ᴾʰᵒᵇᵒᵖʰᵒᵇⁱᵃ [ᴶᵃˢᵒⁿ ᴳʳᵃᶜᵉ]

αγ

αγ. Lupophobia - fear of wolves

"Shit, those don't sound friendly," Aza said, clambering to her feet and running her finger over the inscription on her bracelet, summoning her sword, μυαλομάλλα (Mind-Cleaver), a gift from her favorite half-aunt, Clarisse. Personally, Aza loved the howls of the Hunters' wolves; they were soothing and protective. But these wolves sounded harsh and threatening, and their next howls sounded from far closer to the cave than they had been before.

Aza didn't feel too hot as she stood up; her vision blackened into a small tunnel, and she felt herself sway on her feet. Casually, so as to not worry her companions, Aza leaned against the cave wall and rested her forehead against the cool stone - had her forehead always felt this hot? She felt like her body was burning now, and she almost missed the cold.

She regrouped with Jason, Leo and Gleeson, the four standing in front of Piper. Aza's vision was spinning, and she felt lightheaded in a mildly concerning way, but Aza figured she had fought feeling much worse before.

She subtly gripped onto Leo's elbow when she felt her balance begin to tip her backwards. His brown curls whipped as he turned to look at her, but with once glance from Aza he forced himself to wipe the concern from his face - they couldn't let her look weak.

"Hold on if you need," Leo whispered out of the corner of his mouth, uncomfortably serious. "I played a tree in a preeschool play."

Aza wanted to laugh, but she instead peered out into the darkness, and in the small flickers of light that the fire extended outside, she saw a pair of glowing red eyes in the dark.

Oh, this will be fun, Aza thought, gripping once more onto Leo's sleeve when she felt her eyes roll up slightly. Gods, Aza felt out of commission. She didn't think she could walk to the the bathroom on her own, nonetheless hold her own against a pack of rabid wolves that were more likely monstrous than not.

More wolves edged closer, tauntingly close to the group of five. They all had shaggy black fur, coated in ice and snow, larger than an a Great Dane. Their fangs gleamed almost as long as Aza's forearm, and their eyes glowed with a terrifying intelligence. The front-most wolf was almost as big as a horse, his mouth stained red - Aza didn't want to know from what; all she hoped is that she wasn't next.

Aza held her sword up in front of her as Jason stepped forward and said something in Latin. She understood absolutely none of it, but the wolves had an adverse reaction to whatever he said, solidifying Aza's theory that these were not normal wolves. The alpha let out a soft snarl, the fur standing pin straight along his spine. One of the wolves beside him tried to advance, but the alpha snapped at his ear and the wolves backed into the dark.

"Dude, I gotta study Latin," Aza noticed that Leo's hands were shaking, his hammer practically vibrating at his side. "What'd you say, Jason?"

Gleeson cursed in Greek and said, "Whatever it was, it wasn't enough. Look."

The wolves were inching back towards them, but the alpha wasn't leading them. Instead, a dozen wolves waited in a lose semicircle just outside of the firelight's reach, blocking the cave exit.

Gods of Olympus, this isn't going well, Aza thought. She hated feeling so cornered - and so weak from before. Aza had to be strong, she had to fight, stronger than the others. She had to do her job as a daughter of Phobos and be their warrior. It was her place within the group, she decided as the wolf pack slowly inched closer. She was sick of getting hit into walls and losing consciousness; she was sick of feeling like she didn't know where she belonged in this group, and she was sick of feeling like she couldn't protect the people around her. She decided then that it was settled.