Alright everybody, no new characters this time around, but here's an update! ~youseenothing

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"Let's go." They rose and ran to the forest, the sounds of battle already loud and they couldn't even see the front. It was obvious they were trying to break the barrier though- words were ringing loud over the grunts and growls, words that sounded powerful. You could hear the magic rippling through them- the feeling was nauseating. As soon as they reached the attacking front a cyclops charged, swinging an incredibly large mallet. Neil caught it with his bare hand and punched it into oblivion with his gauntlet, sparking the others to move.

Carlyle looked physically sick whenever he shot, but he only shot when a monster swung at him- which was very often, unfortunately. Some monsters he managed to get his hands on them and they calmed, walking away from the fight, but most dodged skillfully and kept attacking. It looked like it was tiring him out anyway, so he wasn't deterred. Cam and Arra kept towards the back, firing shot after shot, Jeska nearby to slice away any monster who came to close. Rose was doing her best against a flock of witches, who were throwing spells at her left and right, but it didn't help that she kept trying to talk to them.

"You're on the wrong side of this fight!" she cried, "Don't you see we're trying to help?" None of them responded, only kept casting. Circe was behind a wall of karpos, who were a lot more threatening than they looked, and her voice hung over any other sound- she was trying to break down the magical barrier. Soon there was only a circle of cyclopes, the karpos, and Circe, her voice quieter now, but still amazingly powerful. The 6 of them raised their weapons, pointed at the witch, and Rose stepped forward.

"We've done nothing to you," she called. "Why attack?" Circe stopped chanting and smiled a sinister grin, one that made you know you'd been beat.

"Because I want to see you suffer- I want to see the gods suffer, and I want to see this camp suffer. I want to see you fall." Rose shook her head and clenched her fists.

"No. Why would anyone want to see the innocent fall?" Circe laughed and stepped forward, though still surrounded by her lackeys.

"You fall under the illusion that you are innocent. How sweet." She threw up her hands and chanted louder, the monsters rising again around her. "Have fun fighting while I kill your leader. While I kill everyone." She laughed again and walked right through the barrier, along with 4 cyclopes and her karpos. The monsters, now rejuvenated, charged once more. The only choice was to fight.

They were stronger than before, it was obvious, but none of the 6 gave up their fight. Arra's light brown hair had managed to escape her bun and was now flying loose around her face, but they didn't distract her in the slightest. Carlyle was digging in his last pocket for bullets when a cyclops rounded him hard in the ribs with a rotten two by four. Cam, seeing this, filtered light through the trees and directed it towards the creature, amplifying it's heat until it burned straight through him. She ran over to Carlyle's side, who was groaning on the forest floor, and helped him up, stumbling over to Neil. Just as he punched another karpos into dust he saw their predicament and ran over, taking the taller boy's weight off of Cam's shoulder.

"Stay here, I'll get him help and tell Chiron about the attack," he promised. Cam nodded and pulled a dagger out of her shoe, dropping her empty quiver at her feet with her bow. She slashed at a karpos and Neil trudged towards camp.

"So, you're pretty cute," he told Carlyle as they walked. Why he was telling the older boy that he was cute he had no idea, but it kept the both of them occupied.

"Thanks," Carlyle replied, wheezing heavily. "If I... could breathe... I would have... a better response." He laughed a breathy, pain-riddled laugh and groaned.

"You probably punctured a lung when the monster broke your ribs," Neil explained. "Take as deep breaths as possible, and try to relax." Carlyle nodded and tried not to trip over his shoes. After a while Neil just picked him up bridal style, hurrying through the woods much faster. Soon enough they reached the Big House, where several campers were blockading the doors against Circe's monsters.

"Chiron!" Neil called, charging into his quarters. "I guess you know about the attack." Chiron nodded grimly and shot an arrow through an open window, knocking down a growling karpos made of wheat.

"What is it, Mister Owens? We're a bit busy." Neil scoffed and shifted Carlyle in his arms.

"Carlyle- Carlyle Taiburne is injured." Chiron glanced over and nodded gruffly.

"Well, take him to the infirmary. And make sure everyone is in Camp." Neil muttered a quick "sure" and darted to the infirmary. He set the boy on a bed and informed an older Apollo camper of his condition and she brought out some ambrosia.

"I've got it from here, go collect the campers," she told him. HE nodded and placed a quick kiss on Carlyle's forehead, running out of the infirmary. He told every camper he saw to gather by the dining area and to spread the word. When he got back to the woods the monsters were gone and the girls were cleaning off their weapons and gathering arrows.

"Guys, the Big House is under attack," he warned them. Rose's head snapped up and a rumble shook the ground below their feet.

"We gotta go!"