Chapter 34 - Hunter

A roar of cheers rolled over the crowd as they finished off the retreating enemy army. Hunter looked into the hard gaze of Artemis and he knew he was in trouble, but he couldn’t help, but smile. He was alive. He heard the sound of fast footsteps and then the collision of a body into his as arms wrapped around his neck and lips slammed into his. Hunter wrapped his arms around Philippa and kissed her back, leaning into her like he was worried that this coming back to life thing was temporary. That any moment now he was going to be yanked back into the waiting room where he would sit for thousands of years. At that moment, he didn’t care that Artemis was staring him down. He was just happy to be alive.

“I love you, Philippa.” Hunter said, cradling her face in his hand. She gasped and her eyes widened. Hunter froze for a second. He couldn’t say that. If he said that then he wasn’t a Hunter. He looked up at the crowd where the campers were parting. Through the crowd, several people walked toward him. They emanated power and immediately, Hunter recognized them as the gods. Aphrodite stood to the left of Ares who stood next to Zeus. When Hunter caught her eye she gave him a little wink and giggled a little. Hunter was a little taken aback. It seemed that all eyes were on him and he had no idea what to do. Hunter took a step forward, but was met with another set of arms and a warm body.

“Oh thank gods…” Marina muttered as she buried her face in his chest, hugging him in a bearhug. He looked over as Will and Kyle gathered around him and started patting him on the back. Soon more and more people step forward to celebrate and thank each other and mourn and express all the emotion that they wanted to but couldn’t because of the war and because of the presence of the gods among them. Hunter was finally smiling and finally he felt that he could relax.

“Quiet!” That ended quickly. The booming voice of the thunder god rang out through the city block and probably the city street where they had gathered. “Campers, gather the injured and return to camp. Take care of any monsters that may still be around. Chiron, make sure they go straight to camp.” Zeus said firmly. The campers froze for a second before scrambling to action. Hunter was lost as his friends were swept away and he looked for Philippa, but she didn’t hang around for whatever reason. Hunter found himself standing there looking right at the gods with Artemis and the hunters to his left.

“Hunters, assist the campers and meet at the cabin. I’ll be by shortly.” Artemis said and the hunter slowly dispersed, being sure to give Hunter a hateful look as they passed. Hunter was about to turn and leave, but Artemis spoke again. “Hunter…a word.” Hunter hung his head and turned to her.

“We wish to speak to you, as well, Hunter.” Zeus said, sounding slightly less perturbed than Artemis. Hunter looked up at Artemis and snapped her fingers. The scene changed and suddenly they stood in the throne room in Olympus. Hunter had only been there once. It had been a couple of years. “We have allowed you into Olympus once, Hunter. Feel grateful. You’re the only mortal to ever see this room.” Hunter scanned the room. Zeus sat semi-calmly in his seat while Poseidon at his right sat calmly, looking at Hunter plainly. Ares was shifting uncomfortably as was the majority of the gods. There was a tense feeling in the air as mental words were exchanged between the gods. Hunter’s eyes landed on Aphrodite who sat back, a smile on her face and a content look in her eye. She looked at Hunter and blew him a little kiss before turning to Zeus. Hunter finally let his eyes wander to Artemis who was leaned forward in her chair, eyes locked on Hunter like she was trying to make him burst into flames just by looking at him. Either that or she was trying to see through him to the wall on the other side. Hunter turned to Zeus who looked back at him. “Artemis, state your peace.”

“Hunter, how dare you! You disobeyed a DIRECT order! You were directly insubordinate! Hunter, I’m tempted to break your oath and turn you into an animal!” Artemis shouted, standing from her throne and staring angrily down at Hunter. “I’ll turn you into the wild animal you are and then I’ll hunt you like the beast you have become!”

“Nope.” Hunter looked up from his cowering and saw Artemis looking angrily at Aphrodite who was filing her nails calmly.

“What?” Artemis said, her voice raspy like she was trying not to burst out in rage. Aphrodite finished up her thumb and looked up at her.

“Hunter doesn’t belong to you anymore, babe.” Aphrodite said, clearing her throat. “You’ve got that whole…They’re immortal unless they make whoopee or die, right? Well, Hunter is still a virgin, unfortunately.” Aphrodite said, giving Hunter a wink. Hunter swallowed and looked at Artemis, hoping she wouldn’t turn him into an animal. “However, he did die. That means he didn’t break your contract, but it broke naturally. That means that—“

“I KNOW WHAT IT MEANS!” Artemis growled, her fists clenched and a vein in her neck seemingly ready to burst. She took deep breaths and glared at Hunter before letting out a low rumble and disappearing. Aphrodite turned to Hunter and smiled a little, giving him a look of quiet celebration. Hunter couldn’t help, but smile back and then turn to Zeus.

“Hunter, you have done great things for Olympus and for camp and for the gods.” Zeus said, scowling slightly like each word left a bad taste in his mouth. “The honor we are about to offer you is the highest that we can bestow. Hunter, we have watched you. You fought bravely and you fought for what was right, no matter what. You fought against chaos and deceit. Hunter, we are offering you a position among us in Olympus. You would live forever and be the god of peace, truth, and bravery.” Hunter felt like all the air vacated his lungs at once. He couldn’t think. The offer seemed to hang in front of his face, blurring his clarity. “Will you join us?” Hunter thought about everything that had happened in the past. The loneliness he felt at camp and how much he just wanted a place to belong. He thought about how much he wished that his parents would just tell him they still cared about him. He thought about how awful it felt to find out that his parents were dead and that he wasn’t even a demigod. He thought about how great it felt to join the hunters and how great it felt to finally feel at home. He thought about his first kiss with Philippa. He thought about Marina. He thought about Arabella and Kyle and Will and Penny and Dana and Jack and Clovis and Chiron and Mrs. O’Leary and the family that he never had, but found at camp. He thought about how much he didn’t want to give that away.

“I’m honored, sir, and there was a time that I wanted nothing more than to be a god, but I’m going to have to decline.” Hunter said, taking a deep breath. Zeus clenched his fists and seemed to grimace a little more angrily then before. “Thank you, sir.”

“Look, I’m getting sick and tired of you heroes turning down deification. We used to not make it a question, but some people got upset and now we ask you. First your kid and now this one.” Zeus said under his breath at Poseidon who shook himself and looked over.

“Oh, sorry. I was doing a Sudoku.” Poseidon said, clearing his throat. Zeus grumbled and turned to Hunter.

“We are going to owe you one. In the future, you can come to us and you can ask us for something. Assuming it’s not too terrible we will grant it. Now, get back to camp. Goodbye, Hunter.” Zeus snapped his fingers and the throne room was gone. Hunter opened his eyes and was looking down at Camp Half-Blood from Thalia’s Pine. Peleus snoozed soundly at the base of the tree and the camp was busy setting up makeshift cots for the injured and making arrangements for the deceased. Hunter seemed disoriented, but right at home at the same time. Camp was where he needed to be.

Hunter walked down the hill to the middle of camp and looked around. Dana was rushing from person to person, healing and treating what she could, her hair a wild mess. Rory sat next to Vera, holding her hand and looking down at her.

“I’m fine, Rory.” Vera said, starting to get up. Rory pushed her back down.

“Just relax. Take your time.” Hunter smiled at the two of them and saw her. She was sitting on the porch of Aphrodite Cabin, her brown hair a tangled mess. He smiled a little and started to walk toward her when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Hunter turned and found Chiron looking down at him.

“A word?” Chiron said, offering him a smile. Hunter glanced back at Philippa a moment and then nodded. Chiron led him toward the Big house and walked inside, sitting into his wheelchair. “Hunter, I believe we should talk about your time in Olympus.”

“Nothing happened. I’m not a hunter anymore. They offered me godhood. I declined. I was written an IOU.” Hunter took a deep breath and nodded. Chiron thought for a moment and was about to speak, but Hunter interrupted him. “Look, sir. With all due respect, I have had a really long day and there’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time and I can finally do it now and I’d really like to just do it. We’ll talk about it tomorrow.” Chiron took a deep breath and then finally nodded.

            “We’ll speak tom—“ Chiron was interrupted by the door to the Big house slamming open. Rachel looked urgently around the room a moment before hunching over the table.

A misplaced half-blood of the golden age

Will go against the great enemy being freed from the cage.

Olympus' bane will rise or fall

Family or friends is the choice to save them all

Former foes will turn the tide

The great battle, an arrow will decide.

She spoke quickly and Hunter looked at her in shock. When she finally stood back up, she was breathing heavily and she looked exhausted. Hunter let his gaze move to Chiron who seemed calm, but he looked worried.

“Sir, what does—“

“Go.” Chiron said with a nod. “I’ll have a word with Miss Dare, but if I’m correct we have our next Great Prophecy.” Hunter nodded and reluctantly started toward the exit. He wasn’t sure he would be able to relax after that, but it didn’t take long for him to relax. He looked around and after a moment, he finally found her. Philippa was standing there gossiping with a few of her siblings. Hunter walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her middle. She almost jumped out of her skin.

“Oh! Hunter uh…” Philippa stammered. Hunter furrowed his brow and glanced at the group who looked at the two of them.

“You alright?” Hunter asked Philippa, turning her around.

“Hunter, what are you doing?” She said, stepping away from him. Hunter started shaking a little and he stepped forward.

“Philippa, what’s going on?” Hunter said quietly, taking her hand and pulling her toward him. “Is everything okay?”

“Everything is great, Hunter.” Philippa said, walking back to his group of sisters. “What do you want from me?”

