Okay, I know I said that I was going to start on a sequel to 'The Cursed Demigod'. And I know this isn't it. This is just an idea I got as I was reading another PJO story. It's called 'Houses Walk On Broken Stilts' by Leaf Skeletons. (It's actually quite good). Also, I probably will take my time on this, so don't expect constant updates.

I guess you could call it Alternate Universe for later things that I will add. But it definitely is going to be T for language and character death and such. In any case, I hope you enjoy it. And please don't forget to tell me what you think afterwards.


The Secret Army:

Clouds over a Blood Red Moon


" Attention all soldiers! Attention all soldiers! This is Command Unit 529-77483-H2LO7-B3! Begin your retreat! I repeat; begin your retreat!"


The skies of Manhattan grew heavy with the call. The observation deck on the 86th floor of the Empire State Building had been closed for the week. But that didn't mean it wasn't empty. Sixteen people of varying ages and height were positioned around the perimeter, effectively on lookout. The youngest had probably only turned ten not long ago, but he was tall for his age. The eldest, a stout old woman possibly in her eighties, banged her not so weak fist against the side of the majestic building.

Looking above her, she knew that the higher powers were not going to be able to help them. Not now that the call had been sounded. And she knew that the people in the city below would never realise the danger that they had been in since the Second World War.

Foolishness. She thought to herself. That's all it is. Foolishness. Not a single one of them will ever appreciate what little we do for them, much less the major deeds. Why, if only…

But she knew that such things would never win her that battle. They wouldn't win her this battle either; not that there was a battle to be won anymore. She turned to her fifteen companions with a sigh and shook her head sadly. So young, these people were. So full of energy, too. Not one of them knew of the fate that had befallen them. But she took a deep breath in order to steel her nerves and calm her mind before moving away from the side of the building.

" Well, you heard the man. Retreat." She ordered, her raspy voice hanging in the air like the thick smog of the city.

Not one dared to disobey her.

And no one below noticed the sixteen large eagles disappear through the clouds.


" Command Unit 529-77483-H2LO7-B3, this is Outpost 11-572-B4JH98-044. We have a slight problem. All passages of retreat within the area are off-limits. We have no movement. Immediate aerial rescue is needed. I repeat; immediate aerial rescue is needed."

" Outpost 11-572-B4JH98-044, this is DK-072B of Clan Okala answering on behalf of Command Unit 529-77483-H2LO7-B3. Aerial rescue will commence within ten strokes of a dragon's wing. Expect five large dragons within that time. Be prepared! I repeat; be prepared."


He flew over the valley that he had once called home. Both he and his brother had once called home, actually. So far, everything was peaceful. No one below them realised the danger that they were in. No one was prepared. It wouldn't take long, though, for someone to realise that something was wrong. Then the word would spread.

" Tell me, again, why we can't go down there and warn everyone?" His brother complained.

" Because our orders were to retreat." He replied.

" Still. That's our family and friends down there!"

" Do you think I don't know that?! You were a counsellor once upon a time. I heard you give the order of retreat to the rest of our brothers and sisters. That's what this is. Our counsellor has just ordered a retreat. We need to obey that order."

" But surely we could…"

" Enough!"

Down below, in the valley, the head of a young copper dragon was raised as it watched the brown and white hide of another member of its kin pass over the Sound. Its warning to the older dragon rang through the valley, alerting every occupant to the passing of something either dangerous or familiar. All eyes turned to the sky in the hopes that their precious war ship was in sight.

Those hopes were vanquished as they watched the disappearance of the very thing that had riled up their guard dragon.


" General. There is a disturbance coming from Mount Diablo heading in the direction of Area CJ001. Shall we send out an elite troop as added defence?"

" No. A retreat has already been called. We must fall back and regroup."

" But, sir. We have soldiers and a war elephant stationed there."

" If they are wise, then they will follow the order to retreat."


As the order came, so too did the feeling that they were doing something wrong. Usually they took no order from men. But this time, things were different. They had no choice but to follow that order. When their Lieutenant had agreed to continue their Lady's work while strengthening this secret cause, she had also agreed to take into consideration the orders sent to her straight from their Commanders and Generals. Unfortunately, most of their commanders and generals were male. And that sent discomfort racing through them.

" Come on, girls. We, at least, must obey." The sound of the Lieutenant came to their ears.

