All she could hear as she ran through the darkened streets was her heartbeat and the thundering footsteps of both the boy behind her and the monster behind them both.
She slowed as they ran out of the populated area of town.
"Where ..... did ...... Dad say .....to go to?" she panted the question to the boy just slowing behind her.
"You sound out of breath Helen" he grinned "He said to run until the hill, go over the hill and into the archway"
"Only you would not be out of breath after all that running Nikola" she smiled at him softly before changing the subject "This hill?"
"One would assume so" he remarked
They heard a roar behind them as they looked at each other on terror.
"Run" he whispered
And so they ran. As fast as they could. But even in her terrified state of mind, Helen knew that they wouldn't make it.
"Nikola, we're not going to make it" she yelled, but she couldn't tell if he had heard her or if he had ignored her.
Something slashing at her arm stopped her running as she screamed and fell. Nikola heard her and slowed.
But Helen didn't notice this. All she could feel was the blood running down her arm and the rain water from the grass soaking into her back.
The monster stood still as though it was a dog sniffing at its prey. Then it charged at the two children just as Nikola reached Helen.
They threw their hands up to protect themselves from the attack but they didn't feel the impact.
They opened their eyes and looked at each other, then at the monster. It was soaking wet and had electricity crackling around it as it slowly evaporated into gold mist.
They stood up. Nikola offering Helen his arm.
"Thank you" she smiled shakily "Is it safe now?"
Nikola looked around them and answered "Yes, I think so"
She nodded "Is that where we have to go to?"
Nikola took in the arch in the middle of the next clearing to the left. "I would think so"
"Let's go then"
They didn't talk at all as they made their way to the arch.
"So what now? We just walk through?" he questioned
She looked at him with the daredevil look in her eyes as she grinned and walked forward intoarch with Nikola following her.
"Wow" was all they could say as they saw what was on the other side
"Greetings" came a call
"Who said that?" she asked suspiciously
"That would be me" a half man and what looked like half a horse smiled
"And who are you" Nikola said stiffly
"I am Chiron. Camp director and in charge of welcoming new campers here"
"But we shouldn't be here" Helen interjected
"Why wouldn't the daughter of Poseidon and the son of Zeus be welcomed here?" he questioned smiling – Why was he always smiling? Helen mused – and pointed to a spot above their heads.
They gasped.
Above Helen's head there was a sea blue trident claiming her as Poseidon's daughter, and above Nikola's head, there was a white lightening bolt claiming him as Zeus's son.
Helen closed her eyes and murmured "Why can't our lives ever be normal?"