~Playlist: "Shadows" by Sabrina Carpenter~

"It's okay to be afraid, just walk like you're never alone"

Annabeth's POV

"Again."

Ana's voice, usually bright and full of laughter, is surprisingly cold and stern. I quickly wipe the sweat from my brow before resuming my original stance.

A dagger clenched in my right hand, I spar with Ajax, who is fighting with a long sword. Though the weapons are very different, neither of us has a clear advantage.

At least, not until the dagger in my hand trembles slightly, causing my attack on Ajax's left side to fall short.

He smirks at me and blocks my strike easily. I frown, and mutter something I would have never said a month ago.

"I don't think I know that word," Ajax smiles while slashing at my torso. "They weren't kidding when they said Athena kids knew a lot of words."

I scowled and proceeded to randomly drop to the floor. Ajax, startled, stumbled forward, giving me the leverage I needed. I jumped back to my feet, tilted my dagger towards his neck, and yanked the hilt of his sword from him.

Ana tilted her head back and released a crystal clear laugh. Ajax grinned, embarrassed.

"Even with your little trick, Ajax, you still couldn't beat her," she remarks after catching her breath from laughing.

"Well, some of us can't control weaponry," I respond, handing the sword back to Ajax. "We have to rely on our brains."

He accepted the sword, and slid it back into its sheath. "I have to admit, I didn't see that one coming."

After checking that my dagger is secure in the small sheath hanging from my belt, I maneuver my way across the room to where Ana is standing. She offers me a cup of water, which I gratefully accept.

"Your form was good," she says while I gulp down the cool drink. "Though you seemed distracted."

"You can't blame her," says Ajax. "If I was fighting me, I'd be distracted too. This face is undeniably attractive."

Ana releases a sound between a chuckle and a squeak. I reach for my neck, and hold out the leather necklace that dangles there.

"I'm engaged, remember?"

"Convenient excuse."

Heat rushes to my face. "It's not supposed to be an --"

"Annabeth, there you are."

Daphne appears in the doorway, filling up the room with a calming sensation. My anger seemingly evaporated away until it completely fades.

"Come with me. I have someone for you to meet," she says with a sympathetic smile.

I gently set the empty cup down before following her out of the room, not sparing a glimpse back at Ana or Ajax.

All I can see is the back of Daphne's head as she leads me down a hall I have yet to see. Her hair is pulled back in a low ponytail, and it bounces with her every step.

"I could hear the shouting from here," Daphne says without turning around. Even though I can't see her face, I can hear the smile in her voice. "I figured I would rescue you."

"Thank you."

"Besides, I believe that those two have some, ah, tension to diffuse. It's best that that's done with them together."

I turn my head to see if I can see either Ajax or Ana, but I can't. "Are they. . . together?"

"No. Not yet, at least. They like each other, we all know it. Everyone except for them, of course. Although, that is how these things work."

Raised voices float from the training room.

"Undeniably attractive? What the hell makes you undeniably attractive?" Shouts Ana, her voice more shrill than usual.

"I can think of a few things," says Ajax in response. His voice, though as loud as Ana's, is lacking the intense emotion. He's teasing her, and she's falling for it, hook and sinker. "Including my favorite body part. I've had many trustworthy eye witnesses that can account for that."

A scream. "That is disgusting, you perv!"

"How does that make me disgusting?" He demands. "It's mine. If it was Sam's, then that would make me a perv. Maybe I'll ask Esmerelda--"

A loud thud follows that statement. Daphne and I turn the corner, and their voices fade.

"Then again, it's rather entertaining to hear them go at it." Daphne says, a sparkling flame in her eye as she turns towards me.

She stops walking in front of a large, blank black wall. This area of the Demigod Institute is completely deserted, which is a rarity. Normally, at least one or two demigods are present anywhere in the building.

"Now, the person I want you to meet can be. . . intense," says Daphne. "And strange. Just try not to pass out, run away, vomit, or scream. And yes, all have happened."

My stomach turns uneasily. What kind of person would make someone do that just upon meeting them?

"I'll try my best," I vow shakily.

Daphne holds her hand out to the wall, a shiny item held in her hand. Its a piece of glass, and it catches the light, casting a slight glow on the black wall.

A door handle appears where the glow of the glass shines. Daphne twists it, and a door opens.

She stands there, motioning for me to go.

Touching the necklace around my neck for bravery, I stalk forwards, entering the dark room.

