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(Arie's POV)

My mouth was dry, my eyes refusing to look away from her. Chills pricked my body, my insides feeling sickeningly empty. It was too surreal. When I opened my mouth, an airy sigh of disbelief escaped. "Athena?"

          The moment her hazel eyes met mine, I knew I wasn't hallucinating. They held that usual self-assurance in them. Confidence and poise were still flourishing in her irises mixed with darkness. It was none other than the biggest bitch I knew, and for once, I was beyond happy to see her.

"Missed me?" I could imagine her smirking behind the fabric that covered half of her face. With my arm wrapped over her shoulder and her arm secured around my waist, she supported my body and assisted my drowsy body with walking. "We need to get out of here, so walk as quickly as you can."

"I thought you died."

"I've been proven to be very difficult to kill. My death would be of epic proportions where I'd take a few hundred souls to hell with me."

Before we could go any further, I halted my steps and wrapped my arms around her tightly despite the pain. This was the woman who escaped death to come to my rescue once again. She could've gone home to her husband and her newborn, but she was here instead. We always had our differences, but I knew she was someone I could trust when it came to certain things. Even though she was doing this for Leo, I couldn't be more grateful.

Athena was as stiff as a plank. "What are you doing?"

"It's called a hug." I squeezed her tighter.

"I believe I've heard of those before." A second passed before she brought her hands up to pat my back. "If you're done, we should get moving."

          I pulled back and stared at her. Her fingers stroked my cheeks before I realized she was wiping away the tears I hadn't realized were there in the moment.

          "Never thought I'd see the day when you'd cry for me." Her eyebrow cocked up smugly. "You truly lost your mind in here, didn't you?"

          I rolled my eyes. She definitely didn't lose her touch with words. "Give me a break."

          As she left me standing alone, I finally noticed I was in the operating room where Lawrence conducted his interrogation and Selene, his doctor, had implanted that chip in me which reminded me I couldn't leave without having it out.

          "I can't leave," I croaked out whilst holding myself up with the help of a table.

          "I didn't risk my life for you to fall in love with your captor, Arie," she snapped without looking at me, searching through cabinets. She then turned to me with a pair of pajama pants and a shirt that seemed to be too big for me. "I'll drag you out of here by your hair if I have to and slap some sense into you while I'm at it. Do not force my hand."

"I don't have Stockholm syndrome," I scowled. "I have a chip implanted in me that could possibly kill me. It has only been used to paralyze me so far, but he will use the kill switch if I try to leave."

          She pulled down the fabric covering her face and yanked away her hood. I had always seen her poised and groomed to perfection like some Greek goddess, but she looked wild at the moment. Her caramel strands were a mess, beads of sweat covering her forehead and the bridge of her nose. Her eyes were erratic and her jaw was clenched with anger.

          "Where?"

          "The back of my neck, I think."

          Tossing the clothes on the bed, she stomped behind me and gently moved her fingers around the nape of my neck, feeling a particular area an inch from my spine. She pressed down with a bit of force until I winced. "It's right under there." Pulling away, she walked to the cabinets once again. "Remove the hospital gown and put on those clothes."

I discarded the gown, not caring that I was stark naked. Athena was busy rummaging through the drawers as I dressed myself, wincing with certain movements. She returned with a suture kit, a towel, a lighter, and a pair of gloves.

"Lay on your stomach. We don't have much time to waste."

          I did as she said and got onto the bed.

          "I have to remove it right now. There's nothing for me to numb the area, so it's going to hurt, but I need you to stay as still as you can. I'll make a small incision, pull the device out with the tweezers, and stitch it up."

"Just do it."

With a deep breath, I clawed my fingers into the pillow and bit down when she began her work. Whimpers and soft cries made their way out of me. My eyes were squeezed shut throughout the process which felt as if it lasted ages. My jaw began to ache due to the clenching, but I knew if I moved, I could do more damage. The morphine she had injected into me had already been dulling the ache everywhere in my body, but her incision took the win for being brutally painful. What she was doing was insane by medical standards, but desperate times required desperate measures. Once we were out of here, I could get checked out at a hospital for any potential problem. Survival was our priority for now. I couldn't leave with the kill chip. It had a tracker so they would always find me.

