𝕺𝖕𝖕𝖔𝖘𝖎𝖙𝖊𝖘 𝕬𝖙𝖙𝖗𝖆𝖈𝖙 - 𝕱𝖊𝖒𝕺𝕮 𝖃 𝕷𝖊𝖔 𝖁𝖆𝖑𝖉𝖊𝖟

Kiera

"Wolves," I said. "They're close."

Jason and I rose, summoning our swords. Leo and Coach Hedge got to their feet too. Piper tried, but she stumbled and I held her with one arm.

"Stay seated," I whispered. "Don't worsen your condition."

"Condition?" Piper snapped through gritted teeth.

I rolled my eyes and set her down behind me.

Then, just outside the firelight at the entrance of the cave, I saw a pair of red eyes glowing in the dark. My eyes adjusted to the darkness and I could see the outline of the wolves.

More edged into the firelight—black beasts bigger than Great Danes, with ice and snow caked on their fur. Their fangs gleamed, and their glowing red eyes looked disturbingly intelligent. The wolf in front was almost as tall as a horse, his mouth stained as if he'd just made a fresh kill.

Piper pulled her dagger out of it's sheath, but I knew it would do no harm.

Wolves could only be harmed by silver. And I was the only one that had any silver, but the others couldn't use my Stygian Iron. It would burn their skin.

"Recedere, lupinotuum," Jason said, stepping forward.

The alpha wolf curled his lip. The fur stood up along his spine. One of his lieutenants tried to advance, but the alpha wolf snapped at his ear. Then all of the wolves backed into the dark.

I froze. He spoke Latin a little too well. It raised suspicions.

"Dude, I gotta study Latin." Leo's hammer shook in his hand. "What'd you say, Jason?"

I pulled Leo behind me by his elbow, and he watched me carefully. I said,"Jason told him, 'Back off, werewolf,' but. . .Barely any demigods know Latin."

Hedge cursed. "Whatever it was, it wasn't enough. Look."

The wolves were coming back, but the alpha wolf wasn't with them. They didn't attack. They waited—at least a dozen now, in a rough semicircle just outside the firelight, blocking the cave exit.

The coach hefted his club. "Here's the plan—"

"No," I groaned.

"I didn't even say anything?" Coach pouted.

"You don't have to, all you satyrs have this stupid 'I'll distract them, and you run,' idea." I said.

He stared at me, like I had read his mind. I had enough moments with Grover where he thought like that.

Grover. Oh gods, I miss him. I need to drop the tea to him soon, I miss our gossip sessions with Juniper.

Then I saw the silhouette of a man coming through the storm, wading through the pack.

"Stick together," Jason said. "They respect a pack. And Hedge, no crazy stuff. We're not leaving you or anyone else behind."

Piper tapped my ankle and I started to veil her in shadows. She was the weak link among us right now. The wolves would save her last, an easy kill.

The wolves parted, and the man stepped into the firelight. His hair was greasy and ragged, the color of fireplace soot—gods, my pet peeve is greasy hair, so this sucked—topped with a crown of what looked like finger bones. His robes were tattered fur—rabbit, wolf, raccoon, deer, and several others I could identify. The furs didn't look cured, and from the smell, they weren't fresh. His frame was lithe and muscular, like a distance runner's. But the most horrible thing was his face. His thin pale skin was pulled tight over his skull. His teeth were sharpened like fangs. His eyes glowed bright red. He had an overwhelming sense of death following him.