A Devious Exchange

Curiosity Killed the Cat

The blue glow only lasted for so long as the cave's walls grew bare of the moss. My boots tipped downward on a descent, various rocks and crevices scraping against my covered heels. I hadn't seen- or felt- a fork in the tunnel yet, which unfortunately meant Atticus was still hot on my heels. I debated taking off my shoes to cover up their loud clack against the ground, but I figured it would only waste time. He would find me by then, putting me at his blade's mercy. My eyes stung with tears at the thought. This couldn't be happening; this just can't be.

Clack.

My body suddenly tumbled to the ground as my boot finally got caught, my knees scraping and splitting open even through the layers of clothing. It burned. Everything hurts. My shoulder, my chest, my hands, and now my knees-

I willed myself to stand, cursing myself for not grabbing better medical supplies. Or the stupid lantern.

Has the demigod come out too?  He was likely watching the display, probably using it to sneak up on us. I almost wished it did, so Atticus would be distracted and let me be. But then what? If I do escape him, the entrance is blocked, I don't know my way back. What is the goal here?

I scowled as I heard his voice again, a thunderous "Get back here!" echoing to my ears.

Never would I have imagined being in such a predicament. Just in time, my feet took off running again before my ears detected the closing footsteps of the weaponed man. Albeit still covered in dirt, my hands were clammy with sweat. I vigorously rubbed them against my skirt hems to remove the sticky feeling. The moisture and sweat had clung to my hair, sticking a few annoying hairs to my forehead. Please let there be something. If it led to a dead end, I'd literally be dead!

The descending, endless pathway suddenly changed when my eyes refocused. It began to ascend upward again, with the faint spotting of the blue moss making its return. I sighed in relief. It could only mean one thing: the water was close. With another twisted corner, I came abruptly face to face with a ledge. I swung my arms out to stop myself from toppling over just in time, my eyes moving wildly around.

Down below, the water gleamed with a white froth as it bustled down the gorge. I was closer to it than previously, enough to see and hear the swishing of water against the stone without the fog's veil. The ledge provided a distance of at least a two-story cottage- enough so that I wasn't going to be daft and throw myself off. To my surprise, the water held the same beauty and color as the moss, just being this close to it left me hypnotized at its fluid movements.

I must've descended to the near bottom of the pit Atticus nearly pushed me off of. Craning my neck up, I could see the sharp ledge now bare of soldiers.

What do I do now?

There was no more land to run on, and I wasn't sure how deep the water went. I was a good swimmer, but in the dark? In fear of being killed? I licked my cracked lips in contemplation, glancing between the dark tunnel and the water several times. It couldn't be any worse than running blind in the tunnel, but I'm not sure if I can handle the continuous thumping in my chest.

Take a deep breath. I scolded myself. I closed my eyes to weigh out my options, avoiding the growing echo of metal behind me. Well, I tried too at least.

What I didn't expect was a dark, familiar chuckle to prickle the back of my neck. I nearly jumped out of my skin, letting out a sharp gasp. My head quickly turned in the direction, only for nothing to be there. My eyes only met the repetitive dark palate of grays and tans I was growing sick of. What was that. Am I hallucinating now? Surely I've not gone paranoid too.