Joel

The boat smacked against the rocks on the shore.

The three clattered out over bushes and the road into a forest, they ran as fast as the could through the forest. The three remained silent focused on getting out of there. The sound of branches snapping echoed through the forest, Joel glanced between pushing away from trees to see shadowy figures jumping and flying between branches. Daniel pulled out his bow and started firing arrows, the figures started closing in on them, the arrows only angered them. Daniel tapped Rachel’s shoulder and whispered something into her ear, Joel felt a little jealous. Suddenly Rachel threw her hands down and fire shot from her hands at rapid spends, flares of orange and yellow burst against trees. The ground beneath them broke off and launched into the air away from the children of Tonitru. Little pieces of dirt flown off, green and grey blurred around the three, Joel instinctively halted and the three kids grabbed onto each other, jamming their eyelids shut; they pressed their faces against the mound. Wind blew in their faces.

It felt like an eternity until the ground slammed into a treetop sending the three spiralling down through the branches without each other. Joel’s fall was slowed by the branches snapping beneath him, he flailed his arms and legs in the air. Joel back stun, there was small sharp chips stuck in his back and down his arms, Joel stood up and hung onto a tree, everything was spinning. Daniel was just a few feet away; he clambered to his feet and Rachel dropped down from hanging onto a branch.

Joel got a hold of himself grabbing his hair and jamming his eyes shut, Joel heard a high pitch and a faint low grumble. Joel knew it was something he really didn’t want to face, but he reluctantly opened his eyes lightly and turned around, his vision was blurry and still spinning, but Joel could roughly make out: twenty feet? Thirty? Ten? away crouching down was a weird twelve-foot combination of a lion and dragon. Its neck swayed left and right, it slowly approached lifting its arms bearing its talons and opening its mouth. Joel kind of hoped he had a concussion. Suddenly flames sprouted from its mouth (definitely real heat) and Rachel threw her arms apart, the fire parting. The fire bent around them; the air already smelt like ash, and flames, and smoke, it was also already unbearably hot, but the fire didn’t help.  Rachel redirected back toward the beast. It threw its arm up the flames expanding. It let out a mighty roar and leapt at Rachel, she jumped onto its neck, Daniel cartwheeled away, and Joel grabbed onto one of its horns and swung around onto its shoulder. Joel unsheathed his sword and stabbed it into the shoulder of the beast. It bellowed trampling toward a tree and throwing its shoulder into it jolting Joel and his sword out. Joel collapsed to the ground quickly lifting his head. Daniel nocked three arrows at the bare chest of the beast, but they just skimmed off to the ground. The beast arched its neck and lifted Daniel onto its head it threw its head back like a spring sending Daniel into the branches. It grabbed Rachel off its back, but she sunk her axe into its spine and it bellowed its scaly tale whipping around and throwing her off. Daniel jumped down off its back. “FOLLOW ME!” he screamed running further into the wood. Rachel and Joel didn’t argue.

Joel jumped to his feet after Daniel, the beats roaring in defiance. Joel didn’t look back, but he could hear the monster bellowing and its shoulders clashing against the trees making them collapse, splinters shot at the three as they ran. Then Joel heard fire flow from its mouth. He heard it roar and whisper into his ear; You can’t outrun me! “STOP!” Daniel said. They all halted in a small opening. “When I tell you, run around the opening, in the trees!” He said. He squinted as the beast lumbered toward them. “Go in different directions. And Joel give me your sword.” Joel threw his sword at Daniel who caught it in the air. Daniel ran away into the forest, but Joel had faith, Rachel’s face looked furious, but Joel put his hand on her shoulder and reassured her. A few seconds later they heard: “NOW!!!” the two separated running in circles just out of the opening the beast ran into the clearing and began shooting fire at the trees, fire surrounding him, Joel covered his mouth running further into the forest but he saw Daniel run into the clearing and stab the beast in the neck, he ran out of the flaming clearing, the beast lumbered toward them crying out in pain, dragging it should neck and back along, but the fiery trees fell on it trapping it, pinning it down. Rachel ran at them. The smoke filled Joel’s lungs and him and Daniel started coughing as the rest of the trees caught on fire, the beast let out a final bellow its eyes going hazy and thin. Wind pushed fire and lumber everywhere, the three crouched behind a large rock, rain broke down unto the forest and thunder boomed. The air filled with smoke. Rachel waved her hand, and the smoke bent around them. “LETS GO!!!” Rachel screamed they crawled away slowly. The fire jumped between trees and smoke kept filling the forest, the three coughed. Fire now and again jumped at the three, they could barely breathe, not daring to waste any breath. Every few second the sound of an entire tree falling down could be heard, it made them jump every time, Joel wanted to cry but he was too tired and was fresh out of water. Thirty metres later they were at the edge of the fiery forest and the middle of a tornado in a field the smoke was thinner but still they needed fresher air. Wind rushed around them in a two-hundred-foot-radius. Demigod children of Tonitru were everywhere flying toward Tonitru who hovered in the sky, lightning struck him, and his voice boomed with anger.

