~The Beginning of Life~

~ Chapter 88 ~

Date: November 15th

Time: 11pm

Place: The Amphitheater

Song: The High Road ; Three Days Grace

They decided to bury him as soon as possible. By him I mean Walton... my half brother... whose story I don't know... whose last name I don't know... The one who was my friend since the beginning...

Everyone was gathered in the amphitheater, but well we all didn't fit. A lot of us just stood outside in silence. I didn't want to come. It would be easier if I just moped about in my room and let the sadness sink in. But Turner dragged me out, still in my bloody clothes.

Sighing, I walked into the amphitheater and looked for a seat. There were stands reserved for those close to Walton. The funeral was of short notice (well they all are) but it was organized neatly. We would burn his shroud and bury his body or something then... go on with our lives.

I look up slightly to see Arthur talking with Dionysus, maybe about his new job as a grave digger, when Nico suddenly calls me.

"Khristine, have you seen Will? He's not in the stands."

I turn around to see him. I just shrug.

He nods and seems hesitant in saying something. "Well I guess I can tell you then- the body's gone," he says abruptly.

I snap out of my dullness. "What?"

IS THAT WHAT ARTHUR IS TELLING MR. D?

"HOW? WHERE? WHAT?" People look over.

Nico scowls and just grabs my arm to drag me to the infirmary. We walk in and I see a white and gold shroud lying on the floor- and it's glowing.

"It was right there," Nico said.

I frown and walk around it, avoiding the blood. "He can't be alive," I dismiss quickly, "so maybe... I guess the Gods just took his body." For some reason, that makes me feel like he's less death. "We came differently so then we would leave differently..."

"To return to where you all came from?" he asked uncertainly. He probably believed that after all.

"Maybe..."

"So what do I tell the others?" he asks, looking around.

"The truth, duh. His body was taken..." I'm probably going to cry about this later. I prefer not to now.

Right then, Will enters from the supplies room within. "What are you doing here? WHERE'S WALTON?"

Thankfully, instead of thinking we ate his body, he believed the believable truth. The Gods did crazy stuff. So after that we return to the amphitheater. I sit next to Ash while Will stands in front of the bonfire with the shroud next to him.

He's starts giving a speech when the song playing in my head loudens painfully.

So all I can hear is this song but- I think Will's voice is matching up with a few phrases... as if my mind knew his speech would resemble this song in some way and it wanted to give me a song to attribute with this memory.

((Italics are their matched up lines, the words Will said that blend in with the normal text song.))

...Standing in the dark; I can see your shadow
You're the only light; That's breaking through the window

There's times I stayed alive for you
There's times I would've died for you
There's times it didn't matter at all

Will you help me find the right way up
Or let me take the wrong way down...
I'll do whatever it takes
To be the mistake you can't live without

Well I'm not gonna give it away
Not gonna let it go, just to wake up someday gone! Gone!
The worst part is looking back
And knowing that I was wrong

...I'll do whatever it takes
To be the mistake you can't live without

As the song ends, so does Will's speech. Most of the crowd is touched and they all bow their heads in silence. I, however, stare up at the sky and piece together what Will might have said...

NIGHTMARE

Time: 3AM

Place: Apollo cabin

Song: Unbreakable Heart; Three Days Grace

I gasp and sit up, finding myself in an empty room.

Like how all this began... in a foggy room that cleared up to reveal the Olympians' thrones... only this time it clears to show a dart board.

Confused, I get up and squint at it. There are sixteen coloured sections on it. But I can see five colours are a bit bolder; a faded orange one, a yellow one, a red one, and a brown one... and there's a silver center. The orange one has a dart in it.

I think this is a dream but- this has to mean something. Fuck I hope it's not what I think it is.

Then, the song echoing around the room increases and I can make out three words:

"YOU'RE THE ONE-"

A dart suddenly whizzes past my ear and hits the silver center.

"You're the unbreakable heart ~"