I couldn't say that I wasn't shocked when Lexa tried to kill Octavia. I knew she would try something, but I didn't expect it to be so soon. When Clarke realized what Lexa had done, she stormed into the commander's tent. I could only watch helplessly from far away, guilt piercing me.

"Octavia, are you alright," I asked, walking up to her and Indra.

Octavia nodded, although I could see the hurt of the betrayal in her eyes. Before I could say anything else, a Gounder shouted in Trigedasleng, alerting the commander of the signal. I smiled as I heard that Bellamy had been successful. Lexa and Clarke emerged from the tent and came to stand by my side.

Clarke breathed in relief. "Bellamy did it."

Lexa nodded with a small smile. "You were right to have faith in him. Now we fight." Grounders gathered around, murmuring excitedly about Lexa's reaction to the signal. "Teik em laud tromon-de!" Lexa commanded, ordering the sounding of the war horns. It rang with a rumble across the sea of Grounders and everyone shouted triumphantly. "To war!"

In response the crowd cheered before beginning to march forwards, leaving the tents and supplies behind them at the base camp. I walked with Clarke as Lexa paced to the front of the mass. Octavia moved beside us and the tension between her and Clarke was stifling.

"Hey," Clarke tried to say to Octavia.

"What do you want?" the younger girl asked bitterly.

Clarke sighed. "I'm changing your mission. You're not going to the mines with Indra. I'm placing you in the rear guard, where you'll be safe."

I narrowed my eyes as Octavia snorted in amusement. "Like hell you are. I don't take orders from you. I take orders from Indra."

"I'm trying to protect you, Octavia," Clarke told her.

"Protect me?" Octavia repeated with a scoff, her glare sharply aimed in the blonde's direction.

Clarke flinched at her reaction, remembering that the bombing of Tondc was her fault. "One day, hopefully, you'll understand what I did."

Octavia shook her head. "Never. I'll fight this war with you now because I want our friends back. But after that, we're done."

Indra butted in, looking at Clarke as she slowed her pace to walk beside them. "The Commander's looking for you." Clarke excused herself and I watched her back as she left to jog to the front. Indra turned back to Octavia. "What was that about?"

"Clarke's trying to reassign me to the rear guard," spat Octavia.

"You're a warrior. You'll be in the mines with me," Indra told her and I nodded in agreement. She sighed. "I know it bothers you. They knew about the missile."

Octavia gaped in shock. "How could you not hate them? Indra, they almost killed you."

"They didn't do anything. The enemy did," I told her and Indra dipped her head in favor. "Lexa's a great Commander because she's ruthless. That's why we'll win this battle."

Octavia frowned. "That's wrong."

"That's war," Indra reminded her. She looked down at me as Lexa commanded for their party to split off.

"Good luck," I told her.

She murmured her thanks before letting out a battle cry and charging towards the tunnels that were hidden in the shadows. Octavia grabbed my shoulder compassionately before following after her chief with a shout. I smiled at her enthusiasm.

"Welcome, Sky Crew. Join us," Lexa said to the group that had arrived the Ark as I rejoined her and Clarke at the front near the entrance to Mount Weather.

"A package from Raven. Hydrazine," said a man that I recognized as Miller's father. "She said it would do the job."

Clarke smiled. "Good."

"And, uh, your mother wanted to be here, too," he added awkwardly.

Clarke nodded a little. "I know, but the wounded in Tondc need her more."

Lexa turned to where I and the rest of the seconds and chiefs stood behind her. She cleared her throat and let her voice boom. "Field commanders, today's the day we get our people back. The enemy thinks it's safe behind its doors, but it's not. When it realizes that, it will fight back... Hard. We need to be ready."

