~ So Close, But Not Close Enough ~

LYKOS

They made it to Springfield only half an hour ago. The second they arrived within the city borders, Annabeth pulled the bus over, parked in the lot of a small plaza, and they all piled out in a hurry. The mortals had called their authorities upon arrival, and none of them were in any mood to be dealing with the police. They ditched the bus and the mortal passengers with it to quickly find the cemetery.

They were quite a miserable sight. Bruised, scraped up, with their clothes torn and tattered in various places. The girls all had wild, unruly hair that made it look like they spent their lives growing up feral. Everyone was sore and exhausted, but despite this, they seemed to be in high spirits. Their first major battle on the quest, yet they were able to pull through. Furthermore, they still had beaten their adversaries here before the meeting has been held, which gives them all, especially Saphira, a great deal of excitement.

Lykos himself was antsy despite his tired body. He wants to share in their good mood, but something is gnawing at him from within. That was a pretty large and diverse force of monsters that had come for them. Rogue centaurs, cynocephali, and the Minotaur. And then there is the fact that dracaena and hellhounds were also involved, not to mention the empousai.

None of these are monsters that should be working together. The different factions within the monster world may tolerate each other, but cooperation is rare unless they were being unified by something else. The last two times such a diverse array of monsters worked together liked that, was due to the uprising of a titan and a primordial, and lately, it's been feeling more and more like this may be another war on the horizon.

Lykos just can't help but feel that this is only the beginning. A third uprising in the making, but who could be leading it now? He remembers the empusa, Kelli, how she had mentioned that Lycaon was one of the monster leaders involved. What if the events of last year were also somehow connected? The Pack's war on the Hunt, Orion's unexplained resurrection… could they have had something to do with what's happening now?

"Hey."

Saphira's gentle voice disturbs his thoughts. He lifts his eyes to meet her volcanic ones to find them narrowed with concern and curiosity. She invitingly holds a hand out for him to brush against.

"You're thinking too loud," is all she says. She knows him well, but he can't help but scoff. Of all people, except maybe barring the daughter of Athena that is walking with them, Saphira is the last person who should be telling someone else they're thinking too much.

Nevertheless, he accepts her offer and brushes his head against her fingertips, letting her touch ease his mind.

"I tell Annabeth that all the time," Percy pipes up, confirming Lykos' suspicions.

Annabeth rolls her eyes and playfully pushes him by his arm and retorts. "Well, at least one of us has to think. Otherwise, we'd be in a lot more trouble.

"Speaking of trouble, excellent work on getting us out of that bit of it," Chloe remarks. "You did amazing."

"Oh, well, I aim to please, you know?" Annabeth replies.

"So, how much farther to the cemetery?" Saphira asks.

Percy fumbles around in his jacket for the maps, pulling one out and unrolling it to view.

"It should be just at the end of this street here," he says.

They pick up the pace, briskly heading in that direction until they discover the front lot of the cemetery. Given the hour, it's closed down and not a soul is to be seen, but that's good for them. From there, they creep into the cemetery grounds and it doesn't take them much longer to find the spot that Annabeth had described to them on the bus. A thick clump of trees, one of many that border each field of gravestones, that gives them a line of sight and cover.

It's quiet, save for the chirps of crickets and hoots of owls. For a moment, Lykos feels at peace, like he's back in the wilds with the rest of the Hunt. It's then that the peace gives way to a dull ache in his heart, longing for home, and he heaves a sigh. It's been what? Five days since he and Saphira first left home, two days since they embarked on this quest. Almost a week, yet, it feels like it's been much longer. Too long.

"Alright. Let's set up camp and get some rest," Saphira says.

Lykos flops down onto the soft, leafy earth, finally feeling the fatigue taking over. He yawns as they finish pitching the tents, which doesn't take more than two seconds thanks to the magic cylinders they're stored in.

His drowsiness doesn't go unnoticed as Saphira approaches him and kneels at his side with concern in her eyes.

"You didn't sleep at all last night, did you?" she asks.

