Chapter 4 (Rosamynd)
Rosamynd shyly followed Adrian and Lysandra, who stepped forward bravely. The man in front of her had on a loud leopard print Hawaiian shirt, with deep purple pants. She quickly looked away, eyes sore.
"It's Adrian Belikov, actually," Adrian said informatively.
"Whatever you say, Andrew," The man rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers. Instantly and nervous satyr appeared at his side, bringing a tray of diet coke and snacks including chips and cookies.
"I thought Dionysus drunk Pepsi," Lysandra noted.
"That's Bacchus you're talking about, I think" said Adrian, unsurely.
"You're Dionysus?" Rosamynd stared openly at the obese God of wine.
"Yes- you got a problem with that, kid?" Mr. D said, popping a grape into his mouth.
"No, sir."
"Good."
The satyr scurried away, and Rosamynd instantly felt sorry for him. She couldn't imagine how horrible it must be to be constantly living in fear.
"As you know, Hermes sent Rosamynd to deli-" Lysandra
"Blah blah blah, I heard all about it," Mr D looked bored as he took a gulp of coke, "The thing is, who are going to go to this quest? There are tons of minor gods out there. We don't have to concentrate on that now."
"We have to figure out what the prophecy means!"
"I don't know- maybe the prophecy is actually us three and other minor gods- I think we're in it." said Lysandra.
"I'm not sure. I mean, we're so young, and there are other minor gods out there who are far more experienced than us."
"The thing is, the prophecy is not directed at specific people exactly, it could be anyone!"
"Would you three just shut up?" Dionysus ordered sharply, "Chiron and I shall decide who are going on this quest. Now you three just go run off and play or something."
Adrian and Lysandra sighed frustrated and turned away, storming out of the house.
"Rebecca," Rosamynd froze. He was obviously referring to her. She faced him again, her head slightly bowed in respect and also because she was afraid to make eye contact with the god. "Yes, sir?"
"I like you. You're nice. You're quiet. You're respectful. So i'm gonna let you in a little secret. You three are destined for this quest. So a little heads up; don't forget what matters the most-because that's what gets you through to the end, and don't tell the others quite yet."
Rosamynd blinked, weirded out by this information. Did Dionysus just- help me? Dionysus? The wine god? Rumoured to have never willingly helped anyone?
"Th-thank you, Mr D." She bowed again and exited as quickly as she could- without it seeming too obvious.
Rosamynd quickly rushed out of the big house and found Lys and Adrian standing there whispering to each other. She walked over to them, her head hung low.
"What happened with Mr. D?" Lysandra asked.
"Nothing, he just asked what else I knew about the prophecy and if Hermes told me anything about it," Rosamynd replied. "But I didn't really have anything to say."
"Oh, we should get training, we might be a part of the prophecy, you never know and plus I really need to work on my combat," Lysandra said dragging Adrian along with her. Rosamynd ignored Lysandra and went back to her cabin; she slipped into bed and fell into a deep sleep.
There were two people standing there in her dream. Siblings, by the looks of it. They both were tall, with black hair and sharp brown eyes. The boy was trying to hunt down a hare with his bow and arrows, while the girl was setting up a tent, fussing over the knots.
"Urgh!" She heard the girl say "These knots are impossible to tie"
"Just be gentle with it, Elektra" The boy sighed.
"Fine!" Elektra huffed, but made an effort to be gentler with it. Rosamynd looked on more closely, now realizing this was a dream. They were in a forest - Half-Blood hill's forest, perhaps? They tended the fire, huddling close together. In her dream state, Rosamynd zoomed forwards, into a cave not so far from the two. And froze. In the gloomy, slimy cave, there were three ugly, repulsive Cyclops. And they were preparing for a hunt.
Rosamynd sat up with a jolt, cold sweat trickling down her spine. She shot out of her bed, bolting out of her cabin, through the amphitheatre and campfire, and into the training arena.
"Lysandra! Adrian!" Rosamynd panted for breath as her friends looked at her with confusion, "Two people- camping...woods...Cyclops!"
Lysandra seemed to string together what Rosamynd sputtered out, and grabbed two knives on the table and handed them to Rosamynd.
