Chapter 44

“Jesus, I’m getting a migrane!”

“We’re almost there, what about when we find him?” Kayla grimaced. The spirit infront of her guided them closer and closer to a wailing Chris. Godknows how he wasn’t dead yet with how loud he was. Maybe his cries of utter despair and agony were turning even the monsters in the Labyrinth away.

“What about when we find him?!” Clarisse covered her ears momentarily, sighing. She was clearly fed up of Chris’ pleading screams of nonsense. How long had Clarisse been tracking him before finding Kayla?

“How long were you tracking him before finding me?” She asked, turning around for a split second. That was enough time to almost lose track of the spirit she was following. It was a speedy thing.

“Mmmh, ugh, eh, too long.”

She held in a snicker. “Why?”

“Cause, I just,” She started, shrugging and waving her arms about stressfully. “I dunno, he was too unique to be a shapeshifter or another monster, and I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve seen anyone else down here. Before I found you, but- ugh, I dunno. Curiosity. He’s a mental case, clearly. It was something intriguing to focus on.”

Kayla squinted her eyes. Right. “Losing something real after months of hallucinations. Fear.”

“Hey, I didn’t ask for psychological reading.”

“Doesn’t take a genius, genius.”

She heard Clarisse snarl in defensiveness- that could have been one of defeat, too. “I wasn’t scared.”

Ha, funny joke. “Yeah, me either.”

“What? That’s such a-“

“Do you see what I mean?” She whipped around, walking backwards for all of two steps before turning around and scurrying forwards to catch up to the spirit. They rounded a corner.

Clarisse hadn’t replied. She cleared her throat and mumbled something along the lines of, “whatever, Birdie.”

“Again, how are we gonna deal with him? Did you manage to catch him at all when it was just you?”

She did not miss the look that crossed Clarisse’s face as she went into deep thought with some kind of flashback, rubbing her stomach. “Yeah, I’ll knock him out. Don’t wanna lose my food again.”

They found Chris on their slow journey down many different corridors. For how out of it he was, he certainly managed to keep his speed up. The sheer adrenaline, even when out of your own mind- Kayla had a feeling she already had a good grasp on that feeling.

“So, do we… sneak up, or corner him? He’ll just run if he sees us.” Kayla questioned, twiddling the necklace around her throat in habit.

“Corner? What, like, go down a different corridor alone, to round him up? Hell no, we’re not splitting up.”

Thankgod.

“I actually agree with your plans for once. No splitting up. So, sneak up?” She eyed Clarisse before scurrying off towards the spirit. “Hey- hey, stop, slow down now. We still need you, stay by me.”

“I’m never getting used to that.”

“Take over, your hearing is better. You lead now, Risse.”

“But you can hear him from a mile away-“

“You don’t want to lead?”

“I- I never said that.”

With a few pats on the cold stone floor, Clarisse stepped infront of Kayla, taking charge in leading them towards Chris.

Anyone would know it’s bad when Clarisse La rue doesn’t want to lead, even if she denies ever hesitating.

“And Kayla,” Clarisse started, clicking her thumb authoritively to snap her attention onto her. Like it wasn’t already fully on her. “You have powers, or have you like, forgot? If you do that stupid migrane thing, on him, then maybe I’ll actually start calling you useful.”

Oh, wow. “You love me really.”

“Damn near killed myself down in the Labyrinth a couple dozen times, just for you, Birdie. Maybe a dozen more yet.”

Kayla fought back a bittersweet giggle. God, now it was the good things that felt like dreams. How was any of this even possible? Instead, she bit her lip, her brows sinking. “I can’t remember how to use them, it’s been uh, a long time, I was never allowed to use any. I couldn’t.”

“What, is that you saying you want to practice on me first, or?”

She rolled her eyes off to the side, where the spirit was following her quietly. “I’ve got this,” She mumbled just loud enough for her to hear over Chris and his now quiet crying. His gentle sobbing was somehow alot more eerie that his ear piercing wailing. “I have a bit of strength back now.”

