We've come to the second or third last chapter guys! Let's see how it goes! *laughs*

Anyway, just thought I'd share this very thoughtful guest review I received a few days ago! brbr

Guest (Aegis): The story was going good, overpowered main character is understandable because most authors like to picture themselves as the protagonist. However, how you painted the guys wasn't that good, they were 14 year old girls, Percy doesn't stutter about a girl when he has a girlfriend, Jason was a preator he doesn't stutter. At all. But I had ignored all that because I like reading Percy with OCs. But as soon as your have her brass knuckles the morphed in to guns. (I think) I immediately stopped reading. Was going good but a bit too unrealistic even in a fantasy world :/ -Aegis

Reply: Hi, Aegis! Regarding the brass knuckles that morphed into guns, I totally agree with you on that and have many time contemplated getting rid of that idea altogether. The reason why I even came up with the idea was because I had just watched The Expendables 3, and kind of got too carried away! Hahaha! And the reason why I didn't edit away that idea was because laziness got in the way! But your honest feedback motivated me to edit away the machine gun idea and just introduce Hick's sole weapon as regular brass knuckles. So thank you very much for that! As for the stuttering, I guess I just wanted some awkward moments for Percy and Jason in their interaction with Hick, because I thought it'd be cute. Didn't occur to me giving them those few dialogue would be out of character for them. Sorry about that, and thank you for your honesty. :)

And as for the rest of guys, feel free to just leave a comment or private message if you think there is anything I can alter to make the storyline better! :) Go easy on me though, this is like the first fanfiction I've ever written, and I'm so excited I'm finishing it!

The Leap

Percy immediately drew Riptide. As the jaws were about to snap down on Nico, Percy vaulted over him and drove the blade straight down into the serpent's tongue. Liquid spurted up into his face. In a fraction of a second, Jason had leapt up at the serpent and drove his blade its eye, causing the beast to let out a roar that rattled everyone to their bones.

Hazel then finished the blow by hurling a ball of underworld flames into the serpent's mouth. The monster immediately slunk back into the waters. But more were starting to stir and rise in the shadows of the waters. Hick could feel it.

"They're coming!" she yelled. And true enough, from the waters rose three, four more great serpents. Crunch smelt it too. "Quickly, Fliers!" he yelled, as the bats struggled to fly the ruined boat into the tunnel. They flew this way and that, as Ares and Aurora dodged the numerous snapping mouths. Then the bat rocketed toward a stone wall, dipped, and they were inside the tunnel.

Ares and Aurora had dropped their burden and collapsed. Everyone rolled off the boat hit the floor. There was light behind them in the tunnel. Henry was rapidly working over the wound Nico had sustained, while Hazel hung over them. One of Jason's pant legs was soaked in blood. In front of her, Hick saw the shuddering heap of wet fur that was Crunch. Blood poured from his nose, which appeared to have been smashed in, and oozed from the stump that had been his tail.

There was a sound at the front of the tunnel, and Hick aimed her flashlight beam. Shooting down the tunnel at them were three rows of bared teeth. It was heading straight for Crunch. Jason, who was nearest, immediately got in front of him. In a split of a second, the serpent had bitten down on Jason's right arm and flung him out of the tunnel. His yells echoed throughout the walls of the tunnel.

"No!" Hick yelled as she headed towards the mouth of the tunnel.

She stopped as another serpent had emerged and squeezed its head into the opening of the tunnel, its snapping jaws eager to chomp down on Hick. Within the next second, Aurora had flown past Hick, ensnaring herself in the serpent's jaws. As the serpent crunched the golden bat to death, the shrieks from the bat rattled Hick to her bones, even more so when Dane yelled for his bat. First out of agony… and then anger. And then the corpse tumbled out of the serpent's mouth onto the floor, bones and blood-soaked fur gleaming under Hick's helmet torchlight.

Drawing the longest dagger from her belt, Hick bolted off into the beast's mouth. The next thing she knew, she had sliced her way up out of the top of the serpent's head, pushing its brains out ahead of her. And there the serpent laid brain dead, blocking the mouth of the tunnel so the other serpents couldn't enter.

