Chapter Quote:
"The future depends on what we do in the present."
~Mahatma Gandhi
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Chapter 17: I Fight The Furies

Alec

"You've got to be shi-" Isabelle was cut off by Derek yelling angrily, "GIVE ME BACK THAT HELM!"

"Derek!" Bryn exclaimed. She watched in horror the son of Hades took a running start before launching himself off the mountain and grabbing onto the thieving monster. Two more identical bats joined, and only then did Bryn realize what they were facing, and she wasn't sure whether or not they should keep the Helm or let them have it.

"Derek, those are the Furies!" Bryn shouted at him.

"I DON'T CARE WHO THEY ARE! GIVE ME BACK THE HELM YOU LEATHERY OLD HAG!"

"Is he okay?" Isabelle asked.

"Do you really need to ask that?" Alec countered.

"No. It was more of a rhetorical question."

Suddenly, the Fury flung Derek off of them. Bryn heard herself scream for her brother while she watched him plummet out of view into the mist below. Alec grabbed hold of her as she tried to leap off the mountain after Derek because he knew full well she'd never reach him in time. Maybe the kitsune could rescue him...

"GIVE ME BACK THAT HELM!" Derek's voice cut through the air, causing the three demigods to look up. He was once more attached to the Fury's leg, furiously reaching for his father's weapon with renewed vigor.

"How in Zeus's name?" Alec wondered aloud, genuinely in awe at the sight. How had Derek avoided certain death? Even being the son of Hades had limitations. But his question was answered as the Fury's began tossing it between the three of them, and Derek shadow-traveled between them, grabbing onto whichever one had the Helm.

"Skatá," Bryn muttered. "I'm going to go help him. I'll try and lure them closer to here. When I do, see if you can knock the Helm out of their hands."

Before the Greenwoods could argue, she shot up into the sky, lightning crackling around her. It was quite a sight to behold. Alec couldn't help but think she looked like a real-life Supergirl about to kick some ass. It'd been a rocky start for the both of them, but Alec surprised even himself with how close he'd gotten to her in such a short amount of time. He didn't trust people, and neither did she.

Alec nocked an arrow and aimed at the Furies, waiting for a chance to shoot them. Bryn flew onto the other side, facing the Greenwoods, and with an effort, sent a brutal gust towards the monsters, sending them tumbling right over the mountain where Alec and Isabelle stood.

Alec let loose the arrow, striking the Helm dead center. The Fury turned it's murderous glare towards him, making him instantly regret his decision to get involved in this. He may be a child of Ares, but even he got scared sometimes. Facing the minions of the God of the Underworld was one of those times, son of Hades on his side or not.

Bryn took advantage of the distraction, sending four well-aimed lightning bolts into the Furies and the Helm, loosening it further from their grip. Derek proceeded to kick out at it, knocking the Helm clean out of the Fury's grip and towards Isabelle, who leapt up and grabbed it.

"Let's go!" Derek shouted, dropping to the ground. Isabelle grabbed onto Alec's hand and Derek's as the latter took the Helm from her. Instantly the world went black from shadow-travel, but rather than focusing on the horrible sensation, all Alec could think about was Bryn. How could they have left her? How could her brother have left after everything they'd been through together?

Then his vision went white, and his body weightless. He realized Derek had shadow-traveled them over Bryn's position in the sky. Without needing to be told, and trying not to think about the free-fall they were in, Alec grasped Bryn's hand as they hurtled past her.

Black enveloped them once more, and a second later, they were on the ground, shrouded by the mist above. In front of them sat Jiahao, who stared at them in slight amazement and slight confusion.

"We need to get going, but I- we wanted to say thank you for your help," Derek said.

"Yes, we owe you our lives," Bryn added.

"You handle yourselves quite well, although I do wonder how you're alive," Jiahao mused. "If you're ever back this way, come visit. I'll know you're here."

"Will do. Take care of yourself." The kitsune nodded, then darted silently away. Derek hurriedly transported them back to the hotel, landing them in front of a bewildered Silena, Brady, and Bradley.

"Well?" The twins asked expectantly. "Did you get it?"

"Do you not see the big ass Helm on my head?" Derek questioned.

"Someone has an attitude," Bradley (or was it Brady?) retorted. Alec still couldn't always tell them apart.

Derek huffed. "I just fought an ogre bull with that reincarnated from its chopped-off tail, hiked through some rugged mountains after being possessed, fought off the Furies while dangling in the air, and they're coming after us. So excuse me if I have a little attitude."

"What do you mean they're coming after us?" Alec demanded, instantly on edge.

"I can sense them coming. We need to get out of here. We have twenty minutes, thirty tops before they get here. I don't think we'll be as lucky if we fight them a second time around."

"Let's get packing," Bryn insisted, rushing off. Alec and Isabelle followed in suit. There thankfully wasn't much to do, as the Greenwoods had kept a minimalist approach when it came to packing for the quest. They beat Bryn back to Silena's room, but only by five minutes.

"Where to now?" Silena asked.

"Any place away from here. With the Helm, we can travel wherever we need to," Derek said. "Can I suggest someplace tropical? So we can at least research in paradise before we all go to hell?"

"I'm not going to argue with that," Isabelle agreed.

"Fiji, anyone?" Silena suggested.

