Chapter 2 - Lee Fletcher I

Dreams sucked. Like they really bite. Usually, all I get every night are visions of the camp under siege by terrible monsters or waking up late for school which results in being called out in the middle of class. Unfortunately, this was pretty common for demigods. But lately, an old nightmare kept recurring.

It starts with hunting in the woods with my mom. She would take me all the time when I was a kid, and I loved it. The sweet smell of the forest in the morning and the smoky warmth of campfires at night. She and I used to shoot arrows at duck decoys set out in a clearing for practice, and every time I hit one she would get all excited, tickling me all over. She used to smell of cinnamon and tree sap and toasted bread. I really missed her.

Then it happened. I ended up getting lost one day. I spent hours calling for her until my throat was raw and sore. Panic had set in early, and within the hour I was sitting on a log bawling my eyes out. I was free monster chow. I don't remember much of what happened next. I think I passed out from the fear or exhaustion, but a girl found me. She told me everything was going to be alright. She said my mom was very noble, and it was a shame she made her decision a long time ago. I didn't really care or understand at the time; I just wanted my mom back. Maybe she didn't want to deal with a crying kid, so she called over a teenager named Millard. Eventually, this teen (or not, he was a goat and twenty-four) would take me to Camp Half-Blood, and on the way he had explained my mother passed away protecting me. Apparently, some bear monster just showed up, and she wasn't going to let anything happen to me, not on her watch. So she sent me away and used herself as bait. Usually this is when I wake up all sweaty and teary-eyed, but somehow it's been worse recently.

Instead of Millard bringing me to camp, I wander into the woods and find Zeus' Fist, a pile of rocks that had more similarities with deer droppings than anything else. Someone was calling out to me from the crevices shaped by the rocks. I know it's ridiculous, but it kind of sounded like mom. The cold air flooding out carried a moldy damp scent, which just screams evil. But my body brought itself forward. A laughter like scraping knives echoed from this deep, dark crack in the ground. Before I could back away, a massive club appeared, smashing me flat into a paste.

Let's just say I was almost glad to be woken up in the middle of the night by one of my half-brothers, Will Solace.

"Lee! There's something at the borders of camp. North of Thalia's tree, next to the amphitheater," his shaggy, curly blonde hair was a mess, not to mention covered in cobwebs and sticks. Michael Yew, my second in command, burst in a half second later.

"It's apparently an Aethopian drakon. We have to drive this thing outta here," Yew's face was drawn taut like a bowstring. Though older than Will, Yew was much shorter with a musteline appearance. At this point, our other siblings were beginning to stir from their beds. Whether from the shouting or the cool draft seeping through the open door, I don't know.

I shivered before cursing, "Wake up everyone, and bring your bows! We're going hunting." I rolled out of bed and scrambled for my clothes that were neatly folded under my bunk.

"Austin, go wake Chiron," I called back as my siblings assembled outside of the cabin. "We might need reinforcements."

"We can handle it Lee; I don't want Clarisse and the rest of her siblings coming in and stealing our glory," Yew said loud enough for the others to hear. Some even nodded sleepily in agreement.

That was the thing about Yew: he always had something to prove. I mean he was probably the best shot in the whole camp, besides Chiron. We admired him for that, and the Athena kids respected him as a strategist. Even most of the Ares cabin acknowledged Yew's combat abilities with a shortsword. The dude was straight up badass and fearless.

"Yew, it's not saf-" I contemplated while looking out at the other cabins sound asleep. I didn't have time to argue. I don't want that overgrown lizard slipping away into the night. "Do the nature spirits know at least?"

"Yes! A dryad on the hill was the one who told us," Will chirped up from the back.

I readjusted the bow slung on my back. "Alright, let's go. For Apollo!" We took off towards the amphitheater with a pretty half-hearted cheer. But we were about to get a wake-up call.

At first, we couldn't find it. It was three in the morning, meaning the hills were dark. The moon wasn't nearly bright enough to light up our surroundings which meant flashlights. Now every person who's ever gone hunting knows, never give up your location. A large group of tasty smelling half bloods with their very own flares? Might as well bring out the neon vests you see at the construction sites and some fluorescent signs saying "DEMIGODS HERE."

