"Come guys, hurry up." Bell shouted as he shoveled more food into his open gullet.
He wanted to quickly finish eating so that they could get back to reading. Last chapter, things had started to really build up. He was so excited to hear what happened next that he barely had any sleep last night. Today, Bell was in a rush to see what happens next.
Everyone had already showered and gotten dressed in the clothes left for them in the closets. Which he definitely wasn't thinking about how weird it was that The Watcher already had clothes fit to their exact.
Now they just needed to finish eating this delicious breakfast so that they can go back to reading. Man, who knew these colorful little hoops and milk would be so good?
"Bell-sama, slow down, you'll choke!"
"But we gotta-urk!" Bell grabbed his throat as everything went down the pipe.
"See!" Lili rushed over with a pair of napkins, drying his mouth as he coughed up a lung full of milk.
"Bell, calm down. Everyone is still eating. There's no need to hurry." Hestia rubbed his back, soothing him. Patting his back once he was better, she took another bite of her apple.
Bell put down his spoon as he took a deep breath.
They're right. It's not like they had to hurry. Plus it's not even his turn to read. He can just take it slow and enjoy this moment with his Familia.
Behind him, the doors to the cafeteria slammed open.
"Ok, everyone. I'm not gonna wait on your sorry asses any longer. I'm reading in five minutes. So get your shit and get out!"
Leaving everyone with those parting words, Tsubaki left for the theater. Her heavy footsteps trailed behind her.
"Oh no!" Grabbing his spoon, Bell went into a frenzy, milk splashing everywhere as his arm became a blur.
"Hah…Bell." Hestia shook her head.
"Grhk"
***
Getting comfortable in her large chair, Tsubaki traced her fingers over the edge of the book. Last night she had trouble sleeping. Same as everyone else, she figured, from their distant looks and tired gazes. Thought she bet it was all for different reasons.
For her, it was the noise, or lack thereof. It was weird, going from the constant noise of the forges to absolute silence.
It made her feel strange. Felt like something was missing, that a constant source of comfort wasn't there anymore. Really made it sink in that she wasn't home. None of them were.
Though she had to admit, it wasn't all bad being here. Some of those gadgets The Watcher gave them were interesting.
Lights without a flame. Things that produced hot wind from nowhere for your hair. Showers that no longer required large buckets to be filled or use expensive magic stones perilously taken from the dungeon.
She had to fight the urge not to just grab everything and pull them apart right there just to see how it all worked.
The door to the Theater room closed as the last person sat down.
Looking up, Tsubaki snorted. Look at them, all so eager to hear what happens next. She herself didn't see the big deal. To her, Percy's quest sounded like any other mission by the guild, though instead of diving into a dungeon for a rare drop, they were diving for, by their reckoning, one of the most powerful weapons in Heaven.
Heh, maybe there was something interesting in this book. If nothing else, she got to see what that big bad Lightning Bolt looked like.
Making sure that everyone was seated, she looked to her Goddess. Seeing her nod, Tsubaki cracked open the book
"I Ruin a Perfectly Good Bus"
"...Sounds like fun."
"Haaa-Tiona."
It didn't take long for Percy to pack. Not like he came here with a bag. The Camp store was kind enough to give them money, and Drachma. Large gold coins the size of Girl Scout cookies. Historically, they should be silver, but the Gods wouldn't have it. Chiron said the coins might come in handy for non-mortal transactions—whatever that meant.
"Look at those coins." Lili leaned forward. Her eyes shone with golden light. Not even noticing, Yamato steadied her so that she wouldn't fall forward.
Lili might not be a thief anymore, but the need and want for money never quite leave someone when they have spent years chasing after it. She tried to hide that side of her from Bell-sama, not wanting him to worry, but sometimes it just came out.
Like right now.
"Your drooling," Yamoto whispered in her ear.
"Ah!"
"They must be at least a couple thousand Valis each." Ryuu noted.
"Ehh!?" Hestia gasped in surprise. And they were just giving that to them? Was that safe?
Maybe, if Chiron thought that it was ok then it must be.
"Drachmas." Riviera wrote down.
Something that she's been doing the last couple of chapters was keeping a detailed list of things that they might want to pay attention to. Last night, the list helped them work through some of the questions that they had, though not many.
