Hey everyone!

Hope y'all are doing well. Sorry I haven't posted in a while; this semester's been pretty busy so far, and my thesis is due in about a month! I'm glad I'm updating this story now, so y'all can get something without waiting for a long period of time. Thank you all for your patience since the last chapter!

Anyway, here's another one shot, all about the loyalty of a satyr to who he is protecting.

Music of the Wild

One afternoon, Leo was enjoying his brief moments of free time, which he got as he walked from his last training session of the day to Bunker Nine to work on the Argo II. It was a clear and sunny Spring day, and having been at Camp Half Blood for several months now, the son of Hephaestus was starting to truly feel at home here. He loved living in the Hephaestus Cabin with his half-siblings, he loved being able to tinker and build anything he wanted (though Chiron made him promise to not create anything that would vaporize any more statues), and he had real, true friends in Piper and Jason.

As he made his way through the trees, the teenager spotted a few nymphs and dryads taking through the foliage. Some of them, upon noticing him, quickly vanished into the barks or leaves of whatever plant they were. He wasn't that hurt by it, though he sometimes wondered if they were scared because he was a demigod, or because they could sense the fire burning inside him and wanted none of it near their flammable branches.

Don't think about that now, Leo thought to himself. Just focus on what you need to get done today; you've got to finish recalibrating the-

A sudden noise made him stop, his ears pricking a little. At first, he thought it was just the wind rustling through the trees, but the more he listened to it, the more he started to think that it wasn't the wind. Somewhat cautious, he slowly started to follow the noise, taking a large Celestial Bronze mallet from his magical toolbelt in case he needed to defend himself. He doubted that a monster had gotten through the camp's barriers, and while he still felt on edge, it wasn't a dark, scary feeling like when he had been on his quest. This was... he couldn't explain it, but he found himself lowering his mallet as he continued to follow the noise. Right as he reached the glad that it came from, he realized it was music.

The glade wasn't very big, and the afternoon sunlight slanted in through the foliage above. There were a few flowers dotting the grass, but in the middle of the glade sat a large, flat-topped rock. On said rock was a satyr, his back to the demigod, and he was holding something to his mouth, blowing into it. It took Leo a few seconds to realize what it was, and now recalled seeing several satyrs with a set of pan pipes hanging from their belts. Chiron had once mentioned that satyrs were very skilled at playing music, and that some of their songs were a potent magic that could enchant any living thing.

The teenager didn't approach any closer, and he simply stood there as the music washed over him. It was light and filled with several high notes, and seemed to twist and turn through the air like a songbird in flight. He had heard classical music before (his elementary school Music teacher had been intent on all of them turning into the next Beethoven), but this was so much better than anything man-made. This music seemed to refresh his soul, and all his earlier fears and worries and thoughts just... disappeared. Carried away by the wind-like music.

I... Wow, Leo thought, barely able to form a complete thought because the music was so intoxicating. Though he was starting to feel somewhat tired; maybe he ought to lie down for a while. Why care about that... whatever it had been he had been going to do before this. It certainly didn't seem important now. His eyelids started to droop, but before he could lay down in the soft, soft grass, he was roughly tackled from behind and slammed into the ground.

The music abruptly stopped, and the demigod's head suddenly felt very heavy and cloudy. He could vaguely hear noises, but he couldn't distinguish what they were saying. He had no idea what had happened to the music, but he wanted it to come back.

"Where... it go," he muttered, vaguely feeling someone lift him into a sitting position. Something touched his lips, and he felt a cool liquid pour down his throat. It tasted like lemonade, like the kind his mother used to make when he was-

Leo's mind suddenly cleared for the most part, and he pushed someone away, sputtering and coughing a little. Suddenly, he could hear the normal noises of the forest, from the wind in the leaves to the sound of distant bugs chirping. Gasping heavily, he heard short footsteps followed by an angry conversation.

"-could've trapped him in the ground forever!"

"I didn't know he was there! I swear!"

"You aren't even supposed to be playing that song without permission from the Council! Did you have that?"

"I... I-I-"

"I'd get your furry behind outta here before I really get mad!" There was the sound of frantic scrambling. "And don't think I won't tell the Council about this!"

The demigod finally got his breathing under control, wiping his mouth. He saw specks of liquid on his fingers, and quickly realized it was nectar. Looking up, he spotted a different satyr standing nearby, baseball bat in hand. His mind finally finished clearing, and he asked:

"C-Coach Hedge?"

The middle-aged satyr turned around, quickly trotting over to him with a worried expression on his face.

"You okay, Valdez," he asked, kneeling next to the demigod. "Can you tell me where you are right now?"

"What? I... I'm in the woods. The woods behind camp." He blinked his eyes. "I was on my way to Bunker Nine and I heard this noise..." He shook his head. "What happened?"

"You heard somethin' you weren't supposed to hear," the coach said seriously. "Some young satyr was playin' something he wasn't supposed to, and believe me when I say that the Council of Cloven Elders'll hear about this!"

