Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!
Woohoo! Makayla finally gets to learn what's going on with her!
I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!
Makayla walked off with Ashlyn and smacked her forehead.
"I'm so stupid!" She muttered. "How could I have just stood there and not said anything?! And after all that..."
"Are you ok?" Ashlyn asked, worry in her brown eyes. "You're muttering stuff again."
"I'm fine." The redhead told her best friend. "Just stupid."
"Did I interrupt something back there? Cuz if you want to go back, I can tell-"
"It's fine, Ash. Really." Makayla interrupted. "I just... lead the way." Ashlyn nodded slowly, her dark arm looping around her's. She then led Makayla over to the Big House where Chiron and Leo were talking on the veranda. Leo was pacing with a hand in his curly hair. It looked more like he was arguing.
"- deserves to know." Makayla heard Chiron reasonably say as she and Ashlyn got closer. It sounded like he was trying to calm Leo down.
"I know that but if we tell her now then she'll just start panicking and worrying and that'll only make things worse." The fire-user argued.
"Were you planning on keeping it secret from her?"
"Well, no, but I just- I don't think that now is a good time to tell her-" Leo stopped and he and Chiron saw Makayla coming. The redhead frowned. Were they talking about her? What would she be worried about?
"Uh, Ash said you wanted to talk to me?" She asked. The centaur nodded slowly.
"Yes, my dear. I am afraid your brother and I have neglected to tell you some things." He confessed.
"I thought we agreed on no lies or secrets?" Makayla accused, turning towards her brother, crossing her arms. He looked down.
"I know and we did. I just- I really didn't want to tell you because I know that you're gonna hate it and you'll start freaking out and most likely get mad at me. I was just hoping that you wouldn't have to hear this." He told her. Makayla tilted her head to the side, even more confused.
"What's so bad that you had to keep it a secret from your own sister?"
"Come inside, and we will tell you," Chiron told her. He told Ashlyn to go back to her training and, with a smile to Makayla, she left. Makayla followed Leo and Chiron inside and sat down on one of the couches facing the two.
"Soooo..." Makayla drawled out after a minute of silence.
"Like Chiron said, we've been keeping a secret from you. Something that… something you deserve to know and I shouldn't have kept from you." Leo reluctantly confessed, still standing as he fiddled with wires from his toolbelt. He looked at Chiron, clearly asking him to say instead.
"Makayla, my dear. Do you know who it was who had captured you those months ago?"
Makayla closed her eyes for a moment and pressed her lips together. So that's what they want to talk about.
"Uh, yeah. He was the leader of… that gang-group. His name was Ganabranth." She again shivered. She hated even hearing his name. Chiron nodded slowly.
"Yes. He is the man who marked you, is he not?" He clarified. Makayla nodded. "Well, there were more people than just him where you were kept Gan- that man," Chiron corrected, seeing how sensitive she was to his name "Was part of a very secretive and powerful organization called The Serpents."
Makayla's eyes widened a little bit and she looked down at her arms, seeing the swirling snake.
"What's that?"
"They are a huge and very powerful group," Chiron told the redhead, quoting what he had told Leo and Nico before. "Some of the members are rouge demigods, others being strong mortals. That man is their leader but he has not been heard from or seen for many, many years. That is what had me worried. The group is a very powerful organization with a lot of abilities, allies, and power."
"So I was kidnapped by a really powerful gang." Makayla summarized. Chiron nodded. "But how would that make me freak out?" The old centaur sighed. She already had a lot of things to worry about in her life.
"Uh, sorry! That was it!" Leo announced, trying to bluff his way out. "I guess I over expected your reaction! Nothing else." Makayla stared at him blankly.
"Leo, se sienta y me dice la verdad. What were you going to say?" She demanded.
(sit down and tell me the truth)
"If I tell you, you're going to get really mad and scared and start freaking out. Kayla, you do not want to know." Leo told her, falling back onto one of the armchairs. Makayla could tell that her brother was telling the truth but if it was that bad of a secret about her then she wanted to know.
"What is it?" She asked Chiron, knowing that she wouldn't get anywhere with her brother. The old centaur sighed.
