Horizon's Point: The Rise of the Lyre (Jason Grace)

Chapter 13: My brother is hot

This time there was dreams. Fun.

There was a village hosting a festival, it looked like an ancient village. With music, dancing, laughter and drinking. The people were wearing traditional Greek togas and overall looked like they were having the time of their lives.

That's when I spotted it: the Nemean lion. In the light he was much more terrifying, however, the roar that he released sent chills down my spine. The people's moods were diminished into a frenzy of panic and terror as five unlucky, women were taken by the beast -screaming and crying for help- and brought deep into the woods before anyone could gain their bearings.

Before I could watch reactions, my dream shifted to underwater. I became face-to-face with a person I had never met before; he had an athletic build with sea green eyes like mine and Percy's and a stunning sea-green fish tail.

Unfortunately, he looked worse for wear. His coal black hair was missing in places like he had pulled it out in clumps in the midst of frustration and his eyes portrait a polluted ocean with no hope left to save it. I felt so guilty for some reason, like it was my fault he was in this state.

"Hello." He spoke it more like a question as if it were strange that I was talking to this merman, but what made my want to break down a cry was the fact that his voice was hoarse and how I thought a dead person would sound. "I'm waiting for you, Abigail. I believe that you will succeed."

"Who are you?" I asked in wonder, "And where are we?"

"I am Triton, son of Poseidon and Amphitrite. And we are in the dungeon room."

Aw, man. We were half-siblings, just when I was beginning to think that he was hot. But this place... no one deserved to be trapped here. "It looks like hell came up underwater." I observed causing Triton to crack a thin, dry smile. But I stand by what I said, the walls were sharp, jagged obsidian, same as the floor and there were raw-iron bars looking out into a dark hallway. Basically, this place was verry dark and spooky and small and I get verry claustrophobic so was starting to panic and hyperventilate.

He must have noticed my shallow breathing because his smile disappeared abruptly "I- hey, sorry, are you ok? You're breathing's not normal." The disquietude on his hansom yet bedraggled face brought so much more feelings of guilt flooding into my body that it was hard to believe that I could feel so empathetic to someone I had just met.

"It- it's fine." I lied, "What did you want to talk to me about anyway? Why am I here?"

"So many questions, dad told me that it was always the way." He mused and stared down the black hallway as if he were expecting someone. "I can't say much, it's hard to tell because, well I myself don't know. However, I will tell you what I can and attempt to not speak in riddles."

"Finally," I exclaimed joyfully, "A God who doesn't try to make every sentence confusing."

My brother laughed, such a beautiful sound and it sounded so pure, rich and real it made me want to join in. "Well, I don't have much time so let's make this quick. Thalia is exactly where you are expecting her to be, in the dungeons at dad's Kingdom. I don't know where I am, or where anyone else is. I'm not sure who you're up against but some force older than dad -and that's saying something- but they're strong enough to beat us so, here." He handed me three things which looked like pills "They will protect you for up to twenty minutes, use them wisely. But don't forget that Tha-" and that is when I woke up.

˜"*°•.˜"*°.•°*"˜.•°*"˜

I shot bolt-upright, gasping and panicking. I had just spoken to Triton and he needed my help. We know where Thalia is and-

I looked down and, in my hand, clenched were the three pill-like-things, the ones that he had given to me. Also, what was he going to say about Thalia?

"Hey, hey. Pup. Pup, look at me." That voice brought me back down to Earth, turning to face a grief-stricken boy who I knew to be my brother, although he was smiling, the worry behind his sea-green eyes were as painful as that lion.

"Hey." I grinned like a mad-man, "Don't fret, I'm alive." It sounded kinda obvious once I said it, but he needed reassurance that I wasn't a figment of his imagination or something like that.

Jason stumbled into the tent and shot me a smile that could have melted Khione's ice. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you." He stated and sat down next to Percy.

"What are those?" My brother questioned, gesturing at the pills in my now open hand.

"They're from Triton. He told me where Thalia is and that he doesn't know where he, dad or Amphitrite are."

Percy nodded, he didn't seem verry surprised but, then again, this is the boy who beat up Ares when he was twelve, nothing could be super astonishing to him, I guessed. "Yes, but what do they do?"

"They give protection for twenty minutes, he said." I explained, frowning at the pills. They didn't seem that impressive, just looked like a regular, white tic-tac.

"Alright, eat the tic-tac, get protection. When will we need it?" Percy leaned back onto his heels, "Artemis says that we need to hurry up and get going, the Hunters will be able to catch the lion or something."

"What about the girls?" I pressed, Jason and Percy looked at me like I had just shared the worst news, "There was other people there?" Jason breathed out, his voice barley a whisper.

"Yes, yes there were." My tone suddenly became urgent as I pulled myself up and started to put my belt on and my twin swords in their leather sheaths, one resting on each hip, "We need to go back." I muttered, now tying my hair back, "We need to kill that lion."

Turning to look at the boys for agreement, or any sign that they were on my side on this idea, that they were going to help me. I couldn't go back there alone, but determination pulsed in my veins, those innocent girls from Nemea, turned into lionesses. Stolen from their families, their homes, their lives. I couldn't let them suffer any longer than need be. I was the only one who knew, the only one willing to save them.

Percy leaped up and shoved Riptide into his trouser pocket, Jason -less enthusiastically- stood and embraced me tightly, "If there's anything that I'll never do, it's let you go into a fight alone." He whispered into my ear and as he pulled away, I could see the fire in his eyes.

My brother lead us over to Artemis, who was talking with Audrey. They glanced up at us and Audrey did a double-take, "Wow, I knew that Elise was a good healer but..." Her voice trailed off I understood what she meant. Not so long ago I was knocked out from pain and now I felt like I could kill the lion who caused it.

"Abi says that there were more people back there," Percy locked eyes with Artemis as he spoke, silently daring her to challenge my word, "We need to go back and save them."

"How many?" Artemis strode over to me, "Five" I replied with confidence "the Nemean lion cursed them so they are now in the form of lionesses, but I think that if we kill the lion, we break the curse."

The goddess nodded solemnly; her silver-grey eyes fixed in the direction that I assumed must be the cave. Jerking her head in that direction then glancing at Audrey, they seemed to be on the same page because my friend gave her mistress a slight nod before running off to the heart of the camp to -I hoped- gather up the Hunters.

"No one," Artemis growled through gritted teeth, "takes advantage of young girls." Then stormed off to her tent and I could hear the sound of metal and bow strings. We were going into my first battle.

My first... no. I had been into battle before. I had- but- no. No. I must be getting delusional, however there was a clear image in my mind of three woman (one my mother) standing in front of me, the one in the middle was holding out two swords. I glanced at my mum before accepting the gift.

"Become the warrior you were always destined to be." The one in the centre beamed as I weighed them in my small hands.

Stumbling backwards, suddenly my head was spinning. What had I just seen?

"Abi! Abi, are you alright?" Jason grabbed my arms and knelt in front on me.

"Yeah, yeah, fine. Just, saw something." Then hastily added "Nothing important, just my mum." Standing up straight again, regaining my balance and resting my hand on my pendant. I could figure out what on Earth that was later for now, save the girls, save Thalia, save my dad.

Artemis ran in with the band of Hunters and hunting dogs in her wake. "Come, we fight till nightfall, I'm strongest then." And off we ran, till nightfall we should fight.