First Lie || Deception Book I ||

Regret Pt.2

Luke's POV

"What the hell?" I asked, running over and dropping to my knees next to her.

Ri was covered in black blood, the liquid coating her shirt and splatters of it on her face. Her skin was so pale, and that was when I noticed her leg.

Shit, I thought. The gash on her leg was green, pus and blood still leaking from it. "Who the fuck did this to you?" I muttered. No one in camp was more skilled in blades than her, other than me, and no one in camp could hurt her when she had her Mist with her. It should be impossible to have her hurt to this degree. I took her sword, which transformed into a ring, and hastily shoved it on my finger.

"Stay with me," I whispered to Ri as I ripped a part of my shirt and wrapped it around her leg. I gently picked her up and stumbled towards the camp.

"Help!" I yelled. "Somebody, help!"

A few faces peeked out from the trees and stared at me in shock. They nodded and disappeared, presumably to find Chiron.

The path back had never felt so long. Ri's breathing was becoming more erratic, and a faint sheen of sweat had appeared on her brow. "Just hold on a little longer," I pleaded with her. "We're almost there. Chiron will fix you up in no time."

After a million years, I emerged from the woods. "Chiron! Someone! Help!" I yelled.

Travis and Connor, who were busy arguing over something at the armoury, stopped mid-sentence and gaped at me. "What the heck happened, Luke?" Travis asked. "What-"

"Just go get Chiron!" I snarled. "I don't have time for this!"

Of course, Chiron chose that moment to appear. "Gods," he muttered when he saw Ri. "What on Earth happened to her?"

"I'll take her to the Big House," Chiron said. I nodded mutely and handed Ri's limp form to Chiron, who promptly galloped off to the Big House.

"Hey," Connor said, bracing me as the events finally caught up to me. "You okay?"

I stared at him blankly. "If anyone asks, I'll be at the Big House." I took after Chiron and Ri at a sprint. Whatever happened, I could only pray and hope that she'd be alright.

As I ran across the fields, the panic that had set in was filled with anger. Anger at the gods for not interfering and protecting her, anger at myself for letting her go off into the woods alone, and anger at the world for allowing something like this to happen. I gritted my teeth. Today, Anna had almost died. She could still die. She wasn't invincible. No one was. And no one had done anything to help her.

I walked up the porch steps and went straight to the back room. I eased open the doors to see Chiron in his wheelchair force-feed some nectar down her throat and wrap a cloth bandage coated in some minty paste around the gash on her leg. He looked up. "Oh, it's you, Luke."

He wheeled up to me. "Thank you for whatever you did. If it'd been a minute later, I don't think she'd survive."

I swallowed, my throat dry. "Will she be okay?"

Chiron hesitated. "I don't know. I've never seen anything like the poison in her. It's strange. But I think she should be fine. She's strong. She'll fight it off."

I hesitated. "But what could have done this? Rianna's the strongest demigod at camp. If something could have-"

Chiron sighed. "I don't know. Even the gods are not invincible. But whatever did this was killed by her, in any case. Maybe it just caught her by surprise." He patted my shoulder sympathetically. "I've done all I can. We just need to give her time and rest."

I nodded. "Can I stay with her?"

Chiron hesitated, then nodded. "Sure." He wheeled out of the room and gently shut the door behind him.

I walked over to the bed and stared at Ri. The blood was gone from her face, but her skin was still as pale as death. I brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face. "You'll get better," I whispered. I slipped the ring from my hand onto hers and laid her dagger on the small table next to the bed.

"I will find who did this," I vowed, "and end them. This will never happen again. I will never lose another person I care for. Ever."

I looked at her figure, still unconscious, and silently swore to myself that I would take revenge. Blood would be shed. I would make sure of it. 

***
Thanks for reading and don't forget to vote, comment, and follow for updates and announcements!