No, it's not a room. It's as if I'm inside a painting-- everything seems to be made of an oily paint, the walls dripping away. The drops from the walls build new walls, drawing closer to me. They surround me, suffocating me--

I push them away, and I fall. I land hard on the ground. There was nothing there, just air.

The ground isn't black; it's a mirror. I stare down at it, and see my reflection staring back at me.

Slowly, I push off the ground, never taking my eyes off my reflection. Then, once I'm on my feet, I look around.

And gasp. Everything is made of mirrors. Reflections of my reflections surround me-- no, not just my reflection. There are others there, other people.

I step closer to the closest mirror. A small girl, no older than ten, is shaking, tears running down her face. She's only wearing a pair of flannel pajamas, and her blond hair is a mess. She looks up at me, her gray eyes filled with tears. She's clutching a teddy bear in one hand, and a knife in the other.

I stumble backwards. That's me, as a child.

I collide with a panel of cool glass. Though scared to see who it shows, I turn to look at it.

Percy is standing there, his eyes red and bloodshot and filled with rage. His hands are thrusted outwards and aimed at a woman. She's engulfed with liquid, liquid that Percy is controlling. She's standing on dry land, and drowning.

"Percy?" I whisper weakly. He either doesn't hear me, or doesn't care.

"Annabeth."

A voice. I spin my head around to see a sad pair of blue eyes looking at me. A scar slashes through one of them.

"Luke." The name is relief on my lips, almost holy, as if I'm a sinner praying to a saint.

He reaches out for me. I try to grab his hand, but all I connect with is cool glass.

Anger and desperation course through my veins, making a poisonous concoction. But then, Luke holds a hand out of the mirror, impossibly. I grab it, and almost cry at the familiar callouses on his palm.

Luke smiles at me and I embrace him. "You're not scared, are you? No, you're tough. Strong. Nothing scares you, huh Annie?"

Tears flood in my eyes. "That's not true."

"Yeah, it is. Out of the three of us, you were the bravest. And the most dependable. I could always count on you, Annabeth."

The arms he has wrapped around me tighten slightly.

"So why didn't you save me?"

His voice is no more than a whisper, but it echoes through me. It pulses through my veins, trembling every cell in my body.

"Luke?"

"When I fell, you could have saved me. You should have realized long before then that I needed your help. You should have realized that Willow would seek me out after she got Selected. You could have stopped everything."

I pull out of his embrace, and stare incredulously into his eyes. How could I have ever thought them to be sad? No, they were angry, full of rage directed towards me.

And rightfully so. At the beginning of the Selection, I knew Willow would pose as trouble. But I didn't say anything because I was too scared, too weak to do anything.

"And it caused me to get hurt. It caused Piper, and Bianca, and Thalia, and Reyna to get hurt." Luke's voice blends in with the voice in my head. Whatever I'm thinking, he knows, and he says it right as I think it.

"You're poison, Annabeth Chase. Your lies help no one, and they hurt everyone."

I take a step back, away from him. Then another. And another, until my back connects with cool glass.

"Look at all the mirrors, Annie." The nickname is no longer endearing; it's cold and mocking. "Look at everything you've done."

I do. I look at all of the ones I haven't yet seen.

I see myself killing people in the white courtroom, not caring about who I murder as long as I'm safe. Alive.

I see myself yelling at Thalia,who is chained to a wall, as silent tears fall from her eyes. But I didn't care.

And there are more, but I'm not quick enough to see them. The past events swirl around until a new image replaces each memory. I can only guess that they reveal the future.

I see myself on a battlefield, killing dozens of people. I don't even slow down after one person dies. No, my blade keeps swinging, reaping lives as I continue a frantic fight.

I see myself standing over Luke's dead body, Thalia's own broken several feet to my left. I watch as I don't even cry over them, as I just take something from Luke's hand and walk away.

I see myself standing alone.

That one scares me most of all.

No, I'm not alone. There are others in that mirror, but none of them are standing. They're laying on the floor, dead.

My breathing hitches as I catch sight of Percy, a line of blood still trickling from his nose. Piper is dead, too, her beautiful eyes open forever. Thalia has a shout etched on her face, though it will never be heard by the world. Leo's hair is singed at the ends.

I can't look away from that mirror. I watch as I walk past Percy, Piper, Thalia, and Leo to whoever else is killed.