          Once Athena was done, I sat up carefully and felt the gauze taped over the incision site.

"How are you feeling?"

"Queasy," I answered, my mouth as dry as ever. "And it fucking hurts."

"Don't strain your neck too much. As soon as we are in safer territory, you'll be checked out by a professional."

After concealing her face with the fabric once again and pulling her hood up, she helped me walk out the door into the empty hall. None of Lawrence's goons were around.

          "Who else is here?"

          "It's only me," she answered. "Disappointing, I know."

My body tensed when I saw a man waiting at the end of the hall with the baton that Lawrence's men always had. He was a bulky man who could easily throw me around.

"He's with me," Athena informed me and handed him a small chip that I assumed she had removed from my neck. "Get rid of this. Is the boat ready?"

"Everything is ready," the man informed, sparing me a quick glance. "You need to leave now before the others realize that you're missing. The boat is docked at the west side of the island. Lee is waiting for you there and he'll take you to Bulgaria. This is all the help I can offer you on his behalf. I need my payment soon. You know the consequences if I don't receive it."

Athena narrowed her eyes and tilted her head a bit. "Of course. You will get the million I promised you. Your help is much appreciated, Hector," she spoke too sweetly. I didn't know a whole lot about her, but from the little bit I did know, I was certain she was going to kill this man after his services were no longer required. No one in this world took threats or demands lightly, and I had a feeling Athena had a hard time following orders, especially from some imbecile like him.

          "Take that exit there and follow the pat—"

          "Wait," I immediately cut the man off. How could I forget Robyn! "There's another girl. We can't leave her here."

          Athena squared her shoulders and stared me down. "We can't save every girl here, Arie. Use your bloody head. I came for you and I will take only you with me."

          "Athena, please."

          "No," she spat, towering over me by a couple of inches. "We need to leave now. The guards won't be occupied for long. I have very limited ammo to spare which isn't nearly enough to take even seven of them out, so get moving now before I knock you out and haul your ass out of here."

          "It's only one girl," I gritted through my teeth. "She's only fifteen. She's a little girl. You have no idea what they'll do to her."

"You're still not very well familiar with our world, Arie, as I am. I know exactly what happens." There was a flash of unbelievable fury in her eyes before she closed them and released a frustrated breath. "I don't have the time to look through each floor for her. I need her exact location so I can go in and out."

Fuck... That was the problem. I had no idea if she had already been sent off with her buyer or not. If she was here, she'd be in one of the cells, but there were multiple cells on each floor.

"I can't let you do that," Hector interjected. "I was only supposed to release you from your cell. Letting you take this one is a big mistake already."

"I'll pay you ten times your asking price. Tell me where the girl is."

The man didn't have a problem choosing. Men like him only worked for money. No honor, no loyalty to anyone. All that mattered was money so it was an easy choice for him.

"She's in a room on the top floor which can only be accessed by Kane's hand-print."

          "And where would this Kane be?"

          "He's sleeping in his suite on the top floor as well."

          "Take me to him."

          Hector shook his head immediately. "That's a bad idea."

          "I'm giving you ten million," Athena seethed, stepping closer to the man in an intimidating manner. The agitation oozing from her body was palpable. "The dirt on the bottom on your shoe is more worthy of this money than you are, but you're my lapdog until your purpose is fulfilled. You will do exactly as I say if you want to live to see that amount at your doorstep."

          "Kane will have my head," he retorted. "I cannot take you to him."

          "Do not take my words lightly when I say that I will not only make you suffer, but I will also gut your entire bloodline before your very eyes. Lead the way before I decide to do so. Understood?"

          The man kept his eyes intact on Athena fiercely as if he could murder her with his mere gaze.

          "Trust me. She'll do it. You don't want her as your enemy," I rasped out. "I've seen her do worse."

          I hadn't seen her do anything close to that extent, but the man needed to fucking listen before Athena decided to kill him in a fit of rage.

