Chapter fifty four: between fate and fire

Finnick's POV 

The chill air of the Glen rested on our skin, creeping into my bones as the earth under our feet seemed to drift apart as if it was aware of the storm approaching. The ancient trees here had twisted trunks, gnarled like the twisted roots of fate. The moon barely penetrated the thick canopy above, casting the place in a dim half-light as if even the night was holding its breath.

Freya walked beside me, her hand firmly gripped in mine. She was quiet as usual, strong and steady personality, replaced with a quiet uncertainty. I couldn’t blame her though. Everything we'd faced led us to this point, but the more I learned, the more I felt like I was slipping away from the answers we looking for.

"Do you feel it?" she muttered. Her voice tight, as if she was scared to disturb the silence that hung in the air.

I nodded, squeezing her palms softly. "Yeah. It's as if the air is heavy with... something. Pressing it. I don’t know what it is but I can feel it in my chest, in my bones."

She looked up at me, her face pale but hesitant. "Finnick, we can’t keep running away from this. We have to make a decision. We can’t let whatever’s coming break us apart."

I stared at her, the words hurting in my gut. This wasn’t just about us anymore. This was now bigger than the bond we shared, the love we had. The child, the prophecy and the path we walked. it was all leading to something that'd potential to break everything.

I drew her closer, my hand finding the reaching to her neck, my fingers brushing the soft skin there. I wanted to grip her tight, to protect her from the storm that was coming but I couldn’t, not completely.

"I'm not going to let us drift apart. I’ll fight for us. No matter what."

Her glance softened, a slight smile curved her cheeks but there was something behind them, the type I hadn’t seen in her before. It was fear of what's ahead the next step. And it was the fear of what's going to happen, one we didn't know of no matter what we did, we might not be able to stop what was already inclined in motion.

"Do you think we have a choice in this? In what’s about coming?" Her voice firm.

I took a heavy breath, my gaze shifting to the way ahead of us. The trees seemed to move, stretching and curling like they were alive. "I don’t know yet but we'd try. We need to make sure we don’t just give in to fate. We choose what we fight for."

She nodded slowly, her gaze lingering on mine for a moment before turning forward again. But there was something more in her eyes now. Something that mirrored the same dread I was feeling. She wasn’t just worried about the child or the prophecy. She was worried about us. About how this would change us.

"Let’s find the answers," she said finally, her voice steady again. "We have to keep moving forward. Whatever it takes."

I gripped her hand firmly once more before we both started matching again, the weight of her words stuck on me. The path ahead of us wasn't certain, it's filled with shadows yet it felt as if we were walking into the heart of it all.

The Glen was silent, safe for the sound of our footsteps and the rustling of leaves under our feets but there was something else, something under the surface. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on its end, a primal sense of danger ahead.

I was about to speak again when I heard an echo of footsteps. Soft, rhythmic like a whisper through the trees.

Freya paused suddenly, her body tensed beside me as I spun to her, my senses on high alert. The sound was nearer now and it was no longer just footsteps. It was a presence. Someone or something was following us.

"Who’s there?" Freya yelled into the darkness, her voice commanding despite the fear that plunged it.

There was silence for some moments, the sound paused altogether but it wasn’t a comforting silence. It was the type that weighed down on you, made your heart flinch and your instincts scream.

I moved nearer to her, my body ready to dive into action if anything unleashed at her, at us. I felt Freya’s body slammed against mine, her heart racing, fastening as she slowly scanned through the tall trees. The tension between us was raw with the anticipation of what might be hidden out of sight.

But then a figure stepped forward.

A woman, tall and clothed in robes that seemed to blend with the dark of the forest, her hair flowing on air like shadows down her back. But it was her eyes that caught me first. They were dark like prey's that seemed to swallow everything around them. They were familiar but something about them was unsettling.

Freya tense and stumbled beside me, her grip tightening on my hand, feets shaking. She recognized her too.

"Althea," Freya breathed, her voice a mixture of disbelief and recognition.

The woman matched forward, her gaze never leaving Freya. "So, you remember me," she remarked, her voice smooth, almost like a song that had been on repeat too many times. "I wondered if you would."

I stared between Freya and the woman, confused. "Who is she?"

Freya didn’t answer at first. Instead she took a step toward the woman, her face covered  in a mask of emotions—anger, confusion, and something that felt like fear, though she would never admit it.

"Althea," Freya said again, her voice tight. "What are you doing here?"

Althea’s lips curved into a slight, knowing smile. "I’m here to help, Freya," she said, her voice soft but firm. "But you need to understand something. Everything you’ve been told, everything you’ve believed, has been a lie."

Freya’s eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

Althea’s gaze shifted from Freya to me, and there was something unsettling in the way she looked at me, as though she was measuring me, studying me. "The choice you make is not just for you, Freya. It’s for him as well." She turned her attention back to Freya, her smile fading slightly. "You’ve been running from this moment but the time to face it is now."

The silence that followed was deafening, the weight of her words sinking deep into my chest. "What moment?" Freya demanded, her voice sharp. "What are you talking about?"

Althea stepped forward, her presence welcoming more with each movement. "The prophecy," she said quietly. "It’s not just about the child now. It’s about the both of you."

I turned to Freya but the fear in her eyes mirroring my own, we had come this far, hadn’t we? We couldn’t turn back now. Not when the answers were near this time.

"I'm going to face it," Freya pronounced finally, her voice steady but masked with the same tension I felt. "I’ll face whatever comes with Finnick."

Althea’s smile returned but now it was filled with something knowing. "Then you have made your choice but remember, the path you choose will not be easy."

The ground vibrated once more under our feet, and the trees seemed to close. Althea spoke one final chilling word: "The child’s destiny is fated to yours. And the time to choose his future, time is running out."