<>------<>Midnight<>------<>

I have to admit, I panicked. A lot.

Nero, one of the most powerful Archangels, adopted son of Chaos, prince of Aurae, survivor of countless treacherous fates, slayer of a thousand monsters, loyal protector of the innocent, was cut down by a head cold.

You know, I just defeated the purpose of my own rant.

Okay, so maybe it was a bit more than a head cold. If it could take out the gods and an all-powerful Archangel, we were in a really bad state.

The winds picked up and threw us around as we attempted to fly back to the ship. I shivered as harsh, icy gusts slapped at every bit of exposed skin. Lightning flashed somewhere high above, throwing staggered bolts of light across the valley below.

‘Aeras,’ I yelled over the winds. ‘You gotta get this under control.’

‘I-I’m trying,’ came his hollow reply.

The storm lessened, but only slightly. The air was responding to Aeras’ frightened mind, throwing caution to the wind, quite literally. Thunder still crashed, the lightning was blinding, the atmosphere was so cold that frost began to form on my wings, crystalizing the black feathers with tinges of icy white.

‘Aeras,’ I said again, slowly.

‘Don’t rush me, Midnight! I’m trying my best!’

I risked a glance behind me, peeking over my shoulder as I shielded my face from the piercing wind and pelting rain with my wings. Aeras was pale, to say the least. His eyes were scrunched shut and he was tossed left and right by the wind.

‘Aeras, you’re losing altitude!’ Destiny screamed.

I realized with horror that she was right. Aeras was concentrating too hard on calming the air that his wings were beginning to fail him. Aeras ignored Destiny’s warning and he dropped a few more feet, coming dangerously close to spiralling completely out of control.

‘Aeras!’ I snapped. ‘Okay, I’m sorry! You have to stop! I’d rather fly through a storm with you than have you kill yourself trying to stop it!’

‘I’ve almost got it!’ he yelled back, his voice nearly lost to the winds. ‘Just give me a-whoa!’

He wobbled dangerously and then fell. We stopped flying in the middle of the storm.

‘No!’ Destiny shrieked.

A shape flashed past me, something lithe and silver. Arrow dove towards her brother who whipped around limply, like he’d lost the energy to save himself.

‘Midnight,’ Destiny warned. ‘We have to get out of this storm, before we freeze!’

I glanced at my wings; she was right. The frost has spread to cover my wings in a white sheet of ice. Already it was becoming difficult to fly, taking more strength just to hang in mid-air.

‘Down below,’ I agreed.

We both tucked in our wings and dropped like stones. The wind curled up around me like a spiral, blasting me with arctic air. Below, I could see Arrow grip Aeras and fly him down towards the strawberry fields, not too far from the ship.

‘There,’ I pointed and Destiny nodded, following my finger.

The storm followed us, a branch blown up by the winds caught on my hood and blew it back. In a panic, I seized it in a death grip and pulled it forward again.

We finally burst from the edge of the tempest and the wind stopped screaming in my ears. I shivered, drenched and cold from the freezing rain.

‘Come on,’ Destiny chattered.

‘We gotta hurry,’ I said, a tightness in my throat.

What if Aeras had fallen ill too? I couldn’t handle Nero being sick - that was bad enough - but if too of us were down. I couldn’t bear to contemplate possibilities.

We landed beside Arrow, pacing anxiously next to Aeras who leaned up against a tree looking exhausted.

‘Aeras,’ I sighed, kneeling next to him, anxiety racing through me. ‘What happened, man?’

He grimaced, ‘I just couldn’t seem to get the air under control. I’m sorry, I let you all down.’

‘You didn’t let us down, Aeras,’ Destiny said kindly. ‘If you’re having trouble with your powers, that’s understandable. We just found out that Nero-’

She trailed off, her bottom lip trembling. I took a whiff of the strawberry scented air and let the familiar smell calm me down.

‘Come on,’ I reached a hand out to Aeras who pulled himself up. ‘We need to get to him.’

‘But no flying,’ Arrow commanded.

