The Veiled Legacy | PJO - Book Two

nine

AN ODD FOREST

When the shadows pulled away from Ariana - at last.

Ariana stood on the edge of the forest, looking at it with a little wariness. There was something odd about this place.

It wasn't just the darkness of the woods, it was something else, something that she couldn't quite place her finger on.

It almost felt like it was watching her, like there were eyes on her from everywhere at once.

As a child, Ariana was never bothered by the woods or darkness. Though, since returning from Tartarus she had developed a slight fear of being in the dark.

Despite these strange feelings, she decided she had to investigate, at least a little bit. So she took a deep breath and set out into the forest.

Arianna walked deeper into the forest, slowly getting used to the feeling of being surrounded by darkness. She couldn't shake the feeling that she didn't belong here, that the land itself was rejecting her and wanted her to leave, but she was determined to find a safe place to rest for the night.

Walking, walking, walking. The forest felt endless, like an eternity of silence and darkness stretching on and on.

But finally, after what seemed like hours, she spotted a small patch of ground that might just be suitable for a little camp.

Ariana had been walking for a while now, her tired legs barely taking her from one step to the next.

As she kept walking, her stomach started growling, demanding to be fed. Ariana sighed, removing her backpack from her shoulder.

She knelt to the ground, beside a rock, and took out some berries.

The sweet flavour felt like a burst of flavour in her mouth, and her hunger was immediately sated. But, now that her hunger was sated, she started feeling even more tired.

Suddenly, she wished she had one of the hunters or Artemis tents, but she didn't.

Instead of going to sleep right away, she started a small fire by the rocky area to keep her safe for the night.

As she sat there, watching the fire burn, feeling the warmth it gave off across her body and face, she let her mind drift. Ariana thought about her quest, about the strange feelings she had gotten from the forest, and just about how much she doubted herself.

Ariana wondered what her friends were doing, what the members of the Argo II were doing at that moment.

She suspected that they were probably doing many side quests, she desperately hoped that they were all alright with minimal injuries.

She wondered if they missed her, and if they wondered where she was. Ariana knew that if they could have, they would have come to help her.

They were strong, they were brave, and they were loyal. But they also had their own quest, and it was Ariana who insisted that they had to stay behind.

Ariana had told them she had to this quest alone, and alone is what she would do.

As Ariana let her mind wander, the feeling of tired began to creep in once more. The warm glow of the fire, coupled with her weariness from the long day of walking, made it impossible to stay awake.

Slowly, her eyelids got heavier and heavier, but before she could drift fully off to sleep, she had one last thought.

Ariana let her eyes close then for the final time, giving in to the sweet sensation of sleep.