why make trouble, why make scenes?
Of all the monsters Hina could have fought, myrmekes were not one of her top choices.
The giant ants had pincers that could easily bite through Celestial bronze and spat acid at anything that moved. Worse, they always travelled in groups.
The five soldier ants advanced, their ten-foot-long antennae waving and bobbing in a mesmerizing way, as if trying to distract from the razor sharp mandibles.
Every part of them were terrifying: their dark eyes hidden behind layers of armor, the six legs that could have been used in construction, and their oversized abdomen which rumbled in hunger.
The ants stepped forward, their antennae twitching.
"No sudden movements," Apollo whispered, even though Meg looked frozen in fear.
"Oh, Pete?" He called. "How do you deal with myrmekes invading your territory?"
"By hiding," he said, and disappeared into the geyser.
"Not helpful," Hina grumbled.
"Can we dive in?" Meg asked.
"Only if you fancy boiling to death in a pit of scalding water."
"Sounds better than death by ants," Hina decided as the bugs inched even closer.
As a kid, Hina used to happily chase any ants invading her mother's kitchen with a broom, but she was starting to regret it as she stared into the eyes of the closest monster.
"I have an idea." Apollo unslung his ukulele.
"I thought you swore not to play," Meg said.
"I did. But if I throw this shiny object to one side, the ants might—"
He didn't get to finish his thought. In the light, the ukulele shone brighter than before and the ants charged forward.
Hina backed up instinctively, immediately being met with a wall of burning hot steam on her back from the geyser. She could feel fresh blisters bubbling across her shoulders as she fumbled for her weapon.
"Hey, bugs!" Meg's scimitars flashed in her hands, making her the new shiniest thing in the clearing.
Two ants turned to Meg, the three remaining keeping focused on Apollo and Hina.
With screams of the battle echoing through her mind, Hina finally unsheathed her sword, drawing the ants' attention to her, or rather her delicious looking harpe sword.
Two of the ants ventured towards Hina, as her knees locked as memories continued to flood her mind.
With clouded vision, Hina swung her sword- slicing through each haunting memory. With each swing, Hina's mind cleared and the ants backed up as she got closer.
She used all her strength to slam her blade into the nearest ant's leg, severing it from the body. No matter how hard she swung, the armored torso remained untouched.
She was outnumbered, overpowered, and down any acid spitting ability. Hina rolled out of the way as a line of acid was sent her way, singing the bottom of her sneakers.
The smell of burning rubber filled her nostrils as Hina scrambled behind a tree for shelter.
Suddenly, a ukulele chord blared through the clearing. Hina paused to glance to Apollo who had begun a shaky rendition of Sweet Caroline.
With Hina distracted, an ant lurched forward, trapping Hina beneath its towering leg. The other ant had turned to listen to Apollo's singing.
While she struggled for air, Hina could see two ants charge at Apollo. She let out a scream, as Apollo thankfully jumped away at the last second, sending the ants into the boiling water of the geyser.
Before the god could celebrate, Meg yelped from somewhere in the trees. She collapsed as one of the myrmekes caught her in its mandibles.
"NO!" Hina and Apollo screamed in unison.
Apollo begun trying to sing again, but all he mustered was a scratchy wail. Hina struggled against the weight of the ant's leg, her sword barely out of reach.
Black dots began swimming in her vision and the blurred head of the myrmeke grew larger. As the world faded away, Hina felt long curved pincers wrapping around her torso.
Her body rose from the ground and all she could manage was a low groan.
The myrmeke continued moving, Hina's limp body jostling with every step. As she was dropped onto the earthen ground, a warm gooey liquid enveloping her body.
When the smell of decay hit her nostrils, Hina gagged, lurking forward against the slimey encasement.
Slowly, her managed to open her eyes, and held back a surprised gasp seeing the stacked the carcasses of animals surrounding her, all covering in hardened goop in various staged of decomposition.
"Hina?" a voice from asked.
As the goo began hardening around her, Hina managed to glance upwards to see the top of Meg's head inches from her own. "Meg! Thank gods, you're okay."
Each breath Hina took was followed by the instant urge to gag as the smell burnt her nose.
"Where are we?" Meg asked, geraniums sprouting from all around her, shielding her face and targeting the weak points in her casing.
"This must be their food drop off."
"Oh."
Hina agreed with Meg's sentiment. Guilt ate away at her stomach, knowing she could have done more to protect the young demigod.
"I'm so sorry, Meg. I should have protected you. I'm so useless, I can't get us out of here, I can't protect anyone, and I definitely can't can't the end of prophecy! Gods, I'm such an idiot!"
Tears begun pooling in Hina's eyes, blurring her vision of the trees overhead. Slowly, they raced from the corner of her eyes to her ears.
"Gods, why am I so weak without my powers?"
She could hear the taunting words of the Fates, chastising her, and they were true. Without her powers, Hina was nothing. An empty shell of a hero who had died long ago.
Yet now, she had not only her own life on the line, but Meg's. No matter what, Hina couldn't let Meg be exposed to any more horrors of the world.
Surprisingly, Meg didn't seem upset with Hina. "It's okay."
Hina's heart did a doubletake. "What about this is okay? We are trapped in the grossest possible way and are going to be ant food."
Meg stayed silent for a beat and Hina bit back an apology knowing the young demigod didn't want one.
