Syrinx.
1.
The minute the boy had walked through the door of the dingy diner where she and her sister lived, Deanna Mathews had a feeling something was going to happen. Something was about to change. The boy was just too conspicuous.
For starters, he wasn't of legal age, and he was dressed oddly for a North Carolina back woods town. Saggy loose pants, a snapback, and Ray-bans weren't the most popular style of dressing here.
Deanna watched him as she wiped down a counter, then served a refill on coffee to a regular. Her mother was passed out on a couch in the family's living quarters, and her sister was on dish duty.
The boy sat alone, near the door in a booth. It wasn't a window booth, Deanna saw him specifically refuse that booth when Sarah, the waitress tried to seat him. Sarah brought his order over for Deanna to call in, and Deanna noticed that it was all vegan foods. Great. Not only was he a city slicker, he was also a vegan. In a county where steaks, hamburgers, chicken kebabs and dairy were the main menu for any family, he stuck out like a sore thumb.
Deanna noticed the boy give a group of men in their twenty's a look of disgust. The three were all loud, covered in mud, and dressed in cameo and boots. Deanna knew she'd have to mop the floor after them, but they always paid well, and that was all that mattered.
She tossed her red hair over her shoulder, then remade it into a ponytail. Sarah's shift was ending, and if she wanted these people out of there before closing then she would have to hurry.
Sarah waved at her as she untied her apron and left. Deanna grabbed the ice water and salad with no dressing for the boy, and without saying a word placed them on the table in front of him.
The boy looked up and gave a pained smile. He was older than she had originally thought, a light stubble of beard covering his chin. He looked to be around seventeen, a little older than her sixteen years of age.
As Deanna turned to go, she could have sworn that he'd inhaled deeply, and did a double take on her as she walked away. But she pushed it out of her mind. She had work to do, and later she had to tutor her little sister Kayden in math and English. She didn't have time for speculating.
~ ~ ~
Three hours later, she finished mopping. Twelve AM wasn't the best time to tutor, but Kayden needed it badly. Deanna had finished high school two years early, and she had time on her hands now. The now dark diner was clean, the condiments were refilled, and the coffee was ready to be brewed at a push of a button.
Deanna got to work on balancing the cash registrar.
Deanna was determined to leave this town, taking Kayden with her. All her life she'd known the same people, people who told her she was wasting her intellect and talents in a place like this. All her friends were still in school, dating and having fun. And Deanna? Well, she liked to learn. While her friends were partying, she would normally be studying or working in the diner.
Her vice principal was determined that she would win a scholarship to a collage somewhere far away. Deanna wanted that badly, but she had to think of Kayden. She could take a break from school at the moment, and help Kayden as best as she could. Kayden's dyslexia slowed her down severely in school, and Deanna helped her nearly every night after they'd finished cleaning.
Deanna walked over to the tip jar, and worked through the money quickly. She divided it into thirds, and pocketed a third of it. Another third went to the safe for her mother, and she marked down the amount in the ledger. She didn't count the money that she had pocketed though. What her drunk mother didn't know wouldn't kill her.
And the rest of the money went into the plane ticket fund.
Deanna's mother was aware that they wanted to leave, of course. She just didn't believe that they would actually do it. But that night after Kayden was asleep, Deanna counted the money hidden under her floorboards and smiled.
They had enough.
~ ~ ~
It was Friday night. The night that they actually enjoyed.
A small band came and played in the diner on Friday nights, and they often recruited Kayden and Deanna to sing. Kayden played guitar, and Deanna had played piano up until three years ago, when she started working more in the diner and working on her school.
Deanna was waitressing as Kayden sang, her clear high voice piercing the air. When Kayden sang, no one spoke in the diner.
Deanna preferred slow ballads, something where she could let her voice soar. Kayden loved upbeat and happy songs, and the drummer was always happy to play for her. Deanna looked around in the darkened room as the last strains of Kayden's song faded through the air, and she saw the boy again.
