My Mistake (Sequel to My Life) #WATTYS2019

Chapter 20

I struggled in my shackles. For some reason, I felt like I was being spiritually restrained.

"Try as you might, those shackles are draining your powers. Soon, you'll be mortal-like. You will just a be a normal pest," Calypso said, crazily giggling. I paled a little. If I lose my powers, then I'm... I'm just useless.

Nico noticed my loss of color and he glared at her. "You... you...." he was cut off with a scream of agony. I looked over, trying to frantically find the source of the sound. I see a pool of rusty-red blood surrounding Victoria. Her back was cut open. It was cut so deep that her bone was shown.

"No!" Jack shouted, wanting to help his daughter. His eyes flicked to the blood and her wound. "You psychotic woman!" he shouted, struggling in the shackles himself. "She did nothing! She's just a child!" he said. I could feel his helplessness, that erratic need to choke Calypso.

"Daddy... I'm... I'm fine..." she gasped out, her eyes closing slowly. Nico breathed in sharply. "She's not gonna live..." he whispered to me, making my eyes widened. "Wh-What... How do y-you know?" I stuttered out, turning to him.

"... She cut her so deeply... Victoria's life force... It's fading... But... No one will come for her soul until the curse off this island is lifted off." My eyes shifted back to her. I slightly gagged seeing the gash turn a dark blue. Kayla looked at Calypso, her face now pale and her eyes teary. "Hey! Why is her-"

The witch tilted her head. "Her back blue? Oh didn't you know? All my spears have a special poison on them ever since I killed that other demi-mutt... What's his name? You know, your dear friend. Karl? Keith?"

My voice dropped to a whisper. "Ken," I said softly, before glaring up at her. "Ah, yes, Ken. Well after that, I realized that his death wasn't as fun as I'd hoped it'd be. And you know me... I love my fun!" she clapped her hands once excitedly, a smile of child-like happiness. How ironic.

"Anyway, I realized that I wanted to find something more... interesting. Just stabbing someone and letting them bleed out no longer invigorates me. I needed to see my pin cushions suffer. You see, after the first show with your dear Ken, I took up a new hobby- botany."

Alright, so she's going on one of her long tangents again. Great.

"I was able to mess around with some of the already poisonous plants on this island. But they didn't send the victim to a painful, torturous trip to the Underworld. No, they just caused you to become sleepy and die in your sleep. Boring, I know. So, I decided that I should spice things up. My poisonous plant first spreads throughout the body after it finds any orifice. Soon, it attacks the cells, rendering them useless. Finally, it'll create an explosion of pain- and quite literally too."

I looked at Victoria. She was paler, and her blood was dribbling out of her mouth. Jack was yanking at the shackles. The twins were shaking, sobbing as they watched their sister slowly dying in front of them. The other two had a pained look on their face. They really care about each other.

"In a matter of minutes, we'll witness my best work... This brat is going to explode from the inside. Each and every cell will burst, nanoseconds apart. She'll feel herself dying, being stripped of the life the very gods she loved so much gave her. And, well, after that, she'll just be the first demi-coccydynia that'll have her head mounted on my head."

My attention now turned to Calypso. My eyes burned into her own; they stared back with such malice that I couldn't believe that there was a time when this thing would fall for mere mortals.

"Why... Why did you let the darkness swallow your soul like this?" I whispered. I stopped struggling, wanting to save as much of my energy that I can. There is nothing else in the world that I'd love than to will these shackles away.

No, I would love for things to go back. I'd rather have everyone shun me out than depend on me to save this world. Why did I have to be the daughter of something that could be end of me?

"It's quite simple really- because it's beautiful. It has given me more than I could ever imagine," she said, her voice on a dangerous edge. Seems like I hit a nerve.

"It's never that easy, Calypso," I heard Nico say. He lifted his head. His eyes were trained on her, a look of loathing. I knew that he could feel Victoria's life force fading. It seems like a curse- being forced to know that someone or something is dying. "You will always lose more. The darkness isn't generous. It's a false partnership. Calypso, please... You can still do the right thing," Nico pleased.

But it was worthless. Calypso was beyond saving. All we could do is save everyone else.

Calypso turned to him, annoyance flashing over her face. "Oh, you're that Hades child that Erebus warned me about. You made it through Tartarus in one piece... Maybe you can return in multiple, hm?" Calypso giggled and then returned to me. "Listen here, you can save the rest if you just hand over the gem."

Can I really end their suffering if I just hand over the gem? I mean... wouldn't that make all of our efforts a waste? "I-I..." But that train of thought ended once I heard a chorus of "no's" and "don't do it".

Victoria took a sharp breath in. "Vanessa, I swear to Iris herself, I will torture you in the afterlife if you give her that gem," she rasped out. I bit my lip and glanced at her. She gave me a soft smile. "Don't worry, I'll see you down there eventually. Hopefully not anytime soon... I'll see everyone soon..." She then coughed and closed her eyes. "I'm so tired... I..." She then went motionless before we saw blood pouring out of every pore.

I gagged and looked away. "No! No no no! You psychotic monster! My baby... my little rainbow..." Jack's voice dropped to a whisper. He slowly looked up and had a blank look. The man was definitely in a state of shock. Then he sprung forward and managed to smash his forehead against her nose. I heard a satisfying crunch as her nose broke. She stumbled back and fell, frozen in her spot.

I was about to celebrate this small victory, but my breath caught in my throat as I watched Calypso stand up, a soft, dangerous glow came from her. Suddenly she was on fire, but it was like she created it.

"You demigods sure know how to piss me off! Do you want to suffer as well? I'll gladly grant that wish," she said, her voice now angry. All traces of glee was gone.

Jack's lips were set in a thin line. Soon, a realization dawned on me. Jack was accepting what was going to him. He accepted that he was going to suffer, that he was going to have to face her wrath. He accepted that he was going to die.

"Very well. How about you burn? Hm? A fitting punishment for someone who loved to play with fire," she said, grinning widely. It made her look inhumane, as if she were a beast from a story.

Jack looked confused. "How did you-" "My dear, I know everything remember?"

She was bluffing, but I have to admit. Calypso guessed something like that flawlessly. Unless... her new found powers included being able to read people impeccably well.

It all happened so fast after that.

Jack was lit up like a match. He screamed in agony, but soon, he was just a charred body that fell in front of Victoria. The entire time, the twins couldn't look away. Tears streamed down their face, and I knew that they felt utterly useless right now. The poor kids just watched their dad and sister die gruesomely.

Calypso made a face of pleasure before asking me the most difficult question I've had to answer. "Right, so... won't you hand over the gem?"