All right, Chapter one, here we go!

Not a lot to say here except that I'll try to update 1-2X a week. And like the book series, it'll be five books. I already have the first one all planned out and kind of outlined, so it's just a matter of me actually getting my shit together and typing my thoughts out.

Also shout out to Mhjx29 for the review! I love getting reviews and they mean a lot to me, so thanks!


Chapter 1: Ebony

"Happy birthday!" my sister sang as she came in the room, holding a cupcake in her hands. If it could even be called a room… the place was tiny. Inside the complex, it was a small square section. At least it was pretty private. But there still wasn't much space to move around in. A single bed, and one drawer. One lamp. Not a lot of room to keep my nonexistent possessions.

I guess I should explain… My sister and I were orphans. I don't really remember our dad, and our mom was… well not around. I had been just 2 years old when he died. Mel had been six. She would tell me stories about him. But I couldn't relate. For most of my life, all I knew was this stupid orphanage. But my sister took care of me. Or she tried at least. Sometimes she could be bossy and overbearing. When I was 10 years old, in middle school, I really wanted to be a part of the adopt-a-child program (I honestly don't remember what the organization was called but that was the gist of it) and go live with a family for a few months. I was so excited for it. A chance to finally make some friends and have a real family. My sister was great, but it would have been nice to have parents. But she refused, and we were moving again. Mel took some money we had saved up and we went to downtown New York.

Moving was never an issue for us though. We always stayed in New York, just bounced from city to city. Even though Mel was typically a popular student at school, neither of us had good friends. Or in my case, any friends at all. It didn't help that we stood out a mile. We were both short, and had "exotic" looks. With our tanned skin, high cheekbones, almond shaped eyes, and dark hair. My dads side of the family had come over to America from Egypt. And we definitely looked the part. Mel was built like a supermodel. She had long limbs, beautiful light brown eyes, and her hair was the perfect shade of brown. I'm pretty sure if she wore eyeliner and a kalisiris, people would call her Cleopatra.

Then there was me…. The first problem is that I'm just turning 12, and I'm already a freshman in high school. The second problem is that I'm nothing like my sister. My hair is pitch black and never really cooperates with me. So I kind of gave up on it and always keep it pulled up in a ponytail. My eyes are a bright green. I think they're gorgeous, but other people think that they are almost out of place with how the rest of me looks. I'm also broad-shouldered and more muscular than my sister. But probably my personality is what throws people off the most. I'm sarcastic, brutally honest, and just the slightest bit over competitive. But I refuse to change to make others like me, so here I am. Friendless for life.

Anyway, back to my birthday.

"Hey! You know my birthday is technically tomorrow so this is a bit early" I greeted Mel, trying to keep the annoyance from creeping into my voice. I had told her I didn't want to celebrate. I was turning twelve, and we both knew what that meant.

She sat down on the bed next to me. "Oh stop complaining and make a wish!"

"There's no candle."

"Oh shut up and make a wish Ed."

I rolled my eyes and looked at the cupcake. Fine. I thought. I wish that we don't have to go to that stupid camp. Then I took a deep breath and made a huge show of blowing out my invisible candles. "Happy?"

She smiled and handed me a fork. "Very." We ate in silence. This was how it was. We were close, but we never knew what to say around each other. We had an awkward dynamic going.

As the silence dragged on I finally got up the courage, "So are we leaving tonight?"

My sister sighed and ran her hand through her hair. I knew she hated this topic. My birthday was on October 13th, I was born on a Friday the 13th. I remember how, when I was younger, Mel would always tell me that Friday the 13th was a lucky day to be born on. Then I went to public schools, and learned about all the superstitions surrounding that day. And frankly, with the way my life was going, I definitely believed in bad luck. Basically, I'm pretty sure I'm cursed and doomed to a crappy life. And now came the big birthday. I was turning 12….. the same age that most of my kind had to go into hiding. It was one thing for one demigod to stay hidden after her 12th birthday. But now there were two powerful half-bloods in the same place.

Oh did I not mention this? My sister and I have always known. Our mom was an incredibly powerful goddess. And our dad was the grandson of Nike. So we had a lot of god-blood (is that a thing?) running through our veins. We were rarely attacked though. Not many monsters dared to anger our mom.

"I was thinking tomorrow." Mel finally said. I just nodded. The last thing I wanted to do was go to Camp Half-Blood. It would be just another place where I was an outcast. Except for the fact that those at the camp would probably hate me and Mel once they found out about our parentage.

