It's ging to be a long day.
The others had only gone a mile when we caught up. I could hear wolves howling in the direction we came from. They'd figured it out.
"Nico we need to move faster." I said.
"Yeah, I know. I'm glad you're okay." He smiled.
"Thanks." I thought to myself for a second. "How many of us have silver."
7 out of the 11 present raised their hands.
"Okay get it out. Sarafina, we can't beat Lycaon and he'll avoid fighting us. Do you think you can take him." I asked.
"It would be my pleasure." She smiled raising her silver daggers.
"I will help keep the other wolves of your back Sarafina." Artemis was suddenly at my side bow primed.
"Okay everyone else we keep the wolves off her back with Artemis, Silver is the only thing that can kill them if you haven't got silver, then distract them anyway you can." I told them my voice laced with false hope.
"Dan this is suicide." Nico said.
"If we run they'll chase us, if we face them now while we're strong we stand a better chance." He nodded and swapped his obsidian sword for a silver pen knife. "After last time, never leave home without it."
"Annabeth, you're not in this one."
"Dan you can't..."
"Listen to me, wolves have amazing senses if they pick up on the fact your pregnant they'll make you their target I can't protect you and help Sarafina and Percy's our best fighter we can't surrender him for this."
"Fine, but I'll go where I'm needed." I smiled and kissed her fore head.
"Okay guys stand your ground."
"Dan are you up for this...?" Will asked.
"I have to be." In truth my head was still spinning but they needed me so I pulled myself together.
Sarafina was stood up front cloaked all in black, waiting. Each one of us except for Annabeth had taken up a battle stance. Annabeth was stood behind Frank who I guessed had been asked by Percy to protect her.
They emerged one by one, Lycaon trailed behind them in human form.
"Puny demi-gods."
"Lycaon.." I growled. I'd fought him when I had been with the hunters.
"Lycaon your focus should be on me." Sarafina called.
Lycaon looked at Sarafina and sneered. "Your highness." he bowed awkwardly. "This battle is below you princess, join us you would be a great asset to our master. Who better to bring Hades to his knees than his pride and joy."
"I will never join you Lycaon, you had your chance and no one is bringing my father to his knees." She crouched ready to pounce Nico and Siere on either side of me were ready to fight.
"Wolves, destroy them all. She's mine." The wolves skulked towards us hackles raised growling. Lycaon's body began to quiver and before our very eyes he transformed into a large grey and black wolf, three times the size of any of the wolves here. Sarafina growled, I noticed she was growing taller and taller still until she was about 9ft tall. Lycaon looked small compared to her now but when he pounced she was knocked backwards from the force.
The rest of the wolves chose that moment to pick their prey. Siere took two down with her arrows. Another was trying to bite Nico, he was holding it back with his knife, when Artemis turned it into a living pin cushion and it became dust. Hazel was making silver shrapnel rain towards the wolves Frank was shooting exploding arrows at the ones that got to close to her. None of the wolves had gone for Annie yet, thank gods. I was just looking for Will, Jason and Piper when a russet wolf smacked into me and pinned me to the ground. I thrust my silver dagger into it's chest and jumped to my feet as it turned to ash.
I looked around and found, Will, Jason and Piper fighting some wolves who were trying to help their master, every now and then an arrow would sprout from a wolfs neck.. Piper confused them with her charm speak, while Jason zapped them with lightening. Will wasn't fighting, he wasn't great with a sword and wasting his arrows on them would be use less. So every now and then he'd put his fingers to his lips and let out what I presumed was a high frequency whistle from the way the wolves cried and blood trickled from their ears.
Things were going fine, the others were running short on wolves to kill so they helped me defend Sarafina. We had just taken down the last wolf when Lycaon fell to the ground and whimpered before morphing back into an ugly human.
"Many curses on you Sarafina!" Lycaon stood hastily.
"You never stood a chance beast, years of defeat should have taught you that." Sarafina shrank to her normal size.
"You should be fighting by my side not theirs. You could have been a queen."
"I would have been no queen of yours." Sarafina yelled back. I was more than a little confused. He mocked a bow and smiled gruesomely from ear to ear.
