After a few hours, the train arrived in the outskirts of a small town, nestled in the mountains of New Mexico. The air was chilly as the group made their way to through the small town, dirty mounds of snow piled along the sides of the streets.
Illia wrapped her coat around her tightly, not doing much to protect her from the cold. Percy began to recount what happened in a conversation he had with Apollo himself- and that the group had to find Nereus in San Francisco.
"That's good, I guess," Grover replied uneasily, walking towards the back of the group with Illia and Percy, the rest of them farther ahead. "But we've got to get there first."
Illia tried to keep herself positive as she trudged through the snow, the deadline of the winter solstice only four days away.
Four days to find Artemis.
Four days to find whatever monster she was looking for.
Four days to make a life-changing decision.
They stopped in the middle of town, the only things in sight being a bunch of tourist stores and a small school.
"Great," Thalia sighed, glancing around the small town. "No bus station. No taxis. No car rental. No way out."
"There's a coffee shop!" Grover explained, pointing towards a smaller building to the left of them.
"Yes," Zoë, cut in. "Coffee is good."
"And pastries," Grover added dreamily. "And wax paper."
Illia pushed back a pang of hunger, agreeing with them.
I could really use some food.
Thalia sighed, giving in. "Fine. How about you two go get us some food. Percy, Illia, Bianca and I will check in the grocery store. Maybe they can give us directions."
Zoë looked a bit weary of Illia going with the half-bloods, but after a moment nodded.
"We'll meet back here in fifteen."
Inside the store, they got a few bits of information on the town- which was apparently called Cloudcroft, the most important being that you couldn't leave town without a car.
"You could call for a taxi from Alamogordo," The clerk at the store added doubtfully. "That's down at the bottom of the mountains, but it would take at least an hour to get here. Cost several hundred dollars too."
Percy bought a rubber rat near the clerk out of what Illia assumed to be pity, before the group headed back outside.
"Wonderful," Thalia grumbled, kicking a stray stone off of the porch. "I'm going to walk down the street, see if anybody in the other shops has a suggestion."
"But the clerk said-" Percy argued.
"I know," Thalia cut him off. "I'm checking anyway."
Percy let her go with a sigh, obviously still shaken up after their conversation back on the train. Bianca stood behind him, awkwardly rubbing her arms in the cold air.
"I'm gonna go check on the others," Illia piped up, turning back towards the cafe.
Those two could probably use some time alone.
A bell attached to the cafe door let out a ting as she opened the door, Zoë staring up at the menu in front of them.
"Illia!" Grover called eagerly. "Just in time to order."
She quickly ordered a coffee, before Zoë turned to her.
"Illia, there is something I would like to discuss," She turned to Grover. "Call us when the order is ready."
Grover nodded absentmindedly, his gaze fixated on a stack of wax paper by the counter.
The two girls left the shop, Illia frowning as the cold hit her once again.
"What did you want to talk about?" She asked. "The heat in the shop was kinda nice."
Zoë rolled her eyes. "I wanted to talk about thy attachment to the half-bloods."
Illia tilted her head in confusion. "Attachment?"
The girl beside her sighed. "Thee has become close to them."
She shrugged. "I mean, I guess so. I don't see why that's an issue?"
"I'm afraid that thou are losing sight of our goal."
"Excuse me?"
Zoë leaned against the building. "Our goal is to find Artemis, and hunt whatever monster she was seeking, not to make friends."
Illia let out an empty laugh, not believing what she was hearing. "Are you saying it's a bad thing that I'm being nice to them?"
Zoë opened her mouth to respond, but she cut her off. "They're good people, Zoë. And I'm not sure what you have against them, but that doesn't mean I have to ice them out."
"I don't want thou to lose sight of what's important, Illia," Zoë responded, frustration in her tone. "And that thy home is with the Hunt."
"Is it?" Illia asked in exasperation, glancing up at her friend. "Because I'm really not sure anymore."
Zoë's eyes widened, clearly taken aback. Before she could respond, the ting of the cafe door interrupted her.
"Hey, uh," Grover broke in awkwardly. "Sorry to interrupt, but the food is ready."
