The Beginning of the End (J. Grace)

IV: Love dreaming of hell

I groggily woke up in a quiet room, in different clothes. It was a calming, quiet space with a couple of beds in it; it looked like the infirmary back at home but there was a gentle rocking motion like we were on a ship.

We were on a ship, weren't we? The Argo II?

It all came back to me in an avalanche of memories and emotions. My ribs hurt. My head hurt. Everything hurt.

"Dove?" I managed to ask, catching sight of my friend who was sat between the bed I was on and the bed I was next to.

Her head snapped around so that she could look at me; her eyes were watery with tears. "Hi." She said meekly, helping me sit up, leaning back against the wall.

"Are you okay?" I questioned her, scanning her face. "Are you hurt?"

"You're asking me?" She laughed a little. "I'm fine. It's you and Jason I'm worried about."

Jason... he'd tried to protect me, hadn't he? "Where is he? How's he doing?" I asked.

"I'm here and alright, Little Thief." A weak voice declared.

Piper moved to sit on the foot of my bed so that I could look across and see him... there was a horrible cut above his eye, his forehead was bleeding. He's definitely been better, but he's alive.

Lightning Boy smiled at me and reached his hand out in my direction; I took it, holding onto him as though he were my lifeline.

"That was stupid and selfless of you, you know." He stated after a little while's silence. I looked down, shame burning inside of me: it was my fault he'd gotten hurt.

"I know." I muttered, thinking back to how he'd told me not to go. He'd tried to stop me. "I should have listened. I'm sorry."

"But you saved so many people you don't even know." There was a slight awe-struck tone in his voice which made me look up again. "I'm not, and wasn't mad at you. But seeing your friend getting blown up is a whole another level of fear." He joked.

"Someone smashed a rock into your ribs." Piper decided to explain. "I think old Jason got out: he blasted them with lightning, then someone threw a piece of rubble -a brick- at him. Frank came and saved us as a grey dragon and put us back down on deck." She summarised. I hoped that whoever Lightning Boy had blasted was alright. "Leo was the one who'd launched the Greek fire. We thought you were a goner."

I laughed without humour at that. "Caverns of endless pain." I pointed out, reciting the prophecy. "I don't think New Rome counts as caverns of endless pain."

Dove rolled her eyes and Jason laughed a little. I couldn't believe that Iron Man was the one who'd done that... it just wasn't him!

"What's happening now?" He queried, looking over at her hopingly.

"We're gonna land and gather the resources we need to repair the ship. Both of you are going to rest." She told us sternly, looking from one to the other.

"Nope." I decided, letting go of Jason's hand and pushing myself up and out of bed, then screamed out in pain at the sudden pressure I was placing on my body.

"Lara!" Dove cried, leaping up and catching me as I fell to the ground. "You need rest. Get back in bed."

"I need ambrosia and I need to help." I corrected, forcing myself back up, clutching my bandaged ribs and using the bed as support, biting down another scream that threatened to rise in my throat.

The whole ship shook and I was tossed onto Jason's bed, on his legs and whacked my head against the wall. The entire ship shuddered and shook again and I would have fallen forwards into Piper who was clinging onto my bed if Lightning Boy hadn't grabbed hold of me to prevent me from being flung across the room.