"What the hell is that thing?" Alex screamed. He, Sabrina, and Peter tore through the Underworld as fast as their feet would carry them. Following close behind them was a monster unlike any he'd ever imagined.

The beast was enormous; it towered at least fifteen feet tall, had way more heads than he could count, and twice as many arms. It bore no weapons, instead slamming multiples of its slimy grey arms on the ground to cause the earth to quake. Its many eyes glowed bright red and were filled with fury.

"Shut up and run!" Peter shouted.

When they first realized they had disturbed the beast, the plan was to put enough distance between them to catch their breath and use their powers. Unfortunately, given the sheer size of their opponent, they couldn't cover enough ground before it caught up.

Alex covered his ears as the beast let out an enormous blood-curdling roar. He nearly got knocked off his feet by the sheer power of it. His heart was pounding in his chest. His legs and chest burned terribly, but he knew that if he stopped running, he'd be dead.

Sabrina ran well ahead of him and Peter. She occasionally turned to blast the monster with bright blue balls of magic. Alex hoped that would slow it down, until one of the balls blasted the ground beside him. It was able to deflect her magic.

Sabrina turned to look back at the boys. "One of you distract that thing, we're almost to camp! If it gets in, people are gonna die."

Alex exchanged glances with Peter. He recognized a look in the other boy's eyes. He knew that Peter was willing to sacrifice himself to ensure the safety of the camp. Not because he was heroic, but because he felt like he didn't deserve to live.

Before Alex could stop him, Peter veered off to the left. "Hey, ugly!" He shouted, waving his hands wildly above his head. "Over here!"

The monster roared again as it turned to run after Peter. Alex's heart dropped in his chest. There was no way Peter could take that thing all by himself. And there was no way that Alex was going to let him die.

Peter held out his hands and closed his eyes. Why didn't he just keep running?

"Peter!" Alex screamed so loudly that he felt his throat ache. The other boy didn't respond.

The monster was closing in on him. In just a few seconds he would smash Peter into a pile of mush.

Alex closed his eyes. He imagined huge silver chains shooting up from the ground. They wrapped around and around the monster's body until it no longer had use of its many arms. When he opened his eyes, he saw a real-life image of what he had pictured.

A searing pain sprung up from inside of him. It burned through him like hellfire. He collapsed onto his knees as the energy quickly drained from his body. He could feel the chains straining to hold onto the massive beast, just as he barely held onto consciousness. The pressure building up inside of him made it impossible to breathe.

He watched as the monster fell. The impact of it vibrated the ground beneath him, which broke the last bit of his concentration. The chains that held the monster dissipated into black dust. "Peter," he whispered.

"I'm right here, Alex." Peter said. "We have to go."

Alex felt himself being pulled to his feet. Peter's hands were a lot stronger than he imagined they would be.

They made their way to the border of the camp where Sabrina was ushering them through. Alex barely had time to register the many faces staring at them before the rumbling started.

The color drained from Sabrina's face. She chanted at the border, desperately trying to patch the hole she created.

Alex had not yet regained his energy and leaned heavily against Peter. He watched helplessly as Mariah stormed through the crowd and stood next to Sabrina. She grabbed onto her sister's hand and began chanting with her.

Boom. The indivisible border that protected the camp shivered against the force.

Boom. Campers who had no idea what was going on screamed in the distance.

Boom. Alex couldn't see through the border, but he knew that the monster they aggravated must have been behind the chaos.

Mariah and Sabrina stopped chanting. With the hole patched, the force of the monster's fury no longer affected the border. Sabrina turned to look at Alex and Peter. She was pale as a sheet and her brilliant blue eyes were glossy with tears.

A familiar silver-haired girl stepped between the sisters and the rest of the demigods.

"What in the Hades is going on here? Who did this?" She snapped, looking through the crowd with enough venom in her eyes to kill a hippo.

"It was me," Sabrina responded weakly.

Carter focused her anger on Sabrina. "You? What were you doing?"

