In Life's Name and for Life's Sake

by GuardianXAngel

Where ever the Lone Power goes, Wizards follow. Their goal is to combat the spread of entropy in all its forms. What happens though when a war amongst the Powers that Be, the Gods, causes so much entropy that it masks the arrival of the Lone Power? Follow Alexander as he interacts with Olympus in an effort to stop the rise of the Titan Lord Kronos, if it is not too late already...

2. I Break the Clock to Reset it

Completed: 9/2/17

Edited: 9/13/17

I Break the Clock to Reset it

Authors Note: For those who have read one of the series and not the other for this crossover. This story combines Percy Jackson, and So You Want to Be a Wizard (SYWBW). Percy Jackson's series bases itself on Greek and Roman Mythology. While the SYWBW bases itself on the idea that there is a war going on that began shortly after the birth of the universe. Those who fight in that war are called Wizards. This war is over death and the fact that death was inserted into the universe when it should not have been. The fight is to undo death.

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"Explain yourself, Boy! How are you, an ordinary mortal aware of the Godly world, and how did you get here?"

Here…was the middle of a campsite, with at least a dozen silver tents, with roughly two dozen girls of various ages.

I opened my mouth to talk, to give myself an out, time to regroup; I couldn't afford to linger here.

"No lies or I turn you into a jackalope."

I looked around heart pounding; Surrounded by the Hunt, a band of girls dressed in silver, with silver bows and knives. They were glaring at me, looking as if they would like nothing more than to use me for target practice, and or gut me with their knives. This development wasn't what I was expecting when I broke the clock to reset it, ie. I was messing with the past with the permission of the Fates…technically speaking if I wanted to be accurate. My occupation allows me some leniency in that regard. Such as when I used the Masterbolt, Trident, and Helm of Darkness so that I could go back in time to prevent the Titan Lord from winning. The fact that the spell deposited me into the middle of the Hunt was…unfortunate.

The Hunt, a group of immortal girls sworn off of love and men, were dedicated handmaidens to their mistress. Phoebe Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt, Wilderness, chastity, maidenhood, and the moon…And frankly, she is a big hater of men.

I saw her finger her bow and gulped. Where to start where to start? I had to hurry and think of something to tell her, before I was incinerated at best, transformed at the worst. I thought carefully about what brought me here. The origins of what got me into this mess. I didn't want to think about the last hour of my life before I ended up here in this quagmire.

*Flashback*

I looked outside my small room and let out a sigh. I was tired of playing Battlefield One; I was tired of being trapped in a room that was four steps by four steps. I was getting cabin fever for god's sake!

For the past two weeks, the East Coast had been battered by rain, unrelenting rain. My little backyard was pure mud with bits of grass. The road when I dared travel had constant pools of water running over them, and I was one of the thousands of cars out on the road. Food, water, and gas were at a premium and had doubled in price already. The Virginia National Guard had been called out in full force. Their job, to keep order in a situation that was the worst catastrophe in the history of the United States.

The few remains officials discussed the idea of rationing in Richmond. Though Richmond experienced destruction in a way that made the previous devastation of the city during the Civil War, look like child's play. With so many people dead the state was lucky that anyone from the Legislature survived. It was only a handful, the legislature was out for the 4th of July, and thus while the majority were in Richmond to celebrate the holiday, not everyone was. The 9.2 Earthquake on the Richter Scale was unprecedented. Especially since the area wasn't known for its earthquakes or geological faults. The fact that the earthquake happened after The Great Disaster was ominous and…unusual, to say the least.

The few remaining officials were not only having to rebuild but having to coordinate with Washington who was also grappling with the wanton destruction. You see before the earthquake came a wave that destroyed the coast of Virginia and hit every inch of the East Coast. While a second and third wave hit the West Coast and Gulf Coast, meant that virtually every major city in the US is on the coast, the loss of the coastlines would prove an impossibility for the nation to overcome; and for Washington to handle. Our economy ground to an immediate halt creating shockwaves across the world. In fact, Washington's had been leveled as well. It was built on a marsh and well that meant flood plains. All three branches of the government were gone with all the movers and shakers within each. That is not counting the loss of the army of bureaucrats that kept the country going.

Grain shipments, arms shipments, investments, etc. stopped, and for the first time, America was the subject of a vast relief effort. The lead groups were the Red Cross and United Nations. However, America had contribution obligations towards both groups that it couldn't meet so how effective they were going to be, who knows?

Tens of thousands of soldiers and reservists had been called out; however, it was unclear if there was even money to pay for the rebuilding let alone their salary. Only after an accounting could we know for sure. Then there were the vultures who were discussing how America would pay back its debts. With America being laid low, oh so very low, the dollar's value sank. The Pound and Euro for the moment were on the upswing. However, it was too early to tell if it would stay that way. The market was in too much flux.

As it stood Russia and China were the sole superpowers in the world. Great Britain, France, and Germany lacked the strength they once had and would be hard pressed to oppose even one of them for long.

Overall, this entire situation meant that I had a lot of down time on my hands. Of course, the fact that I was one step away from being laid off meant that I wasn't working regular hours. I could care less about world power; all I cared about was my family's safety, ability to make ends meet, and my general safety. It was hard to stay calm when every day brought new challenges. I was afraid that looters would steal my stuff, which I would be held at gunpoint and robbed as I left the store, that there wouldn't be enough food, water, or gas. As it was, I was worried I would be unable even to pay the bills.

Communication was an issue, one that was in effect a matter of our basic infrastructure. Power lines had fallen, power plants, those on the coast or within ten miles of the coast found themselves destroyed by the sheer weight and force of the water. So when I said I played Battlefield One, I meant I played it if I was lucky an hour a day. The worst part was wondering how my family and friends were doing. I hadn't heard from my parents in weeks. They lived along the Gulf Coast, while my sister lived in the Midwest. Most times I used the energy for the air conditioning and running water and wrote in my journal or read. If only so I wouldn't panic knowing how my parents were doing. There was never any shortage of reading material for me though.

Unlike the majority of the population, I was different. I had a gift that others didn't. I was a wizard. I was neither a Harry Potter type wizard, nor Gandalf type either, though that was closer. Think diplomat, mechanic, warrior, researcher, historian, biologist, geologist, oceanographer, astrophysics, and any other profession put into one title, Wizard.

I was a new Wizard; I had just accepted my Oath. In fact, I found the book shortly after The Great Disaster. The book waterlogged from floating in the parking lot of my local grocery store, for who knows how long.

I had just come back with bags of food; I wasn't happy with what I had gotten. I had to rely on canned goods with way too much salt in them. I was feeling desperate by this time, there was never enough food, and fresh fruit and vegetables were nonexistent. The last apple I had was last week. I felt like breaking down, who knew the lack of my favorite dessert/fruit would affect me so? It just proves it is the little things that matter.

I just set my stuff in the car, more like thrown in and was about to get in myself when I saw a small book lying on a puddle of water. No bigger than a small journal it was just floating there. I picked it up, looked around for its owner. Checked the inside for a name, address, or number and didn't find one. Not finding the owner of the book in the vicinity of my car I threw it in as well. With how much I have been writing I would need it.

I put my Honda CRV into gear and drove back home, praying that the waters had not flooded the road again. I was in luck, the water while overflowing the road was not that high. Driving slowly so that the water wouldn't enter the car or engine0 I could traverse the running water.

Two minutes later, I was at my home carrying my stuff into the house. Or rather up the stairs to my house that was a one room apartment. A really really small apartment that lacked air conditioning, I was dying! It was all right to joke about being from the South and all, but the heat was overwhelming.

I just had to deal with it; I couldn't afford to open the windows the rain was still present. After drying off my stuff, I took a look at the book. No longer waterlogged it looked ready for use. Odd, like very odd, I opened the book and turned to the first page. There were words;

'To the person who found this book know this. You have been chosen, determined to stop the spread of entropy in all its forms. Should you accept the following oath, you will join a brotherhood almost as old as the universe. Should you say the oath the mysteries of the universe will be yours, as will the responsibilities of guarding life in all its forms.'

'In Life's name and for Life's sake,

I assert that I will employ the Art which is its gift in Life's service alone, rejecting all other usages.

I will guard growth and ease the pain. I will fight to preserve what grows and lives well in its own way; and I will change no object or creature unless its growth and life, or that of the system of which it is a part, are threatened.

To these ends, in the practice of my Art, I will put aside fear for courage, and death for life, when it is right to do so — till Universe's end.'

I felt a shiver begin at the base of my spine and travel upwards; I reread the words a second time. This, and I gestured nowhere, in particular, reminded me of the, So You Want to Be a Wizard series I read as a child; alright I still read it to this day. But it couldn't be real could it? Wizards, Powers that Be, it was all made up by Diane Duane? I flipped to the next page, nothing. I flipped it again, still nothing. In fact, I flipped through the entire book and still nothing. There was something more going on here? The book had a least a hundred pages, and all were empty?

If I remembered correctly the only way to know what was in the other hundred, some odd blank pages were to verbalize the Oath. If I did that would I become a Wizard? The issue must be dire if I was selected; usually, it comes to the youth. Not an adult.

I could throw the book away, that could constitute a rejection, but the mysteries of the universe at my beck and call…that was not something to throw away on a whim…My heart was pounding; I was going to make a decision that would shape the rest of my life.

I made the decision and quickly recited the Oath before my courage failed me. My nerves frazzled since the disaster:

"In Life's name and for Life's sake,

I assert that I will employ the Art which is its gift in Life's service alone, rejecting all other usages.

I will guard growth and ease the pain. I will fight to preserve what grows and lives well in its own way; and I will change no object or creature unless its growth and life, or that of the system of which it is a part, are threatened.

To these ends, in the practice of my Art, I will put aside fear for courage, and death for life, when it is right to do so — till Universe's end."

When I was finished speaking, Slightly winded for how fast I had spoken it. However, I could feel a subtle but evident heaviness around me. The Oath had to have taken. I closed the book and then reopened it as if rebooting a computer. It worked, despite expecting nothing to have changed. Where there had been blank pages were now words. Words that I was having trouble reading….well my journey just hit a road block.

I thought about the issue and then hit my head with the palm of my hand. Of course, I couldn't understand the writing; it was in the language of the universe, Speech. All life answer's to it and all its variation. I needed to learn the language before I could read anything else. Which meant this time I had to study and study hard. I never got the hang of foreign languages, and throughout my school years, I did the minimum required and that was it.

I also knew that failure to learn the language could be my undoing, which is to say death. So I had to learn. However, I wanted first to know if I was on errantry, my initial assignment which would prove that I was worthy of the power given to me.

"Alexander Guliani," I stated firmly. A page highlighted itself in gold. I turned to the page and saw my name. It wasn't what I was expecting being frank. I expected Times New Roman, not some old fashioned cursive. Don't get me wrong I liked the style; it reminded me of an older age. Maybe not a better age, but older.

Alexander Guliani

Status: Training

Power Rating: +/- 61

I couldn't help but let out a gasp when I saw the power rating. Sixty One! I had sixty-one units of energy to use!? The Powers that Be don't just give out that kind of authority to just anyone! What the hell did they want with me!?

I felt like fainting and ended up letting the book fall to the floor with a thump that sounded as if it was far away.

In the end, I decided to do what I normally do when confronted with an issue I couldn't handle and didn't have to decide on…I put it off. I decided to let it go for a day and concentrate on other things. Like reading, and writing, and how not stuffy it was in here, how it wasn't rainy and how my life hadn't turned upside down.

I spent the rest of the day doing nothing, and woke up feeling like nothing had changed; I ate breakfast, got dressed and was out the door an hour and a half early. The required length of time needed to get to work. It was still dark out, and the street lights were on. However, something unusual had occurred. I noticed as I walked to my car that it wasn't raining. That I didn't need a raincoat and umbrella to keep myself dry was a relief

The sun still being blocked by the clouds, however, for the first time in weeks, I felt relieved. Like a weight had been lifted.

The drive I would state as usual. However, it was anything but normal these days. Trees were down everywhere, and houses destroyed, downed power lines and the National Guard was out in force. I had to go through six different checkpoints. Show my ID six times and each time check what the road conditions were. Today was a good day; the roads were passable.

As I drove down the road, I decided to contemplate the beautiful day it was going to be, yes I knew that the country was down the tube. However, I loved what I did how could I not be happy?

An hour and a half later, I got to the park just as I was supposed to. Never mind that in normal conditions it would only take a half an hour to get there and I had to take a detour down the interstate highway instead of Colonial Parkway. The park was a mess; downed trees, the HQ and home base for me had been shattered and looked like it had seen better days. It survived and in one piece…mostly, which was more than many of the other homeowners in the area could say.

"Morning Mattie," I said to my supervisor. Mattie was a bit shorter than I, black hair that was graying with age. She had worked at many national parks, most military. As a GS9 ranger and my immediate boss. I was envious of her knowledge; she was the one who gave all the tours to the army folks when they requested specialized tours.

As I walked through the main hall of the building I greeted my other colleague as I saw them. Samantha, Ben, Will, Harry, in fact, while I liked them all. Every last one of them was older than I. They were all in their late forties on. I was the youngest; I brought my enthusiasm for history to the group.

They liked working with me as I did them, though we never were close close. I mean how could we be? We never spent any time together, at the end of the day we just went our separate ways. There wasn't any comradeship.

Despite this, I loved my job. Today's schedule though was unusual, though I should say for an average day. These past few weeks had been anything but normal. Today I was going to spend the morning roving the battlefield tour road noting any issues that were present. The primary drive is a seven-mile tour road that is surrounded by trees and begins within the British defenses at Yorktown and ends at Surrender Field. The secondary drive is a nine-mile one-way loop that takes us deep behind American and French lines.

