I had thought there were few things that could scare me anymore. I'd spent enough time in the Underworld to become well acquainted with the certainty of death, but now that it was staring me in the face, I was more terrified than ever. I longed for my life back on Earth, and this desire fuelled my adrenaline. Hell, I deserved my life on Earth. My family and friends certainly deserved to see me again. My blood pumped wildly in my chest, with my heart competing in its own wild race.
One set of hands gripped my upper arms, and I could feel the others moving in to surround me. I was a lamb being cornered by three, very hungry, very desperate, lions.
I knew that if I was going to have any chance of an escape, then now was the moment to fight.
Rather than try to pull away, I stepped closer to my assailant's body to surprise them and used our close proximity to my benefit by raising my free elbow and swinging it in the direction of their face. Luckily, it was not dark enough that I was unable to guess their height and my elbow landed in exactly the place I wanted it to – their chin. A crack echoed through the air, breaking through the sound of scuffling, and caused the others to hesitate.
My elbow hurt like a bitch when it made contact, but I ignored the pain and used my split second of surprise to sprint back down the hallway, from the direction I'd come. Two of my assailants snapped at the third for letting me go, then they were chasing after me. Various swear words popped into my mind. I was running blindly in the dark, barely stopping myself from running into a wall, while the demigod and demigoddesses of Gluttony could probably see me with scotopic vision.
If there was ever a moment for me to trip and fall, now was not it.
Laboured breathing sounded behind me, letting me know that my attackers were matching my pace, and I knew I had to get somewhere with light so that I could out-run them. I needed to get somewhere I had an advantage.
I quickened my pace when I realised something startling: I did have a room that would give me an advantage. Right now, the Gluttony contestants were chasing me according to their own rules, but they would surely hesitate if they saw the encompassing greenery that slumbered beneath the castle. Greenery that I could wield.
Hoping that all of my training would pay off, I turned a corner right as a warm set of fingers brushed my back, stroking my fear. I may not have regularly seen any of them in the gym, but I was sure their desire for blood propelled them faster than any muscles could.
Someone behind me hissed as I lunged out of their grasp and they had to abruptly follow me down the next corridor. I could imagine their sharp teeth gnashing together as they raced for me. My entire body thrummed with energy at the thought of their teeth meeting my skin. I knew that, given the chance, they would eagerly tear me to shreds. They would probably parade my dead body around for all of the contestants to see to try to enforce their own rank and superiority.
I was almost at the set of stairs leading to the forest when an idea popped up in my head: I might not be alone. If Persephone was able to jump in the minds of creatures in the Underworld, then perhaps I could do the same! All I had to do was get Cerberus' attention and hope for the best that he would help tear these guys to shreds. I raced down the stairs, taking them three at a time, while feeling the others racing close behind me. One of them was yelling taunts at me and telling me to stop, but each taunt spurred me on faster.
I wrenched the door open and flung myself outside. I tried to slam the door shut again but it knocked against Gresil's shoulder and caused him to swear. The girls – whose names suddenly came to mind, being Edesia and Mera - were behind him in two seconds, shoving him forwards.
I didn't waste any more time before breaking into the tree line, where I hoped I could lose them in the darkness.
*****
Loose tree branches broke underneath me as I sprinted across the rough terrain, too concerned about putting distance between us to worry about being quiet. More twigs snapped behind me – too closely. Snarls so animalistic – I half thought the children of Gluttony may have turned into some kind of animal – filled the night air.
As I ran, I pictured Cerberus prowling around the castle at night, as he normally did, and threw out a silent prayer. I may have been reaching for a miracle, but times were desperate. Please, come help me! I shouted out that message over and over, even as I crashed through the thicket of bushes. Thorns and sticks tore at the skin on my arms and legs. I didn't even have time to feel pain as warm blood began trickling down my legs. Even the moonlight was unable to compensate for the night vision the others undoubtedly had.
A black blur appeared on my right just as I noticed its equivalent on my left hand side. I groaned internally and pushed myself faster, my knees screaming at me to slow down. At my flank, I could still hear the relentless pounding of my follower's footsteps. They had surrounded me. The figure on my right careened in my direction and I narrowly dodged them, almost tripping over a bush as I did so. But then I was caught off guard when the person on my left did the same move. I was so surprised by their co-ordination that they managed to grab my arm – a cry escaped my lips – and pinwheel me until they slammed me against a tree. All of the air left my body. Pain flared through my back as leaves rained down on us.
