Half-Blood Heroes II: Land Of Giants

Time To Go Dumpster Diving

She was practically glowing. If I had sunglasses, I would be wearing them. Arin and I bowed down while Croix looked at her mother. "I heard you need a ride?" I nodded and straightened up. "Westport, Connecticut." She whistled and three horses trotted to us. "They'll bring you there, give them these special sugar cubes." I nodded and took the small pouch of sugar cubes. We mounted the horses. They galloped off with the wind. The horses were surprisingly fast even though they looked like normal horses. Last time they were fast but they kind of looked like wind. Our butts were gonna be so sore after this. Croix was an experienced horse-rider. Me and Arin could barely stay on the moving horse. "This is even worse than when Arthur forced us to ride oxen." Arin said, shuddering at the memory.

After three quick hours, we landed in Connecticut. "Okay, find half-blood and go back-"

"Before Morrigan realizes we're here." Arin added quickly. Croix nodded and handed us maps. "Split up, call for us when you find her." I grabbed the map and raced off. "Claudia Meridies." I looked around the village. So far everything looked normal. No monsters or screaming children.

On a bench I could see a girl around 13 years old. She was spinning a pencil in her hand. There wasn't anything suspicious about her, she did have lavender dyed hair. Dang it! She looked up at me and looked around to see if I was staring at anyone else. I turned on my heels and ran off. I leaned on the trunk of a tree, beside me there was a glowing hole in the ground. It was either a portal to camp or to Tír Na Nog. To humans they would see a mushroom because of the illusion magic my mother was upholding with the help of other goddesses. Some people are allowed to see through this illusion. Sometimes they're born with it, or they use special glasses crafted from Looking Glass. I heard footsteps behind me, I turned around and saw lavender dyed hair girl. "Hi! I saw you looking at me and I was wondering why." My focus was shifted to the glowing hole in the ground. "Oh, you see it too?"

Yeah- wait you too?"

"Yeah. Glowing hole in the ground people call a mushroom?"

"Yeah. So, where are your parents?"

"My mom left, my dad went insane when my mother stopped visiting us."

"Oh, can I just call my friends?"

"Woah, is this some kidnapping? There are guards, right there."

"No, please don't call them."

"I'mma call them, just in case."

"No, stop it. You'll be a snitch."

"I don't really care." She said in a dead, monotone voice. She bolted towards the security guard. I raced after her, before she could yell I clasped my hand over her mouth. People stared at me with that concerning look. "Heh, kids. Am I right?" Some parents turned their kids away and closed their eyes. Can't blame 'em', I've never had a child before. I dragged her back to an alley. "What did I say?"

"I wanna live past 20 okay."

"Now that you're a demigod, you won't live past 20."

"Don't jinx it."

"ARIN!" Arin and Croix came running to see me holding Claudia by her jacket hood.

"She's the one?"

"Woah."

"Yeah." I replied while Croix walked up to Claudia. "She said I won't live past 20." Claudia said, pointing at me like a 5 year-old snitch. "Excuse me?" I said, extra emphasis on 'excuse'. "I indirectly said that."

"Same thing."

"Is not." She laughed and pulled Claudia away to talk. "So, you scared that lil' kid?"

"I didn't scare her."

"Looks like you did."

"She was being a snitch, okay?"

"Well, snitches get stitches."

"As if."

"Just a good tip, don't befriend snitches."

"Oh, I can't be friends with snitches? Then why am I friends with you?"

"Ugh, I've never snitched on you."

"How about when you told Croix I spilled blue dye on her favorite horse."

"She made me."

"Guys, Claudia is coming with us." Croix said, Claudia looked at me with her green eyes. "You're still a snitch." She rolled her eyes at me and stuck her tongue out at me. The audacity in that girl was through the roof. So I did the reasonable thing and stuck my tongue right back at her. She rolled her eyes and followed Croix to the hole in the ground. "We'll take the portal." Arin shook his head. "Nope, it's too risky. The portals are too spontaneous and Fomorians have figured out how to change the direction of the portals." Croix pinched the bridge of her nose. "It's fine, let's go."

"Where's the portal?"

"In the trash can." She pointed to one leaking out brown water with flies flying around it. We were about to climb in when we heard a loud growl.

A Ellén Trechend.

Croix whipped out her sword. Claudia gripped her pencil. I pulled out my sword as well, Mear. Arin? He hid behind a trash can. Last time he fought an Ellén Trechend he failed miserably. "It whipped it's three heads at Croix. She dodged it and swung at the monster. I tried to get on the back. Claudia was actually doing something. Occasionally going for hits at its underside with her pencil. "I thought we said get in and get out as soon as possible."

"Change of plans, get out alive and don't die."

"We'll see." I said swinging blows at its heads. It threw me, Croix and Claudia into the dump. Arin tried to help and managed to kill it. Not until the portal started opening and he dove in. The portal swallowed us up and brought us to wherever the frigg it led us to.

The portal was rushing us through the Emerald Passes. The bright green glow of the portal was almost blinding. Suddenly, the portal shook and then-

Nothing, after the portal shook I was knocked out cold.

I woke up dazed, I was wet and cold. Water washed over my face. I sat up and saw Croix helping Claudia up. Arin was rubbing his sore back stretching. He opened his mouth to say something but Croix put her hand up to silence him. "Don't say it." Spoiler alert, he said it and she attacked him. After an hour Croix finally calmed down- did I say calmed down? I meant started attacking Arin even harder with her sword and dagger. We all watched and hoped one of them would win and we could laugh at the loser.