Rise of the New Gods - AldonBlackreyne (2024)

Chapter 1: Hunter and Hunted

Chapter Text

He could sense them nearby. He heard it in the wind, smelled it in the air. 'Oh, the stench,' he could practically taste it. If not for his experience he would have emptied his last meal. He treads carefully, his footsteps not making a sound as he pressed towards his quarry. Invisibility was the greatest tool against both predators and prey. The moon was waning but that didn't matter. Darkness never bothered him; he was molded by it since birth.

His clothing, a 3-layer mixture of wool and Gor-Tex camo covered his entire body even his face was shielded from the elements and masking his scent. It provided little protection considering his prey, but silence was his friend and armor would slow him down. He would need that speed for what would come next. Dark goggles covered his milky white eyes protecting them too. In his hand was his bow, a metallic grey weapon with a recurve design, and strapped to his thighs were two large bowie knives of celestial bronze.

He knew doing this game was dangerous, one might even say it was an obsession. He knew that a single slip up could cost him his life, but gods help him he loved it. The purpose it served and the joy it brought him. Besides if the fates had decreed that he was to die then he intended to enjoy it to the last. His mentors taught him patience and agility were keys to being invisible and their teachings had served him well.

It was an endless game, monsters scurrying about like so many rats. Always hunting, always thirsty for blood, his blood, the blood of his kin. But in nature there is always a bigger fish as nobody is every truly on top of the food chain. "I will not suffer them, so long as I breath. Each one I kill means one fewer monster that can threaten us. Not just the standard ones that crawl out of Tartarus to terrorize the world but even the ones born in human skin.

He stopped and knelt down and placed his hand on the ground feeling the imprint of large footsteps made on the ground. It seems he was not the only one on the prowl. They were hunting him as much as he was hunting them. He shook his head; one could hardly call what they do hunting. It would be an insult to even amateurs.

He smiled, 'good,' he thought. The fact that they were trying to find his trail meant that they would stay close, making his job easier. His hands running along the greenery brushing the leaves and bushes.

One finger finds something, a branch had been broken, he soon discovers more broken branches until he hears a familiar grunts and growls. He now moves quietly intending to get close enough to attack. Finding a suitable tree, he begins to climb as high as possible. Once he found a favourable branch, he notched an arrow and held it in his left hand.

There were five of them, that much he could tell judging from the number of voices. He could also feel the heat of the large bonfire they were all huddled around.

He focuses on one that was facing most towards him by concentrating in his voice. He grabs a stone from his pack with his right hand and throws it behind him. It hits the ground causing the creatures to look up. Sensing his chance, the boy draws his bow. As he does the arrow begins to glow faintly. He doesn't even aim as he pulls to a full draw and loose his arrow. It whizzes past several trees until-.

A blood curdling scream tell him that his arrow had hit home. "AHHHHH!" The cyclops screamed clutching his face. "MY EYE, MY EYE, I CAN'T SEE!"

At once his companions stood up and looked around. "An arrow," one said, "it's the hunters." The boy scoffed quietly at being mistaken for them.

"Then scatter," another ordered, "find them, search everywhere."

The others began searching the surrounding area leaving their wounded companion at the fire who had pulled the arrow our and was still clutching his face trying to nurse the wound.

The boy decided to leave him be for now the others were a more pressing concern.

With the cyclops scattered it wasn't hard to pick them off one by one. He wounded a second cyclops once again taking out his eye, when another came to help, he received the same fate. Blinded their attacker wasted no time in finishing them off with arrows to the heart. as their bodies dissolved into dust leaving trophy parts behind, the arrows lost their glow and returned to normal.

He felled the remaining two in a similar fashion before returning to the one he blinded first. hearing him approach the cyclops stood up and began swinging wildly with his club.

"YOU CURSED BRAT," he roared. "WHERE ARE YOU? WHERE ARE YOU? I'LL TEAR YOU APART AND EAT YOU PIECE BY PIECE!"

"Good Luck," He whispered before putting the beast out of its misery with a final arrow. He regarded the trophies they monsters had left in their wake with a shrug, he had no use for them. He let out a short sharp whistle, and the arrows he had discharged flew up and returned to his quiver. "Thank you, grandmother," he whispered as he walked away.

That was when he heard them coming, dozens of them. They were approaching fast, so he had not a moment to lose. He sprinted in the opposite direction taking care to scatter his tracks and cover any other marks he may have left. Winding around and even doubling back. Now the game was cat and mouse and unlike the Cyclops these newcomers knew exactly what they were doing.

They would be coming for him now, crossing their path, let alone their hunt tends to do that. They came for him with almost as much determination as with any other monster. The key word being almost. If they did then he would have been caught long ago.

This was the life he led, him hunting monsters (and the occasional human) and those girls chasing him. But he bore them no ill will, in all honesty he found this part equally thrilling. After all they kept him sharp, taught him the art of evasion, albeit unintentionally.

A life as both the cat and the mouse.

At the now abandoned bonfire, Zoe Nightshade fumed as she looked around in frustration. Once again that rogue hunter, interfered in their hunt, five cyclops dead, those kills should have been theirs and HE had beaten them to it.

'He doesn't even collect the trophies.' she noted. 'Is he mocking us?'

They combed the area with a fine-toothed comb but there was no sign of him. There were traces of his presence, faint ones, but not enough to help them out. By now he would be in the city before they catch up.

Her mistress was not pleased, no one was allowed to witness her hunt. Women would be let off, but men, they were often turned into animals. Yet this insolent fool was like a thorn on her side. For years they had been after him, but he always managed to slip away.

'Whoever he was, he is good,' Zoe admitted. No matter how much she hated him she couldn't deny he knew what he was doing. Perhaps in another time he might have been offered to join them, but such a thing has never happened since-

Zoe shook her head, no hunter dared to speak his name. She turned to her Mistress, "shall thou pursue thee, my lady?"

Artemis shook her head, "no, there are other monsters to hunt, going after him would waste precious hours of the hunt."

Zoe bowed, "Of course my lady." she turned to give the message to the other hunters but not before glaring into the forest one last time and whispered, "you can't hide forever boy, mark my words we will find you."

As she left, Artemis collected the discarded trophies and looking towards the forest her gaze softened before turning back to her hunters.

A safe distance away the target of their ire was whistling a happy little tune.

A hunting we will go

A hunting we will go

Heigh-Ho the Merry-O

A hunting we will go

Chapter 2: The First Seed

Chapter Text

The First Seed

Greek Mythology has had its gallery of heroes with many of them were monster slayers. Hercules, Perseus, Cadmus, Theseus, Bellerophon, all idolized by humans and hated by monsters in equal measure. However, for the monsters there was one that was feared above the rest. One that has hunted them relentlessly and slain them without mercy again and again and again. He never took trophies; never sought credit or recognition, most people didn't even know he existed. But to the Monsters and the Hunters of Artemis, he was referred to only as, The Ranger.

2,100 years ago

Artemis thought she knew best when she made that vow. To remain a virgin, to never fall in love. But looking back she realized how naive she had been. No matter how hard she tried to avoid it, love found her anyway. When it did, she wasn't ready for it.

She wasn't ready for Orion.

When she first met the son of Poseidon, she was surprised by his prowess in hunting and invited him to join her Hunters. For years they hunted together often going alone without the others. Sometimes it wasn't even to hunt at all just to talk. Her affection for him grew the more time they spent together.

During one particular hunt, they encountered a band of cyclops. In the fight that followed Orion was injured protecting Artemis from a club blow. As she tended his wounds later that night, a dazed Orion cupped her cheek and kissed her lightly.

"I love you Arty," Orion declared, "even if you don't feel the same, I just want you to know."

Artemis was too shocked to respond or even lash out at his sheer audacity. Part of her wanted to be angry at him for overstepping his boundaries. Yet another part didn't want to be. But why? Then a horrifying thought seeped into her mind. 'Was she falling in love with him?' She did care for him, more that any male she knew besides her father and brother. But that didn't mean she loved him, right?

At first, she was able to convince herself that wasn't the case. But the more she thought about it the more unsure she became. Confused about how she was feeling, she decided to test it and a year after Orion kissed her, Artemis kissed him back. This sent a warm sensation through her heart and her fears were confirmed. This male had captured the heart of the Goddess of the Hunt. 'Just this once,' she thought. 'Just this once she allowed herself to love.'

One night Artemis decided to follow through with these feelings. She took Orion to a secluded place that only she knew about an island with a grotto hidden behind a waterfall. There, the two made love in the spring within.

It wasn't long before their bond reached the ears of Apollo who learned about it from Helios. Fearing that his sister would give up her virtue to him decided to send the madness upon him giving him an insatiable desire to hunt down every beast on earth.

To distract his sister, Apollo invited Artemis to go hunting with him while Orion went on a rampage. But many of these beasts happened to be the children of Gaea. Seeing Orion run amok against her children, Gaea sent a giant scorpion after him which began to chase him shrugging off his arrows and delivering cuts to his body with its pincers.

Artemis' favoured hunter Zoe Nightshade witnessed this hurried to inform her mistress of Orion's plight. Artemis rushed to his aid but by the time she arrived, it was too late. Orion had been fatally stabbed in the abdomen by the Scorpion's stinger.

Artemis mourned the loss of the only man she ever loved and after giving him a private funeral made him a constellation to immortalize his memory. For a year she shut herself away and refused to see anyone even her hunters. Apollo attempts to apologize were coldly rebuffed. But Artemis has another reason for shutting herself away and that reason was the child growing in her.

When her time finally came, she decided to go to someone she felt she could trust, her grandmother Rhea since she had experience with hiding a child away. She found her on a secluded island tended to by nymphs.

Rhea was genuinely delighted to receive a visit from her granddaughter and rushed to greet her "Artemis darling," She elated pulling the younger girl into a hug, but Artemis stopped her.

"I need your help grandmother," she said. Rhea was confused until Artemis opened her robe and revealed her enlarged belly.

Rhea didn't need an explanation to realize what was going on. "You broke your vow of chastity." She stated before smiling and pulled her into a warm hug. "Your father will be furious."

Artemis nodded I know, "but I don't regret it, I loved him and now this child is all I have left of him."

Rhae sighed, "I knew one day you would find someone, at least it was consensual, I am sorry about Orion, he seemed like a good man."

"He was," Artemis agreed. If my father or brother find out they will surely take our child just like everyone else I'm close to, Callisto, Orion. I won't let them do it again."

Rhea nodded, "I promise to do everything I can to help you safeguard him."

Motherly instincts kicking in, Rhea readily helped her granddaughter deliver her child, a bouncing baby boy. A small part of Artemis was disappointed that it wasn't a girl, but this child was still hers. Then the babe opened his eyes and the goddess of childbirth choked on a wail. His eyes where milky white with flecks of grey one could even say they resembled the moon. Her first and only child and he was blind.

Artemis held him close and in response the babe touched her cheek and giggled. Though he couldn't see her, it was like he knew who she was by feeling alone. Artemis bared one of her breasts and started nursing him, He suckled gently for a few minutes before falling asleep.

'Such a sweet boy," Rhea cooed. "Like a little robin."

"What will you name him darling?" Rhea asked.

Artemis regarded him for a moment no Greek name seemed to fit him. then she remembered what her grandmother said. She smiled and caressed the baby's cheek, "hello Robin."

Artemis stayed for a few more months, but she knew she couldn't hold off her duties anymore. She also fears what would happen if her father and brother found out about her child.

So together they fabricated a story, they would lie about his birth making it on Orion's death this way if he was discovered he could pass off as one of his children by another woman. This also gave Artemis a way to visit him at least once a year on the pretext of mourning Orion.

When Artemis left Rhea took Robin to a group, she trusted to be raised so she wouldn't attract her son's attention. Deep in the Rocky Mountains the Kouretes were practicing their traditional war dance with a group of Nymphs watching. Once they saw her, they immediately halted and bowed respectfully.

Their leader Pyrrhichus, stepped forward. "Lady Rhea," he greeted respectfully, "to what do we owe the pleasure."

"You have done so much for me already my friend," she said solemnly. "I need your help once more to raise a child in secret." Rhea presented him with the squirming babe in her arms, "this is Robin, my new grandson. Only Artemis and I know about him. No other god must know, least of all Zeus and Apollo."

Pyrrhichus looked at the babe taking a long look at his moon coloured orbs, before turning to Rhea and nodding, "Of course my lady," he said, "We would be refreshing to raise a child again the war dance has gotten a bit stale over the years."

Rhea smiled and nodded, "I cannot thank you enough for this, I will visit as often as I can. I will also take him with me once a year to see his mother."

Purrhichus nodded, "of course my lady, is there anything special about him to look for?"

Rhea nodded, "expect him to have a fondness for hunting."

Pyrrhichus grinned, "well we did invent hunting so that is definitely something we can help him with."

A nymph, obviously the leader, strode forward and took the babe from Rhea's arms. Rhea felt a sense of emptiness in that moment, but she felt this was for the best.

Once Rhea returned home, the Kouretes went to a hidden cave where Nymph transformed into a tall matronly figure. Her soft brown hair was braided in jewels, her eyes a brilliant green, her skin white as quarts. She wore a forest green dress was lined with flowers of differing colours. The Kouretes knelt before her and presented the babe to her.

The woman gently took the band and cradled it in her arms, he started to cry so she bared her breast to him, and he began to suckle greedily. One of her hands touched her nose and he giggled again. Gaea smiled as she soothed the bundle in her arms as she secretly gave him immortality through nursing. Her plan had worked for the most part. Under the guise of a beautiful woman, she caught the eye of Poseidon and from their union came Orion. He was intended to become part of her next scheme to overthrow Zeus but Apollo put an end to those plans with his twisted ways, so she was forced to bring him home in a gruesome fashion. But looking at the babe in her arms she realized that this child could prove far more promising than his father ever was.

"The Olympians may have killed my son, but his death was not on vain." she whispered.

"Is he to be your champion mother," Pyrrhichus asked.

Gaea turned to him and shook her head, "No, my boy, he will be but the first of many pieces." She stroked the baby's cheek.

It didn't take long for Artemis to discover what Apollo did to Orion and decided to punish him for it. Upon learning that he had offended Eros at some point Artemis encouraged him to curse her brother with unrequited love as was shown in the cases of Daphne and Cassandra. Though she eventually relented and forgave Apollo it would not be for another 500 years.

As promised every year on the day of Orion's death, Artemis, would leave her hunters to see Robin. This was considered the highlight of the year for the boy to see his mother. She never told him her true identity. From what her grandmother told her, Robin had become interested in Archery and the Kouretes had begun teaching him. Helping overcome his blindness by using his other senses. Artemis knew that he would soon become the interest of monsters and he would be equally interested in them.

On his twelfth birthday she gave him a gift, a pair of hunting knives of celestial bronze and due to his blindness was given a quiver that could retrieve spent arrows by whistling. Gaea in turn presented him with the Epirus Bow. Forged from adamantine, the Epirus Bow had the power to enchant any arrow drawn along its string making it lethal to both monsters and mortals.

His first kill was a Fury, and it would be the first of many. Robin started with smaller targets but as his skill improved, he started going after more dangerous targets. In the centuries to follow, the Ranger, became one that even the most staunch and bloodthirsty monsters had come to fear. Once he understood the plight many demigods faced living in this world, he took it upon himself to train stray demigods, unclaimed by their parents and not taken to Camp Half Blood. It wasn't long before his actions incurred the wrath of the Hunters of Artemis who were all eager to put this male hunter in his place.

It pained Artemis to have to 'hunt' her own child but it was necessary to avoid suspicion. But in the many years they spent trying to track him down they never manage to catch him one day that will change, and she would claim him. Then they can be a proper family as they should have been from the start.

Chapter 3: Seed of the Sky

Chapter Text

With the first seed of her new plan in place Gaea decided to go into a deep slumber and wait for her children to reform in Tartarus. In the meantime, her siblings, Tartarus, Nyx and Pontus and Erebus would work on building a new army to challenge Zeus. The First Giant War taught Gaea one simple thing. If she wanted to overthrow Zeus, she could not rely on a single powerful weapon. Now that she thought about it, she should have sent the Giants together with Typhon. There was nothing that could be done about it now. One thing was for certain, she would not be so hasty or careless this time. Zeus defeated the giants only with the help of demigods, so she would seek demigods of her own to aid in her war. All she could do was reform her fallen children, but for now she would sleep while her siblings gathered their strength.

For two thousand years they worked, Zeus' misrule had spread resentment among the minor gods and even tensions among the elders planting more seeds of rebellion. Robin continued to gain experience as he travelled the world under numerous identities learning various martial arts skills and monster hunting techniques. This continued until an event happened that motivated the Primordials to rouse their sleeping sister, World War II.

The children of the Big Three had started the most devastating war in the history of the world. Around this time The Oracle of Delphi gave a prophecy that their future children would aid one born of Earth and Sky in either destroying Olympus or preserving it. After it was over, the Big Three made a vow on the River Styx to never have any children. It was the most sacred oath that anyone could swear upon and breaking it would have severe consequences. Even a god was not exempt from this rule. Since the prophecy said born of earth and sky, they naturally believed that the one was a titan, specifically Kronos.

Hades already had two children prior to making the vow, but Zeus made multiple attempts to kill them. This caused a rift between the brothers, one that Gaea intended to exploit. An idea formed in her mind, she had failed the previous times because she tried to handle him as a god. Perhaps the key to defeating him was to handle him as a man. Zeus may have been the king of the gods, but at the end of the day he had the same emotional weaknesses as any man, a ravenously horny man. She knew that Zeus would be unable to fulfill his vow it would only be a matter of time before he slipped up. Gaea intended to take full advantage of that.

Gaea took on a mortal form in an orphan by the name of Gloria Roosevelt. As Gloria, Gaea build a life for herself as a singer and actress becoming a Hollywood megastar. At the height of her career she was making 20 million a film and $500,000 for an episode in any TV show she starred in. She often visited Children's Hospitals and orphanages, helping out and donating to them. The children often commented on her 'motherly' personality.

Zeus was smitten and as Gaea anticipated, he couldn't help himself. But she knew Zeus and didn't make it easy for him, skillfully blocked his early advances. Zeus was surprised at first, few women ever rebuffed him, but he soon found this endearing. It made her unique, it made her interesting. The more she denied him, the more he wanted her. Zeus remained patient and enjoyed the thrill of the chase.

Five years later his patience was rewarded, and they shared a night of carnal lust. Nine months later Gloria gave birth to their son in 1984 which she named David. Now that she had bore Zeus' child, they now needed to disappear. In order to that she would need to fake their deaths and she knew the perfect scapegoats to help her.

Zeus had not been the only one who desired Gloria. She had also caught the eye of a man named Nero, the chairman of Triumvirate Holdings. When she rejected him, he tried to take her by force. She fought him off long enough for Zeus to arrive and Nero barely escaped with his life. Gloria later filed a lawsuit against Triumvirate Holdings for 250 million dollars which she won. Such amount was but a drop in the bucket for a mega conglomerate like Triumvirate Holdings. But for Nero, this was now personal he had been rejected and humiliated and his pride was now wounded. Such an offense would not stand for him and he plotted his revenge.

A year after David was born, the beach house he and his mother lived in was destroyed by a Greek-fire bomb, supposedly killing both of them. Zeus frantically searched for the bodies, but count find no trace of Gloria or their son. The nation mourned the loss of one of its biggest female stars and in the public funeral over 100,000 people attended her funeral.

Meanwhile Gaea had taken their son to a secluded place known only to her and a few others and assumed new identities. Though he was the key to her plans she also wanted him to experience a 'normal' life. Gaea figured that all she needed to convince her new son to join her cause was for him to witness what the rule under Zeus had wrought upon the world. During her flight, she discovered something, a piece of essence of her late husband Ouranos. Seeing an opportunity to enhance her son's abilities, she collected it and had fed it to her son.

Gaea then brought Robin over to see her child. Robin felt the baby's face with the back of his hand before turning to her. "Is he yours grandma?"

Gaea nodded, "yes Robin, he is mine, and once he is big enough monsters will come for him."

"Am I to protect him then?" Robin asked.

"No grandson, when the time comes you will be his teacher. You will train him to fight them, to hunt them, to kill them, so they can never threaten him," Her son may be immortal, but he could still bleed, and Gaea was not willing to take that risk. For now, David would live believing he was mortal so that he wouldn't take his own life for granted. Then when the time was right, and he was ready she would tell him the truth.

The loss of Gloria and David was a devastating blow to Zeus. Gloria had been unlike any other mortal he loved in the past 2,000 years. He was even planning on making her immortal. There were times when he wondered if this was his punishment for breaking his vow on the River Styx. In his depressed state, he found comfort in the arms Beryl Grace, a rising tv star.

Beryl harboured a great amount of jealousy towards Gloria as compared to her, Beryl was a B list actress. So, she resorted to outrageous stunts as a way to gain as much attention as her and often consumed alcohol in an effort to drown out her sorrows. The two even worked together in past tv shows and a couple of films and despite Gloria's attempt to befriend the younger woman, Beryl would always see her as a rival.Still Beryl was able to sooth Zeus' sorrow over the loss of Gloria, and her behavior improved during her time with him. They even had a child named Thalia. But Zeus eventually had to leave to perform his duties in Olympus.

Beryl reverted back to her old habits after Zeus left as she resorted methods of gaining attention. Things improved somewhat when Zeus returned to her seven years later and bore her a second child, they named Jason. But Beryl was constantly asking him to make her immortal or give her eternal beauty. Even Zeus began to realize how toxic their relationship had become and left her for the second and final time. The sad truth was, Beryl wasn't Gloria, everything Gloria had been, Beryl wasn't. Seeing Beryl's behavior only made Zeus mourn Gloria's death even more.

Zeus' second departure left Beryl more unstable than ever and this time her habits worsened. she drank more, and her stunts had become so outlandish that nobody would hire her. Beryl started living her life with her children secluded from the world. Without Zeus around to protect them, monsters began attacking Thalia and Jason constantly. Hera didn't help matters when she told Beryl about Gloria Roosevelt. Beryl often blamed Hera for the attacks and cursed 'stupid, perfect' Gloria Roosevelt as the reason for Zeus never truly loving her.

Thalia had grown to resent her mother but stayed for the sake of her little brother. That all changed when Beryl gave Jason up to Hera in an attempt to appease her. For Thalia this was the last straw and she left her mother to fend for herself.As her son grew up, Gaea watched Thalia's life with growing interest.

"Zeus, you poor naive fool. Soon you will find out breaking that vow on the River Styx thrice in a row will cost you more than you can possibly imagine."

Chapter 4

Chapter Text

Pillars of the Earth

Cheyenne, Wyoming, May 31st, 1995

David couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief as he watched the clock's minute hand ticked closer and closer to the 12. 'At last,' he thought, 'it would soon be over.' Nine years, for nine long years he put up with it all. The uptight teachers, the idiotic classmates, none of them understood. So what if he couldn't read as well as other kids, so what if he couldn't sit still. That doesn't mean they were better than him. But no, the teachers thought he was a screw up and the students thought he was simple. But after today he was out, no more, he was done with this shit. They can take their judgment and opinions and shove them where the sun didn't shine.

Even at 13 he was imposing, with a tall, athletic build and sand toned skin. He excelled at the sports he participated in. The P.E. teacher once asked him if he might consider going pro, but David refused for such a life was not meant for him. As far as looks go he could be considered handsome, his hair was the colour of oak, and fell in bangs over his forehead, on his right cheek were three distinct scars. His most striking feature was his eyes which were different colours. His right eye was green as an emerald but his left eye was electric blue. This feature led to many kids calling him a freak which led to many fights occurring.

Honestly school life would have been unbearable if not for the person sitting next to him, Eve Stellaris. She was the only friend he had ever manage to make, but he wouldn't trade her for any thousands in the world.

In another life Eve would have been popular. She was a dark beauty with olive skin, high cheekbones, long black hair that she let grow down to her knees and eyes a brilliant shade of violet blue. But she was also quiet and shy only opening up with David. The other girls were jealous of her looks while boys continued hitting on her much to her discomfort.

"Just a minute more," Eve sighed, "and middle school is over."

"We won't have to put up with these talking monkeys, and our higher education shall begin," David finished. After a moment of silence, Eve chuckled softly.

"Something amuse you?" David asked.

Eve leaned her head back, "we're probably look back on this and realize it was the easy part."

They looked at each other and burst out laughing. David scoffed, "between our classmates and the monsters, I think I'll take the monsters. The monsters can at least be silenced."

RIIIIIIIIINNNNGGGG!

The moment the bell rang the pair strapped on their backpacks and headed out. Most students headed out the front door to the buses, but they went out the back which opened up to a large open field that lay between the school and the farm they lived in. But they had their own reason for choosing to cut through an open field.

But as soon as David opened the door he was met with a punch to the face. David staggered holding his jaw and looked up to see three boys waiting for him outside one of them had a baseball bat. David rolled his eyes, "come on Thomas, we've danced this tune too many times."

"I swore to make you pay for what you did to us," Thomas snarled cracking his knuckled.

"Hey, you brought that on yourself," David replied calmly, noting the cotton patch over his left eye and the large gap in his teeth

"You broke my teeth, my father took my allowance then grounded me for the whole summer."

"You should have thought of that before you chose to pick a fight with me," David snarled, "frankly after what you tried to do to that puppy, I think you're getting off easy."

Thomas roared and charged, his bat raised, David dicked the swing aimed at his head, and he raised his fists. Thomas went for another swing, but David got in too close for the bat to be effective. He locked Thomas' arm with his own and used his free hand to punch Thomas in the eye with the first joint of his index finger. Them punching him in the nose. Thomas grabbed David's face with his free hand but one of his fingers found its way into David's mouth. David bit down hard causing Thomas to scream in pain. David finally released him from the arm lock and Thomas was on his knees clutching his bleeding finger. David then delivered a hard kick to the boy's temple sending him to the ground unconscious.

Eve rushed to help, but one of Tom's friends grabbed her arm. She turned and looked at him with her violet eyes startling him for a moment, long enough for her to flip him on his back. the other one came up and hit her on the back of the neck knocking her to the ground. Eve flipped herself around and kicked him in the private parts with the heel of her boot. Causing him to curl up in pain.

Seeing Eve on the ground David rushed to her and helped her up. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Eve took his hand and nodded rubbing the back if her neck, "it's not bad." Seeing their hands were still together she withdrew with a blush on her face.

David sighed in relief, "come on we better get out of here before-"

"David Roosevelt," a sharp shrill voice called to them. They turned to see the school counselor Ms. Iyra standing their with her arms crossed.

"Ms. Iyra," Eve tried to explain, "they attacked us we were only-"

Ms. Iyra raised her hand to silence her, "follow me please," she said in a tone that left no room for debate. They looked at each other and followed her back inside. As they walked they immediately realized something wasn't right, not just because the middle aged woman smelled funny but the fact that she wasn't heading for the counselor's office. Ms. Iyra had just become the new school counselor at the beginning of the year after the old one retired, so neither of them really knew much about her.

Eve and David looked at each other, she was nervously fingering her charm bracelet and David gave her a nod as he reached into his pocket his fingers finding a familiar round-point pen. Ms. Iyra opened the door to the gym and gestured them to go inside. The pair entered and cautiously looking around. but turning back they saw Ms. Iyra was gone.

"DAVID ROOSEVELT!" A voice above screeched. The children looked up and saw Ms. Iyra standing over the basketball hoops. "Did you think you could hide forever, Son of Zeus."

The children dropped their backpacks and Eve removed her bracelet which became a meteor hammer on a chain with a dart at the end. "Do you think you can take me on by yourself?" David retorted.

The Fury grinned, "what makes you think I'm alone?" Then behind them four laestrygonians burst in through the opposite doors wielding iron clubs, Eva and David gave each other a nod and took a defensive stance with Eve facing the fury and David focusing on the laestrygonians.

The laestrygonians began hurling fireballs at him. David clasped his hands together and spread them out creating a circular electric barrier in front of him and Eve causing the fireballs to dissipate upon impact.

Once they realized that their fireballs were useless, the laestrygonians raised their clubs and charged. David pulled out his pen clicked it three times rapidly revealing a sword and rushed to them in the center. The giants were wearing leather armour, but this only protected their chest not their legs, so that what David focused on. The fact that they were almost double his height made this much easier. He ducks and slides along the floor slashing the closest one's leg ad he passes cutting it clean off. David got back on his feet whirled around and slashed the legs of his companion to the left. The other two swung at him with their clubs, one caught David in the head sending him into the closed bleachers. Getting up with a groan David raised his free hand and discharged a stream of lightning which connected with the iron in their clubs. The two dropped and started writhing in pain as lighting coursed through their bodies allowing David to come in close and behead them with his sword. He then turned to the two crippled laestrygonians and after cutting off their hands holding the clubs finished them off with a thrust to the heart. As they died, they turned to gold dust leaving behind a tooth as a trophy.

As David fought the laestrygonians, the fury was trying to get Eve only to be stopped again and again by the meteor hammer. The girl was using the ball for defense by swinging it in a circular motion above her head and the dart for offense. The fury was momentarily distracted seeing David slay the last of her allies, this was enough for Eve to once again hurl the dart forward them this time spearing the Fury in the leg. Now ensnared, Eve pulled as hard as she could, sending the fury crashing to the floor. She started swinging the hammer vertically and brought it down on the fury. First to her left wing and then to her right. Then her legs and finally her arms. Now that she was thoroughly crippled. Eve pulled out a celestial bronze dagger and slit the fury's throat causing her to turn to gold dust leaving one of her talons behind.

After collecting the trophies, they picked up their backpacks ran out as quickly as possible before something else showed up. They burst through the back door and hurried across the field to their neighborhood. Fortunately, no more monsters appeared to harass them, and they made it to the farmhouse. The house was a two-story brick building that could house a small family with a kitchen, dining room, living room and pantry downstairs and the bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs. There was even an attic and basement.

Outside were the farmhands Otus and Ephraim, both were big, burly men wearing plaid flannel shirts and overalls. Both looked alike with the exception being their hair since Ephraim's hair was purple while Otus had green hair. Ephraim was feeding the animals while Otis was chopping wood. They had cattle prods strapped to their backs but anyone who knew could see that they were spears.

As soon as they saw David and Eve they noted their bruised appearance and began looking around, their hands fingering their cattle prods. They turned to David who shook his head, they nodded in understanding and resumed their work.

"Nana, we're home," David called as he entered the house with Eve close behind. A middle-aged woman with brown hair and green eyes swept in from the kitchen and pulled the boy into a tight hug before kissing his cheeks. As she did, she noted the bruise on his face and frowned.

"What was it this time?" she asked.

"Fury and laestrygonians," David replied.

Her eyes burned with rage as her thumb caressed the bruise, "I'm so sorry David," she said sorrowfully as she looked between Him and Eve' children shouldn't have to go through what you have.

"It's fine Nana," David assured her, "it cannot be helped, "I'm honestly more concerned about Eve's wellbeing."

At that moment, another women who resembled Eve came into the room, "not again," She gasped as she cupped Eve's face. "Did they hurt you sweetie?"

"I'm fine mother," Eve assured her, "I had David with me."

Ther woman closed her eyes and sighed, "you should have had more time to play not constantly fighting for your life." She shook her head, "at least you won't be harassed by those awful kids anymore."

"Sadly, a greater challenge now awaits them," Nana replied solemnly.

Eve's mother nodded, "I wish we could send Otus and Ephraim to accompany them."

"You know why we can't Nova," Nana scolded. This journey they must do by themselves, and besides, the twins would attract the attention of the Olympus and we can't allow that."

Nova nodded reluctantly and turned to the children, "make sure you pack your things and wash up for supper tonight. It will be a big day for the both of you tomorrow, so you'll need a good night's sleep."

The kids nodded and rushed upstairs. The two women watched them disappear into their rooms. and Nova sighed, "they're growing up so fast."

Nana placed a hand on Nova's shoulder, "we nurtured them as best we could, I fear what comes next will be out of our hands."

After washing up and getting the things they needed for the trip packed, David and Eve came down to dinner. Since this would be their last night together, Nana and Nova cooked their favourites. The children also decided to celebrate the end of school by throwing all their school papers into the fireplace. After that, Eve and David soon went to bed and felt the embrace of Hypnos.

The next morning it was time to leave, the four of them hugged each other and said their final goodbyes.

"Stay safe David," Nana said tearfully to the boy in her embrace."

"I will Nana," David assured her.

As they broke apart nana gave him a present. A platinum coloured flashlight with a second switch at the bottom, David flipped the second switch and the Flashlight opened up into a staff that looked like a cross between a shortsword and a goedendag. David smiled at his new weapon and hugged his nana once more, "Thank you."

"May it serve you well," Nana replied returning the hug.

When it came to Nova and David, she pulled the boy close and whispered in his ear. "Look after Eve," Nova said sternly, "or I will make your life an eternal nightmare."

David nodded, "I would burn in Tartarus before I let that happen," he promised.

With that, the two children left the farm side by side, neither knowing what lay in store for either of them.

Nova turned to Nana, "all your plans rest on that boy Gaea, now we shall see if our years of work will pay off."

Gaea nodded, "time will tell Nyx, time will tell."

Chapter 5

Chapter Text

Mentor

The journey to their first destination would take a few days and from there, they would make the trip to New York. Their journey had not been easy going as every day the two had to deal with several monsters, each day the number was bigger than before. Though they often varied in type, the most common monsters were the laestrygonians, who often came in packs.

As the hordes got worse David grew more concerned about Eve's safety. He knew she could handle herself as she proved time and time again, but it pained him to see her in such danger. On the other hand, separating meant that she would have to face the next monster alone. Sticking together had worked out so far and like Nana said, don't fix what isn't broken.

Sometimes they would talk but for the most part they simply kept silent just enjoying each other's company. As they travelled David practiced with his sword staff. Thanks to Otus and Ephraim, he had some training with a spear. But a blade in the shaft made for a more versatile weapon. Now as they walked David was toying with his new weapon twirling it around like a baton.

"Are you sure you should be wielding that thing so carelessly?" Eva asked cautiously keeping a fair distance between them. "Someone might get hurt."

"I need to get use to wielding this thing," David explained, "I won't get a good feel if I don't practice."

Eve sighed, "if you say so David." She looked around and sighed. "This would be a lot easier if we only knew exactly where we were supposed to go."

"Nana and your mother told us that this trip wouldn't be easy, but that's how it is when we're the spawn of gods," David explained.

"I don't get why we're going here instead of making a straight shot to New York."

"Maybe this way is safer," David suggested.

Eve sighed, "if this is the safer route, I'd hate to see what the dangerous way is like."

"Let's hope we never find out," David replied.

Suddenly they stopped as they heard a noise. Off in the distance, strange sounds could be heard. By now the two were already familiar with the sounds and what it meant, monsters on the prowl. They had two choices between them, they could flee, or they could fight. But David knew that no matter where they went the monsters would find them. Nana always said that monsters would always be looking for him.

David rubbed dirt on his arms and Eve climbed a tree to get a better look and that's when she saw them. A horde of 10 monsters. Two furies, 3 hellhounds, 4 harpies and a manticore. David handed Eve his old sword, "the bats and birds are mine," he declared, and Eve nodded as she dropped to the ground and drew out her meteor hammer.

"Spawn of Zeus," one of the Furies hissed, "you shall pay for what you did to our poor sister."

"Then allow me to reunite you with her," David snarled raising his sword staff.

The furies shrieked and dived at him with their talons out. David gripped his weapon with both hands keeping his blade pointed at the ground, waiting for the last possible moment. Once the fury was close enough, he flipped his staff around, bringing the blade over and downward severing one of the wings off along with an arm. He then barrel-rolled towards her as the second fury lashed out with its fiery whip. David grabbed the injured Fury and used her as a shield. The whip wrapped around the fury's throat causing her to scream in agony. David then ran the blade of his staff along the whip.

Getting in close he thrust the blade into the injured Fury's heart reducing her to gold dust.

A shriek behind him caused him to turn around as the talons of a harpy struck his face leaving three small gashes. David responded by impaling her with the butt spike of his staff, reducing her to gold dust as well. He withdrew and spun his blade behind him beheading a second harpy.

The remaining Fury and 2 harpies regrouped above him. David glared at them twirling his staff around and making a 'come on' gesture with his free hand. He then backed up against a tree, so they couldn't sneak up behind him.

Instead of charging this time, the three creatures began circling high above him hoping to find an opening out of reach of his staff. David let out a stream of electricity which struck one of the harpies disorienting her and causing her to descend low enough for David to strike her neck. This however allowed another harpy to swoop in behind and grab him by the shoulders and lifting him off the ground. David tried to swipe her with his staff, but the harpy dug her claws deep into his shoulder. He cried put in pain but kept his grip on his staff determined not to let go.

The Harpy held him while the fury came in close and swiped him across the chest, creating deep gashes. She then grabbed him by the throat and pulled him close. "Time to die," she grinned. She opened her mouth intending to rip out his throat when-"

Shiik

The fury paused and backed off to see David's staff embedded in her chest, she looked at him in shock and let out a roar as she dissolved into dust. David then grasped the harpy's foot with his free hand and unleased a charge of electricity causing her to cry out and drop him. David landed painfully to the ground. David got up with a grunt and turned to face the final harpy which charged him in a fit of rage. David dug the back spike of his staff into the ground and when the harpy got close enough he fell on his back keeping his staff pointed upwards. The harpy didn't see the danger until it was too late and impaled itself on his staff.

As David fought the aerial threat, Eve was busy fighting the terrestrial ones. The hellhounds tried to go after David, but Eve stood between them, not letting any pass. But strangely enough the hellhounds didn't attack her, they just stood there with their heads tilted and ears perked up. The manticore tried to lunge but the hellhounds turned and started attacking it. Eve used this opportunity to ensnare the manticore's tail and tying it to a tree. The manticore struggling to pull it's tail free as it swiped at the attacking hellhounds. Though they outnumbered it the manticore was still much stronger and took down the hellhounds one by one. Eve climbed the tree that had the manticore's tail was lashed to and once she got the right height she jumped sword raised and severed the tail clean off.

With its main weapon neutralized, the manticore flew into a fit of rage. Now that it was free it pounced on each hellhound ripping them apart one by one with it's claws. But by this point the manticore was badly wounded, the hellhounds having torn off large chunks of it's flesh. Now it had to fight both Eve and David who had just finished off the last harpy.

Between the two children it decided to go after the son of Zeus, but as it got closer it tripped. Looking back, it saw it's hind legs tangled by Eve's meteor hammer. David used this distraction to charge and shove it's staff into the manticore's mouth as it roared in frustration. Eve the shoved her sword into the monster's neck dissolving it into dust like the others.

After killing the Manticore, David collapsed from the wounds they had inflicted upon him. Eve cried out and rushed over catching him before he hit the ground. "Oh gods, David, you're hurt," she cried out as she noticed the wounds on his face, shoulder and chest.

"I'll be fine," David said in a pained voice, "it's not that bad, but at least they didn't hurt you."

Eve shook her head and leaned her head on his chest, and he petted her head in an attempt to comfort her.

As they sat there, a soft clapping could be heard up in the trees. Looking up and around they found the source of the sound. A boy in his late teens, wrapped in a green cloak with a bow strapped to his back and a wooden staff in his hand.

"Impressive," the boy commended. "Not very many children at your ages can take on a dozen monsters and emerge victorious."

David scoffed, "don't kiss my ass," he sighed deeply, "it was only ten."

The boy nodded, "Good you can count." He leaped from the tree and somersaulted landing smoothly on the ground. "And honest, you don't feel the need to stroke your own ego to receive gratification. That makes you better than most with greater power."

"Where you watching us the whole time?" Eve demanded. The boy nodded and Eve strode forward and slapped him across his covered face. "We almost died," Eve shrieked, "you could have helped us."

"Key word being almost," the boy pointed out shrugging off her strike. "Besides, if I helped you, then you would not learn anything David Roosevelt."

David looked at him in shock, "You know who I am?"

The Boy smiled, "my grandmother foretold that we would be destined to cross paths. Fate has decided that I was destined to help you."

"Does that mean you will protect us?" Eve asked.

The Boy shook his head, "no my dear, you are, both of you and I'm going to teach you how." He looked David over, "but first things first, let's get those wounds taken care of."

He whistled and several people that neither children had seen emerged from the trees and bushes. They picked David up and carried him up a mountain to an encampment in front of a cave. Inside the cave, They laid David down and started tending his wounds.

"You're good David, but if you want to survive in this world of Gods and monsters, you must become better." The Stranger said as David's wounds were treated. "You know how to fight ten monsters, I can teach you how to engage a hundred. You've learned about our world, and I will teach you to understand it."

"Who are you?" David wondered.

The boy looked up from the fire, "my name is Robin Riverwood. But the real question is David Roosevelt. Are you ready to get started?"

David looked around before turning back to him. "I believe I just did."

Chapter 6

Chapter Text

Road to Camp Half-Blood

"OW!"

