So this is a continuation of Alyssa's flashback. Also in the beginning, in case people were confused, the "devices" I described as being small and black, were guns. Alyssa obviously wouldn't have known what it was, and would have thought it was a "crossbow". I'm sure most of you knew that, but I didn't want anyone to be confused xD.

Enjoy :)

Disclaimer: I do not own PJO or RA. All rights go to their respective owners.

3rd Person POV

The three men dressed in uniforms had all three of their small crossbow-like devices pointed at Alyssa. She assumed that if any one of the three men pulled the trigger, it would spell out death for her.

"Look, as I've said countless times already, I don't want to cause trouble," Alyssa said.

The man on the right shook his head. "Of course, Miss. I'm sure you didn't mean any harm what with the weapons you carried," he said sarcastically, jerking his head to the weapons laid on the counter. "I'm afraid we're going to have to arrest you. Weapons of any kind are not allowed in the premises." The three men stepped forward. Two of them grabbed for each of Alyssa's arms, while the third man kept his device trained on her. Alyssa was ready for it. She was standing on the balls of her feet the whole time, expecting the worst.

Alyssa ducked out of the way as the mens' arms clasped nothing but air. In one lightning-fast, fluid movement, she pivoted on her right foot, throwing up an overhand punch to the face of the man holding the weapon. She heard a crack as the man's nose broke under the sudden impact. He doubled over, holding his nose in agony and dropping his crossbow.

She drew her throwing knife, and it came out with a slithering sound of steel on leather.

She had forgotten the two other men, and they both surrounded her on either side, both black crossbows pointed at her.

"Don't move," one of the men said, his voice slightly quavering. He had seen how this girl could fight.

Alyssa looked toward the exit. One of the men was blocking the exit. Without thinking, she lunged toward the one blocking the exit, and brought the hilt of the throwing knife down on his skull with a sickening crunch. His eyes glazed and he toppled over.

Alyssa took the opportunity. She snatched up her weapons that still lay undisturbed on the counter. Hopping over the two bodies of the men, she raced out the door, with the remaining man hot on her trail.

She suddenly turned right and sped down a dark ally. As the man rounded the corner and came charging toward her, Alyssa brought up the arm holding the throwing knife and threw it in one, smooth movement. The knife spun end on end as it flew. A second later, there was a clunk as the hilt of the knife thudded dully into the man's skull. And down he went.

Alyssa hurried and retrieved her knife. She took a second to catch her breath. It had all happened so fast. Obviously she wouldn't be going back there anytime soon.

She'd just have to catch her own food. But where? As far as Alyssa could see, there was no sign of any wildlife. She'd just have to walk to the edge of the town until she got to a forest.

She'd have to travel the whole way undercover. She didn't want the same incident that happened in the shop to repeat. Alyssa pulled up the cowl of her cloak, obscuring the top half of her face. She made sure that her weapons were in easy reach, and crept down the allies, to what she thought was the edge of town.

5 hours later

Alyssa had been walking for hours, thinking that with every step, she was closer to food and water. But she began to doubt her plan. The city seemed almost endless. She hadn't seen one sign of any wildlife. Alyssa looked up at the sky. The sun was slowly sinking down to the horizon. Alyssa crept into the shadows of the back of a building and sat down wearily. She unsheathed her knives and lay them down beside her, along with her bow and quiver. Her mouth was raw and gummy and she longed for a cup of hot coffee. Alyssa was starving. She hadn't eaten or drank in well over twenty four hours. If she couldn't find something to drink within the next few days, she would surely die in the hot summer heat.

Alyssa lay down, groaning softly as she eased her aching muscles. She wrapped herself in her cloak tried to relax. She wasn't sure exactly what she was going to do. She almost considered giving up. Stop thinking like that, Alyssa scolded herself. Will had been in much more worse situations, and he hadn't given up. If Alyssa gave up, Will would've been disappointed. No, she had to keep going. There was no other direction to go but forward.

With that last thought in Alyssa's head, she drifted off to sleep.

