A Pawn For Time (Daughter of the Olympians #1)

(29) Torn

I pulled back from Aphrodite's embrace. I wiped underneath my eyes. My face was most likely red with a blush.

I hugged everyone and had my fair share of talk. We now stood with our arms around each other, like a football huddle.

I placed my head on Hermes' shoulder. We stood in silence. I could tell that my parents didn't say anything because they didn't want to upset me again.

We could of stayed there all night, but I heard glass being nudged. We paused, and glass nudged again. My parents and I straightened and reached for our weapons.

I pulled Champion and Striker from my waist and held them up. Athena inched forward, and motioned for us to follow slowly.

We rounded the corner into the hallway. Athena still stood in the lead. She put her hand up to stop us, and she put her head in a room.

She turned her entire body so that she was completely visible from the doorway.

"Unbelievable," Athena cursed. My parents moved to the doorway, blocking my view. Zeus pushed his way up to the front of the crowd.

"You," He said with disgust. Everyone put their weapons away. I tucked mine through my belt.

"Me," a voice said coming from the room. I walked closer to the room and tried to see who was there, but Apollo put his arm in front of me.

"Stay behind me," Apollo said. His face was grim.

"No- why?" I stuttered. I tried to move past him, but his grip was too strong.

I pushed harder and broke through his grasp. I was then immediately pulled back by Hephaestus.

"Don't move." He commanded deeply. I tried to break free, but he was too strong.

"Why are you here? What do you want?" Zeus spat at the unknown person.

"I think you know. Now, where is she?" The person countered. The voice sounded familiar... a lot like...

"Kai?" I said. Hephaestus covered my mouth. I tried to say more. It came out as mmph hun sauf webj mmk.

Kai chuckled. "Trying to hide her, I see. Let her through, we have things to discuss." He said darkly. What the hell does he want now?

Zeus and Hera exchanged glances. They looked back at me. Hera looked down in defeat. Zeus nodded at Hephaestus and he let me go. I staggered forward. They parted to let me walk through.

I got to the front of the crowd. My parents surrounded me again. In the room stood Kai with a big black orb floating behind him. Kai had a dark, evil look in his eye.

"There she is, looking ravishing as always," Kai said to my parents.

"What do you want," I hissed as I crossed my arms. He directed his glaze to me.

"I want a lot of things, Katherine. Particularly right now though," he took steps towards me, "I want you."

I clinched my jaw. He had to do this now? I shifted my feet to try to get rid of the giddy feeling in my stomach.

"Not happening. I'm not leaving with you," I said stepping up. Kai shook his head.

"I don't get it with you! How are at the top of the list! He spoke of you highly, I expected much more. He sent me to check you out and what do I find? A girl who doesn't even know where her loyalties lie," Kai snapped at me raising his voice.

"Just because I'm at the top, doesn't mean I'm loyal to him and him alone." I said back. I could feel my parents glaze on my back.

"Well you should be! That rank means something, Katherine. You earned it. Don't throw it away for people you know in your heart you don't care about." He said to me. I stepped closer to him to where we were 2 feet apart.

"You don't know a thing about me," I growled back.

"I know enough. You are pledged to our side, not theirs. So stop stalling and come with me to the base where you belong."

"You can't make my decision for me. Sure I'm technically on your side, but what if I changed my mind?" I stepped closer so we were face to face. "What if I leave you guys? What will you do?"

Kai looked me in the eye. We were having a full conversation between our eyes. Let's just say it was a lot more heated than the one we were having with words.

"You will have to deal with Kronos. He will make you pay if you turn your back on us."

"Kronos won't do anything to me. I know he won't. I've made sure of it." I said firmly backing up next to my parents again.

They kept looking back in forth between Kai and I. I'm positive that they were trying to figure out our conversation and they were figuring out what to say to keep me on their side.

"What makes you think that Kronos won't punish you for that? Is it that you guys are," He made a peace sign and then pulled his two fingers together.

"Maybe, maybe not. All I know is that if you guys want me on your side that much, you have a lot more work to do to convince me to stay," I said taking a deep breath.

Kai didn't say anything at first. He just looked at me like the way he did when he said I had pretty eyes. With love and longing. But now he added his own way of letting me know he was desperate.

"Look," I said as I ran my fingers in my hair, "I'm not the girl who so easily sided with Kronos. I'm not the girl who let you into her life after 2 minutes of speaking to each other. I'm not the gullible, childish girl you all think I am. I've changed. This is the new me. And the new me will do whatever she feels is right."

Everyone was silent. They all waited for my next move. I looked at my parents, then I looked at Kai. Who do I pick?

I took a breath to say my choice, but I never got the chance to say the first word.

I started a fit of coughing. I tried to stop, but I couldn't. I coughed into my hand and felt a thick liquid on my palm.  I glanced into my hand to see what it was. It was blood.

I started to cough harder and I felt a fluid drip out of my nose. My coughing paused and I put a finger to my nose.

My head started to spin as I saw my nose was bleeding blood. I felt my eyes droop and I fell to my knees.

"Katherine..." I heard a distant voice say as I fell to the floor and the darkness engulfed me.

~~Woah! That was not the ending I meant to write.... it fits though, I guess. Please don't forget to comment and vote on the story!~~