A/N I know I said not more than 38 chapters. But we might be looking at 40...
The situation in the shore had deteriorated in the time it had taken them to fight the Ehtel.
When they had left, the Guardians had been nicely divided, squabbling amongst themselves, while Leo had shot the occasional blast of fire at them, and Badger and Snake kept the chaos going.
Now, however, there were no chunks of rock flying through the air, and only two of the cat-like beasts were arguing. Leo waved a hammer towards the other three, sending a few flames towards them, whilst Snake lay at his feet, her chest barely moving. Badger sat next to her, looking as though he was about to pass out.
When Leo saw them, he seemed to get some energy back.
"It's about time! We need help here!"
"We'd noticed," Nico called back. Percy was too tired to say much, having controlled the currents for longer than he was used to.
One of the three trying to attack Leo turned and hissed at him, then flew at his head. He raised his sword, and it exploded in a cloud of dust, most of which he inhaled.
Coughing, he looked up just in time to see Badger succumb to his exhaustion and collapse next to his sister. The two that had been arguing returned to their brethren, yowling with rage.
Nico sprinted forward to help the Latino boy, disregarding the muffled thud behind him as Percy's knees gave way.
Back to back, Leo brandishing his flaming hammer and he his stygian iron sword, he wondered idly how they were going to get out if this mess.
Then the creatures attacked.
The first two went down almost instantly, one by Leo's fire, the other by Nico's sword.
"How did you not manage to kill them if they're this easy?" He asked incredulously.
"They - freaking - learn!" Leo gasped back.
Unfortunately, he was quite right. With a brief glance at each other, the two remaining beasts rose into the air and divebombed the fighters. Nico swung again - but the creature altered its flight and instead of crumbling to powder managed to rip the sleeve off of his jumper. A trail of blood dripped from the shallow incision its claws had made.
"We have to separate them!"
Leo grunted. "I know!"
They split up, Nico running to the left, and Leo going the other way. Both of the Guardians followed him.
"This isn't following the plan!" He cried.
"I know!"
Leo burst into flame and took a swipe at the smaller of the two. "Do something!"
"Just did," Nico replied, as its golden remains were scattered to the wind. He wiped his sword on the grass.
"What about the other one?"
"Where is it?"
"Going back to the sea. Hey, I think it realizes that it's too weak for us!"
A triumphant screech made Nico's heart plummet abs he whipped around, already moving. The beast was not admitting defeat. It was going for one of the weak links in their group: the semi-concious Percy.
It swooped, talons extended, reaching out to rip out his throat...
Nico dived in between it and the sleeping boy. Pain exploded across his chest as it tore through the skin, and blood gushed onto his ruined shirt.
Raising his sword, determined not to let anyone else die, he was sure that those needle sharp teeth would be the last thing he ever saw...
The last Guardian screamed with pain, and crumbled into dust.
I bet that doesn't do these wounds much good, he thought vaguely, and blacked out.
XxX
He woke up in the 'car', with three faces peering concernedly down at him. Shaking his head, he let his eyes focus, and the blobs resolved into Percy - conscious and grinning - Badger, and Leo.
"Morning, sleepy head," chuckled Leo.
"Don't call me that," he mumbled, and tried to sit up. "Argh!" He bit back a curse as his wounds thronged painfully.
"I wouldn't get up just yet," Percy advised. "We tried bandaging them, but... it's a good thing were going back to somewhere with Apollo kids."
Snake took that moment to throw herself at him. Her aim was remarkably good, but then he guessed that the others had helped her locate him. "I thought you were gonna die!"
"Can't - breathe!" He choked out, and when she loosened her grip, "Where are we, Flame Head?"
Leo looked out of one window. "We should be arriving in five minutes, give or take..."
"How long have I slept?!"
Badger prized his sister off of him and gave him a quick hug as well. "Maybe... twenty hours? I don't know..."
Will's gonna have my head for this, he thought, referring not only to his injuries but also to not eating for almost a day. But I've had worse...
Then he remembered that Will didn't remember who he was.
Then he remembered that he had the thing that could get Will's memories back in his pocket.
Or did he...?
Frantically patting the pockets in his coat, he satisfied himself that he did indeed have the Ehtel's blood.
Almost back now...
A/N Almost over...
Has anyone noticed anything special about the Ehtel?
~Fi