Thunder boomed and lightning broke open the night sky in brilliant arcs of light. The rain pounded down so hard that I could barely see. I stumbled up the hill, unaware of how I got here, but I knew that I had to move fast. Someone-or something-was following me. I was exhausted. I looked down at my tattered clothes and worn shoes and tried to remember how I got here. Why couldn't I remember how I got here? I heard a loud roar that shook the hill and probably everything within a two mile radius from it. The sound of a conch horn blew in the distance. The thing was getting closer. I was too terrified to look back, so I picked up my pace and began jogging. I was almost to the top of the hill when I heard the next roar. The sound was much closer than before, and I felt compelled to look behind me.
What I saw was a lion the size of a truck. It had glittering gold fur that would've been beautiful if the lion didn't look so deadly.
"The Nemean Lion." I muttered.
Wait, how did I know that? I had no time to think about it because I was too busy running for my life. I reached the top of the hill and looked out into the valley below. In the dark of the night I could just barely make out shapes that looked like cabins, though they were weirdly shaped. There were kids in pajamas running up the hill-swords, shields, and bows at the ready. I heard the next roar and I knew that they would never make it in time. At that moment, I made my decision.
I turned around and faced the monster, who was only a hundred feet away from me, and gaining fast. I brought my hand to my side and felt for my dagger, which I somehow knew was there. I unsheathed it and held it in my hands. The blade was eighteen inches and slightly curved, with a rubber grip. The celestial bronze glowed slightly.
The rain fell harder, making it even more difficult to see. I thought about what I knew about the Nemean Lion. Even though I was having memory problems, I remembered something. The lion's skin was like iron. Nothing could penetrate it. The Nemean Lion was hard to kill. Almost impossible. Almost. The lion came barreling straight towards me, so I did the natural thing. I charged.
At the last second I dove between the legs of the lion and narrowly avoided getting trampled. I came up behind it, stabbing it in the butt. The knife should've stabbed straight through it, but it bounced right off of it. Thinking back on it, that was probably a dumb move.
The lion turned to face me, baring fangs that looked like they were made of steel. It pounced and I barely had enough time to dive to the side to avoid being puppy chow. I landed on the ground, but the hill was so slick that I slipped when I tried to get up. I rolled away just as the lion pounced and landed on the place I was just at two seconds earlier. The lion was coming around to face me again, so I knew I had to move fast. I got up and started running back up the hill, where the kids had finally reached.
"What are you doing?" someone yelled. "Get out of the line of fire."
"Oh yeah," I yelled back. "Because I soooo wanted to play a game of tag with the Nemean freaking Lion!"
I ducked as a couple of kids with bows shot arrows over my head. I looked back and saw that the arrows bounced harmlessly off the lion. I was stupid to think I could've outrun it. It was gaining, and I knew it would pounce on me any second, so I turned around while slashing my knife. The lion swatted me and I flew backwards into a huge pine tree. My head hit the base of the tree and my vision began to swim. Out of the corner of my eye, I could make out four or five people running towards me and yelling. The lion barreled towards me, large fangs bared, and I knew I was a goner.
As it leapt into the air to jump on me and presumably rip my throat out, I used every last ounce of my strength to throw my dagger into its mouth, which was open in anticipation for the kill. I had just enough time to watch the monster disintegrate before the world went black.
I woke up to the feeling that I was drifting. My eyes struggled to adjust to the vast darkness around me. It was almost as if I were under water, though I could breathe perfectly. My clothes, which were ripped, soaking wet, and muddy just a few moments ago, were dry, clean, and almost like new. But this couldn't be real. I had just been thrown at a tree, so what was I doing here?
"To answer your question, my daughter, you are in my realm."
I looked around for whoever said that, but no one was there. The voice was strong and deep, a man's voice for sure. It seemed to resonate from nowhere and everywhere.
"Who are you?" I screamed. "What do you want from me?"
As I said that, I realized something. I was 99 percent sure that I hadn't said that first question out loud. And did that man just call me his daughter?
"Wait, what do you mean, daughter?" I asked.
"All of your questions will be answered in due time," he said. "But you must listen to me carefully. You have lost your memory for a short amount of time. This is important for your upcoming task. Camp Half Blood is preparing for a battle. Whether they succeed or not is largely dependent on you. You must lead them into battle, Summer."
So many thoughts were running through my mind, I could barely process them. For starters, I didn't know what Camp Half Blood was, or why they needed me of all people to lead them into battle. I started to say something, but the man cut me off.
"I know you have many questions, but I cannot answer them right now. You must be patient. Stay at Camp Half Blood, prepare for the battle. In a few moments, I will send you back, and it will be like you never left."
"Wait, so I'm not really here right now?" I asked.
"No." The man answered back. "Only a part of your consciousness is here at the moment, but never mind that. I have two gifts for you. The first will aid you in the battle. Brace yourself."
"Brace myself? What do you mean-"
At that moment I screamed as I felt a searing hot pain in my left wrist, almost like I was being branded. I fell to my knees-or floated to them-and clutched my wrist. After a few seconds, the pain subsided. When I looked down at my wrist, I saw a tattoo of two crossed blades. A sword and a dagger. And to be honest, it really freaked me out.
"What did you do to me?" I yelled as I stared in horror at the tattoo.
"I gave you a gift." The man said simply. "You are used to fighting with a dagger, but I thought that a sword would benefit you as well. The tattoo is a sort of sheath. The sword and your dagger are connected to you. If they get lost, they will always return to their sheath after a short amount of time. To summon them, all you have to do is tap your wrist and think of which one you want to use. Try it."
I was a little skeptical, but I tapped my wrist and imagined a dagger. The familiar weapon appeared in my hands out of thin air.
"This is my dagger!" I exclaimed. "But I could've sworn that this was just swallowed by the Nemean Lion."
"It was, but it was left behind after you killed it." Was it my imagination or did I hear a bit of pride in the man's voice?
"To get rid of it, imagine it back in its sheath." He said. I did what he told me, and the dagger disappeared.
"And now for your second gift." He said. In front of me appeared an emerald pendant. It was a brilliant sea green color, and it sparkled slightly. It was strung onto a necklace. And oh my gods it was beautiful. I gingerly reached out for it, not fully trusting it after that last "gift." I took it into my hands and marveled at its beauty.
"When you get to camp, you will find someone who has an identical pendant. You are connected to this person in a way you probably never imagined."
"I don't understand." I said. "Who is this person? How am I supposed to find them?" He never answered my question.
"Be good, my daughter. There is so much I would like to tell you. We shall speak again soon." His voice was fading out.
"Wait!" I yelled. "Can you just tell me who you are?"
"Goodbye Summer." Was all he said, and I was alone in the darkness.
A/N: Thanks for reading the first of many chapters! Please review and tell me how you liked it. It might take me a little while to update because I'm working on my other story, but expect another chapter soon.