Sweet Jesus, this is late. I'm so sorry. Finals have been slaying my ass. Thischapterwassuperrusheditisgoingtosuck
Another update for you, dearies! Thank you for all of your support! Also, the oneshot series is up now, under Puppets Grasping At Strings.


Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or any recognizable characters.


Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to my sweet followers!


Warnings: My bad Greek and Egyptian, (extreme) violence, mind games, swearing, mental and emotional manipulation, Lit is an asshole but also my sweet flower child, I'm so sorry you guys, gore, mind fuck, gaslighting, terror, panic attacks, blood, slavery, beating. This is very, very graphic. If it freaks you out, feel free to get off at any time. You are not obligated to stay and read this. You can shoot me a message and I will summarize it for you if you want to know what happens without all the nasty bits. Also: Unbeta'd.


All I see is shattered pieces.
I can't keep it hidden, like a secret.
I can't look away from all this pain in a world we made.
Every day you need a bullet proof vest
To save yourself from what you could never guess.
Am I safe today?


Winter hadn't really expected her first "date" (the term being applied loosely) with Drake to be in the bakery he worked at. It wasn't even a date, really, considering he was just on his ten-minute break and they were sitting at a table together, hands resting close to one another's on the circular tabletop, but not quite touching. He had bought her a drink and a sandwich, though, and both had feelings for each other, so it was still technically a victory. (She should really stop considering this to be a dramatic turn of events in their relationship. The only thing that had changed was them going from avoiding their feelings for each other to almost-but-not-quite acknowledging their feelings.)

(Winter was so torn on whether she should consider this a date and a sign that they should get married or think of this event as two friends hanging out. What would change if she changed her mindset? There were too many things that could go wrong. But... gods, his smile. As cheesy as it was, she couldn't help herself from being sucked into what could only end in disaster.)

Drake laced his fingers with hers tentatively (friends held hands all the time, right? Or was this a display of affection that was not on the platonic scale?), and Winter noticed for the first time how he had a golden tattoo that could only be described as an extremely detailed four-petaled flower-like shape taking up the back of his hand, patterned like lace. Just below that was a drooping leaf with three petals and a curvy stem, surrounded by a fancy-looking V that dipped onto his wrist. On his thumb, starting just above the edge of the V, was a golden snake that smoothly zagged its way up to just below his nail. Script she couldn't translate and ancient-looking patterns formed rectangles on each of his fingers. She wondered how it hand't caught her attention before, since she had been staring at his hands while he made her sandwich. They were hard to miss; glimmering and shining like molten gold etched into his skin.

"When did you get those tattoos?" she asked, her surprise showing in her voice. Normally Winter didn't like to categorize people, at least not if she planned on getting to know them, but Drake really hadn't seemed like the type of person to get tattoos. He hadn't even dropped any hints that he wanted any throughout all the years she had known him. People normally talked about tattoos and piercings before they got them, didn't they? Even something like, "Hey, look at this tattoo. Isn't it cool?" So why hadn't he mentioned it?

Drake laughed, and Winter was hard-pressed to not stare at the way his nose scrunched up cutely. "I've had them for quite awhile. I'm pretty surprised that you didn't notice them earlier."

Winter blushed, embarrassed. Although what Drake said was true, it would have been easier if she had been around more. But, as fate would have it, she had been gone for a few weeks. Her boss had ordered her to go to the next state over and persuade people to pay what they owed him. Just thinking about it (and what Drake would do if he knew what she did) left a sick, heavy feeling in her stomach.

To distract herself, Winter brought her other hand up to play with his fingers, tracing over the perfect, thin lines that glittered under the artificial light. "What do they mean?"

Drake laughed again, giving her a wink. Hair fell in front of his right eye, and he didn't brush it away. "The young miss is so curious."

Winter grinned, basking in the way her heart always felt light around him, and fighting down a rising blush. "Of course I am. I love mysteries."

His smile turned soft. "I know."

Winter cleared her throat, trying to ignore the way her ears felt hot. "So."

"So?" he echoed teasingly, leaning forward and resting his weight on his forearms.

Winter rolled her eyes fondly. "What do they mean?"

He snickered, leaning back in his chair. "I'm afraid you'll have to wait to find out, doll."

White flashed around her vision, like an old projector flickering to life, and her eyes lost focus. For a moment, she could have sworn she saw the too-blurry outline of something in front of her, black and brown and gold. (But that was ridiculous, of course, because she was sitting at a table in a restaurant with her date. The angle from before made it look like she was sitting on the floor.)

Concern blossomed in her chest, spreading like a fast-growing weed. The white flashes had been happening more often lately, nearly to the point where they almost happened every day. Winter had no idea if it was medical related (she didn't want to search for answers on the internet - they would all probably tell her that she was dying) or godly related. Either option wasn't exactly appealing.

Terror was a constant factor in her life, so it was surprising when she feared something. But the unknown always made her shudder with a sense of foreboding. It made her feel powerless, helpless. She had no idea what to prepare for. What if there was something she could do to prevent these flashes, and all she had to do was talk to a medical professional? On the same hand, what if they had no idea what it was, and she had to live her life in distress, waiting as they did tests upon tests with little to no results. She didn't think she could stand that, either. So for now, it seemed like the best option was to deal with the punches as they came.

Drake set his other hand on top of hers, apparently not noticing her spacing out (thank gods), and Winter noticed more tattoos nearly glowing in the artificial light.

"Hey," she said suddenly, slipping one of her hands out from underneath his to trace his pinkie. Surprise colored her face. "I recognize this. It's the Greek lower-case letter for 'm' - or mew - right?"

Drake's smile was so wide it looked almost painful. A dimple indented his left cheek. "Right," he confirmed.

Her hand went on to delicately trace the letter on his index finger, touch feather light. "And this is pi." He didn't say anything, so she continued on to trace the outline on his thumb. "And this one is chi."

"You're good with Greek," Drake complimented, sounding surprised and impressed all at once.

Winter fluttered her fingers across the back of his tattoos, shyly keeping her eyes down. Praise was something she always flustered under, so for a moment she didn't know how to react. Quickly, however, question formed in her mind, and she raised her head as curiosity overrode embarrassment. "Why are they in Greek?"

Drake paused, scrunching his nose adorably while he thought. He clicked his tongue a few times and began bouncing his knee. "It holds more meaning to me that way," he eventually answered cryptically.

"Any more tattoos I should know about?" Winter asked, running her eyes over his arms, searching for any more ink. All she noticed was that his skin had tanned nicely since she was away. Maybe he had been going on afternoon runs? That was a bad train of thought. The idea of Drake, shirtless and sweaty, immediately made her flush down to her neck in embarrassment.

