Destiny Calls (A Percy Jackson Fanfiction)

34: I'm getting into bad habits

Showtime.

In my little cocoon, my vision was still limited, and the shadows were to thick for me to simply wade through, which I had to admit was a very good strategy. To pin me down until I was exhausted, or until he was exhausted. I envisioned Nyx behind my eyes, taunting me that my ability to control was not strong enough and strength surged through my veins as I had felt my eyes glow an eerie sea green. The surging waters around me began to spread, and I felt my spirit began to lighten ever so slightly as the anger boiling in the body was dissolved in the cool, calm waters. 

The water began to bubble as the heat from the moonlight began to intensify, and steam began to rise from the water. The steam hissed against the shadows, and bit by bit, the shadows seemed to fade, and I slowly rose up as the moonlight and water propelled me out of the shadows, before I aimed a powerful blast at the kneeling Dom. He spun through the air, and then smashed hard onto the side of one of the building structures, before using the shadows to soften the blow a bit and landing him back on his feet.

Sweat dripped from his brow as he wiped his forehead, his shoulders sagging and his posture droopy. It was clear that that had taken a toll on him, and I was pretty sure I looked the same: tired, exhausted, sweaty. Slowly, from the advantage above Dom, I began to shoot blasts over and over and over again, and shadows came to block it. We both knew we were tiring, but I knew that I probably had more willpower than the impatient Dom.

Not that I was any better than him.

I swept down at him, the back of my jacket fluttering as I dived, and I felt like I was on a jetpack as I dodged a spiraling gust of shadows, before I landed with as much gusto as I could summon, before I lifted Dom into the air with a thin streak of silver energy and flinging him into the air once again, and I caught him before he landed hard on the ground, as he was obviously way too tired to summon his shadow pillows again.

But I was also way too tired, and Dom was incredibly heavy. I dropped to my knees before tumbling onto my back, the exhausted Dom sprawled on top of me as we just lay on the floor, without an ounce of strength left to move. Max and Leah came over giggling, pointing at us collapsed on the floor and helping me get Dom of my body. As they dragged him across the floor, Thalia helped me up, and I suddenly remembered something. "Where's Reyna?"

"Reyna disappeared on sentry duty the same night you disappeared to go scout Nyx. We haven't seen her since." she answered.

"What?" My body may have been exhausted, but my mind was whirring at a 100 kilometers per hour. "Where's Aurum and Argentum?"

"I think Reyna summoned them with her before she left. I think she was looking for her sister just to make some last minute arrangements. Those two dogs haven't seen anything that's happened after you came back from, you know." I sighed in relief. 

"Good. But we need to find Reyna. It's really important. We've got one day only to find her and after what she saw..."

"Saw what?" Her face expressing true curiosity and care for her warrior friend. "What did she see?"

"It's nothing of your business. I promised I would never tell."

"Did you swear it on the River Styx?"

"No because I don't randomly swear oaths on the River Styx. I keep my promises but that is one promise I will only break when it is really important, when..."

"..when the world is about to end and a war depends on it." Thalia crossed her arms. "There's no escaping me, little sister. I find out at the end."

"When my birthday hits I'll be two days older than you." I countered. "I won't tell you. You'll think she's a freak. You'll find her secrets that she desperately keeps quiet. You'll expose her reasons of why she has forfeited her role as Praetor!"

"And you will tell me because I am her friend and I do not judge. She will never be deemed weak just because she has some dark little secret!" Thalia said. Dom, Leah and Max had already left inside the barracks to shower, while the remaining 'Seven' had left to train, or in Piper and Jason's case, probably make out.

"I will protect her dignity!" I yelled back. "I will not tell you!"

"I will protect my own dignity thank you very much." a voice said behind me, uncovering Reyna herself. She covered herself in a dark cloak similar to my own that Calypso had made me, a hood on her head that only left her dark eyes visible. "I appreciate your honor, Thea, but I am fine by myself. I protect myself. Aurum and Argentum are with me, they will not see what I see. The shadows are hidden for now." I slowly decoded her speech. Nyx remained unaware of what we were planning, but we did not know anything about them either. 

"I'm going to go first. I'll be back before the night falls, I promise." I said, heading towards the barracks as well to collect my weapons. "We cannot remain unaware."

"What if you get caught again?"

I flashed her a grin. "I won't. Tell her if you want, Ramirez-Arellano. I'm off."

-----Time Lapse-----

Sneaking towards Mount Tamalpais, I spared a glance at the busy state of California. I saw the airfield which hosted Annabeth's father's famous Sopwith Camel, well, famous in the demigod world for saving my mother, Lady Artemis. Morphing into a wolf, I curled myself up in the warmth of the sun, soaking in the sunshine that I may never feel again, as this might be the last time I saw the noon sun.

I trotted up to the entry of the obsidian palace, and soon I heard the grumbling of a slightly familiar voice that I couldn't quite recognize. It wasn't Nyx, because it was a male voice, and Tom's voice wasn't as low, and his voice tended to be fast paced, making you confused about what he was saying. "I need Tylenol, you fool! My back has been burdened for thousands of years, you pesky demigod, and I need to be able to walk to assist you in this war."

I took in a sharp intake of breath. Atlas.

"Excuse me, Atlas. I am the General around here now, and the only reason you are free is to assist, not fight! We only freed you so that Hecate would be stuck in an eternal prison."

"It won't work, you imbecile! We tried that on Artemis. She escaped and I was trapped again. Just because of that Jackson boy! I heard that he has a sister, and I hope she suffers as he did. I want her trapped underneath the sky, and suffer Tartarus again, but the way her brother did." I tried to stop myself from screaming. Although I had gone into Tartarus, my experience had been equally as devastating as Percy's, and another trip down there would rip me apart, literally.

"All in good time." I heard Nyx's voice speak, though she sounded a bit like she was high on caffeine. "That girl Arthella has meddled too long. A small experience of her brother's life would be sufficient, and she would feel it all in real time, as we do have my nephew's remaining spirit to control time in handy. She will feel all the pain and anguish he has, and I will relish it."

I tried to calm down my breathing, and slowly dissipated into pure thought as my mind found peace. Calm. Calm. Calm. Slowly, I wrapped myself around Alice's neck, and she crumpled to the floor silently as I swept her away into a corner, unseen by any of them. Slowly gliding towards where everyone was, I entered into Tom's mouth as he opened his mouth to speak and slowly, used the water in his blood to control what he said. "I need to check on Alice. Just wait a second, ma'am, I'll be straight back."

"Do I look like a ma'am to you?" Nyx roared.

"Sorry, my lady." Tom said without me controlling him, and I pushed him towards where Alice was in the obscure spot, before knocking him unconscious and shoving him opposite to Alice. I snuck towards Hecate, and as I turned back into human to free her bonds, a tendril of shadows gripped my arms and wrenched me away.

Nyx stood in front of me smiling triumphantly. 

"Now what do we have here? Arthella Carter? This must be our treat, Atlas. Perseus's baby sister, Artemis's daughter, and the Athena spawn's sister all in one. This is our lucky day."