A/N: I would like to thank my reader (singular) for sticking with this story so far.

The bus headed south through Pennsylvania first, then turned west and rolled into Indianapolis, Indiana. Alex thought that the cities of America needed names that weren't almost or even exactly the same as the state name. Both cities he had entered on the quest were guilty of that terrible lack of inventive naming.

"So what are we going to do in town?" Kyle asked as the bus entered the city.

"It's a city," Alex said.

"Alex," Kyle said seriously.

"I don't know," Alex admitted, "Leah, you got any ideas?"

Leah blew her blonde hair out of her eyes.

"Nope," she said.

"Great," Alex said sarcastically.

"We could go to one of the art museums," Kyle suggested.

"Meh. You can do that for free on google images," Alex said.

"It's not as good on the computer," Kyle countered.

"Infinitely better value though," Alex said.

"Not if you use an internet cafe," Kyle said.

Alex remebered that until Kyle turned up at Camp Half Blood two years ago he hadn't had a computer, and had to use internet cafes, or his friends' smartphones. Demigods couldn't use phones safely, but back before Kyle knew he was a demigod it was fine.

"True, but Camp has free computer use," Alex said.

"This conversation isn't helping anything," Leah cut in.

"Neither are you," Alex said.

Leah stuck her tongue out at Alex.

"Very mature," Alex laughed.

"Shut it," Leah replied, leaning back in her seat.

"How about we see if there's one of them museums with re-enactments?" Kyle said.

"That's not a bad idea," Alex said.

"You boys and your museums," Leah said.
"Nothing wrong with wanting to know stuff," Kyle said.

"Preach it, brother," Alex said in a terrible '1900s black priest' voice.

"Oh gods, please never use that accent again," Leah laughed.

"No can do," Alex said in the same accent.

"Please! I'm sorry for whatever I did!" Leah said with a smile.

"Repent in the light'a the lord," Alex said.

Thunder rumbled.

"Can't take a joke, can they?" Alex said, looking into the sky.

"They can take a joke," Kyle said, "If it's written on a piece of paper handed to them."

"WHY!" Leah cried out, "WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS?"

The other people on the bus were giving the trio of demigods odd looks, so Alex put a finger to his lips and shushed Leah. She gave him a brief glare but quitened down anyway. Just then the bus stopped; the demigods got off; a clock tower or noisy alarm clock rang twelve times; and a dozen people got onto the bus.

"So are we going to go to a re-enactment museum?" Kyle asked.

Alex was about to say yes when he noticed three figures in brown hoodies with poorly concealed weapons slip into an alley. Cultists.

"No, we're going to follow the cultists," Alex said.

"I don't see any cultists," Kyle said.

"I did. Follow me," Alex ordered.

The trio made their way into the alley and then crouched behind bins. The cultists turned a corner, and the demigods moved up. Leah floated up to a fire escape and followed from above while the two male demigods stuck to the ground. The cultists quickly strode down the alley and back onto a main road.

After a few minutes of following the cultists, the demigods stopped and gathered together as their prey headed into a dilapidated but subtle office block. Alex knew the front door would most likely be guarded, so he led his friends around the building until they found the back door.

Leah drew a smal pocket knife she had packed and knelt down by the lock. She slipped the pocket knife in a wriggled it around for a while, trying to pick the lock. Eventually she got frustrated and increased the door's acceleration to rip it from it's hinges.

"Oops," she sniggered.

"Oh, sure it was accidental," Alex said.

"Got me there," Leah chuckled, slipping into the building.

Alex and Kyle followed, keeping low and ready to run if needed. Leah, on the other hand, forged recklessly ahead. She stopped as she reached a set of double doors. She peeked through the gap between the two doors.

"Some kind of canteen," she whispered.

"Lemme see," Alex whispered back, moving to the door and peeking through.

Just over half a dozen tables were spread across the room, all of them cricular and with about six chairs at each. A long serving bar was at the far side of the room, with menus printed in large fonts upon blackboards behind the wall. Alex tried to decipher them, got frustrated, and almost headbutted the wall in frustration. He let out a breath and got back to examining the room.

Then a voice came from around the corner, and a reply was given by another voice.

"Shit," Alex said, ducking into a corner.

Kyle darted back into another corrider, and Leah floated up until she was lying in the air above eyesight. Alex huddled even further into the corner as the two cultists walked past. One had a club tied to his side and the other had an AK74 on a strap. Alex was puzzled by the vast differences in gear, even while hiding in a dusty, smelly corner of a poorly lit corridor.

The light was only that of the still rising sun. The demigods had slept in New York, in a hotel, to be specific, then got the bus into Indianapolis as soon as the first driver began his shift. It was only around six in the morning. Alex guessed the people he had seen getting onto the bus earlier had first shifts in their jobs.

The two cultists passed and Leah floated back down to the floor. Kyle came back to the canteen door from the corridor, and Alex stepped out of the corner.

"That was close," Kyle whispered.

"Too close," Alex agreed.

"What now?" Kyle asked, "I can search the canteen?"

Alex fought to stop himself from facepalming. Kyle was obsessed with food, and Alex doubted he'd be able to resist the food in the canteen if he searched it.

"No point," Alex whispered, "We need to try and find any clues."

"Like Scooby Doo," Leah teasingly whispered.

"Yes, like Scooby frigging Doo," Alex sighed.

