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Happy New Year?
…please don't kill me! It's 13,000 words, just like I promised!
On that note, in case anyone noticed, I have deleted a lot of my stories, including the original version of this masterpiece. Yay~
With that, we can get on with the story, since I wanna keep this part short and sweet.
Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson, Twilight, Lion King, Basketball, Twelve Days of Christmas, We're Off the See the Wizard, or anything else I borrowed for this monster of a chapter. The only thing I really own are my ideas and the Creepy Voice.
Enjoy~
Alright, it's fine. Just brush her off and continue on with your life. Just remember not to kill anyone. Annabeth is still right behind you and she will know. Sure, you can erase everyone's mind using the little Magik, yes capital 'm', all demigods have it, with an 87% chance of erasing too much and leaving them brain dead, but Annabeth would still hear the screams. Most likely. Unless I can convince Nico to keep her occupied. Hm…now, how to do that telepathically without Annabeth picking up on it while not having telepathy powers of my own?
"What's your name?" Jessica, now named Annoyance, asked. I'm pretty sure she already knows the name of each and every one of us due to every other nosey mortal here, so she is most likely asking my name because she doesn't know who is who. Alrighty then, use a fake name.
"Angel Belle." I stated immediately. Inwardly, I was raging. What kind of name is that!? Angel? Humph, as if!
A slightly perplexed look dashed across Annoyance's face before she slapped on another smile.
"Well, it seems like you and your group came on a bad day." Yes, I can tell. The sun is shining and birds are singing, today should be marked down as the worst day that this town has ever seen. And here I was living under the impression that normal people liked the sun. When I didn't question her, she decided to continue anyway. "The Cullen's go on camping trips during sunny days, they are so lucky." Annoyance pouted. Now I'm hungry. Cheesus, I hope someone grabbed me food. Speaking of which, where did Annabeth and everyone go, they had been right behind me? Glancing around Annoyance for a second, I fumed. They're just sitting there, eating, laughing, and watching me! Is this Annabeth's revenge? Is the war on? Dammit, I wanna know! "On normal, non-sunny day, they sit at that table near the window. Wanna know something weird? They were all adopted by Mrs. Cullen, though two of them are actually siblings, but they're all together, like together together. And they're practically family!" Now, you have officially pissed me off. I started to step around her. "Don't you want to know more, like who is who and who is with who?"
"No, actually. Personally, I think that you are a petty girl who should mind her own business and leave me and my family alone." I stated over my shoulder. I left her there and seated myself next to Nico, who was too busy scarfing down cheese burgers to do more than nod at me.
"Well, La-La, how has your day been?" Kaya asked, handing me an apple happily.
"Riddled with mortals."
"I know how you feel." Kaya responded, nodding sagely, a steely glint in her silvery eyes.
Annabeth sighed and turned to Clarisse, Will, Thalia, Lissa, Malcolm, and Percy. "Nico and Bella are regressing. We really need to find something to occupy their minds before they run out of restraint." The sliver of fear that crept into her voice went unnoticed by all but me. I sighed.
Fear is far more useful than love.
Far less satisfying.
Alone…
"At this rate, how long do you think it is until they lose it?" Malcolm questioned. I tried to pay attention to Kaya but I found the conversation going on behind me to be far more important. And interesting, definitely interesting.
"Two days, maybe less. Clarisse, do you have any input?"
"Princess is becoming reliant on Nico again, which shows just how scared she really is. Annabeth, you were trapped in her mind and managed to escape, can you tell us anything that might help us keep her under control." Annabeth lost her professional look for a moment and glanced back uneasily, slightly fearfully, at my wide and watching eyes, looking deep inside for something. For someone. Clarisse noticed her look and clarified. "Not something about how to restrain her, more like something not to do to make sure that we don't make this worse."
Annabeth's eyes glazed over; no doubt she was reaching into the corners of her mind for memories that she locked way. "Don't take her away from Nico, she needs him right now. Don't mention her former family, mainly their names. Don't interrupt her. Don't drink coffee around her. And don't hurt cats. She likes cats for some reason. Not as much as dogs, but she really likes cats." Annabeth dragged out hesitantly.
"That…was all rather pointless information." Will stated uncertainly.
"Not if you see how she reacts." Malcolm muttered. "I swear that cat deserved it, but did she listen, nooo!" Percy stared at Malcolm.
"What?"
"Nothing, nothing." Malcolm covered.
"Is there anything else anyone wants to report?"
"Yeah, there is a boy, Mike Newton, who has succeeded in bringing out Nico's over protective brotherliness. He touched Baby Bell." Annabeth informed. As if someone flicked a switch, the looks in their eyes changed from calm and orderly, to wild and possessive.
"A girl flirted with Jake," Will allowed.
"A couple of boys made suggestive movements towards Annabeth," Thalia admitted.
"Some girls stroked Percy's muscles when he wasn't paying attention." Malcolm warned.
"A boy approached me." Lissa disclosed.
"Someone slapped Drew's butt."
"A group of mortals verbally assaulted Kaya." I glanced over at my closest friend.
"Members of both genders have advanced on Nico." I glanced at my brother. The leaders and the listeners stopped for a moment to absorb the given information. Sick, twisted grins spread across the three tables that we were grouped at. No matter how hard a demi-god tries, we are still protective, possessive, and hateful. To touch one of our own, you are touching something that is ours and ours alone.
"There are still two more classes before we can head back home. Also, there is only five more minutes of this period. Ignore the mortals for now." Annabeth announced to every one of us demigods, shoving her 'impractically' and 'disturbing' emotions to the over side of that wall she hides behind. A peacekeeper, that's what everyone calls her. The ambassador between demi-gods and mortals. Just like Percy, though mortal through and through, is the ambassador between demi-gods and gods, Thalia is the ambassador between the hunters and demi-gods, Nico is the ambassador between the dead (and Father) and the demi-gods, and Tyson is the ambassador between the ocean world (mainly Cyclopes) and demigods. The list of duties is endless; I'm rather surprised that no one has spontaneously combusted. Yet.
I just finished my third apple when the bell to end lunch rang.
"Off everyone goes. Nikki, Drew, Will, and Malcolm, you're with me. Nico, Seaweed Brain, Kaya, and Baby Bell, you're all together. Thalia and Jake, you're together-"
"Don't get any funny ideas." Thalia scowled.
"-Max and Lissa, you're together. Alex, Katie, and Connor, you're together. Travis, you're alone for this one. Kevin and Tess, you're together. And, finally, Clarisse and Robert, you're together. Remember what I said, now, move out!"
"Such an inspiring speech, Wise Girl." Percy stated, eyes twinkling.
"Thank you, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth smiled softly.
"Alright, lovebirds, we gotta go!" I shouted, grabbing Percy's arm and physically dragging him out of the cafeteria and into the hall with Kaya and Nico following behind.
"Bella, let me go!" Percy shouted, tugging at his arm in hope of dislodging my grip. With his far superior strength, he quickly escaped my grasp.
"Come on, Commander, we have Biology!" Kaya and I giggled as we sprinted down the hall to Building 2, Nico only a step behind us. "So, La-La, what was that I heard about a mortal boy touching you?" Kaya asked, eyes glittering.
"I call him AMAC, or Apollo's More Annoying Clone." I stated. I glanced at Kaya as she scrunched up her eyebrows.
"That's possible? Has he sprouted off haikus as well?" She muttered. She shook her head then turned to me. "You need to be more careful." She stated, seriousness glinting in her usually grinning eyes. I cringed. "I can practically feel your powers saturating the place. You might have been doing it on purpose, since, with an aura thick enough, you could cause some these mortals to become deathly ill, but Annabeth would know the cause and Nico would be disappointed in you. You don't want that." I shook my head. "Just calm down, La-La, you being tense makes us tense which makes her tense. Oh, have you figured out that conundrum of yours yet?" Kaya asked, going from grim to smiley in a split second.
I gave a half-smirk and shook my head. "No, the spectrum of powers between Nico and I are just so different, with no rhyme or reason, it seems."
