Ignis // Leo Valdez

Piece of Human Garbage

Trigger warning: Death, Gore, Anxiety Attacks, Kyra's psycho voices and inner monologues

"Why'd you do it, Kye?" I heard the all-too-familiar voice ask into my ear but when I turned I found myself alone.

I walked through the streets of New York curiously, bodies littering the streets and blood painted the buildings around me crimson. Demigods of all ages laid lifelessly on the concrete ground, some as young as 10 years old but I simply surveyed the scene emotionlessly. At the end of the long road was a pile of bodes stacked on each other. Elly, Jace, Steph, Amanda, Hazel, Frank, Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Piper, Nico, Will, and Leo.

"Why'd you do it?"

"You could've saved us."

"Traitor."

"How could we have trusted you?" Voices echoed throughout the streets and I whipped my head around to find the sources but all I found were bodies. Their eyes stared at me from the ground, like they were waiting for me to do something.

"You have done so well, my dear," a hauntingly familiar voice spoke up from behind me and I didn't bother to look over my shoulder to know she was actually here.

"I would never fail you, mother," I responded robotically as I felt blood pool in my shoes as the ground below me filled with the crimson liquid. Hands suddenly appeared from the blood, grabbing my ankles but I didn't react, almost like I was expecting them to greet me.

It didn't seem to slow down however and soon I was waist deep in blood but I didn't make a move to save myself, simply standing there, frozen. The hands gripped my wrists and legs and torso, weighing me down and keeping me still but I didn't make a move to free myself. I felt mothers cold hands wrap themselves on my shoulders and she leaned into my ear making me feel cool air radiate off of her.

"We'll drown together, my dear. As a family," she cooed and I could feel her grin at her own words and still, I stood there motionlessly. The thick ooze soon reached my neck and as if on cue two hands emerged from the pool of blood to squeeze my throat, choking me. The building around us as well were being submerged and it seemed like the ocean of blood stretched on for miles and miles.

The bodies bobbed up to the surface like apples around me and they faced the sky, their faces emotionless as they stared at me. I craned my neck to avoid the blood touching my face but that only lasted a few seconds before it reached my mouth. I ducked in a deep breath through my nose and squeezed my shut just before a hand shot up from the gore and pulled my face under, engulfing me.

Am I dying?

I am dying.

Again.

Cold.

I am cold.

Is this what baba felt?

Agony.

I can't breathe?

It's dark.

Why is it so dark?

I'M DYING.

IS THIS IT?

WAKE UP.

I gasped awake, jolting up from Leo's bare chest and my hand immediately went to his like an instinct while he quickly sat up, already awake. I whipped my head around in fear that my mother was lurking the corner of my eye but all I saw was our apartment room.

"Hey, hey, hey, you're fine, you're fine. She's gone," Leo immediately started to assure me, cupping my face gently in his hands and only then did I realize I was hyperventilating.