A/N: Hey guys! Looks like I haven't updated in several months…*whistles innocently*. I have another important note in the bottom of this chapter explaining everything, so please read that! :) Also, this chapter was written months ago, but I just haven't posted it….oops.
Alyssa shook Leo awake. "Leo! Get up!" She hissed, moving over to Will and lightly kicking him in his side.
Will groaned and scowled at Alyssa. "You had to kick me?"
Alyssa rose an eyebrow innocently. "Considering you sleep like a bear, yes," she retorted, moving to shake Annabeth awake.
Leo blinked his eyes and sat up. "Sure, you gently wake up Annabeth, but you kick Will, and nearly shake out my brains," he complained, combing his fingers through his tousled hair.
"Annabeth doesn't snore," she pointed out.
Leo feigned a hurt look, dramatically placing his hands across his chest. "I don't snore!" He insisted.
Alyssa smirked "Sure. Sure you don't," she said sardonically.
"Why are you in such a hurry to wake us up?" Annabeth asked.
Alyssa's playful expression was replaced with a grim face. "I had a dream. Melaina was there. And...she told me things," the Ranger began, watching her companions with wary eyes, as if one of them was going to jump out and attack her.
"And?" Will urged.
Alyssa explained everything she learned from the dream. When she talked about her oakleaf pendant being a key, the bronze seemed to grow hot against her skin. Breathless, she finally sat back on her haunches, looking at the other demigods for their reaction.
Leo whistled slowly. "Wow...That's a table-turner. How are we going to stop Melaina from getting Zerelth's tooth?"
"Well, she needs my oakleaf pendant first, and she tried to bribe me into giving it to her. She said I could go back home."
Annabeth's head snapped up. "You're not going to-"
"Betray you?" Alyssa hesitated. "N-No, of course not."
There was an uncomfortable silence between them. Alyssa wasn't even sure herself of what she said. In the heat of the moment, if she had the choice, would she really stay loyal to the demigods?
Will interrupted her thoughts. "Well, the only thing left to do now is go home."
"Home?" Leo questioned.
Annabeth nodded. "He's right," she agreed. "We don't have any supplies at all, and we're all hungry, wounded, and exhausted. Besides, it would be better if Chiron knew about this."
"First things first. We have no clue where we even are," Alyssa pointed out.
"Let's go look around first. Maybe someone can tell us where we are," Annabeth volunteered, heading to the closed door. It was a warehouse-type of door, made with a thin sheet of metal. Annabeth pushed on it, and it shuddered slightly at the weight.
"C'mon, let's all push on it together," Annabeth said. The four of them put both hands on the door, and on Annabeth's count, shoved it open with a large creak. An overcast sky was revealed, something that neither of them had seen in days. A strong wind whipped their hair back, and bit at their bare skin.
The 'village' was mostly abandoned. Desolate buildings dotted the side of the road. It wasn't much of a city, nor a village. It was just a gathering of buildings beside a highway. Cars zipped past, so Annabeth assumed it was a main highway.
"Out of all places, Nico drops us off in the middle of a deserted ghost town," Annabeth murmured.
Alyssa looked down the road with a grim face. "I would much prefer this than the hell we were in."
Annabeth patted the pockets of her jeans. "I don't have any drachmas, so we can't Iris Message anyone. We'll have to wander around until we find someone."
The demigods walked down the empty gravel road. The wind whistled through the broken windows. It seemed like the ghosts were singing, their eerie voices shaking the broken buildings. Floorboards creaked, and doors shuddered.
Goosebumps rose on Alyssa's skin. Nothing to be scared of here, she told herself. Despite that, it seemed to unsettle her, as if someone was breathing down her neck. Obviously Leo could sense it too, because he gently grabbed Alyssa's clammy hands nervously. Ever since Leo had kissed her last night, she had noticed he was more fidgety than usual, and always tended to stay by her side, as if he was afraid she would disappear at any moment.
Annabeth, who was walking a meter ahead of the group, screamed in horror and crumpled to the ground, her whole body shaking and convulsing. Her face was pale, and her eyes were glazed over, staring blankly at the space in front of her.
"Annabeth!" Alyssa cried, kneeling beside her broken form. Will's hands shook as he knelt down to touch Annabeth's forehead. Her skin feverish and clammy.
Leo, who stood beside them, felt an even more unsettling feeling than before. It seemed like voices were in his head. Help. The Horror. The Fear. His head throbbed as he was overcome with dread and fear. His breath and heartbeat slowed, and he dropped to the ground in a fetal position, thrashing and screaming, his hands clamped over his head. He'd do anything to stop those morbid voices.
