"I could raise her as my own," I protested against the voice as I looked down at the baby.
"She will burn down your house and world," the voice said. "Everything you love. She'll find you and kill you once she knows her past."
"I could make sure her past always remains unknown-"
"I wouldn't count on that."
I swallowed. "Please. I can't do this. It's just a child."
A moment of silence passed. "Jason Grace," the voice said, honey smooth and convincing, "some choices need to be made not for your liking, but for the good of the world. The blood on your hands increases if you don't kill her now."
And that was when Annabeth came in.
***
We pushed past the doors, our hands wound around each others' and Annabeth's other hand crumpling the papers that we'd collected from the main hall where the Death Eaters gathered.
"Remember," I said, "next week, they're planning on kidnapping Fred-"
A force stopped us and fell backwards. "What?"
Annabeth's face paled. "They've found out we're here."
My heart skipped two beats. "What?!"
"That was a force stop spell. Bellatrix is on her way."
I swallowed and looked around, searching for something that could help us out. "Do you think everyone else is okay?"
"I hope so," Annabeth managed after a short while where she just stared at the ceiling, her Athena gears working.
"OH ITS THE CHAMPIONS!" Bellatrix's voice laughed.
My heart started to beat against my ribs so fast that I thought it might tear through my chest and jump out. I continued to look around. "You need to get out of here," I told Annabeth.
"What?" Annabeth turned to me in shock.
"People listen to you more than me," I said. "You are their true leader, Annabeth. They need you, not me."
And then my eyes fell on the crumpled can of cat food in the trash bin. My mind lit up, so to speak.
Feeling no embarrassment at all, I reached for it. "Jason, what the heck are you doing?"
"Just watch," I said, bringing out my wand. "Portus."
"COME OUT, COME OUT, COME OUT AND PLAY," Bellatrix's voice echoed as she sang.
The cat food can began to glow with shimmering blue light.
"AH THERE YOU ARE," Bellatrix said, her voice snarling. Her footsteps began to grow heavier and closer. I knew that I had been spotted... I had to at least save her-
"CATCH!" I threw the portkey at Annabeth, and thank god for her demigod reflexes, she caught it without realizing what the hell had just happened.
And as she disappeared in a moment, Bellatrix pounced at me like a tiger that had finally caught an elusive prey. "THERE YOU ARE!"
But at that moment, all I could do was smile. I had saved Annabeth, and I had destroyed the one thing Bellatrix could ever love. A daughter for my wife. Not the ideal price, but it would do.
Bellatrix pulled me by the collar. "WHAT DID YOU DO?"
Narcissa Malfoy's voice sounded. "Bella, the Dark Lord would-"
"HE'S SMILING!" Bellatrix said. "IT MEANS HE'S DONE SOMETHING!" She glared daggers at me, but Annabeth had been fiercer and I'd had good practice. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"
"Something good for the world," I choked out.
"CISSY, GO CHECK THE BEDROOM- HE CAME FROM THERE-"
Narcissa walked past me, stepping over my hand that Bellatrix had pinned to the ground.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" she growled at me. "CONFESS AND THE-"
"I finished our trade," I spat at her.
"What trade-"
And Narcissa screamed. "THE BABY'S MISSING!"
Bellatrix let go of me at once and rushed through the corridor to her room. I got up to my feet at once and began to run. The rooms were damp and some were smoky, thanks to Fleur, I guessed. I ran down the stairs as Bellatrix's voice echoed again "WHERE DID HE GO?!"
My mind raced faster than my legs, and I began to think of ideas to leave. I put my hands to my lips and let out a whistle, knowing full well that I was putting myself in danger of being located. "Come on, buddy, one last time," I whispered, running into the main hall.
"Not so fast, Grace," time seemed to slow down as a man with red slits for eyes and no nose pointed his wand at me. My heart stopped.
"Voldemort," I whispered. I looked beyond him. A window. A window of opportunity.
"Did you think you could escape me?" Voldemort asked.
I took a sharp breath. "You think I can't?" I asked. More Death Eaters flooded into the room. I recognized Lucius Malfoy and Draco among them. All of them pointing their wands at me.
"No one will hurt him," Voldemort said. "He's mine alone."
"Great," I said, my eyes focused outside. The winds were getting stronger. "Awesome."
"Jason Grace," said Voldemort, "you have committed an unforgivable crime tonight."
"I agree."
"But the Dark Lord," Voldemort twirled his wand in his hand, "is merciful. Join us, Jason, and perhaps your punishment will be less."
"My lord, but-" Bellatrix began.
"Bella! NEVER INTERRUPT ME!" He turned back to me again, a sly smile on his face. "So, what say you? Will you join me or meet your maker?"
"Okay, first of all," I said, "I hate people who talk about themselves in third person."
Voldemort raised an eye at me. (I don't think he had eyebrows.)
The next words rolled out of my tongue without me even realizing it. "Secondly, I am the maker." Power flooded through my arms, and I pushed it against Voldemort. Red light flowed from my palms and hit Voldemort on the chest.
I closed my eyes. "Remember," a woman said. Her eyes seemed to change color every moment, and her hair was brown. Her form was glowing in a sort of weirdly godly way. But what was weirder was that I knew her. I knew her name at once.
I opened my eyes again. The Death Eaters turned to their Dark Lord at once, losing their focus on me. I ran to the window at once.
"HE'S LEAVING!" Bellatrix shouted, pulled her wand out-
And I jumped out. "TEMPEST!"
The horse slid through the air to me and I hung onto it's neck. It's ozone seemed to protect me from every spell at once. Tempest flung his gorgeous silky ozone hair and ran through the sky.
I swallowed and began to breath normally again. "That was close," I whispered. "Patrol once.. check if anyone's left behind," I told the horse.
Bellatrix was screaming from the main hall, and I heard her cursing in every language she knew. The dungeons had been broken apart and I could see the ground broken open. Fleur and Bill seemed out of sight.
I sighed in relief. I relaxed onto the horse. "Full speed ahead."
Tempest neighed and we set off into the moonlight, my eyes full of sleep and my mind wondering.