Thalia's POV

Everyone was prepared. We'd talked about the plan one too many times and it was all supposed to be perfect. Nothing could go wrong if we did this right. The base was a small little shack of a place clearly not guarded. It couldn't possibly be more than that. The building just didn't have the capacity.

The voices that had bounced around inside my head had only gotten stronger as we drew nearer. It had gotten so bad I could hardly see straight. Reyna concerned as ever helped guide me.

We'd circled the building and closed in until it was surrounded by a ring of kick ass girls wielding deadly weapons. It was supposed to be a smash and dash according to Maya. Get in screw things up and get out with our friends as quick as possible.

Hylla was the first to go in and the sound of clashing blades encouraged the others to file in. Inside had been nothing more than a few monsters. The inside of the shack like structure appeared to be empty and the fear of a fake lead crept in.

"It's not a false lead if there were people waiting. Since when do armed monsters casually chill in the middle of nowhere?" Reyna asked walking around and studying the interior. "Something's hidden. We just have to find it."

"Brilliant as always little sis," Hylla said kicking over a splintered crate and examining a few hanging chains from the ceiling. "Sparky pull on those."

"I can't reach them," I replied flatly.

"Jump. Can't you fly like your brother?" Hylla asked.

"No I can't." I snapped crossing my arms. My head was pounding I didnt want to be here.

"Thalia can you boost me?" Reyna asked shooting her sister a look I couldn't read. Nodding I laced my fingers together making a foothold for her. She placed her foot in my hand and stood up. Muscles strained I managed to give her an extra inch or to by pushing up. She snagged the chains and tugged on them. One offered a clicking sound. Reyna tugged on it with all her weight.

There was a popping noise and we searched for what it belong to. Out towards the back was a cellar door that had been tugged open by the chain pulley system.

"Bingo," Hylla smiled. "Going down anyone?"

"Me first!" Louise bolted down the cellar steps followed by the others determined not to be outdone by a kid. Hylla went last out of that group. I studied the darkness that sat waiting for me. A breeze seemed to echo out of it and on the breeze there was a whisper.

''Hello' I took a step back quickly only to feel Reyna's hand on the small of my back grounding me.

"Easy," She said. "What did you hear?"

"Hello," I said simply. Reyna swallowed hard and nodded.

"That's either good or bad. I have a feeling it's the latter." Reyna pushed me towards the entrance and followed me down the steps. My hand twitched inching towards my bracelet but if I expanded my shield in this small corridor I'd get stuck.

The others walked in a single file line in front of us. As we got farther along the ache in my head became more intense and I couldn't help but whimper a bit.

"It's okay," Reyna promised, close behind me. "Whatever you're hearing ignore it."

"It's just getting worse." I said panic rising as with each step the pain increased and I realized it sounded like drums. The deep echoing roar of a drum and it was so loud I couldn't tell if it was in my head or not.

The others filed out of the corridor and stopped peering down at something with tense posture. At last I exited the claustrophobic hallway only to be greeted by something even scarier. We stood on a ledge peering down at levels and levels of the same thing. At the very bottom was a court yard.

Monsters of all shapes and sizes marched about, their feet smacking the ground with a rhythmic sound. It was an army of a massive size.

"I knew they were making an army but this is insane," Reyna worried, her eyes scanning for any immediate threat.

The drumming was louder now and it drowned out her voice. All I could do was see her mouth moving. I scanned the surrounding area and peered down at the floors. Everything smelled with the musk of monsters. It was overwhelming and my stomach twisted in knots. Still, I wasn't satisfied.

Closing my eyes I focused on the air paths. The white images bounced around in my head as I focused and unfocused on forms. I wasn't sure what I was looking for but something told me where.

I narrowed in on a figure tall and slender obviously feminine. Opening my eyes I looked in the same spot and saw what had called my attention. There stood a woman impossibly beautiful. Dressed in nothing but black a gleaming blade at her hip. Her eyes were an unsettling pink. She tilted her head up and our eyes locked.

A cacophony of words crashed into my head and I stumbled back crying out in pain.

''Hello.' It was soft but violent at the same time. The single word ricocheted around in my skull at an impossibly loud volume. 'Awe you're scared.'

"Hey! Thalia look at me." A familiar voice broke through the words and I glanced up to see Reyna and the others looking at me worriedly.

"They know we're here." I said getting shakily to my feet.

"How do you know?" Hylla asked.

"Doesn't matter. We need to go." Reyna said inching towards the passage we had taken to get here.

"Leaving already?" I jumped tapping my bracelet at the agonizingly familiar voice. I turned along with the others to see that same woman as before. She pouted, holding her blade in hand. "I just wanted to say hi."

