Thalia yelled in pain as the red hot iron was pressed to her stomach. She wanted to lash out at the man in front of her, but a heavy rock was tied to her legs and kept her weighed down. Her arms were tied above her head, and fresh blood was trickling from her arms.
There was ragged cuts all over Thalia's arms. She wasn't sure there was a reason for why those cuts had been made. It seemed like the man just wanted to hurt Thalia anyway that he could, and when another man had walked into the room carrying a few tools, Thalia's day got a whole lot worse.
This whole being tortured thing was a new one too. Monsters didn't really torture demigods. They just ate them or killed them outright. It was true that Thalia had been stuck in a tree and that was torturous, but it was all mental torture. This was a lot worse, because of the physical pain and also the fact that the idiots weren't even asking her questions.
Wasn't that the point of torture? If you were going to torture someone, you were suppose to ask them a question, and they would, hypothetically, give you the truthful answer. Did no one tell these guys that? Thalia knew that men were idiots, but this seemed like something even they would understand.
"What do you want?" Thalia snapped. She hissed as the iron rod was pulled away from her stomach and set back into the fire. Her breath came out as ragged gasps, and she tried to struggle with her bindings. "I don't have your answers."
"We both know you do," the man sneered. He waited for a few seconds and then pull the iron rod back out. Thalia involuntarily flinched. As the man went to press the iron rod to her stomach, someone stepped into the room.
"What are you doing?" a woman demanded. The man pressed the iron rod to Thalia's stomach, and another yell escaped Thalia. The woman grabbed the rod and shoved it away. "She isn't with them. She doesn't know!"
Thalia let out a groan, and her head lolled forward. It took her a few moments to look at the woman. Green eyes studied her. There was a deep sorrow in her eyes. As the man threw the iron rod down and stepped away, the woman slowly looked at Thalia.
"I'm sorry," the woman whispered. She played with her shawl. "We were not sure who you were with. But, I understand now"
"This is a terrible good cop bad cop routine," Thalia muttered. She tried to lift her head, but her body was exhausted. "Seriously, why don't you try again? Maybe, you can switch roles."
"Leave us," the woman ordered. The man grumbled and picked up the iron rod. He looked like he wanted to press it back into Thalia's stomach. Instead, he turned and left the room. The woman looked at Thalia. "My name is Halima."
"I don't care," Thalia hissed. Halima studied her and then sighed. She grabbed a knife from her belt and cut the ropes around Thalia's wrist. Thalia collapsed against her, and Halima caught her. The woman shushed her. "Get off me."
"Just calm down," Halima ordered. She stood and walked to the opposite side of the room, towards a sack. Wait. No. That was a backpack. Thalia blinked a few times and watched Halima unzip the backpack and pull out a bag of ambrosia. "I was not sure if I could trust you or the other one."
"Well, I can't trust you, so we've established that," Thalia said. Halima sighed and shook her head. "Oh, so I'm just suppose to trust the person who tortured me. I'm not a fool!"
"I am a priestess. I am not a violent person," Halima said. "My family has been blessed by the gods for a very long time. Please, I am so sorry that we did this to you."
Thalia didn't say a word. Halima finally sighed and shook her head. She sat on a stool and let out a bitter laugh. Halima spoke, "Sympathy was never my strong suit. I could never connect to people like my sister did. Personally, I think the good cop bad cop routine is a great one."
"Let's get to the point," Halima said. "You and I have something in common. We both crossed the barrier and don't try to deny it. I found twenty dollars and a stick of gum in your pockets."
"I was saving that for later, so put it back," Thalia said. Halima gave her a look. "Hey. I'm going to want fresh breath after you make me cough out blood."
"You, that female Roman, and I all crossed the barrier. We all stepped through time. That we have in common. What else do we have in common?" Halima questioned. Thalia studied her. "Now, where do you want the book to go?"
"What book?" Thalia asked, and she did her best to shrug. Halima glared at her. "Look, can we just go back to the torture part, so I can be left alone sooner?"
"I am going to bring the book to Zeus. I am sure you would not want to anger him," Halima said. Thalia laughed painfully, and a small smile came to her face.
"I'm sure that I wouldn't want to. Don't want to have him smite me," Thalia said. Halima glared at her. "Just grab the stupid rod again. Let's get this over with."
"Do you know the wolf of Rome?" Halima asked. Thalia raised an eyebrow. "No. You don't."
"Is that some kind of new monster? Was it a wolf raised in Rome?" Thalia asked. "Should I care? I feel like you're going to go back to torturing me either way."
Halima sighed and rubbed her face. She spoke, "The wolf of Rome is a monster. It tortured and desecrated my sister. I have vowed to take her place as a priestess, and I have done that for so long."
"Wait," Thalia interrupted. "Give me that bag and free my legs. Then, we can talk about this wolf of Rome."