Generally I do not need to do this; in fact, the last time I did this was for a refresher when I arrived back in May. I checked out one of the government vehicles, walked outside to see Bobby another one of the seasonal rangers raising our flag. I waited until it reached the top then continued to the cars. I checked the fuel gauge. Half full, which meant that: a) we weren't able to refuel the vehicle all the way or at all, or b) someone was just lazy. Either way, I needed to get more fuel first then do the tour.

I set the car in reverse, and as I looked backward, I noticed something. It was a British soldier walking towards the town, not just any British soldier, but a Revolutionary War era soldier. I kept looking and saw a squad of troops marching behind him. I admit that centuries old outfits weren't my forte, but I knew a period soldier when I saw him. As I looked to the front of the car I saw more soldiers that were the same as the previous.

In fact, I saw the fortifications which had eroded over time, taller, stronger, bristling with Palisades and artillery. I saw men marching all over the place, unit flags everywhere denoting the placement of each unit. I even saw a pre-1801 Act of Union flag, the British flag that was missing St. Andrew's cross representing Ireland.

I blinked and then it was gone. I blinked again and still nothing, I rubbed my eyes, cliché I know, but I had to. I needed to know if what I saw was real. Of course, there was nothing, the visions had vanished, the American flag was back, and the earth works diminished not a palisade found, and the activities, the sights, and sounds were gone.

I continued backing up and was soon on the road, while much more secluded the homes in the area had taken a beating. However, being on higher ground and not in a location at sea level, unlike New York this area was all right. Relatively speaking, of course, the city had been devastated after all.

I arrived at the intersection, where I would have to cross a major road to get to the maintenance yard and low and behold, another checkpoint. Rah rah. After waiting five minutes and having my ID verified, I was allowed onwards. The yard was a mess, but everything looked okay. I pulled up the pump and found a note. No more than six gallons per day per car not dealing with cleanup duty.

That explains the half full tank, would I have enough gas to last me through the day? I mean I wouldn't use up the entire reservoir, maybe two to two and a half gallons if I was greedy. I knew that our Administrative Officer used this car to go to Jamestown, a forty-five-minute drive one way normally. That is a lot of gas to use.

Either way, I logged the car in and carefully made sure to only get six gallons of gas. The tank was three-fourths full. I reversed my course. I then turned on the radio to see if I could get BBC radio. I was lucky the interference was low, or the connection was back up. Either way, I got to hear commentators discuss the dire straits of the United States, the massive fluctuations in their economy and the stock market that occurred as a result of the thrice tidal waves.

They then moved onto how it would affect Britain as a regional power. Fascinating, it was, though it was depressing. As I arrived at the second stop, I passed the first stop on the way out of the Headquarters loop, no issues there, I saw it. I saw a glimpse of French soldiers manning their posts. Before I could formulate a response, they were gone. The third stop was quiet as was the forth. The fifth stop was interesting…As I drove by the Moore House to ascertain the potential damage done; I saw movement within the house. The problem was though that there was no car in the parking lot. I parked the car and walked to the main door. If it were locked as it was supposed to be, I wouldn't be able to get in right? Instead, I was able to not only open the door but go inside. The house was lit and warm, but that was impossible the house didn't have a heater!

The Moore family from whom the house named after had fled to Richmond when Cornwallis moved into the region. Being supporters of the Patriots would be an issue for him after all. Then I saw them, two allied officers and two British officers talking in the hallway. These had to be the officers for the surrender negotiations.

I stopped and stared at them, yet despite me acting like an uneducated bumpkin, they never acknowledged my presence. I…I couldn't take it anymore; I was hallucinating, the food I had for dinner must have gone wrong. I turned around shutting the door behind me and didn't look back. For my sanity, I couldn't.

I had no idea what was going on. Ghosts weren't supposed to be real! Yes, I had heard about the 'ghost' stories the park had, of the dwelling I just excited. But that was just in good fun, and it wasn't supposed to be anything…well real. The stories mentioned were of animals, not people.

Shaken my heart was pounding, eyes wide I staggered to my car. If in the process of driving off I went faster than legal…well…I didn't feel anything bad from it. I continued driving until I reached Surrender Field. I even debated about not even getting out of the car. I didn't think I could handle another Specter incident.

For my sanity, nothing happened, at least not in the abstract sense. All I saw was lots of leaves, downed trees, and waterlogged signs. However, I did notice something odd, when I made it back to the Headquarters and into my cubicle. In my backpack was my book, not just any book, but The book, the book whose oath I took, that book.

I pulled it out; I knew for a fact that I hadn't put it in the backpack, it would weigh me down too much. I hefted it in my hands; it wasn't much, just a standard journal, leather bound. It seems to hum with energy? Rather all other journals were dead; they didn't have the same purpose as did this particular book.

I opened it up, not caring where it began, mistake, a mistake I would make in the future, yet not as eye catching as the first time. When I took a look at the page, I was instantly curious and mystified as to why I was 'asked,' if that is the right word. Maybe suggested is more proper to read this particular paper.

The Olympic Pantheon on the Planet Earth and Wizards Interaction With Them

Published in 1790 by John Adams

As we well know a species once it enters into it intelligence for the first time is given a choice, this choice determines what direction the species will head. Representatives for the Light and the Dark are sent to newly emerged species to plead their case.

I mention this because when it comes to the various Powers that Be, one must understand that each 'set' is created to fill an individual need. The sheer number of pantheons on the Fifth Planet in the Sol System called Earth within the Orion Arm of the Milky Way galaxy is a curiosity. With so many different pantheons it means there is an abundance of creation stories. Such stories not only affect the nature of the Powers that Be but also the species under their domain. Thus the primary species on the planet, known as Homo sapiens or humans have various creation stories.

It is interesting though to note that despite having various origin stories the application of wizardry, or rather the granting of wizardry is universal. Though what forms the gift is offered changed depending on the person. It is precisely the fact that the initial offering remains tailored to each uniquely that makes helps tie the wizard together with their fellow wizards.

It is also worth noting though that despite there being no separation in what makes a Nordic Wizard any different than a Shinto Wizard, from an Aztec Wizard their interrelations with their gods can and does change. The best example of this is the Western worlds (Western and Central Europe, the coast of the Mediterranean, North American, and parts of South America and Asia). The Powers that Be within the West are split into three different groups, Primordial like Gaia, Pontus, Erebus, and Ouranos. Titans like Kronos, Rhea, Hecate, Selene, and Pallas, and Gods like Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, and Hestia.

Each group succeeded the other in the order that they occurred through violent means. Except for the Primordial who were the first Powers that Be for the West because they were created from Chaos the Lead Power. Now each group can be divided into two separate but connected sub categories. Namely, the Greek and Roman Gods, the Greeks created the Western Gods, the Romans took the Greek Gods and made them their own, based on their cultural needs. The creation of their separate but similar cultures means that the Greek Gods are different from their Roman counterparts in many respects. Once they conquered Greece, see Rise of the Rome for more info, there was an even greater transfusion of Greek culture absorbed into Roman Culture. For the Powers That Be the Titan Lord Kronos became Saturn, Zeus, Jupiter, and Gaia became Terra. These concepts and the ideas they represented would go where ever the people of the west went. They took their Gods at first and then only the ideas of what the West represented later on.

In the present that is the 18th Century the concept of Gods and Goddess walking amongst us has long since vanished. The Greek and Roman Pantheon having long since replaced by the Judeo-Christianism monotheistic belief of there being only one God, and all other Gods being paganism. See the chapter on the Fall of the Roman Empire and Rise of Christianity for more information

Despite the replacement the Gods of Olympus, they endure still to this day. While weakened significantly by the lack of worship the fact that their ideas remain empowers them. That and the fact that they sire half mortal half divine children known as demigods, who in return for a portion of their parent's powers are 'obligated' to worship and aid their parents and Olympus overall. See the Chapter Demigods of Olympus

Demigods are NOT wizards, they have supernatural abilities, yet they do not serve the One in the same capacity as we do. Instead, they serve their Gods and through them the One. Our relationship with this particular pantheon is unusual, to say the least.

The Gods of Olympus are possessive and arrogant to an extent. They dislike being told no and have no problem punishing mortals or demigods who anger them or they disapprove. Wizard's relationships to these Powers that Be are more aloof and circumspect. The Powers that Be in general are careful to put the right person with the right job and give aid and advice as necessary. Rewards for good behavior like the favors the Olympians give out are not done. Our relationship with the Olympians is one fraught with peril, not because they are evil but that they are selfish, demanding, and arrogant. As a Wizard, we are obligated to serve the Powers that Be. Their 'request' that we find some lost chalice, which their children would call a quest, is a legitimate exercise of their powers in our regard. Thus Lady Hecate, Titaness of Necromancy, Magic, the Crossroads, and Mist acting through her children made it so that Wizards would be able to operate in their jurisdiction without being discovered. See mission report, and obligations Wizards aligned with Olympus owe Lady Hecate for her service in creating the spell.

This concealment served Wizards well through the millennia's and continues to this day. However, in the event a Wizard is located and drafted they can only order about that one Wizard. They cannot order him/her to find other Wizards to please them. The Mist forbids that.

Wizards looking to intervene in Olympic affairs should consider the risks of doing so; they open themselves not only to being ordered about by Gods, Titan, and Primordials like errand boys. They open themselves up the risk of being attacked by the monsters of the Greek and Roman World. For more information on Monsters see Olympic Threats and Monsters

However, we need to realize that because the Greek and Roman pantheons exist. They're behind the scenes manipulations are telling. Mortals know and reverse George Washington for his achievements and in doing so, honor his true mother Pallas Athena Greek Goddess of Wisdom and Strategy, Reason, Battle Strategy, and the Arts and Crafts. Many of our greatest leaders are Demigods. Of course, it is only the famed heroes of old that are remembered as actual demigods but make no mistake they are among us to this day. They shouldn't be perceived as a threat. They are not so long as you do not interfere in their quests but be wary. They serve masters that have the problem of using them and discarding them when necessary.

I was frankly fascinated with what I had learned. But why tell me this, "Why, why tell me about the Olympians? Oh, I knew them; or rather I knew the basics. How Zeus and his brothers and sisters ruled the world with his children filling in the gaps. I knew they represented the West in all its glory. Heck, I knew their domains or most of them to be honest. It had been a while since I last studied them.

To learn that they were real? What did this mean for me? I mean I knew I served the Powers that Be, or I did now. To be honest, I had yet to accept that fact. Right now I was still on the shell shocked phase, though I attribute that fact to the presence of spirits on the battlefield.

Which by the way the article didn't even mention at all, Ugh! I was going to have to do a lot of reading and researching I just knew it! I loved history, but I didn't want to have to spend my days researching. Hell, I didn't even like learning the Speech which was the equivalent of Latin for the West. Apparently, I had to do my spells in the Speech, and so I was busy trying and glacially slow learning how to use the Speech. The fact that I was struggling to learn the most basic version of the Speech was not ignored.

I set aside the book, I needed time to adjust to this new information, and I needed advice, someone to talk to about my worries. I looked in the book for Senior Wizards or Wizards who were more senior than I. The book responding to my desire highlighted individual pages for me to read.

'Nearest Senior Wizard,' I told the book and then waited. One second, two, five, still nothing. The book didn't highlight any pages for me to read. 'Nearest Wizard,' I waited, and with each breath, I grew more a more alarmed. Nothing, not a single name was given. My heart was pounding. I knew I wasn't the only wizard on Earth I couldn't be! Something had to be wrong with the manual. Except that the Manual was a manifestation of the Powers that Be, far greater than any local Power on Earth. It would take powerful magic to interfere with the inner workings of the book.

I had to accept that I was alone for the moment; with no one to guide me…I didn't know where to begin or what to do. In the end, I had to accept a basic fact. The Powers expected big things of me, and I was to prepare for my Ordeal, the trial all Wizards go through alone. Maybe afterward I would be able to contact a superior.

To succeed, I needed to learn a new language, a language that had its roots in all of the dead and alive words in this world….

*End Flashback*

"It's not wise to refuse a command from an Olympian mortal."

My mind jerked back to the present, and I had to scramble for a story. I hadn't come up with anything to say that I would be allowed to. Or that wouldn't compromise who I was.

I tried to respond and opened my mouth before hearing, "Stop! I don't care to hear your drivel BOY I asked you to explain what you were doing interfering with my hunt!"

My anxiety went through the roof. I had misunderstood the Goddess's request, and my 'long' consideration of what I should say had backfired. What I planned to say was no good, if only for the reason that the source of my power would be exposed.

I had hoped that if I gave an 'interpretive narrative' of what happened, I could avoid whatever fate was going to befall me. Unfortunately, I would end up giving information that would assure my destruction or a meeting with Olympus…which might be a good thing…However, of all the Powers that Be, I had to encounter it had to be the one who had a chip on her shoulder against men.

I saw her unnaturally bright silver eyes glean anger at me while true statement could be considered an insult to her, again. Strike two or was it three with my tardiness in responding?

I forgot that this particular pantheon of Powers could read minds and did so with alarming repetition. That's going to cost me; I cannot make these kinds of mistakes what with me being the Specialty supervisor for the Greek and Roman Pantheon.

Of course part of me wanted to snicker, a nearly twenty-eight-year-old man cowering in fear from a twelve-year-old, the absurdity.

I must have hit a nerve or took too long to respond because Lady Artemis began to walk towards me, and as she did she began to age before my eyes. Nothing 'magical' just her features began to mature as she grew taller and by extension older. Now around my age, she was as tall as I, had long Auburn hair and like all goddess hauntingly beautiful.

Now I was nervous, and I instinctively warmed up my teleportation spell or the Beam Me Up Scotty Spell BMEUSS. Then she blurred for a second and the next thing I know she was so close to me we were practically nose to nose.

My mind was screaming danger, Will Robinson Danger! Over and over again, yet I was paralyzed, I didn't want to hurt her she was an ally after all.

"Arrogant male, as if you could hurt me! Now answer the question Boy, before I gut you!"

