<>------<>Aeras<>------<>

Stupid Midnight and his so called responsibilities.

Smash. I knocked the dummy’s helmet across the arena in a cloud of dust.

Stupid Father with his Earth mission.

Slash. The dummy’s arms came off and went flying, hay everywhere.

Stupid unknown enemy and her world domination.

Slink. I racked my sword across the dummy’s midsection and watched as the top half cluttered to the ground.

I panted heavily and glared at my opponent, daring it to stand up, put itself together and continue that fight like everything else that was doomed to go wrong in my messed up life.

‘What did the dummy ever do to you?’ Midnight asked.

I hadn’t even realized he’d come up behind me. He did have a habit of sneaking through the shadows. Gritting my teeth, I wiped my brow beneath my hood but didn’t face him.

‘It existed,’ I snapped. ‘That seems enough for the monsters to go by.’

‘We’re not monsters. And you’re scaring the little kids.’

I glanced over to the stands. A few weren’t paying attention to my brother and I, instead enjoying a well-deserved break from our training. But most eyed me carefully, like I could go from collected, trained soldier to insane, murderous madman in a matter of seconds.

‘Are you okay?’ Midnight pried, laying a hand on my should which I instantly shook off.

‘I’m fine,’ I sheathed my sword in one smooth movement and walked away.

‘No, you’re not,’ my brother ran after me. ‘Aeras, what’s going on?’

‘Why are we even here?’ I yelled, spinning on the spot to glare at him. ‘What are we even doing here?’

‘Keep it down,’ Midnight hissed at me with a glance over at the campers, a few of whom were beginning to glance our way. ‘They might hear you.’

‘To hell if they hear me,’ I dismissed angrily. ‘I don’t even care.’

‘Aeras,’ he snapped in a low tone. ‘Stop this, you’re being foolish.’

I sighed, ‘I don’t know, Midnight. This sickness is spreading, we know where to find the cure but we don’t know who has it, an unknown enemy is rising against us, the campers won’t be ready; we’re headed for wrack and ruin. And you’re calling me foolish?’

Midnight shook his head, ‘We have to focus on the things we do know.’

‘So we know the gods are sick,’ I counted off on my metal clad fingers. ‘We know the sickness is spreading, we know Ewan can’t heal them, we know that Nero and possibly you will have to return to Tartarus-’

‘And you accuse me of being a ray of sunshine,’ my brother said sarcastically. ‘Seriously, Aeras, thing of the positives.’

I blinked, ‘And they would be?’

‘Well, uh,’ Midnight suddenly seemed unsure and I bit back an I told you sosmirk. ‘We know the campers trust us to train and protect them.’

‘And,’ I egged.

‘And,’ his hands began tapping against his elbows as he crossed his arms. ‘And, we know that Eden could discover something useful.’

‘Could,’ I said, putting a stressed emphasis on the word. ‘Admit it, we don’t know anything.’

He sighed, ‘Okay, so we’re in a tough spot. So what? We’ve been in tough spots before. What’s so different about now?’

‘Oh, I don’t know,’ I snapped, sarcasm enriching my tone. ‘Let me think about it while I talk to these demigods, and walk around camp, and breathe this earth air!’

‘Holy Chaos, Aeras, just keep your thoughts to yourself,’ Midnight hissed under his breath.

‘No, that’s it, I’m done,’ I punched over a straw dummy that clattered to the floor. ‘I can’t take this.’

I walked away from my brother. With the enhanced hearing I suddenly wished I didn’t have, I heard Annabeth come up behind Midnight and ask, ‘Is he okay?’ And Midnight answered, ‘He just needs some time to cool it. He’s not thinking straight.’

I growled and kicked a rock outside the arena, sending it flying into the woods. Slumping down on a large boulder, my anger collapsed into a pile of twisted rubble, my confused thoughts still trapped inside the disaster.

‘Hey.’

I stiffened. Piper noticed. She frowned at me with a kindly expression I didn’t expect from her. Each colour that flashed in her eyes seemed to spark with a different emotion; compassionate blue, distrusting brown, intelligent hazel, unbreakable grey, gentle green. I don’t know what I expected from the daughter of Aphrodite, but it wasn’t what I saw.

