Once again I was left in darkness. And I didn't know if I had the courage to open my eyes again. I hoped in my heart of hearts that it was over. That I would not have to continue through the pain staking memories. Against everything, I wished I was back in that black void inside my head. It was only the time I wanted to see them. That horrible version of myself again. Anything was better than the alternative.
But as I opened my eyes I knew deep down that I would not be spared from such a fate. That I would be forced to live through it once more. That I would have to face her once again.
"Y/n focus!"
My eyes shot open as she yelled at me. Snapping me back to attention.
"This is important! You need to know these things."
I couldn't bare to look at her again. So instead I tried to focus on the surrounding area. Familiarizing it with myself once again even though I knew no matter how much I stalled I would have to look at her again.
We were sitting under a large oak tree. Our packs laid out against some rocks as well as some sleeping back we had managed to find. I had lived this so many times I didn't even have to look around to know where we were.
We had just made it past the border of Utah. And had managed to find a suitable camp site in a nearby forest. I wanted to light a fire but she said it was too risky.
"Now back to what I was saying." She spoke.
I still refused to look at her. Turning my gaze to the skies above. The sun had only just set so the sky still had that slight tinge of pink. But even now I could begin to see the constellations forming over head. It reminded me of my home. The cabin in the forest. No pollution no city lights to block out the stars. It was only me, my father, and the pure sights of nature. But as I thought of my old life that only returned me back to more memories of my dad. By extension leading me back to the nightmare I had just lived. What a fool I had been. How naive I was. To take that life for granted. How stupid I was too long to see the world beyond. Could I not have just remained happy with that life? Or was I too selfish to appreciate it.
"Y/n. If you're going to star gaze at least try and listen while you do." I tried to ignore her. I didn't want to look I didn't want to. But I knew I had to eventually. And I had lived this nightmare long enough to know that if I didn't do it . I would be made too.
I let out a deep breath as I lowered my gaze. Starting small and working my way up. My eyes fell to her shoes. Normal dark Nike green running shoes laced up tightly covering her feet. I moved up slightly. Seeing her sky blue jeans wrapped around her legs. I then moved to her waist. A dark sheath wrapped around her belt with a night black handle poking out. I couldn't help but wince as I looked at it. The mere sight of my weapon attached to her bringing back worse memories. I let out another deep breath as I moved my eyes higher. Coming to the bright green t-shirt she wore over her chest. Blue accents moving across it forming a river like slash that ran from her shoulder to the opposite side of her waist. I could hardly force myself to look any farther. My eyes coming to her neck where her long auburn hair fell to her shoulders. I could hardly move as I forced myself to look up at her. To allow my eyes to meet hers.
Her face always seemed to have a sharpness to it. An air of maturity beyond her years. Her skin was smooth and bored an almost Mediterranean complexion. Her mouth curled in a slight smirk. Like she was amused at a joke only she knew. A look that suggested knowledge and wisdom beyond her years. And it was all framed by that same aubrun brown hair. But the most striking feature of all were her eyes. Bright forest green eyes staring back at mine.
"Are you alright Y/n?" she said almost in a parental like tone.
I wanted to say no. But I was helpless in this dream. This nightmare. I could do nothing say nothing. I was only allowed to watch as everything played out before me. Repeating every action against my will. Every word against my will.
"I'm fine. Just tired." I replied.
She smiled lightly.
"Well I know exactly what will wake you up."
"What?" I asked.
She smirked again.
"A pop quiz."
I groaned in anguish as I fell back against the log I was sitting on. I had met her a few days after my father died. I had managed to stumble my way across California. Hiding from monsters scavenging for food. Somehow I made it all the way to Sacramento at the center of the state. I could never remember the early days easily. I had completely forgotten how we had met but I knew that she took me under her wing. She was a half-blood like me. Of what god she never said. Or perhaps I simply couldn't remember. She had told me that she too had run away from home. And was trying to make it across the country to Camp Half-blood. I didn't know what that was at the time. But she explained it to me and ever since we travelled together.
I always swore that she gave me her name. But no matter how much I tried I could never remember what it was. There was no memory I could recall to tie it back to. But I was sure she had.
She never gave me her age either. But I could guess that she was maybe a good few years older than me. The 16-20 range if I had to guess.
In a way she became my mentor too. My father had already taught me an extensive amount of Greek Mythology. But he was always more focused on the monsters and the heroes who fought them. Making me memorize all of those beasts and what their weaknesses were. I had never seen its importance. Until now.
But my father had never really taught me anything beyond that. The gods for instance he always seemed to gloss over. I knew 12 the main gods but I never really learned anything beyond that. But she made sure to rectify that.
