Welcome everyone to chapter 16!
MWUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!
When Amira opened her dream eyes, she was once again in Hades' palace facing the embodiment of Tartarus.
"You surprised me," Tartarus announced as an introduction, standing beside Balenda (who was still in chains). "Most can't resist my call as long as you did."
"You caused my weariness?" Amira realized.
"Yes. I've been wanting to talk to you."
"Why did you bring me here? Why now?"
"There's been a... a change of plans, you might say." The primordial announced. Amira's heart skipped a beat.
"What do you mean?" She asked warily.
"Instead of doing what I had instructed, which you completely ignored, I want you to do something else. Instead of sabotaging the quest, I want you to continue it."
"What? Our quest is one to destroy you yet you want us to continue?" The purple-haired Rider was confused by the order.
"Of course not! I want you to continue what you are doing at this present moment: make your way to the entrance of the Underworld but then lead the demigods here to Hades' Palace."
"You are our enemy. Why would I do what you say?" Amira demanded. Tartarus held up a small bottle she recognized from their last encounter.
Poison.
"As I said before, it's hard to be a Dragon Rider without a dragon." The primordial taunted.
Amira felt her heart drop. She couldn't betray her friends but... she couldn't lose her dragon either. Balenda was a part of her (literally).
"You are really getting on my nerves." She muttered.
'Amira, don't do it!' Balenda told her Rider through their mental connection. 'Don't betray your friends, not for me.'
'How could I not?' Amira replied miserably.
'Tartarus will destroy Alagaesia and this world if you let him win. Stopping him is more important than I am.' The dragon argued.
Tears come to Amira's eyes.
'Not to me. I- I cannot lose you.'
'Amira Moraow, shut up and listen to me!' The dragon growled, a testament to how irritated she was becoming. 'Help your friends. You can survive without me but you cannot without a world.'
"You're stuck," Tartarus knew with an evil grin in his voice. "You know what you should do but it is different from what you want to do."
"Stop it! Stop confusing me! You- you are messing with my head!" Amira cried miserably, hands in fists.
"I am doing nothing," The primordial denied. "You're doing it to yourself. You know which is right but you want to do the opposite."
"I- I can not-" Amira stuttered, her pale hands tangling in her purple hair as her mind fought with itself. Her head pounding painfully from being torn between the two decisions. "But I- I-"
"Remember what I said: bring the demigods to me and I'll give you your dragon and return you home," Tartarus instructed. "Do not tell anyone about our encounter. You have until sunset to do as I say or I kill your dragon."
Then her vision went dark.
Amira shot up with wide eyes.
"You alright?"
The half-elf turned to see Leo watching her with a worried gaze; she was still on Festus in the air.
"Yes, I-I just had an unpleasant dream." She sighed.
"Oh. Okay." Leo accepted her answer, sensing she didn't want to explain any further.
Amira sighed again and leaned back against Leo's chest. The action drew another blush from the mechanic and that time she saw it. Either he liked her and got flushed whenever she got close or his cheeks were constantly heating up. Amira knew it was the first and held back her own blush at the thought of someone liking her. She was only fifteen years old.
Fifteen?
Amira frowned and counted the days since she was taken from Alagaesia before realizing that she had turned sixteen two days ago. She had missed her own birthday.
"Whatcha thinkin 'bout?" Leo wondered curiously, seeing her thoughtful expression. Amira blinked her purple eyes, still resting against him.
"I had only now realized that I missed my nameday- er, my birthday. It passed two days ago."
"Really? How old are you now?"
"Sixteen. In my homeland, I am to now be considered a woman. My friends had planned a secret celebration for me but I… I was brought here and, sadly, I was forced to miss it." She admitted honestly, her melodic voice sad. Leo gave a lopsided smile.
"Well, I guess it's kinda late but… happy birthday."
Amira felt herself smile. She turned around and moved to press her pink lips gently against his cheek. Leo stiffened and the action caused her to instead kiss the corner of his mouth, rather close to his lips.
"Thank you, Leo." She thanked him softly before returning to her original position. She could feel Leo's body heating up.