“Well, I figured that since you’re my girlfriends that—“

“Oh, that’s rich.” One of Arabella’s sisters interjected. “Tell her, Philippa.”

“We’re uh…We’re…” Philippa looked at him with sad eyes before studying the ground. “We’re through, Hunter.” Hunter’s heart shattered. It felt like Philippa reached into his chest, ripped his heart out and stomped it to pieces. Hunter stumbled backward and caught himself on one of the cabins, his breathing heavy. His ears rushed with blood and he couldn’t hear anything except for the cackling laughter of Philippa’s sisters. Hunter looked up at Philippa who mouthed ‘I’m sorry,’ a tear coasting down her cheek. Hunter wasn’t sure why she was doing it, but he just…He couldn’t be around it anymore. Hunter took off toward the woods.

“Hunter, wait!” He heard Marina shout to him as he passed and Kyle tried to stop him, but Hunter didn’t stop until he was in the woods, quietly sobbing, letting himself go, and feeling more alone than ever.

Chapter 33 - Hunter

“You!” Hunter’s eyes shot open and everything was bright. He was in a familiar room and there was a kind of hopeless feeling inside of him. Like he would never be free again. Free to smile or laugh or show any emotion at all. Except despair. Despair was rampant. His eyes adjusted to the fluorescent light, squinting at first, but eventually correcting his focus. He saw a man in a nice suit, standing behind a podium and glaring at him. Hunter looked at him and let out a heavy sigh. The memories were sluggish coming back to him, but after a moment it all came back.

“Oh, crap. Charon, I really—“ Hunter started, but was interrupted by Charon putting his hand up and then gesturing for him to come to the podium.

“What are you doing here, kid? Planning on getting me yelled at again?” He asked, looking him up and down. Hunter stopped a moment and did the same, noticing that he didn’t seem all there. He could see his entire body, but it seemed restless. Like it was shifting and adjusting. “Wait a minute….Are you…Are you actually dead?!” Charon smiled devilishly and leaned forward on his podium. Hunter thought a moment and sighed. The last thing he could remember was fighting Prometheus. He had caught him in his chains. Maybe he was actually dead. The idea made Hunter feel awful. Like someone punched him in the stomach. More like kicked him in the stomach wearing a steel toed boot. He had started thinking that he might actually have a normal life. He might not be alone all his life. Now that was a guarantee. Hunter took a deep breath and then nodded softly.

“Yeah, Charon.” Hunter swallowed the lump that formed in his throat. “I’m dead.” Charon laughed a quiet cackle and drummed his hands on his podium.

“Well, take a seat, kiddo! I just decided it’s going to be a long want for you, Hunter. A very, very, VERY long wait. That’s for my promotion that I still haven’t gotten! Hades chewed on my ass for an hour and a half for letting you in again.” Charon laughed evilly and cleared his throat. “We’ll be right with you. Please take a seat.” Hunter looked up at Charon who smiled a pleased smile. Hunter felt empty. He turned around and walked over to an empty seat, gingerly sitting down. It felt like a long time that he just sat there, staring at the ground, not knowing of anything else to do. He shifted from having his elbows on his knees to having his leg up on the other. Or from burying his face in his hands to folding them behind his head. Hunter couldn’t describe the painful terrible wait that he was going through. Thousands and thousands of years with absolutely nothing to do and no escape.

“Hi, I’m looking for a Hunter.” Hunter looked up at his name and saw a beautiful woman at the podium talking to Charon. He looked up and almost jumped out of his skin.

“I’m sorry? What…What is it that you-What?” Charon stammered in confusion. The woman sighed and leaned on the podium, getting oddly close to him.

“Kerry, do you remember that pretty little thing that I sent you…Oh what was her name?” She said, fixing his tie. “Oh, Jessica. Jessica, she was beautiful. How is she?”

“She uh…Well, we’re having dinner at 9.” Charon said, clearing his throat. The woman smiled. She had her back to Hunter, but the look on Charon’s face showed that she was smiling.

“Well, how well do you want that dinner to go?” Hunter thought for a second. There was only one person that he knew that would or could do anything like that. Hunter stood up and walked to the podium.

“Aphrodite?” Hunter said, raising an eyebrow. The woman turned and a smile spread across her face.

“Hunter! Oh my goodness, it’s so good to see you!” Aphrodite said with a giggle as she wrapped her arms around him. Hunter tensed a little. He wasn’t sure why, but the sensation of a hug surprised him a little. “Alright. Charon, you’ve got yourself the perfect date tonight, as long as Ig et this strapping young soul in exchange. Hunter froze a minute.

“Wait. What’s going on?” Hunter said quietly.

“Oh, right. Sorry I’m late, dear, but ugh. Typhon was such a pain in my—“

“No, why are you doing this?” Hunter asked quietly. He wasn’t complaining, but it made him curious as to what was going on. It’s not every day a soul just gets brought back to life by the goddess of love. Aphrodite moved a little closer and smiled deviously.

“Well, I thought that maybe you and I…afterward…” Hunter shook his head. “Oh, well, fine. I didn’t have high hopes for that plan.  Hunter, I know the future and I know that you dying today is not in the history books. You’re going to be great. You’re going to be in a fantastic position where people love you and care for you, but you’re going to have to take care of them. It’s going to be hard, but Hunter…You’re good at difficult stuff.” She smiled and put a hand on his cheek. “I’d be lucky for a son like you.” She smiled and kissed Hunter on the forehead. “We’ll be seeing you, Kerry. Good luck tonight.” She winked at him and then took Hunter’s hand. “Alright. Try not to throw on the back into your body. It’s icky.” She said before blowing a kiss at Hunter.

Hunter’s eyes shot open and he gasped as air shot into his lungs. His vision was hazy, but it eventually focused on the grey eyes of Prometheus staring down at him. He was smiling and the chains were slack on Hunter’s chest.

“Here is your hero!” Prometheus bragged to the  crowd that had gathered. “Your Hunter! The one that saved your precious camp!” Hunter kept his eyes almost closed, but he could still see his knife in Prometheus’ stomach. Hunter took a deep breath. He would only have on shot at this. Hunter grabbed his pendant and summoned his knife before grabbing the knife in Prometheus’ stomach. With a twisting motion, he stabbed the knife in and carved up and down Prometheus’ stomach, leaving thick gashes in his armor. Prometheus gasped and stepped back, releasing Hunter who scrambled backward and prepared for another attack, but suddenly there were several arrows that sunk into his back and Hunter looked over to see the hunters walking up being led by Artemis herself. Prometheus cried out in agony as he sunk into the ground, disappearing completely. They had won. The war was over.

Chapter 32 - Hunter

Will looked Hunter up and down. He had red shoes with little wings on, a brown leather jacket that was stained and looked burnt in a section, and on his back was a harness with two giant golden wings. He rubbed his eyes. “I saw a pig fly today and that doesn’t really compare to this. I’ll do it the day that Hunter dresses like that again. That is what I will say from now on.”

“Shut up, Will.” Hunter said with a sigh. “I do kind of agree with him, though. I mean I’ve had some crazy ideas, but this is by far one of the craziest. Odds are Prometheus sees me, kills me and then takes over Olympus.”

“Oh, don’t get your panties in a bunch, Hunter.” Marina said as she adjusted the straps on the harness. “Prometheus had this bird torturing him for centuries. Do you think that he’s really going to do much thinking as to whether it’s real or not?”

“Still. This seems…suicidal.” Hunter looked over at Will with slight trepidation. He knew  that fighting Prometheus was going to be tough and he really didn’t want to do it,  but he didn’t really have much of a choice, did he? “Do I look really silly or just kind of silly?”

“Really silly.” Hunter looked over at Clovis who stood at his post, but looked back. “Oh, my bad. Just creating a field of sleep here.” He said with a yawn. Hunter sighed.

“It’s a good thing I’ll be hiding my appearance then.” He mumbled before Marina pat him on the back.

“Well, it’s good to go.” She said, looking him in the eye. “I want you to know, Hunter that however this goes and whatever happens, thank you.” She said it quietly and even though Clovis and Will were nearby, she said it so only Hunter could hear it. She smiled a watery little smile at him and then stepped forward, wrapping her arms around him. Hunter took a deep breath and hugged her back.

“It’ll be alright, Marina. I’ll be fine. Prometheus doesn’t stand a chance.” Hunter said with a smile, but inside he knew it was a lie. Prometheus was going to be tough to kill, even with fear on their side. Hunter pulled away and turned to Will. “Will, take care of yourself and Penny. She really likes you.” Hunter slipped the sunglasses on his face. Will smiled at him and nodded.

“Well, come back alright and you’ll be here to see me, take care of myself.” Will said with a laugh. “That sounded weird, didn’t it?” Hunter laughed and shook his head.

“Alright. I’m ready.”  Hunter walked to the back of the building and took a deep breath. With a silent prayer to anyone that was listening, he was about to run when he heard a voice.

“Hunter! Wait!” Hunter turned and saw Philippa hurrying toward him. She ran and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him tightly on the lips. “I don’t want you to do this.” She said quietly, tears falling from her eyes. Hunter took a deep breath and wiped them away with his thumb. He was hoping to avoid this because he knew it would make it even harder to go and fight. “Hunter, don’t. There has to be another way. I’ll fight him! I’ll fight him with you! We’ll all fight him. He won’t stand a chance.” Hunter shook his head.

