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"Yeah." Mason's voice was quiet. He didn't want to admit it anymore than Andy did. "Daniel okay?" He changed the subject, which she didn't know if she was happy about or not.
She never got the chance to respond regardless. Mason's name was called next and subconsciously her hand gripped tighter to his. He unhooked his fingers from hers as he stood. Andy let him, but only to avoid further wrath from the Gods. She didn't want him to go. She saw what it was doing to everyone and she wanted to keep him, Trinity and even herself from experiencing it. But they had no choice.
"It's going to be okay." A lie. No one was ok when they came back out.
Andy curled in on herself as her anxiety only seemed to rise. She crossed one leg over the other. Her left held her abdomen while she chewed on her right thumbnail. With every step Mason took closer to the arch her leg bounced furiously. Somehow she was more scared of what he'd see in there than her inevitable trial. Andy and Mason's relationship was rocky at best. It finally seemed like they had reached stable ground. She was terrified whatever would happen in there could undo everything.
She was silent, almost holding her breath as Mason entered the illusion. Andy's brows furrowed as a vision of herself came to life in his trial. But then there was Ajax... And a child. Her heart sank as her gaze fell back to Mason. He couldn't bear to look at it. She just sat there and watched him, watched his sadness and pain. Gods she hated this. What was worse? Being stuck in your own worst nightmares? Or the people you care about in their nightmares as you watch helplessly? This was all its own new breed of hell.
Then the crash of lightning made her flinch. For a moment Andy could have swore she felt the pain all over again. It was hard for her to watch, each bolt sent a chill down her back. But the fight ended as quickly as it began leaving Mason on his knees with a sword at his neck. She knew he wasn't going to die. She saw enough of the other demigods face their own demise within the illusions. That didn't stop her from wanting to jump up from her seat and go after Alex. But she was frozen in place. There was nothing she could do. Andy turned her head away, flinching as the sword swung down. She waited a long moment as a single tear rolled down her cheek before looking back toward the arena, finding Mason unharmed... Or, alive at least.
Andy's gaze didn't leave him as he returned to the stands. Mason didn't sit beside her though. It seemed he sat almost as far away as possible. For only a brief second he looked toward her. She wanted to beckon him closer, or perhaps go join him. But his gaze fell and he didn't move closer. Neither did she.
Then, as if to add insult to injury, Trinity was called next. Andy tried her best to give her friend a brave smile but it was sympathetic more than anything. At first it was a blood bath, but at Trinity's own hands. She had a bloodlust that made Andy thankful to not be on the opposing side of the blonde. It was an interesting trial, but so far nothing that seemed overly scarring. That was until Theo and Wes emerged. First the pair fought each other until Trin got their attention.
"What are you doing?" Andy whispered under her breath. Trinity should have let the men fight, but now she had no choice but to take them on herself. First she handled Theo, pinning him to the ground with an arrow or two, but that left Wes. Andy's stomach twisted as she watched the lovers fight. She already knew how it'd end before it did and opted not to watch.
When Trinity returned to her seat, Andy did the only thing she could think of. Without a word or a sideways glance, she reached out and took her friend's hand in hers. They sat there in silence, stoic like statues as the next trial commenced. In the blink of an eye her attention drifted as all the possibilities of what she could face inside flashed through her mind. Trinity was one of the strongest people she knew and seeing her broken only frightened Andy more. They were getting to the end which only seemed to make her nerves worse.
Andy only managed to look up when she heard her own voice. No matter how many times she saw herself in these illusions it didn't make it any easier. Theo's trial felt like a strange deja vu, but not. This time everyone relied on him for guidance. Then one by one they died. Her hand tightened around Trinity's as Wes died before their eyes for a third time that day. Suicide, his lover's blade and monsters. She could only imagine how hard that was to watch.
"Andromeda Bolton."
Her heart skipped a beat. Andy looked around at the demigods scattered throughout the arena like her name being called was an accident. But it wasn't. It was only herself and Liam left. She took a deep breath and gave Trinity's hand one final squeeze before moving to her feet. She found herself looking back towards Daniel and Mason for some amount of reassurance although nothing would help. Rather than hesitate, when Andy reached the archway her pace quickened and she entered it head first. The sooner in, the sooner out.