He was watching her.
~ ~ ~
The next day, as she was wiping down a table, someone tapped her on the shoulder. She jumped and turned, wiping her hands with the rag.
“Can I help you?” She asked. She tried to stay calm. If this boy was stalking her, than she had to deal with it calmly. She'd heard from Sarah that he'd been asking around town about her and Kayden.
“Do you have a minute to talk?” The boy asked. Deanna looked at him, surprised. Then she slowly nodded her head, and the boy dragged her over to the booth where he had sat the previous day.
“What is your name?” He asked. He was watching her every move, seeming to memorize her.
“My name is Deanna. And you are?” She asked. He shook his head. “Doesn't matter. Where's your parents?”
Deanna bristled. “I don't see how that's any of your business.”
“It is if it saves your life, kiddo.” The guy replied.
The conversation was quickly becoming the oddest that Deanna had ever had. She decided to humor him.
“I don't have a father, and my mother is asleep.” She said finally. What could it hurt?
The boy leaned closer, letting out a relieved sigh. “Have you been to Camp yet? Chiron should have moved you closer to New York, there's too many monsters around here.”
“Camp?” Deanna asked. “What Camp? And who is Chiron?”
The boy sat shocked for a moment, then said, “You haven't been- You mean, you don't...” He sighed. “Look, I'll be back tonight. Don't talk to any strangers, or go with anyone, anywhere, alone. They're getting stronger. Got it?”
Denna nodded mutely, not sure of what to say. Kayden would be home in a few minutes, she could help her figure this all out.
At five o'clock, Kayden walked in. Deanna smiled wistfully when she saw her younger sister. The girl was willowy and tall, her brown eyes and red hair contrasting strongly with her light skin. Where Kayden was thin and willowy, her muscles strong from hours of sports, Deanna was soft, thicker than she would have liked in the thighs and stomach. Kayden was graceful, and Deanna often tripped over her own feet if she wasn't careful.
Kayden went to put her books up, and Deanna could hear her mother yelling at her. Analise Mathews was a drunk, and her hangovers were killer. From the sound of it, Kayden had flipped on a light and woken her.
Deanna somehow got through the dinner rush hour and the late stragglers, until finally they closed the diner for the night. Sarah had gone home, and her mother had gone out again.
Kayden and Deanna looked at each other and sighed. Saturday night was the deep cleaning, then they slept late on Sunday.
Kayden turned on the radio and blared Christina Aguilera while Deanna grabbed a bucket of soapy water and mops. While they cleaned they sang, acting like the mops were their partners. Laughing as they finally began to study, Deanna almost forgot to tell Kayden about the boy.
After she had related the story, Kayden sat in deep thought. They had her schoolwork sprawled across a booth, working on her math again.
“Well, he hasn't shown up has he?” Kayden asked. Deanna shook her head. “No, he hasn't shown-”
A yell, and the sound of glass shattering interrupted her, and she and Kayden looked at each other, startled.
And then the diner's front window shattered, and their entire world changed.
A huge dog stepped through the hole in the wall, and Deanna clapped her hand over Kayden's mouth to stifle her scream. The dogs back brushed the diner's ceiling even as it crouched, its red eyes glowing in the dark.
Kayden dragged Deanna under the booths table as the dog gave a low growl.
This is it. We're going to die, Deanna thought.
Another yell had the dog jerking its head, trying to turn around in the small space. The boy from earlier ran through the diner door, yelling his head off.
Why wasn't anyone calling the police, or coming to help? Deanna wondered. It was kind of hard to miss a dog the size of a tank plowing into the only diner in town.
The boy was still yelling out words the girls couldn't understand, and he was waving around what looked to be a sword, but as Deanna watched it looked more like an umbrella. Then the dog barked again, and she could see it clearly was a sword, its golden blade glowing in the darkness.