‘Hello,’ I managed bitterly, the word alone stirring up memories and emotions I’d rather stay down.

‘What are you doing out here?’ she queried hesitantly.

‘Playing chess,’ I grumbled.

Piper laughed and it reminded me of the better times with her. The melodic, entrancing sound lifted my spirits, if only a tiny bit.

‘Now there’s an old game,’ she smiled. ‘But weren’t you supposed to be training the campers.’

‘Weren’t you supposed to be being trained?’ I retorted.

‘Touché,’ she admitted softly. ‘So what are you doing out here, Master of Air?’

I sighed, ‘I’m thinking. Not that I need to tell you, demigod.’

She huffed, ‘No need to be nasty. I was trying to be polite.’

‘Because you and your kind have been so welcoming to us since we first arrived,’ I turned away and stared at the towering trees.

‘We would’ve been,’ I almost didn’t hear her. ‘But Annabeth and Reyna would’ve strung us up. We’re not supposed to be nice to anyone suspicious of being traitors. They won’t take chances like last time. The rest of us know better.’

I heard her move away and suddenly didn’t want her to. I stood, my wings stretching above my head, the sun casting white glistening shapes across the flower dotted grass.

‘Wait,’ I called after her. ‘Last time what? Know what better?’

Piper turned and walked backwards, ‘After the five “traitors,” as Annabeth and Reyna call them, were killed. The old campers know better. They were our friends, and real heroes. We know who they really were.’

She spun around and raced for the Big House in the distance, the green building standing tall and impressive, reminding me painfully of the old blue one and my old life here, when I was happy just being a demigod. I wanted to call her back, to know exactly who she was talking about, even though there was only one possibility.

Did she and the others really believe that my siblings and I weren’t traitors? Did she really believe that I never turned on Olympus? And why were Reyna and Annabeth so determined that we were the bad guys? Did they know something the rest didn’t?

I felt a shiver run down my spine and I glanced around in search of a breeze, but the air was still. I drew my wings closer around me, light bouncing off the white feathers.

AERAS!

I winced and held the sides of my head as a yelp escaped my lips. My head pounded and my vision did a three sixty.

‘Gods, Fabian, don’t do that!’ I groaned, blinking spots from the corners of my eyes.

Sorry, I imagined him biting his lip like he always does when he’s guilty. Arrow told me to find out where you are. Midnight said you made run for it.

I rolled my eyes, ‘Typical of him. I just needed some space. What do you guys need?’

Where are you?

‘Outside the arena,’ I noticed some passing campers giving me strange looks. I suppose I was talking to myself, so they had a right to.

Arrow says stay where you are. She and Midnight will be right there. Nero and Destiny will be there as soon as they’re finished with Eden. She’s in a bit of a state.

‘Are you coming?’

I’ll be along with Nero later.

‘Roger.’

My name’s Fabian.

‘Never mind.’

Nothing changed in me when he left my mind, no longer listening to my thoughts, but I knew he was gone. The same way I knew something wasn’t right about the whole situation; instinct.

I sat back down on my little rock to think, but all I could really do is mull over what we already knew. There had to be something we’d missed, something that was in plain sight. I was sure Nero was the one who held the answers to the cure, he just didn’t realize it.

‘Aeras!’

I barely glanced up as Arrow and Midnight landed beside me, silver and black wings beating at the air restlessly. They stood there for a moment, seemingly contemplating me.

Eventually, I felt a soft hand on my shoulder. My eyes flicked up to meet my sisters, visible as she looked down on me from under her hood. The orange flecks in her eyes glowed bright against her usual electric blue.

Using only the gentleness in her eyes-a gentleness that usually belonged to Destiny-she coaxed me to stand up and take a deep, calming breath.

‘There,’ she said. ‘All better?’

‘Not really,’ I mumbled.