"I guess tomorrow then." I said back, turning away so that she couldn't see the worry on my face. The last thing I wanted was to be reminded how much of freak I was. I guess I didn't hide my emotions very well, because he reached over and put her arm over my shoulders.

"Everything will be okay." She tried to assure me. "I haven't let you down yet and I never plan on it.

I had to give it to Maleah. She really had been there for me my entire life. Caring for me after our parents died, being a friend when I never had any my own age, and teaching me about our past and our heritage. I was very lucky to have her. Turning my head, I flashed a smile back at her, "I'll hold you to that one sis."

I lay back on my bed as Mel walked out, flipping the light off as she went. Then my smile instantly faded away. Tomorrow everything would change. And I wasn't ready for that. I was down right terrified. They would find out what we were capable of. And then they would never trust us again. Why couldn't we just stay together? Demigods could make it on their own, especially when they're powerful enough to. I took one last look around my darkened room. I never thought I would be sad to leave this place. But now, all I wanted was to stay here forever and make it my home.


For some reason, sleep wouldn't come. It was a cold and cloudy night. The small window in my room let in the moonlight when it shone from behind the clouds. Cars drove by in the distance and the wind howled against the orphanage. The random bursts of silver cast shadows along the wall. It was well in the night when I finally dozed off. But it felt like I had barely closed my eyes when a loud thud against the wall woke me up again. I rolled over with a groan and looked at the clock. 5:30 AM. The sun wouldn't come up for another hour, at least. Not giving another thought to the bang, it was probably just something flowing around in the wind, I flipped over on my other side. All I wanted was to get some sleep before going off to camp in the morning. As soon as my head touched the pillow, there was another loud thud, louder than the first. That's when I noticed something that sent a chill down my side. The sound was coming from the wall to my right. Whatever was banging against the wall was already inside. And trying to break into my room.

"Are you kidding me?" I muttered. I started to reach for the lamp, before I realized what a terrible idea that would be. I wanted to call for help, but that could just alert the monster to my presence. I don't know how I knew it was some kind of creature from Tarturus, but I could feel it. Maleah always jokingly called it our "spider sense". For some reason, both of us were able to detect when monsters were nearby. It was part of the reason why she was 16 and still able to live away from Camp. I closed my eyes for a moment, gathering my thoughts. Stupid ADHD, always making me think about random stuff that didn't apply to the situations I was in. Sometimes being a demigod really sucked.

The bangs against the wall stopped, and I heard a scratching sound. Whatever was out there was trying to find a different way in. This was my chance. I slowly slid off my bed, landing lightly on the ground. Until I found out what I was dealing with, there wasn't anything I could do. I creeped towards the front of the room, trying to stay light on my feet. Thankfully I had excellent night vision, and was able to move quickly and quietly towards the door. I reached towards the handle, when the creature came crashing through the wall.

My first thought was that I really didn't want to fight it. It was a beautiful gryphon. The creature had a sleek lion body, the perfect shade of gold. The feathers sprouting around it's chest and neck were black in color, but still magnificent. The front legs were covered in white feathers, and sported yellow feet with pitch black talons. A bright yellow beak completed the creatures look. It was wicked sharp. The animal shrieked, flexing large 3" talons that shredded through the wooden floor. It's tail lashed back and forth, knocking over my dresser.

I felt frozen as I looked into his golden eyes. This wasn't fair. Why did such a beautiful monster have to attack me? I hated that monsters fascinated me so much. Some were just so gorgeous and incredible. The little voice in the back of my mind told me that it didn't make sense. Your scent grew stronger to monsters the older you got. And it also grew stronger when you know who you are. But just a couple hours after officially turning 12? I was pretty sure that it didn't work THAT quickly. But I didn't really have the time to deal with that.

It let out another screech, rearing up in the air like a horse. The moonlight disappeared behind a cloud once more. I could see the outline of the beast, and it's glowing eyes locked on me. It lowered down to the ground, and crouched like a cat preparing to pounce. It took a step forwards, eyes never leaving mine. The gryphon seemed hesitant to attack, shuffling a step forward before backing up. I let go of the door handle and turned my entire body around to face it. A standoff.

"You know who I am don't you?" I said curtly, trying to put as much confidence into my voice as I could. I drew my shoulders back, trying to look taller and more imposing. "Have you heard the stories?"

We continued to stare each other down, "Don't you know what I am, what I can do? Everyone knows what happened two years ago. You really think you can take me on?"


