Chapter 27
Previously
"What?" we said in unison.
"Listen, we can cover more ground this way. We haven't found anything since we got down here. Maybe by splitting up, we can find what we're looking for faster. Just stick to the more ancient-looking walls if we are to find -"
She suddenly stopped. We waited for her to continue but no voice or sound came through.
"Annabeth?" When no response came, Thalia turned to me. "What happened? Why did she stop?"
I placed my hand on the rock and tried reaching for the other side of the rock but it was as if there was no end to it. It was just rock upon rock upon rock. They vanished…
-Now-
Silence enveloped us.
Our conversation died many minutes back after an argument. A dumb one. Why would we stay in that one area when we only had weapons and a sleeping bag with us. The rocks won't just shift and open again with the quest already done.
She was ready to throw another sarcastic argument back but just walked away instead. Maybe some sense was knocked into her.
Blindly walking through a maze can lead us nowhere but with no way of navigating through the Labyrinth and with a pissed of Thalia in the lead, I had no choice but to follow her every footstep, no questions asked. She followed Annabeth's final advice and went through every older pathway - what she deemed older that is.
"Hey," she called out
"Hey yourself," I called back with my traditional reply.
She turned to look at me, her features unchanged since earlier. "How did you do…" I couldn't hear her final words, her voice muffling.
"Hmm?" I quicked my pace to only nearly bump her when she stopped.
"You always seem to know what's going to happen," Thalia began. "You knew when the enemy was gonna come. Hades, you even pointed out they were dying." Her posture was slowly shifting to a more offensive stance. I knew where this was heading.
"I- I dunno. The walls of the Labyrinth, when I touch it, I could feel anything the caves feel. Vibrations, footsteps, sounds. Anything." I looked to her for an answer but she was just as confused as I. "Is that something I should be worried about?"
Thalia dropped her shoulders and lowered her spear. "That's something I haven't heard of yet so I can't help you there." Her arm found its place over my shoulders. "Why didn't you share such cool power with you earlier.
Why indeed.
"Annabeth would have been racking her brain to find an answer to your powers." She then smiled at me. "I would have just pointed out something about your birth parent but who knows right?"
"But isn't my birth parent already Hades?"
"Maybe. But does your brother have this kind of ability too?" She asked.
I would have immediately said no. But I didn't know… Wouldn't know. I only discovered this when I first stepped into this place. Maybe it has something to do with the all the earth surrounding us that triggered it but I wouldn't be able to comprehend anything
I shook my head. "Not that I know of."
She gave me a worried look. "We'll find your brother. Don't worry."
I nodded. "Yea we will.
When I thought we were gonna go down another road of silence she asked. "How did the two of you survive on your own together?"
I wanted to tell her it was nothing special but I knew she would just press on. I told her how someone had dropped us off in the casino and told us to wait there. From there, it was the same cycle, find some food to eat, avoid any suspicion that we were minors without a parent in the Casino and find a room to sleep in after every week while all the while learning some pickpocketing skills.
When she laughed at this, I just said "anyone would do anything just to survive." She kept on laughing but it was my turn to ask.
"So how did you two meet then? You and Annabeth?.
It was her turn to tell about how she, Annabeth, and some guy named Luke wandered the area and survived - most of them - when they reached camp. They lived out of pickpocketing skills as well which Luke excelled because he was a son of Hermes. This was their life until Grover found them and brought them to camp while being chased by monsters.
"So yea, a runaway story without parents like you," she finished. We passed so many forks by now that I was starting to feel the fatigue on my legs. I would ask her to stop but she was already slowing down to keep up with my pace.
"You need a break?" she asked, looking back.
"N-No. I'm good," I said, swallowing mid-way.
"That's good." A hard metallic voice spoke ahead of us.
We were by each other's side, weapons read, in an instant.
