Sons of the Big Three

Hunted

I could still hear them chasing after me, the cracking of branches and the crunch of boots. I dared not turn around, in fear that if I did so I would slow down, and then I would be caught. Instead, I tried to concentrate on running.

My feet were aching from having to run for so long. My breath was ragged and uneven, my heartbeat double what was meant to be normal. Trees rushed past me, the moon, cold, bright and beautiful, shining down on me, and I realised that if I did die today, then at least I would be able to see it once more.

‘Come back here!’ one of the things chasing me yelled, and I quickened my pace.

Suddenly something jumped out in front of me, and I jumped back before realising that it was my cousin Desmond. ‘Keep running Will!’ he urged me on as I stopped and he slapped my arm. ‘Nick and Alex should already be ahead of us. Remember what the man told us?’

I nodded. ‘He said that we would reach the camp if we didn’t stop. But we haven’t stopped.’ I realised something. ‘Where’s… Kristian?’ I gasped, trying to speak while sprinting.

Desmond looked back and frowned. He was always the fittest out of us two. ‘Well, I think he went on ahead. We’re the last of us; the others are all in front.’

Who was “us”? We were a group of demigods that were currently running after being attacked by monsters and saved by an older guy, who, claiming the be our protector, had directed us towards the camp where we would be supposedly safe, before he had to leave and distract the monsters as much as he could, and we hoped he was alive, but we feared the worst. He had said that the bigger the group the more monsters would be attracted by our demigodly scent, but none of us wanted to leave.

Yeah, we were fifteen or sixteen year old students who were demigods. Half mortal, half Greek god. I had found it hard to believe. Hell, we all did, but when we were attacked, I guess we just all accepted it and started moving.

It wasn’t as hard for me as the others. I was an abandoned child. I had only just recently met the others, Desmond being the one I had known the longest. Several months ago I had finally moved in with him. Before then… well, before I had been doing some “travelling”.

Another thud came from behind and a snarl so close to me made me push myself harder. I knew that the monsters were close. It was discouraging that we were only halfway to where we were supposed to end up.

Before I could think more about anything, something barrelled into me, and I found myself on the ground, a huge, black hound on my chest, eyes red and filled with anger, growling and hackles raised, ready to kill me.

I grunted and worked my only weapon I had in my pocket. I jammed my 2B pencil into the beast and it yelped and backed away. Hands grasped me from behind. Desmond.

‘Hurry up,’ he yelled. I nodded, taking note to thank him after.

Panting, I weaved around two oaks, before stumbling as Desmond stopped, and we entered a clearing where the rest of our group was waiting, scavenged and makeshift weapons ready to strike.

‘Finally joined us Will?’ one of them called out to me casually as we joined the circle they had made. There were ten of us in all, and I quickly did a head count, sighing in relief when I saw everyone was here.

‘Not my bloody fault that monsters love to try and rip me to shreds, is it Nick?’ I countered with a question of my own.

‘If you’re so bloody slow, then yes!’ Kristian bellowed, holding a branch in his hands that looked more like a club. We grinned at each other.

I looked at each person in the group, each friend that I had now, our bonds of friendship hardened through our hardships so far. Desmond was my main link to it; it had been his group of friends before I had showed up and they had adopted me, the anti-social kid that didn’t hang about with others.