Wildfires, Heroes of Olympus ₂

025, get out of me head man

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
FINLEY                  BRIGGS

The gryphons tried killing Percy first.

In any other situation, Finn would've thought it a hilarious sight—One of them had picked Percy up like he weighed nothing, and flew him up in the air, most likely trying to bring him to their nest.

In this situation, however, they didn't have time to deal with measly gryphons. Finn just held up her gun with one hand, and easily shot the gryphon through the head. Percy fell, slamming into a snowbank as Finn kept shooting down the creatures as fast as she could. Frank tried helping her with his arrows. Hazel was at their back, swinging her sword at any monster that came close. Percy did the same after getting a grip.

In the end, that wasn't enough. There were too many of them. They re-formed in an instant. They were most likely about to head towards the open train cars and swoop away the mortals just as they'd done with Percy. Frank had used the last charge of his spear to try and save them, but still. The four demigods were pretty much losing. To eagle-lions.

Percy had the brilliant idea (that wasn't sarcasm, for once; Finn actually meant it) of leading the gryphons away from the tracks. It was hard to fight on the spongy and icy, open marsh, but it was better than watching mortals get kidnapped via gryphon.

Finally, Finn came to the realization that they'd been in the gryphon's nest all along. In fact, they were right near the eggs that belonged to the creatures. So she aimed her gun at the eggs and threatened to shoot up the whole nest if the gryphons didn't back off.

Needless to say, they backed off.

That was only the positive though, and of course that always had to come with a negative. There weren't any boats anywhere near, the train was destroyed, and Percy refused to ride another plane. Finn, Percy, Hazel, and Frank were left without any way of reaching Alcyoneus.

This situation was so miserable that it made Finn miss the gryphons.

Percy sighed, and not even he could provide any optimism to bring up their spirits. "Come on."

Finn noticed it the moment he began walking on the squishy ground.

"Percy, no!" she shouted.

It was too late. His next step went straight through the ground. He sank like a stone until the earth closed over his head—and the earth swallowed him.

Finn was paralyzed in fear. Gaea.

"Your bow!" Hazel shouted to Frank, much more aware of her surroundings than Finn was.

Frank didn't ask questions. He dropped his pack and slipped the bow off his shoulder.

Finn's heart raced. This was the same boggy soil—muskeg—that Hazel had died in. Usually all Finn's brain did was forget, but now the facts were blaring with vivid certainty: This silt was worse than quicksand. It could be twenty feet deep or more, and impossible to escape.

She tried not to think what would happen if it were deeper than the length of the bow.

"Hold one end," Hazel told Frank. "Don't let go."