Chapter Twenty-Six - I Try to Kill My Friends
Posted: Sunday 26th May 2024

Passing through the doors of death the second time was not like the first. This time what looked like an army of monsters were waiting turns for their ballots to be called so that they could pass into the mortal world.

I was also accompanied by two giants and a big jar which contained the near-lifeless form of Nico Di Angelo.

The Titans who were flanking either side of the door ushered us through when they saw us, clearly, we had paid for the giant fast pass option. And the doors didn't resist our passage, perhaps because they were supposed to be used by giants.

The twin giants bickered the entire time, but I was lost wallowing in my own self-pity and trying to see if there was any way for me not to have to fight against my friends. But Nyx's orders had been clear, so I had no option.

The doors spat us out in the Colosseum. In other circumstances, I would probably have been marvelling at the ancient structure, but with the excited giants talking about setting up their plans to destroy it, I couldn't muster much enthusiasm.

They stomped off without me and I felt no need to follow, I wandered into the ancient streets of Rome and found myself a newspaper. It was June 26th. The Argo II would have made it to Camp Jupiter by now and likely be steaming their way towards Rome, right into the trap.

I was bone tired, so I found myself a doorway and curled up for some much needed sleep.

My sleep was not dreamless, but seeing Apollo's face was welcome.

"Finally," He grinned when he saw me, we were standing on a coast somewhere, looking out at a glorious sunset. "Where have you been? You haven't been asleep for days." Apollo looked a little different than normal, he was taller, he had darker hair and he was wearing full battle armour.

"I went to Tartarus," I said, my voice sounded monotone to me, emotionless, kind of like my mother's. It scared me.

"What? Why?"

I fixed him with a look, "Why do you think?"

"Nox?" He asked.

When I said nothing he took that as confirmation.

"Where are you now? Are you back at camp? Are you safe?"

"I'm in the mortal world," I said, "Rome."

"Rome?"

"Didn't you hear? That's where the end of the world is supposed to start."

Apollo's face broke into a look of realisation, "Nox has chosen a side hasn't she?"

I couldn't answer, but the expression on my face said it all. Yes, she had, and it was not the side of the gods.

"I am to thwart the progress of the Argo II when they get to Rome," I said, "we're fighting against each other."

Apollo pulled me into his arms, I probably would have cried if I wasn't so numb. It felt like I had no emotions left to give, Nyx was trying to take everything from me and there was nothing I could do about it.

"Diana and I are retreating to our birthplace," Apollo said into my hair, "the Romans are going to war with the Greeks."

"Diana?" I asked, moving back so I could see him, momentarily shocked from my self-pitying state, "this is your Roman form? You're the same."

"I am not!" Apollo complained, "I am far stronger than the-" His words were cut off and his form morphed into the version of Apollo I was more familiar with.

"Zeus blast this," Apollo complained, "this is so frustrating. Can't even hold a conversation."

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"We gods aren't doing that well, the camps are going to war," Apollo said, "I will have to stay on Delos for a while until it's fixed, the Romans are marching on Camp Halfblood-" his face morphed again, "to bring glory to Rome!"

"Well this is interesting," I said, looking at the Roman version of my husband with curiosity, my own problems the furthest thing from my mind in that moment.

"I won't be able to visit you, even in dreams," Apollo said, "otherwise I'll-"

"Struggle with your other half?" I asked, "Well we should probably say goodbye then, there isn't really an easy way that we're going to see each other again unless we're fighting against each other."

Apollo's face darkened, "that's not going to happen. Through Prophecies old and Prophecies new, the daughter of darkness will come through," he said, "somehow, some way, you're going to make it out of this." He leaned in for a kiss and the dream dissolved around me, leaving me with the bitter words of the prophecy as I awoke on the cold stone doorstep of a fire exit in a back alley of Rome.

*

I did not see the twin giants again, the next few days I whittled away in the ancient sights of Rome.

On the first of July, the Argo II descended right above the park I was sitting in.