‘No flying,’ Aeras agreed weakly.

So we ran, which didn’t turn out to be too much better. Aeras, exhausted from the accidental air magic, stumbled along restlessly with Arrow’s help. Miniature hurricanes exploded from his palms as we ran, slippery patches of ice appearing in our paths.

‘Aeras,’ Arrow groaned as his elbow found her rib cage. ‘Can you do anything about the ice?’

‘I’m trying,’ he coughed.

Fear zipped through my heart. Aeras was pale with exhaustion, his wings more grey than white, like the colour of ash. He shivered like he had hyperthermia.

‘Aeras,’ Destiny called, her voice quivering. ‘Are-are you okay?’

‘I’m fine,’ he mumbled, waving a hand dismissively, then grabbing Arrow’s shoulder as he stumbled again. ‘Just a little dizzy.’

‘This isn’t right,’ Destiny murmured to me. I fell back next to her. ‘None of the others who’re sick have experienced power crazes.’

‘Maybe he’s not sick,’ I suggested. ‘Maybe it’s something else.’

The idea didn’t exactly make me feel better, but I absolutely detested the notion that both Nero and Aeras had fallen to this mysterious plague. Things just kept tumbling downhill.

Destiny shrugged helplessly, like all the fight had just drained out of her, ‘I don’t know. What could make an Archangels powers go haywire?’

‘We are the only Archangels,’ I sighed sadly. ‘I doubt there’s much anyone knows about us.’

‘Father might,’ Destiny suggested.

‘He might,’ I agreed, panting a little as the WG came into sight. ‘But we have no way to contact him fast enough. With Nero out of action, and we may as well say Aeras is out too, that leaves just you, me and Arrow to train the campers and command the Sorrows. Not to mention we have a villainess to defeat, a cure in Tartarus to find, and an entire planet to save for utter disaster!’

Okay, I’ll admit that that wasn’t one of my best pep talks, but I was just trying to be a realist.

The Wonder Glider loomed ahead, as large and impressive as ever. We wasted no time in rushing across the fields to the ship. I slapped my hand against the scanner and the ramp opened with a sharp hiss. We dashed inside, but Destiny held her arm out.

‘Wait,’ she murmured. ‘We need to be quiet.’

‘Why?’ Arrow practically spat.

‘He’s sick,’ Destiny pointed out. ‘Until we know the full extent of this illness, don’t you think it’s best to be cautious in every way?’

Arrow looked down, ashamed. Aeras gripped her shoulder, though to comfort her or to steady himself, I couldn’t be sure.

A shape suddenly barrelled around the corner, smashing straight into me. My sword was out of its sheath and at the person’s neck before I knew it. Then I sighed with relief, ‘Fabian!’

‘Midnight!’ he squeaked. ‘Arrow, Aeras, Destiny; you have to come quick!’

There was no mistaking the panic and fear in his voice that he held for his brother. Fabian raced back around the corner from which he’d come, without glancing back to see if we were following. Our feet pounded heavily against the sterile floor of the ship in a mad dash for the back room. I heard Destiny sob discretely and resisted the urge to cry with her.

I swung around the doorframe, expecting and seeing the worst.

Nero leaned up against the bedpost with his eyes closed, his face gaunt and sunken. He shivered as if someone was pressing invisible ice blocks over his whole body. His pale hands clenched at the bed sheets, turning his knuckles even whiter. He coughed once, then again, and shuddered.

‘Oh my gods,’ Arrow breathed. I glanced at her as she covered her mouth with shaking hands.

Nero’s eyes opened and he tried to focus on us. The green blue colour of his eyes shimmered like a mirage, soft and discoloured.

I swallowed down a batch of tears.

‘You knew,’ I accused, hoping my voice didn’t shake as much as I did. ‘You knew all along.’

Guilt glistened like a sheen in his washed out eyes, beneath a hard, cold exterior of determination and responsibility.

‘I knew what I was doing,’ he rasped as he stared at his hands. ‘I had to.’

