Thank you to everyone for the follows, favorites, and reviews.
Flame: I plan on following the books as much as I can, but there will be definite differences. This chapter shows that.
Reyna stared out the window, completely lost in thought. She stared at the entrance of the Wilderness School, waiting for anyone to step out. The problem was that no one had. At least ten minutes had passed since they boarded the bus, but there was no one else around. Coach Hedge should have been outside yelling at the rest of the students to get on the bus. They should have already been on the way to their destination, but so far, only her, Piper, and Leo were on the bus.
Reyna looked away from the window and looked at the front of the bus. She frowned as she saw the bus driver. Reyna did not remember seeing a bus driver when she first stepped on, and she didn't remember the bus doors opening. If she hadn't noticed the doors open, there was no way the bus driver would have able to sneak onto the bus, considering her plaid dress looked like a table cloth. It would have immediately caught Reyna's attention.
Laughter came from outside the bus, and Reyna quickly turned her head. She saw the boy from the hallway, and he was flanked by two carbon copies of him. They were all built like football players, and the only way to tell the difference between them was by the color of their hair. Reyna's hand moved to her backpack.
"Dylan alert," Leo muttered. He had moved to the seat behind Reyna, which didn't help her nerves at all. "Even though you don't remember anything, you hate that dude. Trust me on that one. I hate him, and Piper does as well."
Reyna did believe Leo. Something about Dylan really bothered her. She kept her eye on the boy as he stepped onto the bus and sat at the front of the bus. His two friends walked to the back of the bus and each sat on one side. Reyna instantly knew something was wrong.
As Reyna examined the situation, it felt like a switch had been snapped on. She was starting to pick up on the tiniest of details. Reyna could see how Piper was stealing glances at her, and she could hear the sounds of Leo playing with a screwdriver. The bus driver was watching them through the rear view mirror, and her forked tongue flickered. Wait.
Reyna's eyes focused up on the mirror. The bus driver met her eyes, and once again, a forked tongue flickered. Reyna blinked and realized that they were in danger. She spoke, "Get off the bus. Now."
"What's wrong?" Piper asked. Reyna motioned to the bus driver. Piper raised an eyebrow and looked like she wanted to ask a question. Reyna tried to use her eyes to show how serious she was, but it only seemed to confuse Piper more.
"Woah. Is that a forked tongue?" Leo asked. Piper frowned and looked back at the mirror. Her face paled, and her eyes widened. Leo made a noise. "This is really bad. We are in a lot of trouble."
"Get off the bus," Reyna ordered. She knew that should have been scared, but the feeling wasn't there. It felt like she had taken the emotion and shoved it deep inside herself, even if it was just for a little bit. Reyna made it to her feet and stood protectively in front of Piper and Leo. Even though she didn't have any of her memories, something in her knew that she needed to protect them.
"Don't tell me you're leaving so soon," Dylan said. He stood and looked at them. Lightning now danced around his eyes, and smoky wings appeared behind his back. Reyna glanced at the other two boys and saw that they had transformed as well.
"I am so glad that we waited," Dylan continued. Reyna glared at him, but she counted the rows of seat between them. Six. It would take some luck, but she would be able to get to him. She just had to be quick about it. "I knew these two were powerful, but you are so much better."
"This one will be a worthy kill," the bus driver said. She seemed to breath in deeply, and her forked tongue flickered again. "I can smell the war in her blood. I cannot wait to taste it."
"What are they talking about?" Piper whispered. She grabbed onto Reyna's hand. Reyna pulled her hand away. It wasn't out of shock or anger this time. She was focused on her job ahead. Reyna slung her backpack off of her shoulder and opened it.
Reyna reached inside the backpack. She wasn't quite sure if she planned on pulling out a textbook or maybe even scissors to try and defend herself. She did not expect to grab onto something metal. Reyna slowly pulled a sword out of her backpack. The sword was made of gold, Imperial Gold, and it had killed many things. She had killed many things, like Dylan.
