Emily's pov
Emily felt better knowing that Bob was here, yes Emily knows of odd and weird that sounds, even down here in Tartarus. But what else could she say, she knows that he was here before and there might be a chance he could remember this place from his former life. But who else could they count on at the moment other than each other to get through this pit, all of them know that they needed a guide and someone else to help them. Bob was their only hope in that respect, they followed Bob through the wasteland tracing the route of the Phlegethon as they approached the storm front of darkness, sometimes that the five of them stopped to drink the firewater of which helped kept them alive, or at leas Emily, Steve, Annabeth and Percy did. Emily would conjure up food when she was able, of which wasn't very much but it was better than just the firewater. Emily's only comfort was Steve, not that it would been bad with only Percy and Annabeth, it was just nice knowing that someone she knows well was with her as oppose to a couple that she hardly knows. Steve kept her close to him as they walked that Steve spoke softly.
"Are you sure he knows what he is doing?"
"Yes, even with his memory loss." Emily heard Percy telling Annabeth a similar thing as she told Steve.
"You have interesting friends." Bob turned and grinned.
"Bob is interesting! Yes, thank you!" Annabeth spoke casual and friendly.
"So, Bob … How did you get to Tartarus?"
"I jumped." Emily was surprised when Bob said that, it seems that Percy, Annabeth and Steve were just surprised as well.
"You jumped into Tartarus, because Percy said your name?"
"He needed me. She also needed me." His silver eyes gleamed in the darkness. When he said the last part that he looked at Emily. "It is okay. Bib enjoyed his time there, Rachel been good to Bob, Bob felt he repay his debt for Rachel's kindness. Besides Bob needed to do something. Come along! We are almost at a rest stop." Annabeth looked at Emily in surprise as Bob said that but she seem happy knowing that they will have a rest stop down here in Tartarus, Emily was glad to hear about the rest stop as well. Emily knew it was a crazy risk that they taking with following Bob but what what other options do they have. Besides with Emily here that it was unlikely that Bob was going to turn his back on them, for Emily did her best that Bob would be treated fair. The five of them picked their way across the ashen wasteland as red lightning flashed overheard in the poisonous clouds. It seems like just any other day in this dungeon that they fell into, though Emily was unsure of how long they have been here for. As Emily looked around that she could remember reading different descriptions of Tartarus.
One that it was a bottomless pit, she knows that was one incorrect description even before falling into this place. If this was the void of where Chaos is, than yes Emily would believe that it is an bottomless pit or an empty place. Even an endless void would fit the void better than putting it with Tartarus, though Emily never been there before. She also heard that it was a fortress surrounded by brass walls. The one that was most accurate was that Tartarus was the opposite of the sky, a huge hollow upside down dome of rock. That there was multiple layers, each one darker and less hospital able than the last, that it doesn't have a real bottom to it. But that was not the full horrible truth of this place, no one could put this miserableplace into words, Emily knows she couldn't. She was in Tartarus in person, she was unsure of how to put this place into words as she walked further into Tartarus. They passed a blister in the ground, a writhing, translucent bubble the size of a minivan and curled up inside was a half formed body of a drakon. Bob speared the blister without a second though it burst in a geyser of steaming yellow slime and the drakon dissolved into nothing. Bob just kept walking as if that was nothing new about that, after a while, Bob stopped walking and spoke.
"Here." They stopped at the top of a ridge, below them in a sheltered depression like a moon crater. There in the middle of the moon crater stood a ring of broken black marble columns surrounding a dark stone altar.
"Hermes's shrine." Percy frowned. Emily panicked slightly since Bob came down, if Bob could remember this, what else could he remember. True she been worried of what he might remember but she was even more worried now about that and how fast his memories could come back.
"A Hermes shrine in Tartarus?" Bob laughed in delight
"Yes. It fell from somewhere long ago. Maybe mortal world. Maybe Olympus. Anyway, monsters steer clear. Mostly."
