Chapter Seven
I run through the darkness of the forest and pass through the force field. I keep running and avoid any monsters that know I can see them. When I trip and fall over a tree root, I feel something hard in the front pocket of my jeans. After tending my scratches and wounds, I fish a small container out of my pocket. In the container is a sparkly pink dust. I twist open the container and rub some dust onto my eyes, thinking it was eyeshadow. Suddenly, I see everything a bit more clearly as if I had gone through the lasik eye surgery. I saw some strange Egyptian animal hybrids slinking around the shrouded darkness of the forest. Because I read enough about Egyptian mythology, I could tell they were griffins.
One griffin comes prowling towards me. He stares at me through gorgeous eyes that are the color and shine like the sun. He stops at a respectable distance and opens his beak. A booming sound comes out of the beast's beak, "Kayla, it is I, Horus. Because the griffin is a sacred animal of mine, and the gods are protecting you to fulfill their goal, I give you this griffin as a pet and companion. He will bring you to your next destination. Good luck!" Horus' voice fades away and the griffin caws.
I cautiously approach the creature and stare straights into his eyes. The griffin unfazed with my gazing and lets me pet it's body. His colors shine brightly, and soon we're up in the air. The speed was incredible, and I watched Camp Half-Blood get smaller and smaller until it was a small star in the fog of clouds. The griffin then flies higher up until the clouds are as small as cotton balls. When I look up, I see the blanket of whiteness that my friends and family never see. Guess that's part of the Mist. What made it so different was that it was fluffy and somewhat solid. I remember how little kids think that clouds are solid enough to eat and stand on. These clouds were the exception.
I prance through the soft ground and play with my griffin until the moon is high. My griffin then takes me to a large castle made of sparkly diamond. It reminds me of Jack and the Beanstalk, but I let my griffin fly us in there. He sets me on the gigantic sofa, and I sleep until the sun peeks through my eyelids.
"I'll name you Cloud," I say to my griffin. He caws in delight and flies me to the basement. On the way, we pass a giant who seems to have a sophisticated taste in appearance. Unlike the giants in the forest, she has silky robes and a pimple and scar free face. Cloud and I enter the basement, and I gasp in horror. Hundreds of rotting animals and people were occupying the many cells of the basement. I fly down to one cell where the people seem scared, not dying.
"Can you see through the Mist?" I ask them. They nod in fright while one middle-aged man declares, "I used to be able to. I still am, but not as well. I wasn't thankful for my ability when I was younger, I was just pleased. Being able to see through the Mist allowed me to see many of the beautiful nymphs who inhabited my home island in the Caribbeans. But I was extremely delighted when I had caught the eye of the most woman in the world." He smiles wistfully and his eyes seem distant. "She was wonderful, but after giving birth to my two beautiful children, she told me who she really was and needed to attend her duties." The man sighs, and continues, "I watched over my children until my daughter joined an elite group that had strict rules. They took my son with them so they could drop him off at a summer camp, and I grew lonely. I decided to travel around the world until I was captured by one of the giants who live here. I've been here ever since." His cellmates look bored, possibly because they have heard the story before, but I realize this must be Caston and Amanda's father. He looked similar to them, and I realize that underneath the wrinkles, he looked like an average version of Caston. I decide to interrogate Caston later.