Reyna didn't know how she knew what kind of weapon it was, but something about it felt comforting, like it was an old friend. As the light caught the sword, Dylan visibly flinched. The bus driver hissed and then laughed, as if she had confirmed that it would be a challenge. Reyna's eyes moved, and she glanced back at the backpack. Her hand grabbed a dagger that was at the bottom of the backpack. She handed the dagger to Piper and slung the backpack onto her back again.
Reyna took a step forward. Dylan snarled at her and shot a hand out towards her. Time slowed for Reyna, and her sense seemed to heighten even more. Reyna knew she should have thrown herself into the seat next to her, to avoid the lightning, but she still needed to protect the two behind her.
Reyna turned and tackled Piper to the ground. Leo threw himself into the seat on the right. Lightning shot over their heads and into the back door of the bus. Reyna stared down at Piper's eyes and found herself lost in them for a few moments. After a moment, she quickly stood and turned back towards Dylan. Venti.
A sharp pain shot through Reyna's head as she remembered the word. She hissed in pain and took a deep breath. Reyna needed to focus. She looked back at Dylan, and something appeared behind Dylan's head. A club slammed right into his head, throwing the Venti forward. Coach Hedge yelled a war cry and raised his club once again.
The coach looked like could handle Dylan, so Reyna turned towards the other two Venti. One was almost upon her, and she stabbed forward with her sword. Reyna watched her sword slice through the monster, and it disintegrated into dust. The second Venit backpedaled.
Air suddenly slammed into Reyna from behind, and she was thrown forward. Her sword fell out of her grasp and slid away, leaving her exposed. Reyna quickly looked up and saw that the Venti was advancing. A screwdriver hit him right in the head, causing him to stumble backwards. Piper hopped over Reyna and stood in front of her protectively.
"Leave us alone," Piper ordered. Her voice was shaky, but she held the dagger in front of her tightly. Reyna felt Leo held her stand. She quickly looked behind them and saw that Hedge was wresting Dylan. The bus driver was just sitting in her seat and watching the fight. Sooner or later, she would interfere.
"Leo, help the coach," Reyna said. The bus driver met her eyes and grinned. Reyna felt fear gnaw away at her, but she couldn't focus on it. Something told her the bus driver wouldn't interfere to help Dylan. It seemed like the bus driver only wanted Reyna, and she wasn't sure if she should feel special or not.
"He owes me," Leo muttered, but he ran forward to help. Reyna quickly turned back towards Piper. She blinked in surprise as the Venti disintegrated into monster dust. Piper took deep breaths and slowly looked back at Reyna.
"Good job," Reyna complimented. Piper smiled. She suddenly tackled Reyna to the ground. As Reyna hit the ground, she saw lightning pass over. "Thanks."
Piper nodded and stared down at Reyna. It was easy to feel that Piper was shaking.. Whether it was from fear or adrenaline, Reyna wasn't sure. After a moment, Piper stood. Reyna stood as well and grabbed her sword.
Reyna glanced around at the situation. Leo had been thrown near them and looked like he had hit his head hard. Coach Hedge was laying outside the bus and seemed to be in pain. Dylan was still standing at the front of the bus. He took a step towards them, but the bus driver suddenly grabbed his arm.
"My son will handle these three, after he has the Satyr for a snack," the bus driver hissed. She grinned at Reyna. While Reyna was sure that the woman was a threat, her gaze moved back to Coach Hedge. He had been called a Satyr.
"Faun," Reyna whispered. When the coach had been thrown from the bus, he lost his shoes along the way, and he had hooves. Reyna blinked a few times, to see if she was making things up.
"The lady with the forked tongue said he was a Satyr," Leo corrected. Reyna took the time to glare at him. She looked back at Hedge. The coach wasn't look at the bus anymore. His gaze was to the right. Reyna followed his gaze, and her heart almost stopped.
