The Girl He Forgot

Alexis

I don't know how long I fell for. Hours? Days? I knew where I was going, obviously, but I had never gone unintentionally, other than when I was first taken. I knew I should never have told them. I knew I would get into trouble I couldn't get out of.

I hit the ground with a heavy thud. My bones were millimeters away from cracking and my blood was seconds away from exploding all over my body and killing me. I open my eyes and wince. All I can see is darkness. All I can feel is the searing pain from the fall.

Traitor...traitor...traitor. The word echoes around me. Tears well in my eyes. I'm dead, I think, I'm so dead.

"Disappointment." the sleepy voice tutted, "I thought you were better than this." The voice came from my left. "Such a disappointment." This time it came from my right.

"I taught you better than this-"
"-but no matter-"
"-they had to find out some time..." her voice kept coming from different places. It was driving me mad. I couldn't think.

"Do you think-"
"-I will-"
"-be mad?" she asked. I didn't answer. Instead I gulped down my fear.

"Settle down-"
"-my dear-"
"-for I have-"
"-a gift for you..." I started breathing loudly. She was all around me. I couldn't move. I was going insane. It took all of my willpower to stay silent. My eyes were wide open and round. I'm looking around frantically whenever the voice changes.

"Spend-"

"-eternity-"

"-with the one-"

"-you loved-"

"-before-"

"-they abandoned-"

"-you."

The darkness slowly faded, uncovering a dark cage. I looked like a prison, a gate on the wall in front of me. I couldn't move. My throat was so dry, I didn't think I could ever talk again. I could sense something moving behind me. It was probably a monster, but it wasn't like I could fight it. I'm practically dead meat.

"L-L-Lex?" a hoarse voice asked behind me. I froze. There was no way this was happening. No. Way. I'm dreaming. I'm hallucinating. I've gone insane. I'm in a coma and my mind is spiraling. I would be dead before I saw him again. Slowly, and wincing along the way, I turned my head with difficulty to see my cellmate. Oh, no...

"You're dead."

"Not anymore." He chuckled quietly.

"Luke."

***

    "Why- why are you in your underwear?" I stuttered. The man was in boxer shorts and a white tank-top undershirt. It was very uncomfortable for me - as you can expect. It wasn't enough that he wasn't fully clothed, but he had to be ruggedly handsome while he wasn't fully clothed! Not that I have romantic feelings for Luke. I don't. He's 9 years older than me and tried to kill me on multiple occasions.

    "Honestly?" he asked. I nodded stiffly in my state, "I have absolutely no idea."

"Do you think... that... you could... help me... get up?" My voice was so hoarse it took me a full minute to get the sentence out of my throat. Luke slowly sat me upright and carried me next to the wall so I could lean on it.

"You had quite a tumble, huh?" I nodded again. I sized up and fell limp again. Luke's eyes widened.

"W-What?" I stammered.

"You just changed appearances. Your eyes turned green and your hair got longer. Does that usually happen?"

"N-No. But... I should... fill you... in... on some... stuff." Luke listened as I (painfully) told him everything about me. He was a good listener. But...

"You- you- I- what?"

"Please don't tell me I have to start from the beginning?" I complain. My throat is feeling much better after an hour of swallowing my saliva.

"No, don't worry-"

"We're in Tartarus and you're saying 'don't wor-"

"-about that. I just... how did this happen?" He started rambling about different possibilities, yada yada yada more boring stuff that I've already heard. But I felt so weird, like my head was floating in space. I groaned as I seized up again, but this time it was painful. It happened again. And again. I felt a hand on my shoulder, trying to stop me from going up, but it didn't work.

"Lex!" he was worrying now, and so was I. I tried to lie on my side, but the seizing made me fall onto Luke. I flushed pink and then seized up again.

"Alexis, you have to control it. Just breathe." I inhale slowly. The seizures slowed down a bit. I breathed deeply a few times and the seizures stopped. When I started to breathe normally, I fell completely still. Some of the pain went away completely, but I still felt like I couldn't move at all. I wish I hadn't told them the truth. None of this would've happened if I hadn't told them. But then I wouldn't've found Luke. Why did the right thing have to hurt so much?

"Are you alright?" Luke was as smart as he was pretty. He's not that pretty.

"Absolutely not." I grimaced.

"That's expected. I wish I was decent at medicine, or had some supplies."

"I wish there was normal water in Tartarus!" he chuckled again.

"That kind of defeats the purpose of hell."

"You know, I don't think you told me how you got into this mess yet." I smirked at him.

"I woke up on the ground and saw you."

"Oh." That wasn't as entertaining as I thought it would be. I think Luke is broken.

"What? Is it not as tragic as you wanted it to be?" he joked.

"Bingo."

"Says the girl with lions for pets. You really did grow up to be a crazy cat lady." My eyes widened. Of course! My lions!

"Luke, you're a genius."

"I know, but what did I do?" I didn't answer him. Instead, I put my fingers in my mouth and let out a horrific whistle. Luke covers his ears as I realize he isn't broken, just incredibly dramatic. 2 seconds later, a loud series of roars sounded in the darkness. Helios, with white fur glowing gold, emerged. Behind him came Selene. Her black fur only allows us to see her eyes. She was holding baby Auxo in her mouth. Auxo's red streaks were fuller and more vibrant. Helios threw his head back and roared, he swiped away the metal bars with ease. Selene entered the cage first and rested her head against mine. It was like all my fears went away. I could only feel calm. My pain went away with each breath. Helios passed me and sat next to Luke, who was petrified.

"I kind of left something out of my explanation..." Luke looked at me like I was a mad man. I held my hand out for Helios and he slid under it. As my hand ran through his back, he started growing in size. I hung on when I reached the middle of his back and swung my legs over so I was sitting saddle-style. I felt great when I was up there. I missed riding on him. When Percy killed him a few years back, Helios wasn't trying to kill him, he was there because I sent him to spy on them for me. Yeah, yeah, whatever. I did what I had to do. But he transformed because he was scared of Percy. Now, he hates his guts.

"You're- you're riding the Nemean lion." Luke was really frightened now.

"Luke, he's not going to eat you. Come on!"

"Oh no, I'm not getting on that thing."

"Alright, may I remind you that if you don't get on, you're going to be rotting in a cage in your underpants until Gaea figures out how to use you for her war, and if you don't oblige then you're going to be dead for the second time in two years." Luke fell silent. Alexis: 1 Luke: 0. He grumbled and climbed Helios' tail and back until he was sitting behind me. Selene and Auxo grew too, but only reached the bottom of Helios' stomach. Selene was a regular lion, but she had healing powers. I'm not sure why she can grow, but the Nemean lion has children now, and once there are enough of them, I'm going to lead them all the Straits of Gibraltar to murder Hercules, because that ass needs wiping.

"Come on, Helios," I said soothingly, stroking his mane, "Let my brother see what you're really like." and with that, Helios ran like the wind. Luke yelped. I don't remember him being such a scaredy-cat, but I think Kronos changed him quite a bit.