Chapter 20
Authors note:
I'm sorry if I haven't posted as much as usual. I have finals next week and I have been super busy studying in a cramming last minute tests that my teachers throw at me so I've had basically no time to write. Goods news is that this story is almost finished, with about one or two chapters left. I plan of writing a sequel, but that's up to you guys if you want one. Thanks to all my followers, favorites, and reviewers for motivating me through this story. Love you all:)
Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson nor any of its characters, I just own my own character Antheia/Alyssa.
Drip! Drip!
A small puddle started forming at Alyssa's feet as a small stream of water continued falling down from the dark cave ceiling. Her hands were bound in heavy, metal chains that seemed to weigh her whole body down.
She sat huddled in a ball in the back of the isolated cave, thinking of how Luke had gained her trust, maybe even her heart, and he betrayed her.
A small tear rolled down her cheek as she possessed the thought that she was going to die, sooner or later Luke would come back.
She felt a headache forming as she thought of what he had said earlier.
'You are the key to the gods destruction...it would be a shame to remember such wonderful things before you die...'
"Why. Can't. I . Remember." She forcefully said to herself, cradling her head in her hands. She was getting more and more stressed, every second ticked by as if it were slowed by tenfold as the minutes ticked down until her death.
She thought back to when she opened her necklace. She felt a certain longing for it, seeing how is had become such and important piece in her life.
The necklace seemed to be made with such care, the way the golden sun sparkled, the extravagant detail of the engraving of the message, all made with such carefulness and love. Yes, it had to be made with love.
The picture that went with the message seemed so familiar, the eyes of the man seemed like they were forever sketched in her memory, it just doesn't have a name or any clues whatsoever to who he was.
She raised her head when she heard a pair of footsteps outside her door. Panic set in her heart as she assumed the worst, but they just passed by and grew fainter and fainter until they disappeared.
"You need to get a grip of yourself, Alyssa." She warned herself. "If I ever want to get out of here and find out who I am, I'm gonna need to stop worrying and start doing something."
She tried to yank free of the heavy chains or possibly slip out of them, but they held firm, gripping her tiny wrists and cutting into them.
"Some supposed goddess I am.." She muttered. "I'm not a goddess, I'm nobody who happened to get confused with someone else."
More tears ran down her eyes. "I'm alone, going to die in a dark, cold cave. Killed by someone I trusted, never able to have a relationship, marry, grow old... Never get to see Percy again..." Her voice broke and she sobbed hopelessly, still curled up in a tight ball.
The minutes ticked by as her sobs grew more and more pain-filled.
What she didn't notice was that right by her left hand, something was shifting the earth: a tiny sapling broke out of the ground.
It slowly felt around before growing, climbing out and out of the cold ground until it formed a small stem with a flower bud on top of it.
Alyssa had her head in her lap, soft tears escaping her eyes. Her heart throbbed, her mind wandering in panic.
She heard a soft pitter-patter and she looked up to see..
"Aiden?" She asked in amazement.
The small fox did a small bow in front of her. "Greetings, beautiful Antheia. Long time, no see."
"But... How did you get in here?"
"Why, your predecessor sent me."
Alyssa cocked her head to the side in confusion. "My predecessor?"
"Yes, me." A small, rash voice came from her left.
She looked over to see a flickering holographic man sitting next to a gorgeous blooming flower. The man had large rams horns, almost like a satyr, but a kinder, more tired looking face.
"Who are you?" Alyssa inquired.
"I am Pan, the god of the wild." He replied.
Alyssa's eyes widened, her mouth hanging open.
The man, Pan, chuckled before saying, "I am here to help you."
"Help me with what?" She asked, bewilderment spreading across her face.
"Why, help you remember your past, of course." He said, as if stating the obvious.
Her eyes lit up. "Really? You can do that?
He nodded. "Of course I can. You see, you are going to take my place when I pass as a goddess of nature. You will help preserve nature all over the world, making it once again a beautiful landscape."
Alyssa looked down. "I'd love to believe you, sir. It's just that I don't remember any of my childhood before Percy and Sally so I don't exactly remember you."
Pan chuckled, his holographic form flickering, about to disappear.
His eyes turned sad, looking around at the tiny, lifeless cave. "There is almost no wilderness left, and I'm afraid that's why I am stuck in a deep slumber, trying to preserve any piece of nature I possible can."
"Oh, ya. My friend Grover talks on and on about you. He believes that if someone finds you, they will be able to wake you up."
