2020 words

The next morning, while eating wild berries for breakfast, we all pondered what to do.

"What are we supposed to do?" Raiden asked, pacing around.

"I have no idea," I said. "We don't know where the hind is, so we're basically screwed."

Aidan hadn't said anything yet; he was sitting there with his face in his hands.

"You okay, Aidan?" I asked, concerned.

"Fine," He muttered. "Just thinking. Remember what the prophecy said? 'To face enemies in the needle of rain?'"

"Yeah," I said slowly. "What about it?"

"Well," Aidan said, raising his head. "What if it's not a metaphor? What if it has a literal meaning?"

Raiden and I glanced at each other. I could tell that she, like me, had no idea in Hades what Aidan was talking about.

"Explain, please," Raiden said.

"Well, isn't there a needle in Seattle?" Aidan said, his eyes lighting up excitedly. "Like the Space Needle? What if the hind is there?"

There was a moment of stunned silence, as the impact of these words sunk in.

"That actually makes sense," I said. "Maybe you do have some smarts in you, after all, Aidan."

Aiden threw a pinecone at me in response.

"Pher? Agro? What do you think?" I asked the wolves. "Does what Aidan says make sense for once?"

Yes, Pher barked. I've thought for a while now that that's what the prophecy meant.

"So, you thought you knew where the hind was," Aidan said in mild indignation. "And you didn't think to tell us?!"

You needed to figure it out by yourselves, Agro barked. Y'all gotta learn somehow.

Raiden muttered something under her breath. I caught phrases like "Ugh, why did I ever trust those stupid wolves?!" and "We could have been a lot farther on if they'd just told us."

We're sorry, Pher barked. But our job is to protect you, not tell you all the answers. We knew you'd figure it out eventually.

"But after everything we'd been through," I said furiously, my voice rising. "After all the hardships, you still didn't think of making one thing easy for us?!"

Ainsley, please- Agro began, but I'd already leapt to my feet and stormed off into the forest.

I was so angry, I wasn't even aware of where I was going until I ran into a tree.

"GODS DAM IT!" I bellowed so loudly that birds took flight from the trees, as I felt my nose break.

My hand flew to my nose as blood began to pour down my face.

Pinching my nose hard, I turned my head toward the sky and shouted, "Is this what you wanted, Mom?! For us to be almost dead all the time?! CURSE YOU AND THE REST OF THE OLYMPIANS!"

I probably shouldn't have said that last part, but I didn't care. I was so tired of being constantly hunted; constantly in danger; constantly having to fight monsters.

Speaking of monsters, I suddenly realized I was being watched. A drakon suddenly came charging out at me.

"NO!" I screamed, glaring at the drakon.

The drakon skidded to a stop in front of me. I was sure that if it could have screamed in terror, it would have.

The drakon started to run away, but I yelled, "Oh no, you don't!" and charged it, my daggers drawn. I leapt into the air, raised my daggers into the air, and plunged my daggers hard into the drakon's scales. My daggers pierced right through the scales of the drakon and reduced it to nothing but golden dust.

I kneeled in the pile of golden dust, panting hard. I was still angry, and I really didn't understand why. Just then, thunderous footfalls came from behind me. I spun around, ready to fight another monster, but it was only Agro.

"Oh, it's you," I said, lowering my daggers.

Ainsley, Agro barked. I'm sorry for not telling you stuff. I should have. I'm really sorry.

"It's fine, Agro," I said, sitting down on the ground.

Agro walked over to me and put her head in my lap. Are you okay?

"No, I'm not," I said. "I'm just so angry. And tired. Tired of being attacked by monsters; tired of being neglected by the gods. My mother has been ignoring my suffering; she's done nothing about it."

I understand how you feel, Agro barked. Unfortunately, that's life for a demigod. Especially one such as you.

"What do you mean, 'one such as you?'" I asked, stroking Agro's head.

You don't understand how powerful you and your brother are, Agro barked.

"What do you mean? I don't understand," I said, but Agro didn't reply.

We sat in silence for a few more minutes, while I stroked Agro's head until she barked, We should probably head back.

"Okay," I said, standing up.

Agro and I head back to where Raiden, Pher, and Aidan are.

"We should head to Seattle," Aidan was saying.

"I agree," I said.

"Alright," Raiden said.

Okay, Pher barked. Let's go.

I got on Agro, while Aidan got on Pher in front of Raiden. Agro and Pher went into their giant carthorse forms, and we were off. Pher and Agro ran to the tip of Vancouver Island, then over the Strait of Juan de Fuca, then over Admiralty Inlet, and finally onto a small beach.

I got off Agro and saw that everyone was staring at us. I was wondering what the Mist made Agro and Pher look like. Probably some poodle or cucumber.

"What the heck are a bunch of 12-year-olds doing driving a boat with two squirrels?!" I heard one adult mutter to his companion as we passed.

"Where are we going?" Raiden asked Pher.

It's a straight shot from here to the Space Needle, Pher barked. Just follow me.

We followed Pher and Agro out of the beach, left onto Elliot Ave West sidewalk, across the street and right onto Western Ave and down, right onto the sidewalk of Denny Way and down, left onto the sidewalk of Broad Street, and finally, left into the roundabout area of the Space Needle.