"How did you know it was here?" Bob's smile faded and he got a vacant look in his eyes, Emily could tell he was trying to remember of how he knows about the shrine but couldn't.
"Can't remember."
"That's okay." They climbed into the crater and entered the circle of columns, Annabeth collapsed on a broken slab of marble. Emily collapsed a little further in as well as Steve. Percy stood over Annabeth protectively and was scanning their surroundings. The inky storm front was less than a hundred away now, it was obscuring everything ahead of them. The crater's rim blocked their view of the wasteland behind, they would be hidden but Emily was worried that if monsters stumbled across them that they would have no warning of the attack.
"You said someone was chasing us. Who?" Emily watched as Bob swept his broom around the base of the altar, crouching at times to study the ground as if he was looking for something.
"They are following, yes. They know you are here. Giants and Titans. The defeated ones. They know." Emily panicked, she did help defeat some of the titans and giants, but she was sure that Annabeth and Percy defeated a lot more of the than Emily ever did.
"Why are we stopping, then? We should keep moving."
"Soon. But mortals need rest. Good place here. Best place for … oh, long, long way. I will guard you." Annabeth glanced at Percy, Emily knows that Annabeth felt income table about this so Emily spoke up.
"Annabeth." She looked over at Emily before she went on. "We been here down here long enough to know that this is dangerous and we haven't rested much since we got here. I know you not comfortable with this. But he did save us, if he can do that, he can guard us." Annabeth seem to relax a little but an Percy spoke making Annabeth relax even more.
"You sleep, I'll keep the first watch with Bob."
"Yes, good. When you wake, food should be here!" Emily curled up against one of the slabsas well as Steve, as she closed her eyes that she could hear Percy and Annabeth before Annabeth's fell asleep.
"Percy, wake me for second watch. Don't be a hero."
"Who, me? Sleep." At the last word that Emily feel asleep.
Emily knew that demigod dreams were bad, sometimes Emily will have dreams of a demigod's past life or something of the future, maybe, or even of her own past. This dream was that of another demigod's past, one that she didn't want to see at all or even was aware about. She was back at the Hydra Base of where she found Bucky and the howling commandos were working on the plane that Steve crashed much later. It looked they were building rockets, she could see Bucky of who was working on one of the rocket things. Bucky looked rather weak but he was in better shape than she found him a while later. What looked like the commander or something started to hit Bucky with a baton or something making Emily winced as she watched of what was happening. The scene shift, the scene showed of an accident of that same man who beat Bucky died in the accident. Emily watched as Bucky seem to be getting worse in the next few days, it seems that Bucky has pneumonia. She watched as Bucky was taken away by the HYDRA guards while the howling commandos tried to stop them from taking Bucky.
The scene shifted once more, but this time it was the train that they took Zola from, she watched as Bucky and Steve went inside the train car. She knew what was going to happen for Steve told her of what happened, Bucky and Steve started to fight as three HYDRA soldiers started to attack them. Steve tossed a gun over to Bucky before he pushed one of the containers at the last HYDRA soldier, Bucky managed to shot the HYDRA soldier as the soldier moved out of the way of that container. But the soldier that Steve knocked out, in the other car, got up and started to shot at them, Steve managed to block the fire but he hit the wall of the train and he fire blasted an opening on the other side of the train. Bucky picked up the shield and shot at the solider, but the soldier shot again and it hit the shield once more. Bucky dropped the shield from he force of the shot and fell through the hole that was made earlier from the first shot made at Steve. Steve throw the shield at the soldier before taking off the helmet before climbing out to get to Bucky. As Bucky tried to reach out with only inches from Steve's hand that the handle that Bucky was holding came off. Bucky fell down towards the ravine and water below.
