Chapter 18:
I walked towards the praetor's office in the morning. My cheeks were stained with tears, and more were forming in my eyes. I passed people but paid them no attention. I no longer cared about what anyone thought. The only thing that was on my mind was what I had seen in my dream. I walked straight into the office without knocking. Marcus jumped in his desk when I entered but Antonia just glared at me.
"It's no longer a quest," Antonia went back to looking at whatever she was looking at before my entrance. "It's a rescue mission and we need help."
Marcus nodded and said, "I'll go get Liam, Dylan, and Reyna."
"Don't get Reyna she'll only cause panic," Antonia said calmly.
"I think out of everyone here I would know who I need and who I don't need!" I shouted at her. "Please Marcus get Reyna we have a big issue on our hands and she'll know what to do."
"Mya, I understand that you need help but if we bring Reyna here my legion will go into an unnecessary panic," Antonia told me calmly.
I marched over to her and flicked my wrist having my sword appear right under her chin. Her eyes went wide and she tried to form a sentence.
"The two greatest heroes of Olympus have been captured, and one of them is my brother!" I growled at her. "We are on the verge of a great war, and we have been issued a prophecy stating that camp will be destroyed. Do you think keeping your campers calm is the biggest issue right now? Because if you do then you deserve to be stripped from your power!"
Antonia gulped and nodded at Marcus allowing him to go get everyone. I retracted my sword and sat on one of the bottom bunk beds. I hung my head allowing all of the pent-up tears to flow. Antonia leaned on the wall farthest from me. Her expression was calm but her eyes were burning holes into the top of my head.
Finally, Marcus returned. When Dylan saw me he rushed over to me.
"What happened?" he whispered. I swallowed and stood up ignoring his question.
Reyna looked at me and then at Marcus and Antonia and asked, "Don't you think it's in our best interest to call a senate meeting?"
"It's not," I said hoarsely. "We'll only waste time if we do that."
"What happened, Mya?" Dylan asked.
"Our quest is no longer a quest," I said calmly. "It's now a rescue mission."
"For who?" Liam asked.
"Percy and Annabeth Jackson," Antonia responded with a grim look.
…
"Your pegasus is ready, and you have all the supplies that you could possibly need. I even made sure to put some of Camp Jupiter's best healing equipment for dark magic," Marcus told me.
"Thank you, Marcus. Make sure this place doesn't get destroyed for me, please," I told him.
"It won't as long as I'm alive! I promise!" he told me so sure of himself. I nodded and turned towards Antonia.
"Maybe after this, we can make amends?" I asked.
"Maybe," she said with a nod. Then she stuck her hand out. I accepted it and we shook hands for a few moments. "Good luck and please bring our former praetor back in one piece," she said with a laugh. I also laughed and it felt like a little bit of the weight that I had been carrying was lifted, but it quickly reappeared.
"Is everyone ready?" Dylan asked.
"I suppose," Reyna said while turning her pegasus towards Los Angeles. "We have a good amount of flying to do so I think it's in our best interest if we leave as soon as possible." I nodded and got on the second pegasus. Liam got on right behind me.
Reyna took the lead followed by Liam and me, and then behind us, Dylan used his winded shoes that his father gave him to keep up with us. Liam fell asleep after about twenty minutes of flying so I decided to move the pegasus closer to Reyna so we could talk.
"Do you know where we're going?" I asked when I got close enough for her to easily hear me.
"I have a good guess to where Hade's realm is," she responded. It didn't make me feel any better but I trusted her.
"What did you see, Mya?" Reyna asked after a few minutes of silence.
"They were bloody and bruised," I choked back tears. Images of Percy and Annabeth so hopeless flooded my head. "And there was this voice." Reyna turned to me.
"What did the voice say?" her face went pale.
"Nothing," I lied. "It just spoke lies."
"Mya, please tell me the truth," Reyna pleaded. "If we can figure out who or what this voice is we can possibly illuminate the worst part of the war."
"It-it told me to surrender and allow it to use me as a pawn for the war. It promised me the safety of Annabeth and Percy," tears again started to pour from my eyes. Reyna nodded and turned her head so she wasn't facing me.
"Stay strong, Mya," she told me softly. "We'll save them, and it won't cost us anything."
