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Sloane didn't get a chance to stand up before the ground began to rumble beneath her. She looked around confused as her hands tried to find something to stable herself. Then appearing out of thin air, a large intimidating man stepped forward, followed by a pair of men and a trio of women. "Enough!" It wasn't until she saw the trident that she realized it was Poseidon. Sure, he was in Olympus during Alex's trial, but who paid attention to the other Gods at that moment?
One of the dark haired Goddesses, Sloane didn't know whom, stepped forward and with the use of, what she assumed was, magic, restrained both Liam and Sylas. "Take care of them, then meet me at the arena," Poseidon then said, addressing the two men in his company. One seemed to be a bit more uneasy at the appearance of Liam. He didn't say anything, but his worried expression made her wonder if it was Liam's father, Ares.
Surprisingly, it was Poseidon himself, who stepped towards her and offered her his hand. Everything that had transpired was shocking enough, but being aided by a God was not something Sloane had expected. But she didn't refuse the help. Her petite hand rested in the God's like a child's. He helped her to her feet, then carried on as if it never happened. And as he walked away, further down the path, he slammed his trident into the ground again. The seismic wave rolled under foot, throwing her off balance. Sloane grabbed hold of a nearby tree to support herself as Poseidon's voice echoed throughout camp. "Everyone to the arena, immediately."
Her gaze drifted over to Sylas, then Liam. Subconsciously, her hand raised so that her fingers lightly brushed her neck, like she could almost feel her brother's hold still on her. But Sloane couldn't ignore how Liam threw her out of the way. Maybe he wasn't any better than her brother. Maybe he was. She couldn't tell anymore. Everything had spiraled so far out of hand that even the Gods themselves noticed and, worst of all, she was right in the middle of it.
Sloane didn't linger around to watch whatever the Gods were going to do to them, instead heeding Poseidon's word and headed towards the arena. Unsurprisingly, she was the first demigod to arrive, considering she wasn't far behind the God himself. He gestured for her to take a seat in the stands and await everyone else. The whole environment made her anxious and all she could think about being in that amphitheater was gladiatorial fights. And Gods did she hope that wasn't the case.
Once everyone had arrived and taken their seats, Poseidon came forward and began his lecture. Sloane pinned her hands between her knees, while she listened to him scold them all. "You all need a lesson in discipline... and humility." She slowly looked up as her leg began to bounce nervously. An illusion? And then he said it, what they were all there for. They'd all have to face whatever darkness resided within them. She swallowed hard at the thought and felt the atmosphere drop and grow cold amongst the demigods.
As more words came forth from Poseidon, it all turned into white noise as the possibilities of what could happen in their flooded her mind. Sloane's hands began to shake at the thought while a pit grew in her stomach. She could only hope that she'd be one of the last or maybe she was quiet enough to be overlooked entirely.
"Sloane Astor. Step forward."
Her eyes widened as she looked up in shock. Poseidon motioned his hand to the ominous archway that waited like a portal to hell in the center of the arena. Sloane's knees felt like jello as she stood up and she could feel everyone's eyes upon her. As if she hadn't been tormented enough by all of this, because of her mere existence in the quarrel, she is forced to go first. At this point, she was more than kicking herself for allowing Liam to get involved in the first place. She should have wiped his memory of what he saw and moved on with her life. Yet there she was.
She descended the stairs in silence. All the while, trying to muster whatever courage she might possess. As Sloane entered the center of the arena, her eyes fixated on the archway. It only seemed to grow more oppressive and foreboding with each step she took. The last thing she wanted to do was anger the Gods more, so she tried not to waste any time. She inhaled sharply before extending her hand out before her to feel the ethereal portal. Luckily enough, it felt like nothing beyond a cool breeze. With one more breath, she closed her eyes and entered.
As she stepped through, everything washed away. There was no fight, no trial or arena. It was just another day... or night, as it seemed to be. All of Sloane's anxieties, worries and fears washed away. And for a moment there, she was at ease.
It was long past dusk, and Sloane was returning back to Liam's cabin after a long day of... Well, she couldn't quite remember what she was doing. Just that she lost track of time. She ascended the steps up to the entrance and reached for the knob. Just before she took it in her hand, she realized that the door was already cracked open. Her brows furrowed in confusion and worry. She hesitated, pulling her hand away slowly. It wasn't like Liam to leave the door open, even on accident. If Rocco got out and camp supervisors found out about the dog, he'd have to get rid of him.
