The Lone Guardian (A Percy Jackson Fanfiction)

Chapter 6

                 

After I assisted Artemis and the older hunters in carrying those who fell asleep to their tents, I returned to my own and collapsed into my bed. I tossed and turned for a couple hours, but I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about the hellhound attack.

Usually monsters tended to avoid Artemis and her hunters due to the fact that they, well, hunt them. Plus, hellhound packs never had more than 10 or 15 hellhounds, so why the Hades were there 50 of them today and why did they attack us? Also, they attacked us minutes after we arrived, as if they were waiting for us.

Then, I thought back to the attack on camp, even though it pained me to do so. Where did so many monsters come from? I bolted upright. How did they get across the borders? Only gods, or something stronger, could break through the boundaries.

I immediately raced to Artemis' tent as quietly as possible. I really didn't want Artemis to kill me, since it was the middle of the night, but this couldn't wait until morning.

"Artemis?! Artemis, I need to speak to you!," I whispered as loudly as I could, not wanting to wake up the other girls. It took a few more whispered shouts, but Artemis eventually came out of her tent looking irritated.

"What do you want, Perseus?!," she whispered furiously. I gulped.

"Can I come inside? I really need to talk to you.," I said urgently. I must have looked serious because her glare softened and she ushered me inside. She closed the tent flap behind us and looked at me curiously.

"Now, tell me what's wrong.," she demanded.

"I couldn't sleep because I couldn't stop thinking about the attack earlier," I explained, "when something occurred to me. Packs of hellhounds don't usually have more than 10 or 15, but this one had 50, and they attacked us moments after arriving, as if they were waiting for us. The fact that monsters attacked at all is weird, since you're usually the ones doing the hunting."

After the first part of my explanation, Artemis' face gained an expression of alarm, but I continued before she could interrupt. "Then, I started thinking about the attack on camp. I was so depressed at the time that I didn't think about it, but now I wonder. Why did so many monsters attack at once and, more importantly, how did they cross the borders?"

Artemis was trying to remain calm, but I could see she was afraid.

"What do you think all of this means, Percy?," she asked. I looked her in the eyes, my sea-green meeting her silver.

"I think that something is coming.," I said slowly and swallowed hard.

"I think we have another war on our hands."