So I know I said this update would take longer, but I've currently got more inspiration to write this than my other story right now so I figured I'd make a start on it, though in better news I've actually started writing the update to my other story and it only took me three months -_-
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or any of the writing gold created by Rick Riordan
A Protector Until The End: Chapter 10: I Get a Melty-Sword-Stick
Things went swimmingly after Nico and I drove away from camp in pursuit of the van.
If you think I'm being honest, take a crash course in sarcasm and then come back. The van was definitely going at, if not faster than, the speed limit meaning I had to keep driving just to keep them in sight despite the protests of the Beetle.
Well, despite the protests of the Beetle and the almost palpable feeling of hatred for every driver I cut off or overtook in pursuit.
It was the most backhanded feeling of relief I'd ever felt when the Beetle finally sputtered to a stop down the street from a service station in Maryland, and thank whatever luck I had that the van had stopped there too.
"What are we going to do? If your car is broken we can't follow them." Nico questioned as we disembarked.
"First, we take a rest stop" I stated, gesturing to the same service station the van had stopped at. Then I moved my hand across to point at the van "Then we just have to hope it starts working again by the time we leave."
The normally energetic ten year old gave me a blank look "And if it doesn't?" he questioned as we set towards the service station, pulling the hood of my jacket over my head and gesturing for Nico to do the same.
"Then we improvise" I replied.
A Protector Until The End
The service station was an incredibly welcome break considering neither Nico or I had eaten that morning and the adrenaline rush from racing through traffic to keep up with the van had dissipated into a gaping hole in my stomach.
I wasn't exactly sure it was a good idea to give the normally energetic ten year old caffeine, so I settled for a breakfast meal deal with a hot chocolate while I got some coffee coupled with a sandwich. Food somehow always tastes so much better when you haven't eaten in almost twenty-four hours.
As far as the plan of checking whether the Beetle was functioning before continuing our pursuit of the van, well… we didn't even get that far.
Surprisingly we managed to get through our meals before Thalia and the others left, but Nico had to take a bathroom break and I was left waiting with my second coffee. The problem started when we were trying to leave the rest stop (which I was trying to do in a hurry seeing as the others left a couple of minutes before), though it should've been more obvious to me that my friends (and those with them) would've been the centre of the onlookers from inside the station and outside.
It took a minute to get past the people blocking the view through the door, seeing as most of the booths where I could see out the window had found themselves taken up. Apparently this station was a lot more popular seeing how quickly the place filled up, though it could've just been morning commuters on the journey to work.
With protests from Nico along the lines of "What's happening?" and "I can't see!" I waded past the people most likely here for morning coffee (it was good coffee) to see what people seemed so interested in watching. What I received was the sight of Zoe Nightshade arguing with a police officer.
"I'm sorry, miss. While your license states you are of legal age to be driving I'd like some other confirmation of age and you can be on your way." The officer sighed, clearly looking exhausted (whether with the conversation or his workload I'd never know). The man had bags under his eyes and the hunch of someone looking ready to drop into a three-day nap.
"And as I have stated, this license confirms I am of age to be driving this automobile!" Zoe ground out, looking blatantly frustrated while the others watched on from nearby.
"And the numerous calls about dangerous driving from a vehicle with that registration could either disagree with your ability to drive or whether you are of age to be driving it, if not both." The officer sighed again "Look, I'm sorry that you seem to be in a hurry to get somewhere but the law's the law and if you can't provide further evidence that you're of age to be driving this vehicle I can't begin to consider letting you drive." I wondered how long he'd been trying to get his point across to Zoe (and maybe that was what had caused most of his apparent exhausting).
Zoe looked beyond frustrated, and from what I'd heard maybe this was how much of a toll Artemis' (who I'd been confirmed was 'the goddess in chains' from the prophecy) capture was putting on her. Or she just liked to be infuriating with everyone for the hell of it.
Either way I'd already resolved in that there wasn't a way this could end well unless someone else (who had both a license and evidence of age, and actually looked his age) stepped in first.
I pulled off my hood and stepped forward, Nico following when he finally realised there was an opening in the crowd. "I'm the driver," I stated.
That's my new record, I thought to myself. Two whole seconds before someone is sending me a death glare and looks ready to kill me.
