Fall From Glory || A Percy Jackson story

Chapter 12: The Choice

Arrangements needed to be made, but somehow Leo managed to get twelve people back to New York on his dragon. He ended up making small modifications to Festus's back to fit everyone, but the ride was exhilarating and comfortable.

It was somehow faster than my ride in the helicopter, and Leo said it was faster than his trip there, but I chalked it up to a combination of Leo being inexplicable and the newfound space-warp ability that I got from Artemis. Several of the girls ended up proving themselves to be thrill-seekers along the way, getting up and climbing around Festus as we flew. Leo was on edge the entire time it was happening, and I chuckled at how worried he was for a bunch of new people he'd just barely met and learned they were assassins.

I looked back and saw the two girls I'd met first, sitting in the last two seats. The blonde one looked like she was having the time of her life, a huge smile on her face, and the redhead looked bored. I could tell from her eyes that riding on a metal dragon gave her a certain amount of child-like wonder, but she didn't show it. 

She was still analyzing her surroundings like she was looking for potential enemies, and she looked at the girls around her with distrust. She obviously was prepared to be betrayed, and I almost thought that she was expecting it. She had reason to be wary considering her life up until that point, but I could tell that attacking her was the last thing on any of the others' minds.

I got up from my seat and jumped up, using the air currents to keep me aloft until I drifted back over everyone's heads. I landed next to them and grinned at them, reclining on Festus's back next to their seats. 

"What does Leo's face look like right now?" I asked under my breath.

"He looks like he kind of wants to strangle you, but in a good way," the blonde said. I laughed.

"In a good way? Well, I guess that's better than I could've hoped, even if I don't know what that could possibly mean. The flying ability is a recent development, and I didn't tell him about it yet," I told them. "Speaking of not telling people things, do you guys remember your names?"

The blonde shook her head with a pained look on her face, the smile melting away. The beautiful redhead shrugged. "I think so, but it's impossible to tell how recently I got it," she said. I nodded thoughtfully.

"Well, we can't part ways before I learn your names. Are you guys okay with me helping unblock your memories?"

The blonde froze, her face looking terrified. "I—um..." She took a deep breath. "I don't know how much I want to remember," she finally said in a weak voice. "I know I've done some awful things, but I don't really know what I've done. I don't know if I want to."

"Hey," I told her, sitting up and putting an arm over her shoulders. "You are strong enough to face anything. I've known you for going on twenty-four hours, and I already know that. You'll probably remember a lot of pain, but I think you should be proud of yourself and your strength. I know I will be."

"Wait, will you see my memories too?" she asked, startled. 

I shrugged. "I won't if you don't want me to," I told her. "If you want some support, I can. Sometimes it's hard to share things about yourself that you're insecure about, but I've found that sharing your weaknesses is the first step to overcoming them."

I met her gaze, staring into her eyes for several seconds. She took another deep breath and nodded, closing her eyes. "I'm ready," she whispered.

I gently took her hand in mine and tried to tap into several of the godly powers I'd received at once. Apollo for healing, Dionysus in case I needed to prevent insanity, and Hypnos for dreams and memories. Almost instantly, I felt a connection form between us and my vision faded to black. I saw scenes flicker by almost faster than I could process, years of violence and fighting and pain. I saw her get chosen for the Black Widow program as a child, then I saw as she was subjected to years of brutal training.