"AAAARGH!"

"SON OF A-!"

"OOF!"

With a grunt David sat up from the rocky ground rubbing his head and grinding his teeth in frustration. Sweat drenched his face, and his body was sore from multiple bruises. 'How is this happening?' He thought. 'I'm the son of Zeus for Olympus's sake. I have a weapon of adamantine. By all rights I should be able to handle any demigod. Yet here I am, on the ground, getting my ass handed to me by a minor demigod. A blind one at that.'

But as his mismatching eyes observed his opponent standing casually and twirling his staff, David shook his head. 'I have no right to judge. Of course, he can beat me. He had thousands or years' worth of experience to draw upon. What do I have? Three measly years of basic training.' With a grunt David got back up and resumed a fighting stance. Robin gave him a nod of approval and attacked.

Two months had passed since they first met the Blind Ranger and his group, two whole months of traveling together, over mountains and through forests passing near schools along the way, just in case. Suffice to say that it was not a wasted effort. Nana didn't lie, traveling with Robin proved to be very beneficial on their days were divided into two parts, one would be spent traveling, while the next day was dedicated to training. Robin drilled the two children from dawn to dusk, never easing up even when it was time to eat. As Robin would often point out, "Monsters do not wait or you to be ready."

David knew how to kill monsters; Robin showed him how to hunt them. David and Eve had faced several monsters in the past, Robin got them familiar with all of them through summoning. But they didn't just train physically, they were demigods so they both had unique talents. For David this was manipulation over air and electricity and for Eve it was control over darkness, shadows and creatures of the night. The children could already do basic lightning attacks and shadow travel so Robin helped them expand their abilities and strengthen them.

Those that followed Robin, David learned were also demigods, sons and daughters of the minor deities of the Greek pantheon. who chose not to go to the camp since they felt like they didn't belong. So here they were the lost, the forgotten, the forsaken, Robin's Rangers. Most were adults and monsters no longer hunted them but that didn't matter to them, and so under Robin's direction they went around killing monsters wherever they found them. They lived the lives of survivalists and outdoorsmen, living off the land and building shelters from the earth. They helped David and Eve train and also taught them survival skills.

Day after day the children practiced and practiced while Robin foraged and hunted to ensure the group ate every day. Under Robin's harsh tutelage, David and Eve got better at killing monsters. It got to the point where they deliberately sought out monster dens to get more practice. David was glad to see Eve was improving, the better she was able to protect herself the easier David could rest at night.

As time passed, they learned more about their powers. David discovered that he could fly after stumbling into a ravine, but instead of falling to his death he noticed his fall slowed and was soon found himself suspended in the air. After their encounter with the Hellhounds, Eve took on a more assertive stance against them. David always found it amusing that Eve was timid in front of other people yet had no fear of creatures most people avoided such as skunks and racoons. David once joked that she could even tame a Tasmanian devil if she wanted. Hellhounds became no exception often taking a master role and summoning them to aid in fighting monsters.

When they weren't training to fight monsters, they were training to fight a different sort of opponent, the mortal type. Due to David's new weapon Robin taught him Wushu so he could take advantage of his weapon's full potential. At first it was pathetic; David couldn't go ten second without being knocked to the ground. Robin was like a leaf on the wind, his movements fluid and graceful almost like a dance, and that was not even counting on the staff. Robin's staff, which doubled as a white cane, was made of ironwood, by all rights it should not be able to stand up to the metal David was wielding. But in the hands of Robin, it was like trying to deflect helicopter blades.

Still, he was improving, getting stronger, quicker, more agile. It took weeks for David to learn how to block Robin's attacks and a couple more to finally land blows. But for every strike, David got 6 in return. He was no Robin, but progress was progress.

David laughed bitterly as he continued to spar with Robin, he had learned more from him about monsters in two months than he had in his life.

"So how come you didn't escort us from the farm?" David asked, "why meet us in the middle of the Forest?"

"I travel all over the country," Robin replied, "monsters are everywhere I try to kill them off as much as I can so they can't harm other demigods. I sometimes pass by schools to see if there are any kids who are in trouble. Satyrs usually contact me if they need assistance escorting ones with a strong scent. Recently I've been keeping an eye on two particular demigods residing in Las Vegas.

"I assume they're a special case to get your attention."

"Zeus and Hades have it out for each other, trying to kill each other's children. So, I've tasked myself to prevent that from happening."

Thunder rolled across the sky at the mention of Zeus' name. David rolled his eyes, 'talk about hypersensitive.'

"Why?"

Robin stopped attacking and sighed, his face heavy, "because no one else will, and nobody can stop this endless stream of petty vengeance."

David stopped, making a note to keep an eye out for any half siblings and hopefully cousins in the future. In his musings, David found himself getting tripped by Robin's staff as it swiped his legs. David stumbled, but in a rare sight, he found his footing and avoided another hard landing."

Robin smiled slightly, "well done, you manage to stay on your feet that time."

"I'm learning," David shrugged. "Hopefully I it will be enough for when we reach out destination.

"We'll be there in four days," Robin assured him, "Once you're safely past the barrier I will depart to resume my hunt."

"You're not joining us?" Eve asked coming over to them concerned.

Robin shook his head, "The hunt never rests deary, in any case I have no place there."

"Why not?"

"Camp Half Blood is for the children of Gods, it's no place for the child of a Giant."

"Surely they will make an exception," Eve said trying to assure him as much as herself.

Robin smiled sadly, "perhaps that can change but that day is not today."

The last few days went by as usual they trained more and killed some more monsters. David noticed that as they got closer to Camp, the attacks became more frequent. It was clear that Hades was becoming more and more determined. Robin's training served them well and having Robin with them ensured that they were able to beat every attack. They even managed to eliminate a Cyclops den before they reached New York.

At last, after 10 weeks of traveling, they reach New York City. They bypassed the city entirely and headed straight for the forest in Long Island. Night had come as the trio headed deep inside. That's when David noticed a familiar blue light, heading towards it, he saw a glowing blue fruit incased in a green web of thin vines. David was familiar with these; Nana uses to top them on his cake for is birthdays. She always said they would help him grow strong. David was still skeptical about it but whenever he ate one, he felt his weariness melt away. During their journey he actually found three.

David plucked the fruit from the ground and took a bite. David closed his eyes as the juices dribbled down his chin. He savored the flavour (Blue Raspberries) before swallowing. Well, whether or not what Nana said was true, it was still good. He kept at it until there was only half left before returning to the group.

When he caught up Eve took notice, "where did you go?" she asked, you can't wander off when we're so close."

David smiled, "I'm sorry if I worried you, but I hope this makes up for if. "He handed her the other half of the fruit and Eve's eyes widened. She snatched it from his hand and gobbled it up. David laughed, Eve was usually ate properly but when it came to this mysterious fruit, she got the cravings for it.

"It's a good thing these things aren't more common, or you would get fa from them alone."

Eve glared and him and slapped his arm, "I should ask mom to give you a weeks' worth of nightmares for that." She muttered, but her frown turned to a small smile. "But thank you for the fruit."

"You've done well David," Robin said approaching them, "I've done all I can for you and now this is where I must leave you."

David and Eve turned to their guide and friend for a final farewell.

"Good Hunting Robin," David said clasping the man's arm.

"We'll see each other soon David Roosevelt," Robin replied. Before he could turn away, Eve came up to him and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"Thank you," she whispered, "for everything."

Robin touched the spot where she kissed him, and his cheek flustered before he replied with a nod and turning back the way they came. As the pair headed further into the woods, they heard a commotion, moving towards the noise they saw two young girls and a satyr being chased by a hydra and a chimera. They looked at each other and David rubbed dirt on his arms and Eve summoned two hellhounds. "I'll get the girls to safety," she said as she pulled out her meteor hammer.

"And I'll take care of the monsters," David said grinning as he summoned his swordstaff. He charged forward until he was close enough, he called out to the Chimera. "Here kitty, kitty, kitty, over here." The chimera turned and catching his scent, forgot about the girls and focused on David instead. The Hydra decided to follow its sibling's example and turned to David as well.

David stood next to a large tree, as the chimera lunged, he leaped behind it and circled around putting the tree between him and the Chimera's Lion head. The hellhounds Eve summoned were now attacking the lion head distracting it. The Chimera had its snake tail circle around intending to trap David in a pincer between the lion and the snake. David knew this would happen and had been waiting for the snake head as it came around the tree trunk. He then grabbed the headless tail and sent a charge of electricity into it. In its shocked state, David was able to climb on top of the Chimera's back to cut off the goat head before driving the blade of his sword staff through the Lion head, killing it and dissolving it into dust.

Dealing with the chimera, David turned to face the hydra which struck at him with all nine heads. David kept his distance waiting for the right moment. As another head came forward, David lopped off the head, then charging his free hand sent a bolt of lightning into the stump cauterizing it and preventing new heads from growing. The Hydra tried to attack it with its acid breath, but David used the wind the blow it away. He continued cutting off the hydra's heads and sealing the wounds until finally lopping off the middle head.

After David collected the trophies of the chimera and the Hydra, Robin approached him and led him to where Eve had gone. She was there tending the frightened girls near an archway that had the phraseCAMP HALF BLOODin bold Greek letters. The younger girl was a freckled girl with wild blonde hair and dark blue eyes, the older one had flowing red hair and deep green eyes. David noticed that the older girl was severely burned on her left arm and Eve was bandaging it.

Upon seeing her, David rushed over and dropped to his knees in front of her. "Are you alright?" He asked. Eve nodded, and he turned to the girls, "what about you?"

The younger girl shook her head, "The Goat-lion burned Pamela badly. If you hadn't shown up, it would have-"

David placed a hand on her shoulder to silence her. "It's alright, what's more important is that you're both alive. He looked around where's the satyr you were with?"

"He went to get help," Eve explained as she turned back to the younger girl. "don't worry little one, your friend will be alright."

David picked up Pamela and carried her while Eve took the other girl by the hand and guided her into the Camp. As they did a group of teenagers armed with bows and spears approached them led by the satyr the girls were with.

"What's going on here?" One of them carrying a bow asked.

"This one is hurt." David said gesturing to the girl in his arms, "she needs medical attention immediately."

The kids nodded and gently took the girl from David's arms. The younger girl moved toward them apprehensively, as if thinking they were going to do something to her. But Eve rested a hand on her shoulder. "It will be okay," Eve assured her, "You're with friends now. I'm Eve Stellaris, this is David Roosevelt."

"I'm Helena Delgado," the blonde said, "and that's Pamela Clementine."

Chapter 7: Welcome to Camp Half-Blood

Chapter Text

Welcome to Camp Half Blood.

David woke up and found Eve sleeping peacefully next to him. Due to their arrival being on short notice, David and Eve spent the night in the big house for a well-deserved rest. Pamela was sent to the infirmary and Helena accompanied her refusing to leave her side.

With the greatest care, David slid off the bed not wanting to wake Eve and once he was out tucked the covers around her. He looked and noticed a pair of orange shirts with the words Camp Half Blood on them. David put the shirt on and reached into his bag and pulled out a pair of brown track pants. as he got dressed, he heard a small noise above him, and figured it was just somebody upstairs. After getting dressed he pocketed his old sword pen and his swordstaff and exited the room.

Closing the door to the room carefully behind him David headed out of the big house to find two figures sitting on the porch. Through the mist David could see that one of them was a centaur, He had brown hair and eyes with bushy eyebrows and a scruffy beard. But David could sense and air of wisdom behind those eyes of his.

The same could not be said for his companion who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here. With his chubby face, red nose, leopard spotted shirt and purple shoes, he looked like a trailer park drunk. In fact, David was reminded greatly of Thomas' father. He was the one who noticed him first, "well, well sleeping beauty awakes."

David simply rolled his eyes as he leaned against a pillar. The Centaur smiled at him kindly, "Good morning young man, I trust you slept well."

David nodded, "Eve is still resting, thank you for loaning us the bed."

The Centaur shook his head, "it's no trouble, after what you've been through, you deserved the reprieve." He rested a hand on David's shoulder, "I am Chiron, activities director for Camp Half Blood." He then gestured to the man sitting, "this is Mr. D. The Head Director."

Mr. D. waved him off, "yes, yes, welcome to camp Daniel yadda, yadda and all that rubbish."

The boy frowned "It's David, sir."

"Whatever," Mr. D. shrugged as he poured himself a glass of wine.

Chiron immediately bent over and whispered in his ear, "D. your condition."

Mr. D. sighed deeply and transformed the glass into a can of diet coke." After mumbling to himself he took a sip.

David cocked an eyebrow, "you know the Christians pray to a guy that does that trick in reverse."

"Yeah, Now THAT is a god" Mr. D. sighed with a small smile. "And dad wonders why everyone converted to him." Thunder could be heard though there was not a cloud in the sky. and Mr. D. rolled his eyes.

David noted the wine and the fact that thunder was heard when Mr. D said dad and of course the D. David finally figured it out."

"You're Dionysus, the God of Wine."

"Mr. D. threw his hands up into the air. "Yes, finally, thank you. For once we got somebody with a brain, besides Athena's kids."

David looked around, "I wouldn't take you to be the summer camp director type, vineyard owner seems more fitting."

Dionysus groaned, "You can thank my father for this," he waved his hands about to gesture the expansive camp. "He wanted me to 'be a better influence'."

David chuckled at this, "so basically do as I say not as I do." Thunder, louder than the last two times erupted, but once again David ignored it.

Dionysus was now getting somewhat worried, and leaned closer to David, "you may want to tread carefully Danny, Father doesn't take insults lightly."

"I'm quivering with fear," David responded bored.

Dionysus paused and stared at the boy, and David stared back. For the next five minutes the two glared at each other, neither one backing down before Chiron decided to change the subject before things got out of hand. "Now I know you probably want to get settled in but now I must ask you to take a seat, Mr. D. and I have questions for you."

David nodded "of course, I do my best to answer them." Of course, David was warned by Nana to not reveal too much information as it could be dangerous for him and Eve. "Though first I must ask, how are Pamela and Helena doing."

"Pamela is still healing, but her arm will be fine with a little ambrosia, Helena stayed with her all night." Chiron replied touched by David's concern.

David nodded, "I'll come by and visit her later," he said sitting down.

"How did you come by this place?"

"We came here from Cheyenne. My mother wanted me to come here once I was old enough, but grandmother wanted me to at least finish middle school before coming here."

Chiron raised his eyebrows, "you and Eve already knew about this place."

"Only what my mother told grandmother, she said this was a safe place for me."

"And where is your mother?"

David frowned and bowed his head, "I never knew her, grandma told me she was killed when I was one. After her death Grandma was reluctant to let me leave her side but she wanted to respect my mother's last wishes."

Chiron gave the boy a sympathetic look, for it was a tale he heard too often. "And your father?"

David shrugged, "I don't know but Grandma speaks of him often, and not fondly."

Mr. D. perked up at this, "what does she say?"

"Oh, she had many names for him 'cheating bastard' being the most common," Thunder once again rolled across the cloudless sky upon hearing this, but David paid it no mind. "So that hardly narrows it down."

Mr. D. gave a soft chuckle "sounds like my father," he murmured as he took a sip of diet coke, and Chiron rubbed his chin. "So, you and Eve came all the way from Wyoming on your own?"

David shook his head, "not alone, a ranger helped us." Chiron and Mr. D. looked at each other in recognition. David looked between Chiron and Mr. D. "I take it you know him."

Chiron nodded, "Usually our Satyrs escort Half-Bloods to the camp and the Ranger does his best to make a clear path for them." Unfortunately, some Half-Bloods are well hidden, and we don't always find them all. Many Half-bloods found themselves escorted by the Ranger rather than a satyr." David smiled knowing that his second mentor was proven to be helpful. Chiron continued, "though from what I heard he actually had you take on the monsters that were chasing Pamela and Helena by yourself. I'd like to know how?"

David nodded and stood up figuring this was as good a time as any since they would find out eventually. He held out his right hand and electricity began dancing in his fingers. He held out his left hand and a miniature whirlwind materialized.

Chiron's eyes widened, from the moment he entered the camp, he could tell the boy was powerful. But this one was exceptionally so, barely a teenager and he already had nominal control over his abilities of lighting and air. After a moment he spoke. "David," He started slowly, "what was your mother's name?"

"Gloria," David replied, "Gloria Roosevelt."

Chiron already suspected who the boy's father was but hearing the name was all the confirmation he needed. So, he simply nodded, "I see, thank you David now that's been settled I'll give you a tour of the place and then well settle you into your cabin.

David nodded and went back to his room to collect his bags. back outside Chiron led the way. As he did, David looked back to the big house and noticed movement in the attic, It must have been the noise he heard earlier.

"Chiron? Who lives up there?"

Chiron looked to where David was pointing and his face turned nervous "nobody."

David cocked an eyebrow, "nobody?"

"No," Chiron said firmly, "not a single living thing."

David quickly picked up on how that answer was worded. "So whatever is up there is undead, a ghost, a zombie, a spectre perhaps."

Chiron's expression darkened and David smirked, "Grandma always told me to listen to what isn't said and read what isn't written, it's the only way to get to the truth."

"Your grandmother seems like an interesting woman," Chiron acknowledged. "She must be clear sighted if she is aware of us."

David frowned, "clear sighted?"

"Mortals that can see through the veil we've cast on the world," Chiron clarified.

David nodded as they continued down to the camp below. As they walked Chiron decided to engage in more conversation. "I take it you and Eve are close."

David nodded, "since we were babes, her mother helps my grandmother tend the farm we lived in."

"And her father?"

David shook his head, "her mother never talks about him, says he had a history of mistreating his other children."

Chiron frowned, "does she have any abilities."

"Shadow travel," David replied, "she also seems to be able to control hellhounds."

Chiron paused and turned to him, "Hellhounds?"

David nodded, "they don't seem to attack her, and she can summon a couple when the need arises."

Chiron rubbed his chin, "I see, can she fight too?"

"My grandma always wanted to make sure we could protect ourselves, so she had her sons teach us. They are not overly bright but they're handy in a fight. I fight well enough, but Eve will only do so if she has to, but she would never seek it out."

Chiron nodded and continued to show him all of the main parts of the camp. The amphitheater where music and plays were held. The Strawberry fields which provided for most of the camps revenue. The Climbing wall which looked like it was put on steroids with its lava and falling boulders. The medical wing where campers were recovering from injuries. Walking further David saw campers training in either the fighting arena or the archery fields. Others at the camp forge making weapons or in the arts and crafts center. Other kids were playing at the Volleyball court or swimming at the beach. The Armory which stored all the camps weapons and the Pegasus stables which housed horses as well as pegasi. David made a note of all the places to decide which ones to visit first.

Finally, they got to the cabins, there were twelve in total surrounding a commons area. The common area had statues, fountains, flowerbeds and even some basketball hoops. Right in the center of the commons was a large blazing firepit. A little girl that looked to be nine was tending it. But David sensed that she was definitely not a demigod.

Each cabin had a unique style to suit one of the twelve Olympians. Five flanked the hearth on either side while two stood at the end. These two stood above the others being larger and grander than the rest. The larger one looked more like a miniature bank with it marble walls, heavy columns and big bronze doors. The smaller of the pair was build in a similar fashion with the exception of pomegranates and peacocks decorating the columns and doors.

"Let me guess, Zeus and Hera's Cabins." David commented.

Chiron nodded, "very good. Hera's is mostly honorary since she never has children and these days it's rare for the big three to have children."

David took a long look at the larger cabin and hmphed, "well, someone's overcompensating."

Chiron, cocked an eyebrow, "in what way?"

David turned to him, "poor people would call this a mansion but I don't need to look inside to see it has all the homey touches of a tomb. I'll take grandma's farmhouse any day. It was nothing to boast about, but it was home."

"Considering there is no furniture inside either of them. I guess I see your point." Chiron replied as they moved along. Considering the style and decorations of each cabin it was not hard to guess which cabin belonged to which god.

Poseidon's cabin was made of stone and decorated in corals and seashells.

Demeter's cabin was covered in flowers.

Ares Cabin was painted blood red, with a boar's head over the door.

Athena's cabin was grey with an owl carving over the door.

Apollo's cabin was solid gold and shined brightly in the sun.

Artemis' cabin was all silver and decorated to animal carvings.

Hephaestus' cabin looked like a factory with smokestacks and gears all over

Aphrodite's cabin reeked of perfume.

Dionysus' cabin was lined with grapevines.

As he passed the cabins, he noticed the inhabitants stopping what they were doing to look at him. Many whispered and pointed at him, most were curious. The ones from Ares cabin glared at him and some even snarled. David's fingered toyed with the pen in his pocket. The girls from Aphrodite's cabin were giggling to themselves as that looked his way. "Are all newcomers so popular?"

Chiron turned to him, "few newcomers have made such a long journey here without a satyr escort. But considering your situation it's understandable. But fewer still can say they took on a Chimera and a Hydra single handed and live." He placed a hand on David's shoulder, "from what I've seen already, you have a great deal of power, but I suggest you refrain from using it. for it is a power none here can match."

David nodded, "I understand," he already had no plan on doing so anyway since he actually wanted to make friends here unlike the kids at school.

They finally stopped in front of one of the last cabins, Hermes' Cabin, two things stuck out about it. One was that it looked like it was in serious need of repair, The paint was peeling off, and some of the wood looked to be rotting. Though was likely due to the second notable thing about it. To say that this place was overcrowded could not even begin to be an understatement. This cabin had more kids in it than all the others combined. The problem was the cabin itself was the same size as the rest that weren't Zeus and Hera's and each cabin was made for roughly a dozen campers each. David was confused, he knew Hermes got around as much as his brothers, but this was ridiculous.

Once Chiron opened the door everyone inside turned to and bowed respectfully to the trainer of heroes. "Everyone this is David Roosevelt."

"Minor or unclaimed," One of them asked. He looked to be a boy of nineteen with brown hair and eyes and built like a football player. On his neck was a necklace with nine different coloured beads.

"Unclaimed for now Matt," Chiron replied this received a groan from the entire cabin. "Matt will help you get settled in, Good luck David and we will see you at dinner." With that Chiron turned and galloped back to the cabin.

Matt then placed a hand on David's shoulder, "Come David, we'll find a spot for you." He held out his hand, "I'm Matthew Thawne, nice to meet you."

David shook it, "likewise Matt."

Inside, the place was a maze, there were six bunk beds and countless sleeping bags, everyone's possessions seemed to be scattered across the floor. Finally, they reached a corner which looked empty enough. David looked between Mathew and the empty corner, "Are you sure this is alright?" he asked. I don't want to take up precious space when there is none to spare."

Matthew smiled reassuringly. "It's fine, at this point we're used to it."

David turned to Chiron, "what did you mean by minor or unclaimed?"

Matt sighed, "Hermes Cabin houses the children of minor gods or those whose parents haven't claimed them yet," he explained. "Since my father protects anyone who travels the road he doesn't discriminate."

"Ohh," David looked to the sky in realization, now the overcrowding made sense. He looked around and saw it some did share traits with Matt but for the most part they all had different features. Many of them looked like the pick pocketing type causing David to finger the pocket were his pen was. "So only those descended from the Twelve get cabins."

Matt nodded, "luckily Hermes isn't picky about this sort of thing so that's why we're here."

"That doesn't seem right," David replied."

"No," Matt agreed sadly, "it isn't."

David looked around, "h-how many of you are unclaimed?" Less than half of the cabin raised their hands. "And how many of you are minors?" This number made up the greater majority of the cabins inhabitants. David's face fell, so many didn't know their divine parent and others were forced to stay in what had basically been the outcast's cabin. No wonder so many have chosen to follow Robin. This place is suppose to be a safe haven for demigods but it seemed more like a summer camp for the elite.

David set his things down on the empty spot and made sure to pocket his valuables including his sword staff. Most of these kids may not have been his children, but David had not forgotten that Hermes was also the god of thieves.

He then headed out but before he left, he turned to the group. "Don't steal my stuff, or certain belongings are going to start to go missing." This got a few snickers from some of the campers.

"Where are you going?" Matt asked.

"I'm going to see how Pamela is doing."

"That was one of the girls that came in with you last night, right?" Matt inquired to which David nodded.

"I suspect you'll have to make room for three more campers," David said grimly. This received another groan from the cabin.

Matt sighed and nodded, "understood, let us know about Pamela's condition."

David nodded when he walked out the door. Thankfully the medical wing wasn't packed, so it wasn't hard to find a familiar blonde girl sitting over a bed. Pamela was sitting upright talking to Helena.

"Hello," David called out to her.

Pamela turned to him before replying with a shy "hi" as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "You're the one who rescues us last night?" David rubbed the back of his head and nodded sheepishly. Pamela smiled, "thank you."

"I'm just glad you made it here safely," David replied as he took a seat next to her.

David spent the next hour talking with the girls and getting to know them. Helena was apparently a prankster so she would fit right in at Hermes cabin, Pamela seemed to be more reserved and serious though. David then decided to ask about her condition, "how's your arm?"

"The pain is gone, and my arm still has scars, but the medics say that those will heal with a little more ambrosia."

David nodded, "good, hopefully we'll see you at the dinner tonight. That is if you're up for it, you don't need to strain yourself."

Pamela smiled slightly, "sure, I should be there."

David returned the smiled, "well it was nice to meet you officially, we'll see you at Cabin 11 though be warned, it is a bit crowded."

"Bye," Pamela waved with her good arm, behind David, Helena was giggling and whispering something to Pamela causing her to blush.

David returned to the cabin area to see Chiron escorting Eve to Hermes' cabin. Upon seeing him, Eve rushed over and embraced him, David returned the gesture affectionately. David decided to escort her the rest of the way while Chiron rode off to the Archery Range.

After getting Eve settled in, David decided to spend the rest of the day getting to know his new cabin mates. Naturally there were at least 10 or so children of Hermes but there were also children of Hecate, Nemesis, Thanatos, Enyo and even triplet daughters of the Muse Aoide.

Eve was having a more difficult time adjusting to her new arrangements. She realized she would have to sleep near strangers, lots of strangers and in VERY close proximity to each other. She wasn't claustrophobic but the conditions of Hermes Cabin could very well make her one. Matt seemed to recognize this and set her up right next to me, a fact she was extremely grateful for.

Outside, David played basketball with the rest of his cabin mates and even roughed up a couple of Hermes kids that tried to take Eve's backpack. Helena and Pamela joined them later in the day. Before long it was time for dinner, and everyone headed for the dining pavilion. David and Eve filed in last in their cabin just ahead of Pamela and Helena due to being older than the two girls.

The Dining 'hall' was a pavilion overlooking the sea, it had twelve picnic tables encircling a bronze brazier with a blazing fire. Though considering Cabin Eleven's situation they should have more. Even if they occupied all the tables there still wasn't enough.

"Why aren't there more tables?" He asked Matt. "There's not enough room for everyone, especially us."

"Like the cabins, this is how it is unfortunately." Matt replied.

David shook his head, "First the cabins now this? If they're going to build a camp the least, they could do is make sure it can accommodate all its inhabitants comfortably."

Matt nodded, "many of us want to make change but certain people are determined to 'keep the status quo' as it were."

David frowned, whatever reason these 'certain people' had for doing this. There was no possible excuse for this.

Hermes table was already full, so David opted to take a spot on the floor next to the table, allowing Pamela and Helena to have a place to sit. Matt offered his own seat, but David waved his hand insisting that it was fine. Chiron, Dionysus and a group of satyrs were seated at a head table and other satyrs, naiads and dryads came around with food and empty glasses.

Chiron raised his glass, "to the gods."

"To the gods," Everyone chanted raising their own glasses. David as well though he more murmured it. Once everyone got their own share of food, they stood up and headed for the brazier. One by one everyone, took the best part of their meal and tossed it in the fire, saying the name of a certain god as they did. David went up to the fire thinking of who he should pay tribute for. "Zeus," he said tossing in a fatty piece of steak, he began to turn before a thought occurred to him another god, one that certainly deserved a tribute. He took the orange from his plate and said her name, "Hestia." Eve, Pamela and Helena heard this and followed my example, taking a portion of their meals and offering it to Hestia. When this happened, the brazier burned brighter than it did for the others causing the other campers to look at us curiously.

After offering his tribute David made his way back to Hermes Table. As he passed, he overheard the comments said about him.

"That's the one that took on two monsters my himself,"

"I wonder who his parent is."

"His eyes are strange."

"I think they're kinda cute."

"I bet you could iron a shirt on that stomach."

David did his best to hide his blush as he took his seat on the floor, Eve sat down next to him and the two began to eat, their faces overlooking the sea and the sky. Once everyone was finished eating, Dionysus stood up looking as bored as ever. "Well hello to you and all that. Before I sent you off, we have four new campers in our midst. Daniel Russel, Ellen stiletto, Patricia Clive, and Holly Drake."

Chiron whispered something in Dionysus ears and the god of wine corrected himself. "David Roosevelt, Eve Stellaris, Pamela Clementine and Helene Delgado." As he said their names the four children stood on and gave nods of acknowledgement.

Suddenly bright lights appeared above the heads of Pamela and Helena A cornucopia appeared above Pamela's head while a golden apple appeared above Helena. Upon seeing this all the campers bowed, and Chiron spoke up. "ALL HAIL PAMELA CLEMENTINE, DAUGHTER OF DEMETER. ALL HAIL HELENA DELGADO, DAUGHTER OF ERIS.

Chapter 8: Settling In

Chapter Text

Eve looked around to find herself in the sky. Not flying more like floating, around her was nothing but night sky even beneath her was the sky. a dark blueish hue with stars all around.

Eve frowned; she had dreams before but this one seemed different.

"So, you have come at last Eve."

Eve turned to see a towering man standing before her. His body had a build that would make a bodybuilder jealous, his hair and beard were long and dark while his skin was blueish like the area around him albeit lighter in colour. His eyes shined like a pair of bright stars, and a dark cloak made of stars was wrapped around his body.

Eve backed away fearfully, but the man's gaze softened and for some reason this seemed to calm her down a bit. "Do not fear me child, I shan't harm you."

"Come to where?" Eve asked.

The being closed his eyes for a moment and let out a deep sigh. "I have not had a conversation with anyone for an eternity. Hearing you now has reminded me how much I've missed having someone to talk to."

Eve cocked her head to the side. "You seem to know me but who are you?"

The figure smiled, "I was once the Lord of the Universe, The FIRST lord of the universe. As my wife is known as Mother Earth, I am known as Father Sky."

Eve's eyes widened in understanding, "you are Ouranos, Father of the Titans." Ouranos nodded and Eve continued, "Aren't you supposed to be, well, dead. Or rather as dead as a god can be?"

Ouranos shrugged, "More or less. That bastard son of mine cut me in toomany pieces that I can never take physical form again. But thanks to you I am now able to form a conscience."

Eve was confused, "ME? But I haven't done anything."

Ouranos chuckled, "not intentionally to be sure. Kronos may have hacked me to pieces,but those pieces can never be destroyed, nor the power that resides in them. They tend to take many forms, such as my daughter Aphrodite, the Furies and even those blue fruits you and David have always enjoyed."

Eve's eyes widened, "You mean those blue treats are your essence."

Ouranos nodded, "Correct, and because you and David have consumed so much of them, they are collected enough to bring me back in a sense."

"Does this mean you can return and become the sky again?" Eve asked nervously. She knew enough about mythology to know that this man wasn't the best father. Then again neither was his son or grandson.

Ouranos seemed to notice this and shook his head sadly. "No, unfortunately, my son was quite thorough in his destruction of me. I will never be able to gain a physical form again."

Eve did her best to calm herself as she faced him. "What do you want from me Lord Ouranos?"

Ouranos sat down so that he was at eye level with Eve, "I've seen the world and have heard many prophecies. A Great War is coming one that could change the order of things."

"But what does this have to do with me?" Eve asked.

"David is to play a great part in it, his power is growing by the day, as is yours. My power is now flowing through both your veins. But you know how the current Lord of the Sky is about this sort of thing and he may one day see David as a threat. There is already a great prophecy that he plays a great part in,and other gods will seek to use him for their own ends. If David isn't careful,he may very well suffer the same fate as I did."

Hearing this, Eve's eyes widened in horror. 'No,' she thought, 'not my David'. ''But he's innocent," she cried out, "he didn't do anything wrong."

"Zeus will not care," Ouranos replied, "any more than he cares for the feelings of his family."

Eve dropped to her knees, the idea of losing her only friend and the anchor who helped her through those horrible school years was enough to reduce her to tears. After a moment her teeth clenched, and her fists balled up. "No," she growled. "I won't let that happen, I won't let anyone hurt David, not even the King of the Gods."

Ouranos chuckled, "And that is exactly what I wanted to hear." Eve looked at him confused once again as he continued. "What I want is to offer you, my assistance. The fruits will help increase your abilities,but my advice can be just as invaluable."

"But why me?" Eve asked. "Why me and not David? He's more confident, more powerful, more capable in every way than I could ever hope to be."

Ouranos shook his head, "my dear child, you vastly underestimate yourself. You are far more powerful than you realize."

Eve was still unconvinced, given how he cast down half of his sons for being hideous, "but what do you have to gain from this. Given your past You can't possibly be doing this out of benevolence."

Ouranos shook his head, "no," he agreed. "I'm not doing this out of any misplaced sense of righteousness. Those reasons are my own and in time you will know them but that is a tale for another time." Ouranos held out his hand, "Eve, what I'm offering you is a chance to not only control your fate but to also to show you what yet may be. What do you say?"

Eve looked between his hand and her own. Part of her wanted to back away screaming that he couldn't be trusted. But then a part of her wandered back to all the great lengths Her mother and Nana had gone through to shield them from the world. Part of her wanted to believe that Zeus would not strike down his own child, but she remembered the tale of Metis and knew how far Zeus was willing to go to preserve his power. She realized she didn't care; she would face the fates themselves before loosing David. But the fates were powerful, and few could challenge their will. If Ouranos could help her do so than she would do it. Slowly she stepped forward and her hand reached out her hand landed over his and his thumb pressed down over her fingers. His hold was surprisingly gentle as a bright light shine, and she awoke.

Eve bolted up, panting heavily and her face drenched in sweat. She turned to see her movement had woken David who was sitting up and looking at her concerned.

"What is it?" He asked cupping her cheek. "Are you alright?"

Without warning, Eve hugged him tightly and began weeping softly. David wrapped his armed around her one hand holding her head and the other rubbing her back. "Shh" he cooed, "It's alright, I'm here, I'm here." She nuzzled his neck and held him tight.

"Nightmare?" He asked, Eve shook her head.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Again, she shook her head and David sighed, "okay but I'm here when you're ready."

Eve nodded and whispered, "just promise you won't leave me."

David smiled and brushed away a tear, "don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." He stood up and lifted eve after him, "come on it's almost time for breakfast."

Breakfast went about the same as dinner, offerings were made, although this time around many of the Hermes table, (particularly the unclaimed children) all gave their offerings to Hestia. Back at the tables there was now talk about the two new claimants, The Demeter Table had been increased by 1 and those there was ecstatic to have a new member. Pamela was how chatting and laughing with the other Demeter Girls."

Helena on the other hand wasted no time in causing a scene she took an apple turned it gold and rolled it between the Ares and Athena table, the apple turned into a marble and caused one of the Ares boys to slip and spill his meal just as an Athena Girl walked by. The girl smirked a little which did not go unnoticed by the Ares boy who immediately pushed her into her cabin mates. Things escalated and soon the kids from Ares and Athena tables were in a food fight which spread to the other tables.

Eve kept her head down not wanting to get hit by a random piece of food, David rolled his eyes and stood on one of the empty tables. "ENOUGH!" His voice thundered across the pavilions causing everyone to stop and look at him surprised by the volume. David stepped down and walked between the Ares and Athena tables. "I know your parents have their differences but save your energy for the training grounds."

"They started it," The Ares boy accused pointing a finger at the Athena girl.

"I did nothing of the sort?" The Athena girl insisted.

"Then why did you smile?" He asked.

"I thought you were just being clumsy, in other words, your usual self." She smirked.

"Oh, that's it, where's my sword," He yelled looking around. Only for both of them hear David chuckling softly."

"You think this is funny?" The daughter of Athena demanded.

David simply knelt down and picked something off from the floor, "to think such commotion can be caused by such a small thing." He then tossed it to the daughter of Athena who caught it. As she did the marble turned back into an apple. it didn't take long for her to realize the trick and who was responsible.

"HELENA!" she shrieked. The girl in question was cackling like mad holding her belly and her legs kicking in the air.

"You lot are so easy," Helena said. "Ares kids are eager for a fight and Athena's kids like to flaunt their supposed superiority over them."

Beside her the three daughters of Euterpe, giggled and the eldest even patted her on the back. "Nicely done," she said.

Helena smiled, "thanks Adagio."

David looked between Helena and the rival tables and simply shrugged. "Daughter of Eris, what do you expect. If she is able to do this so easily don't be surprised if more food fights happen in the future."

The Kids of Athena cabin were now glaring daggers at the daughter of Eris who simply smirked and gave them a wink while Ares Table simply sulked, likely over the fact that the fight had been interrupted.

After that everyone went right back to their food or rather what was left of it since much of it was thrown all over the place. Once breakfast was over, Helena was made to clean up the mess as punishment for starting the fight. Helena shrugged and gave a wry smile making it clear that she was far from done.

After breakfast Eve got acquainted with the other cabins and their counselors. Most of them were much older than her and David and seem to be in charge of certain activities.

Rosemary Chaff was the current Counselor of Demeter Cabin and managed the strawberry fields. But due to her being a couple years younger than Pamela there was already talk about voting her the new counselor. Pamela however insisted that she earn it the old fashion way, through her own merit.

Brock Trench, the Counselor of Ares Cabin, taught Sword skills. He was the best swordsman in camp and was always quick to remind Athena cabin of this. With big muscles and a flat top haircut, Brock was built like a linebacker. His usual attire was camo cargo pants and camo boots.

Cindy Granger, the Counselor of Athena cabin taught ancient Greek. Though she deadly with a spear, she was not as athletic as the rest of her siblings. Still, she more than made up for this in her intelligence, being a wiz a mathematics. Steel rimmed glasses covered her grey eyes, and her dark brown hair was done in pigtails and her orange camp shirt clashed with her white slacks and shoes.

Merida Tell, the counselor of Apollo Cabin was no musician but her archery skills were unequalled in the camp making her the prime choice to teach Archery. Her thick blonde hair was done in oversized ringlets and her clothes were always loose fitting to allow her limbs full flexibility. 'She is good,' Eve admitted as she saw her his perfect bullseyes in quick succession, 'but she was leagues behind Robin'.

Henry Smith, the counselor of Hephaestus Cabin, taught weapons making. He was a stocky boy slightly shorter than Brock but far more muscular. In fact, he had the greatest upper body strength of all the demigods in Camp being their best wrestler. His camp shirt fit tightly on his torso leaving no imagination to his frame and he wore construction boots and brown pants held up by suspenders.

Alice Darling, the counselor of Aphrodite Cabin was also the captain of the Volleyball league. She seemed to be what Eve thought a typical valley girl would be like, beautiful and airheaded. She had blonde hair, blue eyes and was always wearing a blue knee length skirt with white tights and black mary janes.

Matthew Thawne was the oldest and most athletically built of the counselors. He could easily try out for the Olympics later in life. He was the fastest runner and swimmer and taught javelin throwing. In fact, he was as accurate with a javelin as Merida was with a bow.

Dionysus cabin didn't have a proper counselor, but it was home to two young twin boys no older than ten.

Camp worked much like school each day having a schedule with weekends being free. Though the activities were different the four events all days had in common aside from mealtime were, cabin inspection, Learning Ancient Greek and Greek Mythology as well as the singalong with Apollo's cabin. Classes that weren't taught by the Counselors were led by Satyrs.

Mondays had Archery, Weapons Making, Letters home and Volleyball League

Tuesday had Store checks, Javelin Throwing, Riding the rapids, Cabin cleanup and Unarmed Combat

Wednesday had Stable cleaning, Swordplay, Tracking, Laundry and Archery Knockout

Thursday had Strawberry Picking, Monster fighting, Wrestling, Wood Chopping and Trials of Strength

Friday was Armour Cleaning, Pegasus Riding, Volleyball, Firework making and the main event of the week Capture the Flag.

She and David both avoided the Volleyball activities since David didn't like the sport and Eve wasn't into sports in general. Thanks to their lessons with her mother and Nana, they were both fluent in Ancient Greek and well versed in Mythology which put them ahead of even the older campers. They also did well in monster fighting thanks to their prior experience plus the lessons they got from Robin.

As the week went on both would find their own strengths and weaknesses. David took great interest in weapons making and armour cleaning and proved to be capable in swordplay, unarmed combat, wrestling, wood chopping and in the Trials of Strength, David exceeded everyone else. But he did have his weak points. David embarrassed himself in riding the rapids, and when it came to Archery and Javelin throwing, he was equally dismal.

