A/N: Hey All! I'm so sorry I did not update again yesterday! The medicine I am on knocks me out, and I just could not stay awake to get it done. Today has been a terrible Monday, so I apologize for getting this out so late. Please forgive me for any mistakes!
I want to say thank you to all the guests who have reviewed! I cannot reply to you directly, so I wanted to thank you all on here! You guys are the best!
Addie's POV
The two hours of sleep I got were not good. My internal alarm went off, the pain in my head slowly increasing. I rolled out of bed, muttering curses to myself.
My armor was sitting in a pile by the bed, and it had not been touched since whoever had taken it off of me. It sat in a bloody and jumbled up mess, and I knew it needed to be repaired, which was no longer an option. I did not even have the strength to put it on. I put on my bracelets, testing them out. The right took a little longer to appear than the left, and I could see where I had dented the blade. I needed to get some smith work done on it, but that would have to wait. I would just have to work with it the best that I could. I must have damaged it when I knocked Hyperion in the head.
Addie-1. Titan-0.
I tried to stand, but my legs gave out from underneath me. I slumped to the floor by the bed, sighing deeply. I crawled over to my potion stash, leaning against the wall beside the cabinet that held them. I opened up the door, seeing what I had to work with. It was not good. I groaned in frustration because I was running low. I had two energy potions left, and a small vile of nectar. The nectar would not be difficult to come by, the energy potions would be. I reached inside, taking the vile of nectar. I uncorked it, swallowing the contents quickly. I felt the faint flutter of warmth in my chest, and it began radiating out. It took away the chills, at least, for the time being.
I grabbed both of the energy potions, and set them on the table. I opened one up, and began tentatively sipping on it. I needed to stretch this out as long as possible, that was the only way I would even have a chance. I was about to start putting on my armor, but someone walked into my room.
"Time to go, little storm!"
Deimos walked in, standing haughtily in front of me. He looked around my age, covered in scars and black leather, just like his ass-hat of a father, Ares. Deimos was the god of panic, brother to Phobos, the god of fear.
"I can manage to walk to the coliseum by myself," I snapped back at him. My voice was off though, so it did not have its usual amount of venom. I sounded just as tired as I felt, which was not good. Gods could smell fear and weakness, especially the one in front of me.
Deimos was usually stuck up Ares's butt, and he was usually sent to annoy me. Deimos took to this job gladly; he enjoyed driving me absolutely crazy and picking on me any chance he got. One time, I managed to kick his butt, and I was told to treat him with "respect" from now on. Now that I was not allowed to fight back, his bullying got even worse.
"Father wanted to make sure you are on time! Told me to escort you," he added gleefully while poking me in the shoulder. That poke felt like getting punched. I knew it would bruise, but I refused to rub it. All the gods were super strong. I might be immortal, but I did not have their strength or blood.
"Well, I have to put on my armor, and finish getting my weapons-"
"No, Dad said that I was to take you now, and if you tried to disobey, the punishment would be severe," he added cheerfully.
"Great," I muttered, standing up slowly. My legs immediately started shaking, and I had to grab onto the side table to keep from falling over. I grabbed my sword, slinging it quickly over my back. "Can I at least bring my armor with me?" I asked sluggishly.
"I don't see why not, it looks like you will need it." He pushed me in what he thought was a light teasing manner, but it felt like another punch. My breath huffed out, and he laughed at me. "You look sick, little storm! I hope I get a chance at you today!"
I ignored this comment, picking up the pieces of my armor. I tried to conjure a bag up to carry it all in, but it did not work. I tried again, and my trepidation grew. Apparently, my magic had not come back yet. This was just getting better and better by the minute.
I was about to get my ass kicked.
"You have one minute," Deimos warned. "If you can't carry it or get it on, then it is not coming with you!"
I shot him a glare, which he returned with a gloating smile. I threw on my greaves, not bothering to lace them up. I grabbed my arm braces, shoving them on my arms. I grabbed the potion I had opened and drained the contents. So much for trying to spread it out. I grabbed my chest armor, thankful that it was so light. Palaemon, one of the minor sea gods, had given it to me. I was not very muscular; I relied on speed and skill more than my strength. The traditional armor hurt more than it helped. It was too heavy and bulky for me. Palaemon had the Cyclops make this set just for me. It was in a vest like shape, but it was thin and pliable and just as tough as regular armor. I tucked my arm under the straps, and Deimos grabbed my arm, basically dragging me out of my room.
