Diego (Pov)
I had just got done tying my shoelaces and pulling my maroon nylon pants over the tops of my hiking shoes, when I turned to notice Uncle Embry wasn't next to me. He was nowhere in sight. I was lost and alone in the mountains. My worst fear and nightmare had come true.
"Uncle Embry!" I yelled, hoping he and the rest of my uncles would hear me. How could I have lost them? I started walking but didn't Dad tell me if I got lost to stay where I was? But how could they find me? These mountains are so big and everyone always worries about my older brother and forgets about me. No one worries about me unless Percy says something. They probably wouldn't even notice I was missing. It was cold without my Uncle Embry and I was scared they wouldn't be able to find me. To make matters worse, I heard a strange noise and the sound of a stick breaking.
Frightened, I yelled, "Dad? Uncle Embry?" Then I heard the same sound.
"Dad! Please come find me," I called out. Now I knew why he told me not to leave Uncle Embry's side. There are monsters and creepy men up here.
"Hello, young man," a tall man spoke. Unlike me and my dad and uncles he was really white and had scary red eyes. He was also dressed really weird like he lived in a castle or something. Could this guy be what my big brother saw in the trees? He sure looked like it.
The man stared at me, and asked, "How has it transpired that I find you all alone up here, young man?" I didn't know if I should answer him. He was a stranger and Mom and Dad always said, "Don't talk to strangers". The man sniffed at me like a weirdo.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Caius. What might yours be?" the man inquired.
"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," I told him.
"Why do you smell like wet dog? I loathe that stench entirely, nevertheless I know exactly what you are. Yet as inconceivable as it is I have been awaiting a moment such as this for many decades.'' This Caius guy was starting to scare me.
"What are you talking about?" I tried to run but he was suddenly right in front of me. How did he do that?
"Ever met your father's arch enemy?" Cauis asked me.
"My dad's what? Leave me alone," I pleaded as I tried to run a second time.
"You cannot escape me. I wonder what you'll taste like." He reached out a hand to touch me; at the same time, I grabbed his arm. It was cold as ice, unlike my dad and uncles who are like touching stoves. Eww—creepy! And what was wrong with this guy? Was he insane?
"Don't touch me," I said as I twisted his arm slightly. His skin was like rock.
Caius then grasped my arm and pushed me down unto a log. I didn't feel much. I didn't usually get hurt as easily as other kids.
"Strong grip and warm touch you've got—and clearly more durable. You have to be a werewolf's son. You should be just enough to sustain me on my journey back to Volterra." The man kneeled down. I knew I couldn't get away from him. This guy was going to hurt me and maybe do something worse.
"What are you going to do to me?" I asked, terrorized.
"I'm going to torture you and then I am going to terminate you in a most painful manner possible. Your dog of a father would refer to me as a bloodsucker or leech." Caius said this with a really scary grin and in a really scary voice.
"What do you mean?" I asked in horror.
"Is it not obvious? I shall do what the slur implies," Caius said.
"Dad! Help me!" I yelled as loud as I could.
"He is not going to rescue you." Caius' voice became scarier still.
"Please don't hurt me. Please," I begged.
"I'm going to make you suffer first. Harming a defenseless child of a mutt, I shall savor this." Caius reached out his hands. I wanted this monster to go away and for Dad and my uncles to come save me. But they weren't going to.
"Any last words before I commence my torturing of you?"
"Please don't hurt me. Please sir. Please, "I cried tearfully. I thought about my dad and Mom and my uncles and my brother and my three best friends Jason, Galen and Jimmy and how I might never see them again. I shouldn't have fallen behind Uncle Embry. Next time I was going to stay right beside him, but there wasn't going to be a next time. I started to pray in my head, God, please help me. Save me. Send one of my uncles or my dad. Anybody. Just make this scary, crazy man go away.
"You know, they say a broken hearted mutt is nearly unbearable to witness but I'll do my very best." Caius laughed as he moved closer to me and smiled showing his teeth in a chilling manner. It was hopeless; I knew my dad and my uncles were not going to save me.
