After the End of the World: A Reyna Story

Chapter 2: We Get Invited to a Ball

Getting there wasn't the problem.

Finding the monster wasn't the problem, either.

Killing it was the problem.

The monster had ripped up parts of the concrete, just like Frank had said. It had the head of a lion, the body of a red stag, and a huge mouth with a sharp, bony ridge in place of teeth. All in all it was completely bonkers-looking.

"What is that?" Andy asked.

"A leucrocota."

"A what now?" Andy said.

"A leucrocota. Really dangerous physically, but it can also imitate the voices of humans, just like a cyclops. We have to kill this thing now."

"How did it do that to the road?" Andy kept looking incredulous.

"See that white bone in its mouth?" Hazel spoke up. "That's how. It dragged it down the road. It's razor sharp and really strong."

"Great," Andy gulped. He had slung a bow and quiver full of arrows over his shoulder. They were all gold and glinted in the dim light from the alley we were hiding in, but they looked flimsy next to the ten-foot-tall monster.

Soon, we were coming up with a less-than-stellar plan of attack, but it was the only chance we had.

"On my count," I whispered. "Three, two one."

My heart was pounding fiercely, but it felt good. The rhythm was a constant, steady beat in my ears. Adrenaline rushed through my body, but it felt natural.

Hazel ran in front of the leucrocota, trying to distract it while Andy and I ran out onto the street behind it where we'd try to stab it.

We had almost made it to its back when the monster kicked out its hind legs and threw Andy and I back. I tried to roll in midair so that I wouldn't get thrown onto my spine, but it still hurt when I slammed into a mortal and knocked him to the ground.

I was on top of him and we were nose to nose. His eyes were a bright, clear blue: bluer than the sky. He had dark brown hair that was plastered to his face from running. Don't get me started on his jawline.

"Uh, excuse me, but, you might want to put away the sword." He said as he pushed the weapon I was still holding away from his thigh.

"What?" I said, quickly getting off of him. "You can see this?"

He smirked like I was crazy and cute. That was a new one.

"Between you and me, I'm pretty sure everyone on this street can see the sword."

"You think they can see that monster over there?" I said, pointing to the leucrocota.

"Well, why not? I've grown up seeing stuff like that all my life, and everyone's always told me I'm crazy. If you can tell me you see it too, then why can't everyone can't see it?"

I shook my head.

"That is a monster. I am a demigod. You are a mortal, a clear-sighted mortal. Most people are just mortals without Sight. You can see the monster and they can't."

"What did you call me?" The boy said, his dark brows furrowing together.

"It doesn't matter. Just let me kill this thing and then we'll talk."

I turned, but before I could run back to the monster, he grabbed my wrist.

"What's your name?" he looked so sincere,  that it made my frown melt.

"Now is hardly the time."

"Then hurry up and tell me."

"Reyna." I huffed.

"Theo. Well, legally Theodore, but I much prefer Theo. Don't you?"

I was tempted to say that I didn't care, but I stuffed that comment to the back of my throat.

"I don't know, Theodore's kind of classy."
I pulled my hand away, turned, and ran toward Hazel and Andy as they lay on the ground with the monster nowhere in sight. But I left slowly enough to hear Theo start to laugh.

My mind quickly flitted to Hazel and Andy, though. My heart sank and I felt terribly guilty. Theo had stopped me from helping my friends.

They could have died.

"What happened?" I said, horrified.

"It got away." Hazel said dejectedly as she sat on the sidewalk with Andy standing next to her.

"How?" Even I heard the tremor in my voice.

"When he knocked us two to the ground, he practically squashed Hazel as he stampeded forward. We both couldn't stop him without you."

I frowned.

"I was on the ground, just like you, soldier."

"Well, if you hadn't been making goo-goo eyes at that mortal-"

"Goo-goo eyes?" I sputtered. "Excuse me, I was not making goo-goo eyes at anyone!"

"Well then I don't know how to describe how you were looking at that mortal."

"Don't," I spat. "He has a name. Theo. And don't act like just because he's a demigod he's not equal to us. That's so dumb."

"Wow Reyna, I never knew you were so good with words."

"Well-"

"Stop it, you two!" Hazel shouted over me.

I still shot my very best death stare at Andy and his confidence did seem to waver.

"Look, this was stuck on one of the  leucrocota's talons."

I moved to sit beside her, and Andy did the same.

The poster looked like it used to be a shimmery silver with swirling black cursive. It must have been enchanted, or something, because the letters were moving and shifting between English and Ancient Greek. It was crumpled, torn, and barely legible, but I was still able to make out the gist of it, even with the impossible-to-read English cursive and even harder Greek.

3500th annual Minor Gods Ball!
When: Tonight at 8
Where: Mount Tam
All minor Grecian gods and goddess are invited! We mean minor- so please, Apollo, don't show up again!
No RSVP is needed!
Come tonight!

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Hazel muttered.

"Hazel, that line is so overused." Andy said.

"But are you?" Hazel snapped back.

I paused before I said anything. What we were about to do could be counted as treason. We were going to go undercover. We'd have to buy dresses and tuxedos and makeup. It would be expensive, not to mention very dangerous. If we got caught- the gods could be unforgiving. But we had to. It was our only chance to catch this monster, who would surely be going undercover himself. I sighed, and then I spoke.

"I'm thinking we're going to infiltrate a ball of the gods."