Chapter Sixteen

The Wolf Call

The Daemons attacked.

Jason and Annabeth lounged toward Polybotes, while Piper, Leo, Nico, and Dakota dealt with the fish demons. Piper thought they were so much uglier up close. They hissed and gargled sea foam from their mouths. It made Piper happy she was a vegetarian.

A daemon ran toward her and she raised Katoptris to defend herself. The celestial bronze struck the claws of the demon and sparks flew through the air. She did a roundhouse kick to its head, but that didn't do too much damage. She couldn't and wouldn't show any fear. She had to fight. This was her destiny.

Suddenly, Piper began to glow. It was almost like when she had been claimed by Aphrodite and received her blessing. The reddish glow seemed to entrance her daemon and she took it as the right time. She struck, plunging the blade with all her strength up into the monster. But nothing happened.

The daemon made a noise. A laugh, maybe? And smacked her.

She fell backward, her face swore. She stared up at the daemon.

"Foolish half-blood," it said. It could talk! It's voice sounded like someone trying to talk like water in their mouth. It was almost inaudible. "Celestial bronze isn't our poison. Our patron has gave us safe passage out of the Underworld…"

"The Doors of Death," muttered Piper.

"Yes," hissed the Daemon. "We were once sons of Poseidon and he damned us forever. Our spirits fluttered around the Underworld and it was our patron who heard our cry. She aided us in our return to exact vengeance on our father."

"You don't want, vengeance!" cried Piper, fiercely.

"Don't want vengeance?" repeated the Daemon. It looked confused. Could a demon look confused. Then, it shook it off. "No! You dare charmspeak, a Daemon of the Sea, daughter of Aphrodite. It was your mother who disgraced us! I shall take great pleasure, in your kill."

"Heads up!"

A fireball shot through the air and hit the Daemon causing his neck to be set ablaze. Piper looked over to see Leo. He had one arm raised and the other holding a Daemon at bay with another blazing fireball in hand.

The Daemon screamed and rushed toward the lake.

The lake.

"No!" said Piper. She could hear her voice ringing in her own ears as she put as much emphases and power into her words. "You won't retreat! You will stand there and not move."

The Daemon stopped in his tracks as the fire spread along its scales.

Piper how she could kill it. If her blade couldn't do the trick, maybe it was something else. She looked over to see the others locked in combat with their Daemons. Dakota was firing arrow after arrow, but to no effect because her sea demon kept dodging each one. Nico was slashing his sword, but the daemon was making sure it didn't get struck.

The battling between Jason and Annabeth with Polybotes was going off and it seemed to be happening in another world. She heard battle cries and grunts that shook the Earth.

"That's it!" said Piper. "Leo! Dakota!"

"What?" called Leo, still holding his daemon at bay by the fire.

"Never take your eyes off the enemy!" screamed Dakota.

"But it's not working! Celestial bronze won't kill them! But Imperial Gold will! Look! The daemon has been avoiding your arrows instead of taking a direct hit and the fire burns its skin! Use both your weapons together and take them out!"

"Take them out," repeated Leo, almost in a daze.

Piper forgot she had been charmspeaking.

"Sounds like a plan to me!" said Dakota. "Hit, flame boy!"

"Hey, don't call me flame boy!" shouted Leo.

"FREEZE!" yelled Piper.

And all of the daemons froze in their tracks.

"Set," said Dakota, notching another six arrows at once, prepared to aim.

"Fire!" said Leo.

She let her arrows fly and Leo sent balls of fire behind each one. The arrows struck each daemon just as a fireball came speeding behind it. The sea demons wailed, but couldn't move because of Piper's command. They melted into sea waste and disappeared.

"Teamwork!" said Leo, punching his fist into the air. "Oh yea! Oh yea! Whose your daemon-killer?"

"Nice one," said Nico, giving him a high five.

Then, they all heard a yell and turned to see both Jason and Annabeth flying backward. They both were bruised and battle worn. Annabeth was trying to stand, and Jason was already back on his feet.

Polybotes gave an earth quaking laugh.

"Foolish half-bloods," he said. "Do you think it is over so fast? Watch!"

He pointed his trident toward the lake and Piper watched in horror as more daemons rose. This time, almost a dozen of them. There was no way they could handle them all and a thirty foot giant. She gripped in Katoptris for comfort and everyone seemed at a lost for words too.

Was this the end? Piper thought.

No, said a voice so forceful and strong. She had heard that voice once before in her dream. Could it be? It is NOT over yet, the voice said again.

"I won't be defeated that easily!" Jason yelled, raising his gladius in defense, prepared for another assault.

"That's right," said Dakota, rushing to his side. She pulled out a whistle from her pocket. Jason's eyes widened in shock as she brought it up to her lips. A silent call rang out through the night and Polybotes just laughed.

"Oooo," he said, with a tremendous roar. "Was I supposed to be scared? What did that do?"

And Piper heard them. The sound of braying wolves in the distance.