“He knows what we’re going to do. He can see us doing it before we do it. If we all attack, he’ll run and then take us out one-by-one. I need to do this. I can’t see you get hurt.” Hunter said quietly. He looked into her eyes and sighed. He didn’t want to leave her, but he just wanted her to be happy. “I’ll be fine. I will.”

“No, Hunter! Stop!” Will pulled Philippa away and Hunter took a deep breath and imagined himself soaring through the sky with razor sharp talons like the eagle. He sprinted forward and looked down a moment seeing bird feet enormous and clawed. “Maia!” He shouted and a moment later he was floating in midair. He looked down and saw the shadow of the eagle, blocking out sun in a huge blot in the sky. He needed to find Prometheus. He looked at the bridge and saw the boulder was smashed to pieces. Prometheus was back in the fight. Hunter flew and scouted the field. He saw a group of campers pushing monsters into a huge pit and another using a flower shop to demolish a bunch of hellhounds. Mrs. O’Leary was pouncing on enemies left and right along with Peleus being ridden by Argus and Chiron nearby. Finally he saw him. Prometheus knocking Vera into a wall and then strangling Rory. He couldn’t let them get hurt. He zoomed forward and made sure to cast the shadow to make him scared, but he quickly landed in front of him.

“Don’t kill me! I have done nothing!” Prometheus pleaded, letting the chains go slack. Hunter glanced back at Rory and Vera a moment then motioned for them to run. Rory froze a moment before nodding and picking Vera up and taking off down the street toward the hotel where the Apollo cabin was healing people.

“Didn’t see that one coming, did you?” Hunter said to Prometheus as he shed the harness and drew his knives. Prometheus watched in terror and confusion as the bird spoke.

“What…Hunter?” Prometheus’ face turned from despair to confusion to anger, but he looked at Hunter and flinched slightly. Hunter transformed back to his normal self and then charged. “You still cannot beat me, Hunter!” Prometheus shouted as he blocked Hunter’s knives with the chains wrapped around his wrist. Prometheus swung and Hunter dodged the chains, rolling forward and changing back into the eagle which made Prometheus jump and put his hands up, letting Hunter slash at his leg. Prometheus shouted and grimaced as he started his attack again. The fight continued on and on. Hunter slashed at Prometheus and he dodged, swinging his chains and blocking any attack.

“This is way more even then you were hoping, huh?” Hunter said as he rolled around the chains and stabbed at Prometheus.

“I have still won, Hunter! I am going to kill you, Hunter. I might not win this war. I might be sent to punishment far worse than this, but trust me. I am going to kill you.” Hunter switched to the eagle again and Prometheus gasped and jumped back in surprise. Hunter slashed at him and Prometheus knocked one of his knives away and caught that arm in his chains. Prometheus swung and Hunter caught the chains on his knife before shrugging them off and stepping on them. He stepped quickly and advanced, but Prometheus lifted the chains, causing Hunter to lose his footing. The chains wrapped around Hunter’s shoulder and chest, wrapping tighter and tighter, pulling him closer.  “You’ve come this far. You thought you could kill me. Today, I take your life.” Hunter could feel the chains crushing him. Hunter bent his elbow and forced the knife into Prometheus’ stomach. The titan scowled as the knife stuck in, but he didn’t let go. The coat was stopping the chains from cutting into him, but it didn’t stop it from crushing his inside. He could feel bones crack and his insides start to compress as his spine started to twist. “Goodbye, Hunter.” Was the last thing he heard before the last shreds of life ebbed away from him, leaving his body motionless as his vision went black.

Chapter 31 - Will

“This is so awesome!” Will shouted as they whipped through the street on the back of the bronze bull, Marina steering it toward Manhattan. “We have got to get one of these!”

“We have one of these!” Marina shouted back with a giggle as she turned onto a bridge. Marina pressed a button on the neck console. A ball of fire shot forward and blasted a wall of monsters that had formed on the other side.

“Rephrase! I have got to get one of these!” Will corrected as the wind whipped through his hair. He looked down off the side and watched as they trampled into monsters, stamping them to dust.

“Where did you say they were?” Marina said, glancing back at Hunter. Hunter looked around and then pointed.

“There. It landed on that building. Where Clovis is standing.” Marina nodded and adjusted the direction when suddenly the bronze heated up under Will’s grip. Will turned and saw a form of pure lava climbing on top of the bull which groaned in pain as it melted under the heat.

“Bail, guys! Bail!” Will shouted as he threw his trident into the lava and slid off the side. He ran around to the other side and grabbed his trident which had shot out the other side. Marina and Hunter looked, but he waved them off. “Run! I got this! Run!” Hunter and Marina nodded before taking off down the street. Will faced his new enemy and kept light on his feet.

“A child of Poseidon. This will be fun killing you.” The lava gurgled out as it shot out a tendril of fiery hot magma. Will dodged, but it was close enough to singe off the hair on Will’s leg.

“I’d rather you didn’t kill me, though.” Will said as he back down the street. He knew he needed water and there wasn’t any close. He could tell. Will slammed on the ground and it cracked, a thin fissure shooting toward the lava, but the lava swung its arms, diverting the crack off to one side.

“Earthquakes are no chance against me.” The lava said with a laugh. It made the motion of jumping, but instead it split and formed again behind Will, making two lava monsters that Will had to deal with.

“This is not good.” Will muttered as he drew his sword. He wasn’t sure what good it would do, but it felt better to have it out. “Come on…Come on…” Will looked down and slammed his trident at his feet, creating a crack that shot all around him and then caved in the ground below him, dropping him into the sewers. “I’m really not going to like this.” Will said as he ran down one of the tunnels, stabbing the ceiling with his trident and caving it in as he ran past. Lava spilled in and sizzled as it turned the water into steam with such immense heat. Will pulled water toward it and then blocked it, so water built and built and built like a wave waiting to be released.

“Run, little demigod! Run!” The lava gurgle right before Will released the water which washed over the lava in a huge burst. Steam rose from all around and when the water was finally washed away, there laid a hunk of black rock, cooled from the water. Will ran and threw his trident with all his strength and it burst the lava like an explosion of debris that shot all around. Will hurried and used the debris to climb back out of the sewer where instead of another pile of lava, there was a huge black swirling cloud.

“Prometheus has given me no incentive to stay. You have beaten me this time, but I have a plan that will destroy you and everything you love. We will rise from the pit again and this time, you won’t be able to do anything to stop us!” The cloud fizzled with electricity and shot out a large wind that knocked Will back off his feet before shooting off down the street and over the water. Will groaned and stood up, brushing off his clothes.

“That was weird.” He said as he sheathed his sword again. “Alright. Where did they go?” Will sprinted down the street and drew his sword, slashing threw any monster he saw. He beheaded a hellhound and then rolled, stabbing into a harpy. A Laistrygonian swung at him, but he chopped off his hand then stabbed the ground, caving in a section of the ground into the sewer. He coursed the water up and washed several monsters away before pointing toward the pit. Campers pushed and attacked several monsters back into the pit and Will washed them away again. He nodded toward Penny who winked at him. Will hopped over the pit and wrapped his arms around Penny.

“I’m really glad you’re alive.” Will said before placing his lips on hers, dipping her slightly. He finally broke away, but held her close. “We’ve almost won. Stay safe.”

“You too, Will. Please.” She said quietly before placing her hands on his chest and kissing him lightly on the cheek. “Go. I know you need to.” Penny giggled a little and Will smiled at her before taking off down the alley. He climbed the fire escape and saw Marina and Hunter and a giant pair of wings.

“This was your plan?” 

Chapter 30 - Prometheus

“The eagle has been defeated, Prometheus.” Prometheus turned to his first lieutenant. “Hunter defeated him. Also, reports say that the monsters have retreated and Echidna has been defeated.” Prometheus clenched his fists in frustration. He gripped his dagger and threw it into the nearest giant, killing it.

“Perses, this cannot be!” Prometheus shouted, looking into the fiery eyes of his fellow titan. “I foresaw victory today. Echidna’s death is not a concern. She was of no import, but we are losing ground here. Come Perses.” Prometheus shook his hands and long chains spilled out around his arms, dragging on the ground.

“Hey, Jacob Marley!” Prometheus turned around and saw a slender woman dressed in a snakeskin dress. “I was sure to shake the kid up. I mentioned Dolos and all that nonsense. It is your fault that he isn’t dead yet.”

“Apate, you are really getting on my nerves and now is not the time.” Prometheus, ran a hand through his hair and looked at the goddess. “Our agreement still stands. But I expect you to make an effort. This benefits you, too.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’ll see what I can do. It’s been fun.” Apate winked and then snapped her fingers, vanishing into a cloud of spiders. Prometheus turned back to the bridge. He walked and reached the boulder that blocked their path. With a quick swing the chains shattered the rock to pieces, letting Prometheus to continue.

“These useless mortals, Perses. Years I’ve spent babying them and this is how they show it.” Prometheus caught one of the campers around the neck and with another swing broke his neck, dropping him in a heap.

“You monster!” Prometheus turned as several snakes appeared at his feet. He stepped on them and trampled them before looking at the source. A girl about 17 or 18 with bright red hair came running at him. She waved her hand and the rubble next to him flew up and hit him in the face. Prometheus gripped his chains and in a quick swipe he struck her in the side, knocking her into a building where she fell in a pile on the ground.

“VERA!!!” Prometheus dodged an arrow and another as he turned to see a tall boy about the same age with brown hair, firing arrow after arrow at him. Prometheus swung his chain and knocked his feet out from under him.