‘Good,’ she clapped her hands together. ‘Moving on to important matters. Eden saw, well, something. Nero, Destiny and Fabian are trying to get it out of her now, but cut off my wings if they have any luck. But she did say something to Nero. It was something like, “Don’t be a hero. You’ll know when the time comes.” She said something big was coming.’

‘Well, we all knew that,’ Midnight pointed out.

Arrow made a face, ‘Well, yes. But she directed it at Nero, not at all of us. I think something’s coming at Nero specifically.’

‘Not that he needs any more to think about,’ I grumbled.

Arrow nodded earnestly, ‘Nero has too much to think about at the moment, what with Tartarus looming up ahead, the gods sickness spreading, and the generalness of being back on earth.’

‘Thanks for summing that up, Little Miss Sunshine.’

‘Oh, shut up, Midnight,’ Arrow sighed. ‘We gotta stop getting on each other’s nerves. It’s not helping anything.’

I thought for a moment, reluctant to admit that my sister was right. But she was, and both Midnight and I knew it.

Aeras! Destiny’s on her way. Nero, Eden and I aren’t far behind.

‘Roger that,’ I nodded immediately.

Fabian! My name’s Fabian! You’ve only known me ten thousand years!

My palm said hello to my head as I raised it in an exasperated, harsh slap. Midnight and Arrow drew back, looking at me as if I was crazy, which, in a way, I was.

‘Fabian,’ I explained, the one word saying so much while saying so little.

‘Oh,’ my brother and sister nodded, their features relaxing in understanding.

Silence rained down upon us like a soft dew fall in the early morning. If I closed my eyes, I could almost imagine being back on Aurae with the sun at my back and a gentle breeze sifting my hair as I stood on one of the many silver balconies that ringed the palace. If I closed my mind, I could almost imagine being free of this burden; the mission that could end up getting us all killed.

For a moment, I questioned Father’s judgment in bringing us here, but I realized he wouldn’t have wanted to any more than we wanted to come. But if Father didn’t want to send us here, why were we here? There was some bigger mystery at play, and I didn’t like it one bit.

‘Guys!’

A golden shadow fell over us as Destiny flew in a circle, looking for a large enough space to land. We all took a step back and she dropped like a stone, spreading her wings slightly at the last second to cushion the fall.

‘Oomph,’ her legs buckled for a moment. ‘That was uncomfortable. The others are on their way.’

‘We know,’ I tapped the side of my head and flinched as my fingers brushed the soft, black material that made up my hood. I’d always hated the thing.

‘Okay, great, so,’ Destiny wrung her hands and rocked on her heels. ‘Uh, Eden hasn’t really discovered anything useful. Apart from her ever so helpful cryptic info on Nero’s impending doom.’

Midnight sighed exasperatedly, ‘Talk about inspiring.’

Destiny fell scarily silent like she did when she was focusing intently on her powers of fate. Her wings pulled in around her as she seemingly tried to fold in on herself. The temperature dropped a few degrees.

‘Destiny,’ I said softly.

She turned her head away from me, ‘Something about Nero. It’s strange. I don’t know what it is, and fate is cloudy.’

The frustration in her voice was clearly audible. Destiny hated being in the dark, especially on a subject she should’ve been well versed in. Arrow and Midnight exchanged a glance that didn’t inspire me with any more confidence.

‘Guys!’ a voice yelled from above.

I nodded in the direction of the WG, ‘Nero, Fabian and Eden are coming.’

Arrow, Midnight and Destiny followed my gaze to where Nero flew as majestic as an eagle, his brother and sister right on his tail. They were closing in fast, until Nero’s wings suddenly faltered and he dropped harshly with a cry of, ‘Whoa!’

He just landed on his feet, wobbling a bit. Fabian and Eden came down gracefully behind him.

‘Nero,’ Arrow yelled as we ran up. ‘What happened? Are you okay?’

‘Yeah,’ he mumbled, looking up at the sky. ‘Just a rough patch of wind.’

Midnight shot me a sideways glance. I glared right back.

‘Wasn’t me,’ I protested.