2 Years Ago

I froze in shock as the animal appeared in front of me. It was a wolf. A wild wolf, in New York? We lived at the edge of a national forest but still…. Wolves didn't live in New York anymore. There had been sightings here and there, but never inside the city in daylight. All my instincts told me to follow her. So I did. At this time, we had lived so close to the school that Mel trusted me to walk home by myself when I got detention… which was pretty often. Today was one of those days. I could only imagine how scared and mad my sister would be if I was late coming home, but I couldn't ignore this. Something was happening. Some part of me knew that this was more important than going home and doing homework.

She led me straight out of town and into the woods. Part of the reason why I was following her was because she was such a beautiful animal. I always loved animals. They understood me, and actually got along with me. Unlike people. The wolf was a light grey, that darkened around her nose, ears, and haunches. She had amber eyes and a jet black nose. I continued to jog after her, darting in and out of the trees. I don't know why, but I didn't question how I was able to keep up with her. She made a sharp turn ahead of me, and plunged through a cluster of bushes. I followed her without a second thought, thorns tugging at my clothes. I stepped out into a large hollow.

What I saw at the bottom made my heart stop. It was another wolf. Huge, nearly twice the size of the female that had led me into the woods. It's paws were as big as my face. The animal lay on its side on the ground. He was a solid gray all over his body, with the same amber eyes as the smaller female. His breath was coming in ragged gasps. The she-wolf looked at me and let out a long whine. Then she turned and nudged the larger wolf. I inched closer, trying to ignore those large teeth baring over at me. What I saw made my heart stop.

Shiny silver ran around the animal's neck. It dug deep into his fur, slicing into the skin underneath. It was some sort of snare trap. It had slammed around his neck. I realized that I was frozen in horror. The wolf was so big and muscular that the snare wasn't suffocating him… yet. But in time it would. I had to free him.

I took a few cautious steps towards him. His amber eyes met my green ones. But he didn't growl or snarl. I took a deep breath and moved even closer. I laid my hand on his neck, and I couldn't help but be amazed. I was petting a wolf!

Focus. I told myself. I moved my hand to the snare and followed it down. The long wire had some sort of attachment, holding it tight and secure around the animals neck. I continued to follow the long strand. It was anchored tightly to a tree just a couple feet away. The long strand was stretched taught, and I could tell that the wolf had been struggling to free himself. Maybe if I could remove the cord, it would loosen the tension in the wire that was around his neck. Then i could just slide the loose ring off his neck.

My hands were trembling as I worked on the knot. I knew it was crucial that I moved quickly. If only I had more control over my fear. But it wasn't fear, not really. I wasn't scared for myself. I was scared of failing. "Focus." I said. Out loud this time.

It was a long process, too long, but I finally freed the wire from the tree. Then I slowly reached out and grabbed the loosened wire. The wolf growled softly, but I couldn't stop now. I took a deep breath and dragged it over his head. As soon as I had the loop in my hands, I threw as far away from me as possible. And the wolf stood up. He was massive, almost twice the size of the one that had brought me here. Blood dripped off of his neck, but I could tell he still had plenty of strength left in him. His lips bared in a snarl, and his hackles raised. Now, real fear washed over me. What if, after I had just saved him, this wolf decided to kill me?

But he made no move towards me. The seconds stretched into minutes, and he began to relax. His fur lay down on his back. His posture relaxed. And then he stepped forward. Nervously, i stumbled back. I took a few more steps before I ran into a tree. He continued his approach, stopping just a foot away from me. And then, miraculously he bowed his head.

"Forgive me." I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard the voice in my head. "This is hard to do. Thank you. You saved my life." The younger wolf came running up, and before I could react, rubbed her face against my hands. "My daughter took a liking to you long ago." He continued, "I will always be indebted to you. I must rest now. She will come soon." He lay down in a patch of grass and rested his head on his paws.

I didn't know how to respond, so I just nodded. Then I reached my hand out slowly and stroked my hands through the female's fur. She wagged her tail, like your everyday dogs would, before laying down next to me. I smiled and sat down next to her, continuing to pet and play with her. A small part of my head was telling me to leave, but I didn't want to. I had an idea who he was talking about, but i wanted to be sure. Sighing, I leaned back against the tree. The sun was warm on my back, and I dozed off, guarded by a wolf in the middle of the woods.