Emily cried out, causing herself to to wake up from the dream she was having, she felt someone grasping her and she calmed herself down. She looked up at Steve of who was looking at her rather worried, Emily didn't say anything, instead she sat up and hugged Steve tightly. He hugged her back but didn't say anything, Emily figured that he was concern of what happened or what she was dreaming about. She knew that what she was dreaming about was in the past, but with what she saw bothered her greatly. For Emily saw Bucky get beaten up, being forced to make rockets, caught pneumonia, and fell off the train when they went to capture Zola. Emily was more grateful that her brother was here, instead of just her, Percy, Annabeth and Bob. For she wasn't sure if she could hug them like she was doing with Steve at the moment. The only others she hugged like this was Lauren, Bucky, Phil and her half siblings through her adoption by Hades. Suddenly Annabeth cried out and grasped Percy's arms.
"It's okay, Bad dreams?" When Percy said that, that Emily sat up more properly as well as Steve.
"If that is the case she wasn't the only one that has bad dreams. You know I am not sure if I want to go to sleep down here again." Annabeth looked at her and her look said it all, that Annabeth agreed with that fact.
"Is it – is it my turn to watch?"
"No, no. We're good. I let you sleep."
"Percy!"
"Hey, it's fine. Besides, I was too excited to sleep. Look." Bob was sitting cross legged by the altar, happily munching a piece of pizza. Emily rubbed her eyes, she knew she can conjure food but she was sure that she didn't conjure that pizza that Bob was eating.
"Is that … pepperoni?"
"Burnt offerings. Sacrifices to Hermes from the mortal world, I guess. They appeared in a cloud of smoke. We've got half a hot dog, some grapes, a plate of roast beef and a package of peanut M&M's."
"M&M's for Bob! Uh, that okay?" Emily didn't protest as Steve brought over a plate of roast beef, as well as bits of the hot dog and some grapes for Emily. Emily and Steve wolfed it down, sure Emily managed to conjure some food but it wasn't enough to stop the hunger that they have. Emily could conjure up a feast if she wanted to, but down here she was unsure if she was able to do that, just growing her poppy made Emily tired as well as conjuring the food that they had already. All of the food was still hot, not only that but it taste like food from Camp Halfblood. It seems that Percy and Annabeth noticed that as well. For Emily noticed the loo Annabeth gave Percy and Percy spoke up.
"I know, I think it is from Camp Half-Blood." Emily did wondered, from time to time, where the food went to when the demigods burned the offerings, but she never realized that some of it would come to Tartarus of which was odd to think about.
"Peanut M&M's, Connor Stoll always burned a pack for his dad at dinner." Emily leaned back before closing her eyes and thought of her time at Camp Halfblood and nearly chuckled, she knows that during World War II that she seem so serious of which she was and she needed to be during the missions and the other things to do with the war. But when she wasn't on duty that she never gets bored, she wasn't what you call a party goer, she was more of a prankster. Emily and Lauren were like the Stoll twins during their time at Camp Halfblood or like the Weasley twins when the Weasley twins were at Hogwarts. That trait still lives on in her to this day and she believes that is what partly helped her throughout the years, it was something that she sort of planted in Arabella. Emily opened her eyes when Percy put his hand on Annabeth's shoulder.
"Hey, this is good. Actual food from home, right?" Annabeth nodded before the five of them finished eating in silence. Emily could feel her strength returning somewhat when she ate the food, but she knows she wasn't at her full strength of yet. She was sure that the others felt strengthen but not quite up to their usual selves, expect for Bob since he been here before. Bob clomped down the last of his M&M.
"Should go now. They will be here in a few minutes."
"A few minutes?" Annabeth picked up the dagger Emily gave to her before she sheath the dagger in the scabbard. Bob scratched his head.
"Yes … well, I think minutes … Time is hard in Tartarus. Not the same." Percy went to the edge of the crater and peered back the way they came from.
"I don't see anything, but that doesn't mean much. Bob, which giants are we talking about? Which Titans?"
"Not sure of names. Six, maybe seven. I can sense them."
