Uniting As The Ten- Part Two Of The Conclusion To The United Series

Chapter Twelve

Leo's POV:

There's hundreds of crashes, bangs and the blasts from Mogadorian cannons from behind. I automatically tackle Max to the ground as the green fire of the cannons and bullets from pistols soar over our heads. Everyone else ducks down as well, reaching for their weapon or quickly gaining control of their legacies.

I look back at Max, her eyes dark and determined. I create a fireball in one of my hands and look back at the Mogs. There's hundreds of them. Without Max, this is going to be tough.

"I-I can still fight." Max tells me, as if reading my mind, and I look back at her.

"No, Max. Just stay down, okay?" I ask her, giving her a kiss on her head before standing up and facing the Mogs. I take one last glance at Max before charging at the Mogs, both my hands alight with flames.

There are so many. I can barely keep track of which way they're coming from. I keep looking back at Max, who's tightly gripping her Voron sword. She's shaking, sick and weak, but she still manages to look deadly and confident.

Yet half the Mogs are going for her. She manages to hold them back, but I know she'll be outnumbered soon. Clarisse and Reyna are working together to protect her, but there's too many of them. We'll all get outnumbered soon.

I try to shake this off and focus on killing off the Mogs. Hopefully we can take them all down, and if we don't...

No. I can't think about that. I have to focus.

But my focus vanishes as I look back at where Max is.

No- where Max was.

Clarisse and Reyna are nearly bleeding out on the floor and Max is gone. I look around frantically, but I don't see her anywhere.

But I know where she is. Wherever the skimmer these Mogs came from is where Max is. That should be on the roof.

I take another look back at Clarisse and Reyna. Both of them have deep stab wounds in their chests and blaster burns on their arms and legs. They're not dead, but they're definitively dying. If no one does anything now, they're gone.

But Max.

I know what she would want me to do, so I rush to Clarisse and Reyna and extinguish the flames on my hands, pressing down on their stab wounds.

"Max..." Reyna mumbles, her dark eyes snapping open to meet mine. I blink away the tears forming in my eyes. I can't think about Max being captured right now. I have to help Clarisse and Reyna.

I don't answer her. I just look around for anyone to heal them until my eyes land on John.

"John!" I shout frantically. With his amazing enhanced hearing, he's able to hear me from across the room and looks my way. Without hesitation, he sprints towards us and automatically starts healing Clarisse and Reyna. As I'm watching their wounds slowly heal, I feel tears of guilt and sadness roll down my cheeks. When he's done healing the two demigods, John looks back at me and immediately gets worried. Stupid, concerned Loric.

"Leo? What happened?" John asks me as Clarisse and Reyna sit up and I don't answer. Instead I look up at the two demigods. Clarisse gets the gist.

"Max. She's gone."

Max's POV:

I hate potions.

Love potions, energy-and-power-draining 'Make this stupid Loric girl sick' potions. I'm tired of them.

I struggle against the three Mogs dragging me around the skimmer. I can barely keep myself standing, much less fight against three Mogs.

"Don't worry, Number Two. It won't hurt." One of the Mogs says into my ear. I growl at him and he smirks under his black hood, but I'm confused. What won't hurt? What are they planning exactly?

My question is answered as I see another figure being dragged into the skimmer, pale and weak with his Stygian iron sword missing.

"Nico!" I exclaim with a raspy voice, struggling to get to him. His night black eyes snap open at the sound of my voice and he turns his head to look at me. He stops struggling and his eyes widen at the sight of me. The Mog pulling him back drags him towards us and one of the Mogs restraining me helps the other Mog with Nico. I try to break free from the other two Mogs, but I can't seem to get the slightest bit loose. They're either extremely strong or I'm just way too weak.

I'm pretty sure it's the second one.

Nico and I are dragged deeper into the skimmer until we reach a long, narrow hallway of cells. We're both thrown into different cells, right next to each other, where the wall is blocking my view from him. The Mogs close and lock the cell bars and I wait until they're gone to talk to Nico.

"Do-Do you think you can shadow-shadowtravel?" I ask him, my voice small and shaky. Hopefully he can hear me outside the cell bars.

"I think so. And what happened to you? Why are you stuttering?"

Dam.

"It-It's nothing, don't-don't worry about it." I reply. Gods, I have to shut up now.

Nico's silent for a few seconds before speaking up again.

"I'll try to shadowtravel." He says and he's silent for a few more seconds. After awhile, I hear his voice again.

"It's not working."

Schist.

"What do they need me for? I know why they want you so badly, but I don't know what they need me for."

I hesitate before answering him.

"They-They want you to-to let us contact Setràkus Ra from-from the dead, s-so I can resurrect him." I stutter, my voice smaller than before. We're both silent as we feel the skimmer lift off the ground and fly away.

---

It feels like hours we're flying in silence, anxiously waiting to land, until I feel the skimmer finally descending. My breathing grows heavier and faster. I don't know what to do. I'm scared, I'll admit. Terrified, even. If Setràkus Ra comes back...We're screwed.

I try to control my breathing as the skimmer lands wherever we are. Nico and I stay silent as the skimmers engine is turned off. I hear footsteps heading our way and Nico speaking up again.

"We have to attack them the moment they open the doors, okay?" Nico orders. I don't respond. Mostly because I know that I can't do that. At all.

I look down at my shaking hands and bite my lip hard. I can't control myself. I feel so sick and weak, I know that I'll be absolutely no help to Nico, or any of the others. I'm so stupid. I should've thrown that drink out the window instead of taking it. I just wanted to protect Jason. And now, imagining him going through what I am right now...I might've been stupid, but at least he's safe for now.

My thoughts are interrupted by a tall Mogadorian soldier walking into my line of vision from behind the cell bars. He smirks at me from under his black hood and two more appear at his side. Three other Mogs head towards Nico's cell. The first Mog in front of mine reaches into his coat and pulls out a handful of keys. I grit my teeth and try to control my heavy breathing.

I can do this.

-INSIGHT-

Max was fourteen years old-turned fifteen in book one and is turning sixteen on July 13th, which is soon.