That was how they found us. Artemis and her hunters. I knew it was them right away, thanks to my extensive research on Greek mythology. The girl who stepped forward, with the auburn hair and silver-yellow eyes, and to be the goddess herself. She approached the wolves and bent down. After a few moments, the two wolves sprinted away through the woods. The smaller one turned back to me, and let out a little whine, before following the one I had rescued. Then Artemis turned to me.

"Thank you." she said, and I was surprised to see tears glistening in her eyes, "I am…"

"The Lady Artemis, goddess of the hunt and the moon, and wild animals." I interrupted, overjoyed to be meeting my favorite goddess.

Almost instantly, I realized how rude that could have come off as. I covered my mouth with a gasp. A couple of the hunters laughed in the background.

"I was going to say I am forever grateful for what you have done today." She fixed me with her piercing eyes, "But yes. I am Artemis."

I tried not to be too in awe of her, but come on! I loved animals, and the wild. I hated people, which included boys, so she was definitely my favorite goddess. If only she could have been my mother instead of… Well I just knew she would have been a much better parent than what I had. Hell, I had never even met my mother. She wasn't exactly a cuddly mom type.

Artemis turned and said something to her hunters before addressing me again, "I'm going to call your sister here. She's probably very worried."

I just nodded and she turned and ran off, two girls going with her. One of the girls looked at me. She looked to be my age. But I could tell she was much older than I was. She didn't say anything, just handed me a piece of paper. It was a pamphlet, like one of those advertising theme park or a zoo. As I flipped through it, all of my research was confirmed. Immortality, eternity hunting with Artemis, swearing off boys… And a chance to be part of a family. A true family. My sister was great, but she was all I had. I wanted more than that. I wanted friends, I wanted a mentor, I wanted purpose.

It seemed like only a minute had passed when Artemis came back. My sister was right beside her. As soon as Mel saw me, she ran over to me, pulling me into a hug. " What the hell were you thinking?!" she cried, "You didn't come back! I was searching everywhere for you, i thought something had gotten you, or a monster had taken you away, or" her voice broke off and she hugged me tighter.

"I'm fine Mel, really I am." I said, "The hunters found me and then Artemis came and…."

I didn't get a chance to finish. Mel let go of me and turned to face the hunters and the Lady Artemis. I couldn't see her face from where I stood, but I could tell by her posture that she wasn't happy. She didn't like the gods, or want anything to do with them. She always told me that we were going to try living our lives away from their influence. So the fact that I was here, talking with Artemis herself, didn't sit well with my sister. But she didn't address Artemis. Instead, Maleah turned to the girl with silver in her hair. The way she stood by Artemis' side, I was guessing she was the second in command.

"And what dreams," she said that word like it had a bad taste in her mouth, "Have you been filling her head with? Did you seek her out just to recruit her? Are you trying to steal my best friend away from me?" Her voice was cold, and I was amazed at how mad she was.

Before the girl could reply, I interrupted, "Maleah please…. I was talking to them. It was my idea. I started talking to them and then I learned about the hunt and…." I swallowed, looking at the ground, "And I think I want to join."

Mel looked at me, her eyes full of pain, then she addressed the auburn haired girl, "My Lady, please. She's all I have and I'm all that she has. Please don't make her join."

"She's not making me do anything." I snapped, any misgivings I had vanishing in the wind. My sister meant well but sometimes she was overbearing. It was like she wanted to control every aspect of my life. "Artemis, I wish to join your hunt. I don't want this life, bouncing around homes and never having friends. I wish to make a new family, with you and your sisters. This is what I want, and I am ready to join. Right here. Right now." I finished, looking up at her with a fierce gleam in my eyes.

My heart shattered when I saw Artemis shaking her head, a sad smile breaking over her face. "I'm sorry. You have done me such a great service, but I can't allow you into the hunt. You are only 9, going on 10. That is too young for one to join me."

I wanted to cry. It wasn't fair! The Lady Artemis herself was young, and there were at least a couple girls around 10 in her hunt. I knew that she was lying to me. Trying to protect me from something. The rational part of my brain told me to ask why, but my ADHD interrupted.

"That's wrong." I snapped at her.

Maleah grabbed my arm, her eyes wide in shock. "You can't talk to a goddess like that!" she gasped softly.

I shrugged her off. "You have girls, as young as 10, in your hunt. You just told me I did you a great service? Why can't I join? I don't care for boys, and I don't care for my mom. Give me a chance to prove myself! To use my powers for good. Please Artemis, I just want to…."

"To escape your destiny?" One of the hunters interrupted.

