Everything is positively amazing today. It's like a drunk a whole cauldron of Felix's lucky potion. Everything is going my way today...
Disclaimer: The only thing in this story I own is RYLIN. I know she's so awesome, so just deal with it :P You can't use her. Jk! (But she's still mine. No using her in your story!)
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I adjusted Aryryn carefully over my shoulder as I took a deep breath. So much for their quest; it had been ended before it had officially started. The sensible thing for them to do now would be to run back to their little summer camp and stay there while I did what I could, all that I could do under the circumstances.
Though I had told myself never to trust anybody ever again, not after what Lyss had done to me, I just knew instinctively that putting the whole thing in Max's hands would be enough. He was the best fighter I had ever seen, and was more than a match for Kronos. His only fatal mistake had been to protect Lyss.
Up ahead I could see lights. I walked steadily toward them, the only sign of my nervousness showing in the slight tremble of my hand. Hopefully there would be some type of transportation I could use there.
It was a gas station.
Just typical. Seriously. One of the things I've always hated is when you're looking for something, and you find the exact opposite of what you need. For instance, right now I was fuming because I needed a car, not on the road snacks or lattes that make you want to throw up. And then the silver Mercedes caught my eye.
Now I've never really liked to steal from mortals, but this was an extreme emergency and I needed something fast. Plus I liked the cool paint job.
Five minutes later I was zooming down the highway, singing along with Kellie Pickler and Taylor Swift.
I finally was able to relax, just be myself. This was how I liked it, being a loner, taking care of only one person; me. Just lying low, hoping the monsters would pass me over. Sure, the occasional giant would find me and attempt to devour my soul, but it really wasn't a problem. Since I learned to cloak my demigod waves centuries ago, I could meander about the country and do whatever the heck I wanted. No interference from gods, no running into monsters.
Until the past month, anyway. That had just been bad luck, sort of. The fact that I ran into the Oracle in one of the many parks in New York, the fact that she had been traveling with the three most powerful demigods of the century, well, there was nothing abnormal about that…
Somebody seemed to be taking an interest in my life.
Somebody was sticking their nose all up in my business. There was no way that monster could have known who I really was, unless it had intentionally shown up. And Thalia had immediately grabbed me and demanded that I be taken to Percy, because of the monster. Something wanted me to admit who I was. Now that I was back, I was the only real obstacle in Kronos' plan to take over the world. So I was his first target.
I remembered how he had sent Kampe after me; how he had failed to completely kill me.
How could he have known who I was?
I bit my lip as I suddenly noticed how dark the sky was. Night was coming faster than I had anticipated.
I reluctantly pulled over and rested my head against the headrest, exhaustion overwhelming me. My eyes closed as I fell into a deep sleep.
I didn't notice the Hellhound outside my window, blending perfectly in with the shadows.
It shifted its paws in anticipation.
"Not yet, Mrs. O'Leary," A voice whispered to it. The Hellhound stopped moving. It placed its paws over its muzzle, sighing as it watched the demigod in the front seat. "Not yet."
The hound whined in protest, then settled down on its stomach in its best watchdog position. It was going to be a long night.
I was hyperactive in the morning, probably due to my long eleven hours of sleep. I listened closely to the radio.
"Just yesterday a silver Mercedes was stolen from a gas station in Mansfield. Listeners please be on the lookout for the stolen car. If sighted, please call 1-546-629-8713."
"You hear that?" I asked myself. "I'm on the radio!"
Unfortunately it meant I had to ditch the car.
I decided to leave it in the parking lot at Wal-Mart, where it would blend in until 9 that night. That would give me enough time to be far away. As I walked down the sidewalk I felt a tear growing in the corner of my eye.
I would miss that car.
I gradually sunk into a good mood, practically skipping down the path and humming to myself. No monsters, no gods, the sun warming my back; this was exactly like the old days. Aryryn mirrored my enthusiasm, its heartbeat pulsing gently against me, soothing me.
The land gradually turned from sprawling cities to gentle countryside, and I felt happy, totally in my element.
But they always did say that true happiness never lasts.
Icy waves burst over me, almost stopping my heartbeat and scaring me half out of my wits. A shadow appeared on the ground in front of me, and I crouched low to the ground as the monster launched itself right where my head had been.