They walked back to the center of town in silence, Grover munching happily on a bran muffin, wrapper and all. Illia held her cup of coffee tightly, trying to ignore the concerned glances Zoë was giving her.
Bianca and Percy were standing where Illia had left them, Bianca angrily giving Percy a glare as they approached them.
"What do we do now?" Percy asked after explaining what had happened in the grocery store, taking a blueberry muffin from Grover.
"We should do the tracking spell," Illia responded. "It's our best bet. Grover?" She turned to the satyr. "Do you have any acorns left?"
"Umm," Grover mumbled through his muffin. "I think so. I just need to-"
He froze.
Illia's eyes widened as she felt a foreign presence coming nearer, a warm breeze warming the area. She felt her hands shaking as she almost dropped her coffee, but unlike the Oracle back at camp, this felt… different.
Grover dropped his coffee cup, the bird design on it peeling off and flying away, the tiny doves scattering into the winter sky. A squeak sounded from beside Percy, as his rat behind him on the railing sprung to life and scampered away.
The satyr fell to the ground, the steam from his coffee rising beside him. Percy leaned over his friend, trying to shake him awake as Grover let out a groan.
"Hey!" Thalia called, running up from behind them. "I just…" She paused, eyes wide when she noticed the collapsed satyr. "What's wrong with Grover?"
"I don't know," Percy stammered. "He just… collapsed."
Grover let out another groan.
"Well, get him up!" Thalia replied hastily, spear in hand. She glanced behind her frantically. "We have to get out of here."
They made it to the edge of town before the first monsters arrived, stepping out from behind trees on the side of the road. They were donned in blue police uniforms, with gray skin and yellow eyes.
Illia's hand crept to the knife at her side, having abandoned her coffee when Grover fell. The skeletons simultaneously drew their handguns, yellow eyes staring ahead lifelessly.
Thalia tapped her bracelet beside her, shield springing to life on her arm. Percy drew riptide, his eyes wide, and Bianca attempted to draw her bow, but was stopped by Grover leaning against her.
"Back up," Thalia ordered.
Illia began to, but was stopped by three more skeletons appearing behind her.
Great.
She began to unsheathe her knife when the thudding of footsteps interrupted her. Illia staggered, trying to keep herself standing.
We don't need two people down.
"There's more coming," She rasped, barely able to get the words out.
The skeletons began to advance towards the group, Bianca struggling to keep Grover from toppling.
"It's near," Grover moaned.
"It's here," Percy responded in confusion.
"No," Grover insisted. "The gift. The gift from the Wild."
Illia was about to ask him what in the world he was talking about, before Thalia continued.
"We'll have to go one-on-one, five of them, five of us. Maybe they'll ignore Grover that way."
"Agreed," Zoë replied, her eyes flashing.
"The Wild!" Grover moaned again as Illia fought back the overwhelming sense of enemies coming nearer.
The group split up as the skeletons began firing their weapons, Illia barely dodging a bullet.
She grabbed her knife, lunging towards one that was closer to her. The enemy clearly wasn't used to having people actually dodge a bullet, as it stayed in one spot, gaze empty.
Illia wrapped her hand around the gun, snapping her head out of the way of the gun's line of fire. Twisting her hand she managed to wrestle off the skeleton's arm, before prying the gun from its lifeless hand, shoving the firearm in her jacket pocket.
Two skeletons stood at the other end of the street, guns aimed at an unsuspecting Percy.
"Percy!" She called out, dashing over to the boy. Mind racing, she ran in front of him, back turned towards the monsters.
"Illia!" Zoë screamed.
Before she could tell what was going on, she felt herself being knocked to the ground, two bullets clanging to the earth beside her.
Did I just get shot?"
Illia stumbled to her feet quickly, breathing a sigh of relief, Percy standing wide-eyed in shock behind her.
The coat's...bulletproof?
Shaking off her shock, she turned her attention back towards the other skeletons. Thalia charged at one behind her, Zoë and Bianca firing arrows at two other ones next to her, their arrows useless against the skeletons.
She ran to help them out, wincing as the thudding in her head became louder.
"How-" Zoë breathed, still firing at the skeleton. Before she could continue, the skeleton shifted its attention to Bianca, lunging at the girl.