"Six or seven? And can they sense you?"
"Don't know. Bob is different! But they can smell demigods, yes. You four smell very strong. Good strong. Like … hmm. Like buttery bread!"
"Buttery bread; Well, that's great."
"Yeah, well, I didn't need to know that" Percy climbed back to the altar.
"Is it possible to kill a giant in Tartarus? I mean, since we don't have a god to help us?" Percy looked to Annabeth and Emily, Emily wasn't sure if they could or not. But it was Annabeth that spoke.
"Percy, I don't know. Travelling in Tartarus, fighting monsters here … it's never been done before. Maybe Bob could help us kill a giant? Maybe a Titan would count as a god? I just don't know." Percy looked at Emily and Emily shook her head.
"I can only repeat of what Annabeth said. The only ones who can say for sure about anything we are facing are Nico and Arabella but they were captured. Not only that but they are not with us."
"Yeah. Okay." Emily could see the worry in Steve's and Percy's eyes, Emily always has a back up plan if something failed with Steve's plan. It was clear Steve was counting on both Annabeth and Emily as well as Percy, but this was something she didn't have an answer for. She never been through Tartarus before, for Tartarus was a dangerous place for a demigod as well as a prison for monsters and immortals. But she was sure of one thing that they have to keep moving, Emily looked back Bob. At the moment that Bob was cleaning up their mess from when they ate not too long ago.
"Where to now?" Percy pointed at the stormy wall of darkness.
"Bob says that way. Apparently the Doors of Death –"
"You told him?" Emily rolled her eyes when Annabeth said that, sure it sounded like Percy was being dumb but they needed a guide to get to the doors. Bob won't be able to tell them of where to go if he doesn't know where they are going, of which was to the doors. Annabeth sounded worried when she said that causing Percy to wince.
"While you were asleep, Annabeth, Bob can help. We need a guide." Steve spoke up.
"Percy is right, we will need a guide in order to get to the doors and Bob can help with that."
"Bob helps! Into the Dark Lands. The Doors of Death … hmm, walking straight to them would be bad. Too many monsters gathered there. Even Bob could not sweep that many. They would kill Percy and Annabeth in about two seconds. I think seconds. Time is hard in Tartarus."
"Right. So is there another way?"
"Hiding. The Death Mist could hide you."
"Oh … Uh, what is Death Mist?"
"It is dangerous, But if the lady will give you Death Mist it might hide you. If we can avoid Night. The lady is very close to Night. That is bad." When Bob said night that Emily panicked when Bob said that, she thought the oldest of the oldest were asleep or faded, she didn't know that Night was still around. Emily was aware of who Bob was talking about, the lady with the death mist and she wasn't sure if that goddess would help them or not.
"The lady."
"Yes." Bob pointed ahead of them into the inky blackness. "We should go." Emily looked at Percy and Annabeth of who glanced at each other, Emily knows that they have to move forward but she wasn't sure about this death mist that Bob spoke of. Emily heard of it, but she never been though it and she wasn't sure if she wanted to, but she couldn't think of anything better than what Bon was suggesting.
"Okay, then, I guess we'll see a lady about some Death Mist."
"Wait." Emily raised an eyebrow when Annabeth said that, she wondered what Annabeth was thinking as Annabeth looked at her black altar.
"Annabeth?" Annabeth walked to the pile of trash and picked out a clean napkin.
"Bob, offerings burned in the mortal world appear on this altar, right?" Bob frowned uncomfortably.
"Yes?"
"So what happens if I burn something on the altar here?"
"Uh …"
"That's all right, You don't know. Nobody knows, because it's never been done." Emily walked over to Annabeth.
"What are you thinking, Annabeth?" Before Annabeth could respond that Percy spoke.
"Annabeth? You're planning something. You've got that I'm planning something look."
"I don't have an I'm planning something look."