          "Okay," Hector finally complied.

          Athena helped me walk once again as we followed the man to the fifth floor. Climbing the stairs wreaked havoc in my body, but leaving me on a lower level by myself wasn't an option for Athena. Once we got to the top floor, we strode down the quiet hallway that I was familiar with. I was kept in one of these rooms after Lawrence found out who I was acquainted with.

          "This is Kane's room," Hector whispered. "And behind the metal door at the end there is where the girl is being kept."

Athena opened the door to Lawrence's room as quietly as she could. With nimble footsteps, she approached the bed upon which Lawrence rested. Hector remained outside the door to guard while I leaned against the door frame for support and watched the man who was peacefully asleep. If I hadn't known what business he thrived in or what he had done, I'd think he was just an innocent man who probably worked in an office, but I knew better. Killing him in his sleep would be too easy of a death for a bastard like him. I needed to take my time to torture him, slowly and painfully.

Lawrence suddenly swung out of the bed and took Athena by surprise when he threw her to the ground with a kick to her chest. My breath stopped when he switched on the lights and met my eyes.

"I see my kitten brought me a toy. How delightful!" His voice was hoarse from the sleep, but that didn't hinder his usual smugness. A cunning smirk pulled on his lips before he looked at Athena who rose to her feet slowly. He stared at her for a few seconds, glued to his position. "You have such enchanting eyes. They're even wilder than my kitten's over here."

"That's because I'm a tigress, not a kitten." Athena took a leisure step toward the man. "I have even mesmerizing fangs and claws. I dare you to have a taste."

Lawrence's smirk grew while his blue eyes sparkled as if he'd found a hidden gem after a millennium of tirelessly searching. He looked like an infatuated kid. "I believe I may get addicted if I do, Tigress."

"Well, I certainly am like a drug. Addicting yet deadly."

"You're absolutely perfect then." Lawrence's amusement and infatuation only seemed to grow. I was too tired and in pain to know what the actual fuck was going on between the two. "Do I get to see what my death looks like?"

"Of course."

In a quick stride, Athena reached him and unsheathed a knife from her sleeve, ramming it right below his ribs. The man stifled a cry of pain and head-butted Athena, but it made no difference to her as if she had a head made out of stone. In an attempt to free himself from her, he swung his hand and slapped Athena across her face before seizing the opportunity of her surprise to his advantage and shoving her back.

          I knew he had fucked up with the slap. Athena was going to make him regret it thoroughly and I was definitely going to enjoy it. I was already having a blast watching them brawl.

          "Fuck him up, Athena!" I cheered her on like a child.

          "Shut your bloody mouth, Arie," Athena scowled and then turned back to look at the man who pulled the knife out and made it his own weapon.

          "That name suits you, Athena," Lawrence hissed.

          Shit!

          Lawrence flung the knife at Athena that she barely escaped. They both charged toward each other and fought with their fists. Lawrence got the first punch to her waist, but that wasn't enough to deter Athena. She slammed her fist against the stab wound that she had inflicted then shoved her fingers in which made the man howl in agony.

          "Fucking bitch!"

          "I'm glad you finally recognize me for who I am."

          Lawrence grabbed Athena's throat and squeezed tightly, turning her face red, but she was a woman with fierce determination. She pushed her fingers further into his wound, causing Lawrence to scream and finally grab her rummaging hand. If Athena hadn't stabbed him first, he would've been a fairly strong opponent.

Athena immediately hooked her foot behind his knee and nudged, forcing him to buckle to the ground. With him trapped under her body, she brought her fist down brutally against his face and punched relentlessly. Lawrence groaned and wheezed when Athena stopped. She grabbed his jaw tightly and dug her nails into his flesh until she drew blood.

          "It seems as though you love the taste of my claws by the size of your boner poking me."

          Blood sputtered from Lawrence's mouth when he laughed. "Women like you are my weakness."

          I didn't realize what was going on until Athena barely escaped the machete Lawrence was wielding. I guessed he got it from under the bed. A man like him had to be prepared for an encounter like this one. This was an untrustworthy world after all.

