I tried desperately not to complain out loud about how much my feet hurt. Or my legs. Or how cold it was. Pretty much everything was awful this far North. Without Kalysta's guidance, I was left to figure out the tracker myself, following Erik's signal to Norway. What I didn't know, is that I would be hiking for days in what I can only assume is the world's largest tundra. There is one hell of a snow storm, and I was not prepared at all.

  The worst part was trying to camp at night. I could feel the glowing eyes of the psychopomps, watching me from the trees. I had to keep a fire going all night to make sure I didn't freeze to death, and my external batteries for my cellphone were running out of juice. It was all starting to feel hopeless.

  I sat down hard in the snow, next to some massive trees and pulled out my phone, checking Erik's GPS. He was still hours away by foot, in a place I wasn't gonna even try to pronounce. I wondered how he got out that far from the airport. And then it hit me.

  "I should have got a car. Why do none of us have cars?" I asked the wind. I knew the answer was because we used magical means of transportation regularly. I desperately missed Orion and Santa's Sleigh. We could have made both trips super quickly, but without Orion to control the Artifact, the best we could have done was magic carpets or flying broomsticks. Neither of which would have held up in this weather. I sighed, but it was quickly swept away in the growing squall. It seemed like the closer I got to Erik, the worse the storm got. I pulled my hood tighter over my head, and pulled my knees to my chest; the fire barely did its job.

  I looked up into the branches of the thick evergreens and saw the glowing red eyes of the death omen that stalked me. But not just one or two. The branches above me were filled with skeleton faced crows, watching, waiting for me to die out here; to correct the fate I escaped in the basement of the Parthenon.

  I understood, in that moment, why it was so important to have the team. Not just for safety reasons, but for companionship. Having been a twin, and then part of a team, I wasn't accustom to being this...alone. And now I was freezing my ass looking for someone who didn't want to be found. I tried to put myself in Erik's shoes, as I wondered what would bring him out this far? Did he know we were trying to follow him? Was this his way of shaking us from his trail?

  I refused to believe that. Erik was struggling with his inner demons, and he was looking to heal. This place, cold and isolated, might have been what he needed. I hoped.

  I could feel the snow piling up on my shoulders and hood as I watched my dwindling fire get ravaged by the winds. I was tired, but I worried that if I fell asleep, the cold would end me and the psychopomps would get their wish. Every time I looked up, there were more and more of them; on branches, in the snow. All of their beady red eyes became like stars as darkness filled the forest. I looked to my phone, its power almost drained and plugged in my remaining external battery. I turned off the flashlight reluctantly, trying to save power. The fire light would have to do.

  I contemplated calling Sis. It would be nice to hear her voice, especially if something bad happened to me out here. I would tell her I was okay, and that I'd find Erik soon. I switched on the tracker, and he was still in the same place. That was good. I would be able to catch up after another day of hiking. I just had to make it through the...

  My phone turned off, and I became uncomfortably aware at rustling of the psychopomps. Something was irritating them. I looked around, hoping to see something, anything that would indicate another person. But the fire had taken my night vision. Only red eyes looked back at me, and they seemed to be moving around frantically.

  "Is someone out there?" I called out into the wind. "Hello?"

  There was no answer. Only the howling of the snow storm. I pressed my back harder against the tree, worried that I had drawn attention to myself with the fire. I called to my Artifact and the Sword of Mars appeared in my hand with a metallic shimmer.

  "I know you're out there!"

  "Be not afraid." The voice was low and baritone, loud enough that I could hear it over the winds, but not angry.

  "Show yourself." I called back, summoning the Armor of Achilles, which appeared under my snow suit.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  What stepped out of the woods was man shaped, but it was large; at least seven and half feet tall and bulked with a large cloak and jacket. It had a hood over its head, low on his brow, and a scarf wrapped around the lower part of his face. He raised both his hands in the air slowly, motioning to the sword as he did.

  "There is no need for weapons. I mean you no harm." The words had a soft stutter to them, like he wasn't used to speaking, but it wasn't on every word.

  "Who are you?" I said a little softer, as he moved towards me.

  "I do not have a name, but I have been called many things. Spirit of the Woods, Protector of the Lost. And less enchanting things from men who feared me because I was different." As he neared, I could see his two different colored eyes, one blue, one green, from under his hood.

