Chapter Forty-Six

NOTE: BEFORE READING THE REST OF THIS BOOK TAKE TIME TO READ, TRIALS OF TARTARUS, BY MY CO-AUTHOR, ELI_WOLF-QUEEN! OTHERWISE THE REST OF THIS BOOK MAY BE CONFUSING!!

Mutt

As the word slowly solidified and Godville took form all I could do was close my eyes and breath deeply. Home. Fresh air. Everything and anything that I could want.

“Holy Hades!” someone shouts. “IT’S MUTT!”

“Mutt!”

This time I open my eyes, and I grin. Because the voice belonged to Moon. She was running towards me, Alex and Quinn following behind. It looked like they had just came back from somewhere. But that was a story for a different time.

My clothes were shredded, my hair matted with blood and dried blood was probably all over me. But all I could think about in that moment was Moon. She leaps at me, and wraps her arms around my neck. And for the first time in so long, when I smiled, it wasn’t forced. Finally. I was home.

I take a step away from Moon.

“Mutt!” Quinn says, eyes wide.

“Hey sis, miss me?” I ask.

In response she hugs me. After a second I pull away and move to hug Alex, except she shakes her head.

“You’ll hear this soon enough, Mutt,” she says. “But I’m dead. Really dead. You’re the only one that can hear me. See me. I just wanted to make sure you’re okay. And I know. About Caltaya. About everything.”

I don’t move, wondering if she was telling the truth.

“I’m proud of you Mutt,” Alex says. “You didn’t change nearly as much as you think you did. And you didn’t kill her.”

My blood runs cold.

“She’s going to come, for Moon. Be ready. Love will save you both.”

And then she disappears, and all I could do was wrap my arms around Moon and hug her tightly. Never wanting to let go.

۝

Sighing in relief I fall onto my bed, closing my eyes. Having showered, changed clothes and eaten I was perfectly fine now. Well, as fine as I could be. Which if we were being honest, wasn’t fine at all.

Everytime I close my eyes I saw something that reminded me of the terrible things I had did. The light as it left Timothy’s eyes. Tartarus’s surprised look as I took his life. And Caltaya. How stupid I was for trusting her.

The door to my room slams open, and immediately I turn around and throw a dagger.

“Holy! Chill dude, it’s me!” Lenzie says, raising her hands and pressing herself against the wall.

“Oh. Hey,” I say, sitting down. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” I bury my face in my hands, yanking at the ends of my hair gently.  “I’m soo sorry.”

“Mutt,” Lenzie whispers, dropping whatever bags she was holding. She walks over to me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders. “It’s okay. You’re a crappy shot. You didn’t even come close to hitting me.”

I knew that she was trying to make me feel better, and any other time I would’ve laughed. But this wasn’t that time. This time all I could do was shake my head.

“I didn’t mean to!” I cry out. Timothy’s face etched into my mind. “Please! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to! Please! I had to do it! I had too! You have to believe me! Forgive me! I couldn’t help it!”

“Mutt!” Lenzie says.

Except when I turned to look at her I saw him.

“Why?” he asks. “I DID NOTHING!! I WANTED TO HELP YOU! Remember? I asked. I told you that if we worked together we could get out. Instead you listened to him. Oh. My bad, I mean her.”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I. Please. Please understand! Tell me that you understand.”

“I understand. That you killed me,” he says. “I didn’t deserve to die! I knew your sister! She’s a better person than you ever could be.”

“I know that!” I shout. “I KNOW THAT!”

I leap at him, throwing him into the wall.

“DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT I DON’T KNOW THAT? BECAUSE I DO! YOU DO NOT NEED TO REMIND ME! I KNOW!” I scream.

“Mutt!” His eyes were wide, except they weren’t his eyes anymore.

Suddenly the door slams open and I was being yanked off a terrified Lenzie.

“What the hell, Mutt?” Quinn demands, holding my arms behind my back.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, sinking to the floor. “I’m so sorry.”

She lets go of my arms and walks over to Lenzie.

“Are you okay?” Quinn asks her, lowering her voice.

But I could still hear them. The Trials would do that to you. Enhance your senses.

“Yeah,” Lenzie whispers, nodding. “Yeah. I’m fine. Quinn…”

“What is it?” Quinn asks.

“I think. I think he was hallucinating. I was talking and he was replying, but it was like he was hearing a whole different conversation,” Lenzie whispers. “He keeps saying he was sorry. That he had to do it.”

“Do what?” Quinn asks.

“I don’t know,” Lenzie says. “But it’s bad Qunnie. Real bad.”

“Go get Bat, he needs medical attention,” Quinn whispers. “I’ll stay with him.”

Lenzie stares at me for a second, I could feel her eyes on me, but I didn’t lift my head from where it was resting between my legs.

“He doesn’t need a doctor,” Lenzie says finally. “He needs a time machine.”

Then there were footsteps as she walked away. Quinn walks over, dropping to the floor next to me.

“You wanna tell me what that was all about?” She asks.

I don’t answer, biting the inside of my cheek to keep me from spilling my guts out to her.

“You wanna tell me who you thought you were talking to?”

I bite until I draw blood.

“Mutt? We just wanna help,” Quinn says. “But you gotta let us.”

I blink back tears, refusing to give in.

“Gods, I wish I knew what happened to you down there,” Quinn whispers. “If you don’t want to tell me, that’s up to you. But you should tell someone. Before it kills you inside.”