"What was the question again" No wait! Please, I honestly don't remember." I said, begging for her mercy.

She lashed out grabbing me by the throat. Lifting me up like I was nothing. Like the fact that I weighed one hundred and sixty pounds meant nothing to her. "Who are you? How are you aware of the Divine world and what were you doing here?"

"Names Alexander Guliani milady, I am from the South and I….I…I"

"Well!" She shouted at me while shaking me. The fact that she was doing it with one hand holding my head in her iron grip was terrifying and amazing at the same time.

Something snapped within me, and I my fear crystalized into action. I shouted the last word of the Force Spell and watched as she was hurled backward hitting some of her handmaidens as she flew back and then one of the trees. I watched as it shook violently, and then had to raise the second shield to block the arrows from the surviving Hunters that hadn't fallen to the ground. I then shouted the last word of the BMEUSS and fled the scene. After all, discretion is a better part of valor.

First stop was the moon, either a great place to go to or foolish depending on the circumstances. From the Wizarding point of view, the moon was, well an actual celestial body made up of material that was of the Earth. Essentially a rogue planet that was directed away from Mars accidentally hit the Earth killing off the planets newly created life forms. The planetoid and Earthly material, still cherry red, from being molten rock, were hurled into space, and over time fused together creating the moon as we know it.

However, from the Olympic point of view, the moon was the chariot of the Titaness of the Moon Selene. It was then inherited by Zeus's daughter Artemis once Selene and her brother Helios faded during the Roman Era. Thus it could be perceived as being mortal's manifestation of her chariot, and the craters were the dings on it. So either I was actually in space or hiding in her chariot. I hoped for my sake it was the moon, moon not the chariot moon.

I popped into Tranquility Sea, the place where Apollo 11 made history. The 'first' man on the moon, I smirked and snorted at that. If only they knew that wizards had been here centuries before them. Now that I was 'safely' away I needed to decide as to what I should do next.

The whole point of me going back in time was to prevent the horror that was the Third World War. Percy Jackson's quest to find the Masterbolt was the pivot point. Succeed and tension goes down, failure would lead to war. The problem was though that Percy had like no experience or knowledge of what he was getting himself into when he left for the quest. He had not even a weeks' worth of training at Camp Half-Blood and didn't even know about his heritage until others inside the camp found him outside the border of the camp.

Then there was the fact that he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. The fact that he has been ordered to find the Masterbolt or risk war meant that he had been left to fend for himself. His father was absent, and his friends couldn't make up the difference in his lack of knowledge or skill.

He perished in the St. Louis Arch in a fight against Echidna and her son the Chimera. Apparently, his Uncle got tired of waiting? Maybe he was angry and decided to blast him? I knew that a lighting strike hit the arch as well. Either way, Percy Jackson son of Poseidon died combating Echidna and the Chimera by way of lightning.

The war commenced shortly after that with Poseidon's answer being a crippling blow to Olympus with his assault on the coast lines of the United States, the tsunami's. This killed off every demigod within the camp thus depriving Olympus of a good portion of her armies in the coming war.

Mr. Jackson had if I had gotten my spell right just left camp and was heading west. I needed to shadow him, just because he died in St. Louis last time didn't mean he would this time. My presence and Lady Artemis's response to my sudden appearance in her camp had changed the past, present excuse me. Getting the tenses right is hard. I only hoped though that my actions wouldn't change too much until I was ready for it. Too much depended on it, too many lives lost too much knowledge and culture lost because of one trigger happy person and two beyond angry Gods caused the war to end all wars truly.

Decision made I decided to head back home for the night and then begin to track down Percy Jackson in the morning. To do that though I would need to lose my tail. Which was no joke; Lady Artemis lived to hunt and lived to put arrogant boys in their places. While I would dispute being called arrogant, I did think highly of myself and my abilities. I did survive the war after all. Lady Artemis's skill was on a whole different level, she had millennia of experience to draw upon, and her domains made it even harder to lose her.

I jumped up and let gravity catch me, as I fell I erased my footprints from the moon's surface and then said another word that transported me back home. I reappeared outside of my room, my home, and quickly unlocked the door. It was night time, and the moon, obscured by clouds was a lucky break for me. If it were shining, I would have had problems, to say the least. Lady Artemis or her counterpart would be actively looking for me. Should the moon see me, it would mean they could see me, and I would have to run.

My room was small and cramped. It was four medium footsteps by four medium steps in size. A garage apartment which luckily had a full bathroom though no kitchen, my work place though had a half kitchen that did the trick. My bed took up a third of the room when not underneath the couch, being a trundle bed, and the entertainment system took up another third. All in all, like I said many times before it was cramped. However, this room represented more than that, it represented hope, by the forced conclusion of World War III. This home like its mother a few feet away had lost its appeal. The undead, monsters, bandits, and looters took care of that. The fact that I could read about Wonder Woman and her transformation into the God of War replacing Ares was a luxury I never thought I would see.

I felt my eyes water. I had in one spell gained back everything that I had lost and I…I didn't know what to do. I knew what I had to do; Alejandra and Darshana had been clear on that front. None of us anticipated me having a Power that Be on my tail from the get go. The fact that Lady Artemis was gunning for me would complicate matters. Of course, Alejandra and Darshana were supposed to have come as well; Fate had other concerns apparently.

I thought over what I needed to do; a) locate Percy Jackson b) Escort Percy Jackson to the Underworld c) Avoid the Goddess of the Hunt and her merry band of Hunters.

All of the objectives would be difficult to achieve. Locating and then escorting Percy Jackson while being unseen would be hard. Especially with the eyes of Percy Jackson's companions looking for enemies and monsters, and the Gods and Goddess of Olympus taking an active interest in him.

Especially because not only would I have to get in I would have to earn his trust as well. If I tell him that I broke into his mind, he would be less likely to believe me. If I straight up said I worked for Olympus, while true that could come back to bite me at any time. Then there was the unintended encounter with the Goddess of the Hunt. Having to avoid her meant hiding my presence at all times and avoiding the Hunt. Which would force me to use more of my magic than I wanted, now that I had finally finished my Ordeal? Consequently, I was coming off of my high that all new Wizards go though.

I put sat down on the trundle and could help but let a tear escape, hearing it squeak as it adjusted to my weight was a pleasure I had forgotten. I pushed it back until it was underneath the couch. I then got up and opened the fridge. It was full of food. I had cooked what looked like Pork tenderloin with tomatoes, onions, olives, and green peppers. I smiled; this was cooking, not at its finest, but still good. I pulled out some brown rice, two-thirds of a cup and then one piece of pork, added some fixings and I was ready to go.

Wash it down with a cup of carrots and an apple for dessert well I was one stuffed person. Not enough vegetables I know, but I do my best on a limited budget. Budgets! I gave a loud laugh, another thing that I never worried about earlier, well not in the same way. Trying to keep a full pantry was hard considering I had to not only feed myself but Alejandra and Darshana as well.

I sobered up, time to get serious; I needed to plan for the defense of the world. It's not like I have gone over twice already. Just today Mr. Jackson faced Medusa, one of the Gorgons, who is thankfully the only one that can turn people to stone with her gaze. After which he should be heading west on foot until he buys a train ticket that will take him to St. Louis. I needed to be at the Gateway Arch tomorrow and wait for him there. A risky endeavor, assuming a great deal will still happen. In the meantime, I will need to reread the information on tracking spells, Olympic monsters, as well as the Hunt.

While I was feeling nostalgic for the ability to have dinner in my own home, I did need to plan for the survival of the world as we know it. I needed to research the stronger types of monsters that I might face.

Had Medusa been dealt with? So that left the Echidna and her son the Chimera. Both are deadly in their right. The Echidna was a Scythian Dracaena, female reptilian monster with humanistic features. Her son the Chimera, the original Chimera had the head of a lion, body of a goad, a snake tail that doubled as a second head. That means it has two heads, the lion head, and snake head, the snake head having the venom. Both are physically strong, have human level intellect, and in the case of the Chimera breathe fire so intense that it can burn holes through buildings.

The Dracaena can wield weapons and with the mist look like an ordinary person, though all monsters can do that to an extent.

Hydras another monster from Ancient Greece, they had five heads and could breathe fire. The only way to kill them was to cut off their heads and burn the stump before it grew back. If you failed to burn their stumps after cutting off one of the heads two more would grow back, very annoying and disheartening.

The Minotaur, body of a man, head of a bull, narrow eye sight, brute strength, and deceptively fast. He also had human level intellect.

Hellhounds: originate from Tartarus, large black dogs (black fur), sharp teeth and claws, and piercing red eyes, animal intelligence yet intelligent just the same.

Empousa: Children of the Titaness Hecate, see Hecate for more details, known seductress of men and woman. Part monster part human, the older they are, the more powerful they are.

I suppose I should include Medusa just in case. Grudge against children of Athena and Poseidon has snakes for hair and has eyes that can petrify in one look. Human level intelligence, which makes sense she once was a human.

Then there were the Titans and minor Gods and Goddess that I could face, though at this stage in the game they would not constitute an immediate threat. I mean yeah they can mess me up, kill me but I am not on their shit list yet so…yeah…

The only issue is not the Olympians themselves if Lady Artemis is tracking me and can't find me. She might call for help if that happens more than likely her brothers and sisters will help, i.e., Apollo, Hermes, Athena, and Ares. That is also assuming her aunts, uncles, or even father do not get involved. I wager that the longer this goes, the more damage I do to the hunt, the more likely it will be that I will have to deal with more than one Olympian. Though that is giving me too much credit, I think. All I need to do is survive ten days, three max. The arch is the primary target, and all else is secondary for the immediate future.

My best bet was to play the game I played as a child, where the entire class would make a circle and link hands. They would raise them and only lower them when either the rat or the cat passed through. In that case, an arm going through the opening worked as well. The cat would always be a step behind, and the goal was not to get caught. Many of my friends lost because they were too slow or out maneuvered; even I lost as many as I won. I sighed and ran a hand through my dark brown hair. Events were accelerating fast, quicker than I had anticipated.

I looked up, and out of the window, and about had a heart attack, the clouds were gone! I hurriedly pulled out my phone, which I knew I had on me. After all, I never went without it. 'Come on, come on, hurry up and load.' A few agonizing seconds later and I noticed that the weather prediction had shifted, no longer was it going to be cloudy over Virginia. In fact, the entire East Coast now had clear weather. Which was odd considering that I knew the past week had been gloomy due to the spat between sea and sky?

It meant though that Lady Artemis had pulled some strings and gotten a clear stretch of weather to search for me. In either case, she is hunting me, trying to flush me out?

My normal feelings soured, and I felt a chill go up my spine. This feeling reminded me of last time, except that the violence is now centered on me and where ever I went. Did I risk staying the night here or did I decide to move on? I didn't want to be in a fight, I never conflict. I'd frankly preferred to avoid fighting. But that was something that I just had to deal with over the past two years.

I looked at my watch which read 7:00 pm, tomorrow would be a work day, but I had other issues. I left a note for my Area Supervisory Wizard Elaina Antilles. An older woman in her forties, she worked as an engineer for the Virginia's Department of Transportation.. Not the best paying job, after all, corporate jobs pay better than civil service jobs. However, her ability to move around allowed her to work in peace and without much hassle.

She would be able to help cover for me…or at least she should be able to. This time a year and a half I…I was…CRAP! I couldn't believe I had made such a mistake! I had gone back in time, which meant that she wouldn't be able to help me. Well, she could and would. She just would have no knowledge of me or my mission. Make for an interesting story though. She would help me though, Oath and all. I decided to leave a leave a note for her if anything she needed to know what I was going to be up to. I was under her supervision after all.

While I was contemplating my mix up and the humor from it, I heard the sound of a key entering the lock down below. 'Fuck!' Who could it be? I was the only person beyond the owners of the apartment/garage to have a key to the room.

If it was a Power that Be they would just appear no need for subtly. Heart pounding I surged to my feet, either way, I needed to hide quickly. I quickly sidled, which is to say turned invisible. I looked around; the room was not how I found it about an hour ago.

I couldn't do anything about the bed too much sound, but I could remove the leftover food and grime from the bowl and spoon. More energy wasted, I looked at the bowl and spoon and addressed them, "Dai shtihó, how are you this evening?"

I hear the soft clink of metal and the brush of plastic, 'doing well; it is good to be used and appreciated so much.'

"I am glad to hear that, however, I was wondering if the both of you would be willing to clean yourself up for me. I…I do not want to have to wash you in the sink that could plug it. Would you be willing…?"

"Of course, though we are surprised that you can understand us, I thought you were not aware of us?"

Here it was the crutch of the matter. I could not lie in the Speech it was impossible.

"I shouldn't be able to talk to you; however, I have traveled back in time. My urgency is the fact that right now my past self is more than likely just leaving the pool. If I am caught...I cannot replace the food I ate. I am on Errantry and cannot be seen by myself. Thus I ask if you can and are willing to clean yourself. Will you do it?"

There was silence for a moment, "it is our pleasure to help you Wizard, go with our blessing."

I had shut the door that at the top of the stair case, and as the knob turned I saw the last of the grime disappear. Heart hammering I looked at the intruder and was given the shock of a lifetime. I was looking at well…me.

Now it wasn't only my heart that was pacing it was my mind as well. How could this be, my fellow Wizards assured me that my mind would go back to my younger self. Not that I would travel back in time as a physical entity creating a potential time paradox. I guess it was a good thing that Alejandra and Darshana weren't able to make the jump with me.

I mentally groaned, now I had to worry about not just me, but my naive younger self. Two of me for the Goddess of the Hunt to track down, to kill, capture, or interrogate at her leisure. As well as a past self for me to avoid in general, so as to avoid causing a time paradox. I couldn't be seen by myself. I hadn't accepted the oath yet; the tsunami's had happened yet. I wracked my mind trying to figure out what I did on this day a year and a half ago. More than likely I was at the pool considering the time.