They picked themselves up from the ground and began to pack their things away. With at least five to a tent, it didn't take long. What did were the efforts to try and keep their movement subtle. Even their Lieutenant pitched in to do her bit. As soon as the bags were packed and the tents were rolled, the Lieutenant called them together and they began moving. They didn't get far, however, until someone noticed their leave.

" Where do you lot think you're going?" It was the High Lieutenant.

" We are following orders." The Lieutenant replied.

" What orders? We were told to…"

" You may have been told to stay here, but our orders were to move."

" 'Our orders'? My orders are the same as your orders!"

" In this case, High Lieutenant, they are not. You see, though our hearts reside here, our homes do not. Until we meet again."

Without another word, they were gone.


" Take-over of Area CHB001 will commence roughly at 1845 hours, General. Shall we send a Beast Keeper to regain control over the rogue?"

" How long will it take? I want our soldiers a good distance away from ensuing trouble."

" The nearest Beast Keeper is… within 244.8Km, Sir. They should get there within three hours max. That gives them two hours to complete their task or become overwhelmed by the enemy."

" That should be enough time."

" Sir, I've got readings on the Beast Keeper located in Hartford."

" Go on."

" He is not claimed as a Hellhound Beast Keeper, but rather a Teumessian Fox Beast Keeper."

" We'll have to risk it. Deploy the order to regain control over the rogue."

" Yes, sir."


" Well, big boy? Looks like we're getting out of here."

The war elephant ruffled the man's hair with his trunk. He wasn't sure what it meant 'getting out of here', but he did know when something bad was about to happen. And, honestly, he wanted to be on the front lines, not running away. The man must have sensed that, because he brought out a container of fruit, vegetables and leaves. That got his attention. Instantly he began probing the see-through container for any way to open it and get at the treats.

" I know you're hungry, big fella. But we gotta get moving." The man said with a small chuckle.

" Come on! We don't have much time!" Someone called from the other side of the door.

" You know what he's like!"

" Then hurry it up!"

Yes. Hurry it up. The sense of battle was already coursing through the elephant's body. He needed to be out there defending his home. He also needed to get that container open. He stomped his feet in frustration. He wanted those treats and he wanted to fight. But he knew it was one or the other. And those treats looked mighty tasty…

" Will you hurry up in there? We're going to have a hard time as it is, getting an elephant out of this place!"

" I thought we agreed to get help from the fauns?"

" You know as well as I do how untrustworthy fauns are."

" Says the guy who came up with the idea."

" Shut up!"

Finally! Treats! The man had given in and opened the container. The elephant chose a rather tasty looking banana and hungrily devoured it. He wasn't even fazed when the man began to lead him out of his stall and into the main camp area. With treats and promises that he would be in a battle soon, he was willing to be led anywhere. As long as he still got those treats.


" BK-659M, this is Command Unit 529-77483-H2LO7-B3. You have orders to regain control over the rogue hellhound located in Area CHB001. Once your orders are completed, you are to retreat back to the rendezvous station. Is that clear? Over."

" Command Unit 529-77483-H2LO7-B3, this is BK-659M. Orders are confirmed. I'm on my way. Over and out."


No one expected this day to come. No one had thought this day was even possible. Outside the wind and water spirits fretted about what was to come. It was clear that they could sense the higher powers fading into the depths of their realms and it scared them. They knew the King would never willingly hide himself away from such a threat. But as the mortal saying went 'desperate times call for desperate measures'.

In the distance, the rallying call of the wolves aggravated her charges. No matter how many times a day that howl rang through the surrounding area, her charges still felt threatened by them. It got annoying sometimes. Especially when one of the wolves was forced to come into the mountains on messenger duty at short notice, then she had to be everywhere that wolf went. Well, almost everywhere. There was one place she wasn't expected to go unless she needed to herself, otherwise she had to wait outside.

She finally reached her destination. A large brown egg that had been squawking for the past half hour. It was a bad time for the egg to hatch. But, unfortunately, no one could control the birth of a baby. Perhaps this little one had a chance, though. Maybe it was destined to be born on this particular day for a reason. Her ponderings took her through most of the hatching. Finally, after two hours of squawking, the golden beak and deep brown head of the newest member into her flock emerged.


" Ten minutes until the take-over of Area CJ001 commences, General."


" You don't understand, sir. There is trouble just around the corner. Your dragon has sensed it. Your nature spirits sense it. Surely you can understand the severity of the situation." He said for what felt like the tenth time.

" And I'm afraid that you do not understand that you are trespassing on another's property. I cannot allow you to enter and take one of us regardless of your claims about Lord Hermes and Lord Apollo." The centaur before him replied.

