FS2 Chapter 49
The sensation lasted somewhere between an eternity and a moment. When my vision returned, I
looked around. I think I was in some sort of cave or something. EO chuckled.
"Finally! Long have I waited to be so close to the moment." He says and I feel his power growing
stronger. As soon as I stepped foot out of that portal, all my strength and energy drained out of me
and I collapsed on the oor.
"What are you doing?! We are too close to stop now." EO says. I glared at him.
"I can't if you can tell." I tell him bitterly. He scos.
"Fine, I have to do everything myself." He says and tries to takeover. I let him, knowing that I was
right for once. He tried to make me stand but he could make me barely move. I could sense his
frustration. He said a word my mom would kill me for saying and gave up.
"Fine, but I'm giving you only an hour. After that we have to get going." He says and I nod. I prop
myself up against the wall. Sleep came easily. But, it wasn't what I expected. I woke up in some sort
of cloud thingie. I didn't really know how to describe it. It was just like clouds all around me. A bright
light ashed and I heard owls screeching. I shielded my eyes until the light lessened. I gaped at what
I saw. A woman with raven black hair and stark intelligent grey eyes regarded me. She wore a greek
battle helmet and an owl rested on her shoulder. I had no doubt in my mind who it was.
"Athena." I said quietly. Athena looked at me with a blank face. Her eyes seemed to bore into my
skull.
"Audrey Jane Baxter." She says in a at voice but it echoed everywhere. Hearing her say my name
stirred something deep in my memory. Her voice... it was familar. I tried to place it. The owl ew o
her shoulder and ew over my head. Of course. She was the voice I had heard in the clearing. She
looked at me.
"What are you thinking?!?!" She asks angrily. I take a step back and fear runs through me. She
started toward me, grey eyes blazing.
"I-I d-don't u-u-understand." I say and start to back up. She kept walking toward me.
"You have the power to save or destroy the world. And you just give up without a ght?!" She says. I
didn't know to say.
"It took one of the greatest heros of old to stop him the rst time and he had the help of the gods. I
don't know why we thought YOU of all people would be able to stop him for good this time." She
said and towered over me. I was taken aback. She scowled at me and then turned around and
walked o. I followed her, confused.
"You were the voice in the clearing!" I say and she scos.
"Of course I was! Who else would talk to you? Apollo maybe but you were always more like me and
your brother was more like Apollo." She says and she bursts into light and reappears in normal
modern clothes and standing over a table full of papers with scribbled writings and drawings. All the
new information that she was spitting was circling my head and making it hard to focus. I took a
deep breath.
"Why am I here?" I ask her nally. She stops her writing and turns to me.
"Because you were chosen for something great, and if you don't understand that and change what
your doing right now, the world will end." She says cooly. I understood her but I already knew that.
"I know, but I don't have a choice. Ben was gonna die had I not-" I say but she glares daggers into
me and starts to glow.
"No. There is always a choice. You just chose the easy and weak choice. Maybe I was wrong, maybe
you are more like Apollo then me, because none of my kin would give up that easily." She says. I
swallowed hard and shame enveloped me. But in that shame, there was a kindle of frustration.
Maybe a bit of rage. She didn't know what it was like to fall in love, to try and live life without almost
dying or making impossible choices that could save some and kill others. She sat up in Olympus and
watch all of us risk our lives for the world, for THEM, and they not care whether we live or die. But
Audrey, making a goddess angry is a REALLY bad idea. I tell myself as I'm about to make a snappy
retort at Athena. Try to approach it dierently. I tell myself.
"Then why me? Why did you choose me of all people to do this? Why if you knew I was going to
fail?" I ask her and let the tiniest bit of malice enter my voice. She looked me dead in the eye and I
knew I had made a mistake. Just when I thought I was about to become charred esh she turned
around and went back to her notes. I heard her mumbling and caught a few words. "just like her
mother... so disrespectful... who does this mortal think she is". I was caught up on the just like her
mother part. I made a mental note to ask her about it later.
"Because your the only human who can. Everyone else, your parents, your friends, your brother, they
all can't do it. You are special Audrey. Not only are you linked to Ο Κακός but you also have the
blood of TWO gods in your veins." She says as if it was something special.
"But Grey has that as well." I point out. She looks annoyed but goes on.
"Yes but he chose one. You on the other hand haven't chosen. True you are more like me but you
also are too much like Apollo for it to make the switch." She says as if its the most obvious thing
ever. I was starting to put the puzzle pieces together.
"Is that why my glow if dierent then Grey's?" I ask her and it sounds weird as it leaves my mouth.
She nods.
"Now your getting it. its about time. Your power along with your connection makes you the only
person who can." She says.
"But I can't control either." I tell her. She looks at me blankly and then goes back to her notes.
"Yes. But only you can gure that out." She says softly and my hopes deate. I kick one of the
papers crumpled on the ground in frustration.
"Then why am I here?" I ask her. She pauses. She stands up and looks at me.
"Because I can oer you some advice. I don't have much more time before Ο Κακός gures out I
talked to you. But think if it this way: A link goes two ways right? If Ο Κακός can get into your head
then can you get into his?" She says and a glowing image of two heads and a silver line running
through them appears. she demostrates by making two points of light go back and forth.
"I had never thought of it that way." I say softly and think hard. The image disappears.
"time has run out." Athena says and things start to grow hazy.
"WAIT! what else we're you going to tell me?" I yell. She looks at me.
"It is not something I can tell you, but you already know it." She says and I sit straight up against the
wall. What was that about?! I ask myself.
Time to go. EO says in a irratied voice and he makes me stand up. My whole body ached and yelled
at me when I moved but I felt myself feeling stronger then normal. She may be mean and not very
helpful but at least I have something that I didn't have before. I think victoriously and try not to let EO
feel my hope.