"First question." she began, "What was the first immortal to come into existence?"
"Chaos." I recited from one of her many long lectures.
She would always tell me all the old stories of Greek Mythology. Reciting Ancient Greek poems and myths. It was good mental training. But she had always made sure I didn't slack off in the physical side either. Constant days of sparring sessions and close combat training whenever we got the chance. Sometimes she even liked to combine the two. Giving me lectures while using me as a glorified punching bag.
"Good. And they were the primordial god of what?"
I easily remembered this from one of her earliest lectures.
"Primordial god of the void, emptiness, and the disordered state of the universe."
"Very good. Now what emerged after him."
It took me a moment but I quickly recalled the next part.
"Gaia right. The primordial goddesses of Mother Nature, the earth, and land."
She smiled brightly as I finished.
"Even better. Now if you wouldn't mind. How many children did she have? And who were they."
It took me a bit longer to rack my brain with all the names. But days of endless lectures had pretty much ingrained all of this into my brain.
"They were the twelve titans. Oceanus, Coeus, Crius, Hyperion, Iapetus, Kronos, Thea, Rhea, Themis, Mnemosyne, Phoebe, and Tethys."
"Good. And who of those twelve dethroned Uranus by the order of Gaia?"
I sighed as I finished. The rest coming to me naturally. "Kronos the titan of time, with the help of a few of his brothers."
She clapped lightly in praise. "Even better." she said. "And after that Kronos went on to rule over the world himself. Until-"
"He sired the gods. And ate each of them. Until Zeus managed to escape and free his siblings. Eventually dethroning Kronos. And going on to become the new ruler of the immortal world." I looked back at her. "That should do right?"
She nodded lightly as she smiled.
"Really how much is this going to help me. I mean what's the point in knowing any of this?" I asked her. "It's just old stories. What does it have to do with me?"
She looked back at me and sighed. Running her hand gently along the grass beneath her as she opened her mouth to reply.
"You can learn a lot from them." she said. "Their not just old stories Y/n. They're our history. You're history. They have everything to do with us."
Her gaze shifted up to the sky her eyes narrowing slightly as she continued.
"One day you'll understand." She spoke. "One day you'll see how important these lessons really are."
She looked back at me her voice softening slightly as she finished.
"But for now we need to rest. There's still over half the country to cross before we make it. And we need to keep up our energy."
I nodded. The two of us moving quickly as we flattened out or sleep rolls. Getting comfortable as the fatigue took over. And there I laid gazing out at the stars as my eyes grew heavy. But before I fell into sleep. She left me with one final proclamation.
"Remember Y/n. Wherever you are." she spoke. "I'll always be there. I'll always protect you."
And it wasn't long before the sweet embrace of sleep took over.
I expected to wake right back up to resume my nightmare. Preparing myself to hear her concerned voice shouting at me to wake up.
But nothing happened. Instead as I fell into deep sleep something changed. Not in sight nor touch. But simply a feeling.
Like I had entered a new place. A new plane even.
Was this a dream I had forgotten?
I couldn't see anything but I knew I was floating. My subconscious suspended in emptiness.
I knew I was somewhere new. A place I did not know. I just couldn't comprehend it. My senses simply could not grasp it. Because there was nothing to grasp. It was a plane without light, without matter, without existence.
If you saw space before the Big Bang this is what I thought it would be. An endless black expanse. Nothing to do. Nothing to see. Nothing at all.
And it felt amazing.
It was all so calm so freeing. It was a place without sight or sound. No emotion. No pain. No one to hurt. No one to fight. Nothing to harm. Nothing to embrace. It was calm. It was freedom. It was void. It was perfect.
But through that perfect abyss something new formed. A second consciousness in that dark emptiness. I could not see them exactly but I did not need the physical form to understand their presence.
I could sense their being. They're consciousness, their thoughts, they're emotions. It was jarring in a way. But in a place like this it felt natural. I turned my attention back to that presence as their thoughts their words echoed through the endless silence.
"Have to k. . . keep. It together!" A pained groan cut in between their words. "I need to focus. I need more." They said. "I n. . . need more. I need more." It repeated.
Its mind seemed to shift as it continued. Retaliating at its self as it spoke.
"We cannot!" They said. "It will kill him. Even he has his limits."
I didn't understand what was going on. But somehow this presence felt familiar.
"They survived it once! Why not now?"
That nightmare was brought back to the forefront of my mind. My father's final words "Always remember." echoing in my head. Why? Why would I come back to it now?
"If the boy can't handle it! Then we take control like before!" It yelled.
Was it talking about me?
