Rey pov
Why am I helping them?...How did I even get here?...
I was looking outside watching the golden crisp old leaves fall from the trees trying to tune out Thea and Lawrence's ramblings just on the kitchen table behind me.
It has been three days since I've been trying to lead them astray. I tried to make sure they don't go at least to the places they shouldn't. That was until Thea made an ultimatum that they would go even if I don't.
Better watch them and point north when they need to go south then...
"Rey, are you even listening? We don't really know what we're facing so you need to pay attention."
Lawrence says coming towards me pressing a cup of warm hot chocolate on my shoulder as a thought came to me.
"I forgot to ask...why did you rope me into this? We still have homework and a test next week and here we are doing this for half the weekend."
I asked the boy as I looked straight into his eyes that had heavy eyebags hanging from the corners.
He looks at the blonde girl who was busily arranging her files as if she wasn't putting her homework to the trash bin. Seeing the other was too busy, Lawrence sighs and leans beside me at the windowsill.
"Because... honestly it's pretty simple. Why would you even ask? It's been the three of us since we were little. We weren't gonna leave you out."
He says looking to the distance as if the glass of the window wasn't filled with fog on his end.
He leans a little closer gazing at Thea in corner of his eyes.
"If anything comes to be really dangerous, I'd rather trust you than Thea. "
Lawrence whispers to my ear plainly making sure the blonde who trying not to fall asleep on the table wasn't listening in.
"Thea's good with finding what she needs to find when she wants to. She was top writer at the school paper but if we end up in a situation where someone might die...I don't think she's gonna shoot the gun."
He explains handing me the cup of hot chocolate and I could only sigh exasperatedly.
"If you think it's so dangerous why chase it?"
I gave that question as I put the hot cup on little space on the windowsill, not feeling as if this was the time to drink hot coco. That simple gesture was enough to make him look a lot more serious too...
"Is it that weird?... I've been seeing these things lurking around.. hiding in the shadows. Well, not exactly seeing..I just somehow felt they were there..."
He tells me as I look into his dim eyes that seemed deep in thought.
"Sometimes, just that little burst of wind after throwing out the trash at night. That sudden leaf that falls just an inch from your head...I thought I could just ignore it."
He recounts tapping on his lap, a subtle sound I could barely hear in my ears.
"But now I don't they're hiding anymore... They're coming out of the shadows. They're burning things, pushing people off buildings and all sorts of things."
Lawrence says. Truthfully he was half right. The monsters few as they are often don't try to bother other people not that they don't but the influx that arrived with that demigod just made it more obvious. There were always there causing all sorts of problems for some who cannot see.
But after the amount that's been been increasing these days... I'm started to realize this might cause more people to see through the mist. That's at least my theory...
"I still remember that day, Rey. They told me I was just hysteric from being lost in the forest as a little kid... but I don't think it was an illusion. Even if it felt like being in a trance, I don't it's a dream. I don't really know what happened.All I know or whatever I remember is that I was too scared to move."
He reminisces as I as well remembered that day that I first saw a monster and the day I jad an even worse realization not too long after.
"I know they're dangerous... but...that day..I think I'm even more scared of not knowing. What if just like that day they somehow appeared? When I don't even know what they are? What do I do? Do I just freeze?"
Lawrence tells me as he laid his head on my shoulder as I felt his warm and puffy hair. I can't deny it...in some regards he has a point...
There are people who die to monsters without even realizing they were there or what they even were.
"Lawrence! Rey! Get over here! I think I got it. I've been comparing the photos. All night."
Thea calls us over. I watched the brown haired boy gl ahead of me as I watch from behind.
No... it's a bigger world than they think...one that it's honestly better not to know about..the more they know, the more trouble it would bring.
"Soo... these photos are well we both got them at around, 12 am, 6 pm, 5am and etc. But this particular photo.."
Thea points out a paper on the table.
"Last week, somehow all the public toilets at the park got out of order at the same time. Actually the whole shed was wrecked. This photo."
The holds up the photo of a misty figure at dawn.
"I got this photo at Mrs. Janice's bookstore just by the park. Around a walk away."
She says as she pulls out another picture from the pile. How long was she stressing over this?
"This photo is from Lawrence, got it at the lake which I think is around 6km from the park. With this things legs, I don't think it's much of a distance."