" Oh, I understand."

Before any more words could be exchanged, he left the building. But he did not leave the camp. Instead he knelt to the skulk of foxes who sat patiently at the bottom step of the porch. Most of the skulk were varying shades of red foxes. The only one that wasn't was the leader, who was a magnificent silver fox. They would have been viewed as normal foxes if it weren't for the glowing blue markings on their faces and up their legs or their large sizes.

" Okay, guys. We're going to have to take this to the next level. Torment that hellhound and bring her round over here. Get her past that dragon." He ordered.

He watched his skulk race off into the camp, gekkering and barking like they thought the task was merely a game.


" Command Unit 529-77483-H2LO7-B3, this is DK-831F of Clan Durith. I have reports on activities from the northern most reaches of Canada. Permission to investigate?"

" Permission denied, DK-831F. Your orders are to retreat to the rendezvous station, is that clear?"

" Affirmative."


He sat alone in the branches of the highest pine tree in the valley. It was an advantage spot as well as a rest stop. He had flown all the way from Yarmouth, Canada. He needed the rest. Looking down into the valley, he could see the skulk of Teumessian Foxes belonging to BK-659M tormenting the rogue hellhound. Unfortunately the hellhound wasn't taking the bait like the Beast Keeper had planned. And the raging demigods weren't helping the situation either. He was actually beginning to wonder if he should intervene or not.

With a dip of his great, majestic head, he forced himself to remember that it was not his mission. Nor was it his place to aid a Beast Keeper. His gaze drifted to the other side of the valley. The enemy was nearly on them, now. He judged maybe another hour before they were overwhelmed. They wouldn't stand a chance.

Cursing himself for not being able to do what his heart wanted him to do, he took to the skies once more. However, he made sure he dipped low enough to startle the hellhound into moving and the demigods into pulling back. Then he continued on to the rendezvous station as if nothing had happened during those few precious minutes. Only one thought ran through his head as he skimmed the land and sea.

Oh how the enemy advances. He surrounds us and toys with us, before ending this little game of life and death with him as the victor. Too early we rise. Too late we strike. It is no wonder the enemy has the best advantages in this battle.


" Give me a status report on The Seven."

" Yes, General."

" The Seven fight, Sir, but they have weakened considerably. If we don't act now, we may lose them all. The son of Hephaestus and daughter of Athena are already down. I fear they are losing their own personally battles."

" Get someone out there immediately! We cannot lose them!"

" Yes, Sir."


They came down upon them like flies to fresh road kill. There were just too many of them. For every one legionnaire, there were at least one hundred of them. No one could understand where they had come from. All they knew was that their faithful, battle loving war elephant was nowhere in sight. All they knew was that every last man, woman and child was shackled and chained. All they knew was that there was no hope.

Some questioned if they were ever going to see their home again. Others questioned if they were ever going to see the light of day again. Some blamed it on the other side and not the enemy. But only one knew what was going on. She was small and fast. And in the mass chaos, she was directing the fauns and unicorns to safety. No one questioned her.

When the Praetor was captured, she knew she had to get out of there. Fauns were still coming along with however many eagles that had managed to stay alive and however many unicorns that had managed to evade capture or death. If they were smart, they would follow her and not run around in circles in a complete panic like she had found quite a few of them doing. She was that close to an enemy who was about to chain her up as well when the trusty pincer of her giant scorpion destroyed it.

" Good work, Mio Brando." She whispered, climbing aboard the scorpion's back.

Without another word, the giant arachnid scuttled away. She didn't bother telling him where they needed to go. He already knew where his home was. But she couldn't help feeling that she had failed at something so important. She didn't know it, but she had been the only one to escape the mass capture.


" Command Unit 529-77483-H2LO7-B3, this is BK-H447B. I've wrangled in some fauns, unicorns and giant eagles from Area CJ001. All inhabitants of the Area have been captured and removed to an unknown destination. The Area itself is no more."


" Why us? Please tell me why we have to go all the way there?" He asked, much to the heightening annoyance of his brother.

" Because we already came as a package deal." His brother replied.

If he looked hard enough, he could swear there were two streams of smoke rising from the taller boy's pointed ears. The dragon below him also seemed to be agitated. Maybe he could sense the impending doom that they were flying into. Most probably, it was because of him and his constant annoyance. He couldn't help it. It was part of who he was.

" What, exactly, do you mean by package deal?" He had to ask.

" I've got one of the fastest dragons and you're a natural medic. End of story."