But where do I go, the moon is shining…crap, she knows. If I can see the moon, she can see me. My past self-had no reason to hide after all. I left the room by way of teleportation and picked a park bench a few short minutes from my favorite book store, Barnes, and Noble. I was about to do something incredibly dumb, yet potentially profitable. Alejandra would be most displeased with me.

I appeared on the side walk and walked to the bench. Taking a seat, I relaxed as best I could and looked around. I saw people walking around, going about their evening. Off to stores, homes, or restaurants. It was…peaceful, and that is what I was going to be defending. To the death if needed.

I felt it before I saw it; it was a whisper of something moving my way, of the wild… She had come.

I saw her, twenty-five, hair up in a ponytail; bow out but not in firing position. She was to my front and right across the street. If she were an average person, I would have time to get away, her? She would be on me in a second flat I would bet money on that.

"Lady Artemis, I was wondering when you would show up. Would you like to take a seat?" I gestured to the right at the open space. I was hoping that she would agree, if she did then it meant she was in a calm mood, and I could talk without worrying about having to fight to live.

She didn't move, so I spoke again, "I swear on the River Styx that I will not physically harm Phoebe Artemis Goddess of the Hunt, Wilderness, Moon, Chastity, and Maidenhood so long as I remain uninjured in turn for the duration of this conversation."

There was a loud crash of thunder to seal the deal.

She still didn't move. However, I did not back down. I stayed where I was. Looking at her neutral toned, or what I hoped was a neutral tone. I was banking a lot that she would be willing to talk and not attack me out of principle.

Eventually, though she glided towards me, her feet barely making a sound as she covered the ground between us.

She stopped half way, on the island dividing the street in two.

"Last time you ran before giving me my answer, now you will give it, or I kill you Oath on the River or not to Hades with you."

I gave her a look and then sighed dipping my head until I was cradling it. I knew I was taking a risk, letting my attention wander, taking my eyes off of her. But she wanted an answer that was difficult to give yet simple.

"Very well…have you ever heard of…?" My throat constricted as if a force, unseen in this case was closing it. I grappled at my throat; I couldn't breathe and fell to my knees in agony. I looked up a bit to see Artemis staring at me with a neutral expression on her face.

My throat relaxed, and I gave great heaving gasps as I sucked in air, tears prickling at my eyes. I stood up and refused to show weakness I refused to show how much fear I was feeling beyond what she could already see. There was no reason I should have that issue, what was going on?

"I am sorry Lady Phoebe Artemis I cannot answer your question."

She did not indicate acknowledging my response or my predicament. Nor did she care that I nearly suffocated trying to answer her question.

Finally, after what seemed forever, she spoke. "You are coming with me boy."

I recoiled, the back of my knees hitting the bench. I couldn't go with her. I just couldn't. I was needed elsewhere.

"I cannot do that milady. I am needed elsewhere."

"You are coming with me Boy, even if I have to rip you apart limb from limb."

Well, that went sour fast, and here I thought that she was in a good mood, calm, relaxed even. What a FOOL I was. She is the Goddess of the Hunt and Wilderness; she is patient, calm, unrestrained. She gets what she wants not just because of her status as a goddess, but because of what she represents. She hunts her prey and at times comes in like the storm or shadow. Other times she presents a front that is non-threatening, making her victim feel relaxed, just like a predator would. I was her prey, I feel for her trap despite actually wanting to meet her, to come to some agreement of some sorts.

I looked at her closely. I could see it in her eyes now, the wildness wanting to be released, yet being constrained at the same time. I could see her itching to take out this 'arrogant boy' for denying her.

I felt myself tensing, ready for a fight. In the end, though she made the first move by letting out a growl, a sound so inhuman that it had have come from a non-human. I flinched as watched as from the shadows of the night came many wolves. I did not know how many for some of them came from the rear and I dared not show my back to Lady Artemis now that hostilities were commencing. Though right now all that Artemis was doing was some posturing, she was putting on a good show to remind the other person, me, just how out of their depth they were. She was right of course, and wrong to an extent. I had experience combating the Powers that Be. I knew that to win; I needed to have some physical strength to rely upon to survive. Something my body lacks right now. Not sure why maybe it had something to do with going back in time. Rewinding the clock on my bodies' capabilities just like time itself had reversed course? I should have my magical strength though; I do have the Speech and Wizardry that at least wouldn't have changed. Little things, it is the little things that matter. That is not what happened, and maybe it has to do with the spell.

I could see three wolves, one directly behind Lady Artemis, one to my back left having emerged from the shadows a tree, and one to my back right having emerged from the shadow of the Mitsubishi nearby. The two to my left and right were rapidly approaching my blind spots.

These were no ordinary wolves though they were larger, apparently stronger, with piercing silver eyes, and teeth that looked as if they could kill me in an instant….alright any sharp object can kill so I shouldn't be afraid of the teeth THAT much. Who am I kidding I don't want to be eaten let alone bitten by them?

I could hear the at least two wolves behind me coming closer. I judged I had seconds to act; I readied the same spells as before, the knockback, the shield, and the BMEUSS. Not the most original combination, but hey, it works why tweak what works?

I said the word for the shield spell, and a shimmering shield of energy appeared around me. In the moon light, it glistened like diamonds. Lady Artemis cocked her he slightly to the left; she knew what I had done.

I heard one of her wolves get close, fun fact the shield prevents an attack, but can be overloaded. As proven when Lady Artemis hurled in a sweep of her hand sent a bolt of divine energy at me. Overloading the shield caused it to collapse. With the end result of causing me to stagger back onto the bench as I sought to balance myself and failing.

Before I could react, I felt lots of pain on my right leg, one of those blasted wolves had bitten me. I screamed in pain while pulling out my weapon. Prior injuries, life threatening even had forced upon me the necessity to not take an injury, without reacting to the motion.

It was a light based weapon in the shape of a cylindrical blade. Not a lightsaber, it was not, though the fact that I tweaked the base to look like the hilt of a lightsaber was pure coincidence. I swear. The weapon was yellow the weapon of a sentinel dedicated to ferreting out darkness. That was also a coincidence. I then plunged it into the wolves' neck just behind the head. It whined and then fell silent.

The problem was my leg was still trapped in its jaws and bleeding profusely. While I pondered my next move, I noticed that all had gone silent around me. The wolves, the two that I knew of had gone still. Lady Artemis had narrowed her eyes in anger and concentration.

She pulled an arrow out of her quiver and nocked it. No doubt she was looking to spear me.

I readied myself by drawing my weapon and was forced to reflect the arrow two seconds later. The only reason I was able to do that was that Darshana had blessed the weapon granting it that ability. If it had been an ordinary weapon, I would have failed to reflect it and be stuck. But hey now it can reflect other light based weapons, be it energy blasts or energy blades.

She nocked two more arrows and fired, not even taking the time to aim, or the time it would have taken me to aim down range. I blocked one and found on the left-hand side by the second arrow.

Next thing I knew she had a knife, one of her silver knives at my throat. "Say a word, and I slit your throat BOY!" You are coming with me, and with a snap of her fingers the wolf disappeared, and I had shackles on my wrists and ankles. Smart, but overkill.

Free from the jaws of the wolf my calf began to bleed even harder. Having been released from Lady Artemis's knife, I bent down to tend to my injury and found myself lifted into the air by the neck…again. What is with her and my neck?

I felt a great deal of fear enter me again. I had to continue with my journey, even if it killed me…As she lifted me above her head, thus having to shift her knife I shouted the word for another spell, one that she had not seen yet. This spell produced a bright ray of uninterrupted sunlight. It hit her in the head. She dropped me, and just as my feet touched the ground, I said the word for the BMEUS spell and I was gone.

I teleported away from Lady Artemis and her wolves in Williamsburg, and found myself in Washington DC, hundreds of miles to the North of us. More specifically I found myself on the steps of the Smithsonian. Why I did not know for certain, it may have been due to Alejandra's love of knowledge and the Smithsonian was a great source of it or maybe because I was a historian and loved the institution for the dedication it had towards history.

Instantly I collapsed due to the injury. I was still bleeding, enough that I would need to find a place to take care of that. To lose too much blood equals fainting issues, and moving while bleeding equals easy to follow trail. Particularly for an animal like a predator, like the pack of the wolf that I just killed.

I hobbled over to the door and tried to enter the building and found it locked. To be expected, it was 7:10 pm. I sat down on the granite steps the castle like building directly behind me. The color of the building reminded me of dried blood, which was ironic considering that, was what I was dealing with.

This wasn't the first time that I had been injured by an animal. Hellhounds for example, however, to be injured now was an issue I did not want to deal with.

The wolf had cut into the muscle; however, it had not pulled away thereby ripping the calf muscle from the bone. That would have been extremely painful and a nuisance to repair. The wolf apparently was a distraction and ball and chain in one.

I took one look at my jeans, sock, and hiking boot on the right-hand side and knew the injury was bad if the amount of blood on them was any indication. I was forced to cut away the ripped fabric to have access to the wound. Waste of a good pair of jeans in my opinion. I fiddled with my watch. Some female wizards use charms bracelets to store their ready-made spells. I used my watch; the number reflected a different variety of spells. Twelve numbers twelve different spells, all spells that I used the most.

While I knew more than twelve spells, these twelve were the most common that I used. For example the BMEUSS and the Shield Spell, spells one and two respectively. What I was looking for was a medium level healing spell. I found it, in number eleven of the watch. Numbers ten and twelve were low and high-level healing spells. The spells I had pre-made were easily modified yet complex. I created these types of spells for the same reason an adult does. To be prepared for anything that might happen. As well as to avoid having to constantly say the entire spell when time may be of the essence. I may have experienced a drop in power. From sixty one units to thirty one units, this was still as a huge number in terms for the average wizard. For me, it proved that while I could do more with brute force, the need for finesse would save me time and energy in the long run.

I said the word and felt immediately drained to an extent, like I had run a mile without stopping, for breath or water. However, the results were quick, the wound patched itself up and in a second I was ready to go. Or I would be once I had tested it out. By standing up slowly and then walking around, I decided that it was time to go. While I didn't doubt the magic I used, I did feel a bit shaky due to the reknitting of muscle, ligaments, and nerves. Thus the need to test drives the new 'part.'

I also needed to check out the injury on my side. There was an arrow in my left-hand side just below my armpit. I knew that I didn't have time to operate, so all I could do was break off the shaft and keep moving.

Then there was the fact that I needed to get rid of the manacles on feet and wrists. I looked at the handcuffs and addressed them. "Dai shtihó, how are you this evening?"

I heard the rustle of metal, the weightlessness of the moon, and the scent of the wild. "What do you want?"

Weeeell this isn't going as I had expected. "I am on Errantry, and I greet thee. I am afraid that to do my job properly I need to be free of the manacles. Would you please unlock yourself?"

"We will not, we are doing the Powers work and thus cannot help you."

"As am I, if I fail the world as we know it will end. Please help me."

There was silence, in the name of the Powers go with my blessing. I heard a click as the manacles unlocked. It was strangely fascinating considering that the manacles didn't have any visible locking mechanism.

"Thank you so much."

"It was my pleasure wizard."

That just left the ankle manacle.

"You may have convinced my counterpart, but I am not convinced." I felt a bit more iron in the words as I realized that I might have to force the issue.

In the end, I decided I couldn't afford to force the issue. I activated my not lightsaber and adjusted it so that it was no longer than a wrench. I then cut myself out of the manacle and deactivated my not lightsaber.

I then took both of the manacles and stored them in my 'other space' which was a trans-dimensional portal to another location altogether. So actually I was crossing space and time to get to an item that I didn't have on me.

Now that I was free, I could turn my thoughts to other things, like…reviewing the previous ten minutes or so of the events that just transpired. With my conversation with the Goddess of the Hunt becoming a self-made trap and thus injured, I needed a new place to stay and a new plan. My younger self-was in danger. Lady Artemis could do anything to him, assuming she wasn't tracking me down instead. That was the end goal of the conversation. As far as she knew I had disappeared and 'he' appeared. Though the fact that she would have seen the difference in clothing would be a giveaway that there were two of us, maybe she would think us twins?

"Damn!" I should have placed a tracker on my younger self. That could have told me the condition of 'myself, ' and then I could help him if necessary. Well…I can't afford to go back to him, if I do that I will pretty much tell HER that he is important, please take me hostage.

But what could I do? She had my scent, and the moon would be out for weeks. I needed to do something unexpected, or else my chance of success would wind up in the negative percentages.

My heart was racing; I needed to calm down. This wasn't my first rodeo, and this wasn't the first time I went up against a Power that Be. I will admit that each time I would get away just in time, fight them to a standstill-rare, or win, rarer still. Atlas, Hyperion, Iapetus, Krios, Koios, just to name a few. Or rather, Beaten, burnt, tortured, slashed, punctured, etc. That was what each of them did to me; I could still feel the phantom pain from injuries given long ago.

I didn't want to suffer at their hands ever again. I won't I just won't. Working with Olympus caused me much harm, so much so that my girlfriend had trouble keeping me alive at times. Darshana was a gem, though she was pushy when she wanted something, she was pampered. But by the Gods she was Hot.

My thought process trailed off as I pictured my golden haired goddess of a girlfriend…Eventually, I shook my head. Coming back to the problem at hand, I needed to keep HER attention while staying one step ahead…I couldn't be in two places at once could I?

The process of creating a Doppler was risky. Not only because the Doppler not only had my personality or that it had my flaws as well. The danger of the technique lay in the power requirement, the more Doppler's I created, the less power I had. Each one took half of my current power. Creating one would mean I would lose 50% of my energy, create two and I would be down to 25% power. I created this spell in particular based on the Kage Bushin no jutsu technique from Naruto. I know copy right and all, but it worked! That's what matters right?

Of course being at even half strength facing a Power that Be….well there were quicker ways to die.

