The Forgotten Grace
Haha, it's been a while since I updated and I apologize to the very few people who are actually following this story! SORRY! I've been a bit busy and let this whole thing slip my mind. Well, I'm gonna start it up again so keep reading and reviewing! Disclaimer.
We left first thing in the morning the next day. We all rode on a tiny community bus because neither Annabeth or I had learner's permits in Greece and if Asclepius drove in his form as a child (which he refused to phase out of!) we would probably get arrested and never make it to the mountains.
As soon as we were dropped off at the stop we bought tickets to the Acarnanian Mountain trails. The air today was cold and icy in the morning. Annabeth had a scarf wrapped around her neck. Grover goatee shivered.
I took a quick intake of breath when I saw a large silver/grey shadow slide past us.
"I can smell a lot of monsters…" That certainly made me feel a lot better.
"Where exactly on the mountain did you see Kronus' coffin and Alexa?" Annabeth asked me. I hadn't exactly thought about that.
"Um, not exactly sure… somewhere away from the trails." was the best I could manage.
"Percy, do you know how big this mountain is?" Being the daughter of the goddess of wisdom, Annabeth did not like going into battle without a plan.
"It's fine! Alexa has a very distinctive scent of goddess and half-blood. I'll be able to find her." Grover began to lead us towards the trail.
I had a suspicious feeling that Grover had no idea where we were going. There was the fact that we had an empathy link and I could feel anxiety and unsure feelings coming from. There was also the fact that he was leading us in circles. I could also sense we were getting closer and closer to Mount Othrys from the Mist that was building. A sleek grey formed seemed to phase in and out of my vision.
A twig snapped.
"Sh," Annabeth warned. She put a hand in front of us to keep us from moving forward. I was about to ask her what but then I saw it.
Sitting in front of us was a snake. Not just any snake that you'd just walk around, this was a huge snake. We hadn't seen it because the scales of it shone brown-green-ish grey and blended into the mountains surroundings. What surprised me was the actual size of it. It was probably around five feet in circumference and many feet long. That thing could probably swallow the three of us in one bite and still go to Alexa for dessert.
What surprised me even more was how close we were to it. Annabeth had noticed before us but not nearly fast enough. We were pretty much on top of it. My right foot was probably about two feet away from the snake's head.
I wondered why it didn't attack. I remembered in school I was (sort of) paying attention to the Biology class. The teacher had explained that snakes were pretty much blind. They could only sense heat and the Mist was covering that up. Coupled up with the fact that this was probably a monster, cuz' there is no way a snake could get that big, it was probably close to blind.
Annabeth looked at me and Grover as if asking what to do. I really didn't know. If we moved the snake would hear us and we'd die. If we didn't the Mist might clear, the snake would sense us, and we'd die. If we ran away the snake would catch up and we'd die. If I pulled out Riptide the snake would hear and we'd die. We did not have many choices.
Annabeth began to take something out of her pocket that was small and floppy. Was it her invisibility cap? That wouldn't really help considering the snake was blind. Instead I realized she was pulling out a 'lil' hotties' hand warmer. Grover and I looked at her questioningly but she ignored us.
She began to rub the hand warmer to warm it up. I then realized what she was doing. Annabeth threw the hand warmer far away from us but the snake shot towards it like lightning, sinking its teeth into it.
The three of us broke out into a sprint just as the snake grew unsatisfied with whatever was in its mouth and decided to spit it out along with a ton of venom that stung the grass and made it sizzle.
We were careful to run as quietly as we could. Grover spotted a small alcove and we headed there. We bent down and sat down in the cramped little space where we were hidden from the snake.
"Is that a monster?" Annabeth whispered. I was surprised. Annabeth had studied pretty much every single myth that had survived the Golden Age and committed every single monster to memory. If she didn't know what it was no one does.
"Yes, that snake absolutely reeks of monster!" Grover whispered back.
"We can figure out what that thing is later. Right now we need to get-" I froze as I saw the snake corner us in the alcove. It had apparently heard us whispering and decided to get a bigger meal than and hand warmer.
Its bright eyes glinted as it looked us over. I fell back reflexively onto the cold ground. Something else was cold pressing into my pocket. It was like ice. It wouldn't warm up or disappear. It was Stygian Ice. It was my dog whistle for Mrs. O'Leary.
It was our last chance, and a rather sad one at that, but I blew into it anyway. For a second the snake recoiled at the high pitched sound that I couldn't hear. Annabeth and Grover looked at me in shock just as a giant black wall of fur burst through the wall behind our backs. Mrs. O'Leary looked at us as if questioning us and then noticed the snake. She grabbed us all by the collars of our shirts and lifted us up and began running.
I had no idea which way Mrs. O'Leary was running but I was pretty sure we were going in the right direction. We were climbing up an inclined slope.
Up ahead I could see a gaping gap in the slope of the mountain with a sad excuse of a bridge that was hung across the gap. It could hardly support one person at a time, much less three and a bulldozer of a dog.
"Stop!" I told Mrs. O'Leary, but she just kept bounding further towards the bridge. It was too far for her to leap across altogether. If she landed on it with her steps right now it would crumble below us. As her feet landed on it I could see the ropes at the other side buckle. Annabeth gripped me tighter as the three of us screamed and prepared for the sensation of falling.
Instead, on the other side I saw a quick flash of silver and the ropes were suddenly held in place. On the other side was a large sleek wolf with silver fur. It held the ropes for the bridge in its mouth and was holding the bridge up for us.
"Artemis!" Grover cried.
For once, I actually knew what he was talking about. There was no way a natural born wolf was that strong. This wolf also had the same silver eyes that Artemis had when we last saw her on Mount Olympus last year. Its intelligent eyes glinted as us to get across quickly.
The four of us ran across quickly. I could hear the snake hissing at us from behind. As soon as we reached the other side the wolf let the rope slack out of its jaws and the dilapidated bridge fell to the chasm below.
For a second the snake seemed to give up. It spit at us and began to coil itself. The next second I could see its enormously long body being slinged across the gap right towards me, fangs bared.
Its teeth were only a few feet away from me before a huge wall of shadow erupted between us, kind of like the stunt Nico had pulled that night on Olympus.
Suddenly the wall of shadow fell down. I realized it wasn't some sort of God of the Underworld trick. It was actually Mrs. O'Leary. Mrs. O'Leary had blocked me from the snake and saved my life. The snake's sickening jaws were still in her neck. I could hardly notice Grover and Annabeth behind me.
The wolf beside me ran towards the snake at lightning fast speed and tore out its neck before it could even move.
I could vaguely sense the wolf transforming into the 12 year old girl we all knew and Grover loved, as Artemis. I sat next to Mrs. O'Leary. I placed a hand on her chest. Her eyes were open but her chest's movements were getting slower and slower.
"Percy?" Artemis asked behind me.
"Can you try to heal her?" I asked trying my best not to let my voice cracked. But it did. Annabeth put her hand on my shoulder. Artemis began to speak.
"Percy, I'm sorry. She's lived a great life, but she's not gonna make it."
Ok, what did you think of that? Much better than my last chapter right? Think Mrs. O'Leary's gonna die? Keep following this into my next chapter! I'll try to keep updating if my friends keep reminding me!
