Atalanta and William sat in the Headmistress' office, wondering what they had done. The school year was almost over, and they had both been called down here by that shrill, unearthly voice. I didn't even do anything! I don't wanna get kicked out of another school!..., William thought angrily. The door behind them opened, startling both of the young students.
"Good, you're both here."The figure that looked sort of human snarled from behind them, "Now I can get rid of some of the pathetic children that protect the Greek gods and goddesses! This is gonna be SO much fun!"
"W-What do you mean children of the gods and goddesses? What a-are you?" William said, trembling with fear.
"Yeah and how exactly are you gonna destroy us?" Atalanta asked, sounding braver then William by far.
"Eat your hearts… all of you if I must. I wonder what Greeks taste like."
Under the flickering of the dimly lit fluorescent lights the creature descended upon them. Ata shoved William aside, barely avoiding the snapping head of a crocodile. William looked at the lion-hippoish body that almost landed on him.
"Why!" William inspired his chest heaving.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm going to kill you. Then, I'm going to eat your organs, so that the Greeks will fall. We're sick of how much better you believe you are. You think you're alone in the world- that you own it! You're wrong!" Her teeth snapped.
"And that is our fault?" Atalanta frowned trying to distract the creature so it wouldn't attack William. "Why are you so superior anyway?"
The creature's dingy yellow fangs turned to her as her green cat eyes flamed. "I am Ammit the Devourer of the Dead, the Dead Eater of Hearts, and the Great of Death! Egyptian gods have been here longer and are far greater than the meer gods you represent. You are NO better than the humans you live among!"
This time Ammit sprang with not only her pencil long fangs, but also with her front paws' claws extented. Ata looked around franticly. She noticed two things simultaneously; she was cornered, and she had nothing to protect herself with.
"William!" Atalanta screamed. Ata did the only thing she could think of. She used the wall to launch herself towards Ammit. She avoided the fangs; unfortunately, she couldn't avoid her claws. The pale yellowish, ragged razors ripped open her shoulder. The blood blossomed as William threw the phone that was on the cluttered desk at the creature. The cord stopped it short of hitting her, but the receiver continued on to smack Ammit on the snot. It bounced back and then hit her on the head once more before pointing obscurely at William as it landed on the floor with a crack.
Ammit froze her cold calculating gaze swung to him.
The door swung open with a creek. Theo entered it slowly, and when his eyes landed on William, a smile curved his lips. Ammit attacked, and William watched in horror as the Asian perished.
A sharp claw ripped through Theo's chest, pulling out his heart. The boy's body collapsed to the ground, blood flowing from his chest as his body gave a few violent twitches. Ammit devoured the organ with the snap of her strong jaws, then proceeded to lick the blood from her claws, laughing darkly and watching William and Ata.
Ata leaned against a wall, sliding to the floor as her wounded shoulder burned like ablazened knives.
With a sickening crack, Ammit tore Theo's arm from his body, thus flinging blood across the room and onto a stained glass window and even into William's eyes. Starting with this, she devoured his corpse piece by piece. She stepped on his chest, crushing his ribs, then suddenly looked at William and Ata again, a demented gleam in her reptilian eyes that seemed to say, You're next. She finished off the corpse with blood dripping from her teeth, streaming to the pool of blood beneath her.
William ran to the door, pulling on it frantically, but a magical force kept it close. "Let me out! Let me out!" He shouted, kicking at the door and knocking with both fists. "Help! Someone, please! Help!"
The large, glittering stained glass window shattered, a piece becoming embedded in William's arm. He spun around to see a girl around the age of seventeen or eighteen crouched on a desk. She had a sneer on her face as she grabbed a glass cross that had been on the desk, throwing it to the ground to shatter and add to the mess of the window.
"Ammit!" She jumped down, standing up straight. There was an air of superiority about her as she spoke to the creature in a language neither William nor Ata had ever heard. Ammit shrunk back in her presence.
"Begone! You are not needed here!" Lydia spoke in English, and in an instant the beast was gone. She looked rather annoyed; what was going on? This was not part of the plan!
"You! Rise!" Lydia commanded, looking over at Ata.
Atalanta rose slowly to her feet; she didn't want to show any weaknesses. She flipped her long hair out of her eyes as she face their rescuer. She wasn't sure if this was going to be a lucky break… or was this girl just someone else there to kill them.
"So where do we go from here?" Ata frowned. She chanced a glance towards William. He had fallen on the ground and wasn't making a move to get up. Glass sported from his arm as he looked up at the girl as if she was an angel. Ata calculated her chances… not good.
