Part 13
Question: Weirdest thing that's ever happened to you?
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The last thing I remember was swords clanking together and the shouts and cries and screams of wounded and dying soldiers lying on the ground.
Then my eyes closed and I passed out from the horror. I didn't even need to see it, and it didn't have to be close to me. I just needed to hear it to go into a panicked fright.
Even unconscious, I struggled to maintain a regal figure. I somehow knew if I were lying down, sitting, or, rarely, standing. So I sat upright with a straight spine and crossed ankles.
I seemed to float out of my body as I lost consciousness. I could see my motionless self in the carriage seat as my spirit moved away from it. I wasn't dead. I knew that. I'd known about various people, demigods mostly, who've had out-of-body experiences. I, supposedly, as the daughter of Styx, counted as a demigod. Or so she told me on countless occasions.
She'd filled my head with hatred for the Olympians and pride in myself and her. I was the second most powerful being in the cosmos. I'll bet you can guess who's first.
On the other hand, I'd seen Olympus firsthand, in person. They certainly did not seem evil, puny, or weak, as Styx had said.
But I was loyal to Styx. I had told myself that all she said about power and the lack of it would come true once she ruled the world.
But as I was able to survey the gruesome sights below me, the bloody battlefield filled with the still bodies of soldiers right next to alive ones fighting to stay that way.
Yells mingled with clashes mingled with the barks of dogs and the whinnies of horses.
My vision went pitch black again. This time I was in the halls of Saffron's grand palace. Saffron herself wasn't there, seeing as her seat at the head of the long wooden table was vacant, but Jamila, Rachel, Keira, and Daniela were, along with the rest of the staff. They all looked worried.
I couldn't hear their entire conversation, but there were several mentions of Saffron and along with the various other gods, Styx, and myself.
Then I was transported to Apollo's home in the blink of an eye. The girl oracle Hart was there, pacing restlessly in front of her big artist's easel. Apollo sat on the couch, watching, and I was able to see what Hart had drawn.
It was the exact scene I had witnessed a few minutes ago, detail for incredible detail. Dying and bloody soldiers lay on the blood-soaked ground, and standing ones fought one another, monster versus human versus immortal. All drawn with a simple black pen.
Hart's teeth were clenched tightly as her hands nervously ran through her long brown locks.
"What. The. Heck. What. The. Heck." she muttered over and over.
Apollo didn't move or speak, just gazed at the image with a faraway expression.
Finally, he pulled her down, forcing her to sit.
"C'mon, Hart, you cant be doing this in your condition. It's not good."
She gave him a withering death glare. "I'm worried, Po, of course I am. There are countless people, not even just people, monsters too, that are dying just below us. What do you expect me to do?"
"I know, but still," Apollo pleaded.
Hart's hands gently caressed her stomach.
"We're not even three months yet. They're not due until April next year."
"Well, let's not make a habit of stressing their mother too often," Apollo said, kissing her forehead.
And I was promptly teleported back to my body. My head jerked upright as I blinked.
The sounds of battle had died down. There was a little knocking noise on the carriage door.
Echidna pokes her head inside.
"We have won our first battle, Lady Styx."
My mother smiled triumphantly. "Good. Let us camp here or near here for the night, let our troops rest and recuperate. When I rule, the ground here will be salted and the blood permanently stain the barren field, to remind my subjects of my first success."
Echidna smiled and hissed her quiet laugh before leaving.
"Where will we be sleeping, mother?" I asked.
"They will pitch a tent for each of us," Styx said.
Soon after, I was sleeping on the ground, which was covered by a soft canvas.
Is this how traveling princesses sleep? I thought. It certainly wasn't very dignified, but I was so tired that I didn't really care.
I fell asleep in a heartbeat.
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