“Get out of here!” The boy called. Kayden dragged Deanna out from under the table and they made a run for it.
Just as they were about to reach the diners door, the dog lunged for them. The huge head of the beast knocked a table over and into Kayden, who crumpled against the wall with a groan.
At the sight of her little sister being hurt, Deanna went into what Kayden liked to call, “Big Mama Sister Batman Mode.”
She only really went into that when her sister was being bullied, or treated unfairly. And this certainly qualified.
As the boy swung his sword at the beast again, Deanna grabbed one of the metal chairs scattered on the floor. She swung it at the dog's face as hard as she could as it lunged at Kayden again. As the dog backed off, whimpering, Deanna grabbed Kayden in a mock version of a fireman's carry and stumbled out of the diner.
Kayden was coming to, and Deanna sat her on the ground on the sidewalk once she felt that they were a safe distance away. And then she turned back to the diner as an explosion rent through the air.
Deanna screamed as the diner where she'd grown up in exploded, debris flying through the air. She crouched over Kayden, trying to shield her as best as she could. Kayden was crying now, gripping her head and arm, which looked broken. A piece of glass cut her on the thigh, and Deanna cried out.
When it was silent again, Deanna stood and looked at the wreckage. It was nothing but a pile of brick and stone, and with a chill she remembered the boy.
He had still been in the diner.
Deanna started forward just as a pile of wood and stone shifted in the ruin. The boy's curly head poked out, and he proceeded to stand and dust himself off. He was carrying a leather shoulder bag, which he inpected heavily to make sure it was alright.
The boy looked over and saw Deanna, and by the light of the streetlight she saw why he'd been wearing the snapback.
He had horns.
Brown ones, just peeking out of his hair.
Deanna gasped and covered her mouth, and the boy reached up and felt his head. He cursed in another tongue, and somehow Deanna understood that he wasn't speaking English. It was... Older. Beautiful, in a way. Well, as beautiful as swearing can get.
The boy jumped out of the debris, landing just in front of her, and Deanna backed away, hovering over Kayden. The way he moved wasn't right, either. It was almost... Animal.
“Are you okay?” The boy asked in English.
“What are you?” Deanna blurted. The boy shook his head. “It doesn't matter. Look, Kayden's injured. I have medicine in my bag.”
“Let me see it first.” Deanna commanded. The boy handed over a Ziploc full of what looked to be a golden brownie.
“I hardly think that sweets will help her.” Deanna told him. “It won't hurt her either,” The boy said. “Go on. It's not poisoned.”
Deanna felt that same feeling of trust toward the boy. But she didn't even know his name...
Kayden sat up shakily, gripping her arm. “It hurts,” She said. Deanna shushed her, pushing her hair out of her face. She gave the brownie to Kayden, who nibbled on it. To Deanna's surprise, Kayden promptly shoved the brownie in her mouth and chewed, gulping it down. She then reached for another one, but was stopped by the boy.
“No more. It's powerful. Too much can be fatal.” The boy proclaimed. He then noticed the cut on Deanna's thigh, which was bleeding heavily.
“Take some of this.” The boy said, holding out a thermos. Deanna raised it to her lips, and still watching the boy suspiciously, she drank.
It tasted like Earl Grey tea, and pineapple. The weirdest mix possible, but Deanna loved it, and drank further. The burning in her thigh stopped, and she relaxed.
The boy then snatched it out of her hands, causing it to dribble down her chin. Deanna swiped it away, and she saw that it was golden.
“Two much of that will kill you too. Are you feeling better?” He asked. Deanna nodded. She looked at her thigh, and noticed that it had stopped bleeding. Actually, it was closing before her eyes.
Deciding that there were more pressing matters, she wrote it off. Kayden was still in pain, albeit not as much.
Deanna knelt and felt her arm gently and decided that it wasn't a bad break, although she couldn't be sure without an x -ray.
