● _____《°•○ \|/ ○•°》_____ ●

ANDROMEDA AWOKE WITH A JOLT.

the events of her previous conscious state slapped her in the face. she tasted dryness in her mouth, she felt roughness around her wrists.

she wriggled about, soon realizing that she was tied to something. her eyes shot open, and immediately she saw glaring sunlight hit her in the face. insitinctively, she tried to shield her face with her magic.

nothing.

no magic.

she couldn't do magic.

she yelped, struggling within the restraints, overcome with panic.

"so stubborn, you demigods."

she snapped her head to her left.

thorn.

she glared at him. "what have you done to my magic?"

she could tell he understood her. he just ignored her.

"where is annabeth?"

no answer.

"what? in trouble with your boss or something?"

he looked at her through the rear-view. andromeda knew she had struck a nerve.

"that caught your attention, old man."

no answer.

"how's the eye healing, by the way?"

a glare through the rear-view.

"you know, for an ancient, powerful monster, you sure are underwhelming. like, the whole old man act? the creepy behavior? dude, you need a lesson on body language. and that accent? fucking horrible. almost as bad as your reflexes —"

"stop!" he intervened. "stop talking, you insolent girl! my poison has messsed with your magic, your friend's tied up in the backseat. she already tried escaping through the door, so don't you."

andromeda smiled.

"oh, if i could kill you," he sighed dreamily at the thought.

"why haven't you?"

"there are things your tiny brain cannot fathom," he said. "things are working beyond your comprehension. the great stirring is underway. the general is here."

"your boss?" andromeda guessed. she was really starting to feel the brittle the gag all the way back in her throat. she was parched.

thorn glared at her.

"fine, fine," she shrugged. "can you atleast like, tell me what to expect in my final moments? y'know, give me time to prepare my farewell speech."

"oh," he made a face. "you will not be killed."

andromeda only raised an eyebrow.

"neither you, nor your friend." thorn went on. "we need you alive for our plan. but by the time we're done with you, you will be begging for death."

"you won't get us." andromeda hissed. "the others will come for us. chiron will send campers."

thorn smirked. "that is the plan, young demigod,"

andromeda's breath was caught in her throat. in a bad way. so they were bait? for the others? for nico and bianca? for percy? atleast she had some knowledge. she only had to worry about conveying it to him. . .

thorn's phone rang. he picked up in a heartbeat. andromeda heard a deep muffled voice from the other side. and for the fraction of a second she could see the contact name, it read atlas.

atlas atlas atlas she scouted her memory for any mention of a monster by the name of atlas. she found none.

not a momster, anyway. a titan. the titan who was cursed to hold up the sky on mount othrys as a punishment due to his partcipation in the war between the titans and the gods. he was the general that led the titan army.

the general.

"hey, um, tell me," andromeda asked. "are we going to mount othrys?"

thorn's silent look and squint made enough of an answer for her. he reached over to behind her head, sighed.

"sweet dreams, demigod."

and he hit the back of her head. and andromeda passed out.

● _____《°•○ \|/ ○•°》_____ ●

when she woke up again, it was dark around her. dark and cold and scary. very scary.

she wasn't tied this time, she was on the floor, she pulled up her palms and squinted, she could see dirt on them. she was on the ground. but where?

"hello?" she called, her throat sore from lack of water.

"thorn!" she called again. "where am i? where is annabeth?"

a laugh echoed in the darkness. it made andromeda think she was in a cave.

"who's there?" she called, trying to be threatening, but her voice quivered. "where is annabeth!"

"whoa," the voice drew out. "chill. annabeth is fine."

she knew that voice. that goddamn voice.

"luke,"

"hey," luke said with a wave.

"don't hey me you traitor!" she tried to get up and get a shot at him, but there was something in the sorts of a shield between them. a barrier she could see clean through. "where is annabeth? what have you done with her!"

