*crawls back from the grave* Hi, guys. I'm back. #notdead

The tunnel began to slope downwards, and the air grew thick with dust as we descended further into the Underworld.

"How much farther?" I asked in annoyance, brushing dirt off my shoulders.

"Almost there."

I squinted in the dark and could barely make out Nico's form ahead of us. My heart pumped quickly with fear and adrenaline (and maybe a dash of aphrodisiac thoughts), and I suddenly tripped on something hard, sending me flying forwards into him.

"Ανάθεμα φερομόνες!"

Astrid scolded me and kicked me in the shin, and I heard Nico laugh.

"Okay." Nico stopped and I heard him turn around to face us. "I'm going to try to shadow travel us in and past the gates. If we're lucky, I'll be able to land us on the shores of Elysium. Now, whatever you do, do not let go of me."

I nodded even though he couldn't see me, and I held his arm with an iron grasp, so hard that my knuckles turned white.

"Here we go."

I felt the familiar cold prickle crawl up my spine and a wash of cool air swept over us. Had it not been for the dire circumstances, it might have been enjoyable. I buried my head in Nico's shoulder and squeezed my eyes tightly shut, thankful for the slightly familiar scent of his jacket.

An erratic jolt shook me from my moment of comfort, and suddenly we were spiraling, down, down, down.

'Something's wrong!' My stomach lurched and I clung to the Ghost King for dear life. I heard someone scream and realized it was me.

I landed with a hard *thud* that sent my body tumbling a few paces before settling to a rest. My head spinning, I tried to open my eyes. Pain split through my temple.

'Bad idea,' I quickly shut them and did a slow injury check to the rest of my body. 'Legs intact, arms bruised, feet okay, neck fine, head-OWW!'

Not moving from my splayed position and with my eyes still shut, I sniffed the ground horizontal to me.

'Hmm, smells like earth, rock, and dust.' I mused. 'No lava or burning coals, good, good.'

I groaned quietly and gathered the energy to sit up, my joints cracking as I did. I opened one eye to a thin slit, taking in my surroundings.

I was sitting in what appeared to be a massive, round cave. Light cut through the darkness from crevices and holes in the ceiling from unknown sources, illuminating a large, circular stone platform in the middle of the room.

I sniffed and stood up, brushing off the dirt and dust that clung to my body. 'It smells a bit like my garage in here,' I mused, remembering the familiar, musty scent.

I tentatively opened my other eye and squinted through the gray darkness, spying my sword lying a few meters away from where I landed. I shivered, returning it to its sheath and thanked the gods I wasn't impaled by it from the fall.

With my weapon's familiar weight at my side, I felt considerably more relaxed, and the throbbing in my skull died down slightly. I looked around once more, getting a nice 180 degree view of the cave-like threshold. I looked up and saw a gaping black hole glaring down at me from the stone ceiling. "Must've been where I fell from," I mused aloud.

"Indeed." A feminine voice startled me.

I gripped my sword tightly and brandished it in front of me. "Who's there?"

A young, pale skinned woman with wavy brown hair stepped out of the shadows. She smiled thinly. "You may lower your sword, hero. I am Seyella, the goddess of fate." The woman glided nearer, her white, sheet-like clothes billowing as she went.

I gripped Katoptris tighter and held my ground. "Prove it," I spat. "As far as I know, there are three goddesses of fate, and they're much uglier than you."

"Think of me as their CEO. The Fates are but minor pawns on this chessboard of destiny," Seyella's silver eyes glinted. "For instance, Katie, I know that your sword is forged from a comet, and that only moments ago it would have been lying right where you landed had I not moved it."

'So I was closer to death than I thought.' A cold wave of air washed over me, and the hairs on my arms rose. I shivered, suddenly unnerved. "Fine. I believe you. Why are you here? And where are we?"

"We are in a place I like to call the Inbetween. It is a pocket of space that is devoid of time and a precise location. You see, we are not on Earth. Neither are we in Hades, or Olympus, or any other physical place. The Inbetween just is. It has never nor ever will have a past or future."

My shoulders relaxed and I lowered my weapon slightly. "You still haven't answered me. And where are my friends?"

"They are safe," Seyella paused, as if considering something. "I am here to give you a bit of. . . insight."

I cocked my head, intrigued.

"If you haven't guessed already, a great battle is approaching, and you and your friends are going to be deciding factors in who lives and who vanishes from Elysium. You have an unusual power, mortal, one not given to most. How you choose to use it will either save or destroy many lives. Your sword will cut down many souls, Katie."

My heart jumped into my throat. "But I can't even get a straw into a Capri Sun!" I squeaked. Katoptris suddenly felt very heavy in my hands.

The goddess looked down at me with a puzzled face. Clearly she didn't know the joy of the delicious, fruity drink. "How do you put a straw in a planet?"

My shoulders sagged. "Nevermind. How do I get back to my friends?"

Seyella snapped her fingers and a spiraling, stone staircase materialized, winding up into the dark hole in the ceiling. "Follow those steps. They will take you there."

She began to glow, and her white aura began to shine brighter. I shut my eyes, knowing what was coming, and heard something similar to a strike of lightning. Orange flashed behind my eyelids, and when I opened them Seyella was nowhere to be seen.

"Stupid gods," I muttered, sheathing my sword. "Always so dramatic."

Sorry this chapter is so short :P I know you guys have been waiting forever for an update, though, so I figured I might as well upload this. Who is this mysterious Seyella? Please remember to follow/favorite and review!