‘And why exactly did you “have to?”’ Arrow demanded harshly, choking back a sob. ‘What was so crucial for you to keep this from us; your brothers and sisters.’

‘You wouldn’t have let me help,’ Nero argued. ‘If you knew, would you have let me even leave this ship? Would you have let me help you with any of this?’

Arrow backed down and turned away, covering her face as she wept dejectedly. Destiny clutched at my shoulder and buried her face in my cloak. I rested my chin on the top of her head, breathing in the sweet smell of apricots that accompanied her hair.

Aeras sat on one of the lower bunks and held onto the metal rungs of the ladder, his knuckles tightening as his breaths became laboured and forced.

‘We could’ve helped you,’ he said at last, then his voice rose to a shout. ‘We may have taken precautions but we wouldn’t be where we are now; ill like the gods! With the only cure in-’

He broke off with a strangled sob. Where his fingers held the ladder, frost marks began spreading along the metal. A wind started up in the room, blowing my hair and rattling the beds.

‘Aeras,’ I warned my exhausted and devastated brother. ‘Be careful. The last thing we need is more power troubles.’

‘Power troubles?’ Nero asked wearily, before falling into a harsh coughing fit. With every cough, Destiny flinched at my shoulder, digging her fingers into my skin.

No one answered Nero. He glared at us, but without the colour in his eyes, we may as well have been staring at a cloud.

‘Tell me!’ he demanded, before adding a soft, ‘please.’

I sighed, ‘Something’s making Aeras’ powers go haywire. We couldn’t fly here because the winds were out of control. Aeras’ air magic is having random spurts.’

‘Random spurts,’ Fabian repeated quietly. He’d been so silent I’d forgotten he was still here. He moved more into the centre of the room where the light clearly showed his red eyes.

‘Random spurts,’ he said again. ‘That’s not right. None of the Sorrows have ever had power failures before.’

‘First time for everything,’ Arrow murmured, a crack audible in her tone.

‘It’s not really a power failure,’ I corrected. ‘More of the opposite. We couldn’t seem to stop it.’

Fabian shrugged helplessly, ‘Still not right.’

Nero attempted to get up out of bed, but Fabian pushed him right back down again. He was surprisingly strong for a small boy, or maybe that was just Nero’s lack of strength.

‘I have to help,’ Nero pleaded. He glanced at me and met my eyes. ‘Please Midnight; you and I both know where the cure is, and it’s going to take both of us to get it.’

‘Not much good if you can’t remember who has it,’ I reminded him.

‘I’m almost there,’ he took a slow, shallow breath, the colour fading more from his ashen cheeks. ‘I can feel it. I have to help!’

‘You want to help us, but we’re not allowed to help you,’ Arrow retorted sharply. ‘Hardly seems fair. My vote is that you stay here. You’re not going anywhere, Nero. Not until we find a cure for the incurable sickness.’

‘No!’ he protested. ‘Arrow!’

‘I vote you stay here as well,’ Destiny whispered sadly. ‘Leaving could make it worse.’

‘Destiny,’ Nero shook his head, a small tear leaking from the corner of his colourless eyes.

‘I’m sorry,’ Aeras choked out. ‘Things are bad enough, we can’t lose you, Nero.’

‘Aeras, please!’ Nero pleaded. ‘You can’t do this to me! Midnight? Please.’

I met his gaze and then found it hard to tear away from. His lips formed words I couldn’t seem to here.

‘Fabian, stay with Nero,’ I commanded, unable to shift my eyes from my brothers. ‘Ensure he doesn’t leave the ship. Contact us if anything happens.’

Fabian nodded, sad but determined. ‘Yes, Midnight.’

Nero finally turned away and I breathed again. Nothing hurt me more than to confine my brother to the ship for hours while we attempted to find this cure, train the campers and defeat this unknown evil villainess, but it wasn’t like we had a choice.

‘Fabian, contact Autumn,’ I decided. When he frowned, I continued, ‘Her telekinesis may be useful in keeping Nero here.’

