The looks on Piper's and Annabeth's faces when Hazel ran into the dining hall with Kyrie was priceless. Hazel just shrugged, but that didn't resolve anything.

Erik and Kyrie seemed to have extended their unspoken peace from the funeral. He didn't make a mention about Kyrie and Hazel being the last to arrive. The only other person there that Hazel recognized was the girl with the fake leg, which was reattached and looked good as news. Somehow, Kyrie had held up her end of the deal. The two girls nodded at each other, wordlessly exchanging some information that was cryptic to everyone but them.

No one said much of anything, except for Erik, who offered to have Hazel and her Greek friends join him at the head of the party. Piper accepted graciously and they left Kyrie to bring up the rear. Hazel didn't really like this, but when she hesitated to look back at her new possible friend Kyrie was already connecting the white cord the little man from earlier had given to her. She gestured for Hazel to move ahead, so Hazel did.

If it wasn't the middle of summer then it probably would have already been dark, but the sun was still going strong. They should have enough time to get to wherever they were going and then get before dark.

The climb was steeper and more challenging than Hazel had expected. She knew that Annabeth and Piper were probably dying to hear about how Hazel had ended up arriving through the kitchen doors of the dining hall with Kyrie. Were the tables turned Hazel would have been dying to hear the story, but now wasn't the time. Kyrie had warned them to not blindly trust Erik. This made her wary of him, but it was stupid to try and hold a grudge against him for a bias that Kyrie possessed.

They were about halfway up the mountain when someone tapped Hazel's shoulder. Hazel looked over her shoulder and her throat closed up. It was Sara. The girl whose prosthetic Hazel had ruined…accidentally, of course, but still. Unlike Kyrie, who just looked like a normal person now, Sara was still just as intimidating as before, even without her armor. Her hair was still spiked up and there was a collection of steel knives in her belt and a pair of large battle axes were strapped in a cross on her back. Plus she was more than a head taller than Hazel was. Not that that meant anything. Hazel had taken down giants before…but still. Up this close Hazel could see all the little scars and bruises on the girl's face. She swallowed and asked, "Can I help you?"

Piper and Annabeth were with Hazel, making the rest of the demigods stream awkwardly around them.

Sara wasn't oblivious to Hazel's backup and she raised her hands, exposing her empty palms. "It's okay, I come in peace."

Piper and Annabeth looked at each other uncomfortably before glancing at Hazel, who gave them a tiny shrug in return. "Okay," Hazel began warily. "What did you want?"

"To apologize," Sara said, but not before pointing a menacing finger down at Hazel. "If you tell anyone at camp I'm doing this I will destroy you."

"Uhh," Hazel said, unsure of if this girl was trying to make peace with her or threaten her.

"This just stays between us," Sara said, taking the silence as a queue to keep talking.

Hazel stared awkwardly at the girl before glancing at the others. Most of them had passed them. Hazel wasn't sure if Kyrie had passed too. "Okay," Hazel said uncertainly.

Someone clapped a hand on Sara's shoulder and everyone jumped a bit before turning to see Kyrie pulling something connected to the white cord out of her ear. "Relax, Sara. Hazel won't rat you out."

Sara glanced at Kyrie, before looking back at Hazel. Hazel didn't really like that Kyrie kept coming to her rescue with this girl. She could take care of herself just fine! On the other hand, it was nice that this interaction wasn't coming to blows, as Hazel was really just confused about the purpose for Sara approaching her in the first place.

Sara sighed, as if resigning to a fight before it could start. "Alright, fine. If you say she can be trusted-"

"While we're young," Kyrie said, exasperated, rolling her eyes.

Sara wheeled on the smaller girl, "Back off, Evans. You're not my captain anymore. In case you didn't know, I'm a captain now. I don't answer to you."

