The Clearing

She gasped as she saw Eric slump forward, She backed away, she had no where to run, she unsheathed her dagger

The vampire approached Cassandra slowly. It grinned and reached a clawed hand towards the girl.
Eric stirred. He opened his eyes and all he could see was the back of the vampire…in front of Cassandra. He could only imagine what the monster was about to do to her. He felt his icy rage build. He stood up, swiftly and silently, sword in hand. He slipped behind the monster and placed the edge of his weapon against the vampire’s throat.

“That’s the last time you’re ever going to threaten HER you filthy monster!” Eric, rather than cutting off its head, wrapped his arm around its throat and twist the vampire around. “Now you can see me.” He slammed his knee into its gut and stiff armed its chin. He took a step forward and threw the vampire to the ground. He pinned it down with one knee and raised his scimitar high.

“I hear vampires can’t die…that’s too bad, because, after this, you’ll wish you had!” Eric rammed the sword through the vampire and called upon his deadliest power, the ability to freeze an opponent solid. He channeled his powers through his weapon and was slowly freezing the monster from the outside in…the last thing to freeze...were the vampire’s brain, and his eyes, just so Eric could make it watch as he froze it…
He ripped the blade free and the vampire’s blood spattered across the floor.

Eric looked at Cassandra. “You alright?”

She nodded in shock " Thanks for savin me " She said blushing

Eric spoke as he began cleaning his weapon, "Thanks for saving you?? You mean...thanks for making me a target for a vampire...thanks for bringing me out here just to almost become a meal for a monster...thanks for almost getting me killed? Cause that's all that happened here...and i apologize for all this....You should go back to camp...it's...it's not safe to be around me...you'd only end up in more danger by hanging around me and I won’t let my problems and battles become anyone else's..." Eric looked up, his eyes tired and hard as ice. “I will have Gershwin escort you back to Camp Half Blood and you can find some better friends who WONT get you almost killed by a monster...”

He looked at the ground and made a small ice slide. Gershwin waited at the bottom. “There…you can use that to get back down, rather than having to take the stairs…with my luck, the ice stairs will have begun to fall apart and fall away beneath your feet…this is safer…I think…”

He looked back out into the dead of night. “Goodbye Cassandra Jones, Daughter of Aphrodite, once-friend of Eric Holt, son of Khione. May your fate, and other friends, be better than mine.” Eric turned and began to stalk off into the dark.

Gershwin, the huge polar bear noticed a stranger approaching the walls of the clearing. Who in the world was after his master now?

Shwin grunted a quiet warning to Eric. Eric was in no mode for games anymore. He was hidden deep in the dark, his voice was harsh and cutting, like an icicle piercing flesh.

"THIS IS PRIVATE LAND!! LEAVE NOW OR DIE!" Eric was tired and angry, a dangerous combination. He had his bow, and ice tipped arrows, already aimed at the newcomer's heart from deep within the shadow of the forest. Like a ghost, a phantom in the night, he guarded his land from all.

Eric fired an arrow past the newcomer's left ear.

"That was a warning shot. Next time i shall not miss. Who are you? How did you end up in front of my home? WHY ARE YOU HERE?" Eric was tired. He didn't like visitors...he didn't like people.

"If you don't answer me truthfully i shall set Gershwin on you."

Eric slid down from the dark of the tree on the ice slide. It was the dead of night still and he had just killed the vampire. Cassandra was hidden, hopefully, from view, and, hopefully, was safe, for the moment.

He approached EJ. Scimitar drawn. He whistled a strange note and Ej heard a crashing from somewhere in the woods.

The huge polar bear known as Gershwin, or Shwin, for short, lumbered out, not at all happy with another visitor to camp.

"This," he indicated Shwin, " Is Gerswhin, and he and I don't like visitors. So, you can either wander off back to whatever cabin you came from, or Gershwin and i can drop your pieces off at your cabin...Okay? Good. Get lost buddy. This is private land. Not public. I don't like visitors, which means, i don't like you. Now, GET!"

Eric sighed and jammed his weapon back into its scabbard.

"Look kid, i haven't got anything against you, alright? I've got my own problems right now...and i am not much of a peoples person, okay? I've got a girl up in a tree who just got attacked by a vampire...I was THROWN into a tree trunk and knocked out, AND i still haven't gotten the vampire blood out of my clothes...Okay? Now is not exactly the most convenient time to get chummy with me..."

Eric shook his head. "Stupid kids..." he muttered under his breath. "HEY, KID...come back here..." Eric disliked being too harsh.

"What in the world are you doing out here by yourself kid? These woods aren't safe...especially not alone..."

Eric motioned to Shwin to relax. The great bear's muscles seemed to soften and he sat down and licked his paws, cleaning his huge hooked claws. His dark eyes no longer drilling into EJ.

"You are a warrior? I didn't know there were others..." Eric looked at the boy. "Interesting...I am Eric Holt, Son of Khione...this is my friend, Gershwin...and i have another friend...her name is Cassandra Jones, Daughter of Aphrodite..."

"Yeah, but being able to make weapons doesn't mean you know how to use 'em, and just because one knows how to use a weapon, doesn't mean the person can use it well..." Eric looked around..."You hungry kid?"

Eric waved EJ towards the massive spiked barricaded. He waved his hand and an ice bridge formed.

"I wont let a kid starve outside my walls...you might as well come in..." Eric smiled gently. "What do you like to eat EJ? I have some sandwiches...some fruits..a few veggies, some fish...some jerky..." He listed off foods with a grin.

Eric tossed him a handful of strawberries. "That answer your question?"