~Playlist: "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons~

"This is it, the apocalypse"

Esmerelda's POV

"Charlotta!" I shout as I approach Daphne and Sam, who are currently trying to capture the girl. "How dare you!"

The girl's violet eyes dart to my face. "I can explain, Esmerelda."

I hiss and with a flick of my wrist, a knife flies at her. She dodges the weapon narrowly.

Sam steps forwards to continue his attack. I hold my hand out, and he stops. "She's mine," I growl at him. He nods his head in acknowledgement.

Charlotta swings her sword towards the sky before sending it back down. It collides with the marble ground, and a crack appears there. It grows bigger until there's an entire chasm between us.

"When did you first betray us?" I demand. I get the words out before I jump across the wide void. Midair, I Shift into a falcon. I soar for a brief second before landing, human once more.

Charlotta doesn't look surprised that I got across. "Esmerelda, please," she begs. "Just listen to me."

"I'm all ears," I say mockingly. My sword seemingly flies from my sheath and into my scarred hands. I feint right and aim for a low blow. Charlotta manages to sidestep, but my leg is already there, and she trips over it.

I jump on top of her, and pin her to the ground. "When did you first betray us," I growl into her ear.

Charlotta sucks in a deep breath of air as I press my forearm deeper against her throat. "Please," she says weakly.

"Tell me," I demand.

"I've always worked for him," she gasps, and her violet eyes are swimming with tears. Whether it's from the lack of air or emotion, I don't know. "Ever since I've been there, at the DI, I've always worked for him."

With a snarl, I get off of her. She stumbles away, and massages her throat. I don't give her much of a recovery until I'm back at her, slashing and stabbing any part of her. In the back of my mind, I know that she's wearing protective armor, just like she always does, underneath her outfit. Whatever I do to her won't harm her.

"And why," I ask as I pull back my sword, allowing us both a minute to breathe. "Why even bother working for Willow?"

"Not just Willow," she says. "Her father. He's the one in charge."

"I know that," I snap.

"He found me when I was broken and alone," Charlotta says. "When I had no one left."

Memories unwillingly flood through my mind. Nights where his voice was all I could hear, where his hands grabbed my six-year-old self too roughly. Mornings where bruises covered every surface of my body, where I already knew how to apply make-up just to hide them. Nights when blood smeared across my wrists.

No, I reprimand myself. Memories and emotions only make you weak.

"I know broken and alone, Charlotta de Rosa," I snarl darkly. "And I doubt that you were there."

She narrows her eyes at me. "You don't know where I was that night. You don't even know what happened!"

"All I know," I snap. "Is that you won't get any pity from me. You betrayed us, Charlotta. You betrayed us all, even Gabriel-"

"Gabriel is not a part of this," she says desperately. Her eyes are wide, as if she's a deer trapped in headlights. "Please."

I whip my sword out and slash the air in front of her. I know that there's a crowd watching us, seeing that we're the only two left fighting. But at the moment, there's only Charlotta and me.

"Tell me why you betrayed us," I order. I stop fighting, and point my sword at her. "Give me a reason."

"I was working for him because I owed Livingston time."

"Time? What do you mean by you owed him time?"

"He found me when I was broken and alone," Charlotta repeats. "And he helped me. When I was...better, he wanted something from me. He wanted twelve years of enslavement to him. I agreed, and he let me go, giving me only this," she rolls up her sleeve and reveals a small tattoo of a leaf on her forearm. "As a reminder. Whenever he needs me, it burns."

"How many people did you kill on his orders?" I ask, forcing myself not to pity my former friend.

Her eyes flash with shame. "Too many," she whispers.

"Then you're a traitor," I say simply. "And you know what we do to traitors."

Sam is by my side again, as if he can read my mind. He puts his hand on my back, and a calm light sparks inside of me. It floods throughout my body as his hand leaves. I flash him a quick smile of gratitude before turning back to Charlotta.

"I'm your solider. You can't hurt me," she says. "I swore an oath to you."

"One that you've apparently always broken," I say, my voice even.

"Esmerelda, that's enough." Daphne's voice cuts through the air. I bite back a snarl, and lower my sword.

With a graceful elegance I've never been able to replicate, she leaps across the chasm nimbly and approaches Charlotta.

"Char," she says kindly. "You know what you've done."

"I know-"

"And Esmerelda isn't wrong when she says you've always broken your oath. Char, we gave you years of protection and training. You've betrayed us, and the gods as well. Once we return to the Institute, you will be interrogated. Only then will you be determined innocent or guilty."

"Daph, don't you-"

"Not right now, Sam," Daphne says with her hand held up. She sounds so tired. "Please, someone just take her away."

