Last Shadow || Deception Book III

Chapter 1 Pt. II

They say death is painless and quick. You know, a flash of pain, and then nothing.

If that was what it was, then there was seriously something wrong. Because I felt like I was going to die, yet it was not painless nor quick. The moment the water of the Styx touched my skin, I felt like someone had poured hydrofluoric acid over me and it was slowly eating through my skin, penetrating my body and burning me from the inside out. Faces flashed through my mind; my mother, her grey eyes cloudy as she smiled giddily, Chris as he grinned mischievously at me over his blade, all the demigods who reminded me what my life was for and why I was doing this--for a world where we didn't have to constantly glance over our shoulders to the darkness. But they vanished as quickly as they appeared. I felt my body melting away as the burning ice of the river penetrated deeper, the pain overloading my nerves until I felt like I was seriously going to die.

"Hang on there, alright?" Thalia said as her face appeared. "You're going to be alright."

I'm trying! I yelled inside my head as she slowly started fading away.

"What do you mean, you can't get out?" This time, it was Annabeth who materialized in front of me, her grey eyes sparkling deviously as I tried to untangle myself from the weird web-contraption-thingy she'd made in the craft hall at camp. "Come on, don't you specialize in pranks? This shouldn't be too hard."

The pressure on my arm tightened, the invisible rope pulling taut, and for a brief moment, I felt life flooding through me again. But then it went slack, Annabeth dissolving into the murky water, and the slow disintegration of my mind and body continued full force. The pain was deep enough to reach my soul, or at least, what remained of it, and it felt like it was being torn away from my body.

"If you die, I'm going to bring you back just to kill you again," Rianna's voice said from above me. "I swear to the gods, Luke--"

There was a tight pressure in my arm again and the current of the Styx curved, no longer threatening to sweep me away. I suddenly felt like I was floating above the world, free of everything as the sound of her voice soothed all my pain.

"Hold on, I'll get you," Rianna said, her voice stronger. "You douchebag, what are you trying to do? Die? You're not escaping me that easily."

Suddenly, I could see her. She crouched at the edge of a rocky cliff, the sound of the jungle and towering greenery behind her as she extended an arm. "Luke, grab my hand."

Oh, I thought. I must have slipped and fallen towards the edge of a cliff on a hike through the jungle in Costa Rica.

Oh, shit, the words burst into my head as I realized that must be why my left arm was burning and feeling like it was going to pop out of my socket.

Because I was literally a hand away from death. I glanced up at Rianna, who stretched her fingers towards me.

"Come on, take my hand."

The river stilled, a breath of her magic sweeping around me and buoying me up towards safe, solid ground. The acid trying to turn me into ashes vanished. The numbing, empty feeling in my mind disappeared as if my memories flooded back, sharper than ever. If I had to die, it would not be falling to my death in the middle of an unknown jungle in Costa Rica. Besides, I still had too much to live for. I swung up and grabbed her hand.

***

"So you didn't die," Nicole said dryly as I emerged from the rift in the rock into the grey daylight of Central Park. She huddled at the base of the rock, her black puffer jacket wrapped tightly around her as Alabaster crouched next to her, a ring of magic keeping them clear from the whipping snow and freezing cold.

"You don't sound very excited to see me," I replied. "Gods, why the blazing hell is so cold today?"

"Someone decided it would be a good idea to make a trip today," Alabaster quipped. "Not my problem you didn't check the weather."

"We should have just left him," Nicole said, snuggling into his side. She glanced pointedly at me. "You know, we could have done some stuff here in New York instead of freezing our asses off waiting for him."

Alabaster snorted silently, his green eyes flashing with mirth as he stood up and helped Nicole to her feet. "Good idea. Let's go."

Annoyance flashed through me, but I found myself smiling as the two walked away, pretending that I didn't exist. It reminded me of what Ri and I were like. I could almost feel her warmth beside me as I trudged through the snow after them. It was like if I turned my head, I'd see her there, blonde hair peeking out from beneath a toque and scarf, her cheeks flushed pink from the cold as she turned her head to shoot me a smile, eyes sparkling as the beauty of nature showered around us.

That was her, able to find the joy in everything, even biting cold and terrible winter weather.

But I doubt that even Ri could have found a positive in the mess that I'd made, going to bathe in the Styx. If she were here, she'd have knocked me unconscious and jumped in herself.

But she wasn't, and it was the only choice I could make to ensure her safety. Even if she didn't know it.

I miss her, I thought for the millionth time. It's only been a month, but gods, I miss her. It felt like one of my limbs was missing, and now the rest of my body simply refused to function properly.

A snowball smacked me in the chest and I jerked up, glaring at the figure of Ri's brother up ahead. "Hey, dreamer boy!" he hollered. "Hurry up! It's freezing!"

"I'm coming, sheesh," I muttered, and jammed my hands into my pockets. Rianna wasn't here, and I'd made the right choice. The only choice. Because I'd rather die a thousand times and experience the Styx a thousand times over if it meant that I could spare her from it.

Nicole met my eyes as I finally caught up to them, and something like sadness and understanding flashed through their dark depths before it vanished and she wordlessly held out a hand. Let's go home, she seemed to convey.

I didn't dare get my hopes up. Maybe Rianna would be back today and would be on deck when Nicole shadow-travelled us back.

Maybe today would be the day I could finally stop waiting. I knew it was a fool's hope. Her mission would take her at least two months.

But it didn't matter. Even if it took years, decades, lifetimes, I'd never stop waiting for her.

Because Nicole had said home, but home was wherever Rianna was. And she wasn't waiting for me back on the Andromeda in San Francisco, nor the top of Mount Tam.

She was somewhere in the dangerous and unpredictable clutches of the labyrinth, a maze of terror and hidden traps waiting around every corner, and I couldn't be beside her. And even though I knew it wasn't her fault, it still hurt, knowing that she hadn't bothered to say goodbye before she left.