I pulled up spell number three, the 'Kage Bushin no jutsu' spell. All I had to do was tweak the spell so that I would make only one copy instead of two.

I felt a pull and then a constant drain, as the spell used up half of my remaining energy to create this look alike me. It was freaky no matter how you saw it, to see another you standing in front of you. My double moved a bit, twisting his head to the left and right a fraction. "So…" "So," I repeated.

'I' rolled my eyes, "annoying puffed up fish." He muttered. I raised an eyebrow; he was me, technically. So he would know me, but did he have to be so hurtful? "The truth hurts; maybe you should do some reflecting? Hmm?" "Okay, now you are annoying."

"Good, you know why I am annoyed, this spell is dangerous. I thought you were going to remove it from our ready-made spell list?" I grimaced, "You know why I didn't do that, and you know why I created you, our time is shorter by the second."

"Indeed, you need me to lure Lady Artemis off, long enough for you to save Mr. Jackson at the arch."

"Correct, then you know what you need to do."

"Yes, as do you."

We sidled and then I suppressed my energy signature by putting on the bracelets that Alejandra gave me. Primarily I could be tracked by the power I gave off, eliminate that and BANG instant camo. Not sure why I didn't do that earlier.

"Keep in touch when able," I whispered.

He didn't reply he was dealing with the fact that Lady Artemis had arrived again. Not wanting to be near her once again, I teleported out.

My heart was racing again; there was no way I would know if my diversion was a success, either way though. I 'won,' my clone was more than able to finish the job so to speak. That meant I could protect Mr. Jackson and company.

I teleported to western New York, Albany to be precise…Not exactly western New York but it was west of the Big Apple. Was I in a…forest? It was hard to tell, I mean how many big green trees on Mountains could it take to be considered a forest? I pulled out my Manual and looked at the coordinates provided. It looked like I was two hundred miles west of New York and fifty miles north of Pennsylvania. I was at least a thousand miles from St. Louis, but if I were followed, it wouldn't do lead HER to my objective.

Now that I was away from Washington D.C I decided to set up a temporary hideout. It was nighttime, and I needed a place to get some shuteye. In such circumstance, I would set up a pup-tent. Said tent was created by way of a spell and thankfully was big enough for me to fully stock it with at least a weeks' worth of food, and still have room for a sleeping bag, lantern, backpack, and duffle bag. All in all, it was the best tent available, and was exclusive to those that were Wizards, or had access to a Wizard willing to create/lend one.

In this case, though, I couldn't relax, I had an angry Power that Be after me. Why did it have to be her? Her hatred of men is legendary. I would be lucky at this point to be turned into a girl and conscripted into her merry band of man haters. More than likely I would be transformed into a deer and then torn apart by her wolves like Actaeon was oh so long ago.

To avoid that I would need to hide the tent and its signature, small as it was. Of course, the best way to do that was to put a ward up around the tent. The ward in question was spell number four.

The ward in question was a weaving of five different spells, a spell that tricked the mind into not seeing the object or persons within the ward, and another muted the energy within the circle by using the excess energy emitted from as a secondary power source. The third spell made the shield and everything in it transparent in case the first part didn't work. Took me a long time to get it right, the fourth spell allowed the person to look at the ward and through it just not 'seeing' the stuff there. In essence, you would see what you would expect to see when not confronted with an item in your way. The final part was a low-level sensory ward. It alerted the person if there was anyone nearby. In this case knowing how tricky the Olympic Pantheon was, I set it for anything.

Of course, the drawback was the fact that a) the alarm tripped at the tiniest of insects I couldn't see, b) the ward itself emitted some energy of its own, c) the ward had no defensive capabilities at all. Such wards would have screamed; here I am in bright neon lights. I was trying to be stealthy which meant foregoing more active defensive measures.

I was no stranger at this; the past two years had gone to Tartarus, I mean hell. Gods I was starting to think like a Greek…I groaned and then had to stifle it midway. Another down check on my current set up was that sound and light could be seen and again be a giveaway.

Once the tent was set up, it thankfully provided some measure of protection. I could close it and make some noise, but with the Powers that Be even the smallest escaped sound would be a giveaway.

I quickly set up my sleeping back and ate a granola bar. Major healings always left me hungry. Actually…I was wondering. How was I able to eat a granola bar let alone have a pup-tent if I had gone back in time? By the rules, I shouldn't even have the tent or the food?

Ah…the rules. When traveling back in time, Wizardry was what kept the same as it was when you left. Roughly speaking that is. Wizardry theory wasn't my strongest point, history was. Thank the One that spells were able to be put on standby. All one had to do was say ninety-nine of the one hundred words and you were ready to go. All that was left was to say the last word and bam! Instant reusable spell that would never go away, just add energy. I silently laughed at that, maybe which is where spam came from, Lol

The food issue was trickier, by rights I should be going hungry tonight, but I found some food instead….hmm….could it be that I was drawing the food from some other source. Inadvertently stealing it, that wasn't proper, and the universe punished those who did that using Wizardry.

Feeling uneasy and the beginnings of what I would call my worry fest, I thought of what could happen to me. Karma would enact revenge on those that misused Wizardry equal to the offense. Stealing some food would result in me tripping into a puddle or something like that. I just hoped it didn't happen at the wrong time. Hopefully, this would be judged to be an accident and not a deliberate attempt to steal.

I set the trash into the garbage bag I had set up near the food…wait a minute! That's it; I didn't take the fool! I always kept one to two weeks of food in the tent at all times! That meant the food not only stayed fresh due to the containment ward I had on it, it meant that I didn't steal it! All the food I acquired had been legitimate. Powers I needed to sleep, I knew that!

Lighter in mind and heart, I finished setting up. Thankfully the moon and stars were out, so I was able to set up fairly quickly. Not needing to set up set up the tent meant that there were fewer fumbles and less need for the light. Though I made sure I had a red lantern on hand to make sure that, if I needed light I would ruin my night vision. The one thing the tent lacked was a bathroom, so I prayed that I wouldn't need to use it anytime soon. Getting the smell of piss out of the tent was difficult, to say the least.

I went to bed tense, wondering if my ruse had worked. I didn't have to be in St. Louis until the day after tomorrow. Or was it tomorrow? Which was it? Damn, I didn't know and one day could mean the difference between life and death for the world.

I sat and threw off the sheets; I needed my notes from my 'desk' I flipped through the pages, it was the second day…I was in trouble. I needed to be there bright and early, and it was…I looked at the clock and groaned. It was almost midnight. I needed to be up by six so that I could by no later than seven fifteen.

I immediately hit the sack…again. This time determined that nobody would interrupt me from my beauty sleep, I did love to sleep.

My alarm woke me up and I looked at the clock, it said nine am. Crap! I forgot to set the alarm. It was strange though; the alarm should not have gone off. I looked forward quickly and found myself staring at Lady Artemis in her twenty or so year old form.

I blanched and froze. It didn't matter that I was half naked, here was the ONE Power that Be that I didn't want to meet in my pup tent.

She cocked her head from the entry way, "Ready to talk?"

"How," I sighed and got up, I needed to get ready, and the only way I could do that was to keep to my schedule. I grabbed some underwear and pants and brought them to the bed.

"To be honest Milady would anything I say change your mind?"

She regarded me for a few seconds, "You've attacked me, killed one of my wolves…I believe that I deserve an explanation."

I looked at her and then got back in bed; I knew that she wouldn't be looking away anytime soon. Thus I had no choice but to change out of my pajamas and into my underwear and pants. It was embarrassing to be changing clothes while keeping an eye on Lady Artemis. "True," I grunted out, "But let's be honest I cannot tell you, not for lack of want. If I could, I would. But the Fates have ordained that I do not say to you. Taking me to Olympus wouldn't change that."

"How do you know that?"

"I know it the way you know your domain, inside and out." It was true; knowledge of the future was not something to be discussed. The Fates were guarding well…fate. My ability to change fate only went so far after all. Some things had to happen.

Now in fitting pants, with underwear, of course, I got out of the bed and went to find my shirt. I pulled it out and found the badges I needed. I set the shirt on my messy bed. The badge of office went on the right side, the name tag and Centennial pin the left.

I put it on and buttoned it up. All that was left was the socks, belt, and hat, and then I would look like every other Park Ranger. I smiled at that, which quickly vanished when I realized that I had forgotten about, my…guest.

I found my socks and pulled them on one at a time. "Lady Artemis, I am on an urgent mission that will determine the course of history. I know it sounds ludicrous, but it's the truth. I couldn't afford to be waylaid, so I fled. I couldn't afford to be attacked, so I defended myself. If something you loved was in danger of being lost forever, what would you do to keep it safe?"

Finished with my socks, I took my belt and put it one. It was trickier while sitting but not much beyond that. Once it was on, I reached for my boots. They weren't the same as the NPS ones. These were much better, a lot sturdier, and lasted longer too. They were brown and light brown, gasp, how scandalous. They weren't solid dark brown. They were the same pair of boots that I had since I was in high school. A couple of size ten and a half boots that were cumbersome and hard to put on.

While bending over on the bed, I couldn't help but feel like I was in a dream. My pursuer the one that the Doppler apparently failed to keep occupied was in my room not trying to kill me.

"Oh, I might do that regardless. You have caused me all sorts of trouble, and with my Father, on a warpath, I cannot afford to create a distraction of my own."

"Hmm, I never thought of that, shouldn't be a surprise considering that the Gods are in many ways reflections of humanity." I mused out loud.

"Arrogant Boy, we are not knockoff versions of humanity, we are Gods, and you exist because we wish it."

I gave an internal sigh. I walked right into that one, Greek Gods and Goddesses were…I looked over at Lady Artemis who raised an eyebrow. Right, can read minds, best not think that.

"My apologies Milady I wasn't paying attention to what I was thinking. I know you have no reason to, but I would ask that you allow me to continue with my mission."

I finally finished putting on the boots and reached for my hat.

"No…you are coming with me."

I hesitated for a second, not touching my hat that was on my desk, and looked at my guest.

"Lady Artemis I beg you to reconsider."

She didn't reply, why should she? When I opened my mouth to speak again, I ended up doubled over coughing heavily with a fist in my gut. She followed it up by throwing me onto the floor causing me to see stars from my head hitting the floor hard.

She had apparently learned, if I couldn't speak I couldn't harm her. I tried to get up and got a foot to the chest that ended up crushing me at the same time. I could feel my ribs groan under pressure.

She dragged me by my right foot out of the tent and then casually threw me like a rag doll so that I landed face first on the dirt.

For the second time in less than a minute, I saw stars.

I gingerly rolled over and groaned. I hurt all over, and I didn't want to move. I had to and forced myself to get up. This was what I had been trying to avoid; it was going to be a fight. The winner got to leave and live…hopefully. With the huge power disparity, I had no illusions about my chance of victory.

I got into a combat stance; running wouldn't help me this time.

She raised an eyebrow, "you must be a fool if you want to fight me, BOY."

I relaxed my stance and got on my knees, and her eyebrows went even higher."

"Begging for mercy? That won't…"

Her failure to finish the sentence was excusable; I had finished a spell that frankly exhausted me thoroughly. The spell in question suppressed divine energy to the point that the individual in question would be a demigod in strength. The problem or rather problems of the spell was that it was energy intensive, had a time limit to it, and affected everyone not just enemies. This was spell number six.

Lady Artemis was feeling the effects of being hamstrung; now she had the strength of a demigod, not a Goddess. I had a chance and couldn't help but grin which came out relatively thin and haunted.

I took a step towards her, and when I didn't fall over or find my head spinning, I knew that I didn't have a concussion. Thank the One.

Her eyes which had gone wide in shock narrowed, and she took up a defensive stance of her own. Instead of attacking her I teleported out to the St. Louis Arch entrance and immediately looked and located a 'hidden' location. I needed to complete my uniform with the Park Rangers most iconic item. I reached into a pocket of subspace and pulled out my Ranger Hat; I loved my hat it completed the look and made me feel important. I loved my job, and while I wished I knew more about the arch, I could give out some basic information so not to appear like a complete fool. I'd just state that I was a new Ranger.

However, for the moment I decided the best thing to do was the keep out of sight. With no moon out I had an advantage over the Hunt. I sidled and waited and waited and waited. Eventually, Percy Jackson would show up and when he did, I would be waiting.

I ended up waiting for six hours roughly; by hour three I thought that I had missed him. I arrived at the Arch at 9:17 am, and Percy Jackson arrived at around 3:30 pm. Can you say bored to death? If it weren't for the fact that I was afraid that I would be attacked at any time; I might have been tempted to do some reading or napping. That and I didn't want to miss Percy when he arrived.

Eventually, I saw them, a blond haired girl who looked like she was in heaven, a black haired boy looking interested more in the height of the arch, but not much more, and a ginger haired boy that I could tell was a satyr.

I got up quickly and put away my book, the Manual. I gave in; by hour two and a half, I was going crazy with boredom. I kept close to them as they moved into the elevator. I knew that my time had come. I got into the elevator and listened to the Ranger giving the tour only half heartily. I was keeping an eye for the Chimera and the Echidna.

I found them; the dog was black and had a…forked tongue? Definitely, the Chimera, having located the monster I knew where his mother was. His mother was the handler/owner in disguise.

Once we were at the top, they made their move. I watched Echidna and her son confront Percy. I watched as they battled it out, yet I made no move. I wanted to, I did. However, my goal was to redirect the lightning bolt that would come our way. The trick to it was simple yet dangerous. Lightning, as it was of both negative and positive charge, followed a path of ions the direct opposite of what 'it' was made of to the ground. Redirecting the ions would, in theory, redirect the lightning. The problem was though that lighting wasn't a single bolt of energy, it branched out and a single touch could kill.

I waited and watched as Mr. Jackson valiantly fought off the enemies. The visitors long gone, having taken the emergency staircase, and were no doubt nearing the base of the arch. Then I felt it. My hairs began to stick up. I had seconds. I knew the spell. I had prepared for it, knowing what happens in the past has its perks after all.

