"What happened?" Val asked, meeting Tempest's gaze.

Tempest tried to wipe off the guilt she knew was evident in her expression and forced herself to calm down. They've already been dead for a while. This shouldn't be hard! The Chimera probably won't even make sense to her! Just tell her and let her be confused! She took a deep breath before finally replying, "Greek Mythology is real."

Val raised an eyebrow, "What?"

Tempest sighed, "Half-bloods, monsters, titans, Olympus... they all exist."

"And this is relevant how?" Val crossed her arms.

Tempest rolled her eyes, Can she ever stop with the questions? "The Neverseen teamed up with a bunch of monsters and came up with this 'amazing' plan to attack Camp Half-Blood, which is a place where demigods - the children of Greek gods and goddesses - can live secretly and safely. Sophie and a few of the others were going to team up to counter them when Sophie got kidnapped-"

"Again?" Val interrupted, though she sounded more concerned than curious.

"Well, she pretty much forced herself into the situation, but yeah, basically. Keefe, Biana, and a few demigods helped her escape, though." Val breathed a sigh of relief, and Tempest couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity for her. She really doesn't know... She looked away as she continued, "After that... after that the Neverseen unleashed lots of monsters on the Forbidden Cities. Don't ask me how they got them all, I have no idea. But, Sophie, the other elves, and the demigods went to fight them.

"They all split up to cover more ground. It was a good strategy, and they were winning, but..." Tempest forced herself not to let tears make their way to her eyes, "They... ended up going against a Chimera - which explaining would take way too long, so I won't. Sophie and Dex were the first to try to fight it, and... it... killed them both."

Tempest forced herself to look at Val and immediately grew concerned when the girl collapsed against the wall. She screamed, clutching her head. What the-

Tempest shot up and hurried over to Val. She may have only just met her, but she didn't want her... dying, or something. "Woah, are you ok?"

Val didn't reply. She just sat there, clutching her head and breathing hard. Tempest was forced to sit there helplessly, watching Val struggle. Geez, what happened to her that causes... this?!?!?

Finally, after a few minutes, Val let her hands fall. "Are you sure?" she asked slowly.

Tempest almost laughed, "Really? You go crazy for a few minutes and then decide to question my evidence?"

"Are. You. Sure?"

"No, I read it in a story. I was with them! How more 'sure' do I have to be?!?!?"

Val met her gaze, "You... were there..."

Tempest sighed and moved back to where she'd been sitting before, "I sure as heck didn't want to be. But yes. And I got to watch them die. And I could do nothing." She shrugged, trying to keep herself casual, "I guess that's what happens when I think I'm being helpful and tell people that there are monsters going around and killing humans."

Val stared at her and stood up, "You watched them die?!? How are you still sane?!?"

"What do you mean?"

"I can tell you're not fine. Casually shrugging off a death isn't exactly normal for an elf."

"What can I say? I guess I'm not your typical elf."

"Well, you don't typically find elves unconscious in a forest in the Forbidden Cities, so yeah, I'd agree."

"Speaking of which, why'd you bring me here?" Tempest asked.

"Um, I feel like the words, 'an unconscious elf in a forest in the Forbidden Cities" should explain that." Val pointed out, crossing her arms.

Tempest rolled her eyes, "Oh, so if I wasn't an elf, you wouldn't have helped me?"

"I never said that."

"But it's what you meant. Listen, I've worked with lots of shady people over the years - most of which were not shades. I can tell when a person is stretching the truth, and I can tell when they're trying to cover up something. Now, I'm not sure what your whole seizure thing was, and I'm not sure if I want to, but I know it's not good. So, if you'll take me to California, I'll leave you here, and we probably won't see each other again, since I'm guessing neither of us want to go back to Atlantis or anywhere like that."

Val sighed in frustration, "Alright. Fine. Whatever. Let me grab my pathfinder, and I'll take you there."

Tempest didn't watch as Val walked away. She didn't like being back in the Lost Cities, and she needed to find Sophie and Dex. Whoever "The Lord of the Night" turned out to be, they knew about her quest to the Underworld, and she wanted to get there before he sent her there, even if his way was far easier than trying to get there alive.

As if on cue, a dark rim appeared around her vision. "No!" she muttered, "Not now! Why so soon?!?! You couldn't have waited until after I was brought to California?!?!"

"Sorry, Tempest." the voice sent shivers down her back, "But I decided that, if you weren't going to help me, you were too dangerous to stay alive. While I'd rather kill you in my domain, I think I'll have more fun if you're awake to call for help."

"Joke's on you. I don't ask people for help."

The voice chuckled, "You'll regret that soon." A feeling like a closed fist wrapped around her throat. "Very soon."

It felt like someone else was in the room with Tempest, choking her until she couldn't tell if the black was the owner of the voice or herself going unconscious. What?!? Since when...could he do this?!?! She thought as she gasped for breath, her head sagging. Her hands instinctively tried to push the fist away from her, but her attempts only resulted in mocking laughter. She didn't struggle against him for long before giving up and letting her hands fall back at her sides. Well... now Val... won't have to worry... about me.

Again, as if on cue, Val showed up in the doorway. The ringing in Tempest's ears was too loud to hear what she said, but her lack of response must've been worrying because she quickly came over to her. Tempest just sat there, watching as her vision grew darker. What's the point... in fighting... the inevitable?

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. At first, she was confused until the grip of the darkness suddenly disappeared. Gasping for breath, she put her hands on her knees for support and waited for the black around her vision to fade away. "Breathe." she heard Val say beside her, "Just breathe."

When she finally felt somewhat under control of herself again, Tempest looked over at Val. "What did you do?" she asked.

Val looked at her hands, "I... I told the... thing choking you to leave."

Tempest stared at her, confused, "How? I can never get it to stop."

"I'm a mesmer. You have to deal with that often?"

"The person? Yes. Being choked to death? That hasn't happened yet. He's starting to get desperate."

"Who?"

"Good question." Tempest sighed, "Why'd you help me?"

Val shrugged, "Cause I believe in second chances. Not to mention you tried to help me."

"I did literally nothing."

Val smiled, "Well, I guess it's the thought that counts."

Tempest gave her a small smile back, "I guess it is."

Well, would you look at that! An update during the school week! Actually, I was basically done with this chapter last night, but my device glitched and wouldn't do anything, so I couldn't publish it. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed, and I'll see y'all later! Bye!