The Hunter's Heir

Chapter Ten: Dangers

I sat back in the comfy leather chair and sighed. The train was moving quickly, heading west over hills, trees, and small rivers. We'd managed to pay for tickets by returning a poodle we'd found a few feet from our encampment. One phone call later, and we had enough money to get us that much closer to LA.

Percy was squirming in his seat, his eyes locked on the window.

"Something wrong?" I asked.

He broke eye contact with the window. "Bad feeling," he said. "Feel like something's watching us."

"Don't be ridiculous," Annabeth said. "There's nothing dangerous on board, Seaweed Brain."

"You sure about that, Wise Girl?" he shot back. "Because last time I checked, we weren't back at camp."

"So?"

"So it means that we aren't safe. Who knows how many things could be lurking around here. Remember the Furies? Yeah, they're still around, so I wouldn't feel too safe if I were you."

"I didn't mean—"

"Enough," I said, noticing some passengers were looking up from their computers and books. "If something bad does happen, then we'll deal with it. Until then, I recommend sitting back and relaxing; gods know how much danger we'll face on the way to Hades, so we should use whatever time we have to get some rest."

They were silent, looking properly abashed, before Annabeth muttered something under her breath and pressed her forehead against the cold glass, staring out the window. Percy excused himself to get some snacks, and I closed my eyes to try and get some sleep before we faced more certain death.

-o-

The leaves crunched under my feet as I glided through the forest, bow in hand. A bird tweeted above me, and a squirrel scampered up a tree, following its mate. I smiled widely, increasing my speed. Better prey awaited.

The sun hung high in the sky, climbing higher and higher. It was summer, of course Apollo would be enjoying the nice weather. The green grass shivered, perturbed by a gentle wind. The leaves of the trees swayed to and fro, the nymphs dancing to the sound of the wild. If I listened close, I could hear it too, feel it pulsing beneath my skin.

The deer had their heads down, munching on the grass. A calf walked on wobbly legs, its mother pushing its rear to keep it going. A tall guardian watched them, his antlers tall and proud.

Such beauty, I thought. But then I raised my bow. All things, no matter how wonderful, must have balance. It was part of my job to keep that balance, at least in this forest. A hunter only takes what he needs, never more, and never less. An old doe wouldn't be missed nor needed.

The arrow found its mark: the heart of an aging doe. The animal let out a cry and fell, staggering. The other deer froze for a moment before bolting into the woods. I advanced quickly, not intent on letting the animal suffer. Its breathing was labored as it looked at me with glossy black eyes.

I slid one of my knives out of its sheath and pressed it against the animal's neck, right above the trachea. I said a quick prayer—a blessing to nature and thanks for the blessing of my kill—before pressing down hard, ending the doe's life.

There was a rustle in the bushes behind me, and a moment later a sleek gray wolf emerged from the brush, nostrils sniffing.

"Hey, pretty puppy," I said, shuffling to face her. She yipped and nuzzled me, her fur warm. I laughed. "Hi, Winter." She licked my face and moved to eat. "Where are the others?" She gave a low growl that I took to mean around and went back to eating.

"She's very pretty," a voice said. Winter and I were both on alert almost immediately, the both of us covering each other's backs, my bow raised, her teeth showing.

A shadowy figure emerged from the tree line: a boy with nut-brown hair, pale skin, and emerald eyes. He was dressed in a cloak of animal skins and had a hunting javelin strapped to his back.

"Who are you?" I asked, arrow notched.

"A friend," the boy responded, no more than fifteen. "You don't know me, but I know you. Hunter, skinwalker, animal-friend, wolf heart, beastling, Hunter's Heir, demigod, giant-spawn."

I raised an eyebrow. "Am I supposed to know what any of that means?"

"No," he admitted, "not yet, at least, though you will soon. Your gifts will show themselves soon, and you will need my aid to master them. Only then can you truly defeat your enemies."

"And you'll be the one to help with that?"

"I will. Seek me out in the tunnels below the earth, where all wild things fear to go." He stalked forward. "Never fear, all wild things know the mark of the beastling." He grabbed my arm, pulled back my sleeve, and wrapped a hand on my wrist. There was a burning sound, and I screamed. Winter let out a vicious howl and leaped at the boy, but he dissolved into mist before she could sink her teeth in.

I gasped and raised my arm, finding two large circles, one inside the other, intersected with six straight lines like spears.

-o-

I woke with a loud gasp, chest heaving. It was dark outside, and Percy and Annabeth were snoozing across from me, Annabeth's head on his shoulder. Percy had a little spit leaking from the corner of his mouth, but he looked content enough, so I didn't find it too gross.

I swallowed and looked at my arm. I could still feel the searing pain, though my skin was as smooth as ever. As the train passed between two trees, the moon shone just long enough for me to make out the symbol with the two circles.

All wild things know the mark of the beastling, the boy had said. "What's a beastling?" I wondered aloud.

"Hmm?" a groggy voice across from me said. Annabeth had semi-woken from her slumber, a lock of golden hair stuck to her face. "Wha' you say?" she asked, drowsy.

