The Circle of Life (a Percy Jackson AU)

The End of His Days

         I couldn't believe that they were following me. Then again, it was still hard to believe that my father was dead. I was still in denial and I was reaching the end of my childhood. My mane was almost fully grown in and my claws had become as sharp as thorns. I was ready to make Smelly Gabe pay for what he had done-even if it meant the end of my days.
     The prophecy still haunted me. It was plagued my nightmares for the long months as part of Jupiter's tribe, rearing it's ugly head every time I tried to forget it.  The prophecy was a thorn in my side that could not be ignored and now I was ready to pull out that thorn-even if it meant spilled blood.
        When I had told the pride of a land richer in prey with multiple watering holes, they had been shocked and suspicious. Once I told them of my need for revenge however, Mars had nodded grimly and agreed to support my cause. "Only violence will end this needless bloodshed," he had said.
       Though she was not there, the one I imagined by my side was Annabeth. She filled my thoughts, giving me the courage to keep going. Whenever I thought of giving up, I remembered how much my family had suffered and how Annabeth would call me a coward. I was not a coward: I would be a hero.
         On the way to my old home, we bumped into both Calypso and Rachel. Rachel had found us actually, padding up to me and telling me of visions she had had. "If you don't defeat him, then the entire savannah will die," she had whispered. "The lions, the cheetahs, the meerkats, everyone."
      While Rachel had reminded me of the prophecy, Calypso brought an old friend: Leo. Leo had grown since we were cubs, but his mane was still scruffy and he was unusually lean. He still joked more than an elephant eats, but he seemed less antsy now, as if he had learned to channel his energy into productive things. We also met a lone lion named Nico who tagged alongside us.
When we neared my old camp, Frank told us that we needed a battle strategy. "Most battles are won before they are even fought," he told us.
I shook my head firmly. "I have to be the one who fights Smell Gabe," I said.
"Alone?" Hazel asked.
"Yes," I said firmly.
My friends started to protest, but Rachel stepped forward. "He must do this," she said. "It is part of the prophecy. Trying to thwart the prophecy will only make things worse."
I flicked my tail in acknowledgement and strode into my old camp. It was unrecognizable. The camp was littered with corpses of prey animals, maggots writhing inside of them. I gagged on the sickly sweet stench and looked around to see bones picked of their flesh littered all over the clearings. Fighting down a shudder of revulsion, I padded forward and raised my chin. "Hey Smelly Gabe!" I said.
      "Looking for a fight?" he sneered. "You think that you can best me? You're madder than the lioness who raised young gazelle! You'll never win and you'll never be a leader!"
      "I'm not doing this for power," I said. "I'm doing this for my mother, for my father, and for Annabeth."
          Smelly Gabe strode towards me and even at my fullest height, the top of my head could only just barely brush his chin. He lunged at me and I darted to one side, but his front paw connected with my flank and sent me sprawling. I leapt to my feet and hurled myself at him, hoping to unbalance him, but he merely flicked me off and gave me a stinging blow to the cheek.
      I could feel sharpness on my pelt and there was a wetness in my mouth. When I spat onto the grass, I saw that it was stained read. Climbing shakily to my feet, I looked at Smelly Gabe and tried to gauge him.
       He was playing with me like I was a mouse that could be killed with one blow. He had only kept me alive to further my pain and to swell up his own sick ego. I couldn't win this battle the way I had been fighting. I needed to try something new. I needed to think tactically.
     I circled him, but didn't try to attack him with blows. Instead, I opened my mouth, allowing words to become my claws. "So, you think that you are such a wonderful leader?" I asked. "Kronos thought he was too, but he ran away with his tail between his legs like a common dog."
     He edged closer to my target. "I'm no Kronos," Smelly Gabe growled.
          "You're right," I said sarcastically. "You're smarter and better-looking. I suppose that'a why you only have one cub. The lionesses must be fawning over you."
        "You imbecile!" He shouted charging towards me, but I merely stepped to one side.
       He was getting closer now. I had to concentrate at staring him down and I prayed that my eyes would not betray my plan. "You wanted to mess with my mother?" I growled. "No one hurts those I love and gets away with it!"
      "I'll force you to be in my pride then!" He sneered. "You'll hunt for me every day and I'll give you just enough food to suffer until the end."
       "I'm afraid you're wrong." I said, "because water beats stinky lions every day."
      He looked at me and his eyes dawned in recognition, but I had already sent him sprawling into the shallow pool of water and he landed awkwardly with a sickening crunch. Getting to his paws, he managed to scramble upwards, lumping the entire time. "What are you going to do how, kill me?" he snarled.
     "No, that's my mother's decision," I said.
*****
       "You declined the leadership?" Annabeth asked.
       "I don't want power," I explained. "I want you. If I was a leader, I'd have less time to help raise the cubs."
     We both looked at her swelling belly. Much had happened in the past few moons. My mother had taken a new mate, a lion named Paul, and he was the new leader. Smelly Gabe had turned to stone when he met a lioness named Medusa. His statue was now decorated with flowers every new moon as a celebration that his reign was over. "We have the entire future ahead of us," I said, "and I'll be with you every step of the way."