Liam began to stir from behind me. I turned my head to look back at him and he smiled at me.
"We almost there, Reyna?" Dylan shouted from behind us.
"About twenty more minutes and we should be near the city of Los Angeles," Reyna shouted back. I wasn't sure if Dylan could hear her with how loud the wind was but he didn't ask his question a second time.
…
We landed in an empty parking lot hidden behind multiple large buildings. Nobody spoke. Instead, we gathered everything that we might need and followed Reyna into the city. We walked a few blocks before Reyna stopped us in front of a building labeled DOA Recording Studios. She stopped and looked up at the large sign that hung above our heads before she nodded and headed inside. Liam, Dylan, and I followed close behind.
The lobby was for the most part very uninteresting. There were a few weird things like how everyone waiting was see-through or how the one guy on the far left had a knife sticking out of the top of his head, but otherwise pretty normal.
Reyna marched up to the front desk and placed a small bag on the counter. The man behind the desk sighed and got up. He headed towards the elevator. Everyone in the waiting room rushed towards him.
"Get back!" he shouted. "If you don't want to wait here for another thousand years I would advise you to get back." Everyone slowly trickled back to where they were sitting. "Good now come along demigods," he grumbled.
We all entered the small elevator, and the doors shut behind us. Nobody spoke as the front desk man pushed the down button. For a recording studio, you would expect them to have music in their elevator but there was none. The elevator moved quickly and soon everything became mist. I looked around me and saw all of my friends as misty figures of themselves.
"Don't mind the mist it should clear up in a few minutes and you'll basically be human again," the man told us. He was now dressed in a pure black robe and he held a paddle in his hand.
I looked down and saw that we weren't in an elevator anymore. Instead, we stood in a large boat. A black river flowed around us and there were all sorts of things floating in its murky waters.
"The River of Styx," Reyna whispered. "One of the five rivers of the Underworld."
"Correct, Ms. Avila Ramírez-Arellano," the man said from behind us. "Hopefull you won't have to see the other four."
The rest of the trip was overcome by an uneasy silence. When we reached the bank the man let us get out and then he rowed away in silence.
'Well this is it,' I thought. 'We're in the Underworld.'
A shiver ran up my back as I looked around. We were definitely underground. It was so dark, gloomy, and just straight-up depressing. Every few seconds there was a scream that rippled throughout the cavern.
"Where to?" Liam asked. I turned and looked at him. He seemed to glow in the dark space. His eyes had turned an unusual color. Almost like a dark red.
'Like blood,' I thought. I shook my head ridding my mind of that thought. Turned and looked at the cavern that laid before us. 'Where are they? We can't waste any time,' I began to freak myself out. Suddenly, I felt a hot breeze brush my face. I turned to my left and saw a dark tunnel, and I sensed something… ancient at the end of it.
"This way," I told everyone. I flicked my wrist allowing my sword to appear. I heard metal scraping from behind me and I guessed that Liam, Dylan, and Reyna had followed my lead and armed themselves.
As we traveled down the dark tunnel a sickly sweet perfume hit my nose.
'Eros,' I thought.
Voices flooded my head saying, "So you want to start a war in the age of icons? So you want to be immortal with a loaded gun?" I pushed through and continued to walk through the tunnel.
"Mya, are you ok?" Liam asked from behind me.
"Sail among the lairs," I gritted my teeth together.
"Mya?" Dylan questioned.
"Blame the deniers," the voices shouted at me.
In front of me, I could see the end of the tunnel, and I rushed forwards not caring to see if the rest of my group followed or not.
"If history is dead and gone then how did you get here?" I exited the tunnel and the voices and nauseating perfume disappeared. I stood in front of the pit that I saw twice in my dreams. I looked around trying to find Percy and Annabeth but they weren't there.
"Mya, where are we?" Reyna asked softly.
"They're not here," I whispered. I retracted my sword and walk towards the pit. I looked at the opposite side and remembered the first time I met Luke and how he walked across this same pit. Then I remembered how frail and broken Percy and Annabeth were when I appeared at this place for a second time.
"Mya, we need to go," Reyna said sternly. "There is something wrong with this place."
I fell to my knees at the edge of the pit. Tears were streaming down my face.
"Mya, please," Reyna pleaded.
I looked down the pit and saw nothing but pure darkness.
