The Flames of Hope Ch 2

Chapter 2~I Drive a Crane Down a Mountain
I looked at what could only be described as a medieval fire truck, but instead of a ladder, there was a large crane that held up a massive wrecking ball. It looked like it hadn’t been used in years and parts of the large contraption were burnt, but it could still run hopefully.

“So, will this get us down the mountain?” he asked me with a sly smile on his face.

“I think it should work, but I get to drive,” I replied back. I got into the driver’s seat and looked at all the levers and wondered which one was the parking brake. “Let’s try this one,” I said as I pulled down on one. It didn’t start the machine, but it did cause the wrecking ball to swing forward and destroy the wall to the side of us.

“There’s our exit,” Malcolm said as he pulled at another lever, releasing the brake and we started rolling forward. I turned the wheel and we exited back into the field slowly picking up speed. The giant saw us and ordered his army to charge at us, however when a few were turned to dust when we hit them with our wrecking ball, they started to run away instead. The Giant became so angry that he planted his feet in the ground and braced himself. We crashed right into him and he was pushed back a few feet, but he eventually got us to stop.

“Ha, silly demigods, you cannot defeat me! I am strongest there is and nothing you can do will stop me!” he bellowed as he took a few steps back.

“What about this?” I said as I pressed a large red button on the control panel hoping it was something dangerous. There was a loud sound of shifting metal as the wrecking ball was released. The giant had just enough time to watch the ball land on him and he turned to dust.

“Good job Swift, But I think you forgot something,” he said and pointed forward.

“Crud,” I replied back as I saw the wrecking ball begin to roll down the mountain. I looked behind me and the chain was quickly unraveling. When the chain ran out, the entire truck was pulled forward and the metal sounded like it was creaking as there was a pull forward. I tried my best to steer down the hill, but it wasn’t easy as it felt like the controls were fighting against me. The monsters also started chasing us down the hill, but that wasn’t the worst part. I worst part was when I saw the ball roll off the side of the cliff in front of us and the chain followed. “Ok, I think we better jump,” I told Malcolm. He didn’t look happy but he put on the emergency brake and we slowed down. The creaking I had heard earlier became much worse and the entire back half broke off while the front half that we were in turned on it’s side before stopping.

“Looks like we don’t have to jump now, but hurry up we have to go,” Malcolm said as he pulled me to my feet. We started running down the hill and Mike was at the bottom of the hill messing around with Celestial Bronze that he always kept with him. He was changing the shape of it into different things from a figurine to a sword. John the satyr was standing right next to him, pulling soda cans from the back seat and eating them.

“Mike, we’ve got company!” I yelled and he looked up to see the group of monsters racing down the hills after us. He molded the bronze into the shape of a belt and fastened it around his waist before pulling the keys from his pocket and started the car. He then pressed a switch on the dash board and the back door swung open as Malcolm and I jumped in. John had jumped into the passenger seat and covered his eyes. Mike flipped the switch again and the door closed again and he hit the gas.

“And you two said a self-opening door was a dumb idea,” Mike said as we got about a mile down the road. He was always messing with the camp’s vehicles and adding new devises or improvements. Sometimes they worked, most of the time they didn’t. Once he added an ejection seat to the camp’s strawberry can without telling Argus. Not only was Argus not able to listen to the radio, but he was sent right through the roof of the van as Mike had never added something to make the roof open when activating the seat. He still claimed it was a success however.

“Alright, it was a good idea,” Malcolm told him. “But couldn’t you have just opened the door before starting the care?”

“But I didn’t have to because I made this,” he said with pride.

“Mike, pull over for a second,” I asked him and we stopped at the nearest rest area. Malcolm went inside for some food, but John and Mike stayed with me. I handed Mike the link and he held it in his hands. He examined to closely looking at it from every angle before grabbing both ends and ripping it in two.

“Sorry Swift, but it is another fake,” Mike said as he dropped the pieces on the ground.

“At least it smells nice,” John said as he picked them up and attached them to a rope that he put around his neck. “They may be fakes, but they are good fakes.”

I felt anger grow inside of me and I hit the side of the car. It was the seventh fake I had found while there were countless others that others had found over the past few months. There were only so many places it could have been.

“Where could it be?!” I yelled to no one in particular before taking in a few breaths. “How could something with some much nature energy just vanish?”

“It is just like the search for Pan, the god of the wild. Even after the Golden Fleece was recovered and the path was clear for searchers, we still couldn’t find him,” John said as he walked over to a trash can and started collecting more cans. I thought about how the fleece had been used to lure satyrs in because of its strong magic. Then something clicked inside my mind like a light bulb or a smack upside the head (which Megan had made a habit out of).

“Wait, what did you say just now?” I asked. He pulled his head out of the trash can before scratching is head.

“You know the story of the Golden Fleece. That Ares kid brought it back from that one eyed monster that was eating us poor satyrs like hot dogs,” he replied.

“No, about the fleece’s power,” I urged.

“Oh that, all I was saying was that it has strong nature magic, possibly the strongest magic in America right now,” he said, still confused by my question.

“How wanted the chicken nuggets?” called Malcolm as he returned to the car.

“Everyone get in the car,” I called to them.

“What’s up,” Malcolm asked. Mike just shrugged his shoulders and opened his door.

“Trust me, I think I know where the link is, follow me,” I said. Malcolm and John got into the car and we pulled into a spot of the parking lot where no one was. I then pulled out Road Maker and thought about Camp Half-Blood.

Darkcloud1111 ~Fastest Hero Alive