Author's Note: should tell you that I have added five chapters on this update. I just figure that people want a little more action than talking so I added more. Update started at Chapter 6.

Big Luke

At this point I was waiting for the moment when we get back to KATE and David gives me the "I told you so" speech.

We were walking down the hallway when we saw two guys standing by the entryway to the stairs. They were easily seven feet tall and around three-hundred pounds. They were also Identical twins with perfectly round heads and big brawny shoulders. When we reached the entryway and both guys stepped to the center, blocking the way.

"Excuse me fellas but we need to get through there," I said.

"Please, you must stay for breakfast," said the one on the right in a deep voice.

Now, at this point, I knew that staying at the Hotel California was a bad idea.

"When's breakfast?" I asked.

"Eight," the one on the left said.

"Now, see that's too late. We need to get going. So, if you guys will step aside, we will be on our marry way," I said as I tried to push my way through.

"Not a chance," said the guy on the right as they both pushed me back.

I didn't like getting pushed off balance, that and punching me in the nose are the two things that will get me fired up the most. I went for the guy on the right, it was fight time.

I put my fists up and I could see out of the corner of my eye, Brandon and David going for the other guy. I saw over my right shoulder five more of the goons coming our way, they were all identical.

Goon One came at me as I came him. I pushed on his chest while using my right foot to sweep his left leg out from under him. He fell back hard and I got on top him. I took one swing at his nose and I knew these were not human. His nose felt like concrete when I punched it. I shook my hand and stood up.

I drew my 1911 and put three rounds into the goons head. Nothing but sparks and wires flew from his cranium. I felt something crash into me from behind and I stumbled a little bit, dropping my 1911. Whatever crashed into me wrapped their arms around me. I kind of liked it when Brittany did it, but this hurt as the tree-trunks around me now squeezed like a python.

I swung my elbows back and I hit both funny bones on something hard. I ignored the pain and reached under and grabbed the goons leg. I rolled into my right shoulder and we went to the floor. I thrusted forward with my hips as I pulled on the leg, enough force to rip the leg right off of any normal human being. This leg was just bent back and began to spark. The robot didn't try to scream, it felt no pain.

I heard my 1911 going off and I stood up. Brandon was unloading on his robot and engaging David's after his stopped moving. Fyoder did the same with his and his team, they had brought in some handguns with them. I saw the slide lock back on my gun and Brandon tossed it to me. I grabbed a mag from my left side and slipped into the mag-well. I hit the slide release, chambering a round.

"We need to get out of here," said Brandon.

We walked down the stairs and into the lobby. The happy lady at the front desk saw us and said, "Welcome to the hotel California".

"We are ready to check out," I said as Eagles lyrics started to play through my head.

"You can checkout any time you like, but you can never-" she never finished the line because I drew my 1911 again and put three rounds into her robot head.

Sparks flew from her cranium as she fell to the floor.

Two more grunts stood in front of the door and I backed up to the wall. Fyoder did the same and we charged the grunts. We lowered our shoulders as we plowed through the guards. The doors came off the hinges as we fell on top of the grunts. I put three rounds in the one I was on top of and Fyoder did the same. The rest of the crew came out and we walked towards KATE.

David was walking up next to me and before he could say anything, I said, "Don't even say it. I know. You told me so".

David just smiled and KATE popped her doors open. Brandon, David and I got in and Dasha knelt down next to Brandon's window on the passenger's side.

"Where do you guys want to meet?" she asked.

Brandon, who wasn't part of the conversation earlier, looked at me.

"Follow us on I65 heading South," said David from the backseat.

"I guess we'll see you over the I65," said Brandon with a smile.

She smiled back and the other team started walking back to their chopper. Kate started her engine but I just sat there for a minute. I had considered calling the shop back at camp. I just kind of zoned out for a minute, starring at the two busted drones that now laid in the parking lot. I knew that Brittany was worried but I decided to let her call me if something happened.

"What's up? We need to get going," said Brandon.

"Sorry. Just zoned out," I said as I backed out of our spot and headed for the interstate.