The name of their currency might not be important, but knowing that they, the Gods themselves, had a hand in managing it might be. You never know with these types of things, so Riveria was making sure to write it down.
"Heh, 'Gods using nothing less than Gold' that sounds about right." Bete snorted.
"Come on, we're not that bad. Right?" Loki nudged her captain with her elbow.
"Meh." Finn shrugged.
He gave Annabeth and me each a canteen of nectar and a Ziploc bag full of ambrosia squares, emergencies only, Chiron reminded them. It would cure us of almost any injury, but it was lethal to mortals. Too much for them might even kill them.
"Damn"
"Grover wasn't kidding when he said any more of that stuff would be bad" Welf winced.
Just imagining someone coming along and taking a bite only to burst into flames was terrifying. Worse if you thought that it was going to heal you.
"I don't get it, why take the risk? Don't they have potions?" Tione asked.
"More then likey its because they're cheaper." Fels interjected.
Years as the foremost expert on Alchemy and potion making gave him a unique insight into the subject.
"Comparing Nectar and Ambrosia to potions is like comparing regular spring water to water from the Spring of Life. At their core the are similar. Both heal, but one is significantly better than the other. You saw what happened to Percy when he just had a small sip. Each drop in pratcially an elixir. On the other hand, it'd take ten to twenty full vial potions to do the same thing. So to them, with their close contact with their version of Tenkia if is more than likely cheaper to get Nectar and Ambrosia than it is to farm, transport, and then brew potions."
Annabeth brought her cap, a gift from her mom, an Architecture book to read when she got bored. Also a long bronze knife hidden in her shirt sleeve, you know, for stabbin. I was sure the knife would get us busted the first time we went through a metal detector.
"What kind of dumbass brings a book on a mission?" Bete looked incredulously at the Black wall.
As an Adventurer, he's heard of some stupid things weaklings have brought with them into the Dungeon over the years. Wine, dice, extra pairs of clothes, marital aids. But never had he heard anyone, not even green behind-the-ears rookies, bring a book into the Dungeon.
Riviera shook her head.
"Honestly, while I would like to do the same thing, getting distracted in a high-stress environment is not recommended."
"It's something that you younger guys need to learn as well. The small line of being relaxed but vigilant. You can't get too strung up or else you'll crack under the pressure, but at the same time you also can't relax so much that you aren't prepared when danger does rear its head." Gareth nodded.
Grover wore his fake feet and his pants to pass as human. He also took some spare cans to snack on and his reed pipes. Did you know he can Mozart's Piano Concerto no. 12 and Hilary Duff 's "So Yesterday," Well, he can't, but Percy wasn't about to tell him that. Partly cause he was a bro, partly cause it was hilarious seeing Annabeth's face scrunch up in disgust whenever he played.
Bete growled. He didn't like seeing that weakling goat tagging along, as he belonged there. He was going to get them all killed, or at the very least just himself, but Bete didn't think that he was that lucky.
Percy should have grabbed that Clarisse girl. A daughter of War should be good for something at least. Anything would be better though, than this hobbling disappointment.
Chiron sat by Thalia's tree in his wheelchair, horse legs hidden. Next to him stood the surfer dude I'd seen when I was recovering in the sick room. According to Grover, the guy was the camp's head of security. He supposedly had eyes all over his body so he could never be surprised. "This is Argus," Chiron told me. "He will drive you into the city, and, er, well, keep an eye on things."
"Monster!" Ais jumped up
"No Ais, we've already seen him before. He's not a monster." Loki grabbed her waist, trying to hold her down before she tried to charge the Black wall, again.
Ais grit her teeth. She heard what everyone was saying, but in her heart, she knew that thing was a monster. But…Ais took a deep breath. It wasn't doing anything, for now.
But as soon as it did-
Ais let Loki and Lefiya drag her back to her seat. Crossing her arms, she glared at the Black wall.
Ignoring the mess going on behind her, Tiona tapped her chin
"What is he, though. He's not a Demi-human."
"Maybe a spirit." Her sister suggested.
"I guess, but what kind of spirit has that many eyes?"
"Nya! A freeky one, I'll say." Chloe flinched as she looked at all the eyes on his body.
I heard footsteps behind us. Luke came running up the hill, carrying a pair of basketball shoes. "Hey!" he panted. "Glad I caught you." Annabeth blushed, the way she always did when Luke was around.
