(A/N Sorry that this one is so short. TRY MY NEW ONE-SHOT, Me the Tree.)
Chapter 4: Given Up
Dakota went to get help, leaving me alone in the praetor's house. I stared sadly at the picture that I had last seen only a week ago. I had seen it while a worried boy remembered. Now I saw it as a dead leader lay at my feet.
I pulled the picture off the wall and stuck it and Frank's note into my bag. I tried to calm down. Why did Nico have to wake me and bring me here? Why couldn't he have woken Hazel to help search for Frank?
I rubbed the tears out of my eyes, but it wasn't much use. A fresh group of sobs escaped me.
"I give up!" I yelled to the empty room. "I'm done! I can't do this anymore! I've given up! I GIVE UP!"
Nico appeared beside me.
"Ari," He said kindly. "It's alright."
"It's not alright!" I screamed. "How many people have to die before the Fates are pleased?"
"Everyone dies in time," Nico said. "I truly did like Frank. He was one of the few people who was never freaked out by me. We will all miss him."
"You don't care!"
"I really do," Nico said.
Some legionaries filed in to help carry their leader's body away. A few had tears in their eyes, but most were emotionless. Dakota walked over to me, crying his eyes out.
None of us spoke. Dakota reached out to comfort me, but I pulled away once again.
"I'm going to go find out about who's currently in charge," Nico said. "I'll find you in a few hours, Ari."
Dakota and I sat on the floor, alone.
"You can't give up, Ari," Dakota said quietly. "Not after everything you've done."
"You don't understand," I said, "and you never will."
"Why?" He asked. "Why can't you explain to me?"
"I don't want anyone else to run away," I said. "I don't want to have you leave."
"Why would I leave?"
"You'd be too afraid to do anything else." I said sadly.
"I won't run away," Dakota promised.
"You say that now," I said.
"You need a nap," Dakota said.
"A nap sounds good," I said.
I stood up and Dakota led me to the barracks on the other side of camp.
I laid down on one of the empty beds and fell asleep.
Aurelia stood in what looked like a prison.
"Where is the spy?" She asked coldly.
The boy from my last dream led her down the hallway to a cell.
I gasped. In the cell was Nik.
"What were you looking for?" Aurelia asked him without emotion.
"Nothing," Nik said. "Nothing that applies to you."
"Everything applies to me in my city," Aurelia stated. "So, what were you looking for?"
"Te pedicabo," Nik said.
The Roman boy stepped forward as if to punch him, but Nik backed away into the corner of his cell.
"Kill him, Philocrates," Aurelia said.
Philocrates smiled. "With pleasure."
Nik laughed. It was a cold, dry laugh. It was laugh that hid pain.
Aurelia raised an eyebrow. "What is so funny?"
"You will not make me talk with threats," Nik said cruelly. "I killed many of your kin as your soldiers have killed many of mine. Vitalis, was it?"
"Who was that girl?" Aurelia asked without emotion. "The one that killed him."
"Oh, Ariadne?" Nik said. "Yes, she enjoyed that very much."
Nik was being horrible to her. Of course, I had just died so he must be mourning. Still though.
"You… you… you…"
"I think I'll leave now," Nik said. He disappeared from the cell.
"That revealed so much," Philocrates said.
"It did?" Aurelia asked. "My thoughts are a bit scrambled."
"He is worried we might find out what he was doing, he loved that girl, she is dead, and he is a Son of Hades." Philocrates said.
Aurelia took a second to process that. "Yes, I think you're right. I am going to go lay down for a while."
I woke with a start and for a second, wondered why I felt so sad. Frank. I remembered. Frank is dead.
Nik gave up. He took stupid risks without a care for his life. I have given up. I will do anything to redeem myself.
I cry into the pillow.
(A/N Te pedicabo means f*** you in Latin according to Google translate. Don't kill me if it's wrong. Sad… what do you think about her dream? Review and tell me. Or review and give me a paragraph on Narnicorns (Narwhals/Unicorns). I really don't care just review!)