A/N: It's been a busy week for me since it's the holidays. I know. Holidays are meant to be the period of time where I wasn't supposed to be busy, and yet life finds its way. So, yeah.

Timbo8: Great speculating. Not confirming anything or denying anything. Keep it up. I always enjoy reading what you guys think is happening with the story.

Simbylosis: I'm gonna address your points one by one. First point, I don't know myself. Second, no spoilers. And I've looked up what you meant by Senko-san and, well, potentially. Third, my stick made me chuckle. And finally, Leo and Calypso hasn't returned from Ogygia. So, there ya go.

Surya25addanki: Exactly my intention.

The-Fire-In-Heart: Perhaps. No spoilers.

TalentedTal420: I get this a lot and I know you guys are upset I'm not updating my other stories. It's just that I want to update them when I feel like updating them, that way I can come up with a chapter that I'm passionate about and not some half-assed forced out chapter. I'm going for quality over quantity. Besides, if I write based on my own preferences, it's a win-win for both sides. I'm happy with what I write and you guys are happy with a good chapter.

With that said, onwards!

Chapter 7

Nico and Ken had become a lethal duo over the past few days. Ken handled the sealing of the entrances to the Yomi while Nico handled everything else that seemed eager to kill them.

Nico learned that no matter from what pantheon, ghosts are still ghosts. And he was one of the few experts in making those ghosts go away. Ken said that Nico's skill in 'exorcising' ghosts would rival some of the top exorcists that he knew.

Now, they were on their way to a supply shop for ninjas, as Nico would like to call it.

"Remind me, why do I have to get new clothes?" Nico grumbled. "You don't like dark colors?"

"Well there's that." Ken pointed out. "But there's also the fact that your wardrobe is running empty and I'm running out of charms to keep you safe from Yomi's pollution."

Ken had a point. Every time they enter the Yomi, which was a necessity for closing the entrance, Nico had to burn his clothes in order to avoid them from turning into nasty demons. He didn't know what kind of demons his clothes would turn into, but he didn't want to find out. Because of that, his was running out of clothes.

Ken's charm helped, but only for his body. To ensure that he wouldn't have to fight in the Yomi naked, Ken suggested that he get some Yomi pollution resistant clothing from a shop run by his clan, as he called it.

Nico wasn't too happy about it, but he figured it was for the best. Plus, he was interested in seeing what Ken's clan is all about.

According to Ken, he's part of the Taira Clan, one of the twelve main clans in existence. Nico tried asking more about his clan, but apparently he'd sworn to secrecy or something because he would always say that he's 'unable to tell' Nico.

Fair enough.

This shop that they were heading to lies in the city. Nico hadn't been one for places with a lot of people. Since Ken was a man of secret, he expected this shop to be hidden in some sort of back alley or hidden doorway.

He was surprised when Ken turned and entered into a small souvenir shop. Nico read the title.

GIFTS FOR WHEN YOU'RE VISITING JAPAN!

"You've got to be kidding me." Nico muttered.

Ken managed a smile. "Come on in."

Nico entered along with Ken. The place was filled with shelves with various souvenirs ranging from snow globes, small sculptures to what looks like a bad replica of his father. Nico would've been offended if it didn't look so funny.

The place smelled dusty, like an old attic. Everything in this place looks old enough to be in a museum. If they were hiding some sort of secret shop here, this would've kept anyone away.

At the counter, there was a guy dressed in a traditional outfit that resembled a Japanese farmer. He had a cone shaped straw hat made out of hay and a shirt that has been stitched and patched up so he looked more like a beggar than a cashier.

He was sitting behind the counter with his head resting on one hand. He didn't look awake and Nico sensed no life force coming from him.

"Don't tell me that guy's dead." Nico said.

"Fine, I won't tell you." Ken said. "Come." He gestured for Nico to follow him.

Good to know Ken still has some sense of humour.

Nico followed Ken behind the counter and into the door leading to the back of the shop. He half expected for the cashier to yell at them for trespassing, but nothing happened. Nico shrugged and followed Ken.

The back of the shop looked nothing like the front.