I could make out Gresil's dark eyes, narrowed into slits, as he glared at me. His greasy hair brushed against his untamed eyebrows, giving him a manic look. He gripped my shoulders to keep me pinned. Behind him, each sister took up a position and flashed their all-too-sharp teeth at me. My stomach dropped and I panted for air.
"The thrill of the chase makes a meal so much better," Gresil commented, admiring the fear in my eyes.
Edesia at his left sniffed at me, her nostrils flaring. "You smell even better now that you're scared," she drawled, though I noted she was as breathless as me.
"Go to Hell," I snapped, trying to even my breathing.
All three of them chuckled in reply. Gresil tightened his grip on me.
"In case you haven't realised, Princess, we're already there," Edesia retorted. "But we can save you from the torture of remaining here."
I clambered for anything to say that would get them to back off. "You do realise Hades is going to hate you for killing me, right? You're not supposed to take down others in the tournament."
Mera crossed her arms over her chest, as if she was barely restraining herself from pouncing. "You're really saying that right now? Do you realise your very presence makes this whole tournament a joke?"
"As long as you're alive, the tournament will be tipped in your favour," Edesia continued. "Your little, scrawny existence is costing us big right now. The Underworld needs a ruthless leader, not a plaything."
I gritted my teeth and forced my fear downwards. If I was going down, I wasn't going down without a fight. "If I'm the plaything, then why are you my puppets right now?"
They each shot me a quizzical look, framed with various degrees of anger. Before they could react further, I channelled my power and brought it forth. Vines shot down from the canopies and curled around each of their necks, lifting them from the ground. Gresil's fingers dug into me as he tried to bring me with him, but I clung to the tree trunk and evaded his hold. When they were all grasping at the vines around their necks, I sprinted through the woods once again, knowing I didn't have that long of a head start. I doubted my powers would last very long when I wasn't there to control it.
As soon as I had that thought, three loud thumps reverberated from behind me as they fell to the forest floor.
"Serena!" a voice screeched, crawling along my skin. Edesia. "You can run all you want, but we will happily hunt you down."
I heard Mera release a menacing growl. "I am going to cut you up into pieces tiny enough that your own mother won't recognise you."
I slammed through the thicket, terrified they were already behind me. I turn around in the direction of the exit of the forest, so I had to keep pushing my way deeper into the forest. I was doubting my decision to come here – no one would be able to hear my screams.
I sent out another mental prayer that Cerberus was on his way and used my powers to create a few tripwires along the ground. The least I could do was slow them down while I figured out how to escape. Unless...I glanced upwards, analysing how dense the branches were. On the forest floor, I was a sitting duck, but perhaps I could be concealed from their view if I climbed up high enough. I started climbing before I could second-guess my decision. My limbs shook as I pulled myself up branch after branch, but luckily the tree seemed to bow to let me on it.
My mouth was as dry as sand paper, but I didn't dare give it that much thought. Not when the lions were prowling through the forest, searching for their prey. After a minute of climbing, I was about five metres or so from the ground level. I checked my wounds to make sure I wasn't bleeding profusely and was content to find that my healing abilities had erased all of the injuries I'd gained from running through the forest. Then, I used my powers to grow a few more leaves to shelter my position and sat back and waited.
Only half a minute later, Gresil broke from the line of trees and prowled along the forest floor. He wore a scowl on his face which was likely a by-product of the vine I'd wrapped around his neck.
"Where are you Serena?" he asked softly, as if he was attempting to coax out a scared animal. I recoiled in my position and prayed he didn't look up. I don't even think I was breathing.
"I don't want to make you suffer, Serena," he continued, "but my sisters are determined, and they always get their way. If you come out from your hiding place now, I promise to make your death painless. I can't say my sisters would want the same ending for you."