"Yeah, you totally do. Your eyebrows knit and your lips press together and –" Steve spoke at that moment.
"I don't know you well but I know you enough to know that you do have that I'm planning something look." Emily looked over at Steve when he said that.
"Like you never got that look before." Steve smiled sheepishly when Emily said that, for Emily say that loo on Steve's face plenty of times before, during the war. than Annabeth spoke to Percy.
"Do you have a pen?"
"You're kidding, right?" Percy pulled out riptide, Emily rolled her eyes, as far as she knows that he can't write with that pen. So Emily spoke.
"Like that will work, Percy." Steve looked like he was close of laughing, Emily will have to add this moment on one of her strange or weird moments in her demigod life. Along with running through the labyrinth with two hellhounds, Briares and a three thousand year old man machine. As well as when she ran down into Camp Jupiter on Thron and Bucky was sitting behind her, Percy on Blackjack, Hazel on Arion, Frank turned into a bird, as well as having Ella the harpy and Tyson the cyclops.
"Yes, but can you actually write with it?"
"I – I don't know, Never tried." Percy uncapped the pen, as usual it sprang into a full sized sword.
"What if you touch the cap to the other end of the sword? Like where you'd put the cap if you were actually going to write with the pen."
"Uh …" Percy looked doubtful but he touched the cap to the hilt of the sword. Riptide shrank back into a ballpoint pen, but the writing point was exposed.
"May I?" Annabeth plucked it from his hand, she flattened the napkin against the altar and began to write, the ink glowed Celestial bronze.
"What are you doing?"
"That is what I want to know as well."
"Sending a message, I just hope Rachel gets it."
"Rachel? You mean our Rachel? Oracle of Delphi Rachel?"
"That's the one." Emily smiled lightly, Emily remembers before Rachel become the oracle that she was interested in Percy. Annabeth finished her note, before Annabeth finished it that Emily stepped up and looked at it. Emily than took the pen and wrote a little message to make sure that nothing could happen, hopefully. Than Annabeth folded the napkin before she wrote on the outside of the napkin.
Connor,
Give this to Rachel. Not a prank. Don't be a moron.
Love,
Annabeth
Emily hoped that this works, from reading the letter that small group of Romans haven't given up of trying to kill the Greeks yet. It seems that Reyna might be trying to stop with some of the legion to protect the Greeks and try to bring peace. She needed to make sure that they knew better and hopefully what Annabeth told Reyna, in the letter, that the rift would be healed with the statue. But that doesn't mean that Emily wouldn't curse that small group of Romans, that followed James, when she find them.
"Now I just need to burn it, Anybody got a match?" The point of Bob's spear shot from his broom handle, it sparked against the altar and erupted in silvery fire. "Uh, thanks." Annabeth lit the napkin and set it on the altar, Emily watched it crumpled to ash, she wondered if the message would make it out of Tartarus. Emily hopes so, she really does.
"We should go now. Really, really go. Before we are killed." Emily looked at the wall of blackness in front of them, somewhere in there was a goddess who dispensed a death mist that might hide them from the monsters.
"Right, I'm ready." When they entered the storm front that the others had to rely on the light of the glow of their weapons and Bob. Emily thought she might have needed to rely on that light to but her hades powers were still there and she could see clearly throughout the darkness. Oppose to when she was walking towards of when she couldn't see anything in the storm of darkness. But it seem that Tartarus has some effect on her powers for at times rocks would loom out of nowhere, pits appeared at their feet. Monstrous roars echo in the gloom, it was hard to tell of where the echoes or roars were coming from. But one thing was for sure, that was the fact that the terrain was still sloping down, it seem like that Tartarus just slops down and down. Down seem to be the only direction allows in Tartarus, a couple of times that Emily tried stepping back just to see what will happen. When Emily did that, that she felt tired and heavy as if gravity was increasing to discourage her, and the others, from going back. Emily saw it before Annabeth did, apparently Annabeth was deep in thought that she didn't notice the ledge.