On a more serious note, everything had changed so much. She had only been gone for - what was it? Four months? Now that she was back, it was like everyone was a completely different person. She could hardly believe it.

Gently, Drake turned the hand over that Winter had been tracing, and unknowingly breaking her train of thought. He pushed the silver chain-link bracelet that never failed to be gleaming around his wrist out of the way, and Winter took note of the weird baseball bat-like shape and what could be a bird sitting on a stick imprinted on his wrist in black ink - a stark contrast from the hypnotic gold of the other tattoos.

She blinked. "What is that for?"

Drake laughed. "I told you to figure it out on your own, but basically it's something that will help people recognize me if they don't know me already."

Winter raised her eyebrows and looked up at Drake through her lashes, pouting. "You won't tell me what this one means?"

Laughing, Drake snatched his hands back and placed them in his lap. "Nope," he said, popping the 'p'. The way he looked at her was strange. An expression covered his face that she couldn't quite interpret and made her feel like she was being dissected under a microscope.

"What?" Winter asked, pulling her hands back to herself.

"It's interesting that you can see them," Drake muttered, brows knitted thoughtfully.

That was weird.

"What?" When she didn't immediately get an answer, she continued, "Why wouldn't I be able to see them? They're right there."

Drake smiled, but it looked indulgent. The kind a parent would give to a silly child. He smiled at her like she was naive. "Of course."

Winter leaned back, frowning. This date didn't seem so nice anymore. It was a silly thing to get upset about, but her stomach was tying itself into knots. The very same way it did when she was fighting monsters or hunting for her boss.

"What's wrong?" Drake asked, reaching forward to take her hand. Winter moved it away before he could.

"Don't talk to me like that," she snipped, an angry flush on her cheeks.

Drake had the gall to look confused. His head tilted, reminding her of a confused puppy. "Like what?"

"Like I'm stupid." Winter crossed her arms. "I'm not stupid."

"I never said you were."

Winter glared. Was he being serious?

"No, but you were talking to me like I was."

He said nothing, and Winter huffed. "You know what? I think this date is over."

She made to stand up from her chair, but Drake snatched her wrist from his seat, halting her actions.

"Wait - I'm sorry," Drake apologized.

Winter glared at him, but faltered at the look on his face. Big, sincere eyes, blushing in embarrassment - were his eyes misty?

"I didn't mean to talk to you like you were dumb," he said, gently squeezing her wrist before loosening his fingers to slide his hand down and grab her hand. "I just - it just surprised me. I'm sorry. You are not dumb. You are one of the smartest people I know. So I'm sorry."

Flushing at the compliments, Winter slowly sat back down, shifting her hand to better hold his. "I - I'm sorry, too. I didn't mean to make a big deal out of it."

"No," Drake said insistently, lacing their fingers. "Tell me whenever I do something to make you upset again. I'm just new to this whole dating thing." His face was bright red. "I actually haven't had a date in awhile, so I'm a little rusty." He chuckled. "I don't know how to handle people sometimes."

Winter grinned. "That makes two of us."

They must have looked quite the sight. Red faces, awkwardly holding hands, just like the typical teenage pair.

Winter relished it.

White flashed across her vision once again, blinking in and out between a white room and the cafe as Drake slowly leaned forward. Mirroring him, the shadowy figure in the white room leaned forward as well. At the same time, they leaned forward, brushing a lock of hair from her face. Winter flinched.

"Are you okay?" Drake asked, looking surprised. His hand faltered from where it had been hanging in the air.

Winter shook her head, trying to ignore the heaviness in her chest and the tightness in her throat. She wasn't scared.

"Should I get you home?" Drake continued, eyebrows furrowing in worry.

"No, I -" Winter's voice broke, so she paused, clearing her throat, and then tried again. "I'm - I'll walk myself. It's okay. I've just been feeling a bit sick."

Drake twisted his fingers together. "Are you sure? I could just take off for a few minutes. I'm sure my boss won't mind."

Winter gave him her best attempt at a reassuring smile, hoping it wasn't as shaky and pitiful as it felt. "I'll be fine."

"I insist." Drake stood up, chair scraping on the linoleum as he offered a hand to her. Winter was temporarily frozen, not sure how to react to him being so kind to her simply because he wanted to. Very few people in her life were like that.

Winter took his hand, sliding out of her chair, and tugged her shirt down from where it had ridden up around her waist.

"You should stay and work," she told him, tucking her hair behind her ear in a fruitless attempt to keep it out of her face. Sure enough, a few locks immediately fell back to where they were before, refusing to be confined.

"But I have time," Drake said, almost pouting.

Winter's smile turned genuine. "No, you don't. And, hey, don't worry about me. It's probably just a passing cold or something," she lied through her teeth.

Drake captured his bottom lip between his teeth, looking conflicted, and Winter fought not to stare at the enticing action. It was unnatural how much she wanted to kiss him right then.

"Okay," he said, finally relenting. His shoulders slouched. "But be careful, alright? Text me when you get home." He paused, a flush growing on his face. "Or something."

Winter giggled before standing on her toes to press a chaste, quick kiss to his cheek. His skin was smooth and radiated warmth that made her lips tingle. "I will."

With that, she turned quickly on her heel and walked straight out the door, heels clicking against the hard surface. Head bowed, she silently prayed that he hadn't seen how read her cheeks were.

However, if the had looked back, she would have seen him slowly lift a hand to his cheek, a strange smile on his face.


The sky was overcast as the demigods met, for the first time, in the ashes of a massacred home.


"Lit... You cannot play with your toys forever. You have chores to do."


The room Leviathan had dragged her to was down another dizzying set of identical hallways. The door was a blinding shade of white, with no handle on the outside. Alicia had a split second to wonder how the door was supposed to open when Leviathan spoke up, voice dark and gaining a strange, ethereal, echoing quality that made every hair on her body rise in alarm.

Run, her instincts shrieked at her.

"Atrepa," Leviathan hissed, gold eyes flashing pink so quickly Alicia briefly wondered if she imagined it. Maybe if she wasn't a demigod she would have blamed it on an overactive imagination. But it definitely happened. And it was disturbing how such a nice color was able to be twisted into something so terrible that left her feeling chills. Pink was supposed to be the color of cutesy, girly things. Like plastic castles, princess gowns, and lipstick. Not scary, shimmering… wrongness. It was -

The door began to slide - to Alicia's astonishment - upwards, removing any thought that occupied her mind as her jaw slackened in awe. The room inside was just as white as the door.

This mansion - because what else could it be - was filled with so many oddities. So many things the kids in the Athena cabin would go nuts over. It was amazing.