“You can’t kill me! I know what you will do before you do it!” Prometheus lashed the chains around the boy’s neck. “This will teach you to resist me.” Just as Prometheus was about to land the killing blow, a shadow passed over. A bird with huge wings. Prometheus looked up in terror to see the golden eagle that had so many times eaten his insides just so they could grow back again. Prometheus fell backward and scrambled away as the bird landed in front of him. “Don’t kill me! I have done nothing!”

“Didn’t see that one coming, did you?” 

Chapter 29 - Hunter

Hunter groaned as he pushed himself up off the ground and rolled over. He rubbed his back and looked up to see many broken branches and he assumed that’s where he came from. He picked himself up and leaned on a tree a little as he tried to adjust to his surroundings. “Wha…Ugh…” Hunter took a deep breath and cringed a little as he put weight on his legs again. “Never ride a pig again. I should write a freaking book.” Hunter drew his bow and nocked an arrow, running through the forest. He needed to get back to Will and Kyle and Marina or they could get hurt. Hunter ran and climbed a tree, trying to get a view of where they were. He finally heard the roar from the hydra and he leapt to another tree, making his way toward it.

Hunter finally entered onto the clearing, but kept his distance in the tree. The Echidna and the manticores and the chimera were closing in and so was the hydra who still seemed to be getting over the pain from the manticore spine. What was he going to do? He knew he wasn’t going to like this plan, but it was all he could think of. He nocked an arrow and aimed at the hydra, the poison emanating off the arrowhead. He took a deep breath and fired the arrow slicing off one of the heads. It roared and everyone turned toward Hunter.

“Hey, monsterface! Over here!” Hunter shouted, waving his arms. They hydra grew its heads back and then shot poison at him, but Hunter managed to leap into another tree. Hunter fired another arrow, slicing off another head. Hunter knew that he was just making things worse, but now he had the hydra  right where he wanted it. Hunter fired another arrow which sliced off another head and then climbed down before taking off into the woods. He went slow, but soon he could hear branches snapping and trees falling down which meant that the hydra was chasing him.

They hydra frighteningly close and Hunter saw venom spit landing all around him.Thankfully none of it on him. Hunter whipped around and fired another arrow into its head, but then tripped over something and toppled to the ground. He looked up as the hydra towered over him and he started to scramble backward, but his hand landed on something. It felt like a bunch of snakes or a head? He looked and saw a pile of snakes in a box and Hunter grabbed it and held it up, hoping he knew what it was that was in this box. The hydra had a mouthful of poison when it laid eyes on the medusa head. The sound was significant. The quiet cracking as it started slowly to turn to stone and a moment later a giant statue of the hydra stood in front of him. There was a sizzling and Hunter looked down to see the medusa head slowly dissolving with the hydra venom. Hunter gasped a little and dropped it, hoping none of the poison got on him. He watched as the head dissolved to dust and Hunter cursed under his breath.

“There goes our best weapon.” Hunter said with a sigh. Hunter brushed himself off and then started back toward the other group. He wasn’t sure how long he had been running, but it felt like a long time before he broke into the clearing again. Echidna immediately looked at him and cried out.

“YOU KILLED MY BABY! YOU ALL KILLED MY BABIES!” she shrieked before turning toward Will and attacking. Hunter was about to go help, but a familiar beast stepped in his way. The chimera, lion head snarling ran at him. It pounced and Hunter quickly slashed at it and dodged around before Marina appeared at his side.

“I’ll take the snake side. You can wrangle the lion’s fire.” Hunter said before rolling around the chimera and immediately dodging a snake strike from the chimera’s serpent tail. Hunter moved and Marina slashed, working like two cogs in a machine. Hunter glanced around and saw that Kyle had the manticore tails wrapped up like a bouquet of flowers so that they couldn’t move. Hunter turned back and saw Will holding his own against Echidna, but Hunter could tell he was getting a little tired. Echidna was strong and fast. Hunter faced the chimera again and when it lunged, he caught the tail with his knives and sliced it off, causing the chimera to roar our in pain. Marina took the opportunity to slam her sword into its head pinning it to the ground. She placed a hand on its nose and in a moment, it burst into flames, leaving a small pile of dust in its wake.

“Kyle!” Hunter turned and saw Will running at the somehow free manticores, Kyle lying motionless between them. Hunter looked over at Marina who looked broken. She wasn’t sure what to do. The manticores moved in quickly and grabbed them, holding them in place. Echidna cackled and approached them.

“You’ve tried so hard and now it’s all come crashing down. You’re the camp’s leaders. The 4 of you.” Echidna got in Hunter’s face and with a razor sharp claw flicked open Hunter’s jacket and clawed his chest, leaving a nice cut on his chest. “Especially you, mortal. Hunter. You grew up here. You’ve been here longer than anyone except Chiron and Dionysus.” Hunter’s eyes couldn’t help, but float over to the motionless body of Kyle laying on the ground. His heart clenched and his stomach dropped. Kyle was one of his best friends. He was brought back to the matter at hand by a loud roar that came from behind Echidna. Hunter looked up and saw Peleus burst in, Argus on his back. Argus leapt off the dragon’s back and with a large sword ran right at Echidna. Hunter was shocked to see it. Argus had always been so calm and now he was attacking the mother of all monsters singlehandedly…and was winning. Hunter noticed that Echidna seemed too frozen in fear to try and attack and all she could do was dodge around Argus’ strikes. Hunter looked over and Peleus jumped and swung his tail, knocking two manticores off into the woods. With a roar and a fireball, the manticores that were holding up Hunter burst into dust. Hunter landed on the ground and immediately ran forward to attack Echidna, but Argus stood there, sword in hand, looking down at the pile of dust that used to be Echidna.

“Oh my gods, Kyle!” Hunter turned around and saw Marina cradling Kyle. “Thank Olympus…”

“I’m fine, Marina. I’ve just got a headache.” Kyle said, rubbing his head.

“Hunter!” Hunter turned again and saw Chiron entering the clearing. “We’ve done it! The monsters are retreating!” Hunter smiled and breathed a sigh of relief, but he was quickly reminded of the problem in Manhattan.

“We need to get to Manhattan. When I left, things were going okay, but Prometheus and his army had pulled back a part of the soldiers.” Hunter said with a sigh. “I don’t know if we can beat him, Chiron. I’ve fought him twice now and he can see everything that I’m going to do. He’ll dodge everything that we can possibly throw at him.”

“Well, how was Echidna defeated?” Marina walked over and joined the group, Kyle leaning on her, her eyes red from tears. “Argus killed Echidna the first time. She was afraid and it threw her off. I have an idea that might throw Prometheus off his game. Kyle take off your shoes.”

Chapter 28 - Will

Will threw his trident into Agrius, exploding him into dust just as Will tapped his scythe into the ground, vines shooting up and wrapping around Oreius’ neck. They squeezed tighter and tighter and then picked him up. Oreius snarled and squirmed trying to break free, but the vines held him until he turned to dust. Will reached into his bag and grabbed the box with Medusa’s head in it. He pulled it out and opened it, but before he could use it Echidna knocked it out of his hand.

“You try to use that gorgon’s head against me?!” She hissed pushing Will backward. Kyle and Marina appeared on either side of him and helped him up. “I am older than medusa and her sisters. I am older than all of them! I am the mother of them all!”

“Why would you work with Prometheus?” Will said, drawing his sword. “Do you think that if he takes over monsters are going to be treated differently? The Titans are no better than the gods!”

“The titans haven’t been killing my babies since day one! During the Golden age the titans ruled in peace! It wasn’t until the gods took over that you demigods started killing my babies.” She hissed as she strafed the three of them. Will gripped his sword tightly, waiting for an attack. “You children don’t realize that it was the gods who started the fighting.”

“What are you talking about? Kronos swallowed his children. He ruled out of fear.” Marina said from Will’s left. Echidna laughed an evil cackle that sent shivers up Will’s spine.

“Kronos may have swallowed his children, but it was Rhea and that blasted Zeus that started the fighting. They’re probably the same people who told you that Kronos was an evil ruler.” Echidna hissed and let out a whistle. Will braced himself for something to happen, but nothing came. “Zeus is the one ruling in fear. Why is it that you’re fighting for them? Hmm? You’re afraid to disobey.” There was a roar and Peleus came bursting through the trees, the Golden Fleece, wrapped around the collar on his neck. A really big dog collar that looked it belonged on a really big dog. It made Will wonder for a moment what Peleus looked like to mortals. He was quickly shaken back to the now when Peleus landed in front of them and snarled.

“Peleus, attack her!” Kyle said, pointing at Echidna. Echidna just laughed and pet Peleus’ head.

“Calm, my child. Children, you haven’t realized that Peleus here is my child.” Echidna kissed Peleus lightly on the head then turned with a fangful grin on her face. “How will it feel to be killed by the own guardian of your precious camp? Attack.” Peleus lunged forward and snapped at the three of them. Will dodged around and hesitated swinging his sword. The dragon guarded the camp. Will didn’t want to kill it. It had been loyal to the camp except for its mother. There was a crack and rustle and Peleus roared. Will looked up and saw Argus smack Peleus in the head with a club. Peleus snarled at him and Argus looked sad. Argus raised Peleus and now it was about to attack him. Argus took off again and Peleus followed, lumbering off through the woods. Will turned to Echidna who seemed frozen in fear before taking off through the trees, surprisingly fast for her size. Will was about to chase after, but there was a loud squeal and he turned to see a giant…pig? It crashed through the trees and swept through a crowd of monsters, trampling them to dust.

“Hey, guys!” Will narrowed his eyes and saw a figure waving at them.