Immediately, he shakes his head. He learned long ago there is no lying to this girl, not that he ever tried. But that doesn't mean he won't try to convince her that he's okay, even if he is a little tired.

"Okay, you're not keeping watch tonight. You are getting some rest," she says sternly.

He shakes his head again with a soft groan of reply, but she's not having it.

"I mean it, Lykos. I love your devotion, but you can't run yourself into the ground."

Lykos glares up at her and emits a low growl. It's not a sound to threaten her, only to display his annoyance. But much like the goddess they've pledged allegiance too, she is not taking no for an answer when she's concerned about his well being and calls for a second opinion.

"Chloe," Saphira says, and the blonde healer is quick to support her, which Lykos can't help but roll his eyes at.

"Come on, tough guy. You heard her. If she has to be forced to rest and take care of herself, you do too," Chloe says, coming over to join the Hesperide.

Percy chimes in. "I can take watch tonight if needed."

"To be honest, we might be okay for tonight," Annabeth says. "We did just defeat a pretty sizable force of monsters, which I'm sure the enemy, whoever they might be, wasn't expecting. It'll take them a while to regroup and plan their next attack."

Lykos sighs, but there doesn't seem to be much point in protesting. He does feel a little tired, and maybe Annabeth is right. They might not get bothered tonight… he'll be sure to sleep light, just in case.

He looks up at Saphira and nods before setting his chin down on his paws. He'll heed her wishes.

"Thank you. Goodnight, Lykos, and everyone," Saphira says.

The others reply the same and with that, they disappear into their tents, leaving Lykos to himself. At first, it feels like sleep won't come to him easily, but before long, he feels his eyes become heavy. His body and mind soon lull themselves into Morpheus' realm.

. . . . . .

"There, my son. You see those people there? They're all yours this time."

Lykos stares intently at what his king had presented for him. A small village within the neck of woods of… whatever country this is. The Pack has traveled so much, he has lost track of where they go or where they have been. He cares not, not anymore. All he cares for now, is where his next prey is.

His silence prompts Lycaon to continue.

"Those people are horrid. You know, I have observed them for several days now, and you know what I saw? I saw one of the families kill their daughter for making love to a boy from a village not their own," he says.

At those words, Lykos feels his rage begin to build, that familiar lust for revenge returning to his heart. His nails sharpen so that he may claw at the earth, anticipating the kill.

Lycaon goes on. "They murdered her just for loving someone different, someone who was not one of their own. Doesn't that sound familiar, my son?"

It does.

"They are like the ones who took her from you. They are like the ones who murdered your Katarina."

Lykos' blood begins to boil over, his chest constricting with barely contained fury as the animal within roars to be released. Images of a dying girl, with cinnamon hair and hazel eyes, beauty marred by her tearful face as she lay in his arms, with only seconds of life remaining.

He remembers every detail. He remembers the horrible pain of his heart, the agony that stabbed through him as he was powerless to save her.

Powerless…

Never again.

"You know they need to pay for what they did. Go, let them feel your wrath. Let them feel what she felt in her final moments. Let them suffer, just like she suffered, my son."

With his king's blessing, Lykos gives in. He doesn't even feel the transformation occur as he surges forth down the hill, down towards the village of murderers. They took her from him. They took her for loving him, and he was powerless to stop.

Never again.

Everything becomes a blur. The screams, the cries, the choked gurgles of men and women. None can escape his fangs or his claws. He tears through them like a tornado, like a terrible storm. Blood spatters. Bone shatters. Clothes tear and flesh rips.

Never again.

Never again.

Never again.

. . . . . .

"Lykos! Wake up! Wake up, please!"

Saphira's cry has him snapping awake in an instant. Before his eyes are even open, he is upright with a bristling mane and bared fangs, ready to take on whatever could be threatening his best friend.

Only to find there is no threat.

Saphira is crouching before him, dressed in leggings and loose T-shirt; different from her usual sleeping chiton. Her obsidian gaze is wide with worry as she stares at him like… in a way that he had not seen her look at him in a very long time. The last time she looked at him in that way, was when their friendship was first discovered by the Hunt, when she thought they were going to kill him.