Eve on the other hand found solace in cleaning the stables where she grew fond of the Pegasi and Strawberry picking where she worked closely with Pamela who was a natural at it. To her surprise Eve also found herself good at tracking.

Pamela was quickly becoming a constant companion of hers attending classes at the same time. Pamela taught her how to care for Strawberries and Eve taught Pamela to track. For the first time in forever Eve believed she had found her first real friend since David. Pamela was easy going most of the time but when angered, she proved to have a temper as fiery as her hair.

One day while they were picking strawberries Pamela saw a pair of Ares Boys picking on one of her younger sisters, taking her basket and helping themselves to the strawberries inside. Pamela charged in and before the boys knew what was happening Pamela delivered a round house kick to one boy and following it up with a turning side kick to the second boy's stomach. She then proceeded to stomp on their faces until they scurried out of the field. Pamela may not have been bulky like the Ares girls, but her time training as a ballerina in her past had given her powerful legs and she could kick like a mule.

Helena and the triplets Adagio, Sonata and Licenza Hex continued to do pranks on the other campers. Repainting the Aphrodite cabin, with graffiti, boarding up the door and windows of Ares Cabin, and scattering belongings to other cabins. Yet even she was found to be full of surprises. For such a troublemaker, Helena proved quite skilled at monster hunting. In fact, Helena surpassed almost everyone else even David. Impressed, David took her aside. "Where did you learn to hunt monsters?" he asked.

"My father Hoss Delgado is clear-sighted," Helena explained. "Since he can see monsters, he's made it his career to hunt them and...business is good. Though his methods tend to lean towards the more 'modern' means."

"But how do the Goddess of Discord and a monster hunter go together?" David wondered.

"My mother causes chaos and my dad loves chaos because it means more work for him." Helena laughed, "I remember when my father told me how she once banished him to the puppet dimension for 36 hours. Said it was 'the best date ever'."

David chuckled, "one man's dream is another man's nightmare I suppose."

Eve gave a small smile; David was certainly having better luck making friends here. Though he barely tried in normal school. To form bonds, he often offered to teach Campers how to fight in exchange for learning some of their skills.

Matthew Thrawne ran laps with him around the lake, David had been a track star at his middle school, but Matt made him look like a tortoise, making three laps to David's two.

Merida Tell, helped him improve his archery. He still needed improvement but at least now he could hit the target and not endanger the naiads or Chiron.

Brock Trench was always challenging him to duels and was mostly successful in beating the son of Zeus. Though David was a capable swordsman, it was safe to say that he was much better with his staff.

Henry Smith helped him forge a celestial bronze replica of his swordstaff. This made sense since David didn't want to spar using a adamantine weapons, considering it unsportsmanlike. In gratitude thanks David taught him to fight, not with a sword or spear but with the main tool of his trade, a hammer. Henry forged a warhammer of his personal design and once they had both forged their own weapons they began sparring regularly.

His new weapon was a massive piece that other campers could barely lift with one hand, but he could wield with one hand with ease. His blows were more powerful yet slower that David's. Since speed was not his strong suit, David had him focus on precision.

Pamela also had a weapon of her own forged a Kama that folded out into a double ended scythe. Since David also wielded a staff weapon, he taught her the basics of Wushu, so she could learn how to twirl it around. The uniqueness of their weapons gave David, Eve and Pamela an edge over other campers due to their unfamiliarity with such weapons.

"Strange weapon," Chiron noted as he inspected David's weapon. "Why have you done this instead of a sword or a spear?"

David smiled, "I had a vision of a weapon similar to this a few years ago. I don't know what it meant but I saw the merit behind the design. A spear has reach but a sword has versatility. So, I decided to copy it as best I can"

Chiron and Dionysus would watch as David practiced with his new weapon. With a sword and spear he was good but nothing extraordinary. But with this 'swordstaff' he seemed to turn into something else.

"What do you think?" Chiron asked the Director.

Dionysus took a sip of Diet Coke, "he's definitely his kid, though it's curious why he hasn't claimed him yet. He is quite powerful, even for a demigod."

"Well, he is supposedly your brother," Chiron pointed out.

Dionysus shook his head, "no, I mean when I looked into his eyes, I should have been able to put scarring images in his head, but I couldn't. It was like he was able to block it somehow. I only got a great storm from his blue eye and a green valley under a mountain range in his green eye."

Chiron frowned, "curious, I know I told him to tone it down, but do you think he's holding back on purpose."

Dionysus shrugged, "possibly, he may fear hurting them if he went all out. Of maybe he'll lose some friends once his parentage is revealed."

Chiron nodded, the life as a child of the big three was often a lonely one and everyone would want him on their side. "And what do you make of the girl."

Chiron swore he saw Dionysus shudder upon mentioning Eve. "She's no child of Hades so that a good sign." He frowned, "though I don't know what it is, but she scares me a bit."

Chiron's eyes widened, he barely flinched at David, yet it was Eve that made the God of Wine nervous. "I'm pretty sure a good size puppy could stare her down."

"Yet she had almost as much resilience as her friend," Dionysus replied. "She backed away but that was probably just her."

"What did you see in her eyes?" Chiron asked.

Dionysus shrugged. "a starry night sky." He took another sip of coke, "Still there's still the matter of the prophecy and the role David might play in it."

Chiron nodded; he did seem the type. Given what his grandmother has been telling him about his father, David likely had a negative view of him. The fact that what his grandmother had told him was true meant David was more inclined to believe her.

One thing was for sure, they all needed to keep an eye on those two, because what they do in the future could determine the future of Olympus.

Chapter 9: Capture the Flag

Chapter Text

David found himself in a valley surrounded by a mountain range. It was quite harmonious, on one side was a field of blooming flowers of various colours and the grass was soft as fur, flowers bloomed in various colours and the Trees stood tall and strong. In the middle was a lake as blue as a sapphire fed by a river that led to a waterfall from the mountains.

David smiled, 'this is either Shangri-La or Hidden Valley.' He looked around expecting a farm where they make salad dressing.

"David."

A soft voice called out causing David to look around and there, at the edge of the lake was a tall, and beautiful figure. Her soft brown hair flowed gently in the breeze as did her green dress. As he saw her, she smiled, it was warm and welcoming, and it made David smile back. Then he saw her eyes and he reeled back he knew those eyes anywhere they were the same as the one that stared back at him whenever he looked into the mirror.

Part of him didn't want to say it for fear of being wrong, but the mere hope of it meant that he couldn't help himself. "Mom?"

She strode gracefully towards him and cupped his cheek,"My sweet, sweet boy."She kissed his cheeks tenderly."You've grown into a fine young man."

David closed his eyes comforted by her touch, her voice was warm and soothing. He opened his eyes, and his fingers gently touched her cheek, "b-but you died, you were killed by The Triumvirate."

She smiled sadly, and sat down under a tree, David knelt down next to her."Nothing ever really dies David,"she said."I may have lost my mortal coil, but I have always been with you. Watching and striving to keep you safe."

"But why now?" David demanded fighting the urge to lash out. "You could have reached out years ago." His mother closed her eyes and a tear rolled down her eyes and held his hands,"Oh, David, there were so many times where I wished to David, to call you my son and tell you who I really am."She bowed her head."But I couldn't, I can't, not without endangering your life."

"You mean Hades and Triumvirate Holdings?" David asked. He knew that the Lord of the Underworld wanted revenge for Zeus killing his mistress almost 50 years ago. He also knew the people responsible for the attempt on her life.

"Partially,"his mother replied."But the main reason is that I was not a mere mortal. The bodies of Gloria and Nana were merely a shells I used to interact with the mortal world. My true body is in a deep slumber."

"So...does that mean you are a god too?" David asked putting the pieces together.

His mother nodded,"but your father must never know that. If he finds out he will see you as a threat. Your father has always been careful when it comes to breeding with other gods if he knew my true name, he would not hesitate to strike you down."

David shook his head, "forgive me, but this is a lot to take in and learning that my Nana was my mother this whole time is-."

His mother stroked his cheek."I understand, and I also understand if you are reluctant to call me mother. But know that I only ever cared for your well-being."

David didn't know what to say so instead he lunged forward and wrapped her in a tight hug, which she returned the gesture. Then he placed his head on her chest listening to the beating of her heart as she proceeded to stroke his hair. They stayed like that for a few moments before she looked around and began to stand. "It's almost time to go,"she said.

David bolted upward as he sees everything start to get brighter. 'The sun is coming up,' David thought. He didn't want this to end he wanted to stay, just a little longer. He quickly turned to his mother. "Will I see you again?" he asked hopefully.

To his delight, she nodded,"of course, as many times as you wish."She cupped his cheek and kissed his forehead."Remember David, I love you."

David placed his hand over hers as if trying to keep her there. He then looked into her eyes that were just like his own. David opened his eyes slowly; dawn had just arrived. He sat up and wiped the tears from his eyes, but he was smiling contently. "I love you too mom."

Eve woke up a moment later and saw this, and sha placed a hand on his shoulder, "What's wrong David?"

David shook his head and placed a hand over hers, "Nothing's wrong Eve." He assured her with a smile, "nothing at all."

Friday had arrived and aside from their usual classes, everyone was preparing for the big event of the day, Capture the Flag. Throughout the week the campers practiced, studied and trained rigorously for Capture the Flag. David pushed himself relentlessly, when he wasn't sparring with the other campers, he was often in the forest studying the field where the game would be taking place as well as looking for monsters to fight.

On one of his hunts, he heard a squeal heading towards the sound David came across a surprising scene. Henry was there in the forest, and he wasn't alone, Cindy was also there. Henry was holding a beautiful necklace in front of her and placing it in her cupped hands, Cindy was held it gently for a moment before putting it around her neck. After it was on, the two embraced and shared a deep kiss. David's eyes widened and smirked, 'Henry and Cindy together? Aphrodite Cabin would have a field day with this.' David left as quietly as he could and resumed his hunt.

He heard singing in the distance and headed there. The Triplet daughters of Aoide. Adagio, Sonata and Licenza Hex were singing to a drakon. At first David didn't think much of them, pretty mischievous and good singers, but this was interesting as he never pegged them as the monster hunting types.

Adagio was the lead singer and the loveliest of the three. She had green eyes and long black hair flowed freely down her back all the way to her hips held back by a spiked tiara. She always wore elbow length fingerless gloves, a red sash on her waist and boots with spiked bands around them.

Sonata was the smartest of the trio. Her dark red hair was done in a ponytail and her eyes were a dark blue with a beauty mark on her right cheek. She was never without her spiked wristbands, gold hoop earrings, a studded waistband, high tops and knee-high socks.

Licenza was the tough one of the group. She had black eyes, and her blonde hair was tied in pigtails with green baubles. She had triangle earrings and an x shaped pendant on her choker, a belt with a star buckle, booties and three rings around each of her arms.

The Drakon swayed its head back and forth like it was in a trance and its tail swished from side to side. The triplets continued singing to it as they circled the monster. As it laid its head on the ground, the Hexs took up spears and drove them into the Drakon's neck killing it, their singing never ceasing.

David eyes widened in surprise, so those three were not as helpless as he once thought 'a most unusual but rather effective way to deal with a monster.' Many campers called them mini sirens since they often got others to do the harder things for them. 'No wonder Helena get along so well with them."

Alliances were formed and concessions were made. In the end, Hermes, Ares, Demeter and Aphrodite cabins formed the Red Team while, Apollo, Athena, Hephaestus and Dionysus Cabins formed the blue team. Aphrodite Cabin was also on blue team, but everyone knew they wouldn't do much of anything. Pamela was the only one in Demeter Cabin who was joining the fight.

Athena's Cabin currently held the laurels, and since she was the one devising the strategy Cindy was made the Captain of Blue Team while Matthew was elected the red team Captain.

Matt put a hand on David's shoulder, "ready for your first Capture the Flag match?"

David shrugged, "as ready as I can be, hopefully my training will pay off."

"As rigorously as you have trained, you'll be fine," Matt assured him. "And as your first test, I'd like you to come to the war council. I want to hear your thought on the matter.

Matthew, Brock, Pamela and now David stood around a map of the forest discussing what their plan should be.

"Cindy will likely divide her forces into smaller groups to divert out attention. So, we'll need a plan of attack," Matt began.

"I do have a plan," Brock declared, "attack."

Pamela rolled her eyes, "your tactical brilliance is overwhelming," her voice dripping with sarcasm, but Brock didn't seem to notice.

David rubbed his chin, "No, I think Brock may be on to something."

Matt cocked an eyebrow, "How so?"

David placed his finger on the map, "Cindy has likely devised a complex plan to beat us. Since we can't compete with her in terms of strategy, perhaps it is best if we keep our own plans simple."

"What do you propose?" Matt asked.

David proceeded to draft a plan to Matthew and Brock. Most of Hermes cabin led by Matthew would stay on the defensive while Roosevelt along with Ares cabin would go for the Flag. Eve, Pamela and Helena would lead a group of Hecate's kids as a diversionary force. They agreed to the plan though there was a dispute as to who would get the flag between Brock and David. Brock wanted the honor for himself, but David pointed out that if he took the Flag, Brock's hands would be free to fight. That was all the motivation Brock needed to give the task to David.

By the start of the match, everyone got into their armour and grabbed their weapons and took up their positions. A horn blew starting the match and the two teams began to move.

Eve and her group had already crossed the river following a path David had marked for them. Suddenly a slight sound reached her ears and Eve whirled to the side just missing an arrow that would have grazed her shoulder. Eve looked around and there the offender was up in a tree. Eve whispered to Helena who scurried off in another direction leading the Hecate kids. She turned to Pamela and pointed to the trees. Eve had unwittingly stumbled upon the blue teams main line of defense in Apollo cabin.

Off in the distance Merida stared in disbelief at what just happened. "I... I missed," Merida whispered to herself as she gripped her bow tighter. "I NEVER MISS." She loosed another arrow and Eve dodged. That was when Merida noticed that Eve was looking right at her. 'No way,' she thought horrified, 'she can see me. She knows where I am, and if she can see me-'

Before she could say anything there was a yelp and she turned to see one of her cabin mates fall from a branch only to be caught on another branch by his belt. Another cry rang out and Merida saw another son of Apollo ensnared in branches. He was desperately trying to cut himself free.

The sound of clashing got Merida's attention and that was when she saw her. Pamela with her dual Kama was engaging several of her siblings, twirling her weapons and keeping her body in constant motion, Pamela hooked unto legs, arms and even bows and quivers pulling them towards her where they received a kick from her now infamous legs.

Merida drew her bow and loosed an arrow. It nicked her on the cheek and got Pamela's attention. She then raised her hand and a branch wrapped around Merida's leg and pulled her roughly to the ground.

Merida got up with a huff and loosed another arrow this time Pamela was able to deflect it with her kama but it managed to nick her on the side. Pamela looked at Merida enraged as Merida drew her sword intending to help her siblings take Pamela on.

Merida was peerless with a bow but at close range she tended to struggle. So, she was betting on her experience to help her chances. Pamela was now fighting Merida and her siblings striking with both her dual kama and plants to ensnare her opponents. Every time Merida tried to get close, she found herself hacking away branches that got in her way. It also didn't help that Pamela's weapon had a longer reach. While dealing with another vine, Merida exposed her back to Pamela, allowing the redhead to hook her quiver with the curved blade causing Merida to lose her balance and land on her back.

Meanwhile, David and Ares cabin had taken a southern route, going through the forest. His time in the forest he led his group down a path that Athena Cabin was most likely to take. Sure enough, as they reached the bank of the river, they saw Athena's children already crossing, Brock drew his sword and with a war cry charged them.

"PULVERIZE THEM," Brock roared, "let's do our father proud!"

Ares children each took on a child of Athena, but David noted that Cindy and a few others were not among the group. This meant that the Athena kids were outnumbered by by double. This could only mean one thing; they were somewhere else likely heading for the flag. David hoped that Matt and Pamela could hold out until they got the flag.

David and Brock were able to knock out a couple of then and allowed the rest of the cabin to handle the rest.

As the Ares and Athena kids paired off in duels, David and Brock led the remaining ones across the river. David offered to guard their rear while the rest crossed. David paused as he looked down at the river. He had never crossed a bare river before and always took bridges. He stamped the ground in frustration unsure of how to proceed, that was when he noticed and collection of rocks that were sticking out above the water's surface. Steadily and carefully, David hopped from rock to rock until he was across. Once he was on the other side, the rocks he had used dipped back into the river.

As they neared the spot David had pointed out on the map. They found themselves bumping into the entire Hephaestus cabin along with a few of Athena's children. They were led by henry armed with his Warhammer and a newly crafted tower shield. This time it was the Ares kids who were outnumbered. Once again, they paired off, But David had the misfortune of finding himself facing four Hephaestus kids and two Athena kids. David smiled and twirled his swordstaff and beckoning them to attack him

Brock found himself squaring off against Henry. The counselor of Hephaestus Cabin had vastly improved as a fighter since David started mentoring him. Now what was once an easy fight turned into a more even match. Brock attacked him relentlessly while Henry stood his ground and refused to give an inch. He simply contented himself with blocking Brock's attacks with his tower shield and only striking with his warhammer if he saw an opening.

Brock grinned, happy to face a real challenge as he blocked a blow from henry's hammer with his own shield causing his whole arm to vibrate. "Good Henry," Brock sneered, "but not good enough." In truth he was right, While David was able to help Henry hold his own against the camps champion swordsman, Brock was still a more experienced fighter. "Once I deal With You, I'm going after Cindy and pay her back for our defeats."

Hearing this, Henry lost his composure and started swinging wildly, determined to finish Brock off quickly, Brock easily dodged the clumsy attack as he laughed off Henry's attacks. "Like I said not good enough.' He dodged another swing and got in close to Henry allowing the son of Ares to strike his hand with his sword causing him to drop his hammer. Henry dropped his shield to nurse his injured hand. Brock used this opportunity to knock him out with a blow from his elbow. Seeing their counselor defeated caused Hephaestus cabin to falter and they were soon pushed back.

The Hephaestus kids were strong, and the Athena kids were precise. Working together they manage to land several blows upon David. But in the end, they were still outmatched David was still a better fighter than the Hephaestus kids while being stronger and faster than the Athena kids. Twirling his swordstaff, David kept that at a distance while striking them with the butt end of his staff.

Once his opponents were knocked out, he rushed through the tree line and there in the distance was the Blue team flag. David didn't hesitate and ran in, grabbing the Flag and then rushing back to the river. He was almost there when an arrow got him in the arm. He ignored it and kept running, his only concern right now was getting across the boundary. That was until he saw what looked to be half of Apollo cabin aiming their bows at him. They were joined by several members of Athena and Hephaestus cabin, now they all surrounded him. David casually twirled his staff ad he kept turning his body around to make sure everyone was in his sights.

The Hephaestus kids attacked first, and David deftly blocked their swords. A war cry was heard, and Brock came charging in and he wasn't alone Eve was with him Brock bowled over the Hephaestus kids creating a gap for David to slip through. he was greeted by Eve, and he handed her the flag which she immediately took and started heading for the border. Brock and David fended off anyone that tried to attack Eve as she ran with the flag. Once they reached the river Eve shadow traveled across. A cry was heard, and David saw that Cindy had also gotten the flag and was close to reaching her own border. David immediately rushed in to lock her path and prevent her from passing. remembering what happened the last time, David stamped at the earth and another series of rocks appeared. David used these to cross and found himself face to face with Cindy. She had a few cuts and bruises on her telling David that even though Matthew lost, he still put up a fierce fight.

"My mother is the goddess of wisdom and battle strategy." Cindy said readying her spear. "Do you know what that means? I always win."

David chuckled, "wow," he then put a hand to his mouth and called out in different directions, "Ego party of one, Ego party of one!"

Cindy struck the flagpole un the ground fastened her shield and charged at him. Thrusting rapidly with her spear, her moves were far more precise than her siblings. Each thrust landing a blow, no doubt that if not for the armour David was wearing, she might have been able to skewer him. No surprise there after all her mother was a war goddess. But while her attacks were beautiful her defense left much to be desired. This was how Brock was able to best her in combat since his talent was in offense.

David opted to do something more unorthodox and made his own thrusts not at Cindy's head or chest but her feet. This move caught her off guard and she weaved her feet along the ground in an effort to dodge the blade of David's swordstaff. From what David could observe, her foot work was rather sloppy, and one eventually caught a rock behind her causing her to stumble.

David pinned the hand holding her spear to the ground, and pointed his blade at Cindy's neck, "stay down Miss Ego," he said. A cheering erupted from his side of the forest letting him know that Eve had made it and the match was over.

"Red Team has captured the blue team flag, Red Team wins." Chiron declared. Upon learning of this declaration everyone in Red Team exploded in cheers. They surrounded David and Eve congratulating them.

The injured were taken to the infirmary. The fighting had been fierce so everyone who had fought was sporting wounds of various degrees. Most had cuts and bruises but some like Brock, had a broken arm or leg while others like Matthew was sporting two black eyes. Only a handful like Eve and Aphrodite girls had no injuries since they either didn't participate or were able to avoid the thick of the fighting.

As they had their wounds treated, Matt approached David "Well done lad" he said giving him a pat on the back. David simply smiled and watched the physicians do their work. David was bare chested and the Aphrodite girls were stealing glances at him.

Once that was over, they all gathered for the campfire singalong. Matthew handed David the Laurels who immediately gave them to Eve after all David may have hatched the plan, but Eve had delivered the flag.

As he did a bright light appeared above David's head. Every Camper stared; he was about to be claimed. A golden thunderbolt appeared above his head and all the campers as well as Chiron bowed. Chiron raised his hand and called out, "ALL HAIL DAVID ROOSEVELT, SON OF ZEUS!"

Just then another light appeared, this time above Eve, above her head was a pair of Black wings. Chiron's face paled as did the Kids of Athena, 'It can't be' he thought then what Dionysus had told him earlier became clear as day. The others were confused until Chiron once again raised his hand. "ALL HAIL EVE STELLARIS, DAUGHTER OF NYX."

Chapter 10: Councils and Quests

Chapter Text

"You are troubled David, tell me what is vexing your mind?"

They were back in the valley again, David sat cross legged across from his mother, who was sitting in the same position.

"Father claimed me today," David said grimly.

Mother shrugged, "it was bound to happen eventually."

"Yes," David agreed, "I'm honestly surprised he waited this long to do so." His gaze drifted to the lake as it shimmered in the light. "But by claiming me I'm now a pariah in the camp."

"Ahh," Mother lifted her head in recognition. "Because you're a child born of the big three."

David nodded, "I doubt I'll be making any friends. Most would be intimidated by my father's name."

"But that isn't all is it?" his mother pointed out.

'She knows me well.' David thought as he shook his head, "I want to prove that there is more to me than just being the Song of the King of the Gods. I don't want the respect I get to rest on my father's name.

"Then perhaps it is best that your father has claimed you now, His mother said assuring. David looked up at her curiously as she continued. "Tomorrow you will find out who your true friends are and once you do treasure their friendship it will serve you well in the future."

"What if I get none?" David wondered. "What if Eve is the only one remaining to me?"

"Be patient my son," His mother soothed, "one day an opportunity will present itself. In the meantime, you ought to hone your own merit. Keep training and offer to pass down your knowledge to those who want to learn more." She then gave her boy a smile, 'though I have a feeling Eve is not the only friend you will have if the Daughter of Demeter is anything to go by."

David chuckled, yeah it did seem that Pamela was smitten by him. She was beautiful David admitted, hell to be honest she even surpassed most of Aphrodite's brood with only Alice being her equal. She was also quite powerful especially for a child of Demeter and as a fighter she could hold her own against Ares and Athena cabins. But for David, even she couldn't compare to his midnight angel.

"All the same, I'd like to make a meaningful contribution to the Camp," David frowned. "The Camp is nice enough but there is need of improvement and other aspects leave much to be desired."

"You are referring to the condition in Hermes Cabin yes," his mother guessed. David nodded, and she thought for a moment, "Working to make life better for them in camp would help you make friends and respect and if you were to do this without consent from your father than it would truly be your own accomplishment."

David nodded, "though I'm worried that father would interfere if I tried."

His mother nodded, "ahh yes he does tend to stick his nose into other people's business." She thought for a moment, "Zeus cannot interfere in mortal affairs, and since demigods are mortals then he shouldn't be able to stop you from doing this."

"Yes," David agreed, "then again he shouldn't have broken his vow on the river Styx."

His mother frowned, "that's true," The frown turned into a smile as she cupped her son's cheek, "then again if he hadn't, I wouldn't have had you."

David smiled back and shook his head, "a curse and a blessing I suppose." He shook his head, "screw it, I'm going to give it a shot. Hell, it beats doing nothing, and I was always taught to do what's right no matter how difficult it is."

His mother smiled, "that's my boy," She gave him a hug.

David closed his eyes, "you've already done so much. Thank you, mom."

David awoke and looked around and for a moment it took while to remember where he was. He had gotten used to the idea of sleeping next to people in an overcrowded cabin. Now he found himself in a large empty cabin.

'Unbelievable,' he thought, 'this place is gaudier inside than it is on the outside and considering the exterior that is no small feat.' David chuckled inwardly, 'come to think of it this cabin is as empty as my father's brain.'

At the end of the cabin was a full statue of Zeus, it had almost complete view of the entire interior. Honestly it gave David highly uncomfortable 'big brother is watching you' vibes. Fortunately, the key word was almost. The cabin had a couple of blind spots in the corners of the far end of the cabin on either side of the statue that it had no view of. It was on one of these corners that David to set up his sleeping bag as well as what few belongings he had brought with him.

The horn blew indicating it was time for breakfast, after getting dressed, David walked out of his lonely cabin and headed for his empty table. At the very least, Hermes Cabin had one less person to worry about.

When it came time for offerings David followed the same pattern giving offerings to both Zeus and Hestia. When he returned to his table a hush appeared over the area as Eve sat down next to him with her plate of food.

Children of the big three were rare, but a child of a primordial was unheard of. To anyone's knowledge, she may very well be the first demi-primordial in history. David noted that as she passed many either looked at her nervously or avoided eye contact all together. The question on everyone's mind was how powerful she was and what was she capable of. They knew she could tame Hellhounds and shadow travel, but was that it?

"How was the cabin?" She asked taking a bite of an orange.

"Quiet and empty," David replied eating his oatmeal. "How are you feeling?"

"I woke up this morning and panicked when I didn't see you," Eve said quietly, "it took me a moment to remember you had your own cabin."

"You don't have to stay there," David remarked, "You can come to my cabin if it's uncomfortable for you." Eve simply nodded and went back to her meal.

Later they went about their day as usual, or at least try to. As David predicted, many demigods were more interested in them then they were in their own lessons and most avoided sparring with him for various understandable reasons. The key word being most as there was still a handful, they were more than happy to challenge him.

Matthew was as easy going as ever and was more than happy to accept for the challenge it presented. Brock always wanted to fight and prove that he was the best fighter. Others like Henry, Pamela and Helena wanted David to keep training them.

The days passed and David fell into a routine. He attended classes and used much of his free time to train. He tried helping out in other ways and did what he could to make changed to his cabin to make it a more suitable home. This included a simple bed and a round table in the center of the cabin. He also talked with the other head counselors as well as with the demigods of the minor deities.

Finally, one night after the campfire songs, he asked all the head counselors together in his cabin as well as minor demigods chosen to be represented their siblings. These included Helena Delgado; Beatrix Wayne, Daughter of Nemesis; Jonah Cade, son of Thanatos; Harvey MacManus, Son of Dike; Alex Thomas, Son of Nike; Mycroft Garfield, son of Hypnos; Judy Dash, Daughter of Iris; Allison Facilier, daughter of Hecate; Dolly Klammer daughter of Hebe and Elizabeth Esther, daughter of Tyche.

Once everyone was gathered and seated, David began. "First I want to thank you all for agreeing to come."

"Is something wrong David?" Matthew asked, "it must be important if you are going through the trouble to host this meeting."

David nodded, "yes, it is, and it concerns all of us." This caught everyone's attention as David stood up and unraveled a large sheet of parchment. On it was an illustration of the cabin layout with eleven smaller cabins forming a layer outside the main twelve. Everyone leaned in to take a closer look as David continued. "During the week I spent in Hermes cabin and Hermes table I learned one simple truth. The whole situation is not only ridiculous but also inexcusable. This place is supposed to be a safe haven for all demigods. The least we can do is make this a second home for them. I fail to see why we can't have more cabins there is plenty of room. In addition, the children of the minor gods should be able to represent themselves in Capture the Flag."

"What about the unclaimed children?" Matthew asked.

David smiled, "that is where a Hestia cabin comes in." He said pointing to the one next to the Dionysus Cabin. "Hestia had always been the most benevolent of the gods, I have no doubt that she wouldn't mind representing them."

Matthew shrugged, "fair enough."

David turned to the minor god's children, "so what do you think, I would like to hear your thoughts on the matter."

"So, we would get out own cabins?" Allison asked.

"With our own beds?" Mycroft slurred with a yawn.

"Our own tables?" Beatrix Wayne piped in

"And choose our own teams?" Alex added.

David nodded, "that's the goal."

"But we can't," Cindy objected, "Hestia is not an Olympian, Lord Zeus will not like it if we start building cabins for those that aren't Olympians."

David dicked his eyebrow and smirked, "truly? I had no idea that Camp Half Blood was exclusively for Olympians. We must inform the directors at once to cast out all those who are not of 'Olympian' descend." He declared in a sarcastic tone.

"That's not what I was implying," Cindy exclaimed.

David nodded "I know, but I fail to see how a few cabins could possibly do any harm. Though it really is unclear what would qualify as an Olympian anyway. Clearly if my father had his way, the twelve would be made exclusively of his children given that they occupy most of the seats. The remaining ones are three of his siblings while Aphrodite is a daughter of Ouranos." David waved the notion off, "regardless I have had the cabins made slightly smaller than the 'Olympian' ones, that should keep the main twelve's fragile egos intact."

"What would this have to do with us?" Pamela asked.

David scratched the back of his head, "I want to ask for your help since I can't do this alone nor do I want to." He sighed deeply, "I know that we don't act it, but we are an extended family and for many of us Camp Half Blood is more than just a sanctuary, it is our home. So, the least we can do is make it a comfortable home for all of us regardless of status."

The other counselors looked at each other and Merida spoke up. "I'm inclined to agree with your aim, but Cindy is right Zeus will not like it if we build these cabins."

David scoffed, "My father doesn't like anything that might damage his perfect little dystopia." A thunderous rumble was heard across the cabin causing the counselors to look around nervously. David rolled his eyes, "in any case this shouldn't concern him," he continued. "Zeus is always going on and on about how he and his entourage can't interfere in mortal affairs. Since none of us are immortal, this technically falls under mortal affairs." He then turned to the statue of his father. "Unless he doesn't believe in practicing what he preaches." He could see the eyes of the stature glare at him, but David didn't budge and stared back.

After a moment he turned back to the representatives of the minor gods, "If this goes through, I would like you and your siblings to come up with drafts for how you want your cabins to look. each cabin should unique after all and reflect your differences."

He then gave a wave of his hand "Anyway it's merely a proposal, I would like the consent of everyone before we do anything else." There was silence across the room, "Please think about it and give me an answer later."

"Wait a moment," Alice spoke up, "what is this empty spot for?" She was pointing at a spot that was opposite of the Hestia cabin, right beside the Hermes cabin.

David smiled, "Oh that one, well, let's just say I'm saving that spot for a special addition to our ranks."

"WHO?" Everyone asked. "It is for Eve?" Helena asked.

David shook his head, "I did offer but she refused. But I will know them when I see them."

Pamela stood up, "this will be good for the camp overall, we could also form ties with the minor demigods."

Matthew shrugged, "well, I don't have any problems with this, so you have my support. We could sleep comfortably for a change."

"Mine as well," Brock roared, "Hermes Cabin always had an unfair numbers advantage."

"I'll be happy to assist in any way I can," Henry said, "I'd like to give making cabins instead of weapons a try."

Alice shrugged, "Oh why not, count me in. It will be a fresh change to the same old team ups in Capture the Flag."

All that remained were Merida and Cindy. "I'll talk with my mother before I make a decision," Cindy explained.

David nodded, "by all means do so, in fact you all should talk with your parents. If we can get their support, it would certainly help our cause. I will be speaking to Chiron later for legal permission."

Once everyone departed to their cabins David decided to rest up for what was likely going to be a long day tomorrow. The next day during break, David approached the little girl tending the hearth. "Aunt Hestia," he said with a bow.

The girl turned to him, her eyes dancing with flame the good kind that represented light and warmth rather than destruction and pain. "No need to be so formal with me dear nephew, I'm not an Olympian."

David shrugged, "all the same, you've done more than enough to deserve it."

Hestia smiled warmly in many ways it greatly reminded him of how his mother smiled. "Thank you, David, now what can I do for you."

David sighed, 'here goes nothing'. "How would you feel about getting a cabin?"

Hestia's eyes widened, "a cabin? For me?" Her cheeks flustered, "But why? Surely you know that I'm a virgin goddess and thus have no children."

David nodded, "I'm aware, which makes you the perfect goddess to represent the unclaimed children. You have no children just like they have no parents."

"But doesn't Hermes take them in?" she wondered."

"He does," David admitted, "and that is honestly generous of him. But the unclaimed and minor gods shouldn't have to piggyback off the twelve's charity. How can they be expected to grow if they don't even have the room to do so?"

Hestia, "a fair point." She smiled, "I would be more than happy to take in any unclaimed children. Her smile turned sad, "though my brother may not like it."

David snarled, "so everyone keeps telling me." He smirked, "the again my father doesn't like anything unless it has a pretty face and a tight fit." He froze and looked nervously at Hestia before bowing his head. "Sorry...I shouldn't spoke that way in front of you, it wasn't proper."

Hestia shrugged, "it's crude but true. Still, I doubt my brother will go along with this."

David nodded, "most likely, but is there really any harm in trying."

"I suppose not," Hestia agreed. "And if you're serious about the other Cabins I'll be happy to assist in any way I can."

David bowed, "thank you Aunt Hestia," then on a whim he embraced her in gratitude.

After speaking to his aunt, David headed for the big house to talk to Chiron. For a time, David considered asking Hestia to gain Hera's support. If Zeus objected to this, then supporting this idea would be a win for her. Small victories and all that. But David quickly dismissed it. Hera likely hates me to Tartarus and back so any idea I have she would quickly dismiss. David sighed. "I hope Chiron agrees with the idea."

...

"A Hestia Cabin?" Chiron wondered.

"Yes, for the unclaimed Demigods," David confirmed. "As well as cabins for the children of Minor gods."

"Impossible," Dionysus declared. "Hestia is not an Olympian and neither are the others."

"Why? Because she doesn't sit on high in Olympus?" David asked with a smirk. "Don't forget brother, that it is only because of Hestia that you have a seat on Olympus. Seeing as you are technically a demigod. The way I see it, you owe her quite a bit."

Dionysus grumbled, "I suppose."

"But Hestia gave up her seat willingly," Chiron pointed out, "her place had always been at the hearth."

"All the more reason to give her a cabin." David pointed out. "After so many years it's high time to give her proper recognition."

"David," Chiron began placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I understand what you're trying to accomplish, and I sympathize with your aim, but it just might not be possible."

"Is there a written law that says there can't be more Cabins?" David asked.

Chiron rubbed the back of his head, "well no but-"

David rubbed his temples, "I'm asking for more Cabins for our camp not temples on Olympus." He shook his head. "I just don't see what that harm it could do,"

"Only twelve are allowed cabins." Dionysus objected. "Zeus doesn't want the minor gods to forget their place. Building Cabins for the minor gods may give them the wrong impression.

Markus stared at Dionysus with his mismatched eyes, "Last I checked the name of this place was called Camp 'HALF-BLOOD', not Camp 'Olympian'."

"All the same," Dionysus said with uncertainty, "I don't think Father will go for this."

"I'm hoping to press the issue by getting the rest of the twelve's vote." David replied. I was hoping to add you to the list."

"What makes you think I would ever go for it?' Dionysus wondered.

David gave him a tight smile, what he was about to do next would be a huge gamble, but it was all he had against the god of wine. "You're a gambling man. How about a friendly game of Pinochle?" He asked snatching a deck of cards from the table and shuffling it. "If I win you give us the green light. If I lose, then I will drop the issue." He presented the cards to Dionysus. "What do you say?"

Dionysus narrowed his eyes, "You're on," he said pulling a card from the deck. Dionysus had experience and was the dealer. But still it was a near thing with David's team winning by 156 points and Dionysus with 147 leaving the God of Wine grumbling.

"Beginner's luck," he said.

David shrugged, "half of everything is Luck, the other half is Fate."

After speaking with the Directors, David went about his day with the usual classes and training. By the end of the day Merida and Cindy came to him. They had chosen to vote for his idea. However, he must wait for a final verdict.

With the support of the counselors, all that was needed was for David to wait for Judgement from Olympus. Though Truthfully, he was going to go through with it with or without Olympus' permission should they refuse or take too long.

The next morning David got an unexpected visitor to his cabin. "Pamela," he said with surprise as he invited her in. "What bring you to my 'humble' abode?"

Pamela looked nervous as she took a seat rubbing her hands together. "My mother has given me a quest."

David smiled and patted her shoulder. Getting a quest was a huge deal in this camp. Everyone was eager to prove themselves and become 'heroes' in their own right. But they were often dangerous, so they were not given often. "Congratulations," he said cheerfully. "But you didn't come here just to tell me that." He had a feeling why she had come here.

Pamela shook her head, "no, you have trained me well in the past week but I don't think I'm fully up to this task." She looked down and took a deep breath. "Chiron said there is luck in doing this in groups of three. I've already asked Helena and she said yes. So, I was wondering, if you're not too busy. If you would like to accompany me on this quest as my second companion?"

David sat down next to her his face grim. "I would like to accompany you, but there is something you need to understand. I am a son of Zeus, a product of a broken vow on the river Styx. Here we are safe but outside the barrier Hades is waiting with the worst monsters at his disposal. He wants justice for his murdered mistress and my father's forsaken oath. If I were to accompany, you. it would only put your quest and your life at risk. The last thing I want is an innocent child dying because of me."

Pamela nodded in understanding, "I know David, I know the risk I'm taking asking you to come with us." She cupped his cheek but I'm willing to take that risk. You, Helena and Eve are the only ones I trust the most, but I don't think Eve wants to go out there again." She gave him a small smile."

David sighed, "he didn't fear his own safety, but he'd never be able to forgive himself if Pamela or anyone else died on his watch. But looking at Pamela he saw in her eyes that she would not give in and in the end he agreed.

For the whole day they started preparing for the journey packing money, supplies and weapons. Other campers were offering their best wishes to Pamela. When the time came Pamela said her farewells to her cabinmates while Eve had David in a tight hug.

"Please be careful okay," she whispered, her violet eyes watery.

"I'll be alright Eve, just be sure to take care of yourself while I'm gone." David assured her.

"I wish you didn't have to go," Eve sighed.

"Pamela asked me so I couldn't refuse," David replied. "We both knew I would have to go on a quest eventually, this way I can get it over with."

They finally parted and Eve planted a kiss on his cheek, which David reciprocated. Eve then went to Pamela. "Stay safe Pam," she told her. In all honesty she didn't want anything to happen to either of them since they were her closest friends. Pam had actually come to her earlier to ask her permission to ask David to accompany her. She knew how close they were and would not have done so if Eve had refused.

Finally, Pamela, Helena and David were ready to set off. Chiron arranged for them to be escorted outside the camp boundaries all the way to the train station. As Argus drove them to the station, David turned to Pamela, "So what did the oracle say about your quest?" Before going on a quest, the leader would have to see the Oracle who gave them a riddle that prophesized its fate. Pamela took a deep breath and began.

You shall find what has long been lost

And face the Bane of War's accost

Aided by those who dwell in the west

The bonds of kin are put to the test

The Beast's minions will you face

As seeds of conflict are put in place

Chapter 11: Where Worlds Meet

Chapter Text

The Train ride to San Diego was a grueling one. A ride that would last just over three days. But it was the best compromise they could get, and David had no intention on trekking the whole country. A bus would have taken longer and would be notoriously uncomfortable. They could have taken the plane which would have been faster, but the last thing David wanted was to be knocked out of the sky by Hades' ilk. With the train he at least had an escape plan in case something goes wrong. Since it would be a long trip, they got a bedroom that while pricey would be a small comfort. They passed the time playing cards, swapping stories and making plans for their quest. Sometimes they just looked outside watching the landscape wiz past the window.

"So did your mother tell you what we're looking for?" David asked as they were having dinner.

Pamela sighed, "she wants me to retrieve the Meliai."

"Meliai? Weren't they my father's caretakers?"

Pamela nodded, "They are the children of Ouranos and Gaea, the first Dryads. An attempt was made to resurrect them, but things didn't go as planned. The people responsible are still out there and looking for them. So, she wants me to get them to ensure their safety."