          Athena had dived out of the way and was still on the ground when Lawrence immediately took his stance despite his bloody face and the stab wound. He wasn't going to let Athena have the upper-hand again, and I wasn't going to let him get away with this. Lawrence swung the machete at Athena with the purpose to take her head clean off. He wasn't playing around.

          I turned into the hallway and looked at Hector who was leaning against the wall beside the door to hide from view. I snatched his baton and pressed the button on the end which fired up with electricity. Hector was going to protest until I pointed the baton at him.

          "Stay the fuck back," I warned and he stood still like a fuming bull.

          I turned back into the room. Athena was dodging the attacks when her eyes locked with mine. The moment Lawrence's back turned to me, she gave me a nod and I went in, ignoring the nagging ache in my body. I hit the baton against his ass which sent a wild shock through him. Before he could make me his target, I pressed the stick to his neck under which his body convulsed. He tried to fight back, but Athena was on him right away and clutched his hand, snatching the machete from his grasp quickly.

          She forced Lawrence to kneel before us. His body was still shaking even when I pulled the baton away from him. Athena held his arm out and, in a split second, she slashed the large machete through his elbow, severing his limb. Blood spattered on all our faces and even entered my mouth through my parted lips.

          Lawrence let out a roar of pure agony that chilled my soul itself.

          "This is what I do to people who slap me." Athena held up the severed arm and pointed it at me. "Be glad I didn't do this to you."

          I scowled at her and spat onto the ground to expel Lawrence's dirty blood from my mouth, but the foul taste of what just happened was going to linger for a bit. The cut off arm bothered me, but not as much as I thought it would. I had seen awful injuries that patients had sustained in the hospital, so this bloody show wasn't the worst. Also, I didn't like Lawrence very much to care for him.

"The guards are coming," Hector warned us at once. "You both need to start running now. I'm still one of them." When he looked at the condition Lawrence was in, he grimaced in horror and gulped.

Athena kicked Lawrence straight in the face which left him on the floor shaking uncontrollably and in tears with the remaining on his bleeding limb cuddled up to his chest.

"Unless you want to meet his fate, I'm recruiting you under me. You work for me now and you do as I say. This woman is your utmost priority. Understood?"

Hector nodded silently.

"Take her to the boat immediately," Athena ordered the man. "I'll come with the girl."

"What? No!" I protested as Hector grabbed my arm and began to practically drag me. I was scared if I left her alone among these savages, she'd surely get killed this time, and I couldn't allow that.

"Drag her like that and I'll have your head at my feet," Athena threatened Hector who loosened his grin immediately. She came over to me and handed me a gun. "Use if only necessary. Only six bullets in here and it needs to last us until we have reinforcement."

"What about you?"

"I have these," she referred to the baton and machete. "And I have my hands. They're weapons enough. You're too weak to fight. You'll only slow me down, so you need a head start. I'll hold them off and meet you by the boat. If I don't show up in five minutes, you need to leave me behind. Do not try to be a hero this time and come back for me, Arie. I'm a survivor and I always survive, but I can't let them have you again. Now go!"

"But—"

"Go!" Athena nudged me out the door. "Don't look back."

I swallowed and followed Hector. Pain wasn't even a part of my thoughts anymore. Doubt and regret clouded my mind as Hector took me down the opposite end of the hallway and down numerous flights of stairs. I didn't even want to think about Athena not making it. When I thought she had actually died in the warehouse back in California, she came to save me by herself once again across the world as if she has risen from the dead. She was too strong to die here among pathetic souls. I had to keep my hopes up for her to survive this small battle too. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something happened to her here because I was the one who told her to help Robyn.

          I had realized I was too distracted and slow because of my recovering body. Out of frustration, Hector just carried me bridal style in his arms and I let him. He pushed through a door and took me outside where the cold breeze attacked my body at once. A vast body of ocean lay before us with mainland nowhere in sight. Only other small islands were scattered around. We were in the middle of nowhere.

