Chapter Two

As River departed, she couldn't help but feel a lingering feeling of sadness. She steeled herself and looked away from the school as she headed towards her house. As she entered the neighborhood, she was struck by how eerily quiet it was. The feeling of someone watching her only intensified the closer to her house she got. As she entered she had to suppress a scream. Laying on the floor were her parents bodies. She didn't need to feel they're pulse to know they were dead. Suddenly she heard someone breathing and it wasn't her parents. Drawing her sword and looking up she saw a Fury, one of Hades servants.

River shouted, "Coming after me wasn't enough! You had to kill my parents too!"

The Fury said, "It was not I who killed your parents or sent the cyclopes after you, Hades sent me here to tell you the truth and to warn you."

"Warn me about what?"

"Dark wizards killed your parents and they were in league with Echidna and the Chimera."

"The Chimera?!" "Dark Wizards!"

"Yes, if you value your life you will leave at once!"

"No, these monsters were in league with the wizards who killed my parents. I can make them tell me who those wizards are!"

"You're petty arguments have sealed your fate. It is too late to turn back now."

"So be it."

The Fury flapped her wings and flew away from the house of horrors as she had come to think of it. Running over to her parents she collapsed sobbing at their feet. As she cradled her mom's head something crinkled in her mom's pocket. Drying her tears she removed a letter. It was made of old parchment and was addressed to,

Jennie McCray

Largest Bedroom

128 Bonaparte Drive, Hillsborough

Just as River began to open the letter she heard a hiss. Turning around quickly she saw a monster glaring back at her. Drawing her sword and placing the letter in her pocket in one movement she faced the Chimera. She had read enough mythology to identify it but the sight of it still was freaky. Lashing out with it's snake tail, fangs snapping, River rolled away barely missing the fire sent after her as the tail missed. What she hadn't seen though were the sharp talons of the Chimera. They came scraping at her leg, tearing a gash from her ankle to her thigh. River screamed at the waves of pain that shot through her leg, silently calling for someone, anyone, to help.