Dawn of the Dragon

After a few long weeks of training and several near mental and physical collapses, Sal concluded that without all the proper training I’d gone as far as I could with my transforming abilities. Which in technical terms it basically meant that if I didn’t change out of my dragon form within ten minutes then I was stuck like that without help. He told me to rest up and the next morning we’d go and save Annabeth. That night I was plagued with nightmares. Not just my usual flashbacks of the fight, but even more twisted ones. A lone warrior battling a dragon on a mountain top, a group of people crashing what appeared to be a wedding ceremony, children enslaved by a tyrannical man, people with powers like you’d see in X-Men fighting, two people in what appeared to be a fiery inferno and the man screaming and radiating magnificent power. But the last one really disturbed me; a warrior, dressed in my armor, standing in a ruined city facing a black robed man with a deadly looking weapon. The warrior removed their helmet and I couldn’t believe who it was.

My eyes snapped open and Sal was watching me. He’d lit a fire and was cooking breakfast. “Nightmares?” he asked me. I nodded in return. “Bad ones?”

“My usual, along with some really screwed up ones.” I told him about the rest leaving out the last dream, for some reason I felt that one needed to stay secret. He looked at me with deep concern.

“It isn’t unusual for someone in your family to experience prophetic dreams, but they usually entail things related to you. The first one almost sounds like you fighting Malefore on Mount Olympus. As for the rest, I’ve not a damn clue what they mean. They must be of some importance if you’re seeing them. We’ll worry about that another time though. I’ve prepared the ritual we need to send you back. But I must warn you of three things; number one is the butterfly effect, I assume you know what I mean yes?”

I nodded my head. The butterfly effect was a theory that even if a minor change was made in the past it could have a profound effect on future events. One of my more favorite books, The 13th Hour, dealt with a man who really screwed with that possibility. He was sent back in time with the notion he could save his wife from death, but ended up in a much larger conspiracy then just her murder. I felt for the guy, I was about to do the same damn thing.

“Rule number two; I can only do this spell once, so it’s win or lose, no retries on this Frodo, is that understood?” I nodded my head again. I was growing more and more anxious as Sal kept outlining everything. “Last rule; you have approximately thirteen hours to do what you need to do before you are whisked back here to this time. You mustn’t reveal from what time you’re from, and you must not do anything stupid that could fuck with everything. Let Annabeth go to the battle and let her be stabbed.”

I drew the line at that statement. “What the hell? Why would I let that happen when that’s what I’m trying to avoid?”

“Because if you don’t think she’s dead then you won’t need a reason to go back and save her now will you? Find the Mask of Life and after Malefore kills you bring her back to the library and we’ll revive her. Finally I want you to do something for me.” He hobbled over to his desk and removed a small piece of paper. He folded it up and handed it to Frodo. “Don’t read it; it’s for me and only me. You give it to me back in the past and it’ll explain everything to me, him, you know what I mean. Well lad, that’s all I’ve got for you. I wish I could go back with you, but the spell only is meant for one to go back. Best of luck Frodo and I’ll see you back here in about ten seconds won’t I?”

“Ten seconds, what are you talking about?”

“Thirteen hours will pass for you, but for me it’ll be about ten seconds. If I don’t see you by the time I hit ten then I know something went wrong and we’re doomed. Do me a favor and don’t die will you?”

“Words of encouragement Sal, thanks.” I said sarcastically.

“No, I’m serious. This is more then just defeating Malefore. I’ve lost my wife, and several of my children, I can’t stand to lose you Frodo. You’re like one of my own. I’ll see you when you get back alright?”

“Yep, you will Sal, I promise, and I’m bringing Annabeth with me.” I then stepped into the circle he’d drawn. I took a deep breath and looked at the room around me, then to the symbols underneath my feet, just looking at them I could feel they radiated power. I finally looked over at Sal who had a look of worry in his eyes.

“If you want, and I won’t think less of you for it, you can back out now.” He told me. I thought that he just wasted seventeen words that didn’t even need to be spoken. There was no way in hell I was backing out of this.

