Chapter Forty-One

“You don’t know who I am, or what I am,” I growl, bringing my hand closer to his face.

“Matthew Shax,” Tartarus coughs, cringing away from the heat coming off of the fire. “You’re a hero, not a killer.”

“You wanna bet your life on that?” I demand.

He opens his mouth to reply, but then his eyes flicker behind me, for just a second. Then I feel it, the fear. I growl, something animalistic sounding, and I turn around, throwing my hand out. The fire and water mixture flies towards the creature.

It hits the thing dead center in the chest, causing it to roar and back away.

It hits the thing dead center in the chest, causing it to roar and back away. Seconds later it was dust. I turn my gaze back to Tartarus, my eyes hard and cold.

“So what do you say?” I ask. “You gonna make Moon a demigod again, or am I gonna make you a mortal?”

Tartarus sputters, eyes wide, “You won’t kill me, boy. Otherwise no one can save your friend.”

I smirk, “Well you see, that’s where you’re wrong. You see, you’re under the impression that I need you.”

Tartarus stares at me confused.

“I don’t need you,” I say. “Just your power.”

“Wait wait wait!” Tartarus shouts as I bring my hand closer to his heart.

Well, where his heart would’ve been if he had one. I wasn’t sure about that yet. But I did know one way that I could find out, and boy, I couldn’t wait.

“It’ll take you forever to figure out how to use my powers! She could be dead by then! I’ll do it! I’ll do it!” Tartarus exclaims.

He mutters something under his breath, it was ancient Greek, which meant that I understood it. Roughly translated he said, I, Tartarus, god of Tartarus, transfer Manoa Dragon’s powers back to her.

“Wonderful,” I say when he was done. “Now I truly have no use for you!”

And with that I slam my hand down against his heart. His screams erupted, it sounded almost like Tartarus itself was screaming. Slowly I remove my hand. But I must’ve left it on his heart for too long, because instead of it turning him into a mortal, it turned him into dust.

۝

Moon

I had been standing, talking to Helga, Waverly was standing on the other side of the room. Casually leaning against the wall. I had figured out that her relationship with Clato wasn’t that good.

But, it was good at the same time. They weren’t friends, oh no. They were sisters. And Clato hated her for being the one born a goddess. Apparently there had been a 50/50 chance. Clato struck out.

And Clato blamed Waverly. But the problem was, I understood why Clato was evil. But worse than that, I had befriended the enemy during my time here.

I had become great friends to Helga, and she was talking about Brian, a guy that she had a crush on. I had met him once, and honestly, didn’t see why she thought he was great. My thoughts drifted towards Mutt, I knew that he had proposed. And I knew that Clato almost said no.

The words had woken me up in the middle of the night, I love you. Will you marry me?

I was standing in Tartarus, in my own body. Mutt in front of me, a ring that had been carved out of something. I didn’t know what. But it was beautiful. It was a blue, lightning bolt shaped diamond, attached to a yellow band that had moving water inside of it. The blue lightning bolt had tiny bolts of electricity that appeared whenever I was upset or scared. I wasn’t sure how he got that to happen, but it was beautiful and I never questioned it. And I felt Clato in the back of my mind, pushing the answer ‘NO!’ But I had been in control. And I said yes.

The last thing I saw before I was thrown back into my body was Mutt’s smile. That was all that I had needed to see anyway.

Helga was still talking, and just as I started paying attention again, pain rippled through my body. I fell to the ground, screaming. I see Waverly push off of the wall, running over to me. She drops down beside me, her eyes full of concern, even though she was trying to hide it.

I close my eyes, the pain becoming unbearable, and when the pain finally subsided and I opened my eyes I was no longer staring up at Waverly. Instead I was standing in the middle of a forest, I jerk my head to the side, and blonde hair catches my eye. I pick up a strand of hair so I could inspect it.

It was covered in blood, dirt, and something else that I wasn’t sure I wanted to know, but there was no mistaking the fact that it was blonde. I look up, Clato was standing in front of me. In her own body. She looks at me eyes wide with confusion.

“What the hell?” she asks.

Just then she drops to the ground, clutching her head. I frown, walking towards her, trying to figure out what’s wrong. I barely take four step before the pain was back, memories that weren’t mine flash through my head. And I fall down beside Clato.

