ALEA IACTA EST ; GRACE

015.

IT WASN'T LIKE PHILOMENA TRIED     to stay alive, she really wouldn't mind meeting an early end to her suffering and maybe land in Elysium where she would meet her mother, aunt and little cousin (this was just wishful thinking, she knew that, since there was no way Philomena would ever make it into Elysium but one can dream).

However, it seemed like the fates refused to let her die. For some reason she had to stay alive and managed to slip away from death time and time again.

This time it was no exception: the girl held onto the trembling hand of another demigod whose adrenaline was wearing down and making him weaker by the second, all while he held onto the greasy hair of an ugly, trashing unicorn.

So really, there was no way she would survive, right? Her sweaty hand would slip from his and she would fall into certain death.

But no. Someone had to come in to save her, yet again (not like she wasn't thankful for it, it was just strange that she managed to slip from death's grip once again).

As she hung there, contemplating if she should just let go of Jason's hand so that he at least could try to climb back up the back of the monoceros, she felt a gust of wind next to her, which hadn't been there before.

"I thought I told you to fight, not get yourself killed," Reyna shouted over the clamor underneath her.

Philomena wanted to cry at the sight of the black haired girl as she sat there on a brown pegasus, her sword in its sheath and her eyes narrowed in judgment.

"I'm trying, but you know how Jason is, always getting distracted and stuff," Philomena replied with a grin spreading across her face.

This little mission of theirs would be much easier now that they had a little help.

From above, Jason spoke, his voice strained by the effort to keep Philomena and himself from dying, "Less talking, more doing, or I'll let you fall, Philo."

Reyna nodded and flew closer with her pegasus (Philomena had no idea where the creature came from, since there were no pegasi in Camp Jupiter but she could care less about that now) and helped the two get on.

"What were you even trying to do?" Reyna asked, turning back to Jason and Philomena as they distanced themselves a bit from the monoceros.

"My quiver got stuck on its horn, don't ask me how," Philomena replied, "and there are three lead arrows that I got from my father."

"There are what?" Reyna asked in shock. Her face was scrunched up as she looked back to the monoceros and spotted the pink ribbon on the quiver.

Of course she knew the story of Cupid's lead-tipped arrows but how could it be that Philomena was lucky enough to receive them from her father? After all, the gods did not like to interact with their children, let alone bestow gifts upon them.

"You heard me the first time," Philomena retorted, not wanting to explain the story in detail. What mattered now was getting these arrows back.

"Do you think you can drop us off right over the horn, Reyna?" Jason asked from behind the girls. Philomena only managed to hear him because he sat directly behind her. His voice quivering as even speaking these words was straining his forces.

He didn't look too good, both girls had to admit (which was hard, since Jason Grace somehow managed to always look good). His hair stuck to his sweaty forehead, his face was as pale as white marble and his hands, which he had weakly wrapped around Philomena's waist to not fall off the pegasus, trembled.

Reyna hated seeing her friend in such a miserable state, however she knew he would never forgive her if she were to say anything about his current appearance. So she wanted to just silently nod and pray to the gods for his survival

"Us? There's no way you're getting off this pegasus, Jason. Reyna will drop me off on the monoceros and I'll find a way to get off this beast and you will go and rest, even if only for a second," Philomena instructed, her voice firm as she looked Jason up and down.

He looked down right miserable and she was not willing to sacrifice her friend just to ensure her own safety on the monoceros.

"Reyna, make sure he eats some ambrosia, oh, and get him a helmet."

After speaking these instructions, she jumped off the pegasus, which had halted just a meter above the monoceros and landed (not so elegantly) on its forehead, making it trash around once again, just this time Philomena was ready and had already clutched its hair tightly in her fists.

Jason moved to jump off too, but was too slow.

While Reyna held him in place, the brown pegasus flew off further away from the first line of the battle, forcing him to stay put.

"I like her," was all Reyna said as they flew over the battlefield, a loud neigh echoing over it as the monoceros stood on its hind legs and crashed through the marble door to the main hall.

There, at the hall's entrance it fell to the ground, and stopped moving altogether.

Slowly, beginning with its tail and hooves, moving up to its legs and body, the monoceros turned into golden sand until there was nothing left but its horn, which remained laying on the ground, next to a heaving Philomena.

Her helmet sat askew on her head, her hands were bloody, and it was probably her own blood, still, they held onto her bow, which glinted dangerously in the light of the greek flames around them.

"I also like her," Jason mumbled as he looked back at Philomena who stood in the entrance to the throne room, looking around clueless as to what she should do now (she hadn't expected to survive). 

HOPE speaks ! 

hi my lovelies, 

I just gotta say that life's a bit difficult and nothing ever goes over smoothly but whatever. 

I really hope you liked this new chapter and are looking forward to the next one ! 

oh and by the way, just so you know, I read every single comment, even if I sometimes don't respond and smile at them because they really are motivating and show me that there actually are people who read this story 

so thank you to everyone who comments and votes 

love you lots <3