Chapter 26

I heard Bianca's words... 

My bones were ash as my muscles died out. My brain decayed under the mental pressure of lifting the sky. My nose and eyes bled, trying to escape the pressure. It felt like I was already dead. I was breaking the law of physics by doing this.

I raised my arms slowly. I felt my bones bend at unnatural angels. I felt my nervous system burn.

'Ra, Tawaret, mother, father, give me strength....' I prayed and I willed all the strength I could muster. And lifted the sky.

I lifted it higher and higher. I felt liquid, my blood, flow all over my body. My heart was pounding so hard that it vibrated my whole body. My muscles felt like they were being liquefied.

My blood boiled in my skin as my eyes bled as my ear drum popped. I can't give up here. I can't. Push... PUSH... 

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" I screamed with all my might as my vocal codes explode. And I lifted the titan's curse.

I felt my body go numb as I fell. I held tightly on to Bianca and Zoe. I needed to save them. But I exhausted all my power.

I felt the wind rush past me as I fell. I felt hopeless, like how I felt when Bill died. There was noting I could do to save either of them. I was useless. 

Finally we hit the ground and I could feel what was left of my brain bounce inside my skull. I fought for every breath, for every beat of my heart, and I fought on the last thread of life I could grasp.

I opened my mouth as blood flowed from it. "Ra... Please save them." I begged.

"Please"

POV Zoe

I knew I would die. I knew and I accepted it. I accepted that I could not confess my love to Atem. I knew it. 

From the moment Hercules left me and the moment when Artemis accepted me. From the moment that I heard the prophecy , I knew it would mark my death. My father would kill me.

There were noting I could do, for when Atlas destroyed my insides. The venom from Ladon decayed away my blood. I knew I couldn't do anything. What could I do?

I was just a hunter, I wasn't a god. A hunter that would die at the end of the day. Why did I accept the quest even thought I knew I would die? Because Artemis saved me, and I would return the favor.

The coldness of death felt very noticeable. My time had come. I just wished that could see Atem for one last time. My mouth spread into a smile. I felt like when I first met Heracles when I saw him. 

I should have been afraid that he would betray me like how Heracles did, but there was just something in my gut telling me that he wouldn't. The more I found out about him, the more it just eats at me.

I remember one of my hunters, Layla. She was a hunter for 50 years but she just quit once she met a boy. I hated her for that. She took an oath but now I'm seeing that, I might have been wrong.

He had every right to hate the world, to burn it. But he didn't. Maybe we could have a life togeather. 

'That you will.' Bianca's voice sounded out through the darkness.

'B-Bianca?!' I questioned while I flicked my head around to try to see her but to no avail . 

'Yes, I am sorry.' Bianca's voice sounded hurt and sadden. 

'For what and how are you speaking in my mind? And how am I still alive?' 

'Because I gave my life to save yours.' Even though I couldn't see her, I still felt her smile.

'W-why would you do that?'

'You want rest,' Bianca stated, 'and you'll rest with Atem until you two die togeather. I won't need to worry that he will keep you safe. That's one of his fatal flaws. Wrath and the urge to protect. Quite the combination if you ask me.' Bianca chuckled. 

'How do you know this.' I ask after processing the information.

'I do not know myself but my father, Hades, might have granted me this. And so I grant you a gift before I pass.'

'Why? I bought you on this quest, I bought you to your death. Why would you want to save me.' I asked, tears bubbled in my eyes.

'Because you showed me life. Take care of my brother for me? Please?' 

'Yes. I will, I swear.'

'oh by the way, Zoe.'

'Yes?' 

'This wasn't yours or Atem's fault.' 

I suddenly felt like I was falling through the air. I felt weightless then I felt like I hit something. Then I felt normal? Like I wasn't dead.

I opened my eyes to see Bianca's unmoving body and Atem in the middle of us, his arms cradled around us. He was covered in blood, so much blood. I checked his pulse and he was alive. Bianca though... I crawled over and chanted the spell Artemis taught to me oh so long ago. It was a spell to honor dead hunters, a gift I could give to her.

I chanted the spell and Bianca's body turned into silver ash in my hand. I blew it and it flew up, sparkling, and vanished into the night sky.

Looking up in the sky, I saw that the stars were brighter now. They made a pattern I had never noticed before—a gleaming constellation that looked a lot like a girl's figure—a girl with a bow, running across the sky.

"Rest well Bianca. For you have done well. Now rest." I turn my attention to Atem and picked him up and began to walk to the city in hopes of finding an abandoned building to rest while Atem rests.