After an eternity, Meg spoke, her voice so quiet Hina almost couldn't hear her. "Apollo and Chiron told me everything. It's not you're fault."
For once, Meg sounded as if she had aged a decade in seconds, her voice absent of any childlike joy or teasing.
"You lived through so much."
Hina watched the trees sway in the winter wind, the swirling rivers of the Underworld burned into her eyelids. "Meg, I haven't survived anything. I died. Once during the war to defeat Gaea, and a second time when I came back. Don't let Apollo fool you, you've already seen how hard it is to be a demigod."
Neither spoke. Both lost in thought, the weight of their tiny lives crashing down on them. Hina knew Apollo wouldn't be back for them, his cowardice overpowering any humanity within the former god.
Hina wasn't sure how long had passed, but Meg had begun sniffling again, a faint music sounding through the trees.
Tears welled in Hina's eyes again, sobs escaping her mouth as Meg soon joined in.
The music grew in volume, a single ukulele pouring its heart out to the forest.
Apollo broke entered the cavern frantically, his battle ukulele clutched tightly in his hands.
"Meg! Hina!"
Apollo knelt beside Meg, presumably to help free her, but before anything could be done, Meg sniffled and said, "I'm so sorry."
"Why, dear Meg? You did nothing wrong. I failed you."
A sob caught in her throat. "You don't understand. That song you were singing. Oh, gods...Apollo, if I'd known—"
Hina wasn't sure what Meg was talking about, but hearing her sobs broke Hina's heart.
"Hush, now," Apollo rasped, his voice hoarse yet softer than Hina had ever heard it. "You're just reacting to the grief in the music. Let's get you free"
She was stunned. He truly cared about Meg.
Suddenly, the hair on her neck shot up, and her eyes wandered to the entrance. Meg whimpered and Hina called to Apollo. Four ants had entered, blocking the entrance.
"There are ants behind me, aren't there?"
Apollo turned, reaching for the final arrow in his quiver.
Meg thrashed wildly in her goo cage. "Get me out of here!"
"I don't have a blade!" Apollo whined, his fingers dancing across the single ukulele string tied around his neck. "Actually, I have your blades, I mean your rings-"
"You don't need to cut me out. When the ant dumped me here, I dropped the packet of seeds. It should be close."
"But, Hina-"
"Free Meg first. I can wait," Hina interrupted, doing her best to wiggle against the hardening goop.
Apollo nodded, slowly walking to the pouch that lay at Meg's feet. His eyes remained glued on the ants, as he spoke softly to them. "Nice ants. Excellent calm ants."
"Now what, Meg?" he asked, peering into the packet of seeds.
"Throw them on the goo."
Apollo's eyes travelled along the trail of geraniums surrounding Meg's armpit and neck. "How many did that?"
"One."
"Then this many will choke you to death. I've turned too many people I cared about into flowers, Meg. I won't—"
At his words Hina froze, barely hearing Meg yell at Apollo to throw the seeds. Whatever had propelled his song that led him to them, Hina knew Daphne had played a part. She could only hope he had finally given her his apologies.
The ants however, did not like Meg's tone change and proceeded to charge. Apollo tossed the contents of the packet over Meg and fired an arrow into the roof of the cavern.
Hina assumed he had intended to bring the ceiling down, but all Apollo managed was to lodge his only arrow ten feet above them.
The ants took another step forward, acid dripping from their beaks and hissing as it dripped onto the dirt below.
Meg was now covered in a bed of geraniums, still encased in goo.
They were running out of time.
Hina couldn't stand the thought of letting Meg down. She couldn't let this be the end for the twelve year old.
That was when Hina felt a familiar warmth grow in her chest. A bright light burst forward, shredding the gooey casing around her.
For half a second, Hina froze. After six torturous months her powers had returned. The warmth spread, a weak smile growing across her face.
Hina stumbled to her feet, as Apollo rushed at the ants waving Paolo's bandana and shrieking. Surprisingly, the myrmeke wavered, maybe intimidated by the newfound confidence in Apollo's voice.
Hina was.
With the ants hesitating, crackles snacked along the ceiling of the cavern, suddenly releasing a mountain of earth on top the creatures.
"Watch out!" Hina called, rushing forward to pull Apollo away from the collapsing roof.
They hit the ground, a shield of light protecting them form the debris that rained down on them.
Hina let out a sigh of relief as she rose, seeing only a thousand pounds of dirt where the ants once stood.
"You saved me. You risked your life... for me," Apollo's voice was tiny, barely audible to Hina.
Before either could acknowledge what had happened Meg yelled, "Over here!"
The two turned. Another myrmeke was crawling over a pile of carcasses, entering from a hidden opening behind the pile of rotting carcasses.
Meg let out a guttural roar and burst from her cage- goo and geraniums flying in every direction. "My rings!"
Apollo ripped the guitar string from around his neck and tosses the rings to Meg, the gold bands flashing as she grabbed them producing her twin scimitars.
The ant had no time to retreat as Meg sliced off its armored head, the body collapsing in a steaming heap.
Meg turned to Apollo, her face a heart wrenching mixture of guilt, misery, and bitterness.
Hina could sense their need to speak and quietly maneuvered away from the two. She removed her bag from her back, trying her best to wipe off as much goop as possible.
As she worked, a tiny spark grew in the back of her mind. A comfort, knowing that who she was before wasn't lost.
If her powers could come back. Maybe the old Hina could too.