“It already has,” I whisper, standing up and walking out the door, just as Bat comes up the stairs.

۝

Lenzie

“He’s not right in the head!” I say. “He doesn’t need a doctor! He needs a friend!”

“Lenz,” Bat says. “He needs a doctor. Whatever happened to him, it messed up his head. He’s hallucinating. He’s acting out violently. Trust me, he needs a doctor!NOW GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE AND DO NOT COME BACK! YOU ARE BANNED LENZIE SMITH!!”

I glare at him a second, before literally storming out. When I get outside I slam my fist into the nearest tree. Running my hands through my hair I lean back against the tree.

“Damn, you’re messed up,” a voice says.

My head jerks up, a girl was staring at me.

“Who the hell are you?” I demand.

“The better question is where are you?” she asks.

“I’m in Godville,” I say.

“Wrong,” she says with a giggle. “You were banned.”

“What?” I ask.

“Bat banned you from Godville!!” she laughs. “You realize it now don’t you?”

“Oh gods,” I whisper. “He did.”

“How much you wanna bet he did it on purpose?” she asks.

“No,” I whisper. “He wouldn’t have!”

“But he could have worded that any other way. But he used those specific words. Only could mean one thing,” she says.

“Oh gods,” I repeat, dropping to the ground.

This couldn’t be happening. Not to me. Not to anyone. It had to be a mistake. But it wasn’t. The facts never lie. The girl sits down beside me, wrapping her arms around me.

“I’m sorry,” she says. “I know that was your home.”

I nod, my vision blurring with tears, “Who are you?”

“Oh you know me,” she says.

“I really don’t,” I say, looking her in her eyes. Green eyes.

“My name is Clato,” she says, dropping my gaze. “And I really just want to help.”

“How?” I ask.

“Godville moved against the gods, you did too. I’m just trying to do it a bit more permanently. I don’t want any demigods to die. I really don’t. I don’t want the gods to die. I just want them mortal. Not all the gods, just the bad ones,” Clato explains.

“Like Zeus and the Olympians,” I say.

“Not all gods are bad, and no demigod deserves to die,” Clato says.

I looked her in the eye, and the absolute problem was that I believed her. She wasn’t lying, I knew lies. I had lived them. I had created them. I had discovered them. They were so much easier to find than the truth. But nothing in here eyes told me she was lying. There was just dead honesty.

“So tell me,” I say, looking her in the eye again. “What does one have to do to fight on your side?”

“We’re all on the same side,” Clato says. “At least we are for now.”

“Sign me up,” I say, reaching out to shake with her.

She smiles, “Welcome aboard.”

“Happy to be here,” I say returning my smile.

۝

Quinn

“WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO!” I shout at Bat. “WHAT DID YOU DO?”

“I didn’t mean to!” He says. “Maybe I did! I don’t know!”

“YOU DON’T KNOW?!” I demand. “YOU BETTER FIGURE IT OUT SOON! I SWEAR!”

“What’s the point?” Derek asks. “I read the rule book. There’s no way that Lenzie can get back into Godville. Never again. Not once you’ve been banned. So what’s the point?”

“The point?” I ask. “THE POINT? Lenzie is our friend! And we have to find her! So you figure out why you would ban her from her home!”

I walk out, clenching my fists at my side.

“Look, I know you’re worried about Mutt,” Moon says, hurrying to walk beside me. “So am I. And all they do is keep him sedated and it sucks. But you can’t take that out on Bat. He’s just doing what he thinks is right.”

“I am not mad at Bat because of what he’s doing to Mutt!” I snarl. “I am mad because of what he did to Lenz! My Lenz! My friend! His friend. He banned her and he knew it when he was doing it! And if he had recalled that ban within one minute she would still be here! And he didn’t!”

“You can’t blame that on him though,” Moon says.

“Oh I can’t?” I ask. “Watch me.”

“Clato has her!” Moon says.

“What?” I ask turning around.

“Please, don’t ask me how I know. Just trust the fact that I do know. Clato has Lenzie,” she says, closing her eyes. “Then I’ll kill Clato. I swear to the gods, I will kill her,” I say.

“She’s just like us!” Moon says. “She’s a demigod! A human! She’s sad, confused and angry. But they are all just like us.”

“Whose side are you on?” I demand, staring at her.

“What?” Moon asks now.

“If you like Clato’s side of the board so much you go join them,” I say. “You know where the exit is. Leave us. Leave Godville. Leave Mutt. But whatever it is that you do. Do it soon. Because I am sick and tired of everyone that can’t make up their mind. So figure it out Moon.”

“Look, you’re hurting. Maybe you should sleep,” Moon starts.

“Maybe you shouldn’t!” I snap. “Do you realize that what’s going on with Mutt is YOUR fault. Yours. It was supposed to be you! He took your place. He did your trials. He stayed and you left! This on you Moon. If he dies it’s on you. Even he doesn’t, he’s as good as dead. That’s is on you. Don’t you ever forget that.”

I knew my words were harsh, and probably untrue. But she was right about one thing, I was hurting. And I didn’t handle this kind of pain well.

۝

Author's Note

NOTE: BEFORE READING THE REST OF THIS BOOK TAKE TIME TO READ, TRIALS OF TARTARUS, BY MY CO-AUTHOR, ELI_WOLF-QUEEN! OTHERWISE THE REST OF THIS BOOK MAY BE CONFUSING!!