We stopped once to get breakfast and then it was back to the road. We drove for a while and I would stop every now and then at a local bar or something to that nature and walk inside. The Hind wouldn't be far away and neither was KATE and my friends. They couldn't come in because they were under age. Being twenty-two, I could pretty much go in any place I wanted as long as I had ID. I'd flash my driver's license to who ever felt that they needed to ask and go about my business.

After the incident in Ohio, we decided to stay in constant radio contact with the chopper. Which meant that we would talk every three hours or so, no where near constant.

We arrived at a strip club and I asked KATE to scan the premises for any monsters as I had been doing all day. It was around five in the evening and the place was starting to get a little busy.

"I detect anywhere from two to five non-human life forms in the establishment," KATE replied.

"OK, patch me through to the Hind. Please?" I asked.

I could probably take whatever was in there but I wasn't entirely sure what I was up against.

I heard Bob's voice answer in Russian.

"I need to talk to Fyoder, Bob. Patch him through," I told him.

He said something angrily in Russian and Fyoder's voice came next, "Yes?"

"KATE says that there could be between two and five monsters in this building. I'd like to have you tag along to help out of need be," I asked.

"Oh, little American is afraid of a few monsters?" he asked and my hand clenched into a fist unintentionally.

"Uh oh," I heard Brandon say to my right.

"Look, Ruskie. I'm ain't afraid of nothing, especially not some eastern-European fuckwad with a furry hat. I'm going in there, with or without you. You could join me in the matter or you can hide way up there in your peice-of-shit Russian helicopter. Your choice," I replied.

That got his attention, you insult a man's guts and his hat and he'll give into any challenge you throw at him.

"See you on ground," he replied.

We were parked behind the establishment when the Hind came in over the parking lot. I climbed out and leaned up against KATE. Rotor wash pushed my shirt against my stomach and my sunglasses kept the dust from my eyes. We watched as the fast ropes fell from the left side of the aircraft and saw Fyoder slide down from the hovering chopper. I left my radio and my body armor in the trunk, I didn't want Fyoder to give me any more grief.

I tapped the fender twice to let my team know that I was going in. They waved back and I headed over to where Fyoder had landed. He had this look on his face like Yeah, that's how we do it in Russia. I just nodded towards the direction I wanted to go and he followed me. We made it to the front door of the club and I fished out my wallet. Fyoder did the same and we showed the guy at the front door our ID's.

The guy was tall and muscular but I still dwarfed him by a few pounds and inches. He had a shaved head and was holding a cup of coffee. He studied our ID's for a brief second and unclipped the rope that stood in our way.

I had seen the same tactic in other places and I didn't understand it. How was a red rope connecting two poles that weren't even bolted down, going to stop anybody. Maybe the big bouncer out front was supposed to do most of the work of keeping people out that were not welcome. Or it was just a sign of the conformity that we as a nation had to now live by, You cant cross this line until I say so. The general population in this country these days live in this world that tells them that they have to live their lives a certain way. Get born, go to school, go to college, get a good paying job, have offspring, repeat. And they call this success. Anything else is unacceptable. The more I thought about it, the more frustrated I became with the inanimate object that was the red rope.

"You guys are good," the bouncer said and we walked inside.

Everything was dark except for a few lamps over some pool tables and the strobe lights by the stage. There were several stripper-poles on the stage and several, well, strippers on them. The bar ran along the back wall and there was a single bartender behind the dark stained wooden counter. There was some Def Leopard playing in the background and several people, mostly males, in the booths next to the stage. I watched in disgust as they gawked at the dancers onstage.

Fyoder and I split up and started mingling with some of the people in the club. I talked to several people who didn't seem to pay me much attention, they would respond with one word answers like "Yes" or "No" or "Takeitoff".

I took a seat in front of this one guy who seemed normal, just eating a cheeseburger and had a Miller Light next to his plate. He was wearing a pair of stained overalls and a striped shop shirt underneath it. He had a Buster's Auto Shop cap on his head and he looked like he had gotten off work not too long ago. He had calluses on his hands and weary eyes that were a product of a Friday night after a long work week. He held a couple fries in his right hand and wouldn't stop fiddling with a fork in his left.

"Good evening,sir. I had a couple of questions for you and was wondering if you had a few minutes to chat," I asked.

"You law?" he asked between a few draws on his Miller Light.

"No, sir. Just looking for someone," I responded.

