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Mary's P.O.V
I was eager for the sky or the moon to drop, because that would be a great exercise for me. I know I am obsessed with them, since there was nothing else that could allow me exercise since lifting the trailer trucks were now like lifting sheets of paper.
I looked at Josh, I could have sword he held the moon too, but he only hold it for 27 minutes before collapsing from exhaustion. I think he needs more time to weightlift to be strong like me, but that would be impossible.
I shook the thought aside and looked at the surroundings. Cars were passing, winds were blowing that were causing the trees to make the leaves fall off.
I do not like my parents at all, especially after they made both of us experiments that made us grow at an enormous rate. I first guessed that Josh is the one who is behind all this, giving the research papers to her parents and causing them to conduct an experiment on them to make them half-blood giants. But now I had already learned the truth in Josh's house that our parents stole his research paper and used it to conduct experiment.
I previously am cruel to poor little Josh, but as time goes along, I find him very cute, and therefore I had some kind of affection towards him.
I knelt beside him, and spoke to him. "Josh, do you have any plans to make us normal again?"
Josh looked at me directly in the eyes. "We will visit Mount Othyrs, and then we will..."
We were cut short with the troops marching from my south. I saw a bunch of warriors armed with dagger, spear, and sword. I don't want them to interrupt our quest, but I figure that they had a quest of their own.
I noticed that they were all women, and I have a good idea what to call them. These race of warriors were called the Amazons.
The Amazons drove to our direction so fast and before we could blink, the Amazons snatched Josh and retreats.
"JOSH!!!" Hippolyta screamed.
She summoned vines from the earth that blocked the Amazons way, but the Amazons cut through the tendrils and escaped with Josh.
"We will find a way to bring Josh back." I told Hippolyta. "We can still being him back."
Josh's P.O.V
I was carried by these strange muscular woman that I knew them as the Amazons. The Amazons seemed to forget to knock me cold. They did that with knocking their sword hilt on my head, and I instantly passed out.
When I woke up, my vision turned a little drowsy at first, and when my vision is cleared, I saw myself being chained into a platform, which just turned me about in an upright position. I noticed that I was chained, cuffed, bound, and gagged with tape. I felt my limbs being spread apart so my body looked like the letter X if you look from a distance.
I also looked at my body. They were stripped of clothes, so they can actually see my ribs sticking out of my chest.
I started fighting against the cuffs found sticking on the table, I know I didn't have the strength, but I need to keep trying to overpower the cuffs. I tried to pull my hands free, but the cuff is specially designed just for me, which is small enough for me to get uncomfortable.
One amazon came, and imprinted on her name tag was: Fanta
Wow, what a weird female name. She had light skin and was wearing a golden armor, golden shield and golden sword.
I kept writhing and struggling, but the girl just stared at me like I was an idiot.
"Oh, little Josh, Are you wishing for reprieve? Don't you know what you have caused?"
I glared at her, and continued on struggling against the chains and the cuffs.
After 10 minutes of continuous struggle, I finally got exhausted. I was drenched in my own sweat
Just then, the Amazon Queen, Otrera came to the chamber.
She studied me like an animal. "So, this is the famous Josh McLean..." The Amazonian Queen said, as she slapped me in the face. I muffled scream.
Hmm... Otrera... Isn't she a myth? I figure that she had already brought back from the dead. I wondered why Gaea allowed her to coma back to life?
It might have been Hippolyta's mother who did this, but why?
She stepped closer to me, and she stroked my cheek. "Don't bother running away, Josh McLean." She glared at me with murderous eyes. "You have cause so much trouble in the Amazon Tribe."
My minds reeled. When have I ever bothered the Amazons? Why were they accusing me of this?
Then it dawned on me. At my fourth quest in The Godslingers, the fates have sent us 3000 years to the past, where it is the trojan war. Jack Sullivan had carved J's onto the Amazon's shoulder, and we caused a rebellion against the Amazons. I remembered how I fought like a demon against countless of Amazons and escaped to the present.
Now the Amazons had never forgotten about that. They are coming for revenge, and they are going to make me miserable. To tell you the truth, I am already miserable now, which means this Queen Amazon is going to make it way worse.
Otrera touched my cheek with her fingers, and starting rubbing it gently. "We will now initiate the first phase."
I suddenly started struggling violently again against the cuffs. Otrera stepped back curtly, and laughed. "Josh, Josh, Josh, Josh. Why do you keep struggling when you know you cannot escape?"
I didn't answer, because of the gag, but I kept writhing and struggling to let her know that I still have energy to kick her butt.
I imagined that the chains are breaking, but as I watched, the chains and the cuffs are not breaking. They are stiff cuffs that will not allow me free movements.
Hippolyta's P.O.V
I closed my eyes and felt every presence around me. I felt sad to see that Josh had been taken away by the Amazons. I wonder why they want to kidnap Josh?
So far, nothing. Just a couple of Amazonian bases that I could only sense.
Annabeth approached me. "Found anything yet?"
