Ekrixiphobia: Fear of Explosions
Aurelia was in pain.
She could hear Jason yelling her name as he tried to reach her, but he was pushed back by the large shadows around her.
Aurelia was almost completely obscured by the darkness of fear. The shadows tried to seep into her, her body naturally trying to absorb all of it, but too many shadows danced across her skin. Blood clouded her vision even more than the darkness did. There was too much fear. Too much darkness. Too much for her body to handle.
She was dying. Slowly bleeding to death as the thing gods once proclaimed a gift turned her into a puddle of black and dirty red.
Seems I'll see Thanatos even sooner than I thought.
"What is happening to her?" Piper asked, trying to help Jason past the darkness to reach the daughter of Pavor but it was like hitting a solid wall—the shadows wouldn't give way. Another explosion shook the forum and another large wave of shadows joined the ever growing darkness.
For some reason, Aurelia thought of the night her mother died. She always thought that she would never experience anything that hurt more, physically and emotionally, than that. That was the day her life fell apart—the day her mother gave up, the day Reyna killed Uncle Julian, the day she and her cousins ran away from Puerto Rico to find a new life. It was the day her entire life exploded like a phoenix, leaving her to rebuild it from the ashes.
The pain when she was nine years old felt like a mere prick of her finger in comparison to right now. And she knew that today her life was going to be burned again, only leaving ashes.
Aurelia struggled to her feet, every molecule in her body in immense pain. The forum was still vibrating from the after-effect of the explosion. People were still screaming in fear and outrage, adding to Aurelia's pain. Blood continued to drip down onto the ground and on her dress, staining her mouth a vibrant red. The pain was continuous, but the retching came in waves. She had one quick second to take a breath of air—but all she tasted was the disgustingly sweetness of the shadows.
"HELP!" Her voice was desperate and loud—louder than it had ever been before, like a sonic echo around the forum. She stumbled forward, away from Jason and towards the Pomerian line. She needed her necklace. "HELP!"
Her throat was dry and her voice turned hoarse as her yelling turned into quiet pleads, mixed in with choked sobs. "Someone, please, help me."
Over the edge of the hill, a figure came running towards the large collection of shadows.
Percy Jackson held Ferrum Temoris in his hand and ran through the Pomerian line, not even getting stopped by Terminus, who was nowhere in sight. Hazel and Frank were close behind him, each holding their respective weapons.
Percy ran straight through the wall of shadows. Aurelia collapsed in his arms, tightly holding onto her necklace as Percy held her weight. Like a vacuum, all the shadows were sucked into the glistening jewel in Aurelia's hands.
Aurelia's breath was heavy as her blood started staining Percy's toga. She was hyperventilating slightly as she waited for enough fear to be absorbed.
Her mind cleared and she blinked the tears in her eyes away.
"Hey, you're okay," Percy assured her, as she let her head fall into his shoulder to hide her teary eyes. "I've got you. You're okay."
As the sickeningly sweet black fog cleared from her mind, Aurelia was able to push her pain to the back of her awake consciousness, so it was merely a buzzing ache in the back of her head. She could feel the concern around her, and just the tiniest bit of hurt.
She leaned back from Percy, meeting Jason's gaze.
Jason was a mixture of shock, worry and hurt. Shock because he'd never seen that happen before. Worry because the Argo II was firing on Camp Jupiter. Hurt because Aurelia's shadows had pushed him away, but had let Percy through—Jason didn't know what to make of that.
But as he looked back at Aurelia, he saw the red tinge in her eyes from tears. That broke his heart—he'd never seen Aurelia cry before. Jason took a step towards her and she took a step towards him, as if she was finally ready to embrace him.
But the screams of the Romans got louder. A large mob charged the group. Percy pulled Aurelia back and Jason's face was lost in the sea of people.
Couches were burning. Buildings exploding. Hundreds of Lares drifted the forum, passing straight through demigod bodies and screaming incoherently. It broke Aurelia's heart even more.
Aurelia didn't fight Percy's grip. She followed him, Frank and Hazel as they dodged the people yelling at them.
"Traitors!" they screamed.
"They meant to kill us!"
"Get them!"
"Enemies of Rome!"
"They can't be trusted!"
Each leer was like a punch of the stomach to Aurelia. These were comrades—faces she had spent the last four years with. These were people who have fought beside her, people who have fought for her, people who had trusted her with the safety of their city.
Dakota, with his red-stained mouth and wild movements, stared at her as she ran with a look of absolute betrayal and disbelief.
Gwendolyn, one of the few who wasn't screaming and rioting, had tears in her eyes as she watched her home get destroyed even more.
Larry, Bobby, Michael, Leila, Nathan, Marcus—all of their emotions horrified and vengeful.
