UnKnown [Book 1]

I Believe I Can Fly

Hey there :) This story only has a few more chapters left so enjoy!

Chapter Quote:

"I don't know. But I just know that I'll be fighting next to you."

~Annabeth Chase in The Lightning Thief 

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Chapter 18: I Believe I Can Fly

Bryn 

Derek was stunned but awake.  Hannah had kicked him in the ribs rather hard; Bryn guessed a few of his ribs might be cracked or worse.  He groaned and sat up.

“I’m sorry, Bryn.  I didn’t know-” Derek began.

“Shh, it’s okay.  Stay here.  I’m going to kick her traitorous bum,” Bryn declared heatedly.  After giving Derek a quick hug, she leapt up the rocks to the plateau where Hannah stood grinning.  Bryn was outraged.  She didn’t like liars, she hated traitors, and she despised being stabbed in the back.

“Hey, Hannah!” Bryn shouted, standing up with her head held high.

“Oh, Bryn!  I was hoping you’d come to fight,” Hannah remarked haughtily. “I was hoping it would’ve been you I’d been caught with so I could’ve gotten rid of you earlier but looks like luck wasn’t on my side.  I caused that cave-in a tad early.  My bad.  But, you’re here now.  So let’s begin.”

Bryn twisted her ring, and her sword erupted into all its shining, deadly glory.  Hannah’s sword gleamed menacingly in the strange light the cavern emitted.  The light worried Bryn.  It wasn’t natural, but she didn’t let it bother her at the moment.  More important things, specifically the demigod trying to kill her, topped Bryn’s list.

She waited, going on the defensive to test the waters.  Hannah lunged at her with a speed that would’ve unnerved most opponents, but Bryn relished the fight and met Hannah with a matching ferocity.  The girls were at it.  Bryn had never fought anyone like Hannah but that didn’t deter her.  She had full confidence in her capabilities. 

Each clash of their swords sent jolts through her arm.  The exchange of the girls’ blows were furious, their sound deafening.  Bryn heard Luke shouting something at but she dared not risk looking behind her to ask what.  Hannah was looking happier by the moment, making Bryn wonder why.

And then it hit her as she toppled over the edge of the plateau.  Her mind briefly went blank as she shut her eyes.

Stop! Stop! Stop! Her mind screamed.

And she did.

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Luke 

Luke watched in utter hopelessness as Bryn plunged towards the monsters below her.  He had been shouting at her to watch out, to stop backing up, but she hadn’t heard him.  He sank to his knees, praying to all the gods he could think of for them to stop her fall, for her to somehow live through this.

And suddenly, she stopped.  Bryn was literally floating in midair, her eyes shut.  Derek yelled out her name.  She opened eyes, clearly shocked.  She twisted around, looking at her surroundings.  Hannah hadn’t approached the edge of the plateau so she had no idea Bryn was alive and well… and vengeful.  With an arrogant smirk, Bryn floated back up to the plateau.  Hannah’s face was filled with outrage.

Luke was good at lip reading and Hannah was obviously sputtering, “But- how- you can’t- that’s impossible!”

Bryn landed gracefully, swinging her sword as she advanced on Hannah.  Bryn didn’t waste time.  She went on the offensive, fighting better than she had earlier.  She was obviously still severely ticked off but now she was filled with confidence with her new found power.  Luke hardly watched anything else going on around him until he heard Derek shout Silena’s name.

“Derek!” Silena yelled back, running to rocks Bryn had just so recently been leaping on.  His sister pulled the son of Apollo up.  He was heaving, holding his ribs.

“Are you okay?!” Silena asked worriedly.

“Ribs are broken.  Hannah packs one hell of a kick.  We need to get Bryn and get out of here,” Derek said, a little breathlessly.

“And how do you think we should do that?” Luke demanded.

“Don’t talk to him like that!” Silena snapped. “He- dad!”

Luke whirled around to find his dad bracing himself shakily against the rocky wall.  Mr. Jackson stared at Bryn and Hannah, concentrating on something.  Once more, the volcano began to shake.  It pushed the two fighting girls apart.  Bryn looked over at Luke who instantly caught onto what his dad was doing.  He urgently motioned for her to come over.  Within seconds, she was standing next to him after taking a small flight to get across the monsters.  It was evident she was thoroughly enjoying her flying capability.

“We need to get out of here!” Luke shouted over the noise.

“Luke!  Dad’s trying to tell you something!” Silena told him.  He turned around and ran to his dad.

“What is it dad?” Luke queried.

“Unless… w-we want to die b-by burning to… death by magma, we… need t-to get out.  Now,” Mr. Jackson replied firmly.

“Grab each other’s hands!” Bryn commanded.  Luke looked at her bewilderedly but her expression told him not to question, not to argue.  He just had to do it.  Luke grabbed one of his dad’s hands and one of his mom’s, Silena grabbed her mom’s other hand while taking one of Derek’s.  Bryn took a hold of Derek with both of her hands and jumped upwards.  At first, nothing happened which made Luke get anxious.  He could already see magma rising up from holes in the bottom of the cavern and it was getting hot as well.

And then Derek’s feet lifted up off the ground, followed by Silena, Annabeth, Luke, and finally Percy.  Bryn was flying them to the top of the volcano, the only exit they could find.  He worried she wouldn’t be able fly them all the way out before the magma caught up to them but she was absolutely determined to save them all.  The magma was rising faster.  It was so close to them that Luke was sweating profusely, and he was having a harder time holding onto his mom’s hand.  He lifted his dad up closer to him so the magma wouldn’t burn Mr. Jackson.

Finally, Luke was blinded by the sun.  Bryn soared them over the volcano’s side to the beach.  She tried to give an easy landing but near the end, she lost consciousness, and they fell ten feet from the air.  Derek pulled Silena and Mrs. Jackson close to him so that they didn’t feel the impact.  He landed on his back, knocking the breath out of him for several minutes.  Luke’s hand had slipped from his fathers but he caught his dad in midair and somehow managed to land on his feet.  However, he stumbled back from the impact.  After checking to make sure his dad had sustained no injuries, he looked frantically around for Bryn.

“Luke!” Silena screamed, pointing at the tide.  He looked at where she was pointing to find a motionless Bryn lying face down in the sand.  Luke scrambled up and rolled her over.

“Bryn!” he shook her but there was no response.  He put his ear to the spot above her heart.  It was still beating much to his relief.

“She overexerted herself.  She knocked herself out,” Derek informed quietly.

Luke looked up at Derek.  “Do you think you can get yourself on the lifeboat?”

Derek nodded.  Silena was already carrying Annabeth over to the lifeboat.

“I’ll carry Bryn too.  My ribs may be broken but I can get over the pain,” Derek offered.  Although reluctantly, Luke handed the British girl over to her best friend; Derek then got onto the lifeboat with the help of Silena.  Luke lifted up his dad and joined his friends.  He pushed the lifeboat out of the bay and towards the ship, making it go as fast as it possibly could.

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Sorry for the short chapter :( But I hope you enjoyed!