Chapter 16
Choosing to Put My Life at Risk
{Kayla’s POV}
My cheek still stung where it had been cut and slapped. I rubbed it as I stumbled along, tears blurring my vision. How could I have allowed this to happen? The answer came to me, even though I attempted to fight it back.
It had been a bad day for me, which was rare for a person of my demeanor. We were out playing Capture the Flag, and I had allowed my team to station me out in Timbuktu, far from any action. There I sat, my chin in my hand, my elbow on my knee, glaring at the ground.
Suddenly, a voice sounded. In alarm, thinking it was an opponent approaching, I leapt to my feet, weapon in hand, shield held at the ready. The voice came again, but this time, it didn’t seem to be coming from around me; it was in my head.
”Kaylaaaa….” it hissed, causing me to shiver in fright.
“Who is it?!” I had yelled out. My voice echoed in the surrounding silence.
”Kaylaaaa… it said again, louder this time.
I put a hand to my ear, hoping it would stop. In my emotional state, tears filled my eyes.
“Who’s there?” I asked again, though quieter than before.
”It is I, Kronos, Lord of Time…”
Oh, the chills that ran down my spine when I heard that name. Yet in my state of mind, it was exactly what I wanted to hear, and I forced aside my feelings. Glancing around to ensure I was alone, I whispered, “What is it you need from me?”
His reply was quick.
”Merely an open heart and mind, willing to help me get revenge on the gods…”
Now, at current times, I shuddered at what my response had been. Eagerly, I had agreed to do anything he needed. As the plan was laid out for me, I began to wish I had not signed up for Team Evil, but the deed was done.
Finally, the last step was acted out; a special music box designed for Chiron held the soul and essence of Kronos. I left it on the doorstep of the Big House with a note saying, “To our faithful activities director.” Being the kind centaur he was, he took it and opened it. He never saw what was coming.
Getting the Chimera into camp boundaries was simple. All a monster required to enter was permission from a person within, which I gave. Kronos had taken charge from there, leading to where the camp stood now.
My hands clenched into fists as I strode purposefully towards my destination. Unfortunately, I left my sword back at the bad guy camp. I didn’t worry too much, however. If there were one word to describe demigods, it was prepared.
I finally reached where I was headed: the Big House. As the sun began truly shining, I stepped up to the front porch and raised my right hand to knock, but then hesitated. What if they didn’t want me now? I asked myself. I could hardly blame them; I had done so much against them. There was nothing to be lost by trying, though. Taking a deep breath, I knocked loud and clear three times, and then stood back a step.
An unnatural hush filled the air. Feeling a bit awkward, I rocked on my heels, urging them to come faster with my mind.
Without warning, the door flew open and I was met with several weapons directed toward my face. My hands flew to shoulder level in surrender, my eyes wide.
The wild and frightened eyes of my old comrades shocked me. They were much more distressed than when I had last visited.
“What do you want, Kayla?” demanded Orion, his expression angry.
As calmly as possible, I answered, “To offer an apology.”
A few swords were lowered, but a couple remained armed and ready.
“Why?” inquired Ambrosia, her eyes showing distrust and confusion.
I was exhausted, and merely wanted to be accepted by somebody.
“Because I have realized my wrong-doings, and wish for all of you to trust me again. All of this started because I had one measly bad day. That isn’t fair to all of those it hurts. Please, let me join you again. I will take whatever you throw at me, and push myself beyond my own limitations. Just forgive me, that’s all I ask.”
My speech ended with a slight lilt, as though I were begging them on my knees to take me back. For a moment, I thought they would merely turn away, slamming the door in the process. However, my eyes caught movement from the end of the hallway. A head bobbed through the crowd of campers, headed towards me.
“What is the meaning of this?” a woman’s voice asked the group in general. “Have you all gotten a sudden death wish? Close the door!”
In reply, the group parted, allowing me to see a woman dressed in a robe. She looked up and stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes widened in what seemed to be recognition, and a light smile stole upon her lips.
“You must be the infamous Kayla,” she greeted, finishing her path to the front door. She reached out, motioning to me that I should go inside. “Come in, if you were planning on it, you could be valuable, and we don’t want a wild rock falling from the sky and injuring you.”
I made to enter, but, naturally, Ajax interfered.
“How do we know she wasn’t sent to be a double agent by Kronos?” he growled threateningly, shooting this directly at me. “We’ve already lost Tyler, and lost her once. I doubt we need any other traitors ‘helping’ us.” He spat the word traitors with a smirk.
My anger heightened. I almost gave him a piece of my mind, but wisely held my tongue, glancing at the woman who gave the impression of being in charge.
“Ajax, if you have anything against Kayla, we will ask you to kindly keep your thoughts to yourself,” the woman warned politely. “We must welcome whatever help we may acquire.”
Ajax’s wicked look turned to a guilty glare. His knuckles whitened on the hilt of his sword. Yet he didn’t say a word.
“Well, come in,” the woman urged once more, looking around me at the surrounding area. “We mustn’t tempt the enemy.”
After a half-second pause, I slipped past her, finally entering the hallway. The instant I was under cover, the door snapped shut. All the campers dispersed, the moment of excitement gone.
As the area emptied, I turned to the woman in perplexity.
“You must be wondering who I am,” she stated. “I am Hestia, goddess of the hearth.”
I stood, shocked, for a moment, until I nodded.
“May I ask why you’re here?” I questioned.