White glowing tiles were lined up on the floor and the ceiling, providing them with enough light that would hurt anyone's eyes. Along one side of the wall were shelves decorated with all bunch of things from weapons to charms to talismans. The other side of the wall hung clothing that looked like the ones Ken is wearing but in different variation.

In the middle of the room along the floor were display tables, lined up with maps, materials and what looked like a table specifically for painting.

"Whoa," Nico let out. "This is some Men In Black shit."

Ken gave a smug grin. "The Taira Clan looks out for their own. I'm going to find a garb that's suitable for you. You can take a look around but don't touch anything."

"Not gonna make that promise." Nico said as he walked over towards where the maps were. It was a map of what looked like New York. On several places, there were black spots as if someone had poured a drop of ink on them. "I'm guessing these are maps to the Yomi entrances?"

Ken nodded. "These maps detect concentrated Yomi pollution within the area and highlight them. Though it's not a hundred percent reliable. They can only detect big entrances that produce a ton of Yomi pollution. The small entrances, not so much."

Nico studied the map further. There were dozens of black spots in New York alone. "How are we going to seal these entrances all by ourselves?"

"We can't, of course. At least, not by ourselves." Ken said as he rummaged through the wall with clothes. "The twelve warrior clans of Japan have been working together in sealing these entrances. There're hundreds of us working together to stop the Yomi from invading our land. And as you can see, it's not enough."

Nico knew what he was talking about. If there are hundreds of people working on sealing these entrances and there are still this many, it won't be long until the land of the dead invades this world.

He then moved towards the wall assorted with weapons. There were swords, spears, staffs, maces, bows, and a bunch of weapons Nico has never seen before. One looked like police batons and one looked like three sticks tied together in the end by rope.

"What is this thing?" Nico pointed at the three sticks.

"Sansetsukon." Ken explained. "A three-sectioned staff. It's kind of like nunchucks' older brother."

Nico was busy going through the different weapons when Ken suddenly handed him his new clothing. "Here you go. This should fit you."

Nico looked at the attire. Now, he has played his fair share of Mythomagic and he'd been a fan of mythologies and fantasy things.

In his eyes, this was definitely a ninja outfit.

"You want me to dress like a ninja?" Nico asked.

"What? No. This is a warrior's outfit. It suits you."

"It looks like something out of Mortal Kombat."

"It does its job." Ken insisted. "The clothing will protect you from the Yomi pollution. Plus, it's way easier to move in these compared to the skinny jeans you insist on wearing."

"They're comfortable."

"They're constricting." Ken argued. "At least try them on first."

Nico grumbled as he changed his clothes.

The garb was black in color and was easily twice Nico's size, but the cutting barely reached Nico's wrists and ankles so that he wouldn't trip himself trying to walk in them. Over the garb was a blood red tunic that hugged his chest and made his shoulders look broader.

"Now the hood." Ken said.

"I'm not putting on the hood."

"Dude, the hood." Ken insisted. Nico groaned in annoyance he pulled the hood over his head and wrapped a black scarf loosely around his head, covering everything except for his eyes. "See, I told you it would look good."

It was actually a lot more comfortable than Nico had originally though. The fabric was soft on his skin and it provided him with a lot more mobility compared to his usual attire.

"It feels like I'm dressed in pyjamas." Nico said.

"Fight in comfort, not in glory." Ken said. "Those are wise words. You should remember it."

"Who said that?"

"Me." Ken grinned. Then, a very loud bell rang. It sounded like one of those old fashioned bells where you have to hit it with a massive stick. "Oh."

"What's that?" Nico asked.

"An emergency." Ken said. "The Twelve Clans have called for a meeting. Let's go."

"Are you sure I'm allowed to come?" Nico asked.

"Well, assuming you don't seem threatening to anyone you'll be fine."

"I'm dressed like a ninja." Nico pointed out.

"You'll be fine. Come, we must hurry."

Line Break

Annabeth had shadow traveled before. It was a pretty terrifying experience. It's like riding a super fast roller coaster in the dark with sub-zero temperatures and voices constantly whispering in your ears.

So when Asanagi used his way of transport, Annabeth thought she was ready for it.

It turns out traveling as if your body was made out of wind was an out-of-body experience. Literally.