A large beast slowly made its way towards Hedge. The large beast had the body of a goat, with blood and something else covering its fur. The head was that of a lion, and the mane was covered in blood. A ten foot tail with a snake head at the end was coiled and ready to strike. Chimera.
"What do you want from us?" Reyna demanded, and she looked at the bus driver. It was impossible to keep the quiver out of her voice, and her hands were starting to shake. She wasn't scared by the thought of these creatures jumping out of the pages of mythology books. She was scared by the fact that the Chimera was one of the most feared creatures in those books.
The bus driver only laughed. Dylan glanced at the bus driver and then at the Chimera. He stepped closer to Reyna, but it seemed like he just wanted to be as far away as possible from the monster. Reyna looked back at Leo and Piper.
"You two deal with Dylan," Reyna ordered. She slowly looked back outside the bus and tried to swallow back her fear. "I'll deal with the Chimera."
Reyna didn't wait for a response. She knew the two wouldn't agree, but she knew that she would lose her nerve if she did not hurry. Reyna hurried towards the exit at the back of the bus and pushed the door open. Alarms blared on the bus, and she jumped out. Reyna ran towards the Chimera.
The beast was solely focused on Hedge. To the coach's credit, he was waving his club at the monster. Reyna stabbed her sword into the back of the Chimera. Before she could pull her sword out, a snake tried to bite her neck. Reyna dove out of the way and realized she was weaponless. Her sword was still stuck in the Chimera's back. It seemed like the only thing she had done was make it more angry.
The Chimera lunged at Reyna. She threw herself forward and under the monster. Reyna rolled through and scrambled to Hedge's side. Hedge spoke, "I sent another message to camp, and the extraction team is diverting their course. A rowdy Pegasus got them moving early, so we just need to hold out until they get here."
"No pressure," Reyna muttered. She tried to control her breathing and studied the Chimera. Pain spiked in her right arm, and her focus was broken. She looked down at her arm, and Hedge suddenly shoved her away. Reyna stumbled to the side but managed to stay on her feet. She saw that the Chimera had lunged once again. Reyna dodged and grabbed her sword from the creature's back, and fire was spewed at her.
Reyna jumped backwards in an attempt to avoid the fire. Some of it hit her shoe, and before it could spread any further, she kicked the shoe off. Reyna turned back towards the Chimera, but air slammed into her from the side. The force of the air hitting her was strong enough to throw her back into the building. She collapsed to the ground.
"This one is mine," Dylan snarled. He made his ways towards Reyna but didn't seem too hurried. Reyna glanced up and saw that Piper was kneeling over Leo, who wasn't moving. As odd as it sounded, Reyna could feel their fear.
"What did you do to him?" Reyna hissed. She slowly managed to make it to her feet but ended up stumbling forward. It didn't matter if Leo and Piper were strangers to her. In that moment, they were comrades in battle. For Reyna, it was a deeper connection than being friends.
"A little bit of lightning grazed him," Dylan sneered. He snapped his fingers, and the air around them started to pick up more. A vortex opened up behind Dylan, and he started walking towards her. "You are coming with me, demigod."
Dylan was still making his slow approach towards Reyna. On her right, the Chimera was moving with a lot more speed. It was probably going to get to Reyna before Dylan could. Coach Hedge appeared next to the vortex, but Reyna shook her head slightly and made a motion towards the bus.
Coach Hedge gave her a look like she was insane. He finally turned and moved to Piper's side. Reyna watched him for a moment and then looked back at Piper. Her attention then turned towards the Chimera, and she saw it tense a little too late. Reyna did her best to turn herself away, and the Chimera slammed into her side.
Reyna hit the ground with bone breaking force and felt claws dig into her shoulder, cutting down to the bone. A cry of pain escaped her, but Reyna couldn't focus on the pain. One of her arms had been outstretched when she fell, and since there didn't seem to be any damage to it, she was able to grab onto her sword. Out of instinct, Reyna swung her sword. The snake head fell to the ground near her.