"Hi and goodbye." Reyna said waving sarcastically and inching back toward the exit.

"That's no fun," The woman whined. She glanced at me and clasped her hands together like a child. "You'll stay won't you?"

"Not a chance." Hylla said stepping in front of me a look of disgust on her face.

"Pity. She's fun to play with," The girl giggled.

"Lagneía." A firm voice scolded and I turned along with the others stepping backwards and pressing myself against the wall. An intimidating girl walked forward her aura throbbing in the air charging it with power.

"Epy you ruin my fun," The other girl whined.

"Nonsense." The two stood next to each other their scents and auras mingling into a deadly combination. It made things stir inside me I never knew were possible. I glanced about and it appeared the others were equally as uncomfortable. "Lets welcome them formally. I believe brother will be pleased to know they've wandered down the rabbit hole."

"You think so?" Lagneía smiled brightly.

"Oh I'm positive." The other smiled dangerously. "Titus bring them downstairs please."

"Titus?" Hylla asked confused when a large hand clamped down on her shoulder and she disappeared from sight.

Growling I pulled out my spear and turned to see a large cyclops holding Hylla upside down. She pulled out a knife and stabbed Titus in the hand. With a roar of pain he let go throwing her.

"Hylla!" Reyna yelled as she disappeared over the edge of the ledge railing in a free fall. A split second decision crossed my mind and I did the stupidest thing I could have possibly done. I jumped after her. "Thalia! You idiot! You can't fucking fly!"

Her words were lost on the wind as it rushed past my head and I realized. I couldn't fucking fly. Closing my eyes I said a silent prayer and imagined what my funeral was going to look like. Tucking my arms against my sides I gained speed slowly gaining on her.

A few seconds later I grabbed her arm and noticed that the floor was awfully close and I'd have to figure something out unless we wanted to be cushioned by monsters armed with pointy things. 

"You dumb ass what the hell?! You can't fly!" Hylla yelled, smacking me.

"Watch me." I growled and for the love of god I prayed that even if it was an accident I'd manage to at least slow our fall. Closing my eyes I focused on the air currents. I imagined them softening our fall. I felt no difference and I could picture us plummeting and splattering like a grease stain on the ground.

"Consider me wrong." Hylla said and I opened my eyes to see us hovering just above the monsters.

"That's what I thought," I smirked, and with severe concentration I floated us carefully back up. The others were kneeling, now with their hands bound gags over their mouths. Reyna's eyes widened in surprise and I found an odd pleasure in it.

"Listen ladies, it's been nice talking but fuck off!" Hylla said flipping the two goddesses off. Laughing I tossed her back onto the ledge where she drew her spear and started to fight.

"Well looks like I have a new trick." I smiled cracking my knuckles. "What do you say Titus? Wanna rock and roll?"

The cyclops growled and stomped causing the ground to shake. Zuri fell over on her side and I tried not to smile at the knife she held in her hand subtly cutting her bonds. 

Charging my spear with a nice deadly electric current I hurled it at Titus and it sank deep into his chest. The electricity moved outwards rolling off his skin until he burst into gold like a piñata.

Zuri ripped off her restrains and sprang to her feet. She pulled off her gag cracked her knuckles and ran to help Hylla. Resting on the ledge I walked over freeing the others. They immediately went into action.

I pulled the gag off of Reyna. "We need to go."

"Not yet." I said shaking my head. She gave me a stern look and stood.

"We can't fight an entire army for your friends. Not on our own." She said and I knew she was right. The two Goddesses were simply having fun. Even now they were relaxed casually dueling the others.

"Go then, take the others with you." I said.

"No, you don't get to do that," Reyna snapped. I glanced about as the sound of an alarm echoed throughout the compound.

"Do what?" I asked glancing anxiously over the railing. The monsters had all mobilized and were moving up stairs in a pinch formation. Soon we'd all be sandwiched. "We gotta jump."

"No way in hell." Reyna said shaking her head. "You just learned to fly and it was probably an accident."

"Trust me okay? I can't explain it but I feel...alive." I smiled bouncing on the balls of my feet. My excitement was shattered when a voice pierced my thoughts.

' Still so innocent.' I turned glancing at the duel behind me. Lagneía held eye contact with me.

'It'll be fun breaking you.' The other said and cracked her whip which I now noticed was her weapon. It coiled around Maya's leg dragging her feet out from under her.

"I'm going to find them Reyna just hold the monsters off. I'll be fast," I insisted peeling my eyes away from the two gods.