Esmerelda's curls are a mess, completely tangled together. Her hand is mere centimeters from Sam's, who's tanned hand is clutching a golden bow.

Tears in my eyes blur the others features.

"Look at what you did," Luke whispers in my ear. I almost forgot that he was here. "Look at what you did to everyone you've ever loved."

Outside of the mirror, I should be safe from Luke. He shouldn't be able to hurt me.

I break away from him, backing up until my back is against a wall of glass.

But somehow, he advances and his hand touches my arm.

I realize that I'm not outside the mirror; I'm trapped in it.

Panic settles in and I try to get Luke off me. He's strong.

But so am I. I clumsily reach for my dagger, and unsheath it. I aim the blade behind me, and slam it against the glass.

It shatters. The reflection of me standing alone among the bodies of my friends falls apart.

I look at Luke one last time. Small lines appear all over his body, spiderwebbing across. The cracks grow bigger until he shatters. His eyes are the last things to fall.

"Your fears are so. . . uniquely delicious, Annabeth Chase. Your memories so dark."

A silky voice rings not only through the room, but also through my mind. I wince as the voice slides across my brain like honey: sweet and slow.

"I'll admit, I didn't think it would be that much fun, but you did surprise me."

The voice strokes the edges of my mind almost playfully. However, the pain it leaves is anything but.

"Who are you?" I growl through the throbbing ache.

"I am your soul, Annabeth Chase. I am your mind. I am every dark thing about you, every black part of your heart. I am the poison that you can barely keep at bay, the poison that threatens to corrode your heart. I am your reflection."

The room warps and twists until it reveals a grand room filled with silver. A young girl is sitting in a chair made completely of silver, an ornate tiara placed on her oily black hair.

Then, she raises her black eyes to meet mine.

And I scream.

*****

Shadows. Darkness.

It's all I am, all I'll ever be, all I was.

Obumbratio, ut ex obumbratio.

To shadow from shadow.

But in the umbra, the darkest part of the shadow, there is more than just darkness: there is emotion. Amplified much more than human emotion, its overwhelming. Just to be near it is enough to destroy even a god.

But I am not a god. I am a monster. And monsters have always been more powerful than gods.

Cruel joy hums through my entire expansive being, for I am not just in the shadow: I am the shadow. It destroys every bit of me and rebuilds so that I am only existing for this feeling. I expand, stretching my dark domain even farther out. The entire world is mine, if I can just continue this feeling.

Then, a light. It's small at first, but, as lights always do, it grows. Soon, the pinprick swells into a beam. It shrinks my domain until I'm nothing more than myself again.

The wicked happiness is replaced with uncontrollable rage. I slam out towards the light, howling, trying to extinguish it.

But the light grows, and in it I can see two figures, both of them human. A girl. A boy. The boy is holding the light in one hand, and in the other is the girl's hand. Together, they attempt to kill me.

But they do not know. I do not fear nor hate the light. Without it, I wouldn't exist at all.

How ironic: the thing with which they sought to destroy me is what fuels my power.

Mirrors. I slink into my mirrors, and I watch as their horrified gazes settle on the reflections. I spin their horrible memories in the mirrors, displaying them for the other to see. And the light they hold so valiantly in their mortal hands only propels the images into their eyes.

I reach deep into the boy's mind, and find his fear. I spread it into all the mirrors until it's all that he can see.

It's the girl, bloodied and beaten. For some reason, a large pair of black wings are sticking out of her back.

A masked man shackles her hands together, and they drop to the floor from the heavy weight. The girl struggles, but it's useless. The masked man raises a sword, and chops off one of her wings.

Though it's just a trick of the light, a mere reflection, the scream is more horrible than any I've heard before. It cuts through me sharply, and I don't even know the mortal. A fear this deep, this realistic can only come from a memory with added fear.

While the boy is distracted with his biggest fear, I sneak up behind the real girl, completely unnoticed. I pull her down into my shadow, and drag her into a mirror.

"Are you who I'm looking for?" She asks, green eyes blazing.

I melt into my human-like form. I nod my head, baring my teeth at her.

"I'm here to kill you," she says. I laugh.

"Kill me?" I scoff. "You can't kill me. You think me to be Darkness, but I am Light. I am a shadow, and a reflection. You cannot kill Light."

The girl looks defiantly at me. Then, a scream breaks away her focus. She turns and watches as her male companion stares as his fear plays out on the glass in front of him. The fake girl is still screaming, and the masked man's mask fell off, revealing the man to be none other than the boy. The girl watched as he chopped off her reflection's other wing.