Helena nodded, "Do we know who is after them."

Pamela shook her head, "Mother doesn't know though they did kill her last lover recently and took their daughter. Despite her attempts she has been unable to find her."

David rubbed his chin "perhaps we'll get lucky, and we can kill two birds with one stone by finding both the meliai and your sister."

Pamela smiled sadly, "I don't think we could get that lucky David."

David shrugged, "I guess we'll just seen then."

Pamela's eyes narrowed, "One thing I do know is that should we encounter their minions we should take them alive in case they know something regarding my sister."

David nodded in understanding but frowned, "that may be difficult, but I'll see what I can do." He thought for a moment before speaking. "If you want, we can divert from our quest to look for your sister."

"But my mother gave me a responsibility," Pamela protested lightly, "I can't disappoint her."

David waved it off, "duty can wait, family is more important. In any case perhaps your mother means for you to find her. since there is a connection between you."

Pamela was still unsure while she did want to look for her sister, she also didn't want to fail in her mission.

"Do we even know where the meliai even is?" Helena asked.

"According to my mother they were being kept in my sister's former estate Aeithales in palm springs so I figured that would be a good place to start."

Helena nodded as they turned to their dinner. As they ate, they began discussing the other parts of the prophecy. "What is this Beast the oracle was referring to? Is it a monster?"

"I doubt it's the one living in a magical castle with talking objects," David grumbled.

Helena shrugged, "what else could it be?"

"Men could be beastly," Pamela pointed out, "as well as some gods."

'Can't argue with that,' David thought to himself, "in any case, if it's a monster that hardly narrows it down."

"It must be one of the heavy hitters if their calling it THE beast," Pamela deduced.

"But who is the question," Helena replied as all three gave several considerations, Typhon, Kampe, Echidna and even the Python.

"Maybe it's Satan," Helena offered.

"That Prince from the Christian Pantheon?" David wondered.

"Or maybe it's pet," Pamela guessed.

David shook his head, "I doubt that they would stick their nose into the business of another Pantheon.

Helena shrugged, "It's still worth considering."

David frowned, it was a scary notion, if other pantheons were interfering in each other's business, especially THAT one it could mean trouble in the future.

After getting nowhere with the Beast they decided to move on. "Okay what about this Bane of War?" Pamela asked.

"It must be referring to an enemy of Ares," David concluded.

"Who would Ares' Enemy?" Helena wondered. "If I recall, aside from Aphrodite and Hades most Olympians dislike him."

"The obvious choice would be Athena," David replied. "But I don't see why she would stand in our way."

"She would if her father ordered her to," Helena pointed out. David didn't argue with that he was not going to put anything past his father.

"Don't he and Hercules have a rivalry?" Pamela offered.

David shook her head, "Hercules is strong but he doesn't strike me as a Bane of War."

"Maybe it's a pet of Ares," Helena suggested.

"Now that's an interesting thought." David agreed. They also needed to consider the wording of the prophecy more carefully. Since Bane of War could mean an enemy or a servant of war. That seemed more likely since his brother was always itching for a fight.

After dinner they were about to tuck in for the night heading back to their bedroom, Helena froze and fingering her ring turned around, she saw nothing, but she narrowed her eyes suspiciously. She turned back around and saw David standing there, flashlight in hand.

"You sense it too?" she asked.

David nodded, "something's on the train." He took a whiff of the air and rolled his eyes, "oh wonderful, her again."

"What is it?" Pamela asked getting her weapon from her bag.

"A kindly one," David said grimly, "and she's not alone." He then began packing his things prompting the girls to do the same. They knew there was a monster on the train, but they wanted to stay on the train for as long as they could. So, David volunteered to keep watch while the other's slept then hop off at the next train station. David chuckled to himself "I guess we should have taken that left turn at Albuquerque." This caused the girls to laugh.

Two hours later they heard them, up on the roof. David woke the girls, and they activated their weapons while David squeezed through the window to check it out. He figured that whatever it was, it was after him. He proved to be correct as Alecto turned to face him as a pair of Eurynomos emerged.

"Your girlfriend isn't here to protect you now son of Zeus," the fury snarled pulling out her whip.

David rolled his eyes in annoyance, "You never seem to learn from your mistakes, do you?" He said activating his swordstaff. The Fury snarled and took off in the air. To her surprise David did the same, now they were suspended above the train car the Eurynomos unable to get at him. "Son of Zeus remember," Davis quipped as the Fury cracked her whip. David dodged her strikes and her whip hit only air. David struck back with lightning, but Alecto dodged these just as easily. He got in close, and she tried to strike her with her claws only for one of her hands to be severed by the blade of his staff. David came in again but this time she was ready and slashed at him with her talons creating gashes in David's chest. David cried out in pain allowing Alecto to use her whip to snag his staff. She tried to pry it free from his grasp, but David used this attachment to send a stream of lightning at her knocking her back. David regained his focus and slashed at her again this time getting her other hand. depriving her of her whip. Now vulnerable, he struck again and again taking her feet then one of her wings receiving cuts to his own limbs as her attacks became desperate. Now that she was defenseless, David closed in and grabbed her by the throat keeping her close. She struggled and tried to bite him with her fangs, but his fingers kept a tight grip ad he methodically severed both her wings.

"Get it over with," she snarled," I'll be back I'll always be back, and we will never stop coming for you."

David smiled, "good, the more times you come the more practice I'll get." With that he drove his blade into her heart dissolving her to dust.

With Alecto gone he descended slowly to the roof of the train where the hellhounds were waiting. Not wanting to damage the train with his lightning he held out his hand and sent a gust of wind that blew them off the train. Once that was done, he slipped back into his cabin where he saw Helena and Pamela taking care of four hellhounds in the hallway. They all locked ayes and nodded indicating that they had taken care of their adversaries. With the monsters gone they went back to the cabins and collapsed onto their beds for badly needed rest.

No more monsters came for them as they manage to make it to the next station in Flagstaff. No sooner did the train stop that the three children shot out of the car. By now the scent of the monsters was unmistakable.

After getting a bite to eat, they hopped on a greyhound heading for Phoenix dealing with a couple of monsters in an alley along the way. The ride to Pheonix was largely uneventful, it was when they reached Phoenix did things get interesting.

They were barely out of the station that they were approached by a squad of policemen. They looked the part yet something about their faces seemed off. "We'll have to ask you to come with us," One of them said.

"May I ask what this is about?" David asked.

"You may not," He snapped sternly.

David cocked an eyebrow, "you know that's a violation of Habeas Corpus right?" The officer responded with a blow to David's stomach with his tonfa.

"David?" Pamela shrieked as she and Helena were grabbed from behind and handcuffed.

The officer grabbed David by the hair as another handcuffed him. "I suggest you keep quiet and make this easy on yourself otherwise things could get very unpleasant for your friends."

David was lifted to his feet as he was thrown into the back of the police car. Pamela and Helena were each put into separate vehicles while their bags were thrown in the trunk.

They drove to the outskirts of the city with David's vehicle in the lead. "Officer, I don't believe this is the right way to the police station," he quipped.

"Just sit back and shut up," The officer snarled. "You will need your strength for when you meet the boss."

"Who is your boss?" David asked rhetorically. "The Beast?" He had only been joking but apparently, he hit a cord since both officers reacted and looked at each other.

They reached an abandoned building near a lake and the convoy stopped. By then it was nighttime and the three were dragged out of the cars and led inside to a small room where they were chained to pillars.

"Careful with this one the leader gestured to David, "I hear he's really strong." others chuckled as they left the room leaving several vrykolakas to guard them. "Remember if they resist rough them up but keep them alive." The leader told the guards. "The boss has questions for them."

Once they left David turned to the girls, "did they hurt you?"

Pamela shook her head and Helena strained against her binding. "Who are they," she demanded.

"And what do they want?" Pamela added.

"I think they work for the Beast," David replied. "Obviously they were sent to intercept us."

"We need to get out of here," Pamela exclaimed in a panic.

"Already working on it," Helena replied as she fumbled with something in her hand.

Before she could a struggle could be heard outside yelling and cursing could be heard as the sound of clashing metal bounced along the walls. The door was kicked open and a boy burst inside. He was wearing chainmail and a brass coloured galae helmet with a black plum at the top. In his right hand was a Spatha sword while his left held a hexagonal clipeus shield. The vrykolakas turned as he cut down two of them. The others tried to attack but the boy made short work of them bashing them with the edge of his shield before cutting them in half with his sword. Once they were gone, he went over to the trio.

"Can you fight?" He asked.

"Cut me loose and you'll find out," David quipped. The boy raised his sword and cut the chains keeping them bound. Once he was free, he rushed outside as the boy cut the others free. David came outside to see a girl fending off the officers surrounding her with two of the officers dead at her feet. That was when David realized that their 'heads' were fake, and one had its shirt torn open to reveal a whole face covering their torso. 'Blemmyae,' David thought, 'no wonder their heads seemed wrong.'

The girl, about the same age as the boy was holding her own. Her armour resembled fish scales and her helm was decorated with an octopus. In her left hand was a trident while her right hand held a shield shaped like a scallop seashell. David let out a stream of lightning at the cops throwing them back. He then used the distraction to reach the cars parked nearby. David opened the door to lift the latch that opened the trunk Once the trunk was opened, he grabbed his bag and fished around inside until he found his weapon. He then turned to help the girl who was now facing 4 automatons just as the boy came out with Pamela and Helena. They both went to their respective cars to retrieve their weapons.

David let out another torrent of lightning at the automatons causing them to spasm and collapse. The girl gave him a nod and they turned their attention to the remaining Blemmyae who let out a shrill whistle to reveal three Strixes flying above them. By now the Boy, Pamela and Helena had joined them weapons ready.

A gurgling cry was heard, and David saw that the Eurynomos had returned and this time they had reinforcements in the form of dozens of Vrykolakas and more hellhounds.

"Friends of yours?" The Boy asked, and Dsavid nodded as they got ready to fight. They each picked a target. David volunteered to deal with the Strixes, Pamela fought the Blemmyae, Helena took on the Vrykolakas, the girl would take on the Eurynomos and the Boy would fight the hellhounds."

"Beware the strixes," said a voice in David's head, "They curse those who kill them."

With this in mind David took to the air and deftly dodged their attacks while using his blade to sever one of their wings sending them plummeting to the ground.

Meanwhile, Pamela was able to make short work of the remaining Blemmyae saving the one who had dared to strike David for last. Evidently having a giant face as a body was a poor design choice much like a cyclops but even less practical.

Once the Blemmyae were dealt with She turned to the grounded Strixes intending to finish them off when David called out to her. "Don't kill them," he said, "keep them bound till dawn."

With a nod Pamela raised her hands and vines burst from the ground and ensnared the Strixes by their remaining wing. They seemed to realize what was going to happen as they struggled violently against the vines tearing at them with their talons but for every vine they cut there always seemed to be more until Pamela called forth more vines to bind their talons and neck as well.

With the strixes restrained and the Blemmyae dead David and Pamela turned to help the others. Pamela went to help Helena who was bashing the Vrykolakas with her morning star. While David engaged the hellhounds together with the boy.

Slowly but surely the monster army dwindled until Dawn emerged and the sunlight killed off the strixes.

When the battle was over, the five of them went inside the building to rest. That was when they got acquainted. "Thanks for helping us," Pamela said gratefully."

The Girl smiled, "no problem though that was the first time we faced hellhounds before."

"No kidding," the Boy replied wiping his brow, "they sure can put up a fight especially in groups."

"Sorry about that," David said looking down. "We never meant to bring you any trouble."

The Boy and Girl looked at each other confused. "Trouble?" The boy wondered, "sure it was the largest group we've faced so far but it's not lie we're not use to fighting monsters."

"These things happen if you're a Half Blood especially one of the major ones," The Girl added. David nodded with a sigh and held out his hand. "I'm David Roosevelt, son of Zeus."

"Zeus?" the boy asked as he took David's hand, "as in the Greek King of the Gods?"

"That's him," David replied begrudgingly. as the girls also introduced themselves shaking hands with the girl."

"I'm Pamela Clementine, daughter of Demeter."

"Helena Delgado, daughter or Eris"

"I see," the girl replied. "I'm Cora Jones, Daughter of Neptune and Current Queen of the Amazons."

The boy smiled and released David's hand, "Nice to meet you David, I am Gabriel Mordecai, Son of Mars, Centurion of the First Cohort, Praetor of Camp Jupiter."

Chapter 12: We get in a fight with a Talking Horse.

Chapter Text

"Camp Jupiter huh?"

"Yes, we're currently based in California at the moment, but we don't remain stationary for long."

The five children were sitting around a campfire getting acquainted. With their helms off David now got a good look at them.

Gabriel was olive skinned, dark haired and aquiline nose and scars marred his otherwise handsome face. His mother Deborah a former Israeli commando taught him Krav Maga so he would be able to protect himself.

Cora had lighter skinned with ocean blue eyes and dark blonde hair and an athletic body from her days practicing to surf. Her mother was an expert surfer and even Captain of her own team. She taught her daughter what she knew, and Cora had taken it like a fish to water.

David soon learned that while both camps were training centers for demigods of arguably the same Pantheon, they operated very differently. In fact, is seemed that Camp Jupiter seemed to be the antithesis of Camp Half Blood

Unlike the Greek Demigods whose social standing was based on birth, the Roman Demigods were judged on merit. Also, while Camp Half Blood only accepted first generation Demigods, Camp Jupiter was more open to descendants further down the line such as children or great grandchildren. This gave David something to consider and made him want to apply something similar to Camp Half Blood. Still, that doesn't mean there wasn't any favouritism. As the son of Mars, Gabriel had been offered a place in the First Cohort the moment he set foot in the Camp.

"I didn't know there were still Amazons," David quipped.

"Are you familiar with the Hunters of Artemis," Cora asked, David nodded, and Cora continued. "Think of us as a more moderate version of them. While the hunters are bound to Artemis, we serve all war deities of the Pantheon such Mars, Bellona, Minerva and Diana. Though we tend to favour the former two."

"Are you celibate as well?" David asked.

Cora shook her head, "Like I said we're more moderate, unlike the Hunters we don't shun relationships of any kind. That is why are numbers of usually greater than those of the hunters."

"Have you interacted before," Pamela wondered.

Cora nodded, "often enough, though we have a bit of a rivalry going on due to our views on relationships. Also, we tend to switch members from time to time. Amazons become hunters to gain eternal life while many hunters have come to us after falling in love, getting pregnant or being forcibly taken by certain gods. For while Diana's arms may be closed ours are always open.

"Wouldn't that make Artemis angry that you're taking away her hunters?"

Cora nodded, it does, and it has caused more ripples between out groups. But just as Artemis looks after her Hunters so are we under the protection of Lord Mars and Lady Bellona."

"Do you take in unclaimed girls too," Helena asked sounding more exited each time.

"Of course," Cora replied with a smile, "legacies are welcome as well."

"So, you're not immortal like the Hunters?" Pamela asked.

Cora's eyes turned sad, "sadly no, we have numbers and a front to fund our operations while the hunters have immortality and survival techniques. Even our skills are different, while the hunters are better archers, we are better in close quarters fighting."

"Hmm," Helena rubbed her chin thinking to herself, "What does one have to do to join?"

"So how did you find us?" Pamela wondered."

"We saw you get hauled into those cars and since we found it odd that police would take in three kids, we decided to follow you.' Gabriel explained. "So, what brings you three to this side of the states?"

"We're here to retrieve something that belonged to my mother." Pamela replied.

"What is it exactly?" Cora asked, "perhaps we can help."

The three Greek demigods looked at each other and David shrugged, they could use the assistance especially with certain gods gunning for them.

"Do you know anything about the seeds of the Meliai," Pamela asked.

Gabriel scratched his chin and shook his head, "Can't say that I do." He admitted sadly.

"Well, we're trying to recover them so we're heading for palm springs to see if there are any clues to their whereabouts," Helena explained.

Cora and Gabriel looked at each other, "What do you think?" Cora asked her partner.

"Palm springs is not far from here," Gabriel concluded before shrugging, "ahh well I guess we can make a small detour. He turned back to the group, if you wish, we can help you in this endeavor."

David nodded gratefully, "That would be most appreciated and in return We could help with you on your quest in turn."

Gabriel nodded, "very well then we have an accord, he held out his hand and David shook it."

After a night's rest, Helena hotwired one of the patrol vehicles and the five children Hopped in. As the tallest of the group David volunteered to be the driver. Thankfully the car was an auto shift, so David took a few practice runs in while Helena siphoned gas from the other vehicles before they all headed out. They took interstate 10 and the drove to Palm Springs. Wherever the fake police had taken them was near the Kofa national Wildlife refuge so the Drive would take about 3 hours. Once they were off the highway, they ditched the car in an alley and made the rest of the journey on foot. Pamela guided the group to where Aeithales was located. It was on the outskirts of the city, so it was relatively isolated.

Finally, they came upon what looked to be the remains of a botanical garden surrounding a series of greenhouse with a cabin in the center, but they could not linger long for something else caught their attention. Scurrying about with scythes and shovels were dozens of humanoid figures with white fur, large ears and eight fingers on each hand. The place was already in ruins, but these guys seem to be making things worse as they cut down every plant in sight to clear the ground for others to start digging.

"KEEP LOOKING YOUR WORTHLESS BUNCH." A deep voice cut through the air. "MY MASTER IS GROWING IMPATIENT."

Looking around the children saw that one greenhouse was still intact. Figuring that would be the best place to start looking they crept towards it doing their best to avoid being spotted. They reached the intact greenhouse where they saw another group of the strange humanoids roughly clutching a dryad while others were using daggers to carve into a nearby cactus. From the way she was wheezing it seemed she was in a great deal of pain.

There before the Dryad stood a great stallion with brown eyes and a white gleaming coat. Tall and muscular, 'it was a magnificent equine,' David admitted. One worthy of the likes of Napoleon or Genghis Khan or the many great conquerors of history. David began formulating plans in his head for claiming the animal as his mount or at least taking it to Camp Half Blood when the unexpected happened.

"Where are they little Dryad," The Horse growled as he put a golden shoed hoof to the nymph and pushed her to the ground. "Tell me where they are, and I'll make sure you die quickly." The Dryad glared at him defiantly and spat on his snout causing the horse to back away with a snort. Wiping off the saliva with his hoof He smirked, "now that was rude, I guess you need to learn some manners before I question you further."

David turned to Pamela to see what she wanted to do only to find her missing, looking around He saw her creeping through the overgrown plants to get closer to the Dryad. David sighed and followed her along with Helena while Gabriel and Cora stayed put so the five could perform a flanking maneuver.

One of the pandai raised his dagger only for it to be ensnared by a vine along with his other arm. Confused, the pandai looked around and saw a girl with flaming hair a brief second before she cuts his head off with her kama. She then unfolds her kama into its staff form and cut down the two holding the Dryad. She then stood there between the Dryad and the remaining pandai who had surrounded her upon hearing the death cries of their comrades.

The horse turned to her with a glare, "well now, what have we here, a little demigod trying to play hero for a tree spirit. I don't know who you are but-" He paused and started sniffing the air. "I recognize that smell," we took another whiff and chuckled, "interesting, another spawn of Demeter. No Matter Demeter's brood have always been, and you'll be easily dealt with."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," a voice cut in. The Stallion turned to see a boy with a staff jump in and behead one of the Pandai before grabbing another one by the ears and impaling him. All of a sudden, the other demigods burst out and started engaging the pandai. The demigods were outnumbered but not outmatched. Core sent a torrent of water from a nearby pond at the pandai and David let out a current of lightning into it electrocuting the unfortunate pandai that happened to get wet. The Horse looked around in shock. He wasn't expecting to face Demigods whose parents were not only members of the Big Three but also of the Archaic Triad.

Knowing the battle was lost he tried to run only to find his lang ensnared by vines. He turned to see the redhead had her free hand out. The Horse frowned. Demeter's kids did have some control over plants but usually not to this decree the with the exception of-

Since Cora and David were able to take care of most of the pandai leaving Gabriel and Helena to mop up what was left. Once all the Pandai had been dealt with, the five demigods turned their attention to the horse who was struggling fiercely against the restraints and a number of times almost breaking free. This forced Pamela to summon more vines to reinforce the restraints as the angry Stallion let out a stream of latin curses.

"YOU INSOLENT BRATS," he snarled, "DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO YOU'RE MESSING WITH."

"Don't know, don't care, David replied, "and unless you're some kind of Horse God, I'm not particularly worried.

"I AM INCITATUS," The Horse shrieked. "THE RIGHT HAND OF NEOS HELIOS."

Gabriel chuckled, "I get the funniest feeling that's supposed to mean something to us."

"It will mean a great deal once he's done with you," Incitatus snarled.

"What is he the Beast or something?" David joked twirling his swordstaff.

"Ah, so you know of my master's kinsman." The Stallion laughed, "You meddling fools have no idea what you've gotten yourselves into."

"You seem to like talking my little pony," David quipped as he put the tip of his blade to the Horse's neck. "Perhaps you wouldn't mind talking to her." He gestured to Pamela who stepped forward, staff in hand.

The horse noted her for a moment and snorted. "I can't believe I didn't recognize your stench earlier. You smell just like that little brat."

Pamela raised her hand and two more vines sprung out wrapping themselves around the horsed neck and torso. "And that's the only reason I haven't killed you yet," Pamela snarled. She placed the blade of her kale to one of the horse's trapped legs. "So, unless you want to become a lame horse, I suggest you answer my questions." She leaned in close just a breath away from the horse's face. "What are you doing here?"

"Taking care of some unfinished business," The horse snarled. "When my master razed this place to the ground years ago, he thought that he destroyed those infernal seeds with it. But were heard whispers that claimed otherwise and seeing hos stubborn those ingrate dryads are being it seems they were correct."

"Well, it seems you have failed," Pamela replied. "Now for the next question, where...is...my...sister?"

The Stallion chuckled, "oh don't fret little girl, she's alive and under the loving care of my master's kinsman. He's training her you see and she's growing into quite a powerful child herself."

Pamela's glare hardened, "WHERE IS SHE YOU STUPID HORSE!"

Incitatus scoffed, "Temper Temper, daughter of Demeter, whatever you do to me I promise my master will give her tenfold. Incitatus grinned, "he's not exactly known for his cool head."

This was enough to stay her hands and Pamela backed away slightly. The horse chuckled and said, "In any case I don't know where she is, the beast keeps her hidden waiting to unleash her once her training is complete."

Pamela's hopes deflated, at not being able to complete her second objective but David had other Ideas. "Then I guess the only thing for us to do is use you as a bargaining chip. "Let's see how much your master values you. We will then trade you for her sister."

The horse's ears picked up and he looked around, he turned to David with a sneer. "I won't be captive for long."

The ground suddenly shook, six ant-like myrmekes and 3 pit scorpions emerged and started attacking the demigods. While they were distracted 2 more myrmenkes went over to Incitatus and used their mandibles to cut the vines holding him. Once he was free Incitatus made a run for it but not before pausing to taunt the heroes one last time. "Enjoy your victory daughter of Demeter, temporary as it is." He then turned and galloped away.

The ants sprayed their acid, but

David, Gabriel and Cora were fending off the Scorpions while Pamela and Helena fought the myrmenkes. One pit scorpion leaped into the air trying to pounce on David, the boy let out a gust of wind which sent it flying in the opposite direction onto it's back David wasted no time in rushing over and drove his staff through the scorpion's body as it tried to right itself.

Pamela was trying to kill the myrmenke only to find that her blade did nothing against their hides. Looking at Helena Pamela found that she was having similar luck.

"Hit them from below," the Dryad cried out to them.

"Oohh soft underbellies huh?" Helena concluded, "let's see how ticklish they are."

"Also hit the antennae," Gabriel shouted, "they're helpless without them."

Taking their words to heart, Pamela performed an undercut with her staff. The curved blade came up under the giant ant that hit its abdomen, causing it to bleed profusely, the ant staggered back while its companion continued the fight. Pamela performed the same maneuver this time getting the thorax.

Meanwhile Helane took a different approach and jumped on the myrrmenke's back keeping her distance from the ant's mandibles. She then grabbed one of the ant's antennae, swung her flail at it breaking it. she did the same to the second antennae she jumped off as the myrmenke started flailing and crawling about blindly. Helene turned to fight the second Myrmenke but this one kept its distance and instead let out a green gas.

Gabriel and Cora were able to fight off their own opponents deflecting the stingers with their shields before striking with their weapons. The Scorpions tried to grab them with their stingers, But Gabriel leaped unto the scorpions back and severed the tail with his spatha. With the main weapon out of the way Gabriel turned and drove his sword down into the scorpion's skull.

Cora drove her trident deep through the Scorpions mouth as she continued to fend off when a torrent of lightning shocked them both. The scorpion grabbed Cora in its pincers and started to squeeze. She blocked another blow from the stinger and stabbed the pincer arm with her trident. She then adjusted her grip and thrust her weapon into one of the scorpion's eyes causing it to release her. It then stumbled when Gabriel came and started slicing its left legs.

A cry was heard as Cora saw Helena get sprayed by the ant. Forgetting the spray, Cora rushed over and with her shield raised slammed into the giant and knocking it on its back Core then stepped forward and stabbed the myrmenke in the abdomen killing it. Gabriel decided to finish the injured scorpion himself while David took out the blind myrmenke which was still stumbling around.

David looked around, they won the battle, but the Horse had escaped, and what's worse they didn't get out of the fight unscathed. Helena had sprayed by the ant's poison, and Pamela... She was lying on the ground still her breathing shallow. She had been stung by one of the scorpions. With haste, David rifled through his bag and pulled out a bottle of nectar. He rushed over to Pamela and lifted her up gently. With her head on his lap, He gently poured the liquid gently into her mouth and rubbed her throat so she could swallow. Cora tended to Helena's injuries, while David took care of Pamela.

As they tended to their wounds two dryads emerged a male and female. They checked their injured companion who whispered in their ear. Whatever it was it got their attention as then quickly made their way to Pamela.

One, a large young woman, placed her hand on Pamela's forehead before looking at Come with us quickly," she said. "We'll help your friends as best we can."

David nodded and together the Dryads and Demigods helped carry Pamela and Helena to a hidden cave under one of the damaged green houses. There several more Dryads were there. The Dryads helped tend to the demigods and afterwards settle down to rest.

The next morning everyone got acquainted, the Dryads introduced themselves as Aloe Vera, Joshua, Money Maker, Reba and Agave. Pamela was now awake and talking with the injured Dryad, Prickly Pear who seemed to be their leader. She had her arms folded and was constantly frowning. Her hair was as spiky as the dress she wore. She was a stark contrast to her friend Aloa, who seemed kinder and acted more like a mother.

"So, they were here for the Meliai too?" Pamela asked.

Pear nodded, "They came the day before and started trashing the place, I manage to kill several of those big eared freaks, but they manage to capture me while the others hid."

"Good thing we came when we did," Pamela replied.

"Well, it's more than the Olympians have done," Pear replied. You would think that Zeus would show more consideration since the Meliai raised him, but I guess he was just too busy bonking afternoon delight number 369." She shook her head, "so, why do you want the Meliei?"

"My mother sent me here to collect them for safe keeping, Pamela answered, "and from what i just witnessed I now understand why."

Pear nodded, "yes, Triumvirate Holdings is hell bent on their destruction." Her scowl deepened, "I guess they realized that their first attempt to destroy them had failed."

"What can we do to help?" Pamela asked.

"I take it you have something in mind." Pear inquired.

"If Triumvirate Holdings wants them so badly then they won't stop until they have them. So as long as the Meliai are here you won't be safe. But if we take these things to Camp Half Blood, they won't feel the need to come here and the Meliai will be in a place even Triumvirate Holdings cannot touch."

The Dryads looked at each other unsure.

Philip McCaffrey built this place for the Meliai to grow." Pear pointed out, "It doesn't seem right that they grow somewhere else."

"I was only told to hold them for safekeeping," Pamela assured her, "If it is your wish that Philip McCaffrey's daughter to awaken them here then I will honour your request. But until I find my sister, The Meliai need to be kept safe."

Going off to a corner the Dryad talked amongst themselves about what to do.

"Can we trust her?" Joshua wondered.

"I'm not sure," Pear admitted, "but the real question is, would this be worth the risk?"

"She's Demeter's daughter surely she can be?" Aloe said hopefully.

"I still don't want to entrust the Meliai to strangers," Pear grumbled.

"But if Meg's mother herself sent Pamela for them, can we really refuse?" Aloe wondered.

"They may be our best chance, if only to ensure their safety," Joshua admitted.

"We kept them safe this long." Pear pointed out.

"That's only because the Triumvirate didn't know the Meliai still existed," Joshua replied. "But the son of Zeus is right. We may have driven off now but next time they will soon return and in greater force. They will raze this place to the ground to find them."

"Even so they may just destroy it for spite," Pear sighed.

"But if the Meliai are destroyed, what will it matter, all Philip's work, our sacrifices will have been for nothing," Joshua turned to Pear and Aloe.

After a long discussion, the dryads made a decision, Pear led Pamela along down a tunnel while the other demigods stayed behind. Navigating through the cave system they came upon an opening where a pool was. Pear stopped and started digging at a particular spot. Finally, she stood up and nestled in the palms of her hands were seven seeds, they looked like walnuts except brown and they seem to twitch every now and then like Mexican jumping beans. Pamela held out her hands but before Pear handed them out, she said. "Many of us died preserving these seeds, Pamela Clementine. Swear to me on the River Styx that you will guard these with your life."

Pamela nodded, "I swear on the River Styx That I will protect the Meliai at any cost." Thunder rumbled se4aling the pact and with that Pear gently placed the seed in Pamela's cupped hands. Pamela then placed then in a small leather pouch which she put inside a metal box with a towel to act as padding that needed a key to open. She then put the box inside her bag and the two headed back. Once she reunited with her friends, The group decided to stay until they recovered before beginning the journey home.

That midnight, David awoke and finding himself unable to go back to sleep decided to go out for some fresh air. Outside it suddenly occurred to him that the air was a bit fresher than what he was used to. Rain has started to fall and on a whim he decided to take the opportunity to practice. Taking out his swordstaff, he started whirling it around and around batting the raindrops away before they touched him, he continued like this until the rain stopped. Once it had the ground around him was soaked yet he was completely dry. A gust of wind almost like warm breath hit the back of his head and David realized he wasn't alone.

"I had nearly forgotten how powerful the Children of Zeus could be," a feminine voice spoke. "I only hope your brother will be just as promising."

David whirled around and took a defensive stance with his spear raised high. Before him was the biggest wolf he had ever seen. It stood seven feet tall with dark fur and silver eyes that gleamed in the moonlight.

David tightened his grip on his staff waiting for the right moment to strike when the wolf began to speak. "Peace young Roosevelt, I am not your enemy."

David paused, not sure whether this was a trick or not, like what the cyclops do. Then again, he wasn't familiar with any wolf monsters of Greek mythology. Wolves were sacred to Artemis but considering how she was with males that didn't boost his confidence. However, something about the wolf told David that she was telling the truth. She had some sort of aura around her that he didn't sense in monsters.

David raised his staff until it was vertical and leaning his weight against it, "Who are you?" he asked, "you're no monster that much is certain, and you don't seem like the type that would serve Lady Artemis. So, I'm going to guess Immortal or Goddess."

The wolf nodded, "very observant son of Zeus. You must have gotten your brains from your mother." David chuckled as the wolf continued, "I am Lupa, mentor of the Roman Demigods, you could say I am the Chiron of Camp Jupiter." She leaned forward, so that her head was level to David's. "It seems you have unintentionally complicated certain matters. Matters that need to be addressed."

Chapter 13: Of Wolves and Boars

Chapter Text

When the Wolf introduced herself, David gave her a deep bow. He didn't know much about her except being the wolf that nursed the founders of Rome. If she was anything like Chiron and since he hadn't heard any tales about her abusing mortals, he would remain courteous, until the future proved different.

"What matters have I complicated Lady Lupa?" David asked as he raised his head.

'You have met some of my students," Lupa replied as she sat on her hind legs. "It's no fault of your own. I knew it was only a matter of time before the students' of our camps crossed paths. With yours coming west and mine coming east on separate quests."

"Why is that a problem?" David wondered. "Surely we could accomplish much by working together."

"A nice sentiment, but sadly mistaken," Lupa said. "As you learned from Gabriel, our policies differ greatly when it comes to running our camps. This is because the Gods themselves are different. For example, while Zeus and Jupiter are technically the same person, they become almost someone else entirely greatly in personality, values and even power. Jupiter is less arrogant, more paternal. Another instance is Mars and Ares. Mars is honorable, more powerful, more disciplined, and far less blood thirsty.

"So, it's like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," David concluded. 'Damn,' he thought, 'why couldn't I be born to Jupiter.'

"Then you wouldn't be able to go to Camp Half Blood," a voice told him, "And who would look after their wellbeing if not you?"

Lupa shrugged, "in a way. As their personalities often don't see eye to eye, which greatly influenced their children. This caused tension and strife amongst their children, until finally, a Civil war broke out. One that tore the whole nation apart much like The Children of the Big Three did the same to the world in the last World War.

"You mean the American Civil war was started by us?" David exclaimed in disbelief. " He figured there would be a rivalry, but he never imagined it would get THAT bad.

Lupa nodded, "And that is why after the war ended, we separated out two camps. With the Roman Demigods residing in the west and the Greeks in the east. For generations we have worked to keep our factions secret from one another.

"But now that we have met Roman Demigods, this could unravel that work," David concluded and Lupa responded with a nod. "What can be done to fix this?"

"Once this quest is over, I intend to erase the memories of your friends about Gabriel, Cora and everything they said about Camp Jupiter. But I will allow them to keep their memories about the Amazons.

"And I?" David asked slightly worried, "will you not give me the same treatment?"

Lupa shook her head, "this unexpected meeting has told me that it's only a matter of time before the Two Camps discover each other again. When it does happen, it may not be under favourable conditions. Perhaps your coming is a sign, one that can lead to the first steps at reconciliation."

"So, what would you ask of me?"

"I have heard about what you're trying to do at Camp Half Blood. This act tells me you are someone with integrity, so I will make you an offer. I will let you alone keep these memories, if you swear on the River Styx to not tell anyone in Camp Half Blood about us," Lupa replied. "Also, as a gesture of good faith, I will also let you see your little brother."

This caught David's attention, Nana did tell him he had younger siblings, and he did want to try and look for them and hopefully bring them to Camp. The issue was he didn't know where they were or even where to start looking. David narrowed his eyes, "what do you know about him?" He demanded.

"His mother gave him to me to protect him from Juno. Your sister understandably didn't take this well and ran off not long after. As with all Roman demigods I tested him to see if he was worthy or not, since then he has been under my care. But only time will tell whether my teachings will get him to Camp Jupiter."

"Where is he?" David asked insistently. Lupa pawed the ground and suddenly they were standing in front of what looked like ancient ruins, a mass of stone and Guided David inside and after passing a few corridors and room stopped at a particular one. Lupa made a gesture and David stepped inside. There, swinging a stick at a dummy was a toddler about 3 years old. Unlike him he had golden blonde hair but what caught his attention was his electric blue eyes that resembled his left one. David just stood there leaning against the doorway watching him. The boy was tall for his age with a small scar in the corner of his mouth and from what he could see he had promise.

The boy finally took notice of him and turned, David simply smiled, "hello Jason," he said.

"Who you?" Jason asked.

"I am David," David placed a hand on his chest.

"Day-ved."

David chuckled, "yes, we have the same Papa."

"You know papa?" Jason's eyes widened with excitement.

David shook his head, "I never met him."

Jason's face fell, "you have eye like me and Thalia."

David nodded, "yes, all of papa's kids have eyes like this," he said pointing to his left orb.

"Why this eye green?" Jason asked pointing to his right one.

"My mama's eye," David replied.

They spend the rest of the time Talking David showed off his weapon and Jason simply watched in awe at seeing him wield it.

"I wanna do that too," Jason exclaimed picking up his stick and waved it around as fast as he could. He lost his footing and stumbled only for David to catch him, before he hit the ground.

"And so you shall Jason," David promised, "so you shall."

A growl from outside told David that it was time to go. "I have to go now Jason, it's time for me to leave."

Jason was crushed and grabbed his hand, "will you be back?"

David looked at Lupa and a silent look told him. he turned back to Jason. "One day, but that is up to Lupa. He knelt down and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "Remember to behave and listen to your mentor and do as she tells you. She can make you into the hero you want to be."

Jason nodded as David stood up and followed Lupa outside the structure, she pawed the ground again and they were back at Palm Springs. David then turned to Lupa, "I know I can't tell anyone about Camp Jupiter, but can I at least I tell Thalia if I see her? It's only fair that she knows her brother is okay."

Lupa thought for a moment and nodded, "very well, you may tell her about Jason but naught else."

"That won't be difficult seeing as I don't even know where Camp Jupiter is," David reasoned. He then raised his hand "I. David Roosevelt do hereby swear on the River Styx to never tell anyone else about Camp Jupiter." Thunder rolled across the sky sealing the vow and Lupa nodded. "Now that matter is settled, I shall take my leave," the wolf then turned to him. "Remember David, only Thalia, if you break your vow, I will rip you to shreds." She then placed a paw on his face and with her claws dug three light scratches across his cheek.

David nodded, "I wouldn't expect anything less." With that, a mist formed, and the wolf disappeared.

David opened his eyes and looked around, morning had come. 'I should have known it was a dream,' he thought, the dance he did in the rain should have been the first sign. 'I'm not that good,' he thought, 'at least not yet.' he stood up and walked out to where the others were having breakfast, Gabriel saw him come in, "hey sleeping beauty awakes." Pamela turned and smiled to him before frowning. "David did you get in a fight last night?"

David froze, "I did go out last night for some air, why?"

"You have a little something on your- " Cora gestured to her own left cheek.

David took out his blade to see his reflection and sure enough there on his left cheek were three distinct scratches. 'So, it was real,' he thought, 'or at least part of it was.' Thinking quickly, David nodded, "yeah just a couple of hellhounds."

Pamela sighed heavily, "can't they leave you alone for a second."

"Do hellhounds attack you often?" Gabriel asked, David nodded and Gabriel didn't question further.

"In any case thank you for helping us," David added gratefully. "Since you fulfilled your end of the bargain, I am honour bound to fulfill mine. What is your quest then?"

"We are to recover a cache of imperial gold from theCSS Texas." Cora replied.

"CSS Texas?" David wondered, "that's a Confederate ship isn't it?"

Gabriel nodded and began the tale. "Two days before the fall of Richmond in '65, the Confederates gathered what remained of their gold Bullion they had left and loaded it onto the Ironclad. The plan was to sail it to the lowest tip of Florida where a Raider was waiting to transport it Island hopping all the way to Brazil. But the ship never made it to the rendezvous point."

"Do you know where it is?" Helena asked.

"Confederate Ironclads were not built for open ocean sailing," Cora explained. "But thanks to magic from my father the ship was able to do 14 knots making it extraordinarily fast even for an ironclad. Our best guess is the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida. It was the best natural port at the time and the only choice available along that route since Charleston, Savannah and Wilmington were already in the hands of the North."

David turned to Pamela and Helena silently asking their thoughts on the matter.

Helena shrugged, "why not, it's on the way back anyway."

"They helped us when they didn't have to Pamela added, it wouldn't be right for us not to return the favour."

David nodded, "then I guess we're all agreement." He looked over to Gabriel and Cora, "so how will we get there? Bus? Train? Foot?"

Gabriel shook his head, "traveling by foot would take a month, we'll go to Maricopa and take a train to New Orleans. Then it's Greyhound hopping to Jacksonville."

As everyone got packed to leave, Pamela took the time to say farewell to the Dryads. Vera wrapped her in a tight hug. "Be careful dear," she said, "We wouldn;'t want anything to happen to you anymore than the seeds."

Pamela nodded, "don't worry, I'll be fine, you just worry about yourselves now, that bad horse is bound to be upset."

Pear shrugged, "just so long as the meliai end up sprouting then our sacrifice will not be in vain. Just remember your vow Pamela, we are taking a risk entrusting you with them."

After stashing the seeds away, the group headed off. Since they had no transportation, they had to hike on foot to the bus stop and take a bus from palm Springs to Phoenix. From there, they walked to Tempe to get on another bus straight Maricopa.

Thankfully, unlike the last time this train ride was uneventful, and they were able to reach New Orleans without issue. It was the same for the first greyhound to Tallahassee. Itt was when they hopped on the next greyhound that trouble occurred. Several women entered the bus before the doors closed.

The bus was barely out of the city limits when David began hearing a loud hissing noise. Looking around he noted that the passengers were now all fast asleep even though it was only 10 AM. Everyone except for the women who had recently boarded. He focused on them for a moment when he noticed that their dresses looked scaley, in fact, those dresses seemed to fit too tightly around their legs. David turned to tell the others, but it seemed Gabriel and Cora had already caught on. "Scythian Dracanae," Gabriel snarled drawing his sword. With a gesture to Pamela and Helena, they all stood up just as the women did the same, drawing weapons from their dresses as the Demigods did the same. David used the length of his staff to fend them off while Gabriel smashed on of the windows so the others could get out.