"I should be able to sense them when we go close enough into the forest. Let's go!" Lysandra immediately grabbed her dagger as she ran out, Rosamynd and Adrian sprinting after her.
Rosamynd wasn't much of a runner but she was determined to save the two mysterious people in the woods. They had to run a long way, but they finally reached and clearing much like in her dream, panting and wheezing. Rosamynd took the lead, pushing leaves out of the way to make a path for them.
"Where do you think they are?" Adrian whispered, drawing his duel swords.
"No clue, shush," An irritated Lysandra silenced Adrian and listened for the distant signs of activity, her ears slowly turning red. Huh. Lysandra heard some growling sort of noises coming from a nearby echoing area. Lys gestured to Rosamynd where noise was coming from. Rosamynd took the lead and pushed away leaves and branches away, in case they stepped on them and made a noise.
Rosamynd jogged quickly towards the cave, knife at the ready even though she had no clue how to use it. As she pointed to the cave and signalled for the other two godlings to join her behind a tree, she caught sight of the two dark haired people she saw eating by their tent, unaware of the danger lurking close by.
The Cyclopes' stepped forward from the cave holding a metal bat and sniffed the air, his beady eye narrowing with concentration. Lysandra seemed frozen in her space, looking in shock at the boy.
"Lysandra? What's wrong?" asked Rosamynd.
"Huh? Oh, n-nothing" She replied, looking away from the boy.
"Okay then, let's charge!" Adrian screamed. The Cyclopes, the girl Elektra and her brother turned towards them. The Cyclopes made a grunting noise that sounded like the word "dinner" and smacked their lips. The siblings walked forward, unaware of the monsters.
The boy's eyes widened in recognition, "It's you," he whispered softly.
"What are you on about, Enryx?" Elektra said. Suddenly her eyes widened as she caught sight of the cyclopes, Rosamynd, Lysandra and Adrian. "Lysandra?"
"Y-es?" Lysandra whispered back, before one of the Cyclopes charged at them.
"DINNER!" The Cyclopes lunged forward, tackling a shocked Lysandra to the ground. Enryx shot an arrow at the cyclopes, it stuck into his thick skin. The cyclopes growled in pain, and he pinned Lysandra to the ground. Rosamynd ran and to the second Cyclopes and kicked it in the shin and sunk the soil underneath his feet causing him to sink very slowly. The Cyclopes swatted at Rosamynd but she quickly dodged his attempts.
Meanwhile Adrian rushed over to the third Cyclopes along with the dark-haired girl. Adrian jabbed at the Cyclopes in quick swift movements, but even his sharp swords had little effect on the Cyclopes' thick hide. Elektra pulled her bow repeatedly yet the arrows still had no effect on the Cyclopes.
"Get out of the way!" The boy, Enryx called over his shoulder to the startled trio. He and his sister leapt up to the Cyclopes Adrian and Elektra were battling and shot at the same time. The silver arrow, which came from the girl's bow, shot him directly at his one eye, while the gold one entered into his mouth as he screamed in pain. An explosion rocketed inside the monster, and he exploded in a flurry of grime and dust.
Enryx turned to the other Cyclopes, held up his bow and took a shot at the Cyclopes sinking's chest. The Cyclopes roared in agony, hunching forward.
Rosamynd immediately scrambled up and stabbed the monster in the eye, effectively killing him.
Lys managed to grab her dagger and stuck her dagger into the Cyclopes pinning her down. She rolled away from the one-eyed giant.
They all turned to what seemed to be the leader of the three. Lysandra and Enryx locked eyes for a split second, and they advanced together. They moved with such fluidity and grace that Rosamynd had a hard time believing they didn't plan a strategy beforehand. Lysandra leapt up behind the monster and stabbed him at the small of the monster's back. Enryx shot arrows at the Cyclopes' ankles and knees, trying to get him to buckle and fall. He succeeded and gestured to the rest of them. They all charged up and attempted to kill the remaining monster. The furious Cyclopes swatted Adrian away, his swords making no scratches whatsoever. Lysandra tried to stab the monster, but he evaded her attack and flung her away. Desperately, Rosamynd started to slice at the Cyclopes' skin, but he punched her and she felt the wind get knocked out of her as she hit the floor. Hard.