Chloe is right behind her. Annabeth and Percy are only peering at him from their tent. Everyone is staring at him with mixed expressions of concern. Lykos keeps his attention on Saphira and asks her silently what is going on with a tilt of his head.

"You were…" she trails off, looking at the demigod couple. "Sorry, can you two, uh…"

Percy looks like he wants to protest, but Annabeth seems to understand right away as she pulls her boyfriend back into their tent and zips it up. Saphira releases a shaken breath before looking back at Lykos.

"Come inside," she whispers.

Normally, Lykos would have questioned the request, but her expression and tone make it clear that this is something important, at least to her. So, he dutifully rises and follows the girls back into their tent. It's spacious enough for the three of them, and Chloe zips it closed once they're all inside. She and Saphira then sit in front of him on either side.

Lykos gestures with his head for them to explain, and Saphira again, looks at him like she could be about to lose him.

"You were snarling and snapping, thrashing around your sleep," she murmurs. "You looked like you were so… enraged, so full of hate."

Well, that's new. He doesn't ever recall that being a case for him, at least not anytime recently. He's been relatively at peace since becoming the Guardian… although, now that he thinks about it, peace hasn't been easy-coming the past few days. Then, a sudden fear instills itself within him. What if it's this quest that's doing this to him? All this fighting and killing he's been having to do. The dracaena, the cyclopes, the empousa, all the cynocephali. What if it's making him revert back to… how he was before?

No.

He refuses to accept that. Those were monsters. Evil, cold-blooded, murderous monsters who were threatening Saphira's life. He is the Guardian of the Hunt. He was fulfilling his duty in destroying them, in protecting her. He is not becoming what he was in the past.

"Lykos," Saphira says his name, bringing his attention back to her. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Instantly, he nods his head as a declaration of his well-being. Saphira exhales in relief and nods as well.

"If there is anything bothering you, you can tell us," Chloe reminds him.

There is nothing bothering him, but he nods again anyway.

"Good."

"Well, if that is that, we should head back outside. It's nearly dawn. Asteria could be arriving any minute now," Saphira says. Chloe nods in agreement and moves to unzip the tent for Lykos to escape, and she zips it back up behind him so that they may change out of their sleepwear. Figuring he should alert the others, Lykos pads over to the couple's tent and paws at the flap until they unzip and peek out at him.

"All good?" Percy asks. Lykos answers with a nod. "Alright."

The son of Poseidon emerges from the tent, already dressed and ready to go, with Annabeth right behind him. They go about the business of packing up while the girls appear outside their tent to do the same. Chloe whips up a quick breakfast of dried fruits and nuts for herself, Saphira, and the demigods, with smoked quarters of venison for Lykos.

"I'd cook us something better, but all my stuff is back home," the healer explains.

"Don't worry. I'm happy we have anything to eat at all," Annabeth assures her as she picks at her wild snacks. "I can't tell you how many times Percy and I went without food on quests. We spent a lot of time being hungry."

"Horrid times," Percy agrees.

They finish breakfast quickly and then prepare for the real reason they're here.

It's now dawn. The early rays of the sun are just now starting to creep across the sky, reaching out from the east. The birds begin their morning songs, one by one, each starting its own soft tune. For a moment, Lykos feels like he's back in the wilds, but the rest of the scenery ruins it. The stones of the cemetery appear ominous through the fog, and the sounds of the waking city begin to mix with the pleasant birdsong.

The mission itself also makes the atmosphere bear a bitter taste. Lykos keeps his eyes and ears on a constant swivel, scanning the woods and fields for movement and listening for any sound that isn't caused by them. He continuously inhales deep through his nose to take record of the scents, paying heed to even the slightest change in the air.

He wishes they had an exact time of the day for when Asteria was supposed to be brought here by the monsters. Waiting and watching while having no clue about which exact moment she'd arrive is torture. Lykos understands patience. He's tracked prey for hours before, knowing that patience will guide him to it eventually… but in those moments he's actively moving. Sitting and waiting is not his style in the slightest.

"Chloe, you should summon Anita to get eyes on the rest of the park," Saphira murmurs as she keeps her eyes peeled in another direction.

