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Every corner we turn seems to be bleaker than the last. I want to hope that we are getting close.
Peter raises his arms. Wind blows out of one hand while he makes stirring motions with the other. The winds seem uncontrollable. Tables are being knocked over, and lab equipment is being pushed back.
Lilith tries to run around me, but doves swarm her head. Carla has her knife pointed at Lilith, but it’s barely glowing. Peter’s face focuses completely on the wind.
The winds are compacting and making a funnel in the center of the room. Instead of being pushed away, objects are being drawn toward the center of the room now. A table almost knocks me in the head as it flies past me.
Audrey is just standing there watching tables turn into splinters by the swirling winds. The last time she was around a tornado like this, it took her parents’ lives and almost her own. I can’t imagine what she’s feeling.
Her hands are trembling, but she begins to shoot balls of fire into the tornado. The doves around Lilith have retreated. She moves to stop Audrey.
It isn’t easy, but I’m able to move myself between them. My sword clashes against Lilith’s staff. I’m able to hold her in place even though her pressure against me is strong.
“What will you accomplish by moving forward? Regardless of your actions, Lucifer will break out of his cage, and I will personally help him enslave mankind! Why help this boy, Beelzebub? You’re just like us. You can never atone for your sins. You of all people know that,” Lilith says.
I’m suddenly overpowering her. The voice of Lucas says to her, “My goal is not redemption. We hated mankind so much that we did not notice. We’re just like them.”
Lilith is furious. She screams, “LIKE THEM? We’re nothing like these insignificant specks on existence! We’re of a higher nature!”
“Your hate has blinded you, Lilith. We’re selfish, cause war, and kill others, as do humans, yet they have so much more potential. If they can change their path, why can’t we? This kid has chosen death to save a friend. Would any of us do that? Would Lucifer? No. I will stay the path, even if I have to burn a fire through Hell that even it cannot contain,” Lucas says to her.
“We don’t need others to save us! We’re not fragile or as simple-minded. Still, you would protect a human over fighting for our cause. Even if that means killing me? That’s unfortunate,” she says.
The tornado is a blazing funnel now. The heat is melting all of the webs into a gooey mess. Lucas pulls my shield from where it was lying and hits Lilith in the back.
Being hit makes her lose her guard for a moment. Carla uses this opportunity to shoot the rainbow from her knife, but it wasn’t nearly as charged as it needed to be. Lilith dodges it easily. She jumps back onto the balcony and presses a button.
Water pours from sprinklers on the roof. The fire tornado dies down, but the exit is clear... We could leave if we wanted.
“You’ll have to decide,” Lucas thinks.
“There’s nothing to decide. We’re all getting out of here,” I think back.
“Lilith is no fool. If you don’t leave someone here to keep her occupied, she will follow us and bring her pets. We all can’t stay here to fight her. She will keep us as long as she can. She won’t be able to cover the room in webs for a while, however, so at this point, a one-on-one fight is our best option,” he thinks.
I can’t leave any of them. I quickly find out that it’s not really my decision to make. Audrey is running up the stairs to the balcony by herself. She pulls out a gold locket and takes a shadowy appearance. It looks like the locket she won in the arena.
Peter is helping Kale walk through the exit. I catch up to them. Kale is crouched next to a wall, talking to himself, and Brittney’s eyes are almost glassed over. Kassidy is doing what she can to comfort Brittney.
“Audrey wants us to leave her behind,” Peter says.
“I know...” I say.
“We can’t let her stay here alone, Luke!” Carla yells. She seems to be okay.
Kale mutters to himself, “They’re all dead... we’re all dead because of... m-me. I don’t kno— I have to get out of here.”
Half of us wouldn’t be useful in a fight right now. I’ll need the other half to help move Kale and Brittney. I don’t have many options but to trust Audrey can survive.
“Audrey gave us a chance to escape. She knows what she’s doing. If we turn back now, she’ll never forgive us,” I say while lifting Kale on one side. Peter helps with the other side, and Brittney can manage with just Kassidy. Carla leads us.
“Thanks for saving me. I thought it was over. The most I was able to do was dig my knife through the cocoon,” Carla says after we’ve walked for a while.
“I’m just glad we made it in time. I don’t want to know what she planned to do,” Peter says.
