Hey guys, do me a favor. If anyone calls swimming a soft sport, an easy sport, or not a sport, please proceed to punch them in the face. Thank you kindly. :)
Today, to say practice was killer would be an understatement. I was crying it was so f***ing hard. No joke or exaggeration guys. CRYING. And coughing. A LOT. My coach let me get out a little early cuz I was coughing so bad.
So yeah. Swim sucks. I don't know many sports where they cry from physical exhaustion, not physical pain. But, hey, I don't play many sports so don't go throwing a fit at me.
Wow, I haven't updated this in a few days. Sorry guys. Sadly that makes it harder for me to find out who recently favorited/ followed this, so if I don't name you, don't hate me!
Virtual Hugs to: Meepmeep123, The Avian-Olympian, and Blackrosesroit
Replies:
Meepmeep123: Haha, with great reviewers, that day shall not come. ;) Yeah, Ive done summer swim team since I was seven and this is my first really rigorous swim team though. Trust me, I totally feel ya. Feel like that'd be a cool place to live. :) Except I hate snow, even though that's what WI is covered in half the time. But I'm assuming you guys have some summers too? It sounds like you ain't too north so thats my assumption.
The Avian-Olympian: Haha! Sweet. :) Yeah, I say that a lot. I always feel like 'lol' doesn't put much emotion in. Like, I could be sitting there with less expression than a brick, but 'hahahaha' has a little more meaning in it. Dude, I never knew any of those things. How'd you figure it out?
Blackrosesroit: Haha! I know, right? But where would the interest be then? Nope. Besides, like I said, it's like I don't control the characters anymore! And thank you! :) That means a lot. Haha! And, hey, I get the basic idea of Mary-Sue's, but can ya go over what they are exactly for me? An no probs! I HATE cliches! I pride myself on being a non-cliche girl in general. :)
So yeah
Hey! I got my friend to get a Fanfiction account! Shout out to myheartsastereo. Love you girly!
BTW: I am using a monster in the PJO books, but not a HUGE amount of infor is given, so I made some up. That okay? You know I try to stick to whats written as much as possible but that can get hard.
Lyrics:
Skyway Avenue by We The Kings:
She said lets change our luck
This night is all we got
Drive fast until
We crash this dead-end life
Sweet dreams that won't come true
I'd leave it all for you
Brick walls are closing in
Let's make a run tonight
[Chorus:]
Blinded by the lights
Hold you through forever
Won't let you go
'Cause if you jump I will jump too
We will fall together from the buildings ledge
Never looking back at what
We've done
We'll say it was love
'Cause I would die for you on Skyway Avenue
She said don't change your mind
Let's leave this town behind
We'll race right off the cliff
They will remember this
It all got so mundane
With you I'm back again
Just take me by the hand
We're close to the edge
[Chorus:]
Blinded by the lights
Hold you through forever
Won't let you go
'Cause if you jump I will jump too
We will fall together from the buildings ledge
Never looking back at what
We've done
We'll say it was love
'Cause I would die for you on Skyway Avenue
Where are your guts to fly?
Soaring through, through the night
And if you take that last step
I'll follow you
Leave the ledge and fly
We're finally alive
Cause if you jump, I will jump too
We will fall together from the buildings ledge
Never looking back at what we've done
We'll say it was love
Cause I would die for you on Skyway Avenue
So what's left to prove
We have made it through
I feel like this is a good song, not only for this story, but for this chapter. The chorus especially. :)
Song: We Are Young by 3oh!3
Disclaimer: ...
In an instant I was awake. My eyes shot open. The first thing I saw was Zack's sleeping form, my face inches with his, although every other part of me didn't even have that distance. My legs were entwined with his, in fact, it took me a second to figure out which legs were mine. For a moment, I considered laying there. But then I realized something had woken me up. Something, some long built in instinct, had told me I needed to be ready.
