Chapter 8: Drawn to the Forest
Screams filled the air, as people desperately tried to escape the bus. Emmaleigh kicked open an emergency exit window, and pulled Annabeth and Penelope out behind her. They took a few steps back to get a good look of the smoking wreckage. Emmaleigh gasped. Beside it was a huge beast.
The thing was like no monster she'd seen before. It had the humungous head and mane of a lion, the sturdy, scruffy body of a goat. It sported a writhing snake for a tail.
"We have to kill it, before it hurts anyone!" said Penelope, taking her fold-able bow out of her bag and unfolding it. She fitted an arrow onto her string. Annabeth and Emmaleigh pulled out their daggers. Emmaleigh felt very unmatched.
Penelope sent an arrow whizzing towards it's neck, but the monster brought it's tail around, to block the fatal blow. Instead, the snake's eye took the hit. It hissed and spat in pain. The lion's head focused on the three demigods. And charged.
"A good time to run?" Emmaleigh squeaked. Penelope nodded dumbly, and the three turned and sprinted. Fortunately (for the bus riders), or unfortunately (for them), the monster followed them. They made a beeline for a forest.
The Chimera, as Emmaleigh had deduced, followed them in, crashing through the trees. Penelope took the opportunity to send a few more arrows over her shoulder. The Chimera's hisses of pain were far too audible, in Emmaleigh's opinion. They reached a clearing in the forest.
"We should stop. That thing isn't going to rest until it catches us." Annabeth said, breathing hard in unison with the others. They formed a triangle, back to back, waiting for the Chimera.
It came. Of course. It broke through the trees wildly, then skidded to a halt, realizing it's prey was nearer than it had believed. Fire sprayed from the lion's mouth.
Before it could hit Penelope and Annabeth, Emmaleigh ran forward, receiving the full power of the spray. Penelope screamed, The fire wasn't all that hot, actually, it felt warm and comforting.
My Hephaestus heritage, She thought to herself. She backed away as the fire diminished into nothing. She heard a gasp.
"How was this killed before?" Emmaleigh asked, as the creature breathed more fire.
"Well, Bellerophon suffocated her, by shoving his spear down her throat." replied Annabeth.
"But we don't have-"
"A spear. I know." Penelope cut in, gritting her teeth. The Chimera advanced while the demigods retreated, still breathing fire. Emmaleigh managed to guide the fire away from them until it sputtered out, but she couldn't keep it up for long.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, silver arrows as fast as the wind sped at the creature, imbedding themselves alongside Penelope's on it's neck like a spiked color. The creature whined like a dog and sank to the ground, breathing laboriously.
Ten girls clad in silver rushed from the trees. The one in front had long, raven colored hair and slanted eyes, elven in appearance. Her green eyes inspected the Chimera. She turned to the girl next to her, (what Emmaleigh presumed to be) a demigod. The girl had inky black hair and crystalline blue eyes. "A sword, Thalia. I need a sword."
Thalia walked to a girl standing in the back and retrieved a sword from her. She gave it to the raven-girl in front. The raven-girl took one last look at the monster, before opening it's muzzle and shoving the blade down it's throat. The Chimera shuddered and life winked out of it's eyes.
"Thank you, Artemis." said Annabeth. (A/N, Artemis is different in appearance according to Rick Riordan, but this is how I imagined her)
"Artemis!" Emmaleigh gasped in surprise. The goddess of the forest? She looked barely fourteen! Artemis turned to them.
"Will you accompany us for the night?" Artemis asked. Penelope nodded vigorously, and they followed her, Thalia, and the others away from the clearing, where the Chimera had turned to dust.
"Thalia, how are you?" Annabeth seemed a little reserved when she approached the girl. Thalia simply turned and hugged her furiously. Annabeth laughed.
"It's going well, living as a Hunter of Artemis." She replied, her voice overlapping the chattering of the others. Emmaleigh felt kind of awkward, walking with them without having anything to say. Thankfully, Thalia said, "Who are these two?"
"This is Emmaleigh, my half-sister, and Penelope, daughter of Nike. We're here...well we're here because Nike thinks I stole her laurels, and this is where we think they are. In the Great Lakes."
"The Great Lakes?" Thalia frowned. Before she could say anything more, they came upon their campsite. Fires flecked with silver were lit and silver tents had been posted. Artemis beckoned the three demigods, and Thalia, to followed her. They entered the biggest tent.
"I know why you have come here." Artemis said. The tent was covered with furs. "The laurels are indeed here. They have been captured by...monsters. That is all I can say. Athena knows of this." She nodded to Emmaleigh, who frowned, confused. "The laurels seem to be giving power to these monsters. It has been attracting others, like the Chimera. You must retrieve them. I cannot stress how vital they are." Her eyes flickered to Penelope, then Annabeth, and last Thalia, who stood by the tent entrance. "Would you three leave? I would like to speak with Emmaleigh alone."
As they left, Artemis stood, so she was eye level with Emmaleigh. "You are practically a goddess." Emmaleigh dagger flew from it's sheathe and into Artemis' hand. "Give me your hand." Artemis brought the blade lightly down on her palm, drawing blood. To Emmaleigh's astonishment, it was silver. Artemis placed the dagger back in it's sheathe. "You saw red for so long, because of the Mist. If you were fully immortal, your blood would be gold. But your silver blood will cause you to heal quicker and live longer.
"That alone won't protect you. You can't roam the wilderness with just a dagger." She held up a hand as Emmaleigh's mouth opened. She turned to an oak chest and opened it. When she turned, Artemis held a silver bundle. "Open it."
Emmaleigh did. Inside were two glistening silver swords. She picked them up. The blades were light and perfectly balanced. The hilts were small. She loved them instantly.
"They are my gifts to you." Artemis said. "They are crafted of Hallowed Silver. Very rare, but they can kill demigod and monster. But not mortal, just like Celestial Bronze. Use them well." She handed Emmaleigh two silver sheathes. Emmaleigh unbuckled the belt holding her dagger, slipped the dagger in her boots, and replaced the dagger's belt with that of the sheathes.
"Thank you, Artemis." Emmaleigh inclined her head.
"There is one more thing you should know. The laurels aren't in Lake Michigan. They're in Lake Erie, across the state. But I can help you with transportation." She led Emmaleigh outside. Artemis snapped her fingers. They sparked silver for just a moment. She heard the roar of an engine and spun around. A teen with golden blonde hair, dark shades, and an IPod in his ears sat on the hood of his red sports car. He nodded to Artemis.
"Hey sis!"
Don't judge me for stealing the part where Artemis calls Apollo to provide transportation. Apollo will have his part later, I think. ;)
