Claimed by Twelve

Struggle

      I could hear Pax's telling all the way into my room. "Damn it, Aidin!" Something crashed and I flinched. I was sitting on the floor leaning against my closed door listening to them yelling.
      "Pax! Calm down." Aidin's voice was quieter and I closed my eyes to listen. "Look. He hasn't gone to Khione yet."
      "Yet. I'll remind you that if Khione finds out about us, we're screwed. We'll be killed. And Olympus. Will. Fall. Our only chance just slammed the door on us!" I winced. Ouch. I couldn't be their only chance. They still had the rest of the Seven. Didn't they?
      "And how would you have taken that news? He's been exposed to this world for less than two weeks, Pax."
      "It doesn't matter how I would've taken it! We were counting on him to choose us!"
      "It wouldn't make any difference! If Khione finds out about us, and Jules still takes our side, we're still screwed!" I could practically hear Aidin's composure shatter. "The only difference will be that he dies with us!"
      There was a moment of silence in which I could hear both boys panting if I strained to listen. I heard a sharp inhale than Pax's voice. "Then we protect him."
      "How? If he chooses Khione, there's nothing we can do."
      "Yes there is. We need to expose Khione. Show him what she really is."
      "She's a goddess Pax. I'm pretty sure he knows that."
      "You know that's not what I meant."
      "We can't find her. We don't have enough time or resources. Each day, Khione's army gets bigger and our chances get smaller."
      "We have to try."
      "Pax, think for a minute! Look at the numbers. There's you and me. Bella, Lily, Lia, Sage, Coy, Chas, and Jordon. Nine people. Nine against hundreds!"
      "Do you have a better plan? We can't just give up!"
      Silence followed. Who was this her they kept talking about? I stood and stretched my limbs. I opened my door and walked to the door that led to the hallway. I looked back for a second and met Aidin's eyes, who was just starting to come out of Pax's room. I turned away as I shut the door behind me. I started down the hallway as I let my thoughts run through my head.
I didn't get very far before I heard a door close behind me. I turned just enough to see Aidin before continuing to walk. I turned a few corners and found myself heading down. I continued until I was standing in front of the cell Khione had held Jason and I in. I felt some kind of pull and I closed my eyes.
      When I opened them, I wasn't standing in front of the cell anymore. Jason stood in front of the amphitheater in Camp Half-Blood. Next to him were the rest of the Seven, excluding Leo. They were all staring at Thalia's tree.
      I adjusted my vision the best I could (I wasn't really sure how this worked yet) to see the hill. My blood froze at what I saw.
      Khione was facing the camp. I couldn't tell how many demigods were with her. I looked back at Jason, who had a grim look on his face. Everyone did. They knew they couldn't win this.
      They couldn't. But I could.
      And I knew that if I didn't, they would die. I struggled. Something inside of me stirred. I couldn't let them die.
      A gust of wind shook the trees. Every demigods turned to Jason, but he was just as confused as everyone else. I wasn't sure I could do this, but I had to try.
      "Run." My voice echoed across the camp as water rocketed up from the ground, blocking Khione's path to the camp. Half the demigods in the camp turned and ran, I wasn't sure where.
      "Julian!" Khione's voice was powerful. More powerful than mine. I focused on holding the water up, but it did nothing. Khione froze the water with easy, shattering it into thousands of tiny pieces. Khione's demigods advanced on the camp as Khione and I struggled for the power. She had years of experience of control. I had a day.
      She did her best to get me to lose focus. If I lost focus, I would be forced back to my body. I fought harder, sending a flame her way every time she tried to form ice or snow. I was slowly being drained. I strained to fight but I knew this wasn't meant to happen, that what I was doing was something no other demigod had accomplished.
      I could already see bodies on the ground. Rage boiled through my veins as I used the last of my strength to split the earth open. Skeletons crawled through the cracks, pushing back Khione's forces. It hadn't mattered.
      By the time Khione had retreated, Camp Half-Blood stood in flames.