The pressure built up in my chest, but I didn't know if he could track something as quiet as breathing noises, so I held myself together. Finally, after what felt like forever, Gresil moved away from the tree I was hiding in and I gulped in copious breaths of fresh air. The searing burn in my lungs eased and I rested my head back against the tree trunk. I allowed myself to stay like that for a few moments, trying to recover from his threats and calm my breathing.
So, the trio had split up to try to find me. The sisters hadn't followed Gresil along this pathway, meaning they had all had decided to go in three different directions. If I had to guess, I'd say they were sweeping the forest from the castle outwards, so that I had no choice but to keep retreating. I was hoping that they were far enough away from each other that they wouldn't cover the same ground.
I took a deep breath and slowly scurried down the tree, landing with a soft thump. My heart was beating so loudly in my chest that I wasn't sure if I'd even be able to hear anyone sneaking up on me. I walked quickly back in the direction that I'd come, listening out for either of the sisters. Weirdly enough though, the forest was silent. Not even the buzzing of insects filled the air.
Just as the desire to look over my shoulder became overwhelming, loud footsteps thumped across the ground and I started off in a run. Someone heavy crashed into me and threw me sideways. I landed on the ground with my left shoulder taking the brunt of the impact. The air whooshed from me as Edesia leaned over me, holding me down. The moonlight was enough to reveal the unsatiated gleam of hunger in her eyes.
I growled and tried to toss her off me. "Get off me!"
I wasn't fast enough to stop what happened next. I tried to knock her with my elbow, but Edesia instead got a grip on my arm, leaned over and sunk her razor-sharp teeth into my skin. A feral scream escaped from my lips as I felt her teeth grating against my muscle and bone. It was one of those screams that was so raw and charged with energy that my entire being felt it. My arm burned as if I'd dipped it into fire. On instinct, I raised a knee and hit her between her legs. It wasn't enough to have a profound impact on her, but it was just enough to make her withdraw her bite. I screamed again as she pulled away with too much of me. Her lips were coated in my blood, and her eyes were wild with desire.
As if from far away, I heard a deep voice bellow my name.
I shook myself back to reality and used my good arm to land a punch in her face. Edesia was half delirious from the ecstasy of the bite, but she was still unsatiated and it was clear she would do anything to get more. She returned my hit with two of her own. My head slammed back into the ground and stars formed in my vision. I could taste blood in my mouth and the world was spinning, but I needed to keep trying to escape.
"You're healing," Edesia commented wistfully, out of breath. Her eyes darted to mine. "You're the equivalent of a buffet. Perhaps I should keep you."
I screamed at her and unleashed my power, desperate to get her away from me. One moment, Edesia was staring down at me with anticipation glinting in her eyes, and the next moment her jaw turned slack and she released a disgruntled sound. Her eyes widened as she stared down at me, utterly surprised, and then they slowly turned vacant. The tension of her grip eased but she collapsed on top of me, all of her body weight crushing against my stomach. Over her shoulder, I could see the answer to my prayers. I'd summoned a vine so strong that it had pierced her back, navigating itself directly into her heart. The vine removed itself and returned to its former position. Blood began to bloom across her back. It took all of my energy to roll her off of me. When I no longer had her weight crushing my chest, sweet, beautiful air rushed back into me. I sucked it down in gulps, but my breathing hitched when the pain of Edesia's bite rammed back into my attention. I glanced at my upper arm and felt bile rise in my throat. One moment was enough time to become nauseous at the mess that Edesia had created. I knew I would be able to recover from the injury, but it certainly looked like it would take a day or two to fully recover. Gritting my teeth against the pain, I pushed myself up into a sitting position with my good arm–
Something clambered through the bushes towards me. I sucked in a breath as Gressil stepped out from behind a tree and cast an eye over me. I froze in place. His nostrils flared as he took in my frightened expression and the wound on my arm. He grinned maliciously and took a step forward, but then Edesia's body came within his line of sight and he paused.
His grin fell.
My heart stopped.
His eyes flashed back to mine and I could see the fiery rage that bubbled underneath his pale exterior. I shuffled backwards but my back came into contact with another tree trunk.
"You're going to pay for that," he sneered, eyes darkening as he lurched forwards.
I scrambled to get up onto my feet, but I was too slow. Gressil's hands were on my arms, his teeth at my neck–
"No!" a familiar voice bellowed.
