Amaurosis

XXIII: Old Against New

Staring into the stupid mirror, I knew the demigods had finally reached their destinations. And I was stuck here, stuck in a marriage that I shouldn't have been in in the first place, stuck in this claustrophobic room with nothing in sight.

Stuck while my friends were out fulfilling their prophecy and saving the world for the nth time. And I was just stuck in this stupid castle of stupid obsidian with my stupid half-brother who is also my stupid fiance because of my stupid parents and stupid jealous uncle.

A loud, exasperating groan escaped my mouth, and I threw myself onto the floor and collapsed. All strength was reaped as I saw battle after battle of yet another war of demigods fighting on behalf of the lazy, selfish gods.

I understood why Luke Castellan wanted to destroy them all those years ago. I got it. All Zeus ever did was start wars and leave it up to his mortal children to fight it. Oh, don't worry. If he loses one, he can just make another behind Hera's back.

The image in the mirror began to swirl and ripple, and a scene from Delos flashed across the glassy water.

Black biker boots dashed across the mirror as a girl with dark chocolate waves dragged a short blond across the floor of a desolate cave. Shackles and imperial gold clattered and banged, and screams shook the walls of the cavern.

Piece by piece, the image began to make sense. Those were the girls from the Argo II-- Thalia and Reyna--, but the girl she was dragging looked too familiar.

I ransacked my brain trying to find any memory of her. I'd seen her somewhere, I was sure of it. Her freckles and misleadingly mischievous blue eyes were so similar to--

"Lilith, I said kill them, not become a rag doll for them."

"I don't care anymore," the girl yelled back, ripping herself and a good part of her hair out of Reyna's stone grip before running out of the cavern.

The two girls looked at each other, shrugged, and kept fighting. Thalia rushed for Selene, titaness of the moon who wore a glistening silk dress so blue it gleamed white. A pair of crystal blue eyes, sparkling in her own manifested light, rested below waves of platinum blond hair, and chains of moonlight wrapped around her arms like vines.

Thalia was fierce-- everyone knew that--, but she was more determined than ever, vengeance overflowing from her heart.

She raced toward her, slicing and sliding with her spear and using Aegis to block any counter attacks. She was a trained warrior, and the goddess' attempts to fight back were futile.

Selene, powerless since the transfer hadn't started yet, screamed out in vain, not even trying to attack Thalia. She was too quick, too trained. She sliced at the goddess' dress, ripping it to shreds as she backed away into a corner to cry and complain.

"This isn't fair! I want my powers back," she pouted like a child. For a titan, she didn't look like much. Giving up, not that she tried very hard in the first place, Selene was impaled by Thalia's spear and electric blue eyes, and all life was sucked out of her.

"She's not dead. Just gone for a while," Thalia assured Reyna. "How's that for retribution." She laughed bitterly, spitting on the cold floor of the cavern.

Leo bounced onto the scene. "Ladies, ladies. The fire man is here. I can protect you now." The girls shook their heads almost shamefully, but there was another enemy ready to charge at them.

"Leo," Reyna shouted in her loudest whisper. "Go free Artemis and Apollo. I got this one." Leo winked back and rushed to do what he was told. Thalia returned to where Selene's body once was-- before it evaporated in a blur of gold ichor and white light-- and drew out her spear, readying once again.