"If we take too much. If we grow too much. The power will shatter him." They said. "We have no choice! Her presence is eating away at us! We must!"
I didn't know what was going on. But something was wrong I could tell that much. I had to get out of here. I had to do something.
But as I tried to focus my mind a deafening pain reverberated through my head. The emptiness of the void intensifying beyond my senses. Washing over me crushing me. It was like I could feel myself being eaten away. Dissipating as my own form was added to that endless expanse of darkness.
I tried to fight. I tried to cry out. I tried to run. But I could do nothing as it came rolling over me. Intensifying in unimaginable pain. I thought I was going to die. That I was beyond my capabilities. That I had been brought to the brink.
But suddenly I felt myself being shaken. My sense returning to me as my eyes slowly opened.
"Y/n! Wake up!" she said with urgency. "We have to go!"
I opened my eyes fully. Seeing her crouched over my sleeping spot on the ground. Pack slung over her shoulder ready to leave.
I tried to reorient myself. The memory of the abyss of and that consciousness still fresh in my mind. I had lived this nightmare a hundred times. But not once had I gone through that. What was happening? Why now?
I turned back to her. The nightmare already continuing in its normal course. I wanted to tell her it was futile. That we wouldn't make it. But in this nightmare I knew it was pointless to try. So I only responded with: "What's going on?"
"There isn't time." she stood back up and offered her hand. I quickly accepted as she pulled me up.
She then moved over to a nearby rock where my own pack was lying. Already fully packed.
"Here." she said, throwing the pack to me. I slung it over my shoulder and it wasn't long before we were racing through the woods.
I breathed hard as I tried to keep up with her. Struggling to run as she hardly broke a sweat.
"So." I said through gasping breaths. "What *gasp* exactly is *gasp* going on?"
"It found us." she said calmly as she dodged another tree. Racing ahead. "It's been hunting us for the past few days. I believed we were safe. That I had thrown the beast off our trail."
"What? What's been hunting us?"
Suddenly a roar echoed through the forest. A monstrous formed dashed at us from the right. Trees and rocks uprooted as it sped towards us. I could hardly move to react as it came barreling down on us. But suddenly she stopped herself. Ducking back as she wrapped her arm around my waist. Pulling me out of the way as she jumped to the side. The monster barreling past us.
It came to a halt. Shifting back around as it came in front of us. A towering monstrosity of scales and heads. It rose much higher than the trees around us. It's scaled armor glistening against the moonlight. Heads writhing like dozens of tentacles. I could hardly breath I could hardly move.
"Is that? Is that?" I gasped.
Its heads rose back. The air stinging with a noxiousness air as they reared.
"The hydra!" she yelled. "Duck!"
She grabbed me again. Pulling me to the side as we leapt behind a large rock.
I peeked over the side as a torrent of bright green liquid was spat out of each of those rearing heads. Landing amongst the trees and grass where we had once stood. A low sizzling sound seeming to permeate through the woods. And I looked upon to see the liquid slowly lowering into whatever surface it had fallen upon. Eating away at it.
"It can spit acid?!" I yelled.
"Move. Move. Move! MOVE!" She yelled beside me. And suddenly another wave of green acid came rushing towards us. This time I managed to react quick enough. Rushing out from behind the rock as the liquid splashed down on it. The rock reduced to nothing within mere moments.
"Y/n behind." She yelled next to me.
I obeyed quickly as the hydra turned back towards us. Hundreds of teeth gnashing menacingly as its heads flexed back and forth like tentacles. It was hard not to shake. To let that fear take over.
She stood in front of me protectively. Stoically with a determined expression on her face. She hardly even reacted to the monster in front of her.
She took a calm determined breath. Letting it out as she gripped the handle of the dirk on her belt.
"Y/n stay back. I'll protect you." I nodded vigorously as the monster growled in anger. It's dozens of eyes glaring deathly stares as it prepared another charge.
She wrapped her fingers around her weapon. I held my breath as the blade was unsheathed. Revealing the weapon housed within. The dirk that was gifted to me. That I had carried with me for so long. She gripped it in her hand. The blade shining menacingly in the moonlight. I stared intently at it. And I realized something had changed. Something was different. And my breath caught in my throat as I figured it out. The dirk was made of. . .
Celestial Bronze.
I was thrown off. Confusion racking my mind. It had never been like that. It was always night black. Like it always was. The blade was had always been Stygian Iron. She had gifted it to me like that. What was happening? I didn't understand.
She roared out in defiance as she gripped her weapon charging at the monster. Dozens of heads slashing and gnawing at her as she rushed forward.
