Even before her eyes fully opened, Reyna knew something was wrong. Her mind was still muddled and confused, trying to break through the fog of sleep. Every instinct she had, every fiber of her being screamed at her that she was in terrible danger. Reyna slowly tried to look around, but all she saw was suffocating darkness.
Reyna blinked a few times, trying to give herself a minute to adjust. She still couldn't see anything, and she didn't know where she was. Her mind felt stalled, and she tried to sit up. Pain shot through her stomach. Reyna brought both hands forward, but she found her momentum was stopped. Her arms were trapped - no, tied - behind her back.
Everything came back to Reyna in a flash, and she felt sick to her stomach. The Olympians wanted to meet with her and Arcadia. They swore to not hurt them. Yet, Reyna was attacked, and then...
"For your crimes of being an enemy of Olympus; killing two Hunters of Artemis; declaring war on Camp Jupiter; working with our enemies, including Circe, Metis, and Kronos. And trying to kill my son, there is only one thing we can do. Death is not an option; therefore, we must sentence something you know well: exile. That is why the council of Olympians sentences you, Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano, reaper of Atropos and imperator of the Sixth Legion, to Tartarus."
The words ran through Reyna's mind, and she felt ready to vomit. Her heart dropped to her gut and felt like it had turned into a stone. She buried her face against the uncomfortable ground, maybe dirt. A ragged breath escaped her, and it felt like it was burning her throat.
Tartarus.
She was in Tartarus.
The gods banished her to their hell.
Reyna tried to breathe, but the air was scorching her throat on the way down. Air didn't fill her lungs, and she let out a strangled wheeze as her attempts to breathe turned into ragged gasps. She closed her eyes and felt her heart beating in her ears. She was going to throw up.
Was Arcadia here? Or, was Reyna alone? What about her sister? Her legion? Did they know she was done here? In this hell.
"Fuck," Reyna gasped. She knew from experience that the air in Tartarus was poisonous. Reyna had been in Tartarus before, but that was half of her soul. She didn't remember much of that time, unless it invaded her nightmares. Even then, she had Kronos to guide that half of her soul. Now, she was alone.
Reyna couldn't breathe, and panic was hammering her chest. Her heart pounded against her ribcage, and she curled up the best she could. Her stomach ached in protest, and there was a slight burning sensation below her chin.
Tears trickled out of her eyes, and she let out a small whimper. This was it. This was what the gods wanted. They thought she was a monster who was going to destroy them and take their power. No matter what she did for them. No matter how much she gave.
It all led to this. Reyna buried her face into the dirt and let out bitter, angry cries. The anger that burned in her chest for so long was extinguished. Replaced by a deep sorrow that knew no end. This was how she would die.
Not on the battlefield. Not protecting her home. Not defending her friends and family.
Reyna was going to die here in Tartarus. Not in body but in spirit. Sooner or later, her mind was going to break for the final time. In this hell, there was no way for her to tell what was real and what was her imagination. Reyna didn't know when it would happen, but she knew what her fate was.
Reyna would forever wander Tartarus as a husk, a shell of her former self. The gods would get their way. She would turn into the monster that everyone called her. Would people speak of her like they spoke of Caesar?
The bitter cries didn't stop as she found it getting harder to breathe. She struggled with the rope that kept her arms trapped behind her back. Trying to twist and turn only caused pain, and the panic in her chest doubled. She curled up, bringing her knees as close to her chest as possible.
This wasn't what Reyna wanted. The gods called her a monster for all of the things that she did. And, she only did those fucking things to save the world. Reyna never wanted to let Kronos use her as a vessel, but she had to. There had been no other way to destroy Ouranos, and it wasn't like the gods were helping her.
Reyna didn't want Schizophrenia. She didn't want the same disease that drove her father insane. But, a goddess forced it to light earlier than she would have received it. Reyna did her best to keep moving forward, but she couldn't help that the stress of the wars and trying to save the world caused her to crumble and descend into madness.
"Fuck," Reyna cried. She let out wheezy gasps and felt her lungs aching for fresh air. This poisonous air of Tartarus hurt her lungs, along with the inability to breathe from crying. Reyna felt her eyes starting to burn.
Reyna didn't want to be here. She just wanted to be home with her legion. With her sister. She would do anything that she could to get out of this place. If Reyna could, she would give up her position as a champion of Fate. Just so she could die and not have to suffer here.
But, she knew that Atropos would not beckon her call. The almighty Fate could not hear Reyna.
Not down here.
Not in her tomb.