And Reyna. Although Aurelia couldn't see her, she was so attuned to Reyna's little voice, she could feel the emotions of her cousin even from far away.
Aurelia climbed atop of the water fountain with Percy's help. Hazel had her sword and Frank was armed with his bow and arrow. Percy hadn't brandished Riptide yet, but he squirted blasts of water at the incoming Romans who tried to grab them—multitasking by keeping Romas at bay and dying down nearby fires.
"They hate us," Hazel gasped.
"What do we do?" Frank asked.
Aurelia had put her necklace back on, holding it with one hand to keep the shadows from building on her skin and the other hand at her head she was trying to cover her ears like a little kid.
Aurelia remembered covering her ears as a kid. She would be sitting on the floor of her mother's room hearing the screams of her uncle Julian downstairs as he threw things around in a rampage. She remembered praying that it wouldn't wake her mom and after a while she would go downstairs and try to absorb her uncle's fear so she, Reyna, and Hylla could go to sleep.
But Aurelia wasn't a kid anymore.
"Please, you know us," Aurelia said, her voice extremely calm and steady, despite the fact that she had just broken down mere seconds ago. "We are not the enemy!"
"His people fired on our camp!" someone yelled, pointing a finger at Percy. "Get them!"
Percy sent another blast of water at them, pushing them back. "We're not your enemies!"
The forum rocked as another explosion hit the forum. This time the flash of light was directly overhead. One of the Roman catapults had fired, and the Argo II groaned and tilted sideways, flames bubbling over its bronze-plated hull.
Aurelia noticed a figure clinging desperately to the rope ladder, trying to climb down. It was Octavian, his robes steaming and his face black with soot.
"Percy, are you okay?" Annabeth came running up to examine him. "You're bleeding—"
"Not my blood," Percy promised her, nodding at Aurelia who had gone very still. "What—?"
"I don't know!" Annabeth yelled. She was confused and desperate.
"I'll tell you what!" cried Octavian from above. He had reached the bottom of the ladder. "The Greeks have fired on us! Your boy Leo has trained his weapons on Rome!"
"You're lying," Annabeth said, her voice very fragile. "Leo would never—"
"I was just there!" Octavian shrieked. "I saw it with my own eyes!"
The Argo II returned fire. Legionnaires in the field scattered as one of their catapults was blasted to splinters. "You see?" Octavian screamed. "Romans, kill the invaders!"
Hazel and Frank glanced at Aurelia for confirmation but her face was unreadable. Annabeth, as confused and desperate as she was, she wasn't lying.
Except, neither was Octavian. The problem with Octavian's emotions was that when he believed so strongly in something, it was hard to tell whether it was true or if it was just true in his own mind (examples, his passion towards the Greeks). Regardless, it was undoubtable that Aurelia was watching her home go up in flames.
"We need to leave," Annabeth declared, her voice frantic. "Now."
Percy nodded grimly. "Hazel, Frank, El, you've got a choice to make. Are you coming?"
"Of course we're with you," Hazel said, looking at Frank. Everyone turned to Aurelia who still stared at the chaos. The monsters in her eyes were screaming in horror and anger, reflecting the emotions of the mob. Reflecting the destruction of New Rome.
"This is my home." Aurelia's voice was barely a whisper.
Percy looked down a little. A part of him expected Aurelia to say no. She wouldn't turn on them the way the mob had, but she wouldn't help them either. And Percy couldn't blame her. As attached as he was to Camp Jupiter—as attached as Hazel and Frank were too—this had Aurelia's home for four years. And she was watching it be destroyed by a group she only heard evil things about for the same four years.
"It's okay, El," Percy assured her, trying to offer her some kind of comfort. "We understand."
If this was just a matter of Greeks versus Romans, Aurelia would have left them already. But it was so much more complicated than that. This was Gaea versus demigods. And Aurelia knew that even if the Romans got some kind of justice or retribution for what the Greeks were doing, none of it would matter if their world got destroyed by Gaea.
Aurelia looked towards the catapults, which were re-grouping for another round with the ship. It's where her cousin's emotions were emitting from. "I am so sorry Reyna," she said, even though she knew her cousin would never hear her.
Aurelia finally blinked, turning to look at Percy, Hazel, and Frank. This was her family too. "You will not make it to the ship without some kind of diversion."
She yanked her necklace off, her sword in hand. "Hazel and I will buy you time." Shadows were now reforming on Aurelia's wrists and around her ears, whispering to her their desires.
"How?" Annabeth asked.
Hazel caught on. She whistled loudly. Instantly, a blur of beige shot across the forum. Arion materialized next to the fountain. He reared, whinnying and scattering the mob. Hazel climbed on the back and unsheathed her Roman cavalry sword that had been strapped to the horse's saddle. "Send me an Iris-Message when you're safely away, and we'll rendezvous," she said.
