Story:: Dragons and Horses

Chapter:: Pain

So Far:: Percy has been banished to Alaska by the gods. Not much else, really- besides explaining a bit of what went on during the year that followed.

Notes From the Author:: This chapter is going to explain the stories of the three OCs that Percy befriends. Maybe the thoughts of the deity before she takes them in. Haven't decided, but you'll find out at the end of the chapter…

Crystal POV

The bright sun of summer almost managed to distract me from the task at hand. It blinded me- I had lost my sunglasses several days before, in my voyage to Alaska. Maybe then the Canadian police would stop chasing me; only the gods could tell. Knowing my luck, however…

Sensing my prosecutors nearby, I clambered from my hiding place and disappeared into the shadows. Not literally, of course; only children of Hades had that ability. No, I just used them to hide my presence. My move was made just in time- one second after displacing myself, several uniformed officers ran by, shouting at each other in French. I smiled to myself, thanking Tyche for my good luck. When I was completely sure that they were gone, I loosed the shadows and turned in the direction I had come. The small town I was in was close to the border- at least, I was relatively sure. All I had to do was head east for a couple miles and I should have gotten there. It took little time, as I am a fast runner- not meaning to brag or anything, but I am.

I could feel the change immediately. That's one of the pluses, being related to the gods. You KNOW things. It got a bit depressing at times, considering the dreams that came with it, but there was little I could do about such a thing. Sighing in relief, I vowed to travel a little farther, build a fire, and sleep. My stomach was rumbling, but hunger would have to wait. I was too tired to do anything besides what I have previously mentioned.

My hands splayed towards the fire, warming themselves for the first time in ages. It felt excellent- I felt excellent. The best I had felt in days, for that matter. Contented, I curled up next to the fire and prepared for sleep.

I was in a dark room. The shadows screamed at me with their silence, and I shuddered. This place… I hd been here before. It was evil- the monster that lived here was evil. She always attempted force, tried to create a feeling of resentment inside of me. There was no need to; it was already there- I had learned how to control my anger at those who betrayed me. Nothing ever got to me, not here. Not ever. The dream repeated itself as usual.

"Child, why do you force yourself to suffer so? I could ease your pain in an instant. All you must do is join my cause…" The crooning filled me with temptation. I resisted it, allowing no break in my guard.

"Thy is an evil creature. Thee see no reason to cooperate, nor do thee see any reason to in the near future." I often gave prominent clues to my old origins, though I believe I have become better at this. The lady, whom I could not properly see the face of, smirked.

"You betray yourself. Join me, child. Your precious patron has done nothing for you. But I can, I promise…" This was as far as the vision ever got. Usually I would wake up afterwards, but apparently, this time, my mind had other business to attend to. The scene faded into a new one.

I stood- no, that is not the proper word. It was more like floating. I floated above a thin blanket of snow, undisturbed by human presence. The calm image held no sound, and all I could see was miles of blank ground- at least, until the appearance of a boy. He possessed shaggy black hair, and a shining bronze sword. At the top of the hill we were upon he paused, hunching over and taking several deep breaths. I watched with guarded interest and he turned towards his follower, still huffing and puffing from outrunning it. It… I could not exactly describe. He- for it was a male- seemed to shift and change, taking no specific shape. The desperate slashes from the other were useless, as they passed right through the beast. For some reason, I felt the urge to protect him- before I could move, ripples blurred my vision, and I could barely see the boy's pale lips part in a cry as he was overtaken before it faded.

Anastasiame POV

Someone once told me that sunset is a good time to make decisions. At first, I thought that the idea was pretty stupid- I'm a pretty impulsive kid. Only now did I realize the wisdom of the statement. Sunset was a pretty peaceful time, I suppose.

Oh. Crap. I suppose you want to know what decision I was making, don't you? Sorry 'bout that.

I lived in northern Alaska. My home life… well, it wasn't exactly pleasant. Honestly, I hated it- but there really wasn't anything I could do before then. The previous day, however, my family left on vacation. I never went on vacations with them- we all felt uncomfortable with it. Usually, I never had the courage too, but… That day I was feeling exceptionally brave. I had the chance, the motive, and most importantly- the will. I could run away. Leave my cursed life behind. Until the midway point between afternoon and evening, though, I couldn't make up my mind.

I ended up choosing to leave- trust me, in my position, you would have too. Since I figured that it would be a while before I could find food and shelter, I packed the following in a backpack and a tote bag:

A sleeping bag

A spare change of clothes

Three water bottles, all filled

Some goldfish

A couple apples

A jar of peanut butter and a spoon

A bag of crackers

Pecans

Dried cranberries

Several bars of chocolate

My iPod

Some things weren't necessary for survival, yeah, but for my sanity, they were. To be clear.

When I had finished packing… well, there wasn't much else to do, so I left. Just. Like. That. BOOM.

Larremsetailee

Life sucks.

Let's put that out there before I begin.

I never lie, never do anything unjustified, and generally am kind to people. See where that's gotten me? Not very far, considering everyone I know hates me. Go ahead, ask everyone in Boston- I have been officially disowned. Nope, no such thing as Larry in Boston, Massachusetts. (Yeah, yeah… People call me Larry for short.) I had left home a few days after my family freaked out at me- stole onto a train. I think I had gotten off at some stop in California- that is where Lupa found me. After that… well, it was kind of a blur. Next thing I knew I was at camp Jupiter, and had gotten claimed by my real dad.

Several training sessions later, guess what? I had to go and fend for myself again. That time I didn't even know what I had done wrong- just that my friends had abandoned me again. So I headed north- getting away from the gods would be a good thing, and from the little I had learned, Alaska was the only place to do that. The way there was pretty boring- I barely even got attacked by monsters. Those I beat easily; I had taken a bow and a spear from camp, figuring they would come in handy. They did.

Unfortunately, I did not pack as well as I should have. The farther north I got, the colder I got. I didn't pack a jacket.

That's right, I am incredibly smart. Bask in my wisdom.

After a while, I got used to it. Basically, once I reached Washington, I was fine. Besides hunger, thirst, and sleeplessness, of course. Can't forget those.

Pretty soon after that- gee, I was a quick traveler- I had crossed the Canadian border. Though it was the smallest crossing area, it was still a large difference, especially on foot. Even fewer monsters attacked me while I was travelling there, and despite the large relief it was, it also made the journey rather boring. Anytime that I became so bored I almost died, I simply threw my spear at a tree. Felt a lot better, then.

Ok. So, no deity POV. I have used any and all scraps of inspiration on those guys ^^^. Which are all really crappy anyways. Aw. Oh, well. Sorry for that. xD

R&R, as usual.