As she staggered onto the floor, Hick buried her face in her hands. Jason was gone. Jason was gone.

"Quick, Hick! Help me push pass this thing! We can still get Jason!" yelled Percy, attempting to squeeze past the serpent's head. But all Hick could do was stare at him. Her eyes said it all. It was too late.

But he wouldn't accept it. "Don't just sit there! Get up and help me push this thing!" he yelled, trying hard not to choke on his sobs. Tears were streaming down his face. Please, not Jason. Not Jason.

"You cannot get past, Sky-dweller. The serpent's sealed off the opening, and it'll take an army to move its massive corpse," said Henry amidst Percy's sobs. "I'm sorry for your loss."

Hick slowly got to her feet and sheathed her dagger. And then she walked over to Percy and locked him in an embrace from the back. All she could do was mutter an apology, over and over again, because she didn't know what else to say. And he finally stopped pushing at the dead serpent's head, taking Hick's hands in his.

"Jason… Jason can't be dead, right?" said Hazel.
"I'm sorry, Sky-dweller. Your friend has lost light, as is Aurora," Henry whispered. "He cannot possibly survive all those serpents beyond."

Then it occurred to Hick. All this time in this world, 'dead' meant 'lost light'. 'Light' meant 'life'. Jason lost his light. Hick blinked back the tears that threatened to spill. The boy she was just joking with on the boat a few hours ago was gone. She didn't want to think what could have happened to Jason out there. She surveyed her surroundings. They were a mess. Henry had Dane in his arms, whispering words of consolation to his bereft cousin at the lost of his bat. Hick remembered them mentioning that the bond formed between human and bat in this world is a big deal, but the idea never really sunk in until she saw Dane now, utterly distressed at the loss of his bond. Hazel had finished bandaging Nico's thigh. Lying next to Nico's leg, on a puddle of red liquid was a dislodged serpent fang. She met Hick's gaze with her teary eyes and shook her head.

"He's lost too much blood, Hick. He needs rest," said Hazel.
"We cannot afford that. The Clawers would find us if we do not move, and we'd all be dead," said Crunch, holding his bloody, smashed-up nose with his forepaws. "I cannot smell now, Warrior. But the last whiff I took, I know it is near. We need to move now and find it quickly before it moves far."

Hick had no idea what to do. And then she set her sights on the dead serpent before her, its mouth gaping open. It had not moved an inch now.

"Nico," she said.
"Yeah?" came the boy's feeble reply.
"We're going to have to hide you in that dead serpent's mouth."

Nico quietly took in the idea.

"Okay," he finally said.
"I'll accompany him, then," said Hazel. "But is it a good idea to split up?"
"No, Hick's plan is right," Dane finally spoke up, his voice still thick with grief. "It'll be easier for us to move in small numbers. And Nico would need as much medical attention from you. Henry is well trained at healing. He shall stay, too."
"I'll tend to your brother, warrior," said Henry to Hick.

"Move it, move it, move it!" instructed Crunch, herding the rest of them all through one of the tunnels. He forced them along for a few minutes until they were well out of sight and, hopefully, out of smell of the tunnel entrance. At a small chamber, he gave the order to halt. "Stop you. Sit you. Slow your hearts."

Wordlessly, the remaining members of the quest sunk to the floor of the tunnel. Hick sat with Percy, let him entwine his warm fingers with her own. Without Jason, Nico and Hazel around, they could only find comfort in each other. They were all tired and still grieving over the loss of Aurora. Brave Aurora, who had flown into the face of a huge serpent to buy them all more time to live. And Jason – who rarely argued much. Jason – who always kept an eye out on her. Jason – who shared his food. Jason – who'll never again see Piper and Leo waiting for him back home. The friend who had given all the time he had left so Hick could finish her stupid prophecies.

Hick pressed her face to her sleeve and felt scalding tears begin to slide down her cheeks. She hadn't cried, not the whole time she'd started the mission, and there had been plenty of bad stuff. But somehow Jason and Aurora's sacrifice had crushed whatever thin shell remained between her and sorrow.

