The Mark of Athena (Fan-Fiction)

Chapter 55- Piper

The last Piper chapter, everyone! I like this chapter, it's serious and touches on hopeful things. I wanted this chapter to end with a bang. A new hope. A new light. Other stuff like that. I hope you like!

Chapter 55

Piper

     It was another one of those heart-wrenching moments when you just knew you couldn’t surface without being pulled back down. There wasn’t time to even move, no time to even breathe. It was like ice, you could only burn by the bitter cold.

     Piper’s door was locked, and she couldn’t get out. Her voice wouldn’t work; all she could do was pound on the door. What had happened? She went to fall asleep, and then she woke up to a loud noise. She found out her door was nailed shut. She tried to pry the nails out with her knife.

     What was going on?

      As her fist collided with the door again, her knuckle caught on a nail. She huffed out, her breathing making a rough noise since she couldn’t speak. It was like her vocal cords had been snapped.

     Shaking like a leaf, pain flaring all over her left hand, she looked down at her hand. Her knuckle was torn and bloody. Both her knuckles were tinged with red.

     There was a rough laugh behind her. “Don’t strain yourself.”

     She spun around, tensed, ready to fight with all her energy.

      There was a woman with a leather jacket and black hair. Her aura seemed familiar. “You don’t recognize me, demigod, because I only talked to Valdez.”

     “Nemesis,” Piper breathed, her voice coming to her again.

     “You got it right, girl.” Nemesis studied Piper. “You sure seem spunky for a daughter of Aphrodite. You got an attitude and a personality.”

     “That’s how most people are,” Piper snapped. “What is this for?” She gestured to her door, which was still nailed shut.

     “Give me a few seconds to talk.” Nemesis’s dark eyes scanned the room. “Do you know Gaea is so powerful now that she can overthrow the whole country of the United States, girl?”

     “Are you trying to tell me to back down?” Piper could feel her rage bubbling. “I will never give up until I know the world is saved.”

     “Don’t you know what Gaea could do?” Nemesis looked over at Piper. “I honestly want to help. Except none of you demigods will budge.”

     “You work for Gaea.”

     Nemesis shrugged. “Suit yourself, girl. But when Gaea takes over, you should have joined our side.” She was gone in a plume of smoke and supernova-bright light.

     The nails were still holding her door shut.

     “You could have let me out,” Piper snarled. She looked to her window, which was locked with a heavy-duty lock. She was trapped like a prisoner.

     Unless…

     She rummaged through her closet. She came back with a baseball bat. Why she had a baseball in her closet, she had no idea.

     She swung the baseball bat against her window. The window didn’t shatter. The bat bounced off the glass.

     “Whoa!” Piper fell over and lay there panting, her hair flopping into her face. She was seriously on lock-down with no way out.