SHADOW'S REBELLION


CHAPTER 7: KILLER OWLS MAKE GREAT FOREST GUIDES


AENEAS


Wednesday, June 29th, 2033.


"Hector has been acting strange lately," Claudia was saying as she looked over the report I had handed her. "I'm beginning to get concerned."

I wasn't surprised that she was telling me this, but at the same time the fact that she was telling me this was very concerning. Claudia only expressed her worries if they were serious. Hector's odd behavior really had to be bothering her if she chose to speak with me about it. I wasn't quite sure how to respond, other than frowning. While it was true that I almost became praetor, I really had no idea how to even handle this situation.

"Every time I try to discuss the Greeks with him, he deflects the topic with something else," Claudia added, setting the report down on her desk and looking up at me. "He refuses to acknowledge that there has to be something going on with how only the exchange campers are dying."

"That's… strange," I said after a moment, agreeing with her. "I'm guessing you think he's falling short of his duty as praetor."

"Not only that, but it's extremely out of character for him," she answered, looking back down at her desk. "Hector has always put the Legion before himself. It just doesn't make sense that it would suddenly change. Unless..."

"Unless?" I prompted.

She sighed heavily, shaking her head. "No… I can't let my dislike of Paris cloud my judgment."

I couldn't help but grimace at that. I kept on forgetting that Paris had made himself quite unlikable these past two years. Well, unlikable to those who once considered him a friend. I know that people change over time, but when it came to him, the change had been insanely drastic. I recalled the last time I saw him, during the annual camp get together last year. He had had a lot of girls around him. Now that I thought about it, he always had girls around him. Gods.

"Maybe something's going on with Paris," I suggested. "I mean, we have no idea what's happening at Camp Half-Blood. That could be why Hector hasn't been himself. He could be worried."

"…I hope you're right," she said quietly.

I hoped I was right, too.


ELENI


We had left early this morning to make up for lost time, but Misty tired sooner than I did. I barely could get us out of the shadows in time before she collapsed from fatigue. We decided to keep on walking, though, after resting a bit so the hellhound could keep up with us. It wasn't before long that we found ourselves in a forest…

"…So, uh," Lee said, glancing around. "Does anyone know where we are?"

We all stopped. Misty, once again turned into a German Shepherd by the Mist, brushed against my leg. Looking around, I took in the forest. The trees were mostly deciduous, save for the occasional pine. The sun shone directly above us, signaling that it was around noon. It was oddly quiet; not even birds were singing. That made me feel uneasy, and I reached down for Katoptris, where I had its sheath tied around my waist.

"…No idea," Ray muttered. "But these woods are creepy as hell."

"You can say that again," I sighed. "Where is all the wildlife?"

"Maybe Misty scared them off?" Lee suggested weakly.

I looked down at her, and the hellhound glanced up right at the same moment. She wagged her tail, panting happily. Well, she didn't seem bothered by any of this. Misty was like our personal alarm, so if she was fine, we weren't in any danger. Still, part of me didn't quite feel that reassured.

"Let's just get out of here," I mumbled.

"I can agree with that," Ray snorted. "We should be ready for anything though, just in case."

Lee and I nodded in agreement, and we started walking again. We let Ray lead the way, since he seemed to be better at navigating his way through a forest than either of us. I noticed Lee had started fiddling with his bronze necklace, probably ready to turn it into a weapon at a moment's notice. I also kept my hand on Katoptris's hilt. We had come too far already to all die, lost in a forest. But that sentiment wouldn't keep us alive, either.

I still had a lot on my mind. There was the newest vision Katoptris had given me, and the whole deal with the Mythomagic figure. When I saw the Hades figurine, I… I had to get it, no matter what. I needed to… give it to someone. I didn't understand why, but someone needed it. I hadn't felt an urge that strong ever. And then there was how uneasy I felt when we talked to Penelope via Iris message, and it had nothing to do with my usual social anxiety. It was… something else entirely.

Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the Hades figurine. This toy had unsettled a lot of things I had been trying to forget about. The… strange dreams I had had for as long as I could remember. The nightmares that tormented me in my sleep. It didn't just start with my nightmare about Erebos. There were… other dreams. And somehow, this stupid toy had brought back all of those horrible memories.