"We- I, uh, I wanted to visit the Underworld." Sabrina's bottom lip quivered.

"Who is we?" Carter asked, clearly not falling for Sabrina's attempt to deflect. She looked around at the group of people surrounding them, scanning for guilty faces. Her eyes fell on Alex, who was still being held up by Peter. "These two?"

Sabrina bit the inside of her cheek. Alex knew she wasn't going to give up her friends that easily.

"Tell me!" Carter shouted.

Sabrina flinched. She refused to make eye contact with Carter to avoid the girl's odikinesis.

Carter's lip curled up in a snarl. "Fine. If you won't tell me, somebody else will." She turned her power to the crowd.

Alex watched the demigods around them gasp and claw at their shirts. Their eyes grew with panic and their breathing became labored. They were inflicted with the largest amount of terror Carter could cause them.

He wasn't affected like the others. He looked back at Peter's face to see if he was. The boy's eyes were hazy, the way they had been at the battle of the Equinox. Perhaps he was doing something to protect them both.

"Those two came through the hole with her!" A young girl unable to take the pain any longer, shouted. She pointed at Alex and Peter. "I watched them with my own eyes. Just before the shaking started."

Carter looked between the three of them. "You idiots put the entire camp in danger. For what? So you could go run around the Underworld, pissing monsters off? I think that kind of reckless behavior deserves to be punished. Don't you all agree?"

The crowd nodded their heads in agreement; not because they thought that was a good idea, but because they were too afraid to speak out against her. That must have given her the confidence that she was lacking.

"You three are going to be sharpening every sword, dagger, spear, and axe in the armory until your hands are bleeding, or you run out of weapons. I don't care which comes first," she said loud enough for everyone around her to hear.

"Carter, you can't do that!" Mariah snapped.

Carter glared at her. "I am the second in command. I can do whatever the hell I want. If you feel the need to question my authority, then you better be damn well ready to challenge me for it."

Mariah shut her mouth and stepped back.

"He can't do anything until he gets some ambrosia." Peter said. Alex felt his chest vibrate as he spoke and found the sensation oddly comforting. "He just took down one of the Hecatoncheires."

A strange look crossed Carter's face. If Alex hadn't known any better, he would have thought it was envy.

"Fine," she said. "I'll send someone to the palace to get it. In the meantime, you three better find your way to the armory. Everyone else get back to your cabins!"

The crowd dispersed. Sabrina rushed over to Peter's side to help him carry Alex.

A couple of hours passed in silence. Sabrina, Peter, and Alex all sat on opposite sides of the armory, each with their own stack of weapons to sharpen. The adrenaline from the fight had long since left Alex's body. All he felt now was exhaustion that ran deep into his bones.

No one paid them any mind when they came to collect their weapons. By the looks on their faces, it was clear that word of their excursion spread quickly around the camp. Alex overheard a conversation between two campers standing deliberately close to the door.

"Now no one gets to leave the camp without their head of cabin or one of the camp leaders," a girl said.

"That's not fair! Why do we all have to be punished because a couple of lunatics almost let a monster into camp?" The boy with her responded. They both left soon after to practice in the arena.

Alex tried to be careful not to let the blade slip and slice his fingers. However, his hands began to grow stiff, and he absentmindedly set his hand on the edge of the blade as he ran it against the sharpening stone.

A sudden burst of white-hot pain brought him back to the present. He looked down at the source and saw his palm was sliced open and bleeding profusely over his lap. Thankfully, the sight of blood hadn't bothered him since his third bloody nose at the orphanage.

At least he thought so. Peter was by his side in an instant, wrapping a piece of cloth from his shirt around Alex's hand.

"You're alright," he said softly. "It's just a little scratch. Breathe with me."

Alex followed his lead and slowly inhaled and exhaled until he no longer felt the need to pass out.

"Sorry," he said. "I didn't realize I was screaming."