“Turn us all into mindless slaves, that’s what. That green liquid is some sort of mind-control serum. We have to go back the way we came, or we’re all going to die,” Kale says almost sanely.
“None of us are going to die, and we can’t turn back. We’ve come so far,” I say to him.
“That’s easy for you to say! Your friends aren’t dead!” he says while trying to stand on his own.
“Wait... what happened to Brooke and Austin? Weren’t they with you?” Carla asks. I forgot she didn’t see them...
“That demon Lilith killed them. She kidnapped and changed her appearance to look like Brittney. I had no idea. Before I knew it, she took out both Austin and Brooke. She told me only Brittney and I were worthy of her experiments,” Kale chokes out.
“That’s what happened to us. We’re lucky that Luke noticed it wasn’t Carla,” Kassidy says.
“She looked just like me? How did you know it wasn’t me, Luke?” Carla asks.
“The imposter’s eyes were green, but your shirt was purple. Your eyes always match your shirt,” I say.
“Green...” she says quietly.
“Yeah, are you okay?” I ask.
“Before I turned seven, my natural eye color was green. It wasn’t until then that my eyes changed with my clothes,” she says.
“Your eyes must have something to do with your power. I don’t think she can copy the strengths of the person she changes into, but if she would have turned into someone else...” Brittney starts.
“We might not be here now,” Peter finishes.
After a little while, Brittney and Kale are able to move on their own. I take the lead. There are a lot of different paths we could take, but Lucas is trying to lead me to the prison where Apollo and the rest should be.
Tears are streaming down Carla’s eyes. “I’m sorry about your friends. Brooke is one of the reasons we made it this far anyways... A few weeks ago, she gave me a lot of explosives that she made. Without her, we wouldn’t have made it past that prison monster.”
“You fought one of those beasts? We could barely stand to be in that torture area, let alone fight,” Kale asks, stunned.
“We didn’t fight it there. It followed us. Trevor’s screaming attracted it to us,” I say.
“Trevor! He survived the explosion?” Brittney asks.
I hate to tell them this, but I feel like they should know. “He’s dead. He didn’t die from an explosion. It didn’t even touch him. He suffocated from the plants. We passed by his soul in a prison cell at the torture area.”
“W-what? You’re not saying that he’s in...” Brittney doesn’t finish. Her eyes trail off.
Peter looks at the floor as he says it. “We tried to help him, but there was nothing we could do.”
“He suffocated... I-I thought it was too late, and we were being chased. I panicked,” Kale says.
Kale tells us that they have been attacked nonstop since they got here. Lower types of demons were at the entrance. Then hellhounds have been chasing them through the tunnels. Compared to them, we’ve been lucky.
They’re still talking behind me when they suddenly sound muffled. I turn around and see a figure has placed his hand on the wall behind me. The tunnel entrance has disappeared and been replaced with a solid wall. I can hear them banging on the wall.
“We meet again. I wondered how long it would be. Hello, Luke.” The long dark wings, shaggy hair, and sad tone to his voice. Judas. The resemblance between him and Kaleb is still scary.
I reach for Pandora’s box. “You... You’re the reas—” I turn Pandora’s box into a shield and sword.
“The reason for all of this? Perhaps. Do you hate me?” He flies at me, attacking me with some weird sword that has two separate blades. I block with my shield but barely feel any impact.
He continues, “I let you escape. I could have taken you as well. This time, I can’t let you get away. You have made it too far.”
He knocks me back. There are paintings of animals hanging all around the room. Judas walks to one of a tiger and elephant. He places his hands on the painting.
The tiger and elephant appear to be walking through the painting. I rub my eyes, but I’m seeing right. Both animals are standing in front of me. The tiger is baring his fangs, ready to pounce. The elephant stomps across the room.
I jump out of the elephant’s way, but the tiger attacks me right after, knocking me to the ground. I’m holding my shield between it and me, but it still manages to run its claw down my arm.
I run my sword into it, but it fades away. Whatever his power is, it definitely isn’t illusions. The blood pouring down my arm is very real.
The elephant comes back around for me. I throw my shield at its face. The first time, I miss and almost get trampled.
I try one more time. I’m able to get the chain to wrap around its trunk. I’m not sure what I accomplished with that. As soon as it turns its head, I am jerked up.
I get pulled over its body and land on the other side. It didn’t see where I landed. That gives me an idea.