The commotion caused the Driver to stop the bus and look back. Seeing an opening, the kids squeezed their way out of the broken window. As Cora got out, she used her trident to pierce the tire so the bus wouldn't drive off, Helena broke into the baggage compartment to retrieve their bags. Gabriel killed two of the Dracanae before jumping out the window himself. Once they got their bags the demigods bolted along the road as fast as they could. The Dracanae chased after them but now that they were were in open space and no witnesses the demigods were able to act fully and killed the remaining monsters.

With their bus plans in ruins the group was left with no option but to travel to Jacksonville on foot, following Interstate 10. They encountered more monsters along the way, but these were quickly dealt with.

Along the way, David would spar with Gabriel and Cora to test their mettle. Cora proved to be a worthy opponent, her skill with a Trident matched the spear mastery of Cindy Granger and was able to land several blows on him. But David was able to emerge victorious more often than naught. She even sparred with Pamela and Helena simultaneously, soundly beating them and even teaching Pamela some moves.

Gabriel on the other hand was a different matter. Even though David was older, stronger and faster, during their matches it was clear to David that the Roman Praetor was the superior combatant. Though not on the same level as Robin, Gabriel was able to retain the upper hand and knock the son of Zeus to the ground 8 times out of 10. As Mars was a culmination of both Ares and Athena, his son seemed to inherit these attributes. The best comparison David could make was that Gabriel had the strength and ferocity of Brock with the calculated precision of Cindy, a well-balanced combination. This illustrated how Gabriel could become a camp leader at such a young age. People like Robin, Gabriel, Brock and even Cindy that reminded David that he still had much to learn. As the old saying goes, 'there's always a bigger fish.' This only fueled his determination to train harder and push himself further.

This reprieve ended when their path took them into the Osceola National Forest. As they made camp on the second night, an ear-splitting squeal was heard. They darted into some bushes just as trees were knocked down to reveal the largest boar David had ever seen. It's burning, bloodshot eyes glowed like fire embers, its body lined with rough, thick bristles sharp as needles and tucks that would put an elephant to shame.

'Okay,' David thought, 'you're either the Calydonian Boar or the Erymanthian Boar.' As if to answer, the Boar opened its mouth and lightning shot forth in a gut-wrenching belch. 'Definitely Calydonian,' David concluded.

Pamela tried to trap its legs with vines but the boar snapped through them like overcooked noodles. The Demigods struck at it with their weapons, and though they drew blood, these wounds only seemed to anger the creature rather than weaken it as he lashed out in a rage barely missing it's quarry by inches.

Gabriel pulled out a pilum and hurled it at the boar as it was charging him. the weapon hit one of its eyes causing it to veer off and crash into a tree. It's huge tusks jamming into the trunk.

Cora took the opportunity to leap onto it's back and tried stabbing its hide with her trident "tough old porker, isn't he?" She quipped.

"Well, it did take 3 legends and 50 others to take this thing down." David replied as he leaped into the air to try and take it down from there.

"Who else went after this thing besides Atalanta?" Pamela wondered as she lashed vine after vine around the boar's hind legs.

"Jason," (hack), "Theseus," (stab), "Iolaus," (slash), "Nestor," (slice). "The rest of them aren't worth knowing," David quipped as he continued trying to cut into the boar's thick neck.

The Boar looked look at David and opened its mouth. Getting an idea on what was about to happen, David braced himself. "BACK AWAY," he roared as lightning shot out of its mouth straight at David as the others got to a safer distance. David absorbed the lightning with his free hand and channeled it through his weapon straight at the beast. The boar squealed and stumbled as lightning coursed through its body. It was able to break free by ripping the tree out and swinging it wildly causing the demigods to back away to avoid the branches and roots.

Pamela tried to slice the Boar's legs with her kama staff, but this only caught the boar's attention as it spotted her out of the corner of its eye. The board swung its head around the tree poised to slam into her. Panicked David swooped in and pushed her out of the way just as the tree made contact with David's chest. sending him flying back into the trunk of another tree. David curled up in pain as he clutched his chest.

"DAVID!" Pamela shrieked as she stumbled to her feet and rushed over to him, while the others tried to get the boar's attention. but it was no use, the boar had sensed him as he followed the direction of Pamela's voice. Unable to drag him to safety and risk worsening his injuries. Pamela stood up and gripped her staff. She called forth more vines that entangled the tree and pulled it to the side. Pamela started throwing as many vines as she could to try and anchor the tree. But this gave the boar the leverage it needed to pry the tree from its trunks. Now free the Boar turned back to Pamela and after pawing the ground charged.

Just as the boar was about to crush her, there was a flash of light and the boar stumbled to the side. Blood gushed out of its remaining eye where a glowing arrow was sticking out. Falling on its side, another flash of light appeared as another arrow lodged itself into the base of the boar's throat. The beast's true weak spot.

David frowned as the rest of them looked around confused as to what just happened, all except Cora who closed her eyes, "hello Robin."

A familiar hooded figure in green and clutching a bow stepped out of the shadows and gave Cora a nod, "Queen Cora."

David didn't have time to question as his wounds overcame him and the world went black.

Chapter 14: David and the Giant

Chapter Text

David opened his eyes to find his short off and torso wrapped in bandages. Groaning he manage to get himself upright albeit very painfully. He rubbed the part of his chest where the tree trunk hit his chest. David frowned that was the first monster that had gotten the best of him so far. Then again, the Calydonian boar was basically the 'attack dog' for the Goddess of the Hunt.

Still, it would have been embarrassing if he had died. David Roosevelt, son of Zeus, murdered by a pig. He almost laughed but the pain it caused prevented him from doing it.

The tent flap opened, and David saw a familiar face, "glad to see you're awake."

David smiled, "good to see you too old friend."

Robin took a knee and placed a hand on his shoulder, "how are you feeling?"

David frowned, "like I got hit by a train."

Robin hmphed, "I'll say, by all rights you should be dead. Either you are extremely lucky, or the children of Zeus are more resilient than I believed. Considering how long I've been around, I've met many of his children, so that's saying something."

"Robin," David said slowly, "if you say I'm the second coming of Hercules I will crush your teeth into dust."

Robin cocked an eyebrow in amusement, "not a fan?"

David frowned, "I'd just prefer to make my own mark instead of being in the shadow of my siblings."

Robin shrugged, "Fair enough, but considering the legacy of Hercules and Perseus that will be difficult to do."

"Yes," David said slowly, "yes it will." Changing the subject, David asked about the others, "Are the others, okay?"

Robin nodded, "they have a few bruises and cuts, but you seemed to have gotten the worse of it."

"Better me than them I suppose," David replied grimly rubbing his chest. He sighed deeply, "How long was I out?"

"About five days," Robin said, "but with more ambrosia and nectar you'll be as good as new with another day or two of rest."

David nodded, as the tent flap opened again, and Pamela entered. "Is he awake?" She asked before seeing David sitting up.

David smirked, "well I'm not in a body cast drinking through a straw. So, I believe so."

"David" She cried dropping to her knew in front of him. "When you passed out, I thought you... I mean I was worried that..." David smiled and put a finger to her lips, "I'm sorry if I worried you. But Robin says I'll be alright."

Pamela shook her head, "you saved me, I would have... if you hadn't... well what I mean is, thank you."

David smiled, "you're welcome. But if you should thank anyone it's Robin, he slew the boar." He turned to his mentor, "lucky for us you were around."

Robin shook his head, "not luck, I've been hunting that thing for a week. I used to be able to hunt him but as time went on, the boar has started to avoid me, whenever I'm around."

'So, the boar has been learning,' David thought. 'Thousands of years of being hunted by multiple demigods, no wonder he was so tough to take down.'

Pamela handed him a water bottle, which David took gratefully, after taking a good long swig, he handed the bottle back."

"So how is your first quest going," Robin asked.

David frowned, "I definitely need more training."

Robin shook his head, "the fact that you were able to hold on as long as you did without bows is impressive."

"Still," David insisted, "I was unable to take it down, I can't always rely on you to bail me out every time."

Robin scratched his chin, "true, a son of Zeus should be able to stand on his own two feet, but there is nothing wrong with accepting help every once in a while."

David nodded in acceptance and decided to get some fresh air. After getting dressed, David headed out of the tent. Outside he saw Robin sparing with Helena, while the other three watched. When Cora noticed him, she scooted over so he could sit down.

"How is she doing?" David asked knowing who was winning.

Cora nodded in approval. "Not bad, considering her youth, size and lack of experience. Though considering it's Robin she's fighting, defeat is guaranteed."

Indeed, Helena was growing frustrated as she viciously attacked. Robin deftly blocked her attacks it was clear he barely had to try against her. Helena to her credit didn't back down and was able to dodge when Robin went on the offensive. Her nimbler body hopped and flipped around and over Robin's staff much to his approval.

"Did your father Hoss teach you?" He asked.

"Yeah," Helena nodded, "how did you know?"

Robin grinned, "I taught Hoss." Hearing her take a misstep at this news, Robin whirled around, tripping Helena's legs and causing her to fall on her back. She tried to grab her weapon, but robin placed a foot on her forearm and his staff pressed against her throat. Knowing she had been beaten, Helena opened her hands in surrender and the Huntsman released her.

Helena got up, picked up her weapons and sat back down next to Pamela, Cora patted her on the back "Well done Helena, you lasted longer this time."

Robin nodded, "Hoss taught her well, maybe you can make an amazon out of her in no time."

David noted the familiarity in with she spoke of him "So you two know each other?"

Cora nodded, "Robin comes to us every now and then. Sometimes too he helps with a monster but usually he's helping to escort rogue hunters of Artemis to our camps. Half of our ranks are filled due to his help."

"That must make the goddess and her hunters angry."

Cora nodded, "very, but fortunately Lady Bellona protects us, even the Goddess of the Hunt is no match for her in a fist fight."

David looked concerned, "have you fought in the past."

Cora shrugged, "ohh every now and then we get into a skirmish or two. Over this and our male companions. Fortunately, no one is killed, despite our differences we do work together to fight our common enemies."

"Monsters?"

"And wicked men, though the hunters have a tendency to overreact whenever men are around. shapeshifting any that look at them the wrong way."

"I met them once," Helena replied. "Their leader tried to recruit me into their ranks."

"A temperamental individual," Cora admitted. "But a decent woman to have my back whether it's during a hunt or in a fight," she added. "She not so bad once you get to know her."

"I doubt either of us can stay that long," Gabriel japed gesturing towards himself and David, "especially him." He gaze now on David.

David sighed, "let me guess, my father?"

Cora shook her head, "Herc."

David frowned, "wonderful, one more powerful being to despise my existence." A thought occurred to him. "Did, did he..." he couldn't bring himself to say the word for fea that his brother decided to follow their father's example in his more...violent tendencies."

Cora shook her head, "no nothing that bad, but he did hurt her that much is certain."

David scowled, "perhaps I should have a word with him if he ever cross paths."

Gabriel chuckled, "you? Take on Hercules. He'll kill you with his thumb."

'Somebody has to take a stand." David replied.

After resting for two more days, David was finally well enough to travel, and the group continued their journey in earnest finally exiting the forest. About a day later they reached Jacksonville.

"Searching the river will be difficult enough," David noted. "But what if the ship in under water? How will we get to it? More importantly, how will we transport the gold?

"My father has a vessel waiting for us," Cora replied. "As for the location, father sent a squad of Atlanteans to find it."

"That should make our job easier," Gabriel sighed in relief, "I don't relish spending the rest of my life searching this damned river for them.

The vessel in question turned out to be a tugboat at Port 32. It resembled the Cape Romain, but it had a water cannon in the front and a crane in the back with a diving bell. At the helm was a map with a dot marking the location. Cora took the helm and David commandeered the water cannon. Despite this being in the water especially this deep made him nervous. The Demigods sailed down river to Doctors Lake.

They tried the deeper parts since had CSS Texas sunk someplace shallower somebody would have noticed. Using a viewing bucket Cora searched until she saw some strange camouflage. Taking off their armour Cora and Gabriel took a dive using the bell while the rest stayed behind to guard the boat and operate the crane.

Slipping in through an open gunport, Coral snaked through the ruined decks of the ship until she got to the lower part and found a large stash of crates. Using the crane, Gabe and Cora were able to pull the crates up one by one unto the boat until they got them all. Once the last crate was loaded, they pried open one of them to reveal the stash inside dozens of bars of Imperial Gold enough to equip Camp Jupiter many times over.

Gabriel's eyes shined at the sight and turned to Cora, "You did it," he said as he and Cora hugged tightly.

"We did it," Cora corrected him, "though all things considered this was easy."

Hearing this caused David to frown, "hmm, too easy perhaps."

This silenced everyone and a wave of unease washed over them. While the journey was full of perils the recovery of the gold had been a walk in the park and any demigod who had done this knows that Quests were never this simple.

Taking the helm, Cora immediately set the boat out as fast as it could go. As they did Gabriel put his armour back on and readied his weapons, once he did, he took the wheel so Cora could do the same. By the time they were all ready, they had made it out of the lake when something struck the boat's port side rocking it violently. another hit struck the starboard rocking it again. The Demigods looked over the side to try and see what was going on. Then, the river began to churn, and the boat began to shake against the rapidly forming waves. The water to the starboard side exploded and from it emerged the largest monster David had seen so far. The thing was as big as a skyscraper and if David had to make a comparison its length rivalled the height of the Chrystler Building.

A large head looked down and spotted the boat and demigods with its massive eyes. Its serpentine body was massive and that was just the part of the body that had risen from the river not including the rest of it down under. The mountainous back was lined with spines and fins with a pair of flippers towards the frons and ending with a tail fin that splashed the water creating large waves. The sharp snout opened to let out a deafening roar revealing triple rows of teeth with some barbed and curved back while others were straight, sharp and longer than David was tall.

"Cetus Trojas," Gabriel snarled.

Cora leaped forward and turned to David, "you three get the boat to safety, we will handle this beast."

David shook his head, "no, we're staying we can help."

Gabriel put a hand on David's shoulder, "we appreciate your help, but if this quest is going to mean anything it has to be us."

David sighed, as much as he wanted to aid them, he knew that if they got help from the Greek demigods the success of the quest may not be recognized, so he reluctantly agreed.

Cora dived into the water and a few moments later shot up on a waterspout so that she now level with the monster's head and began slashing and thrusting at it with her trident. While she distracted it Gabriel ran up and jumped onto the monsters back spatha drawn.

As the romans fought the monster. David steered the tug to the nearby shore at pineapple point. They got out as they surveyed the fight from the shoreline.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Pamela asked worried.

David frowned, "that's the biggest monster we've faced. But as the son of war and the daughter of the sea, I wouldn't bet against them."

"I wish we could help them," Helena scowled. I don't like the idea of just sitting here hoping for the best."

David nodded; he hated being helpless like this but then again, he can't always be there to hold everyone's hand.

"Uhh...guys," Pamela stammered. "I don't think we need to worry about just sitting back."

A rustling behind them caused David ana Helena to turn around to see a large group of Scythian Dracaena surrounding them armed to the teeth. David rolled his eyes as he and the girls drew their weapons, "these bitches again."

"You ssssshall pay for sssslaying our sssissssters, sssson of Zeussss." Their leader hissed.

"Ooohhh, noooo I'm ssshhhaking in my sssshhhhoessss," David replied mocking their manner of speech."

The leader shrieked in anger and with a cry her followers charged the three. Pamela called up vines ensnaring the dracaena while David let rained a torrent of lightning on them while Helena engaged the leader as she was charging David. Despite being outnumbered, the demigod's powers combined with their honed skills were able to eliminate most of the monsters. Seeing that the fight was lost, the leader knocked Helena back before fleeing. David chased after her while Pamela and Helena stayed to deal with the remaining Dracaena.

David chased the leader farther inland than he intended. By the time he caught up with her he had already gone a mile from the shore. He raised his left hand sending a bolt of lightning into her back causing her to stumble and fall. He leaped into the air and with his staff raised above his head plunged it into her head piercing the ground below. She dissolved into dust and David picked up his prize. He was about to turn back when a voice growled from the side. "David Roosevelt."

David turned to see a giant standing before him. He was about 20-feet tall from what David could tell. With cherry red skin and rust coloured hair fixed into dreadlocks. He wore a tunic made of numerous sheep hides crudely stitched together over green leather. His face and the parts of him were not covered revealed innumerable scars. His legs David noted were reptilian in nature and in his hand was a bone coloured lance taller than the giant was with a head the size of a weaver's beam.

Expecting a fight David raised his staff but the giant responded by lowering his weapon. Though that could be due th the major height difference between them, the Giant spoke once more, "I see it now, you are definitely her son."

"What's it to you?" David demanded keeping his guard up.

The Giant raised his hand, "peace, son of Zeus, I came to talk and try and reason with you, to try and prevent you from making a mistake."

"And what would that be?" David wondered.

"You cannot trust your mother, she is using you, leading you down a path you shouldn't. Whatever it is it won't end well for you or those you care about."

"Oh really?" David leaned against his staff in amusement, "And what makes you such an expert on my mother and her motives."

"Because I know her," the giant replied. "Oh, sure she'll act as warm and caring a mother that anyone could ask for. But if you don't go along with her wishes, she will turn her back on you like any other Olympian." The Giant bowed his head, "I know this better than most and for eons she had made me suffer for the choice I made.

David rolled his eyes, "you're crying in the rain pal. If there's supposed to be a contest between who's the better parent, I can assure you mother is winning so far."

The Giant sighed, "she's using you, David. Whatever differences you have with your father. You are nothing more than a tool for your mother's schemes."

"And pray tell, what are her schemes?" David asked bemused. "Besides her wanting to awake."

"To overthrow your father."

"Well, she better take a number and get in line," David scoffed.

"Please David," the giant begged, "You don't know what you're doing."

"I also don't know you; you say I can't trust my mother, yet you expect me to trust you." He smirked.

The giant frowned, "if I told you who I was, you may be less willing to trust me."

"Well that hardly helps your case." David scoffed. "My mother wants to awaken, and I intend to help her. But if my father or any Olympian tries to interfere, then I will fight them, come monster, giant or god."

The giant bowed his head, "as you wish. If I cannot stop you, then I have no choice but to warn Zeus of the danger."

David watched the giant turned to leave when a voice said in his head, "you must stop him, If Zeus get the slightest inkling that you're a threat he will kill you or even throw you into Tartarus." David looked back at the Giant walking away and his eyes narrowed, recognizing the truth behind those words."Use the staff your Nana gave you,"the voice continued.

David traded his celestial bronze staff for the one made of Adamantine. Activating it, he then took to the sky flying after the running giant. He raised his hands at the Giant jogging away and released a bolt of lightning at the giant's back, knocking him to the ground as David flew over to him. "I'm sorry too, but I can't let you do that."

The giant raised his finger, "Don't be foolish boy, I cannot be killed like the monsters you have fought."

David shrugged, "then I won't kill you." He said simply. He then lunged forward and before the giant had a chance to react, with a swipe he slashed the Giant's arm, creating a large gash and causing him to scream. he looked at the wound and seemed surprised when it didn't heal.

"You...you cut me," The giant exclaimed in shock, "but how?" He looked at the weapon in David's hand and closed his eyes, "Father, mother, why do you forsake me so." He now glared at David with his lance raised. "So be it."

David lunged forward but this time the giant was putting all his focus on the fight. He deflected David's swipe and batted the boy away with the butt of his lance, sending him tumbling through the ground and into a nearby tree.

Groaning from the pain David struggled to his feet, as the Giant charged him lance raised and once again went on the attack. The two exchanged blows and received wounds as they clashed with David thrusting and slashing while occasionally attacking with lightning as a distraction while the giant was able to deflect most of David's blows with his lance while being bombarded with lightning as well as using the wind to blow dirt into his face to disorient him.

The Giant's thrusts were fine and showed skill that was practiced and honed over many years. It was only David's ability to fly that prevented him from getting impaled. That didn't prevent the giant from getting in several hits in leaving David's chest with several flesh wounds Getting an idea, David charged forward. Due to his opponent's size, David aimed for his reptilian legs. The Giant saw what he was doing and moved to stop him. Dodging a thrust to his torso which resulted in a deep cut to his side David landed and with a swipe, he cut the giant on his left calf. With a cry the Giant dropped to one knee, breaking his defensive stance. With the Giant's defense broken, David leaped up over the giant's shoulder and slashed the wrist of the arm holding the lance cutting the tendons and causing the Giant to lose his grip on his weapon. Flying back a distance David shot forward and kicked the giant as hard as he could right between the eyes, causing him fall hard on his back unconscious.

David landed on the Giant's chest. and walked to tards the head. The giant's mouth was open and turning the head upright, he reached in the with a swipe of his blade, sliced off the giant's tongue.

This woke the giant up and shot upright as David leaped off of him. The giant screamed in pain as he clutched his mouth as blood poured out. David pocketed the bloody organ and turned to the giant. "I need silence from you."

That is when he heard clapping behind him. "Well done, David!" David turned to see two faces he hadn't seen in a while.

"Otis, Ephialtes, what brings you here?" David asked surprised to see Nana's farmhands.

"Well Nana heard this one had escaped incarceration and sent us to retrieve him," Otis growled looking at the wounded giant with disdain. David noted that the twins were now as least twice the size of the giant he had fought. He had known they were big, but he figured they must have been behind a mist before.

Ephialtes grabbed the smaller giant by the throat and lifted him up. "Be thankful this is all he did to you, he snarled, "you deserve far more for breaking our mother's heart."

The Giant spat a mouthful of blood in Ephialtes face which earned him a punch to the gut by Otis. "Let's bring him back where he belongs," Otis replied and with a nod from his brother He dragged the giant away, as David spoke up, "how long were you watching me?"

Otis turned to David with a smirk, "long enough to know you didn't need help. With a wink Otis turned and followed his brother David watched them revert back to a more normal size as the mist took hold. With that, David turned and headed back to the river. When David arrived, he saw that Cora and Gabriel had returned and the girls were patching them up. Cora was covered head to toe in slime but other than that she seemed relatively unharmed.

The two of them looked at each other and they didn't need to say a word to know that the other was thinking the exact same thing.

'What happened to you?'

'You will not believe what I've been through tonight.'

Chapter 15: Quests End

Chapter Text

As Pamela dressed David's wounds, Cora was trying to wash off whatever that stuff was, that covered her body. They got to talking about their recent engagement while Gabriel steered the boat now laden with the acquired gold.

"Did you run into slimer or something?" David asked as Pamela dabbed the cut on his cheek causing him to wince.

Cora hmphed, "I wish I was that lucky, that thing tried to have me as a snack."

David lifted his head in realization, "Ahh, let me guess he didn't chew before he swallowed."

"Never gave him the chance when I dove in."

David's eyes widened. "You did it on purpose?"

Cora shrugged, "trying to kill it from the outside was proving difficult so I decided to take it down from the inside while Gabe distracted it. It was easier than expected given the size of that thing. What came after, less so."

Clearing off the slime David saw several burn marks on her arms and legs which were healed as Cora poured water on them. Cora grimaced, "between the stomach acids and the toxic gas in the lungs I thought I was dead for sure. But I was able to reach the heart and tore it apart."

David turned to Gabriel, "I assume you were distracting it while Cora was busy."

Gabriel turned from the wheel, "The monster's skin was tough." His mouth curled into a smile, "it's eyes...not so much. By the time Cora took care of the heart the beast was thrashing around blind as a bat."

"Good thing the boat was ashore, or it would have been capsized." Cora added, before turning back to David. "So, what's your tale?"

"Ran into a giant." David replied as Pamela not tended to the gash in his side.

Cora cocked an eyebrow, "that's awfully broad David, Was it a laestrygonian, a cyclops."

David shook his head, "neither it was too big, but it did have legs like a T-Rex."

Gabriel frowned, "odd, I've never heard of giants that fit that description and I've seen most."

David shrugged, "anyway he had this strange spear but when I brought it close to my swordstaff, they merged and formed this." David pulled out the adamantine swordstaff his nana gave him. Now that he had a story for it, he can now explain how he possessed such a weapon.

Cora's eyed it curiously and held out her hand, "may I?" David shrugged and handed it to her. The moment the weapons left her hand the staff started glowing and started retracting into a foot long hilt. Cora frowned and swung it around and even flicked it, but nothing happened. so, she started inspecting it. "This isn't imperial gold," she said, "or stygian iron."

"Or Celestial bronze," David added, "at least not anymore."

Cora handed it back to David who after a flick reverted back to its full staff form."

Pamela rubbed her chin, "so it seems only you can use it."

David nodded, "probably for the best, in case anyone tried to steal it." He looked around "this boat is slow; I trust you don't intend to sail all the way to San Fransisco in it?"

Cora shook her head, "once we're ashore we'll contact Camp Jupiter to arrange transport for the gold while we take a greyhound to the east coast."

When they finally reached the harbour, the Greek demigods arranged for an Amtrak trip north the Roman demigods spoke with their Camp via Arcus. Before they parted ways, they took time to say farewells.

"It was an honour fighting alongside you," Gabriel said shaking David's hand. "If the gods allow it hopefully, we can work together more."

David nodded, "I look forward to it, you're not a bad guy to have at your back, sadly knowing my father it's unlikely."

Gabriel shrugged, "you never know, the fates decided that our paths would cross, they can make it so again."

David smiled, "I'd like that."

"Thanks for your help, Pamela," Cora said embracing the younger girl.

"You helped us first Cora," Pamela pointed out. "It wouldn't be right to just leave you."

"Remember, if you or Helena ever wish to join the Amazons let me know. We could certainly use girls of your talents."

"Don't hold your breath," Helena replied. "After I've learned what I need at Camp Half blood, I'm definitely taking you up on that offer."

Cora smiled, "then I'll be waiting."

The Greek Trio boarded the train and entered their cabin. As David slept the familiar voice of Luna spoke his head. "Lord Jupiter has decided on how to deal with this situation. As a courtesy for your brother, you will be allowed to retain the memories you have with my pupils, but all others must forget. But this condition will only stay in place as long as you do not tell a soul about Camp Jupiter."

"What about my sister?" David asked. "Surely she should know that her brother in in good hands. Or in your case paws."

"That is for your father to decide," Luna replied. "Be warned that should you break your part of the bargain then you too shall loose the memories of our meeting."

David nodded, knowing that these memories could be invaluable in the future. He raised his hand and spoke. "Then I swear on the River Styx that I shall not tell anyone about our Roman Counterparts unless my Lord father grants me permission to do so."

Thunder rolled indicating the securing of the vow and Luna nodded, "then I shall take my leave David Roosevelt, I wish you good fortune in the future." With that she disappeared, and David awoke with a start.

The ride back to New York was thankfully uneventful, once off the train they encountered a monster or two, but these were minor ones with no heavy hitters. They were picked up by Argus and taken back to camp safely. No sooner did David get out of the car when he was wrapped in a bone crushing hug. David smiled and gently returned the embrace.

"I was so worried," Eve said nuzzling against his neck.

David petted the back of her head, "I'm sorry that I worried you," He sighed and broke their embrace so he could see her eyes, "but I'm back now."

As heroes that had successfully completed a Quest a great celebration was planned. Pamela, David, and Helena wore laurel wreaths and led a grand procession to the bonfire. There, they burned burial shrouds that had been made for them on the off chance that they didn't return. Demeter's Cabin naturally made Pamela's, The Hex Sisters volunteered to make Helena's while Matthew and others in Hermes cabin made David's. Pamela's shroud was brilliant green with flowers, Helena's was purple with a golden apple in the middle and David's was Dark blue with crossing thunderbolts. It was almost a shame to destroy them considering the work that had been put into them.

Everyone approached them offering their congratulations on the group's success with handshakes and hugs exchanged. Pamela was then approached by Rosemary Chaff who officially stepped down as the head counselor of Demeter cabin and handed the reigns to Pamela. "You are more worthy of this than I can ever be," Rosemary said. "I know you'll be a great leader."

Pamela embraced her sister and kissed her cheek and insisted that Rosemary be her deputy, something Rosemary gratefully accepted. The other Head counselors stepped up to welcome the new member of their inner circle.

Matthew Thawne and the other cabin heads approached David and they had smiles on their faces. "I have even better news David," he said grinning. "It seems your request came true," he said ruffling David's brown hair.

David's eyes brightened, "the Cabins were approved?" He asked in delight.

Alice Darling nodded giddily, "we're beginning construction tomorrow, starting with Hestia Cabin."

David smirked, "I'm surprised my father actually approved of my idea."

Merida Tell's lip curled, "he didn't, according to my father, your father thinks that having cabins built for minor gods would cause them to forget their place and unravel the order of things."

David frowned, 'he's at the top of the pecking order, what more does he want?'

Cindy Granger rubbed the back of her head, "in the end it was put to a vote, Mother, Poseidon, Demeter, Apollo, Aphrodite, Hermes Hephaestus and Dionysus voted in your favor while Zeus, Hera, Ares and Artemis didn't."

"Dionysus voted in our favour?" David asked in surprise looking over to where his half-brother was sitting, 'So he really does have a heart.' "I'm surprised that my father allowed the notion to go through instead of forcing the issue."

"Oh, he tried," Brock confirmed, "but Eve's mother 'talked' him into it." David smiled, grateful that Nyx was able to help.

The trio then went to the big house where they reported the details of their quest. Meeting the Roman demigods, the encounter with the talking horse and the duel with the giant. Due to their memories being altered, Pamela and Helena referred to Gabriel and Cora as children of Poseidon and Ares. Afterwards the girls were dismissed while David was made to stay behind to ask more personal details.

David detailed their time with the Roman demigods. They seemed concerned when David mentioned the Horse's master, but it was the duel with the Giant that piqued their interest.

"From your description," Chiron began, "it seems that you had an encounter with one of the Gigantes."

Dionysus nodded, "the fact that you manage to take one down is perplexing. I seemed to recall that they can only be killed with the help of a God and a Demigod.

"Not in every case," Chiron pointed out, "but David was simply disarmed it and took his weapon, that is how he was able to harm him."

"Maybe so," Dionysus grumbled, "though the fact that this one had a weapon made of Adamantine is curious, none of the Giants had such weapons last time."

"Perhaps Gaea is trying to equip her children better." Chiron suggested.

"But the last child she ever gave an adamantine weapon to was-"

Dionysus went silent and Chiron nodded, "aye, my father." He turned to David, "did the Giant even happen to mention his name?"

David shook his head, "he said if he told me I would not trust him."

"As if you should trust him at all," Dionysus scoffed, "none of the Gigantes can be trusted."

"Not all," Chiron pointed out, "there is one that was a friend to Olympus,"

"Not everyone stays a friend for long," Dionysus grumbled. he turned to David, and reached out his hand, "may I see it?"

David nodded and drew the rod out and with a flick of his wrist, the rod extended into its swordstaff form. "I guess I'll have to make a new staff to replace the one I lost in this," he said sticking to the story of his celestial bronze staff being combined with the Adamantine one.

He handed it to Dionysus and the moment it was in the grasp of the God of Wine it retracted back into a rod. Dionysus raised his other hand and glared at the weapon like he was trying to force it to extend but all this did was let loose an electric charge into the gods hand causing him to yelp and drop the rod which fell with a clatter to the floor.

Chiron rubbed his chin and Dionysus rubbed his hand, "curious, it seems that only you can use it."

"I wonder if it has something to do with the fact that I added a few drops of my blood while Henry helped me forge my original staff," David suggested.

Chiron nodded, "perhaps, since you seemed to be the only one who can use it and you did win it fairly. We shall let you keep it though I urge that you refrain from using it against the other demigods."

David shook his head, "I'm already a son of Zeus the last thing I want is more unfair advantages against my fellow kindred. I'll Only use this one for monsters, I'll just forge another staff for training and capture the flag.

"Will you be staying year-round then?" Dionysus asked.

David nodded, "yes sir. Between patrolling the perimeter and helping with the cabins there is much I can do and even more that I want to do." Chiron gave him a nod of approval and David was dismissed.

as he passed Ares cabin he saw one of the older boys nursing a broken arm. "What happened to him," he asked Brock. Brock smirked, "Oh Gregory was pushing around one of the unclaimed brats when your girlfriend stepped in. Gregory tried to hit her, but she fought back and broke his arm with that weapon of hers." He chuckled, "I didn't think she had it in her but there's a panther in that girl." David smiled, while Eve wasn't the sort to get into fights, she had a seething hatred for bullies.

There was a huge feast with David's brother giving a half-assed congratulations to the heroes, and Hephaestus cabin orchestrating a fireworks display. As David and Eve sat there watching the show, with her head resting on David's shoulder Eve turned to him with a stern look. "I know you won't be able to stay here forever but promise me you won't make leaving the camp a habit."

David smiled and cupped her cheek, "I promise, besides I don't think I'll be leaving here anytime soon."

David knew that he would not be able to keep this promise forever circumstance will force his hand eventually. But for now, there would be much work to do, from arranging the Cabins to patrolling the perimeter for monsters. Little did he know that his resolve would be challenged sooner than he thought.

A few weeks into his stay the other Cabin Counselors summoned him to discuss something troubling.

"Ever since you came here the monster attacks on the Camp have becoming more frequent," Cindy told him.

"Before they were sporadic. Now it seems they have the consistency of an unloved season," Merida added.

"It's clear that Hades is determined to kill you and is willing to endanger us to do so," Matthew said.

Though they let up when you left for the quest now the attacks returned shortly after you did." Alice cut in.

"The barrier has held for now," Brock interjected, "but every now and then something sneaks in." He smiled though I will admit, killing them is good practice for me and my cabin mates." His smile turned into a frown. But I'm concerned that one of them might get Alice.

"Well good for you but unfortunately not all of us are fighters." Henry snapped.

David sighed heavily, he should have known things wouldn't be easy even if he did make it to camp.

Eve tried to Intervene, "everyone please, none of this is his fault, and he has been doing his part to protect the camp."

"He has," Matthew granted, "but still, this cannot continue. Eventually someone is bound to get killed."

Eve's eyes widened, "no, please tell me you want to kick him out."

David put a hand on hers, "It's alright Eve, they're just thinking of the collective good over the individual. I don't want any camper to die on my account."

Eve was now horrified, "David tell me you're not saying."

David nodded sadly, "I know Eve, I know, I don't want to leave, but if it will protect the Camp then I might have no choice.

That night David's dreams were visited by his mother.

"What is wrong my son," Gaea soothed sensing David's troubled mind.

"It seems I won't find safe haven here," he said glumly. Hades has increased the monster attacks on the camp. "he wants to get me at any cost."

Gaea's expression turned stormy, this was the first time David had seen her angry before and it actually frightened him somewhat."Clearly the Lord of the Underworld simply doesn't know when to quit," she snarled.

"It's clear to me that the barrier the Olympians put up isn't cutting it," David concluded. "We need to make it stronger," He paused and shook his head. "No that's not enough either. Camp Half Blood needs to become a true safe haven so it needs a barrier that can repel not only monsters but the gods themselves.

Gaea's eyes widened, "that is a tall order David, nobody had the power to create something like that."

David refused to be deterred, the gods are not all powerful or invincible. The fact that they can't reverse the curses they inflict upon people is proof of that." He shook his head, there has to be a way."

Gaea thought for a moment and spoke up, "there may be something we can do about the barrier, but you will need to acquire a few things to make it possible."

David looked at her with resolute eyes, "what must I do?"

Gaea met his gaze, "it won't be easy David, you will have to leave the safety of the camp and meet those who would sooner strike you down."

David nodded, "I'll pay any cost if it means keeping Eve and my family safe."

Chapter 16: The Third Triumvirate

Chapter Text

Chicago Illinois is home to many of America's tallest skyscrapers, second only to New York. Among these are the Aon Tower, the John Hancock Center and the most famous of them all stood the Sears Tower. With a height of 442 meters (527 if you count the antennae). It is the tallest building in America and for a long time was the tallest building in the world. Despite its name, the skyscraper was no longer owned by Sears but instead served as the main headquarters of one of the most powerful Mega corporations in the globe, Triumvirate Holdings.

Triumvirate Holdings can trace it origins to the days of the Roman Empire. The empire had its share of bad emperors and most of them ended up the same way- assassination. But three of these men had anticipated this eventuality and had taken measures to ensure that their 'deaths' would not be the end of them. These three banded together to form an alliance not unfamiliar to the time

The First Triumvirate comprised of Pompey the Great, Marcus Crassus and Julius Caesar.

The Second Triumvirate was made up of Gaius Octavius, Mark Anthony and Marcus Lepidus

This would be the third but one that would be unknown to either the empire or the world at large. It was formed with a single goal in mind. Control not just of the world but everything.

They gathered to them other emperors to their cause, almost all were assassinated by their fellow romans. Many of them were cruel but few were as cruel as the Triumvirate. The Triumvirate didn't limit themselves to roman rulers they searched further back in history and recruited Tyrannical Greek kings into their fold. These kings would become the heads of collegiums that specialized in specific ball over the empire. These collegiums would all be under the control of the triumvirate that founded them. Each member of the triumvirate commanded either the Civil, Religious and Military Collegium. Thus, Triumvirate Holdings was born.

Once they had gathered the men they wanted, they began the first of many plans, the downfall of the Roman Empire. Their reason for this was twofold. The first was that they wanted revenge on the state that had murdered them. The second was that The Empire had converted to Christianity, which absolutely disgusted them. The Triumvirate loathed the religion and had even tried to use this to recruit other Emperors like Diocletian and Septimius Severus. However, these more competent Emperors looked down upon the Triumvirate and refused to be subordinates to them.

Nevertheless, the Third Triumvirate used subordinates under them to sow the seeds of Rome's downfall, propping up rich landowners that brought down local farmers and utilized cheaper farming methods, manipulating senators and puppet Emperors and even funding Germanic Hordes. All the while they slowly siphoned off the wealth that the Empire accumulated over the years. The mismanagement of funds by incompetent Emperors made this job easier. Without the Gods to help them Rome became vulnerable to the Triumvirate's machinations. This kept up until in 476 AD, the Triumvirate succeeded, and the Western Roman Empire fell and Rome itself was sacked.

Over the years the hand of Triumvirate Holdings was felt in subtle ways. Feeding crisis and reaping chaos and most of all making money. The one constant of mankind was that the only rule was the Golden Rule, those who have the gold make the rules.

All for the sake of power but also to distract the meddling Gods on high from interfering in their plans. The Triumvirate understood that money ran the world and took many steps to ensure this, they founded modern banking and set up the powerful banking families including the powerful Medici, Bardi and Peruzzi.

With the spread of Christianity, The Triumvirate discovered a way to take advantage of it. Since the church was always encouraging its worshippers to donate. The Religious Collegia placed puppets into the Vatican, they were able to divert large sums donations into their own pockets. They even took advantage of other popes indiscretions and the money flowed like the Nile. They even used it to frame potential rivals as heretics to eliminate them from the equation

Whenever they needed to cover this up, they simply created a scenario where Rome would get sacked such as in 1084 and 1527. The Triumvirate also took great lengths to ensure that Popes were Italian where they had the most sway. Some of these men Like Alexander VI, Leo X and Boniface VIII even ended up becoming Pope. But sometimes they would go much further. Over 40 Popes died thanks to the machinations of Triumvirate Holdings.

The Triumvirate funded the campaigns of Spanish conquistadors, to the America's which led to the accumulation of hundreds of tons of gold and silver. Instead of taking it for themselves, The Triumvirate allowed most the new currency to enter circulation which led to hyperinflation. They still secured a healthy portion to themselves and got more from hiring pirates to raid the Spanish treasure fleets while others were 'lost' at sea during dreadful storms.

In 1600, the Triumvirate made its first big step into the world stage by creating the East India Companies. The most successful of which were the British and Dutch Branches. The British came first with its Dutch Counterpart emerging just two years later. Publicly they were rivals but in secret the two worked closely together and Triumvirate Holdings profited from the wars of the companies' respective countries. Between these two corporate giants, The Triumvirate dominated Trade for centuries and accumulated unrivaled political, and economic power. They even had their own private fleet and army that was bigger than most countries. The Dutch East India Company would become the world's first multinational business organization and the most valuable company in the history of the world.

With control over trade, it should come as no surprise Triumvirate Holdings would be the founders of the Atlantic Triangle Slave Trade, not only was it a profitable venture, but it also provided the Triumvirate with limitless supply of cheap labor. This also extended their reach to the Americas.