Reflexivly, Hazel's fingers closed around the handle of her sword. Kyrie, however, was unimpressed. She raised an eyebrow and fixed Sara with an annoyed stare. Sara met Kyrie's stare, but their eyes were only briefly locked. Sara looked down and sighed before looking at Hazel. "I'm sorry I tried to chop your head off earlier. I was hungry and cranky. Plus I'm really touchy about my stupid leg ever since it got eaten. Anyway, I'm hoping we can bury the hatchet and start over. Are we good?"

Kyrie looked pleased, like she was proud of Sara for being the bigger person and apologizing. Hazel, however, was still wary. It wasn't exactly easier to go from trying to cut peoples' heads off to wanting to make peace. Hazel looked over her shoulder at Piper, who just shrugged. Hazel took that as a sign to accept the apology. "Yes, we're fine."

"Great," Kyrie interrupted, "Now you four had better get to the front before Erik sees you with me and has a stroke."

Sara nodded, "Erik's an ass, but he can't disapprove of your influence that much."

Kyrie scoffed, but said nothing. She shooed them away when no one started hiking.

Hazel glanced back at Kyrie as she left her new friend behind. She felt a bit guilty, but Kyrie made a motion with her sign that said 'keep going, I'm fine'.

The ascent with Sara at their side was slow and quiet. At first. When it seemed that no one was listening Piper cautiously asked, "Hey, Sara…why do Kyrie and Erik seem to hate each other so much?"

Sara was quiet for a minute, as if she was processing the question. Then she laughed, the sound short and harsh, almost like a dog barking. "Oh please. Erik doesn't hate Kyrie. She's too much of a commodity for him for hate her. Kyrie hates Erik, though. And has every right to if you ask me."

Hazel blinked. This surprised her. She wouldn't have thought Erik was the one in the wrong in terms of why they disliked each other. Kyrie was so abrasive and blunt and Erik was such a smooth talker that it was nearly unbelievable to think that he had done something deserving of her hate. "What happened?" Hazel asked, glancing to the front of the group to make sure Erik wasn't listening in.

Sara shrugged, like she was unconcerned who heard. "They dated for about two years," she began.

"They dated?" Annabeth exclaimed, a bit more loudly than she seemed to intend as she clapped a hand over her mouth once the words escaped.

Sara nodded, "Yep. This was before Erik was claimed by Loki. They got together when they were about fourteen. They were friends a long time before then. We all we."

"Who's we?" Hazel asked.

"Oh, all the unclaimed year-rounders of the time. Me, Kyrie, Aiden, James, Erik, Elsa, Harrison. I'd honestly be surprised if you met them all. Anyway, Erik got claimed after he tricked his way out of a nasty scrape with a frost giant. After that his head started getting too fat for his body. He got promoted to camp captain due to a technicality. He and Kyrie were kind of on the rocks before then though. He didn't have time to hang out with any of the unclaimed. Treated us like we were lepers or something. Anyway, Kyrie ended things with him when he took credit for a raid that she saved. He would have completely sunk if it wasn't for the unclaimed ship. He tried to say that it was a collective effort, but still refuses to admit her part in it all. Anyway, she dumped him, very publicly. He didn't like that so they got into this huge fight and Kyrie totally shattered his kneecap before yelling that she was dumping his ass so that everyone could hear it and he couldn't say that he dumped her to save face. It was the closest thing to a soap opera we've ever gotten up here." Sara chukled as if this amused her. Piper and Hazel glanced at each other, exchanging concerned looks. It was always clear that they weren't with Greeks and Romans anymore, but the Nordics were a completely different ballgame. "Anyway," Sara continued, "things became a lot less…pleasant for the unclaimed. Erik treats them like crap. He doesn't let them go on quests unless the whole fleet is going, which is just stupid because Kyr has been on way more quests than him."

"Isn't there an adult in charge?" Piper asked. "I mean, I can't imagine how much of a crap show it would be if there weren't supervisors at Camp Halfblood."

"Or something like the Senate, maybe?" Hazel added. "It doesn't seem smart that Erik should be in charge, especially if he's as vindictive as you say."

Sara laughed, "No, that's just luck. Usually Magni is in charge."

"Who?" Piper asked.