“Is that…Hunter?” Kyle said, looking up at the pig. Hunter drove the pig through another line of monsters, kicking up dust as it flew. “Ulysses has gotten fat.” Kyle said with an impressed little ‘huh.’ There was the sound of a tree toppling and a giant lizard with 5 head emerged, poison dripping from its mouths. Behind it came several hellhounds, barking and snarling at them.

“Look alive!” Will said as he charged with his sword. He slashed through a hellhound and then sliced through one of the hydra heads. He backed up and watched as the head grew back along with another head.

“Will, it’s a hydra! Stop it!” Marina said, dodging a hellhound and then stabbing through its back. Will cursed under his breath and sliced through a hellhound and then dodged around the hydra. The heads reared back in preparation to spit acid on them.

“Hey!” Will looked up and saw the pig kick one of the heads in the chin, Hunter shouting down at them. The hydra roared and turned to face the pig as it turned around. “Look out!” Hunter shouted, pointing behind them as the pig went for a kick, but was met with a torrent of poison. The pig squealed in agony and Hunter stood on the pig’s back quickly sheathing his knives. The pig glided until it smacked into a tree and exploded into dust, tossing Hunter who disappeared into the trees. Will turned around with just enough time to dodge a spike flying at him. It flew past his head and hit the hydra which roared in pain and reared up, swinging its heads and toppling a tree. Echidna emerged from the woods with 3 manticores and the chimera lurking menacingly behind them. Will turned around and saw the hydra still thrashing in agony then turned back to Echidna. They were caught between two dangerous enemies.

“Shall we flip a coin?” Will muttered as he drew his trident, choosing where to attack first.

Chapter 27 - Hunter

Hunter stood and looked through the crowd, seeing Prometheus weaving through the mobs, trying to retreat. Hunter grabbed his knives and took off after him, slicing into a monster or two on the way. There was another screech and Hunter froze as a large shadow passed over him. The monsters scattered and Hunter looked up, gasped and rolled out of the way just as a huge chunk of a building landed in front of him, blocking his path to Prometheus. Hunter looked up and watched as a large golden bird swept through the crowd, knocking monsters and demigods around.

“That…is a big bird.” Hunter said as he put away his knives and drew his bow, nocking an arrow and firing at it, the huge arrow blasting through a couple of Laistrygonians and nearly missed the eagle, slamming into one of the buildings right below where a child of Hypnos was standing. He wobbled as a crack shot up the wall and spread a little bit more. Hunter cursed under his breath and slipped his bow over his shoulder before taking off toward him.

“You cannot kill me!” Hunter looked over as Philippa squared off with the giant man in the toga and batter armor. “As long as my feet touch the ground, my mother, Gaea, keeps me alive!”

“Hunter!” Philippa shouted as she dodged a giant fist that left a crater in the pavement. Hunter cursed under his breath and quickly drew his bow, notched an explosive arrow, turned, and fired, aiming right at the giant’s face. Before the arrow collided, Hunter took off again, but he smiled faintly when he heard the BOOM of the arrow hitting its target. There was a screech and Hunter looked up at the eagle which was flying straight toward him.

“I am busy!” Hunter shouted as he ducked into the alley and leapt onto the ladder leading up the building. Hunter climbed quickly, hanging off the side to avoid a beak and the talons of the bird attacking him. He pulled himself up onto the roof just in time to bump into the fleeing child of Hypnos. “Clovis! Stop!” Hunter shouted, grabbing him by the shoulders.

“Hunter, look out!” Hunter turned around and ducked, yanking Clovis down with him just as a large beak snapped at him, large wings tossing his hair around. There was a loud crack and Hunter looked over as the corner of the building cracked off and fell to the ground with a smash. “I hope no one owned that car.” Clovis mumbled, closing his eyes and putting his head down.

“Clovis! Ugh…Fine. Stay here.” Hunter said, rolling his eyes. Hunter stood and looked around, listening for the sound of wings. He turned and rolled to the side as razor sharp talons raked the roof of the building. Hunter quickly notched an arrow and fired. The arrow sank into the eagle’s back and it screeched in pain. It quickly circled around and Hunter fired and fired again and again. He could see dust leaking from where arrows hit, but it didn’t seem to be slowing it down. Hunter braced himself just as a wave of dust washed over him. He slowly opened his eyes and saw two enormous wings lying on the roof. Hunter took a deep breath and turned to Clovis. “Would you get up!? There’s a war going on if you didn’t notice.” Hunter said, kicking him in the ribs. Clovis groaned and rolled over, sitting up.

“Fine. Fine.” Hunter looked over the side and scanned the battle. There were a lot of piles of dust, but among them were downed half-bloods. Hunter’s eyes saw the canine looking man swinging a lightpole at several demigods, smacking a hellhound into dust in the process. There was a squeal and Hunter looked over and saw the Manny running after a giant flying pig. Hunter rubbed his eyes and shook his head. No. He wasn’t seeing things.

“HELP! HUNTER!” Hunter turned immediately and looked down off the side. Philippa was on the ground and the man in the toga was lumbering toward her. The same man who he had shot in the face with an exploding arrow. Hunter quickly notched another and aimed down. He fired and the arrow zoomed and blew up on impact, leaving an empty space where the giant’s head was. Hunter quickly descended the fire escape and helped Philippa up.

“You are a slow learner, mortal!” Hunter turned and watched as the man’s head grew back. Hunter fired a regular arrow and it burst out his back, leaving a hole in his chest. Hunter watched in surprise as it closed up.  “As long as my feet rest on the ground, I cannot be killed!” Hunter heard a squeal in the distance and watched as the pig flew around behind the giant. Hunter thought for a second and nocked a tripwire arrow.

“Hunter, what are you doing?” Philippa said quietly. “He can’t be killed on the ground.” Hunter dodged around a giant fist and then fired. He waited and then fired. The arrow shot through, leaving a hole in his chest and then flying through the rope dragging against the wound that quickly sealed around the rope. There was a squeal as the arrow landed into the pig behind him. Antaeus looked down as the road went taut and he was pulled by the pig.

“Stay safe, Philippa.” Hunter said, quickly kissing her on the lips and then grabbing the end of the rope just as Antaeus and he were lifted into the air. Hunter climbed the rope and grabbed his knife. Antaeus scratched at the rope, but it was stuck.

“What is this?! No! No!” Antaeus screamed as he shifted, trying to free himself. Hunter climbed and climbed and finally stabbed his knife into Antaeus’ stomach. Dust poured out of the wound and Antaeus didn’t reform. He slowly wasted away until the rope was clean. Hunter relaxed a little, but quickly tensed again when he realized he was swinging through the air on a rope that was stuck in a giant flying pig. Hunter started climbing again, his arms burning as he finally reached the pig’s side.

“You blasted pig!” Hunter glanced down and saw Manny still chasing the pig. Hunter sank his knife into the pig’s side and then drew his other knife. Slowly he climbed up, sinking his blades into the pig’s shoulders. The pig was headed straight for a building and reflexively braced himself, gripping his knives to hold on and surprisingly the pig moved with him. Hunter wobbled his knives and the pig wobbled with them. Hunter smiled a little and shook his head.

“I can’t believe I’m riding a giant pig.” Hunter said as he descended a little bit.

“You stole my kill, you stupid sow!” Hunter lowered again and looked at Manny. He was sprinting after the pig and Hunter looked at the end of the road where water spread in front of him. Hunter zoomed forward through the buildings just as a searing ball of fire came swishing past them.

“Just to the river.” Hunter muttered as he dodged another fireball. Manny followed closely and stared up at the pig, not noticing when they started flying over water. With a big splash, Manny landed in the water, steam rising up around him.

“I’m going to kill both of you! You stupid sons of—“ Manny was dragged under the water and hopefully back to Tartarus. Hunter turned around and aimed faced camp.

“Time to give some very odd back up.”

Chapter 26 - Will

Will looked out at the water and sighed a little. “I’m going to need your help on this one, dad.” He sighed a little and watched as the waves rolled in a little bit closer. He knew that they would look to him for direction. He was older and his brother had been a leader. “Dad, I know your busy, but anything you can do will help.” Will thought a moment then grabbed his bag. He opened it and pulled out Kampe’s scimitars. “These are for you. Thank you, dad.” Will nodded before throwing the swords into the water and he watched as they were taken away in the current.

“Will, everyone is ready. You okay?” Will turned and saw Penny walking up behind him. Will nodded and walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her.

“I’m nervous, Penny.” Will said with a sigh. “I know the camp is looking to me, but I really don’t know what to do.” Will took a deep breath and pulled away a little.

“Will, I’ve got your back the whole time. So do Kyle and Marina and even though Hunter and Philippa left they have it too. Will, you’re going to do great.” Penny said, hugging him again and kissing his cheek. Will smiled a little and kissed her gently on the lips. He took her hand and together they started walking back to camp. Will adjusted his armor as he walked and drew his trident, the weapon humming in his hand. A crowd of campers was gathered in the middle of the camp surrounding the fire crackling brightly.

“Chiron, what’s the update?” Will asked quietly, looking at the campers as they shifted nervously among themselves, weapons and armor clinking together.

“Manhattan is prepared and scouts have said that the monsters have moved from the road. We’ve lost track of them, but they said that Echidna has led them into the woods.” Chiron’s eyes were calm, but there was a sense of worry in his expression.

“Fighting in the woods gives them the advantage. We can’t wait for them to come out. We’ll lose the camp.” Will sighed. “We’ll have to take the fight to them.” There was a series of loud thumps and Will looked over and saw one of the bronze bulls lumbering toward them. Will gripped his trident and was about to attack, but saw a familiar figure standing on top.