I had to walk through out the town and after a while I found a house that seemed to be abandoned. It was tall, maybe two stories. The bottom part had a garage and there was a door that lead to the inside. I quickly dragged Atem into the house. 

The bottom floor didn't look like a home and there wasn't anything that I could put Atem on so I walked to the other set of doors that I guessed was for the second floor.

I opened the stair doors and began to walk up the stairs with Atem on my back. And by the gods he looks like bronze and he must be made of bronze to be this heavy!

After 2 grueling minutes of walking I finally made it to the second floor. I was right in my assumption that this was the home part of the building.

The second floor was clean and looked like it was untouched. I looked around and saw that one of the doors was open to reveal a bed. I walked to the bed and placed Atem down on it.

I covered him with a blanket until I could properly clean him of the blood. I walked back into the main room and looked around. There was a kitchen and 3 other doors. The first door that I opened was an other bed room. The other 2 was bathrooms.

I opened up some of the wooden cabinets in the kitchen and found some medicine and other first aid. I checked Atem room and found clothes that looked to be his exact size? 

POV Atem

I opened my eyes. My body felt like how it was when Typhon crushed me in my dream. Hurts all over and pain that can rival the worst venoms.

Where even am I? I looked around the strange room that I was in. It looked like a normal bed room. It had a drawer, a bed, and a closet.

I got up and walked to the door. When I opened it, I was welcomed by the nice aroma of food. I turned my head left and right, on my left was a door that was closed and farther down was 2 more door. One of them was open which lead into a bathroom.

I limped down to the bathroom and splashed some water on my face to remove any drowsiness that I had. And since when did I have white hair that reaches my ears? I guess it is time for a hair cut.

I grew my claws and- HOLLY when the hell did they become 8 inches long?! They were long and colored like celestial bronze but I was shell shocked. They were never this long before.

"A-Atem!" A voice that I recognized to be Zoe Nightshade, lieutenant of the hunters. I barely had time to turn around before I was assaulted by a viciousness hug.

"Z-Zoe?" I questioned because this was just unexpected coming from Zoe. I mean it was welcomed greatly, but why?

She hugged me for another couple of seconds. Before releasing me. I now noticed that I was like a head taller than her. Zoe looked more tired.

She muttered a follow me and led me into the living room. It had some couches and at the table had some bowls of what I can assume to be mac and cheese with chicken.

"I am sorry for that." Zoe said while looking at the floor. I couldn't help but marvel at how much she changed.

"What happened?" I asked because why did she change so much.

She stared at the floor for some more seconds before sighing and looking me in the eyes. "You have been in a coma for 6 months after Bianca died. Monsters have been swarming us and I just be able to fend them off. And a lot more."

I widen my eyes at the fact that I have been in a coma for 6 months after- "Wait did you say Bianca died?" I felt my heart drop when she sadly nodded her head.

I saw Zoe tear up slightly.

"I wasn't strong enough..." I muttered under my breath.

"No mere mortal could do that. Stop beating yourself over what you couldn't do something that gods couldn't." Zoe said.

"Guess so." I said, not convinced that I couldn't save both of them.....

"Have you made contact with Camp or the hunters?" I asked because I doubted Zoe would stay here with me.

"I cannot, no golden drachma to pay nor do I have contact with lady Artemis. In fact, the vow that I made 2 thousand years ago vanished." Zoe dropped a bomb shell on me.

"Wait so that means you're-

"Mortal" Zoe finished my sentence as I widen my eyes.

"We can talk about this later, but now we need more resources. Can you fly?"

"If I get enough energy I can get to long island in a day or 2 with some stops in-between or I can fly stright there in about 8 hours I estimate but it will take a lot ." I chuckled how big Zoe's eyes went.

"Y-you can go that fast?!" I remembered how in 1876, there was a Hermes kid who went 500 miles per hour to get his friend to the hospital. Sadly he passed in the same year due to running out of calories and his body killing him by starvation basically.

It was told at camp that no demigod ever went near that speed again. And if they could, they were forbidden from doing it by Chiron. Until I came along.

"That's more than great. We will go to the store tomorrow and don't try to over do it since you body is still injured." Zoe commanded as I nodded and went back to eating the mac and cheese.

Taisho secret

Zoe's emotions had also been affected with her losing the vow. And the house that they are currently are staying at was given to them by a very specific love goddess. 

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Have a third chapter today since it is the 4th of july! 

Sorry if it is kind of late rn but I was exhausted so I fell into zzzz. But enjoy whenever you read this.

I am trying to make it more emotion in writing so it doesn't sound like a robot talking. 

Drop some reviews and comments and see you next time!

Bye and have an amazing week