"I'm afraid that can't happen now, my life form is almost gone, I'm just waiting for someone to find me so I can pass on my final blessing. That's why I need you to take my place." He said
Desperation filled her voice. "How can I help others when I don't even know who I am."
His mouth formed a small smile. "The only way you can remember your past is if you stop worrying and let go of your fear."
"Let go of what fear?" She wailed, her voice breaking.
Pan's eyes filled with sympathy. "The fear of who you are, the fear of not knowing what's gonna happen if you do remember."
Her eyes filled with tears. "I just can't.. I could be a whole other person that I might not like. What if I never remember my memories and I let down you and everyone else!?"
He chuckled, a sad, lonely chuckle before giving her a sad glance.
"I'm afraid I don't have much longer, for someone is coming."
Panic filled Alyssa's eyes. "No!" She screamed. "It can't be time yet!?"
"Remember.. Alyssa or Antheia- the girl whose about to die, or the powerful goddess who can defeat Luke with a flick of your fingers. You decide.." He gave her a hopeful smile. "And don't worry about people not accepting you, I know of one person who's very dear to you that has been dying for you to come back.. Someone who has given you his heart."
His holographic image sizzled again, before flickering out and disappearing, leaving her once again in the dark lonely cave, with a faint sound of footsteps coming closer and closer.
"Someone who has given me their heart... Who could that possible be?' She asked herself in self-panic, her desperation coming back.
She took a deep, calming breath, telling herself to calm down. "Don't be afraid.. Don't be afraid. Someone who is obviously very dear to me..."
Her thoughts drifted back to the Santa Monica pier, opening her necklace which happened to be a locket and seeing that picture, feeling those feelings in her heart.
'You are my forever and your will always have my heart...'
She shot up, her eyes widening as she shouted, "You will always have my heart! It's the man from the locket."
She started pacing back and forth, thinking about what the last sentence was. She tapped her fingers against her thigh.
"Ugg, what was it... Remember you forever? No.. Call me maybe? Ugh, no, no, no! Think, Alyssa, think!"
She stopped pacing and she lifted her chin, raising her gaze from the ground to the door.
"No, don't think, Alyssa." She said fiercely. "Think, ANTHEIA, think!"
Suddenly, something in her mind clicked... Like a latch unhooking, and she was transported back in her memory to the day she was looking at her locket.
'You are my forever and you will always have my heart, Love you more than life, A.'
A.. Ares? No.. Aphrodite?... No, no, no!
Her mind wandered to the picture, her gaze resting in the man. She looked at her five-year-old self first, wrapping her arms around the man and smiling at him with such admiration.
The man, with his white tee shirt on and a bright smile. And those gorgeous blue eyes... Blue eyes that made her melt whenever he would stare at her, her precious A-"
The box inside her mind swung open, the latch bursting free and all her happy memories came flooding back to her.
Tears filled her eyes as she though of all the people she had forgotten.
"Ares... Yes I will always be your little lamb, Auntie Aphrodite, can we still play hide and seek? Dionysius, would you still pick me up on your shoulder and run around with me? Daddy... Daddy! Zeus and Hera, I miss you so much and I love you so much! And dear..."
She smiled for the first time in forever, the icy barrier in her mind shattering, the box exploding, never again to take such people away from her.
She felt power stirring inside of her, like a pressure building inside if her chest.
As the door opened, and Luke walked in with his evil, cocky smile, Alyssa exploded in a fiery white light, blinding him as he shielded his eyes.
When the white light faded, dimming down as he was finally able to see, standing where Alyssa just stood in her shabby old clothes, stood...a goddess.
The woman was breathtakingly beautiful, her golden caramel hair curled perfectly around her head, her face was flawless, with her deep, green, emerald eyes showing life in them. She was wearing a long flowing, emerald dress that was sleeveless and shimmered down her lovely figure, until it was cut off just around her gorgeous ankles, with soft, leather sandals resting around her perfect toes and feet.
She stood talker, looked older, acted braver, but in front of him stood...
"Alyssa?" He asked, bewildered.
The woman gave a soft laugh, which sounded like wind chimes and shook her head.
"No, I'm not Alyssa. At least not anymore. I am Antheia, goddess of Nature, protector of the wild and its inhabitants, and if you don't mind, I need to get back to my beloved, Apollo."
-:-
Percy, Annabeth, and Grover trudged around wanderlessly.
After walking around pointlessly through the Field of Asphodel for which seemed like forever, they had somehow got sucked down in a dark cave at the edge of a giant pit where Grover's magic shoes almost dragged him in.
They were scared, tired, hungry, and most definitely done with the quest as they made their way to Hades throne, about to beg for him to give the bolt back.