Hick stood up and tried to shake off the pain. A new feeling had taken over the dread she felt. It was anger.

Those rats had killed Jason and Aurora.

If it is bloodshed they want, she will kill the Bane before those goddamn rats.

"Let's get going," she said to her teammates, refusing to look at Crunch. The rat had been in tons of wars. He'd probably seen lots of creatures killed. Jason and Aurora's death probably affected him the least. He had not bothered giving them time to grief and had immediately made everyone continue the mission as soon as they hid Nico, Hazel and Henry in the serpent's mouth.

But when Crunch spoke, his voice lacked its usual snide tone. "Take heart, Warrior. The Bane is nearby. It is all almost over."
Hick lifted her head at the words. "How nearby?"
"An hour's walk, no more," said Crunch. "But so are the Bane's guards. We must all proceed with extreme caution. Speak not for we do not want to alert any Clawers, and stay close behind me. We had rare luck at the mouth of the tunnel."

And so they tiptoed along, scarcely daring to breathe as Crunch led the way. Hick froze every time a pebble moved beneath her foot, thinking she had triggered a rat assault.

When they had been creeping along for about half an hour, Crunch suddenly stopped at a bend in the tunnel. What was left of the party pulled up behind him. The rat's nose twitched furiously and he crouched.

A pair of rats sprang from around the bend. In an impossible move, Crunch tore out one's throat with his teeth while his back feet blinded the second. In another flash, both rats lay dead. No one else had had time to raise a hand. Crunch's defense confirmed what Hick had suspected the first moment she'd looked in his eyes. Even among rats, Crunch was lethal.

Crunch wiped his muzzle on one of the dead rats and spoke in a whisper. "Those were the guards to this passage. We are about to enter open space. Stay against the wall, single file, for the earth is unstable and the fall immeasurable." Everyone nodded numbly, still stunned by his ferocity. "It's all right," he added. "Remember, I'm on your side."

When had they last eaten? Hick tried to think back — back through the passage into the Tankard, through the time with when the serpent attack, through Dane's voice waking her at the boat, through the night to that evening when they were all together at sea. She'd eaten a slab of raw fish and shared with Jason all her bread and meat.

Percy had taken to walking by Hick's side. For a while they were silent as they all trudged on. "Will it make us feel any better, do you think, to kill the Bane?" he finally spoke to Hick.

"I don't know," she sighed. "But I don't see how it could make us feel any worse." Just then, Crunch's head lifted sharply in a manner Hick had begun to recognize. "Rats?" she asked. "Two of them. Coming at a run," said Crunch. In seconds, two great rats had emerged, with mud-gray coats and gnashing teeth. "There they are!" cried one rat. "We were fools to leave him with Goldshard," said the other. "That will be remedied as soon as these are dead!" growled the first. As Hick pulled out the brass knucklers from the strap on his pack, the rager sensation began. She didn't fight it this time. The rats broke up into fragments in her vision, as if she were looking at their reflection in a shattered mirror, but only certain parts were lit. She caught glimpses of an eye, a spot under a raised paw, a neck...and somewhere in her brain, she understood that these were her targets.

From the corner of her eyes, she watched Dane mount Henry's bat, Ares. And Ares dived.

Dane was almost within striking distance of one of the rats when something caused Ares to veer straight upward. A third rat with an unusual gold coat had bolted into the cone right beneath them.
,br To everyone's shock, the gold rat tore at the throat out of one of his attackers. Then it spun around, blood flying from its muzzle, to face the other gray rat.

Hick shook her head slightly, to clear it. What was going on? She glanced up at Crunch, who seemed equally puzzled.

"Don't be an idiot, Goldshard! They've come to kill the Bane!" snarled the gray rat.
"I would rather have the Bane dead than have it trust you," the gold rat hissed back. The rat's voice was slightly higher pitched then Crunch's, and Hick felt certain it was female.
"All you guarantee is your own death!" The gray rat crouched down to lunge. "Someone will die, Snare, the question is who?" said Goldshard. As Snare sprang toward her, she went into action.
Hick had never seen a full-scale rat fight before. Crunch had killed two rats in a tunnel, but they hadn't had time to fight back. When Goldshard had killed the first time, she'd had the element of surprise on her side. This time her opponent was on the offensive. And Snare, who Hick was pretty sure was a male, was a lot bigger than she was.

