She woke up to someone knocking on the door very insistently. She looked over at the window and groaned at the very early morning light filtering through the curtains. "I don't know why I bother trying to have a regular sleep schedule." She got up and stalked over to the door opening it a crack and peering out before closing it and resting her forehead against the rough wood. "Gods above and below it's too damned early for this…Tracey… I need you up. We have company."

Jolting awake at the mention of her name, Tracey's eyes dilated and glowed a faint yellow color before she looked around wide-eyed and startled. Her breathing settled down to an even rhythmic pace again when she saw it was only Artemis in the room and her eyes returned to their normal hazel color again.

"What's going on Artemis? Who's at the door?" Tracey asked, pushing back the covers and grabbing up her cloak to throw it around her shoulders and hide her bandaged body from sight.

She picked up her satchel and Artemis's and wrapped up the rest of their fruit in a clean linen before stowing it in her satchel for later. "Relax hon. We don't have to bolt. Amphiaraus is here and he brought some company of the very large and well built variety plus an amazon, a Spartan and Bard." Artemis pulled her boots on while she spoke.

"But why? We were going to meet up with them this evening." She said quietly, checking around to make sure that they didn't leave anything behind.

Checking the straps on their bags, she stated that they were secure before her hand started to shake beneath her cloak. She shouldered her satchel over her cloak and made sure nothing could be seen from beneath it.

"Ready to go?"

"Tracey. Stop. Put the bags down, sit down and relax. We're not going anywhere just yet ok?" Artemis put her hands on Tracey's shoulders and pushed her down onto a chair.

Tracey sat with a soft thud and shook her head.

"I'm sorry I'm just a bit jumpy... I didn't sleep very well after I want back to bed." She replied tiredly. "I get more anxious because of it... with luck I'll get some sleep tonight." She ran her hands through her hair and raked her fingers through it to brush it out a bit. Using her thumbs, Tracey pulled all the hair from over her ears into a ponytail and tied it off, letting the rest of her black hair cascade down to her shoulders. It was a bit messier than she liked, but it would do for now.

Artemis dug her brush out of her satchel and handed it to her as the knocking started up again. She walked over and opened the door. "Patience is a virtue." She remarked letting them all in.

"Not when there's drinking and wenching to be getting on with." One of the men retorted.

The massive man cuffed him gently upside the head. "Iolaus…" He warned and Artemis flinched a little.

Amphiaraus gave Artemis and Tracey a small bow. "Artemis, Tracey, this is Autolycus, Atalanta, Iolaus and Hercules." He motioned to each in turn and they nodded to the girls.

"Artemis… your parents must have been brave." Atalanta commented.

"Ignorant more like." Autolycus said with a smirk.

"They were neither." Artemis replied raising an eyebrow. "I named myself. Please, find seats if you can."

Tracey bowed her head slightly to them and got up from her chair and moved back to sit on their bed and let her hair out again and ran the brush through it. She repeated running her thumbs through her hair and tying is back, this time it was presentable and she packed the brush back in Artemis's bag.

'That was a sting for Artemis... this is going to be interesting for sure and I hope she has the strength to endure it.' Tracey thought, studying each of their faces closely. "The pleasure is ours to be sure my friends, we've heard much about you all and your labors Hercules. But you'll forgive me if I offend anyone here, but I thought we would be meeting everyone this evening Amphiaraus, not before."

"I had another vision… and there was an… unexpected…" Amphiaraus seemed at a loss and Autolycus finished the thought.

"There was a bloody brutal massacre and the mark of the new God Echthros seared into the ground and the foreheads of every corpse. Looks like this new God has a bone to pick." He pulled out a knife and started cleaning under his nails.

"Yes… In my vision it was made clear that Hercules must travel to the peak of Mount Olympus and seek the aid of the Gods. I saw him standing between you two as you stood atop the peak with a rising sea of flame." Amphiaraus sounded a little shaken.

"Well shit." Artemis said with feeling.

"That explains the urgency I guess." Tracey remarked from her place on the bed.

Her eyes immediately shifted to the knife in Autolycus hand as it's sharp blade glinted in the sunlight that came through the window. Slowly Tracey felt something rising from the pit of her stomach, trying to get to the surface, crawling under her skin and clawing at her muscles. She could feel her hands balling up and shaking, but she tried to stop it. Unable to tear her eyes away from the knife, Tracey's lips twitched as if she wished to peel them back and expose her fangs again, to snarl at him as he cleaned his fingernails.

"Please..." Tracey started, biting her bottom lip in a slightly nervous gesture as her eyes glowed yellow again and her pupils dilated. "Put that away... now."

Artemis glanced at her sharply then stood up and stood between her and Autolycus. She spoke calmly. "Autolycus, can you please put that away, slowly. Very slowly." She spoke in the same voice used for talking suicidal people of ledges and he raised an eyebrow but his instincts told him he should do what she said.

He very carefully put the knife away but Hercules had noticed the change and was shifting. "What is she?" He asked.

"She is my friend and she has been through a very traumatic experience. Startling her could have very bad results so let's all stay calm."

Iolaus gave a little laugh. "She's no threat to the mighty Hercules. Look at her, she's tiny."