          I was carried down a cobblestone path. Hector stilled when footsteps approached, but once they faded, he continued walking. From the looks of it, this wasn't a beach island. It was a lot more rockier. Small houses were built around the path, but it was all so quiet. Lawrence had lost many men during the auction yesterday and the remaining were probably fighting off Athena at the moment.

          Hector finally took me down a long flight of stone stairs that seemed to be carved out of the rocky cliff itself. He put me down on the wooden dock and pulled me toward the charter boat that waited for us.

          "Where's the other woman?" the man on the boat asked as he helped me get in and handed me a blanket from a pile to shield me from the cold. One light inside the small cockpit illuminated my immediate surroundings, but the full moon did most of the work for the dock leading to the stairs.

          "If she doesn't come in the next couple of minutes, we have to leave without her, Lee," Hector informed the man who seemed to be more than worried.

          "We can't," Lee argued.

          "I don't want to because that bitch owes me money," Hector snapped, climbing the boat and throwing the device that had been in my body into the sea. "But we will have to leave if she doesn't come."

          We all waited anxiously as the time ticked by. The wait was brutal because it was going to decide everything. I stared at the top of the cliff where the stairs formed. Dread was beginning to settle in my chest when Hector gave the order to start moving.

          "Wait another minute," I said.

          "We can't."

          I pointed the gun Athena had given me at the impatient bastard. "Either you shut up right now or I will make sure you never speak again. I said wait a minute, so wait a fucking minute."

          Before he could object, our attention was pulled back to the cliff. I gasped with relief when I saw Robyn skipping down the stone stairs as if her life depended on it, and I was certain it did. A second later Athena followed, dragging Lawrence with her. She was in a hurry and didn't care when the man tumbled down the countless steps and hit the wooden dock with a thud.

          "Start moving!" Athena shouted whilst hauling a beaten down Lawrence along by his hair.

          When Robyn reached the boat, I helped her climb on while the boat began moving slowly. She was still in the dress she was dolled up in for the auction. Now it was covered in dirt and some blood. Fat tears streamed down Robyn's petrified face before she threw her arms around my waist tightly, making me wince.

          "I'm so sorry."

          She tried pulling away completely, but I didn't let her. This ordeal would've been traumatic for any grown man, let alone an innocent fifteen-year-old. I couldn't make her forget all that had happened, but the least I could do was comfort her, so I let her sob against my chest.

          Athena tossed Lawrence onto the moving boat like a sack of potatoes and then jumped in herself before we sailed away from the dock. Her black clothes glistened with what I assumed was blood. The same crimson liquid dripped from the machete she still had. I could only assume that she had slain everyone in her path.

          Lawrence whimpered on the deck by my feet, holding onto his severed hand as if it was his lifeline. I didn't understand why he was carrying it with him. The boat made a loud sound of protest as it began to gain speed. It was an old piece of machinery, but it was good enough to get us out of here.

          Athena snatched Lawrence up and propped him up on one of the two benches built on the deck while I sat on the one opposite from him with Robyn who was still clinging onto me. Lee had given her a blanket too.

Lawrence's face was smeared with blood. His eyes were a bit hooded, but they were still opened. The man was in shock.

The sudden sound of shots firing made me flinch. I moved to shield myself and Robyn, but Athena stood proud, staring back at the cliff where men were shooting from.

"They only have pistols. The range is shit on those and the accuracy is awful due to the distance between us," Athena huffed, almost sounding bored. She took her gun from my grasp and tucked it into her waistband. "You don't have to hide. The closer they get, the further we'll be. Speed it up, Lee."

"Yes, ma'am!"

The boat picked up more speed and the dread in my chest began to dissipate. We were finally getting away from this hellhole.

Lawrence looked around slowly like a broken man before his eyes settled on Hector. Anger grew on his face at once. "You fucking traitor," he seethed.

"Oh, he sure is," Athena declared.

