A Few seconds age, Alex and Dylan were carefully watching the two tribes of centaurs, and they were sure a fight would break out soon. But all that vanquished as soon as Attropis landed his eyes on them.
"Who knew you would be so thoughtful to bring them right to us, Chiron dear."
Now, everyone had their eyes on them. Chiron's students, the razz centaurs and even the harpies had eyes on them.
"Yummy! Looking yummy!" A harpy cried. And like a chant, the others began to cry
"Yummy! Yummy!"
"Tastes like butter! Humans!"
Chiron looked at Milf, "Didn't' I tell you…"
He was about to lash out, but Attropis voice once again reverberated through their ears.
"Since we have what we already came, we should be leaving. Sorry for the misunderstanding. And…" Attropis was looking at the still confused boys, "I'm waiting."
Before any of them could move or speak, Chiron stood in their front.
"They're under my protection, there's no way i would give them up."
"AH, Chiron dear." Attropis laughed, "I' quite surprised you still seem to care about godlins even after so many years and what they did to you. And you know what, I admire your stupidity."
The Tropin tribe once again readied their weapons, ready for a fight. This time Chirons students also geared up.
"Why…" A weak voice echoes through the Arena, "What do you want from us. Why do you want us?"
It was Dylan. His fist were shaking, but not from fear, but from anger. Couldn't they just have a day rest without having to deal with terrestrial troubles always magnetting themselves to their asses.
Attropis slowly looked at Dylan. He didn't want to move his gaze away from Chiron, afraid for what he could do, even in a microsecond.
"To answer your question boy. The person that wants you is somewhere. I am just tasked with collecting you."
"Who wants us?" This time it was Alex that asked.
"Not you, you're useless." Attropis didn't even spare Alex a gaze, "But since you helped Dylan escape, I'm sure she'll be glad to have you."
"Help Dylan escape?" Alex thought, "From where?"
Dylan on the other hand only stared at the floor, seemingly knowing who wanted him.
"So now…" Attropis took a step forward, but Chiron pointed his bow at him.
"Move a step and I'll drill your skull out!" Chiron said in a cold tone.
Attropis looked at Chiron with a mocking smile; his legs lifted up, and ever so slowly descended to the ground. With each inch the foot got closer to the ground, Attropis smile grew wider.
But his smile instantly disappeared as soon as his feet touched the ground. He could feel something warm on his left cheek. He slowly raised his hand, wiped it off and brought it closer to his face.
Blood…He was bleeding.
Some people didn't even understand what happened, but for those who did, they were surprised. Immediately Attropis foot touched the ground; Chiron released an arrow, and refilled it just as fast.
"Now you get the message. Leave or die!" Chiron declared.
The other Tropin tribe looks like they were about to go on a rampage, but looking at Attropis; their leader just standing there, they didn't know what to do.
Should they engage the enemy?
Attropis was frozen in thought. "The arrow just now, I could barely see it. He could have killed me if he wanted to."
Now knowing that he was outmatched, Attropis forced a smile. "You've stepped on the cobra's tail, now await its wrath."
"Well I have hundred potions that would nullify its poisons immediately," Chiron sneered at the retreating centaurs.
"Await my wrath, Chiron," Attropis once again said before leaving with his men as they chanted in an unknown language.
As soon as Attropis left, everyone breathed out a sigh of relief… everyone but Chiron. After standing still, looking at the path Attropis and his men passed, and making sure they weren't turning back, Chiron turned to the two…humans.
"We have dragged this conversation for too long. I'm afraid we don't have much time,"
- - - - -
The three sat round a table, just staring at each other. There was so much to say, yet no one was speaking up. The silence was killing Alex, and he didn't have like the eerie atmosphere around him one bit.
"Why… why can't we just have a peaceful life?" Dylan was the first to break the long silence, "Why…"
"Peaceful life?" Chiron repeated as he stared at the air, "That is something your kind have always wished for, but never had. The best you can do is hope for a peaceful death."
"Our kind! You keep repeating it, but you never tell us what exactly we are." Alex was the one that talked. As he spoke, all the emotions he had kept within his were erupting.
He remembered how he had always been treated in school, at home, even in his dream. Was he some type of alien who bring destruction along with them. Was that why everyone avoided him like a plague? Was that why his dad left and … never returned?
"Like I said; the less you know, the less danger you're in." Said Chiron, "But I think you have the right to know."
Chiron took out two sheet of paper and placed it on top of each other on the table.
"Are you aware that beyond this physical world you're seeing, there is another world filled with ancient beings that have existed for over three thousand years?" Chiron said and seemingly continued without waiting for answers, "Do you know there are things these ancient beings can do that even the law of science can never explain?"
Chiron kept blabbing on and on, asking weird questions, and later answering it himself, with an ever weirder question.
After a full minute of this blabbing, he looked up at the two boys, his eyes looking lost.
"Well, since you're here, I can only guess you know the answers to all that." Chiron said, "You boys are offspring of these ancient beings."
There was first silence…
"What," Before Alex yelled, "What do you mean 'offspring'"
"You are half human and half immortal. One of your parents is a Greek god Alexander."
Contrary to the reaction Chiron was expecting, the two boys were calm. Very calm.
He had revealed this news to countless Demigods, much more than his fingers could count, and most of them went rampage immediately.
But these two … something was different about them.
"So is that why we are always getting chased by monsters? Why monsters even go as far as crossing continents just to get us?" Asked Alex, "Why those centaurs came here, just for us?"
Chiron only caressed his beards, "Partly. You see the main reason…"
"Alex let's leave now." Dylan jumped from his seat, "The old man said this horse here would take us to a safe place, but here he is saying we would never find peace, even in death. Don't you think everything is suspicious?"
Chiron only smiled softly, his smile melting all the doubts Alex was having. "I was only stating the truth."
"How did you know about that?"
"I am not as ordinary as you think. I have thought thousands of your races." Chiron said, his voice getting louder with every word he said, "I am recorded as the greatest teacher…but deep down, I know I am also the greatest failure."
Chiron's voice became solemn as he said the last words.
"Well, we don't need your help anymore." Dylan said, "We'll find a safe place; somewhere we would call our home, and nothing can stop us, not even a horde of monsters."
"That's the thing, if you don't listen to me, you will never be able to fulfil that…because the world will end…" Chiron said, "And if you leave now, I am 100% sure you will die in less than a minute."
Alex tried not to believe the words of Chiron, but there was something in him telling him everything the man said was … the truth.
"And why did you say so. You think we're weak." Dylan said, "Call in your best students and we'll Defeat them in a minute."
"I have no intention to challenge you, but you have to think rationally. There are currently about 500 monsters outside here waiting for you to step out, and more are still on the way." Chiron said, "By tomorrow, this place will only be a dead land, hundreds of corpse buried beneath. And that is the reason you have to listen, so you wouldn't be one of them."
"Five hundred…" Alex stammered, "Why so much? We're just two."
"That is because you two have a bounty on your head," Chiron said, "No matter where you run or hide in this world, they will be there to kill you."
"A bounty," Alex said, "Why would someone place a bounty on us? Who would?"
"Well, my friend. That is a question only he can answer." Chiron said looking at Dylan, who was currently facing the ground, tears welling in his eyes.
"Dylan, what are you hiding?"
* * * TO BE CONTINUED * * *