As a kid, my dreams were plagued with nightmares. Most of them were recurring. One was of me being trapped in a tower, which was struck by lightning. Another was of me being trapped of a hotel filled with lotus flowers and being unable to escape. Yet another was of a giant robot trying to kill me, only for both of us being struck by lightning. All my fears came from these damned nightmares—thunderstorms, being trapped, robots, and so on.

I hated thinking about how weak I was.

"Hoot hoot."

The silence broke, and we all paused to look over at whatever had made the noise. It… was an owl. It resembled a barn owl, save for its yellow eyes that had no pupils, abnormally long golden beak, red wings, and black legs. The strange owl watched us, before unfurling its wings and taking flight, disappearing further into the forest.

"Hey, it's an owl," Lee said, looking at us. "Maybe Athena has sent us some help!"

"…Maybe," Ray said reluctantly. "I've never seen an owl like that one before."

"Should we follow it?" I asked nervously.

Ray hesitated, but gave a shrug. "Might as well. We've got no other leads out of this damn forest."

Well, that settled it, then. We all headed in the direction the strange owl had flown, looking for it in the tree branches. About a minute or two later, we found it, sitting on a tree branch, like it was waiting for us. Its eerie yellow eyes landed on us, and then it unfurled its wings and flew off again, leaving us to chase after it again.

It was like a game. Every time we caught up to the owl, it would fly off again, making us chase after it. Every time, we'd find it perched on a tree branch, waiting. It had to be sent by Athena, right? Why else would an owl lead us through a forest? There was no other explanation...

I wasn't sure how long it lasted, but when I finally took note of the sky again, the sun was lower, signaling afternoon. We had lost sight of the owl once more, but the trees were starting to thin out, opening up to a small lake. The waters shimmered light blue, the sunlight reflecting off it. In the center of the lake was a tiny patch of land, with a single, scraggy dead tree that looked like it had been killed by a lightning strike. And there were more of those owls… sitting on its branches. Hundreds of them. The owl we had been following flew up and perched on the only open spot.

A heavy silence permeated the clearing, save for the sound of us coming to a stop a few yards away from the lake. Hundreds of creepy yellow eyes were locked on us, unblinking. The intensity of their gaze made my skin crawl, my stomach feeling uneasy. Something… was wrong here… I was pretty sure owls did not act like this.

"…Guys…" Ray said slowly and carefully. "Don't move. I… don't think these are normal owls…"

"Then… what are they?" I asked, my voice cracking in fear.

"Striges… or strix, in singular." Ray cautiously rested his hand on the hilt of his sword. "They're owls that eat and drink human flesh and blood."

"What?!" My voice cracked again as a sense of horror overtook me.

"Well shit…" Lee muttered. "Any ideas of how to beat a hundred of these things before getting our eyes pecked out?"

"If I'm being honest… not really." Ray grimaced. "Don't make any sudden movements. Eleni, if you can blind them, do it. Lee, you can probably push them back with wind. Basically, do anything to delay their attack. That's all I can think of."

I'll admit it—I was both surprised and impressed. I knew Ray was the son of Athena, but he for these past few days I had known him, he had barely shown any signs of his heritage. Until now, that is, with how he was shooting out strategies for us to use. I really wished I could do more than just blind things with darkness, though… I mean, everyone was talking about how powerful children of the Big Three are but I had yet to see it in myself.

The owls must have decided our little chat was over, because it was at that exact moment they all burst from the dead tree.

"Now!" Ray barked.

Lee turned his necklace into a sword, and slashed out with it in an arc. Air blasted out where the blade struck, sending at least a hundred of the striges hurling back towards the tree, some of them hitting the tree with sickening crunches.

The striges that were still in the air split up, flying around us to avoid another air blast from Lee, screeching angrily. It then sunk in that I might not be able to manipulate darkness right now. It was still daylight, and there were no shadows in the middle of this clearing. And so far, I'd only been able to use darkness if, well, it was dark.

"Eleni!" Ray shouted, signaling it was my turn to do something.