I crouched so I was on her eye-level. "Josh hasn't been found, but I had found several possibilities of where he could be found."
"So, where is he?" Annabeth asked.
"My best guess is that he has been kept at an Amazonian base, and..." I stopped. I didn't want to mention that Josh is being tortured in there. That would make the group in greater discomfort.
I wished that I was fast enough to make a grab for Josh, but unfortunately the Amazons were faster. Sure they were not really as strong as me, but they were very fast indeed.
"And what?" Annabeth and Mary asked.
"And.... they were torturing him." I said flatly. I don't want to trigger this, but I felt it is the right thing to tell her.
Annabeth's eyes widened. "Oh, not again." She put her palm on her face.
Something tells me that he had already faced too many tortures, and I got the feeling that he will be facing more in next quests or so.
"Come on," I told my friends. "We need to rescue Josh."
Josh's P.O.V
After I struggled for about 30 minutes, no result came. The chains and the cuffs didn't broke, and I was completely drenched with my own sweat, which were in the form of a puddle around the altar.
I could tell that the Amazons are watching from a security camera, but the girl that called herself Fanta stood guard.
I finally stopped struggling and caught my breath, which is hard since my mouth is gagged.
Fanta walked towards me and stroked my face gently. She slowly peeled my gag off, and I gasped for breath.
She then stroked my face gently again, and very quickly, I bite her finger off.
"Aarrrggghh!!" She said as she stared at her bloody hand. She uses her other hand to slap me in the face very hard.
"What happened?" The Queen, Otrera asked.
"The prisoner bit me!" Fanta told the Queen.
The Queen walked towards me and punched me in the gut. I screamed in pain, a scream that filled the entire chamber. "Hurts, doesn't it?"
She grabbed my hair and pulled me towards her. "You've got guts to go against us Amazons, Josh McLean. But you are not so lucky anymore." I panted heavily.
"Close your mouth!" She told me. I did what she says. She put the gag on my mouth and punched me on the gut one more time.
The Queen started to leave, but she decided to stay here and ordered the rest of the Amazons to leave.
Meanwhile, Otrera decided to torture me more. But wait...
She isn't torturing me. She appeared beside me and started touching my little body. She deactivated the camera and she stroked my face, my ears and my cheeks.
I started struggling again. I have a girlfriend, her name is Alexandra James. This Queen appears that she wants to have me.
The Queen just calmly pushed me towards the back of the altar and kept playing with me. No matter how hard I writhed or struggled, the efforts were futile.
The Queen is invading my privacy. I struggled harder than ever before. I muffled scream as hard as possible, calling for help. I cannot bear this moment, it is just too painful for me.
Hippolyta's P.O.V
I was on the edge of the door to the lair of the Amazons, and when someone open it up, she immediately gasped and ran.
I looked for Josh, He must have been kidnapped in here. I could feel his presence here.
I stepped inside the warehouse, and looked around. Then, I heard someone muffled scream. It must have been Josh. When he screams, screeching noise can be heard from 200 meters (that is, if not gagged).
I didn't heard anything else besides a scream and someone saying. "Now that's great..."
When I reached the torture chamber, I saw that Josh is being harassed by the Amazonian Queen.
She held Josh and with a knife pointed at his neck. "If you want to see him alive, you will do exactly as I say!" She threatened.
I held Annabeth and Mary off, as we listened to what she says.
"Now, I want a duel. Me and Him." She gestured to Josh. "And I want it in about three hours, and you are going to contemplate. If you do any such thing such as cheating in the middle of the fight, he will die."
Then, the Queen turned to Josh, and slapped him hard in the face.
Then we left the torture chamber.
Oh great, Josh is going to have a duel with the Queen herself. The Queen is 8 feet tall, in case anyone noticed. She can squash Josh like a bug.
But I have no choice. If I interfere now, or even in the match, I will witness my poor little Josh McLean be killed.
So I have no choice but to sit and wait for the upcoming battle. I really wished that the battle will be short, so we can continue our quest.
The Amazon Queen is not going to take him very lightly because he was small. I remembered when he told me that he was sent to the past and was fighting the Amazons like a demon. Now that the Amazons are back for revenge on this poor little guy. I don't know what to say, it's just too painful for this little guy.
So, Mary grabbed my shoulder (and Annabeth's) and went to the nearest house.
Josh's P.O.V
I was kept chained, even when I was about to go to battle in another 3 hours. I kept struggling against the chains. Sweat poured all over me. Now that my sweats had been so much that I thought the table was leaking water.
If you thought this is the longest time I have been kept imprisoned, you are wrong. I have faced worse tortures. Some of them included being crushed by the weight of the moon, but thank god my friend Mary had held it for me.
I got to admit that I am very impressed with Mary, because she can hold the sky for almost indefinitely. I wondered if she might challenge me to a contest where who can hold the sky or the moon the longest before dying. I figure that Mary will survive the longest.
As the hours passed, I waited until the time I am going to duel with the Queen. I don't want to die from exhaustion, so I decided to meditate.