A figure moves forward with shackles in his hands. Drew silently puts them around Charlotta's wrists, and he pulls her upwards.

"Drew," she begs. "Drew, please. Please help me."

But he remains silent. Drew takes her away, and out of the courtroom.

Daphne takes in a deep sigh before turning around to face the audience. The Prince and his Elite are the only ones not looking at us in horror.

"The Mist, Char-" Daphne starts to say before realizing. After years of having Charlotta clear the minds of mortals, it's as if we're without an essential body part.

"I'll do it," Sam says gently. He snaps his fingers. At once, the entire audience moves for the doors. I know that they'll find their homes shortly, and have to recollection of the incident.

"I'm sure none of you know what's going on," Daphne says with a smile. The Prince and the Elite approach us cautiously. I note that all of them are carrying weapons.

"Some of us do," Annabeth Chase says, her gray eyes connecting with my own. "Is that why you've been testing us?"

Daphne winces. "We are sorry about that, you know. But it was the only way we could confirm our suspicions."

The door opens, and a group of palace guards pour in, and the only one not wearing the uniform, a short boy with black hair, is leading them.

"What happened in here?" he asks. I look around, and understand why he's outraged.

Dozens of bodies lay on the floor, limbs splayed out at awkward angles. Years of experience is the only thing that keeps me from being appalled, although I still have to look away.

"Where's a place we can have a meeting?" Sam asks the Prince. "Somewhere private?"

The Prince hesitates before speaking. "Just follow me."

I slide my long knives into their place on my thighs. I stop Sam before he's able to follow Daphne and the rest of the group.

"Thank you," I say with a genuine smile. "For helping me back there."

"You're not that girl anymore," he says, his hazel eyes looking at me so intently that a blush creeps across my cheeks. "But you don't have to keep it locked away all the time."

"I know," I say. "It's just easier that way."

"Es, that isn't-" he begins.

"Come on," I interrupt. "They're going to start without us.

I can feel his frown on my back, but I don't turn to see it. I have enough to worry about without pondering over what I should do with my past.

"I'm surprised you've stayed in this form for so long," Sam says with a small smile as we walk through the hallway behind the group. "You usually get bored."

"This one is my favorite," I say. "You know that."

"It's my favorite, too."

Our conversation halts to a stop as we arrive at the room they're huddled inside. Sam and I enter, taking a seat on either side of Daphne.

"Who has a question?" Daphne asks, and I'm struck at how much of a leader she's become over the past few years.

At once, everyone raised their hands, even the group of guards.

"Before that," I interrupt. "I don't believe we know each other."

"You're suggesting we introduce ourselves?" Sam asks, sounding incredulous. I grin at him, and he sighs.

"I'm Esmerelda Eduardo, and the grumpy one is Sam Clinton."

"I'm not grumpy," he mutters.

"Yes, you are."

"I'm Daphne Fitzgerald. Do you want to go next?" she asks the Prince.

"Me? I'm Percy Jackson."

I cock my head, and give him a grin. His eyes, my gods. They're beautiful. I try to memorize them in my mind so that I can try them out later.

"Annabeth Chase," the girl next to him says.

"Piper McLean."

"I'm Hazel Levesque."

"Rachel Dare."

"Reyna Ramirez-Arellano." My brows shoot up at her surprisingly long name.

"Jason Grace."

"Leo Valdez."

"I'm Frank Zhang."

"And I'm Nico di Angelo," the last boy says. "Now can you tell us what happened."

"Everyone in this room is a demigod, except for one," Daphne says.

"So much for telling them gently," I mutter to Sam, who grins at me in return.

"A what?" Reyna Ramirez-Arellano asks.

"Don't know what demi means, but I'm not feeling too godly. You guys feeling godly?" Leo Valdez asks.

"Who isn't a demigod?" Hazel asks.

"What is a demigod?" Percy asks.

"Shut up!" I say. "One at a time, if you don't mind."

As if on cue, everyone glares at me. I shrug, and lean against Sam.

"A demigod," Daphne says. "Is the child of a mortal, a regular human, and a god. A Greek or Roman god, in our case."

"So what you're saying," Percy says. "Is that we all are children of gods?"

Daphne nods her head.

Leo's face cracks into a wide smile. "I knew there was an explanation for my hotness."

A/N

Yes, I did just double-update. It wasn't easy, but I did it.

Today's shoutout goes to Sacred-Baubo for always having something good to say about each chapter. Thank you!

What were your thoughts about this chapter?

Random note, but I hope you try to listen to the song for each chapter. I've just started putting the lyrics on YouTube along with each chapter.

Thank you for reading!