The claws dug deeper into her shoulder, and Dylan slammed his foot down onto her wrist. He dug his heel into Reyna's wrist, forcing her to drop the sword. It was kicked away a moment later, and the Chimera pressed its face against Reyna's. The woman spoke, "Do not kill."
"That was almost a little impressive," Dylan said. Even though he tried to sound confident, his voice betrayed his fear. Reyna stared at the ground and tried to ignore the building pain in her shoulder. She felt the Chimera move its claws down a little more, and another cry of pain escaped Reyna.
Dylan lifted his foot once again, but a club slammed into the back of his head. He collapsed to the ground, but Coach Hedge wasn't done yet. The coach swung at the Chimera, but the woman caught the club. She threw Hedge backwards.
"Hey ugly!" Piper yelled. The Chimera lifted its head and growled. It lunged at Piper. Reyna rolled onto her back and cursed in pain. She slowly tried to get to her feet, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dylan shove Coach Hedge to the side. Dylan tackled Reyna and slammed her directly into the ground.
Reyna caught Dylan's hand only a few inches from her face. She could hear the cackling of lightning and could see that the lightning was building in his palm. It looked like he was going to slam a nice bit of lighting directly into her face, and there was nothing she could do about it. Leo grabbed onto Dylan and threw him off.
Dylan held onto Leo and drag him towards the ground. He somehow ended up pinning Leo to the ground and wrapping his arm around Leo's throat. Dylan spoke, "I guess you are coming with me then."
Reyna tried to sit up to help Leo, but Coach Hedge was faster. He unleashed a war cry and attacked Dylan. After a brief battle, Dylan managed to shove Coach Hedge back towards the vortex, and he spoke, "I guess you want to take his place then, old man. That nose of yours is getting pretty weak. I spent an entire semester on the football team, but you couldn't figure me out. Did you really think that Ivan's broken arm was an accident?"
A cry of pain on Reyna's right caught her attention. She turned her head and saw that the Chimera had backed Piper into a corner. Reyna cursed and slowly made it to her feet. She stumbled towards her fallen sword. As her fingers wrapped it, the Chimera turned on her and snarled.
"Bring it," Reyna challenged. She risked glancing to her right again, only to find that Coach Hedge and Dylan were gone. The vortex disappeared before her eyes, and all she could was let out a small curse. Reyna looked back at the Chimera, and it lunged at her.
Reyna dove to the side and managed to turn enough to stab her sword into the Chimera's leg. It took all of Reyna's strength to tear the sword from the monster's leg. The Chimera backed away from her and growled. It didn't seem like it could put any pressure on its leg wound.
Reyna moved her left arm and felt weak. A glance down showed that her arm was still bleeding, and her sleeve was stained with blood. Reyna backed away from the Chimera and dropped her backpack. Instincts caused her to reach inside, and she pulled out a vial. There seemed to be some kind of powder in it.
Piper suddenly stabbed the Chimera in the neck with the dagger. The beast snarled and flung her aside. Piper slammed into Leo, and the two tumbled to the ground. As Reyna watched, she used her teeth to open the vial. Reyna poured some of the powder on the cut on her arm. There was a tingling sensation in her arm, but some of the pain disappeared.
Reyna walked towards the Chimera and examined the dagger that was still buried in its neck. She slashed at the Chimera and managed to cut its chest. She dodged the fire, but the tail swept her leg out from under her. Reyna fell forward and barely held onto her sword. The Chimera lunged.
Reyna flipped her sword and watched it turn into a javelin. She made it into a kneeling position, and as the Chimera slammed into her, she stabbed it in the mouth. The heavy weight of the beast slammed Reyna to the ground. Reyna grabbed the dagger that was still buried in the Chimera's neck, and she stabbed it in the heart.
The Chimera exploded into monster dust, but Reyna wasn't done. She threw the dagger at the bus driver. It hit her chest and caused her to stumble backwards. Reyna stood and grabbed her javelin from the ground. She stabbed the bus driver in the chest with the javelin, and the bus driver dissolved into dust.
