The Children of Olympus

Chapter 11-Jake

I opened my eyes and groaned. "I really have to stop fainting."

Next to me, Zoe said something muffled. I turned to her and saw that she was still gagged. I tried to hop over to her, since I was still bound in chains, and somehow managed to pull out the gag. 

She cursed and nodded thanks to me. 

"Where on earth did you learn all those words Zoe?" I asked incredulously. 

She smirked evilly. Then her smirk faded and she collapsed to the floor. "Where are Artemis and Apollo?" she asked. Suddenly, she looked up and gasped. "No!"

I turned to where she was looking and nearly passed out again. Artemis and Apollo were hanging from the ceiling. But the worst part was, they were all bruised and bloody, and Apollo had a black eye. They were both unconscious. I opened my mouth to call out to them, but then Erebus burst into the room. He grabbed the twins, then shot a blast of black light and me and Zoe, and we were encased in a black glow. He shoved in the twins, then walked out. The black "cage" followed him. 

After 20 minutes of floating around, we reached a throne room. Zoe looked over at me with wide eyes and mouthed, 

"Throne room at Olympus." 

"Zeus! Where are you?" Erebus called. No sooner were the words out of his mouth there was a big flash of light and who I presumed to be Zeus appeared. I looked over at Zoe for confirmation and she nodded.

"Erebus! What are you doing here! Get out! Now! You are not welcome here!" Zeus shouted. 

"Oh, I think you should reconsider that. After all, I do have something of yours!" Erebus smiled gleefully and stepped back, revealing our "cage" to Zeus. He gasped in horror when he saw his children. 

"Let them go Erebus!" Zeus demanded. 

"Not unless you give me the crown. I want to rule the universe!" 

"But- of course." Zeus said. 

"No!" I exclaimed, but Zeus just winked at me. 

"Good! Hand it over!" Erebus was grinning like a madman. 

"First, release them. Then I will hand over the crown." 

"Oh, all right! But they are staying behind me until you deliver." Erebus waved his hand (again) and the four of us tumbled down as the black light and our restraints vanished. "The crown?" he held out his hand. 

Zeus put his hands behind his back and slowly started to bring them forward. They had something silver in them. He started to place it in Erebus's hands, but suddenly, he brought them back and shot a flash of light at Zoe. Instantly, her bow appeared and she started glowing in a silver light. 

"What! You tricked me!" Erebus yelled. Zoe looked at me and sent me a silent message. 

Ready? One. Two. Three.

"NOW!" All Hades broke loose. Zoe and I fired blasts at Erebus, while Zeus summoned a coil of rope that started to snake itself around Erebus. Hellhounds, dracnae, and a bunch of other monsters I couldn't name burst out from the shadows. I kept blasting them away, while Zoe tended to the twin archers. Zeus finally managed to bind Erebus just as I killed the last monster. 

"Come, children. We must leave. Erebus will not be contained for too long. We have at best 10 minutes before he breaks free. Until then, we must get away as far as possible." He walked over to his children and helped them up. I supported Apollo, Zoe supported Artemis, and Zeus held on to us all as he flashed us out of the throne room. I blinked the disorientation out of my eyes. We were in an underwater cave, but there was a bubble around us so we could breath. 

"My brother Poseidon will give you protection here while you recover. After that, we must rally forces and prepare for battle." Zeus said hesitantly, as if afraid we wouldn't agree. But I was ready, and I wasn't going to go down without a fight. Erebus hurt my friends, now he would pay. 

"You wanna play that way Erebus? Then let's play."