Revealed

Chapter 25 (Lou Ellen)

I woke up in one of the helicopters with my feet and hands bound to a stretcher. What did they do to us? Searching my memories, I find that they gassed us all and the demigods in the front lines falling one by one. I remember Sadie and Carter erecting magic shields, and Cecil running back to camp. I tried to hit the helicopters with a fire spell but my magic sputtered and fell short, setting the ground below it on fire instead.

Then a gas bomb fell near me and exploded, and I couldn't help but inhale it and fall unconscious. Then I had a dream. Knowing demigod dreams, it wasn't just a dream. Mom contacted me. 

She was holding her torches and sitting on a throne in a cavern. Her purple robes billowed before her and formed shifting patterns as they fell on the floor. She nodded at me to come forward.

"Lou, my daughter, your friends have freed me. I have stabilized Magic but the Mist will take time to recover so I am afraid you will have some problems still. I will give you a gift, use it well." And with that, I woke up. 

My hands and feet were bound to a stretcher. Beside me was Magnus and a Roman camper and they were also both bound, but I noticed that Magnus was wearing his necklace. Good. There were two soldiers on the helicopter with us and on of them was asleep. they seem to underestimate us. For some reason, I felt calm and maybe just a little bit more powerful. Even with my magic back, it shouldn't be like this. Hecate's gift. What did mom give me?

Before I even looked out of the helicopter, I already felt it. It was night. The shadows seemed to gather near me and I finally understood what she meant by her 'gift', or at least partly. 

I focused on the shadows gathering and tried to get them to move. The shadows seemed to lengthen, gathering near the base of my feet. My feet felt ticklish as the darkness slithered up and around them. It took a lot of focus but I eventually got the shadow to solidify enough to unlock the cuffs at my feet. A few more minutes and I got my hands free. I checked to see if the other soldier noticed. He didn't.

I muttered a spell under my breath and pointed at the remaining soldier. A purple light streaked from my outstretched hand to his face and he immediately fell asleep, snoring loudly. The pilot heard him.

"Hey!" The pilot yelled over the sound of the helicopter blades. "Don't you dare sleep on the job again or I will make sure to report you this time!"

I take off my hairpin and turn it into my sword. I creep over to the back of the pilot's seat and hold it over his neck. I hope he doesn't know that celestial bronze won't hurt him.

"Tell m where you're taking us or I'll hurt you," I growl.

"S-Switzerland. To the hidden laboratory in the mountains" He stuttered.

"Why?"

"The U.S. government collaborated with some countries. They want to experiment on you guys. I swear, I'm just a pilot. Don't hurt me,"

"I won't if you take us back to Manhattan," I say. We have to get to camp but I can't lead these soldiers right into it. I gave him time to think of it and he eventually pulled back and turned the helicopter around. I went to the back again and opened the cuffs on Magnus and the Roman the same way I opened mine. It didn't take long to wake them up. We locked the soldiers in our place and sat comfortably on the chairs.

"Hecate's already been freed," I say as soon as I got comfortable on the seat. The Roman camper was a bit confused, but Magnus was surprised.

"So you can use magic now? What about the Mist? How can they still see our weapons?" Magnus asked, bewildered.

"She said the Mist will take longer to get restored, but I already have my magic working properly again," I reply. "Also, I got this new gift from her,"

I hold my hand out and gather the shadows again. I send tendrils streaking towards Magnus but he suddenly glows and dissipates the shadows.

"You can control the darkness now? Sweet!"

"Umbrakinesis has always been a power of my mother. I just never had it," 

"Why did she give it to you now, then?" The Roman puzzled. "I'm Jacob, a son of Mercury, by the way,"

"Well, she said that there are hard times ahead and I will need this," I answer him. The Pilot called to us.

"We're near. Where do we land?" 

I closed my eyes to think and sensed it. There was a building with just enough concentration of Mist. Not enough to cover everything, but maybe I can use that so we can easily leave. I pointed to it. Luckily, it had a landing pad. 

"There," I said.

"Do you know that building?"

"Just take us there," I reply. A few seconds later, we were down on the landing pad. "Let's go," I tell my friends. I open the staircase door and start down. When I heard people, I stopped and gestured to the two to keep quiet. Concentrating, I used the Mist to cover us. There was enough in the building to hide all of us so we were barely visible. I told them to keep as quiet as they can and just follow me as I went down the flights of stairs and out to the street.

I dropped the Mist and stood there, hailing a taxi. We got in and directed it to camp. I hope Chiron knows what to do once he learns what's happening. As we were stuck in New York traffic, we hear a loud BOOM! and people suddenly started running.

I opened the taxi door and went out to see what was happening. Those who were rooted in their place were staring up and pointing. I looked up to a sight I wasn't expecting. The shields of Olympus were down. They had bombed the great city of the gods. Olympus was on fire.

A/N: AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH One chapter left after this I think before the book ends. After that I'd be preparing for the sequel (this is a trilogy).

Thank you for reading!

Vote, comment, and follow if you liked it!