All the Lies

Letting out a surprised yelp Skylar falls back onto her bottom. The Stygian Iron dagger falls onto the concrete. Ocean blue eyes stare at the metal bin in shock. Isaac looks between her and the person inside. His expression one of concern and confusion. A soft but scared voice calls out to her. Addressing her as politely as when they first met.

"M-miss Skylar?" They whimper poking their head further out of the trash. The face of a young boy stared back at her. Terrified hazel eyes. Fluffy dark brown hair was covered in food wrappers. Dirt caked the clothing they wore.

"Elliot?" Skylar couldn't believe her eyes. Standing up she walks over to the young boy. With Isaac's help they lift him from the garbage. His little hands latched onto her shirt with no intent on letting go anytime soon. The skin of his hands was riddled with various small scratches. Elliot's knees were scraped caked in dried blood. Tears poured down his cheeks as he sobbed against her. Clutching the small boy close she allows him to let it all out. Her hands gently running down his back.

"Shh...you're safe with me it's alright now." She whispers. Blue eyes look up at Isaac in disbelief. The son of Aphrodite shrugs in response kneeling down beside Skylar to place a gentle hand atop Elliot's head. He embraces the comfort burying himself further into the blonde's hold. It takes some time but his sobs soon turn into quiet sniffles.

Skylar pulls away to apply first aid to Elliot's injuries. Spreading ointment to the cuts on his hands she gently wraps the soft material around each finger. Elliot winces every once and a while during the process. Gentle words are spoken to further soothe the young boy. Snipping off the end she tapes it down so it won't unravel. Placing bandaids on each of his scraped knees she begins to untangle his matted hair.

"Sweetie what on earth are you doing here?" Her voice comes out soft not wanting to scare him any further. Slowly she works the knots from his hair removing any stray pieces of garbage. Without a hair brush at her disposal she did her best using her fingers.

Wiping the snot dripping from his nose onto his shirt Elliot stammers a response. "M-mommy went to s-sleep like everyone e-else. I didn't want t-to leave her but t-there were m-monsters so I hid in t-there." His newly bandaged finger points to the trash can he was pulled out of. Isaac offers to search for his mother while they stay put. Skylar agrees shifting Elliot in her lap. She had so many unanswered questions but debated on whether to ask them.

"No! I-I want to look for her too!" He shouts reaching out to grab Isaac's pant leg before he can leave. Raising an eyebrow Isaac looks over at Skylar. He didn't have a problem with it but safety was an issue. They've already been away from camp for a while. It was bound to raise some questions soon. Letting out a sigh she grasps Elliot's hand in her own. Getting up from the ground Skylar walks allowing him to come along. Isaac follows taking his place on her right.

Elliot describes his mother as best as he can. Skylar compares it to the vague image she already had from seeing her once before. Dark curly brown hair. Tan skin. Her clothing consisting of a beige trench coat, jeans and boots. The trio search every car and every face of the people they come across. After searching for around ten minutes they were about to call it. If Isaac and Skylar are gone for too long it could raise some questions. Not to mention Will might go out of his mind and come looking for them. Isaac stoops down beside a smashed in Honda civic and waves Skylar over. Setting down a piece of metal she was previously searching under the blonde joins his side. Elliot grabs onto her hand peeking past her to look.

"M-mommy? That's my mommy!" He shouts trying to push past them to get to her. Isaac and Skylar hold him back despite his insistence.

"Sky she...doesn't look good." Isaac murmurs in her ear as she looks past him at the woman. Skylar's heart sinks at this. Wanting to inspect further she turns to Elliot who finally ceased his pushing.

"I'm going to check on your mom. You stay with Isaac for now okay? He'll keep you company until I finish. I'll be right over there if you need me." Nodding reluctantly Elliot wanders off with the teen. A bad feeling pools in Skylar's stomach. Her eyes fall on the woman and she kneels down checking for a pulse. Holding her fingers to the woman's wrist she comes up with nothing. Swallowing the bile in her throat she tries searching for one near her neck. Still nothing although there was a small hole present on the skin. No monster did this, it resembles a needle mark. Panic built up in her chest checking everywhere she possibly could for any sign of life.

"No...no way..." The blonde whispers almost silently as to not alert Elliot. "Could she of been caught up in one of our battles?" Shaking her head Skylar stares down at the woman. This can't be real. It just can't be. Gently she brushes back some hair from Elliot's mother's face. Tilting her head to the side a pool of vomit and dried blood becomes visible. Forcing back the urge to puke Skylar chooses to search for more evidence pertaining to what transpired.

Not wanting to disturb the body too much Skylar moves on to the handbag discarded to the side. Sifting through it she doesn't find anything resembling a syringe. That eliminates the possibility of Elliot's mother supplying it herself. Her fingers clasp around a bottle. Pulling it out Skylar notices it's a prescription for treating schizophrenia. However the name of the person it is prescribed to is scratched out. Shoving the bottle inside her medpack she looks back to Elliot. His hazel eyes are fixated past Isaac at his 'sleeping' mother. Oh Elliot. I'm so sorry sweetheart.

