Piper ran through the forests as she smelt smoke and heard the screams of the base workers behind her. Tears fell from her eyes as she knew that her oath to protect those under her care was broken, as a master Paladin she was a skilled fighter but she knew what their attackers were after and it was too dangerous to risk letting them get possession of it... not after she had seen the destruction the swords could cause in certain situations when the user lost control. Pressing her bracelet, she activated the emergency call to see that Nico had also send out one, he was under attack at the station, so they were after all of the swords. A nearby scream alerted her to the death of another under her care; four of them had split up in an attempt to divert the remaining scythe forces from their goal, Amora, the sword of faith, now only two others remained with her, both of them were veterans of the last Scythe War. She saw one of her remaining companions stop suddenly and draw his weapons, hand sized pistols, to buy her time. The scythe had resurrected and revealed itself after a thousand years, starting a war the galaxy thought had been prevented at the Systiene System. She knew soon they would find the two prisoners, Rion and Cazar, in the base's cells, the war would truly begin.
Running down the familiar path she arrived at the largest tree in the forest, it had adapted over the years to contain Amora's energy. The wood was paler than usual and the blood red leaves were falling to the ground from the branches as the plants died around her. Amora's hilt was glowing from its place in the tree trunk, covered by the red amber of over a thousand years of product from the tree. Amora had sensed Piper's decision to use it again and was draining the energy from the surroundings that it had placed in it to make the old crater, which had become their base, habitable. Piper placed her hand on the amber and called for the hilt to activate, as much as it could without its blade. She bit her lip as she heard another scream, a brief sense of loss hit her but Piper shoved it aside.
Piper's last companion drew her sword and ran into the forest, a former marine and the last living member of Percy's squad, she was easily one of the most unskilled diplomats but she had developed a loathing of violence after the war. Piper saw the hilt glow and knew then, she had done what she must. The blade was shattered but the hilt was still powerful enough to wreck a planet with the correct blade placed inside and partnered with the others, only Leo could rebuild them now and even then, they would just be a slither of their former power with Otheria being dead. Reaching out she poured a message into the sword, embedding it so only four people could activate it, she just had to hope that they would listen to its warning for Piper knew that what she was going to do was breaking an oath she made when she, with the other Paladin Masters, created the Paladins, they swore never to involve Earth or the Olympians, not after Reyna and Octavian's executions after saving Percy from his own execution. A red flash showed Amora was gone; she placed her armband in the tree, activating the recording feature to send to Alpha and Aether, also sending the code for a Scythe attack out, something that had not been used in over a thousand years.
She drew her dagger, holding it tightly in her hand she spoke loudly to the powerful presence that had just arrived "is it already gone." The reply was a chilling voice that sounded rough from lack of use "indeed daughter of Aphrodite, but I know where you would have sent it, we will find it." Piper turned to see a person she had though dead on Systiene with the rest of the galaxy and the paladins themselves, "Kiros..."
The ancient titan grinned manically. His heavily scarred face was forever a testament to a furious Percy wielding Aquarius at full power at the last battle of the third Scythe war just before the Systiene system was destroyed. He spoke in his rough voice again "I survived to serve my masters." Piper could not help but wonder who was the plural in 'masters' the last Scythe war had been against Oranus, the primordial father of the titans, he was still imprisoned within the Systiene System the last of Otheria's magic holding the remains of his essence there, but if there was more than one leader of the Scythe currently... Piper looked at the glowing Kiros, he had grown even more powerful during his 'rest' while Piper was weakened, she just said the two names of those he must be serving "Kronus and Gaia." Kiros laughed and clapped his hands, his eyes showing a insanity as he said "indeed. You are the smartest of the lot of them. Jackson was killed on Systiene with Di Angelo, Valdez and magic girl so you Paladins without your leader, best assassin, fixer boy and the traitor. Pity though, they would have made sure your security was not so pathetic and given me a good fight." At this he drew his huge sword and brought it down on Piper who grabbed Kiros' arm and used it to flip over his back, stabbing him in the back of the neck showing how she had survived four wars and remained physically unscarred. Kiros let out a yell and pulled it out, the dagger dripping in gold blood as he threw it aside and backhanded her, sending her into a nearby tree trunk with a 'Crack' she saw the armband explode as someone activated the remote auto-destruct option as she faded into darkness.
Location: Realm of Asgard: Earth: Camp Half-bloodClarisse sat on Zeus Fist brooding; she was wearing the old worn leather jacket she had been given, just before becoming immortal, by her friends. Once again, she regretted not taking their offer to go with Percy and the others but she knew that she would be needed at camp. Over the years, she had become a figure of awe to the demi-god campers who went on about Percy's story and the braver ones demanded that she tell them as Chiron and the others always refused to do so, especially after Percy was proved innocent five years after his escape and arrest, the immortal Romans had nearly declared war in vengeance for Reyna and Octavian's executions when it was revealed that they had occurred without any sort of diplomatic attempts on the Greek side, Clarisse, Thalia and Annabeth had butchered them all for it and both Clarisse and Thalia spent a lot of time at the Roman camp now, rarely returning to the Greek one, Chiron had noted that both had been turning more Roman over the years. Annabeth had stayed Greek but rarely returned to camp, still mourning Percy.
