The Third Camp Trilogy: The Chaotic End

Chapter seventeen: Carrie

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My feet ached, but still I forged on.

My muscles were sore, my skin and throat burned, and my head spun like a top, but still I forged on.

I had begun to count my footsteps.

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How much longer would I walk?

How many more steps would I take before I either died down here or I found Ares?

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My feet were going numb with the pain, as well as the muscles in my arms and hands.

My muscles were trembling underneath my scarred skin, and it made my balance off and I stumbled every once in awhile.

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"Make it stop," I pleaded to no one. "Make the pain stop."

I'd suffered enough in the past 13 years of my life, why do I have to suffer more pain?

Why do the god hate me so much?

What did I ever do?

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I lived.

That's what I did.

Why did I live?

Why did it make the gods so angry with me?

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What did I have to live for?

All I ever went through was torture and training.

Torture and training.

Why am I still alive?

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Do I have any reason to live?

What's the point of my existence if all I do, everyday, is torture and training?

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Counting, counting, counting.

Is that the purpose of my life?

To count how many steps I take as I go on a mission to save someone who never cared about me?

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Never cared.

The gods never cared.

All they did was hurt me, torture me.

But my father, my father Apollo, I couldn't betray him.

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Apollo.

Why doesn't he claim me as his child?

Why doesn't he call me his son?

He has never called me his son.

Why?

There must be something wrong with me.

What's wrong with me?

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So, so many steps.

How long have I been walking?

Where am I going?

What am I doing?

What is this for?

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I stopped walking and looked around.

What am I doing this for?

The gods?

They never cared about me, and they never will.

So why do I serve them?

Why—

What are you doing? Keep walking, boy, you have a mission to complete. Athena tapped to him.

Yes, lady Athena. I sighed and continued forward, my sore feet complaining and my muscles on the verge of quitting. I felt broken, ready to fall apart at any second, whatever glue having held me together now melted away by my sweat and pain.

"Hello," An echoing, nasty voice hissed from above me.

I looked up at the swarm of Aria above me and groaned.

"What the hell do you all want? I'm not going to kill you."

"Oh, why not?" They all sounded mildly disappointed. "We want to see you suffer!"

"Yeah? Well then watch every second of my life." I spat. "Leave me alone."

"But we can't watch your life, it's better to just make you suffer now!" They chorused, before three dived down from the sky, talons flashing.

I sighed and pulled out my sword, instead of my bow. My bow would do no good if they were so close.

When they dived down to try and attack, I brought my sword up, holding it above my head.

Screeches filled the air as Arai dove headfirst into my blade.

"Ach!" I clenched my fists around the hilt of my blade, shutting my eyes against the burning pain that marred my eyes, like acid being sprayed across my face.

I was now practically blind as I continued to fend off the Arai that tried to slash at me, to slit my throat with their talons and to make their hands slick with my blood.

They failed.

Soon, I stood at rest, my chest heaving and my hair dusted with glittering gold monster dust.

All the Arai were now dead.

No more breaks, you insolent child! Athena tapped. Keep going! If you waste any more time—

Yes, Lady Athena, I tapped back. I understand.

They were just worried for Ares, yes, that had to be it.

I searched and searched.

I found him sitting on the edge of the pit of Chaos.

His eyes were glazed over, white in one eye and black in the other.

"Come on buddy." I grabbed his arms and pulled him back.

Once I pulled him far enough away from the pit he collapsed.

"Okay, really?" I sighed and slung the war god over my shoulders.