The combat was vicious. The rats attacked each other in violent bursts. They'd circle for a minute, looking for an opening, then one of them would leap and there would be a blur of teeth and claws. As they pulled apart to circle again, both would have new wounds. Snare lost an eye. Goldshard's ear dangled from a shred of fur. You could see the bone in Snare's shoulder. Goldshard's left front paw was snapped in two.

Finally, the gold rat came in on her opponent's blind side and locked her fangs on his neck. In the final throes of death, Snare got his hind feet between their bodies and slashed open the length of Goldshard's belly. She lost her grip, staggered back, and collapsed. Her intestines spilled out on the ground. The rats lay a few feet apart, eyes locked in hate, bodies helpless. With a terrible gurgling sound, Snare suffocated in his own blood.

Goldshard turned her gaze to Hick. The look was pleading, and she was sure the rat wanted to say something to her. "Warrior… of Red… Don't...," she whispered. But before she could finish, her eyes glazed over, and she stopped moving.

"What just happened?" Percy blurted out.
"I… don't know," said Hick.
"Have the Clawers finally lost light?" asked Dane from above, as Ares flaps about.
"They are quite dead. All three of them," Crunch replied.

Ares finally coasted down to the ground, avoiding the pools of blood that were spreading out from the rats' bodies.
"Do you know who they are?" asked Dane to Crunch. "Do you recognize their names? Goldshard? Snare?"
"Not Goldshard," said Crunch. "I have heard of Snare. He is one of Gorger's generals."

Hick hadn't spent much time thinking about the rats' political struggles, but now that she did, something seemed strange. "So why hasn't the Bane become king yet? You'd think a rat as big and strong as he is would have taken over by now instead of King Gorger. Or is King Gorger bigger?" said Hick.

"Even the Bane must gather an army around him," said Crunch. "He has his own enemies among the rats. Like me, for instance. I would like the Bane dead."

There was something else about Goldshard. That last look she had given Hick. Like she was begging her, almost. What was it the rat had wanted to say to her? Don't? Don't what? Hurt her? It was a little too late for that. Just then, Crunch's head snapped around to a tunnel entrance.

"How many?" asked Percy this time.

"Just one, I think," said Crunch. "It is hard to tell with my nose like this. The path spirals." His chin jerked up again. This time, no one had to ask; they had heard the scratching themselves. The sound stopped. Nothing emerged from the tunnel. Suddenly Hick knew why.

"It's the Bane," she whispered. Crunch gave a nod of agreement. It had to be. The other rats would simply attack, but the Bane knew it was being hunted.

There was another faint scratch. It was in there then. Just a few feet away. Waiting.

The tunnel mouth was small, only about five feet high and four feet wide. There would be no flying in on Ares. The Bane must know that. It wanted to lure Hick in alone. Okay, then. She'd face it alone.

"I'm going in first," said Hick, before anyone could protest.

She slid the pack off her shoulders and onto the ground. She didn't want anything restricting her movements. She checked the switch on her helmet's flashlight; it was already on high beam. Gripping one of the daggers she drew from the belt, she began to move into the narrow tunnel.

In the dozen paces it took her to reach the opening, she could feel herself slipping into rager mode, the heightened senses, the rush of adrenaline, the selective vision. Every molecule in her body was preparing to kill.

She moved swiftly inside and almost immediately encountered the spiral Crunch had mentioned. Another corkscrew-like path. It was trying to hide from her, the Bane. She caught just a glimpse of white fur, a flash of pink tail in a cave off to the side of the chamber.

Hick thought of Nico bleeding on the ground, of Hazel and Henry changing blood-soaked bandages, of Aurora screaming in agony between the serpent's fangs, and of Jason...sweet, trusting Jason...

Heart pounding, blind to everything except that patch of fur, Hick lunged toward the cave. She raised the hilt in the air, flipping the blade so it would come down point first, at an angle. Her bandaged hand joined her good one, and with every ounce of strength she drove the blade toward the Bane.