It was dark, nearly pitch black, aside from a feint glow emitting from the far end of the corridor. She was in a cavern of some sort, not man made but not quite natural either. The deeper Andy wondered the more her heart raced. Like a breeze, voices no louder than whispers swept past her, inaudible but pleading. It all felt familiar, but sickeningly so. She wanted to turn back, but the path behind her seemed darker and more daunting. She escaped the Underworld before, she could do it again. Just follow the light.
The cave slowly began to widen. Andy's pace quickened until she was running towards the light. The corridor opened to reveal a large room that still managed to feel claustrophobic. There was barely enough light to see the surrounding walls. And unmoving in the center, like an ominous demon, stood Hades, cloaked in black with a sick grin. "Miss Bolton, good to see you."
"No..." Andy shook her head before she turned around and tried to exit the way she came. But behind her was no path, just another rock wall like those around the room. She groaned out of aggravation and punched the wall. "No. No. No." Her voice pleaded like she was trying to wake herself up from a cruel nightmare.
"What's the rush? You only just arrived." Hades slowly approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
The brief contact of their skin made memories of her last time in the Underworld flash before her eyes. The cold, dark and damp. The torture at the God's own hands. It plagued her nightmares every night, but this wasn't a dream. She couldn't wake herself. Andy slipped from his grasp and shoved Hades backwards. "Don't touch me!"
"Come now? Can't we be civilized?" He held out his hand in a slight surrendering gesture.
Andy backed away until she was butt up against the wall with no where to go. "What do you want?"
Hades sighed, giving up the game of trying to remain polite and cordial. "We have a score to settle," he said nonchalantly as he cupped his hands behind his back.
Her brows furrowed. "What are you talking about?"
The God diverted towards her, stopping a foot away from her, pointing an index finger. "Don't play coy with me. A deal was struck. Your life in exchange for that pathetic Valis boy."
"I..." Andy searched for the words but came up blank. She had no argument. It was a fair trade. And she would have remained there if it wasn't for...
Hades cut her off her train of thought as he took a hold of her jaw and pressed her head back into the wall. "I didn't have you for a day before my stupid son stuck his nose where it didn't belong. He's soft. Like his mother." He released her face with a shove, nearly knocking her to the ground. He began to pace angrily. His steps echoed off the walls masking the whispers of the lost souls. "You owe me a debt and I demand payment." He turned to face Andy and pointed toward the ground. "Now!"
With the boom of his voice, torches appeared illuminating the room. The flames grew as two gallows materialized in the center of the chamber behind Hades. Two nooses swung free absent a hangman. "A life for a life? That was the original bargain, was it not?" He approached her and took hold of the back of her neck, forcefully leading her to the center of the room.
"Let go of me!" Andy fought against his hold, but Hades's grasp was tight. Each time she squirmed his fingers constricted.
"You will choose!" He shoved her forward, causing Andy to stumble and fall to her knees. When she looked up the nooses that were once empty were then occupied. On the gallows to the right stood Ajax and on the left, Mason. The rope was tight around their throats with their hands tied behind their backs. Both mumbled through their gags and fount their restraints as they locked eyes with Andy.
The panic instantly set in. Tears fell from her eyes. Andy's chest constricted as she gasped for air, unable to breathe. She turned towards Hades, groveling on her hands and knees. "No. P-please," she begged through struggled breaths. "Kill me! Take me! I'll do whatever you want. I won't leave! I won't fight!" She held her hands up above her head, wrists together in surrender.
Hades slowly crouched down to meet her eye to eye. "You already promised me your life in exchange for one of their's and you broke that promise. Your life is not worth two. I want you to suffer for crossing me. You will live. And a day won't go by where you don't think about the life you ended because of your misdeeds." He stood back upright, pushing off his knees. "So... Who will it be? The man you sacrificed yourself for? Or the man who saved you?"
Andy nearly doubled over as she began to sob. "Please..." She sounded defeated. Her voice barely louder than a whisper.
"You will choose... Or I shall kill them both!" The God raised his hand, motioning his fingers towards the gallows.
