Eirene flung herself in front of the boys, determined to protect them.

"Get down!" She yelled, gesturing with her hand. She activated her shield. "Get down!"

The spell that seemed to be on both boys wore off them; their eyes dropped its former glazed look. Connor's face contorted into one of confusion and fear. "What's going—?"

"Just get down!" Elon moved to shield the boys too, the arrows strangely deflecting off his chest and legs. "The Panes tribe arrows cannot harm one of their own."

"Elon!" Orion bellowed. "You dare protect those who harm the forest?"

"It was not them who harmed it!" He bellowed back. Andrew was crouching under his shield, and Connor, who had lost his back on the bus, was behind Andrew's. "Please, halt your arrows!"

"Eirene," Andrew whisper-yelled. "Care to explain what the bloody hell happened?"

"I'm not sure," The force of the arrows was causing her to move back a bit. "Something possessed you two, and you started attacking the forest."

Connor looked up from his shield to see the befallen trees and disheveled shrubs. "Possessed us?"

"Never mind how it happened, what matters is how the hell are we getting out here alive?" Andrew yelled. Connor shrugged.

"They've got to run out of arrows as some point, right?"

"Please!" Elon begged, taking a step towards Roan. He looked back at the campers, taking a deep breath. If his suspicions were not right, he'd regret this deeply. "I evoke Clause 23."

Roan raised his hand sharply, stopping the arrows. His eyes were glinting a he glanced at Eirene. "What did you say?"

Elon hesitated. He not only be stripped at his title as Caretaker of the buds, but be banished from the Pane Tribe. But, he thought. These demigods dying for something they did not do would be worse. "I evoke Clause 23 of the Tribal Pane Accordance."

"Clause 23 states that 'All intruders shall be given a fair hearing, but only under the watch of a Tribe member. By doing so, this member agrees to their own position being terminated if intruders are found guilty.'" Roan recited, his lips twitching. "You realize if they are found guilty, they will be killed, and you will be banished."

Eirene stared at Elon's trembling figure as he nodded. "Yes. I'm positive of their innocence."

Roan ordered the counsel of attacks to lower their weapons. He was silent for a long time, pondering. "Very well," His eyes darted to Eirene again, before turning to Orion. "Fetch the truth teller: Aletheia, and bring her forth." He turned back to the demigods. "Will the accused please rise?"

They all rose, very slowly, to their feet. Eirene moved to Elon and took his hand, trying to steady him. He gave her a faint smile.

From the crowd, a female satyr emerged. Her hair was a long, curly, and blonde with a dozen braids through them. Her eyes were amethyst coloured; a very light violet. She had a small and child-like face, one Eirene could image being on the face of a doll. Aletheia's eyes darted across the crowd, and she let out a whimper when she saw Elon.

"What is this?" Her voice was surprised Eirene, it was not that of a child. "What are you accusing him of? What has he done?"

"It's not a matter of what he's done, but rather his comrades." Roan gestured to the demigods. "They were caught in the act of destroying our forest. Elon has evoked clause 23, and this is his hearing." He shoved her forward, his eyes amused.

Aletheia ran towards Elon, who removed his hand from Eirene's to grasp hers. Her eyes filled with concern and worry. "Elon," She hugged him close, and he clutched her tighter. Eirene took another step back and looked away at what seemed like an intimate scene. "Why would you vouch for those who destroy our home?"

"They say that my charge is in trouble. Also, I fear that they were possessed. And if a spirit like that has entered our forest…" He didn't finish his sentence. Aletheia searched his eyes, and nodded once before taking his hands again.

"For you, my love, I pray that you are right." She paused, briefly closing her eyes before opening them again. "I can see that you're telling the truth." She shot a look towards the demigod, "At least, you believe they are telling you the truth."

She walked over to them, standing before Eirene first. She stood only a few inches shorter than her. "Your name?"

"Eirene," She gulped. "No last name."

"None needed." She grasped her hands, staring intently into her eyes. "Where are you from?"

What would Eirene say to that? She wasn't born here on earth, just sent as a baby. And she couldn't lie either, Aletheia would be able to tell. "Not here."

