I missed Annabeth.
Well, missed didn't really cover it. I felt like a part of me was missing, and I needed it back. But I didn't even know where she was.
I shoved a piece of meat into my mouth. It was lunch, and I was eating with Travis, Luke, and Chris. But I didn't feel like talking. I never did.
It had been two months since the arena. According to rumor, I'd be going back to it in another two months. I almost welcomed the idea. Death would put me out of my misery.
No, I thought. You promised Annabeth that you would come back to her.
And how are you going to do that? I thought. She's gone. You're never going to see her again.
Ω🐬Ω
Training was over. We were getting our water, before we went back to our cells.
I was leaning on a wall near the gardens, a good distance from everyone else. No one was paying any attention to me. My glory from the arena victory had blown over, and now everyone just knew me as the depressed guy.
That's when I heard it. It was quiet, but it sounded like someone's muffled voice. It was coming from the gardens.
I glanced around, making sure none of the guards were looking at me. Then I slipped into the gardens.
I followed the sound. When I saw where it was coming from, I almost gasped.
The girl who brought me breakfast and dinner was on the ground, a guard on top of her with a knife at her throat and his hand over her mouth.
The decision I made was the biggest one in my life.
I kicked the guard in the side, making him fall over and drop the knife. I picked it up, and slit his throat with it.
There was a small pause as the girl looked at me, wide-eyed.
"Thank you," She stuttered eventually.
"You're welcome," I replied, not really knowing what to say.
Then it happened.
Two guards came into the little clearing I was standing in. They saw their dead comrade on the ground, went to grab their swords...
And got my knife in their throats. But one of them screamed.
I tossed the girl the knife and grabbed one of the guards swords. Something lit up in her eyes, and she stood next to me, in a surprisingly accurate battle stance.
Then three more guards came in. We took them all down.
At that point, a couple slaves had come to see the commotion. Their mouths all dropped open.
Then the warning bell sounded. A guard must've seen us from the watchtower.
"Okay everyone!" I shouted to the crowd around me. "I'm going to keep killing them until one of them takes me down. If you want to help, grab one of their weapons. If not, run!"
Then around twenty guards ran into the gardens.
The girl and I sprung into action. My training came in handy. Guards kept falling at my feet.
I saw others fight around me. Luke, Travis, Chris. I also saw women fighting, too. It was a beautiful sight, really.
More guards kept replacing the fallen. And we cut them down.
Eventually, I realised something: if the guards can't stop us, then what's stopping us from escaping?
Is this really happening? I thought as I beheaded a guard. Am I dreaming?
But then the guards stopped coming. Corpses littered the ground, and at least fifty blood-stained slaves surrounded me, looking at me.
They're wondering what we're going to do next, I realised.
"Okay everyone!" I shouted. "We're going to pay the Wines a little visit, and then we're escaping!"
Everyone cheered, so loudly I was sure they could hear us in the capitol of Rome.
I led my little army towards the manor. More people joined us on the way, and I noticed more dead guards on the ground, and people armed with nothing but clothing lines, steak knifes, and some of them, with nothing.
Then we were at the manor. I kicked down the door, and my army, which was around three hundred people at this point, ran in.
If this is a dream, it's the best one I've ever had. I thought.
After a couple of minutes, people started coming back, most of them carrying food. But then Luke and a couple others brought out the people I hated most in the world: Lord Dionysus and his family.
"What is this?" Lord Dionysus shouted.
"Why, I've taken over your manor, of course," I said. "What does it look like?"
My army cheered.
"Now, m'lord, I have a question," I said. "Two months ago, you sold a blonde girl and a pregnant woman to someone. Who?"
"Why should I tell you?" He growled.
I raised my sword to his throat. "Who?"
He gulped. "Lord Hades."
I smiled. "There. That wasn't too difficult, was it?"
I turned to my fellow slaves, who were all watching me. "Okay, everyone! Find a prison cart and bring it here! Let's show these lords what it feels like to be imprisoned!"
Everyone cheered, and half of them rushed off to the stables. I smiled.
Because I had a plan. I was going to lead my army to other towns and manors, freeing slaves and growing my army. Then I was going to Lord Hades.
I'm coming for you, Annabeth.