Ignoring Nightshade's death glare, I focused on the questioning gaze of the officer "Really? That seems to disagree with the," he hesitated for a second (and I understood why) "discussion I've been having with this young woman."
"Sorry," I replied, forcing all my quick thinking instincts that had been refined for battle to help me lie my way out of this as best I could "I'd been sleeping for a while. We've been driving a long way across the country so I let her drive while I took a break." I paused for a second, spotting holes in the story "Her license is real though, I think she's just inexperienced with driving the van." I pulled out my license "There's my license," I told him "If you need further proof of age I only live a short while away, I could run over and have a birth certificate for proof of age within…" I made a show of looking like I was thinking "an hour? Maybe two?"
The officer looked over my license, and I took those seconds to block out the glare from Nightshade and incredibly pointed look from Bianca, while I idly noted there were meant to be five people in their group, not four.
In the officer's exhaustion, he seemed to take a few seconds before my words actually registered with him "No, that won't be necessary" he stated "Everything seems in order, I'd just advise you be more careful about who's driving in future. Have a nice day" he finished with a smile, looking relieved to drag himself towards the service station we'd left to presumably grab one (or several) coffees to make up for his exhaustion. A wave of relief washed over me that he hadn't called my bluff, I wasn't sure I actually had a copy of my birth certificate in my apartment, and who knows how long it would take me to find it.
At the loss of anything of significance occurring, those who were watching from the station's windows or around the street dispersed to go on with their day, leaving me to deal with the visual knives sticking out of my chest.
Zoe took an aggressive step towards me "You dare follow us!" I'd hoped after the police officer I wouldn't have to continue battling through conversation to press forward, but alas it seemed life had other plans.
I shrugged, my hands casually at my sides to show her how little I cared that she was trying to scare me "Evidently, I'm only really good at doing what I'm told if it's what I want to do or I'm agreeing to it in fear. You and the Camp accomplished neither in telling me to stay there."
Zoe growled and her hand darted to her dagger but Thalia caught her wrist, sending me a completely unimpressed look.
Grover glanced between us "Then what are you doing here? Not that it's a bad thing you stopped us getting arrested and we haven't really talked since it was confirmed you aren't a ghost." I gave him a completely confused look "Ghosts freak me out? How else was I meant to explain you suddenly being not dead after Annabeth saw -." He cut himself off, putting a hand over his mouth. Thalia and Zoe both seemed to have stopped themselves to glance at the chattering Satyr as he sped up while talking out of nervousness, Grover definitely hadn't changed much.
I glanced at Nightshade, making sure to keep one eye pinned on her to avoid getting attacked "We're coming with you guys."
That had about the same effect I'd expected – Nightshade turned to glare at me in full force, Thalia was also glaring, but Bianca voiced for both of them "You can't join us – The prophecy said only five of us would go, and people will die." Her eyes went from both of us to me solely "You shouldn't be bringing Nico into this."
"He didn't!" Nico spoke up, drawing gazes back to him "Like you said, people could die. What? and you're happy to go along with that chance?" Bianca was silenced by his sudden vocal-ness about the quest.
Before further argument could occur, I interjected "I didn't force him or ask him, he came to me."
Zoe interjected "I shall not allow it! You will not join us. Even if I did not detest even the notion of being in the company of a dishonourable pig such as yourself the prophecy stated only five would go, not six."
'Or seven' I thought to myself, my gaze darting to nearby where a figure invisible to the eye but clear to my senses stood.
"And I'm guessing going against prophecies or how many people they said should go is going to piss off some higher force?" I questioned.
"Something like that." Thalia replied coldly, looking away from me.
"No one has ever been foolish enough to go against the will of the Gods or their prophecies," Zoe continued.
"I've been called worse than foolish." I replied, unimpressed.
Zoe's face contorted with anger once again "Still you wish to go against our customs? You are an outsider, one that does not belong. Perhaps you would deserve the fate to come upon you should you join us!"
"And if I can save lives in the process then that's all the matters." I replied, watching expressions change in surprise "Apollo called me a 'Breaker of prophecies' like their rules didn't apply to me. If I can join this quest and me being here stops even one person from dying then it's worth it no matter what happens in the end." I stepped forward "I'm joining you no matter what you say, the question is whether I'm in that van or I'm following you down the freeway."
