Slowly, it disintegrated, like dust flying away with the wind. Beads of perspiration dripped from my head, I was panting hard. That thing, that monster, how can it be?! A minotaur, a greek mythological creature, or had my eyes been playing tricks on me. No, it was true, it felt too real to just be a dream. I killed it, with my own hands, with a tree branch and a kitchen knife. I was in a dilemma of thoughts.
At that moment, my head felt burningly hot, my vision blurred. My legs went limp and I collapsed. I was paralysed and as I opened my mouth to scream, nothing came out. What was happening? Then I heard voices, foot steps, closing in every single second.
Suddenly, something extremely weird happened. Well, that's an understatement since so much absurd and insane situations have happened today. Back to the story, I felt like I have been portal-led to another world. At first, I saw a guy in khaki Bermuda shorts and a Hawaiian shirt. He was handsome, with those sea-green eyes and a nice tan. He turned to me and seemed to have something to tell me but just right at that time, his face disappeared and I came to a different place.
This time, a woman with black hair and flames in her eyes emerged out of nowhere. She looked fierce and evil, but also strong like a warrior. "I am Enyo, Goddess of Destruction and Devastation. You should feel honoured I chose you. I have to tell you, you are really special, but your powers are limited. I am quite short of time now, but don't worry, we'll meet again sooner or later."
And just like that, I was back to where I was, on that spot, still on the floor. I was confused, what was the lady, who claimed she was a goddess, talking about. My mind was a swirl of complications. However, I felt energized and I steadied myself up.
It felt quite long, but the people which those footsteps belong to had not arrived. I saw them quite a distance away. I walked towards them. I saw eight people, four boys and four girls. And also a somewhat horse with a man's upper body. I was astounded. I've read about this creature, a centaur, they were good ones and bad ones. By looking at this centaur's wise eyes, I assumed he's the coach or teacher of this gang of people following him.
Somehow, this group of people didn't seem surprised to see a girl of 13 in tattered clothes and a bent knife in her right hand standing alone in a strange place like this. My eyes fell upon a grey-eyed girl. She was a beautiful blond and looked full of wisdom. I averted her eyes as she found me staring at her.
Although I didn't know what to do, I knew not to let my guard down. I couldn't let these people see the weak side of me, whoever they are. I gripped my knife tight, ready to fight if I'm forced to.
Just then, scarlet fresh blood flowed down my hand like a little stream. The knife I was holding burned me like acid. My hand was numb and I was horrified. I couldn't control my movements. Once again, I fell to the ground with a loud thud.
No nightmares this time, instead I suffered, mentally and physically. I fell hard, so hard that I fractured my arm from the collision with the ground. However I did not hear the snap of my humerus breaking as the impact of my fall made me lose consciousness.
Extreme pain seared through my arm and my mind. Pain, just pain, was all I felt.
The pain subsided 4 days later, it lasted for 4 days but felt like an eternity. Even so, I could only continue lying on the bed with my eyes closed. I was exhausted and I couldn't support myself. But I had to get up, I had to come around, did I not say never to allow my weak side appear in front of them? I mustered the little strength I had left in me. Instantly, I felt tiny pieces of me gathering, piling up.
Slowly, my eyelids fluttered, only to face the bright sunlight. Light, so warm and so welcoming. This feeling, it had been lost for so long, I couldn't recognize it yet. Then a word branded itself in my brain, Home, that was it, the feeling was home, a place where I belong. Where is this place? What is this place? How can it feel so nice and pleasant when I've never been here, never known of it? And the blazing sun, I have been living in the dark for so long, traveling alone, alienated and unwanted, ever since the place where I lived burned into ashes. I call it a place, not my house, because it was never where I really belonged.
But before my thoughts went deeper to meet my past, it was interrupted by a steady and soft voice, "Chiron, she's alive and awake." I couldn't see her clearly, but I knew inside she's that girl, wise and grey-eyed. Her voice seemed comforting. She was replied with the same, "Indeed she is, I'm amazed she got through that poison, a mixed of minotaur blood, curare and dart frog is very strong, only 92% of living chances. Annabeth, please help her up." A centaur, the one I saw leading the group the other day, had replied. I assume he's Chiron and the wise girl is Annabeth. Poison, I thought, no wonder it felt like acid.
Annabeth gently laid me on the pillow, but as soon as her fingers got in touch with my arm, I let out a piercing scream, but immediately chided myself for that. My arm still hurt a lot from the poison, it burned. My vision had already stabilized itself by that time, and for the first time, I could see everyone clearly. I counted in my head, the 8 people and the centaur, now accompanied by a guy with a surfer's body, sun-kissed hair and bright blue eyes. He quickly took a what looked like skin balm and applied it on my arm. My skin flared scarlet for 2 seconds, then I felt it soothing and cool. "Thanks Will," Annabeth told him and gave a second attempt at getting me to a sitting position, which she succeeded.
"How do you feel and what's your name?" another guy with sea-green eyes and jet black hair asked. Why do I feel that he's somehow connected to me? But woah, he's hot! It turned out I replied in a quite controlled voice though shaky. I said, "Rhyione's the name, but why do you smell so much like seaweed?" The people around him cracked up as those words left my mouth. Annabeth chuckled, "I like you, good sense of humour. Guess that shows that you're not badly mentally hurt. Well, to answer your question, Percy here is the Son of Poseidon, also known as son of the sea god, saviour of Olympus and Praetor of the Twelth Legion. I'd rather mention all these myself than him bragging away." "Hey! Demigods should know of my heroic moments and titles, actually they're a lot more, like the Twice the Slayer of the Minotaur. I survived the Curse of Achilles," Percy retorted. "I'll narrate them all if I have any time." Percy's last word was covered by a loud crash that came from the outside. Something had exploded.
