Daughter of Poseidon •{Nico di Angelo}• [UNDER CONSTRUCTION]

Chapter 16: THE ATTACK

Sure enough, a few minutes later, the gryphons on the horizon had disappeared and were now circling the house with the other ten gryphons.

Christina had a couple suits of armor, the breastplates and the shin guards, and Natasha, Christina, and I slipped them on. Nico had his own armor, dark black Stygian armor, and Leo said he didn't want any. I guessed he wasn't really into attacking the gryphons head on.

Ten minutes later, we were all wearing armor and had our weapons ready. We lined up in front of the door with me in the lead and Leo at the back. I readied my bow and on the count of three, we burst out the door and started fighting the gryphons.

We took down two in the first five minutes, which is pretty good considering that there were originally twelve of them. The rest weren't so easy to kill.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Nico and Leo fighting side by side in perfect harmony. They probably were used to that since they fought together during the war with Gaea. Natasha, Christina, and I were in a circle with our backs to each other. Christina and I were fighting in harmony, but since Natasha had never been a Hunter, she was kind of clueless about our fighting styles.

I shot arrow after arrow at the gryphons, making each shot count. I was mostly aiming for their necks, but I also aimed for their legs.

"If I could injury their legs bad enough, then we are less likely to get scratches." I thought to myself. Suddenly, the biggest gryphon let out a shriek and dove at me. Somehow I managed to roll out of its way, but I had to separate myself from the others in the process of dodging.

I led the gryphon away from the others and traded my bow for my sword. We circled each other for a minute before the gryphon rushed in towards me. I stabbed at its front legs with my sword and managed to keep its long claws away from me.

I swung my sword at its back and it shrieked in pain when I gave it a long, deep scratch on its back. It lunged at me and caught me with one of its fore legs. It flew up in the air several feet and then flung me down on the ground with all its strength. I hit the ground hard and felt a sharp pain in my left arm. I heard a crunch when I hit the ground that probably meant that my left arm was broken.

I heard someone call my name, but I couldn't tell who it was. The gryphon landed in front of me and slammed down on the ground with its fore legs, missing me by inches. It tried again, but this time I was ready for it. I lifted my sword and closed my eyes. The gryphon fell right on my sword. I heard a sickening crunch and one last shriek of pain before it dissolved into dust that fell down on me.

I sat up and spit the dust out of my mouth and jumped up to my feet to start fighting again. I looked up just in time to see Christina get picked up by the last two gryphons and get carried away kicking and screaming.

"CHRISTINA!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs and began chasing after the gryphons that had grabbed her. I could feel tears forming in my eyes. I started running after her.

I went only a couple steps when I felt someone grab me from behind. "Sofia, no!" I recognized the voice as Nico's. He gripped my waist tightly and held me back.

I tried to squirm out of his grip but it was too strong. "I have to go after her! Nico let me go!" I started sobbing. Christina's cries rang out still. I had to go after her. She was the closest friend I had.

Nico whispered in my ear. "I can't let you chase her. There's nothing you can do. If the gryphons drop her, she'll die from the fall. And what about the others? You can't just leave us here. We're depending on you."

I realized that he had a point, no matter how terrible it was.

I collapsed on the ground, my whole body shaking from sobs. I felt Nico crouch down beside me and gently put his arm around my shoulder and hug me tight. Hurt and broken inside, I leaned against him.

I heard someone clear their throat and managed to see Natasha through blurry eyes. Nico waved her away.

"Go get some ambrosia for those scratches, they look pretty deep." He calmly said to her. I could tell that she was angry by the way she stomped all the into the house.

I pulled away gently from Nico. "I have to pull myself together." I sniffled once before standing up to look at my left arm, which was a terrible decision.

"Eek!" I somehow managed to say something. My left arm was bent at a weird angle and it had a huge cut that was bleeding like crazy. "Ow."

Nico took one look at my arm and his eyes immediately widened. "I'll get some ambrosia. And some gauze." He quickly ran into the house to get the ambrosia and the gauze.

Leo walked over to my side, looking slightly hurt and kind of sick. "Those gryphons got a mean swing don't they?" He must have sensed the tension in the air and attempted to break the ice.

I smirked. "Yeah, they do. You alright?" I turned slightly to face him and saw a wistful smile on his face. "What?"

"Huh, looks like he beat me to it." Leo smiled sadly and muttered something.

"What? What are you talking about?" I gave him a questioning look.

"Oh, it's nothing. And to answer your question I'm fine." With that, he turned on his heel and walked into the house. A few seconds later, Nico emerged holding some ambrosia and a roll of gauze.

He came over to stand by me. "Come on, it'll be easier for me to wrap your arm up if you are sitting down." He gently pulled me over to the porch and handed me the piece of ambrosia, which I gratefully accepted. He slowly started to wrap the gauze around my arm after he set it in the right position.

I thanked him when he finished and went to my room to take a well deserved nap.