Hazel held out her hand. "Need a ride, Ari?"
Aurelia's eyes were pitch black again. Despite the ringing that still continued in the back of the head, she was allowing her powers to build. "Drop me off in the middle."
Aurelia held Hazel's hand, hesitating half a second to survey the damage to the forum. A single tear fell down her cheek as she mourned her life in New Rome. Then the half second was over and Aurelia swung herself onto the horse.
"Arion ride!" The horse zipped through the crowd with incredible speed, pushing back Romans and causing mass panic.
The mass panic took physical form as it clung to Aurelia who leaped off the back of Arion. She turned to the nearest mob, taking their fear and sending it straight back to them. They fell to their knees, paralyzed and their hands to their ears as the invisible force screamed in their ears and forced them to the ground. Another group of Romans noticed her and ran at her, recovering from Arion, trying to grab her. But they were met with the same response as the first mob—they all fell to their knees as they got within a five foot radius of her.
Annabeth felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe they could make it out of there alive. Then, from halfway across the forum, a yell sounded.
"Romans!" Jason cried. "Please!" He and Piper were being pelted with plates and stones. Aurelia, who was nearest to them, let her illusions fade as she channeled more fear. She threw it like baseball and the black shadows erupted around the two demigods like a shield as the plates and stones bounced harmlessly off of them. Shock rippled through Jason and Piper as they saw the daughter of Pavor who stood around several dozen Romans, all still on their knees paralyzed.
Gone was the girl they saw earlier, who was on her knees spurting out blood—although, the blood was still stained on her dress and dried a little around her mouth. Her eyes were pitch black, her sword in hand, and her veins darkening. The shadows still clung to her, whispering in her ear. But this time she had control of it. The shadows followed her every command.
"Run!" she yelled at them, the shield around them divulging, pushing a path through the mob for them towards her. "Run!"
Piper and Jason shot through as the mob fought against the wall of shadows, but to no avail. They continued to throw their projectile objects, one person even brandishing a brick.
"Traitor!" someone yelled as they grabbed Aurelia from behind and threw her to the ground. Her concentration broke and the shield fell. One of the Romans Aurelia had paralyzed had recovered, many others regaining control of themselves as they surrounded her. Aurelia hit the guy with the flat side of her sword. Her shadows billowed around her, as they forced everyone back. Aurelia looked for Jason and Piper and what she saw made her horrified. The force of the shadows increased as more people were pushed back and Aurelia ran towards Piper.
Piper was terrified, trying to hold Jason up as he slumped against her. A brick lay on the ground right by them and it didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened.
"Oh gods, Jason," Piper murmured. She looked up at Aurelia who held her shield around them.
"Are you okay?" Aurelia asked Piper who nodded. Aurelia glanced at Jason and she felt more tears spring to her eyes—although you couldn't see it through the black obsidian.
Aurelia was barely on her feet now. Her whole body ached from using her powers and it continued as she tried to keep the shield around them. Romans were still banging on her shield trying to reach her. They screamed curses and profanities and Aurelia wouldn't have been surprised if her ears started bleeding. She had no idea how they were getting out. Until more screams came as a roar echoed through the valley. Romans scattered away from Aurelia's shield. A beast even scarier than the bronze figurehead on the Argo II came charging towards the girls. It had rough skin like a Komodo lizard's and leathery bat wings. Arrows and rocks bounced harmlessly off its hide.
"Frank," Aurelia sighed, lowering the top of her shield so the dragon could lift them. Piper backed up skittishly but Aurelia sent a calming emotions towards her. Frank lifted them into the air, Jason and Piper each in one respective claw while Aurelia climbed onto his back.
Arrows continued to fire at them but Aurelia allowed more of the fear to fester into a physical form, creating a long band like a whip.
She hated herself for it, but she let it go. The black shadows erupted into flames as it hit the ground, scaring Romans back as the heat seared the bows and arrows. Enough Romans scattered before the flames disappeared like mist, the effects of the fire vanishing as if they had never been there.
Aurelia caught a glance of one Roman in particular, in a beautiful purple cape who stared at her with an unreadable expression.
But Aurelia could feel Reyna's emotions through her poker face and she had to look away. She couldn't stand to look her betrayal in the eye.
Frank circled the ship once, before landing on the bow. Aurelia caught sight of Percy tackling the Leo boy to the ground. She slid off quickly, going to Piper and Jason's side.
Please don't be dead, please don't be dead.
Jason still had a pulse but he was out cold. Blood was coming from his head injury.
Aurelia felt the ship groan as the bow tilted up at a horrifying angle. The mooring lines snapped, and the Argo II shot into the clouds.
[ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Aurelia was rubbing her head from a headache.
