𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚢 || 𝙿𝚒𝚙𝚎𝚛 𝙼𝚌𝙻𝚎𝚊𝚗

𝕋𝕣𝕖

Chapter three

(People need to yell at me to write, because I'm easily distracted)

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Thea hadn't realised she had fallen out of consciousness until she was awoken by her new companion, Adrienne the hellhound. The dog had been acting as a form of shield or protector while Thea got some rest.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been out, but she had a feeling that no matter how much sleep she got, the exhaustion wouldn't disappear. Tartarus was a magical place but it wasn't a place for demigods. It would do its best to stop her from ever getting out.

Adrienne was beside Thea the second they left the "safety" of the cave. It was open monster territory now. In some places, red bubbles that looked like they were growing out of the ground's skin, popped up - half-invisible creatures inside them.

Monsters, Thea thought. This was how the monsters they fought on a daily got reborn.
A terrifying process of moulding into the correct shape while under the skin of living hell. She'd been lucky so far.

"Did everyone take a day off?" She asked Adrienne, who only threw a cautious look to the side.

Thea regretted her question only a moment later when Adrienne turned around quickly and pounced at a dracaena who'd managed to sneak up behind them.
Thea's sword was in hand immediately once she realised the snake-woman didn't come alone. A group of dracaena had surrounded them.

The adrenaline wiped away all exhaustion as she sliced her sword upwards, cutting off the closest monster's left arm. It didn't slow her down. Thea wondered if she could even kill monsters in their own world.

The daughter of Hades didn't keep track of the numbers and wounds she inflicted as the snake women kept coming. Finally, her question was answered.
One of the dracaena sliced the upper part of her bicep, but as Thea's reflex came into play, her head was chopped off and the half-snake turned into a pile. Ignoring the stinging feeling, the brunette demigod smiled. She could kill them.

She advanced. Dracaena after Dracaena disappeared, until Thea finally got rid of all hers. She turned to see Adrienne slicing a last one, turning her into another golden pile of monster dust.

The hellhound was unscathed, much to Thea's relief. The look on the dog's face could've been mistaken for concern, but Thea knew it was more a concern of getting out of there. She wasn't sure where Adrienne had come from.

Had she been killed to end up there? Had she been too scared to leave the cave in case she got killed before reaching the way out? Thea wished she could ask, but even though Adrienne understood her, the feeling was not (unfortunately) mutual.

They trudged on until they reached a cliff. Unlike the void Thea had fallen into, this one had a bottom – a bottom they needed to reach to get on with their journey out. The daughter of Hadees knew she would have to send Adrienne down first. The way was almost right down with a couple of places to hold on, but  Adrienne was a hellhound.