But just before the point made contact, the creature made a sound that hit Hick like a cannonball.

"Ma-maa!"

The chamber reeled around Hick's head. Where was the Bane? What was that white furry thing a few yards away? Because it sure wasn't some ten-foot rat trying to attack her!

Hick forced herself forward and shone the flashlight into the cave. Huddled against the wall, shaking in fear, was a small, white rat. Suddenly it all made sense to her — why almost nothing was known about the Bane, why it there was a King Gorger and why the Bane had not yet taken over the rat kingdom, why it had not attacked her. It was only a baby!

Still, it was the Bane. She promised Viktus she would kill it. It would be so easy to kill the creature in front of her. She just has to bring down the blade. But...but...

"Ma-maa!"

"That's the Bane?" came Percy's voice as he entered the cave. The shock expression he wore mirrored Hick's. Ares, Crunch and Dane emerged right after, and they looked just as surprised.

"What is that? That is not the Bane!" said Dane.
"Actually, I think it is. Or at least, it's a baby Bane," said Hick.

She leaned her back on the cave walls for support. It was too much for her to take in. She eyed the quivering little ball of fur wearily.

"I do not believe it! That is some decoy. Some trick of the gnawers to lure us into a trap so that they may destroy us!" said Dane.
"I do not think so, my king. Mark its coat. It is white," said Crunch.
"But perhaps it is not a rat!" Dane protested. "Perhaps it is a mouse they have captured and used to deceive us! I have seen white mice!"
Hick examined the baby, but she was no rodent expert. She held it up for Percy, Dane and Crunch to inspect. "You take a look. Is it a mouse?"

Crunch raised his claws, reared his fangs and turned away, throwing a hissy fit. He was clearly not fond of baby rats.

"No. It is most definitely a Clawer," Dane finally said out of reluctance.
"Do you think there are two white rats?" Percy frowned and looked to Dane.
"Yes. No. I do not know. Two white rats at one time, it is highly improbable. It must be the Bane. Ohhh. Oh, Warrior! What are you going to do with it?" squeak Ares nervously, folding his wings over his head in distress.
"Well, I can't kill it, can I?" Hick exclaimed. "I mean, it's just a baby!"

As all five of them panicked over what to do next, the baby Bane's squeaks grew louder. Blood was staining its white fur. Its cries were piteous. As if that wasn't enough to deal with, Crunch's head whipped up, his whiskers tingling.

"How many rats this time?" Hick sighed.
"A dozen, at least," said Crunch.
"You must decide what to do, Warrior," Dane urged her.

Hick bit her lip. She couldn't decide. Everything was happening too fast. She needed more time. "Okay, okay," she said. She bounded over and lifted the wailing baby rat into her arms. "We're taking this bugger with us."
"We are?" said Dane, Percy and Crunch in unison, as if the thought had never crossed their male minds.
"Yeah. Because I'm not going to kill it, and I'm not leaving it here for the other rats to use," said Hick.

Percy hardened his grip over Riptide. If the baby rat doesn't shut up any time soon, he just might run his blade through that noisy rodent.

The baby rat had given up crying "Ma-maa!" and was now issuing a series of high-pitched alarm shrieks. "Eek! Eek! Eek!"

"Make it stop, Warrior. Its voice carries great distances. Every rat in the maze can hear that the pup is threatened!" Ares hissed as he crept alongside her.
"You try to stop it!" Hick snapped at him.
"You are a lady, Warrior! Do you perhaps not know how to nurse a baby?" asked Dane. Percy could see the young king immediately regretted his words because Hick glared at him.
"Just because I am female does not mean I am automatically an expert nanny!" she growled.

At first Hick tried to calm the Bane with her voice. It wasn't enough. She tried stroking its back and head, but that didn't work, either. Her human voice and touch and smell were just more scary unknown things to the rat. Percy reached into his backpack and pulled out one of the candy bars the Terra servants had packed for him.

"Here, try this," he said, handing it over to Hick.

