The Unclaimed

Chapter 37: Two unexpected morning guests

   I somehow woke up on time the next day and I did it without needing Thalia to wake me and get me out of bed. The second my eyes opened I could tell that it was earlier than I needed to be up by. Thalia was still asleep in her bed on the other side of the tent. I hadn't had bad dreams during the night but I hadn't slept well; it was one of those nights where I was unconscious for most of it but still tossed and turned. Unsure how long I had until we had to wake up and not feeling a desire to try to fall back asleep, I quietly stood up and tip-toed out of the tent. It was still dark outside, the sun was slowly appearing into the sky. Walking past the campsite, not to far because otherwise I would have scared the others if they woke up before I got back, I found a rock where I could sit and watch the sunrise.
   I was enjoying my ability to relax and the chance to have some alone time when I heard a cold chuckle. Jumping to my feet, I spun and found myself eyes to eye with a cyclops. Mentally cursing myself for not bringing my bow and arrow with me, I started to brainstorm escape plans.
   "Well, well, well," it's voice sent a chill up my spine. "It looks like I will be the monster who succeeds in killing you; your father and many other immortals will be glad that I completed the task." It's words felt like a slap to my face. I knew their were gods who didn't want me to succeed but to hear that my father was one of them was painful and hard to take in.
   "Why do so many immortals want me dead?" I asked it, trying to stall without it being obvious. "Why does my dad want me dead?" The cyclops let out a booming laugh, it was so loud that I hoped it would wake any of the other hunters who could then come to my aid.
   "I have never understood you demigods," the monster spoke in such a captivating manner that I couldn't help but feel intrigued. "It's the same thing every time any of you are about to die. All you do is ask petty questions that are irrelevant considering you'll be dead in a matter of minutes." I crossed my arms and attempted to stare the monster down. This was a hard task considering how much taller it was than me.
   "That doesn't answer my question," I tried to keep my voice even as I spoke. "Even if I'm dead in a matter of minutes, I'll at least die knowing the truth." It clearly tried to find a counter argument for my statement but it seemed to be struggling.
   "I don't see why immortals wanting you dead should come as a surprise," it told me. "Everything I have heard about you has referenced your power; gods do not like demigods who have a lot of power." I nodded in agreement to what he said; the gods did not like when their power felt threatened.
   "Why does my father want me dead?" This was a harder question for me to ask. The cyclops shrugged.
   "That might have been poor wording on my part," it admitted. "Your father doesn't want you dead but he also doesn't want you finding out about his identity. If he had to pick between the two, you being dead is more preferable to him than your success on this quest is." I felt confused and sick to my stomach.
   "Why," I think it finally picked up on the fact that I was attempting to stall it's attack.
   "I'm afraid that's all the questions we have time for today," it slowly started walking towards me. "You see, I was sent here to kill you and I need to compete my job before any of your fellow hunters wake up and try to stop me." It was a few yards away from me and closing the distance rapidly. I was tempted to scream for help but my gut instinct told me that screaming would only speed up my death. I was frozen in fear; I wanted to fight or run but my body wouldn't move.
   Even if I had attempted to fight back, death seemed inevitable at this point. As I saw the cyclops pick up speed and start sprinting at me, the last thought in my mind was that Michael would be safe and get his memory back. Just as the cyclops raised its arm and was getting ready to strike me with it, a bolt of lightning came out of nowhere and struck the monster. It exploded. Once it had disintegrated, a male who looked to be in his upper twenties and had blond hair and blue eyes became visible. He held a Gladius in his hand. After I made eye contact with him he sheathed it and proceed to approach me. I wasn't sure whether to scream and run or stay put; my curiosity got the best of me and I stayed where I was. I figured if he wanted me dead than he would have let the Cyclops kill me. As he walked toward me I took in his appearance even more. His muscles were well defined and he was wearing a purple t-shirt. Right before he got to me, he bent down and picked up the paper with the hint (which I had totally forgotten about until he grabbed it off the ground) once he finally got to me he handed me the paper and held out his hand for me to shake. Once I took it, he finally spoke.
   "I hope you don't mind that I stepped in, it's just that my sister would kill me if she found out that I let one of her fellow hunters die without at least attempting to save them." I released his hand.
   "Sister," I said confused. He nodded.
   "My apologies, I forgot to introduce myself." He smiled. "My name is Jason Grace, son of Jupiter and brother to Thalia."