She had eaten an ambrosia square, but her body still ached slightly and there was a slight buzzing in the back of her mind.
Part of it was the ship. The beautiful ship that appeared above New Rome was in shambles. The aft crossbows were piles of kindling. The foresail was tattered. The satellite array was blown to bits. The bronze figurehead dragon was coughing up smoke like a hairball. A groaning came from the port side, for some of the aerial oars had been knocked out of alignment or broken off completely. And because of that the ship was listing and shuddering as it flew, the engine wheezing like an asthmatic steam train.
The other reason for her headache was Leo Valdez. The boy was slumped against the mast, his emotions a very confused mess that Aurelia couldn't quite decipher.
"One more time," Annabeth said. "Exactly what happened."
Four people stood nearby looking at Leo. Annabeth, who was a mixture of furious and pain. The faun (no, satyr, Aurelia reminded herself) who had introduced himself as Coach Hedge and stood with a baseball bat. Then Frank and Aurelia.
Leo looked like he was choking back a sob. "I don't know. It's fuzzy." The headache worsened.
Annabeth crossed her arms. "You mean you don't remember?"
"I ..." Leo was almost at a loss for words. "I remember, but it's like I was watching myself do things. I couldn't control it."
Aurelia's brows furrowed—he was telling the truth, but how could that happen?
The satyr, Coach Hedge, tapped his bat against the deck. He wore gym clothes with a cap over his horns. "Look, kid," Hedge said, "You blew up some stuff. You attacked some Romans. Awesome! Excellent! But did you have to knock out the satellite channels? I was right in the middle of watching a cage match!"
Frank grabbed Aurelia's arms as if to restrain her. She wanted to commit murder.
Annabeth noticed how deadly Aurelia's eyes darkened. "Coach, why don't you make sure all the fires are out?"
"But I already did that."
"Do it again!"
The satyr trudged off, muttering under his breath. Aurelia untensed a little and Frank released her.
"Leo," Annabeth said, her voice extremely calm, "did Octavian trick you somehow? Did he frame you, or—"
"No," Leo sighed. "The guy was a jerk, but he didn't fire on the camp. I did."
Aurelia pursed her lips. It would have been very easy to try to lie and blame it on Octavian (Aurelia might have actually believed it just because it sounded like something he would do), but Leo told the truth—which was extremely bold considering she was staring at him like she was planning his murder.
But Aurelia restrained herself. Leo was feeling too much guilt to have fired on Camp Jupiter willingly, even if he admits to doing it. It didn't make sense.
"On purpose?" Frank asked.
"No!" Leo squeezed his eyes shut like a child being yelled at. "Well, yes ... I mean, I didn't want to. But at the same time, I felt like I wanted to. Something was making me do it. There was this cold feeling inside of me–"
"A cold feeling." Annabeth's tone changed. She was scared.
"Yeah," Leo nodded. "Why?"
From belowdecks, Percy called up. "Annabeth, we need you."
Aurelia was scared too. Percy was downstairs working on Jason and if he needed help ...
Oh, gods, Jason. Aurelia felt like she was going to be sick.
After they had landed, Aurelia had helped Piper take Jason below decks, but she didn't want to stay. She kind of wished to go back, just to make sure he was okay, but she forced herself to stay in her spot.
Aurelia forced herself to not think about it as Annabeth asked her and Frank to watch Leo before disappearing below decks. She had felt the cold feeling as well—but she had written hers off as paranoia. What if it really was something more?
Aurelia and Frank both just stared at Leo. She hadn't had time to change her dress, so her dried blood was still coating her. Leo was watching the two of them warily, like he was waiting for them to pick him up by ankles and burn him at the stake.
Frank broke the silence. "So, your name's not Sammy?"
Leo scowled. "What kind of question is that?"
"Nothing," Frank said, quickly. "I just—" He faltered as he met Aurelia's hard stare. "Nothing. About the firing on the camp ... Octavian could be behind it, like magically or something. He didn't want the Romans getting along with you guys."
Leo felt reassured, but still immensely guilty. He was a little amused by the way Frank had shied away from Aurelia's gaze. That was until Aurelia looked back at him and he had the urge to hide away as well. "It was not Octavian," Aurelia murmured. "As much as I wish it was."
An awkward silence settled before Leo finally spoke again. "Look, I should talk to Festus and get a damage report. You mind ...?"
Frank helped him up. "Who is Festus?"
"My friend," Leo said. "His name isn't Sammy either, in case you're wondering. Come on. I'll introduce the two of you."
A/N: I don't know if any of you are TVD fans, but I watched Legacies recently and it showed "dark Josie Saltzman" and I was like ... omg, this is exactly what Aurelia looks like when her powers are working.
Anyways, my poor baby is still in pain. Hopefully, it gets better.