She ripped it open, broke off a piece, and stuck it into the baby's wailing mouth.

There was an "Eek!" of surprise, then a smacking sound, and the Bane was consumed by its first wonderful taste of chocolate.

"More!" It was so weird to hear the rat baby talking, but it was. "More!" it said again.
"Just feed it and shut it up now," said Percy rather impatiently.

So Hick popped another piece of chocolate into the little rat's mouth, and it was gobbled up. She sighed inwardly. What a sight. The great Warrior, babysitting one of the two great enemies she was assigned to assassinate. Either way, the Bane seemed to think better of her now that she had given it chocolate. It relaxed a little, back into his body, which made it easier to hold on to. Hick's thoughts went back to Nico, Hazel and Henry, hiding out in the dead serpent's mouth. How were they holding up?

"You think we're almost out of here?" Percy said, interrupting Hick's thoughts.
"See for yourself," said Crunch.

Around the bend of the tunnel was the opening.

Crunch made a right turn, and they peeled off in single file behind him. A narrow path led along the side of a canyon. Percy flicked on the switch of the torch in his helmet. When he shone his light into the narrow path, he saw nothing but blackness. "The fall is immeasurable," he heard Dane whisper.

The ground under his left foot, the one closest to the void, crumbled and sent a shower of stone and dirt into the darkness. Percy never heard it hit the bottom. His only consolation was that Ares was inching along somewhere behind him, ready to save anyone who fell.

After about fifty yards they reached the more solid ground that fanned out from one end of the canyon. A natural arch of stone framed a wide road, worn smooth by many rat feet. Crunch picked up speed as they crossed under the arch, and Percy felt that any protection the terrain had given them was gone.

He, Hick and Crunch raced down the road. Dane had instinctively taken to the air with Ares. It felt as if rat eyes must be burning at them from every crevice.

The path ended abruptly at a deep circular pit with walls as smooth as ice. A faint light burned in the pit revealing a furry creature hunched over a stone slab, fiddling with something. At first Percy raised a warning hand. He thought it was a rat.

"What… ?" he heard himself utter. Hick followed his gaze and gasped. It cannot be.

"Hick, is that you?" came Jason's voice.
"Jason?" Hick tried to say, but all the moisture had left her mouth. Jason. Still alive and breathing. She dropped to her own knees at the side of the pit, flooding the dark pit with light. They were fifty feet apart.

Peering out of the pit was not just Jason. Nico and Hazel were with him. Dane flew down, helped the pitiful forms onto Ares' back, and sent the bat up. As soon as all three demi-gods slid off his back, Ares flew back down for Dane.

"How are all of you here? What happened and where's Henry?" asked Dane.

Horror seized Hick by the throat as the light from her torch lay on Jason, Hazel and Nico. There were bloody claw marks etched across their bodies and swollen faces. Jason was badly wounded but he could still stand on his own two feet and wield his sword. The bleeding on Nico's thigh seemed to have ceased but the boy's face was paler than ever. In fact, he was perspiring so profusely, his dark curls were thoroughly drenched and plastered to his face. He couldn't even stand properly on his own to feet, and was leaning on Hazel for support. And Hazel… gods, Hazel. Her face was so swollen from all the bruises, she was barely recognizable as she stood before Hick.

"Oh gods," Hick gasped, meeting Hazel's eyes.
"The rats found us and tortured us. Especially Hazel, since Jason and I were already terribly wounded. They tried to make us tell them which way you guys went," said Nico, as Hick reached out to take Hazel's hand, carrying the Bane in the other.
"You should never have followed me here. You should never have come here in the first place," said Hick, looking at the claw marks on Hazel's face. It pained her so much to see her sister that way. But being the sweet girl she is, all Hazel said was, "It's not your fault, Hick. We're fine."

She looked at her teammates. They were all such a mess. Five great demi-gods of the Big Three, thoroughly busted up in an alien realm Hick's not even sure they can get out of alive.

"We must fly them now, Hick," insisted Crunch. "Ares can carry three. We need to heal them properly in Terra or they will lose light with more blood spilled."
"No, wait! Where is Henry? Where is my cousin?" said Dane.

