I'm like 17 chapters into Tower of Nero (reading, not rewriting) BUT I already have planned a few things, not sure how much is going into it, as not yet finished the book, but I am PLOTTING. Also, do you know how happy I am with this book? No spoilers, I promise, but I've seen the word 'gay' twice in this book, and I love it, I love that it's there XD (OK, one spoiler, but nothing major, I'm dying over the fact that Will is a fucking glow stick)
Anyway
To 8Ball3- (Chapter 37) Um, excuse me, height is in feet. My brother's 16 (just) and he's six foot two ish, but he's a bean pole, so I can still beat him up if need be :P Shin kicks are the best, it's so bratty ^_^ (Chapter 38) Oh, yeah, she's fine. *not lying* (Chapter 39) I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN
They were heading into early spring now. Daffodils and snowdrops were beginning to sprout- Arnie recognised them from his mother's flowerbox. "She liked gardening. We didn't have a yard, but we had lots of window boxes. These came up every spring." He crouched by the patch of dirt, examining the buds and leaves. He breathed in the scent of the fresh earth, smiling fondly. "I slept with my window open. If the wind was in the right direction, I used to smell these when I woke up." Louisa nodded. When he talked about his mother, he didn't always expect a reply. Just listening seemed to be enough for him.
They were so close to Camp now. Admittedly, they had taken a bit of a wrong turn last week and spent a considerable amount of time getting back on track. Now, as long as they didn't get lost again, they should be at Camp within four or five days. Maybe three, Arnie said, "if we run like crazy."
There was also the matter of things sticking to the plan.
As a demigod, sticking to the plan was slowly turning into 'have the base of a plan and then wing it spectacularly'.
Winging it was not their speciality either, but they did their best.
That night, they were searching for somewhere to bunk down. Arnie kept yawning, which made her yawn and then smack him, which made him smack her and one of their little squabbles broke out.
"You're smelly!"
"You're smelly!"
"No, you!"
"You!"
"Yo- ssh!" Louisa tackled him, clamping a hand over his mouth. His protests were muffled by her hand. She shushed him again and pointed. Through the bush they were now hiding behind, they saw a large rocky formation- like if a mountain and a cliff had a baby. What had caught Louisa's attention was a cave, about thirty or so feet up, glowing from within with the dancing light of fire. Seeing the shadows and lights flicker like that, it should have been ordinary- maybe some hikers camping out in the cave.
A cold feeling on her skin told her otherwise.
"Should we check it out?" Arnie breathed. Louisa glanced at him nervously. "Come on," he smiled reassuringly, "we'll just take a peek and then leave, OK?" She didn't like the idea of it, but he had already started off, hopping through the undergrowth on light feet.
He waited for her at the bottom of the rocky structure. He pointed at various points she could hold onto to climb.
"I thought you liked bein' on the ground?" She whispered.
"Rocks count as ground." He whispered back. "I don't like flying."
She followed him, mimicking his holds and shuffling up the rockface. He glanced down every few feet, just to make sure she was still there. She would have very much preferred staying on the ground, ignoring the fire, continuing on to Camp. But he was determined to explore. She couldn't let him go alone.
"Ooh." He said, head popping up to see into the cave. "Lou!" He whispered. "Check this out! What are they?" Louisa huffed, clambering up next to him. She rested her arm on the lip of the cave, pulling herself up.
Around the fire sat six or seven large figures. At first, she thought they were Cyclopes- more reason to head back down- but upon examination, they were something different altogether. They were about the same size, great big buff guys with pictures all over their arms. They sat in a circle, hunched over, around the fire, grunting and guffawing amongst themselves. She could see the yellow of their teeth in the firelight, on which they roasted a massive meaty thing. Behind them, next to them, were large iron clubs.
"Ugh," one groaned, picking at his teeth, "this is taking forever."
"It'll be done soon, shut up."
"You shut up." The first punched the second in the side of the head, a hefty thunk of flesh on bone. The second recoiled with a grunt, but he was hardly dazed.
"Mm." Arnie hummed to himself, trying to think. "Not Cyclopes."
"I can see that." Louisa whispered. Arnie shifted, rising. She grabbed his arm, yanking him down. His foot slid and he hissed, scrambling for purchase, suspended by her hold. "No!" She hissed. "We should go!"
"But I wanna see what they are!"
"Not worth it, let's go."
"You all hear somethin'?" Louisa ducked, gripping the very edge of the cave lip. "What's that smell?"
"Dinner, stupid."
"No. Somethin' else." Loud sniffing, investigative and getting closer. Louisa threw a quick look down, at Arnie and then at the ground. Too far to jump. The sniffs were so close now, she swore she could feel the change in the air on her fingers.
A content growl came next, almost a deep, rumbling purr. "I smell demigods."
"You know," Arnie breathed, "I think you might have had the right idea."
"No duh!" A large hand grabbed her shoulder, a thunderous triumphant laugh.
