<div align="center"><em>The Black Swarm</em></div><hr/><br/>Being that this was the first day of the summer, most of the monsters in the forest hadn't had any half-blood prey or flesh in nearly six months. Most of the year round campers either didn't go into the forest during the off months, or were strong enough to survive it. The forest was also less inhabited during the winter months due to the lack of shelter and food.<br/><br/>Rosetta's scent was like pure ecstasy for them. They barely noticed Clint. Probably because of his time spent away from other half-bloods, in the underworld, and his bird form. It was harder for them to track things that weren't in a mortal form. All their eyes were on Rosetta and her pretty red hair.<br/><br/>She picked up the stick and the birds took that as a sign of a challenge. They didn't understand words. Only actions. Unless the words came from the God that created them, Ares. Even then, they didn't always follow his orders. The stick being raised meant one thing to them: Attack and feed.<br/><br/>Their wings creaked and groaned as they quickly spread them and pushed into the air. The trees swayed dangerously at the sudden lifting of the weight. The air above the forest, above Rosetta, was covered in a cloud of black for a moment before they dove back downwards. They swirled like a tornado and aimed their sharp beaks at the Half-Blood daughter. The ones closest to her brought their legs forward and opened their claws as a bird of prey would do when catching fish from the water. They worked as a perfect swarm. Each of the thousand birds taking a dive at her with their talons and beaks.