Callie Jackson, The Redemption

Chapter XIII

Noah's POV

  The truck was bouncing around recklessly, throwing us around with it. Soon, we slowed down. Yet as we came to a stop, there was a large beating on the side of the truck.
  "Take out your weapons." Nevaeh whispered. "The monsters stay around here in packs. Wait until the driver let's up the door, and jump out." I took out my sword, and Callie unreeled her dagger. There was a faint whistling from outside the truck, and a rattling at the door, and it let up. The mortal man sure had a shock when we scrambled out. He jumped back at least three feet, and yelled. As we were jumping out, Callie shoved some mortal money into his hand, mumbled "thanks for the ride." And took off running with the rest of us.
  "That warehouse." Nevaeh said, slowing down to a jog. We got to the door, but it wouldn't budge as Malcolm, Callie, and me pushed it.
  "Callie." Nevaeh murmured. "Let me see your dagger."
  "Here." Callie said, handing it over. Nevaeh took it, but it disintegrated into a bronze powder.
  "Callie, I'm so–" she started to say.
  "You didn't mess it up. I can only use it. It disintegrates back into my bracelet if it doesn't fell my touch."
  "Well then cut my palm." Nevaeh said calmly.
  "Say what now?" I asked.
  "The door only opens when blood is spilled on it. It is designed to weaken."
  "Then I'll cut myself!" Callie decided, revealing her dagger.
  "No!" Nevaeh snapped, yanking the dagger out of Callie's hand and watch it disintegrate again. "You three's blood is much more valuable than mine. You have a prophecy of your own."
  "Nevaeh it doesn't matter." I said. "The prophecy doesn't define us."
  "Fine then. If you want to be stubborn." She snarled. She lifted me in the air.
  "Nevaeh, what are you–" I started to say, but I drifted into silence as she ripped my sword out of its sheath.
"Thank you." She said, and dropped me to the ground.
"Nevaeh stop!–" but it was too late; she had drug the blade across her hand.
"Now was that hard?" She asked, dragging the cut hand across the door. It opened with a creak.
"Still could have been my blood." Muttered Callie from beside me. I looked around. The walls were blackened; as was the ceiling. There seemed to be nothing in here.
  "Your friend did all of that, you know." Nevaeh told us. "She's pretty strong. They were going to hide her here, but she did this."
  "Kat did all of this?" Malcolm asked, amazed.
"Yep. She got mad and just... Flared it seemed like." Nevaeh said. "Ok. So back to why we came here. I'm looking for a map. An indestructible map. It's around here somewhere. Let's look in pairs. I'll go with Malcolm." She took Malcolm's hand, and drug him around a corner.
"Come on." Callie told me. We walked into a dark part of the place.
"Go check up ther–" Callie started, but things started to fall from the ceiling. People; girls. All with weapons and battle armor. Callie hit one in the stomach with the hilt of her dagger, then kicked her. She fell, and Callie left her alone. I unsheathed my sword, and slowly walked over to Callie.
"Nice." Said one of the girls. "So." She walked into the light. She had olive skin, and a dark brown head of hair. "You're pretty good. You have a spot with us if you want to take it."
"Who are you?" She asked coldly.
"We're the Amazons." Said the olive skinned one. "I'm Ezra, the leader. We could train you. If you take the spot."
"I'll think about it." Callie said. "Now could you please not drop in on us?"
"Come on girls" Ezra said. "We need to get going anyways." She turned to Callie. "We're staying in this town for one more night. We need your answer."
"We found it!" I heard Nevaeh yell. "We found the map!" She ran into the light. The amazons were giving her a cold glare.
  "Nevaeh." One of them snorted.
  "Phoebe." Nevaeh said.
  "Uh, Nevaeh? What'd you do?" I asked.
  "They tried to recruit me too. I said no, went to Typhon, and then now I'm here."
  "Oh, well... Um, let's go. We need to look at this map." Malcolm interrupted.
  "Right." I said.
"So where are we staying tonight?" Callie asked.
"Let's stay here." Nevaeh said. "We can sleep on what's left of the second floor."
"We await your answer sea child." Ezra formally stated.
"Just-just call me Callie." She said awkwardly.
  "Yes Callie." Ezra said. We walked up the charred stairs, and onto the second floor. Callie, Malcolm, and I watched the amazons leave, while Nevaeh lied down to go to sleep. Callie sat down beside her, and I sat by her side. Malcolm lied back and closed his eyes.
  "So you gonna take the spot?" I asked, awkwardly.
  "Nah." She said cooly.
  "Oh thank god." I whispered. She looked at me and laughed. "I-I mean, I wouldn't care if you took it, it's your decision–"
  "You seriously think I would leave you and Malcolm? Leave this quest?" She asked. "I kinda hate how they think I'm strong because Percy is. I'm not my brother."
"They didn't want you because you're a daughter of Poseidon Callie. You proved yourself back there." I said.
"Sure." She said, and she drifted off. I tried to think everything was ok. That we would just easily receive Kat and Hestia, and we would get back safely. But I knew we would have troubles; we always caused them. Callie, no offense, but she attracted monsters like a bloody steak would attract a bear. Yet she knew how to fight them. And how to be goofy. She was clumsily, she drooled, she messed up, but she was surely powerful. And loyal. After thinking for awhile, sleep finally got the best of me, and I drifted off to have my worst dream yet.

