The Daughter of the Big Three

That Is It, I Am Done! Goodbye Friends.

So turns out that our taxi driver is a monster. About 4 hours into our 7 hour and 40 minute car ride, our driver starts licking his lips and barring his teeth as though we're a tasty meal and trust me, I've looked like a tasty meal a fair few times believe it or not. Personally I don't look that appealing and the satyrs (half man half goat) back at camp have even said that jeans don't taste that great. I ask the driver to pull over (I say I feel sick) and when we stop I think up a Gladius (another short-sword, used originally buy ancient Romans) and put it around the drivers neck. "You drive us to the border safely, no tricks or games, and I'll pay you in Drachmas, you disobey and put us in any danger and your head immediately comes off and you'll go back to where you came from, Tartarus" all I needed was to make him shiver was that one word, Tartarus is the place where all monsters go after they disintegrate, it's the deepest part of hell and from what I've heard, it's the worst part, it's where the Titans who were banished there roam. All of creations darkest and scariest creatures live, monsters regenerate but can only find their way out through the Doors of Death, it was enough to make him shut his mouth and drive, I could have sworn he gulped as I took my Gladius away.
***
As we arrive in Tarifa and get out of the taxi, I, being the unforgiving murderer that I am decapitate the monster driver. "What was that for?" Dan asks "Being a monster" I
reply simply and we get our tickets for the ferry at 12:00, as we wait on the Bay pier Daniel falls asleep. Cato is kneeling at the railing, asking his father for a safe journey. (This is a rare exception, I repeat a RARE exception, most of the time we don't even talk about the gods let alone to them!) And I am sitting next to Dan having random fits of power surge through me, as though I've short circuited and frankly it's quite annoying, I can't sleep or draw because I keep moving as the power courses through me, it's as irritating as Hades.
***
As we reach the pier, Daniel sprints off the ferry as if his life depends on it, which to
be fair, I guess it does, we jump in another taxi and start the 12 hour drive across to Algeria from Tangier, Morocco, Cato is the first to fall asleep and Daniel not soon after, I lay my head on Dan's shoulder and he wraps his arms around me, I fall into unconsciousness almost instantly, dreaming once again of Romulus, the Romulus I know, or knew, whichever one fits really, the one who saved me at his own expense all those years ago, the one who gave my life a new start.
*** I am jolted awake by the stopping of
the car "This is as far as I can take you, we've crossed the border, we're in Algeria" as we got out of the taxi and said our thanks as he drove off. We turn to face the mountains we would be trekking. Daniel lets out a sigh of exasperation and exhaustion for what was to come "More heights" he breathes as he starts hyperventilating. He sits on the rough dirt terrain and I tell him he doesn't have to climb if he doesn't want to and Daniel being the resilient and stubborn person he is, gets up quickly and declines my offer, I begin to scale the wall swiftly and the boys follow suit. "Lucky we spent a lot of time at the rock climbing wall at camp" Daniel exclaims "You spent a lot of that time falling off the wall and breaking bones, I mean when you started we told you to break a leg but we didn't mean it literally" Cato replies with a bit of wry humour, as we all laugh, I'm way ahead of the boys as I make my sarcastic, snide comment "Brains beat brawn" "Does not" Cato says as he pulls himself up, catching up quickly, Daniel attempts to go faster but ultimately fails and falls onto a ledge just below, he hollers in agony. I backtrack and stand on the ledge (it's a big ledge) and kneel next to him, I take off my backpack, unzip it, and pull out some Ambrosia, putting it in his mouth, I prop him up against the wall, searching through my backpack for the Nectar, "I think I broke my leg" Daniel mutters "We literally just talked about this" Cato says "How convenient" Daniel replies sarcastically, I stifle a laugh and pull out a 500ml metal flask, passing it to Daniel, who uncaps it and chugs the whole thing. "You're lucky that I measured that, you could be dead" I say seriously "I feel better" Dan remarks, completely ignoring everything I just said and beginning to get back on his feet. "You sure you can make it to the top?" I ask "Yeah, I'm sure, I'll just use the great upper body strength that I don't have" "Oh c'mon, you're fit and good looking enough" Cato somewhat complements "Says hot stuff over here" Daniel replies, still not convinced, so I take my opportunity and kiss him "Convinced?" I ask "Hmm not really, I might be after another one though" he implies as I giggle feverishly and begin my way back up the mountain.
***
Once at the summit Cato and Dan can barely breath because of the altitude. Don't
ask me how I'm fine because I have absolutely no idea, and that's when I was impaled. After being knocked forcefully by Daniel on accident and falling on the rough terrain, my leg landed on a sharp, pointy rock, impaling me, holding in my screams and yells, I gripped the rock and yanked it out, letting out a whimper, the wound started oozing a more dark orange than red blood fluently, Daniel was panicking and flailing about as I assured him that everything was fine and asked him if he could find the Nectar in his backpack as I got out some Ambrosia from mine and ate 3 pieces, which tasted like confectionary, and Daniel throws his flask at me and I catch it, taking a couple of swigs, "What are you doing?" Cato asks "Conserving the only thing other than Dan that can heal us faster than usual" I reply "Actually, about that, let me heal you" Dan says "No, keep your strength, you'll need it" I inspect my leg, which already seems to be closing up from the Nectar and Ambrosia. I put the flask in my backpack, stand up and look around. I can see Atlas' location from here, although it's kind of etched into my brain forever. We start the somewhat easier trek across the top of the mountain.