Panicking, I pulled Katoptris out of its sheath and without thinking, put my hands up to shield my face from the incoming bloodthirsty owls. But… nothing happened. Looking up, my eyes widened as I saw a huge wall of black in front of me. It was thin enough to see that all the owls had impaled themselves in the barrier, but were obviously still alive with how they were squirming and screeching so loud it hurt my ears.

Behind me, I heard another rush of wind, and guessed that Lee was repelling the owls that had survived his first attack. There was shouting—Ray saying something to Lee, trying to coordinate their attacks and not miss a single strix. I kept my hands up, wondering if there was any way to kill the striges I had trapped… Gods, why did I have to get such a useless power?

Feeling frustrated, I clenched my hands into fists. And as soon as I did that, the black wall changed shape, turning into a ball, the striges screaming as I heard their bones crunch loudly. And then it was silent. Eyes widening with horror, I opened my fists and dropped my hands. The black energy dissipated, and a hundred mangled owl bodies dropped to the ground.

I… I just… killed… all of them…

"SCREEEEEEE!"

Something slammed into my back, and I flailed forward, landing flat on my face, Katoptris flying out of my hand. I gasped in pain, trying to push myself back up quickly, only to stop as I heard another screech and the strix that knocked me down sunk its long, sharp beak into my left arm.

An agonized scream bubbled up in my arm as the strix dug its four black clawed feet into my arm, latching onto me so I couldn't rip it off without losing a chunk of flesh in the process. Red blood began to drip down my arm, all the way down to my fingers.

"Eleni!" I heard Lee call frantically.

Before anyone could do anything, a silver arrow came flying out of nowhere, impaling itself in the back of the owl's neck. The monster went limp, releasing my arm, and fell to the ground. Quickly looking up, I saw a girl lower a silver bow, immediately recognizing her as Penelope Seabrooke from the Iris message. She wasn't alone, either. Two other girls came out from the trees, flanking her on each side.

"Penelope! Gods, you have perfect timing!"


AENEAS


"You know, for a guy who claims to not give a shit about romance, you spend an awful lot of time in front of a mirror."

I had just finished today's training session with the Fifth Cohort's probatio, and like always, I returned to the barracks to clean up before doing anything else. I didn't mind getting sweaty from working like some of my half siblings, but I couldn't stand looking… well, messy. I never would admit it out loud, but… I was very self-conscious. It was hard enough being a son of the goddess of love. At least Venus got more credit from the Romans than Aphrodite did from the Greeks.

But Vince had found me, and was waiting for me to finish 'primping' as he called it. He was leaning against the wall next to the mirror we had put up in our section of the barracks, above the wash basin we had added, because having to go to all the way to the baths every morning just to shave was really annoying. Vince was lucky that he didn't have that problem.

"There's a difference between wanting to look your best to impress someone and wanting to look your best for yourself," I stated dryly as I ran a brush through my damp blond hair.

With how Vince rolled his eyes, I could tell he wasn't completely convinced. "And that's why you're such a heartbreaker, Aeneas."

"I am not." I set down my brush and leaned closer to the mirror to check my face again, just to be sure I hadn't missed a spot while shaving this morning. "They're not thinking with their hearts."

"Ouch." I could hear the grimace in his voice. "I felt that one."

"It's not a lie." Satisfied, I stood up straight and looked over at my friend. "Vince, I know you're hellbent on finding someone for me and nothing I do will stop you… but come on. Do you really think I'll find someone here?"

"Actually..." Vince crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm kinda hoping that you'll find a Greek. You and another Roman is just asking for trouble."

I fought the urge to groan. Four days into Vince's quest to set me up with a girl, and even after trying to make the best of it, I felt like pulling my hair out. Gods, he wasn't going to stop, was he? I should have known better than to think he would. We both may have changed a lot over the years, but he was still the king of stubbornness. I guess I wasn't much better in that regard either.

"Can we just… worry about more important things?" I sighed.

"This is important!" he chided. "Besides, we're getting more Greek visitors soon. Lee and Ray and that new girl whose name suddenly slips my mind."

"Eleni," I answered automatically.

