Training aboard the Princess Andromeda was nothing like the structured, disciplined sessions I had experienced at Camp Half-Blood. There were no trainers offering advice or giving friendly encouragement. Here, it was survival of the fittest. The only thing that mattered was how fast you could adapt, how well you could kill, and how easily you could live with yourself after.
Each day, the crew subjected me to brutal training routines that left me sore and exhausted. But the pain wasn’t the worst part. It was the silence—the coldness of it. I wasn’t being trained as a soldier. I was being molded into a weapon.
Luke’s training was relentless. Every morning at dawn, I found myself in the bowels of the ship, surrounded by members of Kronos’s army—an intimidating group of Titans, monsters, and demigods. They were like shadows, always lurking, always waiting for the next command. No one spoke unless spoken to. No one showed weakness.
I had quickly learned that on this ship, showing weakness meant becoming someone’s target.
The first few days had been about physical endurance—sparring sessions, agility drills, and long hours of hand-to-hand combat with some of the ship’s more experienced fighters. I wasn’t bad with a sword or a dagger, but here, it wasn’t enough. They wanted to see how far they could push me before I cracked.
It didn’t take long for me to realize that the ship’s atmosphere was toxic in more ways than one. The tension was palpable. Every training session was a silent contest, a battle of wills. Every swing of a blade was a message: either you fight for your survival, or you die.
But the real test was yet to come.
A week into my training, Luke appeared at the door of the training room, a dark, satisfied glint in his eyes. The crew had been running me through a particularly brutal set of exercises that morning, and I was starting to feel my body shutting down, my muscles screaming for rest.
“Nixie,” Luke’s voice was low, almost too calm. “You’ve been training long enough. It’s time for your first mission.”
I paused, wiping the sweat from my brow, looking up at him. “Mission?”
Luke’s smirk only deepened. “Yes. You’re going to prove yourself.”
He didn’t explain much more. He didn’t need to. I knew what this meant. This wasn’t about completing a task. This was about loyalty. About trust. If I failed… I didn’t even want to think about it.
The mission was simple, in theory. There was a mortal city nearby, one that had been harboring a small group of resistance fighters. They had been sneaking information to the gods. The task was to infiltrate, gather intel, and eliminate anyone who posed a threat to Kronos’s plans.
“Don't screw it up, Nixie,” Luke said before I left the ship’s dock, his golden eyes boring into me. “We’ve invested too much in you for you to fail now.”
There was a finality to his words, a warning I couldn’t ignore.
The Princess Andromeda sailed into the night, and I found myself standing at the edge of the dock, watching the stars. For a moment, I felt the weight of the entire journey on my shoulders. I had chosen this. I had chosen the darkness. And now, there was no going back.
The mortal city was quiet when I arrived. I landed on the outskirts, my boots sinking into the soft earth as I surveyed the area. The wind carried a faint scent of burning wood—fires likely from the small resistance camp I’d been sent to destroy.
The plan was straightforward: infiltrate the camp, gather intel on their activities, and eliminate any threats. But nothing was ever as simple as it seemed.
I moved through the shadows, my senses heightened. Every rustle of the leaves, every creak of a branch, every footstep in the distance kept me on edge. I had learned to trust my instincts, and right now, they were screaming at me.
Something felt off.
I slunk deeper into the trees, reaching the perimeter of the camp. There were guards posted around the area, but they didn’t seem overly alert. They were complacent, perhaps even tired. The resistance hadn’t expected someone like me.
I took out my dagger, silent as a ghost, and began to eliminate the first few sentries. One by one, I slipped behind them, careful not to alert the others. It didn’t take long before I reached the center of the camp, where a small group of people had gathered around a campfire. They were talking in low voices, unaware of the danger closing in on them.
I was about to move in, to take out the remaining members of the resistance, when something stopped me.
A voice.
My heart skipped a beat as I recognized it.
“Nixie…”
I blinked, almost not believing my ears. But the voice was clear. Strong. It echoed in my mind like a beacon.
I quickly stepped back into the trees, taking a moment to steady myself. I couldn’t afford to be caught off guard.
It was Nico.
I pulled out a golden darama, quickly activating an Iris-message. A thin mist swirled into the air, and Nico’s familiar face appeared in front of me.
“Nixie,” he said, his voice a low whisper. “I was getting worried. How’s the quest going?”
I could feel the weight of his gaze, his eyes searching mine. There was no hiding the tension in my face. I knew he could tell that something wasn’t right.
“Fine,” I said, forcing my voice to sound steady. “I’ve been… busy. I’ve infiltrated the camp. I’m about to complete the mission.”
Nico’s brow furrowed. “Are you sure about this? You don’t have to—”
“I do,” I interrupted. “This is my choice. I’m not backing down now.”
He stared at me, and for a moment, I could see the worry etched into his face. “Nixie… Just be careful. This mission, whatever it is, it might change things. You might not be able to go back.”
“I don’t need to go back,” I said, swallowing hard. “I’m where I need to be.”
Nico’s expression softened, and for a split second, I could almost feel his presence through the mist. His concern was palpable, but I couldn’t afford to think about that now. I had to focus on the task at hand.
The resistance members were getting restless. The fire flickered low, and one of them stood up, their eyes scanning the surrounding woods. I couldn’t waste any more time.
“I have to go,” I whispered, looking away from Nico’s image. “I’ll check in later.”
He hesitated, then nodded. “Be careful, Nixie. And remember—there’s always another way.”
Before I could respond, the mist faded, and the communication ended.
I took a deep breath, pushing Nico’s words from my mind. They didn’t matter right now. What mattered was completing my mission.
I slipped out of the shadows, moving toward the campfire, my dagger ready. This was the moment when I proved my loyalty. To Luke. To Kronos. To everything I had become.
But as I approached the resistance group, a shiver ran down my spine. My sanity—the delicate thread that had been holding me together—began to unravel.
I was no longer sure who I was.
I had crossed a line. And there was no going back.
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