The hellhound stood right on the road, blocking my way. It barked and wagged its tail furiously.
What the…?
I pulled Aryryn, and suddenly it was whimpering, pawing its nose with its gigantic paws. Its huge pleading eyes looked into mine. They were dark, like all the others I had ever seen, but they weren't the eyes of a killer.
"Don't hurt her!" Someone cried. The voice sounded vaguely familiar…
I whipped around, my eyes widening.
"I thought I told you not to follow me," I whispered sadly. "You're going to get yourself killed." I slowly slid Aryryn back into its sheath.
"You need my help," he insisted stubbornly.
I just shook my head, wincing lightly.
"Tell me you're not going to the Underworld, and I'll leave you alone."
"Nico," I sighed. I looked away, my eyes falling to the ground.
"It's true!" Nico breathed, unable to believe it. I couldn't look at him for fear of the accusation I would see in his eyes, the hurt. He really hadn't even considered that I really was going to face his father.
"Now you know. And it's too dangerous." I murmured, turning around. Mrs. O'Leary was howling, raking the pavement with her long claws. I winced again, and suddenly anger crashed over me.
Look at me now. The Rylin of old never would have been reluctant to send away help, never would have let herself trust in other people in the first place. That was a lesson I had learned the hard way, the lesson that had almost cost me my life. And the second thing; Nico was Hades' son, was he not? This could be just another complex plan for the Lord of the Dead to finally get his grimy hands on my soul.
Something inside me broke.
I had had enough running for one lifetime. If Hades wanted my soul, so be it. I would gladly give it in exchange for Max's, and take whatever punishment Hades decided to bring down on my head.
"Okay," I shrugged, not caring anymore. "You can come. It doesn't matter anyway."
He instantly noticed the change in my attitude, but wisely said nothing about it.
"Mrs. O'Leary and I can take you shadow-traveling in the morning. It's way faster than-" he paused dramatically "walking."
I didn't look at him, didn't answer. I hated the fluttering feeling in my chest at the mere mention of my quest. My life was forfeit.
I forlornly stepped forward again, and suddenly Nico was there, his black eyes flashing angrily.
"What is WITH you?!" he growled, Mrs. O'Leary adding a yelp at the end.
"It doesn't matter," I repeated dully.
"Yes it does. You're like a dead corpse for crying out loud! And I know what that looks like!" He forced me to look at him, and my eyes fired up, practically burning with my rage. "You've given up," he added softly, and I was stunned.
"No," I tried to deny it.
Nico touched my arm, and suddenly everything went blurry. I heard Mrs. O'Leary barking excitedly, her tail brushing my hand. I felt no icy waves from her now.
Suddenly everything came back into view, except we weren't in the countryside anymore.
Before me lay the jumbled, messed up city of Los Angeles, complete in its bittersweet glory. It looked just as I remembered, bright lights shining out in all directions, all the smoke fading up into the sky.
A hard rock grew in my chest as I plunged into the memory.
"It can't wait. It must be done."
"As you wish, Master." The ancient voice echoed, its glory finally restored. At last its revenge would begin, starting with the death of a girl.
It felt good to be alive again.
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Wings exploded around me, and my head slammed into a brick wall. My grip was still tight around Aryryn, my knuckles stained with what I knew was blood. My blood.
I stumbled up, practically whimpering in pain. Stars burst in front of my eyes, my legs trembling weakly under me. I wouldn't last another minute, let alone long enough to save what I knew was most important. I had failed.
Wind whipped into me, and I went down again, falling to my knees, then onto my stomach.
"Please," I whispered. "Please. Give me the strength."
The ground pounded into me, and I laid there, listening to my heartbeat race. There would be no one to save me, no one to pass on the memories of Pan. I had once come from the earth, and here I was slowly seeping back into it. Life drained from me, and I could feel the slowing of my heartbeat.
I had to fight. Why, I didn't know, but I knew it would be important that I had tried. I had to fight my instinct to just lie down and die, to erase all my pain and return to the earth.
I opened my eyes.
Aryryn was radiating, pulsing golden rays that rippled across the ground like a drop ripples a pool, shining bright light that cast a lovely warmth to my dark world. I welcomed it as I thrust out against the blanket of darkness threatening to envelope me and crush my life in its grip. Strength rushed down from Aryryn, filling me with renewed energy and fresh anger.