"Personally, I think your brother's aspect is more reliant on the darkness while your aspect is more reliant on life and death." I nodded, already knowing that much. "You radiate your aspect as you already know, you radiate the feeling of life, while you look like a corpse with the personality of a dead fish."
"Isa." Nico stated, finally speaking up from his position behind us. "We are here." I smiled up at him. I felt kind of bad for being so dependent on him that he has to act as a shadow for me, even during embarrassing conversations. I remember the first time Nico took me to camp to meet Annabeth and Percy. Percy made a comment that I didn't understand and Annabeth decided to tell me the full version of the birds and the bees conversation. Sadly for Nico, I had yet to be comfortable at the camp, so he had to stay with me. He is such a devoted brother. I should get him a present. Maybe a flamethrower; I think he'll like that.
We walked into the Science room and I restrained the urge to groan. There was AMAC, sitting attentively in the front row seat, all happy and smiley. Nico's shoulders slumped in annoyance and defeat. Kaya glanced at Nico and me before looking at AMAC. She grinned. Percy groaned.
"Ah, you must be the new students. I am you're new teacher. You-" Mr. Molina pointed at Nico "- will sit next to Miss. Mallory over to that side." A girl in a tight shirt raised her hand with a 'devious' smirk. I twitched. As if my brother would be interested in someone like her. "You-" he pointed at Percy, "-one seat behind him in the empty desk. You-" he pointed to Kaya, "-sit next to him. And finally, you-" he pointed to me, "-sit next to Mr. Mewton."
"It's Newton!"
"Yes, yes, Mewton." Mr. Molina muttered. I glared at the air. The Fates hate me; I mean I'm sitting on the complete opposite side of the class from Percy, Nico, and Kaya, who are all sitting in their own little bubble. "Go on." He urged me.
"It's a fancy seeing you here." AMAC piped up. I glared at him, that had been one of my favorite things to say, and now he ruined it. I can never say that phrase ever again without the urge to beat up a happy person.
"Yeah, what a coincidence." I deadpanned. There are only 377 or so students; of course we will be seeing each! Even if only in the hallways like I had wanted. But nooo, we have to have three out of six classes together…so far. No, Bella, do think that! You'll jinx yourself!
"I know right." He chirped. He literally, freaking, chirped. Like a bird. I hate birds.
"Right." I gritted out. Mr. Molina had started to drone. I attempted to focus in on him, if only to escape AMAC.
"I'm Mike." I know already, AMAC. "Was that boy really your brother?"
"No, we just share the same last name." I answered sarcastically.
"Oh, alrighty then." I raised an eyebrow at him. He really believed me, completely not noticing the sarcasm. Idiot.
"Look, AMAC-"
"Mike." He looked rather ruffled.
"-I don't real care. Leave me alone, or I'll sic my brother on you."
"I thought you said he wasn't your brother." I know I asked for a cute, oblivious boy, Lady Aphrodite, however, there is a great difference to oblivious and a complete and total moron. Please do release this boy and try again. With a man this time, thank you very much.
I decided then and there to ignore him.
"Are you ignoring me?" Yes. "Did I do something wrong?" Yes. "I'm sorry." Good. "I'll make it up to you. How about you go with us to La Push! It will be fun, I promise."
"No."
"You can even take your brother with you. And the rest of your friends."
I opened my mouth to say 'no' again when something hit me in the back of the head. I twisted around quickly, ready to scream, first AMAC, now some weak punk, when I noticed it was a ball of paper with my nickname written on it. I glanced at Percy as I quietly picked it up. He showed no sign of having even moved. AMAC watched me curiously as I opened the glob of paper. He wrote in Ancient Greek, making it nearly impossible for AMAC to read over my shoulder, luckily enough. The letters slowly came into focus and righted into words.
Play nice.
Oh, I love you too, Percy. Annabeth must have put him up to this. Damn her. I gritted my teeth, now I know why Father likes seclusion; people are so nosey and loud. Though that does leave the question as to how and why Father got together with Mother…
Abandoned
Forgotten
Throw to the curb
Never to be heard
Right unobtainable into the falling of the water
Bad thoughts, Bella, focus on what is going on right now.
"Sure. We will meet you there."
"It's a date." AMAC exclaimed ecstatic. My Glare of Doom caused him to rethink his words. "I mean, yay?" I just wish I could feed you to a piranha, or even Rosabella, I'm sure she's hungry right now.
The class ended quickly and it was off to Gym with Clarisse, Nico, and Annabeth. Kaya and I had a teary break up in the middle of the hall, full of 'I hate you's and 'how can you do this to me's. All and all, it was quite the spectacle. Percy left for Math right after giving Annabeth a passing good luck kiss. And we were off.
And I was bored.
"We're off to see the Necromancer, the Wonderful Necromancer of Death! She truly is a wonderful witch, if ever a witch there was! Oh, is ever there is a witch there was the Necromancer because, because, because, because, because, because, because, of the horrible things she does. We're off to see the Necromancer, the Wonderful Necromancer of Death!~"
"Bella, you need mental help." Percy stated, staring at me.
"So do most of the people at camp." I responded, shaking the woolliness out of my head.
"And yet none of them sing sick parodies of children songs for fun." Annabeth reminded me. We were approaching the door to the Gym.
"That was one time! Besides, Travis does it too."
"That five year old Hecate child has yet to leave his closest. And this is Travis we're talking about, a son of Hermes, practically Mischief Incarnate." I pouted.
"You two should stop arguing," Nico returned us to reality. "We're here."
"Alright, sissys! We have some new students with us today. Here are your uniforms, your guardian, Mr. Banner, contacted us with your shirt and pants sizes. Now, Mewton-"
"It's Newton."
"I don't care. Now, Mewton, show…Mr. DiAngela-"
"DiAngelo."
"Don't care. Show him to the boys' changing room. Malfoy and Webster, show DeAngle, Chance, and La Rule to the girls' changing room. Be back and ready in five minutes or there will be laps!" Coach Clapp shouted.
Annabeth, Clarisse, and I grumbled about disrespecting our name and ancestors as we were ushered into a door that had the international symbol for females hanging off of it at a slight angle.
"Don't mind Coach, he doesn't call anyone by their actual name." Webster murmured.
"Oh, good, I was starting to think that we were living with the Hulk." I snapped. Maybe I should call back that one demon that I befriended a few years ago, Khalida of the Lamia Clan. I really should look that up. She always said it like it was an important fact. Perhaps I should ask Nico or Annabeth…nah, they'd kill me.
Dance, dance in rivers of blood, Oh Sanguineous One
"Or that a fantasy book character was actually really." Annabeth muttered. I think she actually had hope for a second. Poor, poor, foolish Annabeth.
"Well, get changed already, I don't want to have to run because of you." Mallory snarled.
We changed in silence.
"That boy…" Mallory started. I internally groaned, shoving my legs into the sweat pants, completely ignoring the shorts that I had also been handed. "…is he your brother?"
"Yes." I pulled on my black socks.
"Older or younger?"
"Older." I placed my tiara in a locker that I have now claimed as my own.
"Are you two really related? You look nothing ali-" The locker door was slammed shut, the sudden sound echoing through the room. Annabeth, Clarisse, and that Webster girl thankfully stayed silent.
"My brother…is none of your business." I replied coldly. 'Look nothing alike', my newly neutered newts. We're both pale as death with dark hair and dark eyes. I made sure to keep my gloves on, though the short sleeve shirt will most likely be a problem. Powers like mine are a pain in the ass after all.
Do you wish you, we, had never been born?
Absently, I finally noticed that there were now full sentences, questions, that were directed at me instead of remarks at the outside world, a fact that will be worried about once I deal with this nuisance in front of me.
