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At night—especially in the dark—Thea was always satisfied with her vision. Not only did it allow her to zoom into the most distant targets, but it allowed her to be like a perfect feline. It was even better than infrared goggles.

“You're getting slow, Venturi!” Archer heard her call from somewhere up front.

Even if she wasn't running with half her hyper speed, he found it hard to keep up, even see a glimpse of her delicate frame.

Archer snorted jumping with no hint of hesitation to the building in front of him. The boy landed, rolling over the floor then stood up like he'd never stopped running.

They were hot on the Leech's trail. Thea was doing the following, for obvious reasons. These Leaches weren't your average blood-sucking, little animal. They did suck blood—but they were much more than their name. Their true form was a dark blob; once they wrapped their victims in something close to a cocoon, the blood began pouring through the skin pores. The Leech sucked it up like a sponge, it was disgusting to think about, worse to witness.

“Arch,” He heard out of the quite traffic nearby. “They're down below.” Archer dropped to his knee alongside his friend. They both looked down where a warehouse was situated.

In Archer's lilac eyes all he saw on the ground's surface were shadows, cast by the high moon position. But in Thea's... she could see which one belonged to inanimate objects and the ones that didn't. The ones that kept undulating, even though there was no wind, or something to be moved.

Leeches could become shadows and that was when they were faster—faster, and unkillable. That was where Oriens came in.

“So, they're down there?” Archer tilted his head. Thea nodded. “It's strange that they stopped. It's not like we've been stealthy about tailing them.”

The girl felt her friend's word ringing with truthfulness. There was something fishy about these Leeches behavior. Normally, they'd be trying to chase them, not running. It was almost if... if someone had called them to this spot, for a higher purpose.

Thea, being the cautious girl she is, laid her hand on the boy's.

“Maybe we should return... I've got a bad feeling about this.” Archer gripped the ledge proving to be stubborn. “This doesn’t like a good idea anymore.” Thea closed her fingers around his wrist.

With a gleam in his irises, Archer gazed into Thea's identical—if only a little darker—lilac eyes. He smirked.

“You didn't seem too worried when I snatched you from your Julian-longing moment.”

Thea rolled her eyes a little remembering how she had been bored out of her mind before Archer came along. They had been hanging out in Alcione, an island hidden away by thick mist, in the exact center of the Ecuador. He had been itching to kill something—while Thea just wanted distraction. She'd been moody ever since Julian was dispatched to France.

A hiss cut the air and her skin chill to the bone. Now, coming with Archer wasn't looking like such a good idea.

Thea dodged with super speed, taking Archer to the side with her.

As his eyes focused, Archer licked his lip—the gleam growing stronger. He held out a hand as the blob came snaking towards them.

A bright ray of light emitted from his palm. The Leech let out a howl urging backward, towards the shadows where it was safe. Leeches couldn't stand light—artificial one pained them, but didn't kill. Sun light, that one, that one was signed contract of eminent death. That's why Oriens—Descendants of Apollo—were the best for the job. They were able to manipulate light, some were more talented than others—more powerful.

“Maybe these things are just getting dumb.” Archer laughed advancing to the blob, the light had left his hand, now, it began forming a circle around the Leech. “It's weird that they wiped out most of our race. Don't you thin—”

His knees crashed into the pavement. His back was squeezed with the additional weight.

“Thea...” He wheezed out rolling over as she pushed off him. “What the...” He glanced over his shoulder where Thea was sitting on the ground, eyes sort of wide. “Shit...”

An annoying thing about Leeches: They made no noise while moving. When they approached to ambush you, you heard nothing.

“I told you I had a bad feeling.” Thea began reaching behind her back for her bow and a golden arrow. “But you never listen,” She allowed the arrow to slip between her fingers.

Before the blob had melted into the ground, becoming a shadow, the golden arrow met its mark releasing a shimmer of sun light. A minute later, the Leech was a cold of smoke.