"No wait." But it was too late I jumped back over the railing finding it odd I wasn't as afraid of the height as I should have been. I landed right on top of a dracnae crushing her to dust. Spear in hand I cut and fought through the ranks as best as I could looking for a clear path.

I wasn't exactly aware of what I was doing but I managed to break through and sprint down one of the halls calling out names in hope that one of my hunters would respond.

There wasn't one but I kept going, eager to find them and empowered by my success at flight. It took longer than expected until I realized I'd explored all of the extra tunnels.

"What the hell they have to be-"

"Thalia!" I turned on my heel to see Reyna running at me. "We have to go. Now. I'm serious."

"What why?" I asked confused until I saw the pale parlor of her skin and the tear stained eyes. "What happened?"

The sound of an explosion caused me to flinch.

'Play times over.' I winced as the familiar voice shot through my head. 'Welcome to the main event.'

Reyna dragged me out of the hallway until we were back in the main chamber. Chaos had broken out. Hylla was running frantically upstairs with Zuri hot on her heels along with small Louise. A pack of viscous hell hounds chasing them.

The others were spaced out running to try and escape and fighting for their lives but they were going to be easily overrun.

The sound of a metal tipped whip grating on the ground broke my attention and I turned to see the two women waltzing in our direction. Both wore deadly smirks and I felt my heart sink.

"Where are they?" I demanded.

"Your friends won't be here or anywhere really." Lagneía shrugged sadly.

"Other than hell." The other added at the end.

"You didn't." My voice shook as I came to realize what they meant. "You wouldn't kill them."

"Wouldn't we? Do you know who we are little Hunter?" The more aggressive one asked taking a step forward she cracked her whip. I winced in pain as it wrapped around my wrist and with a tug she pulled me forward onto my knees.

"Leave her alone," Reyna said fiercely.

"My name is Epythmía. Goddess of desire." She knelt next to me and tilted my chin up to look at her. "But not like my brother who wields the powers of Longing. No, I'm a different monster entirely."

"I'm going to kill you." I snarled grabbing her by the throat. "You are going to pay for their lives."

Her laugh was cool and hard, calloused and cold but enticing all the same.

"Who else would fittingly rid the world of you pesky little virgins other than desire and lust themselves. Sort of ironic don't you think?" She asked and in a swift motion turned the tables so that my arm was twisted painfully behind my back.

Lagneía giggled and clapped her hands. "You're next."

"Reyna we're running out of time!" Hylla yelled down at us.

"Drop her and lets go. We can't win this." Reyna tried to pull me off but I wasn't having it. My grip only tightened and my vision tunneled as Epythmía tightens her hold in my arm. All I knew was that she'd killed them, my friends, my family, and someone was going to suffer for it.

"Go." My voice was hard yet calm, a deadly undertone to it.

"No way." Reyna shook her head turning and stabbing a monster who'd tried to sneak up on her. "Look I know you're angry and I'm sorry but if you stay here you'll die. Justice won't be served."

"I don't care about justice!" I snarled, watching as Epythmía began to turn purple beneath my hands. "Get out and stay out."

I could see the wheels turning in Reyna's head. She was trying to figure out whether or not she should leave.

"Reyna we have two down come on!" Hylla yelled panic seeping into her tone.

Reyna bounced on the balls of her feet. She looked like she was contemplating something. I glanced over my shoulder but in my momentary distraction I was thrown off of the Goddess.

Landing sharply on my shoulder I rolled to my feet. Her cool hard eyes studied me and with a wave of the hand she vanished as did the other one. I turned trying to find them. I needed to know where they were. They needed to die.

"Thalia come on!" Reyna tugged at my arm snapping me out of my daze. I wanted blood but not just any blood golden Ichor dripping from those two Demons' wounds.

My legs went into auto pilot and I followed her, the two of us acting on instinct as we cut through the ranks of monsters. But as we made our way through I couldn't help but noticed that they didn't appear to be trying very hard, and for the most part, not very many were actually fighting.

But the ones that were, were larger in number, and aggressive. I was unaware of the wounds that had graced my skin in the conflict. I was still scanning the crowd trying to find the killers. We bounded up the flights of stairs legs burning as we ran, arms swinging as we fought. Bashing my shield I knocked a monster over the railing.

Hylla and the others stood at the entrance to the tunnel we had taken earlier armed and dangerous. I noticed how badly wounded they were and my heart sank a bit. But it didn't matter now we were close to being free.

A loud thunderous roar caused the entire compound to shake. I looked around for its source when something from above landed on the ledge. I could see the crater like footprints in the concrete. The entirety of the monster was invisible though. I knew exactly what it was, who it was, and it was somehow a whole lot bigger than before.