Luckily or unluckily a dryad called us over.

"Turn off those flashlights!" Her voice was shrill and anxious.

"Well, how else are we going to see it?" Yew shot back, but he quickly shut his lights off. I did the same and the rest followed.

"It's right over there past that oak tree," she whispered. Even at night, I could see her hazel eyes widening with fear. "Please make it go away before it tramples us."

I squinted at the tree line, but I couldn't see anything out of place. Just trees rustling in the wind with the sloped hilltops as a dark, inky backdrop. Wait, why is that hill moving? One of my siblings gasped as I quickly turned on my flashlight to illuminate what my eyes couldn't make out.

Easily thirty feet long and fifteen feet tall, the drakon had muddy brown and deep green scales covering its entire body like camouflage. Two front legs with pathetic wings carried its weight; the rest of its body slithered on the ground. But the most striking feature was its green eyes. For a moment, none of us moved. Then I screamed, "Scatter!"

I rolled behind a tree while drawing three arrows from my quiver. In a single movement, as I peeked, I pulled back my bowstring, shooting them in rapid succession. I cursed under my breath. Two of them glanced harmlessly off the fat lizard. Only one had stuck itself thinly in the abdomen.

"It's got a tough hide! Aim for the spots where the scales are thin," I yelled out to my siblings. "Attack formation Beta!" I could see Yew running closer to our target, and Kayla Knowles going wide in an attempt to flank the beast.

I scramble forward, hoping for a cleaner shot that would yield better penetration. The drakon roared, and even from here, I could smell its horrible breath. Suddenly, two arrows appeared in its maw. I glanced at Yew and smiled. That kid had impeccable timing. I aimed for its eyes and shot, but the drakon moved at the last second. It had turned its attention to Austin.

"Austin, MOVE!" I shouted while shooting more arrows at its head, trying to draw its attention. "Campers fire now!"

A volley of arrows sang through the air, some finding their mark. Thankfully it was enough to distract the lizard for Austin to roll down the hill.

"Will! Grab him!" I didn't dare take my eyes off the drakon. I gave up aiming for its ugly head and went for the armpit and underbelly, where the armor would be thinnest.

I saw a flash of blond hair, and soon enough the two of them had retreated behind our firing line. Kayla had managed to slice open a part of the monster's wings, making it slower. Yew and Miles Decker slid to the other side in an attempt to repeat Kayla's success. Meanwhile the rest of the cabin and I tried to keep the drakon's focus by being nuisances. We used guerilla tactics, disappearing behind cover and taking turns firing when it was distracted.

"Keep moving forward!" Yew yelled out. A good but risky idea.

At this point we had encircled our prey with its back against the crest of the hill. I could feel the mood shifting as this drakon realized it was the one being hunted. Maybe that was the problem because it opened its mouth and began to spew acid.

I was a moron. We had overshot our own barrier which left us vulnerable to a counter-attack. Our formation disintegrated just like the cover we had been clinging to. Kids began screaming and running in different directions. Was I on the verge of panic? Yeah, I'm not proud of it, but I wanted to just book it back to camp. The sight of my siblings about to be eaten, melted, or trampled on? That brought me back. The last counselor, Lester, had entrusted them to me. I was not going to let anything happen to them. Not on my watch.

"Campers flank it!" I yelled as I shot as many arrows as I could at the beast. To my surprise the first to respond was Will. He's never been that good at fighting, but he had made it back to the front, running North of the overgrown snake.

The drakon opened its mouth again, but this time Yew and I were ready. Arrows rained down on its mouth, making it choke and gag. By the time it closed its mouth, it looked like the monster had just tried to bite a porcupine. My brief moment of satisfaction was squashed however when the monster scraped his mouth clean with its claws and began to run.

"No way, how did it not die?" Yew cursed as he began to give chase.

I quickly realized that we weren't even hurting the damn thing, just annoying it.