Annabeth felt like a pinball in a pinball machine. She kept being bounced off of nothing while at the same time feeling like she's being pulled from either direction.

The scenery seemed to blur in her eyes, as if her surroundings had been stretched by something as she moved very fast.

When it finally stopped, Annabeth collapsed to her knees trying to catch her breath.

"Sorry about that." Asanagi said. "Wind travels can be uncomfortable to some people."

Annabeth felt like her insides were trying to crawl out of her throat. "A little warning next time would be nice." She groaned.

Asanagi smiled apologetically. He handed Annabeth something. It was a red candy wrapped in plastic. "Here. This'll help."

Annabeth took the candy, unwrapped it and ate it. It tasted bitter for a moment before gradually turning sweet. In a few seconds, her queasiness disappeared as she regained her bearings.

"Thanks," She said as she stood up. Annabeth took a moment to look at her surroundings.

"It's only a temporary place for us to operate." Asanagi said. "Our real base is in Japan."

The place was like a military operating base mixed with buildings from Edo period architecture.

Around the whole encampment were stone walls with blue roof over them. They stood over twelve feet tall and would be difficult to climb due to the vertical surface. It's perfect to guard against ground attacks.

Along the walls, watch towers were lined up with archers in them. Any aerial threat would be no problem for them.

The encampment was filled with tents and buildings that looked like jet hangars. In the middle of everything was a three storey pagoda with rooftops that were built in layers with one another.

"Whoa," Annabeth marveled.

"You should see the base we have in Japan." Asanagi said. "It's mainly built off of an old military site from the Heian period, but it's beautiful."

"I'd love to see that." Annabeth said wistfully. Then, her mind refocused on the mission at hand. "I assume your leader is at that tall building over there."

"Actually, no." Asanagi said. "That is our training hall."

"Why do you require such a huge training hall?" Annabeth asked.

"You'd be surprised." Asanagi chuckled. He turned towards Kira and muttered something in Japanese. Kira nodded and disappeared into the wind. "Come. Kira will inform her father that we're coming so they don't attack us on sight."

"That's reassuring." Annabeth muttered. "Lead the way."

Asanagi lead the way towards where their leader was settled. Walking through the Ashikaga encampment, Annabeth had to admit that the Japanese were well prepared considering this was a temporary place for them. There were horse stables, blacksmiths, small diners, there was even a noodle stall. The place was basically a small Japanese town.

"How long have you guys been here?" Annabeth asked.

"We've been here since far longer than when I joined." Asanagi said. "Only the Ashikaga Clan worked independently and was not as big as it is now. But over the years, the threat of the Yomi have increased. So we increased our forces and worked with other clans to make sure we could handle them."

"How many clans are there?" Annabeth asked. Her objective was to gather information, but she was just genuinely interested. It's always fun to learn something new.

"Technically speaking, there are hundreds of clans in Japan." Asanagi started. "A family could be considered as a small clan. But if we're talking about the big boys, there are twelve main clans in general with the smaller clans being under their ruling."

"I assume the Ashikaga is one of those main twelve considering the size of your temporary base." Annabeth pointed out.

Asanagi nodded. "Within those twelve, three of them held the most power. The Ashikaga being one of them, along with the Taira Clan and the Tokugawa Clan." Asanagi had a bit of an edge in his voice.

"You don't seem too enthusiastic about them."

"The Taira and Tokugawa have been allies since the Nobunaga Era. Needless to say, they're on great terms with each other. With us? Not so much." Asanagi said.

"I thought you said the clans are all working together."

"Yeah, it's more complicated than that." Asanagi said. "It's a more political situation, if you could say it like that."

Annabeth had no interest in the politics of ancient Japanese clans, so she decided not to press it.

By the time they arrived to where they wanted to go, Annabeth was . . . unimpressed. Leaders, or the head of a clan, should have buildings representing their stature. A mansion or a castle. Something that says, to everyone here, I'm in charge.

Annabeth was surprised to see them in front of a regular green tent. It's not even a big one. It's more like a tent that you bring when you go camping.

Kira was already by the side of the entrance of the tent. As soon as they arrive in the vicinity of the tent, a head popped out of the flaps.

