Equilibrium

Chapter 43: Jackie's POV

"Holy shit. I just summoned a demon. Holy SHIT I JUST SUMMONED A DEMON!" I panic, scooting as far away from the figure as I can. She just laughs, seemingly amused.
"I am no demon. I am, as you read, Amaratha. Follower of Lady Hecate."
"So you're like... a sorceress then?"
"Yes, yes something like that." She gives me another smile, and though it's creepy with her purple, cat-like eyes, I can tell it's genuine. I allow myself to relax slightly. If Amaratha had wanted to kill me, she probably would have done it already, but I still keep my guard up.
"So... why do you have my dad's relic?" I gesture at the key dangling from twine, shimmering on her cloaked chest.
"Oh, this little thing?" She glances down at the key, running her fingers over the smooth metal, "Years ago, Hecate granted me immortality. I was a mortal who had the ability to see through the mist, and she took an interest in me, teaching me some of her magic. I grew to be one of her closest followers, and she often sends me on missions and such, mostly classified of course, so I'm afraid I can't share many details," She pauses, tucking a lock of white hair behind her ear, "But years ago, a daughter of Hecate was assigned a quest. It didn't go very well. Chiron lost contact with her, and soon the demigod's mother herself began to worry. She sent me to find her, but when I did, she was dead. As were her fellow quest-mates. A son of Hermes and a daughter of Ares. Monsters of some sort must have attacked."
"That's... that's awful."
Amaratha frowns, nodding her head, "It is. The Half Bloods had taken Hermes's relic along on the quest, and I couldn't just leave it there, so I took it with me when I visited Lady Hecate with the bad news. She advised me to keep the relic safe, and trusted I would. So it has been with me ever since." I frown. If I ask nicely, will she let me have it? Or will she turn into an overprotective psycho and try to kill me? The second option seems much more likely, but I've got to take the risk and ask.
"Look, Amaratha, I know Hecate told you to protect the key, but right now my friends are in danger. All demigods, in fact, are in danger. I was sent on a quest to retrieve all the relics and return them to camp, where they will be safe. If I don't, supposedly we'll all die. So... Could I maybe..." I already feel stupid, like this is a lost cause, and like I'm about to get myself killed, but I spit it out, "Could you give me the relic?"
I prepare myself for Amaratha to cast some magic spell that will turn me into an ant or something and squash me but instead, she smiles.
"What's your name, dear?"
"Um, Jackie. Er- Jaquelin Elway."
Amaratha shoots me another soft smile. "Of course I'll give you the relic. Hecate informed me of your quest, for she often keeps tabs on questing demigods after what happened to her daughter. I know you speak the truth, and after all, you are a daughter of Hermes, so the relic is rightfully yours."
And to my utter shock, she slips the twine bearing the key over her head and slips it over mine. The relic rests against my chest, tucked under my tattered T-shirt, the cool metal against my skin sending a shiver through my body, but not an unpleasant one. I beam at Amaratha.
"Thank you thank you thank you!" I exclaim, hardly daring to believe I could have gotten the relic so quickly.
"Anytime, my dear. And now I am afraid we must part ways. I sense that the man who owns this ranch is near. To him, this room appears to be an old storage closet, as he cannot see through the mist. It would be wise to leave before he-"
Speak of the devil, and he appears. The door to the room opens and there stands the cowboy, hat, boots, dust and all.
"WuT in TARNATION-"
"Good luck on your quest!" Amaratha whispers hastily. With a snap of her fingers, she vanishes, as does the room around me. There's a rush of darkness and sound and I close my eyes, feeling dizzy. When I reopen them, I'm standing outside of the ranch house, Texas sun beating down hard and dust curling at my feet. Harper sits at my side, and gives a surprised little shriek when I pop into existence, but then he's nuzzling me affectionately.
"Awww hey buddy! Sorry to scare you, Amaratha must have worked some kind of magic. Pretty cool," I smile, stroking his feathered head, "And I got the relic! Without Luka's help! I don't need him! I'm perfectly capable of doing this quest on my own and I just proved it!" I say more to myself than to the bird. Harper cocks his head at me and gives me a quizzical expression. "Just- never mind. Whatever." I sigh before slipping onto his back. "Let's go find the Ares relic." He gives a little screech and we're off, the ranch disappearing behind us.
A few hours later, we arrive in Wisconsin near an old warehouse with rusted metal walls and a rickety roof. Harper swoops over the barbed wire fence and lands on the cracked pavement. Welp, here we are. I walk up to the door only to find a massive padlock barring my entrance. Great, just great. How the Hades am I supposed to get inside and get the relic if I can't even get the door open?
Then I remember.
The relic, duh.
I slip the shimmering key over my neck and press it against the lock. It morphs into the correct size and shape of the keyhole in my hand, glowing bright white as I slip in into the lock. I hear a few clicks and then remove the key, watching in awe as the lock opens, falling to the ground.
"Sick, dad." I grin, putting the necklace back over my head and tucking the key beneath my shirt. Taking a step forward, I turn the handle of the door and cautiously enter the old warehouse.
I immediately get the creeps.
This place is dark as Tartarus. The only light filtering in comes from the small holes in the roof, filtering through the dusty air and casting everything in an unsettling dance of light and shadow. From what I can make out, I can see that the warehouse is stocked full of boxes, cobwebs, and metal parts. I take another step forward and cringe as a loose floorboard creaks menacingly.
I don't like this I don't like this I don't like this, I repeat inwardly. I start looking around for the Ares relic, being very cautious and as quiet as I can. It's supposedly some sort of Greek War Helmet from the Peloponnesian War, and has the ability to morph into the weapon of your choosing. I sort through the dusty boxes, finding nothing of interest, when my eyes catch on a faint red glow towards the back right corner of the warehouse.
I stumble through the boxes in a rush to get to it, and smile victoriously when my gaze lands on the ancient helmet, giving off a bright red aura.
Hey, that was pretty easy! I think to myself, reaching out to grab the relic. Just as my fingers brush against the metal, though, I hear a sound behind me. A scattering of cardboard boxes and breaking glass. Startled, I turn around, but there's nobody there.
"Wha- who's there!" I hiss, going rigid with fear. Another scuffling sound to my left and I whip around, unsheathing my sword. Nothing. "Show yourself!" I yell, spinning around in a circle, sweeping my blade in front of me. Then I pause, trying to listen for another sound, but I'm met with nothing but silence. Part of me wants to believe I imagined the sounds, but the logical side of me knows that I didn't, and that they were very much real. I decide I'd better just take the relic and book it. I turn back and make a grab for the helmet, but in that split second, something heavy collides with the back of my head and everything explodes in pain. I hear a faint ringing in my ears before my vision tunnels and I collapse, the world going dark.