Doom and Glory: Chapter 1

James's POV
An explosion shook the ground below. Several of the enemy were riddled with shrapnel. Their bloody corpses fell to the ground, many of them with their faces blown off.

I stooped on the roof of the Big House, an arrow knocked in my bow next to the other Apollo camper. Many of the Hecate and Zeus campers were throwing spears and causing explosions into the undead warriors below. The rain pelted us, causing many of the Ares and Hephaestus campers fighting below to slip and get killed in the mud in front of the House.

We had been under attack for three days now. In that time, nearly every one of the cabins had been burned down, along with the dining pavilion, the commons area, and a good chunk of the woods.

Several of the Nemesis and Demeter campers were attempting to climb the walls of the house, their swords in their teeth. I shot my arrow, which went through the throat of a Demeter girl, and she fell to the ground two stories below.

Next to me, Kendall, son of Hecate, and Skye, daughter of Thanatos, were helping pick off the climbers. Kendall was using his staff to dislodge the scaling campers with bolts of energy, and using his telekinesis to send nails, splinters of wood, and even broken arrows into their hands and faces.

Skye was using throwing stars and throwing knives to kill her opponents. Once, when a Nemesis boy actually reached the roof, she touched his face and he fell, instantly dead.

Down below, the Ares and Hephaestus campers, along with a number of Automatons, were fighting the Poseidon, Athena, and Hades campers, plud their undead minions.

All of the Satyrs had fled or been killed, and all of the pegasi had been shot down during the previous battles. Now, our allies were holed up in the Big House, while the enemy had us under seige. The enemy general, his face hidden by a skull-shaped helm, was riding around on a skeletal horse, slashing our allies with his Stygian Iron blade.

"Medic!" Someone shouted behind me.

Damn.

I sent my arrow into the neck of the Hermes Counselor, then ran to the voice.

An Iris girl had been speared from behind. She lay on her side, blood pouring from the wound.

I cursed. I didn't know if I could save her. I fell to my knees beside her. Another explosion shook the House.

"I need help!" I shouted. "I need someone to pull out the spear!"

Another Apollo camper, Ray I think his name was, came to my side.

"Okay," I told him. "We've got to get this spear out, then I'll heal her."

Ray nodded mutely, his face kind of green. Poor rookie.

He pushed the spear out from behind her. As the shaft slid out of her abdomen, I used a healing spell to try to close it. I didn't know if I could do this, she had already lost so much blood. Smoke filled the air, nearly smothering the Defenders. The screams of the wounded and dying sounded everywhere.

Even as the wound closed, the girl's heart stopped, her blonde haircaked with blood. Her petite form was so pale, so cold.

"No! No!" I shrieked. "You stay awake! Don't leave! Don't sleep! You stay right here!!"

Too late. The twelve-year old girl was gone.

I bit my lip, shaking with rage. This wasn't right. This had to stop.

"I'm hit!"

Oh gods, no. Kendall.

I ran back to the balconey.

Guywithafedora: The Voice of Reason, Master of Words, and He Who Likes Cats (talk) 19:49, July 23, 2012 (UTC)