The moment I realized what she was going to do, I immediately concealed Robyn's face against my chest once again. Without wasting another moment, Athena swung the machete around and aimed it for Hector's neck. The look of surprise mixed with horror on Hector's face engraved itself in my brain before his head was taken clean off his shoulders a split-second later. I shuddered at the sight, but I couldn't tear my eyes away as I watched his head fall into the sea followed by his body.

I tried to keep the bile in my stomach from rising up, but it got the best of me. Separating myself from Robyn, I leaned over the edge of the boat and puked everything out. I knew Athena was a trained assassin. I also knew she was a bitch that was definitely a tough competition, but I didn't know how ruthless she was until today. She didn't even flinch cutting off Lawrence's limb or Hector's head. I wondered what all she had been through to be so immune to all this.

Once I was done, I sat back and breathed heavily, staring right at Athena. She pulled back her hood and the fabric covering her face. She deeply inhaled the salty air and sighed with contempt on her face, a hand resting under her rib. That was one of the places she had been stabbed when I thought she died back in California. I also remembered them sticking knives in her waist and thigh. That was three weeks ago now, but the exertion of fighting must have taken a toll on those injuries.

"You're too brutal for your pretty face," Lawrence scoffed.

Athena pouted like a child. "I did that for you. You should be thanking me for taking out your traitor."

Lawrence almost laughed, baffled at Athena. "You're a madwoman."

Athena smiled and neared him slowly. She bent over until she was at his eye level. "Oh, sweetheart. I'm not a madwoman, I'm a psychopath of the worst kind."

She pecked his lips lightly then knocked him right out with a brutal punch that threw his body to the ground. Standing over his unconscious form, she picked up his severed limb and waved goodbye at the man with it. It was gruesomely comical. I wasn't sure if I should laugh or grimace. She flung the limb into the sea like a dirty piece of meat and sighed with satisfaction.

I couldn't help the smile that graced my lips at the moment. We had won a small battle here. I knew there was a war waiting ahead, but it couldn't hurt to celebrate a small victory. It couldn't have been possible without Athena to whom I owed my life now. She may be a ruthless bitch, but she fought tooth and nail for what she wanted—which was to save me this time. She could've been home with her family, but she was here instead. My appreciation and respect for her rose to new heights. She was slowly becoming someone I admired.

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Yay or nay?

Firstly, I hope you all and your loved ones are safe during this pandemic. These are tough times so if you want to talk to someone, you can always message me on Instagram. I can always get to you quicker there than here. ❤️

So the majority of you guessed Athena and good job! I tried soooooo fucking hard to push everyone away from the theories of Athena being alive despite the burnt body and even before that, but many of you just held onto that hope 😂

Athena is my baby which is why I could never truly kill her. She just had to go away for a bit and then come back when the time was right.

A couple of you guessed Verona and I trolled you really hard in the comments and on Instagram 😂 I'm so sorry, babe. You know I love ya vayavaitsis

Verona is truly dead and I would like to keep her that way. She went out on her own terms and found her peace. Being alive would only bring her more suffering. Verona wiggled her way into a soft spot in my heart and I don't wanna make her suffer ever again. 😂

And thank you valentinaislove1 for keeping my Athena secret. ❤️😂❤️ Love you big time, babe.

When I say everything happens for a reason, everything happens for a reason to take the story forward and to another level. It will all come together at some point. Just remember that and be patient with whatever happens. That's all I ask ❤️

I wanted to reveal my White Shark in this chapter but I think I will save that for the next chapter song with more of Athena.

Who's happy our Athena is back?

Did you guys enjoy Athena in bloody action?

Who feels bad for Lawrence?

How do you think Athena survived?

How did Athena find out about the Island or even get there?

Since Athena is clearly alive, the burnt body sent to the castle was definitely not hers. Whose body could it be?

Do you think the doctors lied or someone planted fake DNA on the body? And why would they do that?

Thoughts on Leo?

Or Arie?

Further comments and questions are always welcome ❤️

HIT ME WITH THE THEORIES!

Follow me on INSTAGRAM @reetilicious for sneak peeks of the future chapters and fun question times.

Stay safe and much love ❤️
~Reet