‘It might’ve accidently been you,’ Arrow said thoughtfully. ‘When you and Destiny had that fight in the arena, the winds went all crazy. Maybe they’re just reacting to your emotions.’

I bit my lip anxiously, ‘Maybe.’

I found that highly unlikely. Okay, so the winds went haywire when I was dueling my sister. But then my emotions were running high with excitement and exhilaration. I wasn’t feeling anything just then but confusion. My emotions were in check. Sort of.

Then something Eden murmured to Fabian snapped my attention. ‘I didn’t feel any wind. Did you?’

No wind?

I looked back at Nero, running his hands up and down his arms as if he was cold. Come to think of it, he did that a lot lately. He seemed nervous. I wondered if he already knew about Tartarus. Maybe his memories were coming back, reminding him of where he needed to go.

‘Look,’ Nero started. ‘I don’t know what Eden’s warning meant-’

That sounded like a lie.

‘-but we have to focus on finding this cure,’ he finished. ‘We find the cure, we can help the gods, and we’re going to need them to face whatever’s coming next.’

Destiny gasped, ‘Nero-’

‘Not now,’ he warned her bitterly. ‘Does anyone have any ideas?’

Destiny threw her hood back. A dangerous move, seeing as we were in the middle of camp halfway through the afternoon. Her gold eyes glittered, sparked with mixed emotions that I couldn’t seem to decipher. She looked her brother straight in the eye, tilting his chin up.

‘Nero,’ she tried again.

‘No,’ he moved away, pulling back. ‘Not important. Anyone?’

Destiny stepped back with a small sniff, flicking her hood back up with a minute movement of her hand. Midnight, Arrow and I exchanged a confused glance. Fabian and Eden frowned at their brother concernedly.

Fabian murmured to Eden, ‘Stress is going to his head.’

‘There is one thing we thought,’ Midnight admitted warily. ‘We think we might know where the cure is.’

Nero sighed, ‘I was wondering how long it would take for one of you to “tell” me that.’

I scratched the back of my neck, ‘I’m confused.’

‘I know where I’ll have to go, Aeras,’ he explained tiredly. ‘Tartarus.’

The air chilled around us as the ominous word was breathed into the atmosphere. I couldn’t tell if that was my fault or just the general forebodingness that came with the word.

‘You won’t have to go there alone,’ Midnight declared determinedly.

‘Yeah,’ Nero laughed sarcastically. ‘I’ll have Annabeth.’

‘No,’ Midnight shook his head, his tone offended. ‘You’ll have me.’

‘You?’ Nero asked in surprise.

Midnight slumped, ‘Yes, me. I’ve been there before, I can go back.’

‘You almost went insane the first time,’ Nero reminded him.

‘So did you,’ Midnight grumbled. ‘And may I remind you I was alone, unprepared, hunted and thirteen.’

‘I was even more unprepared than you!’ Nero argued. ‘You went looking for the doors! I fell in a hole! And I wasn’t much older.’

‘You were nearly seventeen!’

‘Well we’re all over ten thousand now,’ Arrow shouted, breaking the boys apart. ‘So let’s all calm the Hades down and think rationally and productively.’

Nero sighed, ‘Even if we know we have to go back to Tartarus, we don’t know where we’re headed.’

‘The fates said you would know,’ Arrow mumbled. ‘It must be there in your memory somewhere.’

‘That’s over ten thousand years ago, Arrow,’ Nero said wearily. ‘I can’t remember.’

‘I can help there,’ Destiny put in. ‘It would take a bit of time. Little bit of fate magic, and boom! You should remember. Should.’

‘Joy,’ Midnight muttered.

‘And what are the rest of us doing in the meantime?’ I asked.

‘Training the campers,’ Arrow said. ‘Without scaring them this time, Aeras.’

‘I didn’t scare them,’ I grumbled. ‘I just let my frustration out on a straw man.’

Arrow groaned, ‘Just train them. Okay? Midnight and I will be there too.’

‘Hooray for that,’ I muttered under my breath.

A breeze wafted in on a current of bitterness and concern, led by my thoughts.

