[A/N]: Love me.

Lunar Halo

Chapter Five: Eos

Something soft was tickling my nose, but when I brushed it away, something pressed against me stirred. I opened my eyes to the top of a golden blonde head. Wallace's hair was softly tousled, and her face scrunched as the sunlight hit it. I carefully shook her shoulder and she sat up as quickly as she could, sliding away from me. She stuttered for a moment before standing up.

"Yes?" I asked, raising my eyebrows and rubbing my bed head.

She glared at me slightly before stalking back to her room. When she returned, she had changed back into her pink dress, and was carrying my backpack and her hunter's pouch.

"We need to get you some new clothes," I said, gesturing to her attire.

"What's wrong with my dress?" she asked, obviously deeply offended.

"Wallace, it's pretty and all, but we're traveling across the country, and that's a bit difficult in a dress I would imagine," I said carefully, so as to not upset her anymore than I already had.

She scoffed slightly, throwing my backpack at me. "Whatever," she mumbled and started walking towards the door. When I didn't move, she turned around and stared at me. "Well, are you coming or not?"

"Huh?" I asked, slightly startled. "Oh, right." I jumped up, following her out there door. "Where to?"

Wallace turned around and rolled her eyes. "Where else would we be going, smart one?" When I shrugged, she threw her arms up in exasperation. "West!"

Wallace pulled me into a thrift store.

"All you need is a shirt and a pair of jeans," I reminded her, but she ignored me.

"Do you have anything... vintage?" Wallace asked the girl at the register.

She slowly popped the bubble she had blown with her gum, and pointed vaguely to our left. I found it slightly annoying, but Wallace smiled and thanked her multiple times.

She pulled out an old silvery dress and held it up. "What do you think?" she asked, pressing it against her body.

I rolled my eyes. "You're like a shining beacon of beauty, Wallace. Now hurry up!" I said impatiently.

She sighed and placed it back. "Right. Shirt and pants."

It took her a total of twenty whole minutes to find the "perfect" pair of jeans, and then another ten to locate the "matching" top. I could feel my testosterone fading as she pranced out of the dressing room and squealed.

"I look wonderful!" She straightened her circlet headband and twirled a ringlet around her finger.

"Well then let's go!" I demanded.

After she paid a grand total of ten bucks for her thrifty clothes, we finally headed out.

Wallace continued to twirl her hair nervously as we walked on, glancing at cars from time to time as we strolled though the parking lot. Her eyes locked on an old green Ford, and she began hurrying towards it.

"Wallace, what're you doing?" I asked, getting a horrible feeling. She tried the door and it swung open. "Wallace! This is so illegal!" I hissed, looking around.

"Just get in the car," she mumbled under her breath. "Act natural and no one will notice."

I reluctantly climbed into the passenger seat and settled down. Wallace hot wired the car in thirty seconds flat, and I couldn't help but admire her ability. Once it was started, she backed out smoothly and sped off down the highway.

"Where are we going?" I finally asked after a few minutes of silence.

"West," she said firmly without taking her eyes off the road.

"Well I guessed as much. But how about the in between parts?" I was beginning to get worried about exactly where Wallace was headed, so I pulled out the map. "Okay, so we're just outside of Chicago." I traced the road with my finger to the nearest city. "This car needs gas and I think we can make it Aurora."

Wallace nodded and pressed the gas petal to the floor, sending the car flying forward.

Hours of driving later, a determined Wallace sped through the town of Aurora, going at least ninety. I held on for dear life, and yelled, "Wallace, slow down! You're gonna get us—"

Sirens wailed behind us and Wallace cursed. She pushed the petal even harder, escalating our speed to over a hundred.

I glanced frantically behind us. "Wallace, pull over!" I begged.

She shook her head. "We're in a stolen car," she said simply, swerving to avoid a slower car.

As the chase progressed, Wallace left a trail of angry car owners behind her, and a trail of even angrier police officers followed us closely. I, being the innocent bystander, resolved to tell them that Wallace was a madwoman who had kidnapped me and was trying to sell me into slavery on the black-market.

Hopefully they'd buy it.

Suddenly police cars pulled out twenty yards in front of us, boxing us in. Wallace had no choice but to slam on the breaks.

"Run!" I commanded right before jumping out of the car and sprinting into the woods that lined both sides of the highway. She wasn't far behind, and my legs frantically carried me as fast as they could. Wallace was the fastest runner I had ever met, but for some reason, she didn't pass me. I glanced behind me just in time to see a police man grab her roughly.

