The blazing storm

Chapter 6

Darcy shivered at the memory.  It was the scariest thing that ever happened to her amd she wasn't ready to experience it again. 

Leo reached across the table and took her hand gently in his.  "It's ok.  You can cry."

Darcy glared at him.  "I don't cry."

Leo leaned in closer.  "You did, remember?"

Darcy felt embarrassed.  Crying was for the weak, she learnt that a long time ago. 

She closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath.  "Let's get this over with." She said for the second time that day.

5 years earlier
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Darcy woke up on a cold, damp concrete floor, shivering.  She wasn't sure if it was from fear or the cold, maybe from both.  The air was humid and smelt like stale bread and feet.  She sat up and looked around the dark room.  Her eyes slowly adjusted and she could make out thick bars about three feet ahead if her and beyond those could only see darkness. 

"You get used to the darkness," A voice said from behind her.  She whipped around and saw a dark shape sitting in the corner of the cage.  "But the smell always finds a way to crawl back into your nose."

"Who are you?" Darcy asked.  Her voice sounded weak and hoarse. 

The dark figure moved towards her.  "I'm James." He said.  "What's your name?"

Darcy shifted away.  She didn't know this person and wasn't sure if he was in on her kidnapping.  "Darcy." She said quietly.

James stopped moving.  "Who's your godly parent?" He asks after a long moment of silence.  Darcy stared drumming her fingers on her damp floor nervously.  "Zeus."

She heard James suck in a breath.  "No wonder they have you."

Darcy leaned forwards, suddenly interested.  "Who has me?" She whispered.

She heard James shift closer.  "Gaea's army."

Darcy shrank back.  "What?" She suddenly felt even more terrified than before.  She heard the stories about Gaea and how she was actually pretty evil and not all peace and love like you would expect mother earth to be. 

"They want to overthrow the gods.  You know the new prophecy?" James asked.  "They need the blood of Olympus to wake Gaea, the blood of one female and one male demigod."

Darcy looked back towards James.  "And you think it's us two then?"

"No." Said James.  "It's going to be one of the seven of the prophecy."

Darcy's head spun.  Leo was part of the seven of the prophecy.  "You really think?" Her voice was shaky.  She felt like she was about to cry. 

"Yes." James said calmly.  "They want us as spies, I think.  That's what they told me."

"They want us to spie on our own?" Darcy asks, dumbstruck. 

James didn't answer but Darcy assumed he nodded.  Her eyes had finally adjusted to the dark and she could make out James' outline.  He looked only a little bit bigger than her so Darcy found him less scary.  "How long have you been here?" Darcy asks after a long moment if silence.  She sees James' shoulders move up and down in a shrug.  "A year, I think."

Darcy suddenly felt sick.  Before she could ask him another question, a large BANG echoed around them and light blinded Darcy.  Sge shielded her eyes with her hands.  At the far end of the small room they were in, a huge figure stood framed in the light.  It move towards them and both demigods in the cage scrambled backwards, pinning their backs against the back bars of the cage.  Darcy unconsciously reached for James' hand and they squeezed each other's hands tightly as if their lives depended on it.

The figure looked into the cage.  It was hideous.  One eye, it's face scared and tattooed, it's purple hair weaved into ratails that stuck up on his scalp. 

The Cyclops laughed, spraying spit and bad breath into the cage.  Darcy tried not to throw up.  "Demigods are so weak." The Cyclops laughed in a terrifying voice. 

It unlocked the cage and reached in, wrapping it's ugly hand around Darcy.  She screamed as she was dragged out of the cage.  James gripped her hand tightly and their eyes met.  His were golden, reflecting the light matching his hair, the colour of wheat. 

They were wrenched appart and Darcy was carried of into a brightly lit hallway.  She screamed and thrashed against the Cyclops' grip without result.  "It's no use fi-"

Darcy bit down on the Cyclops' hand as hard as she could.  He dropped her, howling in pain.  Darcy hit the stone floor.  The wind was knocked out of her lungs and she lay there for a few seconds weezing and gasping for air. 

"Stupid Half-Blood!" The Cyclops bellowed.  He reached for Darcy, his face twisted with fury.  Darcy screamed and scrambled to her feet and ran in the opposite direction of which they were headed.  She planned to escape, but remembered James sitting in that dark room and slowed down. 

That gave the Cyclops just enough time to grab her again.  This time she didn't fight.  She wouldn't just abandon James.