𝐀𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡 (𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐨'𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐎𝐥𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐬)

TEN ; boiled demigods: a delicacy

     Eileen hadn't thought it possible for the warehouse to get even more creepy than it already was, but somehow, it did. She was seriously regretting leaving her friends.

     Leo had given her his flashlight, saying that he'd just use another, and then the two had parted ways. Leo went outside to find his dragon, and Eileen started to navigate her way through the maze of broken-down machinery. Dust and cobwebs coated every available surface of rusted metal there was. Flecks of chipped paint and spider skins littered the floors. It was oddly quiet; not even birds chirped as the sun began to rise. Just the groaning of the wooden walls as they were battered by the wind.

     Puddles of water where snow had banked in piles lay around the perimeter of the room. There were a few holes in the wooden boards where something - maybe an animal - had dug through to find shelter. The whole place was freezing, cold, and Eileen wrapped her arms around herself. Her bag must have fallen off her shoulders as she landed. There was probably a coat in there that she could have worn, but it was too late now. Goosebumps pricked her skin.

     If a murderer approached her to ask where they should hide a body, Eileen would have suggested here.

     A long groan rang out in every direction.

     Eileen jumped, gripping her flashlight so hard that her knuckles turned white.

     "It's just the metal expanding as it heats up," she whispered to herself. "You're just being silly, it's fine."

     No need to think about how there was no way anything was heating up in this weather.

     A shadow, impossibly tall and lanky, flickered on the wall. Eileen spun to face behind her, waving the light every which was to try and see what caused it. A digger with its arm raised glowed in her light. She forced herself to breath. She could do this. It was just a quick look around, and then she could go back to Piper and Jason. Leo would fix Festus, and they'd be back in the air by the hour. Then she could warm. She was just overreacting.

     She kept on walking until she found another section of the warehouse entirely. It was still gross, but not as filthy here. A few partly smashed windows let in the feeble light of dawn. Curled up on a dusty tarp, she found a piece of rope that felt like it was in relatively good condition. It was slightly frayed, but when she tugged on it there was no give. She figured that maybe they could use it as new seatbelts, now that Festus's harnesses had been practically ruined. Eileen knotted it around her waist and continued on.

     Eventually, she found herself relaxing a bit. Every little sound still put her on edge, but she wasn't looking around at everything as much.

     Big mistake.

     Wham!

     Something like a brick wall slammed into Eileen from behind with enough force it almost knocked her off her feet. That same thing then caught her, but instead of just setting her on her feet and apologising, something big and gritty clamped around her head, blocking off her nose and mouth. She couldn't see what it was, but it felt massive. Something else wrapped around her body. Eileen let out a muffled shriek and immediately dropped her flashlight in an attempt to free her airways. Her fingers tried to pry whatever it was away from her throat, but it held fast, calloused and slightly warm like a massive human hand. Wait... were those fingers?

     Eileen's eyes widened. A quick look down confirmed her suspicions. A memory of Piper telling them about the giants that they might be facing jumped to the front of her brain. Was this one of them? But they weren't meant to be here until Chicago... unless this one had been sent to stop them before they got there.