HIRAETH

Chapter 22

Summary of Chapter 21.

Caleb was kidnapped and was tortured by Carl to get info about what he is.

Really useless chapter... 

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Carl's POV

I went down the stairs to the basement, where Caleb was.

It was too dark to see, so I reached for the lights. The lights snapped on, and I could see desperate hands reaching towards me. I pressed the button in surprise, falling backwards onto the stairs.

Caleb fell to the ground in a heap in front of me, twitching slightly.

Nearly a year.

He was as thin as a stick, and bruises and all kinds of scars covered his whole body. He had gotten so unresponsive enough to make me suspicious that he wasn't understanding my questions at all.

I stood up, rubbing my hip. I grabbed what was left of his shirt and dragged his back to the small clearing of stone floor that was covered in blood stains. I carefully propped him up, shaking him softly.

I didn't really want to do this anymore.

At first, I was avid. I thought that if I got information from him, I could get in a high position like my half brother.

But it got tiring.

He wouldn't tell me. This only got me in trouble with Luke. And the nightmares....

I didn't understand why dreams of camp burning down bothered me so much.

Why Nico Di Angelo was being killed with a poisonous arrow. Why Annabeth Chase was sleeping so still on one of the Athena cabin's bed.

Why Percy was crying so much.

"Wake up." I hissed.

His bloodshot golden eyes opened a little, but he was still.

"Come on..." I gritted my teeth. "You aren't dying. You can't."

"Carl?"

I dropped him and lookes up at the stairs to see Luke and Ethan. I bowed to them and Luke gave me the gesture to straighten up. Ethan stared at me coldly, and Luke smiled at me.

"Any progress?"

"... No sir."

He scowled. "You know we don't have much time left."

I swallowed hard. "I'm sorry sir."

He swept past me and stared at Caleb, crumpled in a heap in the corner.

"Is he awake."

My eyes widened as I realized how much trouble I was in.

"Sir-"

He grabbed him by his hair and shook him. His head dropped limply, showing no sign of consciousness.

"Ethan."

He grabbed the remote out of my hand and pressed the button repeatedly, sending consecutive shocks through Caleb's body. His limbs twitched as if he was malfunctioning, and his eyes were barely open, just slits on his battered face. He let out a long sigh.

And went back to sleep.

Lule banged his head on the wall, but he still didn't wake up.

"Sir. We've kept him awake for 4 days-"

"But it's still not a week yet." He scowled. His eyes flashed gold for a second.

"You didn't ler him sleep, did you?"