Days of Boom: Chapter 13

Joseph Mierek

XIII

Abandon Turtle!

Once the shock of being on the back of a giant turtle subsided the rest of the team went into the tents to get some sleep. Angel and I sat by the fire I had started. I figured since the turtle was so massive it's shell would be thick enough so it wouldn't notice. Angel had transformed into a lioness and I was using her as a pillow.While she dosed silently while I watched the stars move slowly over head.

The moon was out and I started to wonder if Artemis could see me. I hadn't seen her since the last winter solstice meeting on Olympus. That was were I felt most at home sitting on the back of my father's chair watching and listening to the gods talk. "What am I doing here?" I silently said to myself.

"Well I thought that was obvious." Someone said behind me. I looked over my shoulder and found a girl about my age, with long auburn hair braided down one side and sliver eyes that flickered in the light of the fire.

"Hey Artemis," I said calmly. "What brings you to such a strange place as this?"

She chuckled and sat down next to me. Angel lifted her head to the goddess and made a low rumbling in her throat. Artimes scratched her head and turned towards me. "I've been in stranger places than on the back of a Aspidochelone, trust me."

We started laughing. "Alright so back to my question; why are you here?"

She smiled at me and suddenly the fire was easier to look at. "What a goddess can't come see her favorite hero?"

"Not unless they want something or are warning that person." I replied quietly. "So which is it." I looked at her for a moment and the smile had disappeared from her face.

"So what's the bad news?" I asked.

She was struggling with a way to tell me. Gods can't give away free information it's against their laws. When she opened her mouth to speak thunder rumbled over head.

"Fine." She snapped at the sky. "I won't tell them that... but they'll never find the next location without some help."

The sky stayed quiet and she turned back to me. "Once you finish in Greece you must go to Avernus."

"Avernus?" I asked. "You mean the old entrance to the Underworld?" She nodded. "The fourth bomb is in the Underworld?" I almost screamed. Again she nodded.

"Alright." I said calming my nerves. "Does Hades know? I mean why cant he just send a bunch of his minions to find it?"

"If Hades alerts his minions they may feel him thinking the Underworld will be destroyed. So he needs your team to go and deactivate it."

"Great." I said rolling my eyes. "Anything else?"

She shook her head. "Unfortunatley I can't tell you anything else."

"Thanks for the info. I said. She started to glow and I had to avert my eyes. I felt a pair of lips on my cheek but when I opened my eyes I was alone with Angel snoring.

"Make up your mind." I muttered to my self as I got up and streched. I walked over to the tents seeing if someone else wanted to take watch. Suddenly the ground lurched to one side and I was knocked off my feet. I heared the turtle call out in pain. It sounded like a cross between a high pitched whale call and metal being crushed. I heared splashes towards my left but I couldn't see anything.

I raised my hand and a lightning bolt lit up the sky. What I saw would've made a grown fisherman cry for his momma.

A huge head rose out of the water it was as long as a flat bed truck, it arched it 's back and plunged into the water. I counted a full minute before the body disappeared. On the other side I heared another splash. I looked over and another serpent rose out of the water I could tell it wasn't the same one.

I turned around to wake the others and ran smack into Nolan. He must've come out to see what all the noise was about. He saw the serpent and his face went pale. We ran into the tents and woke the others trying to explain what we had seen. We started breaking camp while the serpents continued attacking the Aspidochelone. Once we had everything packed Dan was the first to speak.

"Now what?" He yelled over the noise.

"Abandon turtle!" El screamed and started running for the water. No doubt she'd be able to get away being a daughter of Poseidon... the rest of us would whined up as dessert. I used the winds to push her back to us.

"No," I yelled at her. "We need your help for this! April come here!" The three of us joined hands. "Now," I yelled. "Pray for a ride out of here."

I closed my eyes and started praying for a ride from my dad. I opened my eyes and the girls were still murmuring. the water seemed closer and realized the turtle was diving. Either the serpents had cut off his flippers or he was trying to get away. I closed my eyes and prayed harder.

Suddenly I heard the sound of chariot wheels rolling on the ground. I opened my eyes and I saw three chariots stop a few feet away. One was being pulled by two pegasi and their chariot was decorated with waves. The next was pulled by two storm spirits and the chariot had wind designs. The final chariot was gold with lightning designs and pulling it were two enormous griffins the size of draft horses.

El and Jared jumped onto El's chariot and took off. Nolan and I climbed onto my chariot and we flew into the air. I looked behind me expecting to see April and Dan safley behind us. But they weren't there... Dan was still on the turtle doubled over in pain and April was trying to pull him onto her chariot. One of the serpents reared up out of the water and desended on Dan.

"No!" I screamed. I grabbed one of my knives and launched it at the monster. It soared through the air and struck the monster in it's eye. The serpent reared up in pain giving April enough time to pull Dan into her chariot and take off. We wheeled in the air until the turtle completely sank beneath the waves. Dan stood up in April's chariot and signaled us he was ok.

I signaled the others to follow me and we started flying towards Athens. I leaned forward in my chariot and thanked the griffins for saving us.

''"Don't thank us my lord." Said one. "No," said the other "Lady Artemis sent us and those other creatures to save you."''

I looked up at the moon with a smirk on my face and shook my head.