The sound of struggling and thrashing made Andy whip her head around. Before her eyes the ropes tightened around Mason's and Ajax's throats, and began to lift them off the ground. "No!" she screamed as she scrambled to her feet and ran towards the wooden platforms.
Hades snapped and the two men landed back on their feet. "Then choose!"
Andy remained frozen where she stood. Her chest heaved with every breath on the edge of hyperventilating. Her eyes shifted back and forth between the two. Ajax's own gaze was soft. There was no begging or fear. It was like he already knew she would pick him and he was trying to sooth her through a single glance. But Mason... He didn't dare look at her at all. His eyes were fixed on his father. A death glare. He looked as though he had accepted his fate and was ready to die, his only regret being he couldn't take Hades with him.
She had to choose. There was no other way. She was in Hades's domain... And so were they. Andy was out powered and out matched. It wasn't fair, none of it. While the time that passed might have only felt like a few minutes, to her it was an eternity. A lifetime of memories passed before her eyes. Memories of Ajax and memories of Mason, the good and the bad. All of it, every moment. She tried to weigh the two choices, to come to a decision logically. But no matter how many times she went over it, her heart over ruled her head. She knew from the moment they appeared before her. There was one she instinctually wanted to run to and save. It was there all along. Her head fell as she let out a sob in defeat.
Hades slowly walked up behind her and spoke quietly. "You've chosen?"
Under her breath, not even loud enough to be a whisper, Andy said the name. That doomed name of someone she cared about, destined to die. She dared not say it louder, nor would she watch it happen. It was done. She chose. That was the end of it.
"By your lead," Hades motioned his hands towards the gallows, signaling that she would be the one to do the deed.
It was like a punch to the gut. She felt like the wind was knocked out of her. "Please..." Andy begged once more, this time looking into the God's eyes. But there was no remorse, no pity. Just anger.
"If I have to repeat myself once more... I'll kill your brother too."
"Fuck!" She cried out in defeat and anger, before burying her face in her hands.
Somehow, Andy forced herself to move, before Hades could threaten anyone else in her life. She ascended the wooden stairs of the scaffold in a haze. With every step she tried to think of a way out of it, but in the end nothing would work. He was a God. She couldn't beat that no matter how hard she tried. It'd only get more people killed. A trembling hand reached out to grab the lever and she froze. She took a deep breath and looked over at her victim. "I'm sorry, Ajax." She prayed Zeus would show up in the nick of time.
Andy closed her eyes and turned her head away as she pulled the lever. Then there was the sound of a trap door opening and thrashing. She looked over to find Ajax still standing beside her, but in the distance Mason dangled from the rope, writhing like a fish out of water. "No!" She screamed as she leapt from the platform and stumbled into her landing. She scrambled to her feet and sprinted towards Mason. She tried to support his weight best she could, but couldn't hold him and remove the noose. She conjured a knife and quickly hacked at the rope until it snapped.
Mason's limp body collapsed to the ground, taking Andy down with it. He was already dead. Anyone else would have seen it. But Andy was in a furious haze. She quickly moved to his side and pulled the noose from around his neck. "Mason?!" Her voice cracked as she said his name. She leaned down to listen for a heart beat and started giving him chest compressions. But when she finally looked back at him, blank eyes glazed over stared up at the ceiling.
Hades chuckled as he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Andy tried to pull Mason into her lap, but as she reached for him her hands passed straight through him. He vanished right before her eyes. "No. No. NO!" She let out a blood curdling scream as she frantically dug at the dirt trying to bring him back.
Andy kept digging, covering herself in dirt, the dust clinging to the tear trails on her cheeks. She didn't stop, not until a gentle hand reached out and touched her shoulder. "...Andromeda."
She pulled away quickly, looking over her shoulder to find her Hecate looking down at her with, what almost looked like, concern in her eyes. Andy quickly moved to her feet when reality set back in. Her gaze quickly searched the crown until she saw Mason sitting there. Then, and only then, was she able to finally breathe, taking in a sharp breath like she had nearly been suffocating. She looked back at her mother with a sad and angry gaze that said everything she didn't need to. She wasted no time finding her way to the stands, taking a seat that was closest to the exit. She wanted nothing more than to be out of there as soon as possible.
