SO CLOSE OH MY GODS. I hope y’all enjoy! :)

Chapter Quote:

“When I met you, flowers started growing in the darkest parts of my mind.”

~Unknown

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Chapter 17: Separated Again

Bryn 

Leading the way down the tunnel with her sword Keravno in front of her ready to strike any enemies down, Bryn kept a close eye on her companions and her surroundings.  No one was going to die on her watch.  The first obstacle the trio came across was a dead end created by a solid rock wall.  A small, rocky knob protruded.  It was covered with a rusty, copper color.

“What is that?” Silena asked, looking at it curiously.

Derek stepped closer. “I think that’s… blood?”

Bryn cringed as she realized why the blood was there. “Blood sacrifice.  To get in, you must offer blood.”

“Uh, how much?  Like a little finger prick?  A liter?  Five liters?” Derek wondered.

“Five liters of blood and you’d be dead,” Silena pointed out.

“Well then let’s hope it doesn’t desire that,” Bryn said, slicing a shallow cut into her hand.  She clenched her jaw at the pain as she placed her hand on the knob.  For twenty agonizing seconds, nothing happened.  She started to wonder if she’d been right about the whole blood sacrifice thing.

Suddenly, the rock started moving.  Bryn took her hand off and Derek quickly wrapped a bandage he’d gotten from his backpack around her wound.

“You okay?” he queried seriously.

“I’m fine.  Hannah wants to weaken us as much as she can before we reach her so she has a better chance of beating us.  I don’t know if that was the only device she has to do so but I doubt it… let’s get going.  I don’t want to stay in one place too long.  That grinding was loud.  It may have caught the attention of someone.  Come on.”

They started off again.  The rock door slid shut behind them, entombing them the gods only know how far deep below the Earth’s surface.  The trip was quiet save for the times Derek decided to hum “Be Prepared” which made Silena giggle and Bryn roll her eyes.  He stopped humming when they came to a three-way fork in the path.

“Derek, using your super senses, which way do you say?” Silena remarked.

He glanced down each tunnel carefully. “If we want to find Luke, I think we need to go straight.  Right seems ok too but it doesn’t lead us to him.  Left just feels wrong.”

“Honestly, how on earth do you know this?  What powers did Apollo give you?” Bryn chuckled.

Derek shrugged. “Wicked intuition and dashing good looks.”

Bryn didn’t say anything but she was smiling.  The group went straight, praying Derek was right.  She didn’t doubt him.  He’d been right so far (even if the rapid-riding was considered the “safe route”).  Why should Bryn doubt him now?

She didn’t know how much time had passed, but the minutes seemed to drag on and on and on.  This tunnel seemed to never end.  But then again, if this was leading them to where Hannah was keeping Luke (and maybe more prisoners), then it would make sense that she kept them the farthest away from any escape routes.  Bryn just wanted to get there.  She wanted to get to Luke.  She wanted to tell him the truth.  She wanted to get him out of here.

“Guys, do you hear that?” Silena whispered, coming to an abrupt stop.  Derek and Bryn stopped too.  Listening carefully, nothing reached the daughter of Zeus’s ears at first, but that’s because no sound was being made.  A few seconds later, she heard a very distinct groan.  Bryn started running, not even thinking about the consequences she could face if it wasn’t who she thought it was.  Derek and Silena chased after her.

Bryn slid to a stop when she was greeted with about sixteen different jail cells.  All of them had solid metal doors with no windows to view what was inside.  Bryn opened the first one.  Nothing.  Silena and Derek started doing the same.  The cells were sporadically placed around, so it was hard to determine which one to go to next.  One cell contained a sleeping hydra.  She quickly shut the door and warned Derek and Silena about it.  The next one she went to had something in it but she couldn’t tell what.  Taking a risk, Bryn stepped in farther, squinting her eyes to make out a huddled shape against the wall.  It remained motionless, making her wonder if it was even alive.  She couldn’t hear anything coming from it either, just reinforcing her previous idea.

“Who’s there?” a voice rasped.  It was difficult to recognize, but she still did.  She would know that voice from anywhere.

“Luke!” Bryn gasped, rushing forwards, dropping on her hands and knees beside him. “Luke, it’s Bryn.  I’m going to get you out of here okay? Let me-”

A hand grasped her throat, cutting her off.  The shock of the movement stunned Bryn so much that she had no time to react when that hand forced her back; her head slammed on the ground, jarring her already weak vision.  She felt the hand tightening, threatening to strangle her to death.

Fifteen to thirty seconds before I black out… Bryn thought back to Silena’s little spiel about how she though she wasn’t smart, even though she had Bryn, Derek, and Rachel proving her wrong.

“Enough of your games Hannah!” Luke cried. “I know it’s a trick!  I know this isn’t Bryn!”

“L-Luke, please l-let me u-up,” she choked out, squirming underneath him.  Bryn didn’t want to hurt him, but she also didn’t want to black out.  Her hands gripped his arm and tried to pry it away.  For a guy that had been starved, beaten, and malnourished, Luke still held a surprising amount of strength.  Knowing she didn’t stand a chance by herself, she yelled out frantically for her friends, begging them to come help her.

“That’s a new one, Hannah.  You’re getting cleverer,” Luke snarled. “But I’m going to kill you and I don’t care if I die in the process.  You’re not going to kill any of my friends!”

Bryn’s head felt like it was about to spontaneously combust.  Where was Derek?  Silena?  She knew they would come to her rescue if they knew she was in danger.  But where were-

Light exploded over Bryn, forcing her to shut her eyes.  Luke released her throat.  She heard him stumble backwards and crash against something.  Someone lifted her into their arms.

“Bryn?  Are you okay?!” Derek ordered fretfully.

“Luke… where is he?” she murmured.