"Let me go!" I snapped at him. I pulled against him, reaching for my potion bottle. He dragged me out of my apartment like I was a doll. I did not stand a chance against him.
"Quit fighting, Euadne, or I'll let father know," he warned.
"At least let me get to my feet," I mumbled hatefully. Gods, I wanted to kill him, but I knew I had to save what little strength I had. He paused, letting me get my footing. His grip tightened on my arm, and he continued to practically drag me to the arena.
Today was going to be a really long day.
As soon as I got to the arena, Deimos shoved me into one of the holding rooms and put the arm down so I could not get out. We were below the arena, and I could hear the crowds coming up to the stands.
"Now stay here, and try not to be too scared, little squall. I'll take it easy on you, I promise."
It took all I could not to hit him.
I leaned against the wall, sliding down it until I was sitting. The energy potion had helped just a little, but I needed the other one something fierce. I had never felt this bad before a fight, ever. It concerned me. If I was fighting demigods or immortals like me, I might be okay. I could keep the damage to a minimum. If I had to fight any gods though, I was done for. I closed my eyes, trying to think of a way out of this mess. I had to because Ares had ordered me to win, but sadly, I wanted to. I was not looking forward to being in any more pain than I already was.
"Addie?"
I opened my eyes and looked to my right. There was a pair of bright grey eyes before me. Urban was squatting in front of me, on the other side of the door.
"Hi," I whispered back to him.
"Addie, what in Tartarus are you doing down here?" he whispered frantically. "Mother said you were way too sick to fight."
"Tell that to Ares," I sighed. "He said I had to."
"Oh, Addie."
I just closed my eyes, my hands gripping into my legs. I did not want anyone's pity. Yes, my situation sucked, as they say these days, but I did not need to be reminded of it. I heard the click of the door, and I felt a soft touch on my arm. I opened my eyes, Urban now in my cell with me.
"What are you doing?" I asked him quietly.
"Helping you," he replied as he started lacing up my arm braces.
"You'll get in trouble, Urban. I'll be fine-"
"No you will not. Do not try to down play this, Euadne. I see how bad off you are, and don't you dare try to deny it."
I met Urban's eyes, and he glared at me. Urban was smart, smarter than any other demigod I had ever met. He was Athena's prized child before Annabeth came along. He singled handedly devised the battle plan that won the civil war for the Greeks.
He moved to my greaves, lacing them around my calves. I wanted to tell him to stop, that I could handle this myself, but I did not have it in me to protest.
"What all have you taken?"
"A little nectar, and an energy potion," I stated. "I had one more, but Deimos dragged me out before I could grab it."
"There is time. I can run back and get it for you."
I started coughing, my body heaving at the dampness and dustiness in the air. I was starting to get the chills again, and I knew I was pushing it. I did not have a chance in Hades.
"Addie, there is no shame in asking for help. I'm sure my moth-"
"No," I said harshly. "I will not give Ares the satisfaction. You know I will pay for it either way. That's exactly what he wants; he wants me to beg him to rescind the order. I would rather get beat to a pulp than give him that."
Urban looked at me, his grey eyes sad yet understanding. Urban looked a lot more like Athena than Annabeth did. He had the grey eyes and the dark brown hair, set in soft waves all over his head. He reached for me, pulling me into a hug. He kissed my forehead, and he face contorted when he felt the heat from it.
"Stay here and rest as much as possible. I'm going to get you more nectar and that energy potion. Would you like to know who you have to fight first?"
I nodded my head, smiling in his direction. Urban disappeared, leaving me alone once again. I curled up against the wall, praying that somehow, I could make it through this.
I must have dozed off, because I woke to Urban gently shaking me awake.
"Drink this," he said, handing me a vile.
I took a swig, gagging at the taste. It tasted like rotten meat. I swallowed the mixture down, gasping for air after it.
