"How sweet you'll taste, Nico," The manticore purred softly in my ear. I gulped as the monster's scorpion tail flicked back and forth; a drip of poison growing at the end of one of the spikes.
"You won't be able to eat me, you over grown cat," I growled. I took a huge bite of my sandwich, and found that it didn't taste anything like a sandwich. It tasted the the chocolate Bianca and I used to share before the Lotus Hotel and Casino (See http://camphalfblood.wikia.com/wiki/Lotus_Hotel_and_Casino) sucked us in. I realized the sandwich must be infused with ambrosia. I wolfed it down and felt my ankle set itself. The wound on my chest grew tight, as though it was closing.
"What are you doing?" The manticore asked with a hint of true curiosity in his demonic voice.
"Eating. What's it look like, kitty?" I chewed and swallowed the last bite. Then I belched loudly in the monster's ugly face. Okay, so his face looked the same as before, but he was ugly.
"You disgusting half-blood!" The manticore reached out a massive paw and went to grab my neck, but, of course, since he didn't have fingers, his three inch long claws scraped along my neck, drawing fresh beads of crimson blood.
Suddenly I had an idea. Could I duck under the monster's body? He was heavy, and that would make him slow, right? "Look! There's a drakon!" I yelled allowing my fear at the manticore to color my voice.
"What?! Where?!" The manticore hissed and dropped away from me.
I took that split second of hesitation to my advantage and rolled out from underneath of Dr. Thorn.
"ARGH!" The monster roared when he realized he was being tricked. "GET BACK HERE YOU BRAT!"
"Never in your wildest dreams!" I shouted and dived into the shadows where I knew Erebus was.
"Where have you gone, Nico?" The manticore snarled. I glanced up fearfully as I ran my hands along the cool stone in a frantic search for my lost sword. Dr. Thorn was only about three yeards away. Now, that might seem like a good distance, but when a monster was looking straight at you with those odd eyes and not knowing it, it's not that far away.
My fingers dragged quickly along the ground and I felt cold iron. As slowly and quietly as I could, I lifted Erebus's black leather handle. My breath came in short puffs of white in front of my face. I didn't know it was so cold. The adrenaline coursing through my body made me feel way too warm; I'd even broken into a sweat.
I scoped out where Dr. Thorn was. He'd come closer; now less than five feet away. Suddenly, my knee jammed into something hard and sharp. I bit my lip to keep the cry of pain from fighting its way out of my throat. I reached down and picked up a rock the size of my fist. An idea began to form in my mind. What if...
"Hey! Lion man!" I yelled and threw the stone a good thirty feet. The manticore stopped searching for a moment, then advanced, as I'd hoped, in the direction of the rock.
"My, my. Nico, playing dangerous games, you are." I stood silently and walked with a agile tread until I was right behind the manticore.
"Boo," I whispered. The look of shock had not completely left the monster's face before Erebus stabbed him in the chest.
To be honest, I had no idea what happened to monsters if they were slayed yet again while reforming in Tartarus. Did they begin again at a different spot in this hell? Or did they simply return immediately, with as much power as they could summon in such a short time, to kill you? I waited a few seconds and watched as Dr. Thorn turned to dust and was swept away in the nonexistent breeze.
I realized how hard I was breathing and how tired I was then. My chest wound had reopened and was bleeding freely. I removed my already bloody and dirt-covered jacket and tried to staunch the scarlet flow. "Dad," I muttered and sank to my knees, shivering uncontrollably. "Please."
And I blacked out.
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A/N
I know, a short chappy. Sorry, guys!! I felt it was the perfect time to end it!
Remember to vote, comment, and enjoy!!
I'll update soon! Promise, Narwhals!
The Unicorn Lover
