𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐒 leo valdez

xx. Y/N ISN'T MUCH OF A DOG PERSON

YOU.

——-     "Wolves." Piper said nervously, "They sound close."

Jason rose to his feet and quickly summoned his sword. Y/n drew her sword and stood, along with Coach Hedge and Leo. Piper attempted to join them but stumbled and fell back down.

"Stay there," Jason told her. "We'll protect you."

Piper gritted her teeth. Y/n could tell she was upset that the group had to keep helping her, first with the broken ankle, then the hypothermia. The h/c haired girl slowly made her way to Piper and crouched next to her, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"There's nothing stronger than accepting help," Y/n assured quietly, rising back to her feet and entering a defensive position near Piper.

Outside the cave in the darkness, Y/n could see a pair of glowing red eyes in the distance. More wolves advanced at the edge of the entrance. The beasts were covered in black fur, and easily bigger than Great Danes. Caked in ice and snow, their fangs gleamed in the firelight, making their red eyes look disturbingly intelligent. The wolf in front was almost as tall as a full-grown horse, and his mouth was stained with blood and guts as if he'd just made a fresh kill moments before arriving.

Piper pulled her dagger out of its sheath.

Jason stepped forward and spoke in Latin, and the alpha wolf curled his lip. The fur on his back stood straight. One of the lieutenant wolves tried to attack, but the alpha wolf snapped at his ear, and all the wolves backed into the darkness.

"Dude, I gotta study Latin. What'd you say, Jason?" Leo asked, hammer in hand.

Hedge cursed. "Whatever it was, it wasn't enough. Look."

The wolves had come back, but the alpha wolf wasn't with them. They halted their attack, waiting in a rough semicircle just outside the firelight, and blocked the cave exit.

The coach hefted his club. "Here's the plan. I'll kill them all, and you guys escape."

"Coach, they'll rip you apart," Piper retorted.

"Nah, I'm good."

The silhouette of a man then waded through the wolf pack.

"Stick together," Jason ordered. "They respect a pack. And Hedge, no crazy stuff. We're not leaving you or anyone else behind."

The wolves parted and the man stepped into the firelight.

His ragged and greasy hair was the color of soot, topped with a crown that appeared to be made of finger bones. His robes were made of pelts — wolf, rabbit, raccoon, deer, and more. The furs didn't seem to be cured, and from the smell, weren't very fresh. He had an extremely lithe and muscular build like a distance runner. But his face — his face was horrible.

Thin, pale skin was pulled right across his skull. His teeth were sharpened to razors. His eyes glowed bright red. He fixated on Jason.

"Ecci," he snarled, "Filli Romani."

"Speak English, wolfman!" Hedge bellowed.

The wolfman growled. "Tell your faun to mind his tongue, son of Rome. Or he'll be my first snack."

The wolfman studied the five. His nostrils twitched.

"So it's true," he mused. "A child of Aphrodite. A son of Hephaestus. A faun. And a child of Rome; of Lord Jupiter, no less. And of course, the Legion's traitor. Altogether, without killing each other. How interesting."

He smiled at Y/n who glared daggers at him, "You've done well, filia maris, quite treacherous indeed — "

Y/n grit her teeth, "Shut the hell up, mutt." She interrupted.