"Oh, I do believe that he is." The room temperature dropped. Annabeth and Clarisse stiffened next to me, having finished changing, but thankfully stayed out of my way. This was personal after all. "You don't want him to have to grow old all alone, now do you?" The chances of you staying with him for that long is slim to none, mortal, not that he'd let to touch him with a fifty foot Stygian pole. "Oh, do you think that he will stay with you forever?" She mocked. I stiffened. Sadly, she noticed before I could hide it. "That's it isn't it? You believe that your brother will always be there to protect Little Baby Isabella, huh? Welcome to the real world, Little Girl, your brother will be mine. Get used to it." She turned and strutted away as if she had just won some big prize. I growled. My brother was not going to be this brat's toy. I won't allow it.
We will never allow her to TOUCH him. Kill her. Kill her. Kill her!
Annabeth's hand missed my shoulder by a millisecond.
A loud crunch sounded through the room.
Webster squeaked.
"Mallory. Touch my brother, and next time, it will be that precious face of yours." I grinned, pulling my gloved hand free of the mutilated locker it had, accidentally, imbedded itself in. I looked at my work as Mallory fled the room. "Oops." I intoned.
"I should yell at you for breaking my rule, however, you did not touch her. It seems that you are either not as far gone as we had thought or you have been teaching yourself self-restraint. Bravo." Annabeth stated, a small smirk dancing across her lips. Webster seemed to have decided to pretend nothing was going on at all and mind her own business. A smart mortal. I think I might actually like this one.
"Heh." Clarisse sniggered. "That's not it at all, Blondie. Princess knows the horrors of psychological torture. Just imagine what that girl is thinking about, wondering about, imagining, right now. She must be driving herself up the wall, thinking that all of us are dangerous."
Annabeth nodded but stated to me gravely that if my actions cause any problems, I would not be allowed to have sugar for three days. My glee at my accomplishment died quickly after that. The impression of a pout was passed to me.
With all of us now changed, we headed back to the Gym where Coach snorted at us.
"What took you sissys so long?!" When I opened my mouth to answer, he continued. Annabeth sighed in relief next to me as we, Annabeth, Clarisse, Webster, and I, walked towards Nico. No doubt she knew that a sarcastic or insulting response had been at the tip of my tongue. "Never mind. I will be splitting you all into four teams and then there will be games. Basketball games. Team One, now known as Team Orange, is Mallory, DiAngelo – the male one-, Jorkins, Newton, Gentis, and Kiljoy. Team Two, now to be known as Team Bananas, is Stanley, Kensy, Quinley, Pulk, Chase, and Yule." Huh, he's using our names now. Maybe it's so that people don't get confused and annoy him with stupid questions, like which team they are actually on. "Team Three, now known as Team Goldfish, is La Rue, Yorkie, Helsis, Bellen, Crowley, and Mantis. Now, the last team, Team Four, forever to be known as Team Insane Homicidal Psychopaths, is DiAngelo, Weber, Glenn, McVanity, Wast, and Follon." I sweat dropped. All the other team names were random, but this one is a bit out there. "The matchup is Team Orange vs. Team Bananas and Team Goldfish vs. Team Insane Homicidal Psychopaths. The winner of the first match up will go against the winner of the second match up and the two losers will also face off. We have two courts, now move it or lose it!"
I eyed my team for their strengths as they scurried on over to me and smirked. This is my perfect chance to get back at Mallory and piss off Nico. That is, if they win. My team huddled up.
Purrfect
"I really don't like our name." Follon muttered.
"Well, I think it fits." I grinned crazily. The others eyed me. "Now, here is the plan. Follon, you're small, so you will be a guard. Stick close to the person with the ball. Wast, from what I have seen, you can run fast, so be a distraction; race in and out of places in an attempt to get the ball. If you have it, make sure to constantly chance directions. McVanity…you have a good arm. Catch any ball that is thrown to you and pass it immediately to another member of the team. Never throw. Weber, you and I will be front and center. Glenn, you're the defense. Now, on three. One. Two. Three. Team Insane Homicidal Psychopaths GOOOO!"
Eyes glittering with hope of finally winning (I'm guessing that they have been teamed up before and have yet to win a game together), my troops set out to battle.
I sniffled. "They just grow up so fast."
"I hope that you aren't hoping that I'll go easy on Nico's team so that you can get a chance at beating Mallory into the ground."
"I wouldn't dream of it." I told Annabeth truthfully, not even bothering to turn to face her.
"Good." I could practically feel her shifting into her more tactical mind set, putting logic before emotions (though not completely ignoring the emotions, seeing as Percy had unintentionally taught her that emotions can be useful and used).
"How are you fairing?" I questioned.
"The minds of mortal teenagers are not something I wish to see." Annabeth responded.
"Who are you hiding in, then?" I asked. Usually, she hides her 'separate consciousness', as she calls it, in Percy's mind. However, this only works if the person, and their mind, is close by. Percy is in a completely different building, too far away for such interaction. Though, now that I think about it, I doubt his mind is ever really present. Hmm, food for thought…
"You, Baby Bell."
"Are you sure that that is a good idea, Annabeth? Remember the last time you did that?" I remember. Personally, I don't think I could ever forget. Annabeth's body had gone into a coma. She didn't trust me, so two weeks after meeting me, a month after first getting her gift, she entered my mind and didn't come out. No one knew what had happened. No one, but me. In my dreams, I could hear her, screaming at me to let her out. How could I tell someone, Nico or even Percy, that the one that they loved and looked up to had lost herself in my mind? I had still been new to camp and still relatively new to my brother, I could not trust them not to abandon me for the accident. I could not trust them with my most closely guarded secret. Slowly, Annabeth escaped my memories, but still did not escape my mind. She was now lost in my thoughts. Seeing what I saw, feeling what I felt, thinking what I thought, seeing every single piece of me. She lost all form of identity. Laughter echoed more often than words during those days.
Until, one day, by a stroke of luck, I was injured during practice. The pain was blinding, as if the blade used had been poisoned. The pain snapped Annabeth back into focus. She could remember who she was again. The memories flooded my mind, causing me to scream in pain. Memories that were not mine flashed before my eyes. Moment after moment, day after day. I was afraid. When I woke up, Annabeth was no longer lingering in my mind and Nico was at my bedside. He was angry at me. He thought that I had been jealous of the attention that Percy and Nico gave Annabeth, that when I had felt her little slip of consciousness dance across my mind, I snatched at it and pulled her in and locked her down in the depths of my mind. For that moment, for that betrayal, we hated him. We hated our brother, our only protector in this stranger new world of his, for turning his back on the child he dragged in himself.
I tried to convince him otherwise. That I would never do such a thing. He didn't believe me. He thought that my past made me so desperate for attention, that I would do literally anything for it. The closest thing I had to a family didn't believe me. I was scared; I thought that he would send me back, back to my Mother, as a punishment. I screamed and I cried. The dead screamed with me as they felt my fear. They wanted to help, but they would have been fighting against one Master for another. An impossible choice. Annabeth arrived just before my emotions overran my powers, overran my mind.
She grabbed me in a hug and didn't let go, no matter what Percy and Nico said. She told me that she understood, that it was not my fault. She said that she would not allow Nico to send me back. We understood each other inside and out for that one moment. I feel asleep. When I woke up, Nico was beside me again. He explained that Annabeth explained what had really happened. He apologized and made me another promise. He would believe and protect me at the cost of his life. I said nothing. We never spoke of the promise again, though he made sure to try and never leave my side, as if the roles were reversed and he was the one in need of a comfort blanket. And maybe he did. But, on that day, we made a promise as well. And no matter what, we don't break our promises.
I felt Annabeth watching the memory with me. "Yes, I do remember," she answered. "But, as you know, it is still the safest place for me. Clarisse is naturally protected from long term mind settling and Nico is a gloomy teenage boy. Besides," she started with a sideways glance at me, "she seems to like me." I decided to ignore that comment, no matter how self-confident it was. She likes so few humans.
"You have a point there." I noticed that my team was waiting for me. "We should start. Good luck."
"May Nike shine you to victory."
"And may Nemesis shadow your footsteps." I smirked.
"So, Boss, you ready?" Nick Wast asked as I approached. I grinned toothily.
"Oh, yes." I purred, eyeing Mallory, imagining the torture that I could never inflect upon her.