Will and Alyssa turned, wide-eyed, towards Leo. "We've gotta get out of here!" Will yelled, but before he could barely finish his sentence, a dark spectre appeared in front of them. Neither of them could really distinguish what it was. It morphed from the silhouette of woman in robes, then blurred into something, which neither of them could really tell what it was.
Alyssa's face paled, and she felt like she wanted to curl up and die. Her legs were trembling like jello. Will licked his lips, and tried to stop his mouth from getting dry. It took all his willpower not to collapse.
"W-Who are you?" Will demanded. He meant for it to sound more stronger, but it came out no more than a squeak. The black spectre hissed.
"Phrike, spirit of horror and trembling fear. I know the daughter of Athena would know what that feels like. She experienced similar terror in Tartarus." Her voice was raspy, like the sound when you rub two pieces of sandpaper against each other.
Will narrowed his eyes. "If you're horror, then why aren't you in Tartarus?"
Phrike growled, but as a spirit, it came out as more of a gurgling sound. "Why must all fear thrive in the depths of Tartarus? The Overworld, life, has more dread. It holds more horrors than any hell you can imagine. It tests your sanity, your rationality; how long you can last in the world of the living. Not many have lasted very long. It even breaks the most strongest heroes, sooner or later. Think about it, son of Apollo, you're all dying slowly, painfully; your willpower to stay alive crumbling every day. Even Tartarus is more merciful than Life."
"What do you want?" Alyssa snarled. She edged closer to Will, to half comfort herself, and half comfort Will.
Phrike smiled wickedly, at least, Alyssa thought it was a smile. It was kind of hard to tell when her whole body was made of black smoke.
"I don't want to kill you. That would be much too quick and unsatisfying," Phrike mused. "Life would be a much better ending for you. I'd rather see you suffer longer, to feel what it's like to slowly lose everything; your mind, your soul, your willpower."
As she said those last words, Alyssa felt lightheaded. How long could she last? What would it take to destroy her sanity?
"We're not backing down, whether you like it or not," Will said forcefully. Alyssa forced herself to nod.
"Right, and we're not letting some scary ghost freak us out. Now let us go," Alyssa demanded.
Phrike tutted in amusement. "Little heroes...You can't stop Life. It's inevitable. You may stop the gods, titans, or monsters from overrunning the world, but in the long run, you'll all give in to a less tangible force."
"So you did all this just to tell us that we're all going to die? Thanks for pointing out the obvious, lady," Will said sarcastically.
"Essentially, to plant a seed of doubt in your hearts. Let it squirm and grow. Watch your quest fail, heroes. You'll discover the true meaning of pain, suffering, and loss."
The black mist dispersed, leaving them alone, still in the middle of the abandoned village. Except Will and Alyssa felt a heavy burden on their shoulders, as if doubt weighed a lot.
Leo and Annabeth still lay on the floor, but they weren't shaking as much, and a little bit of colour had come back to their faces.
Leo, sat up groggily, and peered at Will and Alyssa's gaunt faces. "Oh man, did I miss another fight?" He asked disappointedly.
Alyssa shook her head. "Trust me, you would've been glad you were down for this one.
Annabeth struggled to her feet. "What happened?"
"Uh...we got a visit from the spirit of horror," Will volunteered.
Leo swallowed. Suddenly he didn't seem so disappointed that he missed out. "Oh...horror...Sounds fun."
"She didn't say anything important, mostly telling us about how we're all going to die and stuff," Will said, dismissing it as if 'dying and stuff' was no big deal.
Leo looked at Alyssa with concern. Something was...off...with her. Her brown eyes had seemed more darker, more foreboding. Her skin was paler than usual, and it seemed like she was constantly fighting a battle of doubt in her mind. Leo turned to Will, and came to the same conclusion, but Will hid it more easily with his light humour.
Annabeth scowled. "I suggest we all get going before we turn into monster food. We still haven't figured out where we are."
Alyssa shaded her eyes with her hand as she looked down the road. "How about we walk down there a bit?"
Will shook his head doubtfully. "Too far. We'd tire ourselves out before we even get to two miles."
The Ranger arched an eyebrow. "Got a better plan?" she asked coldly. Will shrugged dejectedly. "No? Then I suppose we get going," she announced, her voice steely. She started down the road, barely pausing to wait for them.
Leo looked to the others, a questioning look in his eyes. "What's her problem?"
Will sighed and clapped his friend on the back. "Everything."
The group followed Alyssa until Leo raised his hand as if he were in a class. "Uh...one question. What the heck is that?" Leo pointed up in the sky.