“No! Don’t attack!” Marina shouted, waving her arms. The bull stopped by the crowd and Marina slid off. “I’ve repaired it and reprogrammed it. This thing is going to  even the odds a little, I think.”

“Will! Will!” Will turned quickly and saw Kyle pointing toward the woods. Above the trees a cloud of black poured out and started getting closer, the sound of horrible wings ringing through the camp.

“Camp Half-Blood!” Will raised his trident and drew his sword. “Charge!” Will shouted, running forward. They had to get into the trees. The Stymphalian birds would tear them apart in the open. They had to get into the woods and that’s exactly where the monsters were waiting. The bull with Marina on top charged forward and navigated through the camp before charging through into the woods, toppling trees and stomping monsters into dust. Will smiled a little and ran forward, looking over and seeing Penny on one side and Kyle on the other. As soon as they burst into the woods, the three of them separated and Will immediately stabbed into a hellhound, swinging his sword into a skeleton warrior walking up, knocking it to dust.

“Who was the 13^th president of the United States?” Will stabbed through an attacking harpy and swung his trident, knocking a few Stymphalian birds into a tree when he saw who spoke. It looked like a woman, but had the body of a lion and when she spoke, sharp fangs showed.

“I’m sorry?” Will said, stopping for a moment in slight confusion. He gripped his sword, but took a cautious step closer.

“Who was the 13^th president of the United States?” The beast repeated, a smile on her face. Will shrugged.

“I have no idea.” Will said with a shrug.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. That is incorrect.” The monster lunged forward and snapped it, claws slashing. Will dodged around her and swung at her with his sword.

“Wait a minute! You’re a sphinx!” Will said as he caught her snapping mouth on the handle of his trident, pushing her against a tree. It clawed at him and slashed him across his cheek causing him to stumble backward and trip over a tree root. The Sphinx pounced and Will raised his sword, slashing through it as it jumped, landing in a spray of dust. Will shook his head and stood. “Crazy…insane…Statue thing.” Will dusted himself off and ran toward the sounds of battle. Will slashed through a Laistrygonian giant when I giant club smashed into a tree next to him. Will looked and saw Kyle dodging around the large fists of the minotaur. “Kyle!”

“I’m good!” Kyle said as his scythe got knocked out of his hand and lodged itself into a tree behind him. The minotaur knocked Kyle to the side and then took off after Will. Will raised his sword, but the minotaur faceplanted into the ground and then had thick vines wrap around his neck, dragging him back. “I said I got it!” Kyle said, wiping the blood from his lip and slamming his scythe into the ground. The vines tightened and raised the minotaur up and pulling it apart until it exploded in a cloud of dust, two horns landing with a thud. Will laughed a little and patted him on the shoulder. 

“Help!” Will turned and saw Marina fall off the back of the bull. She was shoved off by a giant man with a bear head and a thick coat of fur. It growled then hopped down where he was joined by a beast just like itself. They stood over her and snarled viciously down at her.

“Agrius! Oreius!” Will and Kyle ran toward the scene where a terrifying snake woman slithered by them. “You—“ A dark black harpy zoomed toward her and landed on her arm. Kyle and Will ran faster and faster. “—Send Chaz and the eagle.”

“But, mistress—“ The harpy hissed.

“I don’t care about the titan’s problems. He will accept what I can give him.” The snake woman hissed. “Tell them to bring me the head of that Hunter boy.”

Chapter 25 - Hunter

Chiron stared at Hunter, his gaze penetrating his mind. Hunter didn’t want anyone else to get hurt. They already had too many in the infirmary. He looked around the room and toward the infirmary door. This needed to stop.

“Hermes, Dionysus, Athena, Demeter, Hephaestus, and Will can stay here and defend the camp.” Hunter said with a nod, leaning over the table. “Everyone else will go to Manhattan.  We’ll need Hypnos to corner off the battlefield. They can make the mortals sleep, so they don’t get hurt. I think if we can take care of Echidna here then Typhon will stop trying to break out. The gods will then be free to help us in Manhattan.” Hunter ran his fingers through his hair.

“I’ll stay here and direct things. I’ll have Argus load up the van.” Chiron explained. “You and Philippa can take pegasi and they’ll meet you there. Prometheus wouldn’t try a full attack yet. He’s smart.” Hunter nodded.

“Good luck, sir.” Hunter said with a quiet sigh

“You too, Hunter.” Chiron trotted over and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m very proud of you, Hunter. Very proud.” Hunter nodded and then left, headed straight for the Aphrodite cabin.

He knocked on the door and Philippa answered. She looked surprised which made Hunter confused for a moment. She closed the door behind her and walked out.

“Hunter, what’s going on?” Philippa asked. She was already equipped for the fight because of the Nemean Lion attack.  Hunter looked at her and sighed a little.

“We need to go. We’re going to meet the other campers in the city. Come on.” Hunter explained, looking at her. She looked nervous. He wasn’t surprised. Hunter was feeling pretty nervous himself. Hunter put his arms around her and kissed her on the lips. Just in case one of them didn’t make it back. After a moment and a couple of people clearing their throats, Hunter broke away, putting his forehead on hers. “Everything is going to be fine.” He said quietly. She nodded softly and they walked to the stables.

“Hunter, be careful, okay? I’ve known you long enough to know that you tend to take risks and I’m asking you to just be careful.” Philippa said quietly. Hunter nodded. He didn’t want to talk. It seemed to tense to talk. Not that the mood between the two of them was tense, but the situation they were in and were about to be in just made things uncomfortable. Hunter got onto Ulysses’ back and took off with Philippa close behind him. It wasn’t long before they were in New York. They landed and trotted inside the Empire State building.

“You can’t ride horses in here!” The man at the desk complained, but Hunter just ignored him, sliding off and walking out and turning toward the bridge. Right on the other side was Prometheus and his army. Hunter was anxious. He wanted this to be done, but he didn’t want to fight. He never wanted to fight, but this needed to stop. He took Philippa’s shaky hand and sat down in front of the building, looking toward the bridge. Hunter kept watch, but he even found himself shaking a little. The odds looked bad and Hunter wasn’t going to lie to himself. A few moments later, a few vans pulled up, Delphi Strawberry Service scrawled across the side. Campers in full Greek armor and weapons spilled  out. Hunter shook himself a little and stood.

“Hypnos! We’ll need you on the rooftops.” Hunter said, directing them where they need to go. Once all the campers were out, Hunter walked to the driver’s window. “Tell, Chiron that we’re all setup here. We’ll keep posted.” Argus nodded and blinked his eyes in a tidal wave down his neck and then drove off, leading the other vans behind. Hunter watched them go and then turned to the campers-turned soldiers that stood there, looking at him for direction. He didn’t know what to do. He wasn’t a leader. He was just a kid. He turned toward them and looked at Philippa for a moment. He glanced around and saw mortals falling asleep around them. Hunter sighed and kind of wished that he could just fall asleep. He looked past them at the bridge. They would be coming soon. “The gods have asked us for protection. Our parents demand that we protect their home. Protect it from monsters and titans and giants and everything that would threaten them. In exchange we have to give up camp. They ask once again to put their priorities ahead of ours. Camp Half-Blood has been my home! For 14 years, I have lived and practiced and trained at Camp and now I have to give that up to save the gods once again.” Hunter sighed and looked around a moment. “Fight hard. Fight smart. Fight fast. We can kill them and they stay dead. We will win today. We will win and then we will go back to camp and we will win there and we will show the gods that we are capable of taking care of business when they cannot. We will win! Maybe the gods will owe us something!  Who’s with me?!” The soldiers raised their weapons and were about to cheer when the roar and rumble of the army crossing the bridge shattered their fire. Hunter knew they were motivated. It was just a matter of leading. “Archers!” Hunter drew his bow and turned to Dana who looked at him through her helmet. “On your count.” He said, notching an explosive arrow. The enemy army was led by Prometheus on a chariot. On either side of him stood lines of Laistrygonians and empousai and horrible looking snake women. Towering over the groups were three figures, the ones from his dream. The angry looking man they called Manny and the one in beaten armor. Then there was one that looked like a dog, but instead of the canine features he had an actual dog head, snarling and barking at the army of demigods. Hunter was a little intimidated by the army.

“Fire!” Dana shouted, releasing the string of her bow and firing her arrow into the charging army. Prometheus easily dodged out of the way, but the rest of the army wasn’t so lucky. Several giants burst into dust, leaving piles that were trampled on by the monsters behind them. Hunter changed to regular arrows and fired several times, a cloud of arrows from the archers sweeping out masses of monsters. The hellhounds were quick though and so was the giant man who had put on worn armor over his toga.

“Charge!” Hunter shouted as he grabbed a nearby spear and threw it into the man in the toga and then ran past him, drawing his knives. Hunter charged, dodging around monsters and swinging his knives with ferocity, killing monster after monster, leaving behind piles of dust that blew away in the wind. Hunter leapt off the back of a downed hellhound and stabbed into two more, looking up and seeing Prometheus, stepping off his chariot.

“Hunter, you realize how hopeless this is?” He drew a small dagger and walked toward Hunter, taking small practice swings. “I’ve seen the future. I’ve seen your death. It’s…very soon.” Hunter dashed forward and slashed, but Prometheus easily parried the strike, responding with a downward slash of his own knife that Hunter rolled out of the way of.

