Emma
I wanted to run. I wanted to run and not stop running until we were as far away from Lamia as possible. I wanted to run right now. But I couldn’t, not without Theo.

I told Bailey to go. Him being the youngest meant that Lamia would probably go after him first. I told him to run a mile down the road and to wait for us. I could tell he didn’t want to leave but he said he would do what I say. He was halfway out the door when the woman came back in.

Bailey froze and I silently swore. Lamia was holding a plate of chocolate chip cookies, the smile she had on her face before was gone. She slammed the plate on the table.

"What are you doing?" she asked Bailey.

"I was... um... going to the loo." Bailey stammered. I was still a little shocked by his accent. When he first spoke I couldn’t really hear it but now I could. His British accent was as clear as daylight.

"But your friend is using the bathroom at the moment," the smile was back on Lamia’s face as she walked over to Bailey. "You’ll just have to wait until he gets back."

She put her hands on his shoulders and was about to guide him over to the table when she laid her eyes on me. The smile fell from her face when she looked down at my hand. Too late I realised that I was still holding the bone. I quickly dropped it and pulled out my dagger.

Lamia didn’t do anything. She just stood there staring at me with a blank look. She must have known we knew who she was so I didn’t understand why she wasn’t doing anything. She was just standing there with her hands on Bailey’s shoulders.

We stood there staring at each other for nearly two minutes before Lamia moved. She didn’t attack or try to kill us; she just turned Bailey round to face her and pushed his hair off his face. She started to stroke his cheek with her thumb and whispered, "such a handsome boy." Bailey tried to pull away but Lamia just grabbed his wrist.

Suddenly the whole room went cold. I raised my dagger and took a step towards Lamia. She didn’t notice, she was too busy struggling with Bailey. The kind expression she had before was gone and had been replaced with frustration. She didn’t normally have prey that fought against her.

"Let go," Bailey yelled trying to pull away from Lamia’s vice like grip.

"I haven’t had a meal in months," she replied her voice now harsh and raspy. "Demigods never taste as nice as mortal children but I’m hungry so you, boy, will do. If I’m lucky you’ll be sweeter than some of the other half-bloods if have eaten, with your father being Dionysus and all."

I slowly edged my way towards the pair as they struggled. As I got closer Lamia suddenly got stronger and pulled Bailey close to her. She grabbed his face and leaned down so she was eye to eye with him. She whispered something to him that I didn’t hear and quickly spun him round so he was in a position where his neck was exposed. I saw a knife drop from the sleeve of Lamia’s bathrobe. She was going to slice his throat.

I didn’t have time to come up with a plan. Without even thinking about it I ran at Lamia and stabbed her in the arm. The shock of it made her release Bailey. As she screamed out in pain I judo kicked her, making her fall and drop her knife.

"Go! Run Bailey!" I screamed, "you’re the one she’s after, Go!"

The British boy didn’t hesitate. He quickly got up and ran out of the door. I didn’t watch to make sure he had done what I told him earlier, I was too busy with Lamia. She was already on her feet, knife in hand, with an evil grin on her face. I lunged at her but she was fast, she dodged out of the way and tried to slice me. However I was also fast, she missed by a mile. We kept at this game of lunge and dodge for what felt like hours but it could only have been a few minutes.

I could tell Lamia was getting tired when she said. "Give up girl. You know I will defeat you in the end. And then you will be my breakfast."

"Sorry, demigods are not on the menu."

I lunged at her again. I caught her off guard and was able to stab her in the stomach. I let go of my dagger and backed away as Lamia looked at me. She was about to say something but before she could she burst into dust and sank back into the underworld, where she belonged.

My dagger fell to the floor and so did I. I was exhausted. Two fights in one night was hard work. I sat of the floor for a bit but I knew I had to get up. Even if I felt like falling asleep on the spot, Bailey was out there on his own meaning he was very vulnerable and Theo was... Theo! I had no idea where Theo was. What had Lamia done with him?

I shot up and ran through the door Lamia had come through with the cookies. I found myself in a small kitchen with yellow walls. There was no sight of Theo. I called his name but I got no reply. I called it again, desperate to find him and this time I heard something, a very quiet, slightly muffled yell. I turned to the direction it came from but there was only a plain wall.

"‘Theo!" I yelled again just to make sure the noise was coming from the wall. It was. There must be hidden room, I thought to myself.

Up close I couldn’t see the way to open it but when I looked from farther away I could see it. It was a tiny square that was only just visible. I pushed the square in and the wall slid open. I yelled in delight when I saw Theo. He was tied up and gagged but he looked alright, he was alive, that was the main thing.

I took the gag out of his mouth and gave him a hug. "I’m so glad you’re okay," I cried. "I thought she had eaten you or something."

"What?" Theo replied as I untied his hands.

"Basically," I said as I knelt back on my knees, "we just fought a child eating monster called Lamia."

"Oh," Theo looked a little shocked. He rubbed his wrists which were red and obviously sore from the ropes he was tied with. "I’m guessing you didn’t get eaten then."

"No but she almost had Bailey for breakfast."

Theo looked around. "Where is Bailey?" he asked.

My heart felt like it stopped for a second. I had found Theo and completely forgotten about Bailey. He was out on the road on his own, anything could attack him. Theo looked just as worried as I felt.

"We’ve got to go," I said helping Theo up. "I told him to run and now he’s out there on his own."

We didn’t hang around. Quickly Theo and I found his bow and arrows and ran out the door and down the road hoping Bailey had not got into anymore trouble.

Notes

I hope you enjoy. Please comment, I'd love to know what you think of it so far.