Annabeth's Mortal Friends

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Caleb Pierson's POV:

Percy and Annabeth tensed up. They had obviously heard the growl too, which basically meant I was screwed. On one side, I had to face their wrath when they found out I followed them. On the other side...

I turned around slowly, my heart threatening to leap out of my chest. I came face to face with an older-looking man. There was a menacing look on his hooked features, and the low roar still grumbled deep in his throat. He had eyes of two different colors that flashed dangerously.

My head started to throb again as the man blurred. His hairy legs switched back and forth with an image of massive furry paws. A tail like a scorpion's rose behind him, but it vanished in a blink. What the hell was this thing?

"Caleb?!" Annabeth called out behind me in astonishment. Shit.

I willed myself to turn around again, facing Percy and Annabeth. Percy had his hand on his pocket, a mix of anger and determination written on his face. Annabeth shared the exact same look.

Together, I saw their eyes widen as they broke out into a full sprint toward me. I glanced side to side nervously.

"Caleb, get out of the-" Percy began to call, pulling a ballpoint pen out of his pocket.

He didn't get the chance to finish that sentence. I hardly had time to register what he was trying to say before something slammed into my side. The heavy thump knocked the air out of my lungs. I felt like I was flying.

Well, technically I guess I was. I saw the landscape blur past me as I sailed through the air sideways, my shoulder knocking against a tree. The adrenaline did little to dull the pain as I crumpled onto the grass.

I sat up, my ears ringing painfully as I scanned the field. Percy had uncapped his ballpoint pen and was swinging it strategically. I don't know what he thought that was going to do, but the hairy man with the tail certainly seemed threatened by it. My head throbbed again.

I yelped at the blur of movement in front of me, bringing my arms up to my face defensively. Surprisingly, I didn't die on the spot. I thought the monster was coming for me, but I wasn't thrown across the clearing again.

I opened my eyes and saw Annabeth standing protectively over me, wielding a sword made of bone. She was warding off the man-lion-scorpion thing like a true warrior.

It roared in frustration, swiping at her. She blocked it with the sword, keeping her stance grounded but light. It was like she was born to do this. The monster's tail shuddered angrily.

"Caleb," Annabeth said between labored breaths, "what in Hades are you doing here?"

The manticore cried out as Percy, now wielding a long bronze sword in place of the pen, slashed at his hind leg. It spun around, chasing him down the field.

"Caleb?" Annabeth asked again, urging me for a response. I snapped my attention back to her, but just stared blankly, not even sure how to answer. I felt like I'd been hit with a hammer, but even if that weren't true, I'm not sure what excuse I would have for her.

I stammered for a bit as her obvious impatience grew. I heard Percy curse in response to something, then he skidded across the ground for a few feet. Annabeth whipped her head around, staring at him in concern.

"I'm fine!" He reassured her, gritting his teeth and jumping back to his feet. He lept to the side quickly, launching into a somersault as the monster stomped down into the ground where he was laying only a second ago.

I felt Annabeth grab my arm, yanking me to my feet. She did a once-over of me, which normally would've made me swoon, but I assumed she was just checking me for any injuries.

"Little help, Wise Girl?" Percy called over his shoulder, dodging the frenzied attacks of the monster.

"We'll talk later," she told me sternly, gesturing toward the pine tree on the hill. "Over there. Percy and I will handle this."

"What?" I gawked, shaking my head despite the ache. "That thing is going to kill you! I can't just run!"

Annabeth took a deep breath. "Caleb, seriously, we're fine. Go past the pine tree. You'll be safe there."

"But what about-"

"Go!" She commanded, running to Percy's aide and leaving me standing there, covered in loose dirt and grass.

I watched her dash into battle. I was torn about what I should do next, but I finally decided that following her advice is probably my best option.

I dusted myself off and took one last look at the scene. The monster was tiring out, but it seemed to notice that I was alone. It started for me, but Percy threw a mix of insults and his sword at it, pulling its attention away from me.

I gathered the strength I had left to make a break for the pine tree. I ignored the dull pain in my side and the sharp one on my head, limping up the hill. My head stung more and more as I got closer to the tree again, my mind finally comprehending everything.

I slumped against the tree, taking in short gasps of air. Looking down the other side of the hill, I saw kids and teenagers running around strawberry fields. Cabins of all different designs were placed strategically around the open area. A horse — no, a man — no, definitely a horse, was wandering around a big blue house.

My breaths grew shorter and more frantic as my injuries began to catch up to me. I felt my back sliding further down against the tree, the Golden Fleece glittering just above my head.

My vision went fuzzy, and I blinked one last time before everything went black.

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how is 600k even possible???? like i know i say that about every milestone but that's literally over half a million ?????????? thank you ???????????????? i feel like i need to do something to celebrate but i don't know what

the votes and comments mean everything to me! you guys have no idea how many times i open this app hoping that i have some more notifications waiting for me. thank you for reading!!

5/24/21