“Do it.” I said. Sal nodded and began a rapid fire chant, so fast that I couldn’t tell where a sentence started or ended or if it was one really long spell. Whatever it was it sounded like it was in Latin. Suddenly the symbols on the floor began glowing white and the room began to spin. The spinning got only faster and faster just as Sal’s chanting grew more and more intense. I tried to keep myself up but a wave of dizziness threatened to overcome me. Finally I couldn’t stand it any longer and just collapsed, and I hoped that it wouldn’t affect the spell, but knowing that it would be just my luck. I could already hear Sal cursing me; ‘Why couldn’t you be a real man and just deal with it? You fucked up Frodo, it’s over, and it’s done. There is no saving her now thanks to you. Why the hell I thought you could save her is beyond me.’ But no curses came, hell, nothing came at me at all, no sound, no sight, nothing. The room was completely blackened. I lit a fireball and looked around me; I was still in the basement. I then looked and noticed a small clock like face on my gauntlet. Only this one counted down from thirteen, and it was already on the five. I’d been passed out for over half my time! I ran upstairs and hit the series of switches Sal always used. I then used my memory to find the bathroom. I barged right in and threw my head in the toilet. Who would have thought that the bile form of Rice Krispies cereal would taste so bad? I turned around after I was sure I was done and saw Sal pointing his double barrel at me.

“Frodo, what the hell are you doing here? Last I heard you were heading towards Ground Zero. How the hell did you get here?”

“Sal, I’m at Ground Zero.”

“Then you aren’t Frodo. I have a mixture of iron and salt in this gun, now you better start fucking telling me who you are before I blow your fucking head off!”

“Alan! It’s me you stupid son of a bitch. Take this frigging not I have for you, look at my armor, look at the funky dial I have on it. I’m from the future Sal.” I said handing him the crap piece of paper. He took it from me and read it over, never once moving the shotgun away from me. He finally looked back up and lowered the gun.

“Ok, I believe you. What’re you doing here Frodo? Not that I ain’t glad to see you, but it must be important if I use up the one shot I have at the time spell.” I quickly told him what happened, or rather what was to happen, between now and when I went back. He studied me as I went on, he occasionally stopped to ask me a question but he never interrupted or said a word until I was finished speaking. “So you are the one who can change into the dragon. I had a hunch it was you.”

“Sal, focus, I need you to tell me where my dad is sending our forces. I need to find the Mask of Life and then wait to get Annabeth back here before my time is up.” I said. I was growing impatient, like I could feel every minute, every second of my time slipping away from me. It was also pushing the proverbial scissors closer to cutting Annabeth’s life thread for good.

“Look kid, I’d love to help you, but I just got word you and Mohinder just now left your house and went to Ground Zero. Which if you are right, that leaves about two hours before you disappear. Then another two before Annabeth is killed, which by your clock will leave you one hour to get back here and heal her. Plus there’s lord only knows how many minutes before I find out where the hell you are. I’m starting to wish I’d told us where you were at. I’ll remember to do that next time.”

“Provided there is one. Ok, so I chill here until we find out and then take off full speed to the battlefield. Find the mask, get Annabeth’s body, and come back here. Just another day at the office right?”

“If you want to look at it that way, sure.” He said. I paced around the library for a while but decided that I needed to conserve my strength. I ate a quick lunch with Sal before going back to my fidgeting. Sal finally yelled at me to read a book or something, I was making him nervous. I scanned the shelves and picked up a worn and battered copy of The Bourne Identity. Looking at Jason’s life; found in the ocean, shot, and no memory of who he is, I realized mine wasn’t completely fudged up. I then heard the bell hanging above the door ring and ducked out of sight. In, running at full speed, was Annabeth!

“Sal, Frodo’s been kidnapped! I think Malefore’s got him, you see, I ran into him a few days ago and he threatened to kill Frodo if I told him the truth. It’s Mal, Mal is Malefore. Now he is gone and we need to find him”

“Whoa, slow down their girl. Now tell me everything from the time you met Malefore to here, and leave nothing out. You never know what small commonplace detail could be important.” Now that was like Sal, always the Holmesian. Annabeth slowly recounted everything, from our fight, to meeting Malefore, to her learning that I’d disappeared. As it turned out she was merely guessing, a psychic hunch. I never knew we had that connection. Sal called up The Council on his phone. He talked to them for a couple minutes and then hung up the phone. He said they were triangulating their, by which I assume he meant me and my siblings’, locations and would get back to us shortly. Sal took her downstairs to the basement and she soon came back up wearing the silver armor I’d see her in later. The Council arrived soon after and revealed the location; in the middle of Death Valley, California. My jaw dropped in shock; I’d have an hour to get back from California to New York. I couldn’t shadow travel in dragon form.

