Shrouded in Darkness

The Sword to End All Monsters

"What the heck?" i said louder than intended as i pulled free my sword and prepared for an attack. Nico already had his Stygian Iron sword drawn and Hazel stood next to him and had her own Imperial Gold sword drawn. I hear a familiar shink as Percy pops the cap off his pen sword. I glance towards Thalia who already has her shield up sword drawn. Jason for some reason is flipping a gold coin. I was surprised, even though i shouldn't have been, when it turned into a gleaming sword. I took this all in in mere seconds before glancing up at Percy while we tensed up and waited for them to assault us. "What are they?" i hissed.

"Empousa. That cheerleader one, pissed her off a while back when i killed her." i shrugged.

"Oh. That explains it then. We should just let her take you." Percy begins to laugh and Thalia shoots us a look.

"Focus!" she cries out as Nico slices into the first girl. With a scream she bursts into golden dust. There's about two dozen of them and some just brush past Nico and Hazel and head for Percy and I and Jason and Thalia. Something odd happens though when i slice through the first Empousa that tries to kill me. She gasps. Her eyes grow wide and she clutches the hole I've made in her abdomen. Black-ish, blue blood spills from the wound and everyone stops.

"What did i do?" i whisper glancing at Percy then back at the blood that pours from the wound.

"What's happening?" one of the Empousa hisses narrowing her eyes at me.

"I-I- I don't know." i stammer out as i watch the monster fall to the floor She continues to gasp and grasp at her wound before lying still. She doesn't burst into dust though. She just lays there, dead. "What the hell.." i murmur staring at the dead body then at my sword. "Is it.. This." i ask to the crowd of confused monsters and demi-gods.

"No one's ever seen the first sword in action before. We don't know what's suppose to happen." Nico speaks for the first time in puzzlement. The Empousa cry out and all back away simultaneously.

"The first sword." the cheerleader Empousa hisses.

"What?" i ask swinging to towards her partly just to see what they'll do and partly on accident. She shrieks and jumps as far away from as she can with her one bronze leg and her donkey leg.

"Don't just swing that around!" she screams at me.

"Like this?" i ask trying not to laugh at the state I'm putting them in as i move closer to her and swing down. They're all slowly backing up the way they came and eyeing us warily, scared.

"Yes! You ignorant girl! That could kill us!" she shrieks.

"So could their swords." i reply pointing at my friends.

"With their swords we die, we come back. With the first sword, with your sword. We die and we stay dead." the news comes as a shock to me and all my friends. "It's the sword and i don't know how you got it." she continues as her friends turn tail and run away. "But this is bad. This is not a good sign. The sword to end all monsters, to end everything, is back." with that last chilling comment she takes off after friends and leaves me staring at their retreating forms while my friend's eyes bore into my back. I don't want to believe it. I hold, in my hand, the sword that can actually kill monsters, for good. It chose me. This is really bad.

Slowly I turn and face my brother, the guy I'm possible in love with, and three strangers. We'll they're basically all strangers. We're friends by default. I don't say anything as I put my sword into its scabbard. Then I unbuckle the leather straps and move towards the river. "Violet." Percy says cautiously. "What are you.." But he knows what I'm doing. They know what I'm doing. I chuck the sword into the river and watch it sink. It doesn't come back. I touch my hips just to make sure. Then I turn and face my friends again. "Violet." Percy says with his shoulders slumped. Was it bad that I did that? I didn't want it. I can't handle a sword like that. Nobody can handle a sword like that. It shouldn't exist.