Bones

65: Willpower Pt. 2

(Picture above is Dylan O'Brien as Alcaeus Archer with The Guard)

It almost seemed too easy. I'd claimed a fair amount of lives during our escape but it was like they wanted us to escape. The Guard did most of the work. Surrounding us and slicing down anyone who tried to get near us. With each kill I was reminded that Zeus' numbers were dissolving. The fight was getting slightly fairer.
"Morris!" The last remaining man left to keep us from escaping. From a doorway larger guy, Morris? Stepped into the corridor.
"Call them off." Alpheus said
"What?" Alcaeus demanded
"Tell them to stand down. He's mine." Alcaeus said
"Are you-"
"Do it." Alpheus said Alcaeus raised his hand and the Guard obeyed stopping.
Alpheus looked back at Electra. He drew his sword.
"Just you and me, devil?" Morris says as Alpheus steps out of our line.
"Just you and me." Alpheus says twirling his sword. I smirked.
Electra reached over and took my hand giving it a squeeze. I squeezed her's back.
Morris drew a sword. It was white and shiny.
"Quite noble of you to face someone you know you can't beat for a girl." He said
"This isn't just for her." Alpheus says "And I pity you. Trying to cover your nerves with taunts." Alpheus says Morris swings and Alpheus easily blocks it and counters. Hitting Morris in the face with the hilt of his sword. I heard a crack and his nose started to bleed profusely. Alpheus had broken his nose.
Morris swung again and Alpheus ducked. Electra squeezed my hand gripping my upper arm with her other hand.
Alpheus pulled his sword across Morris' thigh. Morris dropped onto his knees. Alpheus placed his blade under his chin kicking away Morris' sword he raised his face to look into his own. I watched from behind. Alpheus said something in Ancient Greek and with a quick swing, Morris became two instead of one. The wall splattered with blood, his head rolled across the floor as his body fell to the floor leaking blood. Alpheus wiped the blood of his sword onto Morris' jumpsuit. Electra released me her hand staying in mine. I welcomed the warm touch of her hand.
The remaining man that had been so confident in Morris' victory looked from the bloody body to Alpheus. Alpheus waited a second before jerking forward. He turned on his heel and started down the hall. At a sprint. In one swift movement, I let go of Electra's hand drawing my bow. Notching an arrow and letting it fly. It soared down the hall and hit the last man in the back. He fell forward. Alpheus turned and smirked at me. I lowered my bow.
"Good shot." Nico says I chuckle
"Archery classes." I said shrugging
"We should get going." Leo says we all agreed. The Guard follow us down the corridor as we reach the elevator.
"No elevators. If there's any left they'd have sabotaged it by now. We take the stairs." Leo- says we nod agreements and Atlas steps over and holds open the door to the stairs. Everyone starts to file through. Alcaeus had sent five Guards in the front. When it was just me and him with the remaining five guards, he shuffles past me and presses the button to call the elevator.
"Why'd you do that?" I asked
"So they think we've fallen for it. C'mon, they'll be focusing on the elevator not the stairs." He says grabbing my elbow and tugging me through the doors.
*
The stairwell is dark and cool. The stairs are steel so all of our feet sounded like we were walking on a spaceship. I was reminded suddenly of the movie marathons Nik and I used to have. All of the space themed movies he enjoyed so much. I wondered if he was okay. He was instructed to stay home. I wondered how they were back there. I stopped suddenly, Alcaeus turned to face me the Guards halting behind me.
"What?" Alcaeus says looking down at me from his higher step.
"Thanatos and Thalia.. They were out here with us." I said
"Leo said Augustus was only talking about six." Alcaeus says
"So they made it home?" I asked he nodded
"And they're probably worried sick about you." He said started to walk. I grabbed his wrist. I heard the Guards behind me pull at their swords.
"Easy." Alcaeus commands them.
The footsteps of everyone else were now inaudible. My hand on Alcaeus' wrist started to tingle. I ignored it.
"They're probably worried about you too." I said he rolled his eyes.
"They stopped worrying about me a long time ago." He says
"You don't know that. You haven't given them a reason too." I said "You take care of yourself." I said
"Everybody needs to be worried about once in a while." He says
"I worried about you."
"Can we do this another time? We're losing them." He says
"Yeah.." I sigh "Sure."
He glances down at my hand and I remove it from his wrist. He starts up the stairs again and I follow behind him. Everyone is waiting for us at the top when we arrive.