"I already did. She's circling over us as we speak," Chloe replies.

"I'm positive that this field is where they will meet," Annabeth says. "It's strategically the most optimal spot in the cemetery."

"Unless Kelli was lying to us about this place," Percy mutters.

Saphira shakes her head. "She wasn't lying. Not after what we did to her."

Lykos hums in agreement. Empousai are resilient, but not even they can withstand the pain of dismemberment.

A new scent travels to him, carried by the breeze. It's foul, like the stench of a cat with a rotting hide. It's one he recognizes from a time long ago; manticore. It can't be by coincidence that a monster of that status is here. He may not have been involved in the uprising of Kronos, but Lykos knows of the manticore's hand in it. A high-ranking officer in the armies of the Lord of Time, only surpassed by the titans under his command. The manticore must be reliving his glory days, no doubt serving again as some kind of symbol of authority in whatever is going on now.

Uttering a soft chuff to alert the others, Lykos stalks to the edge of the woods in the direction that the scent comes from. Saphira is the first to heed and join him, placing a hand on his back as she kneels by his side with her eyes trained in the same direction.

"Are they here?" she asks with a low voice.

He tips his nose upward, sniffing deeply to assure himself that he's got the scent. He does, and in doing so, he's picked up another scent, but one he doesn't recognize. Not a monster, but not human either. It carries some kind of aura of power, the magical kind. Then finally, a new, but immediately recognized sensation. An overwhelming wave of power, radiating towards him from that same direction, like it's pulling him towards it. He felt it back in New York and it feels just as strong now.

Asteria is here.

He looks to Saphira and nods once, confirming for her. Saphira's eyes widen and her breath hitches. If she wasn't anxious before, she definitely must be now.

He returns his eyes to the field, trained in the direction of the scent which comes from the parking lot. It's only a moment later that the source of the scent reveals itself.

The first appearance is the manticore himself. An ugly beast with the body of a lion and a spiked scorpion tail, topped off with a snarling face that bears resemblance to a man.

The manticore is followed by another figure, and Lykos is puzzled. The second being is no monster, but a woman. Tall and slender, with an air of elegance in her posture. Lykos is about to pin her as a human, until he catches a whiff of her aura and realizes she is the one emitting the magic radiation. She must be a sorceress of some kind.

Finally, the last figure… It's her. He immediately recognizes the head of white hair and the timid manner in which she carries herself.

"There she is!" Chloe hisses.

"Let's get her. Perseus, you and Lykos take the manticore. Chloe and Annabeth will-"

"Saph, wait." Annabeth points at an approaching pair towards the other side of the field. "Gorgons."

Lykos follows her finger to spot the two newcomers. They are humanoid, but with serpentine scales instead of skin and writhing manes of snakes for hair.

"That's not all. Percy, do you recognize that woman?" Annabeth asks. The son of Poseidon squints for a moment, showing recognition.

"It's Circe."

The infamous sorceress who would turn men into pigs. Lykos knows of her well, but he had never seen her in person before now.

"We can take the gorgons easy. The manticore, maybe less easy. Circe might pose a problem," Chloe says.

"We won't be able to get close to her," Annabeth agrees.

Saphira tightens her grip on her bow. "We won't need to. Chloe and I will handle her. Perseus, Annabeth, you take the gorgons instead and Lykos…"

He turns his eyes on her.

"Can you handle the manticore by yourself?"

He nods.

"Okay." Saphira exhales. "No matter what, nobody leaves here with Asteria unless it's us. Move in but don't engage until I give the signal."

They set forth, using the trees and gravestones as cover to close distance on their target. By now, the gorgons and Asteria's captors have met in the midst of the cemetery, with the sun having now risen to shed its rays over the field. As they get closer, Lykos begins to pick up on the exchange happening between the monsters.

"That's it? That's supposed to be the thing that ensures our lord is victorious?" one of the gorgons hisses. "That's what we are going through all this trouble for?"

"Oh, Stheno. If only you knew what this child really is," Circe hums in amusement.

