#1 Daughter of Hera: Rise of Tartarus

Chapter 19 - Who Let The Hellhounds Out?

~Christine Galliardo's POV ~

A silver arrow whizzed over my head and embedded itself on the head of a giant snake posed for an attack. The snake disintegrated into a pile of golden dust before the wind blew it away. I sighed. How long am I staying with them? I glanced at Thalia who gave me a teasing smile. Until dusk, she seemed to say. I clenched my teeth. Clarisse would kill me if I don't attend sword training this afternoon. Especially after I trapped her last night in a Celestial Bronze net. I turned my head as another arrow whizzed past my head and embedded itself on the body of another snake. I swiftly moved forward and gave a last blow using my sword. The snake exploded into a shower of monster dust. I brushed off the dust on my clothes and followed the Hunters close behind.

The forest was peaceful except for some occasional roars from monsters. Dried leaves and twigs crunched beneath heavy combat boots. I looked up and blinked. Is the sun getting bigger? As I ponder on that thought, I caught a sudden movement among the Hunters. Thalia was no longer in front of me but instead at the front of the Hunters. A screeching cry erupted from the front. I covered my ears. I caught a glimpse of a black stinger above. A giant scorpion. When the cry ceased, I ran past some disoriented Hunters and leaped up, slicing the stinger. Another painful cry. Two Celestial Bronze knives flashed against the sunlight before embedding itself on the head of the scorpion. I ran back to the group as a rain of silver arrows pinned down the scorpion on the ground. I looked away from the gooey mess as the scorpion turned to golden ashes. We walked off like nothing happened.

"Such impressive reflexes you got there, Christine." Thalia said as she hit me on the back. "Not to mention your agility and speed. Did you undergo training before coming to camp?"

"No, I didn't. I started training when I arrived to camp. Why do you ask?" I asked. "And is it necessary to hit me on the back?"

Thalia gave a small smile. "I just noticed that the way you battle was like of a highly-skilled and experienced fighter like Percy and Jason. Though all demigods were born with innate battle abilities, it will still take time to hone it. But you," She inclined her head to me. "You fight like you've been fighting ever since you were born." She shrugged as if saying, Do you get what I'm saying? "And I guess hitting someone on the back is not that necessary at all. I just kind of do it."

I laughed at that. A few Hunters who overhead our conversation snickered. Thalia rolled her eyes and went to the front to avoid more teasing attention from the back. We stopped laughing and continued looking for monsters. I looked up at the sky to distract me a bit. The sun still bigger than it was before.

Involuntarily, I fingered the hanging peacock and eagle on my charm bracelet. A habit I began developing ever since I arrived at camp. Wonder if mom's watching me from somewhere? I looked in front of me. The Hunters...Some of them were demigods. I could only hint that they were claimed by their godly parents before they pledged loyalty to Artemis. That very moment, I realized that I was harboring bitterness to my mother. She didn't claim me. Perhaps, because I was not enough for her or because...She didn't want me as her daughter. I stopped abruptly, my knuckles white as I gripped my sword tightly. I steadied my breathing. I blinked to prevent the tears from coming. Not here. Not in front of them. I forced myself to focus on walking but the thoughts lingered strongly, pulling me into a void of negativity.

A cry of pain snapped me out of my thoughts, pulling me up back to the real world. The Hunters had scattered, thrown into chaos by sudden panic. An inhuman growl made my hairs rose up on my neck. A terrible stench of rotting flesh and fear spread in the air. The stench of death. My heart beat tripled and my senses fired up. Shouts and whistling of arrows filled my ears. A black figure moved swiftly at front. I ran up quickly as possible as the other Hunters followed closed behind me. The stench grew stronger and I stopped abruptly. My skin crawled at the sight of the monster. A black mastiff the size of a rhino with red glowing eyes. A hellhound. It pounced, nearly shredding a Hunter into pieces. A flash of silver from the right as Thalia leaped and struck her spear on the hellhound's back. Electricity arced around Thalia toward the spear. The hellhound convulsed wildly and fell. We gathered around as the hellhound turned into dust.

"What...what the hell was that? What in Hades a hellhound doing here in Camp Half-Blood?" A Hunter asked.

We all looked down on what the hellhound used to be.

"We must go back to the camp immediately and report this to Chiron. The woods maybe swarming with monsters but a hellhound is not a usual sight in this area. Let's-" A growl stopped Thalia.

We compressed into a tight circle, on guard on any sides. The Hunters inside the circle nocked arrows and those outside summoned their hunting knives. Thalia brandished her spear and her silver bracelet turned into a shield, an exact copy of the Aegis. Another growl coming from the right and another from the left. I tightened my grip on my sword. Loud crunches of snapping twigs and leaves mixed with a series of growls and a strong stench of death. Hellhounds. They're everywhere. Soon, the monsters appeared between the trees. All the size of a rhino and color of black. There are about nine of them, all coming from different directions. Why this many? Thalia brandished her shield and a few scampered out of the shield's direction but didn't leave. The hellhounds circled us, showing their huge sharp canine fangs.

"Don't scatter! If you do, it will be easier for them to shred us to pieces!" Thalia commanded.

My skin crawled. I looked and saw a hellhound looking at me. Its red glowing eyes boring on me. It pounced to my direction. I ducked, avoiding its huge sharp paws. The group scattered in surprise. The other hellhounds began attacking. Thalia shouted an order as she struck down a hellhound. We tried to drive off the other hellhounds as we slowly gathered. A silver arrow flew over my head and killed another hellhound. The same hellhound who charged at me before ran toward me. I went out of its way and sliced my sword to its side. A guttural cry escaped its throat and leaped to me with angry eyes. I lowered myself and pierced my sword on its belly. It dissolved above me in a shower of gold. A scream sent shivers down my spine. I looked around and saw a Hunter lying on the ground, her side bleeding. A hellhound approached her, posed for a kill. The sky darkened and a lightning bolt struck the hellhound. I ran up to the wounded Hunter and carefully hauled her up to her feet. A few Hunters covered us as we retreated to the circle. I laid her down as a girl ran up to us and tended her.

"Keep your ground!" Thalia shouted.

I stiffened as I noticed something unusual. The inner Hunters had their arrows nocked but no one is firing. I stood up and peered between the heads. The hellhounds weren't attacking but just circling around our group...as if finding something or someone. A hellhound looked at me. Its eyes glowing with hunger for blood. It pounced at my direction but met the sharp point of a silver arrow. The remaining hellhounds began gathering to where the slain hellhound was. The group followed the hellhounds with their weapons. My body tensed and I quickly lowered myself as another hellhound looked at me. Those monsters...they're looking for someone...for me. A sudden movement at my direction as the Hunters fend off another hellhound. I glanced at the wounded girl beside me. They aren't interested of the Hunters. I moved through the group and emerged behind Thalia. I gripped her arm.

"Thalia." I whispered, loud enough for her to hear.

She glanced at me, letting her know she hears me.

"These hellhounds...they're not here to kill anybody on sight. They're here to kill a specific person." I said.

Thalia looked at me with confusion. "What do you mean?"

"It's hard to explain but I'm sure they're not here to kill the Hunters nor anybody currently in camp."

Thalia met my gaze."Then, who?" Her eyes widened in realization. "Wait, are you-"

I held her gaze."Neither a Hunter nor someone in camp." I nodded. "Yes, they're here for me."