Tables holding precariously stacked, strange-colored liquids and mounds of papers. Gears clinked and ticked as they ran against each other on the opposite wall, happily glowing in the artificial light. Strangely enough, mirrors were all over the room, but turned away so reflections were unable to be seen. Except one on the left wall, which was decorated with silver and gold plating. The room didn't make sense. There were trinkets sprawled about the floor and - was that - ?

Then, just like before, Leviathan decided to be a huge jerk and shove her through. And, just like the last time, she gave a shout of surprise as she was launched forward.
Alicia didn't catch herself this time and ended up falling rather hard on her knees with a crack, no carpet to soften the fall. A flash of pain laced up her legs and she groaned, rolling her legs out from under her with a whimper.

"I am so disappointed," Leviathan said, sounding a strange combination of sad and gleeful. How he made it work, she didn't know, but it didn't sound out of place, either. "You were supposed to be nice to my sweet Pupa." He stuck his arms behind his head, giving her a lopsided grin that was downright nasty and made her muscles tense and throat seize in fright.

Alicia matched his stare with one of her own, fighting to keep a fierce look in her blue eyes. "Is that all anyone is to you?" she challenged, trying to hide the tremble in her voice. "A doll?"

It was strange, Leviathan's obsession with that word. Doll, he called her. Doll, he called that other woman. (Alicia wondered what her real name was.) It wasn't a pet name, though. Leviathan said it like he was speaking about a thing. Like a child would. A toy. An actual doll. It made her sick to think about.

Leviathan grinned wider, but it didn't do anything pleasant to his countenance. It stretched from ear to ear, revealing elongated, sharp teeth. It was like he wasn't smiling at all. More like he was baring his teeth - like what predators did to their prey, or a warning gesture from an aggressive beast.

"Not everyone," he said in a sly voice. "Just the ones I want."

Alicia truly felt like an idiot. How could she not have noticed that this guy was a psychopath before? Warning signals practically radiated from his entire being. Was he even human? His face, now that she really looked, was a little too perfect, a little too beautiful to be real. He was a predator, a pretender. Like a poisonous flower with pretty petals, or a dog that played with you like a pup before snapping and making you remember that it was really a wolf.

Some distant part of Alicia's mind wondered how many people had fallen so easily to his whims before her. Was that woman - Pupa - one of them? Was she an accomplice? Or someone who had been played by the grinning maniac with a charming face before her?

"Aw," Leviathan cooed at her, that sickening grin still on his face. It was so unnatural that it made it hard to look at. (Curving a little too wide, with too many teeth that were too sharp.) "You look so sad. Chin up, Corncob. You're going to get to be a part of my house, soon."

Alicia sneered, her face twisting in an ugly way, and spoke with conviction. "I'll never join you, you - you - you monster."

The daughter of Apollo expected a lot of things. Maybe for him to get mad, or to throw her across the room. Maybe even a slap on the face. What she didn't expect was the genuine, amused laughter that erupted from his mouth as he threw his head back, eyes closing in delight. He laughed so hard that he even snorted, tears of joy leaking from the corners of his eyes.

"You - you - haa," he breathed, clutching his stomach, still breathless with laughter.

Alicia's pale skin reddened in embarrassment and anger, confusion twisting her features.

"Oh, little Cornstalk, you don't know a thing," he giggled, cracking his eyes open to look at her in delight. "But you will. I forgot how much fun mortals could be when they don't want to join me. It's been too long since I've done this. Really, I have the perfect idea for how to train you." He looked entirely too delighted as he straightened up, giggling just a bit, and ran his hands down the front of his suit to straighten it out. "Just a warning: I haven't practiced this in about fifty years, give or take, so I might be a little rusty. Sorry if I break you right off the bat. I suppose that either you'll grow or be eaten. But, hey. There are always more singing dolls out there, just waiting for me to take. It won't be a huge loss if you fail, but Pupa might be disappointed." He paused, taking on a thoughtful pose with a hand under his chin before shrugging. "She'll get over it."

Alicia paled at how joyfully he spoke, fighting down the bile in her throat, and scrambled to her feet. Her limbs felt like lead and the leer on Leviathan's face was making her feel the familiar thrum of anxiety. "What do you -"

Leviathan snapped his fingers.

Alicia woke up.

Her eyes snapped open and she groaned in a huff, scattering leaves that were resting next to her face a couple inches away with the force of her breath. A stick poked her in the cheek, making her grimace. A headache throbbed through her skull, pounding in time with her pulse.

"What the?" she wheezed, scrunching her face and pushing herself up on weak arms.

She was outside. In the forest, with tall trees towering above her that cast imposing shadows on the area below. Birds sang overhead, and nearby, a stream hummed and gurgled as it ran down the hill, adding their own songs to Mother Nature's home.

Most disturbing of all, Alicia recognized this place. The large, lumpy rocks that were shaped vaguely like a fist confirmed her thoughts.

This was the last thing she had seen before Leviathan had knocked her unconscious and dragged her to the mansion with repeating hallways.

The daughter of Apollo couldn't wrap her mind around it. Had they been that close to camp the entire time? Did he just let her go? Why? What was his aim here? Did he intend to set her loose in the forest and then hunt her down while she futility tried to make her way back to Camp? Would he send monsters after her to chase her down and rip off her arms and -

"Alicia!"

The seventeen-year old nearly jumped out of her skin and turned, hair whipping her face with the force of the motion. To her astonishment, it wasn't a monster or Leviathan that called her name. (Although, if she wasn't so high-strung with terror, she would have recognized how silly that thought was. She would recognize Leviathan's voice. It was ingrained into her mind, drawn with terror. And no monster would know her name.) Instead, she saw her half-brother, Asher, running up to her with concern etched on his face. He loudly brushed aside the foliage, about as graceful as an elephant with three legs, and Alicia wondered how she hadn't heard him earlier.

"Where have you been?" he demanded in a shout, a worried furrow creasing his brow. His black hair was disheveled and sweat beaded his face, making the short locks stick to his forehead. His chest heaved as he panted for breath, sticking his hands on his hips like a worried mom. "You've been missing for hours!"

Alicia tried to speak, but she choked on her words and her tongue felt thick, so she just made a vague sound that hopefully conveyed her confusion.

Did that thing with Leviathan even happen? Was it just a dream? A weird, messed up, demigod dream? Or something her brain conjured up from hitting her head?

"Ah," Asher said, most of his worried anger leaving him as he knelt down beside her. "You have a - your head is bleeding, but it doesn't look too bad." His hand gingerly reached up to touch her temple, but pulled it away when she winced at the pressure on the wound she didn't know she had. It was on the same side she had been laying down on.

Well, that explained the headache.

That wasn't there when she had been with Leviathan, was it? Did he hit her on the head and then put her here?