"Get in the tunnel," I said raising my shield.

"What?" Hylla asked her eyes big.

"Get in the tunnel and run." I demanded. She nodded and grabbed Zuri, the two disappearing shortly after. Maya was the next to go in when the monster suddenly materialized in front of us. It was large and in the form of a giant red Minotaur like creature.

It started towards us and without thinking I moved towards it. It swung with its massive hand and I ducked flattening myself against the wall. There was no room to dodge its attacks.

Two of the others managed to slink into the tunnel as it was distracted. Straightening I rolled beneath its next swipe of the hand which tore away the railing of the ledge. Thrusting upward I managed to spear its palm. Roaring in pain the beast stumbled backwards nearly toppling off the ledge as its hoof slipped taking a large chunk of concrete out of the floor. Its yellow glowing eyes blazed into tiny fires of hate.

"Well done Ponós." The crack of the whip came from above on the next level. Glancing up I saw the two girls smiling down at me. "How does it feel to face the beast?"

There was no time for a reply. Distracted by the two minor goddesses it's clawed hand batted me backwards. Tumbling head over heels I felt myself falling until something caught me. Glancing around dazed I managed to see that my shield had wedged between the twisted and broken railing bars.

Wild and confused eyes of fire were concentrated solely on me. The others took advantage of the situation to leave. The only one who remained was the person I'd expect to be stupid enough to do so.

Grunting I tried to swing so I could hook my feet on the ledge and pulled myself back up but as my position shifted my shield loosened. Part of me was gripped in terror and the other part figured falling wouldn't be so bad if I could fly again. Yet as I hung there more, my bravery from before was placed with a crippling doubt. And suddenly I knew if the need occurred it wouldn't matter if I had flown before or not. I wasn't going to be able to do it again.

The monster's slobbering teeth glistened and it lunged for me. Grunting, I managed to kick it hard enough that one of its incisors was knocked clean out of its mouth. The crack of the whip sounded again but I couldn't focus on it.

Pulling my arm from my shield I gripped the railing with sweaty palms and attempted to scramble up onto the ledge. Claws scraped against my back and I cried out in pain as my flesh split open.

With a shaky jump I tumbled back onto solid ground but hadn't the slightest second to catch my breath. Stumbling backwards I avoided its further advances. My blood left a trail on the concrete.

"Go on fetch," Lagneía giggled. She watched disgustingly happy as I struggled to my feet. Glancing between the creatures legs I could see that Reyna was still waiting by the exit her eyes holding a million conflicting emotions. She inched forward and I shook my head.

Her gaze hardened but I could see she knew I wasn't going to go. She made her way to the ledge and with a grunt tugged my shield out of the twisted bars. Weighing it in her hand she threw it hard just like Captain America would with his shield. It smacked the Ponós in the right shoulder causing him to shift in balance. Taking the opportunity I scrambled between his legs and ran towards her.

"Come on," Reyna insisted, watching anxiously and as soon as I was close enough she grabbed my arm tugging me inside. But something in me overruled my instincts for survival.

I pictured the faces of each hunter I'd failed to save. I knew exactly what they looked like. Every detail. The images of monsters up to the hundreds prepped and ready for war. Their evil eyes and hearts and minds. Ponós who was a living nightmare and the two Goddesses. The spawns of the devil himself. Smiling, living, breathing, while my friends were dead. It was enough to root me in place. There were a few precious seconds between now and what would happen.

Reyna looked back at me fear flashing across her face. "Thalia what are you doing? Come on."

"No." I shook my head glancing over my shoulder and balling my fists. Turning back to her I could see she knew what I was thinking.

"No you can't. You'll die." Reyna flinched as a powerful roar caused the ceiling to shake and rubble to rain on our heads.

"If I don't do this camp won't stand a chance Reyna. Not with this many of them." I said. Her eyes were wet with held back tears. She nodded. It was the Roman thing to do. Sacrifice for the cause. Gripping my spear I turned on my heel when she gripped my arm tugging me back.

I wasn't prepared for her lips to crash against mine. She pulled back all to soon and ran off leaving me to wonder and watch her go.

Renewed with a sort of sorrow filled courage I blasted the tunnel ceiling with a thunder clap watching as it collapsed. Nothing was going to get out if I could help it.

With my back against the rubble that now prevented my own escape I stared at the square of light leading to the armed and hungry foe. With a shaking hand I touched my lips where the unexpected kiss had been left. Twirling my spear I ran into the light with enough sorrow and anger to fuel a god. No one got away with killing my friends, and more importantly, no one was going to live if I wasn't.