"Yeah." Mason's voice was quiet. He didn't want to admit it anymore than Andy did. "Daniel okay?" He changed the subject, which she didn't know if she was happy about or not.
She never got the chance to respond regardless. Mason's name was called next and subconsciously her hand gripped tighter to his. He unhooked his fingers from hers as he stood. Andy let him, but only to avoid further wrath from the Gods. She didn't want him to go. She saw what it was doing to everyone and she wanted to keep him, Trinity and even herself from experiencing it. But they had no choice.
"It's going to be okay." A lie. No one was ok when they came back out.
Andy curled in on herself as her anxiety only seemed to rise. She crossed one leg over the other. Her left held her abdomen while she chewed on her right thumbnail. With every step Mason took closer to the arch her leg bounced furiously. Somehow she was more scared of what he'd see in there than her inevitable trial. Andy and Mason's relationship was rocky at best. It finally seemed like they had reached stable ground. She was terrified whatever would happen in there could undo everything.
She was silent, almost holding her breath as Mason entered the illusion. Andy's brows furrowed as a vision of herself came to life in his trial. But then there was Ajax... And a child. Her heart sank as her gaze fell back to Mason. He couldn't bear to look at it. She just sat there and watched him, watched his sadness and pain. Gods she hated this. What was worse? Being stuck in your own worst nightmares? Or the people you care about in their nightmares as you watch helplessly? This was all its own new breed of hell.
Then the crash of lightning made her flinch. For a moment Andy could have swore she felt the pain all over again. It was hard for her to watch, each bolt sent a chill down her back. But the fight ended as quickly as it began leaving Mason on his knees with a sword at his neck. She knew he wasn't going to die. She saw enough of the other demigods face their own demise within the illusions. That didn't stop her from wanting to jump up from her seat and go after Alex. But she was frozen in place. There was nothing she could do. Andy turned her head away, flinching as the sword swung down. She waited a long moment as a single tear rolled down her cheek before looking back toward the arena, finding Mason unharmed... Or, alive at least.
Andy's gaze didn't leave him as he returned to the stands. Mason didn't sit beside her though. It seemed he sat almost as far away as possible. For only a brief second he looked toward her. She wanted to beckon him closer, or perhaps go join him. But his gaze fell and he didn't move closer. Neither did she.
Then, as if to add insult to injury, Trinity was called next. Andy tried her best to give her friend a brave smile but it was sympathetic more than anything. At first it was a blood bath, but at Trinity's own hands. She had a bloodlust that made Andy thankful to not be on the opposing side of the blonde. It was an interesting trial, but so far nothing that seemed overly scarring. That was until Theo and Wes emerged. First the pair fought each other until Trin got their attention.
"What are you doing?" Andy whispered under her breath. Trinity should have let the men fight, but now she had no choice but to take them on herself. First she handled Theo, pinning him to the ground with an arrow or two, but that left Wes. Andy's stomach twisted as she watched the lovers fight. She already knew how it'd end before it did and opted not to watch.
When Trinity returned to her seat, Andy did the only thing she could think of. Without a word or a sideways glance, she reached out and took her friend's hand in hers. They sat there in silence, stoic like statues as the next trial commenced. In the blink of an eye her attention drifted as all the possibilities of what she could face inside flashed through her mind. Trinity was one of the strongest people she knew and seeing her broken only frightened Andy more. They were getting to the end which only seemed to make her nerves worse.
Andy only managed to look up when she heard her own voice. No matter how many times she saw herself in these illusions it didn't make it any easier. Theo's trial felt like a strange deja vu, but not. This time everyone relied on him for guidance. Then one by one they died. Her hand tightened around Trinity's as Wes died before their eyes for a third time that day. Suicide, his lover's blade and monsters. She could only imagine how hard that was to watch.
"Andromeda Bolton."
Her heart skipped a beat. Andy looked around at the demigods scattered throughout the arena like her name being called was an accident. But it wasn't. It was only herself and Liam left. She took a deep breath and gave Trinity's hand one final squeeze before moving to her feet. She found herself looking back towards Daniel and Mason for some amount of reassurance although nothing would help. Rather than hesitate, when Andy reached the archway her pace quickened and she entered it head first. The sooner in, the sooner out.