The blonde murmurs as she grabbed the hot coco from Lawrence and began to sip.
"So something like this? This should be enough for a basic perimeter."
Lawrence asks as he show a drawing of a circle using the distamces of the evidence. The park was 3km from the bookstore and 6km from Lenan Lake.
"Yup, good boy. If we use the news articles to find which places seem to have more incidents it narrows to this."
Thea said as she draws seven points inside the circle. By connecting them through a line she drew something that was like a wonky rectangle.
"If we follow this perimeter, we have maybe a 25% chance of spotting it. Maybe."
She tells us as she took her coat and walked towards the door.
"Hey, hey, where are you going?"
I ask her who was casually opening the door without saying a word as her blue eyes looked at me as I said something ridiculous.
"What do you mean 'you're going'. We're going. Let's go, I think we should try to follow the time frames too just in case."
Thea says casually whilst Lawrence nods and without question went towards the door.
"Wait, wait, what are we even going to do? More importantly, how are we gonna spot it without ending up like the toilet sheds?"
I asked them as I ran to catch up still worried about how this was heading.
I then heard a corny ring as I found Mr. Kent's busted bike full of rust from it's green paint. It was full to the brim with some ropes, chips and oddly enough Thea's mom's telescope which I'm pretty sure she took without permission.
"We observe it. I didn't say we'll be there at exactly the point. We'll be at the outer perimeter. Mom's telescope could probably do the trick."
Thea tells me nonchalantly as she sat on the old bike.
"You've gotta be kidding me...are those Cheetoz?"
I found myself blurting out. This is ridiculously stupid yet here I am doing it. Good grief.
Well...they still don't have a clue...but how I could I even tell them about 'that'..
...
.
Before I could really process what we were up to I found myself looking at Thea gazing through the dusty telescope.
"Lawrence mind taking a turn. I wanna close for my eyes for a bit. I think I have a migraine. I didn't sleep."
She says as Lawrence perhaps at that moment yawns as he groaned.
"I didn't sleep much too, genius. You made look for all those articles you wanted. I even had to bike us all the way here. I had to stay up to run all your errands."
Lawrence whines. I gazed at deep eyebags on the both of them and found myself heaving a breath. I ignored them as they bickered knowing how this was going to end.
They both looked at me just then and I could only sigh.
"Yup. Go take a break you two."
I finally said as Thea plunged into the foldable chair we brought and without a second thought fell asleep.
I stood up begrudgingly and blew on the telescope to remove the remaining dust and just at my back I heard Lawrence begin to snore.
Atleast I don't necessarily have to look at the telescope then, even if we see something... I'd rather avoid it.
I slumped on the tree trunk under the shade we chose and looked at the tent we brought that no one knew how to assemble.
"Damned monster if you show up now I'll eat your guts for breakfast."
I mumbled as I took my jacket off and placed it one the blonde girl who was fast asleep without a care in the world.
I gazed at Lawrence who was nonchalantly snoring with confidence as I grabbed the tent manual from him.
As much as I found it annoying, it wasn't so bad. These were the moments I enjoyed when it was the three of us. Just being blissfully unaware of things we just rather not...
It's honestly peaceful.
I'm bored. I think I wanna clear my head.
...
In the end I decided to take a walk in the park. By the looks of it I don't think either were gonna wake up soon.
Suddenly I found myself entranced by a familiar scenery in the forest path. The big willow tree hidden just barely the bushes.
Nonetheless, I continued walking. I always had this certain fear. No...I don't want to think about it now ..
With such thoughts...the memory of my younger self curled up under the willow tree in the cold rain flashed by but I shook it off...
There's no time for that. As I listlessly dragged my feet, I heard a person whistling something that sounded like an old country song. I just had to meet the last person I wanted to see.
"Rey...Oh! Rey! nice to see you!"
A voice says in the bushes. I saw the silhouette but I couldn't recognize him yet so I nonchalantly ignored it.
"Yeah, sure."
I replied passively not really wanting to talk. But just aa then my eyes widened with chill meeting familiar brown orbs that resembled oak that was further accentuated by his sun kissed hair.
Jace Klawthorne...
"Rey? You good? You look pale."