"Aw, look at that she's blushing." Syr giggled.
Though while she did her eyes tracked Freya. But Freya ignored her. She wasn't interested in her right now.
Watching Annabeth's little infatuation, though, did bring something up in her. An…instinct.
"Hmm, no, that just will not work."
"Huh?" Ottar looked over at his Goddess.
"Nothing, just a random thought."
Luke came up the hill, and in his hands was a regular shoe case. He told Percy that he wanted to catch them before they left. Saying a final goodbye, he gave Percy the shoe box, to help him on his quest he said. Inside were basketball shoes that with a word from Luke sprouted wings from the sides and flew in the air.
"Dude those are so cool." Welf looked in air at the bird-like shoes flapping in the air.
He wondered how they were made. Honestly besides Salamander and undine wool, he had never really worked with organic materials all that much. Blacksmith was a literal Godsend as it filled a lot of gaps with knowledge and information of various crafting techniques. But sewing and cobbling, yeah those weren't part of the bucket.
Hmm, he wondered if it was made by Hephastus's children. Welf winced. Thinking about her having actual children was something that he was still trying to get used too.
Right next to him, Bell was feeling the same excitement that Welf was feeling. This was like in all of his Grandpa's stories when the hero is handed his sacred gear before traveling on his adventure.
Over by Herme's corner Lefiya wrung her hands together as she nervously asked Asfi.
"M-Miss Asfi, are- or, can you make anything like that?"
Asfi, as the Captain of the Hermes familiar was used to the shy look of awe on the young girl's face. Choosing ot be kind she decided to ignore it and instead focus on her question.
"Flying shoes…I don't know. I'd have to do some experiments. Hmm, don't know why I've never thought about it before, wings on the back would work better I think."
"Is this what Percy meant when he called me the winged messenger God?" Hermes tilted his head.
"I guess so, if that you has shoes like that… Do you?" Loki asked.
"No, I wish I did, my shandals just make me super fast."
Getting the shoes to land again he handed the box to Percy. Telling him to be careful he made Percy promise to kill some monsters for him. As he left Percy teased Annabeth over her infatuation with Luke. How she always blushed when he was around and how she even let him win at Capture the flag. Annoyed Annabeth stormed off in a huff.
"Hehe, little girls got a crush." Loki chuckled.
Bete snorted.
"Humph, girl should get her head in the game."
"And that's why your never gonna get a date."
"If they're gonna be like that, then I'd be better off without them."
Percy, looked at Chiron. "I won't be able to use these, will I?" He shook his head. "Luke meant well, Percy. But taking to the air . . . that would not be wise for you." I nodded, disappointed, but then I got an idea. "Hey, Grover. You want a magic item?" His eyes lit up. "Me?" Pretty soon we'd laced the sneakers over his fake feet, and the world's first flying goat boy was ready for launch. "Maia!" he shouted.
"Aw, I'd have kept them." Tiona pouted.
Her sister rolled her eyes.
"But you heard Chiron, if he goes too high, then Zeus is gonna blast him out of the sky."
"Yeah, but he doesn't have to fly that high, though. A little boost in jumps or fast-moving would be a huge advantage for Percy."
"What's goat-boy gonna do with them anyway. Run away faster?" Bete chuckled.
He got off the ground okay, but then fell over sideways so his backpack dragged through the grass. The winged shoes kept bucking up and down like tiny broncos. "Practice," Chiron called after him. "You just need practice!" "Aaaaa!"
"Probably not a good idea going out with untested equipment." Gareth chuckled.
"Yes, a lesson that some people have yet to learn." Riveria glared at Ais and Tiona.
How many times has that girl run into battle with a new sword only to break it after a few swings? All cause to Ais testing a weapon meant testing it with a monster's blood and not a dummy's straw.
Tiona snorted.
"What's the point. It'll just break anyway, better to break in a monster skull I say."
Percy felt a little left out. Everyone had a magical piece of gear except him. "What am I thinking?" Chiron cried. "I can't let you get away without this." He pulled a pen from his coat pocket and handed it to me. It was an ordinary disposable ballpoint, black ink, removable cap. Probably cost thirty cents. "Gee," I said. "Thanks."