I see the stairs, Mutt kissing me, all these memories that weren’t my own. But at the same time they were. Memory after memory floods my brain, and when they were finally gone I was breathing hard.

One of my legs bent under me, the other one off to the side, straight out, leaving me in a weird crouching position.

“Damnit all!” Clato groans. “Stupid Tartarus! He must’ve transferred the power back to you! Therefore putting you back in your own body!”

“What?” I ask.

“Nothing,” Clato groans, rolling onto her back.

I fall down beside her, laying down and staring up at the sky.

“We could fight?” Clato offers. “Or we could sleep?”

“Sleep sounds good,” I mumble. “I feel like I’ve been awake for days.”

“Side effect I guess,” Clato says.

“What’s to keep you from killing me in the middle of the night?” I ask. “If you wake up before me that is?”

“Honor,” she grumbles, closing her eyes.

“What makes you think that I won’t kill you?” I ask.

She laughs slightly, “Nothing at all. What’s keeping you from killing me?”

“Honor,” I say, repeating her word.

She chuckles again, “Very well then.”

With that I close my eyes, letting sleep take me.

۝

I wasn’t sure how long I had been asleep. But when I finally woke up, Clato was gone. I couldn’t help but be a little surprised that she had actually kept her word. I was still alive.

Laying about two feet away from me was a message in the dirt:

Honor has nothing on me next time. Also, don’t know how you did it. But your meeting with Hypnos is just a blur. I can’t recall anything. I’ll figure it out though. Be sure of that. - C

I exhale in relief, the potion Nikki had created worked. After all, I had figured that Clato wouldn’t want to be me forever. I had to have a backup plan. I look around, trying to pinpoint where I was.

That’s when I felt it, a tug in my chest, like I was being pulled towards something. I close my eyes, listening to the tug that seemed to be on my heart. When I opened my eyes I was standing in the middle of Godville.

So that’s how all the demigods know where to find this place, I think to myself.

“MOON!” Lenzie says, running towards me.

Her voice seemed to carry through town, and immediately a shout went up. Alerting everyone of my return. She grabs onto my shoulders and shakes slightly when she reaches me.

“Are you Moon?” she whispers. “Or are you Clato?”

“Huckleberry,” I whisper back.

It was the code word that Nikki had came up with, in case they needed to verify my identity. Lenzie nods once and then hugs me.

“Moon? Where’s Mutt?” she asks, pulling back.

“He threw me out of Tartarus. He said that he knew his destiny. He said goodbye,” I whisper. “He promised to find me. Oh gods, I left him down there.”

“No, no, no,” Lenzie whispers. “Hey, look, Mutt’s strong okay? He’s going to be okay. Are you okay?”

“I’m. I’m engaged,” I say instead, staring at the ring on my finger. “He proposed in Tartarus. I left him there.”

“That wasn’t you,” Lenzie answers. “That was Clato. Clato left him. And we're going to find him. You understand? Now come on. You need to get cleaned up, and get some rest. Not to mention food.”

۝

Mutt

I turn around, staring off into the distance. I knew that Tartarus was still going to be here, even if the god was dead. But I also figured that he would come back eventually.

“I, Matthew T. Istashax, son of Poseidon, will compete in the Trials of Tartarus in place of Manoa Dragon,” I say.

Just like I had in the recent dreams. I never told Moon about them. I knew what she would say.

“Veeery weeell,” a voice hisses. “Mattheeew Isssstaashaax. Thee trialsss accccept you.”

I’m so sorry Moon. I’m so so sorry, I love you. I have to keep you safe. Please understand. Please. I’m sorry. I meant what I said, it’s Mutt and Moon, me and you, always, forever and an eternity after that. I have to do this. I’m so so sorry. Please forgive me. I’m sorry. Remember me, and forgive me.

Even though I knew Moon wouldn’t hear my thoughts, they brought me comfort as I met the eyes of the Trial Lord.

“Let’s do this,” I snap.

Despite knowing the outcome, I agree. Because if not, they would take Moon. And I couldn’t see her hurt, much less dead. I’m sorry Moon. Please forgive me.

Darkness surrounds me, and that was the last thing I see.

۝

Lenzie

Moon was still shell-shocked. She didn’t talk much, at dinner she sat in Mutt’s chair and stared at her plate of food.

