Belly of the Beast (COMPLETED)

15

~ Eliza's POV ~

That night, while we are out and about, I have the best time of my life with them. I haven't had so much fun in years, and now that I'm back with my family and they all know where I am and that I'm not trapped in some psycho's house like they think I was, life is enjoyable.

We have fun together for a night, just the three of us out on the town, trying to forget the past.

The next day, I wake up in my hotel room. I got tipsy last night (don't do that when you're on meds) and I fell asleep in the bed the moment I got in.

Rhea and Annabeth are in the room, cuddling together on the couch.

I sit up and go to the window.

It's just becoming sunrise, so the sky is still dark enough for it to be considered night. But I can see in the dark gray light the image of something in the parking lot, right by my car.

I slip out into the parking lot, and freeze.

"Hello, Eliza ... miss me?" Echo purrs.

"No," I say. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," it says. Echo tilts its head forward and then opens pure white eyes. My blood goes cold at the sight of them.

"What the fuck?" I whisper.

"I am back for you, Eliza. Your deal with the spirits is up. You will now become that which you hate the most in the world ... you will become a demon, just like Rhea. And just like Annabeth."

"What?"

Echo shakes its head. "Pity. I liked you as a human..."

Suddenly, the world around me begins to darken and shift and churn, changing into something else entirely. I open my mouth to scream, to try and tell Echo to leave me alone, but nothing comes out.

Then, the world comes back into focus, and I realize I am seeing out of three eyes, and there are magnificent bat wings protruding from my back. Echo smiles, its mouth turning all white and glowing like its eyes. Echo then walks over to me, grabs ahold of me, and then we are on the edge of the roof of a tall building.

"Learn to fly," Echo says. Then it chuckles. "Or don't."

And then, I am flung into the void far, far below the building's edge, falling ...