Nero didn’t react but kept staring at the wall as Fabian closed his eyes tight and concentrated. Destiny tugged on Arrow’s sleeve and whispered something in her ear. The two of them left the room quietly and quickly, their cloaks billowing behind them as the door shut with a soft click.

‘None of us wanted this, Nero,’ I started. He didn’t move. ‘If you’d just told us before when you first figured it out, we may have been able to stop it.’

‘How?’ he replied shortly.

I realized that my so called “brilliant” sorry speech was headed nowhere. We didn’t know the how any more than we knew who held the key to the cure.

‘We could’ve found a way,’ Aeras muttered. ‘Now you’re sick, my powers are going crazy and we have no idea what to do!’

Aeras flung his hound out for emphasis. As if on cue, a miniature tornado burst from the middle of his palm and landed in the middle of the room. My hair blew around my head, and my cloak swirled up in my face, sucking towards the twister. Aeras growled at it and blew hard, extinguishing the wind slowly. His face turned red as the tornado gradually vanished.

Aeras sighed and collapsed back down on the bunk, ‘I have no idea what to do.’

‘We’ll figure it out, Aeras,’ I reassured. ‘We always do.’

‘Not this time,’ he countered, standing and exiting the room, leaving me with Nero who leaned back on his pillows and stared at the white ceiling whose pattern I had studied to extremes.

‘I’m sorry,’ I tried. ‘I can’t say anymore.’

Nero stayed silent and I sighed.

‘Oh, come on. You’re not really going to stay mad at me, are you?’

He nodded, quick and curt. I rolled my eyes.

‘You’re mad at me because I’m stopping you from possibly getting yourself killed?’

Another nod, yet Nero still didn’t turn to me. I didn’t know what else to do.

‘We’re only trying to help-’ I started.

‘So am I,’ Nero snapped. ‘I have to help, and I’m the only one who can find the cure. You know that.’

‘We don’t know a great deal, Nero,’ I said, much to his frustration.

‘Don’t pretend you don’t know it’s in Tartarus,’ he grumbled. ‘I just don’t know who yet.’

‘Would Annabeth know?’ I asked carefully.

Nero’s shoulders slumped, ‘Maybe.’

I watched him for a moment as his eyes seemed to pale even more, if that was ever possible. Fabian opened his eyes and grimaced at me.

‘Autumn is on her way,’ he informed grimly. ‘She wanted to tell the others, but I thought it best you and the others do that.’

‘Thanks, Fabian,’ I smiled but he didn’t return it. ‘Are you okay here on your own? I should go find the others.’

He nodded, watching at his brother who was back to staring at the ceiling. There wasn’t much else I could say to Nero. My head jerked up as a hard banging sound echoed from outside the ship. Fabian jumped, but Nero barely flinched.

I listened and could just make out hurried, fearful voices speaking fast. I identified three as Destiny, Arrow and Aeras.

‘Fabian-’

‘Stay with Nero?’ he guessed, a slight smile on his face.

‘You got it.’

I glanced at Nero who fell into a coughing fit, trying desperately not to make a sound. However hard he tried to pretend otherwise, I wasn’t going to let him leave the ship. Breaking my gaze, I turned to the door and flung it open, coming face to face with Destiny whose face was pale and worried.

‘Midnight, come quick,’ she said, and she grabbed my hand, pulling me along behind her.

I looked back as the door blew shut, shielding Fabian and Nero from my sight. Destiny steered me towards the top hatch where Aeras paced uncertainly, muttering under his breath and shaking his hands, clenching and unclenching in a dubious pattern. He glanced up worriedly when I came around the corner. He gestured to his hood, indicating I should pull up mine. I tugged it up restlessly, growing more curious and more anxious by the second.

I headed down the ramp, spotting Arrow at the end talking with Annabeth who rubbed her hands together, her palms sweaty. Her blonde hair was thrown up wildly in a high ponytail, as if she’d put it up while she was running.

‘What’s going on?’ I asked warily, dreading the answer.