By now Triumvirate Holdings had stretched beyond Italy to France, Spain, Austria, Portugal, the Netherlands, Britain, Denmark and Sweden. With the end of the American Revolution, Triumvirate Holdings, now had a firm foothold in the newborn United States. Most in Europe looked down upon the United Stated as a mere young Upstart, but the Triumvirate saw an opportunity. A vast landmass with untapped resources, isolated by the two biggest oceans on Earth and no true rivals north or south. A nation built on the principles of freedom which meant freedom to expand, freedom to exploit, freedom to grow to unprecedented heights so long as they had the strength and will to do so. All in all, a perfect breeding ground for a parasite like Triumvirate Holdings.

So, they sunk their claws into the United States and sunk them deep. They established their new Headquarters in New York and expanded outwards. When the nation became divided between Southern and Northern States, the Triumvirate took hold of both, the Slavery of the South and the Industry of the North.

Triumvirate Holdings was not blind to the possibility of these demigods interfering with their plan, though this was usually handled easily. Since Olympus always moved to the most powerful nation at any time period, this meant that said country would have an influx of both Roman and Greek Demigods. So to thin the herd, the solution came in two words, Civil War. Conflicts such as the Byzantine Civil Wars, the Wars of the Roses, the French Wars of Religion, the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, the French Revolution and the Carlist Wars were all started by Triumvirate Holdings to kill off the country's large population of Demigods. They would back both sides not really caring who won only that the wars were as long and bloody as possible. Though in some cases like the French Revolution, they also used this to steal money of certain individuals that had money to burn.

During the American Civil War. Triumvirate Holdings sold weapons and smuggled food to the beleaguered Confederates, while Triumvirate held factories in the North cranked out ships, coal, iron, weapons and uniforms to the Union army. But the Triumvirate wasn't stupid, despite the income generated by slave ownership, they knew by now that slavery was in its death throes at this point. The writing was on the wall the moment Britain abolished it in 1833. So, they used the Civil War to liquidate their assets in the South by stealing the vast fortunes of the southern slave owners. The Triumvirate gained a massive profit and 60 percent of the demigods in the country perished. Chief among them was Abraham Lincoln. And all of this was thanks to the Triumvirate's puppets, the Knights of the Golden Circle.

After the War, America expanded westwards, Manifest Destiny it was called but for the Triumvirate this was just a repeat of the Conquistadors. They used Manifest Destiny to gain access to the gold and silver veins all over the area and to exploit the people trying to strike it rich quick. They had already done so in California. During the gold rush the ones who profited most were not the miners but the selling the supplies to said miners.

The turn of the century would be a golden age for Triumvirate Holdings. As America became an economic powerhouse, Triumvirate Holdings dipped its hand in the rising monopolies. Through key figures like Henry Ford, J.P. Morgan, William Randolph Hearst, Jean Paul Getty, Jay Gould and Henry Frick. They held stock in Railroads, Oil, Steel, Automobiles, Banking, Media and even Electricity. They were able to do the same in Europe though on not nearly as grand of a scale. All of this was to prepare for their most ambitious plan yet, to start the greatest conflict in history in order tom profit from it. For this they once again used an unwitting pawn, The Black Hand. During the Great War Triumvirate Holdings acted as war profiteers, providing the 'bullets and the bandages.' At the same time, they instigated the Russian revolution in order to acquire Tzar Nicholas' vast fortune.

It was Triumvirate Holdings that caused the Great Depression of 1929, which caused stock prices in companies to drop. Through insider trading, market manipulation they sold short before the crash and Triumvirate Holdings was able to purchase undervalued stock at rock bottom prices. By the time things settled they held controlling interests in most of the companies that still remained.

Emboldened by thus success Triumvirate decided to do it again but this time they would get the children of the Olympus Big Three involved. For this they used men like Heinrich Himmler, Hideki Tojo and Guido Guidi to manipulate the Leaders of the future Axis Powers. Industries that provided the major players with oil, steal, airplanes, and vehicles saw their profits soar as they were shifted to wartime production. Thus, the Triumvirate established America's Military Industrial Complex. Aside from War Profiteering, Triumvirate Holdings had a more nefarious goal in mind. Through the Nazi party, agents of Triumvirate Holdings seized the wealth of Europe's Jews and when the war ended, stole the Nazi gold from under the noses of the Reich.

The latter half of the century saw the birth of America's the 'Iron Triangle,' as the country geared up for a great war that would never happen. As time progressed the powers of Defense contractors grew as America funneled more and more money into its military. When the Mafia lost control over Las Vegas in the 1970s, Triumvirate Holdings was quick to take advantage of this and set up casinos of its own one of which would be their crown jewel. This was the power of Triumvirate Holdings, the power of the Almighty Dollar.

By the turn of the millennium, Triumvirate Holdings had become one of the biggest corporations in the world, with a net worth of 8 trillion dollars and stock of no less than 10% in every major company in America as well as others in Europe.

Before 1950 Triumvirate had three main office buildings, Nero's Tower in New York, Caligula's Plaza in San Francisco, and Commodus Center in Chicago. However, plans had been set in motion to move to larger structures.

They ended up buying the Chrysler Building in New York in 1953 and the Aon Center in 1983. They then set their eyes on Chicago to complete the trio. For the longest time the John Hancock Center was considered, but luck would offer them a better opportunity.

When Sears sold the Tower in 1988, they wanted 1 billion dollars for it and were even willing to grant many concessions to whoever bought. There were many potential buyers, but Triumvirate Holding outbid them all with a 2 billion dollar offer. The only concession they asked for was complete control over the structure. they even allowed the Sears to continue its naming rights.

Externally the Tower remained the same with few minor changes. However, the September 11th attacks motivated them to take drastic measures. As such the internal structure of the tower has been drastically modified. Being reinforced with more steel and bulletproof glass was added. Hidden defense emplacements were also added.

The First 90 floors were for the average joe employees. Here they work in 2x4 cubicle pods. All were blissfully ignorant of the nefarious purpose behind their daily job. Some floors didn't have workers at all but lazy people who spend the entire time playing games on the computer. In truth they were little more than a front, a shield. Anyone from spies to reporters or even paparazzi happen to get a lucky glimpse inside all they see is people focused intensely on their computers.

The next 20 Floors were a different story. These were accessible only to a select few and heavily guarded with every security measure imaginable taken. Here was where the real work was done where the real money was made. The nerve center of the organizations plans. Working here were the Directors and shareholders that ran Triumvirate Holdings various subsidiaries. Over the years they have managed to buy controlling interests in several well-known companies.

1. Nile Network- Mass Media
2. Arcadia Aviation Industries- Aerospace
3. Mycenae Banking- Financial Services
4. Tiryns Insurance- Financial Services
5. Lapith Union- Law Firm
6. Ioclus Pharmaceuticals- Healthcare
7. Seriphos Steel- Steel Manufacturing
8. Libya Standard- Oil and Gas
9. Argos Motors Company- Automotives
10. Sicilian Shipping Line- Shipping
11. Elis Estates- Real Estate
12. Thraciatech- Electronics
13. Theban Defense- Private Security
14. Thessaly Meals- Fast Food Resteraunts
15. Phrygia Drinks- Beverages
16. Creten Construction Company- Construction
17. Midas Mining Corporation- Mining
18. Augean Trash- Waste Management
19. Argos Apparel- Clothing
20. Bebryces Armoury- Arms Manufacturing

Finally, there was the top floor, which was reserved the three Chairmen of Triumvirate Holdings. Here three men sat at a table shaped like a penrose triangle with each man sitting at one of the corners. Each of them wearing expensive and well-tailored Italian suits

The first man was the de-facto leader of the group Nero. A sneer marked his haggard face. A wrap around neck beard was grown to hide a weak chin. Even the Purple suit over a grey shirt did little to hide his bear belly. In short he looked more like the embodiment of excess.

The Second Man was the direct opposite. Commodus had a comely appearance with perfect teeth, blue eyes and a bushy beard, His body was chiseled and golden that it would have made a body builder jealous.

The Third and final member was the youngest. Caligula was snide and slim with an angled face, brown eyes and prominent ears. He wore a business suit that was so white it made your eyes hurt.

Nero then stood up and spoke to his compatriots. "It is now time to get updated on the recent developments of our golden gooses." He pressed a remote and one of the walls became a screen, on it twenty images appeared. Each one showing the face of a different man. These men were the CEO's of the 20 Businesses that Triumvirate Holdings had total control over.

First up was the Chairman of the Sicilian Shipping line, Eryx. The Sicilian Shipping Line was formed by purchasing the ships from Stavros Niarchos and Aristotle Onassis fleets. Now with have over 220 vessels ranging from Tankers, freighters and cargo ships, it is the largest privately owned shipping fleet in the world. They also operated the largest whaling fleet with 30 vessels. 20 harpoon ships, 3 spotters, 3 security vessels, 3 Icebreakers and the second Factory Ship in the World the Ahab.

"Our Aquisition of several minor companies gained the attention of the 2M Alliance and are extending an offer."

"What of the Mediterranean Shipping Company and the Angelcoussis Group?"

"Our current shares are 25% and 12% respectively."

"Keep buying out those smaller shipping companies. I want enough power to broker a merger with Angelcoussis."

"it will be done Sire."

Next was the Chairman of Argos Apparel, Acrisius who was grinning. "We were able to successfully acquire 57% of Nike Clothing stock. The company is now ours in all but name.

Nero nodded in approval, "excellent, broker a merger with Argus Apparel but ensure that the name remains Nike, we can't have such a marketable name go to waste."

Acrisius shook his head still smiling, "of course not Sire."

Nero chuckled, "hello new sweat shops in China."

After him came the Chairman of Arcadia Aviation Industries, Lycaeon came next. A major player in General Aviation manufacturing rising as a rival to the 'Big Three' in America. Arcadia Aviation has produced 40,000 low-wing utility planes, 40,000 high-wing utility planes and 10,000 Utility Helicopters. Now they were seeking to extend their business to airlines and cargo planes

"We have increased our shares in Delta Air Lines to 35%. Also, sales of the A320 Airliner are growing rapidly."

"Continue with production and we'll surpass Boeing as the main airline service."

"The way sales are going that is inevitable."

Chairman of Thessaly Meals Erysichthon spoke next. Thessaly meals was not just a single fast-food chain that specialized in a single market but rather a conglomerate of several chains each specializing in Hamburgers, Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Sandwiches, Seafood, Coffee and desserts. "Our McDonalds stock is now 21%, while KFC is at 15% and Taco Bell have reached 11%."

Caligula nodded, "with founders like Croc and the Colonel dead we can now serve food of cheaper quality and higher prices without interference."

Up next was the Chairman of Libya Standard Danaeus. After the breakup of Standard Oil, steps were made to rebuild the Oil Empire. After Oil was discovered in Libya, the Triumvirate worked quickly to secure it. On Paper it the largest subsidiary of the National Oil Corporation, but in reality, it is privately owned with the Triumvirate bribing Libyan Leader Gaddafi to look the other way and providing him with mercenaries and equipment to enforce his rule. Now they are buying out many of the companies that had emerged from the breakup that had not been bought by the oil supermajors. Chief among them is Marathon Oil.

"Of the 44 Companies that were once part of Standard Oil- Libya Standard has acquired 31 of them, the rest are part of larger companies. Progress with Marathon is slow but steady, we are currently at 41%. They are rising to become a supermajor in the future."

Nero rolled his eyes and waved his hand, "fine, so long as we are able to hammer out a merger with them."

"I'll get it done sire," Danaeus assured him.

The Chairman of Aetolia Motors Company Evanus was after him. A major Italian car dealership company that usually specializes in selling old and used cars. They happen to be major shareholders in Ford, General Motors, Chrysler and Fiat. Chrysler was of particular interest to them due to their financial troubles

"Fiat, Chrystler Automotives, PSA Group= Chrystler continues to face financial troubles. Our stock in the company has now reached 49%, we should be able to broker a merger with it and Fiat within the decade."

"Good honestly we should have bought them out when they went bankrupt, but we were too slow to act. No matter we will correct that mistake this time."

Next was the Chairman of Tiryns Insurance, Eurystheus. Knowing their war against the gods and their children would lead to damage to their company, it certainly paid to have good insurance to keep them covered but rather than relying on an outside force, they decided it was best to own their own insurance company.

"Stocks in the Generali Group has risen to 29%."

Nero frowned, "our expectations were higher than that Eurystheus."

"There had been some pushback from some of the shareholders."

Nero sighed and waved it off, "I expect that number to rise 2 points by next year."

Eurystheus nodded fearfully, "as you wish sire."

Finally came the Chairman of the Nile Network Busiris. The Nile Network was a former subsidiary of Hearst Communications, the company was formed from Hearst's liquidated assets in 1930. Owning several TV and radio stations, as well as a thriving newspaper market. They specialized in news often covering disasters and celebrity scandals through an army of paparazzi. Sometimes they would use this information to blackmail important figures.

"Did that senator in California pay up yet?"

"The numbskull folded like a binder, he's already bulling the necessary strings with that jackass judge to have our people in jail released."

"And the Archbishop in Chicago?"

"His church is now a front for us and if he doesn't want those videos of him and his choir boys to go international he'll make sure things run smoothly."

"What of the big Mouse?"

"Our stock in Disney has increased to 25%."

"Keep Buying shares and pour more money into Disney I want us to empower them as much as possible for a massive buy out."

"Once we get a hold in Disney what should we do with it?"

Caligula grinned, "how about remaking old movies."

"Bad ones," Commodus added causing all three men to laugh

Just then a figure entered the room, he wore attire that covered every part of his body. But the parts that could be seen showed what was practically a skeleton with a layer of blackened leathery skin covering it. His eyes glowed a fiery violet and moss grew on his head and face to resemble a beard and hair.

He then bowed to Nero and whispered something in his ear before handing him a folder. Nero frowned before taking he envelope as the aid retreated. Nero read the contents and his expression darkened. he then looked up and brought an end to the conference.

We will continue with this business another time, for now proceed as usual and for those select few, we expect more results.

The twenty men nodded, and their screens went black. once they were isolated. Nero Turned to his two compatriots and reported what he had just learned. Suffice to say they were less than pleased.

"Stupid meddling demigod punks," Commodus snarled. "Who do they think they are that they can do this to us?"

"To think they would try to use my own horse against me, ME!" Caligula shrieked.

Commodus turned to Nero. "Let's get after them before they reach their Camp. If they plant those seeds, it will spoil our plans."

Nero shook his head, "we are exposed enough as it is, we cannot risk gaining the attention of the Olympians."

Caligula turned to Nero, "is Incitatus sure about what he saw?"

Nero nodded, "positive, the girl's abilities rivals that of my stepdaughter and the boy definitely had blue and green eyes."

Commodus frowned, "so not only have they retrieved the Melia and the spawn of Gloria Roosevelt yet lives."

"How do you want to handle this then?" Caligula asked

Nero turned to his compatriots, "it looks like we'll have to alter our plans."

"What of your pet, " Commodus wondered.

"Tonight, she sleeps," Nero replied, "tomorrow her training intensifies."

Chapter 17: Part II: A Warrior's Code

Chapter Text

Reston, Virginia.

War Journal Entry, June 6th, 1999

Today has been a long time coming, the past four years of my life have been building up to this moment. The day I finally leave the nest and enter boot camp. This is no typical camp, this one is reserved for only a select group of individuals with unique talents and skills. The trek will be long and hard and one I must face alone. but the end will be worth it. Mother has worked long and hard to ensure that I am ready. I will not disappoint her.!

A boy of ten stood on the edge of the bed looking over the contents of his duffle bag and backpack. He double checked and triple checked to make sure he had everything he needed. Not to mention to ensure they were packed neat and orderly.

'Mother will have my head if she saw anything out of place,' he thought as he placed the last item in his backpack. It would be a long journey from Virginia to New York and he had no intention on traveling transit to avoid attracting attention or causing damage. Both of his bags were meant to carry everything he needed for the trip as well as settling in once he arrived.

In his backpack was a pencil, Notebook, toiletries, a map, a tactical shovel, a swiss army knife, an extra set of clothes and two books. Sun Tzu's Art of War and the Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant. The duffle bag contained heavier gear such as a grappling hook, rope, a set of heavier clothes for colder climate, a Mess Kit, First Aid kit, Survival kit and a pack of military rations.

Finally, there were two final items, these he did not put in his bag. Two swords of differing shapes, one a kopis and the other a xiphos. They were a birthday gift from his father and had already saved his life. He picked them up and pressed the knobs near the pommels turning them into two gold staters one with the image of Alexander the Great and the other with the image of Pyrrhus. These he placed in a mint tin and placed in his pocket. Three harpies and two hellhounds had already shed their blood upon those blades. It was those attacks that prompted this decision that it was time to leave for New York.

With everything packed, he then checked himself in the mirror, his face was clean, and his hair was neatly trimmed. His attire consisted of olive-green cargo pants, with a matching field jacket over a tan shirt and mountain boots and a tan beanie with a visor. All of which he had pressed and cleaned the night before leaving no stain or wrinkles to be seen.

Once he was certain everything was in order, the boy turned and stepped towards a wing chun training dummy. Putting his hands up and taking a stance he began to strike it. His arms weaved and struck around the arms to certain points on the main post. He started steady in a timed pattern before he picked up the pace. His arms and legs began to sting as his strikes became harder and moves became faster.

"George!" a voice called out indicating it was time.

George immediately halted, took a deep breath and made for his bags. He shouldered his backpack and picked up his duffle bag before heading downstairs. Waiting at the front door was his mother and stepfather both dressed in formal military garb.

A woman in her forties, Hilde Grant was a severe looking woman that shared her son's features. Her platinum blonde hair was trimmed in a bob cut and eyes like two pieces of blue ice. As a sergeant in the marines, she had developed a resolute, no-nonsense attitude willing to go to extreme lengths for her squad. Once when one of her own was captured by the Taliban, she took one of her captured POWs and started flaying him until he gave up the location. Though she had retired years before, she continued to keep in shape.

Next to Hilde was her husband Joseph Hartman, a retired army Colonel and ex Green Beret. Strong jawed and grizzle haired, with a broad muscular build, he was as ruthless and cold as his wife. His face showed a calculating sternness, but his eyes told of a man that had something broke inside. A veteran of Vietnam and the Gulf War, Joseph became disillusioned feeling that the higher brass had lost their will to do what was necessary to win. After losing his fiancé during one of his tours, he fell into a depression.

He met George's mother in a bar, it was Hilde that gave him new purpose and reenergized his will. After their marriage, Joseph helped Hilde raise her son seeing him a chance to make up for past mistakes. Both now worked for Blackwater at their new training center in Reston helping to drill new recruits and would be heading there once they dropped him off.

Ever since she became aware of his true father's identity, his mother was dead set on grooming him as best she could. Joseph was unaware of the full story only that his father had many enemies that wished to harm him. Both taught George survival skills and Greek mythology, for fighting they taught him elements of American Tang Soo Do, the LINE System and Rough and Tumble. They also instilled in him a set of values to live by and harshly disciplined him whenever he stepped out of line. They were firm believers in the golden rule, 'spare the rod, spoil the child,' and George was anything but spoiled.

George set his duffle bag down and stood at attention. "I trust you are ready," Hilde stated noting his appearance.

George nodded curtly, "Yes mother, everything is pack and ready as requested."

His mother nodded in approval, "good, always be prepared and be constantly vigilant. They will save you some day."

"Remember what we've taught you George?" Joseph asked.

He nodded, "all priorities are secondary to victory Sensei."

Hilde nodded, "correct, pride and arrogance have slain the greatest warriors. If they don't kill you, they will kill those around you. Treat them as you would treat a cockroach. Be as Hector of Troy, not Achilles the Myrmidon."

"Only fools fight for honour and glory is worthless to the dead," Joseph added. "There is nothing wrong with pursuing trinkets but do not let it cloud your reality."

"I won't forget Sensei," George promised.

Hilde gave a ghost of a smile and held out her hand, "come."

George picked up his duffle bag and walked ahead as his mother's hand rested on his back. They got into the jeep and started driving to the edge of the city. Once they got there, they got out to say a final farewell.

"We've taught you as best we could, so this should be an easy test for you." Joseph said formally and George put his hand to his chest and bowed.

"Do well my son," Hilde said as she shook his hand. "All I ask is all you have. Do not disappoint me." The two broke apart and George nodded curtly.

"Remember to avoid electronics and stay away from transit. The last thing we want to see is you on the news causing a bus or train to crash." Hilde added. With that, Joseph and Hilde got back into the jeep and drove away, and taking one last look at them, George took a deep breath and started walking.

His plan was simple follow Interstate 95 north until he reached Interstate 278, then follow that road east until he reached the island itself then it was a matter of walking northeast until he came across it. He knew a journey to his destination would take him a week to make even if he took shortcuts. But he would not back down, after all real soldiers put up with worse.

For the next few days, he followed the road during the day and made camp at night, sleeping in large trees, refilling his canteens at drinking faucets and eating whatever he caught, mostly birds and rodents and plants listed as safe to eat only using his rations when he couldn't find anything. Sometimes he would find a car port or an abandoned building. In the case of the latter George was always careful to inspect it out before settling in. He checked the perimeter, noted all points of entry and exit, searched the inside to get a bearing on where everything was and finally scavenged to see if there was anything useful. On the second day he encountered his first monster of the Journey, a Laestrygonian. George took him out with ease. When facing a larger opponent, it was always advisable to aim for the legs first before going in for the kill.

Over the course of his journey, he would encounter a few more monsters but nothing he couldn't handle. He sustained some cuts, bruises and flesh wounds but he was able to treat these. He encountered his first hellhound in the journey on day four and another before he reached long island. As he trekked across Brooklyn, he began to note something peculiar. There were more encounters with hellhounds recently. 'Perhaps they're after me to avenge their fallen packmates,' George thought.

After searching for a place to settle and coming up empty, George was considering finding a suitable tree when he spied a rundown mansion in the distance, he made his way towards it and after stashing his bags away he started his routine scouting. Outside everything seemed fine, but when he started looking around inside that he became more cautious.

It didn't take him long to realize the place was occupied, and only a moment more to know that whoever resided here was no human. There were still appliances inside, not the type anyone would leave behind such as a 20-year-old refrigerator that looked to be in good working condition, silverware, pots and pans, porcelain dishes, a radio, a grandfather clock and even a phonogram with a collection of records from as late as the fifties.

Heading back outside he grabbed his bags and used the grappling hook to get to the rooftop where he would store his bags for now. heading bag down he heard growling and loud grunts. Creeping carefully towards the sound George looked to see that the occupant of the mansion has come home.

It was a huge brute of a man holding a baseball bat. But as George looked at him longer, he realized that that this giant of a man was about fourteen feet tall and the baseball bat he was wielding was a giant club. As he turned his head, George noted that he only has a single large eye. George almost became giddy; he hadn't faced a cyclops before and was eager to try his worth. He seemed to be talking to what George thought was a bear but as he looked closer, he realized it was actually a dog.

The dog began to speak, "The demigods will cross this area, when they do, they will likely set up here. You are to capture them and hold them until the master's army arrives."

The giant man nodded, "as the Silent One wishes."

The dog growled, "do not forget the penalty if you fail him."

The giant shuddered and nodded again. with that he went back inside, and the dog began to bound off.

George's eyes narrowed, he shouldn't get involved, he should focus on getting to camp. But these creatures were planning to capture demigods like himself and do who knows what, from what he had read there was no 'good scenario' in this instance. They are targeting demigods that makes them the enemy, and the enemy must be fought.

Deciding to deal with the resident first, he waited until the hellhound was a distance away before he took his e-tool and started pounding on a drainpipe outside before scrambling up the rope unto a balcony overhead. Putting on his backpack and waiting for a few moments, the cyclops came out club in hand looking around. George waited until the giant was overhead, and he jumped kopis in one hand and xiphos in the other. Using the momentum of his descend down and the combined weight of his body and backpack he drove his blades into the Cyclopes' back.

The Cyclops froze for a moment as if unsure of what just happened and a second later started screaming and thrashing trying to throw George off his back, but the boy held on tightly to his blades swinging left and right to avoid the flaying arms. In its struggle the cyclops lost its footing and started falling backwards. Seeing this, George leaped off as the giant fell on his back driving the blades all the way in. The cyclops twitched and reached out before slumping to the ground dissolving into golden dust. George picked up his swords and scoffed, "figures, one eye, one ball and no brains."

Moments after dealing the cyclops George heard a growling in the distance. Turning around George saw that the hellhound had returned no doubt hearing the commotion. raising his blades up, George readied himself for another fight. "Come on baggy eyes" he taunted, "come to papa."

The oversized dog snarled and charged forward. George kept calm and knowing he needed to time this right otherwise he'll likely get his throat ripped out. Hellhounds may have been as big as bears but fortunately they weren't bears, their claws were not as long and had nowhere near the bite force. As soon as it was close enough, the Hellhound leaped forward jaws open intending to maul the boy to death.

George dodged the gaping jaws and drove his blades in, one going into the chin and upwards to the roof of the mouth and the other deep into the Hound's throat. the George fell on his back as the hound's body pressed down on him, its full weight driving the blades all the way to the hilt. The hound whimpered in pain before dissolving into dust. George picked himself up and dusted off his clothes before climbing back onto the roof to retrieve his things and set up inside the now unoccupied mansion.

George took the time to get a better look around noting every entry and exit as well as rooms he had yet to explore. He took a room in the attic and decided to go out and search the perimeter for anymore monsters nearby. He returned at sundown and upon his return he noticed that the door was open knowing he had closed it when he left. Activating his blades, he crept slowly back inside. Looking around he heard faint noises and followed them to the dining room, taking a peek from a hole in the wall he saw the intruders.

Four kids with camping equipment were settling in, two boys and two girls. The first was a tall boy with unruly brown hair and brown eyes. George got a closer look and glared. Two little horns almost hidden in the mass of curls could be seen and his legs didn't move like a normal human and that is when he saw the cloven hooves hidden under the baggy pants. 'A Satyr' George thought, 'or maybe a faun.

The second was a little girl about seven or eight. She had sun tanned skin and stormy grey eyes. Her honey blonde hair was tied in a ponytail and in her hand, she clutched a dagger. He frowned; he didn't like this girl, but he couldn't figure out why.

The next girl was older and gothic, looking like a fan of heavy metal or acid rock with her black spikey hair and leather jacket. Her electric blue eyes scanned the room looking for any sign of danger. A shield was strapped to her left arm while her right hand held a spear. George regarded her for a moment longer, maybe it was because she looked more like a fighter, but George found the girl interesting.

The last was a boy that looked to be the oldest and the leader of the group. Sandy blonde hair and blue eyed, the boy was built like an up-and-coming athlete. It didn't escape George that the two of them had similar traits except George was not dashingly handsome as the boy was. Not that George cared about such things as that, after all Paris of Troy was comely, for all the good that did him. Still the boy was holding a sword and looked like he could handle himself, only time will tell how well though.

As he looked, he realized something, the weapons they were carrying had a similar colour and gleam as his own weapons. Still, it would be improper to make assumptions, they didn't look like burglars, but appearances can be deceiving. George watched from the shadows of the dark hall as the group made camp listening to what they say to know their plans.

"We're almost there," the hoofed boy said.

"So, we'll rest here for the night and make the final trek in the morning," The leader replied.

"Good," the rocker girl replied, "I don't want to stay here for long." She rubbed her arms and looked around. "This place gives me the creeps."

"I don't blame you," the hoofed boy agreed. "Something is off about this place, but I can't figure out what it is."

"Uhh guys," the blonde girl began, "I think it's probably because someone already lives here." She pointed to George's duffle bag sitting under a table.

As the Satyr's back was turned, George swiftly came up behind him. The Satyr could only let out a sharp bleat when he felt the blade of a Kopis on his neck and the point of a xiphos at his spine. His cry caught the attention of the three children who whirled around weapons at the ready to see their companion now held at sword point.

"Unless you want your friend to be turned into mutton chop, I suggest you identify yourselves at once," George growled.

He stepped into the room with the satyr in front of him. He eyed them all, as they gripped their weapons tightly.

The older girl pointed the tip of her spear at him, "let him go or you're gonna get hurt."

George's eyes narrowed, "bring it on goth girl and see what happens."

"I'm not a goth." she snapped.

"No," George agreed, "you're not wearing enough mascara, but you ain't no barbie either."

The blonde leader stepped forward, "let's all calm down, there's no need for a fight." He turned to George, sheathed his sword and put his hands up, "please, we're sorry for breaking into your home, we meant no harm, we only wanted a place to stay for the night. He placed a hand on his chest, "I'm Luke Castellan, the goth girl as you call her is Thalia Grace, the younger girl is Annabeth Chase, and the one you're holding hostage is Grover Underwood." He gestured towards the girls with his hand and their slowly lowered their weapons.

George eyed cooly, "don't try anything funny," he warned before his hands relaxed, "George Grant," he grunted as he lowered his blades. Grover scurried towards his friends trembling. "My apologies, but one can never let their guard down especially around armed intruders." He transformed his blades back into coins and pocketed them before turning back to the group. "For the record this ain't my home, I'm just crashing for the night after getting rid of the previous occupant."

The four looked at each other, "You killed the people that lived here?" Annabeth gaped in horror. For a moment they believed that had stumbled across a psychopathic killer.

George snorted, "only if you consider a one-eyed freak and his dog people." He rubbed his chin, "Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm guessing you're the demigods they were talking about capturing."

Luke and Thalia exchanged a look, "you know about demigods?" Thalia asked.

George nodded, "I am one according to my mother and she's not the lying type."

"Did she tell you who your father is?" Luke wondered.

George shook his head, "my mother said I would have to earn that."

"Who was talking about capturing us?" Annabeth demanded.

George shrugged, "one was a hellhound, and the other was a cyclops I'm guessing this was his den."

"You killed a Cyclops," Annabeth gaped, "How did you do it?"

George smirked, "the thing about giants is. They're so use to looking down on others they never think to look up."

"So, you attacked from overhead." Annabeth concluded.

"Overhead attacks are usually best," George said with a shrug, "it also helps to aim for the legs."

"Were they your first monsters?" Thalia asked.

George shook his head, "my first cyclops, but I've dealt with hellhounds in the past as well as harpies and a few laestrygonians."

"I thought this place smelled familiar," Grover exclaimed looking around. "I should have realized; how could I be so careless." He bowed his head.

"Still the fact that you manage to kill a cyclops on your own is impressive," Thalia acknowledged. "Did the hellhound and the Cyclops say anything else?"

George nodded, "they said something about a Silent One. Evidently the plan was to capture you and hold you until some main force arrived."

"Which would have happened if we had arrived sooner or if you had gotten here later." Annabeth realized.

Grover covered his head with his hands, "I'm supposed to protect you and I just led you all into a cyclops den. I could have gotten you all killed." He collapsed to the ground, "The elders were right, I'm too young for this, I'm a failure as a protector, unworthy of a searcher license."

George rolled his eyes, walked over to him and smacked the satyr in the back of the head, "get a hold of yourself," he snapped. "The main thing is you didn't so quit your whinging and focus on the task at hand. Moping about what might have been ain't gonna help us."

Grover rubbed the back of his head, "yes," his voice barely above a whisper, "of course you're right. I need to focus." He then left to scope out the area, mumbling to himself.

George turned to Luke and cocked an eyebrow, "protector?" He asked jerking his thumb.

"Satyrs are tasked with escorting demigods to Camp Half Blood." Annabeth explained.

George looked at Grover unconvinced, "green as grass from the looks of him."

Luke nodded, "he's wants to earn his searcher's license so he can go search for Pan."

George then realized something, "wait, you mean he knows where the Camp is?"

Luke nodded, "yeah that's where we're headed."

George nodded, "if that's the case, I best come with you."

Thalia looked at him suspiciously, "and why should we let you join us after you threatened our friend."

George turned to her, "Simple, I'm heading for the Camp too, though I don't know where it is. I need help finding Camp Half Blood and from the looks of things, you could use an extra sword to guard your back. So, we should help each other for the sake of increasing our odds of survival and success."

Thalia rubbed her chin, "well you did kill a cyclops and a hellhound so you must be skilled with those things."

George shrugged, "I would not have gotten this far if I wasn't."

Luke nodded, "I'm going to guess that even if we refused your request, you would just follow us anyway."

"You presume correctly," George confirmed.

Luke nodded, "in that case, we accept your offer, I still don't trust you so it's best we keep you close where I can keep an eye on you."

George nodded, "Fair enough, seeing as I trust no one but me. Believe me not trusting me is the smartest decision you can make."

Thalia smirked, "Glad you agree, so what's your story Stranger?"

Chapter 18: Taking a Stand

Chapter Text

War Journal, June 10, 1999

Ran into 4 refugees on my way to the camp. Two girls, one boy and a beastman, children on the run. They seem to be heading in the same place I am, so I've decided to provide escort. Their guide seems a bit slow, and one has a target on her back. This will complicate things, but no matter. The situation has changed and so has my goal. New Mission, protect the refugees at any cost. The one after the older girl will likely throw everything, he's got at us so we must proceed with vigilance. Abandoning them is not an option and neither is failure.

As the group prepared to settle down for the night, George cooked some stew for them while he made himself a soup. As they ate, they talked about their respective journeys to the Camp.

"So let me get this straight," George said. "Artemis' band of not-so-merry women came across you and they couldn't be bothered to help you to the camp?"

Thalia shrugged "apparently. One of them even told me not to trust Luke because he was a boy. Babbling nonsense on how he would betray me. I refused to listen, and she told me I was a fool."

George frowned, "if you are a fool to trust Luke, then they are fool to trust in Artemis protection. It's all fun and games until they catch the eye of the man in the sky. And when he comes, she won't protect them, if the tale of Kallisto is anything to go by."

Thunder rolled across the sky as the others looked around nervously. "You shouldn't speak that way about the Gods." Annabeth warned. "They have cursed people for less."

George scoffed, "from what I've read they curse you for simply existing."

This led to a silence as the other demigods looked at each other, then to Thalia. "Tell me about it," she muttered.

George cocked an eyebrow, "seriously?" He turned to Thalia who nodded, and George shook his head, "let me guess, your father's doing?"

Luke smirked, "what makes you say that?"

George scratched his chin, "I've read enough Greek mythology to know that whenever someone's life is ruined, it's usually him." He turned back to Thalia, "am I wrong?"

Thalia shook her head, "my father did something that made Hades angry so now he wants revenge."

George sighed, "so that's why there are monsters after you." Thalia nodded grimly.

Luke decided to change the subject to learn more about the newcomer, "So where are you from," he asked.

"Texas," George said proudly, "Though a year ago we had to move to Virginia so my mother and stepfather could begin their new jobs."

"So, you made the trek here all the way from Virginia on your own? Without a Satyr escort?" Annabeth asked incredulously.

George shrugged, "if your satyr is anything to go by, I think I'm better off without."

"That's enough," Thalia snapped glaring. "Grover's made some mistakes, but he's done the best he can."

"Well, that's not enough," George replied returning her glare. "Perhaps it they had sent an experienced satyr to retrieve you, you would have made it to camp by now."

Grover simply bowed his head in silent acknowledgement as everyone else went back to her stew and George did the same. Unlike the others, George prepared a separate meal for himself. A cooked snake he had caught mixed with a soup broth and local herbs. The girls were disgusted but Luke watched the younger boy eat with slight fascination.

"Are you really enjoying that?" Luke asked.

George frowned, "nah, needs garlic."

Thalia took a whiff and made a face, "how can you eat that concoction."

"I've been taught to eat things that would make a tiger shark puke." He gestured to the soup, "this is a delicacy." He took another bite of snake causing Thalia to grimace before going back to her stew.

"Don't worry, I suspect you'll be able to fill yourself up with real food, once we reach camp," George assured her.

After they finished eating, they stored the leftovers in Tupperware and made sure their things were packed and ready in case they had to make a quick exit. Luke and George decided to take turns on watch.

"I'll take first if you take second," George offered him.

The older boy nodded gratefully and settled down to sleep while George went up to the roof and took a seat. At the 5-hour mark George went down to wake Luke to take up the last 2 hours.

When they awoke, they had breakfast and packed their remaining belongings before heading out. It would take one whole day for them to reach camp but that would be without rest, so they figured at most a day and a half. They decided to try and cover as much ground as possible. Along the way they encountered several more monsters mostly hellhounds but also a couple more cyclops and several laestrygonians. In this regard George proved to be quite helpful taking on the Cannibal giants with ease and worked in tandem with Thalia to bring down the Cyclopes. He also shared his techniques with Luke and Thalia so that they could handle those monsters better. George soon learned that his initial impression of Thalia was on the dot. Between her and Luke she was by far the better fighter of the two. George even sparred with her a few times, and she did rather well.With their journey going smoothly, it seemed that they might make it to Camp after all. But George was wary, his mother and stepfather had drilled into his head that the world never revolved around things going 'according to plan'.

As nightfall came, they had gotten a little over halfway and looked for a suitable place to rest and settling for a condemned farmhouse. But they only got few hours of sleep when the house was attacked by a pack of hellhounds. Though they were able to fight them off one of the hellhounds got away likely to inform the rest of the pack of their whereabouts. No longer safe to stay at the farmhouse, the group was forced to keep moving. This forced them to take short naps, every few miles with George and Luke once again taking turns standing watch.

It was midafternoon when they reached the edge of the forest that hid the camp. "One more mile," Grover assured them. "Just one more mile and we'll be there." But suddenly he paused and turned around obviously sensing something wrong. without a word, Grover sprinted off to see what it was. An unearthly screech was heard, and Grover came running back a few moments later panting.

"What is it?" George demanded.

"Monsters," Grover gasped, "swarms of them, hellhounds and the three furies."

With no time to lose the group began sprinting through the forest with Grover in the lead while George took up the rear to make sure nobody got left behind in the panic. All except George even ditched their packs in an attempt to run faster, but the barks and screeches were getting louder and louder. The monsters were getting closer, and it seemed that despite their best efforts they weren't going to make it.

Thalia paused and turned to where the monsters were coming from. Seeing her stop, the rest of the group turned to her."C'mon Thalia," Luke urged, "we have to go, before they catch up."

Thalia shook her head, "get to the Camp," she ordered activating her spear and strapping on her shield. "I'm going to hold them off."

Luke's eyes widened in horror as he grabbed her arm, "NO, YOU CAN'T," he pleaded. "We can still make it Thalia, all of us."

Thalia shook her head, "I'm the one they're after, If I stay behind, they won't come after you. and if not then I can stall them long enough for you guys to get to safety."

Tears welled up in Luke's eyes as he shook his head, "NO!" he cried, "no... that's not... we go together."

"Luke," Thalia said softly, "you and Annabeth are the closest I've had to a real family. I lost my brother; I will not lose any of you too. She cupped his cheek, "please Luke, get Annabeth to safety, do it...for me."

Luke has a pained expression and finally he nods reluctantly and goes to Annabeth.

"No, NO!" Annabeth shrieks in horror as Luke lifts her up and carries her away. "No, there has to be a way, Thalia, THALIA!" Annabeth continues to scream as Luka and Grover start running.

Tears ran down her cheeks as she watched her friends escape, then she noticed that one was not among those running, she turned to see George next to her setting his bags against a nearby tree.

"What are you doing?" Thalia demanded.

"A good soldier doesn't leave their battle-buddy," George replied with a determined expression.

"Look I can buy the rest of you time to escape if I give them something to hunt."

George nodded, and raised his hand towards her, "then allow me to double that time, and increase your odds of survival."

Thalia regarded the boy for a moment and knew he had no intention on backing off. So, she took his hand with a grateful nod. With that they turned towards the sound of approaching monsters weapons raised. Thalia with her spear and shield and George with his xiphos and kopis.

Getting an idea, George quickly climbed a tree and waited for an opportune enemy to present itself. The first would take the form of one of the furies. The fury flew under his branch, her focus on Thalia and George leaped from his high point driving his swords into the Fury's wings. The Fury fell to the ground and as it thrashed around violently trying to escape, George withdrew his kopis, put it under the Fury's throat and slashed it dissolving her into dust.

The Fury was followed by a hellhound, trying to maul him from behind only for Thalia to spear it through the neck. George was quick to return the favour when a second hellhound leaped at Thalia only for George to get in front of her impaling the hellhound with both swords its body weight driving the blades all the way to the hilts.

This continued for some time with the pair of demigods cutting down monster after monster, watching each other's backs. But all they while they slowly fell beck in the direction of the camp. They weren't far, and if they could just hold out, they might just make it.

As George cut down another hellhound, he saw a second fury grab Thalia and lift her into the air. George retrieved his grappling hook from his bag and lashed the end of the rope to a tree. With a few twirls, he hurled it in an arch and latching onto the Fury's leg. The move surprised the fury and it turned to see what snared her.

"GET AWAY FROM HER YOU CRUSTY BITCH," George roared. He knew of the Furies reputation but hell be damned if he cared. They were going after a little girl like some sick sadist. He grabbed the rope and pulled the rope as hard as he could pulling the fury to the ground who thanks to the shock didn't get the chance to pull back. The Fury got up only for Thalia to slam into her with her shield. Tackling her to the ground and impaling her with her spear.