That familiarity was almost a comfort, and it was a shock enough that Gressil hesitated, his sharp teeth only an inch away from my vulnerable skin. He was so close that his warm breath wafted onto my face.
In my peripheral vision, Alek was sprinting for us.
Seeing him was enough to make me pause. A mixture of emotions ran through me. I was still terrified, but not for myself.
Alek tackled Gressil and they fell to the ground in a tangle of limbs.
It was one of the few times I had seen Alek without any weapons. He wore a tank shirt and shorts, as though he'd just been working out at the gym and hadn't wasted a second in sprinting here. Sweat soaked the front of his shirt and made his hair glisten in the soft moonlight. Alek spun them around so that he had the upper hand and leaned over Gressil. He was positioned so that Gressil's favoured arm was too close to Alek to get a good hit – a move that I knew was intentional on Alek's part. He delivered one punch after the other. I was unable to look away as crunching bone sounded, echoed only by the pounding of my own heart.
Gressil's shouting became quieter, until he was unable to shout at all. When he was silent, and I knew he was dead, Alek paused over his body. His chest rose up and down, his fists clenched by his sides.
"Alek?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
The only thing that filled the air was the intensity of his breathing.
Off in the distance, a howl sounded, and I knew instantly that my message to Cerberus had been delivered. And somehow, Cerberus had known exactly who to find for help.
"Alek," I repeated, slightly louder.
He stilled, then peered over his shoulder at me.
"Serena," he replied, a mixture of tension and relief in his tone, but I was still straight-backed with fear.
"Are you okay?"
He reacted slowly, getting to his feet and moving towards me. I wondered if he hadn't heard me. My body reacted to his and wanted to meet him halfway in an embrace, but I was still cradling my injured arm. Pain flared in his eyes. But not pain for himself.
"I'm fine," he replied gruffly, "but you're not."
"I'll heal. Anyway, there's still one more sister somewhere in the forest," I added.
He shook his head. "Cerberus has handled it."
My stomach dipped at the implication, but I knew there would be no other way around it. I would undoubtedly begin to feel apologetic later, but the adrenaline coursing through me meant I was merely glad to be alive.
"How?" I asked. It was all I could manage to say.
Alek somehow knew what I was asking. He reached a hand towards me, running his comforting fingers down my stinging cheek. "I was in the gym when Cerberus arrived. I knew you must have been in trouble because I never see Cerberus except for when he's by your side. When we got to this room – or forest, whatever it is – I heard you scream..."
I flinched as the image of Edesia burrowing her teeth into my arm made a reappearance. My arm burned at the very thought. But mostly, I recoiled when I saw the pain in Alek's eyes.
"Serena, when I heard you scream, I thought..." he sighed and lowered his hand.
A beat of silence passed.
I bit my lip and closed the last step between us, wrapping my good arm around Alek's torso. To hell with the pain, I thought. A warmth was blooming in my chest at his closeness, anyway. Tears stung at my eyes but I held them back, blinking a couple of times. "I'm okay."
Eventually, Alek cleared his throat and stepped away.
"Anyway," he continued, "I need to fix the wound on your arm. It's a miracle you haven't passed out yet."
Even as he said that the forest seemed to sway a little. "It's still early days," I warned, feeling the colour drain from my cheeks.
"Woah," he said as I stumbled and blinked slowly. "You need my help."
"I'm fine," I lied, steeling myself as the world began to spin again. I was clutching to Alek's shirt like a lifeline and it took me a minute to notice.
"You're clearly not fine," he deadpanned. "I'm going to carry you to the hospital wing."
"You don't need to–ooft."
Alek swept me up into his arms, ensuring that he wasn't touching my injury in any way before striding in the direction of the exit.
"What about the others?" I asked, my vision still blurry. I tried blinking a few times, but it didn't help. Was I slurring?
"Hades can deal with them," he replied steely. "He needs to see for himself how he almost got you killed."
I leaned my head against Alek's chest, savouring his warmth. "Hades would probably smile."
Alek looked down at me with a frown. "Serena, I need you to stay awake, okay?"
If I wasn't careful, I was going to pass out, I thought.
Then the world spun into oblivion and pulled me with it.