The Next Generation: The Beginning

Mia's POV

"Kelli." I spat her name out with as much disgust as I could muster. She sneered.

"You! I thought I smelled a rat! So, you here for a rematch?"

"Oh, trust me, Kelli; This isn't going to be much of a match." I got into my fighting stance, throwing all precautions and promises to get Joey at the first sign of trouble out the window. She started to come at me when I released an arrow, hitting her right in the chest. She stopped, then just pulled the arrow out!

"What the?!" she smirked.

"It's called preparing. I knew you would do that, airhead, so I wore armor." I cocked my head to the side.

"Wait, why am I the airhead? We have the same colored hair!" She just growled and advanced again. I wasn't fast enough this time and she tackled me. Seriously, why is she a cheerleader? She should be on the football team! Anyway, she knocked me to the ground, causing my head to bang against our shelter. She bared my neck and bit me.

"Aaahh!" You know those times when you don't think things will be that bad, and then it's like the worst thing ever? This is one of those times.

Her bite must have been laced with poison or something because besides feeling my blood being drained from my body, it felt like whatever blood I had left was liquid fire coursing through my veins. As the pain began to overtake my senses, I faintly saw an orange shirt stabbing Kelli, then leaning over me with a worried expression before everything went black.

Joey's POV

A loud Thud! Woke me along with a scream. Outside, I saw something that looked like a cheerleader attacking Mia. Without a second thought, I stabbed it and knelt down next to her.

"Mia! Are you ok?!" She moaned. "Hold on, Mia. Just hold on for me!" She blacked out. Knowing I had no clue what to do, but that this could also attract more monsters, I screamed "Help!" I heard some stomping. Getting in front of Mia, I acted like a shield.

"Who's there?!" A silhouette could faintly be made out in the dark, ginormous and looming. I shined the flashlight on him. His red skin and dreadlocks and beard with woven pelt attire seemed very familiar...

"Are you... Damasen?" My parents had mentioned him during one of the brief conversations we had previously had on their time down here. He had saved their lives.

"Yes. Did you call for help?" I nodded. This is actually very good- his healing skills are legendary.

"I'm Joey Jackson, son of Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase, legacy of Poseidon and Athena. And this is my friend Mia Solace-Di Angelo, daughter of Nico Di Angelo and Will Solace, legacy of Hades and Apollo. We're trapped down here until she can shadow travel us out but an empousa attacked her and she needs help."

"Follow me." The giant picked Mia up bridal style and I grabbed her backpack and followed closely behind. He led us to a swamp of some sort. In the center stood a hut made out of white sticks... wait. Those are bones. A shiver ran down my spine. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. Inside the structure, there were basic furnishings, but they were all made out of the same white material.

Damasen laid Mia down on a mat that looked like he had for occasions like this and walked over to a cabinet with all sorts of odd bottles in it. Walking back over to Mia with a shot/injection of pink liquid, he spoke.

"You should get some sleep. I can watch you guys for now." I nodded, then I remembered something.

"Wait, how are you still alive? Didn't Tartarus swallow you up?!"

"I don't really know to be perfectly honest. I remember fighting my father to save your parents, then darkness, and then I woke up in my hut. I'm not exactly sure what happened."

"Oh." He stood up, sighing.

"This will cure the empousa's venom and replenish her blood supply. Do you have any injuries?" I shook my head. "Good. Now, get some sleep. You may be here for a while; who knows when she'll wake up." I lay down on my mat.

"Damasen?" he looked at me. "Thank you." he nodded, then walked out of the hut. I looked at Mia.

"We'll get through this," I murmured, closing my eyes then sleep found me immediately.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We stayed with Damasen for four days, all of which Mia was unconscious. I actually got some sleep, so when Mia woke up or felt well enough to, we could shadow travel out of here no problem. I lived off of Pringles and Oreos and Sprite, so a very healthy diet.

When the fourth day began, I woke up to Mia still unconscious and unresponsive, and Damasen tending to her. I smiled. We had grown quite close in these past few days. He really just didn't want to be alone.

"Good morning. She is doing much better so maybe she'll wake up today."

"Thank you, Damasen. This means a lot." he nodded.

"Any friend of your parents is a friend of mine." and he left to go fight the drakon for the day. I looked through the backpack again. Over the past few days, I had also discovered that Mia had a makeup bag in here with some of the objects the name describes which gave me a crazy idea. If it worked, then maybe we could contact our parents. As I was going over the plan in my head again, I heard a groan from the mat next to me.

Only three chapters left!