The manticore growls. "Let's not waste time. Take the girl and get her to the mountain. You must make haste. There is a quest on the hunt for her, the brats of Artemis among them. We sent troops to intercept them, but all but one returned alive. It may have slowed them down but not for long."

Stheno frowns at them. "Is that why the torturer is missing?"

Torturer?

The question is present for only a moment before there is a new voice. One that immediately brings memories flooding back to him and a rush of icy sensations and stinging pain in his back that is gone just as quickly as it appeared.

"Oh no, little gorgy! I was just parking the van!"

The newcomer's voice is female, sing-song, bubbly… and all too familiar. Lykos snaps his head towards the direction to see an empousa skipping towards her companions. Like the rest of her kind, she looks human from the waist up, with mismatched legs below. Her hair now that there are no flames present, is an ashy gray. She wears an innocent smile on her lips, but her eyes show her true nature; vicious, ruthless, and bloodthirsty.

"Aspa," the other gorgon greets her. Both she and Stheno look very unsettled by her presence.

"Euryale," Aspa replies with a joyful tone. "I'm so happy to see you again! It looks like your time with me has shaped you both to be better!"

Lykos knows all too well what she truly means by that, and by the nervous looks on the gorgons' faces, he can tell that they too were once at her mercy.

Just like he once was.

Once again, he can imagine himself down there, chained to the freezing stoney ground while she would lash him again and again, or sprinkle silver dust onto his skin, or pour molten silver over his back. Every torment, every punishment, comes flooring back to him all at once… and with it, rage.

He remembers what he swore he would do to her if he ever saw her again, and now that she's here, no more than ten meters away, he finds himself itching to charge forth and lunge upon her. To drive his fangs deep into her throat and thrash her about, to tear into her with his claws that now dig furiously into the earth. It takes all his willpower to remain where he is, to ignore the rage as best he can. He cannot screw this up for them. He has to wait for Saphira's signal.

"Enough! Circe, hand over the child and let us be done with this!" the manticore growls.

Circe sighs and promptly shoves Asteria towards the gorgon sisters. Asteria cries out from her rough handling, but upon making eye contact with the gorgons, she becomes frozen with apparent fright.

"Get over here you little- hrk!" Stheno is suddenly interrupted by an arrow through the side of her head. She collapses, dissolving into dust as she goes. Her sudden assassination startles her sister who cries out in shock. The manticore bellows in surprise, while Circe gasps. Aspa only scoffs, seeming to not care as to what just happened.

"What?!" the manticore roars and looks around. "Where did that come from?!"

That's when Saphira and Chloe appear, springing over the top of gravestones with their bows drawn and aimed at Circe. Percy and Annabeth join the fray at the same time, attacking the remaining gorgon. Their ambush seems to have given them the upper hand, but Lykos must still play his part.

He charges through the field, going straight for the manticore who has yet to notice him, seeming to be too focused on the hunters and demigods attacking his allies. In only a few bounds, Lykos has nearly closed the distance and lunges for the manticore's neck-

Crack!

The impact of something heavy and metal against his shoulder throws him completely off course, sending him crashing into a gravestone with a yelp. Stunned but only for a moment, Lykos shakes his head and snaps his eyes up to see Aspa standing over him. For a second, there is confusion in her expression, but that confusion quickly becomes replaced by recognition, then surprise, and finally… dark glee.

"Wolfy? Is it really you?" Aspa demands, feigning a tone like she was seeing an old friend for the first time. "Oh Tartarus, I've missed you so much! How have you been?"

Lykos scrambles to get back on all fours, bristling his mane and letting his growl emit from his throat in force.

"I see you've missed me too," Aspa chortles happily. If Lykos didn't know better, he'd have believed she was truly happy to see him. Except he spent years as her prisoner, suffering at her hands. Behind that friendly, cheery tone and smile, is nothing but pure evil.

"I've waited years to kill you, demon whore!"

Aspa's surprise returns. She cocks her head at him curiously, still retaining her grin.

"Wow! I heard you completely lost the ability to transform or even to speak in this form!" she says.

Lykos hesitates. She heard that?

