#IAmPartOfAGreatMission #FellowshipOfTheTitanDownHere
We started out again, that fucker of a sun relentlessly beating down on us. I couldn't actually see where it was in the sky—looking up just made everything bright as heck—but the bastard was there.
“It's different,” Hyperion muttered under his breath, looking around like he wasn't exactly sure where we were.
“What's different?” I pushed, looking in the direction he was, seeing more desolate landscape. I mean, nothing had changed in however many hours we'd walked, but clearly for Hyperion it had.
“There used to be a secret portal here, one that would take us to the next level. It could cut weeks off our journey, but … it's not marked on the land like it used to be.”
Well, shit.Weeksoff our journey? I needed that. I needed to find Cronusnow.
“Does everything else look the same … just the portal is missing?”
His lips thinned; that was never a good sign. “Actually, this entire level is nothing like it used to be. Sure, it gets hotter and acrider the closer you get to the seventh level, but never desolate like this.”
I gasped. “Fuck, what if Thanatos sent us to the wrong part? What if we're completely lost? What if this isn't even the underworld?”
If an ancient as fuck, powerful Titan was ever going to roll his eyes, it seemed that this was the time for it. “We're in the underworld, Maisey,” he said with a shake of his head. “But there was a reason Thanatos feared the Erynomus’ return. It's a leech, a parasite that sucks the life from everything it touches. It's foul and scary, and lacking in any instinct outside of demolishing the energy of every entity it comes into contact with. Clearly, it's already had an effect on the levels, especially these lower levels.”
“So, could it have destroyed the portal? Or moved it?”
Hyperion shook his head. “No, I don't think so. I'm guessing that the land itself has hidden that particular energy from the demon, and it's going to take a little ingenuity to discover it.”
With a sigh, I dropped on my ass, right onto the burning ground. It wasn't too hot actually, but with how boiling the temperature was, I’d expected it to fry my pants right off.
“I'll keep a look out while you find us the portal,” I told Hyperion, leaning back on my arms now that I knew the skin wasn't going to sizzle off. I couldn’t walk anymore, and it definitely felt like naptime.
And there he went again, rolling his eyes. Guess I could be proud of all the things I was teaching these ancient assholes.
Even with the burning rays of hell on my face, at some point I started to doze off, only waking at a distinct thump nearby. With a yawn, I opened my eyes, expecting it to be Hyperion, but instead I was face to face with something straight out of my nightmares.
The creature that stood before me was the color of snot when you had a cold—you know, that super fluro, greeny-yellow shade that was in no way appealing. It had at least thirty eyes dotted about its large round head, and if thirty eyes wasn't bad enough, there were also the approximately fifty razor sharp teeth, very visible as he dove toward me. Smiling.
What sort of psychopath smiled when it tried to murder you?#Rude #MommaMonsterDidNotRaiseItRight
Rolling out of the way, I clambered to my feet before bolting for the open desert, thinking I'd have a chance to run away. I did not take into account the fact thatEyeballswas also the proud owner of a pair of Go-Go Gadget arms, extending them out in a single flick of his creepy wrist. They wrapped around my throat tightly, like a bound rope, cutting off my air in the same instant, before constricting to the point of pain.
I grasped both of its arms, digging in my nails in an attempt to loosen its hold. Heat burned beneath my hands for a moment, and I didn’t know if it was the monster or me. Either way, the hold loosened just enough for me to cough and splutter, gasping air into my lungs as I spun and faced the creature.
“Maisey,” Hyperion shouted, his voice sounding far away.
Before he could get any closer though, there was a burst of energy in my gut, swirling and churning as it exploded from within me. Pure white light burned my retinas and I felt the hold on my throat relax even further, before disappearing completely.
My legs collapsed and I gasped for air, half sprawled on my hands and knees.
What. The.Fuck. Just. Happened?
It took a few seconds for my eyesight to clear, and almost the exact moment it did, I found myself hauled up into Hyperion's arms, the Titan jerking me close to his body. That movement was so fast that the swirls of energy inside of me turned into swirls of nausea.
“Stop,” I choked out, and he stilled.
Closing my eyes, I worked very hard on breathing, trying to settle my stomach. Thankfully I managed to get myself under control before I vomited. Something Hyperion should be super grateful about.
“Are you okay?” It sounded like he was shouting at me, still holding me above the ground and close to his chest. “Those crutashia demons are nothing to be scoffed at. They’re the strongest of the lower-level demonkin and usually crush their victims in an instant.”
Pushing against him, I managed to wiggle and return my feet to the ground. “I'm totally fine,” I said, voice a little husky but nothing too crazy.#SexyVoiceNotASmoker
I smiled at my worried grandfather. “Eyeballs only had me for a second, and then…” I looked around. “Actually, what happened then? There was this white light and his arms disappeared. Did you save me?”