The corridors fell into a echoing silence. Water dripping from the slimy walls, Chris and his sobbing, the patting of footsteps. She had already discussed the extra footsteps with Clarisse. The ones that lingered if they stopped walking for just a few extra seconds. That’s another reason it was better to keep walking no matter what. So there was no way of counting the extra footsteps after stopping. Maybe it would be two, five, ten. The same pace as Kayla’s steps, maybe slower, or even in a full sprint.

But, Clarisse heard them too. So atleast it wasn’t in her head.

“There,” Clarisse whispered, slowing down to a halt just around a corner. Taking a peek, at the very end, was Chris. He’d taken a break and must have finally gotten tired from running, as he was now hunched over on the floor, curled up in a ball. “He’s tired, that gives you an advantage. Can you reach him from here?”

“No.”

“Well that was a confident answer.”

Kayla rolled her eyes and swallowed. She glanced side ways up at Clarisse, then to Chris, then stepped away from the corner and grounded herself. “I’m not leaving you on another corridor, tip toe behind me or something.”

“I’ll be fine,” Clarisse assured. “If the corridors start closing in fully, I know how to outrun them, Kay. It’s a single corridor.”

She pointed down to the end of the corridor where Chris lay, her nervous swallow audiable. “He’s all the way at the other end,” She whispered. “That’s basically two whole corridors,” The Labyrinth corridor they stood in nudged ever so slightly inwards, as if it was a silent way of telling them both to hurry up. “And don’t think I haven’t noticed these walls not liking your presence. You know what could happen because of that.”

Without a second to think, Clarisse had tugged her wrist so they were fully on the same corridor. She huffed, staring down at Kayla for a good ten seconds. Her brown eyes were like pure voids of darkness right now, yet she could still see the sparkle in them that managed to reach her soul. Her ragged hair stuck to her forehead with sweat despite how cold it was down here. The scabby cut on her cheek that ran up the side of her left eye was a dry crimson and barely healing. Kayla hoped that cut in particular wouldn’t leave a scar. “I promise you,” She whispered, shaking her head and giving a reassuring squeeze on Kayla’s wrist. “These stupid walls are not going to win me in a race if they end up closing. I found you, and now your stuck with me. Got it?”

Well, it wasn’t every day a six foot brute called Clarisse La Rue spoke down to her to reassure her of something instead of threaten to knock her lights out from being too annoying, but she’d accept the change. Even if through said reassuring words she still held the same gruff, authoritive tone of voice like she was on her last nerve. “Don’t promise, they never end well.”

“Ugh- my-!” The girl pushed herself back and pinched the bridge of her nose. She mumbled something under her breath- wishes of toothpaste? Then snapped her head back to Kayla. “I don’t care what you believe in right now. Get your ass down there and knock him out so your little spirit friend can drag us out of this place alive, because Gods above I am dying get myself together.”

“But what-“

“Now.”

Kayla rounded the corner in an instant, facing herself with yet again another unnerving corridor of featureless walls. The stick figure silhouette at the end didn’t make it any better.

She took gentle steps forward, tucking her wings in behind her back as quiet as possible and hyping herself up with… nothing?

She couldn’t exactly hear her own thoughts at the moment.

One step, ten steps, thirty steps-

His head snapped towards her like a robotic mechanism, then he started to push himself up from the floor. Okay, enough being quiet.

“No, no, no!” She reached out with her hands, attempting to do the weird headache-migrane-passout syphon thing, but nothing happened.

“It’s chasing! Have to run, I have to run!” Chris wailed, gaining balance on his feet. It was odd, like a parasite must be running his own body- his legs were so shaky from all the running he had already done, yet it was almost like he couldn’t stop himself. She held her breath and pushed, making her own face go red, and her vision go blurry.

Work, you stupid thing, work!

“I’m not mad enough!” She yelled, grumbling. Chris started to make a runner. She heard behind her Clarisse making sounds of annoyance and whining. “Just- think of Luke, I dunno!”

Oh, how DARE she?

A simple clasp of her hand squeezing into her palm was all it took to send Chris plummeting to the floor like a sack of potatoes at the end of the corridor. The walls shook, a few stones fell on Kayla’s head with added debris, and Clarisse was still yelling. Yelling about what? She couldn’t tell. She didn’t even know Clarisse was yelling.

