More Power More Hope- Book Three In The United Series

Chapter 9

Max's POV:

I've been awake for awhile now. It wasn't fun to be ordered to sit in bed by an Apollo kid ever since I woke up.

After a few minutes of waiting for absolutely nothing, someone appears next to my bed.

Leo.

I smile awkwardly at him. Leo and I have been very tense around each other ever since I chose John over him.

"Hey," he greets me.

"Hi," I reply and Leo kneels down next to the bed I'm lying on.

"How are you feeling?" Leo asks me sweetly.

"Fine. How about you? You're up early," I state and Leo chuckles.

"Just wanted to see you again. You know, before you..." Leo trails off and I see a worried look in his eyes. I furrow my eyebrows in confusion. Before I what?

"Before I what?" I ask Leo slowly, nervous about what he'll say next.

Leo hesitates but then asks me: "Max, are you going to leave?"

I sigh. "Leo, it's not my choice. The Mog war is still going on, and I have to fight in it," I respond and Leo looks heartbroken at my words.

"Max, you'll be safe here," Leo tells me, his voice cracking as he places one of his warm hands on my cheek.

"After this war, things will be different. I promise," I reply but Leo doesn't look convinced.

"Just stay here for a few days. I can't go another day thinking that you might be dead and I wouldn't know," Leo confesses.

I pause for a moment then answer with: "I can't, either."

"Max, I don't care that you chose John. I still love you, and I always will," Leo says and with that, he leans in and gives me a soft kiss on my lips. I don't kiss him back. I can't.

Instead I place my hands on his shoulders and slowly push him away from me, a tsunami of guilt washing over me at the heartbroken look on his face. As I open my mouth to speak, someone appears out of the shadows in a corner- Nico.

He pauses in front of us, his eyebrows raised.

"Am I interrupting?" He asks. I roll my eyes, chuckling.

Leo shakes his head. "No, I was just leaving," he says then turns back to me one last time before heading out. I purse my lips and turn back to Nico. He looks confused and curious. I notice he's holding something in his hand, but I can't see what it is.

He forgets about it and looks at me. "Come on, I want to show you something," he tells me, extending his hand for me to take. I grab it and he helps me up, sneaking me out of the infirmary and into the woods.

He stops after a few minutes of walking deep into the woods and kneels down in front of a hole in the ground. He then pours something in the hole and mutters a few words under his breath.

After a few moments, he stands up and turns to me again. "I thought you might want to say goodbye. Properly," Nico says and I'm more curious and confused than ever.

Then someone rises from the ground and stands in front of me, looking puzzled, and I remember that Nico can raise the dead and talk to them. I gasp when I see him.

"I-Ivan?" I stutter, staring at Ivan, who finally notices me.

He smiles when he sees me, which makes my heart crack. "Max," he breathes and I can't help but smile back at him.

I walk towards Ivan and when I stop in front of him, he takes a step closer to me so that our faces are just inches apart.

"Ivan...I-I'm so sorry. I-I killed you, it was me who pulled the trigger..." I start but Ivan cuts me off.

"Hey, look on the bright side," Ivan says and shrugs his shoulders. "Now we're even."

I shake my head at him. "I want you back, Ivan," I confess and he smiles down at me.

"And I want to be with you," Ivan tells me and I remember his last words. 'I love'. Said to me.

"Ivan, what you said back on the Anubis, your last words, what were you going to say?" I ask him.

Ivan doesn't hesitate to answer me, and what he says takes me aback.

"I love you."

John's POV:

I can't believe I lost her.

What if she's on the Anubis? Ivan isn't there to help her again. What if she's being tortured for information on us?

As a picture of a bloody and bruised Max flashes in my mind, I almost throw up on the floor.

I pace the wet, ash-covered ground for minutes until Adam speaks up: "We have to go look for her, right?" He asks. I look at him and he looks as desperate as I feel.

"We can't. It's too dangerous," Six replies, looking down and I know she's right. As much as I don't want to believe it, I know it's true.

Adam jumps to his feet, now looking angry. "Dangerous?! You guys are always doing dangerous stuff, but you won't do anything to save another Garde?!" He yells, his outburst taking us all aback.

"Adam, calm down. We'll look for her," Sam tells him. Adam breathes heavily and sits back down, a furious look on his face, and I start to wonder what he really feels for Max.

"Alright, who's coming with me? I'll only go with one other person," I ask everyone.

"Me," Adam says immediately.

Everyone eyes him curiously and Six looks a bit smug. Oh god.

"Alright, come on," I tell him and grit my teeth together. If this Mog tries anything with Max I'll shove him in a box and ship him to Africa.

Adam and I head into the woods, clutching our weapons tightly in front of us.

"So what's up with you and Max?" I ask Adam, trying my best to not sound angry.

"Nothing. Why?" Adam asks me. I shrug my shoulders.

"You seemed pretty desperate to help her," I answer. Adam tenses for a moment then relaxes.

"I'd do that for any of the Garde," he says and I know he's lying.

After a few more moments of wandering through the woods, looking for any signs of Max, I ask him another question: "You like her, don't you? Max?" I ask Adam. He sighs.

"No, not like that. It's just...you know what happened when she was twelve. I could've helped her and I didn't. I just...I don't want to make the same mistake." His voice cracks. I stop in my tracks and look back at Adam. He has a few tears brimming his eyes. I was stupid to suspect that he liked Max, and what he said is reasonable. He doesn't want to feel helpless and he doesn't want to let down Max again. The last time he did that, it cost her her life.

I take a deep breath. "Sorry. We'll find her, I know we will. She's fine, don't worry," I tell him. Adam nods his head and I turn around to continue deeper into the woods, and there's a Mogadorian solider standing right in front of me.

--------------------