Slowly, so I didn't have to wake Zack, I rose, reaching for my pen and feeling the comfort of my mothers knife in my boot. I looked around and then decided to pull out my mothers hat, which I slid onto my head. When I looked down, there was only Zack in the backseat. With stealth I climbed out of the car. Every step I took was silent. Years of practice had made me imperceptible to the ear.
I heard a twig snap to my left. I spun, my eyes widening at the sight of a beast I had heard tales about, including from own father.
The Hydra.
It had six heads looking very angry. A head towards the middle spewed a green, evidently acidic, liquid at a couple trees. In a moment, they were reduced to nothing. I treaded back to my car. Using my knife I picked my trunk door open, loading my pockets with throwing knives, an extra knife to fight with, a bow with a quiver of arrows, and sword to hang at my side. Throughout my life I had become sufficient with all these weapons, though the sword was still my favorite. I left the door open, not wanting to make any more noise to close it. I then creeped my way over to Zack's still sleeping form.
I slowly shook him. "Zack. Wake up. Quietly." He didn't stir. Clearly he had never been on a quest in his life. I almost snorted again, he thought he knew danger? You don't know danger until the sound of a falling leaf wakes you up.
"Zack," I shook him a little bit more.
He jerked up, but thankfully didn't make much noise.
"Zack," I said again. "Be still and VERY quiet."
He frowned, looking around a little.
Shit, my cap.
I pulled it off and stuck it in my pocket. Zack started a little but didn't make noise.
"Look behind me slowly, and you will see a Hydra."
He did so and his eyes widened more. I saw him pull something out of his pocket. A lighter. Probably his sword. "What's our plan?" He asked.
I pulled out my bow and arrow. "Don't get killed."
He nodded, but it seemed forced. "Cool. Easy to remember."
"Trust me, it's harder than it sounds." I then put my cap back on my head. "Think you can keep him distracted?"
He stared at the monster and paused for a minute. "Yeah. Yeah anything you need, Lena."
I frowned, though he couldn't see me. I don't need any hero jumping in front of an attack to save me. I wasn't a freaking damsel. I'll take my own death.
"Just keep him distracted and don't get killed. Don't go to Hero on me, okay?"
"Aren't we supposed to be heroes?" In the face of danger, this was his attempt at a joke.
"Heroes are over-rated. I'm going in." I then ran off to the right of the Hydra. I looked back and saw Zack pause, but then flip open his lighter, altering it into a sword that was bronze like mine, but didn't glow. He then sprinted to the Hydra, shouting, like something from a bad war movie.
I swear, Hollywood has skewed the meaning of the word 'hero' to the point where it was nearly unrecognizable. The hero didn't always get a happy ending.
"Stop it," I muttered to myself as I prepared my bow and set my arrow in the string. Zack had gotten the Hydra's attention, busy dodging heads and acid.
I let loose an arrow and it hit it at the base of one of its necks. The bronze arrow shattered.
"Da hell?" I muttered. Evidently, the hide of the Hydra was too hard to pierce. I briefly wondered if a sword could penetrate the hide, but doubted it. The only weak spot was the neck, but cutting that would only strengthen it. Fire was the only way to really kill it.
I didn't keep a flamethrower handy.
Note to self: find flamethrower.
Just to test my theory, I neared the beast I, with skill and accuracy worthy of a child of Apollo, I threw a throwing knife. It just bounced off.
"Shit!" I whisper/shouted as I whipped my cap off.
"Zack, I...I don't know what to do!" He dodged an acid attack. "The hide's too tough and I can't chop the heads off, obviously."
"I know!" He shouted back. He moved with the Hydra in an erratic, yet beautiful, dance. "I...Well, Lena I have an idea, but you won't like it."
True danger means making sacrifices.
"What?" I said.
He rolled and dodged and jumped over to me. "You might want to empty your trunk quickly." He said quietly, not looking me in the eyes. I gulped and my face paled. "I'll try to guide the Hydra over to the car. With luck I can stir up some lightning. Blow the car up. The gas will cause a fire and a decent explosion I should think."