Tsubaki stopped reading for a second. Something about that description tinged something in her brain. Looking up, she stared at the frozen image on the screen.
"Isn't that?-"
"I think so." Her Goddess seemed to agree with her. It was what she was thinking.
"What?" Hestia asked.
"It's the same pen from when he fought the Fury."
"The one that turns into a sword!" Bell's eyes lit up.
"Oh yeah!" Tiona popped her fist on her palm, remembering what they were talking about.
That small, dinky, little glowy sword. Then again, in her mind, if the blade wasn't at least taller than she was, it was tiny.
Chiron told him that it was a gift from his father. One that Percy already wielded. Percy remembered, taking off the cap, the pen quickly turned into a sword. It was the first weapon that actually felt balanced in my hand. "The sword has a long and tragic history that we need not go into," Chiron told me. "Its name is Anaklusmos." "'Riptide,'"
"Of course, the Sea God would give his son a sword named Riptide." Tsubaki rolled her eyes.
It's something that all Gods try to do when they commission gear for their children. They always try to put some kind of spin on it. Naming after something related to them, requesting engravings or specific weapons tied to them.
Just look at Hestia with that Hestia Knife of her Captains.
Hephaestus studied Percy as he swung Riptide.
"Hmm, I think Chiron is right, that sword was meant for Percy. You can tell by the way he holds it. It fits his hand like a glove."
"But what was that about a long and tragic history." Finn asked.
"I don't think we're gonna learn any more about that." Loki sighed. And wouldn't it be great if Chiron would explain? But the story seemed to physically hurt him, so she doubted that he'd say anything more.
"Aw, come on Chiron, you can't tempt us with a juicy story like that, and then move on like nothing." Tiona flopped back onto her bag chair.
"The sword is celestial bronze. Forged by the Cyclopes, tempered in the heart of Mount Etna, cooled in the River Lethe. It's deadly to monsters, to any creature from the Underworld, provided they don't kill you first. But the blade will pass through mortals like an illusion.
"That's dumb." Tiona snorted.
A blade that can only harm monsters. That sword be the closest thing to useless if you got in a fight with the hundreds of criminals, Evilus, or just plain dirtbags that roamed freely in the Dungeon.
"Hmpf, I guess if a normy attacks he he's just supposed to use his fist then?" Right behind her, Bete chuckled.
Not a bad idea. Why use a weapon on weaklings?
"I don't know, if every high-level weapon was like that, maybe back then Evilus would have kept away from the civilians." Gareth crossed him arms.
It something that was generally a problem back then. Cause even though Levels 1 and 2 were typically stronger than regular civilians, trained guards attacking in numbers could generally hold their own against the rabble. But add in high-level equipment and Magic swords, then sending in regular guards became like sending meat to a grinder.
More and more adventures had to be drawn away to protect civilians, leaving large battlefields to a select number of executives, leaving their own Adventures outnumbered and stretched thin.
"It's a good thing to have when the exceptional are so far above the masses. One bad apple could cause a catastrophe among the barrel as it were." Not looking up, Riveria jotted down the information on celestial bronze.
Chiron did tell him that he wasn't protected from this. In fact he could be hurt by both sides, mortal and immortal. "Good to know." "Now recap the pen." I touched the pen cap to the sword tip and instantly Riptide shrank to a ballpoint pen again.
"Man, that's so cool." Welf awed.
He wondered what went into making a sword like that. He's heard of collapsible staffs and whip swords, but nothing like this. In his head, he was trying to think of what monster parts he could use that'd do the same thing, but so far, he was drawing a blank.
"Welf, can you make something like that?"
Welf jumped a little at Bell's voice. He hadn't been paying attention. Turning to Bell, he rubbed the back of his neck.
"I-I don't know. I feel something like this would come under a Mystery skill."
Man, he could feel his cheeks start to heat like his forge back home. It was embarrassing telling your bro that there wasn't something that you could do. He felt like he was letting him down in some way.
"You can't," Chiron said. "Can't what?" "Lose the pen," he said. "It is enchanted. It will always reappear in your pocket. Try it." Unconvinced Percy tried it out. Throwing the pen down the hill, Percy was surprised when just a second later it reappeared back into his pocket."
