Chapter Thirty-Two

“But she chose Alex, Kathryn and Nayeli over me! So I had every right!” I defend myself.

“Okay,” the girl says.

But even as I said it I wasn’t sure if I believed it. I forced that doubt down.

“I have to go,” she says.

Glancing down at an invisible watch. And then the dream fades.

۝

Mutt was leaning over me, looking worried.

“You’re awake!” he exclaims. “Are you alright? You had me terrified there for a second.”

“Um, I’m fine,” I say. “Why were you worried?”

“Because you said that you were tired and then just collapsed!” Mutt shouts.

“Probably cause I was tired???” I say, it sounded like a question.

Mutt gives me a look, but finally nods, “Okay.”

I give him a small smile, “So, how do we get out of here?”

Mutt shrugs, “I feel like we do what I always do. Walk straight through the front door.”

“Does Tartarus have a front door?” I ask.

“It has a staircase, one that leads up to an opening. Closest thing to a front door that we have to work with,” Mutt says.

I remembered that staircase. It was the one that I climbed up when I left Mutt in this hell hole. It was the one that I went through and abandoned him. Was this really going to be how my legacy starts? Abandoning my friends. Fighting with the people I trust and who respect me?

But one question plagued me more than the others. Was there really no way to change my fate?

“I know what you’re thinking,” Mutt says, looking into my eyes.

I look up, and like always I get lost in the blue of them. But for the first time I notice that his eyes had small cracks in them. Like they were being broken.

“You can’t change destiny,” he says. “I’ve spent my whole life trying. And I can’t. This time it’ll be no different.”

I smile softly at him, “Of course it will. This time we’re going to succeed.”

“How?” Mutt whispers, but he gives me a half-hearted smile.

I reach out and grab his hand, threading my fingers through his. He grips my hand back.

“Because this time we’re going to do this together. You and me. We can conquer anything,” I say smiling.

Mutt grins back, a genuine grin, “Sounds like a plan.”

“So let’s go, damn destiny to hell,” I say.

“Yeah,” Mutt replies. “Let’s do that.”

Quinn

“So I’m just a tad bit interested in how you think that this is going to work,” Astrid says.

I shrug, “If we’re going to be honest I really just, don’t know.”

“Quinn, you came to us for help with something that you don’t know?” Astrid asks.

“It’s not like it’s the first time,” I point out.

“And as always the Hunters of Artemis would be glad to help,” Jordan cuts in. “But we really need to know what we’re helping with.”

“Killing the enemy?” I offer.

Astrid snorts and Jordan rolls her eyes. I give them a small smile back, just a quick upturn of the corners of my mouth.

Astrid Ravener was the one and only daughter of the maiden goddess, Artemis. Of course, no one could know that Artemis had broken her oath. So the only ones who knew about it were Artemis, Apollo, and her best friend, Jordan. And me, but it hadn’t taken my that long to figure it out.

She was made immortal at the age sixteen, despite being with the Hunters since she was little. Her eyes were bright silver, like Artemis. But her hair was long, straight and dark brown, something she got from her father. She pretty much always wears this gray sweater and combat boots that each hid two daggers in them.

On her wrist was a charm bracelet that turned into a bow. A silver bow to be exact. Whereas all the other Hunters had black bows.

Long ago Astrid had falling in love, which since she wasn’t an actual Hunter of Artemis, was allowed. But to protect her, Artemis had banished the boy and whipped Astrid’s memory of him. Thing was, Artemis’s deal with Mnemosyne, the goddess of memories, was about to expire.

“So you have no actual idea of what we’re going to be doing or how we’re going to do it?” Jordan demands.

I shrug helplessly.

Jordan Hamish was Astrid’s best friend. She was the daughter of Achelios, a moon goddess often known as, ‘she who washes away pain’. She had long curly blonde hair. One of her eyes were green, the other was blue.

“Who cares?” Astrid interrupts. “This is a legit reason to kick Apollo’s butt. There’s no way we’re not taking it.”

That was another thing, for some unknown reason Astrid despised Apollo. Worse than any of the other Hunters did.

“Astrid,” Jordan chides.

“She’s right,” I add. “You can kick Apollo’s butt.

“You don’t understand,” Jordan snaps. “Neither of you do.”

“What is there to understand?!” Astrid exclaims.

“If we go to Godville than we chose them!” Jordan snaps. “We’d be going against Lady Artemis. We’d have to fight her as well.”

“And if we don’t choose them than we fight against our friends!” Astrid retorts.

“Aw,” I cut in. “I didn’t realize you thought so highly of us. How sweet of you!”

Astrid glares at me, but it was less angry and more annoyed. Jordan looked helpless.

“It’s okay,” I say with a small smile. “I understand. You do not have to chose us or them. Godville will not be your enemy unless you instigate war.”

