The Forgotten Olympian |BOOK 1| PJO X HP | Alexandra Marine

Chapter 3 - Alex - Fighting Lesson Number 1

Cold sweat trickled down my back, and my shirt was sticking to me in a sort of weird, unsatisfactory way, but I couldn't stop. Not with it following me so closely. I turned my neck to get a better look. 

Gods, I've never wished to un-see something so badly in all my life.

It wasn't a wolf. It wasn't an animal, technically, either. Those scarlet eyes belonged to -- a woman, her upper body leaning towards me, her hands outstretched to catch me as she slithered at top speed on her snake-like body, and her screams, which I had thought to be howls, were loud and shrill, making me shudder with cold.

What was this thing? Why is this cruel looking lady following me? Part of me wanted to just stop there and poke her with a stick like many children my age would have done, but gods, this lady was terrifying with her stupid glowing eyes and purple hair that reflected the moonlight and blinded my eyes whenever I turned.

Finally, after what seemed like an hour of running away from the lady, I stopped. I was done, and she was gone. Feeling queasy, I plopped on the ground, and massaged my legs. I could hear the crickets making noises as the nighttime moon still shone overhead as I sat in the clearing, peering at the sky above. Who was she, and why was she trying to devour me?

But I was at least safe now. I sighed, and took a deep breath in, trying my best to relax. "We're safe now," I told myself, wrapping my arms around my body and getting up. "She's gone."

Like people say, whenever you think you're safest, you're not. I had just jinxed myself.

From a large bush right in front of me, miss-not-so-human emerged, her scarlet eyes filled with joy. I swore under my breath, and this time, I pulled the pendant on my necklace too hard.

Her eyes went wide. She was in a state of utter shock, as she watched a long trident, sleek and sharp grow to my height. Hell, even I was surprised. It glowed gold in the moonlight, and swallowing my astonishment, I pointed the trident at her, feeling the seven daggers, all different sizes and shapes, that were now hanging from my belt.

A small smile flickered on my mouth as felt my confidence surge from zero to hundred. "Let's dance," I muttered, and pounced on her, trident ready to strike.

With the body of the trident, I caught her arms and twisted them. CRACK! Broken arms, know how they feel? That's how, I thought. She howled with pain, and I quickly got to work, hitting her on the side with the dull side of my trident, and she fell to the ground, her stupid writhing snake body trying to make her stand up- slither up? I don't know. Figure it out.

Planting the trident firmly on the ground, I removed a dagger from the belt, and held it so close to the lady's neck so that she wouldn't even dream of raising her hand to even touch me.

"Let's cut ourselves deal," I told her, my voice hoarse from all the running. "You tell me everything I need to know, and I'll give you a head start next time you run." I pushed the dagger closer to her neck, and she nodded.

"Who are you?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"Lamia," the lady grunted, her eyes flitting nervously to my hand holding the dagger.

"Why did you follow me? Why not the other people there?" I asked, feeling my heart beat faster with every extra second she breathed.

"They're just mortals," Lamia croaked, "your scent was stronger."

"Scent?"

"The scent of Greek demigods," she whispered, her words trembling.

"That means you won't be the only one to attack me," I said thoughtfully. Anger brewed inside of me. I wanted to ask, why me? 

But I composed myself quickly, seeing Lamia, her eyes still shifting nervously, trying to find a way out of her situation.

"Thank you, Lamia. You may now run, but I will attack you in ten, nine-" I removed the dagger from her neck, and reached the trident, ready to strike as Lamia ran- slithered (gods, do I have to get the vocabulary right?) the other way as I counted down.

"-six, five, four," she'd only moved a few meters, thanks to her snake body that moved rather slowly. "-three, two, one," I finished, and threw the trident right at her, and it struck right where I aimed it. The heart.

She was dry yellow powder even before she could say her own name. The cold breeze carried it over the sky, and I sighed. The trident zoomed back to me automatically, and I caught it on time.

"I need to get out of here," I muttered. "Gods know what else lives in these woods."

I looked at my sneakers. They were still intact, almost as though they were-- magical. Thanking the person who made the shoes mentally, I ran to the border of the woods and on to the road, and decided, no stop until I reach a town. Any town.

As I ran, I remembered that I hadn't actually thanked the Dursleys for their 'hospitality,' but that was probably fine.

They were such an abnormal family, I thought. They were trying their best to act normal, and it was not working. At least not with me, because when I first met them, I'd decided that they had something big going on. Something big that they were hiding. And it probably was 'him,' whoever he was.

I don't think I've ever felt so much pity for someone I don't even know, because if the Dursleys' 'kindness' had only been so unsatisfactory for me, then 'he' must have been tortured or something.

They would never have actually noticed that I was even gone, especially Dudley, that big oaf who didn't even notice I was there to begin with. But thank God for that as well. I don't think I would ever have wanted to make conversation with such a selfish boy.

"But they will notice that the sheet is gone," I muttered to myself as I saw the sheet flying through the air, carried by the cold wind along with yellow sandcastle powder as I ran on the road, feeling determined to leave the woods by hook or crook.

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