User blog:Joeaikman/Wiki Half Blood Chapter 4 - Matthew

On my left I could see Phil barrelling through the trees in Central Park. Gordon was also running but he was much slower than both of us and was lagging behind. All three of us had our swords drawn. Phil's shined silver in the light of the sun, I remember being told he got it as a special gift from his mom when he was made Counsellor. Gordon also carried a special sword, it is a dull bronze and looks harmless but I know it was forged in the waters of the river Lethe. One cut from that sword can make you forget who you are. Usually he is banned from using it, sons of Hypno get scary presents.

Gordon started to whimper as we got close to the danger zone. "Something feels wrong. Something here is dark". His voice should have been lost in the wind but I could hear it loud and clear. Another special power Hypno children got. They could talk to people in their heads. As I said, they're all terrifying.

Phil pulled up suddenly, leading to me and Gordon crashing into one another behind him. Phil had his sword up, but wasn't moving. I could hear noises from beyond him so I got up to see. In the clearing just in front of us was the satyr, Tiger, as well as two other children, both carrying weapons, trying to fend off the cackling monsters that had them surrounded.

They took the shape of women, with long hideous faces and talons where they should have fingernails. Their bodies were dark and cloudy, but at the same time translucent. I could just see through them, but barely. On top of this they seemed to be twisting and turning, reshaping constantly, like they were made of...

"Shadows!" Phil called out "Lamia! Servants of Erebus himself!" Him and Gordon both stepped into the clearing, Phil looking confident, Gordon looking like he wanted to cry and run back to his cabin to hide. I couldn't blame him, the same thought had crossed my mind.

"We owe you no harm, Sons of Athena and Hypno. Just give us the spawn of our oppressor and we will let the rest of you leave". The Lamia had cruel, hissing voices, like fog. They didn't seem to talk, only tell us what they wanted to say. Great, more head talking.

"That boy is a child of Olympus. It is our duty to protect him. You will stand down and return to your master empty handed, if you wish to return to your master at all!" That angered them, but as the hissing faded so did they, returning to the Underworld or Tartarus or wherever else the darkness lived. Maybe New Jersey. The enemy was gone...for now.

"That was close. I don't think we could have taken them in a fight." That was Gordon. Ever the pessimist. He was probably right. Phil had already walked off, to check up on the boy and girl. Tiger had come over to me as soon as he could.

"It's good to see you, Matthew" he wrapped me in one of his really shaggy, satyr hugs. I could feel Gordon joining in. That was when we split. Gordon always makes everything weird. "Those things have been following us for a day Phil. Ever since we left New York. I saved the boy from them once, they'd been following him. I don't know for how long."

"Have they been claimed on the journey" Phil had come back across. Being claimed was where a god acknowledged you as their child. It had supposedly got better after the great Percy Jackson defeated Kronos, but still some of us were left unclaimed and not acknowledged by our godly parent. Whoever my dad was clearly wasn't proud of me, I'd been at camp for a while and still no one had wanted to take me as their son.

"No, but the girl is very good with a bow. Chiron will love her." Tiger was smiling. He was always smiling when there wasn't some form of pressing danger in the near vicinity. Except maybe when there was a long queue for tacos at the Camp cafeteria on Tuesdays.

"I guess we will have to take them back and..." That was when Phil was cut off by the son of Hypnos.

"Guys..." We all dropped to our knees. The dark, shadowy boy was being claimed. Above his head was the black helmet, the emblem of Hades, God of the Underworld and Lord of Death.