Zara was used to demigod dreams. She knew that the horrid images she would see were a mixture of her past and a warning for what would come. Zara slowly looked around the mountain that she stood on. She knew this mountain. It was what used to be the Titan's base: Mount Othrys.
Now, it held nothing but rubble and bones of the dead. Well, there was also the Titan Atlas, condemned to hold up the sky. Zara turned to face the Titan general. Her eyes struggled to make out the thing above him. It looked like a rock. But, she knew better. That was the sky that Atlas held, but her mind couldn't comprehend it, almost like it was a ceiling.
"Atlas," Zara began. She studied the Titan. He wore a strained scowl. One of his knees was buried in the ground, and the other seemed to be steadying him. His hands were above his head as his muscles trembled at the constant struggle.
A frown came to Zara's face. It seemed as if Atlas could not hear her, as if she was merely observing. Zara turned and kicked a piece of rubble. It skidded across the ground in front of Atlas, and he paid no attention. She was just watching in this dream. Why?
Zara heard footsteps behind her. She turned and studied the god that walked towards her. Ares, the god of war, wore a full set of armor, minus his helmet. Sunglasses rested on the bridge of his nose, hiding the fire in his eyes. The war god did not particularly interest Zara, but his captive did.
The goddess' face was covered in golden ichor: blood of the gods. She had a gaping wound in her side that freely flowed with liquid gold. There was a large hole in her armor, rimmed with burn marks. As Zara got closer, she saw another hole in her chest.
"Arcadia," Zara whispered. She knew the goddess from their studies. Why was the goddess being dragged along by Ares? Has something gone wrong in her meeting with the Olympians? Zara felt her heart clench, and she saw the golden chains around Arcadia's wrists and ankles.
Ares threw Arcadia forward. The goddess collapsed and immediately tried to rebound to her hands and knees. A foot punted into her ribs, and Arcadia yelled from the new sharp pain. She spat out more ichor and tried to sit up. Ares kicked her again, causing her to slide across the gravelly mountaintop.
Arcadia came to a stop at Atlas's feet. The Titan looked up in confusion. Ares spoke, "Here we are again, but keep your damn mouth shut if you know what's good for you. Take the weight of the sky, girl."
"No," Arcadia gasped. She labored to her hands and knees. Another abusive kick caused her to collapse. Zara heard a painful crack. Arcadia hissed and grabbed at her chest. Ares stepped on her elbow, and there was another snap. "You can torture me all you want. I won't do it"
"Oh, this is just for fun," Ares sneered. He stepped on Arcadia's shoulder and pressed down with his weight. Zara looked away as she heard another gut wrenching pop. It was followed shortly by a piercing scream. Zara closed her eyes tightly. "You don't need that arm, do you? What about your leg?"
Arcadia screamed again. Zara slowly opened her eyes and swallowed painfully. Arcadia's leg was broken right below her knees, and the bone was sticking out. Her arm was hanging loosely as she once again tried to get to her hands and knees.
"You dare call yourself a goddess of war?" Ares demanded. He smirked and kicked Arcadia back to the ground. "Was that your plan all along? To replace Bellona and then myself?"
"Where is the imperator?" Arcadia gasped. Ares stepped down on her back and kept her from standing.
"Your little emperor isn't going to bother us ever again," Ares snarled. He then laughed boisterously, and Arcadia slowly looked back at him. "She is rotting where she belongs: Tartarus."
Zara felt her jaw being pulled down by her sinking heart. She watched the immortals in front of her. Arcadia had the same look of shock and terror on her face. Concern quickly dominated her features, and she tried to stand once again. Arcadia screamed, "You made a fucking vow!"
"You made a vow," Ares mocked. He laughed and stomped down on Arcadia's back. He drove his foot further into her spine. "We're doing what we have to. Your imperator has been ruining this world long enough. That is over now. Tartarus will be her tomb."
"And here, will be your prison," Ares continued as he turned his head towards Atlas. His gaze moved back down to Arcadia. "You will take the weight of the sky, and if you don't, I'm gonna butcher every member of your precious legion."
Arcadia remained silent and swallowed painfully. She looked like she was trying to shove Ares off of her. The god of war laughed at her pitiful attempts, "If you don't not take the weight of the sky, your legion and their families will be tortured slowly. But first, I'll kill the only person that Reyna cares for: her sister."
Arcadia froze. She waited for a long moment, then she slowly nodded her resignation. Ares stepped off of her and watched as Arcadia labored to her hands and knees. Zara didn't know how the goddess would be able to take the sky even if she wasn't injured. There were stories that only the strongest of gods could take the weight of the sky, and only the most special of demigods.
"You will pay for this," Arcadia hissed. Ares just smirked and shoved her next to the Titan. Atlas studied the two of them with a cold glare. Hope seemed to dance in his eyes. Arcadia struggled to her feet and pressed her back against the overbearing weight of the sky.