All she felt was when Clarisse caught her by the arm and tried dragging her forward. Her lips moved. They spat serious, heated words.

Kayla got the que to start running, thankfully. At the end of the corridor, she was rugby tackled to the ground, Clarisse ontop with her chest infront of her face for protection. That’s when Kayla finally heard the labyrinth walls slam shut.

“I said run, Kayla.” Clarisse’s head dipped back up as she quickly rolled off her, tugging her up. “Uh, what? I couldn’t-“

“The walls, they were closing in, you just wouldn’t move, like, at all.” She pushed the dirt off her trousers, then dusted Kayla down aswell while shaking her head in dismay.
“I didn’t hear anything, I just zoned out, alright? Sorry. And there was no need for the dramatics at the end there, now my elbow is busted open.”

“Oh, boo-hoo, you’ve survived worse,” She grunted, reaching down and lifting Chris up and over her shoulder effortlessly. She took her make-shift bone spear from her pocket and held it back up in protection. “Now let’s get moving, shall we?”

The spirit was guiding her again in no time- probably the only one that wasn’t affected at all by that entire thing. They did the usual; took breaks, fueled up, walked a few hundred miles (or what Kayla assumed) and got led deeper and deeper into the Labyrinth to what hopefully would lead to an exit.

“Got to take the long way. Bad hall.”

Kayla let out a very loud groan that jumped Clarisse out of her own skin. “What was that for?”

“We have to take the long way, there’s something bad down that corridor.”

“Don’t ever do a monstrous groan like that ever again.” Clarisse replied before turning a corner to go the long way.

They arrived at a crossroads of hallways, infront, a wall that seemed like the ‘end’ of the Labyrinth. It wasn’t, and if it was, it was only temporary. Kayla was pretty sure the Labyrinth never ended.

The sprit was hovered besides a small vent in the wall- one at the very top. Like a vent in a basement. Light shone through it- proper sunlight. Clarisse and Kayla stood dumbfounded at the sight. And not out of awe.

“This is it?” Asked Clarisse.

“This has to be a trick.”

“Closest exit, moves around in this area, but always here.”

“What does that even mean?” Kayla scoffed, stepping forwards. She tried to jump and see out, but Clarisse belittled her by simply peering theough the vent gaps. “It’s an alleyway.”

“What, we just open it and crawl through?”

“I can’t fit through that, Kay. Are we serious?”

Kayla facepalmed. She glanced at the spirit, then to an invisible camera, to Clarisse, to the vent, then back to the spirit. “Alright, want a ride?”

“You are still taking me out, yes?”

“Yeah, dude, hope in.” She pulled her scythe from her neck and held it out, like it resembled some sort of taxi service.

The sprit floated into its blade without question.

“Oh.”

Well that was easier than last time.

“Oh?” Clarisse asked, inclinding her head with a dirty look. “Didn’t you just reap a soul?”

“Only half way, I don’t know how to do the rest.” Kayla slammed her scythe onto the floor as it reappeared back onto her neck. She tucked her wings up and they dissapeared. “So who’s going first?”

“You are, and then you can lift me up, yeah?” Clarisse flipped the vent open before dropping to one knee. She placed her hands palm up on said knee, and on the count of three, hoisted Kayla upwards.

“Ow, my head! Be careful.”

“Hurry- up, we don’t have all day.”

“I’m trying! Ugh, my arms are weak.”

“Speak for yourself, I’ve been living off moldy jars of who-knows what, Kayla. Hurry up.” She grunted.

Kayla shuffled herself up after a bit of trail and error. She groaned and rolled out into the alleyway onto a pile of flattened cardboard. “Uh, hi.”

“Who are you saying hi to?! Get me and this idiot up!”

She cleared her throat and crawled on her hands and knees in a scurry towards the vent, where Chris’ limp body was pushed half way through. She grappled onto his arms, tugging him up with all her might. It took a good five minutes to get both him and Clarisse through, but once Clarisse’s torso was out, she also rolled out onto the cardboard.

The homeless man Kayla had said hi to was staring at them both incredulously, not bothering to ask about Chris’ state. “Uh, hi. We’ll- we’re going, now,” Clarisse cleared her throat. “Don’t- Don’t go down that vent, you hear me? Uh, bye- bye bye.”