Suddenly a fiery whip lashed itself around George arm burning through the fabric and the skin beneath. George screamed as the whip burned his arm. Unable to break free or even cut the whip George did the only thing he could think of at the moment. He hurled his kopis at the fury hoping to kill it. He didn't wholly fail, the fury managed to dodge the blade only for it to slice into the arm holding the whip. Now loose George was able to untangle himself from the whip. But by now it was scorched red and covered in welts and blisters. George dashed for the fallen kopis only for him to be grabbed by the throat by the Fury who lifted him into the air, her other hand pinned the arm holding the xiphos while her taloned feet pinned his furiously kicking legs.

"You should not have interfered demigod," The Fury snarled, "You've made a serious mistake crossing us, now you will suffer as she will."

Her clawed hand moves from his throat to his face with the clear intent to rip it off. George keeps eye contact the whole time, so she doesn't see what he is doing. Seeing his chance, George's hand releases his xiphos letting it fall...into his waiting burned hand. Ignoring the pain as he clutches the blade.

"Get pregnant, you crazy old bat," he snarled as he slashed the Fury across her stomach before stabbing it into the hand pinning his other arm. The Fury shrieks in pain and releases her grip on his good hand.

George uses this moment to switch the xiphos back to his good hand and makes a trust into the fury's face. Enraged the dissolving fury swipes him with her claws intending to open his throat. George tries to deflect it with his sword and was partially successful as the swipe it deflected upwards into George's face. the force of the Fury's blow sends into a tree. His head hits a knot knocking him out as his body crashes to the ground.

"Get up!"

George stirs at the sound of his mother's voice, every inch of him awash with pain.

"GET UP GEORGE!" It's another voice, this one is his stepfather

George lifts his good arm and places it on the ground and tries to push his body up. He managed to get upright before the pain intensifies and overwhelms him, and he collapses against the tree.

"YOU MUST GET UP!" The voice of Joseph insisted. "YOU WILL NOT DIE HERE."

"IF YOU DON'T MOVE THE GIRL WILL DIE." Hilde scolded.

George stirs some more and looks up, but something is wrong with his vision, everything seems off. He puts his finger to his face and the hand is wet and red.

"So are you going to give up when you are so close," Joseph asked.

"Do not disappoint me." Hilde reminded him.

This was the final straw, the last bit of motivation he needed. Groaning and biting his way through the pain George struggled to his feet and looked around. Spotting his weapons, he retrieves them and sees Thalia next to him badly wounded and exhausted. The Daughter of Zeus had been fighting like she was possessed. trying desperately to protect his unconscious body from hellhounds before being knocked to the ground. George sheathed his swords and using his good arm lifts Thalia to her feet and wraps her arm over his neck. His burned arm wrapped around her and placed under her armpit.

"Come on," he said, "on your feet soldier." Even talking was painful. Thalia finds her footing and together, they stagger towards the camp.

Barking is heard and two hellhounds appear, three more appear behind them. they are surrounded. George grits his teeth and draws his xiphos. But something strange occurred, the hellhounds in front of them and leaped but not at them. Instead, they land behind them and start barking at the three behind. Without taking a moment to question it George continued to help Thalia along blood and sweat blur his vision. He vaguely makes out shaped of humans dashing past them including a woman holding kamas and another with a ball and chain. But he keeps his focus on the direction of the camp.

After for what seemed like forever, he bumps into the chest of a tall blonde boy. He can feel Thalia's weight lifted from him as they continue moving. He sees a firelight in the distance. He feels Thalia being separated from him and someone or something grasps his shoulder. Before he could say anything, his wounds and exhaustion finally get the better of him and he collapsed to the ground darkness overtaking him.

Chapter 19: Siblings Meet

Chapter Text

Luke was absolutely distraught as he sat beside Thalia's bed. It had been a week and she had yet to regain consciousness. But Luke still refused to leave her side.

It took every ounce of will power he had as well as his urge to protect Annabeth that stopped Luke from going back for Thalia. As they reached the outskirts of the camp, the trio are met by girl in her mid-teens with a group of younger girls and boys all armed from the looks of it they seemed to be on patrol.

Luke explained to them what was happening, the girl disappeared into the shadows while the rest of the patrol immediately rushed to check it out while Luke waited apprehensively. In the distance they could hear roars and shrieks in the distance. Finally, George appeared with Thalia in tow. Thalia was bruised, bloody and unconscious from her wounds and exhaustion. But George, George looked even worse. Luke barely had time to catch Thalia before George also collapsed unconscious.

Given that it was night Luke didn't see the extant until daylight came. Thalia had bruises and cuts all over. But George, had a burned left arm, four of his ribs were broken and his face... The healers were doing their best, but it was clear the damage was done.

Two days after they had arrived, Luke found someone else was now sitting beside Thalia. A boy not much older than himself, Tall and broad with features that Luke could only describe as earthly. His hair was oak brown, eyes an emerald green and a warm fair skin tone akin to sand at the beach.

The boy was petting Thalia's head with too much affection for Luke's liking. Then he took Thalia's hand and started channeling streaks of lightning down her arm.

"What are you doing?" Luke demanded getting up to stop him.

"Helping her heal," the boy replied calmly as he continued to work. "Children of Zeus can heal themselves by channeling electricity through their bodies, think of it like charging a battery, it also helps stimulate brain activity."

"I didn't know children of Zeus could do that," Luke said in awe.

"It's not commonly known," the boy replied, "I myself only just mastered it a couple years ago. The Boy turned fully to Luke and Luke 's mouth opened in shock. His initial observation of the boy had been incorrect. Only the boy's right eye was green, the left eye, the one he had not seen was blue, electric blue, the same as Thalia's.

"Are...are you..." Luke didn't want to assume but the evidence seemed to point in that direction.

The boy nodded, and gently laid Thalia's arm back on the bed and offering his to Luke. "David."

Luke grasped the boy's hand firmly and shook it, "Luke Castellan."

After separating, David looked him over and frowned, "you should eat something," he said gesturing to a plate of food on a nearby table. "It won't do for you to be fainting on her bedside when she wakes up."

Luke regarded the food for a moment and turned away, "how can I eat when Thalia's at death's door."

"Hardly," David countered, "she's still alive and with more ambrosia and nectar she'll make a full recovery. He looked behind him to the boy on the next bed. "And it seems I have that him to thank for it."

Luke nodded, "I shouldn't have left her alone," he grumbled angrily. Part of Luke hated himself for leaving her, but the more rational side told him that he needed to protect Annabeth as Thalia wished.

David put a hand on his shoulder, "when she wakes up, she'll be happy to know that the friends she fought to protect are safe." He assured him.

Luke looked up at him and nodded before speaking, "I have to ask, "if you're her brother where have you been all this time?"

David looked down and nodded, "I was on a quest of sorts."

Luke cocked an eyebrow, "of sorts?"

David stretched the back of his head, "it's not official and wasn't sanctioned, but it was something I had to do."

"I hope it was important enough for you to ignore your sister."

David frowned, "my sister is the reason I had to do it, and now that she's here it's more important than ever, to ensure her safety." The seriousness of his tone quieted Luke as he turned back to Thalia. After a moment he turned back to the plate of food and took his first bite, from a piece of bread. It wasn't until the eighth day that Luke heard a soft moan and Thalia began to stir, her eyes fluttered as she turned her head to see Luke asleep in a chair.

"That's not going to be good for your neck," she said.

Luke jerked awake and his face brightened with joy, "Thalia," he gasped as he leaned towards her clasping her hand, "thank the gods."

Thalia gave him weak smile, "It would take more than a few mangy mutts to kill me," she quipped as she sat herself up. "Did Annabeth get here safely?"

Luke nodded, "we both did, but I...we almost lost you."

Thalia smiled at Luke's slip and placed her other hand over his, "the fact that the two of you made it means that it was worth the risk."

Rushed footsteps were hears and Annabeth appeared at the doorway. "THALIA!" she squealed in delight as she ran to her bedside and hugged her tightly, Thalia groaned softly as she was still sensitive but returned the embrace warmly.

Thalia looked around, and noted that one demigod was absent, "where's George?" Luke gestured over her head and Thalia turned to see their new companion still unconscious. Thalia turned back to Luke, "Is he going to be, okay?"

Luke frowned, "more or less, they say he might regain conscience. But..." he rubbed the back of his head, "...some of his injuries are beyond healing." Taking a closer look, her eyes widened as she noticed the right side of his face was heavily bandaged.

"You gave your boyfriend quite the scare," a voice in the distance said. "He has refused to leave your bedside until you woke up." The three turned to see David leaning against the doorway holding a tray of food. Pushing himself off, David walked over to them and set the tray down on a nearby table. "With all that sleeping I suspect you're hungry I brought something you and Luke can share, he hasn't exactly been watching his calories either." He cupped Thalia's cheek. "Glad to see you're recovering nicely, one more day of rest and you'll be as good as new."

Thalia stared at the stranger; it wasn't lost on her that his left eye was exactly like hers. Still this boy was intruding on a family moment. "I'm sorry, but who are you?"

David smirked, and withdrew his hand, "I'll give you a hint," he said as he raised the fingers on his hand and lighting cackled along them.

Thalia's eyes widened, "I-I have another brother?"

"Another half-brother to be precise," David corrected. Thalia threw off the sheets and tried to get up, but when she attempted to stand, her legs gave out. "Whoa, whoa," David exclaimed, catching her before she could collapse. "Easy there sis," David chuckled, "it looks like your legs are still asleep." He sat her back down on the bed. He knelt down and lifted her foot, "here this should help," David raised his hand, and send a light current of electricity along her legs from her ankle to her hip. Thalia's legs jerked, like being hit in the knee with one of those doctor hammers. Once he was finished. David stood up, "now give it a try."

Thalia paused for a moment and taking a deep breath, she placed a hand on the bedpost and pulled herself up. This time she didn't collapse, and she was able to take small steps. "H-how," Thalia was bewildered.

David chuckled, "Lightning has more uses than just destructive purposes. I learned much in my life and I will teach you all of them. But for now, your friends will be eager to show you around the camp. Afterwards I'll show you to our cabin."

As he said this a bright light appeared over Thalia's head followed by a golden lightning bolt.

"About damn time," Luke grumbled.

"Probably waiting for her to wake up before he claimed her," David shrugged. "Then again he always did favour his little girls over his sons."

"Didn't he claim you right away?" Thalia asked.

David shook his head, "not for a few days after I woke up here. Not that I would have minded but it did put less strain on my former Cabin mates.

After eating their fill from the tray, the four headed for the big house where David introduced Thalia to their half-brother Dionysus, who was shuffling cards and drinking Diet Coke. Unsurprisingly he was as interested in his new sibling as he was with anyone else.

"Welcome to Camp Tasha Grayson," he drolled with a wave of his hand. "If you expect some big welcome forget it."

"It's Thalia Grace," the girl snarled with her fists clenched and lightning cackled lightly around them. Luke and Annabeth put the hands on her arms. at their touch she quickly relaxed.

Dionysus looked more amused than intimidated, "listen to your friends, little sister," he said slyly, "my father's child or not you do not want to challenge me."

David put a finger to the middle of his forehead like annoyed older brother of a small boy. "Charming as ever brother," he replied. Before turning to Thalia, "nonetheless he right, it's simply not worth the effort."

The door of the house opened, and Grover stepped out. "THALIA, you finally awoke." He exclaimed happily."

"Something you should be most grateful for," Dionysus replied. "Not all that's left is for the boy that did half your job to wake as well. Then we can decide what will happen to you. If he doesn't-"

Grover shuddered, and nodded, "yes sir," his voice became small and scampered off to do whatever. Dionysus turned to Thalia again. "I think David is more than capable of showing you to your cabin, now begone."

"Always a pleasure," David said as he led Thalia away.

"What happened with Grover?" Thalia asked.

Luke sighed, "after we got here, Grover was taken to the council of Satyrs to relay the events." He rubbed the back of his head. "They were not exactly pleased with his performance."

"Careless and lackluster were the most commonly used words," Annabeth frowned.

"But why?" She exclaimed, "I mean we all made it didn't we, so his task was a success."

"The elders considered your survival credited to George rather than Grover." Luke explained, "since he was the one that stayed with you and got you to the Camp." Thalia sighed as her thoughts went back to the hospital wing.

"There were also the wrong turns and leading us into a Cyclops den," Annabeth added.

David then led them to where the cabins resided, and the area was quite a sight. There were 23 cabins set up in a U formation. 13 Large cabins formed an Inner U while 10 smaller ones were set up formed rows outside the inner U. Annabeth took the role as a tour guide.

"The larger Cabins are for the main Olympians," Annabeth explained while the smaller ones are for the minor gods of the pantheon. For the most part the gods Cabins are the odd numbers on the left while the goddesses are the even numbers on the right. There are however two notable exceptions. Cabin 12 of Dionysus is on the right, while Cabin 17 of Eris is on the left. "

One of the first cabins they passed was by far the largest in terms of number of residents. dozens of assorted kids hung out on the porch with a wide variety of looks, in hair, eyes, skin-tone, bone structure. The oldest of which was the very same girl that Luke met when they first arrived at camp. She was currently helping a boy as young as Annabeth with a nasty knee scrape, he had received. Using a wipe to clean it off and bandaging it before sending him off to the medical wing. Before leaving the boy gave her a hug before being helped by one of his cabin mates.

As soon as the girl saw the group she stood up and waved which David returned in kind. Seeing her fully made Luke gulp. She was quite beautiful, Tall as David with a graceful figure, olive skinned, violet blue eyes and black hair that fell down to her ankles in a braid. She scampered down the steps of the cabin and walked right up to David.

"You must be David's sister," she said looking Thalia in the eyes. Thalia nodded and the girl smiled. "Your brother and I have been friends since childhood, I hope we can be friends too, Thalia." She then put the back of her hand on Thalia's forehead, "how are you feeling?"

Thalia shrugged, "better than when I arrived that's for sure."

Eve nodded, "well the important thing is you're going to be alright. Your friends have been worried sick about you. I was worried we would have to force feed this one to prevent him from starving." She gestured towards Luke who blushed.

She chuckled lightly and turned to David, "well, I'll let you kids get settled after everything you've been through you have earned more than a reprieve."

The girl headed back to her Cabin and Thalia turned to Annabeth, "who was that?"

"Eve Stellaris," she answered, "Counselor of Hestia Cabin and the daughter of Nyx."

"NYX?" Luke exclaimed. "As in the Primordial Goddess of the Night."

Annabeth nodded and Thalia winced, "but wouldn't that make her-"

"A Demi-Primordial, possibly the first in known history," Annabeth confirmed.

"I was going to ask if she was immortal," Thalia corrected.

Annabeth paused and thought for a moment, Titans and Olympians pairing with Mortals resulted in mortal children. But Primordials were a different matter since there were no recorded offspring of them and mortals who knows what such being would be capable of."

"I don't know," Annabeth admitted, "and I don't think even she knows, since she isn't willing to put it to the test."

Annabeth led them to the cabin opposite of Dionysus cabin with a number 11 on the door."

The door was open, and David knocked on the door frame. "Matthew," he called, "a fresh kid's moving in."

A tall young man who looked like a more athletic version of Luke stood up. He smiled brightly and held up his hand, "glad to properly meet you, "I'm Matthew Thawne, Counselor of Hermes Cabin."

"Luke Castellan," Luke replied to shaking Matt's hand."

Matthew chuckled and ruffled Luke's hand before placing his hand on his younger brother's back and spoke to the kids inside. "Everyone, meet our newest sibling, Luke Castellan!"

The kids immediately hurried forward and practically swarmed him with greetings. As he was being pulled in David whispered in his ear, "check your pockets one of them may have stolen your things."

Sure, enough one of them did, and Luke began scrambling to get it back. Thalia chuckled at the scene as the door closed.

David chuckled, "he'll fit in fine I'm sure," he said and placed a hand on Thalia's back, "Come, let's get you settled in."

The children of Zeus, headed for the far end of the Cabin line where the biggest cabins by far were situated, passing the rest of the cabins along the way. Unlike the Hestia cabin with its wide diversity, the members of each cabin seem to cut from the same mold, sharing one or two feature between them despite different ethnicities whether they be physical or in personality.

They made their way towards the biggest one and David stepped aside. "Ladies first," he said gesturing towards the door. Thalia carefully opened the heavy double doors and stepped inside. Inside was a large open space in the middle where Thalia noticed her belongings were placed. Dozens of folding chairs rested on the left and right walls along with sections of folding tables. There were other things such as a small desk with drawers and a proper chair, a training dummy and a bookshelf full of books. On the far end was a towering statue of what Thalia could only guess was their father. But the stature unnerved her. It looked like its eyes were following her every move.

"The chairs and tables are for council meeting along with miscellaneous purposes." David explained. "I set myself up there he said pointing to a space on the right side of the statue." but you can set up wherever. Also let me know if you need anything and I'll see if I can get it."

Thalia looked around the room and after a moment picked up her things and set them up on the left side of the Statue. once she was done David smirked, "let me guess-"

"It's the one spot in the room where that statue can's see (you) me." they said at the same time, before both started laughing.

David sighed, "Now I assume you have questions about me some feel free to ask, I'll answer as best I can."

So, Thalia and David took a seat, and the two siblings began talking.

"So, wait," Thalia spoke up, "your mother was Gloria Roosevelt?"

"Did you know her?" David asked intrigued.

Thalia shook her head, "no, but my mother would rant about her often especially when she was drunk. Blaming her for all her misfortune and woes." Thalia scoffed "as if she needed Gloria for her own stupidity." She imitated her mother holding a cigarette and a martini and mocked her mannerisms, "Because of Gloria, Zeus won't make me immortal, he won't give me beauty, he won't even take me to Olympus. Because of Gloria, He NEVER loved me. Gloria the megastar, Gloria, Zeus' first love. STUPID, PERFECT GLORIA."

"Too bad he didn't care enough to save her," David mumbled.

"Compared to me you lived in relative safety," Thaila pointed out.

David nodded in agreement, "I am truly sorry I couldn't find you," he said solemnly, "what kind of Brother doesn't protect his siblings."

"You lost a mother, and I lost a brother," Thalia replied, "father's actions have hurt us in so many ways."

"The River Styx enacts a heavy toll on those who break vows on it," David said his eyes downcast, "and it's often we that pay the price." He looked up at his little sister, "he's fine by the way."

Thalia paused, "who?"

"Jason, he was doing fine the last time I saw him."

Thalia sprang up, "YOU'VE SEEN HIM?" she shrieked, grabbing David by the arms, "where is he, where did he go?" Despite her size she was practically shaking him.

David put his hands on hers to settle her down, "he's right where he belongs, in a safe haven."

"Take me to him," Thalia demanded, "I want to see him."

David bowed his head and shook it. "I can't, though I do want to it all depends on father which is unlikely."

Thalia wretched free and stepped back, "WHY?" she cried" For the longest time I thought he was dead or worse, and now you're telling me I can't even see him." She huffed and went for her things; I he won't tell me I'll go out there and find him myself."

David quickly grabbed her arm and spun her around. "Please Thalia, it's not that simple."

"THEN TELL ME!" Thalia shrieked. "Help me understand."

David sighed, "only if you swear on the river Styx that you won't tell anyone what I am about to tell you" I already have permission from Father, but you must hold an obligation too."

Thalia stared at her older brother for a moment before she finally relaxed and nodded reluctantly. "Fine," She said begrudgingly, "I swear on the River Styx that I will be silent."

The Room rumbled with thunder sealing the pact before Thalia took back her seat and David did the same. David breathed deeply and began. "Jason is our father's son, but technically he isn't the son of Zeus."

"Thalia looked confused, "I don't get... how does that work?"

"Jason was conceived under our father's alter ego, Jupiter."

"The Roman God?"

David nodded, "see the gods have a Greek form and a roman form, I'm still trying to figure out how that works or what causes the change but regardless, it has resulted in Greek demigods and Roman demigods. So, the two groups of demigods go to separate camps."

"What's the difference?"

The Roman aspects are more militant and while some such as Mars are stronger in this form, others like Minerva are weaker. Being Roman means that their demigods are hardwired for Latin rather than Ancient Greek and like their parents are far more militant than we are."

"But why?"

The main reason is to prevent another war from breaking out. The last time our Camps were together resulted in the Civil War. So the gods keep us as far away from each other as possible and do everything they can to prevent interaction."

"The Civil War?" Thalia questioned, "as in the American Civil War?"

David nodded, "yep, we led the North, and they led the South."

Thalia winced, "are things between our camps really so bad?"

David smirked, "one of their main rules are to never trust the Greeks."

Thalia bowed his head, "so does this mean I'll never see my brother again?"

David smiled and cupped her cheek, "don't despair sis, Jason's training has been going well and being the son of Jupiter means it won't be difficult for him to rise to prominence within their ranks. Perhaps in time Father may give you permission but for now the best thing we can do is be patient and wish out brother the good fortune."

Chapter 20: Soldier Boy

Chapter Text

War Journal, June 22, 1999

Managed to successfully escort the refugees to safety. Sustained several injuries in theprocess, but a trivial price to pay for their safety. Finally reached the camp and will be starting training again soon. Turns out the girl who was being targeted has an older brother. He seems amiable enough but he's somehow different from the rest. Can't put my finger on how though.

George would wake up a few days later. He sat up from the bed and looked around. He found a blonde girl walking over to him. "Well, well sleeping beauty awakes." She said sitting down beside him, "your friends were starting to think you intended to sleep forever."

George shook his head, "It'll take more than a couple of Furies to kill me." He looked her over, "Though you look too young to be playing nurse."

"Remy Adams, my father is Apollo so we're natural healers." She said casually as she placed the back of her hand on his head, "No fever, so you should be ready to go as soon as we take the bandages off."

The mention of bandages caused a sudden itch on the right of his face so George to put a hand on his face to rub it. When he did, he found the right side of his face was bandaged. Frowning he closed his left eye and found his world was now black.

"Here," Remy reached for him, "it should be healed by now, more or less."

The girl carefully unraveled his bandaged until it touched his skin and finally it came off completely. George's fears were confirmed. His vision on his right side was now gone. Touching his own face gently his fingers traced a scar that started from his right temple and through a now empty eye socket crossed his nose and ended under his left cheekbone. Another scar ran from the corner of his mouth to the intertragic notch on his ear. A third scar ran from his right cheekbone to the bottom edge of his right nostril.

He frowned and looked around looking for something. "I came here with a girl, black hair, blue eyes, bossy disposition."

"I think you mean Thalia," Remy replied, "She woke up a few days before you."

"And she's okay?" George asked. When Remy nodded, George sighed and smiled to himself, 'Mission...Accomplished.' He touched his right side again, "but this...this is going to make fighting difficult. Difficult, but fortunately not impossible."

He then noted his left arm, which was now bore burn scars, he flexed his fingers and twisted his joints before giving a few sharp thrusts and sighed in relief to know that the ambrosia had helped him retain full use of his limb with no signs of contractures.

He got up and retrieved his backpack and duffle bag which were on his bedside. He began to take inventory to make sure everything was all there, and nobody robbed him while he was out. Once he confirmed that everything was in place, George stood up and strapped his swords to his waist. As he did this a red light appeared over him followed by two bloody swords crossed.

"Hey George!"

George turned and saw Luke jogging over to him, "hey Luke, what brings you to the medical wing?"

"I heard you had awakened I wanted to come by to see how you were doing." Luke cocked his head to the right and sighed, "and it seems your injuries are as bad as I expected."

George nodded, "I appreciate it, but the important thing is Thalia was safe."

"Yes," Luke agreed softly, "she is." Then unexpectedly Luke hugged him, taking George off guard. So, he returned Luke's hug with a pat on the back. "Thank you," his voice shuddered, "thank you for saving her."

They broke off and Luke straightened up. "Come, I'll escort you to your cabin. It's the least I can do."

George shrugged, "if you wish."

As Luke led him to the cabins, he eyed the arena with great interest, when Luke told him the nearby forest was full of monsters, he nearly got giddy. Between the arena and the forest, he would have all the time he needed to practice and train. Once they reached the Cabin area, they were greeted by a familiar face. "George," Thalia ran up to them, "they told me you finally awoke. How are you doing?"

"I'm still among the livin'." George replied nonchalantly.

Thalia nodded, "That's good to hear. Look I just came over to say...thanks for helping me."

George smirked, though with his new scar it was now wider than normal. "Let's not do it again though, I only got one eye left." He winked with his remaining eye.

Thaila's smile became sad, "I'll certainly try, though if you had gone along with Luke and Ennabeth this wouldn't have happened."

George frowned and shook his head, "mother would have been disappointed in me if I had left a child behind to the mercy of those sadists."

Thalia cocked an eyebrow, "who are you calling a child? If I recall you're two years younger than me."

"I haven't been a child since I was 8," George said solemnly.

That took the girl aback and before replying, "well, let's see if we can change that." With that she headed off do find Annabeth.

Moving on, the two boys headed for the cabin painted red with a boar's head over the door. Rock music was blaring at a deafening volume came from within. George winced the only rock music he was familiar with were the likes of Elvis Presley and Jimi Hendrix. What was playing wasn't bad but, did it have to be so loud?

Inside the cabin were a dozen or so of the roughest looking bunch he had ever seen. One that would make a local street gang look like a pack of ninnys. Even the girls had a rough and mean appearance to them.

"Lemme guess," The one at the door said looking him over, "you the newbie."

"Evidently," George replied sizing him up.

The boy turned around and George followed him inside, the other kids stopped what they were doing and glared at George, sizing him up. George returned the glares as he rested his left hand on his kopis. 'Go on,' he though in challenge, 'try something.'

"Oy Brock," he called, "we got a live one here."

Brock, obviously the leader stood up and came forward, a big and muscular boy with a scarred face and camo pants. He crossed his arms over his broad chest and looked down at him with a glare. George's face remained impassive as he met Brock's stare. After a moment, Brock chuckled and ruffled George's hair. While Brock introduced him to the rest of the cabin

"Welcome to Ares Cabin kid," he said with a grin. As he did the rest of them offered the own greetings with hard slaps to his back. George grunted but refuse to show further signs of distress. Immediately they began asking about his last stand against Hades' Army.

"I can't believe you actually fought the Furies."

"They say you actually killed a cyclops single handed."

"I can't tell if you're brave, stupid or just plain crazy," one shook his head incredulously.

"Regardless, that kind of nerve is proof that you're one of us." One of the older girls said with a laugh.

"You lost an eye for it." Brock noted gesturing to George's right eye.

George nodded grimly, "fortunately I have a spare, but the loss of depth perception will prove... challenging. Still...a lot of greats have lost and eye, Philip of Macedon and Hannibal Barca to name a few."

Brock smiled, "too true, but for now, I think it's time we gave our new brother a proper initiation."

As he said this, one of the boys closed the door and locked it, as the rest of George's Cabinmates surrounded him. George looked around, sighed and nodded dropping his bags to the ground. "Before we get started," he said clenching his fists, "does anyone wanna back out?"

One of the younger boys tried to kick the back of his leg trying to buckle it. George spun around and punched him right in the nuts causing him to keel over. Another tried to sock him in the face, George dodged this and delivered a kick to the side of her knee followed by an uppercut. One of the older kids got him in a bear hug, George boxed his ears. Another grabbed him from behind George slammed the back of his head into the boy's nose. He was then tackled by Brock and a dogpile followed. However, this caused things to escalate since some were not too keen on being in said dogpile and the situation erupted into an all-out rumble with the entire cabin punching and kicking and making a real mess of things.

George put up as much of a fight as possible, kicking like a horse and biting like a jaguar. But in the end, he was outnumbered and most of the kids there were bigger than him and hardened if undisciplined scrappers. Then there was that small matter of having one eye, so he got several hard knocks to his right side by the end of it, the entire cabin was a pile of laughing bruised and blues.

Brock helped George up and dusted him off, "not bad for a newbie," he said with a chuckle.

"I think you gave me a concussion," George grumbled rubbing his head.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"My mother," George replied, "and my Stepfather."

"Who was your mother?" one of them asked, "some army Brat?"

George shrugged, "close, a marine, my stepfather was a green beret."

Brock laughed and raised his hands, "whoa back up people, we got ourselves a genuine soldier boy."

Exhausted, yet sated, they finally got up and straightened up the place. Or rather the Ares equivalent of tidying up would be. Which is gathering up personal belongings and dumbing them next to their beds. George would be the exception fixing his sheets tight enough to bounce his coins off them. and placing his bags at the foot of his bed.

Afterwards Brock introduced him his new siblings. The hierarchy of Ares cabin seemed to be the embodiment of the philosophy of Might Makes Right. Something that was made clear by Brock and his two main 'goons'. Alongside Brock were Mario De La Torre, and Gregory Pettigrew. They were the oldest, roughest and meanest members of the cabin. Being one of the youngest put him on the lower pedestal. But it was a pedestal he had no intention on remaining in.

Brock then remembered something, "oh before I forget." He went to a trunk and pulled out an orange shirt with a Black Pegasus on the front and the words CAMP HALF-BLOOD written over it. "We're supposed to give you this." He tossed a couple to him, "Camp uniform."

George looked at the shirt, then at Brock with a cocked eyebrow, "Orange?" He asked, "really?"

"It's supposed to resemble our bronze armor." Mario explained.

George scoffed, "more like a brightly colored target for the enemy to see." This got nods from several of his siblings. He looked the shirt over and shrugged, "I guess I can make this work." set the shirts down and peeled off his own, he heard several light gasps as they saw the numerous crisscrossing lashes that adorned his back.

As he put one of the camp shirts on Mario asked, "did those hurt?"

George frowned, "they would have been a waste of time if they didn't."

"H-how, who..." Gregory tried to ask.

"Mom," George said simply as he tucked his shirt in, "and Sensei. But they only did this if I...well...'misbehaved'." His smirked, "to be more specific, if I had your deposition."

Everyone winced at that, he could tell none of their mothers were so harsh, if they were harsh at all. "She sounds cruel." Gregory said finally. rubbing his own back nervously.

George shook his head, "cruel, hardly, hard as nails, definitely. I never got a whipping I didn't earn." He then reached into his bag and rummaged through his extra clothes until he found what he was looking for. An army green military vest that matched his pants, he put it on and zipped it up. He looked himself over and nodded, "there," he thought, "much better."

Brock nodded in approval and George rummaged through his duffle bag again and took out a whetstone. He sat himself down on the porch pulled out his swords and started sharpening them. He didn't stop until the blade was sharp enough to slice through paper. He had just finished with his xiphos when the bell rang indicating time for dinner. They lined up and headed for the dining area. Much like the Cabins, there were 13 large tables with 10 smaller ones surrounding them. The Director's table where Chiron, Dionysus and the Satyrs sat overlooked them all. George was not at all impressed by the director, 'great,' he thought, 'we got Barney Gumble for a supervisor.' He sighed, at least the trainer is a dignified figure.

George had cream soda with barbecue briscut and Texan chili. When the time came to make an offering, he reluctantly surrendered the fattest part of his briscut to the flames, saying the name "Ares," as he did so.

Once everyone was seated the counselor of Zeus cabin, David, stood up with his glass raised, "I would like to make a personal toast to George Grant, who's courage and determination saved my beloved sister's life in the face of impossible odds. Were it not for him she may not be with us right now. For that my friend, you have my eternal gratitude."

Luke and Annabeth were the first to raise their glasses, "to George."

"TO GEORGE," roared Ares Cabin.

"To George," the other demigods followed afterwards.

George raised his hand, "I only did what a True warrior would do," He insisted. "Though you don't need courage to chase off pests."

"Take care George Grant," Chiron warned, "you don't want them to make them angrier with you than they already are."

George nodded respectfully, "Understood sir, but if the three furies wanna fight I'm right here." He grinned, "it'll give me a chance to pay them back with interest, for THIS." He gestured to the scarred side of his face.

"Easy there Ahab," David quipped, "wait before going after your whale, you don't want to lose your life so recklessly."

George frowned and nodded, before sitting down to eat. After the feast George got up to head for the campfire, three girls he recognized from sitting at Eris Cabin approached him.

"Did you really tell a Fury to 'get pregnant'?" The one in the middle, obviously the leader, asked.

George smirked, "I think I called another a crusty bitch at one point."

She smiled, "my aren't you a bold one, I'm Adagio by the way."

"Charmed," George bowed his head slightly.

Adagio smirked, you know we hunt monsters too, if you're interested you could join us.

George cocked an eyebrow, they certainly didn't look like fighters, then again neither did anyone in Aphrodite Cabin, not even the boys. 'What is their angle he though suspiciously. Curious but on his guard, he nodded in acceptance. "I only hope you can make good on that boast," he said sternly. He had little tolerance for liars.

Afterwards they gathered round the campfire until it was time to go to bed. The hex sisters had always sang a song during this time. George found himself entranced when they started and though he paid little attention to their lyrics one verse did catch his ear.

We were not all made the same

Some of us shine brighter

Now's the chance to find your flame

Are you a loser of a fighter

"I'm a fighter," George said curling his left hand into a fist, "and I intent to prove it. After setting his things back in his bags and checking to make sure nothing was missing, George went right to sleep knowing that come morning his training would resume.

The days that followed became standard routine for George. He woke up at 05:00 sharp, made his bed, got dressed, and headed for the armoury. After finding a helm, breastplate, greaves and bracers that fit. He started a morning routine before breakfast. Running 6 miles in 1 hour, Swimming the length of the beach several times. Hunting monsters in the forest and finally practicing punches and kicks on a dummy with bare fists in the training grounds.

He kept this up until the breakfast bell rang and the day would start in earnest. Over time he would find what he was good at and what he wasn't. He was also eventually able to get a leather patch for his right eye socket. But even now he was already making plans to fill it with his birthstone.

As fun as the forest was George's favourite place quickly became the Arena. In the arena, campers were pitted against various monsters who were summoned against them, with the younger kids fighting the relatively weak monsters such as zombies, Blemmyai, and Pamdai while the older kids getting the heavier hitters like Cyclops, Hellhounds and Laestrygonians. Only the best of them fought the top tier monsters such as Minotaur, Chimera, Hydra and Manticore. The Hex sisters surprised George that they were indeed able to back up their boast of hunting monsters. They used their singing to lull the monsters into a trance while one would finish them off with a spear. 'Unorthodox but effective,' George acknowledged.

Being a son of Ares meant that swordplay came naturally, with him being able to best many of the older campers. It also helped that most were not use to his style duel wielding a xiphos and kopis instead of the usual sword/spear and shield. Even when he did use a shield, most were not used to fighting a left-handed opponent. Having one eye still made things tricky so he had to be wary of his new blind spot, but nothing that couldn't be overcome with a practice. Most of his older siblings were able to best him including Brock, Gregory and Mario thanks to having trained longer with a sword and experience, as well as some of the Head Counselors.

When it came to ranged weapons such as Archery and Javelin throwing, he managed to not embarrass himself since all of Ares kids could be proficient in all weaponry. He was no William Tell and would be no match for the children of Apollo let alone the hunters of Artemis. He did better with javelins but not by much. In both cases he was better than David and being able to best a child of the big three at something was considered an achievement.

He proved decent enough in wrestling though what he did was less wrestling and more grappling. Being 10 years old had its limitations and George still found himself throw to the ground more often than naught. Thanks to his mother's tutelage he was able to do well in Greek Mythology though he did have to be corrected on a few things due to having read inaccurate versions of certain stories. Learning Ancient Greek was trickier, but he was eventually able to get the basics of it.

He took an interest in weapon making and Pegasus riding. George made a mental note to ask about getting a personalized armour for himself. Also, there was a weapon he wanted to try and make. As for weapon polishing, while he could care less if his armour sparkled in the sun, he did care about maintaining it. After all, the mild inconvenience of being in a life-or-death situation is no excuse for not having your weapons and armour properly sharpened and cleaned. As for Pegasus riding, George had only one thing in mind for such a skill and that was to combat the three, winged bitches that he intended to get his revenge on. But other than that, unless the enemy could fly, George preferred to be on the ground in the fight not flying over it. He preferred regular horses anyway and was not a fan of the chariot.

For the rest of his courses, he was mediocre. But of all the courses, the one he excelled in the most was unarmed combat. His older siblings were more experienced in armed combat but thanks to mother and Sensei, he likely had more training in unarmed combat than any of them. George was able to punch well above his weight class, easily defeating opponents 1, 2, 3, and even 4 years his elder. He hit fast and he hit hard and was not above fighting dirty such as throwing dirt in his opponent's face. But what truly made him such a dangerous fighter was a relentless determination combined with remarkable stamina and an ability to absorb punishment. This was made clear in his spars with Mario de la Torre. Mario beat him, yet despite getting slammed to the ground a dozen times and George kept getting up and coming at him.

As he was knocked to the ground again, George's muscles trembled with the pain. He grinned and spat out a mouthful of blood before struggling to his feet. "Again," he said, raising his fists.

Merida shook her head, "by the gods, when Ares made that boy, he forgot to put in the quit."

"Forgot? Or removed it?" Henry questioned.

"And he's been doing the same routine every morning before breakfast?" Cindy wondered.

Brock nodded grimly, "everyday like clockwork, sometimes I swear he's half machine."

"Not a machine," Helena said shaking her head, "a weapon."

David however eyed the boy and rubbed his chin in thought. His siblings are rustic, but George seems to have been cut from a 'different' mold. One thing was certain, seeing the ferocity that burned in George's ice blue eye, it was clear that boy would never, ever give in.

Chapter 21: Step One

Chapter Text

War Journal, June 28, 1999

It seems my new siblings have seen fit to give me a new nickname. Soldier Boy, odd, but fitting all things considered. The head honcho of this camp is about as fit to run it as George McClellan was to lead the Union Army. At least the one who's training us is as competent a being as could be found in the entire Greek pantheon. Learning to fight with one eye was tough But I swear I will find that whore that took my eye and when I do, I will scatter her just as Zeus did to his father and his father before him.I've also managed to pick up a few new tricks, these will serve me well in the future.

On a personal note, I seemed to have made a few friends in the refugees I protected, Luke Castellan, Thalia Grace and Annabeth Chase. Never thought I'd be doing that, but it does help to have people that I can trust. Though I have a rivalry in Ms. Chase, due to an ancient feud between our cabins.Today will be my first capture the flag, so I'll be able to see what the other recruits can do. I confess I'mexcited.

People talk about the runner's high, that euphoric feeling when exercising. Evidently Ares Cabin often got something similar, but this was known as the fighter's high. Where they lost themselves in the fight and became so weary that they ceased to think and simply acted on pure instinct. This is what coursed through George as he slew another monster. George had barely scratched its surface during his stand with Thalia, but now it seemed to come more frequently. Dueling in the arena was fun but here in the forest, with no audience, no restrictions, ending one creature after another. The thrill was akin to reaching nirvana on a roller coaster.

He was not alone, a few yards away, Luke was wielding a sword and shield, cutting down monsters albeit at a slower and more cautious pace than his companion. A roar was heard, and two Cyclopes emerged.

George grinned, "oooohhhh, Big Hoss." The Cyclops charged, George gave his kopis a throw which embedded itself into the Cyclops eye, the Cyclops screamed in pain as it removed the blade and tossed it away. George reached out his right hand and the fallen blade jiggled slightly before flying back into his waiting hand. The boy chuckled to himself, "using the force." He turned to his blinded adversary, "over here No-Eye!" He called out causing the cyclops to charge in his direction, George ducked out of the way as the Cyclops stumbled past and sliced the tendons on its legs. The blinded giant fell flat on his face as George hopped up on his back and drove his swords into its neck killing it.

Turning around he saw that Luke had managed to kill his own Cyclops but had ended up on his back in the process. Walking over to him, George sheathed his blade and helped Luke up with a laugh. "Well done Luke," he said as they grabbed a couple of towels and wiped the sweat from their faces. "At this rate you'll be able to best even my siblings.

Luke sighed, "I still have a long way to go." He frowned, "but it's not enough. I need to get better, stronger."

"For Thalia?" George guessed knowingly.

Luke nodded, "I'm not letting Hades' minions hurt her again."

George shook his head, "if only my sibling would show as much dedication to honing their martial abilities," he replied sadly.

"You don't like them?" Luke wondered.

George shook his head, "they're excellent fighters, but they seemed to have all the discipline of a pack of rapid wolverines high on angel dust. They had so much potential to be better, but it was being wasted in favour of a mentality that usually involved ramming one's head through a brick wall." This was especially in regard to tactics and strategy, a flaw that was often exploited by their rivals in the Athena cabin. Not him, he would have no arachnophobic know-it-alls getting the best of him. Granted they knew their stuff, such that it was, but gods were they insufferable.

Then there were their extracurricular activities. Instead of honing their skills they choose to waste time pushing around the smaller campers. What's more they tended to avoid a fight when confronted by some of the head counselors. George perceived this as an act of cowardice. One of the few demigods that took their martial training seriously was Luke Castellan. As a result he and George became regular sparing partners, with Luke starting to show exceptional promise. But as they fought George sensed there was more to Luke's training than simply improving his skills. A determination mixed with...anger. When George wasn't available Luke could be found sparring with either Thalia who always beat him and Matthew.