“We need to get you two to New York, I wasn't planning on this. You've completely jeopardized my mission, there wasn't supposed to be any in this state anymore!” The boy was muttering.
“What's that supposed to mean?” Deanna asked him. The boy started to answer, then he swore again, turning to look at the pile of rubbish that was once the diner.
The bricks were moving, falling, as the dog rose from under the debris. Kayden gasped, and stumbled to her feet with Deanna's aid.
“Run,” The boy said, and they complied.
They ran as fast as they could down the street, skidding around a corner and making a beeline for the park. Kayden's normally quick pace was slow and halt, and Deanna pulled her by the hand as best as she could. They could hear the dog running after them, the ground quaking.
The boy was cursing repeatedly, and then he paused to take off his shoes. And then Deanna saw that he not only had horns, he had hooves as well.
They made it to the park before the beast was upon them, and Deanna shoved Kayden behind a tree. The boy had the sword out, and he was swinging it at the monster while digging in his bag. He retrieved something that smelled like dead animal, and he threw it as hard at he could. The creature, still groggy from being buried under the diner chased after it.
“What was that?” Deanna asked, panting. “That was a leg of sacred cow. And the dog is a hell hound.”
Deanna could certainly believe that.
“Look, we only have a minute. Here,” he said. He held out his bag. “Take this and get a plane to New York, go to the address, and ask for Chiron. Tell him that Grover's groove has been compromised, and that the eagle is attacking the cow and the thief!”
Deanna nodded mutely, taking the leather bag from him. The hell hound growled, then barked. The boy looked over at it's dark shape apprehensively.
“It's not after you,” He promised. “But now that it's scented you, other's will come here looking for you. Remember what I said! Get to New York! Take this, toss it in the street, and call upon the Chariot of Damnation, and give them the address! Good luck!” He pressed a gold coin from his pocket into Deanna's free hand.
The boy turned and started walking across the field, where the monster lurked.
“Where are you going?” Deanna called after him.
“I'll be alright. Look for a Laurel tree. Goodbye.”
And then the darkness swallowed him, and Deanna couldn't see him anymore.
~ ~ ~
For starters, he wasn't of legal age, and he was dressed oddly for a North Carolina back woods town. Saggy loose pants, a snapback, and Ray-bans weren't the most popular style of dressing here.
Deanna watched him as she wiped down a counter, then served a refill on coffee to a regular. Her mother was passed out on a couch in the family's living quarters, and her sister was on dish duty.
The boy sat alone, near the door in a booth. It wasn't a window booth, Deanna saw him specifically refuse that booth when Sarah, the waitress tried to seat him. Sarah brought his order over for Deanna to call in, and Deanna noticed that it was all vegan foods. Great. Not only was he a city slicker, he was also a vegan. In a county where steaks, hamburgers, chicken kebabs and dairy were the main menu for any family, he stuck out like a sore thumb.
Deanna noticed the boy give a group of men in their twenty's a look of disgust. The three were all loud, covered in mud, and dressed in cameo and boots. Deanna knew she'd have to mop the floor after them, but they always paid well, and that was all that mattered.
She tossed her red hair over her shoulder, then remade it into a ponytail. Sarah's shift was ending, and if she wanted these people out of there before closing then she would have to hurry.
Sarah waved at her as she untied her apron and left. Deanna grabbed the ice water and salad with no dressing for the boy, and without saying a word placed them on the table in front of him.
The boy looked up and gave a pained smile. He was older than she had originally thought, a light stubble of beard covering his chin. He looked to be around seventeen, a little older than her sixteen years of age.
As Deanna turned to go, she could have sworn that he'd inhaled deeply, and did a double take on her as she walked away. But she pushed it out of her mind. She had work to do, and later she had to tutor her little sister Kayden in math and English. She didn't have time for speculating.
~ ~ ~
Three hours later, she finished mopping. Twelve AM wasn't the best time to tutor, but Kayden needed it badly. Deanna had finished high school two years early, and she had time on her hands now. The now dark diner was clean, the condiments were refilled, and the coffee was ready to be brewed at a push of a button.
