Warnings: Violence, Torture, Attempted rape

Word Count: 1850

Recap: "What??!! That isn't possible. I can always summon it." she frowned. "Maybe it's because your ring isn't there?" Alex pointed out. She checked and realized he was right. Her ring was gone. "Gods. We're stuck with no weapons." "I guess the only thing we can do is wait??" Alex said. Adri knew Alex wasn't someone who gave up easily, so to hear him, Alex Fierro, say that made her accept defeat. For now.

          Nico and Magnus stared in horror, unable to do anything as they watched the zombies drag Alex and Adri away. A few of the draugrs stemmed off from the others and came to pursue them. So, they ran. They ran like never before, fire and fury coursing through their veins. In Nico's heart, anger grew, spreading throughout his body and igniting him like a forest fire from within.

          Magnus felt guilty. He should've seen the draugr sneaking onto Adri. If he had reacted quick enough, Alex and Adri would still be with them. Jack stayed limp in his hands and, yet again, Magnus chided himself for not learning to sword fight.

          Nico looked at the dagger in his hands. He thought of the last thing Adri had told him, 'GUYS!! JUST LEAVE!! WE'LL TAKE CARE OF OURSELVES!! CATCH!!' As he thought about Adri, a memory tickled him. Literally. In his pockets. He stuck his hand in and when he brought it out, clasped in his fingers was a single black feather.

          His mind reeled back. This was the second key they got from Hecate. Turning round a corner, Nico and Magnus spotted the entrance. The moment they stepped out of the thresholds, Jack sprang alive. "Senor!! What did I miss??" Panting, Magnus wheezed out, "Nothing. Can you make a rift back somewhere safe? Draugrs." One word explained the whole situation, Jack nodded. Or at least, it seemed like he nodded.

          Jack guided Magnus' arm and with one swift swipe, made a cut in the fabric of reality. Nico and Magnus didn't think twice before stepping in. The rift seemed to have led the demigods to the entrance of a cave.

          Magnus and Nico quickly hurried to set up camp They figured they didn't need too many stuff except for a fire. For now, at least. After they did that, they settled down. Nico got back to thinking on the feather. He took it out of his pocket and moved his finger along the spine of it. The feather was familiar to him. He couldn't understand why though.

          "Hey, Nico. Got you something to eat." Magnus' voice came, disturbing Nico out of his thoughts. Magnus handed Nico a fruit of some kind and settled down beside him. "Nico. Why do you have Adri's feather?" Nico's head snapped up at the question. 

          "What?" he asked, not catching onto what Magnus was saying.

          "Why do you have Adri's feather in your hand??" he repeated, pointing to the feather. Suddenly, it all came rushing back to Nico. This is why it was so familiar. It's Adri's feather the goddess had given him. She somehow already knew he's need it in someway. But now the problem was, how can he use a simple feather to locate two of his friends.

*****

          Adri sat with her back to the wall. Her breathing laboured and body aching. Alex was sleeping with his head in her lap, tired from the torture they had endured. Adri had no idea how long they were down here for. It could've been a mere hour or just a day. But to her, it felt as if she's been stuck for years.

          The soldiers came five times now. And each time they did, they used a new method of torture on them. First it was being beaten up by sticks. Then she went unconscious. The last thing she saw was her bruised body. Next, it was whips. She thought she's die from the pain itself but as she slipped in and out of consciousness, she realized her body was healing itself. Not quite, but just enough so she felt the maximum amount of pain without causing no real threat to her life.

          The third time they visited, Alex and Adri had their limbs tied with ropes leading off to different directions. They were stretched and stretched until they blacked out from the pain. It seemed to Adri that when they blacked out, they healed. Or maybe, the soldiers healed them so they could torture them more.

          The fourth and fifth times, all the worst moments in their lives were replayed. For her, it was the death of her mother and something else much, much sinister. It was the first time she killed someone. 

          She was 15 back then. It was a year ago but, it felt so long ago. She was walking in an alleyway, searching for the cat she fed everyday. She walked to the end of the alley but couldn't find the cat. She turned around to search somewhere else when a huge man cornered her. He looked cruel and ruthless and gave off bad vibes.

          He was a few inches more than six feet and towered over her. It was obvious he was heavily drunk. He stalked forward and Adri knew what he wanted. Temporary enjoyment. He launched himself at her, pinning her. He was much too close to use her weapons as they were both long-range. She tried pushing him but she couldn't. In all her desperation, she screamed. Loud. Her rage and helplessness at the situation all came out in that scream and suddenly, the man's body went limp. She threw him off of her with strength that only came to demigods. She felt his pulse and staggered back. He was dead. Because of her.

