I didn't realize that we had arrived until skeletons started pouring in and grabbed my with their weirddry and hard bones. it gave me the shivers. Hades looked at me as they dragged me out of the cage."Take her to the dungeons. Make sure its one of the deep ones. I don't want her escaping." He sayscoldly and I hang my head as they lead me in chains into the fortress I had seen in the distance. Wewalked through massive halls decorated with bones and skulls. It was so dark and gloomy. We wereabout to turn and enter the dungeons when someone called out and we stopped. I saw someone runup to us but I didn't look up."Where are you taking this girl? What has she done?" A woman demands. I looked up and saw abeautiful woman with flowing raven black hair and warm brown eyes. I thought of who she could be.My mind scrolled through the options and only one fit. Persephone. Queen of the Underworld. But, itwas the summertime, she was only here in the winter and fall. Then why was she here? The skeletonchattered though I couldn't understand any of it. Her face grew hard."Dungeons?! But shes a kid! What could she have done?" Persephone asks. The skeleton explainsand her face grows slightly pale. I looked down in shame. Even the gods wanted me locked up."But-but thats not possible. Is it?" She asks."Its true Your Highness." I say softly. she stops when I spoke. She bent down and looked me in theeye."I'm sorry. This shouldn't have happened to you. I can't disobey my husband, even if I wanted to butyou shouldn't be treated like this for the rest of your life." She says. Her resolve gave me the tiniestglimmer of hope but the truth crushed it."I wish I could control it ma'am but I can't. Hades is right, I should be locked up. I don't want to hurtanyone." I tell her. She didn't look at me. I hated this helpless feeling but there was no hope."I understand what your feeling to a degree. But its not so bad. Hades isn't that bad. And I'll checkin on you ever now and then if you would like." She says. Tears brimmed my eyes."Thank you Your Highness. I don't deserve this. I would love that." I tell her and a tear runs down mycheek. She nods and gives me a small smile."Well, I'll escort you to your new home. It's the least I can do." She says and starts down thestairway. I was shocked at her kindness but very grateful. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. That tinyhope didn't last long when we got further down. It was so dark. Even worse then a midnight sky. Tinyghost lights lit the way but it was hard to see Persephone's outline in the dark a few feet ahead ofme. Moans of the spirits of the prisoners that lived down here echoed throughout the halls. I wasscared before but now I was terrified. Like want to scream at the top of my lungs, curl up in a ball,and hide scared. We came to a door and the skeletons opened it. By the looks of it, it was the veryend of the cells, this the last one. They pushed me in and unlocked my chains. they fell to the groundwith a chilling thump and i rubbed my wrists. I looked at my new home for eternity. It was small,about the size of my room at home. The thought of home wrenched my dead heart. It didn't have acot or anything. Not even straw to lay on. Just cold tiles. And it was deathly cold. My bodytemperture dropped 5 degrees just by being there. Persephone gave me one last look. She turnedwith her back to me. Just when I thought I would be alone, she looked over her shoulder."Did you have any family? Any friends?" She asks me quietly. I nod and look down. Tears flooded myvision. She looked in front of her and she took a deep breath."I'm sorry." She says and closes the door, the skeletons locking it. There was no light in the cell. Justpitch black darkness. I could almost reach out and feel it around me. I sobbed and sat against thewall. I pulled my legs into my chest and cried. I cried and said my family's names and Lola and Benand Xavier's names over and over. I would never see them again. Not even when I died. They wouldall achieve Elysuim and I would be wandering aimlessly in the Fields of Asphodel. The thoughtterrified me."I'm sorry Grey. I should've listened to you." I sob into the void. I slipped in and out ofconsciousness, not knowing how long time went by. I gave up counting the seconds and minutes along time ago, or I thought a long time ago. I couldn't tell after I hit the hour mark. I was thankful myparents weren't really ADHD and that Grey got most of it but it really kicked in. The crying gave mesomething to do, but after the tears ran dry and my throat dried up, I was bouncing off the walls. The ADHD might kill me first. I think darkly. Shut up Audrey. I tell myself. I don't know when I fell asleepor when I woke up. My brain was all messed up. The only thing was that they would bring me smallportions of old bread and some water. I tried to mark time like that but they were infrequent and mybrain already hurt too much. I wondered what was happening up in the real world. Hades gave hisword that Ben and Lola would be safe getting back but what would happen once they did? I fearedthat Lola would charge back down here and demand that I be released and get herself killed in theprocess. And what about the quest? What was going to happen? Maybe because I'm trapped downhere, EO won't rise. With that logic, this was the best call. I might have just saved all of my friendsand families's lives by giving up mine. I cringed at the thought. This was torture. Persephone hadn'tcome yet. It was the 14th food cycle. I was given the stale bread and intresting tasting water. Iwanted to drink it all to quench my dry throat, but I needed to save it. I eat all the bread though. Ishould've been starving, but the bread made it hard since