"Take me!" I shouted. "You were supposed to take me! Not them!"
"Mya, please! Let's go! Now!"
"You said you wouldn't hurt them! I'm here now! Take me! Start your stupid war!" I cried burying my head in my hands.
Behind me, I heard someone walking towards me. With every footstep, they took the stones under their feet crunched. I heard the sound of metal scraping once again.
"I'm not leaving!" I shouted at whoever was approaching. I heard more metal scraping but it sounded far away.
"Mya!" Reyna screamed. I heard her grunted and it was quickly followed by a loud clashing sound, but I kept my head buried in my hands.
"Icarus is flying too close to the sun," I stopped breathing when I heard Dylan's voice. "And Icarus's life, it has only just begun." I felt a forced breeze on the back of my neck, and it was quickly followed by an earsplitting ringing.
I turned around and saw quite a scene. Dylan stood in front of me with his sword parried by another person. I couldn't see their face but I knew who it was.
"Luke?" I croaked. He didn't acknowledge me. Around him glowed a light blue, and he wielded the same steel and bronze blade that I saw in one of my earlier dreams.
"Move," Dylan growled. Luke didn't respond instead he looked Dylan in the eyes and smirked.
I looked back towards the tunnel and saw Reyna and Liam fighting. Liam no longer had the sword that he grabbed from the shed at camp. Instead, he spun a dark red blade around him. I saw Reyna grit her teeth each time she paired Liam's attacks. I returned my focus to the boys that stood in front of me. Their blades were still crossed but I could see Dylan inching to strike again.
"Don't," Luke warned. "I am the best swordsman from the last three hundred years. Don't do it, Dylan."
"You don't deserve to speak my name!" Dylan shouted at him. "I've met Kronos! You had your chance to rule the world and you failed! Now it is my turn! Now move!"
"I did not fail!" Luke shouted. "I saved every one I cared about! Dylan if you follow my path you will not be forgiven like I was!"
"Well it's a good thing I'm not you, isn't it," Dylan sneered. He removed his sword from Luke's and slashed at his legs. Luke blocked his attack and they began to fight. I ran towards Reyna knowing that she needed help seeing the few gashes she had on her body.
"This will be fun," Liam laughed as I approached. I flicked my wrist and my trident appeared and I intercepted the next blow he tried to land on Reyna. Liam growled and began to glow red.
"Mya, be careful," Reyna warned quietly. "He's unlike any demigod I have ever fought before."
"Of course I am," Liam laughed. "Being so close to my father's domain helps!" As soon as he was done speaking a dark red omega appeared over his head.
Reyna cursed under her breath.
"A son of Tartarus," I repeated what Luke had told me so long ago softly.
"Good," Liam praised. "At least you know something. But do you know what the omega means?" He tried to swing at me but Reyna blocked his attack.
"It's the last letter of the Greek alphabet," I told him. I picked up my trident and prepared for his next strike.
"Yes, but there is a hidden meaning behind it," he told me while pulling his sword away from Reyna's. "It also means the end, and if you don't join me and my father like Dylan has I can tell you your life with quickly be approaching its omega." I lunged at him, but he was quick and stepped out of the way of my attack, but he was greeted by Reyna's attack. She managed to disarm him and kick his sword down the dark tunnel. Liam growled and Reyna held him at the point of her sword.
"Don't try anything," she warned. "Go Mya, help him." She gestured towards Luke and Dylan who were still fighting near the edge of the pit.
I ran towards them letting my trident change into a sword.
"Dylan, stop!" I screamed at him. Dylan didn't even look at me. Instead, he flicked his blade up having Luke's sword away from his own. In a flash, he stabbed Luke with Annabeth's knife. Luke fell to the ground with the knife still in his gut. I heard a scream from behind me but didn't dare to look back.
Dylan turned towards me smiling. "Is this really what you want, Mya? My master can give you the entire world all he asks is for you to join him and fight against the gods who have forgotten about you or tried to kill you!" Dylan's voice carried across the cavern. He held his arms open gesturing to everything around us.
"Dylan please stop," I asked him softly. "We're supposed to stop the war not start it."
"If we stop it Mya the gods won't see how they wronged us!" he shouted at me.
