It had been a week since Cyrus left the Hunters of Artemis. Seven days since those final, painful words from Zoe still echoed in his mind. He hadn't looked back. Not once.
Dressed in his blue sun-emblazoned T-shirt, thick silver jacket, cargo pants, and silver combat boots, he carried the weight of silence more heavily than the silver backpack gifted by Artemis. Inside it were all the essentials she had packed—money in dollars and drachma, food for weeks, nectar, ambrosia, and everything he might need.
The trio—Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth—walked alongside him. At first, their journey had been quiet, uncertain. Cyrus had barely spoken, retreating into himself with every step. But time had a way of softening edges, and battles had a way of binding people together.
The first came on the second day—a pack of hellhounds ambushing them in a dense forest. The fight was vicious, with Cyrus's silver ring transforming into a longbow. His arrows flew fast, precise, while Thalia struck with her spear crackling with electricity. Luke fought with his sword, moving swiftly, and Annabeth supported them with quick, clever strikes. They won—but it left them exhausted.
Another day, they encountered a nest of manticores. Cyrus used his flute's haunting melody to disorient them, allowing Thalia to knock them back with her shield and Luke to finish them off. Annabeth, ever sharp, discovered a weak point in their scales. The teamwork came naturally. It was strange.
By the sixth day, they weren't strangers anymore.
Now, on the seventh day, as they followed a narrow trail along a cliffside, a sudden screech ripped through the air.
"Harpies!" Thalia shouted, already drawing her bow.
Five of them dove toward them from the sky shouting food and cheese. Cyrus's ring shifted to twin daggers as he launched himself into the fray. Thalia launched her assalt with her spear in deadly precision, standing firm despite the narrow footing. Luke guarded Annabeth's flank as she hurled her knife with force.
One harpy who shouted cheese aimed straight for Cyrus, but he whirled mid-air and slammed both blades into its chest. It burst into dust. Another came from behind, but Annabeth shouted a warning. Cyrus ducked, letting Luke finish it.
A sudden growl from behind had them spinning around.
Three hellhounds this time.
"Seriously?" Luke groaned.
Cyrus summoned his bow, unleashing a volley of silver arrows. Two struck their marks, but the third dodged. Thalia jumped into its path, slamming her shield into its face as lightning crackled around her.
When it was over, the ground was littered with dust and feathers. They collapsed near a clearing, breathless.
"The monsters attack are now more frequent than before" Luke muttered.
Cyrus opened his backpack, handing out honey-glazed bread, dried fruits, and cold roast beef.
"You still have more of this stuff?" Thalia asked, surprised.
"My Lad- ... Lady Artemis packed it. She… she wanted us to be well fed, I think "
Annabeth accepted the food with a small smile. But her eyes were troubled.
"feeling nervous?" Cyrus asked gently.
She shook her head. "Too much going on in my mind."
After they eaten, he pulled out his flute and played a soft, calm tune. The melody wrapped around them like a warm breeze. Annabeth's eyes drifted closed.
Luke leaned back against a tree. "That's impressive."
Cyrus gave a quiet chuckle. "Music helps people. It always did."
"You're good with people," Thalia said, then glanced away. "Better than most."
He smiled softly.
Luke looked over and patted his head and said. "Cyrus, You still got us. Right here."
They sat quietly, the fire crackling beside them.
"So," Luke said eventually. "Camp Half-Blood?"
"It's a place for demigods. Training, safety, other people like us," Cyrus said. "A home."
"You've been there?"
"No," Cyrus admitted. "I was never allowed. I heard a satyr is sent to various places to guide demigods to the Camp. So, I believe finding them can help us finding the camp"
Thalia frowned. "So... how can we find them?"
"hmmm... from what I heard from Phoebe satyrs generally roam near schools, parks or other public places to find a demigod.. So, we might need to wander a bit more around these places to find one " Cyrus said with his hands crossed over his chest.
"In short, we will be wandering aimlessly now?" Thalia asked with gritted teeth.
Cyrus tsked and said with a smirk. "nah.. It's Searching, besides We've got supplies. We'll survive."
As night fell, the sky darkened into deep indigo. Stars blinked above as the trees began to thin.
Suddenly, the earth trembled. A Creature slithered from the woods—half woman, half serpent. Her upper body was hauntingly beautiful, with golden eyes and a wicked smile. Her lower body was pure snake, thick-scaled and coiling.
"Come to mama, my children. I'll take care of you," she purred.
"Lamia" Annabeth said tightly holding her dagger.
"Hey Ugly! look here" Luke shouted at it to catch its attention with sword ready in his hand to attack.
"I hate when they say that," Thalia growled and charged once it roars and tried to attack Luke with its claws and fangs.
"Don't lets it fang touch you Luke, its deadly" Cyrus cautioned them and played a piercing melody, dazing the Lamia. Thalia struck with her spear, lightning flaring. Luke hit her from behind while Annabeth aimed for her tail.
"Ah... Son of Apollo, Such beautiful power you have" Lamia hissed at Cyrus. "They'll abandon you like they did me."
Cyrus hesitated—but Annabeth stepped in.
"You're not alone."
With a final strike from Thalia and a glowing arrow from Cyrus, Lamia turned to dust.
This time it was a massive Dracaenae, wearing a torn red cocktail dress, wielding dual swords and said with a hiss,
"Demigodsssss... Come and dieeeee"
"Split up!" Luke yelled.
Cyrus dashed left, drawing the monster's attention shouting, "I hate the sound it makes" while Thalia and Luke flanked her. Annabeth tossed a smoke bomb from Cyrus's pack, blinding the creature long enough for them to strike in unison—an arrow to the heart, a spear to the side, and Luke's sword through the back.
It crumbled into dust.
Panting, they found a dilapidated ranger cabin nearby. It was dusty but intact, safe enough for the night.
Inside, they sat around a small fire.
"You okay?" Thalia asked Cyrus.
He nodded slowly. "Trying to be."
"You don't have to pretend around us," Luke said.
Cyrus looked into the flames. "She told me I wasn't family. That I'd be left behind. And the way she said it… like I was never welcome."
Silence.
"She was wrong," Thalia said firmly.
"Zoe told me once," Thalia added after a moment, "that I'd be disappointed and betrayed by Luke one day"
Luke glanced over and muttered "Thanks for the vote of confidence."
"She didn't get it. We protect each other," Thalia said.
"And now you are one among us too, and I know you will watch our backs just like we will do yours" Luke told Cyrus with a smile.
Cyrus smiled faintly. "I hope so."
Annabeth stirred looked around and said "looks creepy in here."
"You should've seen the mansion we got trapped in before we found her," Luke laughed. "We were following or specifically Thalia wanted to follow Amaltheia—some magical goat or something and it Led us to that house called house of monsters."
"We were sent to find a Treasure, you know this baby" Thalia added as stroked her silver bracelet "and almost got eaten by a monster. same o' story"
"And Annabeth?" Cyrus asked.
Luke grinned and said " We found her nearby hiding under a sheet of corrugated iron in Richmond Ironworks and almost brained me with her hammer"
"and I said sorry, thought you were a monster" she huffed.
Cyrus laughed quietly. It felt good.
Thalia looked at him. "We'll figure out where to go next. Together."
Cyrus nodded, warmth blooming in his chest.
They weren't what he expected. But maybe they were exactly what he needed.