Hercules sighed. "Don't be foolish Iolaus, Atalanta isn't much bigger and she's kicked you from Athens to Sparta and back again."

Amphiaraus was staring at Tracey as well. "There is a menagerie within her."

"That could prove useful for what is to come..."

Tracey could hear the beating of her heart throbbing loudly in her ears and she closed her eyes against it. Taking several deep breaths, she calmed her inner turmoil and her eyes returned to normal. She looked at Artemis first and nodded a little to show she was already starting to feel better. Looking to Amphiaraus when he spoke, Tracey sighed and looked at the rest of their faces.

"I apologize for my behavior, I'm not fond of knives." She started, glancing to Autolycus. "I'm slowly figuring out my condition and it will take some time, but Artemis and I will figure it out together."

"I think you should start explaining. Who are you and why is Amphiaraus so adamant that you have to join us on our journey?" Hercules crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

"Well you know our names so that's one less thing to explain." Artemis replied with a small smile. "We're not from here, not even close. We were summoned by the Gods, though we kind of thought we were on our own."

"Why would the Gods summon you instead of asking Hercules?" Iolaus asked looking offended and Artemis took a step forward. Hercules stood up but Artemis gave him a quelling look and for a split second he wondered what would happen if he tried to stop her.

She stepped in close to Iolaus looking up into his young face searching for any part of the man she loved in that other Ancient Greece but there was nothing of him in there. She held up her right hand, palm flat and writhed her fingers pushing her will through them and forming a flickering ball of lightning. He gasped and pulled back running into the wall. She followed him and brought her other hand up weaving her fingers together and the lightning transformed into a tiny whirlwind that blew his hair back and he looked over her head at Hercules who was watching them. Hercules shrugged as if to say 'You got yourself into this mess.'

Artemis spoke quietly. "You think that brute force will solve everything, you believe that sheer strength will prevail against all comers. It's a foolish, arrogant belief that is the privilege of the young. Your Uncle is smart enough to know when he is being fooled and humble enough to seek help when he is out of his depth. You could learn from that."

She brought the whirlwind a little closer and twisted her fingers until a butterfly formed of golden light fluttered around in her palms. "There are more skills and better options than just hitting your way out of a problem so why don't you keep your mouth shut and your eyes open. You might learn something boy." She had leaned up so she could speak in his ear and was so close he could feel her lips brushing his ear but everyone heard her words.

When she stepped back the butterfly was gone and Iolaus slumped against the wall. Autolycus smirked at her. "Can you teach me a lesson next?" He asked.

"I can't teach what you need to learn honey." She walked back to Tracey and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"You're stubborn in your own right and it would be easier to teach a dog better manners." Tracey said, shaking her head and laying her hand over Artemis's for a moment. "She is right, brute force can't always solve the problems we're presented with and sometimes it takes a calmer mind and a delicate touch to fix things. That's where we come into play and so I think it would be in your best interest to use our talents while they're available to you."

She touched her satchel and brought it closer to her.

"At least this time we have something more to go on instead of grasping at straws." She added, blinking tiredly. "We know we have to get to Olympus, we also know that you need our help, and now we know what the threat is so it's not a surprise."

"So how far a journey is it to Olympus?" Artemis asked.

"The time it takes to dream…" Amphiaraus said enigmatically.

"You've been at those herbs again haven't you?" Autolycus asked with an aggrieved air.

He blinked and shook his head. "I'm sorry, the visions are coming faster than ever. Maybe they were sent by the Gods."

Hercules sighed but answered Artemis. "It's about a week to get to the bottom of the Mountain. Reaching the summit is another matter."

"Please enlighten us a little more Hercules, we need to know what we're going to be dealing with." Tracey said quietly, glancing from Amphiaraus to Hercules. "The more we know the better we can help."

She shifted her bag on her shoulder, starting to get a little anxious to get moving again.

"There are seven temples at different stages of the mountain, each temple has a trial that must be completed before you can keep going. There's only been a handful of people who made it all the way up the mountain and no two accounts of the trials match." Hercules replied.

Nodding a little, Tracey stood up from the bed and shifted her bag on her shoulder, making sure her body wraps were hidden from their sights.

"Then Artemis and I should probably get some supplies before we get started."

"What kind of supplies? We've got plenty." Iolaus asked.

Tracey looked over at the young man and studied him for a moment before blinking and shaking her head.

"I don't think you understand little one, there are things that we need for Artemis and you may not have the right supplies that we may need." Tracey answered, gesturing to herself and Artemis. "We may need something that you don't have in your chariots and that's all I'm going to say on the matter."

Artemis squeezed her shoulder placatingly and moved towards the door. "I think it's best if you guys wait downstairs, I will go grab what we need and we can leave in a few hours ok? Tracey, stay up here, try to relax ok?"

"I'll try but I make no promises." She muttered, touching Artemis's hand with her fingers and sighing. "I'm getting itchy to go and I don't think it's going to stop any time soon so please come back within an hour."

Tracey relaxed her fist beneath her cloak and took a calming breath to steady her anxiety.

Artemis ushered everyone out and followed after them. Atalanta gave her a curious look then inclined her head towards the door. "Is she always so…"

"Twitchy? No, she's had a bad few days." Artemis spoke firmly then headed down the stairs effectively putting an end to the conversation.