13 Chapter 12 - The Darkening

I wake up still on the cold metal table. My body feels light as if I was floating but the pain still surrounds me. The chains have left indentations on my damaged and charred skin. The black that had started from my finger tips has made its way up to my thighs and is now entirely covering my arms.

I feel refreshed a bit. Are they back? I ask myself. I need to wait a bit longer. . . Rosetta knows something is wrong. Hades and Cronus should be figuring out how to get me out of here. . . I hope. For now, I need to keep Gaia at bay. I gently tug against the bars straining my chest and legs as it tries pulling me back down.

"Come on. . ." I mumble to myself in a grunt. I jolt up breaking the chains in half and watch as they fall to the floor. Okay. . . I walk around the dark abyss looking for any clues as to how I can help them. Come on. . . show me something. . . I look up staring at nothing. I little glint of light begins to show revealing a screen.

"Jupiter! Do not save this godforsaken place!" A lady screams. . . Thats Gaia?

"Gaia, this planet is our home. I cant let it go." He says looking back at her. She grabs his hands tightly pleading him.

"It will kill you Jupiter!" She cries out as tears stroll down her cheeks.

"A god cannot die my love. I will just be a part of the earth." Jupiter gently pulls back his arm and kneels down on the floor.

"I love you Gaia." He says smiling back at her. She reaches out for him but it is too late. His body slowly lifts into the air as small particles. His eyes are closed as he smiles. Gaia falls to her knees before where Jupiter had knelt. She screams out for him but gets no reply except for the shifting off the wind. Her body collapses to the ground as she curls into a ball sobbing. Starting from her toes ans finger tips, her skin slowly turns black until it engulfs her entirely.

Jupiter died. . . in order to save the earth. . . But left Gaia behind? This doesnt make sense. Why would she. . .? By the gods. . .

"GAIA!" I scream out. She cannot kill all living things. This isnt what Jupiter wanted!

"GAIA, I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME!!!" Suddenly, she walks out from the shadow glaring at me.

"How did you break free from your chains?" She says annoyed.

"Just listen, you cannot kill everything on the planet, you will be hurting Jupiter as well." She scoffs at my words.

"You know of nothing little one."

"I know he became a part of the earth to save it." A hurt look displays across her face shocked.

"You little. . ." Tears stream down her face and she quickly wipes them away.

"He saved it and its being poisoned and killed once again but just killing off everything will hurt him. Everything is connected! Human beings come from the earth and give back to the earth when they die. . ." She suddenly cuts me off.

"They will all die, along with you petty gods." With that she dissapears.

"GAIA! if you kill everything not even Jupiter will be able to save the planet!" There is an eerie silence as she begins to search for her body in a wide field once again. Please hurry Cronus, Hades, and Rosetta. . .

I pace back and forth looking for anything more. Come on. . . show me something else! I scream in my head.

"HADES, HELP ME!!!" I fall onto my knees in defeat. Someone. . .

The silence goes on for hours as the clock slowly ticks down. Another petal falls causing my body to go entirely numb. Its getting worse. I look over at the rose which only has 8 petals left. I need to try contacting Hades but I need a direct message. . . I huddle in a ball on the floor thinking rapidly.

"Come on Hades. . ." I whisper to myself. My eye lids over time gain weight making it hard to keep them open. My body feels numb against the cold black floor. I shiver, my teeth chattering loudly and uncontrollably. I have to hold on. . . I tell myself over and over trying to focus. But I'm so tired. . . Maybe just a small nap. . .

My eye lids slowly close for good as my body falls limp. The shivering and chattering of my body stops leaving me still to the cold dark air that loomes all around me.

I feel warm arms wrap under my body lifting me from the cold ground. I blink my eyes open seeing only a blurry figure with dark hair and thin eyes.

"Wh-who are you?" I breath out weakly trying to push away.

"Shh, I'm getting you out of here." A familiar voice whispers gently. The warmth radiates from their body pulling me in as I feel cold air press against my skin aggressively before darkness consumes my conciousness once again.

I wake in a soft bed covered in sheets and blankets. I begin to sit up rubbing my face and a pounding radiates through my body.

"Ugh!" I fall back onto the bed looking around. . . Where am I? Its familiar. . . . . The door creaks open and I quickly shoot my eyes towards it taking in who appears in front of me.

"YOUR AWAKE!" She screams racing towards me and squeezing me tightly. I let out a grunt in pain while tears swell up in my eyes. I squeeze her back tightly ignoring any pain I may feel. I feel my shoulder become moist as she suddenly pulls back looking me in the eyes.

"It took so long to find you!" She says gently. The sound of her voice makes a sharp arrow poke through my heart.

"Rosetta, where is everyone?" She shakes her head.

"Dont worry about that right now, you need to rest and regain your strength." Have they not found out yet?

"I gently push her off of me and slowly sit back up rubbing my head as it begins to sting.

"No, you dont understand. We have to stop Gaia!" I say while hanging ny feet out of the bed. I look down at them realizing they are completely black. I lift my arms looking at them seeing the blackness reaching all the way up my shirt.

