Hero

Chapter 8: Roselyn's POV

Why was I doing this? Why, why, why? Kasey had fire powers; plus she was skilled with the bow and arrows. She could take me out in one shot.

But I couldn't seem to back down. My fury was making me go crazy.

"I don't know how you figured all this out, but you're going down, Roselyn," Kasey growled, shooting an arrow at me.

"I disagree," I yelled back, using the hilt of one sword to knock the silver arrow aside. I picked it up, cracked it in the middle, and tossed the two halves at Kasey's feet.

She just rolled her eyes and threw her weapons down. "Useless gift from Artemis. One day, my mother shall rule over the gods!"

This distracted me. "Wait, I thought you hated your mother."

Kasey laughed. "Naw. She's dead. It's my STEPmother that will rule the world. She adopted me after my so-called father abandoned me."

"Uh well, who's your stepmother, then?" I asked curiously.

"Gaea," Kasey answered, a proud gleam in her eyes.

Whoa, the surprises today! "You mean, Mother Earth?" I demanded. "Isn't she supposed to be GOOD?"

"Nope, who says?" Kasey responded dryly. "Gaea convinced her son, Kronos, to kill his father in order to gain power. Do you think that's GOOD deed?"

"Then why are you siding with her?" I wailed.

Kasey's eyes darkened. "Because the gods have never paid any attention to me. When I was little, he left me when my mother died." I grimaced. That sounded a lot like my life story.

"I cared for myself, and soon joined up with the Hunt," Kasey continued. "Artemis was nice to me, but Gaea was nicer. SHE was the one who gave me earth powers, plus this brilliant weapon." Kasey unsheathed a shiny golden spear that was so rich even I had to admit it was beautiful.

"Roselyn, join us." Kasey looked up at me, fierce ambition in her eyes. "The gods will never win this battle. All the giants together are strong enough to kidnap several gods - about six? And when Gaea is awoken, she will take down the rest. She is in a light slumber at this moment, yet still very powerful. When she is awake, it will be no trouble overruling the gods! Don't stay with the losing side, Roselyn. Join the winning side! You will be rewarded greatly."

I gritted my teeth, trying to sort my feelings. I could tell Kasey was telling the truth, that she wasn't exaggerating even a bit. This was why I was terrified against my will.

But what scared me worse was that her offer was tempting to me. I mean, it shouldn't be, should it? I was loyal to the gods and to my friends.

However, Kasey's words made sense. Zeus had never helped me when I was little, so why should I help him? I lived a lonely life in the wild my whole life because of him.

Then I thought about Leafy and Crystal, my fiercely loyal friends. I remembered how worried I was when Leafy almost died, how Crystal took my sharp words calmly and helped me get over my strong grief, how she, Leafy, and I gathered together to tell each other news, and how we faced Kasey's betrayal together.

And that was when I knew exactly what to do.

Kasey looked me over and prompted, "Well? What's your answer?"

"This," I said. I gripped my two swords and plunged them deep into Kasey's stomach with so much force that the blades shattered. One piece implanted itself in my right shoulder, and pain blasted through me.

I clutched at my wound, and through the thick cloud of black blocking my vision, spotted Kasey sinking through the cavern floor, controlled by the power of Gaea.

I turned to my friends. Their shock was clear in their expressions.

Tense silence hung between us. Leafy broke it by saying, "That was amazing, Roselyn. Just amazing."

I started to smile, but suddenly, I felt a faint humming coming from my head. I was dizzy, light-headed, and, worst of all, there was an exceeding pain from my shoulder, the one that the shattered blade had attacked.

"Roselyn, are you all right?" Leafy asked worriedly.

"Shoulder...hurts," I groaned. "Dizzy."

Crystal's eyes widened. She quickly glanced at my shoulder wound and pulled the shattered blade out. She held it up for Leafy to see. "This implanted itself in an artery," she said simply, her gaze solemn.

Leafy's expression melted into horror, then grief. "Oh no, Roselyn...you're dying."

"But...can't one of you heal me?" I croaked weakly.

"No," Leafy muttered. "I'm not great at healing-"

"Nor am I," Crystal put in.

"-but I can try to heal you. However, there's a fifty-fifty chance that you'll get blasted into pieces because of it."

"Yeah, never mind, don't try," I rasped hastily.

"I'm sorry," Leafy apologized. "I-I can fetch help, if you like."

But I knew help wouldn't matter; I would still die. It'd be too late, and who could find anyone in this Labyrinth?

And anyway, I already felt myself slipping away. I gripped Leafy's shoulders to steady myself before slowly laying myself on the ground.

The last words I heard were Leafy's: "Roselyn, you're a hero. A true hero. Remember that for me. Please."