I know I didn't follow through with my promise to finish this by the end of the semester and then took eight years to update. I'm really, really sorry about that. Long story short, life has been hectic and busy. But I will never desert a story. Never.

Disclaimer: I don't own PJO.

Chapter 13

Desperate Measures

Elva

"If you run out of arrows, let me know," Rose had said as we walked from the Empire State Building up 5th Avenue.

"That's fine," I had replied. "I'll use shadow arrows if I run out."

"Those don't kill monsters," she had said.

I had sighed. "Then I'll call you over to back me up."

"And when your powers weaken?"

The cutesy skull clip in my black and purple hair had felt heavy. The key around my neck had felt like it was going to drag me back down into the Underworld. Since World War II, I have never touched my sword, the guilt was too great. But in a war this size… Twice I had been tempted to use it since the Second Titan War started. I had a feeling I might need to use it in the near future.

"I'll be fine." I had replied, forcing a smile.

"Hunters!" Thalia shouted somewhere to my left. "Set up a line at 37th! Let no one through!"

I abandoned my train of thought and we ran up 8th Avenue, cutting, hacking, and shooting through enemy lines. The timber wolves kept pace, biting and clawing at the heels of demigods and monsters. I sensed death all around. I could do nothing but run and fight.

A flash of gold. Green. A scream. Something pale falling to the ground.

Phoebe.

I stopped mid-stride. No. She…

My death sense never lied.

"My gods…"

"Elva?" Rose ran back and pulled me along. "We gotta go!"

"Phoebe died. I felt her. I saw her. I saw…" I trailed off and felt a tear slip from my eye.

"While I'm really sorry for your loss," Rose said, "we have all lost someone. We can't do anything about it right now. Let's go!" She grabbed my arm and dragged me, cutting monsters with a small dagger as we sprinted. The battle had been going on for about an hour but it felt like months. Twilight passed as the sun went down and the early night began. We held our line, shooting arrows, slashing swords, and using our demigod powers to keep the monsters at bay. The fight was long and tedious. I sensed Hunters and other demigods falling around me. Cracks of lightening fell from the sky at a frequent pace, Thalia using her powers to wipe out the army.

I threw my arm out in front of me, a large shadow slicing through a giant. Nighttime was my time. Not only were shadows everywhere, but my power was much stronger. It also meant I didn't have to use my sword. Thank the gods for night. I liked using my powers but… I needed to keep them under control. That's why I use my bow and arrows in hunts and in battle.

I reached back to pull an arrow out of my quiver and I grabbed open air. My stomach dropped and I swallowed hard.

"Shit," I muttered.

No… no… it'd be fine. I'll be okay. I still didn't need to use drastic measures. I backed up a little toward the sidewalk, almost stepping on the hand of a sleeping man. No desperate measures. I won't hurt people… not again.

I held my palm out and a shadow crept up from the ground, forming an arrow. I shot my shadow at a nearby monster, it crumpling, but not disintegrating. The giant started regaining strength too, making it's way back toward me.

"Hunters!" I cried, pulling rank as desperation. "To me!"

Rose, Willa, and Hannah ran over and shot arrows at the monsters. Our line still held strong, but the monsters kept coming and didn't seem like they were going to stop. I called another shadow and a wave a fatigue came down on me like a waterfall. The ground started shaking like an earthquake. A pack of five hellhounds with riders on their backs came thundering down 8th Avenue. At that point I knew. I knew I wasn't going to keep up. We were going to die, and Olympus would fall. My clip weighed down on my head.

"Rose!"

"I got you." She said and slid in front of me, hacking at a telekhine with her small dagger.

I calmed myself and unclipped the skull from my hair and ripped the old, silver key off my neck. I stared at them for a moment, uncertainty and fear crawling down my spine.

No, I thought, I will not let my fear get the best of me. Just play it safe.

I inserted the key into the keyhole in the middle of the skull and turned. Instantly, the clip glowed and began to morph into an elongated, shrunken black sheep's skull. The silver key melted and entwined around the sides, forming nightshade vines and flowers. The blade itself caught no light; it was pure concentrated shadow from the darkest pits of the Underworld. The sword was only activated by one of the Three Keys of the Underworld. Two kinds of beings are able to wield this sword: Hades himself, or a child of the Underworld. And only a son or daughter of Hades with an affinity for shadows.

Children of Hades can have a strong affinity for one of three things: the legion of dead, like my brother Nico, the treasures of the earth, and shadows. They can control all to a stronger or lesser degree, but all children feel a strong connection to one of the three. While all three are a curse to bear, controlling shadows is like taming a wild stallion; hard to do—but not impossible—always unpredictable, and dangerous.

I was honored and frightened when Father asked me to take on his shadow sword. It was one thing just being offered that, but the responsibility of keeping one of the Keys of the Underworld as well… under different circumstances I would have declined his offer. But I had an obligation as a child of Hades. World War II wasn't going to win itself.

