MADE

Ghost

My back cracked against the tree, sending stars dancing before my vision. I could barely hear Alaric's snarl over the pounding in my ears.

Sebastian lunged at Alaric, pinning him as a right hook came at his jaw. Alaric was on the ground one second and in the next, he was throwing Sebastian against a tree. I almost couldn't see it happening. It was as if they were just flashing in, and out of visible light.

Sebastian tried to get to his feet, but he wasn't quick enough. I pounced and clocked his jaw with a roundhouse, throwing him to the ground. I landed in a crouch, my back against the bank. He began to stand, eyes flashing black.

"Two against one," he huffed getting to his feet. "That's hardly fair." A mock pout crossed his face, "oh well."

He had an accent I noticed, faint but there. He took a step towards me, and I wasn't about to let him get any closer. I pulled a wave out of the creek behind me and as I stood so did the water, an unmovable force at my back.

Sebastian eyed me with that grin of his. "You're better than anticipated. You must be of Amara's kin. Perhaps I'll keep you."

I stepped away from him. "What do you know about Amara," I sneered.

"I was lead Earth guard, and your mother being a part of the council means everyone knows her," he smirked, "some better than others," he said his smile getting bigger. "More intimate."

Some animalistic noise rattled through my throat and in an instant, the water was over my head and coiled around him. He flailed as water pushed down his throat, filling his lungs. I watched him choke for a minute, feeling the same thrill from the other night. Then I pulled the water back into the creek, dragging Sebastian with it.

A flash of silver came at my side, Alaric his eyes glued to the creek bed.

He began to pace the edge, moving away from me and tracking where the water flowed.

It took only seconds for Sebastian to lunge out of the water, dagger in hand and aimed straight for my heart. I could see what was about to happen.

Alaric was too far away to catch it in time, even with his blinding speed.

Water could do very little to stop the blade.

I tried to see a way out of this, a way to save myself. Alaric had told me about all the ways an Olympian could meet their end. It was part of my training, to know what more valuable parts of myself to protect.

And then my arms came up, hoping the scales that rested along my forearms would be enough.

The blow never came.

Alaric was still down the bank, but Sebastian lay in the dirt - his own silver dagger embedded in his chest. Elijah's hand was wrapped around the handle.

Air rushed from my throat, a strangled noise along with it as Sebastian's face turned grey, black lines running along his skin like tiny snakes.

My arms would have never made it up in time to block the blow. That blade would have been buried in my chest. I would have let it happen. Bile crawled up my throat.

How many times had I wished for an end in the days after that night on the pavement? How many days after had I still wished for an end?

The sockets of Sebastian's eyes rotted away, leaving two black holes straight through his head. The smell was almost immediate. I gagged, my gaze finally falling away from the dead guard's face.

A hand fell onto my shoulder, Alaric's I knew. I could feel his stare burning into my face.

"Mari, I-" Alaric began but I cut him off.