They soon reached two story tall bronze gates which stood wide open. Past the giant gate revealed a courtyard which had the strangest garden Percy had ever had. Multicolored mushrooms, poisonous shrubs, and weird luminous plants grew without sunshine. Scattered around the garden stood statues from Medusa, all smiling grotesquely.
In the center of the garden was an orchid with luscious pomegranate trees, their orange blooms neon bright in the dark.
"The gardens of Persephone," Annabeth said. "Keep walking."
Percy nodded, trying to keep himself and Grover from attacking those delicious looking fruits.
They walked up the steps of the palace, passing dark marble halls until the approached two large doors guarded by a skeleton in military gear.
"You know," Grover mumbled, "I bet Hades doesn't have trouble with door-to-door salesmen."
As Percy was walking towards the doors, his backpack started weighing a ton, and he could figure out why.
"We'll, guys." He said. "I suppose we should...knock?"
A hot wind blew down the corridor, and the doors swung open.
"I guess that means enter." Annabeth murmured.
The room inside looked just like from Percy's nightmare, except this time the throne was occupied.
Hades stood at least ten feet tall and dressed in black silk robes and a crown of braided gold. His skin was albino white and he had jet black hair. Though he didn't look as intimidating as Ares, he still radiated power.
"You are brave to come here, Son of Poseidon," he said in an oily voice. "After what you have done to me, very brave indeed. Or perhaps you are simply foolish."
Percy exchanged looks with Annabeth and Grover, both looking as confused as him.
"Umm, Lord Hades? What exactly have I done?" He asked in a nervous voice.
The throne room shook with a tremor so strong, they probably felt it upstairs in Los Angeles. Debris fell from the cavern ceiling. Doors burst open all along the walls, and hundreds of skeletal warriors burst in from every time period, all blocking the exits.
"Don't you dare have the nerve to ask what you have done? I do not want any part to do with the world above, my brothers all drive me insane!"
"But you took Zeus's master bolt." Percy asked confused.
"Lies! Zeus may see through your fathers schemes but I will not. You are the lightening thief, and if you may, I will have my helm back now."
"But.." Annabeth said, a million things going through her mind. "Lord Hades, your helm is missing too?"
"Don't play innocent with me either, girl. You have been scheming with this thief since the beginning, accusing me of stealing something he already possesses."
Percy's face paled as he thought of the weight that was in his backpack...
"That's impossible!" Annabeth yelled. "Percy would never-"
Percy slung the backpack off his shoulder and unzipped it. Inside was a two-foot-long metal cylinder, spiked on both ends, humming with energy. Along side it laid an elaborate bronze war helmet..the helm of darkness.
"Percy." Annabeth gasped. "How-"
"I-I don't know. I don't understand." He said frantically.
He hastily pulled out the helm and a small piece of paper fell out.
Grover picked it up and read it, his face draining if all color. Annabeth snatched the letter, looking it over and she too paled.
"What does it say?" Hades said impatiently.
Annabeth slowly started speaking, her face still drained of color.
"I-I hope you enjoy these small parting gifts, Percy. I traded them for something-someone- of much greater value."
"Parting gifts?" Perch asked.
He reached over to grab the small piece of paper and as he grabbed it from Annabeth's hand, another small piece of paper fell out from its folded crease.
He leaned down to picked it up and gasped when he saw who it was.
"It's-it's... Alyssa!" He said, fully panicked now.
"Who's Alyssa?" Hades demanded.
Annabeth grabbed the photo from Percy's hand and handed it to Lord Hades.
When he saw the photo, he froze, his whole body tensing up as raw power shifted though the room.
"It-it can't be..." He stated.
"Alyssa, Percy's sister, is the long lost goddess Antheia." Annabeth confirmed.
Hades hands hardened into fists. His eyes held such strong emotion as he gazed down at the square piece of paper.
Annabeth took the paper from his still hand. "Who could possibly want to take Alyssa?"
She paused as she saw the photo, the still frozen Percy standing next to her, unmoving.
Realization came over her as she stared at the picture again.
"It's-it's..." She started, staring down at the clear picture of Alyssa sleeping in her small sleeping bag with Percy laying next to her in his own sleeping bag, and standing next to her, looking down at her with pure hatred stood, "Luke?"
Another Authors Note:
Hello again, I just wanted to say that I have been extremely busy and my school happen to be throwing the winter formal the weekends before finals so I might not be ablue to update again til late Sunday might or Monday night and I just want to apologize in advance for that.
-Please Review-