"Demigods!" The monster had them, its yellow teeth even less unpleasant up close and accompanied with the stench of old food. It had lifted her and Arnie straight up, clear of the rockface altogether. Louisa clung to Arnie, feeling his hand grasping for any purchase on her sleeve, coat, leg. "Look!" The monster crowed, swivelling back round to his equally hideous and foul-smelling friends. "More dinner!" A rambunctious cheer sprang up around them. Louisa kicked at the one holding them. He hardly gave her a second glance, as though she were no more than a pesky insect.
"Let us go!" Arnie demanded, trying to kick as well.
"Oh no, demigods. You came to us. You're fair game." He sat back in his seat, fingers curling in the back of Arnie's jacket. Despite the pair's attempts, they were wrested apart. Their little fists and kicks hardly raised a mark on the monster's pictured skin.
Louisa yelled in frustration, hand snapping onto her wristwatch. Her sword jumped into her hand, extending into their captor's face. He hardly had time to blink in surprise, the sword point disappearing between his eyebrows. He exploded into monster dust, the specks crackling in the fire. Louisa landed on her feet, Arnie fell to his knees, wincing.
Uproar exploded around the hearth. Louisa slashed over Arnie's head at one making a grab for him. He drew his dagger and plunged past her to stab a third reaching for her in the chest.
Whatever they were, they recovered from their shock quickly enough, despite three already dead. A foot almost as big as she was swung straight into her, a nasty series of cracks resounding through her ribcage with a sensation like lava. She hit the cave wall, sword clattering away from her. Breathing sent broiling needles through her chest, spiking her throat with heat.
"Lou!" Arnie cried. Two bore down on him, the kicker towering over her with a vengeful snarl twisting his features. Arnie stabbed upwards, one of the beasts caught his arm. There was a snap and he screamed, tears flooding his face. His dagger hit the stone floor.
"No…" Louisa groaned, shifting her weight onto her arms. A foot slammed into her back, shoving her onto the ground. Black shadows flashed through her vision, bile rose in her throat. "No…" Arnie's terrified, pained, partially-muffled sobs, the crackling of the flames, the monsters' snarling and laughing at the dinner that just waltzed on in…
Her hands curled into fists. Sick burned in her stomach, but when she opened her mouth, only a scream came out. Eyes squeezed shut, trapped beneath the monster's rank foot, she screamed to the point her throat felt shredded with acid. A loud, vicious rumbling clamoured over all other noises, the ground trembled violently beneath her.
"Stop it!" The monster stepping on her cried. He could have squished her underfoot, but whatever was happening, whatever she had summoned, it scared him. Pushed him back. "Let's go, let's go!"
Arnie told her about it later. Much, much later- she did not wake for almost three days. The cave seemed to be tearing itself apart, cracks of all shapes, sizes, depths and lengths blasting through the rocks like lightning through the sky. Rocks began to fall, gradual at first, then torrential, hammering down. Even now, his ears still rang from the cascade of boulders, disarmingly loud and catastrophic. The monsters had no chance, crushed beneath the onslaught. Arnie had to grab her, with his good arm, dragging her from the cave seconds before it filled itself in.
He wasn't sure when, having watched the chaos unfold, but she had passed out, her nose bleeding. It had not been easy, he told her, getting her out. He was terrified he would have caused more damage to her broken ribs. It was all he could do though, to hold onto her, pushing forward with the strength of his legs, his injured arm cradled to his chest.
Louisa remembered the screaming. Beyond that, a dark haze. Arnie peered at her carefully. They shared the canteen of nectar, taking turns to sip at it until they felt their skin begin to warm up. "I think… I think you made an earthquake, Lou." He said quietly. His bottom lip trembled, eyes glistening. "You were right. We shouldn't have gone there."
"Arn-"
"We could've died and it'd be my fault. They would have eaten us just because I wanted to see-" She whacked him in the shoulder, glowering. "Ow." He pouted, shooting her a half-hearted glare.
"Shut up." She demanded. "Won't hear it."
"But-" She scowled at him. He held his tongue. "I am sorry." He said meekly, a minute later. "I'll… I'll listen next time."
"You better. Dumb-dumb." She smacked him again for good measure, then told him to get some sleep. Three days, he had sat by her, tending to his own arm, tending to her. He was exhausted, dark shadows beneath his eyes. He had hardly eaten, when she checked their supplies. He hadn't even left her side to refill their water bottles, only down to a third of one now.
Three days.
Louisa looked up at the sky, seeing the familiar splash of stars, the curve of the moon. She tried not to think on the time lost, tried not to think that they could have been that much closer to Camp had they not gone to that cave. But she knew, if she voiced it, Arnie would blame himself more. And she did not want to blame him. She tamped the thoughts down, helped herself to a candy bar. Arnie hugged his rucksack to him like a teddy bear, drifting into a fitful slumber.