Peter's face was mere inches away from his own. Alex stared into the other boy's bright brown eyes and found little flecks of green shimmering in his irises. His warm breath washed over Alex's face. He still smelled like the nectarines they were given in Elysium.

"You're going to have to get over your squeamish-ness of blood if you want to make a good demigod." Peter rocked back on his heels and gave him a warm smile.

Alex wanted to say something, anything to thank him, but the door opened before he got the chance. They were expecting it to be another camper, so they quickly scrambled back to their posts to continue working.

"Edmund." Sabrina said.

Alex looked up and saw that it was, in fact, Edmund. He was wearing casual attire, a grey t-shirt and denim jeans, and looked more human than Alex had ever seen him. Aside from his face, which was scrunched in anger.

"All of you, get up now." His dark voice sent the same level of fear through Alex that the Hecatoncheire had earlier. He couldn't bring himself to meet the man's eyes. He knew he would find disappointment there. That scared him more than anything else.

"Somebody explain to me why you forged a hole in my border," he said slowly.

Silence hung over them like a damp fog. Alex knew that Sabrina would try to take the blame again, and Peter would probably fess up about Alex's dreams. He was tired of everyone making decisions for him.

"I've been having dreams since I lived at the orphanage," he said quickly. Without pausing, he continued, "they change every so often, but they're always about this one man. I watched him die and then I watched him wander around the Asphodel fields. He always asked me to help him. I wanted to get to the bottom of it, so I asked Sabrina and Peter to come with me. None of this was their fault. They only did it because of me."

Alex forced himself to meet Edmund's eyes. They stared back, cold and emotionless. At least he didn't look disappointed the way the sisters always did when they found him after a fight.

Edmund swept his eyes over the three of them, and then over the armory. "This punishment was unsuitable for what you three have done."

Alex's heart fell in his chest. Edmund was going to banish all of them because of his stupid dreams. That's why he kept them to himself for so long; to avoid causing anyone else pain. He felt tears well up in his eyes and he did everything in his power to keep them from falling.

"The bonfire starts in an hour. I suggest the three of you go to your cabins and get cleaned up. I expect to see every one of you there," Edmund said after a long moment of silence.

Alex looked back at Peter and Sabrina, who looked as surprised as he felt.

"You mean," he started. "That you're not kicking us out of camp?"

Edmund breathed out slowly. "What you did was stupid, but it's not worth sending you back out there to get killed. I believe that you have all learned your lesson, however ruthless it may have been."

The man stepped aside to let them pass. Peter was the first to leave, followed by Alex, who waited for Sabrina, but she motioned for him to go on without her.

The boys went their separate ways as instructed.

Alex desperately wanted to sleep but didn't want to risk upsetting Edmund again. He barely had enough time to shower and change before making his way across camp to the amphitheater. By the time he got there, he noticed that his cut was already showing signs of healing.

Most of the camp was already sitting in the stone bleachers that encircled the tall stack of logs. How anyone was able to obtain trees from Asphodel, he had no idea. The thought of that place sent a shudder down his spine.

Conversations abruptly came to a halt when Alex arrived. Campers stared at him with disdain in their eyes. People who had no idea he even existed two days ago now unanimously hated him. Their animosity was palpable.

How does everyone know already? he thought.

He kept his head down and found an empty row to sit in. His presence had spurred new conversations, ones similar to what he overheard at the armory. All he wanted at that moment was to disappear into the wall behind him.

He caught sight of both Peter and Sabrina, who looked around briefly before finding their own, opposite seats. It felt like another blow to Alex's self-esteem. Not even the people he risked his life for wanted to sit with him.

Not long after, Edmund and Carter arrived. They both looked incredibly unhappy, one more so than the other. Maybe Edmund put her in her place after finding out what she did to them. It was a hopeful thought.

They stood in front of the pile of logs and Edmund held his hand up to silence the crowd. "Tonight, we will celebrate our victor at the Equinox battle. The burning of these logs symbolizes her desire to lead and survive. May her leadership, however long it may be, bring prosperity and security to our beloved camp!"