"You can understand me?" he demands, flattening his ears. The last time he was able to speak was when he killed Lycaon, and then it seems the ability to do so had once again left him. He is surprised that he can do it now.

Aspa rolls her eyes. "Well duh! You must really hate me if you learned how to speak again just tell me you're gonna kill me. It's really touching that you care about me so much."

Lykos snarls. There are no words to describe how much he hates this demon. She is right about that much.

"Well, anything you wanna get off your chest? I'm sure you must be relieved to finally have someone who can fully understand you," Aspa sneers.

Lykos can only think of one thing he wants to do right now.

Scraping up earth with his claws, he steps towards her, only to then find himself faced with the manticore by her side.

"If you truly think you can take us both on alone, dog, you are welcome to try," the manticore huffs.

"He won't have to."

The voice was Percy's. Lykos glances over his shoulder to see the son of the sea god approaching, brandishing his sword and shield, as well as an enraged look that could rival that of Ares himself. Behind him, the girls are busy with the sorceress, keeping her at bay in a firefight, arrows against magic. Percy stops at Lykos' side, giving him a brisk nod and grin before turning his glare back at the manticore.

"Long time, no see, Thorn," he growls.

"Ocean brat!" the manticore, Thorn, spits in retort.

Percy rolls his neck, popping it. "I have a bone to pick with this asshole, Lykos. He once took Annabeth from me."

Lykos can hear the hatred in Percy's voice. It rivals what he feels himself.

"I'll handle him, you'll handle her?" he offers.

That could not sound any more appealing to him right now.

Together, he and Percy face their respective rivals. Then, without a word from either of them, they charge, with Percy yelling a battle cry and Lykos snarling in sync.

From here, all his focus turns to Aspa.

She was ready to meet him, catching him with her arms around his neck and skidding back from the force of his lunge. Lykos thrashes and snaps his jaws wildly, just barely managing to graze her side. Aspa grunts and shoves him away, following up with a kick to his muzzle, but that hardly fazes him. He attacks again, rearing up with his jaws open wide and his claws coming down over her, but she catches him by the forelimbs. On his hind legs, he has the height advantage, but her strength seems to be nearly equal to his own as she holds him up and away from her.

He snaps his teeth at her face, being kept at bay by mere inches. For the first time ever, he sees her grimace, as if the strain is almost too much for her.

This only spurs him on even more.

Finally, they are on equal footing. He is not chained down anymore. He is not her prisoner, delivered to her by his own kind. There is no whip, no lashes of silver, nothing for her torture him with. No, this time, all she has are her fangs and claws.

But his are bigger than hers.

Lykos heaves his body sideways to throw Aspa off balance, slamming her down onto her back with his body over hers. Aspa's eyes widen as he bears down on her with his fangs, and twists herself out of the way just in time to avoid him. She then rams her elbow into the side of his head with enough force to send him staggering sideways, his ear ringing from the impact.

His daze is momentary, but it was just long enough for her to attack. Suddenly, Lykos feels a weight land on his side and a sharp, piercing pain in his shoulder. She's pounced on him, her claws sunk deeply into his flesh and making him yelp, but that yelp shifts halfway through into a growl as he whips his head around to snap at her.

She's just out of reach, crawling onto his back despite his thrashing, remained latched on to him. He feels her drive her fangs into his neck, but the sharp pain only fuels him, and he pitches himself forward into a roll, crushing Aspa between himself and a gravestone. The empousa grunts with the impact as they both roll back to their feet, but Lykos is faster.

He lunges first, forcing the empousa to roll out of the way and respond with a kick of her bronze leg, but he catches her foot in his teeth. Heaving with his entire body, he swings Aspa face-first into a gravestone, shattering it to pieces and hurling her several meters. She's quick to rise again, and now, she looks enraged. Her cocky smile and attitude are long gone, replaced by sheer fury.

"There are no chains on me now, Aspa!" Lykos snarls, ripping up earth with his claws. "Did you think it would be easy with my body free?"

Aspa flips her hair out of her face before it bursts into flames. "I'd have been disappointed if you were an easy fight!"

