Disclaimer: I do not own The Underland Chronicles or any of the characters, save the ones that I am adding to the story. Both The Underland Chronicles and the characters within are the property of and belong to Suzanne Collins

Hey guys I just wanted to say I'm super excited to start writing this new fanfic. This is my first fanfic so I would love feedback to let me know how I can improve and write better, just make sure that the feedback is constructive criticism and not insults. I'm still not sure exactly what direction the plot is going to go but I have plenty of ideas and am always open to reviewers and their ideas. I am going to be updating about every two weeks depending on how demanding school gets. That's all for me and I hope that you enjoy!

Chapter one

"I've got to get in closer if I'm going to take him out!" shouted Gregor

No...

"Hang on!" replied Ares

Gregor knew what was coming next.

"Get out!" Gregor cried. "Get out, Ares!"

He watched again in horror as the Bane snatched Ares out of the air and sunk his teeth into his bond's neck.

"Ares!" he cried. "No!"

He watched as it all unfolded again, Him sinking Sandwich's sword into the Bane's chest and the Bane swiping him with his claw giving him the scars he would have for the rest of his life.

"Ares? Ares? Don't go, Ares, okay? Don't"

He watched as his past self sat there in the pool of his, Ares's, and the Banes blood pleading for his former bond to stay with him.

Gregor woke up with a sudden jolt that sent him crashing onto the air mattress set up next to his bed. He lay there panting until he was able to slow down his rapid, ragged, breathing. After he was able to get his heart rate down he pulled himself back to his feet and looked at the alarm clock that was resting on his bedside table. It read 4:17 AM and Gregor reached over to grab his wallet which was sitting right next to his alarm clock and his phone. He opened it and he pulled out the now heavily worn photo of him and Luxa back in the museum. He stared at it with a longing gaze and thinking about how that photo was the last photo that had been taken and had him actually smiling. No one, not even his family knew how important this photo was to him and what it meant.

He had made a point of secretly heading to the local office supply store so that he could get copies made of it. He kept them all in a secret compartment under one of his floorboards along with the plastic bat figure that Boots had named Ares, as well as his bow, arrows, and a stash of weapons he had collected over time. It pained him to even say the name of his former bond, he had been having the same nightmare for the last two years, eleven months, and fourteen days.

Now with his family living in Sussex County, Virginia he felt completely cut off from the underland and his friends down there. His mother would probably love to hear that her son was cut off from them. Nothing any of them said changed her view that the underland was an evil hell that was a curse to her family. As far as she was concerned it was a place that neither her or her children would ever be in again. Their grandmother had passed away two months after they returned from the underland and their mother had made them pack their bags the minute that they got back from the funeral home.

Since then Gregor had spent almost all his time by himself or talking with Lizzie. He only rarely talked to Boots or his parents these days, Lizzie had been crushed by her separation from Ripred and she was the only one who understood what his separation with the underland was like. When they had returned Lizzie had noticed the changes to her older brother and she started to research mental health and how to treat people who suffered from trauma, depression, and other issues so that he could stop being so crushed. There was no way he could go to a normal therapist, they would have thought he was crazy and he would be on the next bus to a mental hospital. She was the only one that was able to help him out of his dark place. Boots on the other hand had forgotten most of what had happened in the underland while his father stayed neutral on the subject of the underland. However, out of loyalty to his wife he went along with whatever Grace decided so Gregor wasn't getting help from him in his quest to go back. He flopped back onto his mattress and stared at the ceiling, thoughts of the underland swirling in his brain.

He ached to be back and see them all again Vikus, Hazard, Mareth, Andromeda, Howard, Nike, Temp, Perdita, Lapblood, Dulcet, Aurora, even Ripred. However, the person that he wanted to be with the most was Luxa. What he was willing to give to see her kind, brilliant smile or to hear her wonderful laugh. He sighed and brought himself back to the reality that his mother was bent on keeping him away from there no matter what. The only good thing was that the underland seemed to be doing fine on their own due the lack of urgent messages arriving asking for his help. He was sure that Luxa was doing a great job as Queen, with Ripred, Mareth, and many other good people around her he was certain she had rebuilt Regalia better and stronger than ever.

