<div align="center"><em>The Calm Before the Storm</em></div><hr/><br/>Not even the son of Hades seemed to deter their attack. The Stymphalian birds<em>cawed</em>and squawked loudly as the smell of another half-blood filled the air. Clint's entrance into the battle seemed to excite them more. Stirring them into a frenzy. If Mr. D had let them out of the forest once in a while they might not of become so blood crazy, but he liked them that way. Whatever the Stymphalian birds didn't kill, the other creatures would. Their metal bodies hit hard against the shielding that Clint had created, but it didn't stop them. They kept dive bombing the two heroes, attempting to break through the barrier.<br/><br/>Clint was right to think that they were just scouts or the first wave. The birds were always the first as they waited year round in the trees for the heroes they saw walking around to come into the forest. Rosetta's yelling and her blood being spilled would attract more.<br/><br/>On the other side of Clint's dark mist and his shield, the birds suddenly stopped their attack. They squawked a little and flew back to their trees, flocking their way further into the forest. The creaking of their wings disappeared. Very few things other than a loud noise could make them fly off.<br/><br/>The ground shook a little, not even enough for anyone outside the forest to register, and a large mound of dirt started to rise just outside Clint's protective spell and shield. It was at least five times the size of a normal ant hill and the tip opened up slowly as a pair of large antenna poked out. Large pincers clicked loudly as the first Myrmeke poked it's black head from the dirt. The creature crawled out, looking much like a cross between a spider and an ant. It's antenna hovered around Clint's spell for a moment before issuing a large clicking noise to summon the others. The forest was oddly silent as the creatures filed out of their dirt mound.<br/><br/>Some would think the half-bloods were better off with the birds. At least they would kill the two of them. Myrmekes would attempt paralyze them and drag them under ground for food storage for winter months.