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chapter xviii. ( the sea of monsters ) ❝ haunting of the past ❞
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"COME ON! WE GOTTA KEEP ON GOING!"
Claire's legs were on fire. They starting hurting at least an hour ago, back where she wanted to give up running the first time. But Luke had taken her hand and dragged her on, pushing for her to continue.
"We're almost there!" Grover shouted, glancing back at them.
The monsters were gaining on them. Horrible, giant beings with one eye. Three leathery bats with whips that burned with fire. And hellhounds larger than any dog Claire had ever seen. Her cheeks were wet with fresh tears, her arms and legs were filled with scratches and scathes. She wanted to lie down and sleep, but with Luke dragging her along, she had no choice but to continue.
Annabeth ran beside her, her princess blonde curls dirty with mud and filled with leaves and twigs. Her grey eyes were frantic, her bottom lip trembling. She held her dagger in her hand, not that she could do that much with it at the moment.
Grover led them, his furry legs were covered in the blackness of the night. "The patrol will see us—come on!"
He had talked so highly of Camp Half-Blood. A place where they could be safe. A place for people especially like them. Where they could train, live, sleep. As a distant thought, Claire wondered whether they had cookies...
Thalia was behind Annabeth and Claire, her spear brandished in her hand. The daughter of Zeus, alongside Luke, was the best monster fighter she had seen. Claire knew, that with them, they will survive this fight. But will they ever get there quick enough?
The hill was steep for she and Annabeth's little seven-year-old legs. Each step made her lungs burn and her calves ache. Claire knew as well that she couldn't keep going for much longer.
The monsters hid in the trees. They were so tall that they sheltered them from their view. The only way they knew they were behind them was the shadows of their figures that danced across the grass. Terrifying pictures that made Claire cry even more. She just wanted to sleep. She wanted to wake up and see that this was all just a dream. The cyclops den, the hellhounds, the Furies. She wished it had never happened.
Something caught against her foot, and Claire let out a scream as she went tumbling to the ground. Pain seared up her ankle. Luke stopped immediately and went to pull her to her feet.
