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Aidan smiled at me.

It wasn't his usual smile; there was no trace of warmth in it. It was just cold.

"About time," He said. "You finally caught up."

"But why?" I said, still not believing he was the traitor. "Why would you start working for Kronos? He's evil!"

"Why?" Aidan said, and then he laughed.

It was a horrible laugh; cruel and cold.

"Why?" He repeated, his voice rising. "Because our mother abandoned us, that's why! Artemis left us when we were born; left us to be raised by Dad, alone! She abandoned her children; her family!"

"So what if she left us?" I said. "That doesn't mean you need to side with Kronos! You have other family; me, Dad, Pher, and Agro!"

Something in Aidan's face shifted. It looked for a moment as though he were back to his old self, but then that moment ended.

"That doesn't matter," Aidan said quietly.

Those last words ripped my heart in two; they altered the course of my life forever.

"That doesn't matter?" I repeated in a hoarse voice. "That doesn't matter? Your family doesn't matter?! I don't matter to you?!"

Anger was starting to swell in my broken heart.

Aidan didn't answer.

"Get out of my way!" I shouted.

"No," Aidan said.

"Then, I'll make you," I yelled, and I pushed Aidan down with the butt of daggers.

Aidan fell onto his butt. I stormed over to the hind, raised my daggers, and slashed through the first manacle. But before I could slash the next chain, Aidan came sprinting over.

He swung his daggers back. I didn't raise mine in time and...

SLASH!

One of Aidan's daggers came swishing down and cut over my right eye.

"AUGGHH!" I screamed.

Blood poured from the gash on my eye. staining my clothes red. I fell to the ground, dropped my daggers, and pressed my hands over my eye.

Ainsley! Agro barked, running over to me.

I looked up at Aidan, struggling to see through the blood. He was staring at me in horror.

"What have I done?" Aidan whispered, dropping his daggers.

He dropped to his knees next to me and whispered, "Sis, I'm so sorry. I-"

I never let him finish his sentence. A reckless, murderous fury had come over me, and I swung my fist back and punched him as hard as I could in the face.

I heard a sharp CRACK! as my fist connected with his nose; I had broken it. Blood began pouring down Aidan's face, and his hands flew to his face.

"What the Hades?!" Aidan shouted, and then he grabbed his daggers just in time as I swung hard at him.

"Traitor!" I yelled, swinging hard. "Backstabber!"

Ainsley! Aidan! Please, stop! Agro barked.

Just then, Pher tackled Agro to the ground and began trying to rip off her head. Agro had no choice but to turn her attention to trying to prevent Pher from decapitating her. They rolled around, claws ripping at each other and jaws snapping.

That, however, was the least of my problems. I was still losing a lot of blood every second, and Aidan seemed to be going into a trance again. The cold smile came back and he shouted, "If you want to fight, Ainsley Theron, let's fight!"

Aidan then proceeded to run backward to the very edge of the observation deck, where the guardrail was, climb up onto it, and stand on the very top bar.

"Bye, sis,"  Aidan said, grinning.

And then he fell backward.

My heart stopped in my chest.

"AIDAN!" I screamed, sprinting to the guardrail.

I looked down and saw the strangest thing I had ever laid eyes on: Aidan, riding what looked like a giant vulture with a human head carrying a golden bow with a quiver of arrows between the giant white wings. Only when the creature Aidan was riding did I understand. The creature was devilishly handsome with raven black hair and deep brown. Too handsome.

"Suprise, sis," Aidan shouted coldly as flew he overhead. "I have godly help."

Then, I understood who the flying creature was; I remembered the story Dad had told me a long time ago, of a mortal princess who was said to be even more beautiful Aphrodite. Enraged, Aphrodite sent her son to make sure no one ever loved that mortal princess again.

"Eros," I hissed.

One of the gods I hated most of all.

"About time you caught up, Ainsley Theron," Eros said, sneering. "Aidan Theron, enact the plan, now."

Aidan nodded, and as Eros soared overhead, he jumped, tuck-and-rolled, and landed behind me.

"Let's dance, shall we?" Aidan said, charging at me with his daggers drawn.

I blocked his dagger attack, ran around to the side, and swung hard at another manacle binding the hind. It broke, but there were still four more to break, and I couldn't break any more as Aidan chose that moment to summon lightning. It blasted down from the sky right at my face. Just as I raised my dagger to deflect the bolt, an arrow shot by Eros came whizzing toward me. Quick as a flash, with my right dagger, I deflected the bolt, and with my left hand, I caught the arrow.

"You're not getting rid of me that easily!" I snarled at Aidan, throwing the arrow aside. 

I sprinted at him, swung my daggers through the air, and brought one of them swishing down toward my face.