“The demigods have been at each other’s throats,” Hestia explained. “If somebody had not intervened, they all may have been killed instantly. Of course, with my brother being adamant about us not aiding our children in any way, I simply broke a rule. They are still a handful to keep under wraps, but it seems to be coming along nicely.”
I peered down the hallway at the doorways where light shone through, listening to the loud whispers of the other campers in various rooms.
“Look, I’m sorry for what I did,” I told Hestia. “It was a stupid mistake, and I regret it entirely. It was the worst decision of my life, and made when I was weak.”
“Don’t apologize to me, dear,” the goddess chuckled. “Prove it to them.”
My stomach churned. How could I prove it to them? The instant we arrived on the inevitable battlefield, Kronos would aim for me, their one great asset. I chewed my lip as I considered my options.
After watching me, Hestia cut into my thoughts.
“Well, we do have a plan you can take part in,” she suggested, walking past me, deeper into the house. “I haven’t heard it yet, but I’m sure it’s a stable one that will provide a role for you.”
As she disappeared in a doorway to the right side of the wall, I began assuring myself this could work. I could pull off anything they decided to test me with.
~*~*~*
“Are you insane?!” I blurted in outrage.
Ajax, Andreas, Ambrosia, Aaron, Marie, Hestia, and I all sat together at the small kitchen table. The other kids were shining their swords, sharpening any points that needed sharpening, adjusting their armor to the right fit, and generally doing anything to keep themselves busy. All of the ‘senior’ campers had just shared their battle plan with me, and in my mind, it had been weaved for unraveling.
Hestia’s eyes were soft with concern as she analyzed the holes in their plot. Marie sat next to Aaron, and she seemed to be avoiding the boy’s intense gaze. As I had predicted to myself, Ajax’s expression became deadly. Andreas played with an empty salt shaker, shielding all emotion from his face, looking as though he simply weren’t interested.
“Any plan could work right now,” Ajax snapped, his face tinged red. “We don’t need input from you.” He said ‘you’ as though to a Fury.
“Ambushing them at night is pure suicide!” I exclaimed, my mind blown with the stupidity of their ‘plan.’ Softer, I hissed, “And you would do well to listen, Ajax, because I know the enemy inside-out.”
The son of Ares opened his mouth to retort, but his brother interrupted. Andreas didn’t look up as he spoke.
“Ajax, that plan is a desperate attempt at survival and you know it,” he muttered, turning the shaker over and over in his hands. “They outnumber us bout four to one, and you know that as well. We would need to cause the majority of them to spontaneously combust if we even want a chance.” He finally looked up, staring at Ajax with a dull gleam in his eyes. Ajax looked as though he had been deeply wounded, and a heavy pause settled.
Hestia was the first to speak. Her tone told us she wanted to leave the plan-making to us ‘smarter’ people.
“I shall go and see if there is any more food stashed somewhere,” she said, making a weak attempt at a smile before sweeping out of the room.
Once she left, we sat quietly again, staring anywhere but at each other.
Suddenly, Ambrosia slammed her hands to the table, causing the rest of us to jump in our seats.
“I’m tired of sitting around!” she exclaimed in exasperation. “We could have the upper hand! We’re the not taking orders from a single person, we’re not weak or untrained, we’re not stupid, and we certainly cannot have lost hope!”
At this point, Ambrosia was n her feet, hands on the table, her breathing causing her chest to heave. Her raven hair hung in a curtain, slightly tangled from neglect, creating a chilling image. She glared harshly at each person in turn, causing some to cower from terror. A powerfully evil aura seemed to drip from her voice, reminding us who her father was.
“We have a strong advantage sitting right here.” She gestured to me, and I flinched involuntarily. “All we have to do is send her back in.”
“No way!” I finally spoke up. “There is no way in Hades I’m going back to those things!”
She gave me a deadly look, and I instantly quaffed.
“We need you to, so you will,” she whispered, her voice dangerous.
“Why would we need her to go back, though?” Aaron asked, leaning closer to the table. He winced and rubbed his shoulder, but kept eye contact.
“To break them from the inside,” Ambrosia shrugged, her tone making it appear as though it should be obvious. “Hopefully, she can get to the tiny shred of Haimon left, and corrupt them from within.”
They all started talking at once, drowning my squeaky, “I already have.”
“Maybe she can get to Tyler as well,” Marie voiced, but Andreas shook his head.
“That kid is ruined,” he intoned, running a hand through his hair.
“But if she gets to Haimon, what would she do then?” Ajax asked.
“Haimon can slowly overpower Kronos, starting with his mind or soul,” Marie said excitedly.
“Guys,” I called, though not loud enough to break the stream of ideas.
“He’ll give false instructions to his army,” Aaron continued. “They’ll listen to anything he has to say.”
“Eventually, they will realize how pointless his commands are, and start arguing with one another about whether he’s gone mad or not,” Marie added, a smile breaking her face.
“Yes, but this still relies on Kayla getting to Haimon,” Ajax drawled. “We’re not even sure she ca—“
“Guys!” I yelled, finally succeeding in getting their attention. Consciously, I cleared my throat, then spoke. “I’ve already reached Haimon, twice in the last twelve hours.”
This statement was met with momentary silence, but it was soon broken.
“Then we’re already one step ahead,” Ambrosia said, right back to business. “That’s our plan. We’ll simply have to pray that nothing goes wrong.”
The others began getting to their feet, while I stayed at the table, staring blankly at my hands. It wasn’t a huge deal that they were relying on me; I could so this easy-peasy. Hopefully, the gods would agree.