"Thor's son. God of strength," Annabeth answered.

Sara smiled, "You know your shit. I can appreciate that. Anyway, Magni has been missing for a few years. Got in a fight with Hel. She won't say where he is or what she's done with him, but he'll turn up."

From the front of the group Erik shouted, so that everyone could hear. "We're here, everyone. Disarm."

Everyone started peeling off their weapons, except for Piper, Hazel, and Annabeth, who looked confused. "Why're we disarming?" Annabeth asked.

Sara put both of her axes down on the ground before putting her shield on top of them. "It's unwise to approach the seer while armed."

Hazel began disarming, though she was taking her time doing so. "Why?"

"The last person who approached the seer while armed lost his mind," Sara answered. "He assumes you're there to force him to tell the future so…he tells you. Fills you mind with so many visions and versus until there's nothing left."

After the explaination the demigods were quicker about disarming. Hazel could tell by the way that her friends were putting their hands at their hips that they were uncomfortable without their weapons. She wasn't one to talk, though. Everyone in their party seemed uneasy. Even Sara looked uncomfortable as she parted with the last of her knives.

Sluggishly, the group moved forward and funneled into a cave. Hazel expected to feel more at ease underground, but she didn't. The walls were wet to the touch and it smelled muggy and confined, like air hadn't circulated in the space for centuries. They moved in about ten feet and the walls became covered in carvings of some sort of ancient text. If it wasn't Latin or ancient greek then it would have been easier, but this? This was completely different. It took Hazel a little while to realize that the symbols on the wall were the same as the ones on Kyrie's shirt.

Hazel was occupied with studying the symbols that she ran into Piper, who had stopped dead in her tracks in front of her. Hazel wasn't sure why until she looked at what had caught her friend's attention. She gasped and clapped her hands to her mouth to silence herself. This person, if it was a person, couldn't be the seer. It seemed to be a man, or was a man once. He looked more like a corpse than like a person. He was old and pale with symbols drawn on his hands, forehead, and cheeks and his eyes were sewn shut with thick, black thread. He was naked from the waist up and his chest and arms were covered in the symbols as well, only these were bright red like fresh scars.

Erik fell onto his knees and held his hands up, palms toward the seer. Everyone followed in suit, Hazel and her friends being the last on their feet.

"Seer of the Asgardians," Erik began humbly, "we come seeking prophecy, should the gods see it fit to give it."

The seer's head popped up and if he had eyes they would have fallen upon Erik. He put his hands up, just a breath away from Erik's. In a mangled and croaky, but strong and unwavering voice, the seer opened his mouth and revealed a mouth filled with teeth stained black and purple gums. "Voyagers of the Warm Sea join us. Seven in a ship that flies shall rally with the strongest warrior among the sailors here." The seer took Erik's wrist in such a swift motion that it started everyone. The seer gave him a smile, which only made him look more unsettling. "No child of Loki shall leave port for this quest." The seer let go of Erik and put his palm up again. "The captain to lead shall be decided by the Trials of Pain. They shall lead five with the seven and voyage to the Ancient Lands, where the head of Jormungand lies. They will tie him and save us all, or beckon Ragnarok. A brand will be given soon that will only cause distress, but without it we shall all be doomed. This mission rests in the hands of fire, and victory can only be found when they reunite. This quest brings a new age with it. One with a new seer to take a path different from that of my fathers and I. She will save us all, or doom us forever."

The seer stiffened for a moment before he fell back into a collection of baskets and books. Some of the girls weren't able to stifle surprised screams. Everyone stood and took a few steps rapidly. Appearently this didn't happen often. The only one with enough nerve to approach the seer was Sara. She pressed her fingers against his throat and looked up at her companions in horror.

"The seer is dead," She told them.

Happy New Year everyone! I'm sick so instead of getting wasted and having fun I'm writing fanfiction for you guy. I hope 2017 is better for all of us than 2016 was. This year was a doozy. Thank god it's over. Leave me a review if you liked it, or if you hated it. I like all reviews. Happy New Year!