I turned to look at her. It was the same one that my sister had been addressing. She was the one with the circlet. Like all the hunters, she wore camo pants, a white shirt, and a silver parka. But her spiky hair, and black nirvana shirt made her stand out from the rest.

"It is not the time for that." Artemis stepped forward, nodding lightly to the other girl. "Perhaps we should talk privately?"

I don't why, but that bugged me. Escape my destiny? I wasn't a coward. I didn't even know what my stupid destiny was supposed to be. And I felt the normal stubbornness building inside of me. Whatever the child-goddess had to say to me, she could say in front of everyone.

I crossed my arms and met her gaze. I saw Mel roll her eyes and rub her hand against her forehead. She usually did that when she was about to yell at me, so I'm guessing I did something that had angered her. I raised my eyebrows at her, but Mel just shook her head. She pointed back at Artemis as if to say, "This is your conversation, not mine. You got into this, so now get yourself out of it."

"I don't understand," I said finally, after taking a few moments to regroup my thoughts. "I heard that you accepted anyone, regardless of their background."

"I do." She leaned forward and put her hand on my shoulder, "But some things can not be avoided. There are great prophecies out there, things that are coming to light. The only thing that the fates know is that you, AND you're sister are at the center of them. I can not interfere with the fates. Whatever your destiny is, you must embrace and accept it."

"But I…." I tried to cut in, but she talked over me.

"You aren't trying to escape. Believe me, I know. If you were the kind to run and hide, Grey and his daughter wouldn't be alive right now."

I closed my eyes, trying to keep the tears from falling. This wasn't fair at all. Whatever my destiny was, I didn't want it.

"You have still done me a great service however." She reached forward and gently lifted my chin, allowing me to meet her eyes. The grey pack has been sacred to me for so many centuries. The fates will not allow you to join my hunt. But I can still give you a gift."

I hesitated, remembering the way Grey had spoken to me in my mind. An idea began to spark inside of me, "A-any wish?" I stuttered out.

"Within reason, of course."

"Can I transform into any animal that I choose?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Maleah roll her eyes. But Artemis just nodded. "Int is a large gift, and also a burden. But there are three fates, three sons of Kronos, three furies, do you understand?"

"I can only pick three then?"

"Yes."

"Thank you Artemis." I shut my eyes, thinking about what creatures inspired me. What creatures would be useful for a fight. It wasn't a hard decision. I would never have to use my mom's power if I did this right. "Okay, I choose…."


A flicker in the corner of my eye dragged me back to reality. I guess the monster really thought he could try his luck. It lunged at me slashing with his claws. I jumped backwards, away from the door, and backed up into the corner of the room. Stupid! I had left my knife under my pillow! The gryphon lunged again. I dove down and rolled straight under it's belly, narrowly avoiding the slashing talons.

I came to my feet near the head of my bed. The gryphon let out another unearthly shriek and whipped it's head around to look at me. Honestly, I was surprised no one had come bursting into the room yet. We were making enough racket to wake up half of New York. Reaching under my pillow, I pulled out my knife. It was about 9 inches long, and wicked sharp. Slightly curved at the end, and serrated in the middle. The handle was heavy leather, and the blade itself was black. Maleah had gifted it to me on my seventh birthday. Just holding it in my hand made me feel stronger and ready for a fight.

I held the knife out in front of me, hoping that the monster would just fly away. Unfortunately chose that exact moment to slam the door open.

She took one look at it, before slashing at it with her sword. It was almost identical to my knife. Black blade, leather handle, except it was about 3 feet long. It was also leaf-shaped, in typical green fashion. The gryphon backed up and Mel turned towards me in a flash.

"Come on we have to go."

"Where?"

"Just outside, come on."

"But…" I broke off looking back at my dresser. I had very very few possessions. But some of them were important in there. And the thought of leaving them was leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.

"We have to go. Now." She grabbed my arm and dragged me out. I stumbled over my feet as I sprinted behind her, casting glances over my shoulder as I went. The animal had recovered quickly, and was gaining ground behind us. Maleah poured on another burst of speed, tightening her grip on my arm. We reached the door just in time. She yanked it open and slammed it shut. Looking around wildly, I tried to find something, anything, that we could shove in the door to trap it inside.

I grabbed one of the long bricks that lined the sidewalk, pulling it out of the dirt. The landscaping people were going to be furious about this. "Here!"

She didn't say anything, just grabbed it out of my hand and wedged it between the door handles. A loud thud, followed by yet another angry shriek told us we had been successful. At least for now.

