You're one to t-talk, Roxie!" I snapped my head at Menoetius and for a split second, his golden eyes flickered back to Nero's brilliant aqua green ones and hope swelled in my chest before his eyes flashed back to gold.
"ATLAS! You fool, accept the offer! This boy's body is too- Roxie, you're insane! If this works- Atlas, damn you! ACCEPT!" His voice changed from the metallic harsh voice of the titan back to Nero's young, smooth voice, then back again like a broken toy. Atlas glared at him.
"You idiot, they're plotting something-"
"There's no down side, already! If you don't-don't-don't," He sounded like a smashed record before he picked himself back up into Nero's voice, "I swear I'll kick your butt for coming back and for listening to that dunderhead in the first place- Atlas! Do something!"
"Oh, for Kronos's sake. Go, girl." Atlas commanded, grabbing my shoulder roughly. I winced a little, almost dropping Asmodeus, who yelped in my hands. I concentrated hard.
"All right… Lord Menoetius, I summon you! … NOT!" I barked. Lightening flashed and Atlas's eyes widened for a split second and thank the gods, he moved just as fast as the lightening, rushing forward and catching the heavy weight of the heavens just as Menoetius was struck down. I flinched and flashed Alex a look and he shrugged apologetically.
I handed Asmodeus to Taylor, who blinked in surprised as I ran over to Nero, who was flopped on the ground. I waited, watching him grimace. Everyone else ignored the fact that Atlas was screaming at the top of his lungs and raced over as well. Nero coughed weakly and his eyelids fluttered open, revealing bright aqua green eyes. He blinked a few times, probably letting his eyes adjust.
"Ow… Ow…. I can't believe… That just happened…" He murmured. I didn't waste another second and threw my arms around his neck tightly, hugging him close.
"You're okay, you're alive! Oh gods, Nero, I am so, so, so sorry! I'm a terrible friend and I should've listened to you!" I cried, feeling my eyes welling up with tears. Nero winced, giving me a little nervous pat, his cheeks tinged a slight pink.
"Ah, yea… Cool… Ow, Roxie, you're digging your fingernails into my spine…" He mumbled. I finally let go and everyone else smiled at him, Eden beaming.
"Glad you're all right." She stated. Nero looked up at her, then smiled lightly.
"Same here…" Eden held her hand out and Nero took it, pulling himself to his feet carefully before he glanced over at Adam, pointing. I looked at the son of Ares to see him staring at me in disbelief.
"What the heck?"
"Sorry," I muttered, "I didn't tell you about the idea because you'd be a bad actor, no offense."
"None taken, I seriously thought… Because after… Well, I mean…"
"It's fine." I sighed. There was a shrieking sound, however, that said that nothing was fine. Atlas even grimaced a bit as he struggled under the weight of his burden as a crackling glow of gold flashed around through the air, screaming.
"I'll get you for this! You haven't seen the last of me! Curse you, Roxie Belle, curse you to a punishment worthy of your betrayal!" Menoetius's voice roared and in a flash, he vanished into the dirt once his orb hit it. Rocks went flying and we covered our faces before staring at the scorched portion of the dirt.
"Not good." Adam stated. I frowned.
"What're you talking about? We got Nero back, saved you, and basically just got rid of a pain in the butt titan. Not to mention, Atlas is still holding the heavens." I added. Atlas scowled and spat some curses at me. Taylor grimaced, shaking her head.
"Roxie, you were just cursed by a titan… That's pretty bad." She pointed out. I paused, frowning, then shook my head.
"It's nothing, seriously. It's not like I feel any different." I replied with a shrug. Everyone shared looks, even Nero looked a bit uneasy, but I told them to forget it and we were heading down the mountain, listening to Atlas scream about how he was going to tell my father when he got back. From where, I didn't know. Nor did I care that Atlas was being a big tattletale.
Nero showed us to a fancy car that Menoetius had used one of the Lotus Hotel cards on and I was a bit impressed. We piled into the sleek car, three in front and three in back with Eden driving this time as she insisted. She drove way over the speed limit, but she seemed to be enjoying it. Adam looked a bit sick, but only covered his mouth and sank low in his seat. Taylor and Alex were making jokes about the look on Atlas's face when he realized we tricked them. I sat up front with Nero and Eden, Nero staring out the window at the mountain as we passed it.
"S'good to have you back." I stated. Nero blinked, then smiled meekly before looking back out the window. I frowned a little, uncomfortably.
"Nero. Are you all right?"
"… Yea, why?"
"You seem… Well, like you're acting weird."
"I'm just exhausted, really. I was possessed by a super powerful titan and struck by lightening, not to mention, I had to hold up the heavens and let me tell you, that was a nightmare in itself. I feel like jello." Nero muttered.
"I'm sorry," I murmured, "I promise to make this all up to you, I swear it."