Reyna stared at the two piles of monster dust in front of her. The adrenaline left her, and she collapsed to her knees. One hand steadied herself on the ground. She was shaking, as it slowly occurred to her that she had just killed a Chimera.
"That was amazing," Piper said. She tried to kneel by Reyna, but it was more like she collapsed to her knees. "How did you know how to do any of that?"
"I don't know," Reyna admitted. She winced as Piper's finger brushed against her arm. Reyna turned her head to look at her arm. The claw marks were closed and looked like they were starting to scar. Piper stared at it, and Reyna did as well. "Where is the Faun? Hedge."
"Dylan took him away in the vortex," Piper replied. Reyna looked down and closed her eyes. Piper gently grabbed her arm and helped her stand. "We should get somewhere safe and try to call the cops or something."
"Great idea," Leo called. He was sitting up and staring at the carnage around them. "Hello 911, I would like to report that my friends and I were attacked. There was this weird creature with wings that could also create a vortex and shoot lightning. A woman had a forked tongue and was going to eat us for lunch, if her pet lion didn't do it first. Oh, our teacher, the half man half goat was also taken away on that vortex. No, I am not on drugs."
"Leo, you're not helping," Piper said. Reyna pulled away from Piper and walked towards her backpack. She dropped the vial and dagger inside. Leo picked up the javelin like it was going to jump and stab him at any second. Reyna slowly took her weapon and flipped it back into a sword. She slipped the sword back into her backpack and gripped her shoulder.
Despite the fact that the shoulder wound was mostly healed, it still hurt. Piper watched her in concern and gently moved Reyna's hand. She moved the bloody and torn jacket sleeve, examining Reyna's arm. Piper spoke, "If we thought we were going crazy, this is proof."
"It feels real," Reyna said. She winced as Piper let go of her sleeve. "Dylan called us something. Demigods?"
"Yeah. I don't feel very godlike," Leo said. He looked around, and a small frown came to his face. "Coach saved me, didn't he?"
"Twice," Piper answered. She walked towards the largest pile of dust and stared down at the snake head that had left behind, kind of like a trophy. "What do we do now?"
"He mentioned something about an extraction team," Reyna said. She slung the backpack across her back and slowly sat down against the bus. Leo and Piper joined her. "I don't know where the rest of the students are, if there are actually other students. I say we wait."
"I could go for a nap," Leo said. Reyna nodded and laid her head back. She closed her eyes and felt exhaustion starting to hit her like a brick. After a few moments, Piper nudged her. Reyna slowly forced her eyes open and saw that her two companions standing.
"Would that be the extraction team?" Piper questioned. She pointed up towards the sky. Reyna followed the direction of the point and saw two flying horses, Peagsi, that were pulling a chariot. Her attention move to the Pegasus that was on the right side of the chariot. It seemed familiar.
As the chariot landed near them, Reyna could make out the two people inside. One was a boy that looked to be a little older than them. He had black hair and sea green eyes. His hand gripped a pen, and considering Reyna could flip her sword into a javelin, she was sure that the pen wasn't for writing letters. The other person in the chariot was a bulky man with a shaved head. A rainbow tattoo on his bicep somehow made him more intimidating.
"Where is she?" the boy demanded. He walked straight towards Reyna and studied her with intense eyes. Reyna studied him back. When she didn't respond, the boy grabbed her shirt and pulled her to her feet. Reyna grabbed his hand. She was still in pain, tired, confused, and not in the mood for any of this. Something about the boy was familiar too, but it wasn't in a good way. "Where is she?"
"I don't know who you are talking about," Reyna snapped. She shoved the boy backwards. "Don't put your hands on me again."
"Percy, calm down," the other boy said. "She's not here. Look around. The three have already had a terrible day, and we shouldn't make it any worse."