Clarke took it upon herself to add to the speech, which caused me to stiffen in annoyance. "This is a rescue mission. We are not here to wipe them out. There are people inside that mountain that have helped us, children who have nothing to do with this war. We kill their soldiers, their leadership if we have to, but we are there to rescue our people. Is that clear?" Grounders around me murmured nonchalantly and I smiled in amusement. "Then let's begin. There are 4 teams. Two of them at the dam and in the mine are moving into position already. The third inside the mountain is freeing the Grounder prisoners as we speak. It is our job as the fourth team to keep the eyes of the enemy off of them for as long as possible. To do that, we have to be in position here at the main door with our entire army. The mountain men believe the door can't be opened from the outside, so they leave it unguarded. Only it can be, and thanks to our source on the inside, now we know how. According to Maya, the electromagnetic locking system has one flaw. When the power goes out, it disengages. That's where Raven's team comes in. The mountain's electricity is generated at Philpott Dam. By now, they've taken the turbine room." I crossed my arms and Clarke noticed that I was uneasy. Unlike the Grounders, I knew that all of this was easier said than done. "It's their job to blow the power. Once they do, we blow the lock. There is a catch, a backup generator inside the mountain. If the lock is still functioning when that backup power kicks in, we'll never get that door open, we'll never get our people back."

Miller's father spoke up, "How much time do we have until the backup power kicks in?"

"One minute," Clarke answered seriously. "That's the window."

"Small window. Why don't we just take out the backup generator, too? Bellamy's inside. Have him do it," the man suggested.

Clarke shook her head. "Leaving them without power that long would kill them all, and as I said, that's not the mission. Besides, we lost contact with Bellamy."

"What? We did? When?" I exclaimed in alarm, causing a few heads to turn my way.

Clarke looked at me sadly. "After he took out the acid fog."

Lexa smirked and looked at me. "Bellamy's a warrior. He'll be fine." I hung my head with a small nod.

"As the commander said, once the door is open, the shooting will start, and they'll throw everything they have at us, but that's what we want," Clarke continued. "We want them looking at us because while we're fighting at the front door, Indra's team will be escorting the prisoners out the back, right through the reaper tunnels. Once all our people are free, they'll sound the retreat. We'll be back home before Mount Weather even knows they're gone, and that's it. That's the plan."

Some mutters around me sounded unsure and I didn't blame them. They had no idea what to expect.

"The mountain has cast a shadow over these woods for too long. They've hunted us, controlled us, turned us into monsters. That ends today," Lexa called out to us. "Thanks to our alliance with the Sky People, the mountain will fall. As Clarke said, we spare the innocent. As for the guilty... Jus dren just daun."

"What does that mean?" Miller's father asked me, knowing that I used to live on the Ark. The Grounders around us were chanting it angrily.

"Blood must have blood," I said darkly, earning looks from him and Clarke.

We all backed away from the door to the base as the bomb was armed. Miller's father was clutching the remote trigger nervously and I heard Lincoln mutter some words of encouragement to him,

"It's taking too long," Clarke groaned quietly.

"Stop complaining Clarke," I muttered and she elbowed me.

"It takes as long as it takes," Lexa told us before asking Clarke, "What will you do when it's over?"

"I have no idea," the blonde admitted with a sigh.

"Well, what do you want?"

"Nothing," said Clarke. "My people back. I can't think past today."

"You should come with me to the capital. Layla can help you learn our ways. Polis will change the way you think about us," Lexa told her and I nodded.

Clarke smiled, "You already have."

Clarke and Lexa held a long look together and I turned away smirking. However, the moment was quickly ruined. Guns were fired in our direction and we all shrunk back in surprise.

Lincoln exclaimed, "It's coming from the dam!"

Clarke looked pale. "They know we're going for the power."

"They know we're going for the door," I corrected.

"Raven will get it done. She's one of us," Monroe said hopefully from somewhere near us.

"As soon as those lights go off, you push that button," someone instructed Miller's father.

"We'll do the rest," Lincoln assured the nervous man.

The lights suddenly went out and Clarke said, "She did it."

Mr. Miller swallowed, his finger over the button. "One minute starting now."

"For those we've lost..." I heard Clarke whisper.

"And those we'll soon find," Lexa added and then blinked in confusion as the trigger was pushed and nothing happened. "What's wrong? Why isn't it working?"