Destiny knew something about Nero that we didn’t, Nero knew where we could find the cure but he couldn’t remember, Arrow and Midnight we’re continuously jumping down my throat whenever I said something, and I was going completely out of my mind.

‘Come on,’ I grumbled, walking towards the arena. ‘Fabian, Eden; maybe you guys can help us.’

Fabian shook his head, ‘I may have an idea to help Nero. I’ll catch up with you guys later.’

‘Okay,’ Arrow said. ‘The rest of the Sorrows should still be at the arena training the campers.’

Arrow, Midnight, Eden and I took to the sky. I focused my entire mind on keeping the winds steady. If my emotions were running wild enough to knock Nero out of the sky, I would have to focus everything I had on keeping them in check.

The air was still apart from the heavy beat of our wings, slapping against the cold air.

‘What do we tell everyone?’ Eden called.

I glanced at her, ‘Campers or Sorrows?’

She shrugged as much as she could as she flew, ‘Both!’

‘Sorrows we tell the truth,’ Arrow yelled back. ‘Campers don’t need to know anything.’

‘We just train them,’ Midnight agreed.

We landed in the middle of chaos, no pun intended. Spears and knives were being flung left and right. Swords clashed as the campers fought and yelled in exhilaration. The aroma of metal tainted the air, along with the metallic smell of blood. Our brothers and sisters ran back and forth, attempting and failing to placate the fighting, but the campers were too engrossed.

Arrow sighed, cracking her neck and rolling her shoulders. Clearing her throat and taking a deep breath, she screamed, ‘SHUT IT!’

The whole arena went deathly quiet. Sharp objects stopped flying. Over a hundred wide-eyed, guilty faces blinked at Arrow, Midnight, Eden and I.

Arrow brushed a stray lock of brown hair back under her hood and behind her ear, ‘Okay. Thank you, everyone, for that wonderful display of potential, but I think it would be best if we got back to training.’

The campers continued to stare at her until she barked, ‘Now!’ Then they flew into a mass panic, tripping over each other and themselves. Weapons clattered as they were roughly shoved back onto shelves, and the campers pushed others away in the rush to line up in the middle of the arena in front of us.

Ewan, Aaron, Charlie, Willow, Kiralee, Abraham, Henry and Autumn pushed their way to the front to stand with Arrow, Midnight, Eden and I.

‘Where are the others?’ Midnight asked softly.

‘Trace and Holly are circling the perimeter,’ Arrow recalled. ‘Neveah should be doing the same.’

‘Amber was here earlier,’ Charlie put in. ‘She went to help Corby at the forge. She brought some weapons for us.’

‘And weren’t they put to good use,’ Midnight grumbled. ‘Okay, we’ll have to sort out a system.’

I nodded, ‘Ewan, you stay on hand but away from the fighting. Something tells me we’re gonna need your healing.’

‘Charlie, Abraham and Henry,’ Midnight called them forward. ‘You three are going to help me train the boys. Kiralee, Autumn and Willow, you’re with Arrow to train the girls.’

I crossed my arms and grit my teeth, ‘And me?’

‘You and Aaron with the younger kids.’

My face softened. As much as I hated to admit it, I had a rather large soft spot for little kids. That was something my brothers and sisters did not hesitate to exploit.

I sighed, ‘Fine.’

‘And Aaron,’ Arrow put in with a small shake of her head. ‘No scaring the littlies.’

‘Humph,’ Aaron sulked and kicked a rock, walking away and murmuring to himself. ‘I don’t.’

I sighed and started after him, but Midnight grabbed my arm. I flinched and he pulled back instantly, a flicker of hurt showing in his posture for only a moment.

‘Aeras,’ he said softly. ‘Just, uh, don’t take anything I said to heart. I’m sorry for being a little harsh. Just with Tartarus and everything, I’m a little stressed out.’

‘We’re all stressed, Midnight,’ I replied. ‘That’s not an excuse.’

I made to turn away, but again he stopped me.