Weber fluttered around nervously next to me. "You want to get back at Lauren." She commented.
McVanity, Follon, Glenn, and Wast focused in on our conversation as we waited for Team Goldfish to finish with their battle plan.
"Mallory? Yes. No one touches my older brother without my permission. She will fall." My eyes lit up with unholy glee. I ignored the agreeing whispers that erupted with practiced ease.
"Mallory has all the best Basketball players on her team. Kiljoy is the captain of the girls team while Gentis is for the guys. And they didn't get there through their smarts. DiAngelo looks like he could out run a cheetah and body slam a Sumo Wrestler yet not break a sweat or have a hair out of place. Jorkins is the tactical wiz of the team. And Mike, well…he can throw a ball pretty well. Team Bananas has only Baseball players, Lacrosse players and your friend, Chase. It isn't looking good for her. They have stamina and speed, but their skill sets won't matchup very well with this sport. Team Goldfish has the golf and fishing members. Might not be very intimidating, except your friend La Rue, but they're up against us, the Club Junkies, who have not played an actual sport since Kindergarten." McVanity supplied. I think I like her as well. Informative and not very talkative afterwards.
"We have our work cut out for us." Braxton Glenn stated, depressed.
"Oh, don't worry, we will win."
"How do you know that?" Follon questioned.
"Nike rides on my feet." Sure enough, I was wearing black Nike sneakers, something that I hadn't really noticed when I first put them on. As a matter of fact, since when did I have Nike sneakers anyway?
In the end, we did, in fact, win that game. Clarisse was rather angry, not having the chance to go up against Annabeth in revenge for all the mean words shared between the two. However, surprisingly enough, Annabeth lost. So, Clarisse gets to have a chance at her revenge after all.
I faced Mallory in front of the ball. She smirked at me, challenging me with her eyes. 'He's mine,' they mocked. 'All mine.' I gritted my teeth. When the ball fell, I took a step back, allowing Mallory to slap the ball behind her without a fight. She looked surprised for a moment before victory shined in her eyes, believing that I was actually backing down. Foolish fool of a mortal girl. Nico got the ball and dribbled passed me, concern and surprise showing through his black eyes. Eyes that are so much like mine. Nico made to shoot, but Glenn intercepted and passed to McVanity, who ran and dribbled the ball to the basket. Gentis was in front of her in a flash, ready to intercept. She fake threw over to side, to Follon, which Gentis fell for, then faked to the basket, which Gentis and Kiljoy fell for, before passing to Wast behind her. He dodged Nico, who had been guarding him and dribbled around the other players before passing back to McVanity, who passed to Glenn, who then made a basket. All the while, Mallory and I stood in the middle.
"May the best win." I challenged, careful not to add anything, as I did not want to be lumped in the same category as her.
She smirked at my challenge and nodded in acceptance.
I raced over, dodging Nico, who was acting as a guard and danced over to Kiljoy, slapping the ball out of the air as it was passed to her. Follon glided over to act as guard as I dashed to the other side, where Glenn and Mallory were waiting. I tried to pass to Glenn, but Mallory did an amazing jump and snatched the ball out of the air.
The game continued with scores and passes and interceptions.
In the end, it was a tie.
I cursed as I shuffled over to my new locker with the rest of the female members of the Gym class. Personally, I acknowledged the fact that my team was lucky. Had they not underestimated us, had they taken us seriously, we would have been demolished. But, on the other hand, that had been what I had been riding on to win us this match. Annabeth and Clarisse muttered angrily next to me about not having enough time to finish the game. They happened to end in a tie as well, causing them to be even crankier than normal. Kiljoy, Follon, McVanity, and Mallory were all glaring at each other, while Weber glanced nervously between them.
"This is not over yet, DiAngelo." Mallory hissed.
"I should hope not, Mallory." I sneered. Gods above, I hate girl drama and girl politics. It's as annoying as an oblivious Percy.
As Mallory stomped over to her locker, a random girl screamed. "What the hell happened to my locker?!"
"A honey badger." Annabeth answered after looking at the damage I had inflicted for a moment.
"A honey badger?" the girl asked shakily.
"A honey badger." Annabeth stated, straight faced. The girl nodded, completely reassured.
"Well, my name is Envy, Envy McVanity." Your parents most hate you.
"Angela Weber, nice to meet you."
"Mary Follon, you sure are a good strategist." She complimented.
"I learned from the best," I nodded my head towards Annabeth. "My name is Isabella DiAngelo. That is Annabeth Chase, the other one is Clarisse La Rue, and my brother's name is Nico DiAngelo. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Well, the day is over." Envy stated, switching her school issued gym uniform for a dark blue long sleeve shirt. I carefully placed my tiara on my head, having just finished changing clothes. "So, where do all of you live?" She asked. I remembered that moment back there when she knew the members of each team. An information gatherer. A thinker. So, she's got looks and brains. What a catch.
"We live together at camp."
"Camp Breach, right?"
"Yes."
"Never heard of it."
I smiled at her as Angela and Mary watched us interact. "That's a pity. It's very beautiful."
"Well, I for one, think that-"
"Baby Bell." We turned to face Annabeth. "As nice as it is for you to be getting comfortable and making friends, your brother is waiting."
"Gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow." I smiled at Envy, Angela, and Mary. Envy watched me leave, her suspicious glaze fixed on me as I passed through the door. I threw a wink and a grin over my shoulder as I left.
"Are you starting to have fun?" Nico asked, seeing my taunting action.
"You know what? Yeah, I think that I am."
"That's good. But, don't get too attached, Isa. We will be leaving again, one day."
"I know…Brother."
As long as you're with me…
Never leave me…
Never leave us…
Or, I'll kill you too
We were silent as we arrived at our bus, which stood out amongst the bright yellow of standard buses. Thalia stood, leaning against the front of the bus. Once she noticed us, she heading straight to Annabeth for a report.
"Nikki, Drew, Will, Malcolm, Max, and Lissa have yet to arrive."
"Wait five more minutes. If they are not here by then, sent Nico and Bella after them." Percy suggested.
"Though that idea has merit, Seaweed Brain, what if they're in trouble right now?"
"And what if they're not, Wise Girl? Bella and Nico are the best trackers we have other than the Hunters, and we only have one of those right now. Do you really want to piss off Bella more with useless searching when I can practically see the steam coming out of her ears already?" This caused Annabeth to pause.
"Nevertheless, Baby Bell, Nico, go retrieve the six missing members, do what you will to the ones holding them up."
Nico and I grinned at each other. Semi-free rein. I'm sure we can't actually kill them, that would grab too much attention, but messing with their minds is not out of the question.
"Ma'am, yes, Ma'am." We saluted, and then we crept back into the nearly deserted school.
"Ohhh, Malcolm. Where are you, Mal-colm?~" I breathed in a creepy sing-song voice.
"Isa, just find them." Nico sniped, impatient. I pouted. Closing my eyes, I called upon the ghosts that inhabit this land, by-passing all the demons (man, there were a lot of them), animal spirits, and guide spirits, also known as Guardian Angels. You see, on earth, or the mortal plane, there are all sorts of spirits that linger, none of which are humans spirits though, those automatically go to the Underworld. No, here there are beings like Guardian Angels, demons, animal spirits, and I once found the spirit of a rock. It was a rather weird conversation. At first I thought it was an Orodemniades or Oreiades, but then I remembered that Nymphs turn into their protected environment when they died and that they are nymphs of the mountains, not individual rocks. So, I still don't know what really happened on that day. Anyway, human spirits don't live on the mortal plane, obviously, but imprints of their lives do. Using their imprints as a medium, I can summon a ghost from Father's domain, but only if I am near a place they had once frequently been. Though it is a pain in the ass, Summoning zombies, or The Corpse Corps, as Nico calls it, is not as complicated. We just turn the ground around us into temporary bones using Hades Children Magik, or summon actual bones from around us which takes longer but are definitely stronger in the end, and then call spirits to inhabit the temporary bodies using the broad request of 'Fighting, need soldiers.' It is quite restricting as that makes it hard to Summon while in air. Thankfully, it's not as hard on the water as some people used to just throw bodies overboard and there are dead marine animal bodies down there. It's still harder to do than on land, but, nothing's perfect. Finally, I found a friendly, and useful, ghost, which I popped over to us. However, I didn't go through all of the trouble of making her visible to normal, non-Underworld Related demi-gods or mortals in order to save energy.
