Furies

                                    

                                          
Scarlett's POV
The Asphodel Meadows. A place I'd only seen a few times. It was pretty depressing, what with all the shades wandering around with nothing better to do, but I tried to block it all out. I had to come up with a plan in case we got caught by either the Furies or Hades himself. I kicked the base of an Asphodelus plant with my black platform heel, cursing violently. 
Nico shot me a look and I knew I shouldn't be having ridiculous temper tantrums in the middle of a field of dead people. But my brother was gone, my sister was off trying to get herself killed, and as much as I hate to admit it— I don't know what to do. 
"The palace is directly in the center of the Underworld," Nico told me as if I didn't already know that. "We'll just get there, get Ren, and escape. Trust me, it'll be easy." 
I nodded, though I didn't believe him. Nothing about this was easy. Perfectly on cue, a shade brushed past me,  whispering her scratchy message in my ear. "They're coming... turn away." 
I shook my head and moved away from her as she faded into the shadows once more. I didn't know who she was talking about, probably something about her life before. But she shouldn't remember her life before as all shades were forced to drink from the river Lethe, the river of oblivion and forgetfulness. Maybe they let her remember her earthly life. Surely it happened every now and again? 
I ignored her and moved on with Nico. We slowly made our way along, thankful for the cover of the Asphodel, no one could see us through it. To them, we just looked like two more shades going about our business. 
Despite that though, we both froze when a Fury soared overhead. 
"Do you think it saw us?" Nico asked, squinting up at the dark sky. 
"No, we're fine," I said, more to myself than him. We carried on for a little while longer, stopping only when we came to the edge of the field. The Lethe bordered it and we sat down next to the bank to rest for a moment and talk strategy. Leaving the field meant leaving our cover. We'd be out in the open from now on. 
"What's the plan?" Nico asked me, sitting criss-cross beneath a tall Asphodelus flower. 
Hades' Palace wasn't far, just across the river, and we'd have to go through a small corner of the Field of Mourning. I shrugged. "Simple. We find a way across the river, and then run the rest of the way to the palace." 
He raised his eyebrows skeptically. "And if they see us?" 
"If they see us, we fight." 
"And if we fail?" He pressed. 
"If we fail, we're dead!" I snapped, subconsciously tightening the strap on my scabbard. 
Nico sighed. "Okay, fine. You ready?" 
I nodded and got to my feet, Nico followed and I prepared to jump the river. It was wide, yes, but with a running start, we could probably make it across. Probably. 
I dug my heel into the dirt behind me, then sprinted to the edge and jumped. I would have made it unharmed, if something hadn't slammed into me from behind. It tore my dress, knocking me into the ground across the river.
 My first thought was Nico. I had to make sure he was okay, and I pushed myself up to my elbows. But then the thing, whatever it was, slammed me back against the ground and all I got was a mouthful of dirt. Judging by the talons digging into my skin, I guessed it was a Fury. Which meant we'd been caught. And I couldn't breathe. 
Nico shouted something I couldn't hear and I fought to reach my sword. I jabbed my elbow backward and the Fury loosened its grip long enough for me to pull free and unsheathe my blade. I kicked the beast away, stood, and raised my sword between us, sucking in deep breaths. 
I looked to Nico who had his own sword out. He was swinging the dark blade toward his own enemy, another Fury that had found us. 
A screech reminded me I wasn't finished yet and I turned back to face my opponent. Its grayish wings were spread wide as if that was supposed to intimidate me. 
I laughed at the thought, earning a strange look from Nico across the water, and then I charged. 
The Fury deflected my blade and I was knocked back a few feet. It beat its wings, sending up a cloud of dust around us. I struggled to keep my eyes open, stumbling in the confusion. I didn't know where the beast was anymore, it could've moved anywhere. I turned a full circle, keeping my eyes trained on where I thought the Fury had gone, but when the dust cleared, she wasn't there. 
Instinctively, my power clouded around my fingertips, though I knew it wouldn't work here. Without warning, pain erupted in my shoulder. The Fury grabbed me with its talons, dragging me backward, up into the dark sky. I fought it, tried to pull away, but it was no use. I jabbed my sword upward, slicing off its foot. The creature lost its grip on me and grinned, its wicked, gleaming teeth shining down at me. I fell.