"It wouldn't be such a fun time if one of you was tired already." A towering figure slowly emerged from the darkness of the cave. Every feature of him screamed dangerously. He looked like a normal human except for the blood coated over his body, disfigured look, eyes wild and eager to see blood… I take it back, nothing about him was human
"Fancy meeting a titan here, especially a nameless one. Are you lost too?" mocked Thalia.
He gritted his teeth. "Who are you calling nameless? My name is Perses, the god of -"
I cursed as he dodged the arrow aimed between the eyes but the look that Thalia sent to me looked like she wanted to high-five me.
"You insolent mortals. If you wish to be sent to the Underworld, you should have -argh"
My arrow finally hit its mark, above the knees and away from his sight. It didn't stagger him though as he roared and charged at us. We dove to a roll in opposite ways as he crashed into the wall behind us. When the smoke cleared, they were already exchanging attacks, Perses with his spear and Thalia with her own spear and shied.
From my spot, I started firing at my marks but he always reacted fast enough to make them deflect or hit his armor instead. Despite that, she was still overwhelming Thalia who was slowly getting backed to a corner. She wasn't fighting her usual self as she was only on the defensive.
I tried aiming at his blindspots but all that did was waste more of my arrows.
Perses soon found an opening, deflected her shield away, and kicked her in the chest. This should have made her go down but she remained standing on her feet.
"For a daughter of the god of thunder, you are weak," he spat. Then his eyes found mine. "You are weaker."
Thalia stood in front of me, shield and spear ready. "For a titan, you are a wimp. I know other titans that could have killed me by now. Are you really titan?"
This set him off again charging at us but Thalia was ready. As soon as he was in close, electricity sparked all over Thalia and coursed through her spear, aimed at the titan. Her lightning crackled with power and hit the titan, sending him crashing to the ground, smoke oozing out of him.
Is it done?
Thalia collapsed to a knee, panting. "He's… still-"
"Alive?" The titan rose to its feet like Thalia hasn't thrown her best at it. "You're lucky to even tickle me with that thing you call power."
I aimed at the titan but didn't shoot. The lightness of my quiver on my back meant that I shouldn't be firing it without purpose, especially when he can just soak it all up. What would a hunter do in this situation?
"You want power? I will show you raw power." He took in a deep breath before letting out a guttural roar that shook all the cavern. The stalactites threatened to fall above us so I grabbed Thalia and we both ran back to where we came from.
His roar eventually stopped but it was replaced by his heavy feet charging at us again. I dove us to the ground just in time for the titan to meet the wall again.
Wait? Another wall?
We clambered back to our feet only for Thalia to push me behind her to intercept Perses' spear with her shield. I frantically looked for the exit but the only way through was where the Titan emerged from. We were trapped.
Thalia was slowly running out of the fight in her as she was getting sluggish by the moment, the lack of rest weighing heavily on her as she kept missing all of her attacks. Frustration showed in her forehead as she committed to her attack but Perses just lazily dodged to the side and sent Thalia another kick to the chest.
She was able to bring her shield back up in time but the kick was much stronger than it was earlier. Thalia was flying. I run up to catch her in time before she collided with the wall, knocking the wind out of me but still keeping us upright
She was panting heavily and her armor was already a ripped mess. She wouldn't be able to take any more than this. We needed to get out of here. I shouldered Thalia's arm and dragged us away.
"Where are you going ladies? We aren't done here yet," He let out a wicked laugh that churned the insides of my stomach. "You are going to DIE here."
Die. Die. Die. DIE. DIE. DIE
His voice echoed in my head and I felt my air being choked out of me.
No. Not now.
Every breath I take didn't feel like it was enough to keep me awake. I was stumbling with every step and my feet threatened to collapse on me if I tripped over something.
DEATH IS YOUR ONLY WAY.
No. Stop. I'm not dying here. I can't
It's the only way.
"Think about your brother Bianca," Thalia's whisper reached me.
Everything cleared around me as if the white noise was turned off. I still needed to find my brother and I can't stop until I bring him back. I won't.