Zoe clenched her fists, but didn't reply. I turned to Bianca "I was at Westover that day looking for the two of you, and I still don't know why. You don't need to worry yourself over him, even if I can tell you will anyway. I'll protect him no matter what, I promise."
Slowly it seemed that each of them relented, grabbing whatever they had from the station and loading it into the van before entering. Thalia didn't say a word, just walked past me like I didn't exist before sitting in shotgun before Zoe roughly forced the keys into my hand, telling me we were 'journeying to Washington' and nothing else before climbing into the back of the van. Nico ran over to the Beetle to grab his bag and whatever I had in the car I'd scraped together for a bag of bare essentials before putting them into the back of the van and sitting awkwardly next to his sister.
It looked like I was in for an interesting sixty mile ride where the person in shotgun was giving me the silent treatment and Nightshade was in the back probably trying to glare a hole through my head.
Just brilliant.
A Protector Until The End
Tap, Tap, Tap.
Pause.
Tap, Tap.
Disinterested glance over.
Tap…Tap, Tap… Tap, Tap, Tap… Tap.
Even if it started out almost seeming random, I'd gradually picked up the pattern Thalia had fallen into as she distractedly tapped, whether on her door, her window or the dashboard. The situation felt like being trapped in a slow cooker – eventually it'd reach boiling point and one of us would start talking.
And apparently I could handle the heat better than Thalia. She lasted in her pattern for about thirty-five minutes into the sixty mile drive to Washington before she spoke. "You've definitely gotten more stubborn with age." She surmised to herself.
I shrugged, keeping my eyes on the road "So I've been told."
"I don't want you here," she confessed angrily "Not after the last time you came with us. But I guess both then and now you just won't listen to me if you get the notion that you're the one people are trying to protect." I knew she'd be angry, I knew it the moment she'd told me they were leaving and the instant I decided I'd follow them.
It didn't take the bite out of her words, or the chord they struck within me.
It seems redundant to say I scowled at the reminder of those torturous months that her words evoked in me. "Maybe that's because of what people putting themselves at risk to protect me means!" I snapped "I hate being protected because it means people think I'm not strong enough to protect myself, and if I'm not strong enough to protect myself then how am I strong enough to protect anyone?" my pent up frustration at the subject spilled the words from my mouth before I'd realised what I was saying "It's not like you'd understand having the power to protect those you care about only to lose it and watch as you become just another face for everyone else to protect!"
The sound of banging from the back of the van interrupted me, accompanied by an irate voice "Slow down, fool! I shan't have you sabotage this quest through your reckless driving!" Nightshade made no indication they'd been listening to Thalia and I argue, but I didn't doubt they could hear it.
Thalia responded like Zoe had never interrupted "I don't understand?" she parroted "Maybe whatever happened to you that you haven't told me affected you but how am I supposed to understand because of exactly that reason?! Maybe you felt powerless but at least you were alive!" In hindsight I get the distinct feeling the only reason Thalia wasn't hitting or electrocuting me was because I was still driving.
I caught myself before I could continue arguing. I could clearly see the emotions crossing Thalia's face. Anger, hurt, sadness, the whole package of emotions built up from a shitty hand dealt by life.
Another ten minutes of silence and Thalia looked like she'd managed to school her emotions back into order. An order where anger was forefront and shown in sideways glares at me. I was practically driving on autopilot towards DC as I had my internal debate before I chose to speak again.
"What was it like?" I asked, fully noticing how calm I sounded despite the still present memories the argument had evoked.
From her position sitting facing almost sideways out the window with just enough of an angle to give me sideways glares she shifted to sit looking forward again but still didn't look at me, simply responding "What?"
I sighed, acknowledging this wasn't the best topic of conversation to broach while she was angry at me. I'd actually been acknowledged instead of outright ignored, so I continued "Dying."
She turned slightly to give me an incredulous look, followed by a glare and words that still held an angered edge "You tell me." She retorted, turning to look out the window once more.
"Like being stabbed through three times in the same instant and not even being able to comprehend the speed at which it happened. Like bleeding from a dozen sword wounds over my body, feeling the blood draining out and slipping out of consciousness. Like having a hand pierce straight through your chest to leave a gaping hole." I replied. It felt strange, both that despite her anger I was telling her this and that I was choosing to confide in her what I'd never told another person.