"But... what was it," Leo asked, finally standing on his own, the aching in his head slowly yet surely lessening. "I heard the music and I felt..." He briefly recalled the feeling of listening to the music, and he started to long to hear it again. He smiled, and-

SMACK!

"OW!" The demigod winced, feeling his sore cheek. "What in Hades was that for?!"

"Don't think about," Hedge ordered.

"Yeah, because telling someone NOT to think about something doesn't make them think about it whatsoever-"

"I'm serious, Valdez," the satyr snapped, a frighteningly serious expression on his face. "That music would've put any mortal who heard it into an eternal sleep from which you WOULDN'T have woken up from."

That sure made Leo not want to think about the music anymore. A cold feeling crept up his spine, and it took him a few moments to reply.

"It... It would've," he stammered.

"Put you to sleep forever, and the grass would grow over your body until you're nothing but a small mound of earth." The satyr shook his head. "You're lucky I happened to walk nearby and see you. Us satyrs are forbidden to play that song unless with permission from the Council of Cloven Elders, and that one back there's gonna be in serious trouble!"

Leo now shivered, feeling cold as another chill ran through his body. His hands shaking a little, he made a small patch of fire appear in his palm, wanting warmth and to focus on something that wouldn't put him into an eternal sleep. The coach noticed this, taking a small bottle from the pouch that hung from his waist.

"Nectar," he said. "I gave you some earlier, to snap you out of the enchantment."

"T-Thanks," the demigod replied, putting out the fire and taking the bottle. He downed its contents, feeling a warmth spread through his body, despite the liquid being cool and sweet. Again, it tasted like the lemonade his mother used to make after a long day in the workshop. She used to tell him that it was the perfect way to end the day, and always let him have a second glass. Despite the godly food making him feel better, the teenager still felt bad, and he looked down at the ground.

"I... I'm sorry," he said. "I shouldn't have-"

"What the heck you apologizin' to me for," Coach Hedge asked, and the demigod looked back up to find the satyr looking very confused.

"I just... Aren't you mad at me or something," Leo asked. "For listening to that music instead of leaving or something? It seems like something you think I ought've been more careful about."

The coach blinked with surprise, then shook his head.

"Kid, there's NO WAY any mortal could've resisted that music even if they tried. Part of the reason it's banned here is because camp's nearby, and the last thing anyone needs is someone to accidentally hear it." His expression softened somewhat. "Of course I'm not mad at you; it wasn't your fault. Besides," he added, "if I was mad at you, I would've hit you much harder than that!"

The demigod couldn't help but snicker a little, which caused the satyr to chuckle. This led to Leo starting to laugh a little, which only made the coach laugh even more. Soon, the two of them were laughing out loud, the noise echoing through the forest. Neither of them really knew why there were laughing, but both knew that a few minutes later, as their laughing died down, that it was just what they needed to feel better.

"Whelp," Coach Hedge said, getting to his feet (or hooves, rather), "I gotta get to the Council, let them know that young Orestis was misusin' a pipe." He held out his hand and helped the teenager to his feet. "I'll walk with you to the Bunker, in case someone else starts playin' something they shouldn't."

"Thanks." The two started off through the woods, the middle-aged satyr taking the lead, his baseball bat hefted in the air as if a rogue satyr playing illegal music would burst through the bushes any moment. None of them said anything for a while, but eventually, Leo felt that he should say something.

"Uh... Thanks for saving me from being turned into a pile of dirt," he said, unable to look the satyr in the eye.

"No problem, Valdez," the coach replied, nodding a little. "I'm technically still your protector, so I'd be damned to the Underworld before I let anything happen to your, Grace or McLean."

"You sure take all this 'protector' stuff seriously," the demigod noted.

"Of course I do," Hedge replied. "Satyrs have been helpin' demigods for millennia; it's practically in our nature to help idiotic, hormonal teenagers!"

"Nice way to put it," Leo muttered.

The satyr chuckled a little at his own joke. "But in all seriousness, us satyrs would do anything to make sure that you kids are safe." His expression became more serious. "Many satyrs die out in the field while trying to protect demigods; it's not exactly a safe job, but it's a job that I wouldn't trade for anything else."

The demigod was silent, taking in the coach's words. He had always thought that Coach Hedge was a crazy violent dude that loved to talk loudly and make kids run laps. But hearing him state with all seriousness that he'd rather die if it meant that he and his friends would be safe made the teen realize that there must be more to him than meets the eye. However, this thought was quickly shattered when a squirrel jumped out from behind a tree and Hedge, thinking it was an enemy, tried to beat it into a pancake.

If he's gonna be my protector, Leo thought, smiling as the squirrel's friends showed up and collectively attacked the satyr, then I'm glad I've got the best one.

This is one of my favorite chapters so far! Hope some of you enjoyed it as much as I did!

Follow and/or favorite if you want more chapters, and feel free to leave a review with your thoughts! Hope y'all have a great day!

-aggiefrogger