"So long as you just be careful." Nero sighed. We sat in more silence, the only sound of Eden speeding and the radio softly playing Carol of the Bells. We rode on and on until I decided, maybe I should mention everything to Nero.
Including who his mother was and who his psychotic aunt really was. I glanced at Eden, who was driving and searching for a hotel while Taylor was slumped in her seat, resting her head on Alex's shoulder. Alex had his head lolled back as he slept, Adam leaning on the window, curled up with his knees to his chest and his mechanical arm held close to his stomach. I looked at Nero, who yawned sleepily, changing the station that was playing Santa Claus is Comin' to Town.
"Nero." I stated. He glanced at me.
"Hm?"
"I need to tell you something… It's about your mother." I said. Nero blinked, then stared at me.
"What are you talking about?"
"I know who your mother is… Her name is-" I was cut off because a sleek black sports car road up behind us, ramming into our back end. Everyone jolted awake and Eden jerked at the steering wheel to stay on the road to avoid driving into a ditch.
"What the heck was that?" Eden demanded angrily as she glanced in the rearview mirror, getting steady again, only for us to be rammed again. I whipped around, wincing at the blinding light of the headlights. Asmodeus, who was sitting on my shoulder and clinging to a thick lock of my hair, squinted, then squeaked.
"Yikes! That's Lord Epimetheus!" He cried. I stared and I couldn't see how he could tell that, but I trusted his instincts and whipped back around.
"Faster, we have to go faster!" I shouted.
"No problemo!" Eden exclaimed and pushed harder on the accelerator, flying down the highway. She swerved past semi-trucks and other vehicles driving on the dark highway, horns honking and the sound of our tires screeching following, along with that stupid song on the radio.
"You better watch out, you better not cry! You better not pout, cuz I'm tellin' you why!"
The front end of the sleek car slammed into us and we shot like a bullet down the highway, Eden jerking the wheel from side to side to avoid collisions with other cars.
"The next exit!" I commanded. Eden gave a nod, glancing in her rearview mirror for a split second before driving onto the exit ramp. We were going way too fast for an exit ramp, but that was the least of our problems because Epimetheus was catching up with us and fast.
We shot past the stop sign into traffic, that immediately skidded to halts as we rounded sharply, shooting across the bridge and into a small town.
"We're losing him!" Taylor exclaimed for a second, then frowned.
"Roll down the window!" She ordered Alex, who nodded quickly and obeyed. Taylor scooted almost into Alex's lap toward the window and at first, I was confused until I saw a hotel swimming pool. The water shuddered, then exploded from the pool and sent a massive tidal wave bursting over the next highway bridge, slamming into Epimetheus's car, sending it into a series of donuts.
"Hurry and find a hotel!" Adam commanded.
"What the heck do you think I'm doing, Adam? All of you sit back, seatbelts on for crying out loud!" Eden shouted. We all quickly obeyed as she picked up speed, all of us being pressed against our seats as we flew over a hill and around a corner, making the tires squeal in protest before Eden quickly drove into a hotel parking lot. We sat in utter silence, breathing heavily.
"That was… The freakiest thing ever…" I managed. Eden blinked, then grinned, whipping around to face all over us.
"That was amazing! The speedometer was definitely over a hundred! Did you see that? There was smoke and everything!" She exclaimed. Adam rolled his eyes, shaking his head and burying his face in his hands in disbelief. Alex and Taylor stared at her, unblinking as if to ask 'what the heck is wrong with you?' Nero and I just shared looks, like 'wth'.
"Do you think he'll keep coming after us?" Taylor asked at last.
"I should hope not." I muttered.
"I take it he found out about our visit." Adam groaned as he opened the car door, looking a bit green.
"What's wrong?" Nero asked. Adam clamped a hand over his mouth and by the green look on his face, he was going to vomit, so we looked away and gave him some privacy to heave up his guts in the parking lot.
"… Eden, you picked a terrible hotel." Nero stated. Eden blinked, then looked up and twitched, blushing a deep red, which was easily seen on her pale skin and it didn't help that the glow of the red sign of the Romance 101 hotel was burst into our car.
"I think I'm going to be even sicker." Adam groaned and hung outside the car door.
"Egh," Taylor stuck out her tongue, "Can we please at least get out?" She asked. We all agreed on this and stepped out, slamming our doors shut. We looked up at the sign and in digital glowing red letters was the special today on a king size bedroom. That's when I saw the date, December 22nd 2010. My eyes widened and almost bugged.
"We can't stop." I managed.
"What'd you mean?" Nero asked, confused. Eden yawned sleepily. Taylor frowned.
"Yea, we've hardly gotten a wink of sleep and I can't even remember the last time we slept. I'm exhausted and this may be a crappy hotel, but at least it's something." She pointed out.
"It's not that, the date!" I pointed. Everyone looked up and everyone, but a confused looking Nero, paled.
"What about the date?" Nero asked, looking at me. I grimaced.
