SANITY; heroes of olympus

04.6

[act four; chapter six     -     the mad gods daughter]

She couldn't see a thing, not even the smallest specks of light, as her feet hit the ground, step after step, as she dodged the Arai. Her breathing was thick and low in her ears and her heart beat faster than ever in her chest.

Leathery wings beat the air above her. Angry hissing and the scuttling of clawed feet told her that the demons were at her back, waiting for their next meal.

Every so often, she could tell when there was a tree nearby, and would slash Mania outwards, cutting them down, trunk by trunk. It bought them a few seconds, but not enough. It was never enough, just like the Arai had said.

She could hear the sound of rocks tumbling from the edge of something, hitting the bottom with a loud, echoey ping. Coming to a stop, wincing as the skin around her new, bleeding wounds pulled taught.

She couldn't tell how far the cliff dropped, and she figured even if she had her sight, she wouldn't be able to tell then, either. It could be ten feet or a thousand. There was no telling what was at the bottom. She could jump and hope for the best, but she doubted "the best" ever happened in Tartarus. And she wasn't quite sure she wanted to risk jumping from anything without seeing the bottom ever again.

So, two options: right or left, following the edge. Well, to the best of her abilities.

But before she could make a decision, a winged demon stopped in front of her.

Did you have a nice walk? asked the collective voice, echoing all around her.

The Arai poured out of the woods, making a crescent around her. She could feel their hands on her, their claws digging into her skin, and she hated that she did it, really, but she did—she attacked, swinging blindly and with fear.