Lies [Sequel to Secrets]

Part Twenty-Seven:

Part Twenty-Seven:

As the guard scowled at the others, Charlie had the sudden urge to run. But he knew that if he ran, he would get caught, so instead, since being at the edge of the group had plenty of benefits, he slowly started edging towards another stalagmite. As the guard turned to shout for backup, Charlie dived. He reached the next spot just as the zombie turned back to the others.

"Right, you three. You're coming with us." The guard growled. Charlie breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't been noticed, and now all he had to do was get into the palace.

Charlie swung his backpack off his shoulders and pushed around inside of it until his fingers closed around a snap-lock bag. He pulled it out and examined its contents. "Perfect." He whispered.

Then he peeked out from behind the stalagmite. Alex, Sammy and Michael had been hand-cuffed and were being escorted towards the gates. Charlie followed them, diving from stalagmite to stalagmite in a frenzy of leaping and ducking his head down.

Once he finally reached Cerberus, the guards were too busy occupied by the others to notice him. Charlie took a deep breath. Then he stepped out from behind the rock and faced the gigantic dog. Instantly, Cerberus stared growling. All three heads bared their teeth, but Charlie held up the rice cake in his hand.

When they saw the rice cake, the heads stopped growling and fixed their eyes on the food. Charlie tossed it up and then ran. He dashed beneath the dog's legs like they were an archway as the heads fought over the piece of food. No one noticed him.

•••

Charlie ran until he neared the castle. But then he saw a problem. It wasn't the guards that worried him, it was more how he was going to find Zoe. That had been his plan all along. Find Zoe, then get the others. He wouldn't leave until she was by his side.

Charlie snuck around the back side of the castle and found a backdoor. It was, surprisingly, unlocked. What lay beyond the door, though, was another story.

In a lot of ways, it reminded Charlie of an abandoned office. There were papers strewn everywhere, an untidy desk covered in ink, and a bookshelf with half of the books either ripped or scattered, the open pages full of notes scribbled in everywhere.

Charlie stepped into the room and shut the door. His eyes found another door on the opposite side of the room, so he went over and opened it, stepping into almost complete darkness.

Zombie guards lined the hallway, seeming to only be guarding a thin, barred window. Charlie took a step forwards. Something inside of him buzzed. He continued walking, the guards taking no notice of him. It was like he was in a dream. Well, most of this quest had felt unreal to him anyway so it was no different.

The buzzing slowly started to increase, like a homing device had been put in his chest and he was almost at his destination. Charlie sped up until he was jogging, then finally full-out sprinting. The buzzing noise only got louder, burning his ears like someone was yelling in his ear. Then suddenly, it stopped, and so did Charlie.

He was in front of the last barred window. He turned to face it, and the guards reacted. They picked up their spears and crossed them over in front of the wall, their empty eye sockets boring into his.

"Okay, then." Charlie murmured. He pulled out his knife. In a flash, he had sliced through both guards and they disappeared like evaporating smoke.

"Too easy." Charlie put his hand on the wall. He pushed against it out of instinct, and someone fell out and landed on top of him.

It was a girl. She had black hair that was like a rat's nest and eyes as grey and sharp as an owl's. Her clothes were ripped and torn, especially at the back where long scars stretched from one end to the other.

"Zoe?" Charlie asked, gently pushing her off him.

Zoe coughed and groaned. "Yes?" She said.

Charlie helped pull them both to their feet. Then he wrapped his arms around her and gave her a hug. "You're alive!"

"Of course I am." She smirked. "Even if I was dead, I would still find a way to come back to you." Then she pulled away and gazed into his eyes. Charlie felt his cheeks heat up as she started to lean in...

"Oi!" A voice cried. A zombie guard appeared. He grinned an evil, toothless grin. "Sorry to spoil the reunion, but Hades requires your presence in the throne room."

Zoe glanced at Charlie. "Should we?"

Charlie grinned at her in response. "Lets go."