Sammy's P.O.V
I bit my lip as I looked at the empty fields
Where is she?
"Jackson," I growled as I failed to feel her presence in the field, "you better have not fooled Naomi and me."
"I'm sorry, Sammy, but something is keeping Zoë from transitioning here," a voice said behind me
I spun around to be met with the creator, Chaos, "Milady," I began, "Is everything okay with her?"
Chaos sighed, "I'm not sure," she began, "could you try teleporting back into Naomi's head and checking on Zoë? Maybe as a ghost or in one of those mist bodies?"
"Mist forms," I asked and she nodded with a snap of her fingers making me chuckle at the memory of the family Zoë and I had before this. "Yeah," I began, "I'll give it a shot," I said before closing my eyes
When I opened them, I heard some commotion, someone was fighting but I couldn't see it as Naomi was still sleeping. I looked inside soon finding my core before willing a mist form of myself into existence
"Stop fighting, Zoë," Percy's voice yelled, "nobody is here to hurt you and you need to save your strength."
"Liar," Zoë's voice growled before a pull in my stomach said that she used one of her powers. My head snapped just to see the room light up in flames
"Zoë Nightshade Jackson," Annabeth's voice growled as I saw a shadow run to the side of the room, kneeling over another person
"We need to knock her out, she's not responding," I heard Percy grumble as I looked at the scene and my heart dropped
Zoë stood there with a basin full of water, my father's head stuck in it, "Why won't you stop fighting," she growled as my father tried to burn her while flailing about
I grumbled as I turned her powers off causing her to yelp in pain, "Because," I began, "like me, everyone here fights to stay alive. They do not fight to hurt the ones they love unless they turn on them," I paused as she turned toward me. "You are not there anymore, Jackson," I began as she started glaring at me while my father gasped for breath, "you are safe."
"Liar," Zoë growled before dashing toward me which I sidestepped using the winds as I flicked my wrist. "You left me to rot and die here," she growled as she stopped before the bunks where Naomi slept. "Everyone here is building up my trust just to turn and hurt me with every family I've ever had."
"Rosy," I began looking into her eyes which had that distant look to her, "you and I both know that's true," I paused as her stance faltered, taking the time to walk closer to her. "You are my Smart Guppy; please remember why I call you that and remember that you are with a caring family and not an abusive one."
"Lies," she growled before jabbing a dagger at me
I rolled my eyes as I caught her arm with one hand, burning her wrist slightly before using the other hand to flip her over my head and onto her back with a crack which made me flinch. "I hope I didn't break anything while doing that," I muttered as I pinned her. "I won't ever lie to you about family," I began, "please come back to the present, Zo."
A groan came from her as she blinked, "Sammy," she asked before her eyes widened, "Dad, Leo," she exclaimed before trying to push me off. "Valdez, please get off of me before I turn off your powers."
I smirked, "How are you going to do that, Jackson," I said as I kept a hold of her powers while standing up. "Had to turn them off while you were trying to drown my father. He and Percy are fine," I paused as I looked her up and down, "aside from a few burns you look fine, how's your back? It cracked when you landed."
Zoë looked around while rolling her shoulders, "Less stiff," she muttered before her eyes landed on my father who was holding a fireball while glaring at Zoë. "I'm here, Leo," she began, "sorry about that PTSD attack."
"What the Hades caused that kind of an attack, I don't think Sammy's was like that," my father exclaimed as I bit my lip
"Trying to kill the people you think are intending to hurt you," I asked and he nodded, "yep. Her first one didn't have her powers though; it was just sword and daggers while mine wanted me to burn anyone associated with her family. I had burned my clothes off as well as hers as she embraced me in the hug that brought me back after I stabbed her wrist."
"Oh," my father said as Zoë staggered causing me to furrow my brow
"Can't breathe," she choked out while flinching
"Annabeth," I exclaimed, "she's back, stop attacking her and please take your hat off."