Eighteen people on a staircase is a tight squeeze.
"Where were you guys? Thought they'd grabbed you." Alpheus says
"I called the elevator." Alcaeus says
"Right, good idea." Alpheus says the guards at the front open the door and we all slip out into the woods. I recognize it immediately. The same place Atlas and Joy had been taken when I was brought here to interrogate them.
"Look familiar?" Leo says I nodded
We all saw at least a dozen other people slipping in the front door, no doubt ready to ambush us.
We slipped around them into the thicket. I saw the lights of Ambrosia in the distance.
"We need more camouflage. We'll be too easily recognized." I said everyone looks to Leo but he was already looking at Alcaeus.
"You've got us this far.." Leo says to him "What else can you do?" He asked
**
"I can't believe it's actually working." Electra muttered to me.
"I've done this before.. Thanatos did it." I said Alcaeus had made invisibility cloaks for all of us. We'd stepped into Ambrosia and were completely undetectable. I kept my eyes on Alcaeus. Last time Thanatos had done it, it'd taken a lot out of him. Alcaeus seemed fine though.
His magic allowed us to see each other but everyone else couldn't see us. Selective appearances.
Alcaeus had dismissed all of the guards except for two and they'd remained undetectable. One at the front one at the back.
Electra had been squeezing my hand ever since we left the forest. I was wondering why she wasn't with Alpheus but I honestly didn't want to know. I had enough of my own drama.
Ambrosia was all asleep. There was no parties tonight and the only light was torches. They was the odd straggler every few minutes.
When we reached the front gates I'd never felt more relief. We slipped through, past the sleeping guard and into the bushes. I thought about Demetrius. He must have finally taken a break.
We got through the bushes and Alcaeus pulled his cloak off and opened the entrance.
"Is it safe? Like for us?" Leo asks gesturing to him and Nico. Glances are past around.
"Milo got in when he-"
"Milo is down there? So he's safe?" Nico asks Electra shakes her head
"He's not down there now. But he's safe." Electra says
"If Milo got in then it should be safe for them to-"
"He shape shifted into a Hellhound though. That gave him their instincts to find the entrances and access." I said
"Oh for the love of.." Alpheus stepped forward
"I'll run down the passage and tell Thanatos to give him access. He's the next in command when Dad is gone." He said I glanced at Alcaeus remembering the times he was the bossman down in the Underworld.
"I'll go with you." Atlas says Alpheus nodded and they took off down the entrance.
Alcaeus leaned against a tree near by. I looked at him and opened my mouth.
"Not now, either." He said I shut my mouth.
"Is it safe.. Down there?" Electra asks me "I mean like.. No one could have gotten in there, right?" She says
"He'll be fine, Electra." I said
"Who?" She says I looked down at her and smirked.
"Did he tell you about us?" She demanded
"No. He didn't need to." I said
"Is it obvious?" She says
"Not really. Besides none of us really care. But I think Pamela might get a bit jealous." I said
"So, who cares?" She said I smirked
"That's a good attitude." I said she punched me chest with the hand that wasn't squeezing the life out of my other hand. I grumbled and rubbed the spot.
"They've been granted permission!" I hear Alpheus yell down the tunnel. Indigo goes in first and then Nico and Leo. Nico sticks his hand out for Electra and she gladly took it hugging her brother. I glanced up at Alcaeus. We were the last ones. I stuck my hand out towards the entrance.
"After you." I said he assessed me with his eyes then stepped forward. There was a whistle and an arrow went right past my leg and into Alcaeus' thigh. I caught him before he fell. I looked behind me and saw figures heading towards us.
I wrapped my arm around Alcaeus' waist his lifted and wrapped around my shoulders.
I ran down into the entrance and pulled Alcaeus with me.
"Seal it!" I yelled he sparked his smoke and sealed it.
"Can they get in?" I asked he shook his head. I looked down at his leg. It was bleeding around the arrow.
"C'mon, I need you to stay with me." I said he nodded
I started down the passage. Alcaeus hissed.
"Put all your weight on me. I'll get you down the passage." I said he nodded and I felt more weight one me. I started down the passage.
"Alpheus!" I shouted hoping he was still down here.
"Alpheus!" I yelled I looked down at the wound. It was bleeding still. Badly. I laid him down against the wall.