Lykos shakes himself off and runs his tongue over his fangs before baring them again. He mustn't get cocky either. Clearly she wasn't expecting a challenge and was caught off guard, but his element of surprise is long gone now. She may prove to be formidable after all.

They circle each other with slow, stalking steps. He's searching for an opening and as he makes sure to never look away from her eyes for too long, he can see her gaze searching as well. Calculating, planning, contemplating every move before they make one. Who will be the first to strike?

She is.

Aspa suddenly hurls herself at him with a screech and he bellows in reply, charging to meet her halfway. They collide, with his shoulder ramming into her stomach and knocking her back several steps before he turns to go for her head. She ducks and slips beneath him, raking her claws through his left thigh as she does and spinning to kick his muzzle when he turns again. She then assaults him in a frenzy, clawing and scratching at his face, head, and neck wildly, and he quickly shields his eyes by turning his head downwards as he barrels into her. She skids back on her feet, still slashing at him with all she's got as he pushes her backward. With a firm toss of his head, he throws her to the ground, but she's quick to get back to her feet.

Not quick enough to avoid his teeth entirely.

He lunges at her, hoping to tear her face off, but Aspa is just able to lean back far enough to only be caught by the tip of a fang. She springs away from him with a look of surprise, tentatively bringing her hand to her split cheek and feeling the blood seep from the wound. She then looks at the crimson fluid on her fingers, before looking back at him as her smirk returns and she licks her own blood from her fingertips.

"Like I said, I'd have been disappointed!" She hurtles towards him, slashing at his eyes with her claws, and he ducks just in time to only be grazed.

Continuing her vicious assault, Lykos finds himself being lacerated by numerous wounds on his head, neck, and shoulders. His fur offers only some protection against her razor sharp nails, but the blood that sprays from his injuries are telling that it is not enough. He snarls as he fights back, and he and the empousa tear into each other in a frenzy. Fangs snap and claws rake, ripping open more and more bleeding wounds until they finally both back off from each in a hasty retreat.

Aspa did a number on him, but he doesn't care. All he can think about is how satisfying it's been to finally hurt her back for all the decades of torture she put him through. Her clothes are torn and tattered, her body mutilated, and even her bronze leg has deep dents in its metallic flesh from where he had chomped down.

Theirs is not the only fight to be taking a breather.

The girls have backed off from Circe, looking out of breath with wild hair. Circe looks mostly unharmed, but she too seems to have drained much of her energy. Percy's bruised and scraped, with a battered shield, but otherwise no worse for wear. Thorn the manticore looks like he's seen better days, with a gashed face and stab wounds in his thighs, yet he is still standing as well.

Unfortunately, the side who still has Asteria, is not their own.

Their enemies have the frightened girl trapped between them, showing no intention of surrendering her, though that doesn't deter Saphira from demanding they do anyway.

"Give up and return Asteria to us! Then, we might just consider letting you walk away!"

Aspa scoffs and grabs hold of the child's arm, roughly yanking her close. "Ooh, fat chance, honey. Sadly for you, we have a job to do, and it involves the kid."

"The gorgon sisters are dead. You have nobody to take her from here," Percy points out with his sword. "Plus, you're outnumbered."

"Save your breath, sea spawn!" Thorn spits. "We all know that you are not walking away with the girl."

"We are not going back without her. You can either hand her over and you can feel my teeth in your throat!" Lykos growls through his telepathic voice that only the monsters can hear. Both the manticore and the empousa look at him, former with a glare, latter with a sneer.

"Traitorous dog! You will join the rest of your kind in eternal punishment!" Thorn growls.

"I would love to be able to pick up where we left off!" Aspa adds with a purr.

Lykos doesn't miss the glances of confusion he gets from his companions, but he pays them no mind, and so they don't dwell on him. Instead, he takes a step towards their enemies, flattening his ears.

"You have three seconds."

All sides tense once again. Percy and the girls tighten their grips on their weapons, while the monsters growl and hiss. By the time, both sides have done this, Lykos has counted the seconds. Time is up.

