Guardian of Mortals~2

Chapter 2

Skye

I stared at her from across the parking lot as she walked home, her chatterbox of a friend talking her ear off. Currently she was laughing, her face lit up with joy.

The phone in my pocket was calling me softly so I picked it up. The screen showed that it was a blocked number, but I opened the message anyway, knowing who it was.

East 31st street. Better hurry.

I stuffed the phone back into my pocket and took one last glance at Anen before she disappeared around the corner of a building. Though I couldn’t see her, I still heard her laugh.

I got in my silver Chevy truck and turned the key, revving the engine, and drove to the street name that a sentry had given me. It took me all of five minutes to get there, and another two to find my target. Until she turned around, I didn't realize that she wasn't human. Her face was hideous, with beady black eyes and a bird's beak, the rest of her skin was wrinkled and a pale olive color. Her fingers were curved into talons and you couldn't see her wings beneath her coat -that she didn't need- considering the heat of the summer.

I felt the familiar weight of the dagger in my hand as I creeped towards the woman, who was walking her dog. Why monsters went through all the trouble of acting like they were human, I would never know.

I walked right up to her and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned and her eyes instantly darkened.

“Guardian,” She hissed, and her dog started growling at me. Ignoring it, I lunged for her, steading the dagger to head straight for her chest. She clawed at my arm, her talons digging deep into the flesh and drawing out blood.

I went forwards anyway, the dagger hitting her sternum and going hilt-deep in the flesh. With a screech, she exploded into dust, coating my skin with the grime. I slid the dagger back in my pocket and turned around. I did a double-take.

The harpie’s dog wasn't even a dog at all. It was a Chimera. It was becoming larger and soon enough it was full- size. It had the head of a lion with another head coming off its back- this one a goat. Its body was lion-like, with the hooves of a goat on the back, and its tail was a snake, with a head on the end.

I jumped backwards, barely avoiding the teeth of the lion head as I did so. I pulled my dagger back out and back-flipped, kicking the lion head in the jaw, snapping it shut.

I sent the dagger soaring through the lion's eye. I pulled out another dagger, then dodged to the left as it lunged. I went at it from the left, hoping that since one of its lion eyes was useless, it wouldn’t see me.

I forgot about the other heads. The tail swung towards me, venom dripping from its gums. It caught my arm, teeth ripping down my forearm. I growled in pain and jerked the knife towards the heart of the Chimera.

I missed by half an inch and staggered back, feeling the venom course through my veins. It lunged for me, but in mid-air it vanished, exploding into and coating me with dust.

I picked up the fallen dagger and went to my car, getting into the driver's seat. I quickly turned it on and drove one-handed to the apartment that I shared with my mentor.

Limping up the steps and feeling somewhat light-headed, I wondered if we had any Chimera anti-venom in the apartment. I unlocked the door, my hands shaking as I did so.

Once the door was unlocked, I stumbled inside, noticing my vision go blurry around the edges. I saw an unfamiliar girl, but couldn't even come up with a smart thing to say before I lost consciousness.

* * *

I woke up, feeling sore and stiff. I sat up and felt my left arm protest as I did. White gauze covered my arm, securing the anti-venom in place.

That's when I realized I wasn't alone. A girl with dark hair, and nearly black eyes sat in the corner of the room. Her skin was deathly pale, and her eyes looked dead. She was sitting so still that for a moment I wasn't sure if she was even alive.

“So do you always faint when you see girls, or is it just me?”

“I wouldn't faint for the likes of you even if you paid me, now get out.” I waved my hand at her, motioning towards the door. She didn't move.

“You would think you would be a bit nicer to the person who gave you the anti-venom. I saved your worthless little life.” She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at me.

“And I'm not one to be thankful, no matter how many times you save my life. Now, I am only going to say this one more time. Get the heck out of my room. In fact, get out of my house.”

She gave a small laugh. “I live here too. Daughter of Hades.”

My eyes narrowed at her. There was no way this girl was the daughter of the Lord of the Underworld. Nor was it possible that she was a Guardian.

She was picking at the black nail polish on her hands. “I know you don't want me here, but I have no where else to go. Monsters killed my parents and chased me here. I thought I was going to die.”

“Aww, little girl get scared?” I teased her, throwing the covers off of myself. I could feel her glare as I turned around to walk into my bathroom.

“A daughter of Hades is never scared of death,” was what she said, before I shut the bathroom door, and I couldn't hear or see her anymore.

I turned on the hot water from the shower and got in, scrubbing the monster grime off of my skin. I removed the gauze, and gently washed the wound, which was healing quickly.

When I was grime-free, I turned off the water and stepped out to dry myself off. I opened the bathroom door and wrapped the towel around my waist, in case the girl was still there.

She was, and she turned away quickly when she saw me in just a bathrobe.

“How about some clothes?” She asked, her voice snarky.

I quickly pulled on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, and then threw the wet towel at her.

She carefully held it between two of her fingers and threw it to the side with a disgusted look on her face.

“So I hear that you're like the ‘top dog’ around here. Is that true?” She leaned back in her chair, her dark eyes regarding me coldly.

“Yep,” I said, forcing extra emphasis on the ‘p’. “I am the best Guardian and no one is going to change that.”

“Skye, the son of the King of the Gods. Must be nice, huh?” Her voice was a bit bitter. “Everyone bowing down and practically kissing your feet. Why don't you wear a crown? Too noble to wear one?”

“Look, I don't know what your problem is. I don't know you and you most definitely don't know me, so stop acting like you do.” I walked over to the door and opened it. “Now, leave.”

She got up and came right up to me. “My name is Nehera. I don't like you.” Then she walked out of the room without so much as a backward glance.

I slammed the door shut and walked over to my desk that was flooded with papers. Nehera, I know I'd heard that name before. After sifting through the papers for ten minutes, I finally came to what I was looking for.

Subject Name: Nehera Johnson

Subject Age: 17

Subject Parent: Hades; mother dead, name unknown

Subject Background: Mother died in childbirth, given to aunt. No other data.

I set her papers aside. I knew that her name sounded familiar. I had been researching the people who were thought to be the next Guardian's. I guess they’re supposed to choose the right one.

I moved some papers until a new name stared at me, this time with a picture that didn't show the sea green eyes that I now knew she had.

Subject Name: Anen Levitson

Subject Age: 17

Subject Parents: Poseidon; Diana Levitson

Subject Background: Lives in stable home, mother knows about who her daughter's father is.

I stared at the smiling face of the girl on the paper She didn't look like the type of person who would be a Guardian. She was more relaxed and she wouldn't be easy to convince of her heritage. Maybe it was for the best that she didn't know.

I leaned back in my chair, looking back and forth between the two girls that would be Guardians with me. Why wasn't there another guy with me? Why out of all the people that could have been born, that neither of them was a guy?

I heard a door open and close down the hall. I knew it was Nehera. I scooted the chair back and threw myself down on my bed. My arm hurt like no other and I was still sore. So I fell asleep dreaming about dark eyes and sea foam green ones.