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Chapter Quote:
"Bargaining makes you come up with the best ideas."
~Trey Parker
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Chapter 3: Name Your Price

Bryn

The start of the quest began without a hitch which made Bryn question what the hell she was about to get herself into in Mexico because nothing went this easily for any demigod. Otherwise she wasn't going to complain because the easier the quest was, the faster it'd go. However, she was regretting taking two people she didn't know well. Isabelle was actually fine. Bryn liked her even. It was Alec she was having trouble with because he thought that since he was older than both girls, that that made him the leader of the quest, and more than once Bryn had to put him in his place. Her family, her quest.

Upon arriving in Mexico, Bryn was greeted with a blast of heat that she hadn't felt since Snake Island which brought back some unpleasant memories, but at that same time her family was all together, all themselves (mostly). Currently, they were all spread over the globe, all in some sort of danger.

"We need to find a car," Isabelle stated when they landed.

"We don't need a car. I have another method of getting there. Hope you're not afraid of heights," Bryn said.

"What are you talking about?" Alec queried gruffly.

"Follow me." The three demigods walked out of the airport. She led them into the jungle just a few feet away from the entrance.

"Where on earth are you taking us?" Alec demanded.

"I don't think tourists or locals alike would take kindly to seeing a great bald eagle lifting up three people like we're feathers," she retorted.

"What are you talking about?" Isabelle asked in much nicer tone, sounding more curious than anything. Bryn let out a loud whistle. A few moments later, a bald eagle landed on her shoulder, letting out a little screech as the daughter of Zeus stroked his head with her finger.

"Hey Adler," she whispered.

"A bald eagle? That's your plan? What can he do?" Alec stated. Adler let out an angry screech at the demigod who looked offended that the eagle had just done that to him.

"His name is Adler. He's my father's. This isn't the first time he's carried me and some friends to a place, although I will say it wasn't for this amount of distance. But you can do it, can't you bud?" Adler let out a squawk of affirmation. "Grab onto my hand."

Isabelle did so without hesitation. Alec, on the other hand, shook his head, saying, "I'm sorry, but how in Hades' name can this bird carry us all the way over to Palenque?"

"I could do it myself but with this heat and the weight of the three of us combined, I would pass out pretty quickly and we would all plummet to our deaths. Adler, on the other hand, can carry us for miles without tiring. Now grab onto Isabelle's hand and stop your complaining because every moment you do, my friends are at the mercy of the Eidolons."

Giving her a death glare, Alec reluctantly did as he was told. Adler grabbed onto Bryn's free hand with both feet and effortlessly took off with the three demigods in tow. Bryn helped support Isabelle and Alec with air to take off some of the weight from herself. It tired her out much less but by the time they reached Palenque, she certainly felt more tired than before they'd taken off.

Adler dropped them off on the outskirts of Palenque. Bryn kissed him on the head before he flew off. Turning to her companions, she said, "Okay, Chiron said we'd know it when we saw it. It must have some dark energy surrounding it which means mortals won't go near it because as blind as they may be sometimes, they're not complete fools. Most likely it's a temple that hasn't been discovered yet."

"Roughly five percent of Palenque has been uncovered," Isabelle informed. When Bryn raised her eyebrows, she added, "I researched the place before I came."

"Then it looks like we better get started. It'll probably be the farthest place from here."

"This place is one square mile so if that's the case, we have many miles to go."

"It's good we brought camping gear because I have a feeling we'll be needing it."

The three demigods set off, slipping unseen into the forested area to find one of the most dangerous entities in the world. Bryn was more jittery about this than usual, and she knew it was because she was on a quest with unfamiliar people. She didn't doubt their ability to fight, but she doubted their ability to fight alongside her. Luke, Silena, Derek, Hallie, the twins, and her had a system with fighting beside each other because they'd done it so much already. It was like their minds were connected, even though she knew that wasn't the case for half of them. They understood each other, they understood each other's weaknesses and strengths, and adapted accordingly. Alone they were strong, together they were unstoppable.

But these new people... Isabelle and Alec had the relationship with each other that Bryn had with her family. Somehow they needed to create a similar relationship to stand a chance against what they were facing. But with Alec's disposition towards her, Bryn figured he wouldn't be open to this.

For two hours they trekked through the wilderness, the only wild thing encountered being a few toucans that watched them curiously as the demigods walked by. It was only as the sun was setting that something strange happened.

"Stop," Alec said, holding up his hand. "I hear something."

Bryn and Isabelle halted, listening intently for any sound. Except for some slight rustling of the leaves by the wind, there was nothing.

"Let's keep moving. I'm getting a bad feeling being here," Alec remarked warily, his eyes scanning the surrounding area.

"I agree," Bryn said. She took one step forward when something wrapped around her foot, yanking her upside down. Alec immediately lifted his bow, arrow aimed at an unseen force. Isabelle had her sword ready and waiting.