Arcadia slowly used her uninjured hand to hold the Titan's curse. Atlas finally let go and he collapsed to the ground. Arcadia screamed as her broken leg gave out, and she collapsed to both of her knees. Her other arm looked like it was trying to move, but it seemed like it was immobilized. Arcadia hissed in anger as she shifted herself, so her back and shoulders were supporting more of the crushing pressure. Her knees started to sink into the earth.
Ares grabbed Atlas by this ankle and dragged him a few feet away. He snapped his fingers, and golden chains appeared in his hands. Ares chained Atlas and spoke, "We'll find a new place for you later."
Zara turned to look at Arcadia. The goddess was struggling to hold the burden, and her eyes were shut tightly. Her face was drawn with pain. Sweat dripped from her brow. Ares focused back on his first captive.
"What hurts more; knowing that your so-called emperor is going to lose her mind, or that your grab for power with the Sixth Legion will never win?" Ares taunted.
"You… will… pay…" Arcadia hissed, but pain dictated her speech. She hung her head and bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. "The imperator… will find… her way out… of Tartarus… She did before..."
"Half of her soul happened to stumble out of Tartarus. No doubt with help from Kronos. And even then, that half of her soul didn't draw attention from the monsters down there. It's different now," Ares hissed. "If you can't kill someone, you remove them from the picture. Your precious imperator has found her new home."
Arcadia remained silent and shut her eyes tight. Her entire body quaked and protested from the all encompassing strain. Ares grinned and turned to stand guard in front of the goddess. Zara just watched the scene in front of her, and she heard a loud noise on her right.
Zara's eyes snapped open, and she whipped her head to the side. Theo was standing at the door, and there was a smile on his face. His expression returned to neutral as he saw Zara's panicked look. She shook her head at his silent question and slowly sat up.
Why did Reyna meet with the Olympians? She had to know better. They had betrayed and hindered her at every turn. Yet, she still put faith in them. It broke Zara's heart. Reyna did not deserve to be thrown into Tartarus. She did not deserve what they had given her.
"What did you see in your dream?" Theo asked. He walked towards Zara and sat by her. It took her a moment to look at him.
"Something happened when Reyna went to talk to the Olympians. They... they threw her into Tartarus," Zara explained. Theo stared at her with wide eyes. "Arcadia is being forced to hold up the sky."
"We have to tell the others," Theo stated, shaking his head. "Damn it. Why did Reyna even go to Olympus in the first place? She knows better!"
"Theo, this isn't easy. Asking Reyna to just throw away the entire world that she has ever known. No matter what happens, a small part of her wants to keep everything how it is. She thought that she could make some kind of peace with the Olympians, and they gave her a vow.
"When can you trust a vow from the gods?" Theo muttered, an angry sigh leaving him. "What are we going to do?
"We have to tell the others," Zara answered. She slowly stood from the bed. They also had their own problem with Neith. How had Neith hidden her real identity? What was her plan in working with the peacekeepers? "Then, we help Reyna."
"What if the others don't go for it?" Theo countered. "We have been sticking our necks out for Reyna, and she decided to try and work for the gods. The others might think that it isn't worth the effort, especially if we're talking about Tartarus. It's not like we can just walk up and knock on the door."
"We can convince the others. There is no other choice," Zara insisted. "I don't care if we rescue Reyna and she still decides she doesn't want to work with us. The gods can no longer get away with these crimes. It's not fair that they face no consequences for their actions yet act as the judge for others."
Theo nodded his agreement and wrapped an arm around Zara. She leaned on him. He spoke softly, "How the hell do we even begin to figure out a rescue mission?"
"I don't suppose we have any Tartarus experts in the peacekeepers," Zara muttered to herself. She looked at Theo. "We need to contact Hylla. Even if she doesn't want to work with us, she deserves to know what is happening to her sister."
"You're right," Theo agreed. A smirk came to his face. "The gods are going to need to call for help when Hylla finds out. She will destroy the heavens to break into hell."
"I'll be by her side to help her," Zara said. She looked down. The peacekeepers had heard about how Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase not only fell into Tartarus, but survived. They made it out through the Doors of Death. The same doors that Thanatos used personally. How would Zara convince her father to help her? Was that even an option?
"We both will," Theo said. "We just have to convince the others, but I don't think that will be too hard. After this, Reyna will have to work with us. There will be no other option."
"Hopefully," Zara muttered. She knew that if Reyna still wanted to work with the Olympians after this, there was no hope for her. She wouldn't work with the peacekeepers, but Zara knew better. After this, Reyna would not work for the Olympians. It wasn't the fact that she had been thrown into Tartarus by them. No. It was because Ares threatened Hylla and was currently torturing Arcadia.
Hurting Reyna's family was the one way to guarantee the wrath of the imperator. Reyna would not forgive the Olympians for hurting Arcadia. And threatening Hylla? That sealed their death sentence. Now, all the peacekeepers had to do was rescue Reyna. If they could.