A Beautiful Demise [Solangelo]

1. Never Anger an Old Goddess

Will was never going on a quest again.

Chiron had told him that it was a simple task. Find some long forgotten minor goddess and persuade her to give him the stone that reveals all the secrets to some kind of ancient medicinal technique. Rachel gave him a prophecy and he, Laurel Victor and Kayla Knowles set off. They found the goddess in a motel. But from there, things kind of went downhill.

"You dare try to rob me!" The goddess screamed with her raspy, withered voice, her young face twisting to reveal a hag underneath.

"No, it's not like that—" Kayla tried but the goddess screamed again, flinging her against the wall of the small motel room.

"Thieves! Thieves!"

"We don't want to hurt you," Will waved Laurel's spear down. "We just want to bargain."

"Thieves!" A blast of magic energy slammed into Laurel's chest, sending her flying through the window.

"We don't need it!" Will shouted over the goddess' screams. "We'll leave!" The screams came to an abrupt stop. The goddess was in front of Will now, her form morphing back into the young woman who had greeted them at the door.

"Punishment," A sudden, soft breeze whispered in his ear. "Punishment."

"You greek demigods," The woman hissed, "thinking you're entitled to whatever you want."

Will tried to defend himself, but his voice cut off in his throat. The goddess' eyes swirled with dark colours, sending a trickle of fear down his spine.

"It's not the first time you people have come to find me, blasting my door down, guns blazing. Ready to steal what belongs to me."

"Punishment."

"It's just a stone," Will finally managed to say. "We don't need it. We'll go. We won't come back."

"They always come back," she screamed.

"Punishment."

Will stumbled back. He wasn't meant to go on quests. He was just a simple medic. But since most of the older campers had left to attend college in New Rome, and Nico di Angelo was on another quest for his father, Will was the "next best option."

He didn't even know this goddess' name.

"Always wanting what they can't have," the voices whispered. "Always wanting what isn't theirs."

"I'll kill you," the goddess whispered with the voices. "I'll kill you slowly. You won't see me until it's too late."

Now he was a little scared.

"We won't come back, you can keep your stone."

"It will be a beautiful death."