          The soldiers continued to torture them and as the daughter of Thanatos, she didn't fear death. But all she wished was that she didn't go like this. Helpless, weak, and disappointed. 

          She really wished she could scratch the inside of her dry and itchy throat. She felt something drip down her neck and when she felt it, she realized it was blood. She traced the blood to its source and realized it was the blood coming from the bruise near her lip. Helheim and Bone Steel seemed to do that. All her most recent cuts from the soldiers weapons were bleeding. Though the bruises faded, the cuts all seemed to bleed, but yet, she didn't feel as if she were losing an alarming amount of blood.

          Adri wanted to fall asleep as well, but the nightmares were so bad, it felt as if she wouldn't ever wake up if no one woke her up. Her hand reached to touch her silver chain, given to her by her father. She almost forgot it was taken away from her but when her fingers actually brushed against metal, she was surprised. She looked down and realized it was her mother's chain that she salvaged from Hecate's tests. She remembered putting it on but forgetting about it. The cold metal around her neck gave her some comfort, but it also felt like a noose, that can be tightened at any second.

*****

          "Magnus, are you absolutely sure that Jack will take us to the right place?" "Yes. I think. The feather guided us this far. I think Jack will be able to take us there." Once again, Jack cut open the air in front of Nico and Magnus. They peered in through the hole and saw the doors of a room. "That must be where they're kept." Nico whispered. Magnus nodded in response and stepped through. Nico followed his lead and they found themselves in a dark and desolate hallway that radiated power and desperation.

          They made sure the coast was clear and gently opened the door. The room was pretty big and Magnus guessed it was at least 50 meters in length. It was only 10 metres wide and seemed as if a prison took up a space of 10x10 meters. Magnus figured that was where his friends were kept when Nico caught his attention.

          He pointed at a basin beside the door. Going closer, Magnus saw Adri's ring, chain and Alex's garrote in it. He took Alex's garrote, careful not to slice his fingers and Nico took possession of Adri's stuff.

          They warily trudged closer to the cell and saw a sight that made them grin with relief and happiness. Adri sat there, staring at the floor and Alex was soundly sleeping, his head still in Adri's lap. Magnus almost squealed from happiness and had to clamp his mouth shut.

          Nico walked closer and placed his hand on the lock. He didn't know how to open it but then something told him to touch the feather to the lock. He listened to the voice, which would normally be a bad idea, and the lock clicked shut.

          Adri's head snapped up, terror flashing in her eyes. But confusion replaced terror and then, finally, joy came in. She shook Alex awake, unable to speak and when Alex saw who arrived, he quickly helped her up.

          Still limping, she walked over to Nico, with Alex's help, and nearly collapsed in his arms. She tightly wrapped her arms around him. Nico felt something wet seep in through his shirt near his shoulder. He was quite slow to realize that Adri was crying. But when he finally did, he hugged her tighter and whispered words of comfort.

           "Shh... Adri, we're here. We found you. Non c'è più bisogno di preoccuparsi. (There's no need to worry anymore.)" "Why did it take you so long to get here??" she asked, pulling away from Nico, though his hands were still around her waist. "What do you mean long? It took us two days to find you. Thankfully, we think we're in Hel's palace." he informed her gently, his battle-worn hands immediately wiping her tears away.

           Adri looked dumbfounded. "Two days only? It felt like a week of intense torture in here." Nico looked at her face properly, observing her for the first time. "Adri, what did they do to you?" he asked, touching a bruise on her cheek. She slightly winced and a tear raced down her cheek. Nico hugged her again. With one arm still around her, he took her right hand and slid her ring on to her middle finger. He placed his hand on her head and gently pulled back.

          "Ambrosia?" he asked, offering her a square. She greedily gobbled it up and sighed. "You have no idea how horrible it was for us." she said, casting a glance at Alex, who was kissing Magnus. In the ten days she's spent with them, she's never seen them kiss.

          "Well, if you can walk, we need to leave. The guards might be coming at any moment." He took her hand and led her out of the cell. Magnus and Alex followed behind the pair. Nico was about to push the door open when it flew open in its own. Outside, there were five guards dressed in heavy armour. It was impossible to breathe around them because of the stench coming from their rotten flesh.

          Nico readied his sword with blinding speed, pushing Adri behind him. "We have come to present you to our queen. Follow us." said the draugr in the middle in a guttural tone. Promptly the four other draugr filed in and surrounded them on all four sides. They were led to what they assumed was the throne room.

          And waiting there, was none other than, Hel herself.

AN: So, I originally had a plan for this chapter but had to redo it because I didn't like how it went. I'd say two more chapters for the book to finish. Of course, it could be one chapter only. ;) The last chapter will be a kind of epilogue, so enjoy!!

Love,

Helene