I said the spell and manipulated the ions so that the lightning bolt hit the Echidna and her son turning them into dust. I noticed that the daughter of Athena and Satyr had gotten away fine, they had left before the shit hit the fan. However, Percy Jackson had leaped out of the hole the Chimera's breath had made and into the Mississippi River. Hope he survives, not just the fall but the snake bite as well. The Chimera got him.

Done, I had succeeded; all I had to do was what? Wait seven eight days to find out if he lived. Our research had banked on him dying in St. Louis and preventing it. Which I had done so, now what did I do? What did Alejandra and Darshana advise me to do? They told me I couldn't interfere in the quest directly, but I could provide indirect help. They recommended that I continue to shadow Jackson's quest if possible. However, I was under no circumstances to interfere directly with his quest.

I decided to shadow him as far as the entry to the Underworld, I wouldn't be able to fool Charon and trying to reason with him, or his boss would be…unfortunate. The only other problem that I could think of was…where was Lady Artemis and where was my Doppler I could still feel the energy drain from the spell?

Could it be that she has been warned off of interfering with the quest and being too close to their proximity would be perceived as interference? After all, not many monsters choose to hang around when the Huntress and her cadets are nearby ready to kill them. Of course, the ones that would be nearby would be the most potent of the monsters, the legends.

That being the case my first thought was to leave immediately. However, I needed to make sure that Percy was okay. Using my teleportation spell, I disappeared from the top of the arch and reappeared in the bathroom near the main entrance in one of the stalls. I was lucky that I didn't appear on top of another person. That would have been…hilarious years from then, embarrassing at the moment.

I flushed the toilet, 'zipped up my pant,' and then exited the stall where I quickly washed my hands. I suppose I was ridiculous, but I wanted to make sure nobody questioned my purpose in the bathroom.

I excited the arch and had to navigate through all the rescue workers, police officers, other Rangers, media, and dazed visitors wandering confused through the area. My goal was the river, and I bet that Annabeth and Grover had witnessed Percy's fall and were near the river looking for him.

I began to walk starting with the 'North' end of the arch, which for me was heading left and left again. It took me ten minutes, but eventually, I saw a boy exiting the river. What was unusual if you were actually to look at him, was the fact that said boy was completely dry.

That's my man, boy, demigod, I thought to myself. I watched as he staggered out of the water and looked for his friends. He found them and together they left the area. I smiled, fate's course had altered. I pulled out my Manual and found my page. I wanted to know if my quest was complete.

Alexander Guliani

Specialty Supervisor: Olympic Pantheon

Power Rating: +/-31

Status: On Errantry, Unavailable, unless in an emergency

Available

Well, that was to be expected, considering I was trying to save the West and the world I would be on Errantry. However, the second and third parts of my status were odd. Two status updates, each conflicting with the other. Could it be that I have completed my quest? Usually, you know when you the quest is complete.

Then there was the power decrease. Was this a result of my Ordeal and its completion? Strange as it was I was on my Ordeal for the last two years.

I closed the book and hurried off in the direction I saw Jackson go. As I jogged after him, I heard a slight whistling sound and then felt pain, lots of pain. I hit the ground hard and looked over my shoulder to my left. I saw two arrows both in my thighs. They were silver I groaned. Lady Artemis had found me again.

I looked forward and found an arrow near my face, a young girl, Caucasian holding the nocked bow. I looked to my left and right and found two more arrows pointed my way.

I gave up trying to look around I had been caught. "I assume you are Lady Artemis's handmaidens?"

I didn't hear a response; frankly, I didn't expect to hear one. I kept still, and eventually, Lady Artemis appeared, again.

"Having fun Boy?"

I gave a short laugh, I couldn't see her, she was to my back, "not exactly, but that's what happens when you have two arrows in your thigh."

"There is no escape this time Boy."

"Yes Milady, will your brother be operating to remove the arrows from my legs?"

She gave a wolfish grin, "You're too dangerous to let go uninjured. So no, you won't be getting healed anytime soon."

I blanched; the injury could fester, leading to infection and eventual amputation. Which Artemis no doubt understood quite clearly. After all having to deal with combat related injuries over the course of the past few millennia means you learn quite a bit.

I sighed, "Yes Milady."

She gestured, and her handmaidens pulled me upright and began dragging me none too gently deposited me into her chariot which magically appeared in front of me. No doubt it was always there just hidden. Pulled by four golden deer, it looked like Santa's sled. I would be giddy if it weren't for the fact that I was being taken, prisoner.

The two of the Hunters piled in after me, no doubt keeping a close eye on me. I couldn't roll over and sit down normally, so I had no choice but to stay where I was. Every movement sent bolts of agony up and down my leg.

I saw Lady Artemis jump in and take the reins. An instant later we were off, though it was a lot less thrill. The moment we moved I cried out in pain from the biggest jolt of agony yet.

I couldn't see where we were, but I did not doubt the destination. The Empire State Building, the world's first modern skyscraper, New York's first skyscraper, and the hidden home of Olympus. Mortals don't realize it, but Olympus moves with the Flame of the West. As a nation dims or brightens, Olympus follows. They aren't so much attached to an individual location as they remain tethered. Mt. Olympus is still the 'home' of Olympus, and so long as the roots of Olympus remain undamaged, Olympus can travel with the West. It is fascinating; you can track the movement by the rise and fall of the various nations. Greece, Rome, Spain, Germany, France, Britain, America, in no particular order bar the first two and last two. Britain held the flame the longest outside of Greece and Rome. America has had it since the end of World War II; I hope we can hold onto it for at least a century if not more.

A few minutes later we were there. Lady Artemis's chariot landed somewhere; I didn't know exactly where. I was dragged by my feet, screaming all the way, by the two Hunters out of the chariot.

They demanded that I walk, when I wouldn't they were most vicious. Hitting me, cursing me, and taunting me. When it became apparent, I could not move and thus wouldn't move the Hunters with assistance in their mistress in creating a thick rope. Wrapped said rope around my neck and pulled me, dragged me in to my destination.

I ended up in a holding cell all to myself. The only other person in the cell next to me was well…myself. My Doppler had been overcome and captured. Why he didn't dispel, I had no idea.

I took stock of my reserves. I was low, not dangerously low, but small enough. I needed to heal myself and fast. This was a significant injury. Any weapon involving the Olympians was potentially significant. In this case, the two arrows had lodged themselves deep in my calf, or thigh as it can be called as well, and due to forced movement caused secondary damage and worming its way deeper into my leg.

I needed to take the arrow out. How I should do that I was unsure. I could use a spell to allow my hands to dig deep into my leg to pull out the arrow. I could vanish the arrow, trickier and more likely to cause issues for me. Or I could will the arrow out, more delicate I admit, but it would be like pushing a splinter out.

"Alex, can you hear me?"

"I can, how are you, Alexander?"

"Fine, I have an arrow sticking out of each of my calves."

He snorted, "Sounds painful, how's the energy level."

"Low, after this lower still."

"Let me know if you need my energy back."

"Will do."

Decision made I decided I was going to cut open my calves and carefully extract the arrows one at a time. Not one of the three options I gave myself, but the better choice overall. There would be less chance for unnecessary complications and less chance for magical complications.

All I needed to do was to deaden the nerve endings and then start cutting. One of the complications though was that I didn't have a good knife to use, and I would be cutting myself from an angle. After all said calves were attached to my legs and I had to move my legs to operate on them.

After some thought, I decided to use another spell to simulate a knife, and use my finger as the handle and the spell as the knife.

My plan worked to an extent; using my magic, I was able to cut a medium incision on my left calf in a vertical incision to match the entrance point hopefully of the arrowhead. It was interesting to watch the blood pool as I cut and not feel a thing. The problem came when I had to insert my fingers into the muscle to get the arrows out. The muscle felt well wet and tense, yet I pressed onwards. All from a loose Indian style sitting position.

Eventually, I got to the arrowhead; I gripped it and tugged at it slightly. I felt resistance, so I pulled harder and wiggled it. After a long, tense filled moment I got the arrow moving. However, getting it running and getting it out were two different things. I needed to match the exit point in a precise fashion. Thankfully my incision was a large one. I am not sure my doctor would have approved.

I got the arrow out; it was silver with blood coating it. I dropped it to my left; I had other concerns. Like how much time till I pass out from blood loss? Would I have enough time to get the other arrow out, or be caught by one of the guards?

No time to lose I began to operate on the other leg. I pressed my finger onto the leg and then moved. Where I instantly I had to bit my tongue quite hard not to scream in pain. Idiot! Complete step one then moves onto step two. I tried to shunt the pain to the side, failing for the most part, so that I would be able to finish the nerve dulling spell. After fumbling around for a few seconds, I said the spell and the pain vanished.

I took a few deep breaths and tried to calm myself so that I would not cry. I could already feel tears pooling at the edges of my eyes. I had to wait a minute or so before I felt ready enough to start the operation again. Eventually while not completely at ease I began. My cut was less sure, the effects of the pain were reason enough. However, the cut was made, about as long, thick, and full as the previous cut.

This time getting it out would be trickier, my left hand would be the one exploring while the right hand would support. As I am right handed I was at a disadvantage.

It took twice as long, and I swear I did as much damage to the muscle as the arrow did going in. However, it too was taken out of the muscles. Now that I was cured of the 'minor' inconvenience I set about healing my leg. One major healing spell I was healed with only the faint outlines of the two incisions were left over. Of course, I was drained well beyond what I had anticipated, the healing spell, plus two nerve dulling spells, which I still needed to reverse, as well the spell for the cutting.

I shifted and then felt pain on my left-hand side…the other arrow! I felt like hitting myself. I groaned I needed to do a third operation. I moaned a second time when I realized that this time the operation would be worse. Could I risk the expenditure of magic to get the arrow out? Could I risk not getting it out?

I groaned, "Alex?"

"You need my magic?"

"I do…," and I let out a sigh. "I feel like I am going to be sick I have lost that much magic. If it were possible, I would take only enough to make the feeling stop so that I could recharge at a reasonable rate."

"You will prevent me from freeing you like when we were held at Alcatraz."

"True, but at this point, any extra energy needed will come out of my life force."

"Again, true, alright give me a sec."

"Thanks for everything Alex."

"No problem."

Being a Doppler ganger, he could, in theory, absorb me if he wanted, yet he did not so I did my best to listen to him. Of course help in any shape should be acknowledged which was the other reason.

A few seconds later I felt it, the rush of energy returning to me, I felt better than ever. I could tell that I was at almost half full? Maybe one-third ish, alright that's not even close to half full, but I am somewhere in between one third and one half.

I looked around me, like actually taking a look. The cell was the size of my room back home, not too big, but small compared to my sister's who used the original playroom.

There was a toilet, bed, sink, and nothing else. The walls were gray as if they didn't bother to clean the walls so that they would be white like the rest of Olympus. The only color beyond me was the clothes I wore and the pools of blood on the floor from where I had been sitting.

I vanished the blood on the floor and my body, no need to give information on my status. Blood was vital on Olympus. Divine beings, Powers that Be, had ichor that was gold in nature, mortals had blood that was red, and demigods had blood with ichor mixed in. Olympus had no way of knowing that I was a mortal and not half divine. No doubt they thought me to be a child of Hecate, Titaness of Magic, crossroads, necromancy, and Mist. That would work to my advantage.

Of course, I had no idea how long they intended to keep me, and I didn't understand the rules Olympus operated under fully.

I knew though that there were seven days before the Summer Solstice, and thus seven more days of peace before war, or seven more days before the world continued without knowing how close it came to annihilation.

I wondered if there would be food offered, I was hungry, like really hungry…and tired I needed rest. I decided to lie down; it was time for a long shut eye. Then I could think about how to get out of here.

The bed had a pillow and a blanket, not the thinnest but it would have gotten the second or third place no doubt. I was too tired to argue though. I needed to sleep; my body was craving it.

I woke up, and the lighting was the same, a dull yellow energy that had just enough for sight but enough to annoy the senses and prevent sleep from all but the most desperate.

Not that I was, awake, I needed sustenance, food…and water for that matter. I didn't see a pail of food or a service button. However, I did have my tent, assuming it wasn't destroyed or commandeered.

I tried to pull it out and found resistance, odd. I thought back to yesterday. I was on the run from Lady Artemis, I…I had to abandon the tent. The tent might be under her power. I decided to try something else then. I decided to go the tent itself. I knew two things about the tent, a) if the tent was locked, as in it was set up. It couldn't be moved quickly, b) the tent could have stuff added which if overburdened could cause issues. To breach the spell walls protecting the tent would again be a problem. Power and knowledge something I was shaky on both.

In the end, though, the question was academic, I had no idea how to alter the spells that make up the pup-tent. What I could do was take food from my house. I winced at that, yet I knew that I wouldn't get in trouble. Despite being older, taking food from my parents' house, food that I knew would have been offered anyway would not get me in trouble.

I opened a 'portal' and began taking items from the cupboard; I was going to have cereal. I found some Wheat Chex, my Dad's favorite cereal. I pulled the box and spoon, detailed iron spoon with stems on it intricately drawn. I then took out a bowl and milk, poured some into the bowl, then some cereal, closed the 'portal' and wa la, instant breakfast.

I ended up eating three bowls of the cereal, note to self, put Shredded Wheat on the grocery list. I was overeating the grain. At this rate, it would last less than a week. Though to be fair it was only half full when I got it; now it was practically empty.

I cleaned up after myself, namely washing the dishes and putting away the items. I didn't want to leave a bigger mystery than necessary.

In less about half an hour I was done with breakfast and now was twiddling my thumbs in boredom. I didn't know what to do, should I escape? Would I even be able to get away? After looking around the room, I meant getting up and looking around I quickly realized the futility of my suggestion. The cell being lined with spells of various types woven together to make it, so anyone held would be unable to get out. As some of Olympus's enemies were Titans and Demigods, run amok the cell would have to be able to contain them.