“You’ve been wrong before.” Hunter said, twirling one of his knives in his hand. “The future can change.” Hunter quickly attacked several times in repetition, but Prometheus dodged and parried all of his attacks. Hunter backed away and blocked his attacks. Prometheus swept at Hunter’s feet and knocked him down, standing over him, knife raised.

“It’s time, Hu—“ There was a loud squeal followed by a screech that made Prometheus freeze in terror. Hunter looked up and saw two winged shadows pass overhead and when he looked back at Prometheus, he was gone.

Chapter 24 - Hunter

“And then we came back to camp. We figured that you and Philippa and Den—“ Will glanced around the room. “Where is Denny?” Hunter sighed and looked at Philippa a second.

“Denny wasn’t…real.” Hunter said, standing up. Everyone looked at him like he was crazy.  “Denny wasn’t actually a satyr. He wasn’t actually the satyr that brought you here, Kyle. He wasn’t actually a he.”

“Hunter, what are you talking about? We all saw him. I remember him coming to my house and bringing me here.” Kyle said with a nod. Hunter took the sunglasses off his shirt and slipped them on.

“Do you, though?” Hunter sighed and thought about Denny. Apate. The satyr that she transformed into. Everyone in the room gasped and he looked down to see hooves. “See? Denny was Apate in disguise. We kind of…trapped her in the underworld and in exchange for us letting her go, she gave me…these.” He said, pulling off the sunglasses and breaking the disguise.

“Is she working with Echidna or Prometheus?” Chiron asked in his calm voice. “You letting her go might have been a bad idea.” Hunter studied the ground. Chiron was right, but pissing off another god was NOT on Hunter’s to do list. He needed all the help he could get against Prometheus.

“She didn’t say that she was and if she were, then she could have just killed us.” Marina said in Hunter’s defense. Hunter smiled a little at Marina and then realized she had some explaining to do.

“Marina, why didn’t you tell us that you could control fire?” Hunter said, looking from Marina to Kyle. Marina looked a little sad, but Kyle looked angry. He looked betrayed and Hunter completely understood.

“I…I just—“

“I imagine she was afraid of being judged.” Chiron said. Hunter turned toward him in surprise a little. “The last demigod that could control fire made a mess of things.  Since then, we’ve always been afraid that another one would show up and make another mess. I think Marina has done splendidly even with her gift.” Hunter sat down and looked across at Marina.

“So, that bull just blasted you with fire and you just stood there? It didn’t hurt or anything?” Marina sighed.

“I felt it. I felt the heat. It just didn’t burn me like it would you.” She took a little breath. “And then I forced it up into its throat.” She glanced over at Kyle who turned away and ran his fingers through his hair.

“Where did those things come from?” Kyle asked, changing subjects.

“How did the fleece disappear? What happened to it?” Hunter leaned over the table a little. He hated not knowing. That stupid casino had made this way more difficult than it could have been.

“Peleus. He flew off with it one morning.” Will said, leaning back in his chair, idly spinning his trident in his hand. “We don’t know why or where he is now, but Peleus’ mother was Echidna. It’s possible she called for him and he ran. Despite him being raised and trained here.”

“Without the fleece our borders are weak. It’s possible that the monsters could be staging an assault on the camp.” Chiron’s face seemed older. It always did when he became concerned. At least, concerned to this degree.

“Echidna is angry. We kill her children constantly.” Hunter said quietly. “She’d attack us, but Prometheus thinks bigger. He’s going to attack  Olympus and with our forces split like they will be, here and Manhattan, he’s going to make short work of us.”

“Let’s just hope the gods can force Typhon back down. Maybe they can help.” Chiron sat down in his wheelchair. “Get some rest, children. We’ll need to start planning tomorrow.”

As Hunter slept that night, he dreamed again. He was in the middle of Manhattan. There was the restaurant that Chiron took him to on his 9^th birthday. There was the arcade that Hunter went to when he was 8. He walked there from camp and Chiron was worried sick. Hunter was most upset because it ruined his score on Ms. Pacman. Hunter stood and everything seemed to move around him. The image zoomed from the city to near outside the city. There stood an army of Cyclopes and hyperboreans. Monsters and the few people he had seen in his other dream. The image shifted again he saw a mob of monsters, some that Hunter had seen before, but several he hadn’t. They were marching and Hunter knew exactly where they were. They were a lot closer then Hunter was expecting. They would be there within the week.  Hunter tried to wake up, but the image shifted again. It didn’t stop this time. His head started hurting, like someone was trying to break into it with a hammer. Suddenly the image shattered and he was in a dark room, Artemis standing in front of him.

“Hunter, I gave you direct orders and yet you defy them!” Artemis stepped forward and looked down at him, her eyes burning a hole through him. “I told you to meet up with the Hunters. Yet here you are. Sleeping back at camp.”

“Camp isn’t safe!” Hunter stood up, surprising Artemis a little. “You’re busy fighting Typhon, but I’m here trying to take care of everything else! Camp is in danger. It’s about to be attacked by an army bigger than I have ever seen. Manhattan, and that includes Mt. Olympus, is about to be attacked by an army of titans, monsters, giants, Cyclopes, and all that other stuff. Too many to count. Instead of you climbing onto my back like a howler monkey, shouting into my ear, think about what’s at stake! You might not have any kids at camp, but think of the priorities! Now, wake me up.” He said firmly, folding his arms across his chest, his breathing a little heavy. She paused for a moment before snapping her fingers.

Hunter woke up and slipped on clothes, immediately leaving his cabin. “Chiron! Chiron!” Hunter said, bursting into the Big house. “They’re close.” Hunter ran his fingers through his hair. His dream was so short, but he had been sleeping for hours. He could tell. “In my dream. Echidna to the north of camp. She’s marching with an army of monsters. Prometheus and his army are on their way to Manhattan. We need to do something.” Hunter said, almost pleadingly. Chiron looked at him and a pensive look spread across his face.

“We need to split our forces up. We have no other choice.” Chiron said, standing up out of his wheelchair and starting to strap on armor. “I’ll send messages to anyone I can get a hold of. Maybe we can get some reinforcements.”

“To the border!” Hunter heard ruckus outside. Without saying anything, he left the Big house and ran. He sprinted toward the border, past Thalia’s Pine. The patrol was locked in combat with a giant golden beast. Hunter had seen it before. He happened to still carry a piece of him around. Hunter drew his daggers and ran at the Nemean Lion. It roared and swept its paws, knocking several campers off their feet. Hunter jumped and sank his knife into its back, the Nemean Lion claw, sinking through its original owner’s flesh. It roared in pain and reared back, but Hunter kept a tight grip. The Lion growled and then started running. Hunter straddled the lion and rode him down the street. With every pick up in speed the dagger cut a little bit deeper into the Nemean Lion’s metal hide. Hunter didn’t want to let this thing live. The next time this thing was killed, it was going to stay dead. For a long time. Hunter grabbed a handful of the lion’s mane and pulled the knife out, stabbing again and again into the back of its neck. He could feel the beast slowing and finally it collapsed into a pile of dust, leaving a thick golden hide behind. Hunter brushed himself off. If they’re attacking this soon, we might not have people left to send to Manhattan. Hunter thought to himself as he picked the hide up. It was light and before his eyes it transformed into a dark brown leather jacket. If Hunter was going to war, having an invincible jacket was certainly going to help. Hunter slipped it on and walked back to camp, watching the injured being hauled into the infirmary. All of this was because Prometheus. Prometheus opened Tartarus. Prometheus rallied the monsters. He was attacking. Hunter’s home was threatened. Hunter entered the Big house and looked Chiron right in the eyes.

“I don’t care who else is going, but I am going to Manhattan and I am going to kill Prometheus.”

Chapter 23 - Will

Will’s eyes were getting heavy, but he knew he had to keep going. He knew he was close to San Antonio and the sun was starting to go down. The fight had tired him out a little, even though it was in water. It could have been the scimitar’s poison working out of his system or something, but the sooner they got to San Antonio, the sooner he could be done with this. He looked down and ahead of him was the bright lights of San Antonio and his eventual destination, but he needed a break. He looked for a place to land and right below him his eye rested on a comfortable looking campfire. From his position he could see 2 figures and a horse.

“That must be Kyle and Marina.” Will said with a yawn. “Let’s go.” Hurricane nodded then made his descent, gently landing next the campfire. Will slid off and walked toward them only to be met with Marina’s arms around his neck.

“I was going to take us all the way to San Antonio, but she had us stop here.” Kyle said, walking up behind her. Marina pulled away and then punched Will in the chest.

“Don’t be stupid!” She said, pointing a finger in his face. “Do you have any idea what could have happened?! You know who’s the one that would end up telling Penny that her boyfriend is dead? ME! Tell her that boyfriend is dead because he jumped off a flying horse and landed in a smear on the ground? ME!” She punched him again and Will put his hand on his chest, rubbing the sore spot. “Think next time!” She said with a sigh before hugging him again and going back to the fire. Will opened his mouth to speak, but just ended up groaning a little and rubbing his chest.

“I kill Kampe and she punches me in the chest.” Will said, rubbing his chest. Kyle took a deep breath.

“I’d punch you, too, but I know how hard she punches.” Kyle said before walking back to the campfire, sitting down next to Marina. Will grabbed his bag off Hurricane’s back. He walked over to the campfire and knelt down, slipping off his shirt. He hunched over his bag, looking for clothes and some ambrosia.

“Will, did you get hurt?” Marina said, sitting up and looking at his back. Will put a hand on his back and felt the thin white scar, streaking across his back.

