12

Emerson heard someone run past her room and she jumped up from her bed and threw her door open.

She followed the sounds of the footsteps and saw Caleb running toward the forest, holding his wrist up to his mouth as if he were about to talk to it.

Emerson snuck behind a tree to try and listen to what he was about to say but before he could a figure appeared and Hades glowered down at him.

Was he about to hit him?

Before she could move to protect him he placed a hand on his forehead and he started changing.

Emerson covered her mouth. A girl was now standing before her with a terrified expression on her face at having been found out.

The conversation that was exchanged between them made her collapse to her knees. Caleb was still down there in Tartarus.

When Hades was gone, Nola continued to sobbing. Emerson pushed herself to her feet and stepped out from her hiding spot.

"Emerson-"

Emerson growled and pulled a dagger from her side. "Don't Emerson me. What have you done with Caleb?"

Nola shook her head." N-nothing. I swear."

"Liar." she held the blade up to her throat. She dug the blade deep enough to make her whimper, but not enough to bleed.

"Please, Emerson. I know Typhon has him. And-And I gave him a map."

Emerson blinked. "A map?"

"From Pandora's box. I know how to find the weapons. Please, let me go."

"Why should I believe you?"

Emerson pointed to her pocket. "In there is the real map. What I gave Kronos was a fake. I destroyed the real one."

"WHAT?!"

"Hear me out!" Nola waved her hands in her face. "I know how to find the weapons they're in the mortal world. Spread out."

Emerson lowered her blade. "I still don't trust you. Speak. Quickly."

"The harpe sword is in the Olympia museum located in Greece. And the scythe is in the National Hellenic museum located in Chicago."

"Go."

Nola blinked. "What?"

"You have done enough damage here. Go and never look back."

"But this is my home, I can't just leave!" Nola said.

Emerson sheathed her blade. "Well, you should have thought about that before you betrayed us. And abandoned Caleb."

Nola's eyes widened and she looked down at her shaky hands. "You're right. I should go." she stepped back into the shadow of the trees and was gone.

Emerson knew something had been off about Caleb when he returned from the temple.

Too late to realize he'd been captured.

Too late to realize they'd left him behind.

***

Mason stared down at Keith as he slept.

His black hair fell in front of his eyes, and his mouth was open slightly. Mason thought he looked quite adorable in this position.

After resting for two hours, a loud bell started ringing, signaling that a meeting was starting. Mason slipped from the bed and pulled on his shirt.

He glanced over his shoulder and saw Keith stirring.

"Hey, sleeping beauty," Mason whispered, kissing his cheek. "Rise and shine."

Keith slowly opened his eyes. "Hm?"

Mason climbed back onto the bed and leaned over him. "Come on, we have that meeting, remember?"

"Do I have to go?"

"Yes, Kiki."

Keith sat up on his elbows. "Kiki?"

"Yeah. I gave you a nickname." Mason grinned. "You like it?"

"Hm. Maybe." he kissed him.

Mason pulled back. "Are you awake now, prince charming? We're going to be late." he slid off the bed and pulled Keith down with him.

Keith stretched his arms over his head.

"Can I ask you a serious question?" Mason asked, wrapping his arms around Keith's waist. Keith nodded and wrapped his arms around Mason's neck.

"If I asked you out on a date, what would you say?"

Keith raised an eyebrow. "Is that a trick question?"

"So, is that a yes?"

"Hell, yes."

Mason laughed and kissed his forehead. "Ok. Meet me outside this building tonight."

Once Mason was ready, they left his room and met Felix, Xander, and Milana in the hallway.

"Hey, guys. Where's Emerson and Caleb?" Mason asked.

Milana folded her arms. "Emerson is waiting in the meeting room and Caleb is missing."

"Missing?"Keith exclaimed. "But where could he have gone?"

Xander shook his head. "He didn't go anywhere he was captured. Emerson can explain."

Mason was confused at this point. How could Caleb have been captured? He had come up from the underworld with them.

He tore from the hallway running outside the building toward the circular building where the Gods were gathered outside.

Mason pushed his way through the crowd and pushed open the large doors.

In the front of the building were the chairs to the gods in a semi-circle. The chairs where the children were sitting were in rows facing the front. He walked down the aisle and spotted Emerson talking with one of her friends.

She spotted him and waved. "Hey, Mason."

"Xander said you had something to tell me about Caleb, why he's missing," he said, sitting down.