I continued anyway "Like every time I'm standing on the edge of oblivion with something shoving me over the edge, but at the same time I have chains wrap around my ankles right as I'm about to fall in that drag me back."
Thalia had turned to me at the start of my apparent speech, and after almost a minute of silence she responded with a tone laced in disbelief, incapable of displaying the previous anger. "You – you aren't being metaphoric, are you?"
My body tensed in recollection. Of all the battles I fought somehow the injuries were always what I remembered best – fatal or near fatal wounds that seemed to imprint the memory into my being with a mark so I'd never forget them.
Yet that was always what I'd remembered most. The meagre marks were much more than that, more than a recollection of injuries. They were a recollection of victories and the joy they brought or devastating defeats that kept me going.
"The years since I turned fifteen probably put me at the best and worst I've ever been at in my entire life." I chuckled "It's weird thinking about it – the best parts of my life were spent getting attacked or attacking something or someone else."
Thalia's expression turned confused at my changing expressions before settling into a scowl with her arms crossed over her chest "You've gotten worse at answering questions too."
I smirked "Yeah, well I'm not taking my shirt off to prove I'm not lying."
Once more the conversation was interrupted from the sound of the van being abused "We are to stop soon!" Nightshade commanded.
"A direction would be helpful, or would you prefer if I stopped at the bottom of a lake?" I shouted back, watching Thalia smirk and giggle slightly at the suddenly palpable feeling of murderous intent from Zoe.
"Near the monument." Bianca voiced from the back of the van.
"And will you PLEASE stop ticking off the Hunter with all the pointy objects?! I've nearly been stabbed twice by you irritating her!" Grover bleeted. I completely blanked for a second, I'd almost forgotten Grover was there with how quiet he'd been the entire ride (though if what he said is to be believed he was scared by Zoe brandishing a knife looking contemplative about stabbing me the entire time).
We pulled up to the curb before disembarking. As Thalia and I made to exit the van I said "That conversation isn't over."
"And I'm still not entirely happy that you're here," she smirked "so did that conversation actually accomplish anything?"
Circling to the back of the van I was greeted by the sight of Zoe speaking to Bianca "Are all the supplies accounted for?" I had a distinct feeling she'd start looking significantly more irate the moment I spoke up, so I settled for silence as Nico handed me a backpack with some odds and ends from my car.
"Everything except the half-dozen arrows you snapped glaring at the front of the van." Bianca replied, giving me a pointed look.
Zoe continued as if that went unsaid "Good, then all the provisions are in order."
Nico interjected "Minus the fact Ichigo didn't grab another weapon after he eviscerated the last one," I gave him a totally blank look, feeling my eyebrows twitch. He shrugged with a slight smirk "What?" he questioned innocently "I thought it wasn't possible to kill monsters without the weapons they use at camp?" He seemed to completely miss the fact that the reminder of the previous day's capture the flag game renewed Zoe's glaring.
Thalia sighed in exasperation "Well I did plan on getting this back to you anyway." She rooted around one of the inside pockets of her jacket (which were surprisingly intact given the standard 'Torn to hell' state of her army jacket) before tossing a silver metal rod at me, about the length of my forearm.
I replied bluntly "Well a metal stick to fight monsters is probably more effective than running at it with a chair, so thanks I guess?" Thalia pinched the bridge of her nose and let out another exasperated sigh.
"It was yours back then," she stated "Annabeth gave it to me when she told me what happened -." Grover let out a sort of terror-filled 'eep!' before shoving his fist in his mouth. At the interruption Thalia turned to him in confusion "Why do you do that every time it gets brought up?" she questioned, her gaze holding a dangerous edge against the Satyr.
Grover tried to look casual despite sweating bullets through his obvious lie "No reason." Thalia scoffed and turned back to me "Either way, it's a magic weapon like mine or Seaweed Brain's pen."
I regarded the metal rod, which didn't feel out of place in my grip "Please tell me there's no 'On' switch or something stupid I have to say for it to change." I still needed to get Kisuke back for that stupid outfit back when he first trained me.
Thalia gave me a questioning look, seemingly filling the strange question away for later "Each magical item is different. You never really told me how it worked."
I shrugged, placing the rod so it was held by my belt "Well I'll just have to improvise until I figure that out."
Zoe wasted no time once I finished that statement "Good," she responded "This has delayed us enough. Where does the trail lead, Satyr?"