A dark look seemed to cross the three demi-gods' faces. "He – " Jason began.

"I'm right here."

Everyone swerved around to see Henry standing behind them

"Oh, Henry! You're alive! We shall recount our tales later, the Clawers will be here any minute! Quick, help me fasten these three to Ares," said Dane, gesturing to Jason, Hazel and Nico.

But Henry stood apart from them. Not helping. Not hurrying. Not even bothering to seem anxious. "No, Dane, we have no need to hurry now."

It was a strange answer. No one understood what he was saying except Crunch. An odd look crossed the rat's face. "No, I believe Henry has taken care of everything."

"Henry had to," said Henry. He lifted his fingers to his lips and gave a long whistle.
"Are you crazy? What are you doing?" asked Hick. She looked at Dane, who seemed to have turned to marble. Percy looked just as confused as she was, but Jason, Nico and Hazel were visibly angry. The patter of many rat feet came at them down the road. Her eyes swerved back to where Henry stood. What was going on? What had Henry done?

"Crunch?" said Percy, drawing out Riptide.
"It seems I am not the only spy among us, Warrior," said Crunch wryly. "A member of the royal family, too."
"You mean, Henry ...?" Hick would never in a million years have believed Henry to be a spy for the rats. They had killed Dane's parents, his family. "He can't be," blurted out Hick. "He can't, I mean, what about Dane?" The two were so tight.

"He betrayed us to the rats by giving our hideout away. That was how we got found out in the serpent's mouth," said Nico, bitter contempt evident in his voice.

"Sorry, cousin," said Henry urgently to Dane. "But I had no choice. We were headed for disaster under Viktus. He would ally us to the weakest – with those spineless Crawlers and weak Stingers who couldn't even finish the simple task of getting us water from the Sky-dwelling lands! When our only real chance of survival is to ally ourselves with those who are most powerful. We will join forces with the rats and rule together, you and I."

Dane spoke more calmly than Hick had ever heard him. "Not now, Henry. Not ever."
"You must, Dane, you have no choice. You must join with us or die," said Henry coldly, but there was a tremor in his voice.
"So they promised you a throne, did they? Really, Henry, you are not fool enough to believe they will deliver it," said Crunch, breaking into a laugh.
"They will deliver it. Together we will rid the Terra of Crawlers and Spinner and Stingers, and share their land among us," said Henry.

"But why? Why would you do that?" asked Percy. He could not bring himself to understand how Henry could betray Dane like that. He would never do that any of his love ones.

"I am tired of having cowards and weaklings as allies!" yelled Henry, clearly vexed that no one was taking his side. "The rats, at least, are not guilty of that! Together, we will protect each other! Together, we will rule. Together, we will be safe. It has been decided."

"Together, together," said Crunch in a singsong voice. "What a lot of togetherness you are planning. And what a lot of solitude awaits you. Ah, here are your friends now."

There were at least fifty of them. The rats fanned out quickly and circled the questers. Most of them were laughing, delighted at the rich catch before them. Hick's eyes darted around. Who would fight on her side? Nico could barely stand and Hazel could barely see with her swollen face. Henry was a traitor, so she could count Ares out too, since the pair was bonded. That left her, Percy, Jason, Dane, and ... suddenly she didn't know what to think of Crunch. What about Crunch? Whose side was the rat really on?

She looked at Crunch, and the rat gave her a slow wink. "Think we can take them, you and I?"

Okay, she also had one amazing rat on his side.

The circle widened, leaving a gap. A huge silver rat strode into the space. Jammed over one ear was a gold crown, clearly designed for a human head. Hick heard Dane inhale sharply and guessed it had belonged to one of his parents.

"I see you have The Bane." the rat commented, peering at the white fur ball that trembled in Hick's arms. "By all means, kill it will you? We cannot have two kings ruling over Crawlers now, can we?"

Hick held on to the Bane tightly, who had clung on even tighter to her.

"King Gorger," said Crunch, giving a low bow. "I did not hope we would have the honor of your presence here."
"That brown female human told us you had all drowned, Crunch," said the king in a low voice.
"Yes, well, that was the plan," said Percy, nodding. "But so often plans go awry."