"sit down." luke ordered. "i'm here to clean your wound."

andromeda laughed cruelly. "like hell i'm listening to you. after all you've done!"

there were tears in her eyes. she fought to keep them in. "you were never the same after your quest. i hate them too, luke. the gods. but i would never do what you did. i would never team up with monsters who harm my people, i wouldn't turn my back on them. i wouldn't set a dracaena after my own friend. . .you promised, luke."

he looked down at his feet.

"you promised her family." andromeda sniffed. "and now you've betrayed her. you said you'd protect me. but you endangered me. you tried to kill me. you lied."

she pulled out her weapon, he dagger she carried around like a little child, holding on to the hope of santa claus as they grew up. she showed it to him.

"a birthday present, wasn't it? i'm only giving this to you for protection, but you won't even need to use it because i'll protect you, wasn't it?"

and could feel the liquid heat pour down her skin. down to her chin and onto her feet. she couldn't hold it in. she needed to tell him this. she'd been holding it in too long. she wouldn't allow it to pour out when annabeth needed her. she was sure, that eventually, she would get over it.

but she hadn't.

she put the dagger back in her pocket. looked him right in the eyes as she spat; "get lost."

and luke didn't say a word. he kept his gaze on the ground and turned, walking away silently into the darkness, leaving andromeda to sit back into her cell and wipe her tears before she choked on them.

she looked at her shoulder, the wound still open. she sighed as she placed her index finger over it.

"shouldn't be too hard," she murmured to herself. "you've done healing spells before. but not while being poisoned. . .no. i can do this. this is what i do. if i can't do this as well. . ."

she sighed. collected her thoughts. "what is wrong with me today?"

"αφήστε τη μαγεία να διατρέξει τις φλέβες μου," she whispered, running her finger along the cut. "αφήστε το να μου καθαρίσει την πληγή. αφήστε το να γιατρέψει τις ασθένειές μου. ξεπλύνετε τις αναθυμιάσεις."

she wasn't able to do it properly. she could feel thorn's poison roaming her veins, weakening her magic. her head swayed with effort, and she grit her teeth in pain. she repeated the enchantment over and over and over until the red gash, became pink, scratched skin.

more than the enchantment itself, the forced, fast healing of the skin brought her pain, adding to her exhaustion.

she layed her head between her knees, and fell into a dream as she gazed at the ground.

● _____《°•○ \|/ ○•°》_____ ●

andromeda was surrounded by the dark, here, too. but this dark was daunting, it was delightful. she could breathe freely in it. expand her limbs and feel the power it gave her.

she felt energized. this wasn't a regular dream. . .

"mm, no, it is not." said a voice.

andromeda presumed her stance in the dream, ready to face any danger. she felt much more agile and powerful here than she felt in the reality.

"be still, my daughter."

"hecate?"

the darkness lit up.

a woman stood before her, her blonde hair slicked back cleanly,  twin torches floated around her. her maroon robes fell down to her ankles. she approached andromeda.

"you feel power." hecate went on. "naturally you do. the dark is my domain. but you will not when you return to your reality. the darkness of a cell is not the same."

"do you know?" andromeda put her hands down. "about the great stirring?"

hecate nodded. "and you can do nothing to prevent it."

andromeda surveyed her. "are you with them? the titans? are you helping them?"

hecate pursed her lips. "i do not care which side you choose, but when the right one wins," she smirked. "we will know which we should have chosen."

"indeed you will," andromeda crossed her arms. "will you help me, just this once, mother?"

hecate listened.

"i need to know what's going on at camp. i need to warn him. to not come here. it's a trap. we're the bait." she frowned. "i don't think i'll have even a little energy to do a teleportation spell, i need your help. . .please."

hecate looked away. "it is a risk, my daughter. for me to help you. while the general stands over you. he will do nothing to me, he will harm you."

"i don't care," andromeda shook her head. "i need to warn him."

hecate frowned. "what is your fascination with that son of poseidon?"

"he annoys me. but i don't want him dead."