“NO LONGER! NO LONGER WILL I LET THE POWER OF THE STORM GOD BE IN SHACKLES! I SET MY POWER FREE! TO THEIR FULL EXTENT! WE MARCH UPON BIG CYPRESS AND PLUG THE HOLE TO THE MONSTER REALM! THEN I TAKE MY PLACE IN THE HALLS OF LAND OF THE GODS!” The storm began to shift, a wall of fire trampling through the forest, the smoke wafted away, Joel held his hand in front of him, almost accepting his fate.

The fire bent around them as Rachel grunted, she was waving her hands to the left, it was really warm too warp. Joel’s head felt heavy, he collapsed onto Daniel.

.  .  .

Joel was dreaming.

His eyes stuttered open for a second in panic but then they promptly shut again. Joel started to slip again, he felt himself fall through the floor, he slipped back to reality, water poured down his lips and into his throat, it felt nice. Back to his dreams he was waving his hands in the air as he fell from the S.S Theseus, suddenly he was in the garden again the guards head impaled on the fence, he was warm with fire bending around him. Light started filling his eyes, but his eyes flew open again Daniel shaking him. Joel jolted up and grabbed Daniel. They were in a dimly lit cave, a small bundle of wood on fire in the middle. Daniel hugged Joel, “Where ae we?” Joel asked.

“In a cliff.” Daniel said, Joel looked out of the cave: Far in the distance there was a huge tornado, the sky was black and grey, lightning pierced the clouds, and rain pelted the entrance of the cave. Rachel as she went; was nowhere to be seen. “Where is she? Who is she?” Joel asked; worried she was sent by the Smith-man.

“Just out the cave.” Daniel said. Joel didn’t want to, but he pulled away and walked out toward the exit. Joel popped his head out the winds slamming him into the side, Joel reluctantly walked out, the ground was slippery, Joel held his hand in front of his eyes and held his other hand against the wall, he slowly moved forward, the stone-ground outside the cave stretched ten-feet but as Joel moved around the corner of the cliff it got thinner. Joel kept pushing himself against the wall, the ledge Joel shimmied around went up at an angle. Joel wobbled up the ledge opening unto a flat ground, just thirty feet away was a forest. Rachel stammered out of them toward Joel: “C’MON!” She yelled over the winds and thunder. She grabbed Joel’s shoulder and brought him to the edge of the cliff; she jumped down onto the ground outside of the cave. The air was cold and smelt of earth up here. Joel jumped down the fifteen foot; dropped on his shoulder letting out a yelp, and then jumped-up chasing after Rachel. “WHERE THE HELL WHERE YOU!” Joel screamed. Probably plotting with the Smiths-man! Joel thought. She whipped around her black hair soaking wet. She threw her hands by her side, and she was suddenly dry. Rachel threw her hands at Joel, and he was now dry. “Getting more firewood.” She said dumping a stack of wood off her back. Joel huddled up next to Daniel and Rachel sat away from them.

“Why are you two being chased by the works-man?” Rachel asked.

“OH-!” Daniel begun but Joel put his hand to Daniel’s mouth. We can’t trust her! Joel mouthed.

Daniel scoffed: “He wants our power, we’re a unique case, we are demi-gods, so we have power but we’re young enough to not do too much damage to him. But we’re pretty sure he’s only chasing us. Or no one else he chased survived.”

Joel looked out, a large hurricane in the distance, lightning revolved around the hurricane. Thunder boomed and the rain continued to roar.