"W-why won't she wake up?" His question broke her heart even further. Isaac was at a loss for words. His green eyes pleaded for Skylar to say something.

"Elliot your mom...she...she's very tired. It would be best if we let her rest." Skylar gingerly places a hand on the boy's back having walked over to the pair. She wasn't sure how to word it for the young boy. If her assumption is correct then there could be a potentially bigger problem in the works.

"I-I know what that means...Hades is gonna judge my mommy to see if she was good or not." Tears pooled in his eyes once more. Wanting to save the boy from any further heartbreak she begins to lead him away. Elliot jerks away from her hold running back to his mother's corpse. His fingers reach into the pocket of the woman's coat taking out an item. Whispering a final goodbye he returns to the awaiting teens.

"All ready to go?" She smiles sadly placing a hand atop his head. Elliot nods softly placing the item inside the pocket of his shorts. Turning around she allows the young boy to climb on her back. "Come on then, I know someone that'll be surprised to see you." Once his arms wrap around her neck she stands hooking her arms under his knees. Skylar and Isaac walk in the direction they came with intent on bringing Elliot to camp.

"This doesn't sit well with me." Isaac grumbles. "I mean who would go out of their way to kill a sleeping mortal?" He inquires with his axe at his side nodding at Elliot who remained quiet. Skylar feels his head rest against her back his fingers toying with the camp necklace around her neck.

"I'm not sure. They're unwillingly made victims of a war." Skylar frowns. "It's sickening."

Elliot didn't seem to know anything about their world except for her story. Nor did his mother make it known upon their first and final meeting. This whole thing was just too bizarre. Who would purposely target mortals in a war of the gods? Then there's the state of Elliot's mother. It reeked of foul play. Most likely someone poisoned the woman while she was asleep.

Deep in thought Skylar snaps back to reality when Isaac pushes her out of the way of a throwing knife flying toward her. The blade ricochets off a streetlamp and clatters to the ground. Startled she just manages to regain her balance trying not to jostle Elliot too much. His arms reflexively tighten around her neck. Supporting the boy with one hand Skylar produces light with the other. Isaac had his axe raised searching the area. A street over from this location an explosion rings out. Screams and yells mix together a sign of an enemy attack. It was dangerously close to base camp. As worried as she was about her fellow campers it seemed they had their own situation to take care of first.

"Show yourself!" Isaac shouts his green eyes searching the area where the knife was thrown. Clapping comes from a nearby fire escape. Both teens focus their attention on the area. The figure wore a cloak, the hood obscuring their face.

"Bravo. Points awarded for surprisingly quick reflexes." Something about their voice was familiar to Skylar. Placing Elliot on the ground she tells him to hide behind a nearby car. Doing as told the brunet scurries off ducking down behind a beat up taxi cab. Isaac and Skylar watch the figure as they jump from the fire escape landing perfectly fine onto the pavement.

"One of Kronos's boys I presume. No, scratch that, a girl. By the way you're dressed I'd say a spy maybe even an assassin." Skylar glares as the person draws closer. Her posture was confident as if she was better than anyone.

"Good for you Skylar. Seems I may of misjudged you." The girl laughs twirling another throwing knife in her hand. Isaac and Skylar grew more tense the closer she got. Blue eyes stayed focused on their opponent bracing for any sudden moves. Whoever this person was they meant business. One misstep and the cost would be fatal.

"It's a pity you know my name yet I don't know yours. Care to enlighten me?" Skylar asks the light in her palm going stronger. "Or should I just blast you away now and ask questions later?"

"Quite the facade you're putting up. I can see the way your fingers tremble. I'm hurt you don't recognize a school friend." In a flash the cloaked figure rushes forward now with a dagger in hand. Her target was Isaac. His axe just barely blocks the attack wincing as the blade grazes his arm. Skylar yells for him to close eyes as she crushes an orb onto the ground. Blinding light fills the area. Working fast Skylar concentrates most of her energy into the ground for later use. Please work.

As the light fades Skylar unclips her daggers. She'd feel more confident with a bow but even her speed paled in comparison to the foe they faced. Furrowing her brows she recalls the female's previous statement. I went to school with them? Familiar or not she wouldn't allow harm to come to Elliot or Isaac. Looking back up at their opponent she sees the girl's hood slide down. Blue eyes widen in horror at the sight.

"A-Avery..?"

Time stood still. Disbelief flashed on Skylar's face. Blue streaked dark hair. Piercing amber eyes. It was indeed Avery. Someone she always thought to be a mortal that unknowingly befriended a group of demigods. A girl she called a trusted friend. Hands gripped their respective weapons tighter. Isaac let out a strangled gasp his green eyes fixated on the dark-haired girl.

"Hello again Skylar, Isaac. Fancy meeting you here." Avery rushes at Skylar. Their weapons collide sending a loud clang through the street. It was soon muffled by the fighting of each of their comrades not too far away.