Grover didn't look at all affected that he was being addressed by what he was as opposed to by name, instead pointing towards the mall "The trail leads that way." Thalia nodded, and we set off.
We'd crossed maybe a hundred meters towards where Grover was pointing us before I felt his presence just prick slightly into my range. I'd seen the black Sedan a couple of times through the rear view mirrors in the van, but I'd simply dismissed it as someone else travelling from New York to Washington. Now, I had no such delusions.
Thorn had been tailing us, most likely the entire time. We were undoubtedly walking straight into a trap.
I slightly moved forward in the group, past Bianca detailing to her younger brother (despite his protests that I'd already had all the same lectures when we'd been following them) what he was to do should things get too dangerous. I reached the head of the group, where Grover was leading with Thalia and Zoe only a pace behind him (thankfully not making moves to try to talk to, or kill, each other).
I spotted our apparent destination ahead when Grover pointed to it, one of the landmarks I'd originally planned to visit when I missed Washington and ended up in Vegas. To me it only raised the question of what led Artemis into the Air and Space Museum though.
I pushed the distraction aside, keeping my voice low, in hopes that if he could hear us from the distance he'd kept that he wouldn't realise I was onto him. "We've got a tail." I stated.
Thalia gave me a completely puzzled look "What?" she questioned.
Zoe's eyes narrowed "If I am not mistaken that is the modern term used to say we've been followed. Another person you've dragged along to interrupt this quest?" she questioned impatiently. It'd probably help if she'd stop treating me like a complete distraction to the quest, but it'd be easier to not start an argument now.
Actually, it would be much easier to start an argument now, but I had no intention of tipping Thorn off. "The Manticore from Westover," I stated "He's been tailing us in a Sedan, probably since we got out of Manhattan."
Zoe sent me a sideways glare, finally getting the point and lowering her voice "And you didn't think to notify us of this until now?!"
I scowled "Cool it, Nightshade. He's only just gotten in my sensory range, and even then it was for a second, probably an accidently misstep." She glowered at me but seemed to relent the point.
Thalia responded "So what do we do about him?"
I stopped talking to think. Back then Thorn had confirmed he was working for someone else, but he'd also confirmed at Westover that he wasn't good enough to take us out. If I understood anything from displays of how Aizen had treated his Espada, a failure like that wouldn't go without damage to whatever reputation he held – despite Artemis and her Hunters intervening he'd failed his objective, so it was unlikely he'd been sent to stop or kill us. He'd be a delay at best, yet he hadn't taken the initiative to attack, and if he wanted to ambush us the smarter option would've been to get here before us to set up said ambush in advance. That left only one considerable option.
"He's meeting someone, alerting them to our presence. That's the only option that makes sense where he'd get sent after us." I explained.
"Does that mean Luke is here too?" Thalia replied, a look of conflicting emotions displaying across her features.
"I don't know. What I do know is that Thorn was the one that took Annabeth," I prompted.
"And with the likelihood of events being connected that may also be where we find milady." Zoe responded.
I blanked "Yeah, that's what I was going for." I stated completely dishonestly. With Thorn's reappearance I saw a chance to honour my promise to Percy by finding out where he'd taken Annabeth, but if the current path I was on led that way anyway, all the better.
Speaking of Percy, I turned in the general direction of the still-invisible presence I felt, assuring that he was still following us. He was.
"Yet that plan still entails capturing that detestable creature to get what we seek. And what if he is little more than a pawn to his masters," he was, but that didn't mean he wouldn't have information "it could unnecessarily delay our quest. Or need I remind you we are still on a time limit?" Zoe continued.
I faltered, altering my makeshift plan "Then the rest of you keep following her trail. I'll get whatever I can from Thorn and meet back up with you."
Thalia turned on me "No way. I'm not leaving you. We don't know who it is he's meeting or how dangerous this could get." The defiance in her eyes said more than she'd ever be willing to about this.
Zoe scowled fiercely "You never could leave them. And if this trail leads to nothing? He is not part of the five, he can be left. You cannot, yet you would waste valuable time on what could be a fruitless endeavour?!" I was immensely surprised Thorn hadn't caught onto us by now, but the arguing had slowed our pace and Thorn seemed incredibly vigilant to stay out of my sensory range.