"AHH! That's even better! A sword that you can't lose." Tsubaki gripped the book tighter. See, this is what she was talking about. This was the only thing that intrigued her. New weapons, new gear. All the things that she could draw new inspiration from and push her Blacksmithing to higher levels.
"Hephatsus, is that possible?" Hermes asked.
"Yes, I can see a few ways to create such a weapon. Though it'd cost a whole lot more than what you typically carry."
"How much more?"
"Hmm, around the range of what I gave to Hestia. And you can tell her how that's going."
Off to the side, Hestia had a look as if an arrow had just pierced her heart. Blood left her face as whispers of Valis left her lips.
Percy started to feel the weight of the Quest. Here he was, not even 13 and already about to go out into the world without any adults' supervision. No cellphone ( casue apparently monsters can track them using it, who knew they were so tech savvy, the image of a hellhound trying to use Facebook to find Demigods was actually pretty funny to be honest) and with only a sword and two other kids to keep him company through the dark of the land of the dead.
"He's gonna die."
"Don't say that!" Lunoire slapped May's shoulder.
"What's a cellphone?"
"Four ages before them, actually. The Time of the Titans was the Fourth Age, sometimes called the Golden Age, which is definitely a misnomer. This, the time of Western civilization and the rule of Zeus, is the Fifth Age."
"Another thing that our worlds differ in." Finn said.
This concept of Ages, of progression that they had. Their world never had that. For millennia, the world has stayed the way it's always been. Almost as if standing still.
Why was that?
"But we had Ages as well, right? The age of Darkness, the Age of the Fairies." Lefieya counted on her fingers. Everyone knows this. These were common things taught to all children.
Hestia, in a rare case of seriousness, looked out over the Adventures.
"Yes, but if you look closely enough throughout those ages the basic structure of our world has stayed the same. In their world, there were things before the Gods, and if we are to believe what Chiron says, there will be something after the Gods. Here, there were only ever the Gods, and there will only ever be the Gods. There's just nothing else that could take our roles. No Devils or Titans."
"But the gods can't die now, right? I mean, as long as Western civilization is alive, they're alive. So . . . even if I failed, nothing could happen so bad it would mess up everything, right?"
"He's put a lot of thought into this." Mama Mia grumbled. Its not often that you hear a kid be so pessimistic.
"Not many kids do." May nodded.
" I sure as hell know we didn't." Lunoire chuckled.
"But it's also not such a good thing either."
"Why Nya?" Chloe turned to Mama Mia.
"The kids are already imagining defeat before he's even left the starting point. Thoughts like that will drag down morale. Making it so that you never give your best."
Chiron tried to cheer Percy up, tell him it's not so bad, but Percy wasn't really listening anymore. Waving goodbye, he joined Grover and Annabeth by the Van. As they left Percy looked back. Under the pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus, Chiron was now standing in full horse-man form, holding his bow high in salute. Just your typical summer-camp send-off by your typical centaur. * * * Argus drove us out of the countryside and into western Long Island.
"Chiron gives some good advice. He's telling the kid that the future isn't certain, that all anyone has is the present. So try your best, that's all anyone can do." Ryuu nodded.
On the ride in the city, Percy found himself staring at every McDonald's, every kid in the back of his parents' car, every billboard and shopping mall. "So far so good," I told Annabeth. "Ten miles and not a single monster."
"AH! Dammit, kid."
"It's always the stupid ones."
"Stupid, try suicidal."
"Yeah, everyone knows that you don't say that shit."
"Why, why do these idiots always have to open their mouths?"
"What, what's wrong?" Bell looked confused as every God and Adventure, even Ottar, started cursing.
"What's wrong, kid, is that asking questions like that is opening the door into your lives for Fate to come fuck with you." Hermes explained.
"Really."
"It's not something that they always do, and sometimes it's really bad luck. But you have to remember, things you say have consequences, even if you can't see them."
Percy stopped and asked Annabeth why she hated him. Huffing Annabeth explained the mess with Medusa, and then the competition of Athens were Athena won with an Olive tree. "They must really like olives." "Oh, forget it." "Now, if she'd invented pizza—that I could understand." "I said, forget it!" In the front seat, Argus smiled. He didn't say anything, but one blue eye on the back of his neck winked at me.
"Is that it? Is that the same here?" Tiona tilted her head.