"Whoa!" Percy grabbed for Annabeth's arm but Annabeth was already falling, but she didn't fall too far through. For most of it was filled with a monster blister, Emily looked down and gasp when she saw of who was forming inside the blister. Annabeth realized this too, for she screamed and flailed before she toppled sideways off of the mound. Percy helped Annabeth to her feet. "You okay?" Emily forced herself not to scream as she looked of who was in the bubble. In front of them was a fully formed Titan in golden armor, his skin was the color of polished pennies but his eyes were closed. He was scowled so deeply that he appears to be on the verge of a bloodcurdling war cry, Emily could feel the heat radiating from his body even through the bubble. It was Steve who spoke.
"Who is that?"
"Hyperion, I hate that guy." Emily remembered what happen during the battle of Manhattan, Percy summoned up his first hurricane. Emily and Thor helped to some degree.
"I thought Grover turned this guy into a maple tree."
"Yeah. Maybe the maple tree died, and he wound up back here?"
"Maybe it's still there. But his essence returned here so he could reform." Emily glanced Bob, Bob was studying Hyperion with a frown of concentration or recognition. Emily wondered if Bob was remembering any more of his former life.
"Bob, we should go."
"Gold, not silver, But he looks like me." Emily walked up to Bob and spoke softly.
"That is is Hyperion, he is one of your kind Bob. You use to know him at one point, but you lost your memories." Bob seem shock but Emily went on. "Out of your kind you were the most gentle before losing your memories. Honestly after you lost your memories that you showed who you are really. You are on of the most caring and kind of your kind as well as the most gentle." Emily looked to Hyperion and spoke once once more. "But he is bad and killed some of my friends and tried to make the world a worse place to live." Emily looked at Bob before going on. "There is justice and injustice. Life has a balance between life and death, because of that balance that there are some good and bad. Some are between, so they would be more grey." Emily stepped back, knowing that they would need to go soon.
"Do you know what my old life is like than?"
"I heard about it, but honestly if it was my memories I would want to forget. I believe that Tartarus is helping you regain your memories. You will have a choice, a crossroad to choose more when you remember more. I believe you have come to the first of that crossroad now, Bob. I am no Hecate, but from what I can see that you can leave him alone or kill him before he wakes up." Bob's broom spear swept into motion, Bob slashed through the monstrous blister of which burst in a geyser of hot golden mud. Emily wiped the Titan sludge out of her eyes where Hyperion was that there was nothing but a smoking crater.
"Hyperion is a bad Titan. Now he can't hurt my friends. He will have to re-form somewhere else in Tartarus. Hopefully it will take a long time." Bob looked at Emily, his expression was grim when he spoke. "Rachel is good friend, be nice to Bob, all this time." The titan's eyes seem brighter than usual, Emily smiled when Bob said that. She wasn't manipulate him or anything, she was telling Bob the basic truth of what was happening and give him the choice. She hoped that she was right in thinking and hoping that he would kill Hyperion so he would reform elsewhere. She hoped that Bob would realize that he can be more than what he was meant to be or was.
"Thank you, Bob. You are a good friend as well." Bob smiled when Emily said that. Than Percy spoke.
"We'd better keep going." Steve, Emily, Annabeth and Percy followed Bob further into Tartarus. Tartarus kept affecting them as they walked along, Emily's legs were numb, Steve kept holding her hand and squeezed as they walked along in Tartarus. Percy would take Annabeth's hand or made an encouraging comment to Annabeth, Emily could tell that Tartarus was getting to the other three as well. Voice kept entering her mind telling her that Steve fell into Tartarus to be with her to help and protect her and that if he dies that it would be her fault. She felt bad about that, but she refused to let the voices get to her, Emily knows that it was Steve's choice to go with her. That he did out of the promise he made with Emily and Bucky that the three of them would be with each other till the end of the line, Lauren has been added to that as well. However it seems the voices that were in Tartarus were getting to Annabeth as well as to Emily but Annabeth seem to be having a hard time not paying any attention to them.