"And so what if I'm not willing to throw away someone important to me to be more powerful?!" Thalia shouted "At least I'm being true to myself!"
They both looked about ready to start throwing punches, so I chose to interject (AGAIN). "On that point, we're getting close to the Museum so it's now or never time. Thalia and I will grab Thorn and get what he knows and meet back with you in Air and Space. If it turns out that this delays us you can personally stick an arrow in my chest, or a dozen. I'm following my gut on this; this is a good course of action."
Zoe continued to scowl "And if it gets thy guts spilled you are out of my hair all the sooner."
I chose to take that as agreement, ignoring the rest of her statement. As we ascended the steps to the Air and Space Museum I felt Thorn skim the edge of my presence once more. He didn't seem like we'd alerted him, simply that he was in a hurry.
As soon as I was sure he'd moved so we were out of his field of vision I turned to follow him, Thalia following wordlessly. If anything we were incredibly lucky it was a cold winter morning and school wasn't in session, and that people weren't best interested in being around museums at this point in the morning. It made it a whole lot less problematic for any passers-by that could see us as quietly as possible try to catch up to Thorn, who seemed to distracted by whatever meeting he was heading to.
His apparent distress at being late left him wide open for my next move, and quicker than he could react or transform to start slinging spikes I had the metal rod held against his neck, gripped by both hands so I was effectively choking him.
He cough and tried to fight back, but I guess taking on a human appearance limited his physical strength, plus the rod seemed to be… burning him? (as well as severely limiting his oxygen supply).
Whatever the effect my new weapon seemed to be having, it added all the more incentive to listen to me when I released him. "I'm going to make this simple." I stated, and he tensed in recognition of my voice. "You're going to tell me where you took Annabeth, and you're gonna tell me who you're here to meet. Otherwise I guess it depends whose patience runs out first," I turned him slightly "mine or hers. Or do you have a preference who does the hitting?"
His apparent fear led way to complete compliance "I don't know where the girl was taken! I just delivered her to The General!"
"This 'General'" I responded "Is he the one you're meeting here?" I tightened my grip, the rod burning back into his neck.
"Yes!" he choked out "Inside the Museum of Natural History!" his accent was less understandable among his panic, but I barely understood what he was saying, if it wasn't already obvious the Museum was his location seeing as I'd grabbed him on the steps of said museum.
"I don't like this." Thalia stated "He's giving what he knows too easily." She levelled her gaze against me "It's a trap, it has to be."
Thorn choked "Ignorant girl!" I tightened my grip "You'd be just as quick to spill your guts if it meant this infernal stick would stop burning your being!"
Thalia looked ready to protest or just as quickly bring out her spear and destroy Thorn, but she met my gaze and I winked, trying to silently communicate for her to go along with it. I knew Thorn was lying – a normal human might've been that quick to answer but he was a monster, and as I'd been told they didn't really die, they were just sent to Tartarus before reforming in the real world some time later. That, and Thorn was a truly terrible actor, his fearful expression minutely inching into a grin when he thought he wasn't being watched.
I released Thorn, shoving him forward "Well if you don't want this thing beating you to death I guess you're introducing us to this 'General' you speak so highly of." Thorn put on a fake show of reluctance, before walking ahead of us into the Museum, past the signs labelling it as closed for a private event.
I turned to Thalia "Time to walk into the lion's den."
"Are you sure about this?" she questioned, looking hesitant about what it was we could be walking into, which ironically sounded the same as what she'd feared would happen if I took on Thorn alone.
"As sure as I am about anything." I replied, following Thorn into the Museum, Thalia keeping pace with me. Thorn's rush to stay several paces ahead was a clear indicator that he didn't actually hold a high rank in the supposed army he was part of, or the entire army was filled with incompetent goons.
"That was… dark. What you did before," Thalia replied "I don't think I could ever picture you doing something like that back then."
"And before I remembered anything I couldn't picture you shooting lightning or charging at people with a gorgon shield." I supplied. "Having to fight for your life on a daily basis changes a person. What matters is that you don't lose yourself to it."
"I guess so." She responded. "From what I've seen you're pretty good at that part."
My thoughts darkened. Maybe I was, but I wouldn't fail to forget when I had lost myself, and that monster brutally maimed and killed Ulquiorra.