The alleyway stood in front of me as I leapt to my feet, my instincts heightened and sharpened in every way possible. The earth crumbled under my every footstep, leaving small craters in the shape of footprints. I smirked at the thought of what the Mist would show to the mortals. What I wouldn't give just to know.
Kampe was soaring high above me in a circle, her strong, leathery wings beating an irregular beat. Almost like they were uneven. My eyes roved over her scaled body, down to her head, where fire burned in the pits of her eyes. Her long, forked tongue snaked down out of her mouth as she spotted me.
She fell into a dive, and I mean fell. Almost like she could no longer hang in the air. A rotting stench hit me, filled with the death and smell of thousands. I gripped Aryryn tightly, hugging the glowing blade to my chest.
"Die, demigod!" she hissed.
I swung upward, Aryryn flashing above me in an arc. Something crashed to the ground, thudding down and hitting the pavement with a wet crack. I briefly flipped my head.
A thin, leathery wing lay there, blood pooling out the stub. Kampe had crashed to the ground a couple hundred feet away, shuddering to a stop.
I walked the length to her head.
Eye to eye with Kampe, I stared her down. Her flame eyes burned hatred, her very life dwindling before my own eyes.
"You will never stop us, demigod. Where I come from, there are many, many more. We will hunt you until the end of time!" She rasped, coughing up blood.
"The end of time? Very well," I murmured, raising Aryryn.
The golden blade dropped, severing her ties and ending her life. I watched as the wind blew away her dust, scattering her to the breeze.
Clear as day to me was the fact that I could no longer ever trust anyone ever again, anyone but myself. I had cried out to the gods; did they hear? I had cried out to every demigod; did they respond?
No.
And I would never involve myself with them ever again.
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Mrs. O'Leary's barking brought me back. She was whining, leaning over something on the ground, her tail brushing the dirt.
She growled at me as I stepped toward her, then backed away with her tail between her legs, stubbornly refusing to go more than five feet away. A chilling feeling rose in my chest as my eyes fell to the ground.
"Oh, Nico," I whispered hoarsely, leaning over his unconscious body curled up on the ground. What the heck had happened when I'd been immersed in memories? Had he died of hunger? Had he been attacked by a ravenous giant wielding an iron hammer? Whatever had happened, it probably was my fault. I couldn't tear my eyes away from his face, his dark eyes squeezed tightly shut.
I leaned over him even more, my forehead brushing his. A heartbeat pulsed lightly against me, and I almost collapsed in relief. I stood up, moving away so there was more room for Mrs. O'Leary. She was crowding Nico, practically sitting on top of him in her effort to revive the demigod. Her tongue licked his face, and I could imagine him waking up, wondering why the heck he was covered in Hellhound drool.
I unslung Aryryn from my back, and leaned against a tree, sliding down so that I was resting against it. Mrs. O'Leary finally trotted away, most likely to do her business. I relaxed and watched Nico, watched the steady rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. I knew I should have been thinking up a plan as to how I would get into the Underworld, but I couldn't think about that right now.
I was thinking about Nico.
Ever since I had met him, he had always managed to arouse my curiosity, starting with that look we had shared in the forest. The reason he had protected me from Thalia, the reason he had followed me from New York. I couldn't understand him, couldn't understand the feeling I felt from time to time when he was around.
That time in the forest I had felt his pain, understood what it felt like for him to lose Bianca. In a way his story was almost as tragic as mine. Then there was the fact that he had stood up to Percy and Thalia for me, had been willing to fight for my sake. And he was willing to follow me to the Underworld. And yet I couldn't shake the instinct that this could be a trap. All of it seemed too convenient.
The best thing for me to do would be to hide the real reason I was going to Hades, and distance myself as far as possible from Nico. It wouldn't do to form a bond and then have to cut it immediately, causing too much pain for my liking. Sure I'd have to hurt him eventually, but seeing him as he was he was now, lying there helpless, I wasn't sure that I could do it when I needed to. But I had to; the world depended on me.
I closed my eyes, and, lying back against the tree, fell into a deep sleep.
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