"Stop it." Emily looked over at Annabeth, when she said that. But it was Percy that spoke.
"What?"
"No, not you. Talking to myself. This place … it's messing with my mind. Giving me dark thoughts." The worry lines deepened around Percy's sea green eyes.
"Hey, Bob, where exactly are we heading?"
"The lady. Death Mist."
"But what does that mean? Who is this lady?"
"Naming her? Not a good idea."
"Of which is very true, if we used names that some of the monsters might come after us hearing the name. It would be worse saying the names here, considering where we are now."
"Can you at least tell us how far?"
"I do not know, I can only feel it. We wait for the darkness to get darker. Then we go sideways."
"Sideways. Naturally." Emily wanted to turn and leave this blackness, the blackness was making her feel ill and it felt like that the Black fog was seeping into her body turning her bones into moist styrofoam. Emily hoped the message, that Emily and Annabeth sent, gets through to Rachel, there was a chance that Rachel might be killed but that is unlikely for the Romans were aware about Oracles and that they can't kill one not if the oracle was made known to them. Suddenly Bob stopped and raised his hand in a wait motion.
"What?"
"Shh. Ahead. Something moves." Emily strained her ears, she could hear it now, there was a deep thrumming noise like the idling engine of a large construction vehicle. Emily could feel the vibrations through her shoes.
"We will surround it. Each of you, take a flank." Emily and Steve have their swords in their hands, Percy and Annabeth have their weapons out. Emily and Steve crept to the left while Percy and Annabeth went to the right, Bob took the middle, his spearhead was glowing in the fog. The humming got louder, shaking the gravel at Emily's feet, the noise seem to come from in front of them.
"Ready?" Emily crouched, preparing to attack. "On three?"
"One, Two –" a figure appeared in the fog and Bob raised his spear, Emily realized something was off about the figure, before she could say anything that Annabeth shrieked.
"Wait!" Bob froze just in time, the point of his spear was hovering an inch above the head of a tiny calico kitten.
"Rrow?" The kitten seem clearly unimpressed by their attack plan, the kitten butted it's head against Bob's foot and purred loudly. It seems impossible that kitten was making that sound but if it wasn't for the fact she was seeing and hearing it. The kitten fixed it's yellow lamp like eyes on one particular rock between Emily's feet before pouncing at it. Emily let go of her sword and the sword went back to being a poppy. Emily bent down and picked the tiny kitten up, she knows it could be a demon or something worse, but the kitten seems so harmless. Emily started to cuddled with it, the little thing was bony under it's fur but otherwise the kitten seems normal.
"How did …? What is a kitten doing …?" The cat grew impatient and squirmed out of her arms, the kitten landed with a thump before the kitten padded over to Bob. The kitten started purring again as the kitten rubbed against his boots once more. Emily couldn't help but smile at the scene that was before her, Steve was also smiling as well, Percy laughed.
"Somebody likes you, Bob." Bob looked up nervously.
"It must be a good monster. Isn't it?" Emily wondered of what other things that Tartarus shallowed up into this pit as she looked at the tiny kitten. Bob knelt down in front of the little kitten before he scooped up the kitten up in his hand, the kitten fitted perfectly in Bob's palm. The kitten climbed up Bob's arm before it made a home on his shoulder as the kitten purred like an earthmover. Suddenly it's fur shimmered, in a flash the kitten became a ghostly skeleton, like if the kitten stepped behind an x-Ray machine. Than the kitten was a regular kitten again, Emily blinked when that happened.
"Did you see –?"
"Yeah. Oh, man … I know that kitten. It's one of the ones from the Smithsonian." Emily remembered hearing that from Arabella when she was on that quest to save Artemis a few years ago before Steve was pulled from the ice. That by some sort of mistake that the one titan, Atlas, raised a batch of skeleton kittens.
