Prologue
The monster attacked without warning, it came hungry for blood, bursting through the open window. The stone window pane shattered as the hellhound pounced into the room.
Its eyes were red with hunger and malice.
Sally screamed and backed away, her arms held onto her son tighter. The beast approached her, saliva dripped from its fangs and its back was arched as if ready to spring forwards.
Stumbling over the fallen stones of her house, she fled. Her two year old son cried from the cold outside. Her breath was becoming laboured as she ran down the hill to the sea, hoping that Poseidon would save them. She had promised herself that she would never think about him again after he broke her heart and left.
The hellhound was running behind her, it was getting faster and faster. Save Percy, Save Percy, with all of her strength she ran down to the coves of the sea, where the dead seaweed lay threatening to make her fall. Sally dared to look behind her, the monster met her terrified eyes.
It was almost upon her.
"Poseidon!" she cried desperately, praying that he answered her.
But there was nothing. No sign of him. She fought back a sob, she should've known that he wouldn't have answered her.
Suddenly she tripped over something sharp in the sand, without thinking, she threw it behind her at the hellhound. The broken dagger hit the creature in the snout, it roared with pain, momentarily stunned.
Sally used the time to run forwards into an enclosed cave by the ocean, she placed her baby inside, her heart breaking at the thought of losing him. Then she sprinted out, but the hellhound caught up with her.
Its paws connected with her back and she tumbled to the ground. Blood gushed out of her back, soaking into her clothes.
The hellhounds shadow loomed over her as she prepared herself for death.
Pain erupted in her chest, before she had time to scream.
But instead of resisting, she embraced the darkness, knowing that she had saved the only precious thing in her life.