Apparently, that, was some sort of ball of light, hurtling towards them. As it got closer, a silhouette of a chariot was revealed, where a man sat in it. The chariot landed, and the man stepped out. He was tall, with a muscular, tone body. He had bleach blonde windswept hair, and piercing blue eyes set into a handsome, chiseled face. He wore a blue t-shirt and khakis, something so simple, but he made it look stylish.
Hastily, Annabeth bowed. "Uhm...Lord Apollo?" It seemed as though she wasn't sure if the god was really there.
Apollo smiled. "The one and only." He turned towards Will. "Ah, Will! I apologize for being late and all...but, you know...Artemis was after me again, something about flirting with her Hunters." The sun god rolled his eyes.
Alyssa coughed apologetically. "I beg your pardon?"
Apollo turned to her, as if only recognizing her presence. "Alyssa! Looks like I've got a lot of explaining to do." He laughed, winking charmingly.
Alyssa rose an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed.
Apollo smirked. "What, you don't recognize your own father? Well, I mean, I guess it is kind of awkward. You're...what, eighteen? And I look like I'm twenty, so we could pass as brother and sister. I'm not going to be offended if you don't send me a Father's Day card."
Alyssa bit her lip. "You're my father?"
Apollo chuckled. "Exactly! Now, if we're done our family reunion, I'd like to give you a ride to camp."
"But isn't that...like, a no-no? I thought gods weren't supposed to help on quests," Leo pointed out.
A mischievous grin spread across the god's face. "Well, it's a good thing no one's telling Zeus, eh? Between me and you guys, he's being a pain in the the godly-"
"Ok! Let's get going, shall we?" Annabeth interrupted.
Alyssa eyed the red and gold chariot warily. "Is that thing safe?" she asked with concern.
Apollo dismissed it easily. "Maybe, not sure. Seatbelts weren't installed yet. You might fall to your doom unless you hang on tight."
"Oh...lovely…."
"Come on! I haven't got all day!" The sun god urged. Annabeth was first to climb in. The seat had padded leather, with a velvet interior on the sides of the chariot. Will and Annabeth took the front two seats, and Leo and Alyssa took the back seats. Apollo sat at the very front seat, grabbing the reins of the horses. Of course, being a god and all, Apollo didn't have normal horses. They were made out of white flames, their eyes were hollowed sockets.
Apollo flicked the reins, and the horses leaped in the air. They ran...but not on the ground - on thin air. Alyssa's stomach lurched and she gripped the side of the chariot so hard that her knuckles turned white. She normally had a good head for heights, but there was something unsettling about riding on an unstable flying chariot, and Apollo's comment earlier about the safety didn't help much either.
"Please tell me it's not a long ride," she managed, trying to concentrate on anything but flying.
Apollo shrugged. "I'm the sun god, not the I-know-how-long-it-will-take-to-travel god."
Alyssa glared at Apollo. "I can't believe you're my father," she muttered bitterly.
The rest of the trip was silent. Alyssa spent the whole time staring at her feet, her face pale. Leo drummed his fingers on the side, which really seemed to get on Alyssa's nerves. After a few painstaking minutes, they could see Camp Half-Blood come into view.
"We're here," Leo said to Alyssa. Reluctantly, she lifted her head. The chariot angled down and they landed smoothly on the grass...in the middle of the battle arena. Campers looked in shock as they nearly hacked off the heads of the incoming demigods. They stumbled off, glad to be back on solid ground.
"Never...again," Alyssa groaned. Apollo pulled Alyssa aside. From the seat where he sat in the chariot, he pulled out a bow and quiver full of arrows, and a double scabbard. They looked like an exact replica of her Ranger weapons.
"Take this as a peace offering. I hope I didn't shake you up too much with the ride." He grinned as he held them out to the Ranger. Alyssa accepted them hesitantly.
"Um...thanks, Apollo." She attempted a weak smile. Apollo clapped her on the back affectionately, and disappeared in a bright flash. Immediately, the returning demigods were swarmed with campers asking questions. Alyssa knew she should be grateful for surviving, but she wasn't feeling too great. She managed to duck out of the crowd and made her way to the Apollo cabin.
Alyssa sat down on her bed - the one that was pushed up against the wall in the very corner. Suddenly, she smiled ruefully to herself. She remembered once in Araluen when she went to a tavern with Will. He insisted that they sit in the back of the room, with their backs to the wall. She questioned it, but Will merely told her 'As a Ranger, it's best to see without being seen'.
"I must've picked up after that man's habits," she murmured to herself.
Surprisingly, for the first time ever, she actually had a chance to examine the empty cabin. The walls were marble, and the ceiling was high, held up with wooden beams. There were braziers along the walls, lit up with a vigorous white flame. Large bay windows adorned some parts of the wall.
