YOUNGER

Chapter 9

First Person: Helena

I am younger. A small figure amongst larger, disfigured inhabitants of the deepest part of hell. My small hands are littered with thin lines, some swollen while other glint darkly against my skin.

I'm walking across a red landscape. Large yellow blobs house monsters as they are regrown. I avert my eyes as one of the bubbles pop, sending screams of vengeance to fill the air. I continue past briskly.

I've never properly seen anyone that looks like me completely. Once I saw my reflection in a dark glass shard that protracted out of the leathery ground, showing me a torn body with tattered clothes. I can't remember who gave them to me.

A few times I heard screams. They were different to the ones I already knew from watching the monsters. Another time I saw taller figures fighting a group of empousai. I couldn't catch up to them, instead reaching the site of the battle just as the sand began to reform.

None of the monsters acknowledge me as I move past them. I don't understand why they stopped — in fact it's a little annoying. I wish I could practice my skills with the still-sharp knife that I'd found long ago, but instead the knife became a mirror, revealing my protruding cheekbones and almost translucent skin.

I stare at my reflection as I walk — my choppy hair that reaches my shoulders, small nose, dull eyes. No emotion fills them as they swallow my vision.

•••

I gasp quietly, tightening my arms around my stomach. I remember what happened next — a large being lifting me off the ground, filling me with terror. Never had my feet left Tartarus' rough skin before. I later learnt that the bird-like lady was a Fury, bringing me to Hades and Persephone, who'd both looked after me until I met Nico, Hazel and Will.

"She hasn't woken up yet, has she?" Two voices float into my conscious, both varying levels of familiar.

"Not yet."

I'd never heard Will Solace sound so broken before. My limbs feel heavy with paralysis, but I try to push myself up. "Who hasn't woken up yet?"

I succeed in pushing myself up to see a sleep-deprived son of Apollo standing next to one of his siblings. The boy looks at me in disbelief as he steps toward me.

He stumbles. "Lena?"

"Yeah?"

Will's eyes well up with tears. He wraps his arms around me, crying. "I, we thought y-you'd never," the boy sniffs. "Nico's so worri-" He suddenly stands up, seemingly entranced. "I have to get Nico and Hazel."

I watch in confusion as Will runs out of the infirmary before shifting my attention to the girl he was talking to before, who shrugs. "He's very tired, hasn't slept since you..." She trails off, biting her lip.

"Oh! I'm Sandy Petropis, by the way. One of Will's sisters." The girl swallows. "How are you feeling? Lightheaded? Sick?"

I shake my head. "I'm fine, thanks." Sandy does a quick check of my vitals anyway.

After a few minutes of staring at the wall across the infirmary, I hear loud steps in the corridor. They sound like someone is running. "Chiron won't like that," I chuckle quietly.

My brother enters the room, quickly followed by my sister. They each throw their arms around me. Soon the room is filled with campers I know — the rest of the Seven, Rachel, Will, Sandy and, of course, Nico and Hazel. The children of Hades/Pluto alternate through hugging me and scolding me. They don't say what exactly they are scolding me about.

After a while, Nico and Hazel take me to the cafeteria to get me to eat some food. The plate they give me magically fills with a hearty serve of lasagna.

"Do you guys know where I could get some cutlery?" I start to stand, but Hazel pushes me back into my seat.

"Nico can get you some cutlery," she explains. We sit in silence until Nico returns with just a fork.

I take the fork gratefully, then hesitate. "Uh, Neeks, could I have a knife?"

Nico visibly flinches at the end of my sentence. "Oh! A kn-knife! Of, of course!" The boy stutters as he walks away again.

I glance at my sister, worried. "Do you know..."

"No. He has — Will too, actually — they've both been pretty jumpy recently." Hazel shakes her head.

When Nico returns, he gingerly passes me the knife. I start to eat my lasagna.

As I'm eating, my knife accidentally slips. I flinch at the sound — the sudden movement makes the knife point towards my skin. Nico grabs my wrist to bring the blunt blade away from my skin. I look at him, confused.

"Nico, why did you do that?"

The son of Hades rarely portrays huge amounts of emotion, yet his eyes are filled with fear and pain. "I-I..." He looks away.

"A few days ago, when you sto-stopped breathing..." Nico stares at the table, taking a deep breath through his lungs before continuing. Hazel reaches behind my back to put a hand on his shoulder.

"We got Will to help, but we also asked one of the Hypnos kids, Alviva, to also help. She saw what you saw, in your dreams, and she asked if Will and I would like to see as well. We said yes, and..." Nico coughs. I could see the tears running from his eyes onto the wood.

'That explains a lot,' I think. 'Why Nico was flinching when I asked for a knife. He and Will...'

My arms wrap around my brother. I feel Hazel also joining the embrace. "I'm so sorry, Nico."

He shakes his head. "No, we should be sorry." He glances at Hazel before meeting my eyes. I recognize the exhaustion in his face — it's the same that Will had. "We never asked what you remembered from before Dad and Persephone found you. I'm so sorry."

My siblings wrap their arms around me as my eyes cloud with tears. Maybe the quest will be easier than I thou-

I sit up straight. "The quest!"