𝐅𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐒 - jason grace

11. MAIA HATES AQUARIUMS

TO SAY SHE WAS AFRAID was an understatement. Maia genuinely had no idea what was happening—one second she was standing under a soon to collapse water tank, and the next, she was surrounded by darkness.

Maia couldn't see anything, but that didn't stop her from looking around, trying desperately to find a way out of whatever the hell this was. That's when she heard a laugh.

"Who's there?" She reached for her daggers but found they weren't there, which made her panic even more.

You're dreaming, dear.

"Do I know you?"

Oh, not especially. You and I have never talked, but your friends and I are close. The voice laughed.

"I don't think—"

Suddenly, everything around her changed. She was standing on a hill, everything around her in complete chaos. There were fires, there was blood, and, when she looked behind her, she saw her friends injured. Dying.

"What—"

You could prevent this, you know?

The image around her dissolved, now she was standing in a clearing. She had to look around for a minute to realize she wasn't talking to someone, she was talking to the earth itself.

"Gaea." She said, "What do you want? Where are Frank and Percy?"

Oh, your friends are fine. For now, at least.

"For now?" Maia interrupted, "Listen, lady, I won't hesitate to give you a black eye. When I... find you."

Gaea laughed. There's no need for that, Maia. All I want is for you to listen to my offer. Join me, and what you just saw wouldn't have to happen, not your friends, at least.

There was no way Queen Dirtface thought Maia would actually listen to her, right? It was obviously a trap... Right?

"I'm not buying anything you're selling, Gaea." She said, trying to sound as convincing as possible.

Wouldn't you do anything to protect the people you love?

Maia frowned. "What are you trying to say?"

You have a choice to make. Gaea's voice echoed around her. And whether or not you make the right one affects a lot more than you know.

"I'm not helping you. Not a chance." Maia said, firm.

You have the power to bring the world to its knees, and with my help, you could do so much more. Think of everyone who's ever turned you away, all those who wronged you. You were born for this, Maia.

Maia scoffed, "Yeah, right."

You know it's true. The voice taunted. Everything around her faded back into darkness, but Gaea's voice was sharper than it had been.

"No, I don't. You have no idea what you're talking about." Maia's voice was shaky. She couldn't be serious, could she? Maia wasn't made to hurt people. She wasn't.

And then, she remembered what her mother had told her, and everything came crashing down.

"You could... save them?" She probably sounded desperate, but she couldn't help it.

She thought of Reyna and Hylla, the family she'd so desperately longed for, the one she'd finally gotten back. Of Percy, Hazel and Frank, probably the closest friends she had in a long time. She thought of Cassie, Piper, Leo, and Annabeth. They hadn't been acquainted for long, but they'd been kinder to her than most people she'd ever encountered.