Blade's Edge || Deception Book II ||

Chapter 47: End of the Beginning

A/N: Two things before you start reading: One, to anyone reading this story who might be in Ukraine right now, my heart goes out to you, your friends, your family, and your neighbors for the injustice, terror, and pain that you're experiencing. I'm not someone who prays, but my school is Catholic, and I want you to know that you're all in my prayers for peace and an end to this stupidity. It's 2022. I can't believe that people still don't realize that war and the death of civilians and soldiers on both sides alive is NEVER the answer. I'm in Canada and I know I'm lucky to have never experienced war, but this reaches beyond your borders and I want you to know that the world is watching and praying for your safety. Stay strong, stay safe, and keep the flame of hope for a world where peace, not greed, rules.

This is just sad, disappointing, and horrible. Absolutely horrible.

Okay, the second thing is.....

Guys, this is the last chapter! I mean, there's still an epilogue. But that's it.

:0

So yeah, just wanted to let you guys know before you started reading this chapter. I'll publish the epilogue next week with a note about the next book (BECAUSE YOU BETTER BELIEVE THERE WILL BE ANOTHER BOOK) and more details about stuff, so yeah. For now, just enjoy the last chapter!

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I'm lying on a wooden floor, I thought dimly as my consciousness returned. Suddenly, I was hit with a wave of exhaustion and I realized that I hadn't slept since . . . the night before Artemis had been rescued. Gods. My circadian rhythm was probably messed up to the nth degree. Let me just stay here for a few moments. I'll go back to . . .

Wait. I racked my brain, trying to think of what I'd been doing before I'd decided to lie down on the ship's wooden deck. Without the rhythmic rocking of the boat, I was finding it hard to fall asleep. The constant sound of the waves was missing too.

My eyes flew open and a dark ceiling slowly came into focus. This wasn't the ship. Where the hell was I— "Ack!" I yelped as I sat up straight and a gruesome hydra head, snarling at me with a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth, loomed in my face. The attic of the Big House. Right. Dread started creeping in, but I shoved it down forcefully. Not now.

"Holy gods," I sighed as I stood up, feeling my pulse settle. "Why the fuck are there just monster parts littered throughout this place? As if you—" I glared at the lifeless Oracle slumped on her stool, "aren't creepy enough."

I pressed the heel of my palms into my eyes as the memory of everything I'd just witnessed and heard swamped me and fought the urge to sit back down. "Later, later," I mumbled. "You have to get outta here before the camp wakes up."

Oh gods, I thought. How long was I out for? Urgency swept in and I chanced a glance out the attic window as I rushed over to the trapdoor. The sky was still dark, though a faint ray of light was creeping up from the horizon. Okay, not too bad, I thought. But I have to get out of here ASAP. I flew down the four flights of stairs and rushed into the living room, blinking at the sudden brightness from the lights. Chiron was at the table, reading a book and nursing a cup of tea.

"You're still here?" he asked in surprise, looking at me. "Did you just spend the whole night in the attic? With all that stuff?"

"Yes," I said as my eyes adjusted. "And before you ask, I got my answer."

"Hmm," Chiron replied, closing his book. "Are you going to tell me what the Oracle said?"

"More like showed," I corrected. "She gave me a whole godsdarn movie starting from the creation of Gaea. Something about a ball of energy and Chaos, the Titan war, the giants, Olympus, a pissed of Zeus, glowing teardrops from each of the gods, my father, and a super long prophecy about a star that's fated to burn."