Jace says as my blood ran colder than ice as I unconsciously slapped his hand that was reaching to me away. Just as quickly as I recognized him, the smell of monsters, hordes of them, filled the area.
I sensed them surrounding the park and...
Thea and Lawrence...
"Dammit..."
I blurted out running frantically as fast I can.
"Wait! Rey! What's wrong!?"
I heard Jace yell but I ignored him. I don't have time to waste. Thea and Lawrence are out in the open, asleep even... monsters they're everywhere...
I ran through the forest feeling the pulsing of my heartbeat as my heart tired to pump blood into my legs. The scent of terror infiltrated my nostrils and I could only fear for the worst.
Dammit this is just what I was worried about...
I quickened my pace to oblivion. Branches broke under my feet. It hurts but I didn't care even as I ran through the bushes scraping my skin.
The sun setting as blue was now fiery shades , nightfall soon to arrive. It brought a
tremor down my soul.
When I found the familiar scenery of our messy camping supplies in the not so far distance, I could feel a sense of relief. Even more so when I saw Thea and Lawrence at the sight, still asleep.
But it quickly disappeared when I noticed a dark figure looming at the nearby shadows.
"Crap...stupid... stupid demigod.."
I muttered pressing my hand to my mouth hushing my voice. A cold sweat ran through my body as I completely froze.
Out of the shadows appeared a creature with a tall and robust stature. It had the body of a man but the head of a horned bull with strong and powerful eyes steaming under the dark.
Its raging and glowing eyes met my own and slowly it rushed towards me gaining speed and momentum.
Its every step causes the ground to tremble under its forceful weight as if doom eerily looming over to my direction. I didn't move a muscle and in a moments notice it was clearly closer, very vivid in my sight, menacingly rushing infront of me.
Its ill intent wafted in the air as under its cruel eyes I saw my frozen expression. I gazed at Thea and Lawrence who were both blissfully unaware of the danger that lurks ever so close then it was all black.
Blood splattered on the earthen ground and oak into a grotesque picture..
...
I remember a memory of the past. I grew up with my mother and although I saw my father in some pictures or when we see him in shops and quickly leave. Honestly, I've never known much about him.
"Rey!"
I remember my mother calling me in the old house we lived that most of the time felt empty. The first memories that come to mind was only just the two of us.
I feel myself drown in my memories reliving a scene of the past.
"What's my good little girl doing?"
My mother asks as my younger self munched on the blueberry muffins on the table.
"How about this? let's go to the beach for your birthday, sweetie."
She tells me as she gently scoops me up in her warm and sturdy hands, showering her child with kisses. I simply laughed in glee that time even though I just encountered a monster not too long ago. Children are like that. They forget things so easily so long as you keep them busy and luckily I was.
My mother drove us then to the beach near the town in her red Camaro with open windows. When I was little I always loved sticking my head through the window and feeling the wind in my hair because it felt like flying.
"Mama! The beach! There's a big kitty there!"
Young Rey squeals as she gazes at the figure sitting languidly at the beach unable to notice her mother's confusion.
"Sweetie, where? I can't see it? I wanna see the big kitty too!"
My mother said gleefully even so as she put her palm above her eyes like a searching sailor playing along with a little child's game.
"Silly mama! It's just there! Near the red umbrella!"
The child said but her mother's eyes aa they squinted at the sight saw something odd although different from the little one's view.
She parked the car at the side of the road suddenly and unlocked her seatbelt.
"Rey, be a dear and stay here for bit, sweetie."
She says with her warm eyes that always seemed to hold not the slightest contempt. She leaves the car and the car door slams loudly the force a slight vibration in the car.
I watched her walk slowly towards the red umbrella. At first she seemed calm as she gazed at the umbrella but then she turned stiff as she saw what was under it.
My mother returned to the car pale as ice and heaving as if she ran a marathon. She looks at me with an awkward smile desperately trying to convince me everything was alright even though it certainly wasn't.
"I...have to make a phone call first, sweetie. Here eat your cookies while you wait."
She tells me as she handed my little pony themed snack bag as she leaned exasperatedly outside the car. She grabs her phone with a sigh.
"911, what's your emergency?"
A voice from her phone replies as I half listened while munching on the chewy homemade chocolate chip cookies that brought butterflies in my stomach.
"Oh crap...how do I say this..."