The crowd of demigods jumped to their feet and cheered. Alex followed Edmund's eyes to a still figure in the crowd; she was mostly obscured by the bodies around her, but a flash of light allowed him to recognize her as Viviana. She was angry, and the look on her face was that of revenge.

"Faye, a beloved daughter of Hecate, please step forward and light this fire." Edmund held out his hand to help Faye to her feet. She wore a stunning sparkly black dress that wrapped around her body like a hug. It hung off her shoulders, exposing her perfect skin. Her brown hair was wound in tight curls that hung just below her shoulders.

"Thank you," she said with a smile. She ignored Carter completely as she sashayed toward the pile of logs. A ball of orange fire appeared in her hand, and she threw it none-too-gently at the stack in front of her.

The logs came ablaze with life. An immediate wave of heat washed over Alex's face, and he had to cover his eyes from the intensity of the flames. He peeked over his arm and was amazed at the sheer beauty of the fire in front of him. The flames fought one another for fuel from the logs they destroyed. Ashes flew from the logs into the air and landed in fiery cinders on the ground around them. It was a magnificent yet terrifying sight.

The campers left their seats and ran to the ground below. They cheered and danced with one another, relishing in the warmth that the fire provided. Alex watched from afar, feeling left out, jealous, and above all exhausted. All he ever wanted was to be accepted, yet it seemed that would never be possible, even among his own kind.

Alex zoned out for a while until he felt a brush of air against his head. He looked up to see what might have caused it but found nothing out of the ordinary. It wasn't until the fire began to leap outwards at random intervals that he realized a large, winged beast was making its way down into the amphitheater. Campers surrounding the fire screamed and dove for the safety of the stands.

Cowards, He thought, and immediately chastised himself. The camp was supposed to be safe, there was no problem with campers being afraid of an aerial attack. Except, it wasn't an attack at all.

A blonde woman floated down from the sky above them. She bore small moth-like wings that fluttered quickly behind her. She was beautiful and tall, which is how he came to the realization that she must have been a goddess.

"Do not fret, children. I haven't come to harm you." Her angelic voice rang above the chaos. She scanned the crowd as if looking for someone in particular.

"Psyche, what a pleasure." Edmund bowed his head to the goddess.

She folded her wings behind her back. The flames of the bonfire behind her highlighted flowing white dress that was embroidered with flowers and butterflies. Alex felt both awed and terrified of the sight of her.

"I have come looking for the son of Erebus," she said softly. By then, the entire crowd had gone utterly silent.

Alex sunk deeper into his seat. With everyone's eyes turning to him, he would have loved to be able to shadow travel himself away from the amphitheater.

"He is here," said Edmund. The man didn't give away his position.

Psyche found Alex through the gaze of those around him. Their eyes met, and Alex felt her reach deep within his soul. The feeling was strange and foreign and was similar to how it felt to have his father speaking in his head.

A bright yellow glow began to emanate from both her eyes and mouth. When she spoke, it was simultaneously out loud and in his head.

"You shall travel to the darkest veil

To repair a tear that cannot fail

Love will be lost, and love will be gained

A child of darkness will be framed

You shall return to a victory won

That will signify the ending sun."

The prophecy ended, and Psyche's features returned to normal. She turned to whisper something to Edmund before fluttering her wings and lifting herself off the ground.

Edmund looked at Alex with a horrified expression on his face. Everyone else shared the same look, including Sabrina and Peter. Alex was glad that he hadn't eaten dinner, because the nauseating sensation of dread made him want to vomit.

X

Howdy, howdy everyone. I wanted to take a minute to thank all of you for reading my story and keeping up with Alex & friends. Things are about to get crazy for them and life won't ever be the same. Unfortunately, I've run out of pre-written chapters so it might take me a little longer to update. I'm definitely going to try to keep up though! I work full time and take care of little critters so it isn't always easy to sit down and write. Please be patient with me in the near future. I hope to make any time you have to wait worth it.