The Head counselor of Hermes Cabin was the perfect skirmisher, deadly in a distance, but more vulnerable on closer distances. A stark contrast to his own Head Counselor, the Peltast to Brock's Hoplite. While he still wore a cuirass, and greaves, he favoured the Illyrian styled helmet over the Corinthian one so he could get maximum visibility and forgoes vambraces, so his arms got proper flexibility. He used a bronze crescent shield and carried three javelins, two short ones with fletching for throwing and a single long one for close combat. According to Chiron, Matthew could run circles around Achilles, who was known to outrun horses. So, Brock would counter Matthew's speed with strength and heavier armour. Luke seemed to lean towards the latter, preferring the sword to the spear

"Wanna spar after this," George offered.

Luke shook his head, "maybe later, I'm going to see how Thalia's training is progressing."

Ever since she woke up, her half-brother started devoting much of his time to training his sister, particularly in magical abilities. "From what I saw David was teaching her how to project an electrical barrier," George replied as he followed the older boy to the section of the arena where the children of Zeus were. Thalia was standing with her hands out electricity cackling along her fingers as David gave her instructions. Her shield slung on her back and her spear set on the ground.

"Let the currents interlock and flow through your fingers," they heard David say. "Then focus the energy to a single point."

Thalia obeyed and now her hands touched at the fingertips with a concentrated part building up between her palms.

"Think of it like those Hoberman sphere toys," David said calmly. "Spread your hands pout and imaging you're pulling one apart."

Thalia tried but once her hands were a certain distance the connection between them severed.

"Because it's a protection ability it helps to think of someone you would wish to protect." David suggested.

Thalia thought for a moment and that's when her eyes met Luke's. He gave her a reassuring smile and Thalia reciprocated. Thaila turned back to her hands and concentrated this time when she spread out her hands a weak circle of electricity formed and the wider she spread her hands the bigger the circle got."

"YES!" David raised his fists to the air.

"You did it," Luke cried out.

"I did it," Thalia repeated giddily.

"Well done sis," David said with a grin. "Now let's see how it can hold up." As he said this a Laestrygonian popped out. Luke almost rushed forward to help her, but George held him back. Turning to George angrily, and the younger shook his head "this is Thalia's fight."

Thalia and the giant locked eyes as the monster started launching fireballs at her. Thalia projected her shield and was able to block three before her barrier gave out. She then dodged a fourth before pulling out her shield and blocking the fifth. With her shield up Thalia, grabbed her spear and another technique her brother taught her. She charged electricity through her spear and fired a bolt of lightning at the Laestrygonian, the first one missed but the second found it's mark striking the creature in the abdomen and sending him to the ground, with a shrill war cry, The plunged the spear into the Laestrygonian's chest killing it.

Luke breathed a sigh of relief before charging up to David and socked him in the face, David staggered back but kept his footing, David turned to Luke more amused than angry. "You Bastard," Luke roared, "you could have killed her!"

David put a finger to his now bloody lip and examined the drop of crimson on his nail.

"Can you at least warn me when you're going to do that," Thalia asked walking over to them.

"Surprises will happen Thalia," David countered, "besides you did well."

"But my barrier failed," she grumbled.

"The fact that you manage to block more than one on your first try is nothing to scoff at." He assured her, "give it time and with practice your barrier will get stronger."

Later Luke and George went to the opposite end of the arena. As they sparred Luke spoke up. "Thalia always bested me when we sparred, so I always knew that the children of the Big Three were more powerful than the rest of us. But seeing David has made me realize how far the gap truly is. I mean, control over lightning, wind and can even create sonic shockwaves by clapping his hands. He has strength that rivals if not surpasses Henry's and can fly, FLY." He shook his head "At thig rate he could easily enforce his will upon us just as his father does in Olympus, and we would be powerless to stop him."

George patted Luke's back, "if it's any consolation, he seems to resent his own father as much as you resent yours."

Luke nodded in agreement, "from what I've heard those outer cabins didn't exist until David petitioned for it. His father had been against it, so I wonder if he did it out of kindness or spite."

George shrugged, "either way it's good for the campers."

Luke frowned, "the fact that it took one of his sons for changes to be made doesn't put the Olympians in a good light. Still the cabins and tables are a good start."

"Then perhaps we should what we can to make more changes and make this Camp even better." George offered.

"What do you have in mind?" Luke asked.

George rubbed his chin, "well the method of training leaves something to be desired. I mean whacking at a dummy is hardly training since Dummies don't hit back." He shook his head, "but if I want to do that, I'll need to become head counselor. Brock doesn't intend to stay for much longer and when that happens there will be a choosing. The most likely candidates are Mario or Greggory, something I'm not looking forward to, which means I'll have to rise the ranks." He frowned, "that feat will require two things from me. The first is to become the best fighter in my cabin, the second is a successful quest."

Luke cocked an eyebrow, "a quest? I think you're a bit young for that."

George nodded, "All the more reason to train as much as I can so if may father is willing, and he gives me a quest then I'm ready as I'll ever be."

Speaking of the Head Counselors, George observed his fellow campers and took note of all the alpha fighters as well as those who showed exceptional promise, figuring out who would be useful should he ever get a quest. So far, the only ones who stuck out were the head counselors, David, Brock, Matthew, Pamela, Cindy Henry, Merida and Helena were all formidable in their own right. But skill alone wasn't enough he also wanted to do this with people that he trusted, and the only ones he knew aside from his siblings were Luke, Thalia and Annabeth. Thalia was out of the question due to the danger and Annabeth was too young. Which was a shame since Thalia's skill would be useful as well as Annabeth's strategic mind. This left Luke as his by far best and so far, only option.

"So, are you ready for capture the flag tonight?" He asked.

Luke shrugged, "I suppose, though I don't relish the idea of fighting you."

The teams had been decided before the day arrived. Red Team was led By Zeus' Cabin Under David Roosevelt. This meant that Blue Team would be led By Hestia Cabin under Eve Stellaris. Teams were often a mixed affair with cabins switching between teams, but the one consistency was that the cabins of Ares and Athena were on opposite sides every single time. Other common consistencies were thanks to certain relationships between the head counselors. Henry Smith of Hephaestus Cabin is Cindy's boyfriend and Alice Darling of Aphrodite Cabin had Brock wrapped around her finger. That was the way of Aphrodite's cabin, they usually got the boys to do the fighting for them.

Thalia's relationship with Luke and Annabeth meant that Athena Cabin and Hermes Cabin fought for the red team, but this meant that they would be fighting against George Grant. Though various means the other cabins chose their sides and soon the battle lines for this week were drawn.

Blue Team

1. Hestia

2. Ares

3. Apollo

4. Aphrodite

5. Demeter

6. Eris

7. Nemesis

8. Thanatos

9. Hecate

10. Hypnos

Red Team

1. Zeus

2. Athena

3. Hermes

4. Hephaestus

5. Dionysus

6. Nike

7. Iris

8. Hebe

9. Dike

10. Tyche

As among the youngest, George was assigned by Brock to patrol the creek for anyone that managed to get past them. He and a few others stood at intervals looking for any splashes. His swords were in his hands, and his shield strapped to his back. This was by design, along with a solid handle and leather arm strap, his shield had a third strap, so it could be slung over his shoulder with the strap running diagonally across his chest. This would give his back extra protection so he could focus more on attacks from the front.

A splash was heard, and this drew most heads to the sound including George. As they moved towards it, George took a quick look around and out of the corner of his eye noticed a consistent ripple in the water as he was turning. So, he sheathed his kopis and knelt down grabbing a handful of dirt. Then he threw it behind him with most falling into the water and some catching a clearly short figure. With a gasp it rushed away and dived into the creek with a splash.

George laughed and grabbed another handful of dirt, "you can't hide from me" he declared. Tossing it into the water and watching the current carrying the dirt down river as George watched closely. The dirt then stopped at an invisible barrier and George grinned. He reached in and grabbed something that felt like hair. and lifted her up. She cried out in pain and as she tried to free her hair, her hands dislodged the cap she was wearing that made her invisible.

George laughed when he saw who it was and released her hair only to grab her arm. "Well, well, Annabeth." Others who had heard the commotion gather to her and chuckled. George handed her over to two of his younger siblings, "sent little miss disappear to jail." They nodded with a grin as Annabeth struggled to break free. George knelt down and picked up her invisibility cap, "you won't be needing this," he said tucking it in his belt. As they were leaving Luke and Thalia burst out of the tree line charging, determined to free their friend.

"What took you so long?" Annabeth scowled in her struggling.

"Helena and the Hexs had us running in circles," Luke replied.

"I swear if I have to hear those girls sing one more time," Thalia growled under her breath before glaring at George. "Now let her go, soldier boy." Thalia demanded.

George shook his head and drew his kopis and turned to his siblings, "deal with the prisoner, I'll deal with the lovebirds." He turned back to Luke and Thalia his blades pointed at their heads. "You ain't going anywhere but back. I was ordered to hold this position, so that's what I'm gonna do."

Luke and Thalia exchanged a look, "we know he won't give up," he told her.

Thalia nodded, "and neither will we," she replied as her spear began to cackle with electricity.

The exchange that followed was a fierce thing, exchanging blows with spear, sword, shield and even kicks. Individually, George could beat them, but together, he was sorely outmatched receiving two blows for every one he dealt. George grunted with each blow as he fought through the pain. But George preferred it this way, the greater the odds were against him, the better the practice. Like mother said, life's not supposed to be fair.

At first, he kept his attention on Thalia, she was by far the greater threat. Every now and then she would find an opening and send a bolt of electricity through her spear. half the time George was able to move out of the way in time and the other half found a painful tingling course through his body. Thalia thrusted with her spear; George would cross block it before directing it to the ground then raise the upper blade to strike Thalia with the butte of the hilt. Luke slashed with his sword, George parried with one blade and striking at his legs with the other forcing Luke to lower his shield to protect his unarmoured thigh allowing George to kick him in the head. This kept up for ten minutes, by now all three were wounded to some degree.

As George landed another kick to Luke's chest Thalia bashed him over the helm with her shield slightly dazing him. Luke then managed to knock the kopis out of George's hand and planted his foot on it preventing George from recalling it. George backed away quickly and unslung his shield and strapped it on his now free hand in one fluid movement. Changing tactics, George now focused all his attention on Luke, seeking to overwhelm him before Thalia got him. Because their shield and sword were both on the same side George locked Luke's shield with his own while slashing at Luke's sword arm. A well-placed cut caused Luke to drop his sword and he stumbled back splashing into the creek.

Thalia came charging with her spear. George blocked it with his shield only for Luke to bash George's right leg with the edge of his own shield causing it to buckle and George dropped to one knee. Luke then tackled him and now George was flat on his back.

The hand holding the xiphos was trapped ground by Luke's foot, as he pinned the rest of him to the ground. George struggled fiercely, trying to throw the boy off him as Thalia pointed her spear at the gap in George's helmet. "Yield," she demanded.

George frowned and his mind racked with any way to get out of this. with no other option he released his xiphos. Thalia and Luke helped him up to take him prisoner. Thalia took Annabeth's cap from off of George's belt but as they did the conch horn blew. signaling the end of the match. Luke and Thalia looked up to see a member of Hestia cabin holding their banner on the blue side of the creek. It was over, the Blue Team had won.

George chuckled, Thalia sighed in frustration, and Luke shrugged, "oh well," he thought. "We'll get you next time."

He offered his hand, and George shook it he did the same with Thalia and grinned, "I look forward to it." He had lost the fight but succeeded in keeping the daughter of Zeus and the rising star in Hermes cabin from rescuing the friend. As well as contributing to their side any further. It wasn't much but it was a start, and hopefully the first step in proving himself and achieving his goal. Little did George know that his next step would come sooner than expected.

Chapter 22: Lord of War

Chapter Text

War Journal, July 2nd, 2001

Brock's time as our commanding officer is coming to an end, he'll soon be off to college. He hopes to become Green Beret, so I gave him a few pointers on what to expect. Aside from that, I can only give him my best wishes.

But this means that Mario is on the verge of taking over between him and brock Mario has proven himself the better fighter while Gregory is the more tactically inclined for all that's worth. Brock has kept them in line for years, but I fear for our cabin's future. Hopefully Father presents me with a mission soon, for if that yahoo takes over, we're fucked.

George struck the training dummy with absolute focus; one slip could result in injury and had it been real...death. The dummy he was training with was no typical training dummy. It had a clockwork mechanism that would cause one of its three arm levels to snap forward whenever another was struck back. In other words, a dummy that was capable of fighting back... and hitting HARD. Once you strike it the first time, it doesn't stop until you strike the head. Seems simple enough, but it was much harder when the dummy is striking you with the equivalent of 6 limbs, and you only have four to work with.

It was an impressive contraption, then again one could not expect anything less than perfection when it came to the works of Hephaestus' children. They may not be the best fighter, but they sure knew how to build things. He didn't know how it worked, but he didn't care, he wasn't studying to become an engineer after all.

That's why during his time at Camp Half Blood, George made it a point to stay on good terms with Hephaestus Cabin. A good lesson life, 'don't smash the hand that fixes your gear.' Especially if said gear is vital to preventing you from becoming cyclops chowder.

So, George continued to alternate between attacking and defending until he blocked an arm that was poised to strike his face was able to punch the head of the dummy but took a blow to the ribs as punishment. The moment the head was struck all the swinging arms came to a stop and the dummy stilled.

George rubbed the place where his ribs were hit and began locking the arms back to that starting position ready for the next round. Wiping the sweat off his face with a towel, he headed back to his cabin to get his weapons for a monster hunt. But when he arrived, he saw Brock walking up to him with an odd look.

"What's going on?" He asked.

Brock frowned, "our father wants a word at the big house. Best not keep him waiting Soldier Boy."

George's eyes widened, this was unexpected and honestly, he didn't know how to respond to this. His brain rankled since he didn't know what to think. Part of him was excited and though he would never admit it, even with a gun to his head. Another part of him was somewhat nervous. He sighed 'well, no use trying to avoid it,' he thought. With a shrug, he entered the cabin, set his stuff down while keeping his swords and headed for the Big House.

Outside the big house George noticed a huge motorcycle outside, with a flaming paint job and shotguns in the rear. He entered the big house and headed for Chiron's office. As he stepped in the first thing, he felt was rage, the same kind he felt whenever he thought of the Furies. He wanted to punch through the walls, to return to the arena and summon a Drakon so he could slay it. But he clenched his fists, ground his teeth and bottled it up, 'save it for the monsters,' he thought. He put his hands behind his back with his right hand enclosed around his left middle and index finger.

The man inside looked like he could have Delta Force for dinner and make Hells Angels piss themselves. Tall, broad and muscular, he was built like a tank. With a battle-scarred face and a bad haircut. He wore black denim trousers, combat boots and a black leather duster. Under that was a black ballistic vest over a blood-red muscle shirt. Red Tinted sunglasses covered his eyes and a bowie knife the size of a spartan xiphos was strapped to his thigh. George cocked his eyebrow, the outlaw biker gig was in interesting choice, but in a way it fit. After all, many motorcycle gangs were founded by ex-military personnel.

'Show no fear,' George thought, his mother's words ringing in his head, 'don't show any sign of weakness.' He approached and did his best to present an impassive face. He bowed his head in respect, "Father."

Ares smirked, leaned forward and removed his shades. Instead of eyes, flames akin to those of nuclear explosions filled the sockets. The two just stared at each other for a long moment George refuse to back down. After a moment, the God of War straightened up, drew his knife and began cleaning the axle grease underneath his fingernails. "I see your mother has done quite the job on you. Keeping your rage in check." His smirk widened, "soldier boy."

"Thanks!" George replied curtly.

"That wasn't a compliment," Ares clarified.

"Matter of perspective," George retorted.

Ares shook his head, "Conflict, aggression, violence...Fury. These things are in your blood boy. To deny them is to deny your nature, your very existence."

George grunted, "what do you want me to do? Shout? Scream? Hit you? Have a diva tantrum like the tarts in Cabin 10?" His grip became so tight, he could feel the circulation to his fingers being cut off. "Any effort against you would be useless, so why bother."

"Fair enough," Ares admitted, "but you still shouldn't fight it."

George smirked, "I'm not fighting it, I'm just saving it for later."

Ares waved his hand dismissively, "Whatever, at least losing your eye hasn't dulled your edge."

George nodded, "a soldier's work is never done, I can't afford to slack off." He turned to his father, "but you're not here just to say hi, are you?"

Ares nodded, "You wanted a chance to prove yourself boy, now you got it. I want you to get a new herd of horses for your cabinmates chariots. Your will find them at the Triple G Ranch."

George frowned, it seemed like a standard retrieval mission, but there was no way it would be that simple. "What's the catch?" He demanded, "I may be Texan but no way you took the time to see me just to have me play cowboy."

Ares grinned, "well...their keeper won't give them up so easily, he can be...temperamental." He gave a wave of his hand, "but nothing that you can't handle considering you want to take on the Furies."

George' lips curled and his grip tightened on his fingers as he nodded, "very well, I accept your challenge."

Ares grinned broadened, "good, I knew I could count on you." He clasped George's shoulder, "Remember the reputation of your cabin and ME are on the line." His grip tightened and George' winces slightly but otherwise willed himself to not show any other sign of distress. "Don't blow it."

George nodded curtly and with that, Ares turned and walked out and climbed onto his motorcycle. The engine of the machine roared to life. The thunderous revving sent a tingle up George's spine. George smiled as the motorcycle speed away and disappeared into the forest breaking many branches to ire of angry dryads.

While he remained stoic in his body language, inside he was practically jumping with joy, he was finally getting a quest, more importantly the next step in his bid for becoming Counselor of Ares cabin.

He turned to Chiron, "so, now what?" He asked the Centaur.

Chiron rubbed his chin, "you will have to seek the council of the Oracle, it is ill advised to go on a quest without receiving a prophecy from her. You'll find her in the attic."

George nodded, "understood sir."

George climbed four flights of stair to the trapdoor the led to the attic. Inside was like your typical attic, full of old junk, but it was the kind of junk that would make the Addams Family or the Munsters cream themselves. Old armour and weapons, pickled body parts of monsters and trophies of slain monsters. They would make a fortune selling them at an antique auction, but they were here for a reason. There at the window sitting on a stool was what looked like an unbandaged female mummy.

George looked around and not seeing anyone else guessed that this was the oracle. His suspicion was confirmed when the mummy looked up. George took a deep breath and approached the mummy and bowed.

Then, the mummy began to speak in a voice fit for a snake, "I and the spirit of Delphi, speaker of the Prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty python, ask thy question seeker."

George straightened his posture and said, "My father has given me a task. What must I do?"

A mist swirled thickly around him and George saw his stepfather standing before him. Then he spoke in the Oracle's voice.

Home is where your mission lies

Scorching under the cloudless skies

Two foes you'll face before it's done

The one who is three and the two who are one

An old relation shall give a test

Tame the brute to tame the rest

Her mouth closed and reclined back into her stool as the room went silent once again. After getting the prophecy, George climbed back down and returned to Chiron's office.

"What did the oracle say?" Chiron asked once George came back. George repeated what he had heard. When he was done Chiron rubbed his chin in thought, The oracle's prophecies often have double meanings, don't dwell too hard on it."

"I won't sir," George replied, "my only concern is completing the mission at any cost, is there any more advise you have for me."

"I would suggest that you bring companions with you, preferably three. You could bring more or less but three is a sacred number and could prove disastrous."

George nodded again, "very well, three it is. But now my mission has a new priority, ensuring that my team comes home safely."

Chiron's face softened, and put a hand on the boy's shoulder, "You may not be able to do that George, these quests are often dangerous."

"You're probably right," George agreed. "But that didn't stop me when the Furies tried to kill Thalia and it won't stop me now," George determined. "It's what any good commander would do, to try knowing full well he won't succeed." With that, George turned and left for his cabin. When he informed his siblings about his quest, many of the older kids looked sour, Mario and Gregory were practically seething. George left to find a team for the mission, and for his first choice, he knew where to the javelin field he found Matthew supervising Luke as he practiced.

"Luke!"

"Hey George," Luke greeted with a smile, "what's up?"

"Father gave me a quest today."

Luke's eyes widened, "you met your father?" George nodded, "so what did you think of him?"

"Evidently I'm too disciplined for him. I think he would prefer that I swung my fists around like a drunken jock frat boy pumped on steroids."

Luke chuckled, "seems your reunion went better than mine did."

George shrugged, "I guess it helped that my mother told me what to expect when I meet him. Though considering the roster, I think I got one of the better gods as a divine parent."

Luke cocked an eyebrow, "you think so?"

George returned his gaze, "considering the shit you, Thalia and Annabeth had to put up with, is there any doubt."

Luke nodded, "fair enough, so what did you need?"

"Chiron advised me to bring two others with me and I was hoping you could be one of them."

Luke's jaw dropped, "you...want me...to join your quest?"

"Why not, your one of the few people I feel I can depend on, and your skill with a sword will be helpful."

"What of your siblings?"

George gave him a look, "no for two reasons, one, an effective team needs diversity, and secondly, as it stands, my siblings are more likely to get in my way than be of assistance Mario and Gregory come to mind."

Luke nodded in agreement, the mention of Ares cabin's meanest residents made the older boy wince. The fact that one of them would soon succeed Brock once he left was a scary notion.

"Count me in," Luke said immediately. He knew George had ambitions to become head counselor and if this meant he would be able to pass over those two, then Luke was eager to help.

George however was surprised, "really?"

"Really."

"Huh, I was half expecting you to refuse saying you wanted to watch over Thalia and Annabeth."

Luke hook his head, "those two will be fine, besides-" he said assuring. but as much as helping George was a factor, Luke had a deeper reasons for accepting. "-my father hasn't given me a quest yet, as you once said, training is good but it's second hand to experience. This will give me that for when I get my turn. Also-" He placed a hand on George's shoulder, "you saved Thalia's life, I haven't forgotten that. This is the least I could do."

"Just promise you'll ask me when your turn comes," George quipped with a smile.

Luke nodded with a chuckle, "I can do that."

George sighed in relief, "excellent, now all that's needed if to find the third member of our little trio."

"Who else have you asked."

"You were the first," George admitted. "In a perfect world we could ask Thalia, but considering the Lord below has it out for her, so that's out of the question. Annabeth is too young, so we can forget that. We need someone different, someone who hasn't gone on a quest."

"That won't be hard," Luke assured him. "Most demigods here are eager to go on a quest so we won't be starving for volunteers."

George frowned, "And that raises the biggest question, with so many potential candidates who do we choose." He rubbed his chin, "it has to be someone that would not only be useful; but can be relied upon."

"Who are you thinking?" Luke asked knowing George had something in mind.

"I'm thinking about asking one of the minor demigods. They keep rattling on about wanting more recognition, this way we can give them a chance to prove their mettle."

Luke nodded, usually it was the children of the main 12 that got quests but recently a few of the minor demigods had gotten quests.

Helena was able to complete a quest of her own with Jonah Cade and Beatrix Wayne to find her mother's apple of discord which she somehow misplaced during one of her schemes. An honest mistake no doubt.

The Hex Sisters completed their quest to retrieve the Cerynieian Hind for Aphrodite. Apparently, Artemis had turned one of her sons into a jackalope so she tasked someone to capture the Hind before the Hunters of Artemis could. Few were willing since the prowess of the Hunters was known to all. So, the Hex Sisters decided to give it a try. They succeeded but earned the ire of the Hunters in the process.

As expected they had several volunteers so George decided to have them draw straws to ensure fairness in the selection. In the end Allison Facillier, Counselor of Hecate Cabin, won the honor. Not a bad choice in George's mind, between his and Luke's martial prowess, a magic user would be of immense help.

With their team now assembled, George began packing his backpack and duffle bag to prepare for tomorrow's journey. It included just about everything he had brought with him on the journey here. Med kit, emergency rations, toiletries, clothes, really the only thing he would not be bringing was that ridiculous camp shirt. There was one major difference this time, and that was armour and weapons. his new gear included, a breastplate, greaves and bracers, which were disguised as Sportspads and hidden under his clothes and a helmet disguised as a motorcycle helmet. He now also had a double ended spear disguised as a tactical shovel and a shield disguised in the right arm brace.

The next morning, he got up, put on his armour and his clothes over it, made his bed, and placed folded his camp shirts over it. After Breakfast, George returned to his cabin to bid his siblings farewell. Most of it was curt while Mario and Gregory didn't bother at all.

"Bring glory to our cabin Soldier Boy," Brock said firmly shaking his hand.

"I don't require glory," George replied, "only results for my parents." He frowned, "in any case I will come back successful or not at all."

Brock nodded, "father will be extremely wrought if you fail."

George gave a curt nod and left to meet up with Luke and Allison.

In contrast to George, Luke was dressed more casually with a t-shirt and jeans and sneakers. His sword was strapped to his hip and a shield slung over his shoulder, along with his backpack.

Allison was wearing a blue tailcoat, white undershirt, and grey tight-fitting pants. A necklace of monster's teeth was strung around her neck. A cane with a skull on the head was in her hand.

Thalia embraced Luke tightly and gave him a peck on the cheek, "Come back safely," she commanded, "or I will chase you all around Tartarus."

Luke nodded, "I promise," he said with a smile before turning to Annabeth who was sulking.

"I still don't see why I can't come along." She said with her arms crossed.

Luke sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder. "you're still too young, Annabeth."

"He's right," Thalia agreed placing a hand on Annabeth's other shoulder, "You still haven't finished your training, and these quests are dangerous."

"Besides," Luke cut in, "Someone needs to keep Thalia company while we're away."

Annabeth looked back at Thalia and nodded reluctantly, "okay," she resigned with a sigh. Thalia had been alone in Zeus Cabin ever since her brother left. Not long after George's first capture the Flag, David had decided to go out into the world, His first reason was to hopefully draw Hades' attention away from Thalia and onto himself. The second reason was to continue his private quest to find a way to make the camp safer for demigods. With David gone Thalia was now de facto Head of the Cabin, at least until he returned.

Thalia patted her head, "don't worry," she assured her, 'You're still young so you'll get your chance one day."

"I hope so," Annabeth replied, "I don't intend to spend the rest of my life cooped up here." She turned to George, "look after Luke," she said with a warning glare.

Thalia nodded, "we won't forgive you if he dies."

George nodded, "of course, it's my duty to make sure my comrades return home safely." He shook Thalia's hand and Annabeth gave him a hug. Despite the rivalry of their cabins, like Luke, she had not forgotten what he had done for Thalia.

After saying their farewells, George turned to Luke and Allison, "are you both ready?"

Luke nodded and Allison was giddy with excitement. "I still can't believe I finally get to go on a quest. Now I can win glory for my Cabin and mother."

"Glory for all of us," George agreed.

The trio set off to the car where Argus would drive them off the grounds. Then their adventure would begin.

Chapter 23: Homecoming

Chapter Text

War Journal, July 3rd, 2001

After two long years waiting, two years' worth of training, my patience has finally paid off. I met my father for the very first time, Brutal, crude and crass by the standards of modern society but brutally honest, which is more than I can say for most of the Olympians. I certainly prefer him over the shapeshifting rapist, or his 'favourite daughter.' For his visit father gave me a quest, I swear it's like Christmas came early. But I have two objectives for this quest, the first it to complete it fully and the second which is equally important is to ensure that those I bring with me also make it back safely. Father has given me the chance I've been hoping for. The prestige of my siblings and our father now rests on my shoulders. I can't afford to fail; failure is not an option. I will succeed on this quest or die in the attempt.

After Argus dropped them off, the trio of demigods took a bus to the airport. The plane taking them to San Antonio was an Airbus A320 which was rapidly growing in popularity with the American airlines. As they boarded George noticed a symbol on the tailfin, he had become far too accustomed to seeing. A golden triangle in a purple field.

George hated flying, or rather to be more specific he hated flying on these planes. He only ever flown once, and it left him drained. The atrocious food was edible but that was the least of his worries. Any chance of sleep often commits suicide in the cramped confines of his seat. Considering he was taught sleep outside that's saying something. But most of all it was unbearably b-o-r-i-n-g. While he could keep his mind occupied with his books, it did nothing for his physical state.

"You seemed eager to learn how to ride a pegasus, yet here we are in the air, and you look like you want to be back on the ground?" Allison noted as they took their seats.

"On a pegasus, I'm the pilot," George pointed out, "and sitting on one of them if far more comfortable than this," he gestured to the seating.

Allison looked around and nodded, "fair enough."

The flight was 6 hours, yet it felt like forever. So, he took note of the passengers around him looking closely at them to see if any were monsters in disguise. Thankfully none seemed to be present, but he did notice an attractive young couple sneaking into one of the restrooms. George made a note to avoid that particular cubicle and warned Luke and Allison to do the same. Allison was confused, but Luke quickly caught on.

"Mile High Club?" He asked, and shook his head when George nodded.

If there was one silver lining, the flight was without incident, there were no monsters or great storms. Once they landed in San Antonio safely, the trio collected their baggage and exited the airport. They decided to look for a place to eat, at this point anything was better than the plane gruel.

"No McDonalds," George said firmly, "their burgers make me sick."

They took a taxi to a part of the city George knew well, there was a string of various fast-food joints, flanking either side of the freeway. Burger Town, Chicken Little's, Druscilla's Deli, Sulla's Pizzaria, Santa Anna's Grill, Valdez Bean Cafe, Jack Frost Dairy and Blue Bamboo. George knew them, every single one. Relatively new to the industry, while nowhere near as famous or widespread as some of the big shots. They were rising quickly, buying out minor fast-food chains while also seizing locations from local Mom-and-Pop Diners. Along with another one, Captain Ahab's Lighthouse, these chains were all owned by a conglomerate called Thessaly Meals. At the corner of each of their logos was small purple circle with a triangle inside.

"See anything you like?" George asked his companions as they looked around, eventually, they decided on Chicken Little's. Once they got their order, all three kids practically dug in like it was a last meal.

"Not as good as Popeye's, " Allison noted, "but still better than KFC."

"Ahh yes," Luke remembered, "you're from Louisiana, right?"

Allison nodded, "Papa is a witchdoctor in New Orleans."

"Does he do any magic?" George asked.

Allison's hands shot up and with a grin began waving her fingers as if to cast a spell, "Oo-ee, oo-ah-ah, ting-tang, walla-walla bing-bang." She then lowered her hands and winked. "Only if you count fortune telling and herbal remedies. But he's usually participating in local jazz funerals."

"Most of these restaurants tend to ride that line," George replied to her first comment, "the ones owned by Thessaly Meals are often just above the middle.

"So where do we go from here?" Luke asked taking a bite of drumstick.

"I'll call Sensei after we eat, being a Texas native, so I reckon he might know."

"Careful," Luke warned, "monsters are attracted to electronics."

George nodded, "I'll use a payphone." He leaned in closer, "listen, I know how dangerous these quests can be, so I don't wish to sacrifice yourselves over it."

"What are you saying?" Luke asked in a mixture of both perplexation and worry.

George frowned, "if I fall, save yourselves, don't throw away your lives unnecessarily over my failure." Luke regarded him for a moment before slowly nodding reluctantly.

"George," a voice the boy in question recognized rang out.

George turned to see four boys of Luke's age approach their booth. George's eyes widened in recognition, "Robert?" George stood up and clasped arms with the leader of the group who had spoken.

As he shook hands with the others. the last one said, "where the hell have you been? You never write you never call, it's almost like you don't care."

"I sent letters Paul," George insisted, "Not my fault you jackanapes can't read."

"Woah," Robert winced when he noticed the eyepatch and scars, "What happened there?"

George shrugged, "a crazy old she-bear, she had some long claws."

"Ehhhhgggghhh," one of the boys winced, "that looks painful."

George smiled tightly, "you have no idea Derek, anyway, it's good to see you all again."

"You too George," Robert said with a smile and sighed. "How long has it been? Two? Three years?"

"Give or take," George said as he looked him over, "I trust you've been keeping up with your training in Sensei's absence."

"Sensei would give us 100 pushups on our knuckles for a month if we didn't." Robert replied, "Will you come back to us? Competition has gotten stale since you left." Then his eye caught George's companions. "Friends of yours?"

George snapped out of it and turned to his companions, "I'm sorry, where are my manners. These are my friends from Camp, Luke Castellan and Allison Facilier." He then gestured to the group of boys, "Luke and Allison, these are fellow students of my stepfather. Robert Lawrence, Derek Westbrook, James Ramirez and Paul Jackson.

Derek shrugged, "well if George considers you a friend you must have done something right, he doesn't trust easily." He held out his hand to Luke who shook it. Derek held the hand for a moment before withdrawing it. "hmm, you've got the hands of a fighter kid. Maybe we can have a friendly sparr."

Luke declined with a wave of his hand, "I can handle a blade better than most but I'm afraid I won't be much of an opponent in a fistfight."

"Don't worry grasshoppa," George grinned moving his lips in imitation of bad dubbing, "I'll make a Kung Fu masta of you yet." He turned back to his classmates, "as for your offer, I'm afraid I must decline. My father gave me an assignment and I can't make a detour until it's done."

Derek chuckled, "same George we know and love," he shrugged, "anything we can do to help?"

George thought for a moment, though it was unlikely, it was worth a shot, "I don't suppose any of you know a place called Triple G Ranch."

Three of them shook their heads, but James' face darkened, his ground his teeth and his fists were pale from clenching so hard. "Triple...G?" His voice slow and strained.

"Ring a bell?" George asked. James nodded and George offered him a seat. Once he sat down James told his tale

"Ten years ago, my family was one of the richest landowners in Calhoun. But my father decided it was time to sell. But he was screwed out of the deal by the owners of Triple G." James sighed, "my family had everything, and because of them we lost it all." He then bowed his head, "But that wasn't even the worst of it. A year later my older brother Andy, tried to confront them. The police found him two weeks later washed up on a lake, so horribly mangled we almost didn't recognize him. It was too much for my old man and I found him in his study, feet dangling." James looked up his eyes hard, "what business do you have with Triple G?"

"I'm going to beat the shit out of the ranch-hand and steal their prize horses. Though my big issue is, I don't know where it is."

James was filled with resolve, "I can guide you there, if it means hurting those people, I'll be more than happy to help."

George nodded, "works for me, that will save me a lot of time."

Robert shrugged, "well if James is going, I might as well come to."

"Count me in," Derek spoke up.

"Me too," Paul added.

George frowned, 'this will make things difficult.' "I'm not sure that's a good idea, we don't know what kind of security that place has, and from what my father tells me, Triple G breeds some real vicious livestock."

Derek chuckled, "have you forgotten George, we got guns for that."

"I know," George replied, "that's what concerns me. I don't want to have to go to your mothers telling them why their darling boys won't be coming home for supper." He turned to James, "especially you James, you're all Linda has left to her."

James' face softened and turned to the rest, "he's right, I've studied them as best I could. Triple G only serves a select cliental and have more guards that Calhoun has law enforcement. Killing the merchandise of said clients could attract unnecessary attention on our families."

George's eyes widened and nudged Robert's arm. He looked at the younger boy who gave him the slightest nudge behind him. Robert discreetly took a look and saw two boys at the cashier brandishing a gun in his jacket. He gestured to the others who took a seat at a nearby booth.

"The place is getting robbed," George whispered to Luke and Allison, "Let's keep our eyes on our food. ' The two demigods nodded tensely and did their best to ignore the situation.

As the two boys occupied the cashier another boy walked behind the counter into the kitchen. A few minutes later, he came out with a fourth boy, and after taking some bags seemingly filled with food the boys headed out."

Luke leaned towards George, "Shouldn't we have stopped it?"

George shook his head, "their fates are already sealed."

After finishing their meal, the group said their farewells, "are you sure you don't want us to tag along?" Derek asked.

James nodded, "a smaller group would attract less attention anyway."

Paul nodded reluctantly, "alright then, if you're sure, but we'll be there if you need us."

With James' help the four took a greyhound Port Lavaca, and from their it was a long walk to the Ramirez family ranch, or rather the area where Ramirez ranch use to be. When they got there Ramirez stared in disbelief at the sight. "What did they do to my family's ranch," James gasped in horror and anger.

The Ramirez Ranch had hosted cattle, now it seemed that the cattle had been replaced with sheep that were peacefully grazing. Nearby a number of trucks were stopped and ranch hands were rounding up a number of sheep and loading them into the trailers.

"Looks like they traded stock," George said grimly.

James made to climb over the fence, but Luke and George grabbed him and pulled him away. James looked at George who was shaking his head and pointed to something. A racoon had slipped under the fence and was now walking among the herd of sheep. Many stopped grazing and regarded the intruder for a moment before they lunged at it. The racoon scrambled to slip away and evaded some of the before finding itself in the jaws of one of them. It pinned the racoon to the ground and the others started tearing it apart.

James gaped at what he just witnessed, "what kind of maniac raises carnivorous sheep," he said aloud, "for that matter who in their right mind would buy such animals."

"Like you said," George pointed out, "very special clients, ones that are willing to pay a ridiculous amount for those."

"Indeed," Luke added, "so let's try to stay away from the fence and off the menu."

George nodded, "we'll wait until nightfall," he decided, "we can find our prize without the guards noticing." He rubbed his chin, "now the question is where will we stay for the wait."

"Right idea," a voice said, the four turned weapons drawn to see a boy in his mid-teens standing behind them. his camo clothing snuggly hugged his frame under a forest green hooded cloak, and his face was covered in a balaclava and shades. A staff was in his hand with a bow and arrow slung over his shoulder and two hunting knives strapped to his waist.

"Who are you?" George demanded, his grip on his swords tightening.

The Stranger laughed and said in a voice that sounded far older than his appearance made him seem, "at ease George Grant, I'm not your enemy." He

George cocked his eyebrow, "how do you know me?"

"I'm familiar with most residents of Camp Half Blood, seeing as I helped many of them get there."

Luke's eyes widened, 'You, you're the one Chiron once spoke of, The Ranger, Robin."

"The one who hunts monsters yet is hunted in turn?" Allison wondered in awe.

Robin nodded, "regrettably yes, though I bear them no ill."

"If they're trying to kill you, why don't you fight back?" George asked.

"My fight is not with them," Robin replied, "besides, their mistress would turn me into a frog if they caught me."

"What is your business here," George asked cautiously. While additional help would normally be welcome. It could also weaken his credibility in the success of his quest.

As if knowing George's thoughts Robin raised his hand, "I'm don't intend to interfere with your quest. I'm on one myself, it just happens to cross paths with yours." He turned to James, "if you wish to get revenge on them you can help me."

"So long as we hurt them as much as we can I don't care what I have to do," James determined.

Robin led the group to his camp where they would rest until night, Allison put a spell on the campfire so no one on the ranch could see it once night hit.

At about 10 PM, they headed out and Allison cast a spell on the guards that had them basically oblivious to their existence. "Beware, Forswear, in the distance you will stare."

Once the guards were taken care of, they started navigating their way through the maze of corrals where different animals were held. In addition to the carnivorous sheep, there were man-eating horses, flesh-eating hogs, scared cattle, forest bulls, giant scorpions, and near the heart of the ranch were a set of stables that housed what looked like half-rooster and half-horse.

"What are those things?" Allison gaped.

"Those are why I'm here," Robin replied, "Hippalektryons."

"Some oversized roosters?" James asked, seeing only that in the mist.

Robin frowned, "this particular species of Rooster is believed to be extinct." He explained in a way a mortal can understand. But Triple G Ranch holds the very last ones remaining. They only lay one egg a year and the Master uses them for Omelets.

James raised his eyebrows, "that better be one hell of an omelets."

"So, it will be our task to liberate them."

"And this will hurt the Owner of Triple G?" James wondered with uncertainty.

Robin nodded, "Triple G spend generations collecting them, freeing them will undo centuries of work."

James' eyes narrowed and his mouth curled into a grin. "Very well, I'm in, tell me what I can do."

While James and Robin made their own plans, the original trio made their way to a different stable. Allison put the posted guards into a trance allowing them to sneak inside. They entered to see rows upon rows of stalls and from each stall short burst of flames were seen.

Several Dozen, chestnut mustangs with fiery red manes, steel hooves and glowing golden eyes. George marveled at the sight, feeling like a child at the pet store. 'Where have these guys been all my life.' he thought. Those Rodeo broncos had nothing on these magnificent steeds.

As he walked along the aisles taking note of every horse they passed. One caught his eye at the end. This one was different; its coat was blood red, and its mane was black. Unlike the other stalls, the door of this one was reinforced with iron bars. It neighed and kicked violently against the walls and door of its stall in a furious bid to get free. Above hit was a nameplate that read 'Old Red'. George grinned knowing which one he now wanted.

"Okay," Luke said, "now that we have found what we're looking for, how will we get them all to camp?"

As he said this, a sinister chuckle was heard, "oh you kids won't need to worry about that."