Falling Forest | pjo

hero complex

» [can you hear me - munn] «
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Getting saved by a bunch of girls who could shoot faster than he could turn around was never on Charlie's to-do list, but he was sure as hell grateful.

"The Hunters!" Annabeth cried.

Next to him, Thalia muttered, "Oh, wonderful. "

One of the older archers stepped forward with her bow drawn. She was tall and graceful with coppery colored skin. Unlike the other girls, she had a silver circlet braided into the top of her long dark hair, so she looked like some kind of Persian princess. "Permission to kill, my lady?"

She had kept her eyes on the manticore so Charlie wasn't sure who she was addressing, especially since the whole group of archers were ladies. Even so, he couldn't help but notice something weird about one of the girls. Her eyes had that look that screamed 'divine' and he wasn't sure if he should be worried or not. This was the first deity he encountered after his mother, after all.

The monster wailed. "This is not fair! Direct interference! It is against the Ancient Laws. "

"Not so." Another girl said. This one was a little younger than them, maybe twelve or thirteen. She had auburn hair gathered back in a ponytail and strange eyes, silvery yellow like the moon. Her face was beautiful, but her expression was stern and dangerous.

"The hunting of all wild beasts is within my sphere. And you, foul creature, are a wild beast. " She looked at the older girl with the circlet. "Zoe, permission granted. "

The manticore growled. "If I cannot have these alive, I shall have them dead!"

He lunged at Thalia, Charlie, and Percy, knowing they were weak and dazed.

"As if I'd let you-" Charlie was cut off as the blonde girl shouted out.

"No!" Annabeth yelled, and she charged at the monster.

"Get back, half-blood!" the girl with the circlet said. "Get out of the line of fire!"

But Annabeth leaped onto the monsters back and drove her knife into his mane. The manticore howled, turning in circles with his tail flailing as Annabeth hung on for dear life. Charlie watched in horror as the beast started stumbling back towards the edge.

"Fire!" Zoe ordered. Charlie quickly jumped after the two.

"Wait!" He shouted the same time Percy did.

But the Hunters let their arrows fly. The first caught the manticore in the neck. Another hit his chest. Charlie deflected one that almost hit Annabeth as he continued to run. The manticore staggered backward, wailing, "This is not the end, Huntress! You shall pay!"

Before anyone could react, Charlie did the stupidest thing he had ever done. The boy threw his spear at the manticore's tail, pinning it before the creature could jump into the darkness and with one risky move, he leaped towards the beast just as it broke free of his spear.

To be honest, he didn't know what he was thinking when he leapt after them. Was it because of his morals? A sense of duty? He didn't know, but he knew he didn't want to watch a girl he barely met get hurt by this creature that he loathed since he came to the damn military school. Maybe he was an idiot, maybe he had a hero complex. Charlie had seen too many deaths in his life and he refused to see another one.

Not if he could help it.

Summoning a vine that wrapped around his arm with one hand, Charlie grabbed ahold of the manticore's tail right as the creature jumped off the cliff, spikes stabbing into his hand. He grunted in pain, hearing the enraged roar of the manticore thrashing beneath him.

"You wretched brat!"

Before anyone else could move to help, the edge of the cliff broke apart under the weight and the three tumbled into the darkness.

"Annabeth!"

"Charlie!" Was the last thing he heard from the siblings as his eyes slipped close.

And scene! Thoughts and opinions?