Stolen

Ch.24: There's no way that this can be for real, I'm dreamin'

{Quote from Broken Yet Holding On, by Roni Tran.}

Ambrosia:

Pain.

Ro fell to her knees, screaming bloody-murder. Her throat was raw but she couldn't stop screaming. She felt as though her throat had been slit, as though she were standing right next to Gwen and the knife went through her too. But she hadn't been next to Gwen. She'd been separated, unable to reach her closest family as she died alone. To make matters worse, Gwen thought Ro did it. Gwen though Ro had picked up that wretched knife and cut her clean through the neck. It hurt worse than the agony coursing through her veins, through her very cells.

Her entire body roared in agony. Tears burned her cheeks. But the physical pain wasn't even the half of it. Emotional pain, so deep it might as well have been physical, sliced through her like an arrow to the heart. She felt the line representing the empathy link between her and Gwen go taut as Gwen collapsed to the ground, shuddering and gasping. She searched for air she could not breath, her chest rising and falling at a speedy rate. But it was no use. She was slipping away.

Her vision faded in and out. She remembered saying something at Ace that she hoped would sting but, her vision tinted green and she promptly threw up. Stars clouded her eyes and she faintly saw Fox trudging towards her.

Ro's breath grew short and dizziness washed over her. Her chest grew tight. A cold sweat broke out on her forehead. Her heartbeat grew sluggish, her eyes feeling like they weighed a million pounds. Her breathing was shallow.

Then the line snapped.

Her eyes fluttered open and she saw faces crowding around her. Electricity arced through her body and she gasped a breath she didn't realize she was holding. Her vision faded and the last thing she saw before going back under was Logan's look of concern, like she had just died and come back to life.

It was almost a relief when she woke up. Almost.

Her eyes swept the room, trying to figure out where she was. She finally recognized the place when Finn, one of two sons of Poseidon at camp, walked in. She was in the Poseidon Cabin.

Finn looked a good bit like her. He had the same dimpled smile she had except, his didn't imply he was gonna rob everyone blind. He had shoulder-length black hair pulled into a ponytail. His eyes were a deep ocean blue, most likely mirroring the nearby Atlantic Ocean. He was about a year older than her and much taller, but that was to be expected. Ro was short (five foot four to be exact). His skin was the same olive tone as Ro's. He had the same face shape, although Ro had the Hermes upturned nose. He smiled at her and walked over to check up on her.

"You've been in the infirmary for the past two days until they said you were okay. Then they brought you here. Welcome to the family!" He gave her a huge hug. Pain squeezed her chest when she moved. She yelped and he looked down at her with concern. "Are you okay?"

"C-can't breathe." Her heartbeat sped up tenfold. "What a weird dream. When did I get here?"

"Y'all arrived at camp two days ago. How was your quest?"

"Um, I'm not sure. My memories feel all jumbled."

He nodded and went to fetch her some water.

She got a good look at him. She had seen him around camp but never really got to know him. She was sure she had played at least one prank on him, as she did to everyone. He had been here for about two years and he stayed year round. He handed her a glass of water and enveloped her in a second hug. As he squeezed the breath out of her, she fought back tears. This was the first real family she had had in years. Sure, she had made her own little family with Ace and them, but this was real. The other son of Poseidon, Blaze, was eighteen and applying for college. He had been here for years, since before Ro arrived. He taught the sword lessons at camp.