"very simple, clearly."

andromeda glared at her mother. "he's human, mother. he's annabeth's friend. and i'm not letting some reformed old dead general titan beat him to death."

hecate rolled her eyes, "heroes,"

andromeda looked away.

"you do not need my help, daughter."

"yes i do. i just told you."

hecate shook her head. "you have enough power to do anything you want. in fact, you are one of the few among my children who only uses her power. the things you could accomplish with that, andromeda. . ." she carressed her cheek.

"i have no interest. annabeth met my dear sister circe last summer, and she turned jackson into a guinea pig, like she does to all the men that show up on her island."

hecate chuckled, like this was humorous. "circe always had a good sense of humor. but your abilities are beyond potionmaking. your magic is extensive, andromeda. nearly as expanded as my own. you practice every area. the power you hold, my child,"

andromeda tried not to dwell on the hunger in her mother's eyes as she spoke to her.

"but your doubt holds you back," she whispered. "doubt is a flaw, my child. a fatal fatal flaw."

"my fatal flaw?" andromeda repeated.

hecate nodded.

annabeth had mentioned her fatal flaw, it was hubris. pride. lethal, fatal pride. and to an extent, she could see it. but her own fatal flaw came as a surprise to her. andromeda had never thought her doubt was fatal.

"i need your help." she told her mother, changing the subject.

"no. no you do not. remember, andromeda, magic comes from emotion. and you, my daughter, have a lot of emotions in you. don't you?"

andromeda couldn't deny that.

"some you haven't even recognized." hecate smiled. "yet they fuel your ambitions." she stood up straight again. "well, now, i must leave. remember what i have told you. consider it my help."

then her dream shifted. she blinked a little from the disorientation, but then she found herself in the big house. a council of cabin counselors was held around a ping-pong table. dionysus waved his hand and supplied snacks and diet coke that nobody seemed to want to drink. chiron was in wheelchair form at one end of the table. zoe and bianca di angelo took the other end. the other head councilors — thalia, grover, percy, beckendorf, silena, evander, and the stoll brothers —sat on the left. andromeda wondered where the ares head counselor was.

"i would prefer to take all the hunters." zoe grumbled. "we will need strength of numbers."

"you'll be retracing the goddess's path," chiron said. "moving quickly. no doubt artemis tracked the scent of this rare monster, whatever it is, as she moved west. you will have to do the same. the prophecy was clear: the bane of olympus shows the trail. what would your mistress say? 'too many hunters spoil the scent.' a small group is best."

had they received a prophecy? about pursuing artemis? atleast they weren't coming here.

zoe picked up a ping-pong paddle and studied it. "this monster — the bane of olympus. i have hunted at lady artemis's side for many years, yet i have no idea what this beast might be."

everybody looked at dionysus, who was flipping through a wine magazine, but when everyone got silent he glanced up, "well, don't look at me. i'm a young god, remember? i don't keep track of all those ancient monsters and dusty titans. they make for terrible party conversation."

"chiron," percy spoke up, andromeda noticed he was wearing her jacket. "you don't have any ideas about the monster?"

chiron pursed his lips. "i have several ideas, none of them good. and none of them quite make sense. typhon, for instance, could fit this description. he was truly a bane of olympus. or the sea monster keto. but if either of these were stirring, we would know it. they are ocean monsters the size of skyscrapers. your father, poseidon, would already have sounded the alarm. i fear this monster may be more elusive. perhaps even more powerful."

"that's some serious danger you're facing," connor said. "it sounds like at least two of the five are going to die."

"one shall be lost in the land without rain," beckendorf began. "if i were you, i'd stay out of the desert."

there was a muttering of agreement.

"and the titan's curse must one withstand," silena said. "what could that mean?"

"one shall perish by a parent's hand," evander frowned. "how is that possible? whose parent would kill them?"

there was heavy silence around the table.

"there will be deaths," chiron decided. "that much we know."

"oh, goody!" dionysus erupted. he glanced up innocently from the pages of wine connoisseur magazine. "ah, pinot noir is making a comeback. don't mind me."