"What in the-"
"Panacea gave it to me, said it would help. Drink all of it," he instructed.
I pinched my nose, chugging the rest of it. I did feel better, but still nothing like my usual self.
"How did you run into her?" I asked Urban. Panacea was the goddess of healing, a daughter of Asclepius. I had only met her once since I lived on Olympus.
Urban kept silent, fastening my chest armor around me. He put my arm on his shoulder, and began lacing up the sides.
"Urban," I warned him.
"What?" he muttered, avoiding my gaze. I knew what that meant. Urban was the worst liar ever, and if he was trying to avoid me, then he knew something that he knew would upset me.
"Urban Bennett," I cautioned. "What are you hiding from me?"
"I'm not hiding anything from you," he snapped back. He moved to my other side, but I stubbornly kept my arm down. Urban rolled his eyes and then narrowed them at me. "Let me finish with your gear."
"Not until you explain yourself," I replied. I set my jaw, looking determinedly back at him.
"Let me help, and I will."
I huffed out some air, and lifted my arm onto his shoulder. He began tightening the laces, and I winced. I was so sore!
"I, uh, well… I ran into Apollo," he muttered quickly.
"YOU WHAT!?" I screamed at him.
He shushed me, placing his hand over my mouth.
"Quit yelling! No one is supposed to be down here, you know!" he seethed back at me. I glared at Urban from behind his hand. "When I was leaving your apartment, I ran into him. He was coming back to check on you. You know I can't lie," he added apologetically.
"Please, please tell me he did not say anything," I begged him.
"I don't know," he said warily. "He did look mad, and he handed me this and told me to bring it straight to you. That's all I got."
He had finished lacing me up, and now, I was ready as I could be for the fight.
"What powers do you have?" he said breathlessly.
I thought about that for a minute, and tried to use my earth powers. Luckily, the rock underneath me started to shift and I sighed in relief. I reached for my magic once again, but the feeling I normally got in my gut was gone.
"Just my earth shaker stuff," I admitted. He nodded his head, and I heard someone walking towards us down the rows of holding cells. The footsteps echoed off the rock sinisterly, and my dread grew the closer the sound came.
Urban's head shot up, and I grasped his arm.
"Please don't leave," I said quietly. He nodded his head, concern overwhelming his expression for a moment. He rose, and he helped me get to my feet. I was less shaky, so that made me a little more confident.
A man walked into view, one I did not immediately recognize. He looked vaguely familiar, but I could not place his face.
"Comus," Urban said to the man. He nodded his head, a clipboard in his hands.
"Euadne," he said without looking up. "You'll be fighting Palaestra to start off with." He snapped his fingers, slightly turning away. Before I could say another word, the ground underneath me began to shake and lift. I started to rise to the surface, my whole body tensing up.
"I can't do this," I said hurriedly to Urban. He held my arms, squeezing them in a comforting manner.
"Yes, you can. Listen to me! Don't let her get her arms around you, and do not attack outright. Save your energy for when you see an opening for the final blow. Keep your attacks at a range," he told me quickly. We stopped moving, a set of metal doors in front of me, like I reached the top of an elevator. I could hear the shouts of the crowd, the voice of one speaker above the rest. "Just make it through this fight, Addie, and we will find a way to get you out."
The gates started creaking open, and two godlings stepped in front of the now open door. They were dressed in full battle gear, pointing their spears at me. The arena exploded with noise, the crowd of immortals chanting indiscernible words. My stomach filled with apprehension. One of them prodded me with their spears, looking at me apologetically.
"Come along," he said.
I took small steps, coming out into the sunlight. I could not see the detail of the crowd around me. I concentrated on my daggers, bringing them to my hands. My legs were shaking, and each step tired me more than the one before.
Palaestra stood about fifty yards away on the other side of the arena. She looked cruelly in my direction, her face lighting up in fiendish glee.
I gripped my daggers, my fingers sliding against the leather. A thin layer of sweat covered my body, the chill cutting through me once more.
Palaestra started making her way towards me, and I tensed and took a deep breath.
I can do this. I have to do this.
Let the games begin.
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