"Of- of course. I mean I just- I… y- you're welcome." The son of Hephaestus stuttered as he tried to force himself to cool down. The Alagaësian didn't have to look to know his face was dark red, her own cheeks pink.
Amira giggled quietly at his stutter and relaxed, the feeling of the cool air rushing past her familiar and comforting. The two made casual small talk as they flew. An hour later the group stopped for a break.
Jason, Annabeth, Frank, Amira, and Leo noticed that Hazel, Piper, and Nico had stopped and flew down.
"What's wrong?" Frank asked after transforming back into himself.
"Nothing's wrong. It's a little past noon so we just decided to stop to eat." Hazel explained with a smile, giving him a quick kiss. Frank agreed and happily sat beside his girlfriend.
"Hey, Amira? Can I see you for a sec?" Jason asked as Amira helped bring out the lunch they packed. She nodded, handing a water bottle to Piper before following.
"Is there something wrong?" She asked once he led her out of earshot of their friends.
"I need you to quit leading Leo on," Jason told her bluntly. Amira blinked.
"I do not know what your words mean." She told him honestly.
"Leo. He really likes you, Amira, but you're not from here. Eventually you're going to go back to your world. He knows that, I know that, and you know that. I've seen what heartbreak can do to someone and I won't see his heart break because you leave." The Roman told her seriously. Amira nodded slowly.
"I understand your worry, Jason, and I apologize for my actions." She assured him. "I am not trying to "lead him on" as you say, but I cannot control any feeling that Leo gains for me."
"That's true but don't let him feel like he has a chance." The blond repeated.
"I will try my best." She agreed, glad her voice wasn't shaking.
"Thank you." Jason nodded then left back over to the others.
A single tear slid down the Rider's cheek as she watched him leave.
"How I too wish that his feelings were different for soon… Soon you all will hate me." She whispered miserably.
She quickly brushed the tear away and rejoined her friends.
Their break lasted for about a half-hour before deciding to continue. Jason, Annabeth, and Frank took off back into the air and Amira moved to rejoin Leo but Jason's words echoed in her head. So instead, she asked Piper to switch, trying to ignore Leo's gaze, and joined Hazel on Arion.
"I saw Jason looking kinda upset after your talk. What was it about?" Hazel asked after several minutes, having to talk louder over the wind. Amira sighed and repeated what Jason had told her. "I hate to be a downer Amira, but I kinda have to agree. Leo and I aren't super close but I don't want to see him get hurt either."
"So I thought. I too feel the same but I cannot control any emotions but my own." The Dragon Rider reminded.
"Just be careful." Hazel advised. Amira nodded again.
It was another four hours later when Nico managed to signal to everyone to stop.
"We're almost to the entrance of the Underworld." He announced when they all had gathered. "It's about a ten-minute walk from here. We should leave the-"
"NO! Do not go!" Amira suddenly exclaimed. Her eyes widened and her hands snapped to cover her mouth when the seven demigods turned to her with questioning looks.
Amira cursed herself; she hadn't meant to say anything. She didn't want her friends to go headfirst into danger without knowing what might happen but Tartarus's words echoed in her head:
'Do as I say, or I kill your dragon. Do not tell anyone about our encounter.'
"What do you mean? Why not?" Nico wondered.
"Um, n- no reason. F-Forget my words." She failed horribly to cover her slip-up and mentally cursed again.
"Amira, answer him. Why can't we go?" Annabeth repeated with a frown. "Is there some kind of trap you saw in your dream?"
"I- I… I do not remember." The Rider tried to bluff her way out, not wanting to confess her betrayal, but then Annabeth then turned to Piper. The daughter of Aphrodite sighed.
"Amira, tell us why you think we can't go to the Underworld." Piper's charmspeak was laced deep and Amira tried to fight her words but failed in the end.
"Tartarus appeared in my dreams and tricked me into betraying you and leading you to his trap!" Her purple eyes widened at her unwilling confession and her hands slapped to cover her mouth, stumbling back.
"You what?! You were going to help Tartarus?! " Piper exclaimed in shock.
Amira very slowly nodded her head, hands still on her mouth, as tears began to form in her purple eyes.
