Something Wicked This Way Comes

Chapter 55

Another night. Another ceaseless amount of attacks. Zoe had barely managed to cast a hasty protection spell around downtown before the waves hit. What remained of their ranks were quickly being taken out—either impermanently by injury, or... much much more permanently.

"I don't want to bury anymore friends," Laura whispered as they were holed up in the Lake house, waiting for morning.

Strickler put a gentle stone hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, my dear. This last week alone... I can't imagine the toll it has taken on you."

"Why won't they stop coming?"

Strickler pursed his lips, looking unsure. "For that, I cannot say. But our Trollhunters have only a week and a half left, I'm sure we will get answers for it all soon."

Laura sniffed, blinking unshed tears out of her eyes. She wished they could get proper help. More troops, more people she trusted. For all that what remained of Vameus' children were more demigods of one parentage than she'd ever seen, they were barely an army. And she still wasn't sure she quite trusted them, regardless of how effective they had been at first.

But they lost more every day. Hex Tech was thinking of pulling their wizards back from the front lines, leaving it all only to the trolls and demigods and what small amount of help from the nature spirits Laura had managed to scrounge up. The thought made her angry. Arcadia was their town too! They couldn't leave the rest of them in the lurch because they were scared of sacrifice! Everyone was making sacrifices!

"What's wrong?" Strickler asked, lowering himself to be on her level.

"I wish..." she sniffed, wiping her eyes. "I wish I could ask my mom for help... she'd know what to do."

The comment made a pained look come to his eyes. "Your mother was a wise goddess, and a very dear friend of mine. We all wish she was still here."

"I've been thinking..." she said quietly. "Of asking for more aid. We can't... I don't think we can hold out for another week."

The changeling sighed, looking out the window with a forlorn gaze. "Who did you have in mind?"

"Camp Half-blood."

He looked at her, an unreadable expression on his face. "Asking them to aid us in a war that has nothing to do with them... it would invite more trouble. You said yourself that their gods wouldn't allow them to intercede."

"Yeah, but at least we could deal with the gods after everything is over. At least they know how to be reasonable... sometimes." Laura sighed, viciously scrubbing the tears from her eyes. "Jim trusted me to stay here and look after everything while he was gone... I don't want to let him down."

"He didn't ask you to do it by yourself, Laura."

"I know," she took in a sharp breath, trying to steel her nerves. "Which is why I think we should ask for help."

"Help?" Aanya's voice suddenly echoed. She was walking through the kitchen, having come into the house from the basement after her debriefing with Blinky and Trollmarket. "Help from who?"

"Laura is entertaining the idea of asking your Grecian demigod friends for assistance," Strickler said.

Aanya looked at her, alarmed. "What did you literally say to Mr. Scott?"

"I know!" Laura shouted, shooting to her feet. "I know what I said, okay? But... but—"

She let out a scream of frustration, the miniature plants on the kitchen windowsill blossoming suddenly, shooting their greens across the counter and floors.