She cried out as he twisted her arm behind her back. Her eyes met mine and she screamed, "Ryan!" I slowed down, starting to backtrack, when she shook her head frantically. "Run!" she yelled as loud as she could.

I hesitated only for a moment before taking off at a sprint into the woods.

It took hours of running and hiding to lose the police that closely trailed me. Somehow, I was always able to climb a tree fast enough, or pull myself behind the exact rock they wouldn't check. By the time they called off the search, dark was falling. I was alone in the middle of unfamiliar woods at night. I would never admit it to Wallace, but I was scared.

After another hour of wandering, I found a small creek and pulled myself onto a flat rock. After several failed attempts to start a fire, I threw the two sticks down in frustration. "What am I going to do?" I mumbled to myself. I was lost, my only companion was in police custody, and I couldn't even start a fire. Some son of Artemis I was.

With a heavy sigh of defeat, I laid down on the cold rock and tried in vain to sleep. Finally, I sat up with determination. I was going to start a fire.

I woke up the next morning to the glow of sunlight through autumn leaves. The embers of my fire from the night before were still warm and I could smell the ashes. I yawned and pushed myself off the rock and stood up, stretching as tall as I could. When I relaxed, I let my shoulders hunch. My defeated posture reminded me that I still had to break Wallace out.

It had been a lonely night, no one to talk to or even have around to prove that I wasn't alone. But last night, huddling by the fire, I felt more alone than ever. I was beginning to realize that Wallace was more than just a way to find Artemis.

She was my friend.

And I had abandoned her, allowed her to be captured. I began to get angry at myself, remembering that I was lost in the woods, with no where to go except prison, because no matter the outcome of today, that is where I would end up at some point.

What a lovely thought.

After hours of walking, I ended up right back where I had started. In frustration, I threw my backpack on the ground and sat down.

There was no hope.

I closed my eyes, expecting to see black, but instead I was greeted by a rosy red background. I opened them in shock and found the rest of the world cloacked in the strange glow. After a few seconds, the color faded, and someone behind me cleared her throat.

"Ryan," she said with a smile as I whipped around.

"Yes," I replied, cautiously moving towards her.

Her smile broadened and she closed the distance between us quickly. She was taller than me, but for some reason, I was not as intimitated as I should have been. My eyes were wide as she traced my cheekbones with her warm fingers.

"You are troubled," she whispered.

I nodded, her hands still on my face. "A bit," I said nervously.

"Could I help with that?" she asked, moving one of her hands down to grasp mine. Her eyes were sincere and pleading, but I had read about women like her. She sounded like an out of place siren.

I backed away and said, "Only if you tell me who you are."

Her smile returned. "A smart boy you are. I am Eos, goddess of the dawn. I watched you as night fell, and through the darkness I saw your young forehead wrinkle in worry. I only want to smooth those lines," she said, reaching out to touch my forehead. I realized that it had been creased. She was beautiful to say the least, and I felt my resolve weakening. I was sure she could sense it, and after seconds of staring at me, she leaned forward and planted a small kiss on my cheek. "It has been years since a demigod visited me."

"I– I need your help," I demanded lightly.

Eos narrowed her eyes playfully and smirked. "I'm sure you do. And I'd be happy to help." She placed a hand on my neck and tried to pull me closer to her.

I almost gave into the divine beauty that stood before me, but Wallace's face flashed in my mind. "Wait!" I said suddenly and Eos paused, looking at me quizzically. "I need you to help me get my friend out of a bit of a mess."

Eos cocked an eyebrow. "Is he as handsome as you?" she asked casually.

I studdered and replied carefully, "She's actually a girl."

Her expression darkened. "Oh. I suppose you have no real need of me then. I shall be off."

"No!" I said quickly. "She's just a friend, honest. If you help me, I'll help you," I offered.

Eos smiled a bit and nodded. "I'll help you." She grabbed my shirt collar and pulled me close to her, just inches away from her face. "But I'm going to need a little insurance," she whispered, and kissed me. I can't say that I didn't enjoy it, and she was so warm, like her very body radiated the chill heat of morning. When she broke the kiss, I could feel a smile spreading across my lips. "Shall we be off?" she asked.

"For what?" My mind was numb and I could barely remember my own name, let alone the fact that I was trying to get Wallace back.

Eos laughed and smirked. "It seems as if I've charmed you more than I anticipated. But I promised I'd get you to your friend."

Wallace. Right.

[A/N]: Ryan's a plaaaayyyyaaaa.

Review.

P.S. Happy Camille is happy! I love it when things work out exactly how they should. The best friends ended up together. Heart.

-camille