Soft growling shattered the silence. Alyssa's eyes fluttered open almost instantly. She kept her breathing at a steady pace, and her head still. She almost always slept like a cat, especially in potential danger areas. She saw a large shadow only a couple hundred feet away, coming toward her. Instinctively, she jumped to her feet, grabbing her bow and quickly laying an arrow on the bowstring. She squinted into the dark, and she could make out canine features on the beast. It looked alarmingly similar to a large dog, over two meters high.

The beast growled once more at the sudden movement of its victim. The creature charged at a surprising speed, loping up the distance between it and Alyssa. Alyssa drew back her arrow until the feathered tip touched the corner of her mouth. She saw the mental picture in her mind of the arrows path, and adjusted her aim slightly upwards. There was the familiar twang as the arrow sped on its way. Alyssa had no time to see the result of her shot, she sent two more arrows in rapid succession towards the barreling beast. What she saw next baffled her. The arrows seemed to fly right...through the creature. It couldn't have been possible that she missed, she had seen the arrow hit the creature's chest. It must have bounced off the fur, she thought. After all, in the dim moonlight, her eyes could've been playing a trick on her.

She quickly slung the bow and quiver over her shoulder and snatched up her two knives. The creature was only fifty feet away at this point. Alyssa took a fighting stance, both knives raised.

As the creature came closer, Alyssa leapt out of the way in the last second, slashing the beast in the side. But she felt no impact. The knife slashed nothing but air. She rolled to her feet to complete the move. She glanced behind her and saw that the creature skidded to a halt, but it appeared undamaged. She was certain that she had been close enough to hit the creature with her saxe…

The creature whirled around and lunged, landing on Alyssa's chest. She felt the air driven out of her lungs, along with a few ribs breaking as she fell. The razor-sharp claws dug deep into her skin, sending hot blood cascading down her stomach. The monster slashed its claws across her face, tearing the skin on her forehead and cheeks, which caused the blood to run into her eyes, blinding her.

Alyssa screamed in agony. She had dropped the saxe knife as the monster pounced her, but luckily she still had the throwing knife in her left hand. If the beast's fur could stop a speeding arrow, it would most definitely stop a small knife. Nonetheless, Alyssa stabbed the creature over and over again, but every time, the knife literally went through the beast as if it were air. She struggled hopelessly, kicking her legs and trying to escape death. But every time, the creature would simply lean harder into her chest. Alyssa could feel her vision start to blur and her breathing slowed. Burning agony seared through her.

This could be it, she thought to herself ruefully. This might be the day I die. She took a deep breath. No. She was not going to die to a filthy mutt. With one last effort, she lunged her body upwards, not enough to throw the beast off entirely, but just enough for her to roll away from the underneath deadly claws. She stumbled to her feet, overwhelmed at her near-death experience. She ran as fast as she could, picking up her saxe as she passed it. Alyssa could hear the soft pounding of the paws on the asphalt as the beast gave chase. She ran blindingly through allies and past buildings.

Alyssa had been running for what felt like hours, with the beast constantly at her feet. The winding turns that Alyssa took saved her life, slowing the creature down. She thought she was a goner, until she saw a familiar green and brown area. A forest. She bolted toward it. In the close confinements of the forest, she might have a chance of getting away. A thin chance at that, but she had no other option. She broke into the treeline, branches whipping at her face. Alyssa could hear crashing sounds behind her, but she started to slow down. She couldn't run like this for much longer. She couldn't help it, but she stopped, panting heavily. Her lungs were on fire. The beast crashed into her from behind, and she had barely enough time to roll to her feet before the creature could capture her underneath its deadly teeth-like claws.

Alyssa desperately tried to avoid the monstrous teeth and claws. All of a sudden she saw a blast of fire from the corner of her eye. The column of fire hit the beast straight in the side, diverting its attention. She saw a boy armed with an oversized hammer charging the beast.

She fell into a coughing fit and sank to her knees. She could feel the life escape her.

The last thing she saw was a brown-haired, elven-like boy kneeling over her, then the darkness enveloped her.

End of Flashback

Hopefully that was intense enough for you guys. I'm not that great at writing action scenes so...hopefully it's not THAT bad.

Thanks for reading! :D