Hunter

Chapter Twenty Four - I Am A Portal Master

My body was drenched in sweat when I jumped out of my bed. My heart was dancing in my chest. My skin prickled with awareness. I pressed my hand to the back of my neck. It was tender. I flinched as my fingers came into contact with the sensitive skin. I tied my hair into a bun and wobbled over to my dresser. Grabbing a hand mirror, I pointed it to the back of my neck. Beneath Aphrodite's heart, a small flame sat. I dropped the hand mirror at the realization that I had completed another Labour. I chewed on my bottom lip, my brow furrowed as I tried to figure out which god it would be. I lay back down on my bed, thinking, when I saw something peeking out from under my shirt. Lifting it up, I noticed that there was a small bandage over my wound. I raised the bandage, taking a peek underneath. The wound was almost completely healed. I ripped it off.

Bad move.

The wound spread out over my abdomen again, the red, blue, and black color emanated across my side. My skin started to curl in a grotesque manner, and the pain was beginning to radiate across my body. I placed the bandage back on my torso. It felt better immediately. I ripped it off again, and the pain made my body tense. I returned the bandage to its prior position, and all was well again.

Magic bandages.

I put my shirt back down and checked my phone for the time. It was noon and it was Tuesday. Deciding not to think about what I would normally be doing, I went downstairs and into the dining room where I was greeted by my mom, Deirdre, and Jasper.

"Why the long faces?" All eyes were on me, relieved to see my face. "You should know by now that I won't go down without a fight."

"That's the concerning part," my mom said as I walked over to the farthest chair from everyone. "Hayley, tell us everything."

"Thanks, mom, I'm good. How was your day?" I smiled sarcastically at her. Her left eyebrow twitch. "I didn't find Apollo because he's not there. I met the Oracle, though."

"That explains the burns," Jasper whispered, his eyes trained on my arms. The scars themselves were fading, but it was easy to tell that they were bad.

"Do you remember the prophecy?" Dee asked. I nodded and grabbed a pad and pen from a nearby desk. I shut my eyes and remembered.

A current hunt will end with a kill,

The heart will be saved out of goodwill

The foul shall be a sincere foe,

But one who is arduous to know

The cessation of the premier will lead under,

To utilize the 'neath to prevent existence asunder

In the depths, Knight will lead to his own day,

With minds alike, but hearts astray.

The rival, separate from the foe

Will prompt a division that will lead to woe

If victory prevails, the chance remains

To reunite and link the chains

I ripped the sheet off of the pad and placed it in the middle of the table. All eyes were immediately glued to my illegible handwriting.

"Are you sure that this is exactly it," Jasper asked, his eyes trained to the word 'Knight'.