"Well, no. Here they just don't stand each other. They like oil and water, those two." Hestia said.
Loki huckled. "I blame it on the sexual tension."
"Shut up Loki, you know they don't like each other like that. I-It's just that they don't mix well.
"Strange to hear that over there they have an actual reason to dislike each other. Though it doesn't surprise me to hear that it's over their pride." Freya swirled her glass.
After Argus dropped them off Percy saw a missing poster of him. Ripping it off Grover tried to talk to Percy to make him feel better."Your mom married Gabe for you," Grover told me. "You call him 'Smelly,' but you've got no idea. The guy has this aura. . . . Yuck. I can smell him from here.
"What Satyrs can read emotions?" Yamoto asked.
"That would be useful if monsters had any emotion other than rage and hate. Otherwise, he'd be great for scouting." Ryuu said.
"As it is, I feel like Grover-sama is more suited for a more back-row kind of position," Haruhime added.
"Forget that, what the hell does he mean that Sally married that piece of garbage for Percy?" Welf asked.
"Yeah, it's not like he's got any money."
"He said it's because of his smell, but that doesn't make any sense. You only hide scents when you're afraid of being tracked." Finn noted
"...We never did learn how those Monsters kept finding Percy, did we?" Riveria paled as the realization sank in.
Scent, it was scent.
"You should be grateful, Percy. Your stepfather smells so repulsively human he could mask the presence of any demigod. As soon as I took a whiff inside his Camaro, I knew: Gabe has been covering your scent for years. If you hadn't lived with him every summer, you probably would've been found by monsters a long time ago. Your mom stayed with him to protect you. She was a smart lady. She must've loved you a lot to put up with that guy—if that makes you feel any better."
"Incredible" Riveria whispered. To subject yourself to the rule of someone so vile and disgusting all so that your son could have the chance of a normal life. It was inspiring in a way.
"To think…No that's exactly what a mother should do." Finn wanted to say how incredible that someone could do such a thing, but honestly, protecting your child was the bare minimum that a parent should achieve to do.
Hestia shook her head.
"Not that she should have to."
Tears threatened to fall from her eyes again. What was it about these mortals that pushed her to this? She was never this emotional on Tenkia.
"Yeah, what the hell, Poseidon? If things were this bad, you should have helped. The woman that you broke your oath for was living through hell all alone, trying to raise a son, and you did nothing." Loki spat on the ground. What the hell were wrong with these Olympians? It's like they didn't even care.
Percy tried to hide his emotions. It didn't help, but thats okay. Cause he wasn't on this quest to get that stupid bolt back. He was going for one thing and one thing only. And it wasn't for his father. The more I thought about it, I resented Poseidon for never visiting me, never helping my mom, never even sending a lousy child-support check. He'd only claimed me because he needed a job done.
"Poor kid." Syr held her hands together.
"I-I'm sure Poseidon loves him. Somewhere inside his water-logged head, there's a heart. He's his son after all." Hestia tried to keep an open heart.
This wasn't the Poseidon that she knew, but surely that same kind heart was part of this one, as it was theirs. Right?
"That doesn't matter, though. The world's biggest heart means nothing to the one that can't feel it."
Finn knew that most of all. Most people say that they cared for the Pallum. They strived to make things fair and equal for all.
But where were these people when his kind suffered in the streets? When they turned to crime for no other reason than wanting to live. No, they never felt these hearts, all they felt was the scorn and hate.
Good thoughts and intentions didn't matter. Finn let his eyes wander to Loki. The only thing that mattered was the hand that reached out.
All I cared about was my mom. Hades had taken her unfairly, and Hades was going to give her back. You will be betrayed by one who calls you a friend, the Oracle whispered in my mind. You will fail to save what matters most in the end. Shut up, I told it.
"Do you think the Prophecy means his mom?" Haruhime gasped.
"That depends." Lili scratched at her cheek.
"On what?"
"On what matters the most to Percy-sama when the time comes."
Waiting for the bus to show up the three of them played a round of hacky sack with an apple they had- well, they did until Grover ate it—core, stem, and all. Grover blushed. He tried to apologize, but Annabeth and I were too busy cracking up. Finally the bus came. As we stood in line to board, Grover started looking around, sniffing the air like he smelled his favorite school cafeteria delicacy—enchiladas. He said it was nothing, but now Peryc felt paranoid.