Camp was the same as it always was, the immortal campers were training campers but Clarisse was just angry that none could offer her the same thrill that fighting Percy, Jason or Nico could. Hearing a large crash she fell off Zeus' fist at the aftershocks, drawing her spear out she went towards it to find that it was a sword hilt embedded in the ground. The sword hilt was also glowing red. Walking over to it she felt that the feeling it gave off was familiar, looking closely she saw that the guard has the word 'Amora' written in Ancient Greek, so the sword had a name, but whose sword was it? Lowering her spear as the hilt glowed stronger. She knelt beside it so she could inspect it closely. The hilt was a work of art, a sword greater than even the damaged blade of Riptide that was on the wall in the Poseidon cabin, Percy having realised it was irreparable after the giant war, by the look of where the blade should have been the creator must have taken it apart, or someone of some skill in a forge.
She heard campers yelling in the background. Deciding to take a risk, she wrapped her hands around the hilt and suddenly the hilt flung out of her hands, it hovered in the air and there was silence, many campers drawing weapons as a glowing figure appeared. Annabeth, at camp for the first time in around a century, let out an uncontrolled "Piper!" the figure was Piper Mclean, the missing daughter of Aphrodite and girlfriend of the missing Jason, a little older than what Clarisse remembered, still young in looks but her eyes were war weary as she spoke "I am Piper Mclean, daughter of Aphrodite and Master Paladin. I am currently under attack and this sword hilt is what my attackers are after. Chiron, if you ever had any love for me you must protect it. It is too dangerous in the wrong hands, and for the love of Aphrodite, DO NOT melt it down or place a new blade inside. It would end... badly. Only trust those who say they are paladins that don't try and kill you when they come." The message faded out and Clarisse caught the hilt as it fell, it was lighter than she expected. Turning to Chiron she said "I'll keep it safe." Chiron nodded as he looked at the hilt saying softly "she's alive after all these years..." Thalia looked at Annabeth who just said "if Piper's alive, what about the others?" There was silence, Chiron just said "we will have to wait and see. Piper would not send such a message unless she meant it. Clarisse keep it on you at all times. Cabin councillors meeting now, Conner and Tavis please tell the Olympian council to attend, Bobby, please get our Roman counterparts." Clarisse nodded and teleported back to the big house as Conner, Travis and Bobby vanished in a glow of light as well, all the mortal campers averting their eyes.
Clarisse sat on her chair as did the other councillors, a mixture of Greeks, Romans, hunters and immortals as the Olympians arrived to see why Chiron had messaged them. Chiron nodded to Clarisse who placed the hilt in the middle of the table, there was silence. Thalia spoke softly "so what's the sword called? I cannot read the letters on the hilt." Clarisse looked at Aphrodite who just said "this is Piper's. She, it is embedded with her power, but it is enhanced somehow, by another being." Hephases picked the blade up and inspected it, he blinked before saying "this... it has a message from its creator." He activated the message by touching the pommel of the sword, a head appeared, Leo Valtez. He looked exhausted and had a scar on his face that seemed to be healing, he smiled tiredly saying "hi Dad. This is programmed message in the event that Amora, one of the five swords-" Zeus half exclaimed worriedly, "there's five of these?!" Leo continued "-finds itself on Earth. In this case, protect it and one of us can come and get it. If one of us sent it there... well, someone will be on their way soon." Everyone looked at each other at this, Leo's tone of voice was foreboding and he looked just as war weary as Piper did in her message, but his seemed more haunted and recent. Clarisse and Annabeth looked at each other and knew that whatever had made Piper so weary had just happened in the message. Leo continued with a soft smile, "we don't blame you and the others, for being stupid and arresting Percy, okay Jason still blames Poseidon for telling on us and for you all for allowing it to happen." Poseidon winced at this as Leo continued "though we would never have had become Paladins had we not, though with what happened to Percy, Otheria and Cazar..." Leo turned around and cursing, said "got to go, sorry, this is the only sword capable of holding messages, and I was banned from putting any in, especially since I am supposed to be taking the blade out." The face disappeared and there was silence. Athena spoke "what has happened to Perseus Jackson? And who are 'Cazar' and 'Otheria'?" Annabeth turned on her mother, resorting with an angry "we don'tknow, none of us do. We just have to wait and keep the sword hilt safe." Thalia breathed out "Jason and Leo are still alive with Piper according to these, but if Percy was mentioned in such a way..." An aura of sadness came over the room.
Chiron turned from the sword hilt to look at the image that Leo had made and left behind in his workshop, it had been years ahead of its time but still worked. It activated as Thalia moved and pressed the button to turn it on. The image activated and a photo appeared Piper and Jason with their arms around each other. Nico standing with Thalia and Leo, Percy with Annabeth on his back, everyone was smiling broadly, Frank was there with Hazel, the former having turned into a lion with Hazel on his back. Reyna and Octavian were also standing there, Reyna looking dignified while Octavian seemed to be plotting something. The photo was the last of the prophecy of seven before Frank died protecting the body of Hazel from the giant king.
Apollo suddenly doubled over as he stood up to leave, his eyes glowed green like his oracle's as he spoke in three voices that echoed through the room as everyone was silent in shock.
The one forgotten will remember himself by blessings of his lord
The one lost in shadows will see the light again
The family torn apart for defiance and hope will reunite
To bring the peace which the light bringers seek
They must go back to where they lost it all
For to remake the blades four must travel to find the traitor child
But beware the price promised that must be paid in blood and death.
There was silence as Apollo slumped into Artemis' and Hermes' arms as Posiedon just said "that does not sound good." Athena sighed before saying "the blades, it mentioned them, 'for to remake the blades four must travel to find the traitor child' I do not know what the last means but whatever it does, it has something to do with the sword hilt in front of us."