"I don't want to fight you!" Skylar yells at the dark haired girl. She may of betrayed her trust but deep down she wanted to believe there was still good left in the amber-eyed girl.

"I don't have a choice and neither do you. This is how it has to be." Avery hisses. Isaac enters the dark-haired girl's line of sight as he moves to comfort a now crying Elliot. The poor boy was terrified beyond belief. Skylar's gaze shifts as well although very briefly. A smirk adorns Avery's pink lips.

"Ahh I see. You won't go all out without a reason. Have it your way then." Spinning around, Avery jabs her elbow into Skylar's back to bypass her. Her combat boots slapped against the asphalt rushing toward Isaac and Elliot. The green-eyed boy used his body to defend Elliot from Avery. This left him wide open. She brings her arm back thrusting a knife at lightning speed.

Isaac braces himself expecting the blade to pierce his flesh. When it doesn't he looks up noticing what intercepted it. A clear wall physically separated the boys from Avery. Her dagger was sliced in half. One part on each side of the wall. Skylar shouts Avery's name causing the girl to snap her head to the blonde. Her hand was placed on the ground pulsing with light.

"Leave them out of this." The tone Skylar used was cold and harsh. It completely contrasted with her usual upbeat one.

"Oh Skylar, when will you learn to never trust your eyes?" The smirk on Avery's face made Skylar's blood run cold. A pained yell comes from Isaac's direction. His arm was forced behind his back by a...clone? Skylar's forced to her knees as pink tendrils of sparkling magic pinned her arms back. Her dagger is forced from her hand clattering onto the asphalt. The wall she previously created to protect the boys dissipates.

"Funny thing about my mother. She never gets the recognition she deserves. Especially with the gifts she bestows her children with. Magic and illusions. I embraced them both." The figure standing in front of Skylar vanishes into pink mist. This left the real Avery standing behind Isaac bending his arm back at an awkward angle. Before Skylar could even get a word out the dark haired girl snaps it back eliciting a scream from Isaac. She kicks his body to the ground watching as he caresses his now broken arm.

"Stop this Avery! If you want to take your frustrations out on someone then do it to me." Skylar tells the amber-eyed female who grabbed Elliot by the front of his shirt. The boy squirms in her grasp only resulting in having a blade pressed to his throat. Tears poured from the young boy's eyes. For a moment Avery hesitates. Her hand holding the dagger twitches and although barely visible Skylar sees it. Using this action to her advantage she continues.

"Avery you do have a choice. If you stop now you can come to our side. We can protect you from whatever is making you fight us. We'll pretend this little altercation never happened." Skylar tries to prevent more carnage by pleading with her. Avery shakes her head furiously at the blonde's words.

"I can't go back. Not after everything I've done." She visibly winces at the thought. "This was never supposed to happen. If you died back in the forest as planned you and I wouldn't be in this position. We never took into account the son of Hades interfering."

"The forest from capture the flag?" Skylar thinks about all the out of place things that have happened. It all began with a Hellhound being let in the camp. That same night her and Nico teamed up to defeat it. Ever since then it seemed like someone always knew the perfect time to start trouble. Nico being tricked by a cyclops and lured outside of camp. Isaac and Dylan's confrontation on the cliffside. Flying to Texas only to find the son of Aphrodite hunted them down and attacked the mall. Poppy... Was Avery saying she caused all that?

"Get it through your thick skull! I was never your friend. I've been spying on you long before we ever met. Which is why one of us won't be making it out of here alive. My mission ends here." Raising her blade she slices Elliot's cheek and throws him onto the concrete. He lets out a wail pressing his bandaged fingers to the wound. Avery wipes the blood off onto her cloak and walks calmly in Skylar's direction. Her face was expressionless. As if the girl was incapable of feeling any remorse for her actions.

Skylar was beside herself. The blonde wanted nothing more than to run to Elliot and comfort the crying boy. Her feet just wouldn't move. She didn't want to believe it. That the one she called a friend had betrayed her. Someone she thought she knew only turned out to be a spy all along. Biding their time watching her and those she came in contact with. Working silently behind the scenes from the beginning. Trapping, killing, interfering any way they could all the while not being seen once. Using everyone Skylar cared about like puppets on a string. It was sickening. Avery would pay for her actions.

"NO!" Fury flashed in her sky blue eyes. Blasting away the bindings that held her down Skylar stands once more. Her feet moved on their own running toward Avery. One foot after the other. A dagger was drawn at her side, the one Nico gave her.

Their weapons collide once more. A series of quick paced clangs reverberate off the building. Another loud boom and rubble falls just around the street corner. This goes unnoticed by the dueling girls but Isaac makes out the shape of a large monster amongst the dust coating the area. He winces holding his broken arm to his chest and gets to his feet. Shuffling over to Elliot he lifts the boy up with his uninjured arm. While Avery was distracted he'd find somewhere safer for Elliot and double back to assist Skylar. Holding the sobbing boy to his chest Isaac takes one last look at Skylar before disappearing down a backstreet. With any luck he'd make it back in time. Hold on Sky I'll come back for you.