There was someone pinned to the ground, struggled from the woman straddling her.
  "Where are they?!" Screamed the woman.
  "I'll never tell." The bottom one spat; and my angle changed to where I could notice: the one pinned down was Kat.
  "If we want to act loyal then." The pinner chided. She pulled out a dagger and twirled it in her hand. She went to carving into Kat's arm. She screamed, beat her other arm on the floor, and kicked, but the girl on top didn't stop moving the knife until she was satisfied. She sat up and smiled.
"Now do you want to talk?" She asked pleasantly. The girl could only be about Percy or Annabeth's age, but the bags under her eyes and her pale, waxy skin definitely made her look older.
"Never." Kat whispered, losing a battle against crying.
"Suit yourself." She said, and started to raise her knife over Kat's face.
"Wait!" Kat cried. She girl lowered the knife, and waited for Kat's next words. I wanted to think for Lat not to give in, but if I was in that situation, I would too. They will end up killing her.
"I'll–I'll tell you if–if you just let me up." She whispered. She girl reluctantly got off of her, and let her stand. She looked as though she would fall down like she was playing ring-around-the-rosies. She looked at the girl, and, with what seemed like all her strength, hit her with a well placed kick to the ribs.
  "You know." Kat breathed. "You're pretty stupid." She wiped some blood from her face, and dusted her hands off.
  "You'll pay for that." The girl snarled, and charged at Kat, then the scene changed.

  Hestia was still hanging on the wall in the chain cuffs. There was blood running down her face, arms, and legs, and purple bruises like chicken pocks dotted her arms. But then I saw why. There were rocks flying, hitting her everywhere. She winced and moaned in pain, but never cried out.
"Tell us!" A girl screamed. "Where is the filthy girl?"
"I've already told you." Hestia whispered. She looked up, tears streaming down her face. It seemed as though a terrified fire danced across her eyes. "I haven't had contact, I–"
"Liar!" The other girl screamed, and threw another stone. Hestia cried out in pain.
  "Please," Hestia begged through tears. "I've told you everything I know, I've never even spoke to the girl–"
  "You blessed her!" A rough voice roared. "Don't think we're idiots girl–"
  "I've never spoken to her!" Hestia screamed. It was scary to see someone so kind and calm so mad and disoriented. "And if I had, I would never tell if her whereabouts!" And they threw a stone, hitting her in the forehead, knocking her unconscious.

I woke in a cold sweat. My first though was to wake the others.
"Callie." I said. "Malcolm. Nevaeh! Guys get up!" Callie and Malcolm woke just the way I did. Callie sat straight up, breathing heavy. Malcolm say up too, but he was silent, probably from shock.
Nevaeh sat up slowly and wiped her eyes.
  "What in the name of Nemesis–" she started to say, but Callie interrupted.
  "The dreams." She said seriously, still breathing hard.
  "They're getting worse." Malcolm said.
  "Much worse." I agreed.
  "And what are we talking about?" Nevaeh asked groggily.
  "We have to go," Callie said. "Now." We all go up, I heard Nevaeh mumble under her breath, and we started to walkout of the warehouse. We got out the door, and the amazons stopped us.
  "Ah, Callie! You already have the answer?" Ezra asked.
  "Actually I do." Callie told her. "The answer is no. I'm sorry Ezra, I just need to do this. We" she gestured to us. "Need to do this."
  "I understand." Ezra said. "Our offer is still there in later time."
  "Nah, I don't think I'm going to take it." Callie said again. "If this all plays out, there going to be a lot of stuff going on, and I have to fix it."