Author's Note:
I HAVEN'T READ ToN SO I GUESS THIS IS NOW CANON DIVERGENT, BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENS IN THAT BOOK; NOTE THE CHANGE IN THE DESCRIPTION
(this chapter isn't third person deep, it's just third person; there's no particular person it's following (that's just how I right combat chapters))
Cheers!
justapercyjacksonfan
Chapter 5:
"For the last time, I told you what Instinct told me. To seek out the daughters of Zeus and Bellona among the Hunters, and that they - sorry, you, had been there before."
"But we've never even heard of Instinct, Growth, or the pillars of creation in general. And Lady Diana said we would know best? Except for one, but she said they're dead…."
Thalia grew pale. "No she didn't Reyna. She said...she said they sleep among the stars. But that means...Reyna, have you ever been to Mount Tam?"
Reyna's eyebrows furrowed. "Of course. While the Greeks were fighting the Titans in Manhattan, I led the legion to storm Mount Othrys."
Jess joined them in their confused looks. "You're saying Growth is in California?"
"If we've both been there, and only Zoë would know better...it must be. But I don't think it could be on the actual titan stronghold, someone would have recognized it during the second Titan war." Thalia continued
"Then where?" Reyna asked "I lived in California for four years, I feel like someone at Camp Jupiter should have known."
"Still on the mountain. I think...I think it's in the Garden."
"What garden?" Jess asked
She was interrupted by Ian, who ran over panting. "Thalia!"
She looked over, surprised. "What is it?"
"Woods...roar…giant cat...Peggy told us to tell you it's back, the Nemean Lion!"
"May Artemis protect us." Thalia muttered. "Show me."
Ian nodded, and took off again, leading Thalia. Reyna and Jess took off after him. On their way, Jo and Lottie joined the running party.
"What's going on?" Jo wheezed, "Where's Caleb?"
"Lion, trying to help Peggy."
"Kelsey!" Thalia yelled, "Have you got any astronaut food?"
A Hunter looked up from the bow she was carving, "Um...no? What's going on?"
"Come help us, we'll need you! Reyna, get everyone organized, we'll need everyone we've got."
"You need my help, Thalia, I'm not leaving you."
"I can hold it off until you come in with back up, but by the gods, this isn't going to be an easy fight. Send Abby and Eliza over as soon as possible, we'll need all the Demeter power we've got."
"Why?" Reyna asked, but she didn't wait for an answer, instead running back the way they came
They came into the clearing to see Caleb and Peggy playing a literal game of cat and mouse with the big cat. One would distract the other while the other did their best to attack it. There was little success, as every arrow, every jab of Caleb's staff glanced harmlessly off of it's fur.
"Thalia!" Peggy's attention was momentarily distracted as the group burst onto the scene. There was a quick smack, and the lion sent her flying into a try. She didn't get back up.
"Peggy!" Lottie cried
"Lottie, no, we can't get distracted!" Thalia yelled. "We need to get rid of this first!"
Lottie clearly didn't like it, but she returned her attention to the beast.
"Try and get it's eyes or mouth, don't bother with the rest, it's skin is like a bullet-proof vest." she continued giving orders. "Keep it distracted for a sec!"
With a slap of her wrist, her bracelet expanded into her terrifying shield Aegis driving back the monster momentarily.
Jess intercepted it from the side, driving her knives in front of her. They didn't hurt the beast, but the screeching noise they made as they dragged along its side did. The piercing noise caused it to howl in discomfort. Lottie loosed a flurry of arrows into its maw, taking the opening, but the lion shut its mouth quickly to stop anymore from hitting its weak spot.
Jo, meanwhile, was trying to inch her way around it while it's attention was elsewhere. Her intention was clearly to try and get to where Peggy still hadn't moved. From behind, Caleb was getting in close, and then moving away. While his weapon didn't do anything, his freezing prowess was doing actual damage. On the downside, the lion noticed, and didn't seem to appreciate being able to feel pain. It's reaction was what was causing him to have to keep moving away.
