The Legacy of the Sky, Book 1: Chapter 7

Chapter 7: We Hitch a Ride with a Bunny
Lily, Elissa and I left on schedule, right after breakfast. A lot of the head councillors were there to see us off, as only they really knew how dangerous this quest actually was. We got a ride into the city with Argus, camp’s hundred-eyed head of security. He let us off at the bus station and we quickly hopped on to a bus going our way and we left the station within ten minutes. We spent a lot of the trip in silence, because apparently, none of us had gotten a good night sleep. I leaned my head against the window while they others laid their heads in their hands. I fiddled with my new ring and bracelet, careful not to activate them. I had given the sword and the shield back to Annabeth, but I had kept the dagger with me, which was now hidden in my backpack. I thought about everything; my dream of Ouranos, the fact that Elissa was starting to lean against me. My world felt different, though better than being bullied at St. Charles Academy, but finding out that there was more dangerous things than bullies to worry about (even though they didn’t scare me anymore, and they haven’t for months). Lily finally slumped back asleep, and Elissa’s head rested on my shoulder. I smiled, but quickly turned serious again. I couldn’t let things like this get in my way. But another voice in my head said; why not revel in the moment? I ultimately agreed with that voice and carefully sat back and sighed, then put my head against the window and fell asleep also.

We were awoken when the bus had come to a stop in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We got off, stretched, yawned, then found the nearest diner and had lunch, discussing things over our home-style sandwiches and such.

“You know, now that I think about it, we don’t really have a time limit on this quest. All we have to do is look around,” Lily pointed out.

“Yeah, but I’d rather find this place and get out as soon as possible,” I said, between mouthfuls of salad. She and Elissa nodded in agreement. After lunch, we made our way back to the bus station, but when we looked around; our bus was nowhere to be seen.

“Are we late? Did we miss it?” Lily panicked. I checked my watch.

“No. By my watch, we’re ten minutes early,” I told them, and I knew right away that something wasn’t right, and it wasn’t just an early bus. We spun around and walked in circles looking for our transportation, but it was soon clear that it was no longer here. Finally, we walked up to the information desk to ask for assistance.

“What can I help you with today?” asked a very overly cheery desk attendant. She looked at me then licked her lips involuntarily.

“Um, ok. Our bus to San Francisco wasn’t supposed to leave for another…” I checked my watch, “five minutes, but it appears that it’s gone already,” I explained, and she smiled and turned to her computer.

“I’m sorry, but it has already left. I can take you to another source of transportation, but you have to come with me and not scre- I mean, talk to my boss,” she said with that artificial smile that was creeping me out more and more by the second.

“Um, I guess I can go and talk to your… boss,” I said. The attendant smiled farther, which looked really impossible, but it happened, pulling her mouth so that it was three and a half inches long. She opened the door to the booth and stepped out. As she was walking down the steps, she hit her foot against a rock at the bottom, and her leg let out an odd, ringing metal sound. The attendant, Sherri, according to her name tag, swore, then smiled widely again and kept going on. I looked around and saw Elissa raising an eyebrow, and Lily looked a little worried too. I held up my hand and tapped my ring to show them that I was prepared, and then Sherri led me into the woods. Although I looked confident to my friends, I was kind of nervous when we entered the woods. I kept my hands together, ready to expand my shield or my spear, whichever I could get to first. The only things I was sure about at this point was that something was seriously wrong with this women, and that I was pretty much totally screwed.

“How far is your, um, boss?” I asked Sherri. She looked around, and then we got to a clearing in the forest.

“Here is fine. I’m sorry I had to lie to you, but I can smell the sky on you. I’m almost sorry that I have to eat you!” she screeched, and then her form flickered, like a hologram, between the overly happy attendant, and then to a horrible monster that had flames for hair, solid red eyes, one leg of a donkey, and the other made of bronze.

“Holy Zeus!” I yelled, and then flipped the tablet on my bracelet to expand my shield. It came out just in time to knock the monster to the ground, and it gave me the time to bring out my spear.

“Oh, you don’t need that sweetie; this will be far less trouble if you don’t- ACK!” she squeaked when an arrow came from behind me and impaled the monster in the shoulder. Vines started wrapping around the monster’s arms and legs, like shackles, and Lily and Elissa finally burst into the clearing.

“Good gods am I glad you’re here!” I exclaimed, as the monster struggled against her leafy bonds.

“Free me demigods! I will let the girls go, I only want the boy!” she screeched.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“Tempting, but no,” I told her sarcastically. “Care to do the honours?” I asked my two companions.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“Gladly,” Elissa smirked as she knocked and arrow at point blank range, and it came down right between the monster toll-booth attendant’s eyes.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“What was that thing?” I asked Lily once the thing had completely disintegrated like the Chimera and Echidna did in New York, figuring she would know, as she was the senior camper on this quest.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“An empousa, usually in the service of Hecate. Vampires were based off of these things,” she told us.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“Lovely,” I whimpered. “So, anybody know how we get to California now?”

