Chapter Fourteen: Fights
Zoё's POV
She opened her eyes to crystal darkness. She could tell she was in an enclosed compound of some sort. Not a single sliver of air provided a steady breeze; it seemed to do quite the opposite in fact.
She breathed in the stuffy room's essence, wincing at its grotesque odor- one of dried blood, sweat, and grime. Zoё's eyesight quickly succumbed to the shortened amount of light available- a handy trick for being one of the Ten. The walls, she noticed, were splattered crimson against the gray brick. Some blood spots were dribbling down to the floor, an equal color. Others looked multiple hours old, stuck to the surface in an eternal bond. But the rest looked to be several days old- ones so hideous they could allow even a member of the Ten to feel sorry for whoever's blood was marked upon the walls.
Hearing a quiet groan from the back of the room, Zoё drew closer to the figure, determined to help them in any way she could. She was one of the Ten for Chaos's sake! She couldn't stand by, letting this kind of torture go unnoticed, even if the figure was a criminal!
Each step placed Zoё ever so closer to the figure and as each couple feet closed the distance, Zoё noticed something: the figure was male. Just like the walls and floor alike, the male was covered in blood as well. Zoё recognized his assassin's clothes right on sight, despite the harsh amount of blood that kissed the ground, one ethereal drop after another. The only thing that kept her from categorizing him as serving another was Lord Chaos's insignia, running all over his clothing. No mortal eyes could see this; only soldiers of Lord Chaos were able to spot it. It was the insignia and the male's trademark hairstyle that made Zoё more determined than ever to help one of her own out of the torturer's room.
The male was placed in a sitting position against the wall. The only difference? He was forced into a spread-eagle, each limb twisted at an unpleasant angle and chained harshly to the four corresponding corners of the wall, leaving him not even a centimeter of space to shift in his eternal position.
Zoё knelt down so she was eyelevel with him. She caught his beautiful sea green eyes- the eyes she had fallen in love with- but they didn't look as beautiful as they once were. Instead of a healthy, vibrant green, his irises held a sickly green color; one that Zoё had hoped with all her heart never to see again. His eyes looked exactly like when he held the Sky- cracked and broken from the prolonged pain he had saved her eternal friend and Huntress, Lady Artemis from.
"Aion," she whispered, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. How could he appear in this condition when he was deadly; when none could lay a finger on when he was in battle or training? How was this possible?
Her husband's head didn't tilt up to look at her, nor did he smile when he heard her. It was as if he was both deaf and mute. No; Zoё wouldn't believe it- not when she was so close to him.
She tried again, firmer this time: "Aion."
The effects were instantaneous. Aion didn't hear her word. This wasn't sufficient; Zoё wouldn't allow this either.
She reached out her hand to bring his chin up, for him to properly look at her. He had to look at her, even if she was going to force him. Stubborn at times, he was.
Like any desperate mortal seeing their husband for the first time in what felt like years, Zoё expected her hand to be able to touch her husband. What actually happened truly surprised her. Zoё's hand went straight through Aion's chin.
No, no, she thought. This can't be a dream. Not when it feels so real... Not when I was this close to him...
Behind her the rusty door was thrown open, slamming right into the bloody wall, leaving an inch-deep indent. Zoё wondered how thick the walls were... Maybe three feet? She knew from experience it was enough to keep even one of Lord Chaos's soldiers captured. The bright light from outside the room slammed into Zoё's irises like wrecking ball. The heavenly color... White... It was so beautiful to see after being trapped in the darkness. Zoё almost ran out to touch it.
The figure that strolled in didn't mind sloshing around Aion's blood. If Zoё saw correctly, it looked like he enjoyed it.
Zoё pulled out her bow, notching an arrow from the quiver that had appeared on her back. "You stay away from him!" she yelled.
The torturer completely ignored Zoё, advancing quickly to his target. He kicked at Aion's chest a couple times, successfully jolting him out of his dream-like stare, making him struggle against the chains that bound him. "Chop, chop, Commander," he sighed, clapping his hands at every "chop".
Zoё released volley after volley after volley of arrows at the torturer, but every arrow went straight through his form, piercing the crimson bricks behind him and making them crack.
"I've got a busy day. Busy, busy, busy!" At each "busy," he kicked Aion even harder. Aion squirmed in his shackles- a hellish reality they must have kept him in.
"Fight someone your own size!" Zoё screamed. Again, the torturer didn't acknowledge her.
"Oh," he paused midkick, a smug smile on his face. "You want to fight me?"
For a split second, Zoё thought he was speaking to her; that he had heard her. That was not the case.
Aion murmured something indistinguishable, even with her acute hearing she couldn't pick up what he said. He was completely limp in his shackles. Whatever it was he whispered, the torturer heard it just fine. His smile seemed to turn even harsher. "Terribly sorry, Commander. You can't go out fighting me in this condition." He brought out an ebony colored trident, each prong as sharp as hospital needles.
"Here," he grunted, driving his trident into Aion's chest. "Let. Me. Help. You." With each word, he plunged the lethal object deeper into Aion.
Zoё could only watch in horror as her husband was being killed right before her eyes. The worst part? She couldn't do anything about it. Aion could withstand a couple dozen knives rammed into his limbs at full force, but a sharpened trident in his chest, mere inches from his heart? Not so much compared to an arm or leg.
As more and more of the trident disappeared, Aion hissed louder and louder. The pain was too much for him; much more than he could handle, even when he trained in his arena. Soon his voice faded away-he didn't have the strength anymore. Newly spilled blood gushed down his clothes, piling around him. If that trident found its way to his heart, he was good as dead. Not even the Creator of All would dare tamper with one's lives, even if they were in his outfit. That was for the Fates, his granddaughters, to decide.