“Gods, you have such a one track mind,” he chastised. “Luke’s here.”

“Oh my gods…” Silena gasped.  Bryn opened her eyes, now understanding the light had been a flashlight.  It was pointed at a cowering figure against a wall.

Luke.

His blonde hair was copper from the blood matted in it.  His shirt was in shreds.  He had bruises covering practically his entire face.  Gashes on his arm indicated someone had intentionally cut him up.  His eyes were puffy, swollen, and red.  Luke looked frightened beyond words.

“I’m sorry…” he whispered, eyes wide in horror. “I’m sorry.”

He kept repeating it.  Bryn crawled out of Derek’s arms and over to Luke who shrank away from her.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” she soothed, reaching out for him with her hand.

“You weren’t supposed to come!  I told you!  I told you not to come!” he shouted, swatting her hand away.

Bryn smiled empathetically. “Luke, please, you’re not thinking clearly.  We need to get you out of here and get you cleaned up and healed, okay?”

“You still came for me… why did you still come for me…” he asked, giving her a piercing stare.

Bryn cupped his face and kissed him on his brow. “Because I’m your best friend, Sharkboy.  Any more stupid questions?”

His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her into a bone-crushing hug.  Bryn felt Silena and Derek join in.  Their little, dysfunctional group was back together.

“Derek, Silena, help Luke.  I’m going to lead the way out of here,” She commanded, disengaging herself from the hug and standing up.  Silena and Derek each put one of Luke’s arms around their shoulders and helped him stand up.  He was extremely weak now that his adrenaline rush was gone.  His feet dragged the ground, and he apologized profusely about slowing them down until finally all three told him to shut up, that they didn’t care.  Bryn assured him the only thing they cared about was that he was alive and with them.

The trip back down the tunnel seemed to take a much shorter time now that they knew exactly how long it was.  That still didn’t help them calm their racing pulses.  At some point, Luke blacked out.

“Let’s stop for a minute and give y’all and Luke a rest,” Bryn suggested.   Silena and Derek gratefully set the unconscious demigod carefully on the floor. “I’m going to scout ahead, just to make sure nothing’s in our way.  I’ll be back.”

Derek grabbed her hand, preventing her from moving. “You’re not going anywhere by yourself down here.  I’m going with you.”

“You need to stay here with Silena and Luke.  Someone needs to heal him a little bit to continue on this journey.  I’ll be back,” she said reassuringly.  Not giving him anymore time to argue, Bryn strode down the hall, listening carefully to any sounds of danger.

“Like hell I’m letting you go by yourself,” Derek growled from behind her. “Are you insane?”

“I thought I told you to stay with Silena!” Bryn snapped, glaring at him.

“If anyone is going to come after us, it’ll be through this way.  There’s no other way that you can get to the cells.  Now I’m going with you.  I don’t care if you’re quest leader.  This is one thing that is not up for debate.” Derek started walking and Bryn had no choice but to catch up with him.  She took the lead however.  The two of them reached the entrance to the tunnel within five minutes.  They stood in the middle of the cavern, looking down the two tunnels they’d yet to explore.

“Hear or see anything?” he inquired.

“No.  Feel anything with that Apollo intuition of yours?”

“I… I don’t know.  There’s a pit-feeling in my stomach.  I think it’s from nerves.  I don’t like it down here.”

“Then let’s head back.  There’s nothing here,” Bryn said.  Derek nodded.  At that moment, rumbling shook the earth.  Rocks started falling down, starting out small but slowly getting bigger and bigger.  One rock the size of a soccer ball was heading straight for Derek’s head.  She shoved him out of the way and leapt back herself before being crushed by it.  When more and more rocks started to fall, Bryn had to dive to the side in order to avoid being crushed.  She covered her head with her arms.  For a few more minutes, the cave-in continued on, and Bryn wondered when (and if) it’d ever end.

“Bryn?!” Derek shouted. “Bryn, answer me!”

Lifting her head, she noticed the rocks had stopped falling.  The crashing she still heard was just the blood coursing through her. “I’m here!  Ugh, what in Zeus’s name is with us getting caught in cave-ins?”

“Beats me.  Then again this is Hannah we’re dealing with and she seems to enjoy them.  Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Bryn groaned, standing up and brushing the dirt off herself.  She walked over to the wall of rocks blocking her from her Derek. “I’m going to throw this out here and say I don’t think either of us are strong enough to move these rocks.”

“We have to!  You’re in the left tunnel!  I don’t know why but I just get the feeling it’s the dangerous path to go.”

“Derek, listen to me.  Go back to Silena and Luke and get them out of here.  I’ll meet up with you along the way.  I’ll find my way back to you, I promise.” She recoiled at her own words.  How did she know if she was going to make it out of this alive?

“I’m only letting you do this because if anyone could make it out of there alive, it’s you.”

“Thank you.  Tell them what happened and that I’ll see them later.  Derek, just remember, I love you and you’re like a brother to me, so not coming back is not an option.”

“I love you too Bryn.  You’re my unofficial adopted sister,” he laughed weakly, obviously trying to make light of the situation.  I’ll see you soon.  Be careful!”

“I will.  Now go!” She waited until his footsteps had retreated to the point where she couldn’t hear him anymore.  She gave a big sigh and faced the empty tunnel she had to traverse alone… hopefully not in the dark.  Praying that her Hecate powers would work, Bryn murmured the incantation for a light ball.  A soft glow bathed the area she stood in.  Letting out a breath of relief, she raised her sword, and yelled a war cry as she ran down the path.

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Uh oh.  Bryn’s gotten separated from the group!  And what about Rachel?  Has she met up with Percy yet?  Or has something happened to her?!  Which hero will fall?  All this to be answered in the next chapter!  Review!