Deanna got to work on balancing the cash registrar.
Deanna was determined to leave this town, taking Kayden with her. All her life she'd known the same people, people who told her she was wasting her intellect and talents in a place like this. All her friends were still in school, dating and having fun. And Deanna? Well, she liked to learn. While her friends were partying, she would normally be studying or working in the diner.
Her vice principal was determined that she would win a scholarship to a collage somewhere far away. Deanna wanted that badly, but she had to think of Kayden. She could take a break from school at the moment, and help Kayden as best as she could. Kayden's dyslexia slowed her down severely in school, and Deanna helped her nearly every night after they'd finished cleaning.
Deanna walked over to the tip jar, and worked through the money quickly. She divided it into thirds, and pocketed a third of it. Another third went to the safe for her mother, and she marked down the amount in the ledger. She didn't count the money that she had pocketed though. What her drunk mother didn't know wouldn't kill her.
And the rest of the money went into the plane ticket fund.
Deanna's mother was aware that they wanted to leave, of course. She just didn't believe that they would actually do it. But that night after Kayden was asleep, Deanna counted the money hidden under her floorboards and smiled.
They had enough.
~ ~ ~
It was Friday night. The night that they actually enjoyed.
A small band came and played in the diner on Friday nights, and they often recruited Kayden and Deanna to sing. Kayden played guitar, and Deanna had played piano up until three years ago, when she started working more in the diner and working on her school.
Deanna was waitressing as Kayden sang, her clear high voice piercing the air. When Kayden sang, no one spoke in the diner.
Deanna preferred slow ballads, something where she could let her voice soar. Kayden loved upbeat and happy songs, and the drummer was always happy to play for her. Deanna looked around in the darkened room as the last strains of Kayden's song faded through the air, and she saw the boy again.
He was watching her.
~ ~ ~
The next day, as she was wiping down a table, someone tapped her on the shoulder. She jumped and turned, wiping her hands with the rag.
“Can I help you?” She asked. She tried to stay calm. If this boy was stalking her, than she had to deal with it calmly. She'd heard from Sarah that he'd been asking around town about her and Kayden.
“Do you have a minute to talk?” The boy asked. Deanna looked at him, surprised. Then she slowly nodded her head, and the boy dragged her over to the booth where he had sat the previous day.
“What is your name?” He asked. He was watching her every move, seeming to memorize her.
“My name is Deanna. And you are?” She asked. He shook his head. “Doesn't matter. Where's your parents?”
Deanna bristled. “I don't see how that's any of your business.”
“It is if it saves your life, kiddo.” The guy replied.
The conversation was quickly becoming the oddest that Deanna had ever had. She decided to humor him.
“I don't have a father, and my mother is asleep.” She said finally. What could it hurt?
The boy leaned closer, letting out a relieved sigh. “Have you been to Camp yet? Chiron should have moved you closer to New York, there's too many monsters around here.”
“Camp?” Deanna asked. “What Camp? And who is Chiron?”
The boy sat shocked for a moment, then said, “You haven't been- You mean, you don't...” He sighed. “Look, I'll be back tonight. Don't talk to any strangers, or go with anyone, anywhere, alone. They're getting stronger. Got it?”
Denna nodded mutely, not sure of what to say. Kayden would be home in a few minutes, she could help her figure this all out.
At five o'clock, Kayden walked in. Deanna smiled wistfully when she saw her younger sister. The girl was willowy and tall, her brown eyes and red hair contrasting strongly with her light skin. Where Kayden was thin and willowy, her muscles strong from hours of sports, Deanna was soft, thicker than she would have liked in the thighs and stomach. Kayden was graceful, and Deanna often tripped over her own feet if she wasn't careful.