“One down,” Archer muttered getting to his feet with high agility. His human eyes strove to distinguish what was darkness and what were monsters. “Let's shine some light on the subjects.” The boy grinned with a feline edge. He brought his hands together, for a while there was nothing there. If anyone saw Archer they'd say he was praying for his life.

Thea was moving around keeping the Leeches distracted, away from Archer while he concentrated to create light. Her speed allowed her quite the advantage, when Leeches weren't in shadow form they were much slower, not to be underestimated, though. A thing Archer tended to do, due his high ability to kill, fight—anything that involved violence. The girl jumped over a block of cement, stumbling a little, when from the ledge she and Archer had been kneeling on, came more of them. These were in shadow form coming closer, one nearly stood under Thea before dove to the center where a bolt of light was formed in Archer's hands. Thea took one, two, three—she lost count after shooting five arrow, some missed only because they'd convert into shadows.

“They can't run from light,” Archer bragged smugly, there was a beam of sun light flashing in every direction, making them untouchable. From outside the light, creatures were wincing trying to flee for their lives.

“It's working,” Thea cheered, their backs meeting, the arrow transporter burying lightly into Archer's muscles. “Keep going!”

He nodded standing his ground, listening to short wails. By now, the light was too bright for Thea's inhuman vision.

Archer's groan was lost with a wolf-like howl. The sun ray brightness vanished faster than it had appeared. Leeches that hadn't been finished climbed back onto the building. Thea gasped pulling on another enchanted arrow.

She moved her bow and arrow fast, trying to follow the scuffle between Archer and... an apparent rabid dog. If she didn't know any better, she'd say the mutt was on steroids! It was huge, the size of a lion. With her keen eye and speed an arrow flew across the air. The dog growled but when the light from the arrow was set free, it covered its eyes with a paw. Archer grabbed the fur flinging the crazy animal off him. When the light ceased and the arrow disappeared, both Demi-Gods saw its eyes—red blood.

“I don't suppose he's wearing contact lenses...” Thea mumbled with a little gulp as she came up short on ammunition. “Arch, there's a little problem... I ran out of arrows.”

The honey haired teen ignored Thea lunching to the side as the dog persecuted him—snapping its teeth, very sharp teeth.

Again Archer summoned light to his hand pointing it at the strange creature, this time, it didn't cry out or stand away.

“Archer!” Thea's yell only reached his ears after she'd raced to him pulling the mutt off, wrestling it, proving she was faster than sound itself. “What is this thing!?”

“No idea,” He clenched his left hand, the wrist was bleeding freely, if he didn't stop it soon... “But I'm not a fan.”

He could feel power slipping from his blood, and blood from his body—none of the two were good. That little trick, that wasn't so little, had worn him out badly, not that he'd admit to it. Creating that much light though, was hard and draining.

“Archer, we have to go back—now.” Thea gripped his arm. “That thing—whatever it is, it's dangerous and...” Hisses came from everywhere closing both friends in a circle of dark molding shapes. “The Leeches keep coming,” He kept his eyes on the dog circling them with a killer instinct in its red irises, that wasn't all, though. Archer saw, as the creature licked his blood from its teeth—fangs, they could be called fangs.

“Archer, use that damn key! You stole so use it for saving our lives!”

Yeah, that way Hemera would be able to kill him later... how was that any better? Thea's gaze turned dark and commanding, so, he decided to pull out the Gate key.

“Let's hope I have enough juice for this, the island's pretty far from New Orleans.” Archer focused his power into the golden, elegant key in his possession when it began to glow he turned it—as if opening a lock.

Soon enough, a wrapping formed in front of both teenagers. Thea was pushed in first, then Archer took a slow step forward—because... because his leg was pulled back.

Thea reached out but the Gate was closing the minute the key was moved.