"Oh, the Princess, how do you do?" An old lady wearing a Victorian dress asked politely.
Nico sighed next to me. "Why do you always Summon old ladies from the distant past?" he questioned, ignoring the old lady's glance of annoyance.
"Because they're nice. Now, it is nice to meet you…" I trailed off.
"Ah, I am sorry, how rude of me. My name is Zylphia, Princess and Prince."
"What a pretty name!" I exclaimed, sitting crisscross-apple-sauce in front of Zylphia.
"Thank you my dear, your name is quite beautiful as well. Isabella Marie-Anna, correct?"
"Yep! Oh, did you have any children when you were alive? What did you name them?"
"Oh, yes, I had three girls and one son. My husband named my eldest America, rather strange name for a child, though it was beautiful. My middle daughter was named Permelia, and my youngest daughter was named Mercy. My son was named Elijah. Now, my husband was named Uriah, such a handsome man, he was."
"Beautiful names, Mrs. Zylphia!"
"Call me Zylphia, my dear, none of this Missus business." Zylphia winked.
"Were you a demi-god, Zylphia?" I asked.
"Of course, I was a demi-goddess, daughter of Hebe."
"The goddess of Youth!
"The very one, my dear."
"As interesting as this is, didn't you Summon her for a reason, Isa?"
"Yes, Princess, what is it that I can do for you?"
"Oh, right! Our friends are late, so we need to look for them!"
"They are demi-gods as well, correct?"
"Yes. You should be able to track them without a description."
"Of course, my Prince." She floated off.
"I wonder what her name means."
"Isa, you know that those Meaning of Your Name things are a load of bull. I mean, it said that you're self-conscious, lack confidence, lonely, have trouble expressing yourself, you find pleasure in literary works, and that you have a weak heart and lungs. Though how they figure that through just a name, I will never know."
"That translator was right about a few things."
"Yes, a few."
"Don't make me research your name next, Nico."
"I don't care."
"Your Highnesses?"
"Yes, Zylph?
Zylphia blushed. "I found your friends."
"Oh?" Now Nico was interested.
"Yes, they are all on a bus, purple in color, arguing about who should go and get the two of you, Prince. The commoners are starting to stare."
My eye twitched. Zylphia smiled gently at me.
Nico rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed. "For once, I wish that Annabeth had listened to Percy."
I kindly dismissed Zylphia, after promising to Summon her again so that we could speak more of beautiful names. After doing so, we briskly stomped out the door and over to the bus.
"Ah, Baby Bell, Nico, you're back. Malcolm, Lissa, Max, Nikki, Drew, and Will found their way to us while you were gone. Apparently, they got lost. In Building Three."
"Weren't they in Building Five and Two?" I asked.
"Yes, yes they were." Annabeth stated. I decided to drop it and glare angrily at their heads for wasting my time, though I did get to meet Zylphia, so that's a plus.
"Alright, everyone here?" Annabeth shouted.
"Yes!" Everyone roared back.
"Argus, take us away!" Annabeth commanded.
"So, Isa, what did you think of school?"
"Why in the name of Father, were there Six, SIX, Buildings for a school of less than four hundred students?" I seethed. It made no sense. "Sure, I love senseless things, but this is a school, schools are supposed to make sense!"
Everyone was silent, contemplating my question.
"Why did Hogwarts give detentions in the Forbidden Forest that could be deadly to First Year student that know barely any magic?" Someone piped up.
"Whoever said that, will die." I shouted, baring my teeth. No one gave themselves up. "Wuss." I muttered, flopping down on to my seat, ignoring as Nico, Annabeth, and Percy glanced over the sides of my seat to look at me. Did someone honestly need to make a Harry Potter reference? It was totally unnecessary. The rest of the ride back to camp was relatively quiet, only soft whispers shattering the silence. I thought about Summoning Zylphia, but then Annabeth would want to talk to her, and I don't feel like using my precious energy like that right now.
"You okay, Baby Bell?"
"No."
"Isa, what's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Come on, Sable." I focused on Percy as he so rarely calls me by that nickname. "Tell us what's on your mind." I sighed. He won me over.
"School is boring, annoying, and it's full of simple minded and arrogant mortals."
"You looked like you were having fun with Envy, Angela, and Mary."
The mere thought of those three brought forth the real source of my agitation.
A hiss formed in the depths of my mind.
Percy was happy though. "So, you're finally seeing that not all mortals are bad." He grinned. Nico and Annabeth noticed my anger first. "Sable, what's wrong?"
"That wretched witch, may she burn in Tartarus the moment I kill her." I hissed.
Annabeth understood immediately. "Baby Bell, she is ignorant. Don't let your anger cloud you."
"Shut up."
"Annabeth, what is wrong?"
She sighed, "There's this girl that Baby Bell met..."
"Oh Gods." Percy mumbled.
"And they hate each other."
"Isa, what did you do this time?"
"That WITCH is the attacker." I snarled. I will rip out her organs and FEED them to her.
Let us burn that witch
Burning the witches
The evil cries
By burning the witches
The demon dies
By burning the witches
The demon dies by fire
Be done with her
Do her in!
She'll take him from us!
Hate, we hate her, we hate him, devour, devourer.
"The girl…wants to date Nico and she's not hiding the fact." Annabeth muttered.
Anger sparked at her words, doubling and multiplying, till an inferno raged.
We're burning,
Burning so patiently.
Get out while you can, this house is coming down.
There will be nothing left.
Burning,
Burning, so patiently.
Percy and Nico turned red. "Oh." They chorused.
"You. Belong. To. Me." I hissed.
Nico sighed. "Now, Isa."
"Don't 'now, Isa' me, Nico Pellegrino DiAngelo!" I shouted. The bus went silent again. Everyone wanted to hear what was going on with the Hades Children. The Dark Duo. The Paranoid Pair. The Twisted Twosome. The Death Duet. The Deadly Double. The Chaotic Couple. Man, I'm starting to like these names.
"You. Will. Be. Silent." I slammed my mouth shut with a click. "Good. Now, Isabella, I will never date a mortal, you know this. I cannot be by your side forever, no matter how much I promise. We will enjoy the time we have together. And you will stop moping around because some mortal dared to try and claim me when that is none of your business. It is mine." The bus stopped and the doors opened, but no one moved, too riveted by the scene in front of them. "This has nothing to do with you, so drop. It." Nico claimed, his voice cold. I stood there, wide-eyed, having stood up while shouting at my brother. Annabeth fidgeted behind me. Percy shifted uneasily. The bus became cold.
A slap echoed. I walked off the bus, eyes cold and mouth set in a firm line. Chiron and the newly arrived Mr. D were waiting at the entrance to camp with at least half of the rest of the camp. He smiled warmly at me as I stopped and stared blankly at him.
"How was school?"
"Odio quel maledetto ragazzo!" I shouted, stomping passed them.
"Ah, she must be angry. I wonder what happened." Chiron smiled benignly. I stopped listening and continued stomping into the forest, swearing up a storm. Mindful of the fact that the last time I did this, I mentally scarred two little newbies, I kept my swears in Italian, the language that Nico taught me the first month that we were together.
"Stronzo! That testa di merda! His name should have been Fabio! Argh!"
"Why should the King of the Specters have been named Fabio, Izellah?"
I jumped two feet into the air. Turning around, I came face to face with a raven haired beauty. Her eyes were completely black and her lips full and seductive. She wore a low cut plain black dress and a single black fang on a necklace. She was smirking at me.
"Khalida! I haven't seen you in forever!" I smiled, a snarl slowly transforming into a croon as some of my anger bled away at the sight of my old friend. One of our first friends.