It was dark, nearly pitch black, aside from a feint glow emitting from the far end of the corridor. She was in a cavern of some sort, not man made but not quite natural either. The deeper Andy wondered the more her heart raced. Like a breeze, voices no louder than whispers swept past her, inaudible but pleading. It all felt familiar, but sickeningly so. She wanted to turn back, but the path behind her seemed darker and more daunting. She escaped the Underworld before, she could do it again. Just follow the light.
The cave slowly began to widen. Andy's pace quickened until she was running towards the light. The corridor opened to reveal a large room that still managed to feel claustrophobic. There was barely enough light to see the surrounding walls. And unmoving in the center, like an ominous demon, stood Hades, cloaked in black with a sick grin. "Miss Bolton, good to see you."
"No..." Andy shook her head before she turned around and tried to exit the way she came. But behind her was no path, just another rock wall like those around the room. She groaned out of aggravation and punched the wall. "No. No. No." Her voice pleaded like she was trying to wake herself up from a cruel nightmare.
"What's the rush? You only just arrived." Hades slowly approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
The brief contact of their skin made memories of her last time in the Underworld flash before her eyes. The cold, dark and damp. The torture at the God's own hands. It plagued her nightmares every night, but this wasn't a dream. She couldn't wake herself. Andy slipped from his grasp and shoved Hades backwards. "Don't touch me!"
"Come now? Can't we be civilized?" He held out his hand in a slight surrendering gesture.
Andy backed away until she was butt up against the wall with no where to go. "What do you want?"
Hades sighed, giving up the game of trying to remain polite and cordial. "We have a score to settle," he said nonchalantly as he cupped his hands behind his back.
Her brows furrowed. "What are you talking about?"
The God diverted towards her, stopping a foot away from her, pointing an index finger. "Don't play coy with me. A deal was struck. Your life in exchange for that pathetic Valis boy."
"I..." Andy searched for the words but came up blank. She had no argument. It was a fair trade. And she would have remained there if it wasn't for...
Hades cut her off her train of thought as he took a hold of her jaw and pressed her head back into the wall. "I didn't have you for a day before my stupid son stuck his nose where it didn't belong. He's soft. Like his mother." He released her face with a shove, nearly knocking her to the ground. He began to pace angrily. His steps echoed off the walls masking the whispers of the lost souls. "You owe me a debt and I demand payment." He turned to face Andy and pointed toward the ground. "Now!"
With the boom of his voice, torches appeared illuminating the room. The flames grew as two gallows materialized in the center of the chamber behind Hades. Two nooses swung free absent a hangman. "A life for a life? That was the original bargain, was it not?" He approached her and took hold of the back of her neck, forcefully leading her to the center of the room.
"Let go of me!" Andy fought against his hold, but Hades's grasp was tight. Each time she squirmed his fingers constricted.
"You will choose!" He shoved her forward, causing Andy to stumble and fall to her knees. When she looked up the nooses that were once empty were then occupied. On the gallows to the right stood Ajax and on the left, Mason. The rope was tight around their throats with their hands tied behind their backs. Both mumbled through their gags and fount their restraints as they locked eyes with Andy.
The panic instantly set in. Tears fell from her eyes. Andy's chest constricted as she gasped for air, unable to breathe. She turned towards Hades, groveling on her hands and knees. "No. P-please," she begged through struggled breaths. "Kill me! Take me! I'll do whatever you want. I won't leave! I won't fight!" She held her hands up above her head, wrists together in surrender.
Hades slowly crouched down to meet her eye to eye. "You already promised me your life in exchange for one of their's and you broke that promise. Your life is not worth two. I want you to suffer for crossing me. You will live. And a day won't go by where you don't think about the life you ended because of your misdeeds." He stood back upright, pushing off his knees. "So... Who will it be? The man you sacrificed yourself for? Or the man who saved you?"
Andy nearly doubled over as she began to sob. "Please..." She sounded defeated. Her voice barely louder than a whisper.
"You will choose... Or I shall kill them both!" The God raised his hand, motioning his fingers towards the gallows.
