Golden Girl

~20~

"I am doing better than him," Aurelia nodded at Percy, pulling out her sword. She sliced through the wings of one of the monsters and sent it spiraling into a nearby tree. But the defeated ones began to reform immediately.

"What are these things?" Percy yelled as he rose with Riptide in hand.

"Gryphons!" Hazel said. "We have to get them away from the train!"

Aurelia saw what she meant. The train cars had fallen over and their roofs had shattered. Tourists were stumbling in shock. It didn't seem like anyone was seriously injured, but the gryphons were swooping toward anything that moved. The only thing that kept the mortals from being snatched up was a flowing gray warrior in camouflage—Frank's pet spartus.

"Used your last charge?" Percy asked. He had stood back to back with Aurelia both of them, attacking any monsters that came too close.

"Yeah." Frank shot another gryphon out of the sky. "I had to help the mortals. The spear just dissolved."

"Let's move the fight!" Percy said. "Away from the tracks!"

They stumbled through the snow, smacking and slicing gryphons that re-formed from dust every time they were killed. Aurelia had no experience with gryphons but she still continued to fight beside her friends, killing as quickly as she could, as many as she could.

About fifty yards from the tracks, the trees gave way to an open marsh. The ground was so spongy and icy, it felt like walking across Bubble wrap. Frank was running out of arrows. Hazel was breathing hard. Percy's sword swings were getting slower. Aurelia's feet were completely numb from the cold and it hurt to keep going. The only reason they were alive was because the gryphons weren't trying to kill them. They wanted to pick them up and carry them off somewhere.

Probably their nests, Aurelia thought as she stabbed one to keep it from latching onto Frank's arm.

"Dios mio," Aurelia hissed as she tripped.

Well, more like Percy tripped over something in the tall frozen grass, which sent him falling into her as well. She quickly recovered, covering Percy as he revealed what had caused their fall. They stood right by a massive bird's nest—a gryphon's nest—the bottom littered with old pieces of jewelry, an Imperial gold dagger, a dented centurion's badge, and two pumpkin sized eggs that looked like real gold.

Percy jumped into the nest. He pressed his sword tip against one of the eggs. "Back off, or I break it!"

The gryphons squawked angrily. They buzzed around the nest and snapped their beaks, but they didn't attack. Aurelia, Frank and Hazel all stood back to back with Percy, their weapons ready.

"Gryphons collect gold," Hazel said. "They're crazy for it. Look—more nests over there."

Frank nocked his last arrows. "So if these are their nests, where were they trying to take you guys? Those things were flying away with the two of you."

Aurelia's arms throbbed from where the gryphons had grabbed her.

"Alcyoneus," Percy guessed. "Maybe they're working for him. Are these things smart enough to take over?"

"No clue," Hazel said. "I never fought them when I lived here. I just read about them at camp."

"Weaknesses?" Frank asked, "Please tell me they have weaknesses."

"Horses," Aurelia remembered. "How ironic."

Hazel scowled. "Gods, I wish Arion was here!"

The gryphons shrieked. They swirled around the nest with their red eyes glowing.