No matter how many times I relived this it always terrified me. Watching her fight the battle. Dodging and weaving between slashing claws and biting heads. Always one inch away from closing the gap.
But no matter how many there were she was never hit. Ducking, weaving, sidestepping every attack as she lashed out in response. Moving faster than I thought humanly possible. Stabbing with her weapon whenever an opening appeared before her.
But even as she continued the beast only increased its pursuits. The weapon doing little to truly harm it. And as she slashed and stabbed. They hydra's attacks only grew faster. Slowly gaining on her.
I wanted to move and help. But I was of no use. I would only get in the way.
I tried to think of something anything I could do to aid her. But as I thought a pain pierced my mind. Deafening my thoughts. Muting my senses. A pain akin to the one I had felt in that empty void.
I clutched my head as I fell to the ground. I writhed as I tried to block it out and stand.
Suddenly I heard a roar of anger. And a wave of raw power wash over me. I managed to look up from where I had collapsed to see her standing before me.
New cuts lining her clothes. She gripped her weapon my weapon tighter. A fire seeming to erupt from her hand as it lined the blade. A tinge of green emitting from the flame as it climbed up the dirk. Encasing the blade.
The hydra growled in anger. Gnashing its teeth in irritation. Its dozens of heads suddenly stabbing forward renewing their attacks. And she leapt forward to meet them. Moving faster and quicker than before. Dodging attack after attack. As she lashed out with her reinvigorated blade. Deep lines of that same green fire suddenly appearing all along its body. Eating away at it.
I tried to keep my focus. I tried to stand. Tried to stay consciousness. But that pain persisted. Deafening my thoughts my very mind. I couldn't do anything as I writhed on the ground. I managed to look up again.
She had slowed down know. Still clutching her blade as she dodged between attacks. But every now and then a claw would find its target a bite make its mark. And I could tell she was tiring. If I didn't do anything it would happen all over again.
But try as I might nothing worked. The pain only intensified. I couldn't think. I couldn't move. It was only pain.
I lied on the ground. As I tried to call out to her. To reach out. But the pain was so much.
I managed to lift a trembling hand toward her. My voice racked with pain as I managed to form my words.
"Please. H. . . Help m. . . me."
She ducked beneath another head as she heard my plea. Turning as she saw my writhing form on the ground.
"Y/n!"
The pain persisted. Encompassing my body flooding my mind. It was getting too much. I tried to fight it. I tried to remain. But I could already feel the darkness closing in.
I managed to look up once more. And I saw her there again. Slashing out at an attacking head. As she turned towards me. Trying to reach me. Weaving through heads and necks as she rushed forward.
Out of nowhere another came swinging from the right. And this time she was too slow to react. Slamming into her chest and sending her flying back. I winced as I saw her slam into a nearby tree trunk groaning as she raised her blade to try and defend herself.
I kept on fighting it. Trying to beat back the pain. But the darkness kept closing in. Consuming my vision as my mind slipped away from me.
There was nothing for me to do as the nightmare reached it's conclusion. Slipping back into the darkness as I fought futilely against it.
And as I made that final fall into unconsciousness. I managed to look up. The hydra approaching her as she tried to protect herself. But there was nothing she nor I could do.
It's tail came whipping from behind. The razor sharp point stabbing out at her as she tried futilely to stand. And there was nothing I could do but watch on as she was impaled. The tail moving through her chest as a gasp of pain escaped her throat.
There was nothing I could do.
And the pain was finally too much. The darkness finally taking over. My mind slipping away again. As I fell away from the nightmare.
But even as I slipped away. That image of her still red in my mind. Her word's repeating in my mind over and over again as the darkness clouded my mind.
"I'll always protect you. I'll always protect you."
Author Note
Hey guys hope you're doing well. It's pretty late for me as I finish this chapter so I'll try and keep this quick. First off thank you all so much for all of the votes, wonderful comments, and reads I have been so lucky to receive. Truly it makes my heart beam to see all of it. Aside from that. Sorry this chapter as well as the last one haven't really been in the main story. But I promise the next chapter will be getting back into it. These past two chapters have really only been like this because I needed somewhere to insert some backstory stuff/foreshadowing and this was an opportune time to do so. Anyways I hope you enjoyed and are excited to see what happens next. Additionally I know I don't really say it. But please now that feedback, suggestions, and critiques are always welcome. As well anything helps in motivating me to write. A comment, a vote, or you just being here and reading this. Every little thing helps. Whelp that should be it for now. I hope you enjoyed. And I'll be seeing you in the next chapter. I tip my hat to you dear reader. And bid you the fondest of adieu's.
-Machine Herald