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“Hmm,” Lily contemplated, turning in a circle and inspecting the forest. “Follow me,” she instructed, and she led us farther into the woods.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">We came up to a rather large hill surrounded by trees. Lily casually walked towards it and placed her and upon the lump of dirt.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“Yup, this is the place,” she confirmed out loud, confusing Elissa and me.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“Um, what do you mean, ‘this is the place?’” Elissa asked.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“I’ve got an idea for transportation, but it’s a little unorthodox and it can’t take us the whole way,” she explained.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“Trust me, I’m an expert of unorthodox,” I told her. “Do your thing and get us our ride.” Lily pressed her hands her hands against the mound of earth, and all of the sudden, the ground trembled slightly. She stood up and backed away as the mound shook, finally giving way and collapsing inward to form a round hole.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“Stay calm, it is a little weird and… big,” she told us, and a big, whiskered, pink nose poked out of the whole and sniffed the air. Lily extended her hand and offered it to the nose. Elissa and I took a step back as a large, white, fuzzy animal emerged from the hole in the hill. Lily gently stroked the nose of a giant rabbit.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“Um, is that seriously a giant bunny?” Elissa asked in disbelief.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“Uh, yeah, it is. The easiest way to explain it is that it was the Sasquatch of ancient Greece,” she explained. “Like I said, it will probably only take us as far as Iowa, but it’s a start.”

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“Hmm, traveling to Iowa on the back of a giant bunny rabbit. This seems like a great idea,” I said rather sarcastically.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“Yeah, well, do you have any better ideas?” she asked, and I looked away.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“Well, lets get on,” Elissa said, sounding unsure about the idea herself.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">We held on to the rabbit’s back for dear life all the way to Iowa. By that time, the bunny was exhausted. Understandable, as it had probably just burned about seven hundred calories. It collapsed in the middle of a wheat field and the three of us tumbled to the ground. On its side, the rabbit nibbled on the grass and wheat stalks while we got up and stretched.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“Ug, that was… interesting,” I muttered. I stood up straight and let the wind blow on my face, letting it calm me down. Elissa fumbled in her backpack for some crackers as Lily looked around at the field.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“Hmm, this stuff looks wild. It’s not put into rows like a farmer would put it,” she commented, still scanning the horizon, which now displayed a beautiful, orange sunset.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“What’s so wrong with wild grains?” I asked suspiciously.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“Nothing, they’re just not moving, but there’s a good breeze going,” she said. I looked around the field to find she was right. Not a single stalk of wheat swayed to the wind.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“Maybe we should try and find civilization?” I asked, still looking around, my hands together, ready to spring out the deadly jewellery.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“Our ride isn’t up to it, the poor little… uh… poor thing,” Elissa sympathised, looking down at the giant white form still contently nibbling away on its side.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“Maybe we let it be?” I proposed.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“But it’s so cute!” Lily complained, and I felt the same way too. The big guy had gotten us this far, I didn’t really want to leave it now, but at the same time I didn’t want to get it in danger.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“ACK!” I voice squawked from somewhere in the field. The rabbit jumped up in surprise and hopped several metres behind us in one bound. I raised my shield; ready for any person or creepy toll booth attendants that might spring from the field. Instead, all we found was some sort of baby, lying on the ground, cradling its arm.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“Um, can you talk?” I asked it tentatively. I was ready for anything after that incident in Pittsburgh.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“Cursed rabbits!” the baby exclaimed, and it jumped to its feet, and we found it wasn’t really a baby at all. It had dried out little wings that couldn’t have lifted it a centimetre off the ground, and its skin had a green tint, like its blood was green. It wore only a loincloth, so it’s toddler like features were very visible. It had a white tuft of silky hair on top of its head, and we I looked at its face; I drew in a gasp of horror. It was pitted with kernels of grain, and instead of no teeth, it bared teeth like a piranha’s. The creature stared at us with solid green eyes. If you crossed Cupid with a piranha, you would have something pretty close to what I was seeing. I drew my knife as the three of us closed in, forming a circle around the rabbit.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“What are you?” Elissa asked in horror.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“We are Karpoi! We grow wild in these fields, and you came and trampled all over us!” it exclaimed angrily.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“Us?” Lily asked, and as she said it, several more Cupid piranhas emerged from the field. Elissa drew her own dagger.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“What do you plan to do with us?” she asked, her voice quavering ever so slightly. The Karpoi edged closer and closer towards us. It wasn’t long until they completely surrounded us.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“We will take you to our masters! They will reward us greatly for this accomplishment!” one exclaimed.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“Um, no thanks,” I told them.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“We will give you grains!” one shouted, as if this was a good compensation for our lives.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“Um…” Lily started, but suddenly, somebody walking through the fields cut her off.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“Back, you good for nothing cereal!” the figure snapped in a feminine voice. As she drew nearer, we saw her pitch black hair and steely gray eyes; not like Annabeth’s calculating eyes, but steely cold, like you couldn’t get anything past her. Her facial features matched her gaze; steely cold and calm. She wore black jeans, and a dark, navy blue shirt underneath silver body armour. She carried a sword at her side, and I suspected that she knew how to use it well.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“Who are you?” I called, sheathing my dagger and drawing my spear. She continued forward and studied us thoroughly.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">She hesitated before answering, clearly suspicious of us, but seeing as we could see monsters and were heavily armed, she divulged the information.

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">“I am Carly Leroy, daughter of Themis, Titaness of Law.”

<p style="text-indent:36.0pt">Chapter 6: My Dead Great-Grandfather Breaks into my Mind