The titan still stalked us like a predator as his weapon shrieked against the ground. He wasn't just toying with us anymore, he was making fun of how powerless we are right now, filling our hearts with fear.
He wouldn't be having it his way.
"Thalia, how much juice are you still carrying there?"
She gave me a skeptical look. "What do you mean."
I held back rolling my eyes. "Can you fry that thing to bits again? Like what you did earlier?" She got lighter at the prospect of fighting back but I still held on to her arm.
"One fried Titan? That's something I can make for you."
I grinned at this. "But can you handle it though? You need to shock that thing at the right moment."
"And if I pass out?"
Thoughts of Death but I screamed at it to shut up. They wouldn't be holding me hostage at this critical moment. "Then Thanatos will have to wait for another day to claim the titan.
It was her turn to beam this time. "I'll trust you then di Angelo. Don't make me shock you in the underworld."
"Are you mortals done scheming? The underworld is your only escape," He bellowed. He was still a good amount of distance away from us. The only thing we can still do is limp away and wait for it
Moments later, his footsteps grew louder. He must have realized he was losing his audience.
"Come back here demigods." The ground was shaking like a mini-earthquake now.
"Ready?" I whispered to her, heart pounding.
Thalia nodded. Electricity started to flow around her, around us. It was a miracle I wasn't getting shocked but I didn't let it bother me. I held tightly to the bow and arrow I was holding with my other hand. I don't know how I'll pull this off but I have to.
"Now." Yelled Thalia.
I stopped in my tracks and turned Thalia around just in time for her charge to go through her spear. It hit the Titan, this time, on his knees and he buckled to the ground. Without letting go of Thalia, I awkwardly pulled my bowstring and arrow. Her limp weight was dragging me out of balance but I held my bow and let my arrow fly through.
The titan roared in pain as it clutched its right eye. I could have gone for the head but that would be too risky to take with his helmet on.
I didn't stop for a triumphant cheer as I now dragged the now unconscious Thalia to the exit… still a good 40 meters away.
"You Demigods will dieeee a painful death." His voice wasn't growing closer yet.
35 meters.
Something hard crashed against the walls and the ceiling of stalactites threatened to tremble again.
30 meters
His roar shook the cave heavier and the rain of stalactites began. I stretched my head upwards, watching, measuring which one would fall on us.
Heavy footsteps started to grow louder and faster
20 meters
I grit my teeth as I dragged us faster. The heavenly grew closer but even then I still needed the time to -"
One finally fell directly where we were headed and I had to dive us to the side, hitting the ground. I was finally able to see the mess I made out of his face. Golden ichor dripped from his face and the arrow was still embedded in it. But that didn't stop him from seeing with his good eye and running after us.
I pushed myself back to my feet and dragged Thalia by her armpits. I looked behind me.
10 meters
The titan was still farther but he was closing in faster than I could drag her.
Leave Thalia. Run for your life. Escape by yourself. Save your brother.
"SHUT UP. SHUT UP. SHUT UP. I am not leaving her behind nor am I leaving my brother behind." I screamed. I closed my eyes and dragged her even faster than I could. One stumble and it would be-
No. we're getting out of here.
The titan roared in pain
I opened my eyes and to my shock, skeletons were climbing out from the depths of the crevice that formed in front of us. Some were already surrounding the titan and stabbing it everywhere with its swords or claws.
I quickly overcame my shock and got us inside one of the ways of the fork. By then, he already destroyed his suppressors and was making his way back to me again.
I placed my hands on the rocks, focused, and murmured the word. "Claudere"
The doorway began to shake again as a column of rocks descended in front of me.
"YOU DAUGHTER OF THAT WRETCHED SPAWN. I WILL KI-"
The door slammed with a loud thud, echoing all over, leaving us worse than we were earlier.
A/N: Stil not saying anything or promising anything in case I jinx my writing sched but hey, I'm still alive and writing
-Behindyu