“Don’t eat so much right away,” I say, dropping a hand on her shoulder. “It’ll make you sick. Eat just a little bit more than you did in Tartarus.”

She nods once, but makes no move to eat her food. I sigh and walk over to Derek.

“She okay?” he asks.

“No,” I whisper. “She was possessed by our enemy and the love of her life is still in that pit. She’s far from okay.”

“She will be though right?” he asks.

I shake my head, “Derek. Time is differently in Tartarus. She could’ve been down there for years. Centuries even. All that time down there, who knows what kind of horrors she witnessed. Even before Clato, and after.”

“What do we do?” he asks.

“Give her space and time,” I say with a shrug.

“No,” Derek says. “Space and time is never a good thing.”

With that he walks over to Moon, and drops down in the chair next to her.

“So guess what?” He asks her.

She doesn’t reply, she gives no actual reaction that says she heard him. He continues talking anywhere.

“I got invited to a Party of the Dead, and I met Mania,” he says.

Moon flinches at the word dead. Immediately I step forward, about to knock him senseless when someone grabs my arm. Bat shakes his head at me and drops my arm. I turn back to Derek and Moon.

My body demanded that I go and tell him off, that I protect Moon from anything he might say to make her remember. But I keep my feet planted where they are.

“And I met someone, a very special someone actually. A girl,” Derek says.

Moon’s hand clenches around her fork.

“Not a girlfriend or anything, hell she doesn’t even know who I really am. But she was fighting with Athena. And it was pretty intense,” Derek says.

Moon’s grip lessons, the fork was bent when she sets it down.

“Actually, the girl was a child of Athena too. So she’s my sister. But you’re not going to believe this next part, she’s not my half sister, oh no. She’s my full sister. My full, blood sister. Her name is Teralee. Teralee Demos.”

Moon slowly raises her head to look up at him, her eyes weren’t as dead as they were before. But they weren’t fully healed yet. I could almost see the cracks in her irises. Cracks that only Mutt could heal.

“I was actually only born to try and bribe her into staying at Godville. But then Athena told her that I died. Most likely that I was a stillborn,” he says.

“That’s just jelly beans,” Moon whispers, her voice hoarse, like she’d been screaming.

My eyes widen at the use of one of Mutt’s curse words, and at the fact she was talking at all.

“Yes, jellybeans indeed,” Derek agrees. “So she joined the Amazons, And you wanna know the worse thing? When she told me her last name I stood there frozen to the ground. And she never came to find me because she thought I’d hate her for leaving. And I did at first.”

“That’s messed up,” Moon mutters.

“Tell me about it!” Derek exclaims. “But I don’t hate her anymore. I did, and I tried to. Now I understand though.”

“Good,” Moon says. “If you wanna hate someone, hate Athena.”

With that she turns around and starts eating. Derek turns to me with a look of triumph. I didn’t care. Because he just gave me a plan.

“Call Quinn!” I say, grabbing Bat’s shoulders. “Tell her that she needs to get here immediately. Tell her to hurry!”

Bat frowns at me, like I’ve gone crazy, but he shrugs anyway and heads off to do what I asked. I clap my hands together and go to the Athena House. Not even ten minutes later Quinn arrives.

“Yees?” she asks, dragging out the question.

“Did you find Mutt?” I ask.

She shakes her head, “No. It’s like he vanished from Tartarus as soon as Moon got out. I’ve looked everywhere, I think.”

“Okay, well he can handle himself. Right now, I know how to help Moon,” I say.

“Do tell.”

“Amazons,” I say with a grin. “They’re full of girls that have had their heart broken by men, so if Moon goes she can heal, at least a little bit.”

“You forget, Mutt didn’t break up with Moon. This isn’t a simple broken heart,” Quinn points out.

“I know, but they can still help her. Deal with the pain, in a way we never can,” I say.

“I’d need Alex, and you guys don’t have anything that would help her control her new powers,” Quinn says.

“Actually, I think I figured it out,” I say, turning to rifle through some papers. “Blood.”

“Blood?” Quinn asks.

“You need to get a mixture of blood and get Alex to drink it,” I say.

“What?” Quinn demands.