He launches himself forward through the air, jaws open and ready to come bearing down on Aspa first, but in that moment, time seems to slow down as he notices Circe pointing at him from the corner of his eye. The sorceress smirks at him, and suddenly he finds himself being blasted backward by some force that was too fast for him to see. He hits the ground hard, but that's not what knocks his breath out of him. It's the following constriction, like his entire body is being compressed into a tiny ball by some immense pressure. His bones feel like they might pop, and his muscles feel as though they are about to burst into flames. What did that witch do to him?!

Lykos can't help the screaming yelp of pain that escapes his lungs, spasming on the ground, unable to control his body's movements.

"Lykos!" Saphira cries, rushing to drop to her knees at his side.

Circe snickers. "Oh, don't worry. The pain won't last too long. I just thought your little attack dog would be better off as something less… vicious. And honestly, as fun as our little bout was, I probably should have done this sooner."

The sorceress begins to wave her hands in a circular motion around her, producing some kind of wispy aura to surround herself and her allies, including Asteria.

"Don't let them go!" Annabeth shouts. She and Percy both charge with their swords raised, and Chloe fires her arrow, but before any of them can reach their quarry, there is a bright flash of light.

And just like that, Circe and the monsters are gone… and they took Asteria with them.

"No!" Percy growls, stabbing the ground in frustration. "We were so close!"

If Lykos wasn't still convulsing in agony, he might have shared in that anger, but he's a little preoccupied at the moment. He shuts his eyes and clenches his jaw, trying to stifle the pain any way he can, but it's no use. What did Circe mean by that? What did she do to him?

"Lykos! Lykos!" Saphira cries, placing her hands on his flank. "What do you feel? Are you-"

She cuts herself off with a gasp, and Lykos can feel her grip on his fur tighten… like, really tighten. Gods, why is her grip getting stronger? Why… why are her hands feeling like they're getting larger?

"He's…"

He can hear Chloe's voice drift off as well, as if in shock by whatever she's seeing. His eyes are still squeezed shut, and now he's almost terrified to open them again to see what's happened. It must be horrible!

Then, as suddenly as it began, the agony fades. It take a few seconds for him to will the courage to open his eyes. Is he burned? Mutilated beyond recognition? Is he even still a wolf? Finally, he slowly opens his eyes and… why are the gravestones so much taller now? He looks at his companions and startles himself in doing so. Why are they so much taller now?! Why is he so low to the ground?! He glances down at himself best he can. His legs look and feel much shorter, his paws much bigger. It disorients him in his hurry to stand up, immediately falling over again. He doesn't feel dizzy at all, but he finds himself unable to be very coordinated. His fur is much shorter, his tail is slimmer, and… is his right ear somewhat floppy?

What happened?

Lykos snaps his gaze towards his companions. They don't look horrified but… stunned. Confused. A mix of other emotions he's too riled up to decipher.

"What did she do to me?!" Lykos asks them. Had the circumstances been normal, he'd have mentally bitten himself for trying to speak to them while in wolf form, if not for the very high-pitched whimper that escapes his throat. The sound shocks him all over again. Did he really just make that sound? His vocalizations have never gone that high, not even his whines.

"Um, Lykos?" Percy awkwardly kneels before him. Even standing on all fours, the sea child towers over him like he never has before, making Lykos panic all over again. Percy clears his throat, and finally drops the bomb on him.

"You got turned into a puppy."

. . . . . .

A/N

Hello, readers! It's been a long break from writing for me, but I've finally gotten back into it… sort of. Work is picking up again, and I've been having some injury-related issues that needed to get settled, plus a bad case of writer's block, but I'm hoping the worst is behind me.

Anyways, I hope you all have been well, enjoying life, achieving greatness. As I am writing this note, I am started on the next chapter that I hope to get out in the next week or so.

What a terrible twist of events for our Guardian of the Hunt! How will he cope? Will he ever get back to his normal, big, fluffy, scary wolf self? Or is he now forever cursed to spend the rest of his days as an adorable puppy version of himself?

Stay tuned. THINGS are happening!

Until next time!

~ Shadow