"I need medical supplies," he muttered, speaking mostly to himself. His voice got louder as he addressed her. "I knew I should have brought some..." He shifted, moving the quiver of arrows that was strapped across his hips out of the way with one hand so he could get into a better position on the ground. Leaves crunched under his sneakers. "Can you - do you know where you are? Any memory problems?"

Alicia smacked her lips together, trying to get rid of the dry feeling in her mouth and throat. Her head felt fuzzy, like it was stuffed with cotton. Her ears were ringing.

"Ca-" she broke off, coughing into her hand, her whole body shaking with the force. Asher rubbed her back until she stopped, but he didn't look too worried at her harsh hacking. He was in medic mode, serious and sure with his movements.

"Camp Half-Blood," she tried again, voice sounding rough and gravelly. "I - I'm Alicia Corn. I - I do - I don't know what happened."

That was true. Alicia's mind was running itself in circles, trying to piece too many things together at once. This situation was an overload on her brain, and she couldn't make sense of anything.

Asher licked his lips. "Your nose has blood under it. Did you have a bloody nose?"

Alicia's heart stuttered to a stop in her chest. Eyes darting down, she noticed small spots of blood on her shirt, dried and turning brown. The ringing in her ears grew with her panic, and she barely heard what her brother said next.

"Did you try to wipe it off? It's a bit smeared. Never mind. The sun is going to set soon. I'll check it when we get to the medical wing."

A bloody nose. She had almost forgotten, but she had one back at the mansion, didn't she? So it hadn't been a dream. And she was missing for hours? It had to have been more than that, right? It felt like she had spent at least a day in the mansion in the very least.

Asher pressed his lips into a thin line, scratching his neck. "I think you must have fallen and hit your head while we were playing capture-the-flag."

Alicia blinked, slightly startled. She didn't remember that. Then again, her memory seemed unreliable at the moment, so she just decided to roll with whatever her brother told her and then put everything together later. Hopefully while resting in a nice, soft bed, surrounded by friends.

"Let's get you home," Asher said, shifting on his knees before standing up. He held out his hand to her, worry hidden underneath the serious look in his eyes, but slightly soothed by the fact that her injuries didn't appear to be too serious.

Alicia grabbed the offered apendage, heaving herself up with great effort. She paused when she got to her feet, stumbling to the side, barely registering the feeling of Asher grabbing her upper arms in support. The world swam before her, becoming a nauseating blend of colors, and Alicia didn't even have time to try and hold back the bile in her throat before she heaved the contents of her stomach all over the forest floor. Her nose and throat burned as she threw up, stomach rolling.

She spat on the ground when she finished, the taste of vomit on her tongue and making her cringe.

"A concussion," Asher murmured, sounding thoughtful. "I wish I had some help getting you back to camp..." He paused, but Alicia didn't look up to see what she was doing. She was still bent in half, a grimace twisting her lips while one of her arms wrapped around her stomach, breathing heavily through her mouth, and very concentrated on not throwing up again.

Asher shifted, and Alicia's eyes were glued to what looked to be mushy waffles on the ground. The same thing that Leviathan had fed her.

"Climb on."

Alicia wearily looked up at Asher's command, and was startled to see that his back was to her, knees bent, and hands pulled away from his sides in the universal motion of an offer for piggybacking.

"I don't want you walking. You'll put too much strain on yourself," he said, voice firm. "Just hop on. We'll get back to camp faster this way."

Alicia swallowed - aw, gross, all the vomit wasn't out of her mouth - and put her hands on her brother's shoulders. They were around the same height, so it wasn't too much of a challenge. Bracing herself, she tensed her legs before jumping the best she could in her condition, wrapping her legs around his waist. Immediately, his arms came up to support her, hands wrapping around her thighs, just above her knees. Letting out a sigh, Alicia rested her head on his back in hopes of somewhat relieving her painful headache. The feathered part of his arrows pressed into her thigh.

Asher jostled her up, hoisting her up more on his hips so he could more easily carry her, walking forward.

"I'll take you straight to the medic room," he said, his voice a soothing alto on her ears. She could feel the vibrations in his back when he spoke. "I want a full scan on you to see if you have any other injuries I didn't see and check to see what exactly the damage is on your head. I wonder how you got that nose wound, though. It looks like someone punched you in the face." He paused, but not in walking. Foliage crunched underneath his feet, and for awhile, that was the only sound. "You awake?"

Alicia wanted to give him a strong answer in confirmation, but she was too drowsy, so all that came out was an incoherent mutter of jumbled words.

"Good. Don't fall asleep until I say so, okay? It might be hard, but that head wound is making me nervous."

"'Kay," Alicia slurred, closing her eyes. Her body and mind felt incredibly worn by the recent events and it was a struggle to keep her eyes open now that the rush of fear and faded and the adrenaline had been flushed from her veins.

A howl cut off her dozing (when had she fallen asleep?) and Asher stopped. Alicia could feel the muscles in his back coil as he tensed. Lifting her head, she noticed that they were still surrounded by trees, and not far from Zeus' fist.

"What was that?" she whispered, fingers clenching around the fabric on his shoulders. Her eyes darted around, scanning the forest for any signs of unnatural movement that could be dangerous. Her body started to shake with worry.

"It's probably nothing." He didn't sound like he believed himself.

Another howl sounded, fierce and - to Alicia's growing horror - closer this time.

Asher's hands tightened around her legs.

"We'll be okay," he said, equal parts to himself as much as he was speaking to her. "We'll be okay."

Snarling accompanied another howl, and Alicia slapped a hand over her mouth to keep in a whimper. The sound of something brushing by bushes and grass grew closer and closer.

Asher was frozen, torn between wanting to run to camp, but fearing gaining the attention of whatever was hunting out there, and staying put, but worrying about the thing coming to them.

He seemed to reach a decision as he slowly set Alicia on her feet, keeping her behind him. He spread his arms, as if that action alone would keep her safe and shielded from the horrors of the forest, and Alicia gripped the back of his shirt so hard her knuckles turned white. Why did Asher have a quiver and not a bow with him?

Alicia was shaking so hard her knees nearly knocked together. She clenched her jaw to keep her whimpers down, teeth groaning with the pressure applied to them, and did her best to take deep, calming breaths through her nose.

The howling monster - a wolf? - snarled, making Asher jump in surprise. Both children of Apollo stared at the dense trees, trying to find the beast that made the noise.

Slowly, with the leisure of a predator stalking helpless, cornered prey (because that's what they were right now, weren't they?) it slunk from the shadows.

Coarse and dirty brown fur covered its form, bald patches revealing tan, leathery skin underneath. In some places, it looked as though the skin was rotting away, revealing the working muscle and even the white gleam of bone underneath. The fur around its muzzle was stuck together, crusted with blood and drool. Its muscles rolled languidly as it walked forward, drool dripping from lips pulled back into a snarl that showcased the stained, jagged teeth that decorated its mouth. Despite its obvious wolf-like appearance, it had large wings upon its back, like an eagle's, that were riddled with holes and tears. Thin stretches of torn muscle were seen where feathers and holes were not.

