Chapter 12 here! (I'm updating in the same night as 11!) Told ya it was gonna get a bit crazy! wait, you haven't read it yet... oops...
claimer: *hurries and hides eraser* what? me? erasing the "Dis" in disclaimer? Never! heh... heh heh... ALRIGHT! I DID IT! I DON'T OWN PJO OR HoO! T.T
Chapter 12. Stupid Magic
After we had woken up (that took 20 minutes. A new record of waking me up! Egyptian magic can be painful...), we got ready to go. "Well, here's your stop." Sadie said. We were back on the roof in front of a portal. "Thanks for everything, guys." Jade thanked them. "Any time." said Carter. We exchanged hugs then jumped through the portal. I got the free-falling sensation in my gut again, then we tumbled out in a dark ally, sand pouring out with us. "What are you doing here? Especially with a boy." I jumped as a voice came behind us. I turned. A girl with long blond hair and wearing sort of a dress-robe that was green was standing behind us, looking cross and holding a wand. "Well? Tell me why your here." she growled. "Why should we tell you?" Lucas asked. "Only girls speak to me, you fiend. Why, I ought to turn you into a worm just for that!" she waved her wand and muttered a few words under her breath. I realized what was going to happen and quickly stepped in front of Lucas right when the girl said the spell. I expected myself to shrink and my arms to disappear, but instead, I found myself sinking into the fur-covered body of a big cat. As I tried to talk, a growl came out. OH CRAP, I thought to myself. "How did this happen?" I heard the girl mutter. Her clothes looked more colorful for some reason. Jade and Lucas were both staring at me with fear. I sat down and summoned my bag. I tried not to cut it with my claws. That's when I noticed it. My paws where orange with black stripes. I was a tiger. I put my bag away and try to talk again. All that came out was a series of growls and small roars. "TJ, is that... you?" Jade asked. I nodded. I turned back towards the girl, but she had gone. Fantastic. I was left with no way to undo this tiger curse. I grunted, thinking of how to communicate with my friends. I decided I couldn't hold any type of writing utensil. That gave me an idea. I extended one claw and scratched letters on the dusty ground. Perfect! "How can we get to Mount Tam unnoticed?" Jade read. "Well, it would have been easier if I just got transformed into a worm than you a tiger." Lucas said ever-so-helpfully. I growled at him and scratched another message. "You can at least thank me! You could be a withered worm or crushed before we found you if you were a worm!" Jade read, chuckling. "Good point." Lucas muttered. "Alright, thanks. But that still leaves the problem of how to get you out unnoticed." "Maybe the Mist?" Jade suggested. I rolled my eyes at both of them. "What?" they asked. I nodded my head at the entrance of the ally. There wasn't any people out. The streets were empty, and it was pouring rain. "Why aren't we getting soaked then?" Lucas asked. I pointed my tail (that I wasn't used to) up wards. There was one of those plastic tarps hanging on the buildings. "Well alright then. Let's get moving." Jade said. As we came out of the ally, we turned to see that Mount Tam was basically right in front of us. It looked to steep for my friends to climb, but about right for me. Looks like we're gonna have to do this the hard way, I thought to myself. As Lucas and Jade studied the mountain, I grunted at them and crouched down. "Really TJ?" Jade asked in amazement. I just grunted again, as if to say: let's just get this over with. They both climbed on and it felt as if I only had a baby on my back. I jumped from rock to rock, climbing like my life depended on it. "We'd better stop for the night." Lucas suggested. I nodded. Time had flown by and the stars were setting out. I looked around for a place to sleep. The storm had stopped, and it left everything wet. Jade pointed out a dry space under an oak tree and we settled there. My friends laid side by side and I curled up around them, letting use me as a pillow. I'll admit, I was a bit freaked out that I was now a tiger and we didn't know of any way to change me back, but not as much that I'm panicking. "TJ? You still awake?" asked Lucas. I turned my head toward him to show that I was. Jade was already asleep. "I'm sorry that I was a bit crabby in the ally. I was just shocked that you jumped in to save me. I should have thanked you right away." He said. I grunted, hoping he would take that as a, yes, all is forgiven, and not a, well, too bad for you because you're a jerk. Luckily, he took the first one. "Thanks. And we'll find a way to undo the curse, I promise." he smiled at me. I cuffed him around the head playfully, keeping my claws sheathed. "What was that for?" he protested. I growled slightly, as if to say: you know what it's for. He laughed gently and said, "Yeah, I guess I deserved that." I gave him a smile the best a tiger can. He smiled back. I scratched a message that told to go to sleep, and he did. I decided that we'd better gave a watch guard, and since I wasn't very tired (and since tigers are usually night hunters) I took first watch. Nothing happened at all. I heard the occasional owl hoot or mouse shuffling or crickets chirping, but other than that, all was quiet, and as the night drew on, I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Be prepared for the next chapter! They arrive at the garden, and something is going to happen that you could have been wondering, or that never came to mind at all! I AM SO EVIL KEEPING YOU WAITING! I'm just kidding... I'm updating the chapter tonight so you're gonna know what happens... CURSE MY SOFT HEART! I SHOULD KEEP YOU ALL WAITING UNTIL I GET ANOTHER REVIEW! I'm just kidding again! Oh, another thing. The person who meant to turn Lucas into a worm but turned TJ into a tiger is one of Circe's minions. Just thought I'd add that bit of information!