Barely conscious, Rosamynd looked on. Only the siblings, Enryx and Elektra were left to fight. Again, they shot at the exact same second, though this time before the arrows hit the Cyclops, their arrows intertwined and intensified, power coursing the arrows. It penetrated the monster, and he shrieked in rage as he fell to the forest ground, beginning to vaporize before he hit the floor.
Enryx quickly snatched out all the arrows stuck in the Cyclopes' skin before they disappeared with the Cyclopes' carcass.
"Thanks! Sorry, I never caught your name," Rosamynd said as Adrian helped her up, looking at Enryx.
"No problem. I'm Enryx," He said, shaking Rosamynd's hand. "How did you guys know we were here?" He said as he shuffled his feet, glancing at Lysandra. He picked up a thin cloth and wiped his arrows clean.
"We didn't, not until Rosamynd had some dream sort of showing us that there were monsters about to hunt you down," Adrian replied.
"So how did you know we were here?" But before he let anyone answer, he said "Oh! Right- Lysandra's senses."
"Well, thanks for coming, I guess. We should get going now. Nice seeing you again, Lysandra," Enryx walked towards his tent and picked up his bag. "Let's go Elektra," He nodded at Lysandra in gratitude. Elektra followed Enryx towards their tent, which had fallen down during the fight.
"By the way Elektra, thanks for helping me out, I feel much better," Rosamynd quickly said.
"Any time, Rosamynd, take care of that nose,"
"Wait! Where are you going?" Lysandra shouted out after them, while Rosamynd turned to Adrian and whispered "Again?"
"Anywhere really, Elektra and I are sort of camping here and there. You know, like nomads," Enryx explained.
"Why don't you guys stay with us?" Adrian offered, a bright smile shining with gratitude, "We could use a couple of powerful demigods like you."
"Oh-we're not demigods," Elektra's pretty face twisted into a frown, "We decided not to go to Camp Half-Blood for its reputation of resenting Godlings, and I think we've faced enough resentment for a while now."
Godlings! Rosamynd looked at Adrian to see his expressions mirroring hers. They could be one of the remaining six Minor Gods we've yet to find!
"We're godlings too!" Adrian blurted out.
"Yeah! Camp Half-Blood isn't that bad, you guys should come" Rosamynd agreed.
Elektra and Enryx shared a glance. "Well, we- um." Enryx started.
"We have to kind of- uh- well, we can't go- no, we can go, but-" Elektra said.
"Aw, Elektra- no buts! Come on, it'll be fun! Enryx? Lysandra said hopefully, clutching fiddling with the strap of her bag, which she brought everywhere.
Here goes my dignity. Rosamynd sighed, then looked up at the archers with pleading eyes, "Please, please, please go back to camp with us. You see, there's this prophecy, and there are nine Godlings who must go on a quest. So far, there's the three of us- I'm Rosamynd, by the way, and this is Adrian-" Adrian smiled widely and waved, "-And I guess... I guess you guys already know Lys. Well I'm not sure that it's the three of us, we're still trying to figure that out." They shrugged, looking at each other. Lysandra diverted her attention to the grassy forest bed.
"Anyways, we're looking for six more, and you're probably two of those six. We need you guys. And besides, some demigods might not be very friendly - trust me, I know how it feels - but you guy will have us!"
Elektra bit her lip, glancing at her brother and frowning slightly. Finally, she braved a smile and looked at the others, "Why not? We are honoured to accept your invitation."
Lysandra giggled, "You don't have to be so formal. From here on, we're your friends!"
They all made their way back to camp. The sun was already starting to set. Rosamynd turned around to whisper to Lysandra about the exciting turn of events, but only to find her sneaking glances at Enryx. They obviously had some kind of history together. I wonder how serious it is. Not so surprisingly, she also caught the boy in question staring at the cat-like godling and few times, too.
Instead, Rosamynd jogged ahead and started chatting to Adrian, whispering excitedly about their new friends. They're obviously children of Apollo. I wonder who their mother is.
When they finally reached the camp, the last rays of sunlight were draining from the sky. Rosamynd bade the others goodnight and headed back to cabin 18. She really was the luckiest of the bunch; she was the only person there. She sank back into her peaceful slumber, intent on catching up on her slumber.