Clarke groaned, "They're jamming us. I have to get closer."

Lincoln shouted urgently, "Clarke!"

"45 seconds!" Miller's father told her. "If I can get there, I can trigger it manually."

Clarke's eyes widened as she objected, "No. You can't get there." 

"For Nate, I have to try," the man argued.

Everyone tried to push forward, jumping out of the way of the gunfire. I gasped out loud as some of the people around me were shot down. I grimaced as a small ricochet struck my leg.

"Clarke 30 seconds!" I warned as I counted in my head. Beside me, Miller's father was clicking the button rapidly.

Screams sounded from around us as more were killed.

Lexa looked panicked at the damage. "We'll find another way in."

Clarke narrowed her eyes. "There is no other way in. You know that."

Lincoln pressed forward. "We don't need one."

Clarke counted out loud. "4, 3, 2, 1." Suddenly the explosion sounded and the lock on the door was blown apart. I grinned after stumbling away from the blast. "Ha ha! It worked!

Lexa glared in the direction of the gunfire. "We need to get to that ridge and take out the shooters."

"No! You stay with Clarke," Lincoln said. "When the shooting stops, you get that door open."

Before he could finish, Lexa sprinted away towards the ridge. I tried to follow but Lincoln held me back. I stood defensively in front of Lincoln and Clarke as they tried to pull the door open. My eyes scanned the existing Grounders remaining as they hid behind what they could from the gunfire.

Suddenly, just like that, it stopped.

Lincoln muttered breathlessly, "Lexa did it." 

My eyes landed on Miller's father as I accessed the damage. The man had been shot and was groaning in pain. I shouted at Monroe, who was close to him, and pointed in his direction. When the girl saw him, she crawled to his side to check his injury.

"They'll be waiting just inside the door," Clarke warned as the door slowly began to budge.

Lincoln nodded as he grunted, "Good."

I looked over my shoulder at those waiting for commands. "Train your fire on the door!"

"Pull! Pull! Again! Pull!" Lincoln shouted as he and Clarke slowly swung out the door.

"Attack now!" Clarke shouted at the others behind me and I was about to run forwards into battle when another voice spoke.

"Stand Down!" Lexa commanded, striding to my side.

"What is this?" Clarke asked in confusion.

"Hey, look! They're coming out!" Someone called out as Grounder prisoners started to exit the base.

Clarke turned to Lexa. "They're surrendering?"

Emerson snickered, "Not quite."

My face turned pale as I realized what happened.

Clarke questioned Lexa. "What did you do?"

"What you would have done," Lexa told her. "Saved my people."

Clarke glared at her. "Where are my people?"

Lexa shrugged. "I'm sorry, Clarke. They weren't part of the deal."

Emerson spoke, "You made the right choice, Commander." I hissed at him to shut up.

Lincoln blinked rapidly. "What is this?"

Clarke scowled. "Your commander's made a deal."

"What about prisoners from the Ark?" he asked, his eyes settling on the commander.

"They'll all be killed..." Clarke scoffed to Lexa, "But you don't care about that, do you?"

Lexa's face hardened. "I do care, Clarke, but I made this choice with my head and not my heart. The duty to protect my people comes first."

Clarke's eyes burned with betrayal and hurt. "Please don't do this."

Lexa shook her head, backing away. "I'm sorry, Clarke."

I followed her reluctantly after shooting Clarke a nervous glance.

"Commander, not like this. Let us fight," Lincoln begged.

"No. The deal is done," she said firmly. To back up her words, the peace horn sounded behind us.

I sighed and looked at Lexa. She nodded for me to lead the group away. I dipped my head and started to walk away.

"Layla!" Clarke shouted desperately and I stopped but didn't look back at her. "Don't do this! Don't do this to your people! Don't do this to Bellamy!"

I flinched at her words but cleared my voice before saying, "You were never my people." With that I walked away, ignoring Clarke's pleas to change my mind.