Gregor pulled himself off of his bed and silently crept down the hall so that he could take a shower and clean his sweat caked body. He stripped down and stepped into the freezing cold water coming from the shower head and waited for it to heat up. He stood there for a while with his head resting on the cold tiles just thinking about the place he missed so dearly. After washing himself he put a towel around his waist and walked back to his room to get ready for another school day.

He pulled out a pair of jeans and a gray hoodie so he wouldn't attract any suspicion at school. The scars that covered his body had not faded much and if anyone saw him without long sleeves and pants on, he would have to deal with a barrage of questions he would not want to answer. He was happy that It was October and that no one would question his fashion choices, the summers were always awful and because of his need to cover up he was always stared at when he was out in public wearing a hoodie and pants in 90 degree weather. Clicking as he walked down the stairs so that his echolocation would spare him having to turn on the hallway lights, he made his way over to the kitchen to get himself some breakfast. Just as he was about to dig into his cereal Lizzie walked into the kitchen yawning.

"Why are you up so early Gregor?" she said in a sleepy voice.

"I couldn't sleep so I decided to go on a run before school." he said trying to hide the tiredness in his voice.

"You had another nightmare didn't you?" She looked at him with accusing eyes that earned a long sigh from him.

"Liz I have had the same nightmare for the last two years, eleven months, and fourteen days, there's a reason why an air mattress is on the floor next to my bed. I learned after day three that landing on an air mattress hurt a hell of a lot less than the hardwood floor." Gregor said as he responded in a snide manor.

"I'm not like mom, I'm not gonna pretend like nothing is wrong Gregor." She said in an edgy voice, then she softened her tone and said "Remember even though I haven't experienced anything remotely as bad as what you had to, I still know what It's like to be separated from people you care about. Just remember we are in this together and that you can talk to me." she then walked over and gave him a tight hug.

Gregor just sat there staring at his cereal bowl while returning her hug. A single tear drop rolled down his left cheek and then dropped to the floor, Even in his darkest moments Lizzie was there for him. He stood there for another few seconds before he spoke in a voice that was barely a whisper. "Thanks Liz, you always know when I need someone to help me up."

Lizzie pulled away and gave him a sad smile while whispering back "Any time Gregor."

Gregor then got up and washed his dirty dishes in the sink and then went to put Lizzie back to sleep. After he was done with her he went to his room and grabbed his wallet, phone, and his backpack. He made it back to the kitchen where he took his headphones out of his bag and replaced their spot in his bag with his lunch. He pulled his wireless headphones over his ears as he walked out of his house and onto the long gravel driveway. He pulled out his phone and started blasting his playlist which consisted of entirely emo rap and sad tunes and it surprisingly helped him feel better about his situation. Listening to other people talking about their pain helped him relate and feel like he wasn't alone in his depression.

Gregor was now 15 and was in his first year of high school. When he had returned from the underland he had made a strict daily workout routine. This along with his daily runs to school got him to be at peak physical condition. His muscles were now much larger and more defined than when he had fallen, and Gregor had also gotten significantly taller and he was now a large 5' 10". Despite being very physically strong and fit he was definitely not a healthy person. His nightmares contributed to him having an average of three hours of sleep, and while always being introverted after his dad disappeared, he was now at a whole different level of isolation. Lizzie was the only person he regularly talked to was Lizzie and even she was cut off to an extent. He only talked when he absolutely had to and it was usually only a one word reply like "yeah" or "okay."

He had reached the end of the driveway by now and he pulled the straps of his backpack over his shoulders and got ready for the 12 mile run to school. Usually he took an hour and half or so to get to school but considering how early he got up he always made it with time to spare. He ran quickly in the cool autumn air blowing in his face while watching the sun starting to peak up over the horizon. He made good time and arrived a good 20 minutes before class. He slowed down as he approached Sussex county high as he got ready for another pointless day. It had now been Two years, eleven months, and fourteen days since he had felt alive.