Lydia paced back and forth across the room, her eyes locked on William and Ata. "What trouble have you been causing?" She demanded. There had to be a reason Ammit was here without command… What if these children knew?
Ata watched her moves carefully as she thought up a story. Then, she shook her head. She'd never been a good liar. "We exist. That in its self is our trouble."
"Smart girl." Lydia smirked and leaned against the desk. "Do you know what you are, exactly?" She questioned. These kids were too dangerous not to be monitored by her at the camp.. they could ruin everything.. were these two what the ancient prophecy foretold?
"What is your definition of exactly?" Ata lips twitched. "I wouldn't want to say something stupid, now would I?" She knew she was pushing her luck, but something wasn't right; she could usually read people… but not this girl. Atalanta looked at William, wondering what would he say.
"Well, according to that horrible ugly beast thingy, we're pathetic demigods?"
"Good job, you're not as stupid as you look!" Lydia responded cruelly. She wasn't in the best of moods. She sat on the desk, crossing her legs and continuing to examine them. They didn't look too threatening. "So. Who are your parents?" She asked. It was quite an odd question, but that didn't matter.
"Poseidon. Although I wouldn't exactly call him a parent, he only cares for that bastard Percy! He hasn't tried to teach or help me! That is why I could do nothing to that demon." William snarled, but you could see how hurt he was.
Ata looked at William sadly. "I only know know father. You may have heard of him. Blake Wolf, the Egyptian archaeologist who found that new site recently… that's the best I can do." Atalanta shrugged going for innocence.
Lydia's expression softened when William spoke of neglection. "I see.." After Ata's answer, she was silent for a moment. She could tell there was something this girl was hiding. But what..? "And your mother? Tell me your mother." Her voice was hard again. Sharp and demanding.
Ata looked thoughtfully at the girl before her. "I know not of my mother. And if you knew my father then you wouldn't believe I had one." She forced a smile all while knowing it wouldn't convince anyone.
"You are a liar." Lydia sneered in disgust. "And now.. you get to clean all this up." She waved her hand, gesturing at the broken glass and all the blood. "Enjoy."
Ata blew out a deep breath, looking hard into the Lydia's eyes. "Fine." Atalanta shrugged. "You want to know my mothers? I don't see how it will help you…" Ata looked away out the window into the starry night. "Athena made me as a favor for Artemis. They both like to claim me at times." She looked back at Lydia her eyes hard. "Happy now? Cause I'm sure as hell not cleaning up that mess!"
"Ohh, yes, you are." Lydia smirked. "The blood especially. Or else you will be credited as murderers!"
Atalanta gave a small laugh. "It would be one of the more piety crimes I have been charged with, but who would believe you?"
"Don't worry. I'm quite the actress, if I do say so myself." Lydia started to allow tears to build in her eyes, and she sniffed, giving a dismal look, then laughing.
"Then, convince them that it was a freak accident and I will just catch a ride-" Ata made a face- "somewhere." She shrugged.
"Ugh, this constant bickering will accomplish nothing!" William shouted, moving in between the two.
"Peace doesn't help ether." Atalanta sneered. "Besides, I'll just meet up with my father. That should be fun." Ata rolled her eyes as she remembered what her father had done… He separated her from her twin and that would always be unforgivable. When she got home, he'd probably just send her to a different private school this time to live with her grandparents.
"You know that those freaking monsters won't stop attacking us!" William shouted even louder, "They'll find us even if we run!"
"I've lived with that my whole life... Longer might kill me, but so what."
"You'll be going with me." Lydia said, matter-of-factly. It was more of a command than just a statement.
"Where are we going?" Ata raised an eyebrow.
"Well, I suppose I'm in. I've got nowhere else to go." William said, hollowly. He noticed Lydia watching him intensely.
Ata rolled her eyes. "You would be wouldn't you?"
"Excellent, excellent. And you," Lydia's eyes shifted to Ata, "You will cooperate, yes?"
"Do I have a choice?" Ata compressed her lips.
"The answer should be obvious." Lydia stated with a dark smirk.
She grabbed a wrist of each young demigod, and in an instant they seemed to sink into the shadows with a disorienting feeling close to astral projection. Lydia brought them with her as she travelled shadow-to-shadow, building-to-building, city-to-city, until they were in New York.
"What the crap was that?" William demanded, his heart beating furiously.
"Umbrakinesis." Lydia answered as Billy and Ata examined their new surroundings, including a nearby hill.
"What did you just call me?" William shouted.
Lydia rolled her eyes. "Umbrakinesis… control of shadows."
"Shadow travel?" Ata concluded.
"Good job." Lydia patted Ata's shoulder and grinned. "And welcome to Camp Half-Blood."