"How long as it been, darling? A year, I do believe."
"Yup, yup, yup!"
She chuckled. "Imagine my surprise to feel you skimming through the Land of Demons."
"What?" Now, I was seriously confused.
"Oh? You don't know where you are?" I shook my head. She laughed breathlessly. "This state, this town, is shrouded in dark energy. Why do you think you had to shift through so many Slumbering demons to find one little ghosty?"
"Because…this place is a demon hot spot."
"Bingo, give the girl a prize." Khalida laughed musically. "So, what are you doing here?"
"Well, Chiron and Mr. D moved camp as an order from the Big Guy, but Nico was being a jerk, not accepting the fact that I am possessive and that he is mine and there might have been some sexism involved, I really don't know, I'm not in his head, nor do I really wanna be, so I came into the newly marked off Forest of Death in hopes of calming down. Or destroying stuff. Either or, really."
"Oh, they're still calling it that?" Khalida muttered. "Is that why you were calling your brother a 'bean'?"
"Fabio is a perfectly normal name." I defended.
"That just so happens to mean bean grower."
"Yes. Was there something that you wanted?"
"Oh, yes. I live to create havoc after all."
"Weeeelllllll…."
"You still don't know what I am, do you?"
"No need to know, you won't hurt me."
"Princess! Princess?"
"A new pet, Izellah?"
"Hm? Zylphia?"
"Princess, there you are!"
"Did my brother send you?" I questioned, feeling red rage fold in on my mind.
"Yes, but- My Lady that is, a- a-!" Zylphia pointed at Khalida.
"Oh, I'm being rude. Zylphia, meet Khalida, my partner in crime. Khalida, meet Zylphia, my new ghostly chat buddy."
"Pleasure." Khalida smirked.
"But, but, but, My Lady! This is a Lamia!"
"Oh, right, I had been meaning to look that up, can YOU tell be what she is, Zylphia? I really wouldn't have to ask if SOMEONE would tell me. Instead, they leave me to suffer. Sadistic."
Zylphia sputtered, but sighed, making sure to keep an eye on Khalida. "Lamia are horrid daemons that mothers of the Old World would threaten their children with. Lamia are essentially vampires that prefer to feast on children. The first of the Lamia was a beautiful queen of Libya, daughter of Poseidon and Mother of Skylla and Akheilos, two very famous sea-monsters."
"Never heard of them." I deadpanned.
Khalida laughed her musical laugh and Zylphia puffed out her checks but continued. "She was believed to have been loved by Zeus, however, Hera, in her jealously, stole Lamia's children. Lamia proceeded to become mad with grief and tore out her own eyes, and Zeus, in all his mercy, transformed her into a monster so that she could exact her revenge by hunting and devouring children. Lamia usually appears with a serpent's tail or a twisted face. Her name means large shark in Greek, vampire in Latin and fiend in Arabic. Some say that Zeus granted her the ability to remove her eyes which gave her the gift of prophesies, while others say that he cursed her to never be able to close her eyes, so that she could always see the dead bodies of her beloved children." Zylphia lectured. Khalida blinked slowly and mockingly at her. "I can tell that you are a Lamia, though you look nothing like your Creator, and I want to know what you want with the Princess!" Zylphia shouted, enraged.
"Zylphia." She turned to me. "Be silent." She looked at me, horrified. "Khalida, meaning immortal, is a close friend of mine. We have known each other in the past, and if she has yet to eat me, I would like to know why before jumping to conclusions." Not that I think she would ever eat me. We consider her a friend for a reason, after all.
"Smart girl." Khalida purred. "Your experiences have taught you much. I have yet to eat you as you are not a child. In body? Yes, but not in mind. The innocence of children and the happiness that comes with a long and parent-filled childhood is what our Creator instilled into us to hunger. There are few demi-gods that will ever fall to a member of the Lamia. Other vampire clans? Yes. The Lamia? Not likely. Demi-gods rarely have happy childhoods and that is what we feast on." She glanced at Zylphia, who was fluttering nervously above my shoulder. "And I do not look like my predecessor because I wear a glamor, little ghost."
"Glamors are demi-godling Magik!" Zylphia panicked.
"Ah, but, my Creator was a demi-goddess, that leaves us with a few perks. Sure, usually monsters of demi-godling Creators can control the Mist, but we were lucky, we get some of that Magik that you all guard so closely. It is what all monsters want after all."
"Wait, what?" I stepped in. Was this one of the lies that Father guards so closely? Is this some of the truth that we yearn so desperately for?
"Oh, you didn't know? Are all demi-godlings so ignorant, Izellah? Monsters hunger for power, and the more demi-godlings they devour the more Magik they hold. It makes them stronger and harder to beat. However, if they are ever sent back to Tartarus, dreadful place really, then they lose all of that collected energy, and depending on what affinity they have, that energy is sent elsewhere." Khalida picked at her nails.
"What would happen if you did eat me, and my Brother killed you?" I asked hesitantly. This was all new knowledge. I knew, I KNEW, that we were tools, but if this is what I think it is, we are being more used than I had originally thought. I cannot allow that. My sole purpose is to protect her, after all. I cannot have my intentions split, willingly or not.
"You're wondering where you're energy would go." Khalida frowned. We were friends, no matter what species; she knows me and knows my fears. "Your energy would expand your Father's realm if you are devoured by a monster who is then killed. If you die a natural death, then your energy will strengthen the defenses of your Father's realm. It is a win-win for him, either way."
"Does my Brother know of this?" I was light-headed. Zylphia was grasping her ancient chest as if feeling for her long-stilled heart. Khalida was glancing at me in concern.
"I don't believe that any demi-godling knows of this, Izellah."
"Why did you tell me all of this?" Khalida and I might be close friends, but she loves to keep facts to herself, squirrelling them away until the last opportune moment to reveal them. She is much like her in that aspect; no matter how much they dislike each other. She smiled at me.
"I thought that you liked to look up the meaning of names, little beauty, is that not why you named your dog Rosabella, the Beautiful Rose, in memory of the wilting flower that is your Mother, the First? You well know Izellah means 'little princess', my little Isabella. You are my Princess. I will protect you, from the lies, from the truth, from the fakes. Now, sleep, your Brother is coming, sleep, you will live another day."
I slept.
"You mean to tell me that my littlesiister is friends with a daemon and never told anyone!?"
"Yes, My Lord."
"And that is daemon is of the Lamia Clan, known for being child eaters!?"
"Yes, My Lord."
"And that she told her about some conspiracy that the Gods have kept from us?"
"Yes, Cousin of My Lord."
"What was her name, I will Summon her here myself! No one lies to my sister!"
"Her name was Kha-"
"She is awake." Annabeth voiced.
"Isabella Marie-Anna Swan." I stiffened. It was just like that time nearly eleven months ago. He wouldn't listen to me then. Will he do so now? It seems like it is time for a test, to judge our brother. I just hope Annabeth does not interfere. I don't want this to end in bloodshed. Not yet, not until we're sure.
Can we not trust him?
Will he leave us?
Don't! Don't reveal the truth, not yet, not yet
Let us revel in the lies for a little while longer.
Don't!
He will leave us!
Silence.
"Yes?"
"What did you think that you were doing?! Running into the Forest, even though it has barely been explored yet, Summoning a demon, fainting, are you trying to kill yourself?!"
"No."
"Then what is it that you are trying to do?!"
"Live."
"What?" Nico hissed.
"We are demi-gods, cursed to die young and live the life of a Greek Tragedy. Why should I not make it my choice, instead of yours?" I stated flatly, the lies slipping like poison over my lips as I stared into familiar black eyes. So much drama, I had thought it was only a girl thing.
"And that daemon?" Nico spat. Indignation welled up inside me, encouraged and inflamed by the whispers of the truths I keep so hidden.
