Legends of Olympus

Chapter 17

As the train continued through the night, Aubri lay motionless on the top bunk of the Amtrak train car room, her mind drifting into the realm of dreams. Unbeknownst to her, the boundaries between sleep and reality blurred as she found herself standing in a mysterious room. Shadows danced on the walls, and in the dim light, she recognized two figures engaged in conversation.

Aubri strained to hear their words, and as the murmurings grew clearer, she gasped in realization. One of them was Luke, a figure from her past, talking with a shadowy presence. The discussion revolved around the celestial hammer of Hephaestus, a powerful artifact located in the Forge of South Dakota—the very destination of Aubri's impending quest.

"Do you have the location of the hammer?" Luke's voice echoed through the surreal room.

The shadow figure responded, its voice chillingly familiar. "Yes, Luke, I have found where the hammer is. But we are not the only ones looking for it. There is a girl, a daughter of Hephaestus who is looking for it as well."

Aubri's heart raced as she listened to the ominous conversation. Luke, with a sinister snicker, declared, "Then we won't let her get to it first. Go there and stop her, anyway, you can. I will ask Kronos to send monsters her way to slow her down."

The revelation sent shivers down Aubri's spine. The weight of destiny pressed upon her as she realized the gravity of her quest. The gods themselves were entangled in a power struggle, and she, a mere demigod, was caught in the crossfire.

Just as the tension in the shadowy room reached its peak, the train lurched violently, jolting Aubri awake. Panic seized her as she shouted, "Guys, what was that? Ash, wake up! I think something bad is about to happen."

Ash, still half asleep, said, "Gosh don't yell." Ash was on the floor near the window when she opened her eyes. "S*** a winged Gorgon!" Ash got up and closed the blinds. "Rule one with that it's a sister of Medusa, don't look at its eyes."

Lincoln, now spooked by Ash's words, whimpered, "Wait, a winged Gorgon?! Are we going to die?"

Aubri, now weighted by the pressure of the knowledge of where this monster came from, got down from the bunk and grabbed her sword, hoping that the Gorgon wasn't going to be able to sense the group through the train. "Okay, so here's the plan now. Zavik, go to the other rooms next to us and get them away from our room, if they ask why, just say that a bird hit the window, and there are more coming. Lincoln, you, and Ash will go out of the room and find a train worker, whether it's security or something, and ask how long we have until we reach Chicago. Do not let anyone in this room, no matter what. I'll see if I can hold off on this thing since I think it's coming after me only. Just trust me." She looked at her friends with determination to keep them safe, looked at Ash with an apologetic look, and said to her, "Ash, if anything happens to me, take my necklace and keep it safe."

Aubri then looked at Zavik and said, "Take my bag Zavik, just in case I get killed by this Gorgon."

Ash took out her collapsible spear from her backpack and put it to its full size. "Yeah, no, I'm not stupid enough to let you go on your own. You can't have it look at you, you don't stand a chance alone. I'm not risking my friend turning to stone."

Aubri sighed then said, "Ash, this Gorgon is after me, and I don't want anyone turning to stone on my behalf. Just trust me, I know that I'm the one it's after."

"Think this though Aubri, if it's after you it will go for us next 'cause we're with you. We're all its target," Ash stated. "We're demigods, it may be going for you, but we all have a scent."

"I heard Luke say that he'll have Kronos send a monster after me, because of my quest!" Aubri shouted the last part with full anger over the fact that she brought her friends with her on a quest she knew would be dangerous for them all. "Luke is after the hammer as well, and he'll stop at nothing to make sure he gets it, whether it's killing me or any of you."