But it was the eyes, yes, eyes that really got to Alicia. One was swollen shut, puffy and oozing pus, while the other was gleaming, dark and no, not red, but pink, it stared into her soul and pieced her before the teeth ever did.

As it walked closer, Alicia realized that it was impressively large - at least twice the size of a normal wolf.

Snuffling came from the right, and Asher jolted, walking backwards and forcing Alicia back as well.

Another wolf emerged from the trees, belly low to the ground.

Alicia's back scratched against the bark of a tree just as a whine came from the left side of the duo, and yet another wolf appeared, padding out of the forest with quick, powerful legs and languidly in every movement.

Alicia's breathing picked up to the point where she was nearly hyperventilating. Her heart clenched so hard her chest ached and her stomach rolled at the smell of rotting meat and dirty dog, forcing her to fight against vomiting again.

Alicia's vision wavered around the edges with fear as the three monsters stalked closer, the two on the right and left circling them like sharks. The one they had seen first seemed to be the ringleader, as every time one of the others got too close to snapping at the demigods, it would snarl in warning and they would back off.

In that moment, Alicia wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and bury her face into her brother's backpack, but she was paralyzed with fear.

The ringleader beast stopped, just a meter in front of the horrified demigods, and breathed out deeply. Alicia's eyes watered as the warm breath hit her face, carrying the stench of death and decay.

"Keep still," Asher said, voice so soft Alicia barely heard him.

With a growing sense of dread, she watched as he slowly lowered one of his arms, the other kept out to cut off the wolf's direct line to her, and slowly removed an arrow from his quiver.

"No," Alicia whimpered, tugging at Asher's shirt. There was no way this could end well. Maybe if she didn't have a concussion, they would be able to if Asher had his bow, they would stand a chance. Maybe if they had more backup, they would actually win.

As it was, the odds were almost hilariously stacked against them.

If they fought, they would die. If they stayed still, they would die. But if they could hold the monsters off long enough, help from camp might come.

Ignoring her, Asher tightly gripped the arrow in his hand like it was a dagger and posed defensively in front of Alicia, changing his stance so that he was ready to leap into action at any given moment.

The leader wolf, and - now that Alicia noticed - the smallest made an almost curious sound and tilted its head, lips closing. It was silent in the rapidly darkening forest for a moment, and Alicia barely registered that she was holding her breath.

A chuffing noise came from the wolf, rough and guttural, making every hair on Alicia's body stand on end in alarm. With a start, Alicia realized that the the wolf was almost laughing at them.

Alicia released her breath in a shuddering whimper, hands flying from her brother's shirt to roughly grip the bark of the tree, pressing her back and fingers against the tree until they ached in a vain attempt to get away from the monsters.

Then, faster than Alicia could track, the wolf snapped forward, catching Asher's arm in its mouth with a disgusting crunch and a gush of blood, Asher's agonized screams ringing in her ears.

The wolf snarled and tossed its head, ripping the its muzzle away and - Alicia barely registered, the arm that had been holding the arrow - detaching the lower half of his arm with the motion. Asher screamed as his newly-severed arm opened a gateway for his body to bleed out all over the forest floor.

But he didn't have time to suffer.

With a bark from the leader, the other two wolves leaped into action, jumping onto the unsuspecting, bleeding boy. With the snap of large jaws and the spray of blood, Asher was ripped in half before Alicia's eyes.

Her mouth dropped open, a scream trapped in her throat; organs spilled out onto the forest floor that the two wolves eagerly guzzled down, disgusting wet sounds accompanying their chewing. One of them moved to lap Asher's blood from the pool it had created on the forest floor before it could be absorbed by the dirt.

But the lead wolf simply stared at her after if had eaten Asher's arm, fresh blood dripping from its fur as it looked on with an unblinking eye.

One of the wolves looked up from Asher's half-eaten corpse - oh, gods, she couldn't even look at it - nothing was registering right now - Asher couldn't be dead -
A whine erupted from the beast as it looked at the smaller wolf almost pleadingly, bowed in to the other in a show of submission.

The leader huffed, and suddenly the other wolf looked up as well, licking the blood - Asher's blood - from its muzzle. In a move that was too fast yet so slow, the two looked to her, pink eyes glowing in the dark forest.

Then they pounced.

Alicia made a choking noise that was torn between a scream and a shout before a large paw, tipped with claws, dug into her stomach, making her bend over and wheeze just in time to see the open jaw descend upon her head, mouth still stained with Asher's blood and skin and organs -

Teeth pierced her neck.

Alicia woke up.

Releasing a cry, she vaulted upwards, world spinning around her as the blood rushed from her head. For an unknown amount of time, she sat there, tears running down her face and chest heaving as she took in shuddering breaths. When she calmed down enough to think, she realized that she was in the forest still, but back to the beginning.

Back where she had first woken up.

"What are you doing?" she screamed, tilting her head back to shout at the towering treetops. The branches swayed lightly, revealing the purple hue of the sky as the sun set.
Silence blanketed the area and, of course, Leviathan didn't answer.

"Alicia!" Asher called.

This was familiar.

Asher was worried. His hair was sticking to his forehead. His chest heaved as though he had been running for a long time. "Where have you been? You've been missing for hours!"

Alicia choked. Because no, no. This could not be happening. He was dead. She had watched him die. She was not watching this again.

A brief thought of wonder (because how could Leviathan be turning back time) was drowned out by the overwhelming panic that curled itself around her heart.

"Ah." Asher knelt down beside her. "You have a - your head is bleeding, but it doesn't look too bad."

Alicia tried to calm herself down, but it was in vain. Her breathing shortened and became faster as she hyperventilated. The world became a blurry mess, blending with her thoughts.

"No," Alicia whimpered, face crumpled in horror. Asher opened his mouth, looking like he wanted to say something, but Alicia started screaming, "No, no, no, no, no! I will not go through this again!"

She curled over, bringing her knees to her chest, and pressed her hands to her ears, Leviathan in her mind. "You sick bastard!"

The next series of events were a blur, but they mainly consisted of Asher vainly trying to calm her down while Alicia shrieked and swatted him away, ignoring the nausea that accompanied waking up she had felt last time. All she could see was Asher getting torn limb from limb, blood and guts spilling onto the ground, squelching and snapping between the teeth of the wolves while she stood there, numb with fear and overwhelming terror.

A sharp pain to her cheek made her head snap to the side, and she stopped shouting at her brother in surprise and looked up at him with wide eyes.