“Uhh…Yeah. I’m fine.” Will said, pulling out another shirt and slipping it on. “I promise.” He yawned and sat back, taking a bite out of a square of ambrosia. It tasted like a deep dish pizza from Pizzeria Uno back in Chicago. He took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. “We should get back in the sky soon. We can get to the Alamo and then head back to camp tomorrow morning.” Marina looked at him for a second with a concerned look, leaning back into Kyle’s side. Will sighed a little and wished that Penny were here with them. He rubbed his eyes. The ambrosia was helping him wake up and he was starting to feel a lot better.

“We only camped here because Marina forced Petunia to land. She thought you were dead.” Kyle said, rubbing Marina’s arm. “We can take off whenever you’re ready.” Will looked at them across the fire and ran his fingers through his hair.

“I’m sorry, guys.” Will said, hanging his head a little. “I didn’t want you guys to get hurt and I knew I’d be fine. And I am. See? Fit as a uh…What is it?” He flexed and paused, trying to think of the word. “Thingie.” Marina and Kyle laughed a little and then a lot and Will smiled, taking a deep breath. He was glad. “So, can you forgive me? I promise I won’t go and worry you like that again.”

“I forgive you, but I’m positive that if Penny knew what you did she would kill you herself.” Marina said with a little laugh. Will took a little breath.

“And that’s why we’re not telling her, okay?” Will said with a grin. He hopped to his feet and then shouldered his bag. “Let’s get going, alright?” Kyle and Marina laughed a second then stood up. They put out the fire then walked back to the pegasi, vaulting on top then getting back into the sky.

“So, what are we to expect with this?” Kyle said, looking over at Will. “I hope I’m not the only one who has a bad feeling.”

“No, I feel it, too.” Will took a deep breath. “We’ll just have to find out.” It wasn’t long before they were landing in San Antonio, right outside the Alamo. Will slid off and grabbed his bag, shouldering it and tying Hurricane off in one of the courtyards. Will drew his sword, holding it tightly, his nerves forcing his hand into a white knuckle grip. It was late in the day, so the plaza was more or less empty. Marina quickly moved to the front of the group and placed a hand on the lock to the shrine.

“Door’s unlocked and alarm is disabled.” She whispered before opening the door. The shrine was silent, the only sound was the slight rustling of them walking inside. It opened to a small room with a small booth to the left for confession and an old looking baptismal to the right in its own concave, a small silver bowl on top of a pedestal. Will looked inside. There was no water and he grimaced a little in disappointment. Past the confessional was a room with tombs in it.

“How about we stay out of there?” Will muttered, making a little face at the prospect of seeing some dusty old monk bodies. They walked past and the room opened up a little. Will looked around and shrugged. There was nothing there. It was completely silent except for the sound of their breathing. Will sheathed his blade and shrugged. “What are we doing here?” Will said, his heartbeat, slowing back down.

“According to the prophecy, we’re in the hearty southern fort and we’re supposed to seek wings and overwhelm an enemy.” Kyle said, leaning on his scythe a little. Will rubbed his eyes and sighed. He looked over at Marina who was leaning up against a wall, tinkering with some scrap metal. She made a little helicopter that buzzed around Kyle’s head once before landing back in her hand. She looked up and saw Kyle and Will both looking at her.

“Oh, sorry.” She said, slipping it into her pocket and standing up straight. “So, what’s the plan?”

“You three can stay right here forever.” Will whipped around and saw a woman with crazy hair approaching them. She wore a dark black robe and Will could tell she had a big pair of sunglasses on from her silhouette. “You smell like the ocean. You Poseidon’s kid?” She asked, a smile on her face that seemed to glow with fangs and eyes that glowed red. As she approached, Will noticed something. Her hair wasn’t crazy. It was moving and hissing. They were snakes. She moved closer and was finally illuminated by the chandelier that hung in the middle of the room.

“Yeah. What about it, Medusa?” Will said, looking at her, knowing her gaze wouldn’t work through her sunglasses.

“Well, I just think that you would make a darling collectible. You and your brother and your father: All so handsome.” Will shuttered a little. Crazy snakehaired lady and she decides to flirt with him.

“Sorry. No can do.” Will said with a sigh as he drew his trident. She looked up and down. Will wasn’t sure if it was at him or the trident, but either way was gross.

“Why don’t you just leave it up to me?” Will watched as she reached for her glasses and Will ran off to a corner.

“Don’t look! You’ll turn to stone!” Will shouted, but Kyle and Marina had already taken cover.

“I don’t understand why you godlings always make it so difficult. You’re brother, Percy…” Medusa made a disgusted little grunt. “And they call me the monster.”

“Yeah. They do.” Will said, venturing a glance back, keeping his eyes low. She was slowly walking toward them, trying to decide who to attack first. She chose Kyle who was hiding around the corner in a little alcove. Her serpent hair, hissing as she grew closer. Will took this opportunity to slide out from his cover and run toward the front. He knew how medusa had been defeated. He needed a reflection. He entered the baptistry and tried to grab the silver bowl, but it was encased in the stone. He glanced back as Kyle and Marina blindly swung, trying to fend off the medusa. With a quick movement, she grabbed Kyle’s scythe and threw it to the side.

“Look up at me! Just a little look…” She said calmly before clawing at Marina, knocking her sword out of her hand. Will could tell that Kyle was trying to use some plants, but there was no source. They were surrounded in rock. Will turned back to the bowl.

“Hey, ugly!” He shouted back as he stuck his trident in the stone and attempted to pry it out. “I talked to my dad. He said that you were the worst he’s ever had.” Will heard and angry hiss and scowled a little as the bowl didn’t move.

“Lies! Don’t speak to me that way.” She hissed and he heard her moving closer.

“Out of his lips!” Will said. The bowl wouldn’t move. “Medusa was the ugliest, most foul, smelliest piece of monster crap—Oh forget it!” He shouted as he slammed into the pedestal, shattering it and sending cracks throughout the ground into the next room. The silver bowl clattered to his feet. He grabbed it and held it up, not wanting to turn around. Medusa quickly appeared in the view. He swung at her with his trident, only now realizing that his trident was really no good for slicing off a gorgon head. She snatched it and threw it across the room. She pinned Will to the wall and he shut his eyes tight. He’d rather be disemboweled then turned to stone.

“Hey, snakebreath!” Medusa let go of Will and turned and Will opened his eyes. Vines shot into the alcove and wrapped around Medusa’s eyes and arms and legs. In a flash she was yanked out of the room and Will stepped out to see her pinned against the ground.

“Release me this instant!” Will looked up and saw the chandelier right above her. He was about to speak, but Marina was already ahead of him. She released her helicopter and it flew up, severing the chain and releasing the chandelier which fell with a crash, slicing Medusa’s head and disintegrating her into dust. Will leaned on his trident a little.

“Well, that was fun.” He said with a small chuckle as he kicked the head which rolled face down into the corner. “Alright. Enemy overwhelmed. Now what? We need to find wings, right? She might have been here guarding them.” Kyle and Marina nodded.

“Let’s start looking.” Kyle said, sliding his scythe in trowel form into his pocket. Will turned immediately toward the tombs. What better place to hide something than with a dead body? He entered the room and he felt a cold wave pass through him. It creeped him out an the last thing he wanted to do was bust open one of these tombs and steal something. He had to complete the quest though. He raised his trident and braced himself to break it open.

“In here!”

“Oh, thank gods!” Will shouted, letting out a heavy sigh and leaning against his trident. He ran out and turned into a little storage room. There were robes hung on the wall and other miscellaneous things strewn about, but in Marina’s hands was a metal box. It seemed incredibly out of place, considering the Greek lettering on the side.

“The box has traps all over it. That’s how I was able to find it. I’ve disarmed them all, so it shouldn’t be a problem.” Marina slid the box open and inside were a pair of red converse sneakers, a little white wing by the heel. Will blinked a few times.

“That was so not worth it.” He said, glancing back toward the room where the medusa’s head was.

“No, no, no.” Kyle said, grabbing them out of the box. “Percy had a pair of these. I remember him mentioning them.” Kyle said, once again exhibiting his membership in the Percy Jackson fan club. He quickly kicked off his shoes and with an eager little laugh he slipped them on. “Right. We need a running start.” Kyle said before rushing out of the storage room. Marina sighed and stood up, holding the box under her arm. She walked out with Will and watched as Kyle burst out of the room. Medusa’s head still sat in the corner. Will looked at the box a moment then at Will and then the head.

“Alright. Head goes in the box.” Will said, walking over and picking up the head, spinning it a little like a basketball. He didn’t realize he was doing it until he saw the look on Marina’s face. “Oh. Right.” He said before placing the head in the box and taking it from her. He slipped it into Hurricane’s saddle bag and then looked over at Kyle. He was at the other end of the courtyard and was running right at the door. He had picked up speed, but nothing happened. “Maybe you need to say please.” Will suggested, teasing Kyle who was breathing heavily. He cursed at Will a moment before freezing.

“It needs a word or something. A magic word.” Kyle ran his fingers through his hair then ran back to the other end. He took a little breath and then sprinted at the doors again. He was up to a good speed when he took a deep breath. “Maia!” He shouted and the shoes’ wings popped out and started flapping, lifting him into the air on unstable wings. He had said it too late and instead it slammed him into the doors, knocking him on his back. Will burst out laughing and Marina ran to his side, laughing as well. “Alright. Let’s go now.” Kyle said with a groan as he lay there in a mix of pain and surprise.

“Yeah. Let’s go. Hunter and Philippa and Denny are probably back by now.”