TONGUES & TEETH; Luke Castellan [ 1 ]

< YELLOW FLICKER BEAT >

YELLOW FLICKER BEAT
"My blood is a flood of rubies, precious stones. It keeps my veins hot, the fire's found a home in me."

"Grover." She cried out her knee finally caving as her knees hit the ground. The satyr had grown bored of the bickering but that didn't stop him from hurrying over to her to examine, the blistering skin on her shin.

"How bad is it? Can you walk." Pandora exhaled angrily, calming herself before she grew too hot. Since the dragon a day ago, Pandora had realised she didn't have much control over the mysterious power she assumed she had inherited from her father.

After setting Grover's tail on fire twice, one on accident the other well.. tensions were high. "Does it look like I can walk." She grumbled, pulling herself up painfully hardly holding herself steady.

"For 15, you really are quite short." Grover stated earning a dirty look from the girl, who sucked in a gasp moving past him slowly. "That looks fun—" Grover didn't have time to finish his sentence, Pandora freezing in front of him.

"Holy shit." Pandora cursed, forget walking she was sprinting, the burn from her leg sending painful trembles through her spine, "Grover what the hell is that!" Grover ran beside her, slightly faster as behind them, another mythical creature charged them.

"Nemean Lion!" He gasped changing directions, the huge creature behind them charging faster. "Zeus is trying to kill you Pandora". She paled ignoring the pain in her leg sliding across the grass as she came to a halt.

"We're never going to outrun that thing Grover, do you have anything." He slid to a stop similarly digging through his bag desperately tossing Pandora some type of contraption, small enough to fit in her palm.

"What the fuck is this supposed to do." She lost her cool, startled as a sword shifted in her hands, lit up blue with flames, "Oh that's neat." Grover had practically turned tail and run as Pandora exhaled shakily the lion so close she could hear the ground shift. "Here goes nothing." She gripped the sword shakily.

She was a rather good baseball player so with a swing the sword embedded into the lion's shoulder, luckily Pandora sliding under the lion as she bounded over her.
It didn't last long as the sword was flung across the forest, a rather frightened Pandora taking off in the direction the lion recovering.

"Any help Grover." She shouted missing her sword as the lion jumped in front of her, a claw catching her cheek as she scrambled back, "GROVER!" She couldn't summon the fire she so desperately needed, the satyr nowhere to be seen.

Pandora had fallen to the ground her hand holding her face together as she waited for death to consume her again. A loud bark snapped her out of it, the lion distracted. The teen pulled herself to her feet, gently clutching the scratch across her face blood coating her already stained shirt. She was lucky it hadn't caught her eye, a line above the top of her eye another just under.

She felt dizzy, blood still seeping down her face as a she mistepped slightly. She tried to focus on the barking, Grover's voice but to no luck, she fell back spots covering her vision. She felt like she had been passed out for hours as asomething moved across her face.

"Pandora", A hushed voice beckoned, as if they were scared, "Pandora! It's licking your face." Pandora's eyes snapped open, a lick across her face causing her to turn on her side, coughing rather violently.

She turned back around to face the culprit, the biggest dog she had ever seen hovering over her. She wanted to be terrified she did but something about it comforted her. "Grover." She cautioned a few steps away the stressed boy. "What is this." She was sure it looked like a dog but it was so big almost the height of Pandora.

"It's- It's a hell hound." Grover whined clearly terrified as he refused to move any closer to the dog hovering Pandora, "They're from the underworld." Pandora nodding slowly, her face still inches from the hounds.

"If I move will it murder me Grover." She spoke quietly beginning to shuffle out from under the huge black hound. "Grover." The boy was hardly paying attention to her, his eyes fixated on the dog.

"No.. yes.. I'm not sure." He bounced on his feet, or hooves Pandora assumed. Hesitantly Pandora slid out from under the dog standing quickly brushing her fingers. The dog hardly moved panting somewhat happily towards the teen.

"What- What happened Grover." She looked around for evidence of the short battle, the look nowhere to be seen. "My face." Pandora realised touching the once torn apart flesh, the thin lines still felt under her fingertips.

"The dog healed you I guess, still fairly nasty scar above your eyebrow." Grover watched her examine the scar with her fingers, "It did your leg too." She noticed her body felt pain free, the burn mark disappeared. "It also fought off the lion, I'm actually not sure why it's here." Grover added still far away from Pandora and the dog.

"Me too." She looked down at the red eyed dog panting, "Well, thank you dog, we will be on our way." She took a step to the side beginning to walk towards Grover.

Grover sighed shakily as he opened his mouth to speak again, "Uh.. Pandora, it's following you." She swivelling around quickly to view the dog a step behind her.

"It's a bit cute I suppose." The dog looked like death itself, dark black fur, blood red eyes fangs sticking out from its jaw.

"Cute, it's going to eat me Pandora". Grover shuddered as the beast took another step closer to Pandora, a low growl from its mouth in Grover's direction.

"Let's just get to camp, I'm sure the dog will disappear Grover." She pat his back continuing on her way.