Kayden went to put her books up, and Deanna could hear her mother yelling at her. Analise Mathews was a drunk, and her hangovers were killer. From the sound of it, Kayden had flipped on a light and woken her.
Deanna somehow got through the dinner rush hour and the late stragglers, until finally they closed the diner for the night. Sarah had gone home, and her mother had gone out again.
Kayden and Deanna looked at each other and sighed. Saturday night was the deep cleaning, then they slept late on Sunday.
Kayden turned on the radio and blared Christina Aguilera while Deanna grabbed a bucket of soapy water and mops. While they cleaned they sang, acting like the mops were their partners. Laughing as they finally began to study, Deanna almost forgot to tell Kayden about the boy.
After she had related the story, Kayden sat in deep thought. They had her schoolwork sprawled across a booth, working on her math again.
“Well, he hasn't shown up has he?” Kayden asked. Deanna shook her head. “No, he hasn't shown-”
A yell, and the sound of glass shattering interrupted her, and she and Kayden looked at each other, startled.
And then the diner's front window shattered, and their entire world changed.
A huge dog stepped through the hole in the wall, and Deanna clapped her hand over Kayden's mouth to stifle her scream. The dogs back brushed the diner's ceiling even as it crouched, its red eyes glowing in the dark.
Kayden dragged Deanna under the booths table as the dog gave a low growl.
This is it. We're going to die, Deanna thought.
Another yell had the dog jerking its head, trying to turn around in the small space. The boy from earlier ran through the diner door, yelling his head off.
Why wasn't anyone calling the police, or coming to help? Deanna wondered. It was kind of hard to miss a dog the size of a tank plowing into the only diner in town.
The boy was still yelling out words the girls couldn't understand, and he was waving around what looked to be a sword, but as Deanna watched it looked more like an umbrella. Then the dog barked again, and she could see it clearly was a sword, its golden blade glowing in the darkness.
“Get out of here!” The boy called. Kayden dragged Deanna out from under the table and they made a run for it.
Just as they were about to reach the diners door, the dog lunged for them. The huge head of the beast knocked a table over and into Kayden, who crumpled against the wall with a groan.
At the sight of her little sister being hurt, Deanna went into what Kayden liked to call, “Big Mama Sister Batman Mode.”
She only really went into that when her sister was being bullied, or treated unfairly. And this certainly qualified.
As the boy swung his sword at the beast again, Deanna grabbed one of the metal chairs scattered on the floor. She swung it at the dog's face as hard as she could as it lunged at Kayden again. As the dog backed off, whimpering, Deanna grabbed Kayden in a mock version of a fireman's carry and stumbled out of the diner.
Kayden was coming to, and Deanna sat her on the ground on the sidewalk once she felt that they were a safe distance away. And then she turned back to the diner as an explosion rent through the air.
Deanna screamed as the diner where she'd grown up in exploded, debris flying through the air. She crouched over Kayden, trying to shield her as best as she could. Kayden was crying now, gripping her head and arm, which looked broken. A piece of glass cut her on the thigh, and Deanna cried out.
When it was silent again, Deanna stood and looked at the wreckage. It was nothing but a pile of brick and stone, and with a chill she remembered the boy.
He had still been in the diner.
Deanna started forward just as a pile of wood and stone shifted in the ruin. The boy's curly head poked out, and he proceeded to stand and dust himself off. He was carrying a leather shoulder bag, which he inpected heavily to make sure it was alright.
The boy looked over and saw Deanna, and by the light of the streetlight she saw why he'd been wearing the snapback.
He had horns.
Brown ones, just peeking out of his hair.
Deanna gasped and covered her mouth, and the boy reached up and felt his head. He cursed in another tongue, and somehow Deanna understood that he wasn't speaking English. It was... Older. Beautiful, in a way. Well, as beautiful as swearing can get.
The boy jumped out of the debris, landing just in front of her, and Deanna backed away, hovering over Kayden. The way he moved wasn't right, either. It was almost... Animal.