I never thought I'd be using this sword again. Theristís. Reaper. A weapon gained from bribery and used once with a heavy heart before being deserted for years. It was beautifully dangerous with a one strike, game-changing move.

A surge of power flooded through me. I sensed the shadows of every monster, every half-blood in my area. I knew their moves, detected the tiny shifts in steps, felt their position. No one could sneak up on me.

I was invincible.

I was terrified of my power.

"Elva, cover me!"

Rose dodged one of the hellhounds and aimed and arrow at it's rider, a frightened looking demigod. I pitied him for a moment before slashing my blade through his hellish steed. Its eyes grew wide the moment I cut through it, and it erupted into shadows, my sword absorbing what was left of the hellhound. The eyes on the skull hilt glowed for a moment before fading.

"I need more soldiers. You will obtain this with your service, and you know I never ask for assistance."

"Russian or not, you are still a daughter of Hades!"

"The Germans are gaining land!"

"You cannot leave. Deserting is worse than death. If you leave, we will shoot you."

"Elva!"

"Elva!"

Rose waved her hand in front of my face and I snapped out of my stupor.

"Are you okay, girl? You've been acting a bit funny since we came out here." She ducked instinctively and I cut my sword across, a second hellhoundbursting into shadows before my sword ate it up.

I didn't answer and watched as the Hunters took down two of the other hellhounds. My sword weighed me down. I felt the growing shadows of enemy reinforcements approaching.

"Okay… well this obviously has to," she shot two arrows at two dracaenae and turned back to me, "do with your sword. I know you have it and you don't like to use it, but I don't know how you got it or why you don't."

"Don't let the Nazis get through!"

"Retreat! Retreat to Stalingrad!"

"Elva, now is the time to use it."

Now is the time.

I held the sword in front of me, placing both hands on the hilt.

Do it.

I can't.

Do it.

People will die.

Do it or you will die. Your friends will die.

I channeled shadows into the sword, the blade growing in length and size, the eyes on the skull glowing like two tiny suns. I sensed for all monsters in our area—it was over two hundred approaching our block alone—and mapped them out. My shadow blade grew until it reached five feet in length and two feet in width. I felt shadows all around, creeping up my body and curving around monsters.

"Uh… Elva?" Rose asked tentatively. Monsters stopped approaching us, watching me. A nearby empousa shifted uncomfortably and started trekking forward again only to be stopped by one of her sisters.

"No," she said to her. "Not with that blade out."

I felt Thalia's shadow shift from the monsters in front of her to me.

"Remember…" I spoke to Rose, feeling the power buildup almost reach its pinnacle. "Back in the forties when my father approached me?"

"Yes." She drew three arrows, notched them, and released, all three reaching a target. "You never said what about."

"Elva." Thalia approached faster than I expected. "Elva, is that the sword Artemis warned me about?"

I ignored her and addressed Rose, my voice shaking. "He… asked me to fight with the Russians." Almost there. I could feel it. "I took Reaper, but felt so guilty I deserted."

"There are demigods in that army!" Thalia said vehemently. "There are still New Yorkers asleep in the streets! As your superior, I am ordering you to stop."

"Why?"

"Elva!"

I looked at Thalia. There wasn't an ounce of anger on her face. Only fear, fear of what I could do and what I was going to do. I was terrified too. But I had no choice. We couldn't let Olympus fall. And I'd deal with the guilt later. I always did.

"I'm sorry." I sliced my sword at a blinding speed, left to right. The shadow blasted through the army, leaving no monster, demigod, or mortal out of its path. The street became a mass of shadows in a matter of seconds, the swarm sucked into my sword before the only ones on the street were the remaining Hunters.

Thalia's face was incredulous. "How could you? How could you?"

I started feeling weak again, the fatigue coming on fast. "I made a judgment call. At the rate we were going, we were not going to do well. We would all die, Thalia."

"You killed mortals, Elva! Celestial bronze is harmless, but shadows?" she shook her head. "I will strip you of second lieutenant, gods help me."

"Says you," My knees buckled and I fell to the ground. "Only Lady Artemis can make that call." I saw Thalia's mouth move, but heard no sound. The eyes on Reaper stopped glowing as the last of the shadows melded together and I blacked out.

Yeah, yeah, yeah it's short I know. Sue me. Maggie's up to bat next, but the Party Ponies will come and rescue them.

For the record, Elva was fighting against the Nazis… remember Hitler was a kid of Pluto and the Big Three kids were facing him, Stalin being a son of Hades. Also, her fatal flaw is fear of her own power. Since the war, she's been terrified of using her shadows in battles. She only shadow travels really.

Like she said though, it was a judgment call during a losing battle.

Also, she has PTSD, but to a slight degree.

Review?

Over and out,

Mahersal