So, here's the 13th chapter! This is an important chapter for the story line, and possibly also one of the last ones. Hope you like!

Happy reading!

Jessica

Everything started going awry after the world turned black. First, all we could see were the green flames burning in the water line. Then, from within the fire, stepped out a dark figure. Who else than Meliza the Invincible Nicoli herself. Before I even noticed, I had stepped forward, grasping my sword. But just before I had the chance to attack her, all the monsters that had just burned in the Greek fire, sprang up from the shoal. And attacked us. What a surprise.

I lifted my sword, which was gleaming in the dim green light. I lashed it in a wide arc, slicing three snake women at once. Nicoli's cowardice was really starting to piss me off. She was just hiding there behind her army - what a leader she was! As I was about to stab the laistygon in front of me, something strange happened. I felt stabbing pain in my left shoulder, and couldn't help but to yelp. As I turned around, I just had time to slice the snake woman in front of me, before it managed to cut my head off. What the hell...? There were't supposed to bee any monsters behind me... except those three snake women I'd just killed... or tried to kill. The Black blessing was messing with me. Brilliant, now we can't even kill them, what else?

I kicked away the two other demons, then brought my hand on my wounded shoulder, grimacing. Blood dripped between my fingers. I took a deep breath. I had experienced worse. Then I continued the fight, trying to ignore the burning pain in my shoulder. The biggest problem was that I knew the fighting was no use. The killed monsters just kept rising again. I knew that the only chance to win this battle was killing Mrs. Invincible. The problem: She was behing a monster army we couldn't beat.

"Jessica!" I turned around to see one certain violet-haired kid behind me.

"Cara. Any ideas?"

"Yeah... You're wounded!"

"It's nothing", I mumbled, threwing my knife in the chest of a laistrygon that attacked me.

With a single swing of hand, Cara made my knife flew to her from the ground. She passed it to me, then quickly stabbed a snake woman who had got too close. She turned at me again, pinching her lips together. "If you say so." she still didn't sound too convinced. "But about the plan-..." She turned on her heels, stabbing another snake woman with her dagger. "...You have to break the Black blessing." She met my eyes, looking more determined than ever. She continued after I'd kicked down an Empousa: "But, she will try to stop you from doing that. We have to distract her, so that she can't concentrate well enought to maintain the spell." She hunched under a laitrygon's strike, then lashed it on the back. It dissolved into monster dust, but started to re-form instantly - thanks to the stupid spell.

I sidestepped from the way of an attacking hellhound, then lashed it's side with my sword.

"I know a way to get to her", Cara shouted over the sounds of the battle. "Follow me!"

"And exactly what are we gonna do to distract her?" I yelled back. "Don't say you're gonna-..."

"Attack her?"

I gave her a quick glance before dodging a snake woman's net and and slicing the demon in half.

"I have to. It's the only way to give you some time."

"Um, are you match for her?"

She grimaced. "We'll see." That didn't sound too convincing and I couldn't help but to fear for her chances.

I coursed through the battle after her, dodging strikes and lashing at the nearest monsters. I didn't even feel the pain above my left shoulder blade. Adrenaline rushed in my veins, sharpening my senses. But insecurity ate my spirit. What could I do to break the Black blessing? Apollo had said something about shining. What was that suppose to mean? Dad? I asked in my mind. No answer. Typical.

Suddenly, Cara stopped. I noticed she had brought me to a place, where the line of monsters was the thinnest. There was still many of them, though, and more would probably attack us if we tried to get to their boss. "Are we..."

Cara turned at the monsters and closed her eyes. Well, that didn't seem too wise in the middle of a battle. But then, a second later, her eyes flew open and she raised her hand. "fýgo!" She whispered, sliding her hand down. It was Greek and meant 'depart'.

Like forcing by an invicible force, the monsters were flung to either sides, so that there was now a monster-free path in front of us. We sprinted across it and no monsters attacked us. They seemed to be too stunned to act. After about a fifty feet of running, we came close to the waterline behind the battle. No more monsters were appearing in the water line, so the only person there was Meliza Nicoli. She was standing back to us, which felt pretty strange.

Then she turned around, as if she'd expected us - which she probably had. "Hello, little sis, haven't seen you for a long time."

