no matter how many times a snake shed its skin, it would always be a snake. no matter how hard kit dempsey tried to prove he was no longer a traitor, camp half-blood would always view him as the boy who betrayed them for kronos. but not leo valdez...
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CHAPTER SIXTEEN: WOLF BLOOD
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"WOLVES," PIPER MURMURED, NOT that Kit needed her to point out the source of the sound. The howls were piercing, ripping through the air like the blade in Kit's clenched fist. Somewhere in the cavernous hole where his heart should've been, something cold and heavy sunk to his stomach; a beating organ blackened at the edges, smoking from the embers of incoming danger. Kit swallowed thickly and hefted his sword higher. "They sound close."
In an instant, Jason, Leo and Gleeson had joined him in facing the mouth of the cave. Four imposters pretending to be warriors, surrounded by the jagged edges of rock that were shaped like teeth in the darkness. Four prey waiting for the predator to attack. Jason had his own sword at his side, the golden blade glinting in the firelight. Leo had summoned his trusty hammer, swinging it from hand-to-hand as his eyes traced the darkness nervously. Of course, Gleeson had his tree club raised. He was already swinging at the shadows, just as eager and bloodthirsty as the wolves. Kit saw Piper attempting to stand behind them, fingers scraping the walls to hold herself up. He knew she wouldn't be much good to them, and as much as she hated to admit it, Piper knew it too.
"Stay there," Jason snapped over his shoulder at her. Not for the first time, his voice rippled with a commanding tone, as natural as breathing, sparking a sick kind of resentment around the stone-cold heart in his stomach. "We'll protect you."
Piper's jaw tightened, her eyes narrowing at his poor choice of words, but she said nothing to argue against him, knowing it wasn't the right time.
A moment later, the shadows began to part, and Kit's cautious gaze landed on a pair of red eyes glowing in the inky night. They reminded him of rubies, of blood trapped in stone, gleaming like the pointed fangs that followed through the darkness. One-by-one, the wolves edged into the firelight to prowl around them, their paws leaving imprints in the slick mud and snow. There had to be about a dozen, maybe more, a pack hunting their latest meal. Kit wanted to attack, to hit first and think later, but held himself together as Jason stepped forward and shouted something instinctive in Latin. It sent a wave of shock through the pack, their leader growling at the others to send them scattering away.
Watching them, Leo leaned over to hiss at Kit and Jason, "Dude, I've gotta study Latin. What'd you say, Jason?"
Before Jason had a chance to respond, Hedge muttered a curse and raised his club even higher, nails digging crescent moons into the rough bark. "Whatever it was, it wasn't enough. Look."
Kit's brows furrowed harshly as the wolves began to return. Their violent, rabid growls hadn't ceased, but they forced themselves not to attack just yet, merely waiting outside the cave entrance. Their leader was nowhere to be seen, which Kit wasn't sure was a good thing.
Gleeson seemed to realise it, too. "Okay, here's the plan," he muttered before baring his teeth at one of the braver wolves. His lips were motionless around the words, carefully concealing his not-so-clever plan from the enemy. "I'll kill them, and you guys escape."
