Chapter 2

Okay, so I got inspired and decided to keep writing. I like this chapter, especially the little cliffhanger at the end. Of course what happens is obvious since it's a couple more chapters long... But you'll never guess HOW it happens;)

I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 2: The Lion-Headed Dragon Goat

The weeks of school went by and I noticed a change in my social life. Girls gave me the time of day, people wanted to sit with me at lunch, people wanted me to join study groups, three guys from the swim team asked me if I was interested in joining, and I was absolutely overwhelmed by people from every corner of my life.

Now that I was invulnerable, I could join any sport I wanted, and since I was the son of Poseidon, I could win by a mile on the swim team. I had friends now, something I hadn’t known much, with the exception of Grover and Annabeth—but that was…different now.

It was two months into the school year and I was white knuckling it. One more month until winter break and then I was off to camp to meet up with Grover and Juniper, Annabeth by my side. Mom wanted to take that time to go on an anniversary trip with Paul and I had no arguments, not that she had really asked my permission. It was more along the lines of, “What are you doing for vacation? I’m going on a trip.”

She had gotten very used to my independence.

A newly made friend, the captain of the swim team at Goode, Michael, was asking me about the mysterious blonde that was the background on my phone on the last Monday before Winter Break, and I didn’t have anything to say but, “Girl. Friend. Girlfriend.” She was, wasn’t she? I made a mental note to ask her when I saw her—if she remembered our plans which had been subtly made out by her and had been texted to me last week.

It had said we were to meet at the lake by my cabin at exactly 6 o’clock. Nothing more. I’d responded with, “Why?” but had never received an answer. Mentally shrugging, I’d accepted it. Now I was going to find out what it was—well not for another 4 days.

And those 4 days passed slowly.

--

Swim practice ended and I sat at the edge of the pool, letting my feet dangle into the water. I wasn’t ready to leave yet. My heart seemed to calm down the rapid beating when I was near water. I felt safe.

And then I heard growling. I looked up and saw it, and for a moment I wondered what a lion was doing in here, and then my head cleared from the safety of the water and panic and adrenaline rose in my chest. Riptide was in my jeans in the locker room and the small of my back was exposed. That’s when a snake head appeared over the lion’s right ear, and a goat head sprouted on his left shoulder; the animal breathed a light puff of fire.

Chimera: a creature with a lion’s body, a goat’s head, and a snake’s tail. Not to mention that the lion’s head breathes fire.

It watched me for a moment before I remembered…water.

The creature bunched up on its hind legs, getting ready to release the tension in his muscles and pounce—this was a creature that Hercules had faced and defeated. And now it seemed like it was back to attack another hero. But this time it was me, not a dude that had strangled a bunch of snakes as a baby.

It pounced at the exact moment I willed a wave from the pool to carry me to the doorway that the creature had been in, that led to the locker rooms. I passed over it, causing the creature to get a bath of chlorine, and landed nicely on the tiles of the other side of the pool. Without looking back, I sprinted for the locker rooms, rummaged around in my jeans a little, finally coming up with Riptide. Unfortunately, just as I’d closed my fingers around the pen, the roar of the dripping wet creature was heard and I winced, turning around to guard my back against the wall of lockers.

The tail hissed at me, fangs elongating quickly, and I noticed that a portion of lockers were melting and smoking.

“Hey, ugly!”

The lion head turned towards the voice, forcing the snake onto me. With a yelp of surprise, I uncapped Riptide and swung it skillfully, cutting off the head—and half the body—of the creature. The lion roared, but stayed focused on whoever the voice belonged to. The voice shouted again.

“Over here, you disfigured mongrel!”

“Annabeth?!” I called, recognizing the voice.

“Well, hey there, Percy—long time no see. Not that you can really see me…”

Damn that Yankees cap. I cautiously stepped over the squirming snake head, running after the chimera, which was running after Annabeth’s voice, towards the pool again.

“Annabeth! Why…?”

“You can fight him better in water, Percy!”

She yelped and I heard a splash.

I sprinted. Her Yankees cap was lying on the diving board, and I saw a mess of blonde hair falling steadily under the water.

I was caught between my need to save Annabeth and my need to kill the animal that was trying to kill me. Speaking of the creature, it turned towards me, teeth bared, goat blaring angrily, lion spitting sparks of fire.

He took a nasty swing at me with a paw of sharpened claws and I slipped back into the water. I pressed down against the floor of the pool and willed the water to hold me up. Water splashed against the animal, but it didn’t seem to do much more than agitate it. It was spitting fire everywhere and I slashed at it with Riptide and got singed chest hair for my troubles.

With a sudden pang of remembrance, I raised Annabeth out of the water on a wave, depositing her on the tiles. “Please, Annabeth. Please don’t die.”

Summoning every bit of courage I had, I slid under the chimera’s neck on my back and in one fluid thrust, forced Riptide into its stomach, causing a roar and its collapse. The air was knocked out of me and blood was dripping onto me until, three seconds later, the blood and the weight was replaced by dust.

I coughed.

“Nasty,” I mumbled, looking down.

When I looked over at Annabeth I saw an ugly woman with a string in her hands leaning over her form. My breath caught I stood up, staring at her.

“Atropos, it’s not her time,” I said loudly, feeling more confident than I actually was. The Fates were not to be messed with—especially not the Fate that cut your string of life.

The woman looked up at me, an evil, ugly smirk planted on her thin lips. Taunting me, she waved a pair of scissors over the string, lowering it slowly…slowly…

i had fun writing it.
please comment, rate, review on twitter, FB, etc, etc...
(BY THE WAY!!!!! i changed my mind about setting the fanfic in later years. all of this takes place directly after The Last Olympian!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
love always,
Alyssa