"What's up with this thing, anyway?" I questioned, waving the metal rod "I didn't have this in that memory on the bridge, and I thought all the weapons you guys used were bronze?"
"The bridge was a couple of weeks after we left your home in Manhattan," she replied "I don't think we have the time now for me to tell you the full story of how you got it, but as far as what it's made of Chiron surmised it was some kind of enchanted silver he'd never seen before."
I fell silent after that, Thorn was leading us into a larger chamber of the Museum, and I felt an almost oppressive power emanating from it. I needed to figure out how to change this weapon, NOW.
Thorn led us to a set of doors, gesturing to a pair of normal-looking guards, though I was unsure whether they were normal humans or more monsters in disguise. Any intelligent person would've clearly recognised this as a trap and fled. I kept going, at least slightly assured if I was about to get us killed I was in good company (even if one of them was invisible).
Thorn gestured us through the doors, making a false face of fear – like he was still doing this because he was having his life threatened.
"You're late, Thorn." A voice rumbled from across the chamber, taking the Manticore's attention away from us.
He turned to look upwards, presumably at someone on a higher balcony to reply to the voice "Yes, General," Thalia and I stepped into the chamber, and I was completely unsurprised by the sounds of the doors slamming behind us, instead testing if forcing Reiatsu into the rod would transform it. No dice.
Thorn's hesitance led way to an arrogant, sickening grin as he spun towards us quickly, his form already shifting as he turned and leaped, unfaltering in the middle of his sentence. I raised the rod, hoping the stupid thing would get the point before this turned into a fight. "But I have brought you prison-." He was cut off. I'd charged forward into a frantic swing of the rod down towards him, and the metal seemed to… liquefy, changing from a solid rod into a mass of silver fluid, before re-solidifying into a blade that bisected the Manticore an instant after he'd changed into his form, reducing him to dust that dissipated into the air.
Instinctually, I willed the arm-length silver blade to return to its previous form and it did, 'sheathed' back in my belt in a fluid motion that felt like flaring a long unused synapse towards an action that I could definitely state was once muscle memory.
In the second of silence that followed, I surveyed the room around us. Before us stood a dozen gray-skinned men, and I used that term very loosely. Behind their standard, military-like clothing their grey skin was almost see-through, showing yellow bones underneath. The almost-men didn't move, didn't twitch and didn't even seem to breathe. The only other person on the bottom floor was a slightly unnerved looking man standing near them, no doubt unnerved by whatever his mind registered my destroying of Thorn as.
The second layer balcony around the room hosted more than the first. A dozen or so men, sharing a similar uniform to the man on the first floor with us and the men outside – a group? Probably tricked with the Mist or paid well enough to overlook anything they saw. Joining the dozen armed men where the highlighting figures of the room.
Two female-like figures that were practically identical flanked the others on each side, both with reptilian appearances and predatory eyes narrowed since we'd entered the room.
In the centre was undoubtedly the one Thorn had named as 'The General'. He definitely struck an imposing figure, given his build wasn't dissimilar of Kenpachi Zaraki, but I don't think Kenpachi would ever be caught dead in a suit. The similarities with the captain of Squad Eleven ended there. The main had slicked-back black hair and light brown skin, and it seemed he possessed neither the manic grin nor the bloodthirsty 'Attack first, ask questions never' attitude of the Kenpachi.
The figure next to him… his appearance immediately gave me an inkling of who he was, yet I was the one who thought that I was looking at a ghost. His pale skin was only a few shades away from the same grey as the Not-Men in front of us, and the nasty scar across his lip looked relatively new from where I was standing. But the blue eyes the gleamed with an underlying anger was just as confirming as the ensuing conversation.
"Thalia?" the teen, definitely my age if not slightly older, questioned.
Thalia's tone was grim. "Luke." She stated.
"And Ichigo Kurosaki in tow," the rumbling voice of The General interrupted "I must say, while Thorn was most certainly not the most competent monster in my army, he did well as a final act of bringing the two of you to me."
I gave The General my unwavering gaze, a way of telling him his stature or tone weren't going to make me fear him in the slightest.
Luke switched his gaze between The General and I, and all I could wonder was what had led my friend down this path, one that led to the betrayal of all that he'd once been passionate about defending. "There must be some mistake here." His tone was laced in disbelief "This," he gestured a hand to me "Can't be Ichigo Kurosaki. He died seven years ago."