She mutters on the phone with trembling lips.
"There's a dead man here in the south beach just a jog from the plaza. All bloody. "
She says with a breath she was trying to hold. I was young then but not foolish enough not to know what dead means.
I dropped the half eaten cookie in my hands but my mom who was too occupied on the phone failed to notice.
"Uhuh...okay I'll wait for you here. Yes, I won't leave the car. Oh okay, I'll try to get more details."
She says over the phone as she suddenly opens the car door.
"Sweetie wait here again okay? I just need to check something out."
My mother tells me quickly shutting the door as she went towards the now ominous red umbrella. I watched her look there for a bit before she disappeared from my sight as the caller made her check elsewhere close for more details about the corpse and what could've happened.
After a bit of boredom overwhelming me, I the foolish and curious child I was wanted to take a peek at the dead man. Even today maybe I regret ever getting out of the car then. It would have happened either way though.
It only took a bit before I was looking at the odd sight of a man that looked like he was mauled by sharks. Not only that he wasn't even wearing things you'd usually wear in a beach.
"Scary..."
I mumbled as I gazed at the deas man who was wearing a simple poli and a cardigan matchef with leather boots.
"Scary? It's already dead. You should be scared of me instead, little one."
A strange unfamiliar voice says. In my surprise as I turned my head to look behind to see where the voice was from I saw an odd figure.
"You're the big kitty from earlier!"
My younger self exclaimed as the creature scoffs slowly walking towards me with irritated ominous eyes.
"Don't compare me to those lowly things. I'm way above them."
The strange thing with the body of a big cat but the head of a woman flapping its big wings like cockfighting rooseter replies.
The sands blew at their force and mometum under the wind like a tiny thuddy
sandstorm in desert dunes.
" Oh...Then what are you?"
My child self foolishly asks as the creature I would later know as a sphynx chuckled sinisterly at the absolutely foolish innocence.
"You won't need it, little one. You won't live to find out."
The sphynx tells me who was fully unaware of the unease in the air as a predator slowly stalks the unknowing prey.
"That demigod was a good main course but... I've been craving dessert. I think I still have space for dessert, mortal."
The monster said licking its lips to the little girl still fully unaware of the danger that was approaching fast.
The sphynx rant swiftly ready to pounce at the unassuming child that was to be the next course of ot s meal but then ceased as it smelled an unusual scent that was far too familiar.
"Dammit, why didn't you say anything! I almost ate you."
The creature says suddenly more casual yet no less irritated.
"What do you mean?"
I confusedly asked the creature that was giving me an annoyed scowl that I often only saw when I take from Lawrence's favorite chips.
"What do you mean? Very funny. Even though we can, Us monsters still have ethics just like humans are to eating other humans. "
The peculiar figure says rolling its eyes as if I just said a really corny joke from a terrible stand up comedian with only idiots for fans.
"It's only a plus that other monsters taste so bad it makes me wanna puke. Mother Echidna made it so on purpose anyways."
It adds even so far as to let out its tongue to express its disgust at that thought.
"Monster? I'm not a monster..."
I says but the sphinx only tuts as if I was saying another bad joke gazing at me with annoyed disbelieving eyes. They basically screamed I'm tired of the stupid joke just cut off your tongue already.
Suddenly a spear pierces through the wind as it cuts a red scratch on the shpynx's face as the creatuy let out a pained yelp.
"Darren! That sphynx killed Mitch!"
A girl with hair that resembled taut bronze with her curly locks dancing in the winds yells in anguish.
"That's not important just yet, Maia! The little gir!l we need to get her out of there fast before the sphynx gets her too!"
A boy that seemed to be of african American descent yet with sharp blue eyes says as I saw his golden gleaming lance magically morph from a safety pin.
"You're right..."
The bronze haired girl replied barely hiding her grief as her brown eyes reddened and swelled with held heavy tears.
The sphinx growls glancing around to find an escape.
'These two are stronger than the one earlier who was a rookie', the creature thought.
"Look at what you did! If you didn't stall me so long we wouldn't have had this problem! Deal with this yourself!"
It shouts at me bellowing rage as it tries to fly away only to be hit by the teenager's spear that somehow magically returned to her hands. It pierced the sphinx's left wing right through preventing it from getting the air friction needed to fly.