"What the hell?!" I race to the closest mirror stumbling some times. I lift my shirt seeing the black go up all the way to the bottom of my ribcage.

"We dont have much time!" I say while trying to leave the room. Rosetta grabs my arm tightly holding me from leaving.

"You have to stay here Persephone!" She says sternly.

"I'm dying Rosetta!!! I have to stop Gaia before that happens!" Her eyes widen and she shakes her head.

"You cant die your a-" she starts but I cut her off already know what she was gonna say.

"Apprently gods can die! Now let go!" I yank my arm from her grasp leaving the room. Oh. . . Its Hades house. I grab onto the railing of the stairs tightly walking down them slowly. My legs buckle almost making me fall numerous times while descending from the stairs but Rosetta catches me.

"They are in the dinning room." Rosetta says while pulling one of my arms over her shoulders helping me balance. She pushes open the doors making everyones eyes shoot towards me.

Hades and Demeter jump from their seats.

"You need to get back in bed!" Hades says sternly looking at me suddenly with a hurt face.

"No, we need to stop Gaia." I walk over to the table limping and lean against it.

"Where is she and how did you get me out?" I stare Hades in the eyes. Demeter and Hades take their seats.

"Me and Cronus traded her." He says looking down at the scrolls laid out across the table.

"What did you give her?"

"Her body." Cronus says after a bit.

"YOU WHAT?!" I scream sending a spurt of pain through my entire body. I stumble and catch myself on the table in order to pull myself back up.

"Yoy need to get back in bed." Zues states sternly standing up and pointing to the exit of the dinning room.

"No! We need to stop her before life as we know it is over!" He stomps his way over to me but Posiden grabs his arm pushing him back.

"Just leave her." He says while looking back at the scrolls examining them.

"She is right, we need to solve this as quickly as possible. Look at her body, clearly Gaia is not joking around." Artemis says while standing up. She has light brown hair and freckles splaid across her cheeks. I recognize all the gods from the books and illustrations from the mortal libraries. Artemis, goddess of the hunt, Apollo, god of the sun, Ares, god of war. Aphrodite, goddess of beauty, Hermes god of trade, and Hera, goddess of marriage.

"How do we stop her?" Aphrodite asks out the obvious.

"We need to reunite her with Jupiter and save this planet." I say while pointing at a map in the middle of the table.

"We either need to get him out or her in." I say while pushing through all the scrolls.

"No offense but you cant do anything in that condition." Ares states. I glare over at him, my blood boiling.

"I'm fine." I say knowing its a lie. . . A large pounding is sent through my body once again as the image of another petal falling goes through my mind. I grunt standing up straight trying to hide my pain.

"Come on we dont have much time before she starts killing because some people gave her the one thing stopping her from destroying everything." I glare over at Cronus who stares down ashamed then to Hades who scolds me.

"We didn't give her it, we traded her it. Would you have liked it if we just left you there??" I scoff.

"You gave her your own end!!! Do you understand that?!"

"I GAVE HER WHATEVER SO I COULD HAVE YOU!" He yells enraged.

"DOESNT MATTER IF WE DIE IN THE END!" I yell before leaving from the table and walking tiwards the exit.

"What are we waiting for? Come on!" All there chairs make a screeching sound against the floor as they stand up except for Hades.

"We need you to open the gate of hell." I say to Hades. He nods his head standing up and leading the group. We follow behind. Rosetta walks right aside me holding onto my arm tightly to support me.

We walk to the water and I gently press my hand into it spreading big lily pads across it.

"Taking the boat will take too long." I begin to gently job across the lilypads followed by everyone else. I stop at the gate leaving Hades to open it. We begin to make our way to the destination flying through the sky.

We land in the field across from Gaia whose footprints have entirely killed off anything below which slowly spreads to the rest of the field. She looks back at us as we land.

"What are you doing here?" She asks but I completely disregard her question.

"Please dont do it Gaia." I gently state while taking a step closer. She shakes her head laughing softly to herself.

"You don't understand." She looks down at the grass, where Jupiter had kneeled.

"He gave his life to you people. . . and this is how you repay him."

"I can save him!" I say stepping forward and pushing past them.

"I can save Jupiter, just please. . . don't kill anyone." She shakes her head as tears roll down her cheeks.

"Its already started." She presses her hands to the ground making the black spots around us pick up pace devouring any life they touch. I flinch as a bit touches me making me feel even weaker.

"Dont let it touch you!" Hades yells to the group while grabbing and pulling me back. I pull my arm back glaring at Hades who looks hurt.

"I'm sorry but we cant just stand here." I walk upon the dead ground stinging the bottom of my feet.

"Gaia." I reach out for her but she smacks my hand away.

"YOU CANT HELP ME!" I shake my head.

"I promise I can. . . just don't hurt anyone. . . please." She looks at me shaking her head, her eyes puffy and her face flush red.

"He is stuck in this godforsaken planet and you guys are hurting him. . ." I grab her shoulder tightly ignoring the pain shooting through my legs and arm.

"Your killing him right now." She looks up at me then around at all the blackness spreading. The clouds turn a dark gray as the sun slowly becomes covered.

"Okay. . . please. . . save him." She says stepping back.