The blazing storm

Chapter 28

"Didn't you remember?" James asks, sitting on the edge of her bed.  When Darcy shakes her head, James seems dejected.  "I thought you said she would remember everything." He glares at Leigh. 

Leigh looks up from Amelia.  "Aah... yeah," She looked slightly guilty.  "That potion was a prototype."

James looked like he was about to explode but Darcy touched his arm gently and he calmed down.  "What happened?" She asked again.  She wanted to know what was upsetting James so much.

He looked her in the eyes and they sat there, staring at eachother for a few seconds before James burried his face in his hands in shame.  "I did something stupid and almost got us killed."

Darcy frowned and sat forward.  "What did you do?"

James looked up at her.  "I convinced you to spend another year out of camp together." He said, frowning.  "We went to a mortal school and everything was fine until a month or so ago."

Darcy glanced towards Leigh who looked concerned.

1 month and 3 days ago
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Darcy met up with James in front of the school in their usual spot, an old bench that everyone claimed was haunted.  Of course that didn't bother the two demigods, they had met much, much worse than a few ghosts. 

"Hey." James came up behind her and ruffled her hair.

Darcy smiled up at James.  "Hey." She stood up, hoisting her thousand pound bag up with her. 

As they walked back to the car, James cleared his throat awkwardly.  "So back to CHB in a month, huh?"

Darcy smiled to herself.  "About time." Her grin widened.  "I can't wait to finally see Leo again!" She couldn't contain her excitement and skipped a few steps. 

James smiled at Darcy's enthusiasm.  "And I can't wait to meet this famous Leo Valdez." He said. 

They drove to their small apartment chattering about how happy they were to finally return to camp. 

"Mind if we take a backroad?" James asks, suddenly serious.  "I want to check this one place put.  Matt told me it was cool." 

Darcy shrugged.  "Whatever you want."

James turned onto a road ridddled with potholes and cracks.  The buildings flanking the road were falling appart and graffitied on and the overall aura of the place made Darcy feel uncomfortable.  "James..." Her voice sounded weak.  "I don't like this."

Jame ignored her and stopped the car.  He peered out the window at one particularly scary looking building.  "This is it." He said, pulling on the door handle. 

"James, wait-" Darcy tugged on the back of his shirt.  She was getting a tingly feeling that made her feel very uncomfortable indeed.

James ignored her again and stepped out of the car.  Before Darcy could protest any further, he closed the door and Darcy was alone in the car.  She watched James as he walked towards the building, knocked on the door and was ushered in by a scrawny boy who's eyes seemed to buldge out of his head. 

Darcy waited.  And she waited.  And then she waited some more until she finally had enough and couldn't sit still any longer.  She got out of the car and walked up to the same door James had and knocked.  No one answered and after a minute of waiting, she just went in. 

She wanted to scream.  The scrawny boy was sprawled on the floor in the small entryway, a pool of blood forming under his head. 

"James!" She ran past the boy down a small hallway and emerged into a large room filled to the brim with computers and televisions and gaming consoles.  Basicly every piece of technology that ever existed.  There were also a dozen or so boys, all on the ground or hunched over a console, unmoving. 

And then there was James. 

He was on his knees in the middle of the room and standing in front of him was none other than Reaper Hands.  Darcy hadn't seen him since he had killed Brother Toe.  As if sensing her presence, Reaper hands turned his one eye on her. 

"Look who's come to join the party." He grinned.  His teeth were rotten and black. 

Before Reaper Hands could make a move towards her, James yelled.  "RUN!"

Darcy didn't hesitate.  She ran back towards the exit, knocking as many electronics of their shelves into Reaper Hands's path.  Just as she was about to reach the door, Gas stepped in her way and she ran into him before smashing into the ground.  The wind was nocked out from her lungs.  Gas just dragged her right back to Reaper Hands, crushing all the electronics Darcy had knocked over underfoot. 

Reaper Hands looked unimpressed.  "We don't need her." He growled.  "It's the boy we really want."

Darcy's eyes met James'.  He looked unafraid. 

"What do we do with her then?" Gas snorted. 

Reaper Hands stared down at Darcy.  "Wipe her memory and send her back." The words rung in Darcy's head.  "We don't need her coming to rescue her poor little boyfriend."

Gas snarled and heaved Darcy up by her hair.  "No!" She screamed, kicking at gas.  "You leave him alone!  You hear me?  Alone!"

Gas ignored her.  He pulled a dirty cloth from his pocket.  It was covered in grimme and sick.  Gas poured a dark substance on the dirt cloth then forced it over Darcy's mouth and nose. 

"Nighty night."

And that was it.