FANTASY | CONTEMPORARY FANTASY | FICTION | YOUNG ADULT | SERIES
Titan’s Daughter | Chapter 5
Gaea’s Nightmare Run
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Gaea’s heart galloped like an out-of-control horse that she tried to rein in. She could hear the creature pacing above her for what seemed like an eternity. Each moment that passed, the creature’s frustration grew, letting out weird sounds with the occasional rocks and broken branches thrown in a tantrum.
The creature finally said, “Come on, little Demi, Brogdu will make it quick. Won’t hurt a bit,” as it tried to restrain its frustration.
Each word from Brogdu’s throat was ragged, sounding like rocks rubbing against each other. It didn’t take long for his patience to give way to annoyance again.
Irritation soured Brogdu’s tone. “Fine, be that way!” he said.
“Let’s make it interesting then!” snoring and breathing in between each word as though it were a Herculean task.
“Brogdu will swallow you whole, just like the rest of the unordained I’ve captured,” the creature promised.
The sound of sniffing followed, with Brogdu inhaling deeply, drawing air through his mucus-filled nose.
“Brogdu can smell you, little godling; you are close; your essence is intoxicating… peculiar even, not like the others.”
Gaea held her breath, as if breathing would alert the creature to where she was hiding.
“This couldn’t be real,” she thought. It just had to be a messed-up dream. But the sweat trickling into her eye, burning like a small sun, was too real. Pain was never a part of her dreams.
“But alas, you’re still a halfling after all, and your essence will make Brogdu the strongest of his kind,” he said, with a sprinkle of eagerness in his voice.
Gaea began to suspect the monster — Brogdu — had lost its marbles; its jabbering about godlings and halflings was starting to sound like the rantings of a conspiracy theorist. Still, it’s no crazier than a one-eyed giant wanting to make her his evening meal. So who knows? Or, more worryingly, maybe she was the one suffering from some strange hallucination that she couldn’t snap herself out of.
She tried to force a laugh, that the monster who called itself Brogdu, rummaging above her, was a hallucination, but no sound came. She needed help, any help. If there was a time for divine intervention — celestial generosity to get her out of this mess — it was definitely now. She couldn’t help but send out a mental distress signal, hoping for some cosmic police to come save her.
Suddenly, a massive, grotesque eye, bulging with infection, peered into her hiding place.
“Ah, there you are, little godlet.”
“Can’t hide your scent from Brogdu; Brogdu always finds the peculiar ones first,” he hissed, a wicked grin twisting its upside-down face.
Gaea shot out of her hiding place like a race horse, narrowly missing the clumsy grasp of the lumbering creature that clawed at the space where she had been moments ago. It was as if she had grown two more legs, speeding down the sloping terrain faster than she had ever run. She heard a thundering crash behind her, sounding like the world’s largest and heaviest bag of dried leaves falling on the ground, followed by the persistent footfalls of her pursuer.
Gaea searched her memories, mentally rifling through the possibilities of escape routes and hiding places. Her mind toyed with the idea of home, only to dismiss it immediately. No point in leading it straight to her front door, only to have the creature open up her house like a sardine can. Then her phone started ringing in her back pocket — it could be her dad. He was the local sheriff, after all. Surely he had a speed dial to the army, right?
But as Gaea reached for the phone, her feet, which hadn’t signed up for this level of cardio, finally declared mutiny. Her feet rebelled against her desperate need for speed and went out of sync, betraying her when she needed them the most. Gaea fell forward, tumbling.
Air and the sound of dead leaves crushing under her body whistled past her ears as she rolled uncontrollably down the uneven terrain. Each rotation was a mixture of fear and confusion, until the rough bark of a tree abruptly ended her wild rolling. The painful smash flooded her body.
Battered and breathless, Gaea pressed her back against the tree, fighting against the rising tide of darkness that threatened to drown her. Breathing heavily, each breath was a battle against the waves of pain coursing through her bruised body.
The creature smashed through the trees, drawing closer, its monstrous form soaking up the last remaining daylight. Her vision began to blur. She tried to cling onto consciousness, a lone rock amidst the fear, pain, and descending darkness — it seemed like Brogdu finally got his wish. As consciousness faded and her vision dimmed, the last thing she heard was the beast’s guttural roar.
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Join Gaea in her quest through the realm of myth, a world steeped in magic and mystery. Watch as she navigates the perilous landscape, learns to harness her titan power, and fights both demigods and monsters.