"Who's there?!" Alec yelled out. Meanwhile, Bryn struggled to untie the ropes around her ankles but without success.

"Who dares trespass?" the wind whispered. Isabelle and Alec flanked Bryn, weapons drawn. "Ooh, demigods. It's been centuries since that's happened. What on earth are you three doing here?"

"We're searching for an ancient being," Bryn answered.

"You must be searching for Amara."

"That sounds about right."

"I cannot let you do that," she whispered.

"Where are you? Can I at least face the woman who is prohibiting me from saving my family?"

A woman materialized out of thin air right in front of her face. Her skin was blacker than night, her eyes and lips whiter than snow. Her hair, although curly, floated around her face as if it had a mind of its own. She was ethereally beautiful and terrifying all at the same time. Bryn both feared and admired her, although which emotion came first she wasn't sure.

"Macaria," Bryn stated.

"Hello cousin," she replied. "You are very far from home?"

"My home is where my family is, and they are all hostages in some form. I must save them and to do so, I need to see Amara. I know you're a goddess and can put on any form you want and while I might not be intimidated by your presence, my companions are."

Macaria smiled, shifting forms into what would pass as a normal human being. Her hair was now black, falling loosely over her shoulders, her skin was the same tan color as her father and mother.

"Thank you," Bryn said. "Now can you let me down so we can talk like the civilized beings we are?"

Macaria snapped her fingers and the rope slowly let Bryn to the ground. The demigod stood up, brushing the dirt off her clothes.

"I cannot let you pass. Nothing is worth the risk of setting her free," Macaria said.

"You have three very powerful demigods being possessed by some of her kind. They want to take over the world. Only she knows how to stop them."

"She is not the only one."

"We can't go around asking every immortal being if they know how to defeat these Eidolons. My family is in danger and the more time I spend talking with you, trying to convince you to let me through, the worse it's going to be for them."

All of a sudden, the head of a lance went through Macaria's arm, causing her to scream out in pain. Isabelle shouted at Bryn to go find Amara while she and Alec distracted the goddess. The daughter of Zeus hesitated only a moment before darting off through the forest. Birds were squawking angrily at her but she ignored them... until she heard them no more. Bryn stopped in her tracks, her head swiveling around. No sound could be heard, no birds, no fighting between two demigods and a goddess, not even the buzzing insects that had been so loud earlier. She looked up upon realizing there was a shadow looming over her. It was a massive, gray-brown pyramid with dead ivy winding its way up towards the top. The aura of the place gave Bryn a feeling she hadn't felt since Hannah, and if her determination to help her family hadn't been as overwhelming as it was, she would've had a panic attack. She couldn't handle another Hannah. Not without her family by her side.

Taking a deep breath to calm her racing heart, she started walking up the stairs, each step making her legs feel heavier and heavier until it felt like she couldn't take another step when she reached the top. She took a moment to catch her breath before continuing. The only thing up there was a bowl with some dusty brown substance dried up in. Bryn placed her hand on the rim to try and figure out a way to talk to Amara when an unseen force clamped down on her hand. She tried yanking it away but to no avail. Pain exploded on her palm. A few seconds later she saw her blood sliding into the bowl. So that's what the brown stuff was in the bowl: dried blood. Not only was that disgusting, but this was all also very unsanitary.

Bryn continued struggling against the unseen force but felt her energy level draining, her heart rate increasing, her brain becoming fuzzy.

"Miss Winchester, you need to wake up," a woman's voice encouraged. "You need to wake up now."

Bryn's eyes fluttered open. She was now looking at the ceiling of the pyramid. How and when she'd ended up here, she had no idea.

"What happened?" she murmured.

"The sacrifice to wake me took its toll on you. I must say, you lasted longer than most."

"Who are you?" Bryn stared at the twisting, pulsating massabove the bowl where her fresh blood lay.

"I am Amara. You came searching for me."

"Gods, my head..." Bryn rubbed her forehead in an attempt to get rid of the migraine. It didn't work well but it was enough to clear the fog.

"You're a demigod. It's been a millennia since I've met one of you."

"Yeah, well, there's been a lot of things happening recently that haven't happened in a long time. Some of your comrades have taken over the bodies of my family members. I overheard them saying that you wouldn't join and if you wouldn't join, then I thought you could give me an idea as to how to get them out of my family members."

"I will not help my comrades fight this meaningless war, but I will also not help those who are trying to take them down."

"I'm not asking you to help me take them down. I'm asking you to help me get them out of my family," Bryn retorted.

"Why should I do that? The last time I helped a demigod, I ended up here."

"Because I can't lose my family. Not again. All I ask is that you help me get the Eidolons out of my family. Whatever happens after that, you don't have any part in and I will not ask for your help again."

"Perhaps, little demigod, we can make a deal," Amara stated.

Bryn stood up, trying to show that no amount of blood loss, no ancient monster, could stand in the way of saving her family. With her head high, she replied, "Name your price and we'll see what we can negotiate."
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