The torturer laughed as he worked the trident into Aion's body. About half of the prongs were gone, sunk in his body. There was a final grunt of effort as the trident poked out of his back. The torturer smiled.
"Chaos's blessing, I see," he cackled. "Your bones are tough to break, I'll give you that. But not impossible, Commander." Another trident appeared in his hands. "Not impossible, indeed..."
An abrupt feeling of nausea hit Zoё like a steel brick in the head. She backed away from her husband and the torturer, swaying undecidedly to the threshold. Holding one hand out of the wall to support herself, Zoё leaned over, bile gushing out of her mouth.
After the bile had left her stomach, Zoё took a few deep breaths to steady her nerves. She glanced over at Aion, completely still in the manacles. The torturer had left, not one sign the he had been here. The tridents there were plunged into her husband were gone, the blood that had been shed gone as well.
"Zoё?" asked a voice from the back of the room, weak and feeble.
"Aion," she replied, tears of happiness clouding her vision. She crossed the room in a swift second, going for unshackling one of his arm cuffs.
Again, to no avail did she free Aion from their grasp. Her hands passed through the chains as if they were a mirage. Zoё wanted to get mad-but at what? This was a dream; not reality. Yet, why was she getting these dreams? Once Zoё had joined Lord Chaos, he had promised her no more of these 'demigod dreams', as Aion once called them. If she was having this dream, why did Lord Chaos lie to her? He didn't resemble one who would lie. Then again, she reminded herself, her master kept a lot of secrets.
"Zoё, my love," Aion said again, tears brimming his sick-looking eyes. "I was wrong and you were right," he whispered delicately. "I should have gone with reinforcements to save our daughter... I should have. But I didn't. I'm sorry, Zoё; I truly am."
If this was any other situation, Zoё would have acted much differently. Instead, his words struck only comfort and a sense of courage into her. "I forgive you, Aion," she found herself saying. "I'm coming to rescue you and our daughter. Be ready."
Be ready.
"Zoё, come on!"
Be ready.
"Let's go!" the voice said again.
Be ready.
"C'mon!" There was a pause, then much louder: "You know them- they won't last against a simple Minotaur. We promised to help them, let's go!"
Be ready.
That got her going. Zoё was dressed and ready for battle in an infinite minute. She met her friend Luke at the entrance of Chaos's cabin with a swift "hello". Lord Chaos had provided them their own cabin when Chiron offered they stay at the Big House, a generous offer on his part even if he knew absolutely nothing about them.
Be ready.
Keeping a swift jog to the borders, Luke informed her on the battle, one of several that had occurred after Aion departed that night.
"One of the campers was on night duty. Apparently Thalia's pine was failing to keep our targets at bay. We'll need-"
"I know," Zoё grunted, her bow materializing in her hands and quiver on her back. "Reinforcements."
Notching a silver arrow, she let it catch flight, meeting its target- an enemy cyclops hiding behind a particular tree's trunk. "Listen," she hesitated before telling him. "I had a dream..."
Ahead of her, Luke threw his sword like a javelin, impaling what looked like a dryad. "Yeah?"
Zoё knew she should trust Luke. He was the one who trained her daughter in the art of swordfighting, after all. Aion trusted him, she too. "It was about Aion."
Another sword appeared in his hands and he ran to the forest. Surely there was a base of monsters somewhere there. Zoё followed suit, shooting whatever moved out of the corner of her eyes.
"He was being tortured, blood was spilled around the room."
Luke stopped short midswing, as if the words were finally registered. He shook his head, snapping out of it easily, finishing his target with one clean cut down the center. His target, now monster dust, fell to the ground.
"Demigod dreams," Luke said, raising an eyebrow. "I was told they couldn't occur anymore?"
Zoё let another arrow fly. "Apparently so." She surveyed her surroundings- grasses covered with monster dust and trees clawed at, as if used as scratching posts during the free time. How many had been here- or rather, how many of the monsters were smart enough to run away? A forgotten sickle laid in the dust, showing desperation to flee from the sight.
"Looks like four dozen were here, easy," Luke said, raking through the dust.
Zoё nodded in agreement. "Don't tell the campers; better not to. Curiosity could lead to death at a moment's notice," she advised him. "I'm going to rescue Aion and together we go for Artemis. You stay here, tell the campers we got all the monsters. Send out a couple soldiers to hunt down the remainers."
Luke sheathed his sword. "Zoё," he said. "Look, I apologize, but I can't let you do that alone. You need help. I'm coming with you."
Zoё's bow was gone, replaced with a balled fist. "No, Luke. I'm not hearing any of it. Youare staying here."
"The soldiers can handle the attacks," he reminded her.
"Chaos, Luke." She resisted the urge to punch some sense into him. Sometimes he was as determined as Artemis- and she had gotten that gene from Aion. "Are you going against one of the Ten?"
Luke glowered. "What does that have to do with rescuing your family, exactly?"
If Zoё was still with the Hunters, she would have shot a dozen arrows at him and left him to die. That was a long time ago- she wasn't bothered by her Hunters' instinct anymore. She vowed she wouldn't let it ruin her life, and it didn't. It wasn't a part of her.
"Nothing," she admitted begrudgingly, shifting her weight onto the other foot. Her gaze met his. "Luke, I-I'm sorry," she said.
Luke exhaled. "I forgive you." His regular smile was back and he said, "C'mon, we'll miss breakfast."
"Most important meal of the day," Zoё echoed.
Luke smirked. "Sure is. Race you there?"
"You're on."