Joel looked out at the sky, he saw three bronze lights; “Oh...” Joel stood up and walked to the outside of the cave and looked at the lights, they soared toward the cave, they made no sound, they could just be seen, three large capsules. They made Joel feel small and insignificant, completely helpless. “More...” Joel cried. He looked back at Daniel and Rachel, they were all injured and tired, so Joel stared in shock and disbelief that this many automatons had been sent at them in one day, they were still presumably in Florida, the bronze capsules slammed into the outside ground, Joel flew back into the back of the cave. Most of the outside ground peeled off and boomed down the cliff.

The capsules cracked open with a slight boom, the top peeled off and clanged against the ground. When the capsules opened, they revealed two ten-foot humanoid automatons, with no face. A few arrows launched toward them but one of them ran at Daniel, Rachel leapt up but was slammed into the wall unconscious. Joel pulled the medallion out of his shirt and placed his index fingers on it. Something big strong unstoppable, mighty! In a flash Joel’s body was different. Joel felt a rush of courage. Joel trampled toward the automatons piercing his rhino horn through one of their stomach, he skidded to his side the horn dislodging from the automatons, the automaton launched through the air, he turned around and blew air out of his nose, he ran at one automaton who grabbed his horn, Joel swung his head and slammed the automaton to the wall, Joel kicked his back feet into the automaton breaking it, the other automaton backed up warily but Joel-the-rhinoceros had other plans. As he charged forward, he rammed his head into the giant, it threw fourth a fist sending Joel backward flying but Joel did the same to the giant. It flew off the cliff and human-Joel skidded along the ground. As the giant banged against the sides of the cliff Joel heard a terrifying: “NEW TARGET!!!” before the ultimate BANG! CLANG! BOOM! Joel looked over and it looked as if Rachel was awakening. Joel saw more bronze lights in the distance. “We need to get out of Florida. NOW!!!” he screamed.

“How?!” Daniel asked.

Joel clattered down outside and placed his medallion and sword in a pile, “GIVE ME EVERYTHING!!!” Joel screamed Daniel threw his air-arrows and enchanted bow. Joel put them in the pile Rachel threw her axe drowsily, but Joel locked eyes and gave her a scowl, she tossed a coin at Joel, Joel put it all in one pile. “BURN, IT!!!” Rachel did not look happy to be being bossed around, but she casted fire onto the pile and Joel collapsed.

“Leon, father, god of time and prophecy, I pray to you, take this offering!”

“Vinari, mother, god of the art of the hunt, I pray to you take this offering!”

“Bellona, mother, god of war, I pray to you take this offering!”

All three at once. “LEON FATHER, GOD OF TIME, TAKE THIS OFFEREING!”

“VINARI MOTHER TAKE THIS OFFERING!”

“BELLONA MOTHER TAKE THIS OFFERING!!!” the fire burned loud and strong, it exploded gold sent the three spiralling. Joel got a hold of himself and looked at the pile, there was nothing there but a scorch mark.

“CAW! CAW! CAW!” three large eagles, five foot long, flew down, they all bowed their heads. On one of them Joel’s sword was strapped in his sheath to the eagle’s side. Joel climbed atop, he laced his hand on the eagle’s head and felt connected to it. The other two climbed atop their eagles, reunited with their supplies. “WE NEE-!!!” as if hearing his thought his eagle took off. Small tornadoes flew everywhere, lightning struck every second and rain rammed into Joel. The other three took off, Rachel and her Eagle lit up in flames. They busted through a line of Tonitru’s children. Three bronze large capsules soared away from them into the cave, they exploded and herds of bronze birds, the same size as the eagles. They swarmed after the six. Joel’s mind and his eagles mind were in perfect sync, as they weaved around and dodged obstacles and bronze birds. Rachel rammed through them, and Daniel and his eagle picked off one by one with perfect accuracy. Daniel flew forward. All their eagles had cuts already. With me your powers are one, you can finally control them. His eagle beckoned. “KEEP GOING!” Joel screamed through the winds. Joel fell back and his eagle lifted its right wing, and Joel lifted his sword in front of the herd of birds. As Joel got enveloped by the birds, he swept his sword away and the birds slowed down, Joel flew out of the herd and alongside the other two. The birds all turned green and clattered through the winds below to the ground. Joel felt his medallion around his neck. The storm in the sky cleared. Joel had slept already but today (or yesterday?) had been a kind of day you would need a few sleeps to shed. Joel’s head felt like lead. Joel rested his head on the neck of the falcon.