"I'm going to kill you," she growls. "I have been sent here by the gods to damn you for all eternity."

I giggle, the sound echoing in my mirror. "You can't! You can't! I am you, Esmerelda Eduardo. I have seen everything you've seen. I've been everywhere you've been. I am you, and you are me. There is no difference between you and your reflection."

She whips out a knife and lunges at me. I don't fight back--there's no point. She won't be able to do it, in the end.

"Tell me," I whisper in her ear. "What do you think Sam will do when he learns what Drake Samuels did to you? What will he think after he learns you're not pure anymore?"

She thrusts the knife down towards my chest, stopping it right before it hits my heart. Instead, it scratches my chest, bringing blood to the surface. A look of surprise crosses her face as she looks down at her own chest, and sees blood there, too. Her breathing is ragged and raw.

"You can't do it!" I say gleefully. "You can't kill me without killing yourself. You cut me, you cut yourself. You damn me, you damn yourself. And you would never do that. Better to just surrender and accept your and Sam's death."

"You're wrong," she whispers. "I would damn myself a thousand times before letting Sam die."

Then, she turned the dagger and plunged it into her own chest. I howl with rage, but it's too late. Somehow, the girl knew my secret, my weakness and sole flaw.

And she binds me for all eternity.

*****

"How boring. She hasn't awoken yet," the silky voice says, sounding disappointed.

"I told you not to do anything!" Daphne sounds outraged. "Clear, plain instructions."

A giggle. "I did nothing. It was all her."

I open my eyes and swallow to try and clear the fire from my throat.

"Annabeth!" Daphne exclaims, sounding relieved. "Are you alright?"

"What happened?" My voice is hoarse and weak. "What was that I just saw?"

I look at the girl with hair the color of oil.

"I saw a piece of you, you see a piece of me. A trade. It's fair."

The girl doesn't look any older than eight, and she looks as if she just exchanged a sticker for a lollipop. But in her eyes, I can see something so much more than that, something so much darker. It makes me shiver.

"It would only be a trade if I agreed to it," I retort.

The girl releases an unearthly noise, a monstrous growl. "I could have shattered your mind, mortal. Be grateful I didn't!"

"I'd be more grateful if you got out of my head!" I shout back.

Shadows pool at her feet, collecting together.

Flame flickers to life where the shadows are. Daphne retracts her hand, but she stays standing in between us.

"Don't kill each other, or else the flames will do more than flicker next time," she says warningly.

I peer at the little girl from across the room.

"You're a monster."

It's not a question.

"Yes. I don't know why you're surprised. After all, I am every living thing's reflection and shadow, and everyone holds a monster inside themselves."

"What is your name?"

Her dark eyes flare, drawing me in. No. I force myself to look away, look anywhere else but those captivating shadows.

"There's not a mortal word for it, but Daphne calls me Umbra."

Surprise flickers through me. "The darkest part of the shadow."

She smiles, revealing her perfect white teeth. "It's fitting, isn't it?"

"Very." A beat. Then, "You're a reflection of humanity?"

"I am a collective reflection of every living thing. I am capable of the kindest to the most cruel of actions. I am peace and war. I am joy and despair. I am feast and famine. I am love and hatred. I am bravery and cowardice. I am Light and Shadow."

"Anything you can possibly juxtapose," interrupts Daphne.

"She's a monster," I say, this time to just Daphne. "Why is she here?"

She winces. "We need her help. And yours, if you're willing."

I look at Umbra out of the corner of my eye. Even just sitting there, I can feel my fears turn to the front of my mind.

I turn back to Daphne. "I'll do it."

Author's Note
Just a quick little recap on what you've missed from when I haven't updated.

1. I sprained my right wrist (which is my dominant hand) so writing this was a pain, especially since it's so long. So it may have a bunch of typos and errors. Sorry.

2. I'm going to be changing my username, so don't be freaked out if you get a notification from me, but I'm not divergentkatniss

3. I saw the live action Beauty and the Beast movie three times so far. And it's. So. Good. And I bought the soundtrack and have been listening to that nonstop.

4. I'm going to do a bit of self-promoing because why not. I'm soon going to be releasing a book that's a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but with a twist.

I hope that you enjoyed! What did you think about Umbra? As always, thanks for reading!