"Wow," Aidan said, stopping and staring up at the Space Needle. "It looks like a giant toothpick with a UFO at the top."

The round part at the top is called the 'the Atmos,' Pher explained. It's also where the observation levels are.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" I said. "Let's go."

But before we could even take a step toward the building, a gruff voice behind us said, "What are you kids doing?"

We all spun around. The speaker was a brown-bearded police officer.

"What are you kids doing?" the police officer repeated. "Where are your parents? You shouldn't be out here all alone."

"Uh..." I said, without knowing what I was going to say.

The police officer waited for my answer.

"We got separated from our parents, officer," Raiden said, taking us all by surprise. "And we just heading to the Space Needle to get help."

"I can help you," the police officer said.

"Ainsley," Raiden muttered, while the officer was talking. "On my signal, run to the Needle."

"Okay," I whispered back.

"What are you whispering about?" the police officer asked suspiciously, eyes narrowing.

"Nothing," Raiden said. "Ainsley, now!"

"Run!" I yelled at Aidan, starting toward the Space Needle.

"Oh no, you don't!" the police officer shouted, attempting to grab my shoulder.

But just before he caught my shoulder, Raiden flicked her hand upward and time slowed.

The police officer looked as though he were a sloth; his movements were slow and sluggish.

I stood, staring at him until Raiden yelled, "What are you waiting for?! Run into the Needle!"

"Right," I said, sprinting away.

For some reason, Aidan, Pher, Agro, and I were unaffected by the time dilation; we were still able to run normally, though the time around us was slowed.

When we finally reached the doors of the Space Needle, time seemed to return to normal. I stopped and looked; the police officer was looking around, confused as to where we'd gone.

"Hey!" He shouted when he saw us. "Come back here!"

"Go, go, go!" Aidan hissed at me, holding the door open.

Pher, Agro, and I slipped inside, and Aidan came after us. 

"Phew," I panted, wiping sweat from my forehead.

"Where's Raiden?" Aidan asked anxiously, looking around.

Right on cue, Raiden came sprinting through the door.

"Woah!" She yelled, unable to stop.

Raiden ran into Aidan, and they both fell backward.

I caught Raiden before she hit the ground, while Pher caught Aidan.

"Thanks," Raiden panted. "We gotta go, though. I only stalled the police officer."

"We have to take the elevator to the top," I said, pointing at the elevator behind the admissions desk.

"Let's go," Aidan said.

We sprinted behind the admissions desk and to the elevator.

"Hey!" the person behind the desk yelled. "You can't go in there without buying tickets first."

"C'mon, c'mon," I muttered, pummeling the button to call the elevator. "C'mon!"

"Security!" the person behind the desk yelled.

"Oh, schist!" Aidan yelled, as two burly dudes in blue uniforms came running into the room.

"Stop those kids!" the person behind the desk yelled, pointing at us.

"No!" I growled, drawing my daggers. "I won't be stopped by a bunch of sad security dudes!"

"No, Ainsley," Raiden said, stepping in front of me to stop me charging at the security dudes. "I'll take care of them."

"But-" I began.

"This is your quest," Raiden interrupted firmly. "Go save the hind. I'll take care of them. Good luck."

Raiden raised her fists and charged at the security dudes, shouting, "Come at me, bro!"

One of the security men scoffed and tried to grab one of Raiden's arms, but she ducked, seized his arm instead, and flipped him over her shoulder.

"Woah," Aidan said, stunned at Raiden's strength.

"Let's go," I hissed, grabbing his arm and pulling him into the elevator, followed by Agro and Pher.

I hit the button, and the elevator started to go up. It was a very awkward 41-second ride because there was a 6-year-old kid in there with her mom, and she looked and pointed at me and Agro, who I was petting, and said, "Look, Mommy! That girl is petting a squirrel!"

The mother looked at me and pulled her daughter away from me and muttered to her daughter, "Stay away from her, Elyse. That girl is crazy."

"At least, I'm not rude enough to say that someone else is crazy out loud," I said coldly to the mother, and she blushed the color of Mr. D's nose.

Finally, the elevator stopped, and we all got out.

"Woah," I said.

The view was spectacular. I could see the whole of Seattle and Elliot Bay, and it was beautiful.

"Where are we supposed to go?" Aidan asked, looking around. "I don't see the hind anywhere."

Let's go check out the top, Pher barked. She could be up there.

"Okay," I said. "Lead the way."

Pher and Agro led us up a flight of stairs that twisted out of sight. When we up to the very top of the flight of stairs, a breeze rustled my hair. And then, I saw her.

Chained to the antennae with chains made of Celestial Bronze was a huge female deer larger than a bull with bronze hooves, a beautiful dappled hide, and golden antlers. The chains were attached to manacles around her ankles, her neck, and the middle of her body.

I raised my daggers, prepared to cut through the chains, but Aidan stepped in front of me, blocking my path with his daggers drawn.

"Aidan, what are you doing?" I asked him impatiently. "Move so I can free the hind."

"Sorry, sis," He said. "But you and the hind aren't going anywhere. You're both coming with me."

"Aidan, what..." I said, confused.

But then I remembered the words of the prophecy.

"You shall be betrayed by the one you love the most."

"It's you," I whispered. "You're the traitor; you're working for Kronos."