Sloane decided to peek into the windows, but it was just as dark inside as it was out. She exhaled a shaky breath before pushing the door open and slowly stepped into the cabin. "Liam?" she called out, hoping to hear a response from the silence. But nothing. She continued to enter the room, step by step. Further in, one of her feet found something wet, which caused her to slip and fall to the ground. Her face turned into an expression of disgust as she lifted her hands out of the wetness, but it was too dark for her to see what it was.
As she rubbed her fingers together, all of the lights turned on. It was so bright, Sloane, instinctually, raised her hand to block her eyes. After a second or two to adjust, she withdrew her hand to find it covered in red. She gasped, panicking as she looked around, finding that slipped in blood. Frantically, she searched for the source, finding Rocco dead a few feet away on the kitchen floor. Sloane screamed as she scrambled to her feet, using the back of the couch to help herself up.
"Liam!", she screamed as she desperately searched for him. Sloane's shaky hand opened the bedroom and found him standing there. Without thinking, she ran over to him, half burying her face in his chest. "Liam! It's Rocco! He—" Her voice trailed off as she realized he stood stoic and frozen like a statue. He said nothing, nor acknowledged her all but crying before him.
The lights then turned on illuminating the bedroom. Sloane looked up at Liam, who was unchanging, staring straight head with a blank expression. "Liam?" She took ahold his arms and tried jostling him. "Liam! What's wrong with you!?"
"Nothing is wrong with him," Sylas said as he slowly emerged from the corner, making his presence known.
"What did you do!?" she yelled at Sylas, before turning her attention back to Liam. "Come on, Liam. Snap out of it." Sloane grabbed a hold of his face, trying to force him to look at her.
"What I promised I'd do."
"God damn it," Sloane cursed under her breath. She kept Liam's face held in her hands as she closed her eyes. With everything she had, she tried to break him free of it. Sylas holds no power over you. He cannot control you. Countless things she tried, but nothing worked. It was like her powers hit a wall it could not breakthrough.
"He is the puppet," Sylas said as he raised his hand. In sync, Liam's own hand lifted and cupped the back of Sloane's head. "And I am the master." Liam's head then flew forward, slamming into her own. The pain was splitting, making her dizzy and disoriented. Her eyes blinked rapidly as she cupped her forehead and stumbled backwards.
"You couldn't shield him from me forever."
"No... No!" She cried out. "Liam! Please! Fight back! You're stronger than he is!"
"I think not," Sylas mocked as he, and Liam, stepped forward. "Kill her," he ordered.
Liam closed the distance between himself and Sloane. She tried to back away, but her head still spun. She only managed a step or two in some direction before his large hand was around her throat. His fingers tightened as he began to lift her off the ground. Sloane struggled and gasped in his clutches, trying to break free. But she wasn't strong. And with every hit or kick, her energy drained and drained fast. With each breath, she strained more. Her vision began to fade to black as she started losing consciousness.
"You know what, I changed my mind." He laughed. "Drop her."
With no ounce of care or gentleness, Liam threw her to the ground like a discarded toy. Her head hit the wall with a sickening thud leaving behind a fresh streak of blood. Sloane remained crumpled on the floor, coughing as she tried to catch her breath.
Liam slowly approached, standing over her like a terrifying angel of death. While Sylas crouched down beside her. "You never learn that I am the one in charge. I didn't want it to come to this. But you left me no choice." He stood back up and took a couple steps back. "Kill yourself."
Before Sloane had a chance to react or try to stop him, Liam pulled out a blade and ran it across his throat. His blood rained over her like a sick nightmare. Her arms raised to protect her face as she let out a blood curdling scream. The kind of scream that pierces your ears and makes the hair on the back of your neck stand on end.
When she opened her eyes, Sloane was laying on her back in the dirt in the center of the arena. The ringing of her scream echoed off the walls. She laid there gasping for air in a stunned silence. As a fraction of her wits returned, she ran her fingers over her head where it hit the wall. She looked over her hands to find them absent of blood. And in a final moment of panic, she looked to the crowd finding Liam still in his shackles... but alive.
With a hard swallow and a sigh, she caught her breath and moved to her feet. Sloane was in such a state of shock, that she didn't think to return to the stands but headed for the exit. Before she could leave, Hecate appeared before her blocking her way out. "Ms. Astor," Poseidon called out from across the arena. "We ask that you remain until everyone's judgement has concluded."
Sloane looked between Hecate and Poseidon, giving a brief nod. She wondered her way over to the stands in a daze, taking a seat as far away from the rest of the campers as humanly possible. And then she simply sat there, staring blankly at the ground between her feet, waiting for this all to come to an end.
