Fire and Metal: Chapter 10

Fire and Metal: Chapter List

Captured: Lance's POV
We were low on supplies and money. I was starving. We had been traveling for a week now. Everytime we attempted to speed up our quest by using a car or something else, a monster would blow the vehicle up. They aren't supposed to be that smart. Even our supply of god food was dwindling. As we walked, the periods of silence between our discussions increased. We couldn't spend the night near a city, or a monster would come and wreak havoc. Through the Mist, mortals would think we were terrorists journeying north. Exactly what we needed, to be pursued by both monsters and mortals. All in all, morale was pretty low.

On the bright side, we hadn't been attacked by demigods since four days ago, and they are the ones that are hard to defeat. "Ugh, how far north are we supposed to go? We're gonna be in Canada soon!" Neil said with frustration.

"Who knows. Screw prophecies, why can't one of the gods come here and tell us what to do?" I nearly yelled.

"I wouldn't say that so loud," Neil cautioned.

I punched the nearest tree. Clunk dee clunk dee clunk dee.... "Were those hooves?" I voiced my question aloud.

Felicia tensed. "No one still uses horses right?"

"Darn, I knew our luck wouldn't last. Get ready to own some bad demigods." Neil said without enthusiam.

After a couple of minutes, a guy in purple robes appeared, riding a horse pulling a chariot. And behind him were... crap... roughly ten people, five girls and five guys, flanking the leader.

"Halt!" The lead rider shouted. The group skidded to a stop.

"Hello! My name is Caligula!  Surely you have learned of me!" He announced.

Neil almost laughed, "Doesn't your name mean little boot?"

Caligula sneered, "It may not be my time anymore, and I may have to ride my own horse, but you shall still show me the respect I deserve. Guards, take them!"

I gave Neil a glare, and flipped out my sword. I figured its two sharp edges would be better in such an outnumbered battle.

Chaos reined... for a few moments. We were not nearly a match for them. This Caligula must have brought the best of the best. Before long, we were bound together in iron chains, and our weapons were confiscated. I cursed aloud.

Caligula laughed, "I thought Chiron would send better attackers than this." He smiled cruelly, and herded us to the chariots.

Desparate, I grabbed hold of my chains and pulled. To my intense surprise, it stretched like putty. I nearly cried out in shock, but managed to keep silent. I pulled again. Nothing happened. Concentrating hard, I willed the metal to soften, and pulled again. This time, I pulled it apart. Still pretending to be bound, I turned to Felicia and Neil. I pulled. Neil gasped, but I silenced him in time. Just as I freed Felicia, Caligula looked back.

He snarled, and slashed his gold sword at me. I flinched and waited for the razor sharp blade slicing through my skin. It never came. I looked up, and to my astonishment, the metal had bent back and dulled. Then I realized I was sweating and exhausted. ''I understand now. Felicia and I had different sybols because we were differently gifted. The two of us compose the two major domains of Hephaestus. Fire and Metal.''

After recovering from my epiphany, I realized the battle had restarted. Despite my exertion from the chain breaking and sword bending, I managed to dull many of the enemies' blades. Then my weariness overtook me.

When I woke up, the enemies were miraculously gone. "What happened?" I asked panickedly.

"I don't know, Caligula just suddenly retreated. Right when they were about to defeat us, too.  Also, nice metal bending there, I'm not the only gifted one after all." Felicia joked.

Neil was leaning against a tree holding several peices of bronze. "My staff..." He murmured. "It was one of my only gifts from mother."

"Here, gimme some ambrosia and I'll attempt to forge another one for you."

I took the ambrosia and the pieces of the staff. After swallowing the ambrosia, I felt renewing strength surge through my body. I merged the pieces together, like liquid, and then let go. The metal remained in the air, glowing with heat. I realized Felicia was helping me soften up the metal. Then I concetrated, and the metal glob lengthened into a rod. An idea occurred to me. And the tips of the staff glowed, they tapered off into spikes. Releasing the metal, I slumped again. "You okay man? You did a great job.  Thanks."

I nodded, "Any time."

We talked a bit, and then rested after a long day.

When I woke up I was being hauled onto a chariot. This time I was bound in nylon rope. I tested my powers on the rope doubtfully. Not surprisingly, it didn't work. I cursed silently. My captor secured me to a chariot and climbed onto the horse. Before long, we were speeding through the countryside.

A flare of light came up out of the corner of my eye. The chariot skidded to a stop. What I saw gave me a little bit of hope. Felicia had used her fire powers to sever the ropes binding here, and then set the chariot on fire. Gracefully, she lept off the still burning chariot. She came over to me, and burned my ropes, and did the same to Neil.

"Argh! I am tired of your little pests.  I'll just take this one and go!" Caligula said, and grabbed Neil by the waist, hopped onto his horse, and galloped away, shouting, "And you won't catch us, either! Incatatus is one of the fastest horses alive!"

"Oh no! What are we going to now!" Felicia squealed. I put my arm around her.

"Don't worry sister, we'll rescue him." I reassured here, although I was not so sure myself.

The rest of the dy was thankfully uneventful. I managed to convince a hotel manager that we already paid for rooms with the Mist, and stayed a hotel without being attacked for once.

In the morning, Felicia woke me up. "Lance, get up quick! I just had a dream.  Neil is at a place called Fort Ticonderoga."

I sat up, and rubbed my eyes. "Where is that?"

"I remember it from History class, it was a fort from the Revolutionary War. Just south of Lake Champlain, I think."

"All right," I said. "Let's go."