A middle-aged man looked around and grinned when he saw Isanagi. He had a scraggly beard and white cloth wrapped around his forehead that covered some of his black hair.

When he exited the tent, Annabeth noticed just how big he actually was. He was muscular and tall, built like a heavyweight wrestler. He wore a green sleeveless shirt over his slightly tanned body along with jeans and rubber boots.

As far as first impression goes, Annabeth thought he was a seasoned fisherman. The kind of guy who'd been spending a lot of his time under the sun near the sea.

"What do we have here?" The man grinned at Annabeth. Next to him, Annabeth looked like a midget.

"My lord." Asanagi dropped to one knee along with Kira as they respectfully bowed. Not wanting to be seen as a threat, Annabeth did the same.

"Ah, the girl has some manners!" The man said. It seems like he insists in speaking in a hearty volume. "Now, what brings you here, girl?"

Annabeth tried not to get nervous in front of the head of the Ashikaga Clan, but it's kind of hard considering he gave out an aura imposing enough to be similar to a god.

"We have information on our current situation," Asanagi explained. "This girl, Annabeth, has valuable information."

The man grinned with his teeth showing. He has perfect teeth, Annabeth observed. "Very well! I shall speak with her privately."

Asanagi nodded as the man entered his tent. Annabeth looked over towards Asanagi for confirmation. He gave a reassuring nod. "It's fine."

"He won't eat me, will he?" Annabeth whispered.

"Nonsense! Ha ha ha!" The man laughed from the tent. "Come now, girl. We must talk!"

Annabeth gulped as she entered the tent.

Annabeth expected the tent to be like the tents of the Hunters of Artemis. Small on the outside, big on the inside.

Nope.

It was exactly the same tent as the outside as it is on the inside.

At least it was comfortable. The floor was covered with tatami mats. Aside from the bundle of blanket and pillows on one side of the tent and a huge sword next to it, there's nothing else to see in this tent.

The man sat cross-legged in the tent, grinning and waiting for Annabeth. Annabeth nervously sat down facing him.

"Before anything, allow me to introduce myself." The man said with a surprising decrease in his volume. Glad to know he has an inside voice. "My name is Ashikaga Kiragi. You can call me Lord Kiragi."

Annabeth bowed slightly. "I am Annabeth Chase. It's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Kiragi."

Lord Kiragi nodded. Annabeth could feel the intensity of his eyes baring on Annabeth. "So, Asanagi tells me you have valuable information."

Annabeth took a deep breath. She started to explain from during Asanagi and her friends wanted to have a diplomatic meeting up until when Luke interfered their meeting.

Lord Kiragi was a very good listener though it was unnerving. Annabeth then explained who Luke was and how she met her.

"Interesting." Lord Kiraga said after Annabeth was finished. "I shall look more into this."

Annabeth nodded. There was then an unsettling silence between them. It wasn't until for a few seconds when Annabeth noticed that Lord Kiraga was studying her. "Um, is there something wrong, Lord Kiraga?"

"He describes you very well, Annabeth." Lord Kiraga stated. "I see now why he does this."

Annabeth was confused. "What do you mean?"

"Why, your friend of course!" Lord Kiraga grinned widely. "He's the best swordsman the Ashikaga Clan has. Even Musei doesn't even come close."

"Wait, I don't know who you're talking about."

"Percy Jackson." Lord Kiraga said. "He's a friend of yours, isn't he?"

Line Break

A massive entrance has opened up into the Yomi and the Japanese demigods have been unable to seal it. Yokai has been pouring out at an absurd rate, overwhelming the squadron of demigods trying to seal it.

It looked to be a lost cause, akin to a massacre.

"We need back up!" One person shouted as they were being forced back by the Yokai. It looked grim.

Then, their saviour came.

Dressed in an orange shirt and jeans, he looked unimpressive save for the sword strapped around his belt. The once leaf-shaped blade was now a single edged sword, similar to a samurai's sword.

Around his head was a black scarf, covering his face. But almost everyone knew who he was.

Kuraokami's Disciple. Amaterasu's Warrior. Son of the Sea. Asura's Incarnation. There were many titles for him over the past three years.

But everyone knew of his powers.

"Stand back." Percy said. "I'll handle this."

A/N: That tease.