Helen
"When the moment comes, we're gonna take it. I'm not going to let them hurt you," I'm curled up under my dad's arm. Raven is on the other side. We're in the back of a cement cage. Two Titans stand watch at the door, guns in hand.
"I'm scared," Raven whispers. They haven't fed us since we tried to escape last time.
"Don't be afraid. You don't have anything to be afraid of, because you are the light. You're gonna get out of here baby girl, and when you do I don't want you turning back for anything---not me, not your sister—not anything okay?" our dad asks, squeezing us. It's really cold in here. like really cold.
"Okay," Raven says.
"Promise me?" my dad tips my head up. I can only see him in the dim light from the corridor. "When you run you don't turn back for anything. You're stronger than I am. You don't look back for me now, I'm not worth it. You go home and if your sister is still in here, send Barad back for her, okay? Just go get your brother."
"Promise," Raven says.
"I promise," I whisper, leaning as much into his warmth as I can. I want to be snuggled up next Basil so badly it hurts. I want to be under his thick blue quilt, reading from a play while he slowly falls asleep next to me. He tosses and turns on his own. He doesn't know it, but he needs someone there.
"Good. Now we wait for the right moment," our dad says, pulling the last half of a protein bar from his shirt, "Now you eat that."
"Give it to Raven," I mutter. It sounds horrible.
"No, you're the one that's pregnant. Though I should be mad at you for not telling me till now," he says, rubbing my hair fondly, then pushing it out of my face. "You eat up. It's not just you anymore. Raven and I will keep."
"I wanted to tell Basil," I mutter, taking it anyway. I wanted to tell him that I was having his baby. Then he would worry about me and not Della all the time like he has been. I'm not as far gone as she is, I don't think, but still. Mine might be born first. I wanted him to come into my room and help me take care of the baby. I don't ask for much. Just for him to love me best. But Basil's love is torturously diplomatic. Nobody is more special than anyone else to him. Not even me. And it hurts me every day. "I wanted him to know first."
"And you had multiple opportunities to do that literally every day, but we've gotten kidnapped, so I'm not gonna be mad at you," our dad sighs, rubbing his face.
"I get to be mad at me you wouldn't have let me come," I point out, eating the disgusting bar.
"That's exactly why I'm mad. I don't want you here in your condition," he says, "I don't want either of you here but---if they beat you up, if you miscarry you could bleed out."
"I'm not going to," I say. My child is strong. I can tell. It's like it's dad. I know it is, calm and strong.
"Well, let's hope you're right."
"Daddy, will Basil find us?"
"He doesn't know where we are sweetheart, if he did you know he'd come for you," he says, putting an arm back around Raven.
"We don't know where we are," I mutter.
"I'm working on it. just like I'm working on getting us out of here. you know the rules, girls. If it's between Titans and the Underworld you pick the Underworld—but do not stay there long. It's damn easy to get trapped and that place will steal your mind. I spent six months down there once and the next three years in asylum," our dad says, "They had to drug me out of my mind before I could think again."
"We know," I say.
"I don't want to go to the Underworld," Raven says.
"You run if you have to, but get right out, it isn't easy but you know the maze," he made us all memorize it. it's a labyrinth. For whatever reason Hector's really good at remembering the twists and turns. Basil and I suck at it. Raven and Luke are okay. Della's really good.
"Stop fucking talking about how to escape, you moron."
"You know I'm going to," our dad, bemused.
"We're gonna separate you from those damn kids."
"No you're not," I hiss.
"I think we should try to go now," Raven says.
"Wait a minute, at night you two are fodder for the creatures. We need to try in the day, plus if I'm right about where we are I know the watch schedules,' our dad says, "We have to do this right or they'll catch us again. They may anyway. But then I'll die trying."
"We won't let you die," Raven says, hugging him around the middle.
"You don't need to worry about me. I take care of you, that's my job," he says, putting an arm around me too, "Okay? You girls try to sleep. I'll keep watch."
"We should stay up to protect you," Raven says.
"Wake me up if they're being dicks," I say, leaning against him. I'm thirsty. I'm also not about to drink the last half of a water bottle we have. They should give us more in the morning.
"Drink that water now, split it you two, I'll be fine," he's taken no water since they put us in here.
"Are you sure?" Raven asks.
"Yeah, you two are what matter."