The World Turned Upside Down

Chapter One

//Author's Note. Anything in bold print is a flashback in  Thalia's POV. Normal text is present day. To do what I want with this story, I'll be switching off between present and past. Thanks for reading!//

 The final man standing on the blood stained battlefield is the leader, and I'm taking him on. I finally find an open spot when he starts getting cocky, and I run my pure silver sword through his chest. I kick him to the ground and watch the blood pour from his chest. The rain soaks my hair and runs down my face. I grit my teeth and sink to my knees, he pierced my back earlier in the duel. I look at my general's ring that is coated with blood and grime, the shine of the hematite no longer visible.

My second in command is at my side in minutes, the field is silent. She pulls my sword out of the dead leader's chest and hands it to me. I clean the blade in the summer grass, and sheath it at my side. She catches me when I black out. 

As I walk through the back meadows of my father's property, I hear his sputtering old truck coming towards where the driveway is. I run towards the area near the driveway in glee to see my father, I haven't seen him in three days because he's been gone on business. My heart crawls into my throat when I hear his blood curdling scream for help. I'm at the driveway in mere seconds, I pull a silver knife from it's small sheath near my belt loop and brandish it towards something invisible that's holding my father against the siding of our house. 

Whatever it is that's holding dad decides to show itself. I don't know what the hell it is, but it's a figure made completely of darkness. It is a solid thing, not a shadow, but it's pure black. In a seemingly futile effort, I fling my knife towards the thing, and I'm pleasantly surprised when the knife sticks into its shoulder. The black creature howls a curdling, pained noise, and advances toward me. I daringly yank my knife out of the darkness when it gets close enough. A sword darker than the thing itself appears out of freaking nowhere and the dark creature tries to strike me. I have no idea how to kill the damn thing, much less fight it, but I'm doing this for dad. My dad watches in horror, seemingly paralyzed on the ground. 

After what seems like forever, I make a mistake. I leave an open spot in my abdomen unguarded as I battle the dark. It sees the chance and takes it. A blinding pain leaves me seeing spots. When I look down, I see the sword embedded in my stomach. The thing looks down at me with red eyes in triumph. I see my last chance at saving my dad, and I thrust my knife up through its throat. A foul smelling purple liquid streams from the wound as the darkness dissipates into nothing. The last thing I see is the blue cloudless sky above me before I take my last breath.