"What about that series with just Shaggy and Scooby?" Kyle asked.

"Isn't there more important matters at the moment?" Alex whispered, ending the conversation.

"Yes," Kyle whispered.

The three demigods decided to search the rest of the bottom floor, and did so quickly, darting from corner to corner rather than taking the search at a slow crouch walk. After about ten minutes they had covered the entire ground floor; mostly empty rooms, which Alex found dissapointing.

"Next floor?" Alex asked.

"Obviously," Leah whispered, rolling her eyes.

The demigods searched each floor up to the sixth without finding anything but the oocasional bunkroom, lounge or computer suite. However, this changed when they went to go to the seventh floor, which was the second to last.

"There's two guard at the top of them stairs," Kyle whispered as the demigods scouted out the stairwell.

"Must be something important, then," Leah confidently whispered.

"Or it's a trick," Alex cautioned, "We don't want to asume anything."

"A trick? These dumbasses couldn't trick a retarded dog!" Leah whispered.

She thrusted her palm towards the two guards and they flew forwards. There was a sickening crunch as their heads collided with the inner wall of the building. Their bodies fell, slowing into a quiet landing at the last moment.

Alex glanced nervously around.

"Very subtle," he whispered, "And completely silent!"

"It was quiet enough," Leah replied.

"Oh, sure it was quiet enough," Alex whispered sarcastically, "But when fifty come charging through the door, don't blame me."

"Close your freaking mouth!" Leah snapped angrily.

"Shut up you two," Kyle whispered.

"Say please," Alex whispered, crouch walking towards the bottom of the staircase.

"No," Kyle replied, following Alex.

"Fair enough," Alex admitted, starting to sneak up the staircase.

Alex reached the door and peeked through the keyhole. A cultist strolled past in the corridor, ignoring the door completely.

"Oh no, fifty cultists are coming through the door and attacking us," Leah commented sarcastically behind Alex.

The cultist in the corridor glanced over; looked at the door as attentively as an eagle looking at it's prey for a few long, agonizing moments; then shrugged and continued to walk down the corridor.

"They might have done, you can never be too careful," Alex breathed into Leah's ear.

"You need to man up and learn to take some risks," Leah whispered back.

"You need to learn when we need to be fucking sneaky!" Alex spat.

Kyle slapped both of the demigods in the back of the head and told them to save the argument for their 'alone time'. They both glared at him, but Alex was secretly thankful the argument had been broken up. He didn't really want to attract enemies by having a heated argument. That, and he didn't really want to get on Leah's bad side.

The three demigods almost instantly found a fully stocked armoury. Alex slipped through the door and examined the contents: kevlar vests; celestial bronze chestplates, helmets and shields; rifles, submachineguns, carbines and handguns, complete with overly packed boxes of ammo; celestial bronze blades and mauls of every kind; handgrenades and underslung grenade launchers; and, looming ominously over the demigod, a trio of towering, highly dangerous missiles.

"That's a lot of weapons," Kyle whispered as he slipped through the ajar door.

Alex nodded in reply, "A scary amount."

"Aww, is little baby Alex scared?" Leah taunted as she entered the room right behind Kyle.

Alex clenched his fists and took a deep, calming breath.

"You know a lot about being a baby, don't you," Alex whispered as he opened his fists, "And also a Hades of a lot about being a petty bitch."

Alex instantly regretted his words. Thankfully, he was saved from an argument by Kyle.

"Alex is right, Leah. Stop being a bitch," Kyle whispered.

Leah glared at both of the boys, but kept her mouth shut like it had been sewn that way with titanium threads.

The rest of the search of the building went in relative silence. The demigods stole a few folders of documents from a room Alex assumed was some kind of control room, then they found some poison in a second armoury and Alex had the idea of sneaking some of it into the food stores of the cult. They searched for five minutes before finding the food stores in the relatively disorganized building, but when they did they put small drops of poison into all of the steak, salmon, carrots, bread and coca-cola, a complete random mix designed to throw the guesses on what is and isn't safe off once the cultists discovered the poisoning. If they did.

After that the demigods made their way to the fire escape and opened the door. The air from outside was fresh and the sun was shining, warming Alex up with it's rays of light. Alex, Kyle and Leah rushed down the metal staircase and away from the building to what they considered a safe distance, should their intrusion be discovered.

"What's your problem with me?" Alex asked Leah.

"My problem with you? My problem with you is that you're an annoying little git with no guts!" Leah snapped.

"You aren't exactly the least annoying person ever, you bi-" Alex started, but he was interrupted by a slap to the face.

Alex growled furiously and slammed his palms into Leah, sending her stumbling backwards, barely staying upright. She sprang forward and kicked Alex in between his legs. Alex cried out in pain and Kyle slid in between the two fighting demigods, breaking up the brawl. Alex stormed off and Leah glared at him as he went.

Alex weaved his way randomly through the city until he found an empty alley, and then he slumped onto the ground next to a dumpster and put his head in his hands. He cursed himself for messing everything up with his best friend, for being too selfish and impulsive to deal with it peacefully, and for being too much of a failure to get anything right. Then he cried, unable to hold in his emotions.

A/N: So, I tried to add is some conflict and add a few more flaws to the characters, and I hope I did a good job. Please review, and if you don't, I know where you live ;-) So please, please review.