Sloane didn't get a chance to stand up before the ground began to rumble beneath her. She looked around confused as her hands tried to find something to stable herself. Then appearing out of thin air, a large intimidating man stepped forward, followed by a pair of men and a trio of women. "Enough!" It wasn't until she saw the trident that she realized it was Poseidon. Sure, he was in Olympus during Alex's trial, but who paid attention to the other Gods at that moment?
One of the dark haired Goddesses, Sloane didn't know whom, stepped forward and with the use of, what she assumed was, magic, restrained both Liam and Sylas. "Take care of them, then meet me at the arena," Poseidon then said, addressing the two men in his company. One seemed to be a bit more uneasy at the appearance of Liam. He didn't say anything, but his worried expression made her wonder if it was Liam's father, Ares.
Surprisingly, it was Poseidon himself, who stepped towards her and offered her his hand. Everything that had transpired was shocking enough, but being aided by a God was not something Sloane had expected. But she didn't refuse the help. Her petite hand rested in the God's like a child's. He helped her to her feet, then carried on as if it never happened. And as he walked away, further down the path, he slammed his trident into the ground again. The seismic wave rolled under foot, throwing her off balance. Sloane grabbed hold of a nearby tree to support herself as Poseidon's voice echoed throughout camp. "Everyone to the arena, immediately."
Her gaze drifted over to Sylas, then Liam. Subconsciously, her hand raised so that her fingers lightly brushed her neck, like she could almost feel her brother's hold still on her. But Sloane couldn't ignore how Liam threw her out of the way. Maybe he wasn't any better than her brother. Maybe he was. She couldn't tell anymore. Everything had spiraled so far out of hand that even the Gods themselves noticed and, worst of all, she was right in the middle of it.
Sloane didn't linger around to watch whatever the Gods were going to do to them, instead heeding Poseidon's word and headed towards the arena. Unsurprisingly, she was the first demigod to arrive, considering she wasn't far behind the God himself. He gestured for her to take a seat in the stands and await everyone else. The whole environment made her anxious and all she could think about being in that amphitheater was gladiatorial fights. And Gods did she hope that wasn't the case.
* * *
Once everyone had arrived and taken their seats, Poseidon came forward and began his lecture. Sloane pinned her hands between her knees, while she listened to him scold them all. "You all need a lesson in discipline... and humility." She slowly looked up as her leg began to bounce nervously. An illusion? And then he said it, what they were all there for. They'd all have to face whatever darkness resided within them. She swallowed hard at the thought and felt the atmosphere drop and grow cold amongst the demigods.
As more words came forth from Poseidon, it all turned into white noise as the possibilities of what could happen in their flooded her mind. Sloane's hands began to shake at the thought while a pit grew in her stomach. She could only hope that she'd be one of the last or maybe she was quiet enough to be overlooked entirely.
"Sloane Astor. Step forward."
Her eyes widened as she looked up in shock. Poseidon motioned his hand to the ominous archway that waited like a portal to hell in the center of the arena. Sloane's knees felt like jello as she stood up and she could feel everyone's eyes upon her. As if she hadn't been tormented enough by all of this, because of her mere existence in the quarrel, she is forced to go first. At this point, she was more than kicking herself for allowing Liam to get involved in the first place. She should have wiped his memory of what he saw and moved on with her life. Yet there she was.
She descended the stairs in silence. All the while, trying to muster whatever courage she might possess. As Sloane entered the center of the arena, her eyes fixated on the archway. It only seemed to grow more oppressive and foreboding with each step she took. The last thing she wanted to do was anger the Gods more, so she tried not to waste any time. She inhaled sharply before extending her hand out before her to feel the ethereal portal. Luckily enough, it felt like nothing beyond a cool breeze. With one more breath, she closed her eyes and entered.
As she stepped through, everything washed away. There was no fight, no trial or arena. It was just another day... or night, as it seemed to be. All of Sloane's anxieties, worries and fears washed away. And for a moment there, she was at ease.
It was long past dusk, and Sloane was returning back to Liam's cabin after a long day of... Well, she couldn't quite remember what she was doing. Just that she lost track of time. She ascended the steps up to the entrance and reached for the knob. Just before she took it in her hand, she realized that the door was already cracked open. Her brows furrowed in confusion and worry. She hesitated, pulling her hand away slowly. It wasn't like Liam to leave the door open, even on accident. If Rocco got out and camp supervisors found out about the dog, he'd have to get rid of him.
