artemis ; pjo

Escape (Kinda)

The exit was hard to find.

That's because it was nonexistent.

I was running around in the infinite concrete room for a good hour before my common sense finally kicked in. I looked up at the ceiling, and sure enough, there was a large crack big enough for me to slip through. The only problem was that the ceiling was four feet above my head. Thankfully my mind was refreshed after my kill.

I got to work ripping long pieces of cloth from my shirt and capris, unlacing my sneakers, and taking other items. Soon I had an unstable rope that was barely two and a half feet.

Best I could do.

I tied the end to an arrow and shot at the ceiling near the crack. It bounced right off. I glanced at my dagger as Plan B sprang to mind.

I snatched up my dagger and tied the 'rope' to it. I put my dagger on the bow and drew it back, praying to Artemis that this would work. The dagger shot with force at the ceiling and lodged itself into the cement, spreading hairline cracks all through the ceiling.

I walked backwards to get a running start. With all the speed I had, I ran and jumped up to the rope. My fingers brushed the end of the rope.

"Crap" I muttered.

I tried again and again, but every time I fell short by an inch. My anger and frustration was building up inside me, so I screamed.

Really loud.

Slumping down on the floor, I felt my face growing hotter and hotter. I'm not sure how much time past when I heard shuffling. A shadow was cast on the floor and I looked up at the crack. Mixed emotions washed over me when I saw who it was.

"Need some help?" Ben asked with a smile.

I kept my face expressionless, mostly because I didn't know which emotion to express, and stood up without a word. Ben got on his knees and reached through the crack. He grabbed the dagger and yanked it out from the cement, making dust and small rock crumble from the ceiling. I blew some hair out of my face and brushed of my pants.

Or what was left of them.

"What happened?" He asked.

I waved it off.
"Later" I croaked.

Ben nodded and reached into his pocket. He pulled out what looked like a large pocket square, but it wasn't. I was going to ask, but I didn't have it in me. Ben tied it to the end of my
make-shift rope. Then he stretched his arm out as far as he could.

"This should make it just long enough" Ben said.

I bent down and grabbed my bow, then turned it back into a cuff.

I repeated my run-and-jump, and somehow I grabbed onto it. With my exhausted hands I pulled myself up. Ben's arms were working overtime to hold the rope, and I could see his veins pulsing.

"You okay?" I asked loudly.

He nodded even though I could see his pain and struggling. I scrambled up the rope as fast as I could, and Ben grabbed my hand to pull me up. While we were lying on our backs and panting like dogs, I massaged my hands that had fresh blisters.

"T-thanks" I managed to get out between breaths.

He swallowed hard before answering.
"No problem"

   It looked like a problem to me, but I stayed quiet to slow my pulse. After a good five minutes I took in my surroundings. We were basically in a darker version of the floor below.

"Come on, it's this way" Ben said, and we wandered off into darkness.