"I will agree with Leo that you will not like it. But if you wish to know..." He paused before continuing. "Before the group went inactive, they seem to be doing so again, they would twice a year take three people and brand them with their mark; that brand marked them as a permanent member of their group. The mark could be a brand, tattooed as an image, or cut to a scar. Some would join willingly and others by force and once marked the person is unable to leave the group." The realization of what he was saying was slowly starting to appear in Makayla's swirling eyes alongside the fear. "They have full knowledge of where the people they branded are and what they are doing. The ones marked... they can be controlled by their leader, who just so happens to be the man who marked you."
Makayla's eyes widened and her breathing sped up. She looked down at her scarred arms and legs in horror.
"Wh-what? I- Gan... He can- he can control me? He knows where I am?" She choked out in a stutter, tears forming, fear clearly evident in her voice and eyes.
Chiron nodded solemnly. He hated having to tell Makayla about this but he knew that she should know the danger she was in.
"Why you didn't tell me this before, Leo?!" Makayla exclaimed, standing up, anger now seeping into her voice despite the tears in her eyes. Leo was sitting with his head in his hands, elbows on his knees, looking down. He hadn't said anything. "I'm your sister! Did you think you were protecting me?! That ignoring it would make it go away?! Did you think I would try to do something about it?! Well, I can't and you know why? BECAUSE I HAVE A F*CKING SCAR ON MY BODY THAT LETS HIM CONTROL ME!" She shouted, her eyes were black. "Yes I'm freaking out and yes I'm worried but I'm also pissed at you because my own brother decided not to tell me pretty much the most important thing of my entire life!"
Makayla still had tears on her cheeks but she turned and stormed out of the Big House. Leo sighed, head still in his hands, but eventually, he lifted his head. His eyes were red but there was no trace of tears.
"That went well." He muttered sourly. "I even got the reaction I was expecting. But now she's mad at me and it's gonna be a while before she can forgive me over something like this."
"Makayla is just shocked and scared. You would be too in her position. She should be given space and time for the news to settle." Chiron told the curly-haired mechanic. "After what she has gone through I did not expect her to simply brush that away." Leo nodded slowly. He was right. That was pretty shocking and scary news.
"I just feel like I messed everything up with her... again, but this time I'm not sure she'll be as fast to forgive me," Leo muttered. He sighed and put his head back in his hands.
Makayla stormed out of The Big House. She was furious; she was mad at Ganabranth, at herself, at Leo. How could he not tell her that she could be controlled by Ganabranth and that he knew her location? That was big news! Makayla's fists clenched as she tried to hold back the tears from her fear, her heart started beating faster. Then Makayla felt a sudden wave of pain wash over her, a pain that was all too familiar.
Dimethylmercury poison
Makayla's knees buckled and she fell to the ground fell to her hands and knees with a scream of pain. Looking down she saw the Snake Scar on her arms flicker with silver light and with each flicker, her eyesight faded for a short moment. She felt another wave of the pain from the poison wash over her. She barely felt tears streaming down her face over the pain. The scar on her arms was flickering still, the glowing light shining brighter and longer each time, her eyesight flashing from black to normal. She faintly heard someone running over to her, two sets of feet, but the tears and the darkness blocked her vision. Memories of her time with Ganabranth flashed through her mind.
She wished this would stop. Not just the pain from the poison but everything; the running, the pain, the people staring at her, Ganabranth's chasing her, all the horrible memories and nightmares... She just wanted some peace in her life. She wanted it all to stop and not have to deal with any of it.
"Makayla! Makayla, what's going on?"
She faintly heard a voice calling but she was unable to identify the voice. She tried to respond but her mouth and voice wouldn't listen. Through her tears and the flickering dark, Makayla could see that her arms were still glowing. Another wave of pain hit her and she screamed again, the pain unbearable. She saw heard a weird voice talking and her arms glowed really bright.
Then all she saw was black.
Leo was sitting with his head in his hands, still hating himself when he heard the scream.
