Turning Tides | P. Jackson Books 1-5

I Refuse

"I won't have one," She breathed. "Not with all of you out for my head." It was silent again.

"Your friend wouldn't shut up about me shooting you," Artemis admitted. "I started to regret it."

"Who? Which one I mean, which friend?" Ayden shifted under the rock. She moved an inch wrong making the sky crush her spine and she let out a horrid cry.

"Percy Jackson, I thought the kid was going to attack me for a few minutes," Artemis moved again making the chains scrape against the floor. Ayden smirked a little, the pain was worth it just to hear that from her mouth. Percy Jackson. "I won't take the sky from you."

"Never asked you to."

"Surprised your protectors aren't here?" Artemis looked around the mountain again. Ayden was annoyed by the fact that the goddess was trying to talk to her when she'd been holding up the sky for days. Ayden can't do too many things at once. It would pull her focus and she could die, but at the same time, she was thankful for a slight break.

"Who?"

"Chaos and Aion, didn't they attack Zeus for you?" Artemis asked. Ayden wanted to laugh at her. They were both sitting together. One was chained up and the other was trapped under the sky and they were making conversation. It hit Ayden that Zeus told lies about the encounter because no one attacked Zeus. He attacked her. Chaos and Aion only appeared to protect her from his wrath.

"No, they protected me from him." Silence again. "A child born from a broken mother and an angry father. A creature of chaos and vengeance. A demigod child born to change the path of Olympus, to keep fear in the hearts of the gods. That's why you hate me, isn't it?" Ayden asked. She recited what Delphi had spoken to her all those months ago when she left to find the primordial gods.

"God killer." Artemis spat.

"I have no claim to that title."

"You could," Artemis looked around. "We've given you every reason to."

"Yes, and I haven't," Ayden spit out the blood that had flooded her mouth. A small pile was at the goddess's feet. "Give me more credit."

"A conduit."

"No."

"You are one but not the other, but you will be, it's already been foretold," Artemis turned her head seeing Cameron walk toward them. "You are a disgrace young maiden."

"I'm not the one in chains," Cameron smirked at the goddess. "Ayden, don't you see that they will not stop until you're dead." Ayden didn't respond, she was busy trying to keep herself from passing out. 

"You killed your mother, you threatened your father, you threatened the gods. Just come back to us, Ki and I are waiting for you to see that this is right. It seems crazy, but it's the right thing to do. The gods have to learn that they aren't allowed to use us like pawns, we are people, we are their children and they are responsible for us."

"Demeter was a wonderful mother to you," Artemis added.

"No, she wasn't," Cameron denied. "She did not save me from him. She did nothing to help me."

"So you killed him? That was your solution, I admired that about you, but this is insanity."

"Wait killed who?" Ayden asked. She looked at Cameron seeing her friend's face change. Ayden didn't know what to believe anymore, she didn't know who to trust anymore. Her world was crushing her. 

"My uncle," Cameron told her. She took a few steps forward. "I killed him, it wasn't my father. I killed my uncle when I finally realized no one was going to help me, I framed my father and he went to jail for turning a blind eye to what he did to me. They got everything that was coming for them." Ayden wanted to shake her head. She tried to keep the confusion off her face, but she couldn't control her body anymore. She was too tired. "Yes, I lied, Ayden. Everyone lies. We all lie. They lie." She pointed at Artemis. "They lie more than anyone."