"You're not going anywhere, you beast! Not until I avenge Mitch!"
Maia screamed as her tears finally fell and I even I could see the rage boiling in her veins enough to make her pale skin red as if burning fire.
"Don't worry, Maia... atleast he died a hero..just as the gods wanted. He was probably protecting the little girl. Not a bad way to go."
The dark skinned boy said cautiously eyes still focused on the wounded monster as he placed his hand on his comrade.
Using this as the distraction the sphynx jumped at them wounding the black boy as he shielded his friend with his arm that was almost strong as steel. The teenage girl quickly adapts as she cuts her spear forcing the sphinx to move back and dodge.
Despite the quick reaction the monster still sustained a bloody wound on its left foot. It could still move but it was difficult as it winced from the pain.
"Dammit...I wasted too much energy on that demigod before them. Kiddo, you might need to run."
The sphinx says gazing to me as I could only freeze.
"Kid! Get over here! It's wounded but it could still bite. Don't wait for it to!"
Maia yells as she rushes towards me. I felt confused hardly understanding what was going on when suddenly the sphinx pounced on me harshly pushing me to the sand.
"You need to run. They'll kill you too if they figure out you're a monster. I'll play along so you can escape but you need to be quick."
It whispers to me as the teenage girl's spear pierces the monsters again as it jumps off me.
Maia then grabs me swiftly wrapping me in her arms protectedly as I felt the cold sensation of her armor.
"It' alright, kid. Don't be scared. You'll be back to your mom soon."
The black boy, Darren, says as he stood behind his friend as they gazed at the heavily wounded sphinx.
' its okay...'
It mouths to me ironically and by some instinct the ice in my feet melted and I knew I had to move.
Darren runs towards the bleeding creature with his sword as Maia stood back to guard me. At this rate that sphinx is going to die.
I gazed at the focused teenage girl and a medium sized stone buried in the sand.
"Darren! Careful! I don't know what to tell camp if you both-...!"
The teenagd girl tries to say but stopped as she fell unconscious when a stone was bashed at her head. She fell unconscious as her head bled in the sand.
"Maia!"
Darren yells as he abandoned the sphinx and ram towards his unconscious comrade.
"You! "
He screamed at me pointing his sword in anger.
"What the hell was that, kid!?"
He shouts as he throws his blade enraged only to hit my arm a deep wound.
He looked absolutely frightening with his glowing blue eyes that barely seemed human. Like a shadow in the abyss raging at the darkness that surrounded me.My nerves shivered in fear so in haywire that I could barely process my surroundings.
His eyes widened in shock when he realized what he had done. He said something but I couldn't hear a word. But his gaze changed in shock under the light of the sunkuen sun as moonlight spread into the landscape.
The sphinx looked confused for a second before it rushed towards me and dashed forcing its way through the pain of its wounds.
It swiftly grabbed me by the collar of my shirt in its mouth as it ran away into the woods.
Before I knew it I fell unconscious from the pain and exhaustion. When I woke up, I saw the eyes of the sphinx gazing straight towards me.
"Thanks for the help. Really brave. With how weak you are you could've been killed with ease."
It tells me. As I tried to sit up using my hand but fell back down when I felt a certain pain.
I gazed at my hand that was bleeding under an unfamiliar bandage.
"You should be fine. It wasn't that bad of a cut. Unfortunately same for that demigod."
The creature said to me as I found myself gazing around the dark forest.
By the familiar scenery I realized this was a corner near the plaza. Allowing me to entertain another question in my head.
"What's a demigod?"
I asked the sphinx who somehow got me a cannister of water which I gratefully took.
"Very funny everyone knows that but since you helped me out a bit...I'll humor you."
It answers with a serious stern face that was looking absolutely exhausted.
"The children of the gods of Olympus with lowly mortals. They've hunted us down for centuries. "
The sphinx narrates solemnly with melancholy eyes.
" Children of gods...demigods"
I repeated feeling a stinging headache as something started to feel familiar.
"Yes. Haaah... I'm getting sleepy. Good day then kiddo."
The creature yawns limping away as I could only stare.
"How do you make it to the town?!!"
I yelled at the monster whose back was turned.
"Don't be silly. Just follow the straight path we aren't that far."
It answers as it disappears from view.