it was so gross and so I lost my appietite alot. It felt like days had passed, and maybe days had passed. I'm not sure anymore. I probablyshould keep track, but at this point I was numb from grief, sadness, and utter hopelessness. I waspretty sure at least a day or two had passed but more could've. I didn't care anymore. I didn't evenfeel human. After the 17th cycle, something changed though. The door was left open andPersephone stepped in. She looked at me."I'm sorry. I should've come sooner." She says."It's ok." I tell her in a croaky voice. i knew deep down it wasn't because I had been down her forwho knows how long and she was my only way to hear anything about the surface. She waves herhand and two chairs and a small table form. She gestures for me to sit. I do and she sits as well.Silence. She opens her mouth to say something but she hesitates."I'm sorry but I never asked your name." She says."Audrey, Audrey Baxter." I tell her and even my own name sounded foreign. She nods and a flickerof recognition crosses her face."Are you related to Lura Baxter my chance?" She asks. Hearing my moms name shattered my heartagain."Yes, she's my mother." I say softly. Persephone chuckles."Whats so funny?" I ask her, confused. She looked at me."Hades wouldn't shut up at how mad he was that he had to let your mother, two Apollo kids, anAthena kid, and Cole through his realm and how they had beaten Cerebus." She says. I just nod."How long has it been?" I ask her, bracing myself for the answer. She sighs."Time works differently here. Here its been about 5ish days give or take. But up in the real world, itsonly been two days." She says. TWO DAYS?! That can't be. I think. It felt like an eternity down here."It's confusing I know but you'll get used to it." She says. It was intended to reassure me, but itdidn't. The door opened and Hades's chilling presence walked in."Darling, I told you not to come here!" He says in a calm voice that hid the rage he was feeling. Shestood up."Hon I was just talking with her. She has nobody." Persephone says in a flat tone. He huffs."She can talk to the monster all she wants. She choose to come." Hades says and the words werelike a sucker punch to the gut. I hadn't even felt EO's presence since the incident. Persephonewasn't done."I know but she doesn't deserve this, she's just a kid." She says. I felt like I was caught in a fiercemental struggle between these two gods. I wanted to hide in the corner and not come out."That kid could kill us all! She can't control what she is. I forbid you from coming down here again! Iwill not risk your life just so you can talk to a lonely mortal girl! And thats final! He says and leaves.Persephone stares daggers into his back. She sighs. I knew what she was going to say next."I'm sorry, I can't disobey him. Goodbye Audrey." She says sadly and all hope left me. I didn't realizeI had any left but I knew that was the last of it. I truely didn't feel human. I was just a husk. Void of allfeelings but despair and lonliness. The cell went back to being pitch black. The chairs and table weregone. I sat in my tiny spot and just sat. I was about to drift off into unconsciousness when I felt thatawful presence again. Poor little child. All alone, no friends, no family, no hope. EO says in my head. I whimper."Get out of my head! Your the reason I'm in here in the first place!" I say. EO laughs and i grip myhead in pain.No little one. I didn't put you here, you did. It says. He was right. I made the call. And I hated everysecond of it.But, I can free you. It says."How?" I ask, wary of the price.It's just one tiny thing. I want you to come to me and free me. It says like it was the easiest thing inthe world. I despised how tempting the offer was. Freedom, the chance to see the sun, to see myfamily."But, doesn't that mean you will destory the world?" I say. EO chuckles.Yes, but I can spare you and your loved ones. Imagine, you free me and I make you my general andwe can destroy those pesky gods once and for all. Afterwards, you can live with your family as myloayl subjects in peace. So long as you bow down to me. EO says. Spare my family? Would he reallydo that? I thought about it. I would be free, to live life without fear with my family and friends. neverhave to fear for my life again. But, I had already come this far. I may have my enemies and I hate thegods but not enough to end the world."No, I will not. I'd rather die." I tell it. I could feel its anger through our link.Fine! If thats how you want it. I don't need you to rise to my full glory. You merely prolong theinevitably. But I can grant your request. It says evilly. I felt its power roll over me and the feeling ofweightlessness overcame me as I lost control. NO NO NO!! I think but there was nothing I could doto stop it. EO waved my hand and a solid black sword formed. My heart stopped. I tried to break freebut it was like trying to run through a steel wall. EO made my arms clutch the sword with the bladetip facing my chest. This is how I die. I think. What a terrible way to die. This is it. I think and brace forthe searing pain of the metal entering my chest and ending my suffering. A single tear rolled downmy face. My life flashed before my eyes. It stopped on Ben's face. What I would give to say goodbyeto him, to feel safe in his presence. Goodbye. I think and let go. I waited for it. I felt a stinging painand EO hiss as he fled my mind. I regained control and looked around. I didn't realize I was breathinghard. The sword was gone, mysteriously vanished. I look around and realize I wasn't alone. In front ofme stood the last person I expected to see. He didn't look at me and wrapped his arms aroundhimself."H-hey Audrey, you ok?" Erebus Shan asks me.