Asher was panting, chest heaving as he took deep breaths into his lungs. His lips were pressed shut and tension lined his face.

"You're okay," he told her, voice firm. "I don't know if you were attacked, but if you were, it's gone now. You're okay. I'm here. I'll protect you."

Choking down her cries, Alicia threw herself at Asher, who almost fell over, and wrapped her hands around his neck as tightly as she could, body shaking with sobs.

It had all seemed so real. Had it just been a bad dream? Something Leviathan had conjured up to terrify her? If that was the case, it had certainly worked.

For an unknown amount of time, Asher just held her, muttering comforting words into her hair. Alicia pressed her ear against his chest, sobs turning into hiccups as she listened to the steady thumping of his heart.

One of his hands left her back to smooth her hair, comfortingly stroking the tangled locks as the sun slowly descended in the sky.

Sniffling, Alicia pulled back, wiping the snot from under her nose with the back of her hand.

"We should get back," she suggested, voice thick.

Asher considered her, head tilted just slightly, and a kind smile slowly stretched his lips. "Want to see something?"

Alicia blinked, completely mystified. "Huh?"

Asher reached over, aiming for the quiver strung around his hips, and removed two arrows.

Not knowing what he was trying to do, the brunette sniffled and watched him with wide, wet eyes.

Taking the arrows, the boy held each shaft in a hand, pointed tip facing up. Gently, he used the pads of his thumbs to prick the tips, wincing as, even with the light pressure, the pointed tips managed to piece his skin and draw blood. With a strangely satisfied smile, he moved his thumbs to support his other fingers in gripping the arrow shafts, sliding his hands further down so that they were near the feathered end.

Mocha eyes met hers, a strange twinkle in them as they crinkled with the strength of his smile.

"You'll like this," he assured.

Then, without warning, he plunged both arrows into his eyes.

Alicia screamed, loud and piercing, as the arrows sunk into his soft, spongy organs with a loud squish. Blood leaked from the damaged sockets, trailing down his cheeks and off his chin. All the while, the same disturbing, wide smile stayed on his lips, never faltering.

Taking his hands off of the shafts, he asked, "What's wrong, sis? I thought you'd laugh."

Alicia worked her mouth, trying to force sound out, but all that came from her throat was a strange squeaking, whimpering noise. Her gaze was locked onto the grotesque sight of his skewered eyes, unable to fully comprehend what she was seeing.

"No?" Asher still grinned. "Maybe this will be better."

Too fast for Alicia to do anything, he slammed his face down towards the ground, arrows hitting the forest floor and sinking deeper into his skull.

All she could do was scream in horror and flail away, shaking and crying as her brother's body stopped moving.

Alicia woke up.

Not having enough energy to scream, she huffed, sending leaves skittering away from her face. She didn't even bother to pick herself up this time, simply choosing to lay on the ground, tears steadily leaking from her eyes plopping onto the ground. Rocks dug into her side, and that damned stick still poked her in the cheek, but she didn't care.

"Please," she whispered brokenly. "Not again. I can't go through that again. I can't watch him die again."

Birds twittered overhead and something splashed against the stream.

Turning her eyes skywards without moving her head, the brunette watched as the setting sun highlighted the leaves and made some nearly glow, like something from a children's fairy tail book.

For awhile it was silent, save for the hum of the forest.

"Why are you doing this?" Alicia finally whispered, voice cracking in despair. "How are you doing this?"

No one answered, but the brunette couldn't say that she was surprised.

She really didn't want to think. Didn't want to move. Most of all, she didn't want to go through that hell again.

"I want to go home."

Alicia was quiet after that, listening as the crickets began to chirp, the forest coming alive around her, as the red sunset darkened and stars in the sky could still just barely be seen. She could easily imagine Leviathan speaking in her mind as her eyes fluttered shut, eyelashes stuck together with tears.

Your home is with Pupa.

"No."

Why not?

"Home is with family," she mumbled, voice barely above a whisper. The back of her throat ached and a headache bloomed behind her eyes as she suppressed another wave of oncoming tears.

Oh?

"Home is where you feel safe," she continued roughly.

Is it now? the mocking lit that would tilt Leviathan's voice was so easy to conjure.

"My home will never be with you," Alicia finished as strongly as she could. And she meant it. No matter how many sick games Leviathan played with her - even if she eventually gave up - her home would always be at Camp Half-Blood.

You should reconsider. I will pull you out of here if you agree to play nice. Don't you want that?

Alicia did want it. More than she cared to admit aloud. The offer was oh so tempting, danging just out of reach from her greedy fingers.

"No."

The violence was awful. The gore was sickening, and the sight of her brother dying in front of her eyes would forever torment her until her dying day. But it would be a disgrace to everyone back at camp and her father if she gave up to this monster. The things she was seeing weren't real. They couldn't be. So as long as her family was safe, she would not give in.

She could imagine the sick smile on Leviathan's face, the faux disappointment glimmering in his eyes, along with a heavy dose of mischief.

I thought you would say that. I suppose we will just play until I get bored, then. Try not to break too early, now. I do like the sound of your screams.

The sound of a snapping branch echoed nearby, and, against her will, Alicia's eyes snapped open. Pupils dilated as the gut-wrenching feeling of adrenaline started to swell from her heart to her veins.

But, once again, Alicia was surprised.

What came round the tree was not Asher, Leviathan, or a wolf. In fact, Alicia didn't even register who it was at first as she took in the key features presented to her.

Big, doe-like blue eyes gazed pleadingly at her, framed by blonde eyelashes. Thin, bleached blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail, tangled with sticks and leaves. Thin lips opened in a silent cry as the small child - a girl - stood before her with her arm wrapped around her waist. Dirty and torn, her jeans and camp t-shirt only served to make her appearance more pitiful. Scratches and bruises littered her small form, blotched onto her skin like paint on a canvas. Blood oozed from cuts on her arms and one drawn across her cheek, sucking the life from her already pale appearance.

"A - Ali..." the girl sputtered, blood leaking from her lips.

Alicia sputtered wordlessly, unaware of the animal-like sounds escaping her mouth as she scrambled backwards on all fours, unable to tear her eyes away from the sight in front of her.

"A - Al - i..." the girl drew a rattling breath and took a staggering step forward, tears bubbling up in the corners of her eyes. "I - you're... Ali..."

Alicia's lips trembled and she pressed her hands to her ears, trying to block out the sound of the wheezing girl in front of her.

"It's not real, it's not real," Alicia stuttered to herself like a mantra, shaking in terror. No, not her little sister. Not the sweet, innocent eleven-year old girl. Because Asher was hard enough. She couldn't watch another sibling die again.

The girl smiled at her, showing off bloody teeth as blood dribbled from her lips and down her chin. "I found you! I'm going to tell the others!"