I was beginning to feel her outline by a combination of the winds and moisture in the air as she relaxed jumping off of her eldest daughter before walking up to me. "How the Hades were you able to bring her out of it," she growled as she appeared in front of me while glaring daggers
Her glare sent shivers down my spine, but I stood my ground and glared back, "This wouldn't be the first time I have dealt with a PTSD attack. It's also not the first time I brought her back and you know that since you helped with it."
Annabeth froze then blinked, "Why are you glaring at me? Why are you here? I thought you were resting with Naomi."
I furrowed my brow, "Annabeth," I began, "what was the last thing you remember before now?"
"Giving Percy some water before blacking out from the pain," she said, "why?"
"When was the last PTSD attack you had," I asked as she bit her lip in thought
"Over fifteen years ago," she began before her face paled, "are you suggesting that I just came out of one?"
I nodded, "Your triggers are probably people close to you turning as Luke had done," I began, "I'm sorry you had to go through that. Is that anything close to when you last had one?"
Annabeth's eyes strayed to a nearby tunnel as she thought, "Yes," she began, "it was after a spar with Percy where he won with Riptide at my throat."
I nodded, "Fear took over thinking that he was turning on you as you yielded?"
Annabeth nodded, "Next thing I knew I was waking up in the infirmary with a splitting headache with people saying that I attacked him after I yielded."
I sighed, "Isn't it sort of expected for the Seven to have PTSD?"
I turned to face Stephan, "Yes," I began, "it is expected because they've been through about as much shit as Zoë and I have combined if not more. It's easier to know the triggers before jumping to conclusions."
"What are yours and Zoë's," Stephan asked as I saw Bianca and Thalia come from the tunnel that Annabeth's eyes were darting from
"I figure Zoë's is associated with family and anxiety," I began, "this is the second time she's had a PTSD attack when trying to fall asleep. Her anxiety usually hits when she is either waking up or trying to fall asleep. It usually brings up the worst of everything that could happen or has happened in the past. For me, it is some form of immense pain similar to being beaten constantly because I had to fight to keep my virginity."
"Why did you have to fight to keep your virginity," my father asked as he finally approached without a fireball in his hand. "Why does she have PTSD attacks about trusting people?"
I sighed, darting my eyes in Zoë's direction, "You get some rest if you're fine with me explaining everything for you."
Zoë gave a hesitant smile, "I hope I'm able to see you in the fields," she said before walking to a bunk and laying in it
I sighed, "Let's go to another room," I began, "I will explain everything in terms of reasons before I drift back into Naomi's head and spend some time with Zo."
"Does she rest during that," Annabeth asked and I nodded
"I believe Chaos wouldn't do this if she didn't get the rest she would need," I answered as I followed my father down the tunnels
"Okay," Leo said as he stopped, "explanation, now."
He crossed my arms before looking me straight in the eyes, "Out of everyone in this room you'd be the person to know more about the gang more."
"Not really," he began, "I didn't pay full attention, if I had known that you had to fight to keep your virginity and innocence then I would've pulled you out of there no matter what anyone else said."
"You knew her before all of this," Annabeth asked him just as Percy pressed his lips together
"As did I," he began, "but some points didn't go as smoothly as others."
I sighed, "I met Percy and Leo while I was in the gang," I began, "much of the gang was made of horny teenagers who usually thought they owned me even though I was the boss' girl. If they didn't get what they wanted then they would beat me. When my boyfriend was proclaimed the boss many of the gang members wanted me instead for some reason. I started running because I never wanted to be a part of a place that was full of senseless killing, I didn't want to be a figurehead for it. I hid in a room clutching the tracker that my mortal father told me to hold on to in case of trouble and that someone would come down on a dragon to save me," I paused. "That was the same day I was finally returned to him after a full week of being beaten for having any remorse after my last loyalty check. About a month later was when my boyfriend was killed. He and I were the same height and the bullet lodged in my chest. I cauterized it after running about a block. I then continued to run until I got lost and grasped the tracker while praying for help. Dad came with Percy who helped heal some of the wound but they agreed that I need to go back to Mr. Edwards to be properly patched up," I looked at the two men, "it was at that point I wasn't going back to that gang. The last time I saw Percy and Dad before Zoë said that she met the former was when Lin had asked me to be an understudy when she was in the hospital after the shooting. Percy had accused me to be behind everything considering I was the only legacy found and had my mother in my head. After standing my ground I went about everything up until now. I never had as much pain as the gang until Zoë's first PTSD attack. As we were coming here I kept reminding myself that I wasn't there and that I was all right but the memories took over me once I passed out. The last thing I saw was the Stolls running off with my weapons and a New York Yankees cap before looking out at the beach naked and with invisible arms wrapped around me as my dagger floated in midair."
