Petra crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at the black-haired spider hybrid. "You didn't... take it... right?"

Jesse moved one hand to rub the back of her neck, a funny look coming onto her face.

Jace went utterly still at his twin sister's silence. Lukas's eyes widened, Ivor's mouth fell open, Petra blanched, and Cassie's fists clenched.

"Why in the world did you do that?!" Ivor yelled, breaking the silence that had just fallen.

"No," Petra said, starting to shake, staring at Jesse, gold eyes sparking, "no!" She seemed to struggle for words for a moment, before practically exploding, voice shaking and unsteady and furiously worried, "why would you do that?!" She stomped towards the spider hybrid, who stepped back a bit at Petra's rage.

"Oh... my... oh my my," Harper said, unsteadily, eyes wide in almost horror.

Jace shook his head in disbelief. "Sis..." he didn't seem sure what to say.

Cassie whipped out her axe, starting to stomp off. "That's it. That's it. I'm going to go murder Hadrian."

Jace grabbed her by the collar of her sweater and yanked her back, still staring at Jesse in utter disbelief. He looked like he just wanted to deny it, green eyes staring into Jesse's.

"If I was there none of this would've happened!" Petra fumed.

"Petra, c'mon," Jace said softly, still staring at his sister with an expression that almost made Jesse start crying again.

"I'm sure Jesse feels bad enough as it is," Lukas finished the thought.

Petra threw her hands up in the air, looking incensed but upset at the same time, "But why would you do that-"

"I did it to save all of you!" Jesse practically exploded. Everyone started back at the sudden shout, and a few of the other teams were looking around at the spider hybrid in slight alarm. "That's what this has all been about!"

"But you'll be trapped!" Cassie said, still struggling to get out of Jace's grip, "probably- probably forever!"

Jesse stared at them, before transferring her gaze back to the floor. "You guys are worth it."

There was a short silence before a voice said, almost dismissively, "That's ridiculous."

Jesse looked back up to see Em strolling through the snow. "There's no way Hadrian will actually send your friends home. He'll wait 'till you lose, and then send you all to the mines anyway."

Harper nodded agreement, giving Jesse a look she couldn't decipher. "Probably, while claiming that was the original deal-"

"He basically threatened to have them experimented on again if I didn't agree to the deal!" Jesse shouted, feeling tears starting to build back up again, "and I think he was threatening to kill them, because he was talking about dissecting them-"

"HE WHAT?!"

"And I think he was threatening to kill Jace, I don't know, I didn't ask, but I would never risk any of your lives just to defy him! At least if I agree it'll keep them safe for now, a-as leverage!" she shouted over their angry chorus, before burying her face in her hands.

"All right, I'm going to murder Hadrian in the worst way possible. Maybe I'll shove an axe up his-"

"I want to set him on fire. Can I set him on fire?"

"I will screw him up, I swear, I will claw him to effing death-"

"That absolute little-!"

"That settles it, I'm going to bite him hard enough to draw blood and I'm going to do it now-"

"I didn't tell you to make you all freak out and get angry!" Jesse interrupted, raising her head and making all of them look at her, some with slightly sheepish looks. "I told you because I need help, we need help."

Petra spread her arms wide, looking disgruntled, "But who's supposed to help us? Hadrian and Mevia are both clearly the worst."

"Clearly," Ivor responded drily, crossing his arms.

"What about the third guy?" Lukas suggested, his hands strangling his tail and his hair standing on end.

Harper blinked at him as if he had a tail- oh wait. "Otto? How could he help?"

All of them started to migrate towards the center of the square. "He's always stayed out of the more... lever-pulling sides of the games," Harper said, musingly, touching her lip thoughtfully.

Jesse put her lower arms on her hips, upper arms all crossing. "Well, he seems like a big fan of the rules. Maybe we could use that to our advantage," she suggested, trying to shove the horrified looks of Axel, Olivia, and (her stomach squirmed a bit) Reuben out of her head...

Harper smirked a bit, crossing her arms. "Ha, he loves rules, that's for sure. Always plays by 'em." She uncrossed her arms, a thoughtful look coming across her face. "If you won, I know he would definitely make sure you got that Atlas. That WAS the original deal. And he's an honorable man."

Jesse looked at the floor seriously, then back up. "Harper, Hadrian still has my friends trapped in those obsidian prisons with those... suppressing collars on."

Jace growled, ears flattening. "I hate those collars," he almost spat angrily.

Jesse gave her twin a sympathetic look, before back at Harper. "I'm... ninety-nine percent sure I can win the Atlas, but I'm gonna need you to get them out."

Harper reached onto her back and pulled out a diamond pickaxe, gray eyes deadly serious. "I can handle it."

"Good," Jesse said, feeling a rush of relief. "There's three of them- they're in Hadrian's office."

Harper gave her a firm nod, putting the pickaxe back away.

"Wait wait wait," Em said, making Jesse and a couple of the others start a little bit- they'd forgotten she was there. "You really think you can free EVERYONE in this place AND win the games?"

"Considering the fact that she's fought monsters-"

"And a Witherstorm-"

"Hung out with some Endermen-"

"Escaped a temple of doom-"

"Fell into the Void and escaped unharmed-"

"Survived a killer mansion-"

"And survived a killer computer-"

"Lived through Spleef-"

"Is a hybrid-"

"And survived the lava race-"

"We think she can handle it," Ivor, Cassie, Petra, Lukas and Jace all chorused.

Jesse blinked at them. Then back at Em. "What they said."

A/N: Stopping point!

Lol, everyone's so shocked by the Reuben plot twist. The one I have towards the end isn't nearly as shocking, but it's not half bad honestly xD

Toni42: Lol xD Yep. Reuben has RETURNED and awww :3

GuestPerson13: Lol yep xD

pensuka: What was first place originally xD

DemonCatLady: Actually a lot more dire, from what we've read in the chapter above.

RapidSammi: Oh noes I'm sorry

LittleAngelbun: Where is this war coming from?

NoItsBecky: Oh! It was an idea I've been playing around with for like a month xD like before I even posted the Reuben's death chapter. And thanks!

Guest: Aw thanks :)

Slayer88: Oh, well, I'm glad ya like it :)

rebekahtpe: Donuts... I don't eat sweet things all that often anyway.

TheRealRedGaming: I think you have to get in line with Cassie, Jace, Petra, Lukas, and... well actually a good majority of the people in that chapter xD before you can do it.

angelwings: Lol xD Well, I'm sorry this was a sad chapter.

Choco: The rage is real indeed

x.X. A.L. X.x.