TWO YEARS AGO,
MARCH 18th, 2019.
(ALEC'S POV)
After everybody goes to sleep, I sneak out of Davina's house and into the woods.
The whispers of souls and spirits echo through my ears as I venture deeper into the forest, and I walk through a curtain of vines to see her sitting with her feet in the water, brushing her shiny blue hair.
"Echo?"
"Alec!"
She stands up, coming towards me with a large smile.
"Every time I see you you just get taller! Handsome young man you are."
She pats my shoulder, before motioning I sit across from her.
"Come sit, my boy. I have many things to tell you. You remember what I said? About a few years from now? My emotions continue to get stronger on the topic. You and a woman will try and defeat the Titans. Many things come for you in the future. Do you know Hades?"
"I know who he is, yes."
She cocks her head to the side.
"I see him and his two daughters involved. You are going to start working for him."
My eyebrows furrow.
"Are you sure? He's a god. I'm just a shapeshifter."
She smiles.
"You think so low of yourself. Keep your chin up, you aren't a weak boy. I look up to you, Alec. I respect you."
I smile.
"Thanks."
She snorts.
"All I get is a thanks. You are funny. But, tell me, how are you feeling?"
"I'm fine. Same as usual."
I pause, before looking back at her.
"Can I ask you something personal?"
She nods.
"Go for it."
"Do you have any regrets?"
Echo sighs.
"You'd be surprised how many I hold, Alec. But I'll tell you one. I regret not telling you what's going to happen right now."
"What—?"
I feel a hand over my mouth, and everything goes black as I get dragged backwards into the darkness.
*********
My eyes shoot open, and I look around frantically.
A girl stares over me blankly, and I jump.
"What the hell?! Who are you?!"
"Oh! Forgive me for being creepy. I'm Xenodice!"
"Xenodice—?"
She smiles.
"Hades's messenger. You are the boy he wanted."
"Hades wants me?"
"Don't be so confused, my boy! You'll be just fine. Now get up."
I stand up, and her smile broadens.
"You're so tall...like a skyscraper. How much do you bet I can touch your nose?"
I look down at her with a worried look.
"Not that much."
"I say we set it at four locks of that black hair of yours."
"My hair?! You aren't taking my hair."
"I collect hair for my sister Tempest. She's a witch. And likes to make potions with people's hair."
I grimace.
"I don't know about that..."
"Aww, come on!"
She stands on her tip toes, jumping and bopping my nose.
"Ooh! I got it!"
She produces a pair of scissors from thin air and I jump backwards when she tries to cut my hair.
"Where are you going?! I thought I got to keep your hair!"
"I never agreed to that!"
She rolls her eyes.
"Fine. You're no fun. Come with me."
I follow Xenodice uneasily down a corridor, and we turn into a sort of throne space.
Hades sits in a throne and a woman with blonde hair sits on the armrest of it with a large smile.
She turns around, squealing.
"Xenodice! You're back! Who's this young man!"
"I brought him for your husband, Persephone."
Persephone's lips dip down in a frown.
"You seem upset."
Xenodice stomps her foot.
"I am upset! The boy wouldn't give me his hair!"
Hades snaps his head around.
"Xenodice. Leave."
"Hades—"
"Persephone. You leave too. You guys can go shopping or something."
Persephone smiles, and Xenodice smiles as well.
"I'm going to go buy hair! Come on, Seph!"
Persephone and Xenodice disappear out the door, leaving me standing there.
Hades smiles.
"Hello, Alec."
"Hey...is there something I can do for you?"
"Of course there is. Come closer."
I walk closer and Hades grins.
"I need you to be my spy."
*******
PRESENT.
(AIDEN'S POV)
I let out a screech as I fall, landing with a thump on the ground.
"Ugh..."
I look around from the floor, not seeing Cronus.
Where'd he go?
I lift myself off the packed dirt floor, seeing how tall the walls and ceiling stretch before me.
I shouldn't be surprised. This is where the Titans are, right? Right.
I'm gonna die down here.
My footsteps echo quietly as I walk, and I stop when I hear a voice.
"Of course we're back in this shitty underground ant hole."
Theia.
Crap.
A cloud of dirt flies in my face and I try not to cough, letting out a small sneeze instead.
The voices go quiet when I hear another.
"Did you guys hear that?"
Crius.
"It sounded like a sneeze. I'll go check it out."
I quickly turn around, running and hiding behind a small pile of dirt.
Goddamnit.
Of course I'm the one in this situation out of everyone.
My wide eyes follow Crius as he looks around, shrugging before going back to the other Titans.
That was close.