Tiona rapidly started tapping her foot.
"Aw, man, that looks fun."
She had never seen a game like that where you only use your feet to kick. Usually its a catching game, but she and her sister stopped playing that years ago. Yeah, turns out, as a high-level adventure, the consequences of missing are a lot more steep then a broken window.
But this one looked like something that even the could do.
"We should try that in the Game room later."
"I don't know, seems kind of boring for people with our Stats." Tione didn't look convinced.
"Yeah…we need something to make it more interesting." Tiona thought about it, what would make it more interesting for them
"OOHH, like playing it with a bomb, Nya." Anya suggested.
"Yeah!"
"Nooo! You're not using a bomb." Riveria really felt like she shouldn't have to even yell that, but she did anyway.
Halfway through the ride, Percy noticed something weird. Three old ladies got on and took their seats. But something about them drew his eye. They didn't belong, he knew that, but why? Then he caught the face of one of them. -Is that?
"Is that?" Hermes leaned forward.
"Monsters." Ais growled.
"What? But I thought she was dead." Lefiya shuddered.
"Annabeth said that they can come back." Bell clutched his fist.
"That's like a Boss respawning days after you defeat it," Welf said.
"Yes, but now there are three of them." Finn leaned forward.
They blocked the way out, no one was leaving. Percy asked Annabeth why they were here, shouldn't Mrs. Dodds still be dead? Annabeth said only if he was lucky, which he wasn't.
"That's what I said!" Bell said.
"Oh, yeah, great help, Annabeth. 'If you're lucky,' didn't think that applied to people actively on God's shit list did ya?" Tsubaki rolled her eyes. Really, these thinking types always forgot something.
They tried looking for another exit, but there wasn't one. Worse yet, they were about to hit a tunnel and send the Bus into darkness. As one, the three furies stood up and made their way to the back.
"They've trapped them." Ryuu grit her teeth.
This whole bus was now a death room with no way out.
"Shit, we've faced some intelligent monsters, but nothing like this." Gareth cursed.
Usually, monsters are simpler than this. Sure, you'll find the rare monster that'll try and move you into an ambush, and the Bosses are always more intelligent than the rest of the rabble, but none of them are capable of complex thought like this.
It's unnerving, makes them seem more human than they are.
"It's like they're not even monsters at all." Finn agreed.
"That Mist is working against them here." Yamato bit her finger.
No one will help them, cause they don't see anything worth helping.
"Yeah, seems like a good idea. Keep the 'mortals' away for their safety, but then what happens when you need help?" Welf shook his head.
"I need to use the restroom." "So do I," said the second sister. "So do I," said the third sister. They all started coming down the aisle.
"Oh, come on, people can't be that stupid." Tiona threw her hands up.
"You'd be surprised." Asfi looked towards Hermes.
"Hey, she said people, not Gods."
"I've got it," Annabeth said. "Percy, take my hat." Annabeth told him to go, sneak off. They were after him, his scent attracted them. They would be fine. Percy tired ot argue, but in the end he took the hat.
"Coward."
"Bete, they can't fight there." Riveria sighed.
"People all around them. A tunnel up ahead, and no exits. There's nothing for them to do but retreat and find a better place to make a stand."
"What they should do is break a window for Grover to crawl out of, have him hover with the shoes, then catch them as they escape," Syr suggested.
"But wouldn't that cause a scene in front of all those people?" Haruhime asked
"I think there's already about to be a scene."
Creeping along the side Percy made it to the front where the driver was. Making the mistake of looking behind them, he saw all three Furies transformed with their handbags now fiery whips as they stood over his friends, shouting "Where is it?"
"Good, he made it out." Syr sighed, placing a hand against her chest.
"Dammit, I forgot how ugly she was." Welf winced as he looked over the Three Furies.
Man, old lady in leather. Not a good look, even if they are monsters.
"And nows their two more," Bell muttered. One was bad enough, Percy only made it out last time because of Chiron, but now she brought her sisters.
"Those whips look dangerous." Lefiya gripped her dress.
"Please, I bet you they got nothing on Dragon fire." Tiona bragged.
"Di-Did she say where?" Haruhime asked.