She stared back down at the bow that Apollo had given her. Like her Ranger bow, it wasn't anything fancy. The wood was smooth but plain, and the grip in the middle of the bow was made of tightly wound leather and sinew. She flexed the bowstring experimentally.
"I was actually kind of surprised that Dad gave that to you. He doesn't visit his kids often, let alone get them gifts." A male voice came from the doorway. Alyssa looked up and saw Will's tall figure leaning against the doorframe casually.
"You coming outside? You should get something to eat, and we'll patch up that wound, too," he offered.
Alyssa stayed silent for a minute, her gaze fixed on the bow in her hands. She felt a surge of anger and resentment course through her body.
"I never asked for any of this," she said bitterly, almost to herself. Will eyed Alyssa's face, searching for something that wasn't there.
"None of us did, Lyss. Things happen, that's the way life works. But...we're here now, safe and all in one piece. Count your blessings." Will said.
Alyssa gripped the bow so hard that her knuckles whitened. Her teeth gritted. She almost wanted to snap the weapon in half. But she couldn't bare to destroy such a finely crafted masterpiece.
"Right. I'll...be out there in a second, Will."
The son of Apollo nodded, turning back to join the others. Alyssa sighed to herself, her grip on the bow loosening. She knew that Will was right. Shewas alive. But that didn't change how she felt. She thought about Araluen all the time, like it was some dream that she had lived, and now she had woken up in a nightmare. She was the one at fault for possibly killing Nico. It was her fault that Percy was stuck in Araluen. It was one unfortunate event after another.
Reluctantly, Alyssa set her bow and quiver on the bed, but left her double scabbard attached to her belt. She walked to the infirmary, and saw Leo sitting on a cot, Will gingerly wrapping a bandage around his wound. Leo looked up as Alyssa approached.
"Alyssa! You feeling okay? You sort of just disappeared on us there," he said, wrinkles forming on his forehead as he frowned with concern.
Alyssa waved her hand dismissively. "I'm fine," she said briefly, her face deadpan. Will and Leo shared a worried glance.
"Well, alright…" Will let it go, but he knew that Alyssa was anything but okay. After tying Leo's bandage in place, he went to a small storage closet to the side of the room. "Just let me get some stuff to clean out your wound, Alyssa, it looked pretty nasty," he said.
Leo shifted from foot to foot, running his fingers through his curly hair. "About that...you know...thing happened that night, I-"
"Shut it. It was all a mistake, okay? Clearly I was delusional," Alyssa cut him off brusquely. She looked down to avoid seeing Leo's crestfallen face.
"Oh...yeah, I was gonna say the same thing."
Will returned and carefully redressed the bandages. Before Alyssa had the chance to leave, Will grabbed her firmly by the wrist. "Seriously, what's gotten into you? You act like you don't care anymore, about anything. Yeah, I know you're freaked out about everything that's happened, but c'mon, really?" Will's jaw locked in determination, locking eyes with his half-sister.
Alyssa returned the look cooly. Her face hardened, and her brown eyes turned to ice. "Don't talk to me as if there was something...wrong with me. That stupid spirit, Phrike, she was right about everything. What should I even try here?! I'm done looking for Percy; all I've ever accomplished is getting people hurt, like when we left Nico."
"That wasn't your fault."
Alyssa didn't speak for a moment, her cold eyes numbly staring at Will's face, intimidating, menacing. Will could almost feel the anger rolling off her in waves. Suddenly, they snapped their heads up as they heard a door slamming loudly, and Leo was gone.
"It's okay to be scared, Alyssa." Will continued, ignoring the dead look in her eyes. "You're trying so hard to pretend that everything's fine with you."
"Don't," she growled, an air finality in her voice that said that the discussion was over. She roughly pulled herself away from Will's grasp and angrily slammed the door open.
A/N: Long time no see, huh? I know, I know, I'm terrible at updating. Basically I've just been preoccupied with other writing and pretty much forgot about this one. I was blown away at how much support I got in people wanting me to continue the story as it is. Now, I think it will get rewritten eventually, but for now, chapters will still continue like normal for this story, as long as enough people still enjoy it written this way.
And another important question: As for Leo and Alyssa, a few reviews that I've seen seem to like the idea of a romantic relationship between the two. It's a bit of a cliche to have a female OC get together with a main canon character, which is why I've recently been hesitant to move their relationship forward in a positive direction. Do you guys enjoy a sort of love-hate relationship with Leo and Alyssa and them just staying friends? Or do you like the prospect of them actually becoming a couple?
Thank you all once again for all the support and feedback you've given to me, and I hope you will still like what I've written! :)