Percy finally looked away from Reyna and looked out at the battlefield. His eyes studied all of the monster dust and drops of blood. He then seemed to notice the small cuts and bruises on Piper and Leo before focusing on Reyna's bloody sleeve. His eyes still held that desperate look, but he seemed to relax slightly.
"I'm sorry. I was told she would be here," Percy said. He took a deep breath and started to pace back and forth. He spoke angrily in another language and then glared up at the sky. The other boy glanced at Percy and then looked at them.
"Where's Gleeson Hedge? He sent us a message," the boy said. As he looked around, he seemed to notice Reyna's sleeve. His eyes studied her shoulder. "You need medical attention."
"I got it covered," Reyna muttered. She didn't trust the extraction team one bit. The boy studied her for a few moments.
"Coach Hedge is gone," Piper answered. The two boys looked at her. "He was taken while we were fighting those things. I wanted to help him, but the Chimera was relentless."
"Chimera?" Percy interrupted. He looked back at the dust on the ground, and his eyes focused on the snake that was left behind. He slowly looked back at the three of them and then down at their feet. "The girl with the one shoe."
"What?" Reyna asked. She looked down and slowly remembered that her shoe had been lost during the right, but what did it matter? A small part of her wondered how she would get a new pair. It wasn't like she had money on her, or did she? Could she have a wallet? Reyna reached towards her pocket, and Percy tensed, like he thought she was going for a weapon. Reyna slowly crossed her arms.
"We were told to find the girl with one shoe, and she would lead us to answers," the boy said. "We should properly introduce ourselves. My name is Butch, and that is Percy. We both want to know how you managed to kill the Chimera."
"So would I," Reyna muttered. She adjusted her backpack and thought about showing them her sword. Reyna decided against it. A whine caught her attention, and she looked towards one of the Pegasi. The Pegasus was the color of peanut butter and just looking at it caused Reyna to feel a strange sensation in her chest.
"I told you it was too early to take this Pegasus out," Butch muttered. He looked at Percy. "We just got him this morning."
"The other Pegasi are busy. Besides, a fully grown Pegasus rarely shows up at our doorstep. He's special," Percy said. The Pegasus whined. "Scipio, you need to calm down."
"Scipio," Reyna repeated. She felt a chill run down her spine, and she slowly walked towards the Pegasus. Percy looked like he was going to warn her, but as Reyna slowly held out a hand, Scipio nudged his face against her palm. He seemed to settle down.
"Impressive," Percy commented. He studied Reyna for a few moments and seemed to focus on her eyes. Reyna looked away from the gaze and looked behind her. Piper was staring at the Pegasi, and Leo was staring at Butch. He squinted slightly.
"Big guy, why do you have a tattoo of a rainbow?" Leo asked. He raised a single eyebrow.
"I'm a son of Iris. She is the goddess of rainbows," Butch said, and he crossed his arms, after cracking his knuckles. Leo's mouth only twitched. "Got a problem with it?"
"I just want to make sure that I heard you right. A rainbow goddess is your mom?" Leo asked. Butch glared at him, and Leo raised his hands. "It was just a question."
"You should take the snake's head," Percy interrupted. He gave Brick a look at then focused on Reyna. "It's a trophy after all."
"I don't need a trophy," Reyna said. If she didn't have to see the Chimera or another part of it ever again, she would be grateful. "We should probably get going, in case it had friends."
Percy nodded and led them towards the chariot. Reyna slowly sat in it and looked at the ground. She closed her eyes tightly. The adrenaline was long gone, and she was absolutely exhausted. Someone sat next to her and squeezed her hand. Reyna was too tired to pull away.
"When you first got here, you said that you were looking for someone. Who is it?" Piper asked. Reyna felt Leo sit on her other side, and she resisted the urge to groan.
"My girlfriend," Percy answered after a moment. Reyna heard how much pain there was in his voice. It was clear that Percy was holding in a hurricane of emotions. "She went missing, and I was told that if I came here, I would find my answer. Would any of you happen to know anything? Her name is Annabeth Chase."