With a slight limp, the girl turned and made her way back into the forest, leaving the dumbfounded demigod sitting awestruck on the ground.

You're just going to let her go? Leviathan's voice suddenly said in her mind, sounding oddly disappointed. Alicia couldn't tell if she was imagining it or not.

And with all the scary things lurking in the woods... What a terrible sister you are.

Guilt slammed into her gut, and suddenly it didn't matter if Alicia was imagining Leviathan's voice or not. Even the idea that none of this was real took a back seat in her mind as Alicia forced herself to her feet, muscles stiff with tension. Fake or no, Alicia would never be able to forgive herself if her younger sister died when she could do something to save her.

Staggering forward, Alicia called out a hoarse, "Wait!" and ran after the younger girl.

Tree roots twisted from the ground, threatening to trip her, and bushes reached out with dropping limbs, scratching and whipping at her skin as she ran towards the small girl she could see just in front of her.

"Abigail!" she yelled, wondering how the child could be so fast. "Abigail, come here right now!"

The younger girl didn't even turn around, so the duo continued their chase in the forest. Alicia didn't wonder why Abigail refused to stop. All that she could focus on was please, don't get hurt, please, not again, not again, thoughts forming a symphony with her pounding heartbeat.

With burning lungs and cramping muscles, Alicia followed her sister through the maze of trees. Abigail abruptly stopped outside of a small formation, not even winded, and it took Alicia a moment to realize that the slanted pile of sticks was actually an incredibly old shack.

Alicia paused, a hand pressed to her aching side, panting loudly.

Abigail turned her head slowly without moving her body, angling her neck so that she could see the brunette from the corner of her eyes.

"You followed me." She sounded surprised.

"Of -" Alicia gasped - "course I did. You - you can't go running off like that."

Abigail hummed. "The woods are dangerous."

Alicia straightened, doing her best to ignore the throbbing in her sides. "Yeah," she agreed carefully.

A slow smile spread across Abigail's pale, blood-stained face, stretching her features disturbingly. "You shouldn't be out in the woods alone, you know."

The teen's stomach dropped, and she watched the still form in front of her with wide eyes as she screamed at herself in her mind.

Stupid, stupid! You knew this was a trap! Alicia's hands clenched into fists, nails digging into her palms. It was so obvious! Nothing was even hidden this time! But Abigail... That's not Abigail! She doesn't even act anything like Abigail!

"It's rude to ignore people," Abigail chastised, shoulders and spine bending backwards.

In horror, Alicia watched as the young girl's spine elongated in time with roots erupting from the ground, the bark slithering around her legs, seemingly without her notice. It traveled up, up, and up, past her torso and neck before griping the sides of her face. Meanwhile, Abigail's limbs kept stretching until she was several feet taller, gangly, grotesque, with disproportionate limbs that hung like a puppet held up by strings.

The bark began to blacken, turning hard and shiny, and the wood around Abigail's mouth slithered into the corners of her lips, pulling her mouth apart and revealing sharp, jagged teeth that definitely weren't there before. Cupping her head, the wood slunk from her hairline and over her eyes, covering the bridge of her nose. A single eye, formed on the girl's forehead.

Alicia watched, mouth open in a silent scream, as the horrible monster formed in front of her.

The creature chuckled, a horrible mixture of Abigail's voice and something else entirely that grated on the brunette's nerves and made every hair on her body stand on end.

"The woods are dangerous," the creature mocked, swaying back and forth like a willow tree in the wind. "You have such interesting nightmares." Slowly, it turned around, arms hanging well past its knees, back hunched. Leaves and branches crunched underneath its feet. The woods were silent. "You're not running?"

Alicia couldn't suppress the shudder from the disappointment that dripped from the monster's voice.

Move, move, move! Why won't you move?!

The monster took another slow step forward, body lunching like a marionette. "It was fun, eating this girl," it said in a slow, drawn-out manner, as if to let the words sink in. "I retain the form of whoever I devour, you know." Another slow step towards the motionless demigod left it barely three yards away from her. "She was looking for you." Another step forward, arms swinging limply. "She called for you." Another sure step forward. "Why didn't you help her?"

Alicia gaped, choking on the words. Tears dripped off her chin, and an unimportant part of her mind wondered when she had started crying. "You're lying!"

The creature chuckled, as if delighted she had accused it of dishonesty. "Am I?"

It leaned forward, several inches from her face, mouth curled in an impossible grin. All was silent for a moment, the air still and thick with tension.

Nothing could have prepared Alicia for when it opened its mouth and screamed, Abigail's agonized wails erupting from its throat. Pleas, sobbing, and crying all came from the monster that had her sister's voice. Alicia couldn't think. She was numb when the monster slammed her to the ground with a large hand, eyes wide with shock.

With a snap, the monster closed its mouth, abruptly cutting off the long scream that had been shaking Alicia's eardrums a mere moment ago. Tilting its head, it regarded her carefully with its single eye.

"Did I break you?"

When Alicia failed to respond (What do I say this monster ate my sister oh gods I'm going to die again, I'm going to die againI'mgoingtodieI'mgoingtodie -) it leaned forward, using its knuckles to hold itself up on one side while the other hand steadily applied pressure to her ribs. Starting to struggle, the teenager struggled uselessly against the appendage pinning her down, fingers clawing at the bark that made up its arm.

Screaming, Alicia gasped and withered on the ground as two of her rips released with loud pops! The monster leaned back for a moment, eyeing the girl with curiosity.

"That was fun. Can you scream like that again?"

Before Alicia's brain could even formulate a response, the monster pressed its knuckles against her lower ribs, steadily applying pressure until they too released with sickening noises.

But it didn't stop there.

In agony, Alicia could only gasp and gurgle, twitching on the ground as the monster repeated the process to her other ribs, eventually moving on to the other side of her rib cage.

The world blurred in front of Alicia's eyes, and she prayed for Thanatos to come and collect her soul to take her to the afterlife.

Breathing was a struggle, sending a spasm of pain through her every time she tried, and her lungs started to feel weirdly full. Choking, she coughed, and something wet dribbled out of the corner of her mouth.

"Oh. You aren't as resilient as I thought you would be."

Alicia had no idea how she wasn't unconscious yet, but as the monster popped her shoulder out of place, her mouth opened with a silent cry and her back arched off the ground, sending her into another hellish coughing fit.

With knees on either side of her, the monster reached down and wrapped its hands around her throat, slowly cutting off her air supply. Alicia's eyesight started to blacken, and instinctively, she knew that this was the end.

"Maybe I'll eat you, too."

Alicia woke up.

In her room, where she didn't believe that she was finally safe. Where her foster mother took care of her, because "Honey, your fever was so high, I'm glad you're alright," and everything was fine. In fact, the whole week was fine.