I doubted she even knew she was awake, so I just said, "Nothing, Annabeth. Go back to sleep."

She mumbled incoherently then went back to snoring on Percy's shoulder. I leaned against the window, staring up at the silver orb in the sky. Is this because of you? I wondered, doubtful if she would respond. What does it mean? What's a beastling? When I received no answer, I turned away. What else is new? I thought scornfully. I closed my eyes and tried my best to sleep, hoping no more dreams would find me.

-o-

Morpheus seemed to answer my prayers, because for the next two days no more dreams came. Our ticket only got us to Denver, so we'd still have to get the rest of the way there on our own. We'd crossed into St. Louis a few minutes ago, and Annabeth had been enraptured by the Gateway Arch as it appeared outside our window, though I personally didn't feel any measure of awe by it.

As we pulled into the Amtrak station, the intercom announced there'd be a three-hour layover so the train could refuel before we continued on to Denver.

I stretched and rose from my seat, gyrating my hips. "You guys wanna go get some food? I'm tired of eating this train muck."

Annabeth stood up abruptly. "Sightseeing first."

Percy and I exchanged nervous glances. "You sure that's a good idea?" Percy asked.

"This might be my only chance to see the Arch up close. Are you guys coming or not?"

I could tell Percy wanted to say no, but I just shrugged. "So long as we can grab some food while we're there."

Percy, beat by the two-to-one majority, sighed and said, "Fine."

The Arch was okay, all things considered. Nothing worth writing home to, but not dull or boring. Annabeth kept spouting off facts about the Arch—when it was built, the design for it, and the "geniuses" behind it—while Percy kept glancing around nervously and I munched on some trail mix I'd gotten from a vending machine.

"You alright?" I asked Percy, glancing over his shoulder for the fiftieth time in half an hour.

"I don't know. Feels…unnatural. You mean you don't feel anything?"

"Nope." I shook my head. "I think your encounter with the Fur—ahem, the Kindly Ones and Auntie Em have your nerves all jumbled."

"Yeah," he muttered, "maybe."

I began to zone out soon afterward, at least until Percy brought up Hades' Helm of Darkness.

"The Helm of Darkness is Hades' symbol of power," Annabeth explained, "like Zeus' Master Bolt and Poseidon's Trident. I saw it next to his seat on Olympus last year."

"He was there?"

"Only during the Winter Solstice," I said. "Darkest day of the year, when all the gods are needed."

"Anyway," Annabeth went on. "The Helm allows Hades to become darkness; melt into shadow or pass through walls. He can't be touched, or seen, or heard. And he can radiate fear so intense it can drive you insane or stop your heart. Why do you think all rational creatures fear the dark?"

"Then how do we know he isn't here right now, watching us?"

That sent a shiver up my spine, almost like a certain god breathing down my neck.

"We don't," I said.

We all crammed inside of an elevator, and my stomach was not having it. As someone who spent the vast majority of my life in the wilderness with no borders, I wasn't too keen on tight spaces. The elevator took us up, inside of the Arch, at a curve, because apparently the designers wanted to torture any future tourists.

A fat lady dressed like Mrs. Puff from SpongeBob was with us, along with her dog. You'd think that a dog would be a big no-no, but the guards didn't seem to notice.

"No parents?" the lady asked.

"They're below," Annabeth said. "They're afraid of heights."

"Oh, the poor dears."

The dog growled, showing is pointy white teeth. Were chihuahuas supposed to have teeth that were that sharp?

"Now, now, sonny. Behave." The fat woman tugged on his leash. The dog stopped growling, but kept his teeth bared.

"Sonny," Percy said. "That's his name?"

"Oh, no," said the fat woman, like it cleared up everything. I'm getting a bad feeling about this.

At the top of the Arch, the observation deck reminded me of a tin can with carpeting. Rows of tiny windows looked out over the city on one side and the river on the other. The view was okay, but if there's anything I like less than a confined space, it's confined space six hundred feet in the air.

Annabeth was loving it, talking about all the different designs she would have made; larger windows, see-through floor, better structural supports, blah, blah, blah.

The ranger at the top called out that the observation deck would be closing in a few minutes, and that we should start heading toward the elevators. I didn't argue. There were already two people on the elevator, so one of us would have to stay for the next car. Annabeth had already stepped on board, so I turned to offer Percy the open spot when a woman brushed by me, sliding her finger along my neck.

I whirled around, affronted, only to see a familiar blonde stepping into the elevator. She had ditched her white dress in favor of a faded trench coat, sunglasses, and a hat, though I could still recognize her. She lifted up her glasses and winked.

"Nio—"

The elevator door slammed shut before I could say any more. "We need to get down there," I said, gripping Percy's arm tightly.

"What? Why?"

"No time, we just need to—"

"—go? Oh, I don't think so, my dears." The fat woman stood behind us, her dog yapping at our feet. "Now, now, sonny. Does this look like a good time? We have all these nice people here."

The dog growled some more, foam frothing from its black lips. "Well, son," she said, "if you insist."

"Urn, did you just call that Chihuahua your son?" Percy asked, looking pale.