"percy is right," silena decided. "two campers should go."

"oh, i see," zoe said sarcastically. "and i suppose you wish to volunteer?"

silena blushed. "i'm not going anywhere with the hunters. don't look at me!"

"a daughter of aphrodite does not wish to be looked at," zoe scoffed. "what would thy mother say?"

silena started to get out of her chair, but the stoll brothers pulled her back.

"stop it," beckendorf ordered. "let's start with the hunters. which three of you will go?"

zoe stood. "i shall go, of course, and i will take phoebe. she is our best tracker."

"the big girl who likes to hit people on the head?" travis asked cautiously.

zoe nodded.

"the one who put the arrows in my helmet?" connor added.

"yes," zoe snapped. "why?"

"oh, nothing," travis shrughed. "just that we have a t-shirt for her from the camp store." he held up a big silver t-shirt that said something andromeda was unable to read. "it's a collector's item. she was admiring it. you want to give it to her?"

zoe sighed and took the t-shirt. "as i was saying, i will take phoebe. and i wish bianca to go."

bianca looked stunned. "me? but. . .i'm so new. i wouldn't be any good."

"you will do fine," zoe insisted. "there is no better way to prove thyself."

bianca closed her mouth.

"and for campers?" chiron asked.

"me!" grover stood up, brushing cracker crumbs and ping-pong ball scraps off his lap. "anything to help artemis!"

zoe wrinkled her nose. "i think not, satyr. you are not even a half-blood."

"but he is a camper," thalia offered. "and he's got a satyr's senses and woodland magic. can you play a tracker's song yet, grover?"

"absolutely!"

zoe wavered. "very well, and the second camper?"

"i'll go." thalia stood and looked around.

"whoa, wait a sec," percy interjected. "i want to go too."

thalia said nothing. chiron was studying him with sad eyes.

"oh," grover said, suddenly aware of the problem. "whoa, yeah, i forgot! percy has to go. i didn't mean. . .i'll stay. percy should go in my place."

"he cannot," zoe said. "he is a boy. i won't have hunters traveling with a boy."

"you traveled here with me,"

"that was a short-term emergency, and it was ordered by the goddess. i will not go across country and fight many dangers in the company of a boy."

"what about grover?"

zoe shook her head. "he does not count. he's a satyr. he is not technically a boy."

"hey!" grover protested.

"i have to go," percy insisted. "i need to be on this quest."

"why?" zoe asked. "because of thy friend andromeda?"

she saw him blushing, and even her heart raced. "no! i mean, partly. i just feel like i'm supposed to go!"

"no," zoe said flatly. "i insist upon this. i will take a satyr if i must, but not a male hero."

chiron sighed. "the quest is for artemis. the hunters should be allowed to approve their companions."

percy looked down.

"so be it," chiron concluded. "thalia and grover will accompany zoe, bianca, and phoebe. you shall leave at first light. and may the gods" — he glanced at dionysus — "present company included, we hope — be with you."

● _____《°•○ \|/ ○•°》_____ ●

she was tired of waking up.

no, not in a suicidal way.

well, kind of. but not really.

she could feel the energy drain out of her even as she opened her eyelids. the power she had felt in her dream, the energy, she could tell was limited within the boundaries of that dream. the reality was her sprawled on the floor in her dirty tee and jeans.

she sat up, and a little light had been cast over her surroundings by the emergence of dawn. andromeda saw she was surrounded by tall half-broken greek coloumns with a faded yellow hue. the earth beneath her was bare. unfertile and fruitless. gray and gloom vibrated in the sky around her.

she saw a platter of food beside her. a circular thing of wheat, and a tall glass of water. she downed down the provision, feeling like she could survive the day, atleast.

she stood up to walk around as she saw no one was guarding her. though after just a few paces in her front, she was stopped by a forcefield. one she could not see. she ran to left, then to her but she couldn't escape the open air prison.