I’d have to figure out my way back when the time came. I slipped my ring on and willed myself to Death Valley. I found myself overlooking the desert sands once more, and saw myself and Sarah walking directly towards me. I used my ring again and blended into the shadows, I then took off like a flash. Sarah and myself, ok I’ve got to work this better as to not confuse myself here, Sarah and Frodo number two took off in my direction. I had been the shadow I chased. I hid inside a canyon, and to my horror, watched Malefore, in Mal’s form, silently kill my sister Mariana. He was removing the Mask of Life from her head and laying his note. I stuck to the shadows and silently followed him. He expertly moved through the desert as if it was second nature to him.

Out of nowhere he took to the skies. I had to speed up to follow him but that meant dropping my shadow cover. If he looked down he’d see me and surely kill me. He continued his flight and soon left my sight. I slowed to a halt and activated my shadow sight power. I followed in his shadow until I saw him lay the mask down in a makeshift cave he raised from the ground. How the hell we didn’t hear him do that I’ll never know. He then took to dragon form and disappeared from the cave. I then decided to try out a trick I had invented in my training with Sal; shadow warp. Theoretically, I could enter one shadow, and appear in another. But I didn’t have a lot of time to practice it. And the one time I did I killed a stray cat. I had approximately three hours left, and it would take me half an hour to get to the cave, so I had to try it. I concentrated on my shadow, and on the shadows in the cave I wanted to go to. I could slowly feel them begin to merge. I stepped into one shadow, and stepped into the other. My energy was slowly fading and I had to stop the spell, but I wasn’t certain I had made it through, and if it failed, god only knows where I could end up. I opened my eyes and seen I was looking out the entrance of a cave, and the Mask of Life at my feet. I picked it up, it was such a simple creation; two eye holes, a slit for a mouth, carved from gold, magical gold at that, but other then that nothing extraordinary about it. I put it on my face and the mask suddenly began to change shape. When its metamorphosis was complete, I picked it off my face; or rather I took it off my head and looked at it again. It had changed into a design similar to a Spartan helm. It seemed somewhat fitting to me. I put it back on and changed into my dragon form. I took to the skies and tried to find Frodo number two. I saw him confronting Andrew, I was the big bird on the edge of my vision, I thought to myself.

I knew then that the battle wasn’t far off, so I took a spot on a cliff and changed to human form. I began to think about how I was supposed to get from California to New York in one hour without the use of shadow travel. I could just change back to human, but then they’d see another Frodo and I couldn’t risk that. If Malefore just saw another dragon he wouldn’t suspect a thing, because dad did have Terrordor working for him. I thought about the old dragon and knew soon I was going to kill him. I wondered if there was even the remotest possibility I could change that, but then I remembered the butterfly effect was in play. If I changed one thing it could possibly screw a hell of a lot more up.

I saw something in the corner of my eye and looked to the south to see a massive army marching towards the cliff I was perched on. In the skies above was Malefore, who appeared to be concentrating on something. I then noticed a lot of the shadows around him disappearing and merging with him. He was preparing an attack, and it sure as hell wasn’t the load roar that should happen anytime soon. This made me wonder if it was my father who had released that roar. I looked all over and couldn’t see my army or my dad nearby. Malefore looked close to finishing his preparations, for a second I thought I could see an evil grin crack across his smug face. I knew I had to do something, still no dad, now or never. I let out the loudest yell I possibly could. I screamed at the top of my lungs, but instead of screams came a massive and animalistic roar. The cliff I stood on began to crack and rumble, but I knew I couldn’t stop.

Malefore lost his concentration and crashed down onto part of his army. The power inside of him exploded and killed anyone nearby him instantly. This, it seemed to me, put a massive dent in the forces we had yet to face, but more and more still marched on. I then realized that if we had faced the original army he brought we wouldn’t have even come close to what victory we did achieve. The cliff collapsed under me and I went tumbling with it. I smashed my head on a rock and blacked out.

I awoke to a loud and female scream. I jerked awake thinking it was one of my nightmares, but my enhanced vision watched in horror as Malefore once again killed Annabeth. I needed to get into position and fast. I took off and ran about a mile behind the army. I changed into dragon form and took back to the skies. I watched Frodo number two walk up to Malefore and be gutted. Right on cue, my father changed and tackled Malefore. I started my descent towards Annabeth’s body and landed near her. Frodo number two passed out and wouldn’t wake up for three more years.