  "Well Mister Protector of the Lost, I am very lost. So maybe we can be friends." I lowered my sword, but didn't dismiss it. I wasn't going to let anyone catch me off guard ever again. "I'm Ethan."

  "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ethan. Why are you out in the wilderness during a storm?" He lowered his hands slowly when he realized I wasn't going to hurt him, but his eyes kept darting to the fire, which he gave a wide berth.

  "I'm looking for my friend, Erik. He's up this way somewhere, and I'm trying to find him." I explained. The Spirit of the Woods nodded slowly.

  "That is a noble reason to put oneself in danger. But you are no use to your friend frozen alive. Come with me, I can bring you to shelter for the night and perhaps I can help you find your friend in the morning." He offered.

  I looked him over and then back up into the trees where the psychopomps had whipped into a frenzy, jumping around and flapping frantically.

  "They do not like my presence. I am unnatural to them." He explained.

  "Wait, you can see them too?"

  "Yes. They are the gatekeepers and ferrymen of death, something that I am unable to achieve. Therefore they think me an abomination, as most men do." He mused. "The question is, how can you see them?"

  "I died and came back once." I shrugged. I forgot that while it was old news to me, it might be rattling to strangers. But the large man looked unmoved by the statement, nodding.

  "For an end that finds all mortal men, there sure are plenty of them that defy the laws of nature." He mused, motioning for me to follow him. I wasn't in much of a position to deny anyone's help, so I snuffed out my dying fire with my boot. The large man's eyes went wide, but settled as the fire faded and left us in darkness.

  I followed his massive form into the darkness, my sword still clutched tightly in my hand. We walked for a while before a small shack came into view, almost suddenly, in the darkness. It was made of a dark, rough wood; almost like it was built from fallen logs, or trees ripped right from the ground. It had an abnormally large door to accommodate its large dweller. He opened the door and I followed him in, out of the wind and snow.

  Inside was surprisingly vacant. There was a bed in the corner, that looked untouched. A fireplace sat with no logs, not even old ashes of one. There was a small table, a few chairs, all made from the same unfinished wood as the shack itself.

  "Do you...live here?" I asked, trying to find my way around in the dark. When the wind blew, the whole place shook, but at least it kept out the cold.

  "I have been staying here. I travel more often than not and make a place to stay each time I settle in.

  "That's some pretty impressive craftsmanship for just throwing something together." I commended.

  "Thank you. My father liked to build things as well, although of a much different kind. Perhaps I inherited some of his skill." The large man mused. He sat heavily into one of the wooden chairs and it creaked and groaned under the strain.

  "Please, rest here tonight and we can look for your friend in the morning." He said gesturing to the bed. I was nervous that the moment I would fall asleep, this massive dude would just kill me and take my organs or something. But he seemed nice enough. And he hadn't killed me yet.

  "Thanks." I sat on the edge of the bed, more of a cot really, and pulled out my sleeping bag to throw on top of it, dismissing my sword in the process. As soon as I put my head down, I passed out.

  When I awoke the next morning, the large man was still sitting in the chair, exactly as he had been when I fell asleep. Like, the exact same position. As I looked him over, it occurred to me that his chest didn't rise and fall. He wasn't breathing. When he saw me move, his unblinking eyes turned to me.

  "I hope you rested well, Ethan. Today, we will look for your friend." It was so polite that he seemed like an old friend and this was an everyday thing. But perhaps whoever, or whatever, he was didn't matter so much. He was kind and gentle.

  "Thanks. I did sleep well." I wiped the sleep from my eyes. My first thought was of Erik and I went to check the tracker again but my phone was dead. And none of the external batteries worked. They didn't even display how much power they had left. They were just...off.

  "Shit." I muttered. The large man seemed to watch me for a moment and then nodded and stood up.

  "Your modern technology will not work in my presence." Was all he said before he exited the shack before I could say anything. After a few minutes, one external battery showed fifteen percent power, and my phone flicked back on with twenty percent battery.

  I stared at the door where the man had left, before quickly checking the tracker. Erik still hadn't moved. It should be a half a days hike, but with my trusty new guide, maybe I could get there earlier.