A/N: So, here's Chapter 4. I hope you guys like it; it's a bit shorter than previous ones, and I apologize for that, but I'm impressed that I've had time to write THIS, let alone a six-page chapter! Now, as always, please remember to review and enjoy!

Murder and Mythology

By WordsxOfxWisdom

Chapter 4:

The girl took her helmet off and I gasped.

"A-Alyssa?"

Gazing back at me was a girl, tiny, pale and freckled. She had curly, un-brushed black hair pulled back into a ponytail and stormy gray eyes that flashed with intelligence. I found it interesting how we looked alike, just slightly. We both had curly black hair and intense eyes, although mine were turquoise blue, not gray.

"Hey, Olivia," Alyssa greeted me, glancing down at her feet, "Um…So, I guess the first thing I should say, is that I'm sorry I could never mention more to you. This camp isn't, like…well, it's not your average summer camp. Let's leave it at that."

Seth frowned, "Wait, wait. Alyssa? As in Alyssa Cole? And how is this not an 'average summer camp'?"

Kaleigh nodded, "Alyssa Cole. I think I know her. She's dating a guy named-"

"Jake," Jacob said, rolling his eyes, "His name is Jake Garcia. That's me."

Alyssa laughed and put her arm around Jacob, "True."

Autumn smiled, "Oh! It's so good to see you Alyssa! We had the same History class last year, I think…"

"Umm, yeah," May interrupted, "Listen guys, you really need to get going, 'kay?"

"We should," Jake agreed, "Camp's not that far away, though."

"Well, then, let's go," I said, rolling my eyes.

xXxXx

On the chariot, Jacob and Alyssa explained everything to us; confirming things I had suspected...But earnestly hoped were not true. I have to admit, the ride was slightly (okay, incredibly) nerve-wracking for me, due to my fear of heights; and we were miles above the Manhattan skyline, flying towards Long Island. Thankfully, the conversation distracted me a bit, allowing me to focus on what people were saying rather than the fact we were higher than the Empire State Building.

"See, Greek mythology actually exists," Jacob explained, "The gods, heroes and monsters, of the myths are all real. I've been in your shoes and, trust me, this might seem hard to believe, but you'll get it eventually."

"But…How is that possible?" I asked, frowning, "The Greek gods-I mean, even if they were real, how is it possible that they, like, are in America or whatever?"

"It's Western civilization," answered Alyssa, "See, that's, like, the way of life in the West. It started in ancient Greece, and now the heart of Western civilization is the United States. Mt. Olympus itself resides over the Empire State Building in New York."

"Western civilization?" Kaleigh wrinkled her nose, "What do you mean? How can the gods be real? Besides…like, I don't know, but it just doesn't make any sense."

Alyssa sighed, "Yeah. I was reluctant to believe it at first too."

"And what does this all have to do with us?" Seth asked, "I remember reading about things; listen, we're not…um, demigods, are we?"

There was nothing but silence from Jake and Alyssa.

"I knew it!" Autumn exclaimed, "I knew it! Oh god…s, what if something happens and…we all…die?" Her eyes frantically darted around, as if looking for the nearest threat.

Neil rolled his eyes, "Of course we'll all die someday Autumn. Dude, don't be stupid."

"Yeah, and right now, that 'someday' might be very close for a certain ginger…" I grumbled in reply.

Autumn whined, "Ugh, why am I the only one who worries about things? You know, a little concern from you guys is really appreciated sometimes. Can we all just stop-"

"Ohmigosh," Kaleigh shouted suddenly, "Look…there are two…. things, forming in the clouds!"

The rest of us craned our necks and I could see the thing Kaleigh had noticed; the vague shapes of two horses, forming in the clouds. They were a good fifteen feet higher than the chariot, though, which I guessed was probably a good thing.

"W-What's that?" Autumn said, a sense of urgency in her voice.

Alyssa pursed her lips, "I think it might be anemoi thuellai; let's just hope I'm wrong. Jake-"

"Want me to steer away from them?" Jake said, tightening his grip on the reins.

"No use," Alyssa said, shaking her head, "They could just as easily form elsewhere. All right everyone, grab onto the chariot and hold on tight!"

"Hey, uh, what exactly are anemoi thuellai?" Seth asked cautiously, as if he were afraid of the answer.

"Storm spirits," Alyssa said without looking at Seth, "But I've never seen them in these parts before…They often have trouble forming over cities and forests."

Jake shrugged, but he looked worried, "It's…probably nothing, Alyssa. The forecast today did call for afternoon thunderstorms."

"Yes," she replied, "But a regular thunderstorm would not have anemoi thuellai this chaotic."

Suddenly, the horses began advancing towards us. They galloped in a circle, and a small funnel began forming in-between them. I almost wanted to laugh; the funnel certainly didn't look like anything impressive, and I doubted it would do much damage. This was ALL Jacob and Alyssa had been concerned about? I thought.

Then, the horses sprinted directly over the chariot. They galloped faster and faster in their circle, and the funnel grew taller. The wind was distinctly louder now, and I had a hard time hearing Alyssa shout to Jacob.

"Try veering to the left!"

"Can't!" Jacob shouted back, "The wind's too strong!" The wind was now coming at us from all directions, which I no doubt attributed to the…anemoi thuellai or whatever you call them.

Alyssa gritted her teeth and I could just see the gears of her mind churning. She wanted badly to be able to formulate some brilliant plan that would get us out of this mess, but it wasn't happening. I always felt sorry for her in times like this. Pride had always been one of Alyssa's most flagrant flaws.

"It'll be okay," I assured her, raising my voice so that I would be heard over the howling wind, "We can still get to this Camp place, right?"

She shook her head, "We're five miles above Long Island Sound. Camp is about five miles down and four miles across the Sound. We'll never make it."

Just then, a chorus of shrieks rose from the back of the chariot; Alyssa and I looked up to see that the funnel cloud was coming right at the chariot!

"Jake! Try to move!" Alyssa shrieked.

Jacob yelled back, "I can't! The chariot won't move!" The pegasi whinnied frantically, thrashing around. Apparently, the harnesses weren't very strong, because in a matter of moments, the pegasi had broken free and were diving towards the ground, desperate to get away from the storm spirits.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god," Autumn shouted.

The funnel cloud made contact just then, tossing and turning the chariot like it was nothing. I vowed to myself I wouldn't scream, but that quickly went out the door. I was so dizzy, I honestly felt like I was going to hurtle.

Then, I quite literally fell out of the sky, screaming and bracing myself for the impact of hitting the Sound.

A/N: There you have it! I hope you guys enjoyed it, even if it was a tad short. I wanted to leave you hanging, I guess…And hey, there's a pretty little button down there that says 'Review'; why don't you try clicking on it, please?