Halima studied her for a long moment and then stood. She grabbed the knife and cut the ropes around Thalia's legs. Then, she tossed the bag of ambrosia to her. Thalia took one and almost sighed in relief as some of the pain faded.
"Tell me of the wolf," Halima whispered. She stood and walked towards a small table. Thalia leaned against the wall and tried to gather her strength. Halima grabbed a large cloth and walked back to Thalia's side. She wrapped the cloth around Thalia's arms.
"Lupa. That's her name," Thalia said. "Big fan of the Romans, and I hate her. If you give me the book, I promise that it is not going to Lupa. We can take it back to Zeus, and I know how to do that. First, tell me how you got here."
"I woke up a few days ago, and I received a message from the gods," Halima said. She looked down at the ground and sighed tiredly. "My dreams were filled of visions of this place, this barrier. I gathered some of my priests, and we appeared here."
"Trying to find the book," Thalia interrupted. "Join the club."
"No. I was looking for the wolf of Rome. I knew that it was here. That is what the gods showed me, but I know that the wolf wants the book. That means I want the book," Halima whispered.
"Lupa isn't here. She sent someone in her place," Thalia said. Halima's eyes lit up. "But, I really can't tell you anymore. I don't even know you."
Halima studied her for a long moment. Then, she spoke, "My name is Halima. My last name was lost a very long time ago, so I use the name Smith as my last. I am twenty seven years old, but the power of the gods keep me immortal."
"Worst prank ever," Thalia muttered. Halima glared at her.
"I am an immortal oracle, but I never had powers like my counterparts. The great god Apollo gave power to the oracle of Delphi, but my lord only gave power to my sister. When she was killed and desecrated, that power was lost. Part of me believes that finding the book will give me the power that I lost, and when I give it to my lord, he will be pleased."
"Your lord? And, you wanted to give it to Zeus," Thalia said. Her eyes narrowed. "So, you are an oracle for Zeus?"
"The oracle of Dodona to be exact," Halima said. "My family has always pledged itself to Zeus."
"He's going to be really upset when he learns that you hurt and tortured his daughter," Thalia said. Halima stared at her. Then, she stood and walked towards Thalia. Halima collapsed to her knees.
"I am so sorry. I am so sorry, my lady. Please forgive me. Please. I did not know," Halima pleaded in Greek. "I will do whatever it takes to make it up to you. I will serve you. I swear on the River Styx to serve you and help your however you need!"
Thalia stared at the woman and blinked a few times. They just needed to stop and go back. About ten minutes ago, the woman was having Thalia tortured. Five minutes after that, she was pretending to be nice and questioning Thalia. Now, she was pledging her loyalty? What was going on?
This was officially crazy. Thalia was dealing with a bunch of crazy people. This entire scenario, in a word, was crazy. A sigh left her, and she shook her head. Halima looked up at her, and gods above, there was tears in her eyes. She actually looked upset by what she had done.
"I will give you the book," Halima said. She tried to speak, but Thalia held up a hand.
"No. Don't say anything else. That is all I want to hear. Where is the book, and how do I not know this is a trap? This sounds like some kind of trap," Thalia said. Halima looked her in the eyes.
"It is not. I swear on the River Styx that I am going to help you and serve you. If I had known, we never would have touched you," Halima pleaded. Thalia scooted back against the wall and cradled her arm against her aching stomach.
"You said you would give me the book. Where is it?" Thalia questioned.
"This man named the Butcher has it, but he fled when we assaulted his base. A few of my men went to find him and have been hunting him down," Halima answered.
"How many men did you bring?" Thalia asked. Halima looked at her and slowly moved closer.
"I brought only three, but we have managed to convince some of the men here, mercenaries, to help us," Halima replied. She sighed deeply and looked down. "We tried questioning the Romans about the wolf of Rome, but they were able to break free. I barely fled in time."
"Did you hurt them?" Thalia questioned.
"I assume the female is a friend of yours," Halima said. Thalia didn't reply. "I know she is from Camp Jupiter. It seemed like she was concussed rather badly, but that man with her protected her."
"Scipio. He's becoming her best friend," Thalia said. "Look, Reyna knows the wolf of Rome: Lupa. And let me tell you, there is nothing you can do to take revenge on Lupa. Whatever she did to your sister is a tragedy, but trying to harm the wolf goddess is going to get you killed. We're going to hurt her by not giving her the book, but I need to find Reyna and the book first."
"And, where is Hannibal?" Thalia questioned. She had almost forgotten about the man. He would be a good guide to help her find the barrier.
"In a cell," Halima answered. She stood. "Let me tend to your injuries. Then, I will lead you to him."
Thalia nodded and remained silent. She didn't trust Halima at all, but she didn't think the woman would break her vow on the River Styx. If she did, there would be a terrible punishment. Thalia's plan was still the same though, but she would use Halima to complete it. Get the book, find Reyna and drag her concussed self to the barrier. Then, the two would finally leave this nightmare.