"Fiji," they all answered. Linking hands, Alec shut his eyes, praying the trip would be short with little side effects as the darkness consumed him. The last thing he wanted was for Bryn to be worrying about him on top of everything else on her plate.

"We're here," Derek announced. Alec opened his eyes, instantly regretting it. The sun on the white-sand beaches blinded him, and he had to shield his eyes until they adjusted to the brightness. The warm, humid weather forced him to shrug off his leather jacket. He would definitely need to find some different clothes to wear if they were going to be staying here, even just for the night.

"I say we split up," Silena said. "Bryn, you and Derek come with me to find a place to sleep. Twins, Greenwoods, find us some food?"

Alec wanted to argue because he wanted to stay by Bryn's side, not wanting to leave her with two demigods who still weren't up to par. He recognized how thin she was stretching herself, and it worried him. But, then again, something in Silena's eyes told him 'no' would not be a smart answer. So, reluctantly, he trudged off with his assigned group.
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Bryn

The three demigods walked in silence to the nearest hotel, a place that extended over the turquoise waters. The idea of it freaked out Bryn without having Luke by her side, but she knew Silena could handle anything when in her domain.

"What happened on the mountain? How'd you get the Helm back, and why were the Furies after you?" Silena inquired. Derek explained the story, casually leaving out the parts where he dangled precariously in the air on the legs of the Furies and plummeting to his death. Not allowing him to escape his actions, Bryn added those parts in. Silena glared murderously at her boyfriend while Derek stared in betrayal at Bryn.

"You are so lucky I wasn't there," Silena growled.

"I think you would've killed me," Derek admitted.

"Without a doubt. I could've lost you to Tartarus or to Hannah or to the Eidolons, but no. It was your lack of impulse control that nearly killed you."

He laced his fingers through his. "It's going to take a lot more than all of that to kill me. Besides, I'll convince my dad to let me come back to life if I die."

"Good luck doing so without Charmspeak."

"Such little faith."

"Your track record today is the cause of it."

"She has a point," Bryn said.

Derek pointed at her and said, "Don't help her."

"How are you feeling, Silena?" Bryn asked, tactfully changing the subject.

"There are many words I could use, but none are appropriate in front of kids," she replied, eyeing the toddlers running by them. "I wanted to talk to the two of you in private, though."

"Why?"

"I didn't want to worry the twins or the Greenwoods because, despite the hiccups you've had along the way, we've really had no problems getting the Eidolons out of us. But I'm worried about Luke."

"What's wrong? Is he okay?"

"That's just it. I don't know. Before, I could sense him. I could reach out with my mind and at least feel that he was alive and okay. Now I can't at all. I've been trying ever since you rescued me and nothing." Silena's eyes began watering. "I'm scared Balthazar did something to him."

Bryn trembled at the idea of Luke not being alive when she got to him. She dreaded even considering the possibility. If he was dead, Bryn didn't know how she'd handle it. She'd either be too shocked to move or would lose control and go nuclear with her powers.

But Bryn had to take care of her group. No matter her fear, she couldn't let it get to her. Bryn had a duty to them for dragging them into this. The last thing they needed to see was her falling apart.

"Balthazar is getting stronger, that's all. The longer I had Damianos inside of me, the weaker my abilities became to contact Bryn and Hallie," Derek said, becoming the voice of reason. "I'll see if I can get in touch with Hallie, figure out where they are."

"This may be a long shot, but I shared a dream with Luke. He didn't know where he was, but he knows it's in the middle of a lake where it's hot and humid. And I noticed the place was extremely ornate and had an open pavilion," Bryn said.

"When was this dream?" Derek asked.

"Before I found any of you. Alec, Isabelle, and I were in Camp Jupiter after escaping Melinoë."

"You escaped the goddess of madness?" Silena squeaked. "How?"

"Amara helped me. When all this is over, we'll tell you everything about what happened. For now, let's get a place to sleep."

Silena grudgingly agreed, falling silent as the three of them walked into the lobby of a swanky hotel. Bryn sweet-talked them into giving the demigods two rooms for a fraction of the usually extortionate cost. Derek and Silena let her work her magic. Within the hour, they'd settled in- the girls in one and the boys in the other. Isabelle brought them food, plus some fresh clothes they'd purchased. Bryn plowed through her meal, not realizing how hungry she'd been.

"Nice place. How are we affording it?" Isabelle queried, flopping onto her bed.

"Perks of helping our parents run a multi-million dollar company," Silena said.

"Can I work for them?"

"Yeah, they only hire demigods or people who know about demigods," Bryn told her. "It's hard enough for us to find jobs since most of us have ADHD or dyslexia and have more adventurous lives than most."

"That's putting it mildly. But seriously, I might apply. I've wanted to get out of camp and work in the real world. Alec too."

"Really?"

"Yeah. But that's a discussion for another time. What's our next step?"

"I have a few ideas on where to start researching. If you know of any places in the middle of a lake that's hot and humid, let me know," Silena said. "What're you two going to do?"

"I'm going to shower and sleep," Bryn replied. "I'm exhausted."

Isabelle raised her brows. "Not surprising. You've barely stopped since we rescued you from Bannerman Castle."

"Bryn, get as much rest as you need. You're not going to be of any help to any of us if you're too tired to function," Silena pointed out. "We've got things handled."

Bryn nodded, finally acknowledging she could no longer function on her current health. She needed to sleep badly, and that's exactly what she did.