Next to me, Cara flinched, as if Meliza had smacked her in the face. My instics took over. I stepped in front of her. I didn't like the let-Cara-fight-her-evil-big-sister-and-die -plan at all. I couldn't believe I had even considered it. That Meliza bitch had hurt Kayden. I wasn't going to let her hurt anyone else.

But then Cara took a few steps and pushed me aside. Her whole body was tensed and she was gripping her dagger so hard, her hand shook. "Don't you even dare call me that ever again." Her voice trembled from anger and bitterness.

Meliza grinned and slowly pulled out her sword. She smoothed the blade with two fingers, looking at us. "It seems you brought a friend with you. Still wanna fight me?" She aimed the last few words to me.

"Just been waiting for you to finally call on." I said as disparagingly as I could.

She narrowed her cold, dark eyes lightly, looking at me. "So you're talking big to the bitter end. So be it." She swung her sword, stepping closer to us.

Cara cast me a glance and could see just a slight glimpse of hesitation in her eyes. I couldn't help but to think, how it would feel to be in her situation. It was just so wrong. She walked toward Meliza, who was now only a few ten feet from us. I stepped beside her.

"Really? You sure you chose the right side in this war, sis? You wanna be with that silly kid rather than with me?" Meliza's eyes were like titanium, glittering in the green light. She beared a likeness to a cruel, perfidious snake, waiting to strike it's prey.

"I told you not to call me that." Cara said, her voice no louder than a whisper. This time, she didn't hesitate. She attacked.

I admit I had totally underestimated Cara. She stroke like a maniac. It was like all the tension in her body was erupting, giving her hits a multiple power. Even Mrs. Invincible seemed suprised. But of course she didn't let it show. There was just a tiny frown on her face for a second, then her face became as blank as usual. I have to say that she knew how to fight. She dodged Cara's strikes easily, then pushed her away with a magic impulse.

I ditched Cara's suicide plan and joined the battle, trying to find a break in Meliza's defence. There was none and I kept wondering, how she managed that. Blocking mine and Cara's attacks in the same time didn't seem to be any kind of problem to her. She was still winning. I was sweathing, and my every attack was slower than the previous. Cara cast me a quick glance, as if saying what are you doing? But I kept fighting.

In an unspoken agreement, we were trying to make her retreat to the flaming water. The plan wasn't working too well. I rolled under Meliza's hit, trying to stab her back, while Cara attacked her from the other side. Meliza turned with lighting fast reflexes and swung her sword in a wide arc, rejecting the both strikes. I was wondering, if she had eyes also in the back. Either that, or then she could somehow see our attacks before their came.

I dodged Meliza's strike and almost reeled back. I blinked a couple of times, trying not to collapse from the exhaustion and loss of blood. My head was spinning. I could see the gleeful look on Meliza's face, as she slowly approached me, swinging her sword. She had managed to kick Cara aside, and I saw her farther away, scrambling to her feet. She had to be pretty exhausted, too. It felt like we had fought Meliza for hours. I didn't even hear the noises of the battle behind us - they seemed to come from a different world.

Jessica, don't you think it's already the time to end this? A voice said in my head. Yeah, that's it. I thought. I raised my sword with both hands for the last attack, taking a deep breath. I focused all my last powers to the strike. It was either now or never. If ever, now was the time to shine. I thought of my dad, I thought of Kayden and the other campers, I thought of the sun. I raised my sword, Iliachtída, above my head, even my bad shoulder felt like going to explode. Suddenly, I knew what to do. Sun beam. That's what the name of my sword meant. And now, we really could've used a couple of those. The sword started to gleam - not the dim light it usually did, but like an actual sun beam. It was actually radiating light, so bright, I had to keep my look down, so that I wouldn't blind.

Then I smashed the sword into the ground. Bright light started to spread in every direction from the very spot my sword hit the ground - like a nuclear explosion. I buried my face behind my right forearm. It was like the whole world had turned from black to white. That's how bright it was.

"Jessica!" Someone yelled from far away. First, I thought the voice was just inside my head, then someone grasped my good arm. "Jessica? You okay?"

I opened my eyes slightly, seeing Cara in front of me. "Yeah..." Then I blacked out.

Rewievs are welcome ;)