AMARANTHINE-ɪ, pjo/hp

AURORA ENTERS THE UNDERWORLD

It had been around one and a half day since Percy, Annabeth and Grover got down at Denver. Aurora had no idea where they were planning to go or if they had any lead. For a second, she genuinely wondered whether they too were going to the Underworld. After all, they didn't know that Hades' helm was stolen. But even then, it would be dumb to suspect Hades of all the Gods. She mentally chided herself. She was also dumb for going to the Underworld to retrieve something stolen from there. 

The one-and-a-half-day travel gave her more than enough time to wonder over her prophecy. More time than she wanted to be honest. The prophecy was driving her crazy. What betrayal? And what crossroad of hearts? In all of the tales she had read, she had never heard of a crossroad of hearts. And what choice did she have to make? On the other hand, the deal she made with Ares was troubling her as well. She didn't know when the God of War would expect her to repay her debt.

She sighed, rubbing her temples. The train would reach Los Angeles any minute now. She needed to be prepared. Monsters would be lurking in every corner. 

Around twenty minutes later the train finally reached Los Angeles. Aurora was one of the first to get off, desperate to get some fresh air. She was sick of sitting in the train. The prophecy, the questions, everything kept revolving. she had a feeling that she was missing a very big piece. 

She shook that out of her thoughts. She needed to go to the Underworld. That was her goal now. She recalled what Ares had told her. DOA Recording Studios. How the entrance of the Underworld ended up being a recording studio was beyond her understanding. However, she didn't know where in LA the studio was. It could be practically anywhere. The best way to get there was probably by cab. But no, she had to be out of money. Most of her money had been used for the food on the train. And some of it which had been in her pocket while fighting Echidna, had been destroyed. Which meant that she was wiped clean now. 

She sighed as she walked around the city. How was she supposed to reach the Underworld now? She was alone in this vast city. She was a lonely ten-year-old in this vast city. Slowly the realization began to sink in. All these past few days, she just had been blindly doing what the prophecy said, but she hadn't been thinking about how she felt. She was walking alone in this dangerous city. All she was armed with were celestial bronze daggers. These didn't hurt mortals.

 Though demigods had this strange complex, in which they believed mortals, were more slightly.... inferior and weaker than them, Aurora had heard stories. She knew that there were mortals out there who could be much worse than monsters. She could fight monsters with ease but... mortals without a soul and a heart? Mortals, demigods were bound to protect? What if she ended up in a situation like that? Aurora didn't know what she would do. She knew people from Camp who had scars inflicted on them by mortals in their life. 

She remembered Lilah from the Demeter Cabin. She was fourteen now and had been twelve when she arrived at camp. Aurora was there and she recalled how Lilah was half dead, battered and bruised as she stumbled into Camp. But the scars hadn't been inflicted by monsters. Hell, Lilah had never seen a Greek monster before that. She had been hurt by her older stepbrother's friends. And Aurora knew that Lilah still hadn't healed from that. She knew Lilah still visited Mr. D every Sunday for therapy. Though Mr. D pretended to not care, Aurora knew he cared for all the demigods at Camp, and he cared for them deeply.

Aurora's blood ran cold. Her eyes began to dart around to every corner, looking for anyone even slightly suspicious. Terror was filling her. The voices seemed too loud and too inaudible. She knew what was happening. If she couldn't get herself under control, she would get a panic attack. And she really couldn't afford one now.

Suddenly an old women came up to her.

"Dearie, are you alright?" the woman questioned, looking concerned. She was elderly probably in her mid-sixties with a soft smile on her face and her golden amber eyes sparkled with concern. Though Aurora was sure she had never seen her before, she seemed strangely familiar.