That didn't help me though, or did it? I distinctly remember seeing a bit of ichor in my blood, something that wasn't there before this…mess started. I bet it was when I assumed the position as Lady Artemis's 'chair.' As the Flame of the West moves so too does Olympus, or at least the top most of it. With that part comes the seats, the source of power for the Olympians. Well, Olympus is the source; the chair is the most direct conduit. As I was the new conduit for Lady Artemis's powers, maybe I could use that way to get out of here?

However, that brought up a question, if I was her conduit, shouldn't I be immortal with ichor and not a drop of blood in me? As that wasn't the case, it had to be some other reason for the mix.

However, as Athena put it, look at all the angles; don't narrow your perspective because you can't conceive of it. Which means I was for certain part divine, now if I was a demigod or not that was another issue. My condition could be a residual effect from my time channeling her powers. Which would be fascinating or terrifying based on your perspective of the situation I was in.

I didn't interact with many Gods or Goddesses, Darshana who I was involved with, and Alejandra were the only ones I interacted with primarily. There were, of course, the Titans and their allies, but they didn't count?

I knew from Darshana and Alejandra that their children inherited certain characteristics. Alejandra children had storm gray eyes; Darshana children, on the other hand, had brown eyes of various shades.

Burning with curiosity, I pulled out a mirror from the tent; this would tell me who I was. To my surprise, I had silvery yellow eyes instead of the typical brown. I knew of only one Goddess who had silver in her eyes. Artemis with her pure silver eyes and her Roman counterpart Diana with her silvery yellow eyes was I her son? If so how did that happen? She faded, died, shortly after I rescued her from Tartarus. I used her symbol of power as a weapon which I knew made my hair auburn and eyes silvery yellow. Once I put down the bow though my features would return to normal after a while; though the length of time lengthened the more, I used the weapon.

If I truly was a child of the moon did I inherit some of my 'mother's powers? I concentrated, willing an aura to manifest itself. At first nothing, then I saw it, a silver glow outlining my body. I let the power go and fell back onto the bed with a dull thud. I…I never saw this coming. The Fates, they had to have arranged this. I wasn't sure if I should thank them or curse them.

Before this, I had thought that I would be able to escape the clutches of the Olympians by way of the Mist. Now that I was a physical and metaphorically part of the Greek world I couldn't escape. Then there was the fact that monsters would come after me.

I couldn't help but feel worried though. I was now liable to be sent on asinine quests just because I could be ordered to complete. My Oath that I took did not prevent me from obeying the Powers that Be. In fact, there was a warning given for just such an occasion. Those that serve the Powers that Be become them; those that refuse none the less become their tools. Beware the choice beware refusing it. Alright not quite what I was going for, but the sentiment is real and worrisome.

Having nothing else to do, and knowing that using my Manual would be ill advised, I decided just to do…nothing. I groaned I was going to be bored for days; there was still seven days to go before the quest was over. Seven days for World War III to begin. Seven days for Mr. Jackson to die, or his friends to die.

I wished I could write in my journal. I have so much to write. However, the journal like the Manual is too obvious. I knew that her children didn't use those books, so I couldn't either.

I decided not to try to stage a jail break and instead would try and get my stamina back, I hated doing it, and truly I did. However, I decided to do some push-ups, pull ups, stretches that would be more in line with aerobics, and then actual for real stretches. Gods I hated doing those kinds of exercises, I loved to swim, and I wished I could continue to do so. But after the war truly began and I allied with Darshana and Alejandra I wouldn't dare go into the water. The King of the Seas would have my head. Especially after I assaulted Atlantis and then fought his wife and heir.

My mind wandered to Darshana my girlfriend, or would it be proper to say lover instead? It is hard to tell when dealing with an older culture. I don't think the concept of girlfriend boyfriend was even around then.

Either way, she was HOT. An inch or so taller than I, long black hair, harvest brown eyes, and the strength she wielded…wow. Her skin tone was olive, and she loved me with everything in her body. That wasn't to say she wasn't without her faults, she was possessive to the point of obsession, and had a fascination for grains that I just didn't see possible. In the end, I didn't care. I loved her all the same.

Though, there was only so much time you could picture your girlfriend before bad things happened. In my case, it was the sobering realization that she wasn't coming back, that she didn't exist. At that, I felt a soul crushing sadness descend over me. It stayed over me like a cloud for the rest of the day.

I did end up twiddling my thumbs and doing nothing for the next few days. I felt like screaming I was going crazy, all the sacrifice by my friends. All that wasted effort could be for nothing if the quest failed. I felt myself beginning to panic and found it difficult to suppress the feelings.

That isn't to say I stopped working out, but after the third day of no shower, no food, and no mental stipulation I was ready to scream. I felt jittery like I had all this pent up energy, which may have been because I was a demigod. Demigods are wired for combat, to take on the enemy. To do that they have superior reflexes, this leads to ADHD. I don't have dyslexia which is another sign of being a demigod. Nor do I feel more comfortable speaking Ancient Greek than in English. I guess either I absorbed some of Lady Artemis's powers for good, or I am just an unusual case.

I have been practicing with my abilities. I noticed during the night it was hard to sleep, I want to be outside to run, to…stalk my prey. To that end, my powers produced a bow for me to use. I just had to pull the string, and a silver arrow appeared. It was all very cool, but odd. The strangest part was that I somehow knew how to use the weapon. I mean that wasn't by itself odd when I was using her bow the bow imbued me with the skills to use it and her powers. But now that I was in the past when I didn't have her bow anymore I shouldn't have that kind of understanding. Or maybe I should because while I may be in the past, I still remembered future events? So confusing! How do the Fates do it!

Even when I had the bow the only reason I knew how to wield it correctly was that she had used it for so long that it….rubbed off on me? Was that why I looked like Lady Artemis? I didn't think that it worked that way.

Either way, these musings, and exercises kept me busy for five days. On the sixth, I had a visitor. It was a man, and he was tall, blond haired, fair skinned, and blue eyed. But it was the mischievous smile on his face that promised a lot of trouble and or fun that gave him away. Yes, the blue eyes were a sign of Zeus's children, but the smile, the smile meant that it had to be one person and only one person.

It had to be Lord Hermes, God of Travelers, Thieves and Messengers, Roads and Merchants, and Messenger of the Gods. I could see his Caduceus with the intertwined twin serpents coiled around it.

"Lord Hermes, what brings you to my humble abode?"

"What makes you think that I am here to visit you demigod?"

I went cold slightly and paled a few shades. He was right, after all, I had overplayed my hand.

I rallied, snorted if only to show some confidence. "Maybe you aren't here for me, maybe you are. Either way, I get to have the first conversation with a single soul in days. If you're not here for me, this interaction would be enough to make my day."

His blue eyes sparkled with unvoiced laughter. "Your right, I am here for you. You see you have caused a stir on Olympus. My sister has been complaining about a demigod who not only interfered with the Hunt but then proceeded to attack her while leading her on a two-day chase through the United States. I then had to meet who was the rapscallion to put a twist in her knickers so quickly."

"Well you found him, milord," and I spread my arms out wide before dropping them. "To be honest, it was hard work. First I had to delay delay delay, then I had to use some of my awesome skills to get her off of me. I then had to run away real fast and then it was only a matter of rinse and repeat."

He gave a second laugh, "Indeed, well I have come to tell you, Alexander, that your trial has been set right after the Summer Solstice ends tomorrow."

"Really, well that's good news…," assuming that the Lord of Olympus is in a good mood that is. "If you don't mind me asking, what is the status of the quest Lord Hermes?"

"Oh ho! You know about the quest, well they have made it to California after leaving the Lair of the Lotus Eaters and should be entering the Underworld soon. My Uncle is not in a good mood, so I hope Mr. Jackson is on his best behavior."

"He made it this far, he can do it," I said optimistically. He hasn't died I crowed internally, maybe I did change history!

"Maybe, we will see…well," and he clapped his hands. "I will see you tomorrow right after the Solstice, don't run off. I'd hate to have to chase you down."

"You mean you wouldn't let me be the mouse for your Sister? You have my thanks, Lord Hermes!"

With one last laugh, he vanished. He was known for being the fastest person on the Earth after all. Even by godly standpoints, he is the fastest.

Now that I knew when my fate was going to be decided, I had to begin thinking of what I would do, say, and how I would act. Frankly, this was something I should have done days ago, no matter though what is done is done.

I need at least seven Olympians to vouch for my character thus sparing me. The Lords and Ladies of Thieves, Beauty, Ocean, and Sun will more than likely support me. The Lord of the Sun might vote against me as a matter of principle based on how I treated his sister. Three of the four I am confident will support me.

I'd expect, the Lord and Ladies of Wine, Harvest, and Forge will not care one way or another more than likely. The Lord of the Forge may decide to support his wife's position so it may fall to what the Lady of Beauty decides.

The Lady of the Moon and Lord of War will more than likely be against me. War would want the carnage from my death, Moon, well it's obvious why she would rule against me. While the Lord and Ladies of Sky, Marriage, and Wisdom could go either way depending on the angle, the debate, and old grudges.

I gave a loud sigh, it had been a long week and a half, but it was finally ending.

I slept fitfully and woke up near midnight by my estimation. I knew the moon was out, and it was beautiful and full, the silvery light illuminating the night sky. I wanted desperately to be outside, to be amongst the trees and the wind. I gave a loud sigh; this was going to be a long night.

I only got a few hours of sleep at the end and woke up feeling slightly nauseous. A sign from my body that I didn't get enough sleep and would need at least an hour more to function somewhat normally. Not doing that would mean I would feel like crap all day.

I ate my cereal mechanically; to be honest, I didn't feel hungry. By lunch time came, I felt better; I had at least slept an hour, though it took forever for me to fall asleep. My stomach felt like it was in knots. When dinner came around, I felt like I was heading out to die. Evening came; the Solstice would be starting soon. It began, I felt the crash of thunder as the Lord of Olympus arrived, followed no doubt by his siblings and children.

Then there was a louder crash of thunder, the meeting was over, and maybe the world wouldn't end soon? If so, wonderful… it would mean that my life was about to end soon, my judgment day had arrived.

Half an hour later I was 'summoned,' i.e., Lord Hermes took me from my cell to the Council Chambers. He didn't say anything thankfully; I wasn't sure if I could have a good conversation with him in the first place.

When he took me into the chamber, he had teleported me into the very center of it. I was, I was….get it together the game has begun, and I needed my wits to survive this.

I stepped forward and bowed deeply. "Greetings Lord Zeus, Lord of the Sky and ruler of Olympus. How may I serve?"

He raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything for a moment. "Demigod…my daughter tells me that you interfered with the Hunt, assaulted her, and killed one of her sacred animals. Explain yourself." I heard the rumble of lightning at that. Shift him to voting against; I can't believe I forgot that he favored his daughters above all else.

"Lord Zeus, I was teleporting from San Francisco, California to Williamsburg, Virginia by way of magic when I accidentally appeared in the exact center of the Hunt. As the Hunt was still eating their dinner, I would argue that I did not interfere with the Hunt. I would say that I was an uninvited guest. The Hunt acted swiftly when faced with an unexpected event. However, a few members of the Hunt, new ones more than likely, attacked first without letting me talk. Thus I blocked the arrows and put them to sleep by way of magic so that I wouldn't have to suffer any more unintentional attacks. This spell was temporary, and they would have woken up an hour later."

I paused and heard silence and stony looks on a few, contemplation on others, and boredom on the rest.

"I was caught off guard by the sudden attack and was unable to show your daughter the respect she deserved properly. Thus she chose not to call off her handmaidens and proceeded to emit a fraction of her aura to intimidate me. It worked, she bullied me to the point that I didn't know what to do or what to say when she questioned me. Eventually, I reached a point where I realized that my life was truly on the line and so I shoved her back, blocked the arrows fired in her defense, and teleported away. I wasn't thinking clearly, however. So instead of heading to Camp Half Blood, I went to my home. It wasn't until I realized that I would be tracked that I decided to try and de-escalate the situation by meeting with your daughter again on a ground of my choosing."

I could feel Lady Artemis's anger, it was shimmering beneath her skin, and my body and energy were reacting, tensing.

"I met up with her in a clearing and sat down on a bench. Five minutes later she arrived on the opposite side. I tried to disarm the hostility by swearing on the river that I meant no harm to her and wouldn't attack her unless attacked first. It worked to an extent. However, there were answers that she wanted that the Fates forbade me from giving. When it became apparent that she would not get the answers, she wanted she declared that I would be brought to Olympus."

I could hear murmurs and shuffle of clothes as they digested this twist in the narrative. "Lady Artemis didn't take my answer well and summoned three of her wolves to intimidate me. It worked, but I still couldn't tell her due to the Fates actions. This was proved when I tried to tell her the Fates closed my windpipe choking me. Her demeanor became threatening, so I raised another shield. She destroyed it with a bolt of divine energy. Immediately afterward, one of her wolves that were in my blind spot behind me attacked, and bit me on the right leg. I used my weapon to kill the attacker and then was forced to block two of the three arrows that Lady Artemis sent my way. The third hit me on the left-hand side. She then rushed me and had me at knife point. I said the spell for a ray of light from the sun that immediately hit her on the head forcing her to drop me from her choke hold position that I was in. I then teleported myself away to the Smithsonian where I healed myself of the injuries I had taken."

"I decided that if I was to prevent World War III from breaking out as the Fates demanded of me. I needed to lose my tail, so I created a Doppler Ganger of myself. Once Lady Artemis's showed up, Alex, that's what his name is. Engaged Lady Artemis and I traveled to western New York. I hoped to shadow the quest and prevent any major monsters from engaging them."

"Interference is forbidden," stated Lady Athena interrupting me in the process.

