You, as the reader, should know that stories do not go the way they always seem. So those of you out there who are all like "Girl power, yea, she will totally save the man" should be forewarned that nothing like that happened. It was almost embarrassing how not like that it was.
After hearing Luke cry for help I did the reckless thing and ran after the voice as quickly as possible, not thinking that it could possibly be something that I could not handle. You would think that I would know enough about Greek myths to know better, but I was too worried about Luke to care that my senses were off about the whole ordeal and that I had yet to hear Luke plea for help no matter the situation.
Basically, I was an idiot.
The moment I realised I was mistaken was when I ran into the creatures waiting for me. Having had left the bus without even thinking about how I would get back in, I followed the road until I came across a bonfire in the middle of the round-a-bout. I immediately freaked that Luke was burning inside it, which I reflect on as nothing more than a stupid impulse. Without even wondering how it got there in the first place, I literally ran into the flames (flame retardant, thanks to my awesome dad Hephaestus – I mention that parent way too often without crediting the others at all. Boy will they be mad if they find out…). When I finally began to use my brain and looked up, instead of beholding the crispy remainders of my boyfriend I instead gaped at the supremely ugly faces of two monsters with only one eye.
Cyclops.
So, being the idiot that you all by now know I thought not of using my powers or hiding in the flames like any smart person would do. No. I leapt straight for one of their hands, hoping that my weapon ring would turn into some awesome mega-thingy that would kill them instantly.
It turns out, if you don't have a specific weapon in mind, the ring does not work. That figures.
The cyclops managed to grab me in its fist and squeeze the breath out of me. My one weakness, apparently. Being squished to death by massive one-eyed-potato-sacks.
Needless to say that I was useless from this point on. Which makes it…. Da-da-da-da! Time for Luke's tale. And to make sure that I write it correctly, without undermining his brilliance and awesomeness as he obviously does not trust me to do him justice (would I do that Luke. Really? Well you didn't have to say yes with quite that amount of certainty) he is recounting the events to me as I write it all down.
Apparently, while I was having my freak-out-about-Luke session in the bus, he had gone to the toilet. No joke. And he had a pair of headphones in. Yep, apparently he managed to find an Ipod in the driver's compartment and proceeded to take the opportunity to be a normal teenager.
So, he does his business, leaves the stall and immediately notices that I am no longer on the bus. At first he keeps calm, knowing that I am a super powerful god-like creature that is perfectly capable of keeping care of herself. Oh the irony. However, as soon as he took his earphones out he just managed to make out what seemed to be a very Elena-like scream of defiance (in my defence, when you jump a cyclops making noise is what came naturally… I didn't say it was smart). This caused his to become curious, so, being the wise man that he is (your welcome) he locked the bus door, as he had no desire to be robbed again, and ran with caution towards the light in the distance.
When he was close enough to distinguish the bonfire and the uglies surrounding it, he inhaled sharply. What he had first believed to be a stick turned out to be your truly. Why would he think it was a stick, you may ask? Because they were throwing it to each other as one would with a dog. I mean throwing a stick to a dog, not throwing a dog. That would not work, as teeth would be involved and some serious howling, not to mention how heavy those things can be. Anyway, Luke is complaining that I am getting off topic, so I will continue the tale of 'Luke and the Stick-Girl'. Whatever, I think the title's catchy, so you'll have to live with it my dear.
It must be said that the odds were certainly not in Luke's favour. He was facing two mega- huge cyclops that not only outshone him in stature, but also in strength. So he could not fight in that way without becoming demigod pancake. Credit where credit is due, this is the point where I can safely say that I rubbed off on the boy (you know it's true Luke), as he proved his genius with a plan worthy of Athena herself.
Since the jewel was a part of me, and could not be taken off my person, that was out. So was the weapon ring and shield bracelet. After all, it is difficult to get jewellery off a person who was still being tossed between the two monsters. None of the magical arrows that Luke had in his quiver (to this day I have never seen him without it, except when sleeping. I mean, imagine the fact that you would be able to roll over in case an arrow accidentally impaled your back while you're in the land of dreams. Not exactly the 'heroes' death, is it?) would be able to do enough damage to the cyclops, especially since he had no idea at this point that he could summon all kinds of arrows out of the quiver (this we would figure out when he attempted to show off his skills and shot an arrow at the drawing he had made at the side of a building, only for it to blow up. Still not sure what he was thinking when he grabbed that arrow, and frankly I am not sure I want to know). He had no hand to hand combat skills, technical skills or weather skills to create a diversion. That left only one weapon available to him.
The bracelet on his left wrist.
Remember when I mentioned the gift from Apollo that Luke got way back at the school that would transform into any instrument? Over the last week, whenever we needed to forget about the perils of our journey, or in my case, my previous lack of control, he would play me a song. It allowed us to unwind, and occasionally lulled me to sleep. We had always just assumed that I was extremely tired, that his music did not have the power to comply with his demands of wanting me to rest. However, as Luke stares at the bracelet he begins to understand that the music that he makes has a certain magic to it, which may just be the key to set me free.
Let me just say that his music did not just suddenly become magical. From as early as the age of seven he was able to use song to fix his problems. After his mother was jet again unable to pay the rent for their house, she spent the evening in a depressed and exhausted state. Knowing that his mother was suffering, Luke decided to sing her the song 'Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head' as an attempt to cheer her up. The song worked wonders: she became full of energy, and went to work the next morning with a positive attitude. That week, he would sing to her every night, and she would work harder than ever before he next day, which ended up with her gaining a pay rise and being able to afford the rent. Every time he tells me that story I am grateful that there is good in the world in the midst of the monsters and receptionists (will never forget the valentine's suite).
Anyway, back to the story.
Crouching behind a large tree right next to the round-a-bout, Luke summons the instrument that he believed fit the mood of his chosen song the best: the double bass. Bet you didn't see that one coming. Then he begins what can only be described as the slowest rendition of 'Rock a bye, baby', praying that it would work while making sure to exaggerate each note and sing with clarity.
It took the cyclopes two whole minutes to understand that music was playing, as they were too busy throwing me around to pay attention to anything else. Luckily for Luke, by that point the magic was taking effect and the monsters began to become droopy, with each of their eyelids shutting slowly and their bodies slouching. At first Luke was ecstatic that it worked. However, as the cyclopes began to fall asleep they were no longer around to catch me. I feel down, looking like a graceful angel, while their bodies fell backwards with a thud and their mouths hung open as they snored.
It was into one of the mouths that I fell straight into, disappearing from Luke's view.