All of a sudden, Caius got whacked in the head with something. It looked like a small log. It was my dad or Uncle Embry coming to my rescue.
"Don't you dare touch him, bloodsucker!" someone yelled. Caius flew through the air like a bird as I crawled backwards.
"Its all right, Son. Don't be afraid. I'll protect you," a voice spoke. But it wasn't my dad or Uncle Embry. It sounded similar to Uncle Embry's though.
"Who are you? Please don't hurt me," I said, still worried.
"It's all right. I'm Graham and I'm on your side." he told me. Then, he turned and stood in front of me in a fighting pose. My prayer had been answered, I thought as I looked up to the sky. I always knew there was someone watching up in the sky.
Making fists and putting his hands up, Graham yelled at Caius, "What the hell is wrong with you leech? Attempting to grievously harm a defenseless child!"
"Why must there always be a mutt to interfere? Do you surely believe you will be capable of protecting him from me?" Caius threw a rock and then a large stick at me but Graham caught them with reflexes as fast as my dad's. Caius then tried to throw punches at Graham, who kept blocking and throwing his own punches like Superman before knocking him into a tree. He not only had reflexes like my dad, but fought like him too.
Graham got in front of me again, with his hands still in fighting mode. "If you know what's good for you leech, you'll high tail your ice cold ass out of here right now."
"I am not surrendering that fast, you sloppy, ghastly, noxious mutt,'' Caius retorted. He ran toward me again, but Graham pulled back his fist and punched him really hard and Caius flew backwards into another tree.
"You have not seen the last of me, young man. I have some unfinished business with your father's kind," Caius sneered at me as he got up and ran off. I started to rub my arms from the cold air, still scared from what happened.
"You must be cold buddy," Graham said to me.
"But what about you? Your only have on shorts and shoes," I told him.
Graham looked to be the age of my dad and uncles, had shaggy black hair that went to just over his ears, golden brown skin and muscles like my Uncle Embry. He had on a brown backpack. He also had a tattoo on his right shoulder and bicep. It was a pattern of overlapping bluish-black curved lines.
"What's your name?" Graham asked me.
"My mom and Dad say not to talk to strangers," I said, not knowing if I could trust him.
"I promise you I'm not going to hurt you. I'm on your side. Can I please know your name?" he asked in a kind way.
"It's Diego Ephraim Black and thanks for saving me," I spouted, rubbing my arms. I really wasn't that cold though.
"That's a very nice name, and you're welcome. I can warm you up if you want," Graham offered. I guess this guy was okay. He seemed to want to help me.
"Okay," I said as I he put his big arms around me. He was as warm as my dad and uncles. It was like he was on fire. He also had the scent of the forest that my dad and Uncles do.
"What are you doing up here by yourself?'' Graham asked.
"I was with my Uncle Embry but I stopped to tie my shoe and when I was done he was gone,'' I explained.
"Well then, I'll help you find him,'' Graham said kindly.
"Who was that guy?'' I asked him. I don't know why I asked him but he was older than me so he likely knew the answer.
Before Graham could answer,r I heard the voice of my father.
"Who are you, and what are you doing with my son?" my dad said.
"Jacob, it's okay. This is Graham Blackfox, the newest member of the high council," Josh told my dad.
"I'm Jacob Black. I'm his father," Dad said to Graham. I felt Graham let go of me and my dad ran over to me and gave me a tight hug. I could tell he was upset.
With tears in his eyes, my dads kissed me, and said, "Don't you ever scare me like that again, Diego. I thought I lost you."
"I'm sorry, Dad," I said.
"I'm just glad you're safe," Dad replied again as he kissed me a second time.
"Graham saved me Dad—from a tall, white, scary man. Can Graham come meet those people with us?" I asked. Josh nodded to Graham. From the way he nodded at him and hearing the phrase high council I got a weird feeling my dad and uncles weren't telling me something.