‘Please,’ he begged. ‘I’m trying to say sorry. It’s just not something I’m good at. You know I’m going to have to return to Tartarus with Nero and Annabeth.’ He sighed and stared at his boots. ‘This power that comes with being an Archangel, it’s going to my head. I feel so stupid all the time, like I’m so much better than the campers. But I guess that just proves I’m worse.’

He hung his head like a child caught in wrongdoing. His fists were clenched at his sides and he slumped over wearily.

‘Don’t worry about it,’ I reassured. ‘You’re not better or worse than the campers. I think I have to remember that too. We were demigods once. Yes, we’re a lot more now, with a lot more power, but that doesn’t mean we’re any wiser. Besides, if there’s anyone who can survive Tartarus for a second time, it’s you and Nero. If you don’t think you can do, Nero will be there to help. You said it to me once, long ago, aboard that ship. You said he was the most powerful demigod you’d ever met. We’re all ten times more powerful as Archangels.’

‘I did say that, didn’t I?’ Midnight chuckled.

‘You did,’ I said. ‘But that doesn’t mean anything if you don’t believe it.’

He clapped me on the shoulder, ‘Thank you, Aeras.’

I pulled him into a hug, something neither of us were expecting. I felt him tense, but the gesture was fleeting.

‘Who said we’re too manly for hugs,’ I laughed.

Midnight shook his head, ‘Dunno what they were thinking.’

I smiled, ‘Now, we’ve got training to do, brother.’

He nodded with a smile of his own, ‘See ya later, brother.’

The next hour or so went by in a blur of swords, daggers and spears. The little ones weren’t great fighters, but what they lacked in skill they made up for in enthusiasm. Their limbs moved furiously, their small faces lit up with grins of determination. They made their own battle cries as they charged each other with wooden swords.

My ever present apprentice-in-training was by my side, of course. And she wasn’t half bad. Heidi swung Aras at anyone who came within range, eager to prove herself worthy of the silver dagger. Her long, black hair flew around her face like a cloud of ink, and her blue eyes danced as she laughed and trained.

‘Like this, Heidi,’ I said, as I showed her how to hook her dagger on an enemy’s blade.

She turned back to the training dummy. The way she looked at it, at might’ve been an incoming monster, determined to rip her limb from limb. She returned the determination with a glare and swipe of Aras. The dummy’s sword went clattering across the dirt floor, sending a dust cloud up in the air.

‘Good job,’ I coughed, raising a hand to wave away the dust. ‘You’re turning into a real warrior.’

Heidi’s face lit up delightedly, ‘Yes!’

She danced away, waving her dagger above her head.

‘Impressive,’ murmured a voice at my shoulder.

My sword was out before I could blink. I rested it against the person’s throat, but I froze when I saw their face.

‘Um, was that completely necessary?’ Piper asked, kaleidoscope eyes watching my blade nervously.

‘Oh, uh, no,’ I sheathed my sword. ‘Sorry, I’m a little jumpy.’

‘The same can be said for all of us,’ she replied bitterly. ‘I’m sorry, I just kept watching you with Heidi and, well, I think it’s amazing what you’ve done for her.’

I watched the little girl in question as she sparred with a boy no older than she. The boy was armed with a hardened metal sword, but it was not match for Heidi and Aras.

‘She’s come a long way,’ I agreed.

‘That’s not just it,’ Piper shook her head. She bit her lip, as if anxious to say more. ‘I was the one who found her that night.’ She admitted. ‘I remember it so clearly. I was the one who found her by Thalia’s tree, surrounded by monsters. She was wrapped in a bundle of blue blankets, and a note was tucked between them. The note told me her name was Heidi and that I couldn’t tell anyone what it said.’

‘So why are you telling me?’ I asked in confusion.

‘I don’t know,’ Piper snapped. ‘Because I trust you, Archangel. I don’t know what it is about you, but you’re good with her, and I feel like you deserve to know.’

She fell silent, as if done with her rant. Yet I knew there was more, and I waited patiently for her to continue.

She sighed, ‘The note said that she had a huge role to play. It didn’t say who her parent was, and she hasn’t been claimed, nor has she shown any attributes towards a particular god. But it said she’s going to need protecting if she’s to survive. I think you’re that protector.’