The rats launched into a roar of cackling laughter.

"I hear the Warrior of red hide is a female! We must thank you for bringing the lady so neatly into our paws. It was Henry's job really, but no matter as long as she is here. I wanted to be sure. I wanted to see her for myself before I killed her. So this is she?" asked King Gorger, peering at Hick. "I expected so much more."
"Oh, do not judge her too quickly," said Crunch. "I have found her most delightfully full of surprises." He made his way around the circle, occasionally lifting a front leg to scratch his nose. Each time he lifted his paw the rats near him flinched.

Crunch came up behind Henry and nudged him forward. "Go, go, go, go. Stand with your friends." Henry tripped and fell into place beside King Gorger, stepping on his tail. The other rats laughed, but not the king who whipped his tail out from under Henry and slashed one of the laughing rats in half.

"Why has everyone stopped laughing?" said King Gorger. "Go on, laugh!" he ordered, and the rats let out a sound like sheep bleating. He stretched out on the ground in a pose of complete relaxation, but Hick could see his muscles were still tense with anger.

"Who's next?" said King Gorger. "Come, do not be shy. Shall we take care of that brown Sky-dweller that lied to us? She looks soon to expire, anyway." He trained his ratty eyes on Hazel.

"Don't you even think – " growled Jason, lifting up his sword.
"Not while we stand," said Percy, joining Jason with Riptide raised. Hick pulled Nico and Hazel behind her back.

Something nagged at the back of Hick's brain. What was it? What did it remind her of? And suddenly she knew. She knew what the last part of The Lone Prophecy meant.

The one doomed to death must decide where one stands.
The destiny of one's race is contained in one's hands.

And then she realized. It was her. She was the one to doomed to die.

It was clear. It was Hick the rats wanted. She was the warrior. She was the threat. She was the one who had to decide where she stood. And it wasn't going to be here, watching people she loved die. She was the warrior, and the warrior saved people.

Once she knew, it was easy. She turned to face Hazel and handed over to her sister the Bane. "Bring the Bane to Viktus. He will know what to do."

Before Hazel could reply, Hick had turned around, quickly judged the height, ran seven steps, and hurdled over the silver back of King Gorger.

A howl rose up behind her as she flew down one of the tunnels.

"Hick!" Percy yelled after her. He must have guessed her plan.

From some rat screams that came after that, she guessed Percy, Jason, Dane, and Crunch had gone into action to cover her. But she was pretty sure that every able-bodied rat was chasing after her. Good. That way, with any luck, the others could escape, and Hazel and Nico could get the treatment they need at Terra. Except Henry and Ares - she didn't care what happened to them.

The flashlight from her yellow helmet dimmed to a faint glow, and she tossed it off to the side. It was slowing her down, anyway. But running in the dark was no good. She might trip, and she had to lead the rats as far away as possible from everybody. Then she remembered the light she had kept in her belt that stored all her weapons. She had meant to save it as a last resort. If there was ever a last resort, this was it. She flipped on the switch without breaking stride, and the powerful beam lit the road in front of her.

But the road! She had forgotten how short the road was! No more than a hundred yards ahead of her loomed the canyon, the one of "immeasurable depth." She didn't stand a chance trying to run around the edge of it. The rats would have her in seconds.

She didn't want to die that way. She didn't want to give the rats the satisfaction of eating her. She could hear them behind her, breathing and snapping their teeth. King Gorger snorted in fury.

In one horrible moment the last piece of the prophecy became clear.

So bid you take care, bid you look where you leap,
As life may be death and death life again reap.

She looked over the edge, at the darkness that gaped back at her. She had to leap, and by her death, Percy, Jason, Hazel and Nico would live. Her 'race', the demi-gods, would live. That was it! That was what the prophecy had been trying to say all along! And there and then, Hick finally believed the Oracle of Delphi. So she put on a final burst of speed, just like the coach taught her in track. She gave it everything she had. In the last few steps before the canyon she felt a sharp pain in the back of her leg, and then the ground gave way under her feet.

To be continued.