Annabeth grit her teeth, but not in a threatening way. She took a deep breath and gestured behind her, where two girls and one boy stood together, shivering. I stepped outside and drew my cloak around me, and it was then I realized there was no wind and the sun was heavy in the sky.

I took a closer look at the three, recognizing one as Piper McLean. The other two had identical dull brown eyes and pale complexions. It took me a number of moments, but I understood.

‘You’re kidding me,’ I turned back to Annabeth and Arrow who stared back, deadly serious. ‘Are than any others?’

Annabeth shook her head, ‘No, and I think that’s something we should be grateful for.’

‘What-what does this mean for us?’ Piper coughed.

Arrow sighed, mystified, ‘Well, this sickness is obviously contagious, which means we need to limit contact with people.’

‘You’re suggesting quarantine?’ Annabeth’s eyes popped.

‘What else could we do?’ Arrow shouted. ‘It’s not like we aren’t suffering here too!’

Annabeth frowned, ‘What is that supposed to mean?’

Aeras came down the ramp and sighed, ‘We’re allies, girl. We’re “friends.” A blow to you is a blow to us, it shouldn’t be that hard to figure out.’

‘That’s not just it, is it?’ her eyes narrowed in suspicion. ‘What are you keeping from us, Archangel?’

‘You’re right, we haven’t told you something,’ Destiny spat, her voice cracking in the middle. ‘We haven’t told you that our brothers been sick with this for ages, but didn’t tell us, and now he’s bedridden.’

Annabeth blinked, ‘Your brother-’

‘Nero,’ I said. ‘He must’ve caught the sickness on Olympus. He didn’t tell anyone.’

‘He didn’t tell anyone he brought the sickness to camp?’ Annabeth inquired suspiciously.

‘No,’ Aeras growled angrily. ‘I know where you’re going with this, and the answer is no.’

Annabeth backed off but still eyed the four of us distrustfully. I knew this was going to be tough from the moment we learnt about the mission in the court of our Father, but if I’d known back then just how tough, I would’ve petitioned to stay home with Nero.

‘We’re your allies, and you’re going to have to accept that,’ I told the daughter of Athena. ‘We’re here to protect the camp, not blow it up. We’re here to help.’

‘Then prove it!’ she shouted at me. ‘Prove it and tell us everything you know! How do we cure this sickness?’

‘We know where the cure is,’ Destiny admitted, the words jumbling in her nervous haste. ‘We just don’t know who has it.’

‘And where would it be?’ Annabeth asked coldly.

Aeras bit his lip and sighed once more, ‘Tartarus.’

The girl and boy beside Piper yelped and grabbed each other. Annabeth winced and held her head, like she felt a migraine coming on.

‘No,’ she moaned. ‘Not there.’

‘No one wants to go,’ I assured her. ‘Least of all me. The fates said you and Nero would know who has it.  Nero’s trying, but he can’t remember; doesn’t want to remember.’

‘Annabeth, you’re the only one who can figure out who has the cure,’ Destiny whispered.

Annabeth shook her head sadly, thoroughly perplexed. ‘But I don’t remember either.’

‘Think about your time down there,’ I instructed.

‘I can’t,’ she groaned.

Piper grabbed her shoulders weakly, ‘Yes, you can! You don’t want to either, I know. But it’s the only way to find this cure. If we don’t, the entire camp will catch this plague and we’ll all die. Who knows how many have died since we left Olympus.’

A tear slipped down Annabeth’s cheek, ‘I can’t afford to think about it.’

‘Do it!’ Piper screamed, the colour in her cheeks whitening.

‘Okay!’ Annabeth screeched. ‘But I don’t know how!’

‘Think about everything you encountered in Tartarus,’ I told her. ‘Think about everyone you met.’

‘We spent ages down there, we met a-a lot of people,’ Annabeth stuttered.

‘Think!’ I commanded.

‘I don’t know!’ she cried, nervously fingering the hilt of her sword. ‘I just don’t-’

She froze, her eyes widening and her mouth falling open in a complete circle. She drew her sword, which was one so strange, I’d never seen anything like it. It didn’t look like celestial bronze, nor imperial gold, stygian iron or deckras. It was long, curved and stark white, chipped like a giant tooth. The handle was wrapped in brown leather, tied with black string.