I run underneath it. The chain seemingly grows longer from my sword. I run my sword across its stomach while wrapping the chain around its legs. This causes it to collapse. I run my sword across its head, but it just fades away as well.
Judas looks at me sadly. The two animals reappear on the painting. This time he flies toward me himself.
We fight back and forth. Every time he gets an opening, he doesn’t take it, but when I get one, my sword passes right through him. With my arm the way it is, he could just take me out. I can barely hold my shield now. Is he just trying to keep me occupied? If so, I have to do something.
An explosion comes from the wall. Peter and the rest must be trying to get through. I don’t understand Judas’s powers. He can’t be hit, he can create solid walls, and he can make animals appear. How do I even fight that?
“You’re not trying to kill me, so what is it you’re after?” I ask.
“Kaleb told me about all of you. I’m sorry things have to be this way, but I want to thank you for taking him under your wing. Almost all of my descendants are cursed to live awful lives. At least you all gave him a small amount of time to live a normal one,” he says while swinging his sword at my shield. My arm strains.
“I didn’t take him under my wing. He’s our friend. That’s why we’re here now. It doesn’t have to be this way. We can still save him and make it out of here,” I say.
“It’s no good. We’ve been keeping the finished brainwashed demigods away from you all on purpose. Human contact brings back pieces of their past, but Lilith has improved her formula. Kaleb is part of the first batch using the new serum. His mind is surely gone by this point. He is destined to be condemned to an unjust fate. Just like me,” Judas says.
I swing my shield at him, but it just passes right through, “How is your fate unjust? I’ve never been a religious person, but even I know your story. Many say that you committed the worst crime against humanity.”
“I had no choice! That God allowed Lucifer to control me. I regret what happened almost every day. I never meant to condemn my Friend to death.” His swings are getting more forceful.
There goes that word again—choice. Lucian speaks through me. “You were no stranger to demons. Someone as strong-willed as you could only be controlled by one way.”
His face twitches. “What are you trying to say? Don’t you dare make accusations of things you know nothing about!”
He hits me hard enough to push me back, distancing himself away from me. A dark aura pulses around him. He flicks one of his wrists, and five dark forms take shape around him, all exact copies of him.
Three of them come at me at once. Are they all real too? I center my shield at two of them while blocking another with my sword. All the copies are solid beings and very strong. What is this guy? The force almost takes out my injured arm for good.
The Judas at the back of the room says, “You have no idea how much suffering has been wrongly brought upon me! For more than two thousand years, I have had to endure a fate more terrible than you can imagine. Tortured in the lowest circle of Hell.”
Lucas and Lucian are both awake. Unfortunately, they’re still really weak. I don’t know what will happen if I rely on their power now, but I’m way outmatched against six people. The wings grow out of my back before I can even ask. Their power surges through me. The scratch running down my arm heals.
The two other Judas copies are coming at me from either side. I overpower the three clones holding me down. I knock them back and quickly block the other two clones. The one on my right has trapped my sword inside of his dual-bladed weapon. He twists his sword, trying to force me to bend over.
“Box!” I yell. I jump back as soon as Pandora’s box transforms.
“I thought Baal was just being paranoid, but you really do have Beelzebub inside of you. I wondered what that shadow was back then,” Judas says.
I’m trying to think of what I can do. The shield is too bulky to fight like this. I have to wait a few more seconds before I can change it anyway.
The clones don’t waste any time. I’m able to dodge them for the most part, but they corner me against a wall. A sword flies straight for my face. I raise my left arm, expecting it to get sliced in half.
Instead, shadows in the shape of a sword form from my hand. It’s like the same thing that cut Baal back at the lunchroom. It allows me to sidestep but shatters almost immediately. I transform Pandora’s box into two swords connected by a chain.
“I am surprised by your progress, but you know that you can’t simply save Kaleb and Apollo, then escape, right? Lucifer’s freedom signals the end of mankind. He will soon have everything he needs to break free. Demons that have been long forgotten will rise again. Olympus will fall, and the earth will turn to ash!” Judas says.
“If what you say is true, I’ll figure something out!” I cut into one of Judas’s clones. It fades away.
My feet get knocked out from under me. I fall to my knees. I didn’t notice that one of the clones got behind me.
Judas kicks me in the stomach. He yells, “THERE’S NOTHING TO FIGURE OUT! It’s the endgame! You can’t honestly expect to stop the end of the world! This is far above you or me! Just give up!”