"She used my hat to bring you back without hurting you as you did with her," Annabeth muttered as she remembered that day. "You felt terrible when you found out you stabbed her."
I nodded, "Yeah," I began, "she ended up telling me that if she wasn't allowed to feel guilty about the injuries she caused then I'm not allowed to feel guilty."
"Seems reasonable," Percy muttered, "what about her attacks?"
I sighed, "Every time she told me about the foster families that abused her she told me that they were good up until they started blaming her for everything for no reason. Her brothers let her use the weights but then started hurting her with them out of nowhere. I believe she fears that when she starts trusting people that is when they will turn. Her anxiety ties in with her imagination showing her all the possible ways someone could turn against her and start hurting her. She tries to fight it but she isn't always successful as you may have seen. Her first attack was the same day as mine in the morning as we were cuddling. It was a moment of peace that a part of her thought was false and jumped into fight or flight when I went to brush a strand of hair out of her face."
"She probably thought that you were going to hit or something," Percy muttered as I heard a sharp intake of breath
"They hurt her while exercising," Bianca's voice whispered stunned
"You didn't tell me you went through that much pain," Thalia muttered, "I'm so sorry, Kind Friend."
I smiled, "It's okay, Old Friend," I began, "there were some things I couldn't talk about in our letters. How the gang worked was one of those things," I whispered with a sigh. "I never saw the abuse that she went through but I think I pictured as much as possible."
"Rape being on the top of the list," Annabeth muttered before the room went silent
"What," Stephan asked as Percy and Leo shuffled nervously and I felt the anger rolling off of Zoë's two sisters
"Her first abusive foster family," I began, "her brother raped her followed by an older man. She was late to school because of that and was raped yet again as punishment," I paused. "She has a four-year-old daughter that Lin is taking care of now."
"Go get some rest," Percy began, "Zoë's probably waiting for you there."
I nodded, "Thank you," I breathed before closing my eyes
"About time you got here," Zoë's voice said before I opened my eyes, "how did they take the explanations?"
I sighed as I sat next to her, resting my head on her shoulder, "Not good," I began, "they are pretty angry about how both of us were treated. Your mother let it slip that you were raped. I explained when that happened after which Percy told me to get some rest."
Silence fell between us, "I saw your past," I heard Zoë began, "is it possible that I could show you mine?"
I sighed, "Are you sure you want to do that," I asked, "it could bring another attack."
I looked into her eyes, "It'll help you better understand where my attacks are coming from," she began. "You were right about the anxiety bringing up everything but I hadn't told you anything because," she branched off
"Because you never knew how to put it into words," I finished making her head snap in my direction. "If it comforts you in knowing that I understand what you went through and if it makes my explanation a little easier then I will see what you went through."
A smile pulled at Zoë's lips as she grabbed my hands, "Thank you," she whispered before closing her eyes
I stiffened as I first saw a crash with a pickup truck as Bianca sat next to her. I bit my lip as her second foster father slapped her across the face when she stood up to him ordering her to move with his family. My heart broke every time I saw the foster families from the third one up until she ran into Renée and beat the woman I love into a pulp.
"Zoë," I cried as her grip relaxed, "I'm so sorry," I whispered as a tear rolled down my cheek
"Hey," she began, brushing her thumb across my cheek, "it's in the past, I withstood it and hope that nobody I care about has to go through it. I wouldn't even wish it on my enemies," she finished whispering the last part
"Hey," I began gently grabbing her hands which flew to her sides, "just because you regret having to go through that," I paused. "Does not mean it helped you become the fighting person you are now," she looked at me. "Do you honestly think I wouldn't be like this if I delved in my past and my memories with the gang? You and I both learned to keep moving and fight back when needed. This pain," I paused yet again, "this pain taught us the hard truth when it came to life and made us who we are today. Even though I may not be alive now I will not back down until I breathe again because that's how I am and how I learned to be. You would most likely do the same if our roles were reversed."