"did you think it would be that easy?"

"thorn."

she could hear the accent in his words. he said 'zat' rather than 'that'. she turned around, charged him, but he was behind the forcefield. just an inch or two.

"where is she?" andromeda demanded. "where is annabeth?"

thorn only tilted his head.

"where is she, asshole!"

"did you eat?"

"what?"

"did you eat?"

"yes. i ate that fraction of food you gave me," andromeda huffed.

"good," thorn cracked his knuckles. "you will need it for what is coming. come out, now,"

he extended his hand, and it surpassed the barriers of the field. andromeda stared at it. she didn't like it, but whatever thorn had planned, atleast it would get her out of his open air prison.

she took his hand. and as soon as she was out, thorn put her hands in cuffs, she struggled, the cold metal burned against her skin.

"what are you doing?" she demanded.

thorn remained silent.

"where are you taking me!" she struggled as he held her by the arms.

"to your friend. do you not want to see her?"

andromeda silenced. was he really taking her to annabeth? she would have to take that chance. she walked wherever he was leading.

"here," thorn said, and andromeda saw that luke was here. before them. "the little girl tires so easily," thorn said, exhausted.

"it's no easy job," luke shrugged. "my shoulder nearly cracked for the five minutes,"

thorn glared. "lose your sentiments, boy."

luke returned the gaze. "and you shut up, or you'll lose your tongue."

thorn huffed.

"um, excuse me." andromeda intervened. "if by friend you meant this shithead, you are utterly wrong."

thorn laughed heartily. "no, no. i did not. i meant the girl that i took with you,"

"you want to see annabeth?" luke asked. "walk up ahead,"

with a flick around the lock, her cuffs fell to the floor. andromeda rubbed her wrists, and walked forward with caution.

she walked around the columns. the light did little to clear up the fog surrounding these ruins. she wouldn't be surprised if she found annabeth marvelling at the ancient architecture. she could faintly see the top of the hill. but not her.

"annabeth?" she called, and the wind carried the sound. she walked uphill, the steep slope requiring her full concentration. "annabeth!"

she passed over a half-broken wall that was just before the crest of the hill, but she tripped and fell face-forward into the dirt.

the earth was different here, the dark and gloom was not only in the sky, but also the ground. andromeda stood up, faced ahead.

and the shock of the sight nearly knocked her back.

the sky came down to the ground, heavy overcast clouds bowed down in a bulge, so heavy that if it wasn't for the person holding it up, the sky would collide with the earth. ofcourse, andromeda expected atlas; it was his curse.

but no.

it was annabeth who was holding the sky from it's fall.

andromeda rushed beside her, taking away half her weight. and instantly she felt suppressed. compressed. still, she put in all her strength.

annabeth inhaled deeply. "'rome, you need to leave."

"and let you hold this alone?" andromeda panted, "no way."

"no." annaneth insisted. "no you don't understand they'll —"

but in that moment, she was pulled away. grabbed by the shoulder and yanked back, leaving andromeda under the suspended sky.

she groaned under the weight, her waist already buckling down. she felt like she would soon be buried alive under the weight. her body would break, her spine would crack under the pressure.

"good," cooed luke's voice. "very good."

her head throbbed with pain. her arms shivered with effort.

"i would say this would teach you lesson to shut your mouth," luke continued. "but i know better. you'll never learn."

andromeda looked up at him, and his face blurred with the tears that she was holding in. whether it was from the struggling or the simple sadness, she didn't know. she looked him right in the eye and whispered three words she'd wanted to scream in his face.

"i hate you."

something passed over luke's face, but it was gone in a fraction of a second. he stood up, "you'll get used to it." he mumbled, and walked away.

and andromeda wondered, if this was the personification of all the weight she held on her own shoulders metaphorically. she wondered how long she could go.

● _____《°•○ \|/ ○•°》_____ ●

hi sorry about the abrupt cover change, but i really wanted my story to match my brown/nude profile colour theme sooo