“Atropos can control it because she has Clotho and Themis’s blood inside of her. As well as the blood of a close friend,” I say.

“Okay, what if it’s the blood of the next fate of life who just happens to be a daughter of Themis?” Quinn asks.

“Perfect!” I exclaim.

“Great, and what of the close friend?” Quinn asks. “Any ideas?”

“Well,” I say leafing through some papers. “There’s not an actual name for this person. All I really know is that it’s a female that all three of the fates always trust, no matter what. And that she’s a very, very close friend. Some call her the Savior, others the Idealist. She brings a sense of calmness and peace wherever she goes. And she always, always tries to help.”

“Well the history lesson is great and all, but it doesn’t tell me what I need to know,” Quinn says.

“Yes it does,” I say.

Quinn raises an eyebrow, but doesn’t say anything. I sigh impatiently.

“Okay, so look, I may have probably found and spoke to Clotho,” I say. “And Alex is the next fate of death right? Daneliya is the next fate of life. And the next fate of destiny has yet to be born, but when she is she’ll be Mutt and Moon’s daughter-”

“Wait, hold up,” Quinn interrupts me. “Daughter? What the hell?”

“Honestly Quinn? They’re already engaged! It’s only fitting that they have a child together, and to be frank, I can’t believe you haven’t figured that out yet. I mean come on, we’re already building them a house for their family,” I say.

“Since when?” Quinn exclaims.

“Since we started shipping M&M, duh,” I say.

“M&M?” Quinn asks.

“Mutt and Moon!” I snap. “Gosh Quinnie, where have you been?”

“Um, around?” Quinn offers, it was a failed attempt.

“Yeah yeah yeah,” I say.

“So they get married? They have a daughter?” Quinn asks. “WE NEED TO TELL MOON! If she knows that Mutt’s gonna get out alive then she’ll be fine. And-”

“STOP!” I cut her off. “Moon can never know. Not until it happens.”

Quinn’s eyes widen, “Lenz, I’d do anything for you, you know this. But this secret. I- It really can’t. I don’t think I can keep it.”

“You have to,” I hiss. “For the sake of the world you have to keep it a secret!”

“I don’t care about the world,” Quinn snaps. “All I care about is this town and everyone in it, and we both know that it can survive anything the world can’t.”

“Then do it for this town!” I snap back. “If you tell Moon about this, Mutt will die in Tartarus. Because Moon will stop hoping he’s alive, because she’ll think that he will be alive. And right now her hope is the only thing keeping him alive. And if she stops hoping, he will die.”

“How will he know?” Quinn demands.

“True love’s funny like that,” I say.

“Love?” Quinn asks. She inhales and closes her eyes. “Fine, I won’t say anything.”

“Thank you,” I whisper.

“Now back to this best fate friend,” she says, changing the subject.

“It’s really simple. You met M&M’s daughter already,” I say. “Remember you told me about it?”

Quinn looks confused for a second, and then her eyes widen, “Holy Hades. I already knew they had a daughter. I just, I didn’t think it was this soon. I mean, they’re immortal within these walls. They really do have forever.”

“You saved her life,” I press. “And Alex, you two have been friends since you first met. And I don’t know much about Daneliya, but you can’t deny the obvious connection here.”

“What are you saying?” Quinn asks.

“Didn’t you ever wonder why you didn’t die within range of Alex?” I ask.

“Not really no,” Quinn says. “I’m just totally badass.”

I couldn’t help but rolling my eyes at her, “This is your destiny Quinn. Just like Moon’s destiny is approaching, yours is here.”

“What’s Moon’s destiny?” Quinn asks.

“I don’t know, but I can feel it,” I whisper.

When I was younger I was gifted with The Sight from Lachesis, I don’t know why she took a liking to me. But I knew that she gave me a gift, and she told my mother that it would soon be a curse. I feared that day.

Quinn nods once, “I’ll go get Alex.”

“Bring her home,” I say, reaching out to touch Quinn’s arm. “We need her here. Where she belongs. Where we all belong.”

“She’s coming home,” Quinn says with a nod.

I turn and look out the window, where Derek was walking down the pathway, towards Lookers Point. A cliff that overlooked the ocean and the town.

“Bring them all home,” I say.

Quinn follows my gaze and nods, “Always.”

Then she was gone, disappearing into the mist.