"Come on, Ashley. You haven't had a good meal in a while. You must be hungry." Will pushed the plate closer to me.
The smell of a nice warm breakfast was intoxicating, but I found that I couldn't eat. I didn't feel hungry.
Will sighed. "Look, Ash, I know how you're worried about Brandon, but he'll be fine. For now, you have to take care of yourself. You need to focus on how you're doing if you want to help him."
I couldn't help but stare at him for a minute. We were roughly the same age, but in the months that I had been gone, he had gotten more mature, more direct. Lee looked over and chimed in.
"Hey, he's right, you know. Don't worry. We'll all take turns taking care of Brandon, ok? You don't need to worry. Now, come on. Eat before it gets cold. We have to go to archery soon."
The entire day was hell. The only thing getting me through it was Lee, Michael, and Will dragging me to the next activity. I had little energy doing anything, and finally, after dinner, I rushed to the infirmary to check on him.
He looked a little better. His breathing was more regular. It was going at a decent pace. Everything was well bandaged and there weren't a lot of signs of discomfort.
It was at this moment, looking at him recover, that I confirmed my feelings to him. I was really relieved that he was going to live, beyond how a friend would feel.
I sat down and watched him inhale and exhale. Slightly faster. And faster. And faster. Something wasn't right. He was getting to hyperventilation levels.
"Will! Lee!"
Lee shot into the room. "Hey, what's going on?"
________________________________________________________________________________
"So, this is going very slowly. I guess they are trying to save me."
"Good. Let them bring you back."
"No thanks, bud. Not with you in here."
Suddenly, a machine came back online. The heart and lung monitors were restored. I looked curiously at it.
"I guess the brain is bringing some stuff back. Let's change this up."
"What are you doing?"
I turned the crank. "Let's see how fast I can go before my heart breaks down."
________________________________________________________________________________
"What the Hades is going on?"
"I don't know! He's just hyperventilating! Can you do something?"
'Um." Lee looked around and ran out the door. I frantically pulled at my hair and watched Brandon begin to draw rapid breaths.
Finally, Lee rushed back in, holding a syringe. He jammed it into Brandon's neck and pushed the plunger. Almost immediately, he went slack and began to go much slower.
"It's ok. He should recover much quicker now. We've stabilized his heartbeat and now he should be resting. We'll have him back in a few days."
"Ok."
________________________________________________________________________________
"Damn it." I slammed my hands into the control board. Why were they doing this? Why did she never listen to me?
Kronos cackled in front of me. "It did not work, did it? Well, it looks like I will be able to get out of here after all."
"Not on my watch."
"Actually," A door suddenly materialized in front of us. Just a regular old door. Nothing special about it really. None of the shining or angel voices that you hear in the movies. Just a regular old wood door. But, to both Kronos and I, it was a way out. "I think I will just take my leave." He began to make his way to the door.
"Stop."
"And how do you plan to make me? You cannot block my exit. You must remain where you sit right now." He was at the door when he stopped.
"Do not worry, little demigod. I will remember you. I will bring you to your knees and watch you bleed out of every inch of your body. I see it in the future."
"That is, if I even make it out."
"Oh, you will make it out. There will be no reason to die after I leave. I look forward to watching you die."
And then he was gone. Just like that.
He was right though. I didn't have a will to die anymore. Everything that I had worked up to had failed. All I could do now was reboot the systems and hope to kill him again. With that cheery thought in mind, I began to piece together my mind again.
________________________________________________________________________________
"No!"
"Look, Ash, you need rest. We can take care of him."
"I'm not tired! I want to be there for him! I've been doing everything you three have been telling me for a day now and I want to do what I want! Now, let me stay with him!"
Will sighed, arms crossed. 'She's not gonna budge, guys."
"Look, we understand your pain. But you have to take-"
"I know I have to take care of myself! You've told me this for the entire day! I'm sick and tired of being bossed around! Just for tonight, let me stay!"
They seemed to think it over. "Please."
"Ok, fine. Just one night. Tomorrow you sleep in the cabin, ok?"
"Ok."
And so I sat there, watching him breathe once more. The sound of crickets broke the silence every once in a while.
We weren't camping out under the stars anymore, or spending our nights in dungeons or crying or having nightmares. We were safe. It was still hard to go around without looking behind me or without checking for monsters. It was hard to clean my plate, knowing that there would be the same amount later.
It was hard to leave his side thinking it would be ok after everything we had gone through.
I walked to the side of his bed and looked down at him. He seemed so peaceful, so calm. It was almost like he hadn't been through six months of terrible living and sacrifice. He looked like he was just napping at the middle of a long day.
He shifted.