He automatically recognized his sister's voice so he jumped to his feet and bolted out the door. He saw Makayla on her hands and knees and he ran over, skidding to a stop to kneel next to her. Then his eyes widened and he stumbled back when he saw her Snake Scar was glowing again, her eyes flashing between the silver and normal purple. Her body was shaking as if she was being racked with pain.
"Makayla? Makayla are you okay!?" He exclaimed. Then he realized what was going on: Makayla's scars were glowing which meant she was going to end up like a possessed zombie all over again; a super powerful, really strong zombie but a zombie nonetheless. Ganabranth was trying to control her again, trying to make her go back to him. Leo wanted to reach out and help her but the fading bruises on his neck reminded him of what happened last time he touched her when her scar was glowing.
"What the problem now?" Will said, appearing next to Leo. The Latino looked up, startled by his appearing. He had an idea of what was happening and hoped he was wrong.
"Go get your cure." Leo quickly told the healer. Will looked confused for a moment.
"My what?" He asked.
"The cure for Makayla's poison!" Leo clarified. "Go get it!"
"Leo, I told you; it might not work! It might kill her instead."
"That's a big might that I'm willing to take," Leo exclaimed, pushing Will. "The poison is taking effect right now. That Gana-guy is using her being weakened to control her and if we don't do something now then Makayla will go right back to him! The maybe-cure is a risk we're gonna have to deal with."
Will nodded then ran off. Leo turned his attention back to his sister. Then he had a horrible thought: what if he let her go? If he let Makayla leave, then she might lead him directly to Ganabranth and his hideout. Then he could get rid of that horrible man and free his sister.
It was a bad idea and had almost one hundred percent chance of backfiring, but it made sense. The small number of demigods around them started to take notice of what was happening. Before Leo could do anything, Makayla froze. Her body stopped shaking and her tears froze on her cheeks. Her body still had its glow but it stopped it's flickering. Her eyes slowly started glowing brighter until it was shining silver again. Leo's heart got ripped in half.
Makayla was gone. Now there was only Ganabranth's puppet. She turned to look at Leo, staring at him for a moment. Slowly, she blinked once and like a switch, every demigod in sight collapsed to the ground deep asleep. Leo looked around in shock then back to Makayla. Did she do that?!
"I would say it is good to see you again, Leo Valdez, but that would be a lie," Makayla said, her voice sounding like the snake again. Then she gasped, the tears falling again. Her glowing scars flickered as another wave of pain washed over her. It continued to flicker.
Then she doubled over with a scream of pain slipping from her lips and her glow flickering. Forgetting what happened last time, Leo reached out and grabbed his sister's shoulder. Her head snapped to him, glowing silver again. She raised her hand with her palm facing towards him. Leo's eyes widened and he braced himself to be blown back again. But Makayla gritted her teeth and lowered her hand the smallest bit, closing her eyes tight. She gasped as the poison took effect again.
"Why do you try to fight it?" The snake voice asked through Makayla. It sounded like it was talking to her though. "It's pointless. You will never win."
"I- may not win... but I'm sure- hell- not lose." Makayla gasped, replying through gritted teeth, surprising Leo as she sounded like herself. The glow started flickering again and he realized with a jolt that Makayla was aware of what was happening and was fighting against the Snake. He just watched helplessly as his sister fought with herself.
"Everything you love is lost; you have nothing to fight for."
"I have more than you do, you piece of sh*t," Makayla muttered.
"This war is coming and you will not stop it, Makayla." The snake-voice sounded like it was getting annoyed.
"I don't have to stop a war. I just have... stop... you..." Makayla gritted her teeth but the Dimethylmercury hit her again and she collapsed, falling to the ground. After a minute she pushed herself back upright, arms shaking terribly.
"YOU WILL FAIL!" The snake screeched. Makayla screamed one last time, worse than any other, and collapsed flat onto her stomach. Then her Snake Scar glowed brightly and the flickering stopped, her eyes turning silver. Leo's heart broke to a million pieces as he realized that Makayla had lost.
And that concludes the twenty-second chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!
Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue. Feel free to leave a review as criticism, complaints, advise, and/or compliments are welcome to be said and heard.
Have a good one and I'll see you later!