"We trusted you! We helped you and you betrayed us!" Jason accused, eyes darkening. Being the first to meet and trust Amira, he felt that he was the most betrayed and the most hurt by his friend's action.
"Why would you even think of helping him?" Annabeth's voice told her anger.
"I had no choice!" Amira cried as her tears began to fall.
"Of course you have a choice!" Hazel argued. "You always have a choice!"
"I did not," She denied. She made no move to wipe away her tears as she shamelessly showed her guilt.
"Amira, why on Earth would you help Tartarus? He's our enemy, the one we're trying to stop." Jason demanded.
"Because he would kill Balenda if I did not!" The Dragon Rider sobbed, her own words causing her heartache. The half-bloods exchanged confused looks.
"Who's Balenda?" Annabeth finally asked. Amira distractedly noticed that Leo hadn't said a word so far.
"She- she is my dragon." She explained. "Tartarus holds her captive and uses her to manipulate me into doing as he wishes."
"A dragon?" Nico repeated, obviously in disbelief.
"Yes. Balenda is a dragon, my dragon." The Rider explained as another tear slid down her cheek. "In Alagaesia, there are dragon eggs that hatch for those they deem worthy. When Balenda chose me to be her Rider, our souls and minds connected and created a bond too strong to be comprehended with mere words. When given the knowledge that I could lose her unless my actions were those of betrayal, I-I could not deny him no matter how evil I felt and how badly wished to do otherwise!"
Suddenly, a pain appeared in Amira's chest, so strong and harsh that it caused her to stumble back with a gasp.
Her hand went to her chest as tears of pain fell down her cheeks. It felt like someone was forcing their hand into her body and tearing her heart in half as it was ripped from her chest. The feeling was that of such agony, such anguish, and she had never felt anything like it before in her life. It was unbearable.
"Amira!" Leo leaped forward and grabbed the purple-haired Alagaesian before she could collapse. "Amira, what's going on?!"
An even worse pain then stabbed into her mind and she fell from his arms to the ground with a scream. The pain was so unimaginably agonizing- Her upturned eyes snapped open as she felt something happening to her mental connection to Balenda; it felt like it was fading, like it was being cut…
Her expression changed to shocked disbelief as she realized what was happening: She had told them. She did what Tartarus warned her not to. He had threatened he would kill Balenda if she did.
And he hadn't lied.
"Amira! What is going on!" Hazel's voice passed right by Amira without registering.
Balenda's roar suddenly filled her ears and mind, the dragon's mental voice filled with excruciating pain that her Rider physically and mentally called out for her. She got nothing in return.
Then it was gone.
Amira's eyes widened as she searched for her dragon, searching every single part of her mind and being, but she no longer felt any connection to her partner of soul and mind.
"No…" She muttered. "No she ca- yo-you cannot do that to her! Balenda!" Amira sobbed, falling to her knees on the hard ground. "NO NO! BALENDA!"
'I warned you what would happen. You knew the consequences.' Tartarus's voice echoed in her mind, the others looking around in shock as they heard his voice in their minds as well.
Amira's anguish turned to anger. Her sobbing ceased and her hands clenched into fists so tight that her knuckles turned white.
"What have you done to my dragon?!" She demanded.
'I told you what would happen but you did not listen.' The primordial reminded. Amira's eyes began to glow silver with power as her emotions boiled inside of her.
"What. Have. You. Done." She growled viciously.
' I guess the title of 'Dragon Rider' no longer applies to you.'
Amira felt her emotions boil higher and higher.
Then she overflowed.
Amira screamed and a wave of energy was released from the Alagaesian; the magic made from the purest form of hatred, anguish, and anger caused everything within a mile to be completely destroyed. Trees were uprooted, plants were vaporized, buildings were forced to collapse, people were blown away. The energy released from Amira caused every single thing and person to be thrown back or destroyed.
Then there was only black. And for the first time in her life, Amira clung to the darkness, determined to never let it go.
MWUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!
And that concludes the fifteenth chapter of A Strange and Different Land!
Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue the story. Please feel free to leave a review. Criticism, advice, compliments, or corrections are welcome.
Have a good one and I'll see you later!