Thalia wasn't actually doing much to help. Behind her shield, she was giving rapid orders to three of her Hunters, including Kelsey and two who had just joined the fight. It was only a thirty second conversation, but that was an eternity in a fight for one's life. After those few critical moments, the other three broke away. Kelsey produced a small packet, which she ripped open with her teeth. She scattered the contents into the grass in front of her, and knelt on the ground. Seedlings broke through the dirt, becoming full grown plants, and then growing much larger than they should, all in a matter of seconds.
The lion, once again, noticed. She took off, taking it's attention with her. One of the other's took her place, continuing to grow the plants. Once the vines were as thick as a tree trunk, they began to reach for the monster's back legs. Kelsey joined once again, causing them to continue to grow while the other daughter of Demeter forced them to contort and snare the lion.
It's attention, formerly on the son of Khione who was essentially sticking it with an icy toothpick, tried to turn back to the Hunters, but it was stuck. It's struggling began to snap vines, but Jess and Thalia intervened with a terror inducing shield, and a lucky dagger throw that nailed the Nemean lion in the left eye.
"Come on, where's Eliza?" Thalia muttered. "Where's Reyna with the others, we can't keep it distracted much longer."
She was right. Kelsey and the other hunter were near exhaustion from their frantic bout of chlorokinesis. Peggy was out, with Jo essentially out of the fight making sure she was okay. Lottie, Jess, and she couldn't make a mark on the beast. And while Caleb could cause it pain, it was too dangerous, and frankly too big to kill it with his freezing powers.
Her second question was answered first. Her expert eyes noticed the Hunters hidden on the outskirts of the trees, waiting for the lion to open its mouth. But for that they need Eliza. Where was she?
Despite being immobilized, the lion could still swipe at them with its front paws. And swipe it did, this time knocking Jess and Lottie away in quick succession. Lottie gave a sharp "Oh!" as the air was knocked out of her. She stayed on her butt in the dirt, but having not been knocked into a tree, remained conscious. As Jess fell, she hit her head on the hard ground. She didn't get up either, only muttering, "Why is it always me?"
Caleb immediately tried to run to her side, but the lion got in his way, snapping at him, forcing him to drop to the ground. It's maw passed over him harmlessly, but he could still feel the wind of its action sweep through his hair.
Instinct kicked in, and before it could retract its head, he stabbed upwards, the staff making contact with the underside of its snout. Caleb yelled, and channeled all of his power through the staff. As it roared in rage, it became frozen in place, a layer of ice coating it.
Caleb could feel a burning feeling in all of him, a powerful exhaustion as though he had just lifted a thousand pounds. His muscles, his bones, his will to live were being exhausted, but he continued to force his power into the beast. After a few more seconds, however, his raw determination wasn't sustainable by his strength. If he hadn't been on the ground already, he would have fallen over. As it was, the staff clattered out of his hands, and his arms dropped to the ground. In that moment, branches and vines poured out of the forest around them, wrapping around the lion's open mouth and tying it to the trees, forcing it to stay open.
Arrows peppered its maw until the beast crumbled to dust, leaving a strange assortment of vines, three passed out half-bloods, three exhausted daughters of Demeter, a frantic healer, and several dozen Hunters with significantly less arrows.
Thalia lowered her bow, and put up her shield. She approached the spoils of war that were left - a lion's skin. "I've seen this before. This was a great asset on my quest to free Artemis."
She turned to the motley group of half-bloods. "We'll help you recuperate, and then send you on your way to Growth, in the Garden of the Hesperides. Give Zoë's sisters hell for me. As for this-" She bent down to pick up the lion's skin. "I believe this goes to Caleb Lynk."
Author's Note:
I know I'm about three hours short of missing the update. I procrastinated. Sue me. (please don't actually sue me)
Shoutout time!
Huge thanks to I - Can't - Think - Of - A - Username - 101 and Thunderstorm964 for favoriting this story! That's a pretty cool thing to do!
Also, another thank you to Thunderstorm964 for also following!
And a general you rule to everyone who's reading, because that's a pretty nice thing to do. Next update is on Halloween, how spooky.
Um, sorry I haven't updated my other fic in a while; life's kinda been happening. Pinky swear I'll get one out before the end of October. (but also, not, because it's a pandemic, and I'm not going to touch your hand to pinky swear...well, you understand.)
Have a lovely day!
justapercyjacksonfan
