The Titan's Daughter | complete

9. Dallas Learns How To Fly

Thysía's POV

FIRST, I GET knocked out by the stupid Lion in Pennsylvania, and Mr. Hotshot freaking carried me away. Then, I try to get Dallas from underneath the Lion, and Mr. Hotshot frees her and puts a freaking wall around the Lion and passes out.

Then Dallas got to sit around and guard Ahomana while I had to go pack up our stuff.

When I walked back down to meet her, she'd already weaved some kind of hammock thing out of ropes from the barn, and tied it underneath Chrysós. She was in the process of putting Mana in and tightening the straps so he wouldn't fall.

I walked over and dumped the duffel bags we'd lugged across the country.

"How'd you do that?" I asked, frowning at the skill that went into the weaved stretcher slash hammock.

"I don't know." She mumbled, tying the last rope and stepping away from the murderous looking stallion, "I've never weaved before, but it was like I'd done it a million times."

I clenched my teeth. Now she had magical Athena worthy weaving powers. Both her and her arrogant boyfriend Mana had all the best things.

I had nothing. My mother was Iphigenia. She was a princess in Ancient Greek times, but became an immortal priestess of Artemis (long story). She wasn't supposed to have children, as Artemis was the virgin goddess. But no, she fell in love with some idiot mortal and I was created. Iphigenia was cast out of Artemis' temple and became mortal again.

She lives in Michigan City, Indiana, with her husband, my dad.

The thing is, I didn't even get any powers, except for some stupid reason, Artemis decided to bless me with being able to turn into a huge white stag, and be able to talk to deers like Percy Jackson talks to horses.

Hurray. I can be even more of a hunting target. Thanks Artemis.

"Come on, Thysía."

I blinked and realised I'd zoned out. Dallas had already mounted Chrysós and had strung out duffel bags over the horse's back like a saddle bag.

I sighed and used the hammock to mount Chrysós behind her.

"But didn't Chrysós get, uh, hit by the Lion?" I asked with a frown. I could have sworn he'd drawn blood, but the chestnut stallion seemed untouched.

Dallas blushed. "I've sort of been feeding him ambrosia over the last couple of days to even get us this far."

"What?"

Dallas didn't answer, but we heard the Lion roaring and ripping at the root wall Ahomana summoned.

She kicked the pegasus forward and he started cantering awkwardly, trying not to step on any loose strings coming off Mana's stretcher hammock. Shocked, I grabbed Dallas' waist and almost fell backwards as Chrysós got airborne.

"Sorry," I muttered in her ear, but I didn't let go. She either didn't hear me or didn't answer. The wind was pretty loud, so I couldn't count out the former.

We got into a steady rhythm, galloping across the sky, leaving the Nemean Lion in the dust yet again.

I started to feel like scum, with my arms around Dallas' waist. I didn't like the girl, and it probably looked to her like I was trying to move in on her. Not to mention she was going to be Mana's girl soon enough.

I retracted my hands and just placed them on her shoulders.

"So, where are we going now?" I asked.

"Well, we should be able to cross about two hundred miles, probably less." She answered, "We're heading towards Chicago."

"Chicago." I muttered. Why did it have to be freaking Chicago. That hit too close to home. I'd grown up in Michigan City, across the end of Lake Michigan from Chicago.

I hated it there. Hopefully we landed in Chicago and not fifty miles short.

I heard a slow groan from down below, before a startled yelp.

Dallas immediately grabbed a fist full of mane, before leaning over the side of Chrysós and talking to Mana.

I shut out the conversation and tried to make out the land below the clouds. I didn't see much.

I blame myself for what happened next. I should have been watching. I should have been on guard. But no, the venti just had to blow Dallas from Chrysós' back.

She screamed and grabbed at the hammock, dangling a thousand feet above the ground. The ropes creaked and Chrysós gave a groan of pain and shuddered in the air, falling a foot before taking flight again.

I wriggled forwards, so I was sitting where Dallas would have been, and drew my sword.

I glanced down at Dallas, who was holding onto Mana for dear life. "Can you hang in there for a minute?"

She nodded, her eyes wide, and I turned back to the front - only to get a face full of electric venti air and almost toppled off.

This wasn't going to work if I could even see the buggers.

"Thysía!" Dallas screamed, "I've got this!"

I frowned and looked downwards, only to see Dallas letting go of the rope.

"No!" I yelled. I immediately tried to steer Chrysós down to catch her. But the idiot horse just shook me off

I look back at Dallas. I could see vague outlines of venti racing towards her.

"Dallas!"

As much as I resented her, watching her fall made my heart clench.

And then she was glowing. I'm not talking about a soft glow like a firefly. I'm talking about intense light so bright I couldn't see her, so blinding and so searing hot I had to look away and urge Chrysós to get us out of it.

It was as if the sun had been crushed and compacted and was trying to spring free.

Even as we flew away from the nuclear blast that was Dallas, I could feel my arm hairs singeing.

And then the light faded.

I pulled up Chrysós, and he halted in the air, flapping his gigantic bronze coloured wings to keep us in the same place.

I looked back.

Dallas was running towards us. Like actually running as if she were sprinting track. Except she was on air. Or rather, light. I could only see it if I looked at it out of the corner of my eyes, but u couldn't focus on it, or else the Mist would cover it.

Dallas was warping the rays of sunlight to her needs, so that every time she placed her foot down, a shining stepping stone would appear. They Dissipated once she wasn't touching them.

"Damn, you didn't tell us you could fly."