Caliginosity [ Leo Valdez ]

Werewolves Don't Eat Grandmas, They Reunite Siblings

"Wolves," Livana said, immediately on her feet. "They sound close."

Jason rose and summoned his sword. Leo and Coach Hedge got to their feet too. Piper tried, but winced and was forced back down.

"Stay there," Jason told her. "We'll protect you."

Livana caught Piper gritting her teeth. She felt bad for her. First her ankle, now hypothermia. She knew the girl wanted to be on her feet.

Then, just outside the firelight at the entrance of the cave, she saw a pair of red eyes glowing in the dark. More wolves edged into the firelight- black beasts bigger than Great Danes, with ice and snow caked on their fur. Their fangs gleamed, and their glowing red eyes looked disturbingly intelligent. The wolf in front was almost as tall as a horse, his mouth stained as if he'd just made a fresh kill.

Livana pulled her black sword out of the darkness. Her powers still felt weak, but much better than before.

Jason stepped forward and said something in Latin.

Livana didn't think a dead language would have much effect on wild animals, but the alpha wolf curled his lip. The fur stood up along his spine. One of his lieutenants tried to advance, but the alpha wolf snapped at his ear. Then all of the wolves backed into the dark.

"Dude, I gotta study Latin." Leo's hammer shook in his hand. "What'd you say, Jason?"

Hedge cursed. "Whatever it was, it wasn't enough. Look."

The wolves were coming back, but the alpha wolf wasn't with them. They didn't attack. They waited- at least a dozen now, in a rough semicircle just outside the firelight, blocking the cave exit.

The coach hefted his club. "Here's the plan. I'll kill them all, and you guys escape."

"Coach, they'll rip you apart," Piper said.

"Nah, I'm good."

Then Livana saw a silhouette of a man coming through the storm, wading through the wolf pack. "Stick together," she said. "They respect a pack. And Hedge, no crazy stuff. We're not leaving you or anyone behind."

The wolves parted, and the man stepped into the firelight. His hair was greasy and ragged, the color of fireplace soot, topped with a crown of what looked like finger bones. His robes were tattered fur- wolf, rabbit, raccoon, deer, and several others Livana couldn't identify. The furs didn't look cured, and from the smell, they weren't very fresh. His frame was lithe and muscular, like a distance runners. But the most horrible thing was his face. His thin pale skin was pulled tight over his skull. His teeth were sharpened like fangs. His eyes glowed bright red like his wolves'- and they fixed on Jason with absolute hatred.

"Ecce," he said, "filli Romani."

"Speak English, wolf man!" Hedge bellowed

The wolf man snarled. "Tell your faun to mind his tongue, son of Rome. Or he'll be my first snack."

Livana remembered that faun was the roman name for satyr. Not exactly helpful information. Now, if she could remember who this wolf guy is in Greek mythology, and how to defeat him, that she could use.

The wolf man studied their little group. His nostrils twitched. "So it's true," he mused. "A child of Aphrodite. A son of Hephaestus." He looked over to Livana and hesitated, seeming to grow more relaxed for a moment. "A... daughter of Nyx." Quickly moving his gaze, he locked eyes with Coach Hedge and bared his teeth again. "A faun. And a child of Rome, of Lord Jupiter, no less. All together, without killing each other. How interesting."

"You were told about us?" Jason asked. "By whom?"

The man snarled- perhaps a laugh, perhaps a challenge. "Oh, we've been patrolling for you all across the west, demigod, hoping we'd be the first to find you. The giant king will reward me well when he rises. I am Lycaon, king of the wolves. And my pack is hungry."