Until her school had a lockdown, and she died that Friday. Three shots hit the center of her chest and she slowly bled out onto the thin carpet.

Alicia woke up.

In her house again, with her foster mother making pancakes.

A car crash killed her that morning on the way to school. The last thing she remembered was the sound of metal being crushed and her body being thrown against the windshield.

Alicia woke up.

It took awhile to figure it out, but when she finally did, it took even longer to accept that she was in an insane asylum.

"Tell me about your other reality," the doctor had said. "Did you dream about any more kids with powers and monsters since last time?"

They gave her pills to swallow, to help with her "hallucinations."

She begged to Leviathan, apologizing and screaming, but he never answered her. The teenager wondered if she really was crazy.

Alicia killed herself, slowly accumulating the pills they gave her over the past month before overdosing in her room.

Alicia woke up.

Monsters from her closet tormented her for days until she jumped out of the second story window, bones splintering as she hit the concrete.

Alicia woke up.

Everything was normal, for awhile. For reality, anyway.

She went to school, went about her day, but it was mechanically. She barely ate, slept, or talked to anyone. She never did her homework.

Kids at school began bullying her and shoving her into lockers. Everyone teased that she was a freak. She overheard her foster mother talking on the phone about putting her in therapy.

Two months later, she stepped in front of a semi on the highway, dying instantly.

Alicia woke up.

A man in a lab coat had her strapped to a cold table and cut her open while she was conscious without the aid of any pain relievers, only to stitch her back together again. There were no windows in the room.

He ended up slitting her throat after amputating her feet, muttering something about selling her organs to a coworker for cash.

Alicia woke up.

With no life in her body, she stared at the wall with listless eyes.

The wall was white, and the sheets cocooning her form felt like a small relief after what she had been through.

After an unknown amount of time, the girl stood from the bed, if only to find a bathroom to relieve the pressure from her bladder. The carpet was soft under her feet and tickled her toes. A white nightgown brushed her shins and hung smoothly off of her thin frame.

At the end of the large, pretty room was the door, and Alicia grasped it in hand before pulling it open, a drawn look on her face.

Someone on the other side yelped and a thump sounded soon after, signaling their fall to the floor.

Forcing herself to move, the girl made to apologize to the mystery person for hitting them with the door when she saw who it was and stopped short.

Yellow hair, like grains of a wheat field and rays from the sun itself. Dark, chocolate skin. Golden eyes. A pretty face. Dressed in ratty clothes, yes, maybe even younger than when she had last seen him, and a hell of a lot thinner, but Alicia would remember that face in the afterlife.

At first she didn't feel anything, too busy staring at the boy that looked up at her with wide eyes, and then a tidal wave of emotions swept over her, so strong she nearly fell to her knees.

Sadness.

Despair.

Betrayal.

Rage.

With this toxic cocktail, swirling inside her like a storm, the girl let out a scream of rage before leaping on the surprised-looking boy, fingers wrapped around his throat and squeezing with a vengeance.

"You," she snarled, fire in her eyes. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes and slid down her cheeks, plopping from her chin onto the struggling body underneath her.

"You did this to me," she emphasized, squeezing his throat tightly. "Take me back! Take me back takemebacktakemeback!"

Eyes bugging, Leviathan pushed her off of him with a burst of strength. Alicia howled as her head hit the wall, stars exploding in her eyes.

"Ah, shite -" Leviathan stumbled closer on his knees, reaching out a shaky hand to her. "A'ight, miss? I - I di'n't mean -"

"What's going on here?" a masculine voice echoed through the hallway, and Alicia instantly felt comforted. She didn't know what it was. Hell, she didn't even know what the guy looked like. But something about his voice made her head thrum happily, warmth spreading through her veins. Turning her head, she caught a glimpse of the man that had spoken.

He looked a bit like her, actually. Thick, brown locks were combed neatly, and his blue eyes shone with warmth and authority. His build was strong and his posture was straight underneath his immaculate suit.

Leviathan looked like he was trembling in fear, and Alicia couldn't stop the sick satisfaction that ran through her at the sight.

Finally, I found what he's scared of.

This mystery man, this superhero reincarnate, was her savior.

So, as victims do, Alicia let all the hurt show through her voice as she pointed at Leviathan, tears running down her cheeks like rivers. "He attacked me!"

A furious light sparked in the man's eyes, and Alicia watched in a distant sort of awe as Leviathan curled into himself, eyes shining with tears.

The man walked forward, coming to a stop in front of the duo that scrambled to their feet in response to his close proximity. "Is this true?"

"N - no, I -"

The brunet man cut Leviathan off with a sharp backhand, and the boy fell to the floor with a yelp, clutching his cheek in pain.

"I was not speaking to you, slave."

Slave?

"Is it true?" the man asked again, this time speaking directly to her.

Alicia wet her lips with her tongue and nodded. "Yes."

Nostrils flaring, the man bent at the waist to grab Leviathan by the hair. The boy's hands shot up to stop him, but dropped at the last second, settling on trying to push his head up to meet the painful angle his head was held at. Whimpering, Leviathan stared at the man with wide, pained eyes.

"What is the rule that you broke?" the man demanded gruffly, fingers tightening in Leviathan's hair.

The blond's face screwed up in a painful grimace. "I di'n' -"

The man jerked his hand, and Leviathan cut himself off with a yelp. "Do. Not. Touch. My. Daughter. Not without her permission. And you assaulted her."

Leviathan looked like he wanted to say something, but wisely held his tongue, fingers splayed over his mussed locks.

"She 'pproached me firs', sir," Leviathan squeaked hesitantly. "Jus' star'ed attackin' me an' -"

"Enough," the man said coldly, and Leviathan closed his mouth with an audible snap. "Thirty lashings." Leviathan whimpered, but the man ignored him. "You will count each one, and if you do not then you will start over. You are on field work for the rest of the year, and you will sleep outside until I decide that part of your punishment is over. When my guests are over, you will entertain them. Is that clear?"

Leviathan didn't answer, simply staring at the man with his jaw slack in surprise, and Alicia couldn't suppress her grin.

"Is that clear, Lit?" the man repeated.

Nothing moved. Very slowly, Leviathan (Lit?) turned his head to her, and their eyes locked.

"Wake up."

Alicia woke up.


God, I am so, so sorry. I was going to write out each death scene, but I figured that would be too much, so after the first few I decided to just give a brief overview of what this poor girl went through. I just wanted you guys to get to know the bad guy a little more... You won't see him for a few chapters now. He's sweet, I promise.

That was pretty dark, but not as dark as I was worried it would be.

Reviews are appreciated! Did anyone notice the hints I left?