The Demigod Games

Chapter Forty-four

The fire flickered out of existence, Aelia's tears purging the snow of Leo's blood. She tore her eyes away from Leo's mangled corpse toward the summit, shadows standing still, their outlines glowing in the light of the rising sun. She closed her eyes, remembering the Lightning flash, trickles of tesla striking the summit, and the girl falling down.

She stood, brushing the snow and blood off of her pants, wiping the tears from her eyes as she looked at Leo one last time. His hair dyed a sick shade of dark red, his worry lines gone. His crooked grin was haunting, an empty body flashing an empty smile. His arms were splayed out by his sides at random angles, his eyes glassy and devoid of the life that once filled them.

A last tear dripped from Aelia's cheek, falling aimlessly against Leo's forehead, sliding down his face, gathering blood, and dripping onto the ground. Aelia turned away, unable to look at him again. His eyes would haunt her forever. The image of Leo, laughing and flirting meaninglessly with her, suddenly had a lot more meaning, saddening her. She closed her eyes tight, trying to replace the image, to no avail. She opened her eyes with a frustrated groan and saw something glittering in the snow. Turning her head, she began walking toward it.

The ground around it was littered with yellow ash, the remains of the monster that had killed Leo. She must have burned to death; to her own disgust, Aelia smiled cruelly, almost taking pleasure in the creature's tortured death. But she did. And she couldn't avoid herself.

A long, spiked fang lay on the ground. She leaned down and picked it up, brushing the dust from it. It gleamed in the subdued sunlight.

Aelia looked at the mountaintop again. There were more people gathered. They weren't fighting, weren't even moving. As if they were frozen; Aelia wouldn't be surprised if they were, given the cold.

Breaking a thick branch from a tree, she snapped it until it was about the size of a grip. Eyes closed, she began to walk to Leo. She could feel the blood cover her hands, warm and thick like syrup. She gagged. Finally, her hand connected with the plastic spool she'd been looking for. Leo had shown it to her before this happened. Opening her eyes, she saw the wire, dripping with blood, in her hands. Taking the piece of the branch, she stabbed the top with the fang until she had made a decently sized gap. She shoved the fang into the hole, wrapping the wire around the stick until she couldn't see the bark. Unspooling a little more wire, she wrapped it around the bottom of the fang and tied it around the handle - she examined her makeshift dagger proudly, turning it over in her hands.

Even more tributes had gathered on the summit. Aelia squinted, counting five of them. Sounds of starved gasps and exhausted sighs and snow being pushed aside took Aelia's notice, and she raised her knife in warning, turning around to see a corpse-like Piper collapse onto the ground. Her leg muscles pulsed, her legs kicked tiredly at the snow.

"Aelia," she wheezed, bloodshot eyes staring at her. Aelia stared at her in disbelief; she looked as if she'd run to the Moon and back. She tucked her Lamia-fang knife into her belt, rushing to Piper's side.

"Jason?" Aelia asked, and Piper shook her head feebly, closing her eyes for so long that Aelia worried her heart had given out.

"Leo..?" she spat, literally. Saliva flew out of her mouth, coating her face in a thick goo.

Aelia shook her head as well. "No. Lamia... she..."

Piper held out her hand and put it on Aelia's shoulder.

"I know," she said, breaths becoming even.

Aelia grabbed Piper's hand and helped her get up from to snow. Piper's face was beginning to turn a shade of blue; Aelia wasn't sure it was the cold. She wrapped the girl's arm around her neck, carrying most of her weight. Piper's legs shook uncontrollably, and Aelia found she wasn't supporting her, she was carrying her.