I grab his leg and stab at him. This one fades away too...
The air is knocked out of me. Two other clones hold my arms behind me. I yell even louder, “What would I do if I don’t try? Why should I let him take everything from me without a fight?”
The clones bend my arms. It feels like they’re about to break them. My swords fall to the ground.
All of the clones say at once, “Take it from one who knows. You can’t stop dest—” The last word draws out. My body grows cold.
“Kill,” the laughter in my head commands. My body isn’t mine anymore. My arms overpower the two clones, and I’m free. I force the laughter back, and I regain control.
“—iny,” the clones finish, but their faces are confused.
I try not to think about what just happened and use the confusion. I pick up my swords and use my wings to propel me over them. I throw a sword at one while landing behind the other. I stab it as I hit the ground. They both disappear.
It’s hard for me to talk, but I say, “People have already died for us to make it this far. Turning back means we would still die. Their sacrifice and our own would mean nothing. I would rather see this through to the end than give up on everything and live a few seconds longer.”
The Judas that was hanging back flies toward me. I thrust my sword, but he doesn’t try to block it. He drops his sword while my own digs into him. The wall blocking the entrance disappears along with the last Judas clone. The last clone is staring at me sadly as it fades. Peter and the rest run into the room.
“I... why did you do that?” I ask out of shock. My wings fade away. I don’t pass out, but Lucas and Lucian are unconscious.
Judas’s wound is bleeding black blood. He says, “I saw someone in you... you’ve given me a lot to think about. Myself, the past... and the future. Soon the path will split in three directions. To attempt to accomplish what you wish, you will need to travel down all three. Even then it may be too late. I have no idea what Lucifer’s true plans are.” A black puddle is forming underneath him.
“What about you? You’ll die if you stay here!” I say.
He strains out a laugh. “You never cease to amaze me. I am no longer human, which means I cannot die as one. My fate will be exactly what I deserve—to disappear into the dark. This is what I want. Now go. Stop Lucifer.”
Kassidy grabs my hand and pulls me toward the exit. Why did he give up like that? Even his clones stopped trying.
“I’m sorry, Luke. I’ve been keeping track of our time. We have less than an hour. Maybe we can come back for him,” Kassidy says.
“Why save a demon anyway? There’s no hope for someone like that,” Kale says.
I turn to him. I’m close to slugging him. “Why save you? You act more like a demon to us than he did!”
He glares at me but doesn’t say anything. We walk down the hall. The entrance to the next room is already in sight. The path we can walk on grows smaller, and the ground begins to open up on either side of us. Lava is flowing in the direction we’re moving. The heat from it is already intense, but it seems to be getting worse.
How long will our list of people to save become? Then there’s what Judas said about the end of the world. I sounded confident, but what am I supposed to do? I don’t even know what I’m fighting for anymore. My friends? Olympus? The world?
“Something’s bothering you. What did he say to you, Luke?” Kassidy asks.
“He said this is the end of the world,” I say.
“The end? Kale, what should we do?” Brittney asks.
I expected him to say something else useless, but he surprises me, “Nothing can stop the end of the world, but maybe... we can delay it. I doubt Apollo worked so hard to reveal he’s trapped down here without a reason. We can seek his guidance.”
“It’s not much to go on, but let’s get to it! Do you know where we can find him, Luke?” Peter asks.
“I’m n—” I start.
“We need to move faster! The lava is rising behind us!” Kale yells.
It must have been rising this whole time without us realizing. We run as fast as we can, but the path around us is being swallowed too. Brittney is already at the metallic door at the end of the hall. She helps me in, and we help Carla. The lava behind Kale has risen enough to swallow the whole door.
“We’re not going to make it!” Kale yells.
Kale and Kassidy have to jump over a section of lava to keep moving down the path. Kassidy slips and falls to the ground. She yells out.
Peter faces the wave of lava. He sprints back to her. Wind is shooting from his heels, propelling him forward. He holds up both palms. Wind pulses around him, holding the lava back.
He buys Kassidy and Kale enough time to make it to us. He backs up to us without letting the winds die down. We close the giant metal door when he makes it through. The door is somehow able to keep the lava back.
Kassidy is breathing heavily. “Thanks, Peter.”
“No sweat.” He looks at his palms. “Well, maybe a little.”
