I do not own Percy Jackson nor Heroes of Olympus, they belong to Rick Riordan.
Chapter Thirty-Five - Alyx
The arena quieted. Jax raised his eyebrow, his grip loosening a bit. He scanned her appearance, from her hair to her shoes, then looked into her eyes.
"What did you say?" He asked. His voice was deep, not like Hank's or Liam's or Phillip's, but like deep and rumbling. It was raspy though, not smooth or anything. He sounded like he had just woken up from a good nap.
"Oh, so you do speak." She commented.
"What did you say?" He repeated.
"I said why."
"Because I was made to do so." He dropped her, allowing her to cough and rub her neck. "The gods abandoned us. They are worthless. Fall in love with a mortal and then dump them as soon as the mortal gets pregnant. Life is futile." Alyx raised her eyebrow.
"Okay… I don't know what you're smoking, but okay…" She sighed. "Look, my dad is Percy Jackson-"
"I know who you are."
"Okay, rude."
"Daughter of Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase, two of the Seven. Granddaughter of Poseidon and Athena. Oldest of the Next Seven. Correct?"
"Yeah, I guess." She looked around, and carefully patted her pocket. Riptide was back in her pocket. "But that's not how things are anymore." He narrowed his eyes.
"What do you mean?"
"Those people in that cage over there are descendants of the gods. As soon as it was announced there was going to be a second generation of demigods, the gods pulled their crap together and formed a pact with Chiron. If they got a mortal pregnant, they would leave them with money for child support, visit them, and then once they were old enough to send them to Camp Half-Blood to be trained." She tilted her head. "And I'm guessing your mother hated your dad?" He glared.
"She loved him. That is until he dumped her when she told him she was pregnant and left. Akira was kind to take me in." She glanced up at the balcony, gagging.
"Seriously?" She pointed at Isaac and Fiona. "Those two are descendants of Ares children. One is Roman and the other is Greek. Isaac is son of Clarisse and one of the best fighters I have ever seen in my lifetime. Fiona is daughter of Frank Zhang, the son of Mars, the Roman Ares. Both are your relatives. They're not fighting with Akira, but against. And that's why you should too."
He stared at her, and his eyes seemed a bit… Hopeful?
"Oh, enough with the life stories!" Akira yelled. "Fight and kill her!" His eyes flickered and he raised his sword, bringing it down. She cast a shield spell, watching him bang against it repeatedly. When he seemed tired, she pulled out Riptide and slashed upward, slicing a nice sized cut on his chest.
Unfortunately, that didn't do anything. He growled and sliced so fast, it cut her side, tearing her shirt and opening a wound right under her bra. She gasped and stumbled back, holding her side.
Why isn't the curse working?
"I forgot to mention this. Jax's blade is made of a metal that can cut through anything, even if it's the Curse of Achilles. Even after your parents destroyed Tartarus all those years ago, he's still producing metal to kill demigods." She looked at her hand, her glove stained with blood. Her shirt was darkening, blood dripping down her side, not to mention her side was burning like a fire.
"You don't have to fight for him anymore." She told him. "You can be free. You could have a family." He faltered in his step.
"Family…?"
"Yes, family, friends, happiness. Are you really happy fighting for Akira? It doesn't bring you any benefits, does it?"
"But I am free…"
"Are you? You're chained up, sent in to fight beings you don't know, and then thrown back like a piece of trash." She eyed him. "He's using you."
"Kill her!" His eyes flickered again, but he hesitated. Then he muttered something only she could hear.
"Make it seem like we're going to fight…" He looked at her. "But kill me." She froze, gripping Riptide's hilt.
"No." He smiled slightly, before lunging. She blocked, pushing him back, but he repeatedly lunged at her until she knocked his sword away. The audience was not happy, and began to yell curses at her.
"I don't have to kill you. You can come with us back to camp." He gave the faintest of a smile.
"Only one can come out alive." He looked at the dirt, faint blood on the ground from her wounds. "You need to kill me. My time has come anyway." He smiled again, and lunged.
Her defense was faster than her mind. Her sword went through his stomach, Riptide's point sticking out. Blood rapidly stained his cloths, dripping down and little spots falling on her shoes.
"T-Thank you…" He whispered and she fell something wet fall onto her neck before he slumped, his life leaving his body. Riptide shrunk back into pen form, and she fell to her knees, holding him tightly. Tears fell down her cheeks, and his blood stained her shirt, but she didn't care. She held him, caressing his hair gently, taking breaths to calm herself down. Slowly, she laid him down, pressing her hand to his chest, a purple magic circle appearing, before his body shone and disappeared. Then she stood, gripping Riptide tightly.
"Uh oh." She heard Jasper mutter.
"Yeah, uh oh is right." Fiona said. She turned, throwing a knife and nicking Akira's ear with lightning fast speed. He froze, gripping Carlos's waist tightly. He blinked and took a breath, pushing Carlos onto the pillow next to his seat and standing. He waved his arm.
"Release the beasts!" Every double door around opened, different looking creatures storming out. Elephant, monkey, gorilla, and more that looked goofy. Roaring and stomping toward her, she sighed. Riptide glowed in her hand, stretching out to the three foot blade.
She slaughtered one monster after another, blood splattering everywhere. She blocked out everything, noise, feel and emotion. Then she stood in the middle, decomposing bodies surrounding her.
"Take her back to her cell."
She was aware of handcuffs being put on her, then the sound of the door closing.
She slumped against the wall, her side burning, her entire body aching. Darkness enveloped her, but she could see perfectly, not that see wanted to. She pulled her knees to her chest, despite her body screaming in protest, and closed her eyes. She took shaky breaths, trying to push through the stupid pain.
Then she heard the cell door opening. She lifted her head to see Rei standing there, holding a first aid kit bag and a lunch box. He nodded at the guards and they left. He came in, stepping over the small pool of blood and crouched in front of her.
"How are you feeling, Highness?" He asked.
"Great, how are you?" She said weakly. He gave a soft smile.
"Let me see your wound." He said. He moved to her left side and let her lay her legs down. She moved her arms, watching him pull out scissors. He cut her shirt down the side and then gently parted it. He pulled out a kit and cleaned her wound, the area around it, and then grabbed some antiseptic.
"What kind of weapons is he creating…?" She asked quietly. He rolled it on with a cotton swab, his lips pursed.
"The weapons from last summer are the ones he is creating. But he is breeding humans into weapons, making them powerful to fight." He pressed a bandage pad to her side, then wrapped it in gauze.
"Why?"
"Because he has a goddess on his side."
"Which one?" He shook his head.
"I'm not sure." He cut off the rest of her shirt, then uncuffed her real quick and slid on a new one before handcuffing her again. Then he handed her the lunchbox.
"You need to eat and rest. Akira will continue to throw challenges at you." He laid his hand on hers. "I will be checking in on your health until his crowning. Please, stay alive." He stood, picking up the bag and started to walk out.
"Rei, wait!" He looked back.
"If I take the crown…" She looked down. "What will happen? Would I become immortal or something?" He stared at her before shaking his head.
"I do not know. Eat, and sleep." He gave a nod. "Sleep well, My Majesty…" He closed the cell door and left, the guards returning to their posts a few minutes later. She picked up the box and opened it.
The guards came for her the next morning. They took her through the same hallway, the announcer's voice coming through the speakers.
"Welcome back to the Gladiator Games!" She took a breath, closing her eyes. She heard the chains falling, and the creaking of the doors.
She stepped out into the ring, and begin to slaughter.
To Be Continued...
I actually cried during Jax's death.