The Daughter of Apollo

Chapter Twenty-Five: Sooner Rather than Later

Chapter Twenty-Five-Sooner Rather than Later

Days went by. I hadn't a clue what happened to Faith and Tristan. Hopefully, they were safely hidden off somewhere, where no one would find out that they were from the future and Apollo was working on sending them back. I reached down to my sock where I had conveniently hidden a knife. A very special knife that I had had Nyssa from the Hephaestus Cabin make for me. Keeping my hand on the hilt brought me comfort. It let me remember I wasn't completely defenseless if I had to fight my way out. Unfortunately, I was still too weak to do that. I was starving myself, refusing to eat anything Drew gave me. That'd be showing defeat and I wasn't so easily defeated. I turned my head and stared at my freezing family in the cell across from me. Jace was half-starving too, though he was only starving in his mind. He was heavier than a boy his age should be.

The heavy door at the end of the narrow hallway creaked open. Footsteps came, ringing loud and clear in the empty silence. Drew knelt down in front of my cell and looked at me with sad eyes. I had to remind myself sometimes that, as hate-twisted as he was at the moment, he was still in there. My big brother who had a big heart. Somewhere, however deeply buried, he was still there.

"I can afford to have you run away again, Jay," He said softly, his voice sounding heartbroken.

I looked at him with cold eyes. "It wasn't your fault. It wasn't their fault. It was mine! Now let our family go."

"Why?" He asked, his heartbroken voice replaced with one layered in disgust. "So they can continue to ignore us? To pretend we aren't even here? It has been too long. They've gone too long without paying the consequences for their mistakes!"

"And you'll get away with kidnap? This is just as bad! What happened to my big brother? The one who didn't care if our family ignored us so long as we had each other to talk to? What happened to the care-free guy who'd only fight with his parents, not kidnap them? I want to know where he went, Drew!" I wiped a stray tear from my cheek. "I don't even know who you are anymore. Please. Come back to me Drew. Because if you don't...if you don't, I will be alone. Truly alone."

Drew looked at me, impassive. But even through his mask of stone, I could see the battle raging within him through his eyes. He felt...hurt and conflicted. He felt hatred and love. But most of all, I could tell, he felt betrayal. "Even with your boyfriend?" He asked quietly. I reached my hand through the bars of the cell and gripped Drew's wrist.

"Whatever makes you think someone can replace my big brother?" I asked as I squeezed his wrist tight. I looked at him and for a second-just one second-he returned to me. But as soon as he did, he was gone again.

"I'm sorry. But I can't let them go," He said quietly, his eyes looking at the floor.

"Then leave me alone," I growled as I let go of his wrist and turned so my back was to him. He stood up silently, because a minute later, the heavy door shut with a clang. "Please hurry," I whispered to no one.

"Well, how fast do you want us here?" A voice replied. My head snapped up. It felt like it had been years since I heard a voice other than my brother's or my own, when in reality it had been only days. I looked around, but couldn't find the owner.

"Over here!" It called. I crawled to the bars of the cell and looked down the narrow hallway.

"Left...a little to your right...no sorry, left...left...up," I followed the directions of the voice and tilted my head up. "There's my girl! So, about that time?" I smiled as I looked at Connor's image suspended in mid-air. I'd heard of things like this; it was called Iris-Messaging.

"The sooner the better! Is Travis with you? And Meg and Lana? What about Nico?"

"Yeah. We think we've got a pinpoint on your location, but it may take us a while to get there."

"Why?"

"I don't know how, but Drew managed to get you to Indiana in two hours. Do you know if he took a plane?"

I shook my head. "I was in a sack. I may or may not have blacked out." I felt useless. I couldn't give them any leads to where I might possibly be.

"Well, we've got Nico looking around in the area too. He seemed pretty....upset that his friend was missing."

I smiled, pleased that Nico thought of me as a friend. "Thanks. I...never mind. Remember what I said about Drew. He's confused and hurt and as dangerous as I've ever seen him, but try not to hurt too much if it comes to that. Okay?"

"I'll try," Connor gave me a sad smile. "The connection's breaking. We'll see you in a few days!"

I nodded. "Bye! Be safe, Connor! Don't die!" I hollered at the message as it started to fade. I looked over at my parents, who were staring wide-eyed where the message was.

"They're coming to save us. We'll be alright. Just hang on," I told them soothingly. I may not like my mom, or my younger half-brother, but they needed comfort and reassurance and I wasn't going to let them suffer and worry like Drew was willing to do.

The more I thought about it, the less and less Drew seemed like himself. It was like someone was...controlling him. Telling him what to do, what to say, but when I was talking to him, just for a second, he had been himself again.

And I wanted him back. Whoever took him was going to give him back. Sooner rather than later.