"What is your age?"

"Sixteen." Eirene didn't have a date to call her birthday, but she felt her age. Every year, she'd feel the transition in maturity.

Aletheia paused briefly. "Why have you come here?"

"We're trying to find a friend of ours for a quest, and we need Elon's help to do so."

"Did you purposely bring harm to our forest?"

"No! No of course not. It was by accident, it…it wasn't even really them—"

But Aletheia had already moved on, clutching Andrew's hands. She had to tilt her head back slightly to look him in the eyes. "What is your name?"

"Andrew Parker."

"Where is your birthplace? Your age?"

"Lancaster England. Seventeen,"

"And why have you come here?"

To get this damned quest over with. "To talk to Elon and have us help him with our quest."

"And did you intentionally harm out forest?"

Andrew felt himself twitch, remembering the feeling that overcame him before he was possessed: A cold whisper down his back. "No. I…I don't even remember doing it. I believe I was possessed." But by what?

She moved onto Connor, asking him the same set of questions. He answered with the same accuracy as the previous two. When Aletheia was done, she stepped back and turned to the council.

"Aletheia; what is your verdict?"

She was aware of Elon's eyes on her as she spoke. "They are telling the truth."

A small whisper went through the crowd, and Roan's smile disappeared. He glanced at Eirene once again, though seemed slightly more nervous. "Are you sure?"

Aletheia stood taller, her chin held high. "I do not lie, Roan. My truths have always been held on high accord, have they not?"

"I'm not suggesting otherwise, Truth teller. It's just…I find that in this case, you may be bias."

"Bias?"

"Yes, bias. Because Elon over there," He pointed, his smirk returning. "Happens to be your lover."

"I don't understand why you're pointing out an already known fact. If you're suggesting that I'm lying—"

"Oh course not, truth teller. I am merely suggesting that you are bending the truth," He stepped down, walking closer towards the group. "Perhaps Elon is innocent, but his friends are not." He shot a look towards the three demigods. "And because of your feelings for him, you may be lying—"

A slap rang out in the forest, silencing everyone. Roan was bug-eyed, head turned to the side and his right cheek freshly stinging. Aletheia had was still frozen in its attacking position until Elon came to her side and brought her hand down.

She kept her face solemn. "I don't appreciate accusations of lies." She turned back to the demigods. "Go, you're free. You no longer need to stay here." Her eyes softened when they landed on Elon. "Follow them, and see that your charge is safely returned."

Eirene nodded, not needed to be told twice. She started walking away, feeling the hundreds of eyes on her back. Andrew had to physically yank Connor back to reality for him to move. Elon followed them after he'd said his goodbyes to Aletheia.

"Is he really going to let us just walk out of here?" Connor whispered. The air was still tense around the forest, and silent.

"Don't look back, just keep walking. Pick up the pace, too." Andrew answered.

Roan stared after them, his irritation growing. They weren't supposed to leave, not yet. If he let them leave, he'd had hell to pay later. But, what could he do? Going against Tribal Pane Accordance would lead to a question of his power. He'd lose their respect and be banished from the forest.

He tugged on his beard in frustration. He couldn't even harm Eirene like he planned to. Those arrows had bounced right off her, like her skin was its own shield. The goddesses hadn't warned him of any power she possessed; he'd assumed she was normal; capable of being hurt like any other demigod.

But it was clear she wasn't just any ordinary demigod. Or else, the goddesses wouldn't want her captured so badly. Fear struck him at the fear of meeting thing empty-handed, without so much any information on the girl. He had to at least get something to give the goddesses—

"Wait!" He bellowed, going after them. "Wait, for only a moment."

Reluctantly, the group turned around.

"I need to know your whereabouts. If you plan to take away one of our own, we need to where it is."

"Even you, Commander, know that our ability to track down our charge doesn't come with directions." Elon spoke. "It is just a feeling."

Roan swallowed, all hope of redemption drained. "Very well, you may be on your way then."

And as the demigods once again turned to walk away, Roan felt a very strong pull follow them.