But after only 30 seconds, the guards came and unfettered me. They slapped my face and punched my gut, which made me cough very hard.
I stumbled and is about to conk out when the guards held me by my chest. I was ready to collapse any second because I used too much energy for just trying to escape from those bonds.
I was dragged by two buff female guards and it seemed for perpetuity that I was dragged. I was already as exhausted as someone who held the sky for a few minutes.
Once we reached the fighting arena, the guard pushed me and I fell on the earth below. I tried shakily to get up and looked around the fighting arena. The place is almost identical to the colosseum in rome, but this one is oval shaped. There were chairs everywhere around the rim and there are eight doors around the colosseum. I saw banners every 5 meters in the rim of the fighting arena.
I swear that if this is daytime, I could have my powers back in about a few hours, but unfortunately, this is night time. I was worn out, haggard, dead-tired. I tried to get up, but my hands were shaking as I did. I tried to focus on my surroundings, but I can't.
I can sense Hippolyta's presence, just right beside me.
Mary's P.O.V
I was waiting in the colosseum, waiting for the big battle between Josh and the Queen, Otrera.
"So, is this where the battle will be taking place?" Annabeth asked. She was sitting beside me.
"Yes, Annabeth." I told her.
I could have sworn that I have been waiting for three and a half hours just waiting for Josh to appear. The crowds are getting impatient to see Josh McLean battle with the amazonian Queen.
The crowds were complaining about the battle being started late, but there is no one there, not even the host of the battle. Boy, I was wrong.
Just then, I saw Josh. He was dead-tired, worn out, and drained of energy. I gasped, and so did the other spectators.
When the female guards pushed him into the colosseum, he instantly fell into the ground. He tried to stand up, but fails miserably.
I turned to Hippolyta. "Uh-oh, I don't think that Josh will survive any moment."
Hippolyta glared at me. "Of course he will not survive! He is dead-tired for god's sake!, and there is almost no light that will help him regenerate!"
For once, I was worried that something is going to happen to Josh. This turned out to be an unfair match. In a matter of seconds he is going to be wiped out just like that.
Just then, the Amazonian Queen presented herself at the front gate of the fighting arena. She bowed and greeted the audience with a bow.
Josh's P.O.V
I stared weakly at the Amazonian Queen. I knew I would be dead before she even started the battle itself. Otrera walked to the middle of the fighting arena.
My whole body was drenched with sweat. I can't keep track on how much I have been sweating, it must have been a lot.
"Get up!" One of the guards told me. She slapped me in the face and helped me up. I stood unsteadily, dazed from the exhaustion.
"Begin!" One of the people in the watchtower sounded the gong and the battle began.
To me, it is just a good way to die. I can barely hold my sword upright. I saw Otrera charging at me with blinding speed. Meanwhile, I tried to unsheathe my sword, but it felt very heavy in my arms.
The goddess just reached on striking range, and swung her sword. But just before the sword got me, I collapsed on the floor.
Phew, the sword just missed me by no longer than a hair's breadth, but now I almost had no energy left to fight. I clawed myself towards the rim of the colosseum and I can see Otrera's spear coming right at me. I hugged myself and shivered at the cold night.
I saw the Queen and behind her, it's a bunch of lanterns lighting up. Light...
I began to crawl towards the lantern, but it's at least two hundred feet across. I cannot get there before Otrera kills me.
She ran close to me, and raised her sword. "Die, little hero." She smiled evilly.
I looked up and pleaded with my most pleading look ever.
She didn't stab me, she just kicked me in the belly. She grabbed me and threw me across the arena.
I landed on my back. I felt like I want to throw up, but I did not let myself throw up. I noticed that I was 20 yards from the lantern now, so I made all of my efforts to reach there without passing out.
I could feel my strength gathering up bit by bit. I started to crawl faster, and I found myself standing.
But I didn't get there. Otrera grabbed me and threw me across the arena. I landed face first on the ground and managed to stood up. Otrera saw this and is more aggresive. I ran limply towards the lantern and collapsed just 30 yards from the lantern. Otrera was about to grab me when I ducked, collapsed on the ground. I kicked her on her ribs but she seemed to stand firm.
I kept fighting her, but I know soon or later, my strength will wear down and I will collapse if I do not get enough light.
40 feet... 30 feet... I began to get closer and closer to the lantern, but I know I couldn't keep holding Otrera very long now. My whole body is drenched with sweat, and my strength is neither losing nor gaining.
Just then, the ground below her opened, and before she could blink, it swallowed her whole, and the earth closed up like it never happened.
The lantern died, and I collapsed, but this time someone caught me, and when I looked up, it's Hippolyta.
"Hippolyta," I murmured. "You came."
She smiled. "Of course I came, Joshy. I am your friend, remember?"
I shivered on her arms. She could have helped me earlier, so we could continue on our quest sooner! But she had to wait for me to get tortured before she helps me.
I hung limply while Mary carried me out of the Amazonian fighting arena.