"You're dam right I would," she said with a faint smile
I smiled back at her, "We're fighters, Zoë Jackson," I began, "the Fates put us through that hell of a past to make us the fighters we are today. The past may hurt but it will only be an image of who you grew from, not who you are. Whether you are the traumatized Rose Stevens or the brave, but still traumatized, Zoë Jackson, you are still a fighter who is getting stronger each day by learning from her mistakes."
A true smile appeared on Zoë's face this time around, "I don't know how you do it," she began, "but you always give a silver lining to the darkest situations."
I felt heat rise to my cheeks, "I've learned from my past," I began, "that you need to either find the silver lining or make your own."
"That's a good lesson to learn," Zoë said as thunder rumbled, "does that mean it's time to wake up?"
I looked at the darkening skies, "It seems so," I began, "see you later."
"See you," Zoë said before placing a peck on my lips and disappearing
"You did a good job," Chaos' voice said as I watched the skies, "I don't think I could've said it better myself."
I smiled as I felt a raindrop land on my cheek, "What brings you here, milady?"
"I don't know how to go about this, but," I heard the creator sigh as I looked at her, "you're going to be in this punishment during the Seven's coronation as well as Zoë's."
My heart dropped, "I won't be with her when she gets immortality?"
The creator shook her head, "Unfortunately no," she began, "unless Hades can round up the souls and get the Fates to listen to him you will not be with Miss Jackson when that time comes."
I bit my lip, "She can't exactly deny it because I believe there will be an heir to the King's throne and everyone is probably going to push her parents to be King and Queen respectively."
"It appears so," Chaos said, "if I could help, I would but the future for you legacies is hazy, I can't tell what'll happen next."
I sighed, "Then," I began, "we'll just have to prepare for it."
I looked up to see the smiling face of the creator, "Whenever you come back to life," she began, "look forward to some blessings from me."
I nodded, "It would be an honor, milady," I said as I started feeling a pull in my gut, "I need to go."
"That you do," the creator began, "take care."
Zoë's P.O.V
"Is she sleeping in," Naomi muttered as we all crowded in a circle
I furrowed my brow, "What?"
"I don't feel Sammy in my head," Naomi explained, "I don't know if she's sleeping in or someone is talking to her."
I thought as I felt my bottom lip sticking out, 'You're cute whenever you do that,' Sammy's voice said resonating through my head causing me to roll my eyes
"Where the Hades were you," I muttered as I looked directly at Pippa
"Sorry, a little discussion was needed with the creator," Sammy said from my left as I sighed and her sister huffed
"Scared the living Tartarus out of me," Naomi muttered making me flinch mentally
Even though I still have that discussion with Sammy in the fields I still manage to get dreams
And they have not been pretty
Covered in Earth as pain resonated through my body at the slowest rate possible
Walking with Stephan, Thalia, Bianca, and Sammy in a pulsating pit that was all red
Seeing an arrow jutting out of Sammy's skull in between her eyes
Me being the only one alive
"Zoë," Pippa's voice exclaimed as I felt a hand on my shoulder, "Is everything all right?"
I shook my head, "Yeah," I began, "just thinking."
'That's a lie,' Sammy pointed out, 'please talk about it to the demigods before mom takes control of you.'
I huffed, 'I will,' I thought to her, "Something I'll talk to y'all once we're done taking one of the most painful baths in existence."
Nico nodded, "Understood," he said before darkness enveloped my vision
'I'd rather you do that voluntarily than force you,' Calypso's voice said calmly as the five of us shadow traveled
I rolled my eyes, 'I'm going to do it,' I began as the Underworld came into view as we appeared on the banks of the Styx. 'I might need a reminder after this.'