"I promised my mom I'd be back home with you so we can have a Christmas dinner together and not to mention, I told Mr. D that too." I groaned.
"Maybe we can send an Iris-message," Taylor offered, "There's got to be a fountain in this place somewhere and we should have at least two drachmas left. We can contact Chiron and Mr. D to let them know we're on our way back."
"I like Taylor's idea. We don't get in trouble." Alex agreed with a nod.
"All right," I sighed, "But hurry! If we can't find a fountain, we have to drive out of here and fast."
"Got it." We nodded and split off into pairs to search for a fountain, but it didn't take very long because one of the rooms Nero and I walked by had a lovely fountain of a Cupid statue spewing water from his mouth. I looked around quickly, then opened the window.
"That's breaking and entering." Nero pointed out, but he was following me anyway. I rolled my eyes, helping him in after me.
"Doesn't matter… Jeez, what's up with Cupid?"
"Actually," Nero admitted, "Cupid's the Roman name for the God of Lust, an immortal child of Aphrodite."
"They don't have a cabin for him, do they?"
"They might, he's more popular with the Romans, though… And I bet you anything, his cabin would be overflowing."
"That's gross." I huffed and Nero cracked a smile as we walked over to the fountain. I fished out a drachma and flicked it in, reciting the chant. Static before an image of Opius came up and he was sitting on the edge of the desk where I left him in his new outfit.
"Opius!" I barked. Opius jumped up from shining his shield, giving me a lopsided salute and Nero cocked a brow at me. I smirked, then looked at Opius.
"Where's Mr. D? And Chiron?" I asked. Opius blinked.
"Chiron is teaching an archery class and it seems Di- I mean, Mr. D is in Mount Olympus." I stared at him, confused, then looked at Nero, but help, but he just gave me a helpless shrug. I looked back at Opius, frowning.
"All right, but when you can get in contact with them, tell them we're on our way back to Camp Half-Blood for Christmas." I declared. Opius blinked a couple times, then beamed happily.
"Yes, milady!" He exclaimed and the Iris message shut off as I turned to Nero.
"He's kind of like Asmodeus." I explained, remembering that I had left the little guy sleeping in the glove compartment. He needed a lot of rest and I could tell he was getting weak, which unnerved me. Nero nodded, then averted his eyes. We stood there awkwardly in a room decorated with countless cupids. Suddenly, Nero looked up at me, staring.
"Wait, Roxie, you said something about my mom in the car. What did you mean by that?" He asked. I perked up.
"Your mother. She was in a couple dreams that I had. Your mother isn't mortal, Nero."
"What?"
"She's a spirit of madness and her sister, your aunt Karen is the spirit of wrath. They're daughters of Medusa before she was cursed. In my dreams, I saw your mother and aunt talking and they mentioned…" I stopped.
I didn't want to, but I felt like someone had just clamped their hand around my throat tightly. I coughed. Nero flinched and looked at me worriedly.
"Roxie? Roxie, what's wrong?"
"Agh! I can't breath!" I gasped for air, but nothing went into my lungs. Panic boiled inside me and I could faintly hear a woman's voice in the back of my mind, snarling at me.
Never! Never will you tell him! Stay away from him! I shall be the one to grant Lord Menoetius's curse! I, Mira, Spirit of Madness, cast you into immortality! I curse you until the day my son's lineage perishes that you shall forever take the form of a starving beast! You shall be forced to feed upon the souls of demigods and forever be known as the Titan Goddess of Starvation!
I gasped again and I felt a searing hot feeling, but when I managed to look at my hands, I saw ice, not fire. I panted for air and I could hear Nero's voice yelling my name.
My old name. The one I was born with, the one my mother and father picked out for me, the one that was on my birth certificate and school papers…
"Roxie! Roxie! What's going on?" Nero demanded past the icy cold haze. I groaned and collapsed to my knees, hugging my gut tightly and hunching over in pain. The icy coldness was numbing and I felt like I was going to freeze to death and I could feel the chill to my very bones as I tried to get air into my lungs.
"Nero…! GO! Go away!" I managed to shout and cringed in pain, glancing up at Nero one last time, only to see the faint outline of Mira right behind him, clasping her ghost hands over Nero's shoulders as she laughed; Nero completely unnoticing this as he panicked…
And I was so close…
FIN?
A/N: Yeaaaaa, that's how part one ends :) Sorry, but I like making weird endings :'D But hey… At least they got Nero back? O3o; No worries, though! Most of these characters will also appear in part two! The sequel to this is called The Prophecy of Hermes! If you want your OC in that one, I'll already be adding them in, but if you don't, just send me a PM telling me so. Well, thanks very much for sticking by in this, sorry if any of it was rushed, I'm still trying to work on improving my writing skills. If you want any updates on fan fictions, I highly suggest checking my homepage as I update it every week, sometimes more than once! Again, thanks for reading, hope the characters are okay, and your reviews are greatly appreciated!