Mae knows she could come off as an overbearing mother at times; for all the walls she built around her, she still couldn’t help the instinct to protect and dote on her family, both mortal and godly ones. So there she is, treading the dangerous grounds by herself at such a late hour to secure enough food for the lock-down. Hopefully it’ll be a short one.
Mae isn’t feeling very hopeful, though, given that the university’s staff was incompetent enough for the security breach to cost them a life.
Any demigod who’s been to camp or lived long enough to make it to university has already made an acquaintance of Death. Mae wore Him around her heart like a scratchy old scarf for 13 years, long enough for the itch of its unforgiving fabric to become familiar but never enough to grow comfortable.
Paige wasn’t a child of Demeter; technically it was not Mae’s responsibility to look out for her, yet the news of her death sent her mind to a familiar place, rendered her cold and numb. It hasn’t even been a month since the academic year started. So much for staying mentally stable for at least one semester.
Her somber reverie dissipates with the snap of a twig, the eerie silence cast over the campus further amplifying the sound. It is reflex, the way she quickly but soundlessly tucked her body within a bushy, flowery thicket. Years of experience have yet to tame the wild staccato her heart sang in fear, but they sharpened her mind enough to rationalize a situation in the short amount of time the Fates granted her before an attack.
All was silent but for feet carelessly crushing the grass beneath them and it’s far too soft, far too light for a drakon; the steps’ rhythm is that of a biped. It could be a student with a death wish…or it could be another monster — the staff has yet to elaborate on the breach’s severity, and its cause is still subject to conspiracy theory.
Regardless, it’s better to err on the side of caution. She could make a run for it; the Demeter house isn’t too far, as evidenced by the trees and shrubbery growing denser, the comforting greenery now a dismal forest straight out of a horror movie.
If she runs she could be putting her entire house at risk by alerting the potential monster, however, and she’d meet Hades before losing yet another precious life.
With every footstep Mae’s grip against her dagger grows tighter, her heart sings louder, and the shadow grows closer. Knees bent and body as taught as a compressed spring, she’s ready to pounce with all her might on 3…2…1
A flick of her wrist and the shrubbery swallows the body whole save for the head and it’s —
Mae stares with horror at her dagger, brushing too close for comfort to the student’s jugular. “Oh, oh my gods, I am so sorry! Are you okay?”