Chapter 4: Meeting with Death

My babysitter is a dragon. A fucking dragon. If you had told me yesterday that I was a wizard and going to ride a dragon, I would have asked you just what kind of drug you were on.

"Bloody hell!" I cursed as Cychreides gave his wings a few flaps. His wingspan was easily 30 feet wide and the nearby pine trees swayed under the wind. We gained altitude so fast that my ears popped but I paid it no mind. My knuckles turned white from my tight grip on one of the dragon's onyx spikes and all the hairs on my arms rose. It was cold. We left so hastily that neither of us changed out of our thin pajamas. Julian shivered in front of me but seemed too scared to wrap his arms around himself. I can't blame him. We were over 600 feet in the air now and certainly do not want to plunge to our deaths.

"HEY, YOU OVERGROWN LIZARD! WE'RE FUCKING COLD!"

I couldn't take it anymore. My fingers and toes were going numb and I felt chilled to the bone. The dragon cocked back its head to look at us and gave us what was probably a smile.

[Ah, my apologies, offspring. I forget how weak human hatchlings are.]

What a pompous ass.

Cychreides flicked his tail and a thin magic aura surrounded us. The layer of magic seemed to protect us from the wind and the cold. In front of me, Julian relaxed and looked around at the shimmering layer in amazement.

"Won't the people down below see us? It's a little hard to miss a 20 foot dragon flying across the sky," I mused, daring a look below us. It was a cloudless night. If anyone below decided to look up, it wouldn't be hard to see us. Right?

[No, magical beings have a way of manipulating what normal humans see. You'll learn how to do it soon.]

Neat.

I looked down again and did a double take. We were clearly in New York not even ten minutes ago but I definitely just saw the Transamerica Pyramid. How the hell? Julian seemed to notice too but he looked more excited than shocked. What a nerd. I rolled my eyes.

"Will we learn how to bend distance too?" Julian asked eagerly. "Or is it bending time?"

Cychreides shook his mighty head and started to descend.

[Only magical creatures that can't create portals can bend distance. Time magic is ancient and too dangerous and unpredictable to use.]

It didn't take long before Cychreides swooped down onto a grassy field. We seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. Wildflowers had adorned the area, decorating it with specks of color. Julian and I slid off the dragon's back. I was nauseated from the ride and stumbled a little bit.

"Bloody hell..." I muttered as I regained my balance. When I turned around again, Cychreides was in his almost human form. He stretched and gave me a sarcastic grin.

"My brother should be here any minute."

This guy had a brother?

Julian looked queasy as he stumbled towards me. I knew that look all too well. You see, my idiot brother has pretty severe motion sickness.

"Oh no you don't!" I quickly stepped back as he doubled over and vomited. Julian groaned and wiped his mouth in disgust. Cychreides scoffed a little and looked around.

"Did you hit too many turbulences on the way here, dear brother?" A smooth voice rang out behind me and I jumped, startled. "You know humans do not tolerate jostling very well."

Behind me stood a man that looked EXACTLY like Cychreides. Twins? The only difference was their voices. The Cychreides-lookalike smiled warmly at me and tilted his head tentatively.

"I trust my brother didn't give you too much trouble?" He eyed Julian with a look of concern. Julian groaned and straightened himself. He looked up at Cychreides and then the stranger.

"I'm not seeing double, am I?," the idiot boy frowned and rubbed his eyes. The stranger chuckled and gave a bow mockingly.

"No, you are not. I am Iones, the dragon of Colchis, guardian of the Golden Fleece and Cychreides' twin brother."

The Golden Fleece? That existed too?

"Now if you'll follow me, the camp director is waiting and he is very impatient," Iones continued and gestured towards the empty space in front of him. The air around his hands shimmered and.....parted, revealing an entirely new scene. A large Victorian mansion stood proudly in the early morning light. The spacious courtyard in front of it was well-kept and decorated with uniquely trimmed hedges and statues that were terrifyingly realistic. I could feel the eyes of the statues follow us as we made our way to the front door.

"If you break the rules, you'll end up like them, " a hooded figure stood before us in front of the double doors. "I suppose I must be courteous and welcome you two little rats to camp. I am Thanatos, the god of death and the camp director."