"Chimera, dear," the fat lady corrected. "Not a Chihuahua. It's an easy mistake to make." She rolled up her denim sleeves, revealing that the skin of her arms was scaly and green. When she smiled, I saw that her teeth were fangs. The pupils of her eyes were side-ways slits, like a reptile's.

The Chihuahua barked louder, and with each bark, it grew. First to the size of a Doberman, then to a lion. The bark became a roar.

A little boy screamed in fear, his parents dragging him toward the elevator.

The Chimera was now so tall its back rubbed against the roof. It had the head of a lion with a blood-caked mane, the body and hooves of a giant goat, and a serpent for a tail, a ten-foot-long diamondback growing right out of its shaggy behind. The rhinestone dog collar still hung around its neck, and the plate-sized dog tag was now easy to read: CHIMERA—RABID, FIRE-BREATHING, POISONOUS—IF FOUND, PLEASE CALL TARTARUS—EXT. 954.

"Oh, sweet Hades," I said, feeling sick.

Percy was feeling the same, and the lady noticed, because she said, "Be honored, Percy Jackson. Lord Zeus rarely allows me to test a hero with one of my brood. For I am the Mother of Monsters, the terrible Echidna!" She turned toward me. "And you, abomination, will pay in full for the crimes your mother has committed against my children."

The chimera lunged, and I only just managed to roll out of the way. I summoned my bow and shot an arrow, but the beast knocked it aside with its tail.

Percy charged, shouting and swinging. He brought the sword down on the monster's neck, but it slid sideways and opened its mouth, shooting a ball of flame toward the son of Poseidon, who managed to throw himself out of harm's way. A loud explosion rocked the observation deck, and a large portion of one of the walls was suddenly gone.

Wonderful.

I leaped onto the creature's back, hoping to stab one of its eyes, but the snake head wrapped around my feet and pulled me off, throwing me across the room, hitting the wall next to the smoking hole.

Percy's leg was torn and bleeding; he'd somehow gotten cut. His sword was missing as well, likely out the window. He was moving back as well, so we were both in front of the hole. I grabbed the hilts of my knives, though I knew we were doomed; the chimera had only been killed by Bellerophon, and that had been with the help of Pegasus and a lead ball. I had a magic bow and two ordinary hunting knives, and Percy had nothing.

We were doomed.

"Hunter, do you trust me?" Percy asked.

"I guess, why?"

"Because I'm about to do something crazy."

"How crazy could it possibly—OH HADES!"

The freaking idiot jumped, pulling me with him.

-o-

I'd like to say that I was super brave in the face of death…

…but instead I screamed my head off. I had a brief thought that time should seem to slow down, but instead it was on hyperdrive. I had somehow lost hold of Percy, and the world was a blur; I closed my eyes because I didn't want my last sight to be my own body being smashed against the water. I hit the water with a…

…thud?

I opened my eyes slowly, sure I was dead. But I wasn't. I was standing on the surface of the water. Yes, standing. I looked over to the shore, but it wasn't shallow enough for me to be standing on a sandbar or the shore.

"How…?"

"Strange, isn't it?" a voice called. There, standing on the shore, was the queen of Thebes herself.

"How are you here, Niobe?"

She took off her hat, shaking her blonde curls free. "Magic, duh," she said dismissively.

"Then how am I not dead?"

"Magic, duh."

"Then how am I walking on water?"

"Magi—actually, that isn't magic, or anything related to me. Gift from Daddy. Never expected you to actually inherit that ability, but hey"—She shrugged—"that's just how the cookie crumbles. Is that the saying? Anyway, you're turning out to be full of surprises, darling."

"Don't call me that," I said, scowling. I had reached shore now and was stalking toward her. "Why are you here?"

"To offer you a chance to come with me. The gods won't help you, honey, you must know that. Artemis hasn't even tried to contact you, Apollo can't even muster the energy to build you a cabin, and nobody's explained that mark on your arm yet."

I flinched. "How do you—"

"—know? Simple, really. I've spent the last twelve years studying every form of magic I can get my hands on, and, honey, you reek of nature magic. If you come with me, I can help you understand it."

"No thanks, Niobe. Why don't you go back to being stone, eh?"

Her eyes blazed. "Do not tempt me, child. I could smite you with a snap of my fingers."

"Then you'd have spent thirteen years scheming for nothing. You need me for something, Niobe, and until that something has been achieved, I'm more important to you alive than dead."

She scoffed. "Fine, then! We'll speak again soon, child, when you are ready to speak to me with more respect." She snapped her fingers and disappeared.

"Hunter!" Annabeth was running toward me. "What happened? Where's Percy?"

"Right here," Percy said, walking out of the water, completely dry, carrying three small pearls in his hand.

"How are you-?"

"I'll explain everything later," he said, "but we need to go."

"Good idea," Annabeth said.

We turned and ran from the scene, heading for the train. Half an hour later, we were thundering down the track toward Denver, and that much closer to Hades.

A/N: Thanks for reading, everyone. Remember, reviews fuel the flame for my creativity.

See you next time.

Bye.