"Don't try to pretend that you have never Summoned a daemon before, Brother. What has gotten into you? Yesterday, no, earlier today you agreed with my hatred, but now, now, you are angry at me for my hateful words. You yelled at me. You told me that you cannot stay by my side. SHE SAID THAT. SHE SAID THAT." I cracked, barely restraining the urge to fist my hands in my hair and pull. Why was he acting so strangely? Why was he siding with that Witch? Did she cast something on him? Is she not a mortal like I had thought? Khalida, Inizia, tell me, what should I do?
"Prince, I think-"
"Be silent!"
"Y-Yes, My Prince." Zylphia stuttered, backing away from the poisonous shadows crawling over my brother's fuming form.
"Leave Zylphia out of this!" I slowly stood, urged on by the angered shouting.
"Erm…you two…maybe you should just cool down for a moment?"
"Shut up, Percy!" We screamed at him. Annabeth stayed quiet, watching us, her knowing eyes stabbing into my mind, almost making the voices shirk.
"What is with you?! You're not acting like yourself!" I shouted. He is still denying his heart. Even after all this time, all those moments of kindness and inhumanity, he still denies the shimmering liquid gold that flows through his red veins.
"What is with me?! What is with you?! Running around, consorting with children eating demons, making enemies. What will you do if your little adventures end up with you being injured?! What will I do?! You're one of the only family I have left, Bella!"
"I need to be able to live my life, Nico, I love you, but I need to be free!" This is not the freedom that was promised to me. To us. This is not the freedom that Khalida had whispered wistfully when my sleep was fitful. It is not the freedom that allowed you to drag me from all I, all we, know. Whatever this is, it's not freedom.
Another cage.
Another cage for the monster.
For the freak.
For the demon.
For the girl with a mother who left her.
For the girl with a father who never came home.
For the girl with a brother who is broken
For the girl with a brother who is gone
For the girl with a mind that is fractured
"Free?! You are free! That woman has no power over you any longer! I took you away from there!"
"And how am I supposed to feel about that!? You took me from the only thing that I knew, sure it was not a pleasant life, but for you to snatch me from it and expect me to be better and to heal was foolish! Why do you think I attached myself to you? You are the only one I trust, because you took me away from there and you stayed! You stayed with me, and now you're saying that you can't, that you can't stay with me!?"
He is not allowed to leave. Take responsibility for your actions, Big Brother. Do so, or die. Abandoners have no place by my side.
Big Brother…will die
I don't want to kill Big Brother, he has been kind to us
And now he shouts at us, Little One, just like Mother would.
Him similar as Carrier?
Yesss, Big Brother is just like Mother. He hordes us and hates us. He coos and shouts. We did not leave one hell only to fall into another.
Should he leave, we will kill him.
Should Prima wish it
Yes, should Prima wish it
Nico took some deep breathes as he stared at my tear stained face. Little rivers flowed down, making my checks itch, but I ignored it in favor of staring imploringly at my brother, my savior. "I need some time…some time away from you…I WILL come back, but…I just…" He sighed, the tenseness falling from his strong shoulders. I watched, horrified, as he walked to a cherry tree. It was a full minute after he left that anyone said anything. For the first time, stunned, incredulous silence echoed through my shared mind.
"Well, Izellah, your brother is not that man that you spoke of." I turned to her, noticing that she had just stepped out of a shadow, having hidden while Nico was here.
"Don't eat Percy." Khalida smiled at me, her glamoured face flickering slightly under my saddened gaze. Her eyes twinkled sadly in acknowledgement to the dismissal.
"Of course, my darling. Till another time then." She flounced over to a maple tree and disappeared in its depths, so much like my brother had just done that my heart skipped a beat. How are monsters made? If there was one original Lamia, then how did she create more? Are they her children? If they are, would she not feel better because now she has the children that she was mourning? How-
"Baby Bell?"
I turned to Annabeth. Percy was standing right next to her, glaring angrily at the cherry tree.
I listened closely to hear some of his muttering. "…little coward….since when do we have cherry trees….with a spork….up his….and a PMSing Sable….with chocolate….puppies…bucket of worms…"
"Baby Bell? Do you…want to go to bed? You still have school tomorrow?" I stared at her. It's like, what? Five o'clock? Why in the name of my Father would I want to go to bed right now?
"I do believe that it would be best if the Princess did something to occupy her mind, instead of wallowing in her sorrow." Zylphia stated promptly.
"Did you know?" I started, smiling slightly, staring at the singular cherry tree surrounded by oaks. Percy, Annabeth, and Zylphia immediately focused on me. "Did you know that the definition of Stygian is dark, gloomy, hellish, inviolable, and infernal? That describes us Children of Hades quite well, no?" I laughed. Bitterly. "Why do you think Father gives us such weapons? To remind us of our Fate? We are Princes and Princesses of the Stygian Land, always known and always feared. The dead should stay dead, and yet, we are the embodiment of death though our Father's will. We are the symbols of Hell for those who do not believe. We are bloodthirsty and merciless. My brother seems to forget that. I seem to forget that. Percy, you seem to forget that as well. But that's alright; we will all remember when our instincts override the mortal teachings and morals that have been downloaded into us." My mouth twisted into a sick parody of a smile. I walked passed Percy, stunned and worried. I walked passed Zylphia, concerned and awkward. I stopped at Annabeth, who stood in my way.
"You are so much more than an offering and a figurehead, Baby Bell, and that is something that YOU need to remember." She informed me. I breezed past her without another word. Why should I have? She was wrong. I am my Father's daughter and shall forever be grateful to him, and Nico, for saving me. I will do as he bids for now, but I refuse to be a tool (Even if I know, in my heart of hearts, that that is all that I am. All I will ever be, right Inizia?).
I reached my new cabin, having missed everyone by mere seconds, as it was free time and everyone was off doing their own thing. There were couples making out behind cabins, pranksters slinking into the Forest, Apollo and other sky related godlings playing volleyball, busy-bodies and perfectionists cleaning their cabins, and everyone else relaxing at the beach or getting comfortable in their new cabins. So many people to avoid. But, in the end, I succeeded. Somehow. I think it had something to do with the oranges that I saw being chucked at people by Zylphia, not that any of them knew that. Nico was the one sustaining her physical form when we were in the Forest, but now that he's gone, she's back to being visible to only those related to death. Like me. And children of Amphiaraus, Angelos, Askalaphos, Charon, Erebos, the Furies, Hecate, Keuthonymos, Macaria, Melinoe, Menoetes, Nyx, Persephone, Thanatos, and Tartarus. Thankfully, we only have children of Hecate, Nyx, and Persephone. The others, apparently, aren't horny monkeys, like a majority of the Olympians. Thank Xochiquetzal, or in this case Eros, for that small miracle.
I slipped into my cabin, totally ignoring the messy middle bunk, in a better mood than when I had left the Forest. Watching people get near beaten into submission by, to them, air and oranges has a habit of brightening my day. Afternoon. Evening. Whatever.
I flopped onto my comfy, comfy bed, face facing the side. I glanced over at the weird notch in the wall length mirror and the random door in between the dresser and the wall (again, ignoring the second dresser that had a switchblade, drachmas, and beads decorating it). I slowly lifted myself up, smiled at Zylphia who had just floated in, and edged over to the door. Caressing the wood, I discovered carefully carved ravens flying around the door, actually moving and gliding. I frowned and creaked the mysterious door open. Beyond it was a dimly lit dirt room, a large rectangular hole in the middle. Book shelves of spell books lined the walls and enchanted torches jutted out from the dark wood of the book shelves. I drifted over to there, fully ignoring the onyx pedestal with skeletons engraved into the stone.
On the shelves, I found books on Necromancy from multiple different cultures. Skimming the titles I discovered a copy of the Book of the Dead from Egypt. And The Wiccan Book of Shadows. The Necronomicon. The Nordic, The Road to Hel. Sevens Sermons to the Dead. On Life After Death. The Necromantic Ritual Book. Book of Satanic Ritual and Book of Satanic Magic. The Wiccan Bible. The Satanic Bible. The Evil Bible. Munich Manuel of Demonic Magic. Goetia of Shadows. Planetary Magic. Curses, Hexes, and Crosses. Maskim Hul. Arcana Mundi. And The Dummy's Guide to Necromancy and Magik. I blinked. Zylphia blinked.