They saw something, all right. "He's not here!" Annabeth yelled. "He's gone!" The Furies raised their whips. Annabeth drew her bronze knife. Grover grabbed a tin can from his snack bag and prepared to throw it. What I did next was so impulsive and dangerous I should've been named ADHD poster child of the year.
"So something that Bell-sama would do."
"Hey"
"Tehehe."
Grapping the wheel Percy fought with the Bus driver. Still invisible, he forced the bus agaisnt the walls of the tunnel, sending a shower of red hot sparks flying behind them. The passengers all went flying, including the Furies. Making out of the tunnel the bus driver slammed on the brakes by the edge of the road. The door to the bus flew open as everyone, except Percy, his friends, and the Furies evacuated.
"HAHAHA! WHOOO GO PERCY!"
"Well…that's one way to get everyone out." Finn numbly said.
"IS THAT BOY CRAZY!" Riveria shot her feet. "He could have killed everyone."
"But he didn't." Tiona laughed.
"I'd say its a 5 out of ten. 5 for working, 5 off for not going all the way." Gareth smiled as he scratched his chin.
"What, whats wrong?" Lefiya asked.
To her, it had been an ok plan. Maybe foolhardy and reckless, but what choice did they have?
"They never got off, now their just fighting inside a cramped space with three monsters and two of his teammates trapped behind them."
Percy took off the invisible cap. "Hey!" The Furies turned, baring their yellow fangs at me, and the exit suddenly seemed like an excellent idea. Mrs. Dodds stalked up the aisle, "Perseus Jackson," Mrs. Dodds said, in an accent that was definitely from somewhere farther south than Georgia. "You have offended the gods. You shall die." "I liked you better as a math teacher," I told her. She growled. Annabeth and Grover moved up behind the Furies cautiously, looking for an opening. I took the ballpoint pen out of my pocket and uncapped it. Riptide elongated into a shimmering double-edged sword. The Furies hesitated.
"Wow, she's really scared of that sword." Bell noticed.
"I wonder how long she's been re-alived. Cause if she only recently came back then she might still feel the blade slicing through her." Welf asked.
"....Re-alive?"
"Shut up I'm bad at words."
"But why is she talking as if she's working with the Gods." Hestia asked.
"Well she does work with Hades right." Hephaestus pointed out.
"But she didn't say 'you offended Hades' she said 'you've offended the Gods' more then one."
Mrs. Dodds had felt Riptide's blade before. She obviously didn't like seeing it again. "Submit now," she hissed. "And you will not suffer eternal torment." "Nice try," I told her. "Percy, look out!" Annabeth cried. Fighting the Furies Percy managed to kill one by making it drop its whip. Grover tried to pick it up. "Ow!" he yelled. "Ow! Hot! Hot!" The Fury I'd hilt-slammed came at me again, talons ready, but I swung Riptide, and she broke open like a piñata. Mrs. Dodds was trying to get Annabeth off her back.
"Ohh, look, a drop item," Tiona cheered.
"Dumbass, what'd you expert." Bete laughed
"Dammit Grover, you make it really hard to defend you." Riveria groaned.
"Zeus will destroy you!" she promised. "Hades will have your soul!" "Braccas meas vescimini!" I yelled. I wasn't sure where the Latin came from. I think it meant "Eat my pants!" Annabeth pushed them off the bus as thunder roared. "We left our—" Lightning shredded a huge crater in the roof, but an angry wail from inside told me Mrs. Dodds was not yet dead. "Run!" Annabeth said. "She's calling for reinforcements! We have to get out of here!" We plunged into the woods as the rain poured down, the bus in flames behind us, and nothing but darkness ahead.
"Dammit, she's still alive." May punched her chair.
All that work and she's still alive. The only saving grace was that they killed her sisters. But now they had to worry about reinforcements hunting them down.
Loki nodded.
"Not only that, but they lost all their gear as well as their transportation."
"And did you see that guy attacking a picture. Bet you this puts them against the local law enforcement as well." Gareth pointed out.
On the other side, Hestia looked over at her fellow Gods.
The fury said, Zeus will destroy you. As if she were on his side. Hermes shook his head at her. He doubted that was true, if it was why would Zeus try and kill her. Cause that's what the lightning was- no chance it was anything else.
Tsubaki held up the book.
"Ok whose next."