“Are you okay?” The boy asked in English.
“What are you?” Deanna blurted. The boy shook his head. “It doesn't matter. Look, Kayden's injured. I have medicine in my bag.”
“Let me see it first.” Deanna commanded. The boy handed over a Ziploc full of what looked to be a golden brownie.
“I hardly think that sweets will help her.” Deanna told him. “It won't hurt her either,” The boy said. “Go on. It's not poisoned.”
Deanna felt that same feeling of trust toward the boy. But she didn't even know his name...
Kayden sat up shakily, gripping her arm. “It hurts,” She said. Deanna shushed her, pushing her hair out of her face. She gave the brownie to Kayden, who nibbled on it. To Deanna's surprise, Kayden promptly shoved the brownie in her mouth and chewed, gulping it down. She then reached for another one, but was stopped by the boy.
“No more. It's powerful. Too much can be fatal.” The boy proclaimed. He then noticed the cut on Deanna's thigh, which was bleeding heavily.
“Take some of this.” The boy said, holding out a thermos. Deanna raised it to her lips, and still watching the boy suspiciously, she drank.
It tasted like Earl Grey tea, and pineapple. The weirdest mix possible, but Deanna loved it, and drank further. The burning in her thigh stopped, and she relaxed.
The boy then snatched it out of her hands, causing it to dribble down her chin. Deanna swiped it away, and she saw that it was golden.
“Two much of that will kill you too. Are you feeling better?” He asked. Deanna nodded. She looked at her thigh, and noticed that it had stopped bleeding. Actually, it was closing before her eyes.
Deciding that there were more pressing matters, she wrote it off. Kayden was still in pain, albeit not as much.
Deanna knelt and felt her arm gently and decided that it wasn't a bad break, although she couldn't be sure without an x -ray.
“We need to get you two to New York, I wasn't planning on this. You've completely jeopardized my mission, there wasn't supposed to be any in this state anymore!” The boy was muttering.
“What's that supposed to mean?” Deanna asked him. The boy started to answer, then he swore again, turning to look at the pile of rubbish that was once the diner.
The bricks were moving, falling, as the dog rose from under the debris. Kayden gasped, and stumbled to her feet with Deanna's aid.
“Run,” The boy said, and they complied.
They ran as fast as they could down the street, skidding around a corner and making a beeline for the park. Kayden's normally quick pace was slow and halt, and Deanna pulled her by the hand as best as she could. They could hear the dog running after them, the ground quaking.
The boy was cursing repeatedly, and then he paused to take off his shoes. And then Deanna saw that he not only had horns, he had hooves as well.
They made it to the park before the beast was upon them, and Deanna shoved Kayden behind a tree. The boy had the sword out, and he was swinging it at the monster while digging in his bag. He retrieved something that smelled like dead animal, and he threw it as hard at he could. The creature, still groggy from being buried under the diner chased after it.
“What was that?” Deanna asked, panting. “That was a leg of sacred cow. And the dog is a hell hound.”
Deanna could certainly believe that.
“Look, we only have a minute. Here,” he said. He held out his bag. “Take this and get a plane to New York, go to the address, and ask for Chiron. Tell him that Grover's groove has been compromised, and that the eagle is attacking the cow and the thief!”
Deanna nodded mutely, taking the leather bag from him. The hell hound growled, then barked. The boy looked over at it's dark shape apprehensively.
“It's not after you,” He promised. “But now that it's scented you, other's will come here looking for you. Remember what I said! Get to New York! Take this, toss it in the street, and call upon the Chariot of Damnation, and give them the address! Good luck!” He pressed a gold coin from his pocket into Deanna's free hand.
The boy turned and started walking across the field, where the monster lurked.
“Where are you going?” Deanna called after him.
“I'll be alright. Look for a Laurel tree. Goodbye.”
And then the darkness swallowed him, and Deanna couldn't see him anymore.
~ ~ ~