“Get away from my son!” my dad yelled at me in dragon tongue. He sliced at me and I dodged. I tried to speak to him but my language skills weren’t the best. A thought then occurred to me to show him the symbol the Sword of Light had on it. If he saw that then he’d know to trust me. I lifted my right claw and noticed the symbol in dead center. I raised it so he could see it and he stopped short of another attack.

“Trust me!” I shouted. He slowly nodded and lowered his claws. I looked behind him and saw the black dragon moving towards us. A troop of soldiers were running away from us with my body. “Behind you!” I shouted at him. He turned around just in time to be struck on the eye. “No!” I roared and tackled the dragon. I slashed at his throat but he blocked me and threw me off. I skidded on the dirt and lunged at him again. He caught me in the side but I dug my claw into his wing. He roared in pain as I ripped my claw away. A scar for him to have later as a reminder, and a sign that he wasn’t invincible. If he could be wounded, he could bleed, and if he could bleed, he could die.

My time was running out, so I retreated and scooped up Annabeth’s body. Malefore followed me, but then dad dove out of the sky and tackled him. They crashed in a heap on the ground and resumed their fighting. I wanted so much to go back and help him, but I had a long was to go. I concentrated on where I wanted to go, and the winds seemed to obey me. I took off in a boost of super sonic speed, traveling well beyond the speed of sound. In a matter of minutes I left Death Valley behind and was crossing over into Nebraska. With half an hour to spare I finally slowed down around Pennsylvania, and then glided into New York. I flew over Sal’s library and dropped to the ground. By the time I hit I’d already changed back to human form.

I ran inside the library clutching Annabeth in my arms. Sal was waiting inside for me with a table cleared for her. I laid her down on the table and Sal brought a warm cloth for her. I was so close to reviving her I could practically hear her voice again. But I still had one little problem, how the hell was I going to bring her back? I possessed the Mask of Life for a short time, but had no idea how to make it work.

“Sal, what do I do?” I ask frantically.

“I don’t know kid; try thinking of any revival spell you know. Sometimes works of fiction get it right or get lucky.” Sadly, I didn’t know any resurrection spells. IT was then I heard it, out of the middle of nowhere, a voice. And this voice said; ‘Believe in yourself, will her to live again.’ I didn’t have the slightest idea what it hinted at, but that didn’t matter.

I put my hands over Annabeth’s body, they hovered them over her heart and head. I closed my eyes and my mind drifted off to all the times she and I had together; all the laughs, triumphs, and romantic moments. I concentrated hard on the images of her still alive. Apparently, and I wouldn’t realize this until later, but I opened my eyes and they were rolled into the back of my head. They were glowing gold, and to top it all off it sounded like I was choking, but in fact it was dragon tongue. My last image I seen in my head before I came out of my trance was a dream I continued to have, of me and her wrapped in each other’s arms, holding each other there forever.

I opened my eyes; or rather they stopped glowing and rolled back to normal, and looked down at my clock. I had sixty seconds left before I would be whisked away. Annabeth’s eyes were still closed and she wasn’t moving. I raised her up and held her against me.

“You have to wake up Annabeth. You can’t be gone; I won’t let you die, not now, not ever. I can’t, I love you too damn much. Please Annabeth, I can’t lose you.” I said and started to cry.

“…Ten.” Sal said. That was the end of my time traveling adventures, the end of my attempt to change history, and the end of my hope to bring Annabeth back to life. I dropped to the ground and wept. I couldn’t help it, I’d gotten all my hopes up of seeing her again, and due to my own stupidity she never would. Hey body was more then likely buried by now, and even then I wasn’t fluent enough in the powers of my mask to bring back a soul that has been dead for three years. I felt as if my heart had been ripped from my chest, and yet I was still alive. My heart was gone and yet I couldn’t die.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, which I pushed away. I saw a note drop down in front of me that looked ancient. I then felt arms wrap around me. Sal, that over protective bastard, didn’t he see I wanted to be left alone? He handed me the note, and I originally thought it was the note I gave Sal, but then I realized it was smaller. I opened it up and couldn’t believe my eyes. It was a female’s writing, and it said; ‘Look up hobbit boy.’

I looked up and seen familiar green eyes starring at me, that familiar smile on her lips, the familiar dark hair. She leaned forward and kissed me, and my heart lurched. I threw my arms around her and hugged her tight. I felt her softly wrap her arms around me and hug me.

“I love you Annabeth, I’ve always loved you. I should have told you that from the moment I met you. I shouldn’t have waited until it was too late. I’m so sorry Annabeth. I love you, so much.”

“Frodo, shush.” She said and kissed me again.