"You are correct Lady Athena. Direct interference is indeed forbidden. But there are loopholes to exploit, ones that I know members of this very council have used to the gain of Olympus and their children. In this case though, before I could rendezvous with the Team Jackson I woke up the next morning to see Lady Artemis in my tent. We chatted for a bit while I got dressed, and in the end, she decided to attack first, before I could defend myself and ended up throwing me out of the tent. To counter, I reduced her powers to the point of being at the level of a demigod and then fled by way of teleportation. The spell was temporary."

I added that to just make my point clear, as I could hear a lot of murmurs.

"I arrived at the St. Louis Arch early on and waited for Team Jackson to come. Once they did, I turned myself invisible and accompanied them to the top of the spire. Where once his companions left to go to the base Jackson was attacked by the Echidna and her son. I let him battle it out with them. I was looking for a way I could interfere indirectly. My chance came when I heard the rumbles of lighting in the sky. When a bolt was thrown his way, I nudged it to the side so that it struck his enemies. I couldn't stop him from falling into the Mississippi though. Which was for the best maybe, he had been poisoned by the Chimera's venom."

"Once the battle was over I teleported myself to the base of the arch and walked outside. I wanted to ensure that the quest was still a go and that Jackson survived his plunge into the river. I saw him escape and regroup with his friends. When I pondered my next move, I was attacked from behind by the Hunt. Immobilized by way of an arrow to each calf and then dragged to her chariot where I was transported here."

"Who are you," demanded Lady Hera.

"My name is Alexander Guliani milady."

"Who is your Godly parent?"

"I am sorry, but I do not know." Better to act as though I am a demigod, instead of a mortal. That would bring me a lot of unwanted attention. Beyond what I am already getting that is.

"Hmm…."

When it became apparent that she would not be questioning me, any further Lady Athena moved in.

"It is clear that you know the exact route my daughter and her friends would be taking even while they were making it up as they went. How did you know?"

I gave her a small smile, "I cannot tell you, the Fates forbid it."

She sat back in thought. Eventually, she sat up, "What can you say?"

"The quest was supposed to fail; Jackson had too little training and no knowledge of who he was and what Olympus expected of him. The Fates allowed me to intervene to prevent that failure. They identified the point at which failure would occur, and I was to prevent it. I did so, and the quest succeeded despite all the odds."

She didn't respond but nodded and leaned back. "I move that we vote."

Her father nodded, "Those in favor?"

I looked at the Council. Four hands went up immediately, Apollo, Poseidon, and Hermes and Zeus. A few seconds later Demeter's hand went up.

"Against?" Lord Zeus asked.

Hera, Aphrodite, Ares, Artemis, Hephaestus, and Athena raised their hands. That left my fate in the Lord of Wine…who was asleep and thus abstained from voting.

I had lost the vote, six to five.

"I move we kill him," said Lady Hera.

"Why he did what the Fates demanded of him and thus should be rewarded," said Lord Apollo.

"He is a threat; he needs to be dealt with." Stated Lady Athena, whose eyes bored into mine.

"Don't be unwise Owl Head; this demigod was acting as the Fates instrument. To punish him would be to go against the Fates," Said Lord Poseidon.

She glared at him, "He may have been acting on the order of the Fates. However, he is a threat. His willingness to attack rather than talk shows that. Then there is the fact that he can turn an Olympian into a demigod! I reiterate my point; he is a threat."

"He needs to eat more grain the poor dear, look how skinny he is." I smiled when I heard Lady Demeter's comment.

"I do enjoy eating Shredded Wheat for breakfast milady."

"I knew you were a good boy the minute I saw you."

At that everyone else rolled their eyes.

"He shouldn't exist; he is the result of a broken vow."

At that everyone's eyes turned to the Queen of Olympus.

"What do you mean love?"

"Can't you see it husband, his silver eyes, his aura that screams of nature and the hunt? He is Artemis's."

I froze, I didn't expect that to come up, and frankly, I still wasn't convinced that I was a demigod at all.

There a silence so thick it couldn't have been cut with a knife, and then all Hades broke loose. Everyone was talking at the same time; nobody could hear another let alone think.

There was a massive crash of thunder followed by a bellowed, SILENCE! From the Lord of the Sky who then turned to his daughter. "Daughter, do you have anything to say in your defense?"

"Only that I did not break my vow. I had and have no intention to break the vow and thus say that the child is not mine. Perhaps he is descendent of Selene?"

"Maybe…"

"Impossible Selene faded in the early years of the Roman Republic," stated Lady Aphrodite.

Well, that explains why she voted against me, she and Lady Artemis aren't friends to put it lightly.

"I vote we punish your daughter for her bastard son."

"What! I protest," argued Lady Artemis.

"Quiet, she hissed. It was one thing for your father to have you. It was another for you to have your bastard. Have you no shame?"

"That's uncalled for step-mom; there is no lie in her voice or words."

"Don't call me that! You're just like her a…."

"A what Hera? A bastard? I would be careful about what you say; I can cause you all sorts of problems. If not for you directly than for your champion…"

"If you touch him…"

"It would be the same thing as when you met all my other brothers and sisters, this time it is you who are trying to defend and not attack."

Clever, Lord Apollo diverted attention from his sister in such a way to put her on the back foot. Who is her champion though? I wasn't aware that she even had one.

"Either way, the evidence is clear, he is of the moon. His aura is too strong to be descendent of Selene. Thus he must be Artemis's child," stated Lady Hera once again.

"I move that we send him to Camp Half-Blood. As he is an adult he can aid Chiron in training our children," stated Lady Athena.

There was a moment of silence as the God and Goddesses contemplated what to do and her proposal. I knew it would pass; Lady Athena was too intelligent to leave anything to chance. Was this what she was after? It was odd that she would vote against me on the one hand, and then support it the very next opportunity; perhaps she saw me as a threat but one that could potentially be useful?

"Agreed," rumbled her Father.

He turned his gaze to me, "You will go Camp Half-Blood, where you will present yourself to Chiron with the instructions to aid him in his duties. I expect you to be there within two days."

"Yes milord, I will leave right away." I bowed low in acknowledgment of his status and ruling.

"Council dismissed!" With a bright flash and a loud crash of thunder, he vanished leaving me alone with the other eleven members. All of them staring at me, some in anger, and others thought.

I bowed to the other members of the Council before leaving the chamber. I could feel their eyes boring into my back.

I left the Chambers and headed towards the bridge that connected Olympus to the mortal world. Due to the time of day…or evening, I could only see a few nymphs, satyrs, minor gods, and some older demigods on the streets. The rest were in their houses or temples. I looked at the Temples, and I could identify the majority of them based on their decorations. I, however, was looking for a particular one.

I was looking for the Temple of Athena. A replica of the Parthenon in Athens, the temple had a large owl in the center of the pediment. It was a risk to enter her temple uninvited. However, I needed to make a statement.

When I entered, I thought that I had found the world's best library and research center. The main room of the Temple was one giant library. Rows upon rows of books, though as much as I would have liked to stay and browse the shelves I was here for a reason.

I was looking for a book on the Titans and the First Titanomachy. I went to the information desk. I needed to find the library catalog. I found its number and location, though not knowing the layout of the building it was easy to become lost.

I began wandering. It was nice to be in the Temple, the last time I was here I only saw it from the outside.

I gave myself no more than five minutes before 'she' realized that I was here.

"You underestimate me demigod."

I turned around and smiled, "Lady Athena," I said bowing to her, "I was wondering if you had any books on the Titans and the First Titanomachy?"

She arched an eyebrow and gave me an indescribable look. "Why do you need them?"

"Knowledge is power, and Olympus is in for a rough few years. I bet your father ignored the warnings of the quest and is pretending nothing is wrong."

She said nothing she just looked at me. Her storm gray eyes were piercing my soul.

"You are not a person to place your bet lightly milady. Are you willing to bet that nothing is wrong? Are you ready to bet that this wasn't the first shot in the second Titanomachy?"

I could see her mind whirling as she examined all the options. After all, I was touched by the Fates, What did I know? What was I trying to tell her but couldn't outright?

"What's your angle?"

"Long term? I wish to see the survival of the West."

"What about in the short term?"

"For a war to be fought, supplies and information need to be gathered. Soldiers trained, and spies rooted out and inserted. We need fortifications and bases beyond New York and Los Angeles. We need to recruit those with specialties and to train more of them. Olympus has gone too long without being challenged and at the moment is rotting at the center due to negligence and arrogance."

She looked at me again, no doubt wondering how much I knew about the 'enemy' and of the Romans.

"You know of our counterparts?"

"I do, and the reason behind the separation."

Her gaze was intense; I could just see her coming to conclusion to conclusion in her mind. Storing each one away for a time in which case they might be needed or adjusted.

"You have given me much to think about, leave!"

I bowed and hurriedly went to the exit; my mission was complete.

Once I was out of the temple, I continued my walk to the elevator. Eventually, after five or so minutes I wasn't paying attention. I reached the elevator that would take me down.

A while later I was walking out of the elevator and onto the streets of New York. Camp Half-Blood was on Long Island and was home to a strawberry farm.

I knew where the location was roughly, though I had never been there. It vanished in the flooding.

In the end, though I got to Camp unmolested, being able to teleport was a major plus. I knew though it would be only a matter of time before I was attacked, after all, I had inserted myself into the Olympic Pantheon. I crossed the border and felt a wave of energy go over me. This was the magic of Thalia's tree, the spot where the daughter of Zeus was saved from the Fields of Punishment.

I wandered into camp and saw a row of houses built around a fire, the hearth. I saw to my left a large farm house and a pavilion with twelve long tables.

My goal was the large house; the other houses were for the children of the Gods. No doubt I would be sent to Cabin Eleven until Lady Artemis's claimed me. Which, knowing my 'Mother,' I put down to somewhere between never and when Tartarus freezes over.

I saw a few people out and about, it looked like a big celebration was ending, but for the most part, they were heading into their cabins for the night.

I reached the front porch and knocked on the door. Nobody answered; I beat again this time louder. I heard the sound of footsteps, or rather four footsteps, Chiron it had to be him.

I was right; it was Chiron, Immortal son of Kronos, and legendary trainer of heroes. "Yes?"

"Are you Chiron?" No duh, he was, but hey I had to start somewhere.

"I am, and you are?"

"I am Alexander Guiliani, and I was told by Lord Zeus to aid you in your duties."

"Really? Why don't you come in and tell me all about it."

I crossed the threshold and knew that a new life was beginning for me.

I heard the door shut and saw the porch light switch off. Or rather I noticed the lack of light in the darkness. I felt odd, I had jumped from one fire to another, and now I was all alone…I was eager to see what could be learned. What I could do to prevent the catastrophe that was the Second Titanomachy.

I wasn't looking forward to teaching though; there was a reason I decided to teach people at the National Parks instead of in school. Discipline, which was something I didn't know how to handle. I expected everyone to want to learn and being responsible for teaching to the year-end tests…I shuddered.

I jumped out of my mind when I was introduced to Mr. D or Lord Dionysus, Lord of Wine, Madness, Theater, and Vegetation. He was lounging in his chair a diet coke in hand.

"It's you," he grunted. I see you made it in one piece Alexa.

I felt a stab or irritation at his blatant insult, I wanted to correct him but knew it would be unwise. I didn't need to anger him.

I bowed, "yes Lord Dionysus."

"Names have powers Andrew, be careful."

"Yes Mr. D."

"Chiron, show him to his room, tomorrow we can set up his schedule."

"Right this way Alexander," and Chiron waved me out of the room and to my room which was down the hall.

He stopped at the door closest to the entrance and pulled out a key. "This is your room for the time being. I will be in the room across from you if you need any help."

He saw my dazed look and his face softened, "You did good work, you are a hero never forget that."

With that he left me to me thoughts and went into his room. The room itself was bigger than my apartment in Williamsburg by at least 150%. It had a large dresser and a closet. A fluffy bed and nightstand, as well as a desk, lamp, and two bookshelves both full of books. Not a bad set up.

I sat down on the bed for a few minutes. Before deciding to sit on the desk, I wanted to record my thoughts in my journal. If I was going to make sense of the world and be ready for tomorrow I needed to clean house.

Where to begin I mused. I know let's start at the beginning and I pulled out a pen with black ink and began to write. 'Why did I ever get involved? I moaned to myself. It had been less than a day since I had been forced by the Lord of the Sky and King of Olympus to aid Chiron in training the next generation of demigods.'

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Journal Entry

June 21, 2017

I did it! I successfully went back in time and prevented the outbreak of World War III. Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, and Grover Underwood brought the Masterbolt back to Olympus and peace now reins again.

Of course it was through my subtle actions that it happened. I directed a lightning bolt headed towards Jackson while on the Freedom Arch in St. Louis Missouri to the side.

What I am not saying is that there was a slight I mean major hiccup. I appeared in Virginia right in the middle of the Hunt and nearly got myself impaled by the Handmaidens of Lady Artemis.

She didn't take my 'interference' in the Hunt well and forced me to flee for it. After three days of being on the run I was caught and then brought back to Olympus with three arrows in me.

I was put on trial once the quest was successful during which it was revealed that I was a son of Artemis. I know the eternal virgin, hater of men! Me her first demigod, it's laughable.

Either way they believe that and I am not going to correct them. Due to my age I was sent by Lord Zeus to Camp Half-Blood to aid Chiron in teaching their children. This is where I am right now, and where I am writing this journal entry.

What I wouldn't give to have Alejandra with me right now. Despite being a know-it-all at times she would know what to do.

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Authors Note: I had a lot of fun creating this chapter. It took me a month and a half to build and roughly two weeks to edit it. My goal was to learn the lessons of last time and avoid the problems of my first story. I have heavily edited the story, even going so far as to use to help catch any problems.

Unlike my first story, Star Wars, I decided to create an outline for each chapter and of the core premise of the story. That isn't to state I am not doing this for my Star Wars story, I am just having to play catch up.