Sloane decided to peek into the windows, but it was just as dark inside as it was out. She exhaled a shaky breath before pushing the door open and slowly stepped into the cabin. "Liam?" she called out, hoping to hear a response from the silence. But nothing. She continued to enter the room, step by step. Further in, one of her feet found something wet, which caused her to slip and fall to the ground. Her face turned into an expression of disgust as she lifted her hands out of the wetness, but it was too dark for her to see what it was.
As she rubbed her fingers together, all of the lights turned on. It was so bright, Sloane, instinctually, raised her hand to block her eyes. After a second or two to adjust, she withdrew her hand to find it covered in red. She gasped, panicking as she looked around, finding that slipped in blood. Frantically, she searched for the source, finding Rocco dead a few feet away on the kitchen floor. Sloane screamed as she scrambled to her feet, using the back of the couch to help herself up.
"Liam!", she screamed as she desperately searched for him. Sloane's shaky hand opened the bedroom and found him standing there. Without thinking, she ran over to him, half burying her face in his chest. "Liam! It's Rocco! He—" Her voice trailed off as she realized he stood stoic and frozen like a statue. He said nothing, nor acknowledged her all but crying before him.
The lights then turned on illuminating the bedroom. Sloane looked up at Liam, who was unchanging, staring straight head with a blank expression. "Liam?" She took ahold his arms and tried jostling him. "Liam! What's wrong with you!?"
"Nothing is wrong with him," Sylas said as he slowly emerged from the corner, making his presence known.
"What did you do!?" she yelled at Sylas, before turning her attention back to Liam. "Come on, Liam. Snap out of it." Sloane grabbed a hold of his face, trying to force him to look at her.
"What I promised I'd do."
"God damn it," Sloane cursed under her breath. She kept Liam's face held in her hands as she closed her eyes. With everything she had, she tried to break him free of it. Sylas holds no power over you. He cannot control you. Countless things she tried, but nothing worked. It was like her powers hit a wall it could not breakthrough.
"He is the puppet," Sylas said as he raised his hand. In sync, Liam's own hand lifted and cupped the back of Sloane's head. "And I am the master." Liam's head then flew forward, slamming into her own. The pain was splitting, making her dizzy and disoriented. Her eyes blinked rapidly as she cupped her forehead and stumbled backwards.
"You couldn't shield him from me forever."
"No... No!" She cried out. "Liam! Please! Fight back! You're stronger than he is!"
"I think not," Sylas mocked as he, and Liam, stepped forward. "Kill her," he ordered.
Liam closed the distance between himself and Sloane. She tried to back away, but her head still spun. She only managed a step or two in some direction before his large hand was around her throat. His fingers tightened as he began to lift her off the ground. Sloane struggled and gasped in his clutches, trying to break free. But she wasn't strong. And with every hit or kick, her energy drained and drained fast. With each breath, she strained more. Her vision began to fade to black as she started losing consciousness.
"You know what, I changed my mind." He laughed. "Drop her."
With no ounce of care or gentleness, Liam threw her to the ground like a discarded toy. Her head hit the wall with a sickening thud leaving behind a fresh streak of blood. Sloane remained crumpled on the floor, coughing as she tried to catch her breath.
Liam slowly approached, standing over her like a terrifying angel of death. While Sylas crouched down beside her. "You never learn that I am the one in charge. I didn't want it to come to this. But you left me no choice." He stood back up and took a couple steps back. "Kill yourself."
Before Sloane had a chance to react or try to stop him, Liam pulled out a blade and ran it across his throat. His blood rained over her like a sick nightmare. Her arms raised to protect her face as she let out a blood curdling scream. The kind of scream that pierces your ears and makes the hair on the back of your neck stand on end.
When she opened her eyes, Sloane was laying on her back in the dirt in the center of the arena. The ringing of her scream echoed off the walls. She laid there gasping for air in a stunned silence. As a fraction of her wits returned, she ran her fingers over her head where it hit the wall. She looked over her hands to find them absent of blood. And in a final moment of panic, she looked to the crowd finding Liam still in his shackles... but alive.
With a hard swallow and a sigh, she caught her breath and moved to her feet. Sloane was in such a state of shock, that she didn't think to return to the stands but headed for the exit. Before she could leave, Hecate appeared before her blocking her way out. "Ms. Astor," Poseidon called out from across the arena. "We ask that you remain until everyone's judgement has concluded."
Sloane looked between Hecate and Poseidon, giving a brief nod. She wondered her way over to the stands in a daze, taking a seat as far away from the rest of the campers as humanly possible. And then she simply sat there, staring blankly at the ground between her feet, waiting for this all to come to an end.