"I don't know how much help I'd be. I don't know too many people that might have somebody lookin' for 'em," he said, moving back to the cheeseburger.

"Well, maybe you've seen someone that meets my description. I'm looking for a man who might be a little creepy. He's pretty smart but would give people an uneasy feeling. He might wear a lab coat or overalls or something of that nature. He probably mutters things about gods or other crazy things like that under his breath," I chuckled on the last part and I heard thunder rumble outside.

"I don't think Zeus liked that," said the man.

I just kind of looked at him, "What do you mean?"

"Come on, man. I knew the second you and that other guy walked in here that you were demigods. I'm a son of Hephaestus. Name's Buster," the man said as he reached across the table and I shook his hand.

"Yeah? Me too, man," I replied.

"No fuckin' way. Your a son of Ares and every monster in this room knows it," Buster replied. "Your dog tags around your neck give you away."

"That's where your wrong. I am a soldier but I joined the Marine Corps before I ever got to camp. That's why I seem like an Ares kid. That dipshit I walked in with is one though."

"OK. So, tell me more about this creeper that your looking for."

"He's a mortal scientist that built these weapons and he is planning to use them against Camp Half-Blood and the gods. I don't have a name or a location except for this state."

"I remember my time at camp, some thirty-five years now. I had a good time there, hate to see it go. I don't know anything about any crazy guys but I have heard of a abandoned trailer park down south a ways that the locals say that there is some pretty crazy stuff. You might want to go talk to Joe behind the bar, he knows everybody that comes in here," Buster told me.

I thanked Buster and got up to go to the bar. I took a seat at the bar and called the bartender.

"What can I get you?" he asked.

"A name and a address if you got it," I replied. "I'm looking for someone and I heard that you might be able to help me out."

"You got a description?" Joe asked.

I gave him my description, I had no idea what the scientist looked like, I was just running on assumptions. I tried to hide the fact that I was a demigod. I couldn't tell with this guy but I wasn't about to give myself away.

"I've seen a guy that might fit that description. He usually hides out in one of those back rooms over there," Joe replied, pointing over to a short hallway with lots of small rooms, only one of them had a door.

"The one with the door?" I asked.

"Yeah, that's the one."

"Thank you very much," I said as I started for Fyoder who was mingling with a few dancers.

"Hey, mister," I heard behind me I turned around.

"Don't fuck up my bar," Joe told me.

I just nodded and turned for Fyoder. He hadn't moved all evening.

"Come on. He might be in that room back there," I told him.

He was busy watching the girls from a booth seat, "Hmm?"

"Get up. Let's go," I told him and he stood up.

We crept down the hallway and drew our pistols. My plan was not to kill the guy but people tend to do what they are told when you have a gun to their face. The door was on the right hand side of the wall and the handle was on the right side of the door.

Fyoder was on the left and I was on the right. I pointed my 1911 at the floor in front of me. Fyoder and I had a silent conversation that lasted about three seconds. I was going to kick in the door and Fyoder was going to take point into the room.

I stood with my back up against the wall so I faced away from the door. I kicked back on the door and it busted open. Fyoder raised his gun and walked inside. I quickly followed him, pointing my 1911 around the room.

The first thing that hit me was the smell of the room. It reeked of cigarette smoke and for good reason. Ash trays littered the tables filled with cigarette buts. There was a single table in the middle of the room which was surrounded by a round booth seat. There was a small sound system in the corner but nothing was playing. Completely empty of all life with the exception of Fyoder and I.

"I thought you said he was here?" asked Fyoder.

"Joe never actually said that he was here. He just said that there was a guy that fit our description and he hung out back here every now and then," I replied.

We stepped out of the room and immediately came into some opposition. Two snake-women, a Laistrygonian giant, three Telekhines and two mortal military contractors with HK45's in their hands all standing five feet away from us. The snake-women had two long curved swords made of bronze where the Telekhines only had a single sword each. The two PMC were dressed casually with sweatshirts and khaki cargo pants. The two PMC drew down on us.

"Drop your weapons," one of them said. Fuck.

Author's Note:So, I've posted ten chapters now and nobody has written a review. Other than me, of course. So, please: if you have read this far, please write a review! Your feedback (Positive or negative it doesn't matter)will be much appreciated!