"Ha! So you do remember." Vince smiled smugly, like he just won some kind of bet. "You're always forgetting the names of the girls you work with."

I let out an exasperated sigh. "Of course I remember! Gods, I only forget their names because I don't interact with them every day."

"So you'll forget her name too, huh?"

I groaned. "That's not what I meant, dammit. You make me sound like an ass."

"Aeneas, sometimes you can be an ass."

Okay, so I wasn't the nicest guy all the time. But who was? I sighed, feeling exasperated, fighting the urge to run a hand through my hair and mess it up again. I knew Vince was just trying to help me, but gods, he wasn't helping me feel good about myself. I walked over to my bunk to put away my hairbrush. I really did not want to talk about this.

"Look, I know you're trying to help, but I really don't have time for this right now, Vince," I said, turning towards him. "I have a lot on my plate right now. I have my centurion and senator duties, college applications, regular camp activities, and now to top it off, I have to worry about murders, a prophecy, and Greek demigods on a quest visiting."

"All right, I'll admit that's a good point," Vince sighed. "I'll make a deal with you—I'll leave you alone until all this craziness dies down if you agree to at least try out going on a date with a girl."

Gods… He seriously was not going to let up. There was no point even fighting it anymore.

So fighting the urge to sigh, I nodded. "Deal."

"Well, it shouldn't be too hard," a familiar voice said. "Half of the girls here are in love with you. Unless you pick one of the girls in love with Hector. That'd suck."

We both looked over to see Melanie come into the room. I was a bit surprised to see her, but then I realized she was probably looking for me because we were supposed to meet to go over the list of preparations for the Greek visitors to make sure everything was done. She sauntered over to us, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jacket, which she was probably wearing due to the rainy weather we had gotten today.

"Do share, Melanie," Vince said, a playful smirk tugging on his lips. "If there are only two types of girls here, which one are you? A girl who likes Aeneas or a girl who likes Hector?"

Oh, how the tables have turned.

"Wh-What?" She was clearly caught off guard, with how her eyes widened and her cheeks darkened. But it was short lived, as she started scowling. "Neither! I'm… part of the one percent that's in love with neither."

"Wow, you denied that rather quickly," Vince commented, still smirking. "Are you sure you don't have anything to tell us, Mel?"

"Shut up, Vince!" she snapped, her face getting even redder. "Gods, you're insufferable!"

"I don't know, you kind of set yourself up for that," I said wryly.

"Oh, don't you start," she retorted, glowering at me. "Come on, we have work to do."

"I know, I know," I said, feeling exasperated again. "Relax, Melanie. Vince was only joking around." I hesitated, looking over at my friend. "…Right, Vince?"

He gave a shrug. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Aeneas. I'll catch you later."

Okay, that didn't really make me feel any better. Just what was my best friend up to? Did I even want to know? Probably not.

"All right, see you," I said, before walking over to where Melanie was waiting. "Let's go."

She nodded, her blush finally starting to fade, and we headed out of the barracks.


ELENI


I sat beside the lake, as Penelope tended to my wounded arm. As it wasn't an emergency, they didn't let me eat any ambrosia. Lee had thought it would be okay, but Ray insisted it would be better to save it for when we really needed it. The Hunters took out their first aid supplies and Penelope used them to patch up my wounds as best she could.

The strix had done a lot of damage… to the point where Penelope took out a needle and thread for stitches. I did my best to suck it up and not make a sound, but when I did that, the grass near the shoreline where we were sitting all starting dying. If anyone noticed, they didn't say anything. I was glad they didn't, though. Gods, why couldn't I have just eaten the ambrosia? I knew that we needed it for more life threatening injuries, but a little bite couldn't have hurt.

"Well, that's the best I can do," Penelope said as she finished wrapping bandages around my arm. "Movement will be limited, but at least you're not a leftie."

"…Actually, she is," Lee said with a wince.

"It could be worse," Ray said. "A lot worse."

"Yeah, we could've not been sent by Artemis," one of Penelope's friends, a demigod named Libby, said. "You'd all be chicken feed right now if it wasn't for us."