" Okay."

To emphasise his brother's point, the dragon growled. The vibrations resounding from the deep sound made every one of his muscles twinge in fear. He knew if that dragon roared, the surrounding area wouldn't be the only thing quivering. He gripped his medical kit tighter and began whistling an apparently annoying tune to himself. Again the dragon growled, this time snapping his jaws. He didn't need his brother to tell him what the beast was thinking. It probably went something along the lines of 'why did I bother to pick you up'?


" General. We have twenty minutes until the take-over of Area CHB001. BK-659M also seems to be having difficulties with the rogue. What are your orders?"

" Leave him there. We can't do anything else at this point in time."

" This just in, General. BK-659M has managed to get the rogue over the border line."

" Too close for my liking."

" Also, we've lost communication with the son of Thaumas, Clan Karani and the falconer BK-HJ554."

" Shit."


They watched as the temples went up in flames. They were the last buildings to go up. The rest of the area – camp and city alike – was already burning. As BK-H447B had claimed, there was nothing left. The area was no more. She turned as the sound of running feet caught her attention. Before her stood a three-tone brown wolf. She averted her eyes as he became human.

" Report?" She asked.

" East. They're heading east." He replied. He kept glancing towards the fire, like it was going to jump him.

" Please tell me they're not walking."

" Not sure. From where I went, there were only footprints. No tyre or cart tracks."

" Okay."

A few minutes of silence passed through the pack as they watched the flames. The deep crackling sound reminded them all of open fire from an artillery unit. The thick smoke clogged their keen sense of smell. Finally, he lost it and returned to his wolf form, practically begging to leave the ruins of a once proud people.

" Yeah, okay." She sighed, giving in to him. " We're leaving."


" Command Unit 529-77483-H2LO7-B3, this is the Captain of the CSA Mocking jay requesting permission for sub-mariner descent. We have three packs of hellhounds and a group of eight medics awaiting deployment into the mother land."

" Permission granted. Remain within the vicinity until you have knowledge of the exportation of The Seven. Is that clear?"

" Affirmative."

" Stay safe, my friend."

" Right back at you."


As soon as the combined dragon clans landed, everyone knew something was wrong. There was no sound. No chirping crickets. No rush of wind. No clash of metal on metal. Nothing. Each of the dragon keepers and medics looked at each other with worry. Had they arrived too late? They prayed to the higher powers that they weren't.

" I don't like this." One said, unable to manage more than a whisper.

" Me neither." A second replied.

" Let's move." The eldest ordered.

That was when the ground rumbled. It was almost like it was laughing. In one swift movement, the dragons returned to the air and hurried to the centre point of the earthquake. It didn't take long, but what they found when they got there disturbed them. The Seven had been defeated and were about to be destroyed. As one the dragons opened their jaws and, with a deafening roar and a blaze of flames, they dived.


" General, news update."

" Continue."

" Area CHB001 is completely desolate. Any satyrs that were unlucky in their escape have been destroyed. As with Area CJ001, the inhabitants have been moved to another location. The rogue hellhound has been rescued; however she is now in custody of the wolves. BK-659M is now missing in action. His Teumessian foxes either lay dead or are also under the care of the wolves. I fear that he and anyone else unlucky enough to have missed the rendezvous station have been taken prisoner."

" And what of The Seven?"

" They don't look too good, Sir. Most, if not all, struggle for life. They were being boarded onto the CSA Mocking jay when I last checked in with the Captain."

" And so it comes down to this."

" Sir?"

" In the words of the great Sun Tzu, we must 'pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance'. Once the enemy has become too arrogant, then we strike. But for now we bide our time."


Looking over the ruins of the smouldering valley, tears were brought to her eyes. It was clear that no one had been killed. That is, no descendant of the higher powers had been killed. Just like in Area CJ001, there were bodies littering the ground. The stables no longer housed any pegasi, but she suspected that the majority of them managed to enter the wild. The unicorns of Area CJ001 had probably done the same. They were going to need to locate and recapture the two newly wild herds if that was the case.

He came up beside her to watch over the desolate valley. Every cabin, tree and building had been destroyed. The armoury, once whole and full, now stood – the ghost of a shell – begging to be returned to its once former glory. The fields were specked with small, dying fires. The damage was too much for him, though, and he turned to face her.

" Is this it, then?" He asked. " Is this the end?"

A single, stray tear rolled off her cheek and buried itself into the ground below her feet.

Slowly, she turned to face him. " Sadly, this is only the beginning."