"I guess I'm a reminder for whatever you need to talk about to them," Naomi muttered as I looked out into the cursed waters
"Not that kind of reminder," I muttered, "I love you Sams but why do you have to be a smartass?"
'It comes naturally,' Sammy and Calypso said in unison, causing me to scrunch my nose. 'Now get into that river and don't pass out.'
I sighed after Calypso finished
That's going to be easier said than done
Naomi's P.O.V
'I'm nervous,' I thought to Sammy as Zoë cleared everything with the demigods who weren't passed out on the ground
'It'll be fine,' Sammy began, 'if you want me to, I can take control when you feel like you're going to fade. I may have talked to Chaos about it.'
A smile pulled at my lips, even in my head she felt so calm and comforting, 'Thank you, Sammy,' I said as I grabbed Zoë's hand
"Let's get this over with," I muttered dragging her behind me
"Not going to argue that one," Zoë said as I felt her catching up to me, "you remember the spot?"
I nodded as my hand instinctively went above my armpit, "Here but opposite?"
'Not opposite,' Sammy said just as Zoë did
I bit my lip, "Sammy said the same thing didn't she?"
I nodded, "Yeah," I said, "I'm scared," I muttered, "I don't know if I can do this."
Zoë smirked, "Everyone who has taken a dip in the Styx has been scared with the curse they come out with," she began before flinching. "You will be fine," she began as I arched an eyebrow
'Mom and I smacked her upside the head,' Sammy said and I shrugged, 'get in that dam river so this is said and done.'
"Well then," I began, "I guess we should get this over with before the residents in our heads control us."
A smile appeared on Zoë's lips once I finished, "I'll second that," she said before we walked into the waters
Sammy's P.O.V
The pain started instantly, both of them fell into the waters but thankfully Naomi kept Zoë as an anchor while working on imagining the weak spot
That is until she began to pass out
"You are not dying," I muttered shifting into the front seat before gasping in the pain
I was met with silence as I kept the image in my head. Part of me focused on Naomi's hand clasped into Zoë's while I tried to keep my focus on the image we had agreed on when discussing this plan
The spot above that armpit so nobody killed themselves while shaving
That would be unfortunate
The last thing I remembered before drifting back into Naomi's head was someone carrying Zoë and Naomi out of the tide that was somehow created
Renée's P.O.V
Pippa was shaking in her boots as she tended to Nico who crumbled to his feet, "Hey," I began, "everything is going to be fine."
"I don't know," Phillipa Soo began, "I have a bad feeling that something is going to go wrong either during this or after."
"Whatever it is," I began, "we'll be ready for it."
"They won't be scared about me using my powers?"
I looked at the daughter of Hades, "Why in your father's name would they be scared of your powers when they aren't even fazed by Nico's?"
Pippa shrugged just as a snarling came from my left, "What brings these demigods to the Underworld."
"We're here to escort some legacies into the Styx to get the Achilles Curse," Nico slurred before his head slumped to the side
Well, so much for the Ghost King's help
"I don't think you three are doing such a great job," the hellhound snarled, "time for me to have a little snack."
"Not on my watch," I said before pushing Pippa out of the way as the monster launched itself at us
In a flash, I was carrying Zoë and Naomi's bodies while being covered in monster dust and holding onto Nico's delirious hand as Pippa shook with fear. "What if I mess this up," she whispered as I sent a reassuring squeeze
"Then we will rest and try again," I replied, "you got this."
Pippa nodded before closing her eyes
Soon enough we found ourselves back in Bunker 9 as the two children of Hades were caught by either Leo or Stephan as Bianca and Thalia took Naomi and Zoë off of my shoulders
"Run in with a monster," Percy's voice asked as he and Annabeth came out of a tunnel
"Though he needed a snack so I gave him my sword to chew on," I said as I took the clothes Annabeth offered to me
"Bunker showers are left tunnels all the way down," Leo said, "get cleaned up then we can work on planning our next move while those two rest."
I nodded, "Thanks, Leo," I said before following his directions, my mind racing in a million different directions. There was one that was more pressing than everything else that I had thought, "I sure hope they have the right spots."