Illia was preparing herself to leap in front of her as well, but Bianca whipped out her knife, stabbing the monster in the chest. The entire skeleton burst into flames, only leaving behind a small pile of ashes adorned with a police badge.
"How did you do that?" Illia asked, eyes wide.
"I don't know," Bianca responded nervously, staring at the pile of ashes. "Lucky stab?"
"Well," Zoë cut in. "Do it again!"
To her credit, Bianca tried, but the remaining skeletons were wary of her now. They pressed the group back, keeping them within an arm's length.
"Plan?" Percy asked, his voice shaking.
No one answered him, Illia wincing as she felt something coming.
"A gift," Grover muttered to no one in particular.
Before anyone could respond, the pig Illia had ever seen came crashing into the road. It was a wild boar, at least thirty feet high, with a snotty pink snout and large tusks, it's eyes livid.
"REEEEEEEEET!" The beast squealed, tossing the remaining skeletons aside with its monstrous tusks. They flew into the side of the mountain, bones smashed to pieces.
The pig turned to the group of teens.
Thalia raised her spear, but before she could do anything Grover let out a yell.
"Don't kill it!"
The boar grunted, ready to charge at them.
"That's the Erymanthian Boar," Zoë cut in, forcing her voice to stay calm. "I don't think we can kill it."
"It's a gift," Grover insisted. "A blessing from the Wild!"
The animal let out another REEEEEET, swinging it's tusk wildly, Illia barely managing to get out of its way.
"Yeah, I feel blessed," Percy huffed. "Scatter!"
The group scattered, confusing the boar.
"It wants to kill us!" Illia yelled.
"Of course it does!" Grover yelled back. "It's wild!"
"How is that a blessing?" Bianca asked.
The pig seemed to get angrier, charging the girl. Bianca rolled out of the way, sliding back behind the beast. The boar lashed out, tusks tearing through a WELCOME TO CLOUDCROFT sign beside it.
"Keep moving!" Zoë yelled, her and Bianca scattering. Grover began to desperately play his pipes, only making the thing more pissed off.
The beast turned to her direction, Percy and Thalia behind her. Thalia raised her shield in defense, the sight of it making the boar squeal in outrage.
Illia ran as it charged at them, desperately dodging in and out of the trees as the boar plowed through them.
She caught sight of a stretch of train tracks, their remains buried in the snow.
"This way!" Illia yelled to the half-bloods behind her.
Percy glanced at the tracks as well, grabbing Thalia's arm and running alongside her.
The boar roared behind them, Illia feeling the thudding in the earth as it slipped along the hillside.
She let out a harsh breath as a gorge spanned in front of her, Percy racing ahead of her.
"Follow me!" He yelled, Thalia stumbling behind him.
"No!" Thalia screamed, the color draining out of her face as they came to the edge of the bridge.
"Wait," Illia panted, trying to catch her breath. "I have an idea, but you need to trust me."
Thalia's eyes were wild. "I can't do this!"
"You have to!" She yelled above the sound of the boar thundering through the woods.
The daughter of Zeus shook her head wildly.
Illia disregarded her, sticking her hands into the cold snow.
Come on, please. I don't know what I'm doing, but whatever it is, I need to do it now.
She could feel the vibrations of the boar drawing nearer as her breath quickened. She turned to Percy.
"Now!"
Within seconds, Percy slammed into Thalia, sending them sprawling off of the bridge. Illia gulped, and with a leap, she jumped off alongside them, barely managing to grab onto Thalia's shield.
They slid down the mountain, riding the shield like a sled. Illia tried to control the pounding in the back of her mind. She began to carefully raise her hands from where they were gripping the shield, eyes shut.
"What are you doing?" Thalia screamed.
With a sharp intake of breath, she spread her arms, feeling the wind blow through her hair.
You are a vessel of the Earth, my child.
Somewhere she felt the boar land into the gorge with a mighty squeal, the sled-like shield still plowing down the mountain.
And the Earth will never hurt you.
The smell of dirt and the sounds of branches cracking rose around her, almost overwhelming her. But in a sense she felt free, more so than she had felt in a long time.