With that I step back and dissolve into the water.

۝

Astrid

After Quinn leaves Jordan and I stand there in silence for a second.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Jordan finally says.

“They’re are friends,” I say.

“And Lady Artemis is our leader,” Jordan replies.

“There’s no way we can remain neutral in this war,” I say.

“Let’s go discuss this with Kendra. And the rest of them. They all deserve a say as well,” Jordan suggests.

I nod once and follow her into the clearing where we had set up camp.

Kendra Silvia was the lieutenant of Artemis, and therefore our ‘leader’ when Artemis was away. But she didn’t boss around much. She had silver hair and dark charcoal color eyes. She was the daughter of the goddess of grace, Aglaea. She was nineteen years old, physically.

“Ken,” Jordan says, jogging up to her.I hang back and let Jordan do all the explaining, she was better at talking anyway.

“Everything okay in paradise?” Akron asks walking up.

“Uh, yeah of course,” I say. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

Akron shrugs, “I could feel the tension between you and Jordan a mile away.”

I sigh, “We’re disagreeing on what side to be fighting for in this war. Let’s just say that she’s a little bit pissed off at me due to it.”

Akron tosses her light brown hair over her shoulder. Her dark green eyes shining with an unusual light.

“I wouldn’t worry about it to much,” she says. “You and Jordan have been friends for far too long to let one simple misunderstanding throw you apart from each other. If you ask me, it was about time that you two had a fight. That way you can get over it and become closer due to it.’

“Akron Woods, motivational speaker,” I say with a huge grin.

“Don’t push your luck, Ravener,” Akron growls softly, her inner wolf showing.

Every Hunter of Artemis was able to shapeshift into a wolf. But Akron, Akron was the only one whose wolf seemed to show up while she was human.

She turns to walk away so I reach out and grab her wrist

“Thank you,” I say. “That means a lot to me.”

She gives me a nod and turns and walks away. Just as Jordan and Kendra walk back towards us.

“We fight for our friends,” Kendra says. “The gods, their rule is over. And if they are to make an enemy out of our friends, then they are to make an enemy out of us. After all, we are demigods are we not?”

The Hunters roar in approval, I hadn’t even noticed that they had gathered around to listen. Jordan was hanging back, behind Kendra, she was holding her bow losely in her hand and looked like she was having an internal argument with herself.

“Hey,” I whisper softly, walking up to her.

She looks up and gives me a slight nod.

“Well?” I ask. “Are we going to do this?”

“Do what?” Jordan asks, frowning and looking at me.

“Go against the Hunters to fight by the side of Artemis,” I respond.

Jordan looks shocked for a second, before her face goes blank again, “You’d do that? Oh, of course you would. Considering Lady Artemis is-” she catches herself.

“It has nothing to do with that,” I say. “I’ll do it because you’re my best friend.”

“Well,” Jordan says. “I appreciate that, I really do. But I was just thinking that you’re right. We can’t abandon our friends at the mercy of the gods.”

“Are you sure?” I ask, slightly concerned.

Jordan simply shrugs, “I said that we should do it. Didn’t I?”

“Well yeah, but I mean,” I start.

“Come on, we can head off to save the demigods or we can stand here and argue. The choice is yours,” Jordan says.

“Doesn’t seem like much of a choice,” I say with a grin .”Let’s go kick Apollo’s butt.”

“You really need to let that go,” Jordan says with a laugh.

“Do I really though?” I ask.

“It would be in all of our best interests,” Jordan says.

”Sooo, no then?” I say with a huge grin.

Jordan sighs and rolls her eyes, but she was grinning back, and that’s all that mattered to me.

۝

Lenzie

“Don’t you think it’s probably in our best interest to let Alex figure out what’s wrong with Alex? And let Quinn handle finding Mutt and Moon? We have enough of our own problems,” Sarah says.

Sarah was a daughter of Hades, with pink hair and blue eyes. Very… Un-Hades like.

“They’re members of this town and therefore they are our problem,” I reply.

“You know what I mean,” Sarah says. “How are we supposed to protect Godville if we’re thinning out our resources looking for people that are fully capable of taking care of themselves?”

I would never admit it, but she did have a point. I wasn’t really sure why I was against pulling back our people to protect town. It was just that it was the only way I felt like I could help Quinn, Mutt, Alex, and Moon. And this town.

I was feeling utterly useless, and I hated it.

“If you ask me it’s a really, really stupid plan,” Sarah continues.

I turn and glare at her.

‘Ma’am,” she adds. “A very stupid plan, ma’am. Actually, I think that it’s a marvelous plan. Absolutely the best plan ever.”

“Call back the people trying to find a way out of Tartarus,” I say stonily.