~ Fearing The Truth ~
SAPHIRA
"Gods, I can't believe they were so close to our hunting ground all this time!" Saphira growls as Lykos bounds them into the ravine.
They had fled the lair of the wolves and rode Lykos all the way back, the wolf never once stopping or even slowing down. The blizzard had finally lightened up into a gentle snowfall, but still cast its dark, gloomy atmosphere over the forest, making it seem much later than it really is. Saphira is still as tense as she was when they left, having constantly thrown glances over her shoulder to make sure they weren't being followed.
"I can't believe that Orion is still alive!" Chloe exclaims in agreement. Saphira swings her legs over to slide off Lykos' back. "I thought the Praetor girl killed him!"
Saphira shakes her head, pacing around in the snow while Lykos trots away from her to quench his thirst from the lake. "Praetor Reyna, yeah. I don't understand how he's back. He should be rotting away in Tartarus, forever!"
She casts her eyes towards the wolf and feels some sense of empathy for him. With a lowered voice, she whispers to Chloe, though with his hearing it may not matter.
"He led us to their lair," she murmurs, recalling how fearful he had been when she asked about it. "Oh, that must have terrified him, seeing Lycaon again."
"Why is he scared of him?" Chloe asks, taking her cue and keeping her voice low.
"I don't know, but I asked him about their lair before and he became afraid," she replies.
There is a brief moment of silence between them as they watch the wolf drink. It's almost too much for Saphira to really process. Finding the lair would have been a lot to take in as it was. Learning of Lycaon's and Orion's return and seeing both of those villains in the flesh is overwhelming. Her mind feels riddled with tension, unease, fear, and still surprisingly, anger. She feels furious, and has been ever since she saw the giant.
She had encountered him before. In fact, she was involved in the hunt for the archer giant nearly as long as Zoe had, accompanying the former lieutenant on her mission to find him many times over the millennia. She was among those who had followed Thalia to San Juan in pursuit of Orion, who had been hunting the Praetor in her mission to deliver the Athena Parthenos to Camp Half-blood. She remembers the battle of that day, how he had killed dozens of her sisters. All her memories associated with him makes her see red, and she finds herself imagining to have her knife deep in his heart.
"Saph, I know I said I wouldn't pressure you too hard, but we don't have a choice now," Chloe murmurs, stepping in to place a hand on her back. "We have to tell the others about this. Lycaon and Orion being back and working together can only mean disaster for us. We can't keep this from everyone."
"I…"
Saphira's at a loss for words. She's still terrified of what may happen if they reveal their secret to her sisters. What if they kill Lykos, and he ends up turning against them for it? She could lose her best friend in so many ways, something she's experienced once already and has no desire to go through that again. She can't…
But she knows Chloe is right. They can't keep this from the Hunt. It's far too dangerous to leave them in the dark about their enemies' activities.
"I know," she finally replies, sinking to her knees. "I know we have to, but…"
Chloe kneels down beside her and slips an arm around her shoulders, but the gesture does little to comfort her.
"Saph, it'll be okay. I'll be right beside you to back you up."
"I don't know if that'll be enough to convince them," Saphira says, miserably.
"It will be," Chloe tries to assure her.
Saphira gives her a glum nod of response. There is no way around this. Her secret has to be revealed… but how to reveal it? She very well can't just bring Lykos into camp and introduce him. Plus, bringing a wolf into the camp and telling everyone that there is a massive horde of wolves being led by a resurrected Lycaon and Orion will surely not make them any more trusting of him.
But it's either that or risk letting all her sisters die.
"Okay. We'll find Thalia and tell her first, tomorrow morning first thing," she decides.
"I don't think we should wait that long," Chloe protests.
"I can't handle it right now, Chloe. There are million things going through my mind and I'm way too stressed to be able to talk to her," Saphira tells her. "I need to have my mind straight and I need to know exactly what I'm going to say. I don't want to trip over my words and screw it up."
Chloe heaves a sigh, but she doesn't pressure her any further, which Saphira's thankful for. Lykos returns to her with a damp muzzle and bumps her shoulder with his nose. She meets his eyes with a soft smile, but his own stare is serious. He dips his head at her, and she frowns, not sure what he's trying to tell her. He does it again, and she thinks on the possible messages for a few seconds before she realizes…
"You want me to tell them," she murmurs.
A low, rumbling whine emits from his throat as he brushes his head against her shoulder. She feels a horrible twist in her heart at his willingness to sacrifice his own well-being so that she can possibly save her sisters.
"Oh, Lykos!" she softly cries before throwing her arms around his neck and burying her face in his fur. The wolf sinks down into the snow and lets her sniffle quietly into him. Behind her, Chloe also rubs her back, creating some warmth, but it does little to comfort her. When she finally pulls herself together enough to speak again, she leans away to place a hand on either of Lykos' head and gaze into his icy yellow orbs with her dark volcanic ones.
"Remember what I told you. If things go wrong, you run, but not to the demigod camp. It may not be as safe for you as I thought," Saphira declares, rethinking her initial plan. With the campers here and all too eager to kill the wolves, it may not be the best place for him to go after all. "Run somewhere far away, and live. Don't worry about what happens to me, but you make sure that you live. You'll hear them coming, you can escape."
Lykos whines again and gently paws at her, clearly disagreeing with her words. But Saphira won't stand for him to lose his life or what makes him good over her. She refuses to allow for that to happen.
"Please, Lykos. I don't something to happen to you because of this. If they come for you, just run."
He emits a soft groan and lays his head down on her lap, letting her run her palm over his forehead. Saphira would have chosen to stay there forever if she could, but Chloe's tug on her sleeve as her craning around, wiping her tears away as she pays attention to her.
"I think we should get back now," she says, though from the tone of her voice, it's clear she's no happier about this than Saphira.
Saphira nods and slowly gets to her feet, tracing her fingertips along the wolf's muzzle one last time as she does. Lykos lifts his head, looking up at her with his ears pinned back. He looks saddened, but in his eyes, she can see that he has no internal quarrel with her decision. He's accepting the risks that come with the revelation of their friendship. As she and Chloe walk away, Saphira hopes that he heeds her plea, that he is prepared to run should the worst come for him.