"Okay, I need something to tie around your leg.. Cut off the bleeding.." I said
"I looked in my bag. Inside was my jacket folded up and then I saw my hoodie folded below it. I took it out and grabbed Lupé shifting it into a dagger. I cut the sleeve taking a strip of the fabric and tying it around his thigh. He winced as I did. Putting his head back he sighed.
"Alpheus!" I yelled down the tunnel. It echoed
"Tobias?!" I heard his voice I breathed a sigh of relief before calling back to him I heard his running feet. Echoing down. I saw him in the dim torchlight.
"What happened?" He demanded
"Arrow." I said Alcaeus whispers something.
"What?" Alpheus and I spoke in unison.
"Poison." He whispered his eyelids getting heavy.
"Fuck. Come on." He said and leaned down grabbing one of Alcaeus' arms and wrapping it around his neck. I followed suit taking the other arm. Alpheus and I's arms wrapped around Alcaeus' waist holding him steady. We rushed down the tunnel. Near the end, Alpheus scooped Alcaeus up into his arms.
"Go ahead, Tell Albus we need his healing skills. Caeus is probably right about the poison." He says I nodded and took off. When I broke into the parlour, Thanatos jumped up off the couch to hug me.
"In a second." I told him holding out my hand.
Albus was waiting too. I was thankful he was here and I didn't need to retrieve him.
"We need this couch ready. Get sheets." I instructed Luna. She nodded and took off.
"What happened?" Niklaus demanded
"Alcaeus was hit." I said I turned to Albus.
"A poisoned arrow. Can you fix it?" I asked Albus nodded
"I can try." He says I turned around running back down the tunnel to help Alpheus. He set Alcaeus onto his feet and I resumed my place.
When we entered the parlour again the couch was prepped and I let go so Alpheus could guide Alcaeus' onto the couch.
"Alright, we need to pull it out." Albus says we looked around our small circle.
"So.. Do it." I said
"I could tear something taking it out. He's going to have to stay still and not squirm while I-" I heard Alcaeus shout with pain and when we turned around he was holding the arrow in his hand.
"Happy?" He grumbled and threw it onto the coffee table. Albus recovered from his shock and dug into a med kit.
"So, an archer shot him? Probably one of Apollo's kids. Now.. They use a specific poison on their arrows.. The antidote should be.." He trails off digging through a few small vials. He pulled out one that was blue.
"This is it." He said grabbing a needle. Alpheus put a hand on Alcaeus' shoulder from where he had pulled up a chair behind him. Alcaeus looked up at home. Most of our siblings were here and they looked nervous.
Alcaeus' eyes found mine.
"They don't worry about you eh?" I said Albus flicked the needle squeezing any air bubbles out and looked down at Alcaeus
"I have to stick it into the wound." He informed him. Alcaeus nodded
"Do it." He said Albus nodded. I had to look away. I heard a hiss from Alcaeus and knew it's been done.
I looked back and Alpheus looked really pale like he might faint. Albus wiped the wound.
"The poison has been neutralized. I can heal you now." Albus says Alcaeus nodded. Albus out his hand on the arrow hole. Gag. Smoke swirled around Alcaeus' leg. Alcaeus expression calmed and he unclenched his jaw muscles. I didn't see or hear her coming. I wish I did because.. I could have avoided the sting.
Smack
I turn and see Annalise. She has tears in her eyes and looks a bit pissed. Just when I think she's about to bite my head off. She throws her arms around my neck and buries her face in my chest. I slowly hugged her back. Pamela came into the room. It looked like she'd been crying.
Annalise released me. I knew she was a bitch ninety percent of the time but she had the decency to worry. I held my arms out and she looked shocked for a moment before coming over to me and hugging me.
"I thought you all were dead." She said
"Not yet." I said with a chuckle "They need to try harder than that." I said
"What did they do to you?" She asks
"It doesn't matter." I said
"That bad huh?" She asks
"Seriously though, what happened?" Thalia asks her arm wrapped around Indigo.
"You'd never look at the world the same, sister." Alpheus says
"Try me." She says
"I'd rather not delve into it right not, Thalia." Alpheus says "I'd like a bath." He adds and exits the room. I glance over at Electra. She watches after him longingly. What is going on between these two?
"Yeah, me too." I said I gripped Alcaeus' shoulder on my way out.
The halls of the palace were familiar and comforting. I listened and heard the soothing sound of screams. I was home.