Chapter 35: Now or Never
August didn't waste time getting off the big ship and into the rowboats that were moving towards the island. The island looked much more like a scene from Jurassic Park than a Hawaiian island with its lush landscape butting up against the shores of the beach. August had been to Hawaii before, but only to hotels and tourist beaches. It surprised her that there were parts of it that were so unkempt.
"Where are we?" August asked out loud as the self-propelling rowboat that Percy, Ariadne, Ed, and herself were all seated in as they made their way to shore.
"The back part of the big island that can't be renovated because of the active volcanoes." Percy answered.
"Why do I get the feeling there are dinosaurs here?" Ed grumbled, looking like he may pass out. August didn't blame him; fighting in a jungle was much more daunting than fighting in a canyon or a cave. At least in those settings, there are less places for monsters to hide.
As soon as they hit land, a low but audible growl greeted August's ears. "No one move." She instructed as she turned towards the direction of the noise. To her surprise, there was nothing.
"There's something out there." Ed whispered, looking over August's shoulder in the direction of the growl. August and her team jumped out of the boat, keeping low as to not startle anything. Just as they were about to approach the lush tree scape, they heard a voice. A human voice.
"Help… me. Please! Please… help." The voice begged as the cracking of branches and shuffling of dirt came closer. As soon as August braced for battle, a young woman, only a few years older looking than Annabeth or Percy came stumbling out looking very worn, like she had been running from something.
"Oh my lord what happened? Let us help you!" August asked as she rushed over towards the girl, just as the she collapsed into August's arms.
"Big… wild cat… attacked my camp site… I don't know where the others are." She croaked out breathlessly. August laid the woman down on the beach, kneeling over her. She moved the girl's chocolate brown hair from her dirt streaked forehead a checked for serious wounds.
"Anything serious?" Ariadne asked as she watched August work.
"Doesn't look like it. She's just exhausted." August responded without looking up. Even so, August wasn't about to just leave the woman. That wouldn't be right.
"Leave her for now. The other boats will be landing soon, and we've got to get to the main volcano asap." Percy instructed as the other rowboats started to dock.
"I can't just… I mean she needs help!" August argued, disgusted that Percy Jackson, hero of all heroes, would even suggest such a thing.
"August, the monsters won't come for her now that we're here." Ed explained, motioning for August to follow.
Just then, Annabeth's boat holding Piper and Leo docked next to Percy's. "Ok let's move to attack plan alpha. If we move quickly we can… what happened to her?" Annabeth asked as she was cut short by the scene of August trying to keep the woman conscious.
"Big cat…" The woman croaked out again.
"Apparently her camp was attacked by a large wild cat of some sort. I don't want to just leave her out here in the middle of an attack but… I mean… what can we do?" August felt so conflicted. This woman needed help, and yet they were in the middle of a war that she was a major part of.
"It's ok to leave her, August. She'll be fine, you said so yourself. She'll sleep it off and walk back to civilization." Ariadne comforted as she tried to get August to leave the woman and follow the group.
"I can't! I don't know why but I have to know that she's going to be ok!" August argued, almost in frustrated tears.
"Oh gods no, now is not the time for this to surface!" Annabeth whined as she looked at August with genuine fear in her eyes.
"For what to surface?" August snapped, angry that no one cared about the woman's obviously unstable condition.
"You're fatal flaw!" Annabeth said directly. August shook her head in disbelief. "Yes it is, I can see it in your eyes. This is a test, I just know it." Annabeth growled in frustration.
"Fatal flaw?" August looked between Percy and the rest of the group that had landed for an answer.
"It's the thing that everyone has that weakens them." Piper explained.
"Yeah, that's right." Percy nodded. "It's the one flaw that will get in the way of your tasks at hand no matter what."
"So wait a second. I have a flaw that's going to get in the way of getting things done? Then why did they pick me to lead quest?" August asked, angry and now scared.
"August, it's not just you. We all have them." Annabeth said. "I have a deep hubris."
"I'm too loyal. I'd risk my life for anybody." Percy said stepping up.
"I have issues with feeling like I don't contribute." Leo mentioned.
"They make us human, August. Without them, we'd surpass the Gods." Ariadne explained, nodding August to follow. "Leave her and let's… uh… oh shit." She trailed off, backing away slowly from August.
"That's really not good." Annabeth whispered, unsheathing her knife.
August turned around to where she had left the woman, who's bones were convulsing and shifting unnaturally. It almost seemed like she was getting bigger. Yes, she definitely was getting bigger, and hairier. "What is that?" August asked, now certain that this day couldn't get any weirder.
