Anna's POV:
"I'm sure it should be here i-" and then everything went black.
Next thing I remembered was waking up in the exact same spot I was standing before.
I stood up, but as i tried to move forward ,I was stopped by something I couldn't see. There was nothing there.
"What the...?" I hissed to myself. I kicked that spot again.
Still stopped. I tried every direction. Nothing. It was like I was trapped in...an invisible box. I kicked and pushed again harder but guess what, still nothing.
When suddenly, a sound came from the woods. My heart skipped a beat. "Hello..? Is someone there?" I asked.
"Princess?" A familiar voice was heard.
"Lucas? Over here!" I yelled back and after a matter of seconds the son of Athena was revealed from the trees.
His blue eyes glanced at me as he was coming closer but I snapped "Wait".
I kicked again as he realised what that meant
"Eris" he murmured.
"Well, done, dear." Was all an old woman said, standing behind Lucas. I supposed that was Eris.
"What do you want?" I signed, like I've met her before and she was an old enemy or something, but the think is I hadn't, I just knew that Eris was the goddess of discord and that was enough.
"What makes you think I want something from you?" She raised an eyebrow and smirked, trying to manipulate and trigger me.
"You're Eris that's what you do. You always give challenges, you try trick people into dividing" Lucas signed confidently, looking not afraid at all ,considering she's a goddess and she was capable of very bad and evil things.
"Oh I see, you're the smart ones, aren't you?" Lucas and I gleamed at each other with the corner of our eyes and then back at her. She continued "well, since you're familiar with my work I'll get straight to the point. You, young man, I like you, so I'll give you a choice. You can leave, but you'll leave alone and she dies" she said and her eyes shined in a way that made me forget for a moment who I was or what I was doing. "However, you can accept my challenge." She added
"Which is..?" Lucas asked seriously.
"Oh, you're interested, I'm pleased, very pleased. The challenge is: I tell you a riddle, if you succeed, you will both be free. If you don't..." She said and then she did an impression of cutting her throat with her pointing finger.
"But just you, she gets to live" she added, pointing at me, although she was still looking at him.
I couldn't believe this. I was dead, totally dead. Why would he risk his life for me, a week ago I was just another stranger to him.
He looked at me ,his eyes met mine, while gleaming worriedly.
Of course he wouldn't do it, why would he?
I didn't know what to do, I tacked some hair over my ear crossed my hands and looked down.
As soon as I did, he turned to Eris and said determinedly "I'm in".
I have to confess, I smiled more than I probably should to the fact that not only he didn't hate me but he actually cared about me.
"Oh and how could I forget...since two heads are better than one..." She frowned and clicked her fingers.
I didn't know what she meant, but I sure found out when I tried to speak. My voice was gone, gone. I couldn't make a sound. I tried to talk but I couldn't and it sucked. I wanted to scream until my throat bled.
Lucas must have noticed I was straggling so he asked Eris with an accusing look on his face "What did you do to her?"
"Don't worry, dear she'll be alright, if you succeed of course."
Wasn't this just great.
Lucas seemed nervous and I didn't blame him. He finally turned to me and muttered "I'm gonna get you out of here. I promise"
I nodded and he turned back to Eris, while exhaling heavily. "What's the riddle?"
"We hurt without moving, we poison without touching, we bear the truth and the lies, we are not to be judged by our size. What are we?"
I have to confess I had no idea what she was talking about. I had no clue what the answer was, my brain was frozen. It had never happened to me before, never had I been so frustrated before that it was driving me crazy. I had to think.
I turned to Lucas. He was standing a few meters away from me, leaning on a tree. His sky blue eyes were looking at the ground as he had his skeptical face on. It was only then when I realised what he really was like besides the jokes and the smirks.
"Concentrate Anna" I thought to myself as I flicked some hair from my face and tried to think. "We poison with out touching... Not to be judged by our size...what are we?" I constantly kept thinking those last words in my head "what are we...what are we?"
And then, when it snapped, Lucas jumped with wide eyes and exclaimed with a huge smile in his face "I think I found it, I think I found the riddle!"
"I, can only judge that" she groaned and continued slowly "So...what is it?"
"Words" he replied and glanced at me and added as he quickly turned to Eris "words hurt without moving and poison with out touching, they bear the truth and the lies and words are not to be judged by their size. I'm right, aren't I?"
But she gave no answer. She just clicked her fingers and disappeared. My stomach flipped as I saw Lucas falling on the ground.
"Lucas!" I screamed are ran over there, to my surprise. The magic was gone. I kneed beside him and placed my hands under his head.
"Lucas? Lucas can you hear me?" I mattered panicked as my heart was pounding in my chest.
To my relief he slowly opened his eyes and a smiled was formed in his face while he murmured "You got worried"
I rolled my eyes jokingly and did something I didn't really think about before doing it.
I hugged him tight.
He was firstly surprised but soon enough I felt his arms around my waist.
"Thank you" I murmured with my eyes closed.
When I opened them I wasn't in the forest. I was in a cave and to my surprise, Nathan and Tyler were already there.
I quickly pulled myself back as soon as Nathan signed "Well, that's something I never thought I would see."
But I ignored him and changed the subject "May I asked where are we?"
"We are at her 'home', so glad you made it by the way." Tyler replied.
"What do you mean, we weren't the only ones she challenged?"
He shook his head "I'm afraid not, she did the same to us, we just have to wait and hope Destiny and Nico will make it."
Great, they are going to kill each other.