Daughter of Aphrodite(a demigod story)

What Hurts the Most

Alyssa lay on the ground, writhing in pain and covering her ears. Tears streamed out of her eyes and the heat in the room was intense. Suddenly, there was a high pitched soundwave that would have shattered the windows if there were any and Alyssa cried out in pain. I did the same and covered my ears; the heat started to make me sweat. I crawled over to Alyssa though I knew she couldn't see, hear, feel, smell or touch me.

How badly I wanted to wrap my arms around her and hold her, knowing she was near me and safe. Some time went by then the heat and the soundwaves ceased. The clops of tall heels echoed in the chamber; the doors opened and the goddess of discord stepped into the room.

"Ah, Stewart," she said, "How nice of you to join us."

I jumped, what, how just WHAT?

The prisoner looked around hopefully but laid her head back down in anguish. It pained me to see her like this; her hair, wet from sweat and singed at the ends from the extreme heat, her face only cleaned from her own tears and sweat, nasty cut down her chin and her cloths ragged and dirty.

"Now you see what would become of your precious friend; Stomp!"

A strange cyclops came into the room with a gigantic snake on a thick chain. Alyssa's face went pale (well, paler) and the cyclops and Eris exited the room, leaving the snake in the prison with her.

Time for ssssssome fun sssssssssssuper, a strange voice hissed.

That was it, I drew Heartbreaker, not thinking and swung at the snake. There was a sudden impact that sent me flying face down onto the floor of the Apollo cabin.

I opened my eyes to see Will, who was holding a shield and looked as if he saw a ghost. Heartbreaker was uncapped and in my hand and my hair was wet from salty sweat. I shakily capped Heartbreaker and slipped it into my pocket.

"Dude, you, you just went crazy!" Will exclaimed.

Groaning, I stood. Will armed his shield to his defense and I gave him a skeptical look, "Will, I'm not going to hurt you."

"I know that, I'm just going to take you to the infirmary to get checked out, because you're doing things in your sleep."

"Hm?"

"You've been doing strange things in your sleep since you arrived back at camp."

"But that was two weeks ago, you never told me?"

"Hey, I don't judge a man how he sleeps."

I gave him another skeptical look then walked outside the door with my guitar to the tree on the hill where I usually played. Sitting with my back against it and looking out over the sea, I started strumming to the song "Teardrops on My Guitar" by Taylor Swift. My mind caught up in memories of Alyssa and I at the beach before we moved.

We would go there after school all the time, just the two of us, collecting shells or swimming. That one time where we jumped off the tall beach roller coaster into the salty sea. Alyssa was scared at first but I teased her about being a 'scaredy-pants' and that triggered her competitive side. I was the first person to break the surface, but Alyssa soon had me dunked several times before we made it to shore.

"I've never seen something like that since you left camp." Leo's voice spoke.

I realized I was smiling and it immediately left my face when I looked up, "What's up Leo?"

"I just came to check on you since you haven't been to breakfast in a while."

I resumed to strumming my guitar.

"So, you like country music?"

I nodded, "it's pretty much the only thing I play."

We sat in silence then Leo spoke, "you were thinking about Alyssa?"

I nodded again.

"It is strange why Percy, Annabeth and Piper haven't returned yet."

"Yeah,"

"Will told me of how strange you've been acting, especially in your sleep."

My fingers stopped playing and I gazed over the water, "Alyssa is in great pain, and somehow Eris is finding a way for me to feel it."

Leo stayed silent.

I thought of last night, I was with her...she was curled up in a ball in pain and looked horrible. The goddess sending high pitched blast, rattling our minds. There was extreme heat, and she wasn't moving. I paused, swallowing, the goddess came in and said my name, Alyssa looked around with a new glint of hope, but seeing that look fade away hurt the most...

Leo didn't do or say anything and I felt like a baby wanting to cry. I quickly forced myself back to my usual calmness. But there was still the hurting; Alyssa was being tortured and there was nothing I could do about it.