‘What is that?’ I asked softly. ‘Where did you get it?’

‘A friend,’ she whispered, running her fingers over the surface. ‘I may have the answer.’

‘Where did you get it?’ I repeated.

She looked up, a grin spreading across her face, ‘Tartarus. He had all sorts of potions and herbs. He cured-’

She broke off with a shake of her head, then continued, ‘He could cure anything. He told me so himself.’

Aeras, Destiny, Arrow and I glanced at each other and I laughed with relief; we were finally on track. ‘Who is he? We gotta get to him!’

Annabeth’s face suddenly fell, ‘He’s dead.’

‘What?’

‘At least I think so,’ Annabeth closed her eyes as tears welled in the corners. ‘We left him battling the spirit of Tartarus. I don’t see how he could’ve survived.’

‘Who?’ Aeras persisted.

‘His name was Damasen,’ Annabeth told us. ‘He was the only friendly giant, Ares’ rival. He helped us and a Titan named-’

‘Bob,’ I whispered without thinking.

Again, Annabeth glanced at me, suspicion striking in her eyes like lightening in a thunderstorm. ‘How did you know that?’

‘I’ve met him,’ I said matter-of-factly. ‘I knew him a little bit. Haven’t seen him for eons though.’

‘No,’ Annabeth sighed. ‘We left him battling with Damasen. They’re both probably gone.’

‘Then how do we find the cure?’ Destiny asked desperately. ‘We need to save Nero and everyone else who’s sick. Before they all, die.’

She finished in a hushed tone that suggested tears running down her face. Annabeth thought hard, trying to formulate a plan, or simply an idea.

‘His house,’ she muttered. ‘His house would probably still be there. It has all the things he used. We might be able to find the cure there!’

‘Then what are we waiting for?’ Aeras shouted, waving his hands about. ‘Let’s go!’

I took a step back, not really wanting to be blown halfway across Long Island. I cleared my throat, ‘Uh, Aeras. You do remember it’s in Tartarus right.’

‘Oh,’ he let his arms drop to his sides. ‘Right.’

‘But we know where the cure is now,’ Arrow reminded us. ‘And we know who has it. We can find it and bring it back!’

‘But who’s going to go down there?’ Piper mumbled.

‘Me,’ Annabeth said glumly.

‘Me too,’ I agreed. ‘I’ve been there before. I may be better the second time around. At least I’ll know what I’m facing.’

‘A quest us usually limited to three people,’ Annabeth recalled.

‘Nero would’ve come,’ I started. ‘But there’s no way I’m letting him go now. We’ll stick with two. We’re the only ones who’ve gone down there before.’

Annabeth nodded, looking about as anxious as I felt inside; extremely. We made plans to leave the following morning, then bid each other farewell. Destiny, Aeras, Arrow and I stood watching the strawberry fields for a while, letting the soft breeze calm our minds.

I was feeling relatively peaceful, but not quite awake. And if I had been alert, I may have noticed the mop of messed up black hair as it disappeared back inside the ship.

~*~

Ah, the last chapter is my favourite yet. This chapter was mostly a filler and an update of what's going on. And who guessed Damasen?! Seriously, everyone was like, "It's Nyx!" or someone just as strange. No one guessed Damasen, desipte he cured Percy in the House of Hades. And they're going back to Tartarus! What do you think'll happen?? Also, I was thinking about adding the narrators names to the chapter title to make it easier to navigate. What do you guys think? So, deddie goes to Octopus_Octopus_Cat because she totally gets me evilness. XD See you guys soon in another chap! Please do vote, comment and follow. Please don't go spazztic. Unless you find it fun. Then go ahead. Bye!! :D
~TripleM

PS. I DID IT! I TOTALLY DID IT! Oh gods, it wasn't letting me update this for so bloody long! Sorry for the wait, guys.