‘You think that’s it’s my great fate to be stuck babysitting a little girl?’

‘No,’ Piper frowned crossly. ‘But I think it’s your fate to help her and train her. She obviously likes you, Aeras, and she needs you.’

I looked back to Heidi, who laughed as she disarmed the boy using the move I’d just taught her. The girl was smart, and she was young. She had no idea what life was like outside the camp boundaries. The same boundaries that were crumbling without the golden fleece.

Piper touched my shoulder, ‘I’m not saying you should take her in. That’s my job as her motherly figure. All I’m saying is that, if you guide her, she can play that role I was told she would play.’

I nodded, ‘I’ll help her. But in the end, it’s going to all depend on herself.’

I walked away and left the daughter of Aphrodite staring after me. I had no doubt that it took a lot of trust to tell me about that note. But I didn’t see how it made any difference.

I went back to the children. Two boys ran up, identical in size, appearance and eager attitudes. They reminded me so much of Aaron and Ewan, and the Stolls before them. They demanded I show them how to use a bow.

‘Mister!’ Heidi called.

I said as nicely as I could, ‘Not now, Heidi. Just wait one moment.’

‘But Mister!’ she insisted. ‘Night needs you.’

That one confused me.

‘Night needs me?’ I repeated. ‘Nyx?’

Heidi screwed up her small face and shook her head vigorously. ‘Night needs you!’

‘Night?’ I frowned. ‘But Night is-’

Okay, call me slow. But I was distracted trying to look after a two dozen or so little kids with weapons.

‘Midnight!’ I shouted. ‘Where?’

Heidi pointed over by the gate where Midnight paced and Arrow looked up as a golden shape descended from the sky, wings flapping at a distressed pace.

‘Aaron, look after the kids!’ I called over my shoulder as I took off. ‘Thanks Heidi!’

I arrived at the gate just as Destiny touched down, panting like crazy as if she’d flown at top speed a long way. Midnight moved us into the shadows and sat down our sister on a barrel where she continued to breathe heavily. She pulled down her hood showing her red, tear streaked face. Her golden eyes swam with pain, terror and fear.

‘He…I just…on the floor…tried to tell him!’ she gasped.

‘Whoa, whoa, whoa!’ I held up my hands in a soothing gesture. ‘Calm down, Destiny. What happened?’

She lifted one hand weakly and motioned in the direction of our ship, ‘It happened so fast! I was helping him, and then he just fell! So cold, I just don’t know-’

‘Destiny,’ Arrow cut her yammering. ‘Who fell? What’s happened?’

Even though I had a horrid feeling I knew exactly what had happened, I had to hear her say it. I couldn’t believe I’d been so stupid! All the signs I’d ignored. There hadn’t been a breath of wind earlier, Eden and Fabian even said so. The tiredness, the coldness, the chill in the air; how had I not seen it!

Destiny had known all along. Nero, she tried to warn.

‘Destiny,’ I lay a hand on her shoulder and drew back my hood, feeling the sudden wind riffle through my hair as my emotions spiked. Her worried golden eyes met mine. ‘Please.’

‘It’s Nero,’ she stammered. ‘He’s sick!’

~*~

*looks at what's written* Oh gods, what did I just do? *evil laugh* Oh, I have been waiting for this for A LONG TIME! I have been BURSTING to write this for ages! It took everything in me not to say anything. I couldn't hold it in from everyone (looking at you DR). I had to battle through Writers Block to write this, ya know, so you should be kinda grateful. So, what do ya think? Wait, don't answer that. On a kind-of-not-really-ending note, please no death threats this time, 'kay? *wishful thinking* Yeah, I can't really see that happening. Also, I'm on holidays next week, which means MORE UPDATES! Yay! Also, dedication goes to xXTheDragonRiderXx because of her amazin' comment and general support. THANKING YOU! :D So, thank you all for reading (and hopefully not killing me) and please remember to vote, comment and follow!
~TripleM