The Heir of a Thousand Lifetimes (A PJO Universe Story)

Wow, two near-death experiences in one day!

We're about twenty minutes away from camp, and we're finally starting to breathe a little. There are no signs of the monster that's supposedly hunting us down, and we're both still alive, so no complaints.

"Looks like we'll make it in time to catch some of the campfire!" Josie exclaims happily. "It'll take some getting used to, but I think you'll really like it at camp, Audra."

I hope so, because otherwise, this horrific sense of impending doom will not have been worth it.

I want to believe her. However, it is a bit difficult to embrace this camp when I know I'm only attending due to my deadbeat father, whoever he may be.

I clench my jaw and shove my feelings down. I can't focus on that. Not right now. So, instead I smile and nod.

"I'm sure it'll be great," I reply with as positive of a tone as I can muster.

She did save my life today with the whole 'throwing me the keychain-sword' thing. The least I can do is appear optimistic.

Suddenly, she lets out a string of curse words as multiple rocks bounce off the roof. She slams on the gas, and the car lurches forward. I yelp and grab onto my seat for dear life, trying not to be choked by my seatbelt.

"Josephine!"

"Look in the mirror!"

Golden eyes catch mine in the reflection. My heart catches in my throat, and I jump, jerking to look behind us. I gasp sharply at what I see.

It's huge, its fur a flickering flame. Its legs are kicking up dirt as it runs as fast as any car, chasing us down. Why? The snarl stretched across its lips is something of nightmares, but at the same time, the creature is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. The massive fox is the very embodiment of eternity.

"Hope you're as good at killing uncatchable foxes as you are at killing Keres," she mutters as she drives like a crazy person. "Guess there's no harm in saying their name now."

"What?" I shriek. "You're not going to help?"

"I can't," she says like she's talking to a child. "Remember?"

Oh. Oh.

Well, crap.

"Um," I laugh nervously, the nausea rising in my stomach, "alright. Okay. What exactly is this thing, then? If I'm probably going to die trying to kill it?"

Wow, two near-death experiences in one day! Or one near-death and one actual death. Guess I'm just diving off the deep end into this whole "demigod" thing, I think sarcastically.

"It's called the Teumessian Fox," Josie breathes out. I frown, combing through my brain. The phrase sounds vaguely familiar.

"Pretty sure I've read about that," I say helpfully.

"I'd hope so. It terrorized Thebes after some sort of crime. No one really knows what it was, but one of the gods sent it down. Rumor is, it was Dionysus. But it was destined never to be caught. So the guy tasked to deal with it was Amphitryon, who would be Heracles' stepdad eventually. But not right now. Anyway. He sent a magic hunting dog called Laelaps after it, because the dog was destined to always catch whatever it was chasing."

"But-"

"I'm not done," she cuts me off. "Obviously this was a paradox. So Zeus eventually got fed up and sent them into the sky as constellations to forever chase each other...until now, I guess."

"And now, I have to somehow come up with some way to rival some ancient Greek hero?" I ask frantically, my stomach turning.

"Won't be that hard," she mutters.