“It’s dark…”
“I know” Kaylee said, her hand tightening in annoyance on Jasons as she led them through the darkness.
“I cant see” Naea repeated.
“Neither can I”
“Why’s it so-?”
“Naea” Kaylee said, losing patience finally after twenty minutes. The girl went silent so Kaylee could focus. Skei’s winds seemed to be dying, his guide getting harder and harder to track. Eventually, the sound died entirely. Kaylee stopped in her tracks and took a breath, trying to decide what to do. Jasons hand squeezed hers.
“What’s up?” he asked.
“Its quiet” Kaylee said.
“I thought you wanted it quiet” Naea said, stubbornness in her voice. Jason let off a light chuckle.
“Wait…” Kaylee said. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and her hands tensed.
“Im sorry…” Skei whispered.
“Something’s wrong…”
No sooner had she finished saying it that a bright light filled the room. They broke hands, raising their fingers to cover their eyes. When Kaylee blinked, she was alone in a clearing. She was back at camp halfblood, but nobody was there.
“Jason?” Kaylee called. “Naea?”
No answer. She started walking around the camp, looking in all the buildings and cabins.
Everything was empty.
She walked to the pavilion, her footsteps echoing in the silence. There were no winds, she could feel her heartbeat in her chest, feel the rise and fall of her body taking in breaths. Where was she?
A gasp fell from her mouth when she looked out towards the vineyard. The ground was black, mounds of burned strawberries littering the farm for miles. Inside the ashes, small, glittering pieces of armour could be seen.
“Kaylee…” the voice was scratchy and dreamy, like a ghost speaking through its bleached skull. She turned to see Lucas, the black stone had completely covered his face and most of his upper body.
“Luke!” she screamed, stepping away from his oncoming figure.
“You did this” he said, pointing to the scorched land. Kaylee felt like five hundred pounds had just slammed into her chest. Her eyes stung as she tried to make sense of it all.
“What?” she asked him, her voice barely above a whisper.
‘A daughter of Poseidon rises unjust’ Lucas started saying. His voice had turned into a womans, the sound echoing from the walls rather than from his small mouth. Kaylee tried covering her ears but the voice was still there, ripping through her head.
‘from power and peace and love and lust’ the voice continued.
“No!” Kaylee screamed, trying to run from the pavilion, looking for shelter. “Stop!”
‘A warrior complete, she must prevail,
For without her, the gods in the second war shall fail.’
“Shut up!” Kaylee screamed, running back to the clearing she’d appeared in. The training area had always held comfort for her, if only there were campers here. She gulped…the armour in the farm fields…could it be…had she really done that?
No. Kaylee tried to shake her head, she hadn’t done anything. She’d been in the labyrinth.
The ground started to rumble and laughter filled the air. Kaylee kept spinning around, trying to figure out what was going on. The sky darkened, the trees surrounding the arena turned into the silhouettes of monsters; their yellow eyes glaring at the lone hero.
Figures burst forth from the ground in every direction. She screamed more than she ever had before when she saw them. They were puppets, life sized made up of wood mixed with bones. Their faces were painted onto either skulls or boxes, smiling at her with red-painted mouths.
Kaylee reached for her twins but they were gone. Where had they gone?
She was surrounded, the puppet men coming towards her, their limbs facing every which way. Falling to the ground in a ball, Kaylee shut her eyes and put her hands over her ears; rocking herself back and forth.
“No” she whispered. “this cant be happening. It just cant.”
Heat flashed through her body and everything tensed, time seemed to slow down to watch her being be filled with power. Her eyes shot open, red filling them with sparks.
“No” she muttered through gritted teeth. Everything burned inside of her, every muscle responding to her unconscious will as she stood to face the oncoming terror.
“No” she said again, calmly observing the puppets around her with a calculating glare. Her limbs moved of their own accord, smashing at lightning speed she took out five puppets in the course of thirty seconds.
“Kaylee…” one said in a deep, wooden voice. Kaylee’s hands went for the kill, aiming at the beasts neck. It dodged. She jabbed again, her open hand hitting his shoulder causing him to stagger back.
“Kaylee, stop!” he yelled, continuing to back away from her. She didn’t have control over herself, she was shaking with fear and power with each advancing step.
“Kaylee!” this voice was young and high.
Naea… Kaylee’s mind tried to register. She blinked and everything went dark, a view of a boy and a child crossed her mind before the puppet image was back.
“Kaylee, wait!” she squealed. Her head shook, tring to get the childs voice out of its mind.
“It’s a dream!” Naea explained. “Fight it!”
It was Kaylee who shook her head this time, forcing her fists to fall to her sides.
“Naea?” she asked. The ability to move her mouth calmed her, her shoulders stopping their violent shakes.
“Yes, Kaylee…” the child sighed. Kaylee shook her head again and the puppet image entirely disappeared from her view. She continued to stare at them with an open mouth, they watched her with caution. Naea’s wide eyes reminded her of Lucas which made her fall to her knees.
“What was that?” she whispered, her head falling into her hands to hide the sting in her eyes.
“This is a shrine to Deimos, the god of fear” Jason said, pointing to a gold statue of a large man sitting on an altar. He stepped forward to comfort her, wrapping his arms around her shoulder. Kaylee felt a sob rock through her as the puppet images filled her mind, causing her heart to race and her stomach to clench.
“Make it stop” she whimpered. Jason lifted her into his arms and she felt the sway of him walking. It didn’t matter where they were going, as long as she was getting away from that horrible place that reminded her of her life.
‘I’m sorry’ Skei repeated in a pitying whisper while the three campers continued down the hallway.
Please comment how you think its going. I really appreciate all of you reading my story. :)
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CursEd
Fanfic"Its not safe" Kaylee tried to tell him. "That's okay, we'll be gone in the morning. If we need to, I'll keep wa-" "I'M not safe, Percy" she corrected him, finally looking into his eyes. They were just like Dad's, tearing away her form and looking s...