"Yew! Pull back!" I yelled as I ran over to one of our fallen siblings. "We can't kill it on our own. And we have wounded."

That seemed to have sobered him up because after some grumbling Yew ran back over and began helping Will with Austin. Our casualties weren't that bad all things considered. Mostly just scrapes and shallow cuts caused by branches or other vegetation. Austin, who had it the worst, sprained his ankle by falling on some rocks. He swore it only happened because it was dark. Will and I patched everyone back up pretty easily; some ambrosia and nectar did the trick. Despite our luck with physical injuries, I could tell we were shaken. A monster that big? And the amount of damage we did? How would we ever fend off an attack from Luke? I looked over at the hills and quickly prayed to my father and anyone else listening that the barrier would hold.

Before we went back, I had the older campers comb through the area for arrows and other monsters. The younger ones could go home. They've seen enough for one night. Although I sent Will home too, he stayed and offered to help.

"You did good Will," I said softly, my hands slightly shaking as I rummaged through a bush for one of my arrows.

He looked at me from his own bush and gave a reassuring smile. He was three years younger than me, so I didn't know how he could stay so calm after the adrenaline was out of our systems.

"Thanks, you too. Without you, we would've been screwed."

"Well, you guys make it easier on me," I chuckled. "So how was your first time fighting a monster of that size? Or would you prefer the infirmary at the Big House?"

In the past few years Will had been learning medical practices from Chiron and Yew. Being stuck at the Big House meant he never really saw combat on this scale. Except for that one time with the Stymphalian birds at the first chariot race in years. He missed his shot badly and almost hit an Aphrodite girl. Another time Travis and Connor had dragged him out on a hunting expedition involving landmines. I had chewed out the Stoll brothers for that one. Regardless, Will's always been a little too young and soft for direct danger.

Will's brows furrowed. "To be honest, I was super excited and nervous to join you guys. But now? I'm not sure." He went silent.

I finally found the arrow and put it in my quiver. "It isn't for everyone, and you do so much as a medic anyway."

"No, that's not what I mean. I belong out here, helping as much as I can. I just get it now; how horrible it is. I guess I never really understood until now." His voice was steady and firm. In the back of my mind, I was beginning to understand why Yew took a special interest in training Will.

I smiled, "Come on. We can lose an arrow or two. And, I want some more sleep before Quintus' little war games tomorrow." I patted him on his back before calling for the rest of my siblings to head home.

Michael Yew jogged up to me as we began walking, dead tired from our little hunting escapade.

"What should we tell Chiron and the others?" Yew asked. He was glaring, surely still upset that we did nothing to that monster.

I shuddered. "The dryads found it, we chased it, and then it ran away unharmed. What else could be said?" I sighed.

Yew nodded. "Austin's ankle is all healed up. Just a little stiff. How's Will doing?"

I looked ahead at the young surfer-looking kid. "He's gonna be alright. Good heart with a calm mind; he's gonna be a good leader one day."

Yew's face finally broke into a toothy grin, a rare sight when he's not shooting down his foes. "Oh yeah, he's going to be great. Maybe even better than you." He punched my arm playfully.

I laughed. "Oh, I'm sure he'll be better than both of us. You better train him good when I'm gone."

"Leaving us so soon?" Yew smirked. "Going to college or just too afraid to face Luke and his stupid army?"

I yawned, "I got one more year before I'm done." Our breaths were almost visible now as dawn approached. The sky was still dark, but on the eastern edge you could make out a slight dull gray. "I'm going to miss this place a lot, and I sure as hell won't let Luke ruin my last summer here."

Yew gave a hearty laugh, which was quite a sight to see from someone his stature. "The border will protect us, and even if he makes it in, we'll send him packing."

I nodded, my smile fading from my lips. Could we really manage that? But now wasn't the time to dwell on it. One thing at a time.

"Just remember to teach everyone everything I taught you," I winked.

Michael Yew rolled his eyes but couldn't keep a smile off his face. "Whatever."

With that we trotted back to our cabin, hoping for some dreamless, restful sleep before dawn.