"Until we meet again, Princess." He then disappeared into the shadows.
We all gave a sigh of relief. Percy went to check on Annabeth. It was funny, it was almost as if I was the only one curious about the stuff Lycaon had said. I approached Sarafina who apart from a few scratches here and there seemed fine.
"Okay, so I'll be the one to bite, what in the name of Zeus was Lycaon going on about. Princess." I asked adding the last point for emphasis.
"Once, many years ago Lycaon courted me at the request of my father but it was not meant to be I did not love him. Besides I had fallen for someone else." She spoke as if it were a fairy tale and I felt I'd heard it before but I brushed it off.
"Okay, gross you mean you and... that thing were... dating." Leo asked. I don't know why but I suddenly wanted to find the guy and kill him with my bare hands.
"Daniel you ok?" Will asked. I realised I'd been pulling a face and my fists were clenched.
"Huh, oh yeah, just you now a revolting idea." I answered quickly. Sarafina smiled at me.
"That it is. Luckily I was saved from that future by a gentleman who truly loved me." She mused.
"What happened?" Piper questioned.
Sarafina frowned. "It wasn't to be. He had other priorities." She looked down at the ground. I would have said something but at that moment a pain shot through my body and I fell to my knees gasping.
"Dan?!" I heard Will cry. Nico caught me as I collapsed on to my side. Artemis pulled my head into her lap.
"Daniel, can you here me." Her silver eyes stared down at me with concern. My side ws screaming in pain.
"Lady, my side it's burning." She locked eyes with me and looked up at the others.
"Sarafina I will need your help if everyone else could leave us I'd be grateful." Percy and Jason started guiding the others away only Nico and Will stuck around.
Sarafina lifted my shirt and gasped.
"Lady, he's been bitten." Sarafina cried. I bit back a curse the wolf that pinned me must have got his teeth around me before he became dust. Will stepped forward.
"I've never seen him bleed so much Ichor." He said handing Sarafina some Ambrosia.
"I don't think this will work..."
"Did you say Ichor Will?" Nico interrupted. He positioned himself so he could see my side. "Only immortals have Ichor..."
"Yeah I know Nico I swear I'll explain, but later okay?"
I groaned.
"We have to tend his wounds." Sarafina urged.
"I'm fine..." I lied unconvincingly.
"No you are not nephew but soon you will be." She looked truly concerned Will was gripping my hand and by the look on his face I'd say I was probably breaking his fingers. I released ny grip a little and he smiled down at me. Artemis smoothed my hair whilst she worked the wound, I cried out so many times. She placed a hand against my side and my body bucked unwillingly against the sensation.
"Shh be still." Sarafina placed a hand on my chest to push me back into a lying posistion.
"I have spent most of this trip... Injured..." I complained. Sarafina smiled at me.
"No you have spent the majority of the time defending us." She glanced at my side.
"I can't heal it..." she glanced at Artemis, "perhaps Apollo could he would come if you called to him Artemis." Artemis considered this for a moment.
"He would come if I called to him whether he would help is different Apollo is still in trouble with our father interfering would not help him." I suddenly realised what they were saying, they wanted my father, the man who cursed me to cure me.
"NO! I do not want that man anywhere near me!" I protested pushing myself into a sitting position teeth clenched.
"Daniel..."
"No Artemis I can do this by myself." She looked like she wanted to argue but thought better of it. I very slowly and very painfully rose to me feet. My side wasn't hurting as much and with Wills help I took a few unsteady steps.
"If we keep the wound clean and wrapped it should heal in a couple of days." Will spoke to me calmly. Werewolf bites took longer to heal in immortals because the venom in their bite reacted badly with the Ichor in our bodies. I wouldn't be much use in battle but at least I could move.
"Okay if you insist we should really leave soon, Sarafina. We will go ahead and tell the others we are going to shadow travel. Will, Dan take your time." She smiled sadly at me then turned and stalked in the direction of the others Sarafina by her side.
"Come on hero lets go." Will Joked. I couldn't help but wonder where we'd end up next and what dangers would await us there. Only one way to find out.