She cracked open her eyes, letting out a gasp as she watched the earth part in front of the sled, almost as if by magic. They continued to thunder down the hill, the ground rising up around them.
They skidded to a halt near a snowdrift, Percy and Thalia staring at her in awe.
Illia's stomach dropped as she glanced behind her. A tunnel-like formation had formed all the way down the mountain, creating a steep but clear path all the way down it.
"Wow," Percy managed to stammer out, shakily standing to his feet. "Did you do that?"
She swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. "I guess so."
Thalia blinked hard, pulling herself to her feet as well. "Nifty trick."
Illia let out a hoarse laugh despite herself as Thalia turned towards Percy angrily.
"Did you really have to throw me off the mountain?"
"Well, you weren't going down it voluntarily!" Percy protested, his anger melting into disbelief. He pointed at Thalia "You're afraid of heights."
She frowned. "Don't be stupid."
"That explains why you freaked out on Apollo's bus." Percy continued, a smile growing on his face. "Why you didn't want to talk about it."
Thalia took a deep breath, as if swallowing her anger. She jabbed a finger in Illia and Percy's direction. "If you tell anyone, I swear-"
"No, no," Percy continued. He brushed off his jeans. "That's cool. It's just… the daughter of Zeus, the Lord of the Sky, afraid of heights?"
Thalia looked like she was about to slap him, before a voice cut her off.
"Helloooooo!" Grover called, voice echoing. "What happened here?"
"Illia did!" Percy called back. "We're down here!"
Zoë, Bianca, and Grover took turns sliding down the newly created tunnel until all six of them stood at the bottom of the mountain.
Illia wrung her hands anxiously, still slightly unnerved by what she had done. Thankfully, no one questioned it, Zoë and Bianca shooting her curious looks.
"So uh," Illia piped up, turning towards where the boar had fallen in the snow. "What are we gonna do about that thing?"
"It's a blessing from the Wild," Grover corrected, an agitated look on his face.
"Right."
"We should use it." Zoë cut in, staring dubiously at the beast.
"Hold up," Thalia muttered in irritation, raising her hand. "Explain to me why you're so sure this pig, who tried to kill us, is a blessing?"
Grover rolled his eyes. "It's our ride west. Do you have any idea how fast this boar can travel?"
"Fun," Percy piped up. "Like… pig cowboys."
Grover nodded. "We need to get aboard. I wish…" He trailed off, a sad expression on his face. "I wish I had more time to look around. But it's gone now."
"What's gone?" Percy asked.
Grover didn't seem to hear him, walking over to the boar. He leaped onto it's back, playing a quick tune on his pipes. The satyr threw an apple in front of the boar, levitating in place above its nose. The boar began to fidget, trying to get the fruit.
"Automatic steering," Thalia mumbled. "Great."
She trudged through the snow and jumped on the massive pig behind Grover.
Not knowing what else to do, Illia made her way over to the beast, stopping in surprise as the snow parted around her feet.
Zoë stared at her in surprise, before swallowing anxiously. Illia continued through the snow leaving a small path behind her, the other two girls following her.
"Wait a second," Percy called out behind them. "Do you guys know what Grover is talking about- this wild blessing?"
"Of course," Zoë responded passively, turning towards him. "Did you not feel it in the wind? It was so strong… I never thought I would sense that presence again."
"What presence?"
Zoë stared at him with a look of disbelief. "The Lord of the Wild, of course. Just for a moment, in the arrival of the boar, I felt the presence of Pan."
Percy blinked, realization shining in his eyes.
"Oh."
Illia hopped onto the squirming pig's back, still feeling uneasy.
The Earth will never hurt you, remember that Illia.
-Comment Replies-
Theronis: Thanks! And I'm glad!
-Author's Note-
Ho ho ho, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter.
Not gonna lie, kinda digging Illia's powers (Which seems really weird because I'm writing them, but Idk, you don't always like everything you write). I'm really dreading the next chapter because 1) I know it's gonna make me sob re-reading it again, and 2)I'm a very emotional person. If you haven't read the Titan's Curse (which I mean if you haven't I've basically spoiled all of it), be prepared to cry next chapter.
Just a warning.
Anyway, until next time,
-snoot