I had always said I was homeless. Without a permanent place of shelter or resting.
I had lied.
That car had been my home since I was old enough to have a proper memory. I knew every scratch, stain, and dent in that car. I could name how some got there-the juice I spilled in the backseat when I was seven, I had cried, thinking my parents would get mad-some I couldn't remember-there were too many bloodstains to know which had come from what wound.
I felt a pain in the back of my throat but shoved it down. Sacrifice. That's what my entire life had contained. What was one more?
I swallowed again. "I have an emergency pack in the trunk for quick escapes. I'll grab that, shouldn't take more than thirty seconds, then I'll lead it to the car so you can focus on your lightning thing."
He nodded and without words I sprinted to my car. I was thankful I had left the trunk open. I pulled out the pack and slung it across my back. In it contained some non-perishable foods, some water, a blanket, an extra set of clothes, plus two grand and four false ID's with credit cards and drivers licenses to match. Of course, it also contained nectar and ambrosia and a few weapons. I stocked my quiver with a few more arrows, and grabbed some more throwing knives and a shield that turned into a small plate that, thankfully, wouldn't break. Lastly I grabbed two shotguns with extra sets of celestial bronze rounds.
Finally, I sprinted back to Zack. "Your turn," I told him as I readied my sword. "Get your zen going."
He nodded and ran in the direction of the car. I looked at my sword, which I had raised instinctively. Scowling I returned it to pen form and shoved it in my pocket. My hands brushed against my parents necklaces.
'Yes,' I thought as I readied my bow and arrow, 'the life of a hero has been far dramatised. The hero's troubles aren't over after the credits. They aren't over until the hero is dead.'
"Come at me, you disgusting creature!" I shouted as I let the arrow fly. I was adequate with a bow and arrow, having picked up the skills from my brief time with the Hunters of Artemis, but while I had been aiming at an eye, I hit the nostril of the head next to it.
Good enough I suppose.
"Come on you stupid beast!" I jumped and rolled as a head lunged itself at me. I moved back and so did the Hydra. I had taken Zack's place in this intricate dance of destruction. At one point, I narrowly dodged a spray of acid. Although it didn't hit me directly, a small drop hit my arm. I groaned in pain. I knew it wouldn't kill me, but it'd leave a nasty burn.
"That all you got, you pitiful excuse for a monster?" A head lunged. I jumped and rolled away, but in the roll I stumbled a bit when my burnt arm hit the ground. That slowed me enough for the Hydra mouth to snare the leg of my pants, and give me a nasty cut in the process. Damn that hurt.
I groaned again, but I had almost reached the car. I don't think Zack had noticed a thing because his eyes were shut.
After a few more dodges the Hydra and I were feet from the car. I turn and ran far from it, shouting "Now, Zack!"
His eyes flung open and he thrust a hand out at the car. Immediately clouds formed and a bolt of lightning struck. Fortunately, the monster was blasted to bits in the explosion.
Unfortunately? So were Zack and I almost.
In the movies the heroes walk away from explosions in shades, with swagger, and with no injuries. This was another reason why I hated Hollywood. Zack and I were thrown to the ground and I felt some new burns form on my ankle, where the pant-leg had been ripped off. Also, a shard of car shot at me and hit me. Luckily it just grazed my side. Unluckily, it hurt like hell.
Gritting my teeth I stood, coughing, pushing away memories for the second time in as many days. I hope it turned out better this time.
"Zack?" I croaked.
"I'm here." I heard him cough.
"We gotta go...NOW!"
He nodded, still coughing. "Agreed. Looks like we gotta run."
"Just figure that out, now?"
He didn't respond as we fled into the woods around the empty road.
I felt my throat close at the thought of my lost car.
'It was a car', I told myself. 'A damn car. No need to cry over spilt milk...or an exploded car.'
But it didn't feel like just a car.
I couldn't help but feel like I had lost my family over again, or lost another member of my family.