The Legend of Elodie Grant (Percy Jackson Fanfiction)

Chapter Twenty-one

By standing at the top of the hill, I could see all of my friends scattering. They were everywhere, tense in preparation of the battle. They all seemed to be saying their goodbyes, and eventually I had to duck my head to look at my toes instead.

My feet were bare.

Every time I could touch the earth, I felt better. Stronger, even. As if the earth itself was stabilizing me.

A Pegasus ran past me, leaping up into the air last minute. Even more flooded over the top of my thorn wall, demigods riding them, swords out. I wished these beautiful creatures didn't have to ride into battle, but there was nothing more to do.

The Hephaestus kids had been laying traps throughout the woods for the past week. We all knew it wouldn't be enough in the long run, but they would help. The less monsters we had to face, the better.

Apollo kids were in the trees, bows at the ready. Their eyes skimmed the trees, watching down the hill. Athena campers were talking quietly to themselves, most likely strategizing. The dryads were farther back into the camp, acting as the last defense.

I pulled the hair sticks out of my hair, letting the wild locks fly around my face. I dropped them to the ground, catching them when they bounded back up as full staffs. I felt the familiar pull in my gut as thorns grew along end.

Arsen finished talking to the rest of the people in his cabin and made his way over to my side. I held my arms out and, without either of us saying a word, he pulled me into his body.

I clenched his shirt in my fists, fear taking a hold of me. I can't imagine being without him and now there was a very real possibility of losing him forever.  We hadn't known each other very long. In fact, we knew very little about each other.

But, I knew how his eyes tightened whenever he needed sleep. I knew how he loved his fellow campers, even if he didn't know them, and he would protect them with his life. I knew how he loved to play with my hair, and how he loved it when I drew patterns on his skin with my fingertips. I knew the little, insignificant things about him and that was enough for me to fall in love with him.

I sighed into his chest, tightening my hold on him. Usually, he wasn't that big of a fan of PDA, but he pulled me closer to his body, leaning down to give me a mind-blowing kiss. He put all of his fears and desperation into that kiss, and I couldn't help but kiss back with equal fierceness. I knew that, even though we had refused to say goodbye to each other, this was as close to one as we were going to get.

When he pulled away, I was breathless and I had tears in my eyes. He looked down at me, his face softening. He knew exactly how I was feeling . He pecked my lips once more before leaning away with a mischievous smile on his face.

"Am I that bad of a kisser that you have to cry about it?"

I rolled my eyes and broke away from his hold, hitting his chest. The harshness of my actions were softened by the smile that grew on my face at his words. He never failed to make me feel better, even if I felt like I would never laugh again.

I could feel the other campers watching us out of the corner of their eyes. Although it was obvious Arsen and I had grown closer over the past couple months, people were eager to get the confirmation. I rolled my eyes slightly, but my cheeks flared red with embarrassment. Arsen gave me a questioning look.

"Everyone is watching us." I mumbled sheepishly.

"Let them watch." He announced with a big grin. He grabbed me by the waist and hauled me against his chest once again. "Let them know that I am in love with the most beautiful girl and the best lay I ever had!"

I gasped, pulling away.

"Arsen!" I screeched, hitting him as hard as I could.

He laughed, ducking away from my flailing fists. I couldn't help but start to laugh as he grinned up at me, a cheeky look in his eyes. I sighed and stopped attacking him. A pout grew on my face, but he rolled his eyes, knowing I was no longer mad. He leaned over to kiss the side of my face, but was otherwise quiet. I smiled gently, content, despite the current circumstances.

Suddenly, gasps erupted from all around us, making the smile slip off my face. I turned to look down the hill, where monsters were slowly creeping out from behind trees. I couldn't believe my eyes when I noticed the sheer amount of them. This was more than we had faced in the past weeks combined.

I grimaced, bending down to pick up my fallen staffs. Arsen's entire demeanor changed as he unsheathed his sword, holding it out in front of him like a revenging angel. I could see, for the first time since I arrived, how he could be the son of the god of war. It was written on his face as he stepped forward.

I dug my feet into the ground, feeling strength course through me from the earth.

Arsen let out an ear-splitting yell. It was unnatural, full of rage and pain. It was a battle cry.

From all around us, the Ares kids started howling, shaking their weapons in the air. They were excited. I could see it in their eyes. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at their dramatics. Arsen allowed himself one last glance back at me, before turning back around and charging down the hill.

The hill rang with the battle cries of scared and enraged campers.

And with that, we charged, following our fearless leader.