I wasn't sure who her godly parent was, but Libby had just rejoined us after scouting the area with Acacia, a dryad, who was still out among the trees looking for signs of where the striges came from. She a little taller than average, built lean and athletic, with curly auburn hair that she wore up in a simple ponytail, a plethora of freckles, and blue eyes. Like Penelope, she sort of had this silver aura and was wearing a silver jacket, a white shirt, silvery camo pants, and black combat boots.

"Okay, they were owls," Ray retorted. "We'd be owl feed. Get it right."

"Hey, I got my point across," Libby said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Penelope let out an exasperated sigh. "Cut it out, you two. Artemis sent us to help you get to Camp Half-Blood after I told her what you told me. She and the rest of the Hunters went on to Mount Olympus so Artemis can relay the message to Zeus. Thalia wanted to come with us, but she had to stay with them, being the lieutenant and all."

"Thalia?" I repeated, the name sounding familiar for some reason. "Who is that?"

"My half-sister," Lee answered. "A daughter of Zeus. She used to go to Camp Half-Blood before she joined the Hunters."

"And that's why Jason and Lee are the only boys we tolerate," Libby declared.

"What about Paris?" I asked, curious about why he was left out of that list.

Penelope grimaced, reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear. "Paris… With a name like that, the Hunters automatically distrust him. It's just… better that way."

…Why did I get the nagging feeling that she was hiding something?

"I guess Ray is okay, too," Libby noted. "Since it's not like he's gonna hit on us or anything."

"I'm so glad I have your approval," Ray said sarcastically.

Penelope returned her attention to me. "You should consider joining us, though. We're always in need of powerful women. And we saw what you did with the striges. You have potential."

My eyes widened. "M-Me? Join the Hunters of Artemis?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yeah. But you'd have to give up boys forever. So it's not something you should decide on a whim." Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out what looked like a business card. "Here, take this. If you decide you want to become a Hunter, you can use that."

I accepted the card from her, looking at it. The letters shimmered like silvery moonlight. I stared at it for a moment, overcome by a sense of déjà vu, like I had already experienced this… or something like this. Ugh… why did my life have to become so freaking weird? Oh right, because the Greek gods just have to be real.

But… it was tempting. I mean… being essentially immortal, traveling with a bunch of girls who would become like sisters to you, hunting monsters and helping keep the world safe… Not having to worry about boys ever again… That sounded like a great life.

I… never had any luck with boys. I just didn't. Whether it was because I have no social skills or resting bitch face, I was never sure. But there was never a boy who gave me the time of day. I'd never held hands, or kissed someone, or even been on a date. The closest I got to any of that was the one time some guy asked me out as a joke my freshman year. I had been so humiliated. I have given up hoping that someday I'd meet someone who'd like me for me a long time ago. Being single for the rest of my life… I had accepted it. So why not run with it?

But Penelope was right. I needed to take some time to think about it first. I still had this quest to complete, and they needed my help to solve the murders. Maybe, once this was all over, I could join the Hunters.

"I'll think about it," I said, looking back up at Penelope.

At that moment, Acacia returned. Like all nymphs, she had elvish features, like pointy ears, and she was short and petite. She had straight dark brown hair that fell all the way down to her waist, fair skin, and bright green eyes. Like her friends, she was wearing a silver jacket, white shirt, silvery camo pants, and black combat boots.

"Did you find anything, Acacia?" Penelope asked.

The dryad shook her head. "No, nothing. Monsters leave tracks, but there are absolutely no signs of where these striges came from. It's like they appeared out of thin air."

"That totally isn't creepy or anything," Lee muttered under his breath.

"Well, we should probably get out of here," Ray suggested. "Just in case more of those things show up."

Penelope nodded. "I agree. We'll keep moving until we find a decent camping spot. It's probably safer to avoid civilization right now, if monsters are after you. We don't need to endanger innocent mortals."

It was agreed, then, that all six of us would head off. I was a bit apprehensive about it. I had just gotten used to traveling with Lee and Ray only to have three new people join our group. At least they seemed nice… and more interested in talking to me than the boys. Time passed quickly, though, and before I knew it, we were setting up camp, having dinner, and settling down for the evening.

I was just glad that today was over with.