How useful
Sounds like fun
Leave this to me
I call The Evil Bible! I wonder if Jesus is a vampire in it?
Book of the Dead, The Necronomicon, and the Seven Sermons to the Dead might be some good starts. Or, The Dummy's Guide to Necromancy and Magik, can never know too much about Demigod Magik
Many pertain in the direction of the Devil
Tis because Necromancy is considered an evil practice
Yeah, we're Lucifer's children to most mortals
After a long pause, I whistled in appreciation.
"Well, that is quite the collection, My Lady."
"Yeah, I wonder how long it took Nico and Dad to put together." I grabbed The Road to Hel and glanced around. There, five feet to the left of ANOTHER door was a comfy looking black leather chair. I placed the book on the small side table which had a fancy gold lamp already on it, to light up the room more for reading without completely straining one's eyes. I moved over to the next door curiously.
"I did not think that your cabin was this big, My Lady."
"Enchantments, my dear Zylphia, that or we somehow got underground without going down any stairs. Personally, enchantments are far more likely in this case."
The door opened to a large atrium with only a throne occupying it. The throne was black and looked as if it had been born from the jewels of the earth themselves. The rest of the room was empty, except for tapestries decorating the walls.
"What is this place?" Zylphia wondered.
"A beautiful fortress." I smiled, eyes glittering. Zylphia looked at me, concerned. It reminded me of a look Mother had once given me. I shut that thought from my mind and preceded in explaining. "This is a multi-purpose room, Zylphia!" I shouted in glee. "Look, right here we could study in quiet or in case of an emergency, hide so that we have time to Summon. Or, we could use this as a sound proof torture room. We can even sit in that throne and relax or plot world domination. We could hide the children of the camp in here during an invasion or use this as a War Council room. The number of uses for this room is nearly limitless." I grinned at her before frowning. "But its missing somethi-" My megalomaniac smile was back.
"What is it, My Lady?"
"Zylph, this is the most awesome place ever." I stated pointing at one of the tapestries. Zylphia giggled. It was a weaving of a unicorn that had a crown on and was sitting in the throne that was in this room while hundreds of humans bowed to it.
"Indeed, My Lady."
"Now, to see just how comfy that chair actually is." I took a running leap and jump on to the simple stone cathedra, placing my hand on one of the arm rests and swinging my butt up to land on the seat.
"How is it, My Lady?"
"As soft as a kitten. Speaking of which…" I snapped my fingers. Nothing happened.
"My Lady…?"
I pouted. "I saw Nico do it once." I muttered. I turned to Zylphia. "Hey, Zylph, could you grab me some paper and a pen?"
"No pencil?"
"Pencils are stupid, I wanna pen."
"Yes, My Lady." Zylphia left. I started to hum Christmas Carols under my breath before singing them out loud in a voice that seemed to echo.
"On the first day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
A noose in a hanging tree.
On the second day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Two thumbscrews,
And a noose in a hanging tree.
On the third day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Three tean zu,
Two thumbscrews,
And a noose in a hanging tree.
On the fourth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Four burning stakes,
Three tean zu,
Two thumbscrews,
And a noose in a hanging tree.
On the fifth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Five Spanish Spiders,
Four burning stakes,
Three tean zu,
Two thumbscrews,
And a noose in a hanging tree.
On the sixth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Six heretic forks,
Five Spanish Spiders,
Four burning stakes,
Three tean zu,
Two thumbscrews,
And a noose in a hanging tree.
On the seventh day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Seven Brazen Bulls,
Six heretic forks,
Five Spanish Spiders,
Four burning stakes,
Three tean zu,
Two thumbscrews,
And a noose in a hanging tree.
On the eighth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Eight hungry rats,
Seven Brazen Bulls,
Six heretic forks,
Five Spanish Spiders,
Four burning stakes,
Three tean zu,
Two thumbscrews,
And a noose in a hanging tree.
On the ninth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Nine torture wheels,
Eight hungry rats,
Seven Brazen Bulls,
Six heretic forks,
Five Spanish Spiders,
Four burning stakes,
Three tean zu,
Two thumbscrews,
And a noose in a hanging tree.
On the tenth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Ten iron maidens,
Nine torture wheels,
Eight hungry rats,
Seven Brazen Bulls,
Six heretic forks,
Five Spanish Spiders,
Four burning stakes,
Three tean zu,
Two thumbscrews,
And a noose in a hanging tree.
On the eleventh day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Eleven cat o'nine tails,
Ten iron maidens,
Nine torture wheels,
Eight hungry rats,
Seven Brazen Bulls,
Six heretic forks,
Five Spanish Spiders,
Four burning stakes,
Three tean zu,
Two thumbscrews,
And a noose in a hanging tree.
On the twelfth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Twelve intestine cranks,
Eleven cat o'nine tails,
Ten iron maidens,
Nine torture wheels,
Eight hungry rats,
Seven Brazen Bulls,
Six heretic forks,
Five Spanish Spiders,
Four burning stakes,
Three tean zu,
Two thumbscrews,
And a noose in a hanging tree!" I cackled.
Hearing a cough from behind my head, I leaned my head back over the armrest that it had been resting on and saw Zylphia standing, erm, floating there with three pieces of paper and a beautiful black fountain pen with a white motif.
"My Lady…" Is it just me, or is Zylphia getting younger? When I first Summoned her a couple of hours ago, she looked about sixty years old, which was interesting as the life expectancy in the Victorian age was 40, but now she looks fifty!
I ignored the conundrum in favor of my newly acquired items.
"Thanks, Zylph!" I grabbed the pen and paper and started writing.
"My Lady, if it is not too much to ask, never sing that song again. It is very…unladylike."
I pouted, but nodded in understanding. It wasn't until too long that Zylphia's curiosity overcame her and she asked me what, exactly, I was writing.
"Why Zylphia, my good ghostly pal, I am writing my Christmas list."
"I do believe that Christmas is months away, and Halloween and Thanksgiving have yet to come."
"Your point?" I questioned warily, eyeing her in annoyance.
"Nothing, My Lady, nothing." She sighed. That's what I thought. "What do you have on your list, so that I can relay it to your Father?"
"The normal stuff. Mortal knives that can be hidden inside a wrist brace and pop out when I press a button or move my wrist a certain way. Another black dress. A ring that doubles as a poison container with its own needle. Books on how to make poison. A stuffed animal unicorn. A snow globe that shows my Father's realm. A dart board. A camera. A photo copier or scanner. Some money, godly or mortal. A Stygian locket. A lesson on how to control the flames of Hades. A pet Mormo, I hear that they can turn into your greatest fear if you look them in the eye. One of Hecate's personal Magik books. A sapphire necklace. And a couple of plates. That's all I have thought up so far."
Zylphia glanced away and muttered something about for now and only thirty seconds, but I paid her no mind. I shifted into a more comfortable position and continued with my writing. Anything to ignore the empty spot next to me.
He left us
Abandonment
Born in grief
Raised in hate
Helpless to defy his fate
Let him run
Let him live
But do not forget what we cannot forgive
Never forgive, never forget
Never live, never lie
Please, be silent. He will return, he has not abandoned us, he has not abandoned you. Please, give him more time. Please, give me one more chance.
Someone once lied to us
Now we're not so blind
For we knew he would do what he's done
And we know that he'll never be one of us
Abandonment
Unaccompanied
Where is he?
Left, he left us, he left her, he left me
Gone, gone, gone
No, no, no
Never alone, never alone
Big Brother, I miss you.
I'm actually not very good at basketball and this is just me trying to write it out. It failed, but I liked it too much to get rid of it.
Yes, the Voice is multiplying and is still really important.
I hope everyone liked this update and isn't too turned off by all of the OCs that are being introduced…
But don't worry! The important stuff starts to happen next chapter and the Cullen's are just around the corner~
Till next time. Read, Rave, Review!