“No! Archer, hurry come on! You can—”

The Gate was gone—damn he felt weak after that. But he had bigger things to worry about, like a mount sized lion trying to suck his body dry. Oh... and the Leeches that wanted the exact same thing. One hundred dogs to one bone.

And he was that bone. This night couldn't get any better.

***

“Don't be later tomorrow, darlin'. We're getting a new shipment of herbs, I want you to receive them.” The woman with the colorful shawl said before the young girl walked out the cleaners shop. “You hear me child? Don't come knocking late again!” The beads on her tunic chimed as she leant over the counter.

“Yes, Madame Zurich!” She called with a hidden laugh. She had been playing on the woman's good heart. “I promise—I'll be on time.”

“Good, you open the shop—” The door closed making a tingling chime from the bell over the door.

Working at a laundry shop part-time was tiring, watching people's dirty clothes spinning 'round and 'round was a very boring activity; if only Madame Zurich would allow her to handle the hoodoo and voodoo stuff more often. Ember always had an inclination towards magical things, maybe because she wasn't exactly normal; like for example, when they said talking to plants helped them grow faster, she bet people didn't expect them to grow five inches in that exact moment. That was only one of the weird things, there was another... back in high school she could've kicked any guy's ass—or break any warped locker door. Her muscles were lanky, girl-like, but her strength was much more.

Ember twisted her wavy hair into a firm bun—yawning. It had been a long day, between morning classes at College and her afternoon shift at the disguised hoodoo/voodoo shop. All she wanted now was to draw a nice bath and snuggle into her warm bed.

Ember turned on Bourbon Street humming a nice song as she walked in the light of street lamps. Tonight the moon was high in the sky, looking so beautiful. It made her want to sit and stare it all night long.

A yelp caught in her throat when a figure bumped into her from outside the shadows. Ember's first thought was mugging, then rape, then... then she found herself stabilizing the guy—yes, it was a boy and... he wasn't looking very good.

“Hey,” She whispered keeping him on his feet rather effortlessly. “Hey, dude...” Ember called, giving the boy a little shake eliciting a groan from the teen. “Can you hear me?”

The honey haired boy leant his head backward but not too much, he couldn't hold it up much longer. Archer stared at the young woman with hooded eyes. She wasn't a dark looming shape or a monstrous dog, he could deal with that... now, if only he could keep awake a little further.

There was a tap on his cheek, making his eyes open up a little further.

In the street light Ember saw the color of his eyes—lilac, just like hers. Wow, that was a new one. Suddenly, there was harder beating inside her. Her heart was slamming into her chest cavity. It only worsened when Ember glanced down for the first time. She didn't need to ask what was wrong with him, the bloody cloth around his wrist told her enough.

“Okay,” She said softly and calmly. “You're going to be alright, just... don't panic. Trust me, I'm...” ...a doctor, well it wasn't true yet. She was only in the first year of medicine but she was darn good at it. Besides, Ember thought looking over the guy's clothes, if she took him to a hospital it would only lead to questions. They were so torn and dirty.

Normally, taking a random guy, a wounded one at that, wasn't what she'd do. But this boy... he didn't look from around here. Judging the facials, elegant, sculptured... familiar in a way, like she'd seen those nice cuts before. Besides, the doctor inside herself told her it wasn't fair to just leave a person to die on a side-walk; and if he got dangerous she had her abnormal strength to deal with him.

The silver haired girl pulled a lean, muscled arm over her shoulders hoisting his weight onto herself. He stumbled into her as they took the first step.

“I don't live far, you'll be fine. Come on,” She forced them forward, glad there weren’t' many eyewitnesses and the ones that were here, were mostly drunk.

Archer coughed out. He felt his limp arm balancing back and forth. His nose burned with the scent of strawberries, reminding his stomach how empty it was. He'd kill for something to eat, and not for the first time in nineteen years, he regretted that he didn't have an healing ability.

There was one more thing he didn't understand. How was he moving if his legs weren't walking him?