Together We Stand

twenty

The metal birds were all finally killed when Levi wobbled out from behind a room. Layla ran towards him immediately and continued to ask if he was okay.

"I...I saw the birds and had to hide...my sword broke, remember?" he asked.

"Don't you have magic?" Luka asked and Levi put his hand out, his palm facing the ceiling. Black most curled upwards, but dissolved immediately.

"I'm weak," he muttered. "Too much...too much going on." He collapsed against Layla and she held him up as best as she could. Her dark blue eyes were alight with worry.

Jase walked towards him and took him from Layla, laying him down on the ground. He started singing a pretty lullaby and Levi sat up instantly, healed completely. Aidan whistled in amazement.

"I was blessed with extraordinary healing powers," Jase said, shrugging. "Comes in handy sometimes."

"I'd say," Levi muttered. He gave Jase a thankful - with a slight hint of regret - look. Why was he looking regretful?

One of which you will lose to a liar.

I had to sit down and think for a second. Who has lied to us that I know of? And who could they kill? What if I'm the one that kills someone? Who dies? Why can't I figure this out?!

"Sunshine?" Luka asked, causing me to look up at him. "You're crying."

"I'm stressed," I muttered, wiping my face. "I cry when I'm stressed."

"Why are you stressed?" Aidan asked, looking at me worriedly with his strange grey-brown eyes.

"I'm dying as we speak, we have to end the curse, we have to fly to the Amazon Rainforest," I listed. "The easiest way to end the curse is to kill the curser, Asclepius wouldn't tell me who cursed me...the list goes on, really."

"Wait," Layla said, standing up. "We have to fly to the Amazon Rainforest?"

"We don't have to fly, but it'll take much longer to get there otherwise. Asclepius said that the curse would be ended in the Amazon Rainforest," I commented.

"Dammit," Levi muttered, leaning against the chairs. "Do you think Zeus will let us?"

"If we IM him and ask, maybe," Layla offered.

"I highly doubt it-" Luka started, but Layla cut him off.

"You really don't know when to shut up, do you?" she asked, glaring at him. He shook angrily and I grabbed his wrist.

"Don't," I whispered and he looked away from Layla, trying not to explode on her. But he didn't have to. Aidan had that covered.

"Alright, listen here," Aidan said, standing in front of Layla, who was sitting in the chair next to where Levi was sitting on the floor. "I don't know what your problem is, but we're a team now, okay?"

"He killed my brother," Layla snapped.

"No, a Fury killed your brother," Aidan retorted. "Luka had nothing to do with it. If you're going to keep acting like this, I'll send your sorry ass back to camp and tell Chiron what you've been saying. You have no right to make Luka feel like shit over this, because what happened to Aaron wasn't his fault. Do you understand me?" Aidan asked. Layla just scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Layla."

"Yes, I understand!" she snapped. "But I still dislike him."

"Well, you don't have to like him, but at least respect him. He's a great guy, okay?" Aidan asked and Layla turned to me, her eyes angry.

"I have absolutely no idea what you see in him," she said. "I'll wait outside." Then she stormed out of the hospital.

"That was so intense," Jase whispered. Aidan sighed.

"Well, it was worth a try."

"Aidan?" Luka piped up, causing Aidan to look over at him.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks," Luka muttered. Aidan smiled.

"No problem."

---

"Oh, Iris, goddess of the rainbow, please accept my offering," Aidan said, flicking a drachma into a rainbow made out of mist. We were now behind the hospital by a little fountain and no one else was there. "Show me Zeus."

It shimmered, and before long, Zeus came into view. He was arguing with someone - Poseidon knows who - but stopped when he saw us.

"What do you want?" he asked, looking slightly angry.

"We need to fly to Brazil," Layla piped in, smiling flirtatiously. "And we'd like to know if you'd let us fly on an airplane."

"Well, um..." he stuttered, blushing slightly. "How long would it take?"

"Eight hours. Give us nine hours tops and we'll be out of the sky."

"Fine, but I expect an offering before then," he warned and she smiled brightly.

"Of course! Thank you so much!" She winked and cut through the mist, before sighing. "I hate him so much."

---

I was sitting in between Luka and an empty seat. Luka had taken the window seat and was staring off out of it. He was drumming his fingers against the arm rest, and occasionally would run his fingers through his black hair.

"Preparing lift off. Please put your seat belts on now," the intercom stated and I clicked my seat belt in, turning to look at Luka who was chewing on his bottom lip.

"Are you...scared?" I asked and he turned to me, his amber eyes hard and dark.

"Of course not."

The plane took off, shaking a little. He gripped the armrests tightly and turned to look out of the window.

"You were scared in the elevator, too," I said.

"No I wasn't," he lied, his eyes wide with fear.

"You're the most badass person I know and you're scared of elevators and airplanes," I observed.

"I don't like heights, okay?" he said, watching outside the window.

"Zeus promised us nine hours. We'll be okay," I said, placing a hand on his arm. He turned to me, searching my eyes like he always does.

"Gods, I hope you're right, sunshine."

(A/N: dis is a weetle short but I figured that's all we needed. And can you believe I'm at twenty chapters already? Dang. Also wow Layla u need 2 chill)