BANG. The door shook violently.

I backed up nervously. It wasn't going to hold him for long.

"Listen to me." I turned around, Mel was putting her sword away and speaking in her mom voice. "You have to fly us out of here. Right now. I'll direct you to camp. But you have to get us out of here. Can you do that?"

I hesitated. Camp. The moment was here. "We can't just leave the mortals alone in there." I whispered softly, flinching slightly as the door shook once more.

"They're not after the mortals. They're after us."

"But what if it gives up on chasing us?"

"EBONY!"

"I'm just saying…"

"We're leaving. Now. I'm not going to stand by and watch my little sister get hurt. I won't do it. I can't do it." her voice cracked, "Please, you know nothing can catch you. You can get us safely to camp. I believe in you."

I gulped. I wasn't scared of flying us there. I was just scared of what waited for me there. Finally I nodded, and felt the familiar tingling through my skin. My limbs extended, scales growing across them and they grew thicker. Claws grew out, digging into the ground. My vision, hearing, and scent sharpened and my cells continued to expand. Wings came out from my back, huge pitch black wings. I let out a loud roar as my transformation completed.

Maleah thankfully didn't comment. I leaned my front legs down, allowing her to climb on my back. Hopefully the mist was nice and strong, I could imagine what people would say if they saw a girl riding a dragon through New York City.

As soon as Mel was holding on, I took off into the air. I heard wings flapping behind me, and I knew the gryphon had broken free. But my sister was right about one thing. Nothing could catch me in the air. I spread out my wings and soared higher, being careful not to get too high where the air was thin. Then I folded my wings and plunged towards the earth, gaining speed.

"Left left, towards the beach!" Maleah yelled over the howling wind. I tilted sharply, noticing that my pursuer had been lost already. Flying was the most natural thing. The feeling of the wind flowing over my scales, watching the ground rush by, nothing was better than this. I could turn on a dime, fly faster than anything on the planet. I don't know how but my dragon senses told me exactly how fast I was going. I knew how far we had traveled, which direction we were going, and I could see the smallest of creatures scurrying around on the ground, thousands of feet below me. It felt so perfect. Sometimes I wondered if I was supposed to be born a dragon.

Following my sister's instructions, I circled around and landed on a hill. A pine tree was at the top, with a golden blanket of some kind shimmering in the branches. Next to the pine tree, another dragon was standing guard. He was much bigger than I was, with shimmering golden scales, and legs bigger than tree trunks.

"We go past the tree, and we're there."

I nodded, and was about to transform back into a human when I saw it. The gryphon. It was a ways off, but it would be here before we got to the top of the hill. An idea formed in my mind. "You said monsters couldn't pass into the camp right?"

"Yes…" Mel said hesitantly, following my gaze. "Oh no, you're not going to?"

"Get past the borders! I'll distract it!"

"Eddie!" she yelled, but I had already spread my wings an taken off into the air. The gryphon instantly switched it's stare, recognizing me as the bigger threat.

"Come and get me." I growled, letting out a burst of fire. It cried in shock, and dodged out of the way. We continued this game. I darted in, and he lashed out in frustration. Never getting a scratch on me. I made sure that I wasn't getting close enough to harm him either. All I had to do was keep him distracted. After a few more minutes, I finally paused and hovered in the air. The animal had all but forgotten about Maleah. All of his attention as focused on me. His eyes met mine and they looked murderous. Nothing like the wide, intelligent eyes I had seen earlier. If my goal was to piss him off, I had done a brilliant job. With a quick glance down, I saw that Mel was at the top of the hill.

She waved frantically at me before stepping over the border. I let out one more stream of fire before I turned and flew, straight over the hill, past the golden dragon, and into the valley. We were here. I folded my wings and started to head towards the ground. That was when pain erupted in my shoulder. Then another shock as something slammed into my wing. And suddenly I wasn't flying, I was falling. Plummeting straight towards the ground. I tried desperately to regain control, knowing that it was a lost cause. And then I slammed into the ground. My head exploded in pain. I tried to scramble to my feet, but the pounding was too much. I fell back, my body shrinking back into it's normal form. I saw people running towards me, but before I could say anything, a wave of black rushed over my eyes. I gave up fighting, and faded into the darkness.


Wow this took longer than expected. And the chapter was also longer than I was planning. First chapters are always hard. Hopefully middle/end of next week, chapter 2 will be out! As always, reviews are appreciated!