Hi everyone! In case you haven't noticed, this takes place in the Sea of Monsters book, and I've already re-read it twice, I hope you guys can follow the timeline.
Thanks!
Chapter 4
The next few days were horrible. Percy had to deal with everyone's teasing and nagging, and I had to manage my way around the camp without much help, thanks to Tantalus.
I spent my time stalking Percy and training. What I was training for, I didn't know.
One day I had just finished a round of archery, and was walking by the cabins. I saw some other kids jeering at Percy while he desperately tried to convince them that having a monster for half brother wasn't that big of a deal
I walked up, ready to tell them to back off, but I didn't know Percy, and he might find out that I liked him, so I did the sensible thing.
I jumped out of a tree and dive-bombed them.
I swung down from a branch, and knocked their heads together. It felt good. I landed in front of them thinking to myself,
Wow, I totally kicked butt. I guess the human body isn't that bad.
I turned and saw Percy staring at me with his mouth wide open. I turned bright red and didn't say anything, lest I make it worse.
"Wow, that was awesome, why did you do that?" He asked me.
"Uh, because they were being annoying, and what they were doing was wrong." I responded quickly.
"Well… thanks, I'm Percy by the way" he said.
"I'm Nem, and, for the record, I think having a monster for a half brother is cool, and if you I need anyone to kick butt again, I'm always open."
We laughed and went our separate ways. I collapsed on a fallen log just outside the woods. I stared at the trees for a while, then checked to make sure no one was watching. I sprinted into the woods, and changed to my true form.
Even though I had been training for the past few days I've been at camp, and my human body was much stronger than it had been, I always felt more comfortable as a lioness. The wind in my fur, the thumping of the leaves beneath my paws, the sharp scents that filled my nose, it was all so familiar.
I had just stopped and began to wash my fur, when I smelled something out of the ordinary. I looked to the right and saw a long black farther in the leaves. It smelled like dead meat. I went for a closer and realized that it was a Stymphalian bird feather. I had eaten one once. It actually wasn't that bad. The creatures themselves however, were very vile, and could strip the skin from a cow in less than 5 minutes.
I figured there was a roost somewhere near here, but one or two of them wouldn't do any harm to the campers, so I didn't give it much thought.
I bounded out of the forest, almost running into Percy and Annabeth arguing over there chariot. I screeched to a stop and resumed my human form, then I hid in the bushes to eavesdrop.
"Well maybe I should find someone else to do the chariot race with!" Annabeth was yelling.
"Maybe you should!" Percy yelled back.
And they stalked off in different directions.
I peeped out, to make sure the coast was clear, then I headed off towards the cabins while thinking, Wow that was harsh, I wonder what set them off. But I kept this to myself...
That night I perched on the roof of cabin three.
Percy's cabin.
I looked into the window, watching him sleep.
All of a sudden, he jerked in his sleep and began to cry out. He whispered, "No!"
And tried to grab at open space.
I quickly vaulted off the roof and entered the cabin quietly. I moved my fingers in a circle pattern, summoning magic.
The magic was round, and blue. I gently touched it to Percy's forehead, and whispered, "Peace."
His body went still, and his breathing evened out.
I sighed with relief, and turned around to leave. All of a sudden, I realized that Tyson's eye was open. I stopped abruptly and froze. How could I forget about him?
"Kitty?" He murmured before he went back to sleep.
I ran out of the cabin, scurried up the wall and collapsed on the roof once more, catching my breath. That was too close.
The next morning I woke in the Hermes cabin.
I must have gotten off the roof at some point in the night. I peeled myself off the floor and got ready for the day.
As I got breakfast, I passed some of the other tables. They all seem to be talking about one thing.
The Chariot Race
I wasn't particularly excited for it, since I've seen many of them in my prolonged life, but I was interested to see what would happen when a juvenile cyclops entered the race.
As the race started, I started to get a strange feeling, the kind I get right before a battle. The feeling of anticipation for blood.
I thought it was coming from Tantalus, because he's kind of evil, but no. It was much worse.
You know those Stymphalian birds I had seen earlier, you know how I said that they wouldn't cause harm to the campers? Well, I was wrong.
They came out of nowhere, or maybe I should say out of everywhere.
I flipped up my hood up, shielding my face, they can't get me through my pelt, but it was the other kids I was worried about.
I saw Percy and Annabeth talking. They hastily pointed to the big house, and were about to run over, but I stopped them.
"It won't work! It's too far away!" I yelled over the noise.
Annabeth looked unsure, but Percy recognized me.
"What do you have in mind?"
I turned toward the Chariot track, and braces my legs. I didn't think I would be able to release roar loud enough to scare them all away since I was so tired, but then Percy accidentally brushed his hand against mine.
That's all it took. The roar was so powerful the surface of the lake began to ripple.
When all the birds were gone, there was silence. Everyone was looking at me. Then they all gasped.
I thought it was just because I roared to loudly, but that I looked down and saw that I had two shadows, one of them coming from a different light source.
I looked up. there was a glowing gold symbol of a circular maze. In the middle of the maze was a star.
The world seemed far away, I begin to get dizzy. Someone was talking.
"All hail the daughter of Hacate, goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, moon, ghosts and necromancy."
Crap.