"Everyone get ready!" Percy instructed as he uncapped Riptide. Piper and Leo brandished their weapons of choice as August and Ariadne followed in suit. August didn't even see Ed anymore as they got ready to fight, but didn't blame him for taking off. The woman was certainly not a woman anymore as her body swelled in size to form something about the size of a hummer, her body shooting out gold fur in every direction as her hair made up a gnarly looking mane.
"It's a full grown Nemean lion, August! The original lore states that they could change in woman to draw in heroes so they could then slay them." Ariadne explained with a shaky voice.
And there it stood in its full form; a huge, snarling, drooling golden lion with piercing red eyes. The claws on its paws were about as long and as sharp as Helios, the teeth in its maw giving Annabeth's knife a run for its money. This was no Newman. And then it lunged.
"DUCK!" August yelled as the beast flew through the air towards the group. Leo narrowly avoided the attack as the beast came crashing down onto the sand, sending a plume of it into the air. A deafening roar sounded through the trees as the lion prepared to charge again. August wasted no time charging directly at it this time.
"ARE YOU CRAZY?" Ariadne yelled as August ran full force at the monster. Maybe she was, but she wasn't about to let this creature get the best of her. She ducked, slashed, jumped, flipped, and kicked in a violent ballet of moves, trying anything to get a hit.
"Oh no, there's more!" Annabeth called out as August looked over her shoulder to see boats of campers docking and griffons, furies, and an angry looking sphinx all charging out of the forest.
"Don't let them push you towards the water!" A voice yelled out from a docking boat. "If they do, they have us cornered." Jason made his way through the carnage towards a group of hellhounds.
"Leave the hellhounds to Nico and I. We know them best and may be able to subdue them!" Hazel called out as she ducked just as a griffon came pouncing overhead.
"Agreed!" Nico seconded, drawing his ebony blade. August didn't even think he'd show up, but was happy he did.
"Back up! I'm shifting!" Frank called out as he jumped off ship.
The battle had officially started. The scene was surreal as more demigods poured out from the boats, and more monsters from the forest. Newman and Ms. O'Leary had joined it, causing a stir with their evil counterparts. Jason looked more like a moving lightning bolt with electricity crackling around him; Percy had a miniature storm raging around him; Frank had morphed into a large elephant and was flipping monsters left and right; Annabeth and Ariadne had teamed up against a group of furies, taking them down left and right like a whirlwind of knives; and the carnage continued as both sides provided more fighters.
"FIRE!" Will's voice shouted from the sidelines as both sides of Apollonites let loose a slew of arrows onto the oncoming barrage of monsters cascading down the lush hill. As the arrows hit, a shower of gold dust avalanched down the mountainside as the surviving monsters charged through it.
There were so many monsters that August was glad that most of them, if you hit them correctly, were one hit kills. She sliced through another hellhound just as a low, rumbling, evil laugh sounded through the battle.
"The gods?" She mumbled to herself as something bright and big caught her eye on top of the mountain. Not the mountain, the volcano. The volcano, which was now erupting violently. The air became hazy as the mountain threw plumes of ash and hot steam into the air, lava oozing out like an open wound. August knew it was Hyperion saying 'come at me bra.' It was now or never.
She turned over her shoulder to see Ed, back from wherever he was hiding, charming several large python like serpents with his reeds, and Ariadne whipping around through sets of monster like they were nothing. As soon as two more griffons fell to her knives, Ariadne stopped to take a breath.
"Arry, I'm going in!" August called over the chaos.
"You are? Now? Alone?" Ariadne asked, panic taking over her face.
"Yes, yes, and yes." August answered, preparing her speedy trek up the mountain.
"Is it time?" Ed asked, now next to August.
"Yep, now or never." She answered, nodding bravely.
Suddenly, Ariadne barreled into her, almost knocking her off balance. "Please come back safe!" Ariadne begged as she grabbed August by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes.
"I promise I will try." August said sincerely. Ariadne pulled her in for a goodbye kiss.
As she broke away, she went stern. "No, not try. You will." Ariadne demanded, looking August dead in the eyes, letting her know she was serious.
"I should've seen that coming." A voice from nowhere said. It became clear that it belonged to Annabeth as she took her hat off, melding back into existence.
"That obvious huh?" August asked.
"Extremely." Annabeth nodded her head with a smile. She went serious again as she caught site of the volcano. "If you're headed in, I want you to remember something very important. Do not, under any circumstances, negotiate with Hyperion. Titans aren't like Gods. They never stick to their words in their entirety."
"Right, got it." August nodded in understanding. The volcano boomed in the background, almost signaling her to hurry up. August took a deep breath before preparing her trek. "Well, wish me luck."
And now ladies and gentlemen, we start the beginning of the end.