The Legend of Elodie Grant (Percy Jackson Fanfiction)

Chapter Twenty-three

It was a losing battle, but I still managed to pull myself to my feet with some unknown strength. If I was going to die, I was going to die defending my friends. I abandoned my thorn wall, knowing it would be destroyed soon enough. As long as the one around the entire camp stood its ground. I didn't care about much else.

I knew I was too weak too attempt to use my powers anymore, so I bent down to retrieve my staffs before turning and facing the monster hovering over the girl. I smacked it over its head with one staff, drawing its attention to me. I gritted my teeth, determination flooding through me.

It snarled, snapping its teeth in my face and I didn't think before launching myself at it. I knew I was going to die today, some way or another, so I threw caution to the wind, fighting with everything I had in me. I battered the monster until it was up against the thorn wall surrounding the camp. It desperately slashed at me, but it was no match for the celestial bronze that stemmed from my staff in thorns. It quickly burst into dust.

I breathed a sigh of relief, but I knew there was still more for me to do. I whirled around, my eyes falling on the pile of monsters that hid Arsen from me. I took a unbalanced step forward, determined to reach the pile. Monsters, seemingly noticing I had nothing to lose, threw themselves in my path.

They knew I didn't care and they knew that made me dangerous.

I cut down monster after monster that threw themselves in my way, but it was not enough. It felt as if with every step, I moved away from Arsen than closer. Rage grew inside me, bubbling up my throat. I had seen friends die, failed at the only mission I had been given, and watched the boy I love ravaged by the very monsters that surrounded me. The only thing I wanted now was to be by Arsen's side as I died and they were even preventing that now.

I grew more and more angry with every monster in my sight. Rage bubbled inside me, until, suddenly, it overflowed. I let out a powerful scream that shook the air and the trees around me. The familiar pull in my stomach appeared again with a vengeance, powered by my rage.

Everyone seemed to freeze for a second.

And then, everything burst into motion.

Everywhere, plants were attacking monsters. Trees seemed to reach down, impaling beasts with their branches. Grasses reached up to the sky like tentacles, suffocating monsters. Vines wrapped around limbs, keeping the creatures frozen, allowing campers to lunge forward to finish them off. I watched through hazy vision as a Minotaur was pulled into the earth. It let out a fearful cry, even as soil filled in over its head, dragging it to who-knows-where.

Just as suddenly as it started, it ended, leaving a haze of golden dust in the air. Plants shrunk down to their regular size and shapes, trees straightening and then remaining frozen. All was quiet.

Then, one by one, the campers started to cheer. The hill was flooded with the sounds of victory, and those who had been on Pegasus landed, dismounting to reunite with those who had been on the ground. Everyone was in disbelief that they were alive, but relieved.

I raced towards Arsen's still body, ignoring the celebration that broke out around me. A sob broke from my chest as I flung myself down to the ground next to him. I ran my hands over his body, surveying his injuries. He winced slightly, causing relief to flood through me. He wasn't dead.

"Arsen!" I gasped, reaching up to cradle his head. "Arsen, can you open your eyes for me?"

His eyes slowly cracked open to look at me and I gasped, tears flooding down my cheeks and landing on his face.

"We will get you a dryad to come fix you up." I murmured to him, sobs wracking my body. "You're going to be okay."

The cheers around us fell silent as more and more eyes turned to watch me sob over the boy who had led them into battle.

"Someone go get a healer!" I screamed at them.

No one moved. They knew it was useless. Arsen would die before anyone who could help even made it to the hill. I sobbed, dropping my head to rest my forehead against Arsen's.

"You'll be okay." I murmured, refusing to believe differently. "You'll be okay."

"Elodie..."

I pulled away to look at him when the boy behind me called my name. Tears blurred my vision, but I didn't pay any attention to it, instead focusing everything I had on the boy in my lap.

"Elodie, he's dead." The boy said, gently.

I looked down at Arsen. His eyes were staring lifelessly up at me. A sob wracked my body and I fell to the ground next to him. Nobody moved to touch me. Campers all around us were crying, mourning the death of the boy who had protected them until his very last breath.

It felt like hours, but it must have only been minutes before a warm glow coated the hillside. I looked up slightly as the glow faded away, my gaze falling on a man in a business suit. I knew exactly who it was despite never having seen him before.

The king of Olympus. Zeus.

My suspicions were only confirmed when everyone around me started bowing. I remained where I was, refusing to bow. I was too numb to do anything more than clutch Arsen's body to my chest.

Zeus paused to look around, taking all of us in. He seemed emotionless as he surveyed the damage, his eyes falling to his daughter's body near the camp border that was visible among my thorn wall. His gaze left her to look at me, his blue eyes piercing into my soul. I expected him to comment on my lack of respect by not bowing, but he said nothing.

"You all have done well here today." He said, his eyes leaving mine to survey the campers.

I expected him to say more, but he was silent. The god of the sky was nothing like how I had imagined. He looked back over to me.

"Will you do the honors?" He asked, his arm sweeping over to his daughter's body.

I knew immediately what he wanted, and flicked my hand towards the girl, the tug in my gut present. We all watched as a massive pine tree grew, reaching into the sky and encasing the girl in its roots. As it rose, the thorn wall fell, allowing sunlight to stream into the camp once more. When everything was still again, Zeus spoke.

"Now, I would like to talk to Elodie alone. Go see to the wounded and bury the dead."

At his words the campers flew into motion. I refused to let go of Arsen, numbness filling my body. I snapped at a boy as he came to collect the body, and he immediately left me alone, leaving Arsen where he was. When we were alone, Zeus looked over at me once again.

"Elodie?"