Chapter 51: Waking Up In A Strange Land
Athena
My breath hitched before my eyes even opened.
Pain was the first thing I felt. It was not the sharp bite of a wound, but the deep, gnawing ache of a body punished beyond its limits. My limbs screamed with every small movement and my muscles were as heavy as a stone. My ribs throbbed, and dried blood caked my fur and skin. Something hot dripped from my temple.
Where am I?
The ground beneath me was cold—too cold. Not stone, not soil. Smooth, endless... glass? I groaned and opened my eyes.
Darkness greeted me. Not the kind that comes with nightfall, but a deeper void, thick and almost alive. Faint silver light swirled far above me, like stars under water. The sky rippled.
I forced myself up to my knees, hands trembling, breathing ragged.
What happened?
Then it hit me.
The king. The portal. Lucas’s betrayal. Jesse—
"No," I choked, staggering upright.