Aidan, forgetting that I had two daggers, blocked the dagger, and started to laugh coldly.

"You're gonna have to do better than th-" He began, but didn't finish because I had just jabbed sharply him the back of the knee with the butt of my dagger.

Aidan's right leg bent automatically, and he hissed in pain. I took the few seconds while he was distracted to jab my elbow into his back, causing Aidan to drop to all fours.

"Give up, yet?" I asked.

Instead of sounding scared, Aidan laughed again, and it unnerved me.

I found out why he was laughing when a piercing pain erupted between my shoulder blades. I looked up and saw Eros laughing, having just shot an arrow into my back.

A boiling hatred erupted from my gut. I grabbed the arrow, wrenched it from between my shoulder blades, and glared up Eros. I didn't know then how scary I looked, but when Eros saw my expression, he stopped laughing immediately and a look of pure terror appeared on his face.

Eros started to fly away, but I wasn't going to let him do that. No one, and I mean, no one, gets to hurt me and not suffer consequences. I sheathed my daggers, grabbed my bow off my back, notched the arrow Eros had shot at me, and let it fly at him. It hit right where I wanted it to.

CRACK!

With an earsplitting sound, Eros's bow split in two. The sound made my head spin even more than it already was from lack of blood.

"NO!" Eros screamed, furious.

I could tell he wanted to come to attack me, but he looked too frightened to even get within 10 feet of me. With no other options, Eros flew away, cursing in Ancient Greek.

"Give up, traitor," I snarled at Aidan, putting my bow away and drawing my daggers again. "Your little friend is gone. You have no one to help you. Give. Up."

"Oh, but on the contrary, dear sister," Aidan said, smiling wickedly. "Help has already arrived."

Aidan stepped to the side, as out of the staircase came a pack of dog-headed monsters with humanoid bodies.

"Goodbye, sister," Aidan said, and he whistled, so Pher stopped fighting with Agro and came running obediently to his side.

And together, they disappeared down the staircase.

Right before they disappeared from sight, I yelled the words I would regret forever, "I swear on the River Styx that I will never love you again, Aidan Theron."

Agro lay slumped on the ground, multiple bleeding bite marks on her body. I tried to run to her, but the pack of dog-headed monsters blocked my path.

"I have had enough," I growled, and without pausing to think, I swung my daggers around, reducing two dog-headed monsters to golden dust.

Even though the dog-headed monsters snapped at me with their jaws and swiped with their claws, I was mostly too quick for them. Within a few minutes, all that was left of the dog-headed monsters was a pile of golden dust.

I rushed over to Agro and placed my hand on her head.

No, Chief...don't...save your strength, Agro barked weakly as I began to chant in Ancient Greek.

I didn't stop healing her until all her injuries were gone. Then, and only then did I begin to examine myself for injuries. My silver jacket was stained with blood from the arrow wound on my back, the slash across my eye, which was still bleeding profusely, and the few cuts from the dog-headed monsters on my arms and legs. I willed myself to heal, and the cuts vanished, but the arrow wound and the gash didn't.

Chief, we need to get you to a hospital, Agro barked, licking the blood from my eye.

"No," I said firmly. "I need to free the hind."

I stood up and walked over to the hind, which was still chained by four chains. I raised my daggers and slashed through the remaining manacles.

The hind stood up, and I saw the raw, red marks left from the manacles. I sheathed my daggers, reached up a hand to her nose, and began to chant in Ancient Greek. The red marks vanished from the hind's body.

Thank you, my lady, the hind bleated, sinking one front leg down and bowing to me.

"Of course," I said. "Tell me how you got up here. I need to know, please."

Instead of roaming the woods of Arcadia like in the myths, I instead roam in the wilderness of California, the hind explained. About a month ago, a dark force ambushed me and brought me up here. They chained me to this wretched antennae, saying that I was bait for someone. So, for a month I waited, hoping that someone would come and rescue me. And then, you showed up.

"A dark force?" I said, frowning. "It must be Kronos."

Kronos?! the hind bleated, alarmed. But he's in Tartarus, isn't he? How can he be behind this?!

I explained about my quest, Chiron suspecting Kronos was rising, and how we needed to get back to New York or war would break out.

"So, do you know any w-" I began, but at that moment footsteps came thundering up the stairs, and I whirled around, ready to fight, but it was only Dad, Raiden, Zoë, and Snow.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh my gods!" Dad yelled, seeing my eye. "What happened kid?! Who did this you?! I'll kill them!"

He rushed toward me and pulled me into a hug.

I was about to explain, but I just couldn't; I was too exhausted and angry. Instead of speaking, I collapsed into his arms.