How on earth they were going to make this look normal, Kayla had no idea. But for now, Chris was slung vack over Clarisse’s shoulder.

Exiting the alleyway, they were met with a bustling atmosphere. Neon skyscrapers with billboards the size of houses, advertising things from McDonalds to Dior. Mascotts littered the street and bothered any family who dared walk too close. Food stalls lathered the area with hotdogs and donuts. They were hit with the dreamy smell of fresh donuts that made them both let out a moan.

“Are we where I think we are?” Kayla asked.

“Any major American city?”

“No, New York.”

Clarisse almost got hit by a truck as she miscalculated the size of the pavement. She grasped her hand and pulled her back, interlocking their fingers. “I think I’m gonna have a panic attack.”

“Drachmas,” Clarisse mumbled, ignoring her. We need drachmas. Do we have-“

“In your bag, at the-“

The girl already had a handful of ten drachmas after throwing Chris to Kayla. She struggled for all of five seconds before Clarisse took him back. Then, she was dragged across the road and to the food stalls after interlocking fingers once more. “Times Square.”

Comically, the first thing they did was buy some donuts. Two large donuts each. “Make sure to get chocolate sauce.” Kayla had said, to which Clarisse made sure to steal the entire bottle.

They didn’t exactly stick out like a sore thumb. Even though there was a bone sharpened like a spear on Clarisse’s back with the bag, or their scruffy, scraggy hair cuts and dirty skin. Or the fact Clarisse was carrying a limp teenage boy over one shoulder. Neither complained. It made stuff way easier.

They sat on a bench, wolfing down their fresh hot meal- chocolate sauce and a side of donut. Chris was really missing out, Kayla thought. But atleast Clarisse seemed to have no trouble in carrying him over one shoulder. “I think I’m gonna throw up.” Kayla gargled.

“You think alot of things,” Clarisse replied in a muffled voice, passing the chocolate sauce bottle to Kayla by lifting it to her mouth. Kayla got the memo and opened up gleefully. “I think we should get some water. And hotdogs.”

They spent all their drachmas except for three on a one litre bottle of water and candy. Clarisse made sure to steal a tube of toothpaste to use as squirty creme, leaving half the tube for Kayla to do the exact same.

The last three, they left for The Grey Sisters taxi service. For the first ten minutes, it was silent. Too busy looking out of the window and grounding themselves into reality. “Maybe this really is a dream.”

Clarisse scoffed, shaking her head confidently. “Don’t say that, not now. Way too far to be a dream, don’t even go there.”

“I just can’t believe it… my exit almost got me killed. And that one, that one was so easy.”

“Just your luck, Birdie.” Clarisse shrugged, side eyeing her with a smirk. She put an arm around Kayla’s shoulders, which she swore was played off as a stretch at first.

“Not my luck… my fate. It was my fate.”

That side eye quickly turned way less smiley. Kayla could feel the burn of her stare. “What?”

“My fate was down in the Labyrinth, to do whatever and then die. You only return to where your fate lies most.”

Clarisse clicked her tongue, staring back out of her window. “Not with me around, you can go tell the Fates to go knit a scarf or something.”

“Clarisse, I’m being serious.”

“And so am I, Kayla. I’m serious, you’re not going back into Kronos’ army, no one is. There’s a war, alright? And we’re defeating every last one of them. Or I’ll do it myself.”

Their conversation was cut off when one of the sisters slammed their foot on the brakes to avoid a collision, making their heads whip forwards. Then, they set off once again at the speed of light.

Oh, she was definitely going to throw up.

Please vote!!

I was gonna post this last night, but my Internet cut out and decided to delete half of my work. And this is a 3200 page chapter. Thankfully I’ve made it better though so it must havw been for the best. Enjoy! Finally a full change of scenery mehahaha.

Kayla says Clarisse loves her really and Clarisse explaining her number of near death experiences for Kayla instead of saying it back. Very Clarisse.

Also Marvel OC×Natasha Romanoff in the works aswell as my other Clarisse one because marvel pre 2020 haunts me and my oc ive had for years needs a story. Dont even know if mfs read marvel ffs anymore but I used to have the time of my life reading them😭