"Oh." Emerson glanced at her friend. "Could you give us a moment?" The girl nodded and wandered off to a group a girls huddled in a circle.

Once the girl was gone, she launched into her story and Mason just stared at her. "So he's still down there?"

"There's no telling. Nola told me she gave him a fake map so he might have left already." she twirled her hair around her finger nervously. "Hades went to search for him hours ago and he hasn't returned. You don't think something happened to him, do you?"

"Guys!"

Mason turned around to see Owen running toward them. He sat down next to Emerson, panting. "Is it true? Caleb is missing?"

Emerson nodded and Owen's mouth opened slightly.

"But on the bright side, I know where Kronos's weapons are and we can destroy them," Emerson said, sticking a finger up in the air.

Owen pulled his hair back and shrugged. "I guess that is good."

"Mason, you'd better have a good explanation for running off like that!" Milana hissed, stomping toward them. Felix, Xander and Keith followed close behind her.

"Sorry Milana. I was worried about Caleb."

They all sat down when the Gods entered the building. They walked toward the semi circle of chairs and each of them took a seat.

Only Zeus remained standing. "A few hours ago Keith and his friends arrived with Pandora's box and a very interesting clue. But the most disturbing thing I've found out is that Caleb Burkes, son of Hades was captured by Kronos."

The children sitting around Mason erupted into conversations.

"Try not to panic, please. We have sent out search parties to look for him. But we've also found out where Kronos's weapons are being held." Zeus motions to his right.

A girl with tan skin, shoulder-length grey hair, and large blue eyes.

Emerson gasped. "Nola?! What is she doing here?"

"This here is Nola Beck. Daughter of Hermes. She was there when Caleb was captured." Zeus placed a hand on her shoulder. "And was the one who gave him the fake map. But we do have-"

Zeus was cut off when creatures fell through the ceiling of the building. Children got up from their chairs and ran toward the doors but they were being blocked by a minotaur.

"What's going on?" Keith asked, pulling our his sword.

Mason eyes widen. "Maybe they figured out that the map was a fake."

"That fast?" Emerson cried, shooting arrows.

The last person to fall from the ceiling was dressed in a black cloak, holding a scythe. Mason glanced over at Keith and saw him stumbling backward.

The gods had jumped up from their seats and were fighting with creatures with multiple heads, creatures with wings, and some had heads sticking out the middle of their bodies.

Mason turned to run toward Keith, but the cloaked figure held out a pale hand, pinning him where he was. He couldn't move anything.

Keith continued to back away. But soon he had nowhere to go.

Emerson spotted Mason and raced toward him. "Mason, what in the world? Who is that? Why is he after Keith?" she gasped. "You don't think that could be the dark magic Vanessa was talking about?"

***

Him.

Keith backed himself up in a corner with no where to go. Every other exit was blocked by creatures.

"Hello, Keith. Lovely to see you again." the figure laughed. "I can smell the fear on you..it's delicious."

Keith gripped his sword. "What do you want?"

"Would you like to know how we knew you'd be going to the temple and how I knew that the map was a fake?" the figure stopped a few inches away. "I mean, it was quite obvious, but I had to explain to Kronos. But the answer is quite simple."

Keith shuddered angrily.

"It's you."

"W-what?"

A pale finger trailed the edge of the blade of his scythe. "Do you not remember? Hm?"

"You-You poisoned me?"

"Mmm. No. Common misconception. It's dark magic, boy." the figure reached a pale finger toward the healing wound in his side. "I can control your actions. I can see through your eyes, and hear what you hear. So, in a way, yes, I was spying."

Keith hissed when he touched the cut. "What are you doing?"

"Collecting my price."

Keith gritted his teeth and looked down at his skin which was starting to turn grey and had black veins sprouting up everywhere.

"No!" Nola ran toward them. "Blade, no! You can't-"

Blade turned and flicked his wrist, sending her flying. "I can do whatever I wish, Nola." he turned back toward Keith.

Inside, everything was burning. He couldn't think straight. Keith's vision started blurring.

"Stop! You're killing him!" Emerson cried.

Blade removed his finger from his side, and Keith slumped to the ground. Mason unfroze and Emerson ran toward him.

Blade stood off to the side.

"Keith. Keith. Talk to me." Emerson shook him. "Mason. He's trembling!"

Mason crouched down in front of him. "Keith?"

Keith opened his mouth to respond, but darkness claimed him.