Seeing the ship in it's full glory, my heart sank. I got to my feet and without meaning to, I drew my sword. And then the shadows consumed me and the next thing I knew I was standing on the deck of the ship, behind seven demigods who were looking out across Rome.

It seemed that Annabeth was the first one to sense my presence because she drew her dagger and whirled around to look at me.

"Ri?" She asked, shocked, then, as if on autopilot I hit her dagger with my sword and it clattered to the deck.

"Hi Annabeth," I said miserably as the rest of the demigods turned to look at me, their hands were on their weapons.

"Who's this?" A burly Chinese boy asked.

"Ariadne," Percy said, I hadn't noted his presence until he spoke and I wasn't sure if I was happy to see him based on the fact that we were probably about to fight each other, "daughter of Nyx. What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to kill you unfortunately," I sighed, "try and kill me first okay?" The pull of Nyx's orders was becoming unbearable, compelling me to move forward, to attack. I Fought with myself, planting my feet into the ground, refusing to move forward.

The Chinese boy and a small girl with dark skin and curly hair readied themselves for battle, but the others, my friends, just looked confused.

"What?" Annabeth asked, "Kill us? Ri what are you talking about?"

"I'm really sorry about this okay, I promise I don't want to!"

"Uh, then maybe you don't?" Percy suggested.

My foot slipped forward without me wanting it to, "I wish I didn't have to, maybe you guys could run or something?"

"What's happened?" Annabeth demanded, "Is it Nyx?"

"What do we do?" The Chinese boy asked, "She's your friend right? But if she's really going to kill us-"

"She wouldn't!" Percy scoffed, "Ariadne is a good guy, she fought Kronos during the Titan war, took him on in hand-to-hand combat by herself."

My other foot slipped forwards.

"Draw your sword, Percy," I said, "Please, just run me through or something."

"No, what's going on?" Percy demanded.

Then I couldn't hold myself back any longer. I lunged at him. But Percy was quick, Riptide surged into existence and our blades met with a loud clang that resonated through everything in the surrounding area. The force of the blades colliding seemed tripled, so much power burst forth that both Percy and I were thrown back. I hit the mast behind me and Percy toppled over the edge of the ship, landing on the grass that the ship was resting on.

Something had changed inside of me, like a switch had flipped. I hadn't realised the tension I had been holding in my entire body until it released itself with that blast. I sunk down onto the deck, my head and back pounding from the impact, but I could have burst out laughing.

It was as if puppet strings had been cut, there didn't seem to be anyone in control other than me anymore.

I could hear shouting and arguing and then I felt a cold metal blade at my throat. I opened my eyes and was met with Annabeth's gaze.

"What are you doing?" She demanded.

I blinked at her, half dazed, half delirious. I did possibly the worst thing I could have done in the situation. I bust out laughing.

Annabeth stared at me in confusion, keeping her blade at my throat. I pressed a hand into my side as I was overcome with laughter.

"Ri what the hell is going on?" Annabeth asked.

"I don't want to kill you anymore!" I laughed, "She's gone, I don't have to kill you!"

"Explain," Annabeth demanded.

I blinked back tears and took a deep breath steadying myself. Once the laughter had abated, I felt exhausted, but I explained everything. Nyx's orders, what I knew of the giant's plans. It all came streaming out.

I shocked myself by how much I was able to talk about, I didn't find myself unable to share anything.

When I was done, the confused faces of all seven demigods blinked back at me.

"How exactly did you break free of it?" Piper demanded, "I thought your life force was linked to Nyx's, doesn't that mean if you're free of her then you should be dead?"

I frowned, "I'm not sure." I turned to Percy, who was rubbing his head which he had hit when he was blasted over the side of the boat, "sorry about that."

"Hey, it's cool, you've got a whole thing going on. I'm just glad that whatever voodoo Nyx had on you broke before you tried to skewer me."

"Sorry," I said again.

"So we have a ticking time bomb kind of demigod on the ship, we're about to face off against twin giants and Annabeth has an epic solo death quest ahead of her," said Leo, "sounds fun!"