The sound of struggling and thrashing made Andy whip her head around. Before her eyes the ropes tightened around Mason's and Ajax's throats, and began to lift them off the ground. "No!" she screamed as she scrambled to her feet and ran towards the wooden platforms.
Hades snapped and the two men landed back on their feet. "Then choose!"
Andy remained frozen where she stood. Her chest heaved with every breath on the edge of hyperventilating. Her eyes shifted back and forth between the two. Ajax's own gaze was soft. There was no begging or fear. It was like he already knew she would pick him and he was trying to sooth her through a single glance. But Mason... He didn't dare look at her at all. His eyes were fixed on his father. A death glare. He looked as though he had accepted his fate and was ready to die, his only regret being he couldn't take Hades with him.
She had to choose. There was no other way. She was in Hades's domain... And so were they. Andy was out powered and out matched. It wasn't fair, none of it. While the time that passed might have only felt like a few minutes, to her it was an eternity. A lifetime of memories passed before her eyes. Memories of Ajax and memories of Mason, the good and the bad. All of it, every moment. She tried to weigh the two choices, to come to a decision logically. But no matter how many times she went over it, her heart over ruled her head. She knew from the moment they appeared before her. There was one she instinctually wanted to run to and save. It was there all along. Her head fell as she let out a sob in defeat.
Hades slowly walked up behind her and spoke quietly. "You've chosen?"
Under her breath, not even loud enough to be a whisper, Andy said the name. That doomed name of someone she cared about, destined to die. She dared not say it louder, nor would she watch it happen. It was done. She chose. That was the end of it.
"By your lead," Hades motioned his hands towards the gallows, signaling that she would be the one to do the deed.
It was like a punch to the gut. She felt like the wind was knocked out of her. "Please..." Andy begged once more, this time looking into the God's eyes. But there was no remorse, no pity. Just anger.
"If I have to repeat myself once more... I'll kill your brother too."
"Fuck!" She cried out in defeat and anger, before burying her face in her hands.
Somehow, Andy forced herself to move, before Hades could threaten anyone else in her life. She ascended the wooden stairs of the scaffold in a haze. With every step she tried to think of a way out of it, but in the end nothing would work. He was a God. She couldn't beat that no matter how hard she tried. It'd only get more people killed. A trembling hand reached out to grab the lever and she froze. She took a deep breath and looked over at her victim. "I'm sorry, Ajax." She prayed Zeus would show up in the nick of time.
Andy closed her eyes and turned her head away as she pulled the lever. Then there was the sound of a trap door opening and thrashing. She looked over to find Ajax still standing beside her, but in the distance Mason dangled from the rope, writhing like a fish out of water. "No!" She screamed as she leapt from the platform and stumbled into her landing. She scrambled to her feet and sprinted towards Mason. She tried to support his weight best she could, but couldn't hold him and remove the noose. She conjured a knife and quickly hacked at the rope until it snapped.
Mason's limp body collapsed to the ground, taking Andy down with it. He was already dead. Anyone else would have seen it. But Andy was in a furious haze. She quickly moved to his side and pulled the noose from around his neck. "Mason?!" Her voice cracked as she said his name. She leaned down to listen for a heart beat and started giving him chest compressions. But when she finally looked back at him, blank eyes glazed over stared up at the ceiling.
Hades chuckled as he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Andy tried to pull Mason into her lap, but as she reached for him her hands passed straight through him. He vanished right before her eyes. "No. No. NO!" She let out a blood curdling scream as she frantically dug at the dirt trying to bring him back.
Andy kept digging, covering herself in dirt, the dust clinging to the tear trails on her cheeks. She didn't stop, not until a gentle hand reached out and touched her shoulder. "...Andromeda."
She pulled away quickly, looking over her shoulder to find her Hecate looking down at her with, what almost looked like, concern in her eyes. Andy quickly moved to her feet when reality set back in. Her gaze quickly searched the crown until she saw Mason sitting there. Then, and only then, was she able to finally breathe, taking in a sharp breath like she had nearly been suffocating. She looked back at her mother with a sad and angry gaze that said everything she didn't need to. She wasted no time finding her way to the stands, taking a seat that was closest to the exit. She wanted nothing more than to be out of there as soon as possible.