The Heroes of Olympus: The Black Swordsman

Kirito

My heart was playing a drum roll solo in my chest, and by drum roll I mean full blown crash symbol and guitar inclusion type drum solo. My point is that my nerves were past the breaking point. I ran past a thicket panting like a dog. There was a road to my left, cars were running past me, the sound of the wind seemed like a breath of death to my current adrenaline enhanced state. I took a moment to assess my surroundings, the bridge was nearby, if I continued running at my current speed I would be their in no time. Just as I was nearing the half way point, the cell phone in my trench coat jacket vibrated. I let out a curse. That phone wasn't an ordinary phone. It warned of danger, danger that was emerging from the bushes just ahead. It's lion like body padded into view, the human like head bared its fangs menacingly while it's large spiked tail waved in a whip like fashion.

The manticore appraised me with its cold yellow eyes. " Hello boy," the beast purred, " I must admit, you run rather fast for a mortal".

I didn't respond, instead I forced myself to calm down and consider my limited options: I could run, or fight. I knew from last two months of surviving that running from monsters with animal like bodies was usually a futile attempt, the claws of that manticore would reach me before I got about 3 feet. So I did the only logical thing left to me, I decided to stand and fight.

I drew the sword from the scabbard on my back. The one handed long swords blade glistened with an obsidian look, it's sharp edge determined to fight till the end.

It's not as if I was surprised, I had been wandering around half the west coast of America, the stomping ground of mythological monsters, with no memory of myself, except a name: Kazuto Kirigaya, and the nickname Kirito, for quite a while, and by now monsters jumping out at me with my death on their main agenda was kind of a regular thing.

And for some reason, every time I thought of my other name " Kirito" I would get this strange nostalgic feeling: Long sweet smelling hair, a girl holding out a fresh home cooked meal, and the memory of a ginormous castle, soaring above what seemed to be a huge tree.

It wasn't as if I remembered this name first though, the first I heard of it was after I spoke with that she wolf. Yes, I'm not yanking your chain, I actually spoke with a wolf. You see, it all started after I woke up in some house that was completely falling apart. I found myself surrounded by her pack. Lupa's pack. She didn't speak, she didn't have to, It was as if I could read her body language.

" So, one who possesses not the blood of gods. Can ye who is mortal join the legion, or shall you become dinner for wolves?"

I spent the next few weeks living and training with her, she toughened me up until she was sure I was ready, she told me of Roman gods and monsters, and their true connection to the modern world. At the end of my training she took me to a clearing near the back what I now knew to be called the Wolf House. In the center of the clearing lay a one handed long sword, the blade and handle were completely black except for a few simple white designs on the hilt and a thin white edge around the sharp ends of the blade.

"It's name is Elucidator", Lupa had told me.

The name had the same effect on me as the name Kirito had been after Lupa had told that to name to me the second day among the pack, memories flitted across my mind without recognition. After I took Elucidator, the pack left me, leaving me nothing but the sword in my hand, a back pack, a strange cell phone, and a long black leather coat with a golden eagle sewed into the cuff of one sleeve. Since than I have been following the wolf instincts guiding me here, fighting off monsters who seemed miffed at having to eat me, apparently they preferred demigods. So why the heck were they after me!?

I bent my legs and positioned my sword with my right hand holding it up to the side as if preparing to slice the chimera in half. "Out of my way" I said in what I hope was a calm voice.

The manticore laughed, " An idiot like you without even a single ounce of Olympian blood take me on? Forget it child, I have devoured your kind for centuries, not even a blade of Stygian Iron can best me, not as long as it lies in the hands of a weak mortal like you."

His tail instantly flew forward and the spikes hurled at me like bullets.

Elucidator was an instant blur, my arm moved like a flash, deflecting every one of the manticores spikes.

The manticore gave me a shocked expression that would have gotten the award for biggest drama queen. "None have ever- not even those pathetic Romans, have ever withstood my poison. What are you!?"

Very lucky, was my first thought, but instead I said," I am called Kirito, and I'm going to cut you till only your bones remain you man faced kitten!!" It was at that moment that did what I always did when engaged with a foe much stronger than myself, I completely snapped. Yelling, I ran at my enemy as fast as I could, when I was just a few meters from the manticore, I twisted my wrist back and did an angular upward left to right slash at the manticores face.

Despite its size, the fur ball was actually quite agile, it managed to leap back and just miss the point of my sword. The manticore countered with a swipe of his massive paw. I made a motion as if to block with my sword, but I didn't stop there. The moment the paw made contact with my blade I swung downwards cleaving his entire hand in half.

The manticore roared in agony, rearing up on its hind legs. I took my chance and moved my blade from between its legs, all the way to its head, completely cleaving the manticore in half. The manticore exploded in a shower of dust.

I regained my senses and collapsed on the ground. I lay their for second, thinking I'd rest before going the last 40 feet to my unknown destination. I paused to think........ I thought about the girl from my scattered memories......... Asuna. The name took me by storm, that had been the first time I was able to put a name with the memory of her. I was just about to attempt a major excavation through my brain for more clues when I became aware of someone watching, I got up and saw two teens in what seemed to be a combination of roman armor mixed in with jeans and purple t shirts, one was carrying a bow and the other one had what I could only assume was a Calvary sword ( how I knew so much about weapons was a mystery to me). Both the girl and guy we're staring at me with a dumb struck expression as if I had just single handedly carved up a manticore like a crazy man, which of course, I did. I racked my brain for something to say.

"Ummmm......... Hi?"