I stand up, running down a different hallway and into a dark and narrow corridor.
I hear a small thunk behind me, freezing.
"Hello?"
Nothing.
I keep walking when I hear another noise.
"Hello?"
Nothing again.
I then hear a loud bang, flipping around with a loud scream.
*********
(MYRA'S POV)
I stare at the girl in shock.
"Who are you?!"
I ask, and her eyebrows furrow.
"Acacia...?"
My jaw drops slightly.
"You—you were in my dreams!"
Acacia's eyes fill with recognition, and she gasps.
"Myra?! I thought you were just a figment of my imagination!"
Everyone stares at us blankly, and Alaric makes a face.
"I see you two have set aside this special time to fucking humiliate yourselves. What in the world are you guys on?!"
Me and Acacia glare at him, and she stands up.
"You're really terrible."
He rolls his eyes.
"Thank you. I'm actually really easy to get along with once you learn to worship me. Hazel knows."
"I don't—"
He places his finger over her lips, grinning.
"Yes you do."
Hazel pulls Alaric's hand down, giving him a look from the corner of her eye before looking back at me and Acacia with a confused expression.
"What's actually going on? How do you guys know each other? She just shot you—?"
Acacia sighs.
"My name is Acacia Evans, and I'm an archer for a group of forest nymphs."
"You're a nymph?"
Pandora says, and Acacia nods.
"I am. I actually come from—"
Acacia stops, and her face blanches.
Her eyes snap back on us.
"Did you hear that?!"
"Hear what?"
I say, and she frowns.
"It was a scream! I heard a scream!"
We all stare at her blankly and she starts to panic.
"Someone's stuck in the Titans lair."
I stand up, and she motions we follow her.
"Come on. We have to help them."
**********
(ALEC'S POV)
I stare at the ground in shock, and hear footsteps.
I turn around, and Stella, Ryder, and Thanatos look at me confused.
"What just happened?!"
Stella says, and Thanatos shrugs.
"I pushed the fat bitch into the hole. Aiden isn't here. Maybe she got sucked in."
I stare at Thanatos blankly, rubbing my forehead.
"She just got sucked into a fucking sinkhole. What do I do?!"
I hear footsteps, then a female voice.
"We'll help!"
*******
(HAZEL'S POV)
We follow Acacia through the forest, and I grimace when I hear Althea's ear-piercing shriek.
"What the hell?!"
I look to where she's standing, seeing a bloodied man unconscious on the ground next to a large birch tree.
I panic slightly, tapping his shoulder.
He isn't gonna wake up.
"Hello?!"
I call, and he jolts up.
"Aiden?"
My face blanches.
He knows Aiden?
"Who are you?!"
He holds his hand as a shield over his eyes, staring at me.
"I'm Oakley Black. Incubus."
I cock my head to the side, before sighing.
"Hazel. Do you know where Aiden went?"
"Back to cat boy. Alec was his name. I don't know what else happened."
I stand up, turning to face Althea and everyone else.
"He can help us. Can someone heal him?!"
Althea shakily raises her hand.
"I can."
"Good."
I move out of the way and she drops down onto her knees, grimacing when her white dress dips in his blood.
She holds her hands over his body, shutting her eyes.
We watch as his wounds close up, and the blood disappears off the floor.
She opens her eyes, looking at him.
"Are you okay...?"
"I'm okay."
Oakley stands up along with Althea, and Acacia looks at us.
"I have a feeling this Aiden girl is down there."
"In the Titans lair?"
Myra asks, and she nods.
"Yes. I can take us down there. Come on."
We all go closer to her, and she grabs our hands, teleporting us underground.
*******
We land in a dark hallway, and Alaric immediately says something.
"I heard a noise down there."
"Where?"
Pandora turns around, shuddering when she sees where Alaric is pointing.
"That place looks scary as hell."
"Tell me about it."
Acacia says, and Oakley rolls his eyes.
"Since y'all are wusses me and Alaric will go. Right?"
Alaric shrugs.
"I don't have a problem with it. Come on now, incubus."
They disappear into the darkness, and after five minutes we hear a yell.
"Guys?! You'd wanna get your asses down here! It isn't good!"
My eyes widen, and the five of us run down the dark hallway and into a torch lit room, where I let out a scream.
Pandora backs away in horror, and Myra holds her hand over her mouth, gripping Acacia's arm as she stumbles backwards.
"I'm gonna be sick..."
My eyes are stuck on hers. Wide. Seemingly lifeless. Blood dripping from them.
Her limbs are contorted and twisted, and there's so much blood that I don't think she can be alive.
Aiden's gone.