The General dismissed him with a wave "And so did Thalia Grace. Her detestable father preserved her, but Ichigo? He was preserved by something much more impressive." He had an aura of confidence, like all of this would stay in the palm of his hand no matter what way it played out.
"Then how about you go ahead and enlighten me on how you're so convinced I'd ever be of any use to someone like you?" I interrupted.
The General sighed, an entertained smirk splayed on his face "Ah, the impudence of someone who would bow to no one. What I'm offering is the power to change the world itself? After all of the battles you fought you can't honestly tell me you haven't seen first-hand the futility of fighting a battle that will never end? If you were to join us you'd have whatever your greatest desire is granted."
My response was instantaneous "I'm thinking right now my greatest desire is to come up there and wipe the smirk of your face. But I'll settle for this; tell me where you took Annabeth and the Goddess, or things get ugly, fast."
He laughed "You show a lot of bravado for someone rendered as powerless as a mere mortal, Heaven Piercer," he mocked.
"I'd still prefer to bet on me than some wannabe statue and someone that abandoned everyone who ever cared about him." I retorted, shifting my gaze to Luke to watch his contort with anger.
Given he'd only just been faced with the realisation I was alive and well, Luke was incredibly quick to react in an angered tone, laced in venom "And who are you to judge me?" he retorted, the anger contorting his ghostly-pale features. "Where were you while the rest of us mourned Thalia, trapped in that tree by her father? Where were you when we still had to fight for our lives?" his anger had driven his questions into shouted statements, like he was demanding to know every possible answer I could give to each of his questions.
That didn't stop my own anger, and my own doubts from rising at his next statement.
"If it weren't for you, she'd never have been trapped there in the first place! You were the one that slowed us down! If we'd never met you…" he trailed off, letting the statement hang.
I hung my head, not daring to look Thalia in the eyes. The same thoughts had been crossing my mind since I'd gotten the whole story of what happened, and I think I felt I deserved to be blamed like Luke was doing.
"You can still join us, Thalia." Luke had quieted down to a normal volume, perhaps taking my silence as a victory for him. "Remember all those nights, when we cursed our fathers for the hands dealt to us in life because of them? We have the power to overthrow them, to rule how we want to. In five days we can march on Olympus and remove them from their thrones. You can be the one that fulfils the Great Prophecy." I felt the human presences from the upper level filling down, moving to points throughout the edge of the room.
The General sighed in the background "If only it was that easy. We still need the Heaven Piercer, however." Luke made no response to The General's statement, but if the fact Luke had no idea I was still alive was any indication it seemed like these two had completely different plans.
No matter what was said next, we were surrounded, and they had guns.
"All you have to do is say yes." Luke had followed the soldiers down, and was standing in front of Thalia with his hand held out, less than a meter away from me.
"Please say yes," Luke's voice wavered "If you don't…" his voice faded off, and I wasn't sure if it was a threat or he was genuinely afraid of what would happen if she didn't join him.
"Abandon your fear." I spoke, ignoring those around me while I recalled the words I'd lived by "Move forward and never stop." They had guns, but their plans seemed to hinge on Thalia and me joining them, whether by choice or by force "Look back and you will age." But that meant they needed us alive. "Hesitate and…" the soldiers were normal humans, and inspection showed immensely lower Reiatsu than any other being in the room, and the Not-Men had moved around to flank them, standing closer than the soldiers currently were, forming an even tighter circle. Percy had edged around us, and was standing on the other side of Luke. I turned to Luke, glaring in full force not at him, but past him, trying to give a silent indication that it was do or die time before I adjusted my glare to Luke finished my mantra "You will die."
And then I slammed my fist into his jaw, and all hell broke loose.
…..Damn. Writing an AN is a lot harder when I can't think of what to say because I finished writing this chapter a while ago and I'm partway into writing the next one.
That being said – plot development (and a dick-move cliffhanger :P), getting into some of the better parts I think I've written so far. Other than that I have no idea what I want to say purely due to being out of practice in writing Author's Notes.
Guest
Do you think you'll give Ichigo his normal soul reaper powers back or the dual bladed powers?
I'm not telling anything. You're just gonna have to wait like everybody else.
Review or PM with any questions you might have, especially seeing as I have no idea if there's anything I should be explaining in this AN.
See ya next time :D