"No! Dylan you're supposed to be a reminder to the gods! You're supposed to remind them what Luke died for!" I shouted back. Tears streaked my face.
Dylan shook his head. "Mya, they're gods. They'll never learn. That is why I'm asking you to help me we can destroy them and create a world of our own!"
"Why Dylan? You weren't meant for this!" I screamed at him.
A single tear fell from his eye when he said, "I'm doing it because I love you, Mya. I-"
"No, you don't! If you truly loved me you would stop! You wouldn't do this!" I spat. He began to shake in pure rage.
"You will never understand," he spoke slowly in a low dangerous voice. Then he ran towards me and attacked. I easily blocked his sword, but the impact from his swing made me take a few steps back. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something rush towards Luke but couldn't pay it any attention knowing that Dylan wouldn't hesitate if I let my guard down.
I blocked his second attack and went for a strike of my own. He paired and our blades.
"They gave you a new start! A fresh start! And you're throwing it away!" I shouted at him.
"They gave me nothing," he growled back at me.
We fought each other around the pit. Neither of us slipped up, and neither of us were planning to.
"Give up, Mya! Tartarus trained me! You're no match for me!" Dylan shouted.
"I am a daughter of Poseidon," I growled at him. "You are the one that should be scared of me!" He tried to swipe at my feet and cause me to lose my balance but I blocked his attack and pulled away trying to strike his chest. Sweat trickled down the back of my neck.
"Dylan!" a voice on the other side of the caverned yelled. "Don't do this please!" Our swords crossed and I turned for a second to check a glimpse of Annabeth kneeling next to Luke looking at us. Dylan pulled away and I tried to swing at him again. Again our swords crossed and again I turned and looked across the pit. I saw Percy and Reyna standing together holding Liam at the end of their swords.
I hesitated for too long. Dylan took advantage of my mistake and swiped his sword under my feet. This time I fell to the ground. I manage to get to my knees before his sword was under my chin.
"This is your last chance. Join me or suffer." I looked up but I didn't see the friend that I thought I once knew. Instead, I saw a stranger with their eyes burning with hate.
"Never," I responded. Pity came over the stranger's face for a mere second before it disappeared. I turned and looked at everyone I cared about. I saw Annabeth know on her feet. Tears ran down her eyes. I saw Percy and Reyna running towards me. I smiled for a second before I returned to look at the stranger in front of me.
I prepared to flick my wrist and have one of my weapons appear. I was willing to throw my life away for the safety of my true friends.
"Don't," the stranger growled. Then he kicked me and I flew back into the pit.
"No!" Annabeth screamed.
I pushed myself against the wall and grabbed onto a small ledge. I looked up and saw the stranger glaring at me.
"Please," I whispered but to no use. He turned his back and walked away. I looked down into the inky darkness that laid below me. When I looked up again I saw Luke. He had appeared on a ledge big enough for a person to lay sideways on. He laid down and reached his hand toward me. I tried to grab it but it was too far away. One of my fingers slipped.
"Mya!" he cried. I looked up at him and smiled.
"Luke," I croaked. Another finger slipped from the small holding. I looked farther up expecting to see that the stranger returned, but instead, I saw Reyna, Percy, and Annabeth looking down at me.
"Grab his hand, Mya!" Percy ordered. I smiled softly at him. Annabeth had more tears flowing from her eyes.
"Visit my mom. Ok?" I asked them.
"No, grab his hand!" Annabeth insisted. "We're not leaving without you! You're not facing what I had to face!" Shock rolled over Reyna's face.
"The rivers!" Reyna shouted. "Mya, use the rivers!" I smiled at them one last time. Then, I let go.
"No!" Luke and Annabeth cried in unison.
Quickly I was swallowed by the darkness. The last thing I heard was a laugh followed by a voice that said, "Love always wins!"
I closed my eyes letting one last tear flow from my eyes.
I cried a lot writing this chapter so I can only imagine how you guys feel. I know a lot of people are going to think I'm taking Rick's ideas by throwing Mya down there, but I'm not. Also, this is the last chapter of this story but there will be more of Mya's story to come in the near future, but I might take a short break from writing because I may or may not have a concussion. I used two songs in this chapter Start a War by Klergy and Icarus by Bastille. These are not at all my songs so go check them out. And please review or follow if you enjoyed Mya's story.
~Emily