"That's one of them? How did it get here?" Percy spread his hands helplessly.
"Atlas told his servants to take the kittens away. Maybe they destroyed the cats and they were reborn in Tartarus? I don't know."
"It's cute." Bob said that as the kitten sniffed his ear.
"But is it safe?" Bob scratched the kitten's chin, it was clear that the Titan and the cat bonded with each other.
"Well, I think it is safe. The cat didn't attack us now did it."
"I will call him Small Bob. He is a good monster." That was the end of the discussion, before they could move on towards the one lady that Bob spoke of that another kitten emerged from the darkness, it was similar to the first kitten. The kitten also purred like an earthmover before it bounded over to Emily and nuzzled against her boots. Emily picked up the little kitten and it climbed up on her shoulders and made it's home on her shoulder. Emily petted the kitten before Emily spoke softly to the kitten.
"Are you female?" The kitten purred, when Emily said that. "I will call you Sarah." The kitten purred when Emily said that before nuzzled against her neck. Than Bob hefted his spear and they went on marching into the gloom of Tartarus, as they walked on that Steve looked at the small kitten on her shoulder. Small Bob kept pacing across Bob's shoulders and purring, at times he turned into a glowing kitty skeleton. Sarah's remained on Emily's one shoulder, but she would sometimes turn into a glowing kitty skeleton before turning back into a calico fuzz ball like Small Bob.
"Do you think that Bucky would mind that you that kitten?" Emily shrugged her shoulders when Steve said that.
"Who knows?"
"Here." Bob stopped so suddenly that Emily almost ran into him, Bob was staring to their left as though he was deep in thought.
"Is this the place? Where we go sideways?"
"Yes! Darker, then sideways." Emily wasn't sure if it was darker or not, but the air did seem colder and thicker down here it was as if though they entered San Francisco or something. She been to San Francisco enough times to know that one neighborhood was ten degrees below another neighbor. Bob struck off to the left, Emily, Percy, Annabeth and Steve followed. The air was getting colder as they walked on, Emily moved closer to Steve of who put his arms around her to protect her from the cold. After a while that they entered some sort of forest, towering black trees soared into the gloom, perfectly round and bare of branches, the ground was smooth and pale. Emily didn't know what know of what part of Tartarus they might be in now, she refused to think about that. Suddenly Emily's senses were on high alert like they do when there was a monster nearby, Emily put her hand on the trunk and a nearby tree. Steve raised his sword as well as Percy but it was Steve who spoke.
"What is it?" Bob turned and looked back confused as well as Annabeth.
"We are stopping?" Emily held her hand up for silence, something was off, than she realized that the trees were quivering. She knew it wasn't either one of the kittens since they were asleep. Than a few yards away that another tree shuddered, Emily pulled her hand away from the tree as Annabeth whispered.
"Something's moving above us. Gather up." Bob, Percy, Annabeth and Steve closed ranks with her, each were holding their own weapons. Emily tried to look up to see what was moving above them, even with her night vision she couldn't see anything or much of anything. Emily figured that Tartarus was playing with her, than the first monster dropped to the ground only five feet away from them. The creature looked like a fury but Emily knows that the creature wasn't a fury. The creature was a wrinkled hag with bat like wings, talons and glowing red eyes, she wore a tattered dress of black silk. Her face was twisted and ravenous, like a demonic grandmother in the mood to kill something or someone, just like them. Bob grunted as another one dropped in front of him while others dropped in front of each of them, soon there was half a dozen surrounding them. More were hissing from in the trees above them, Emily looked at the demon creatures, she has no idea of what they were. But their talons looked dangerous though, she also has a feeling that this were not friendly creatures, and Annabeth spoke.
"What are you?" A voice hissed.
'The arai, The curses!' Emily tried to look for the speaker but none of the demon hags spoke or even moved their mouths. Emily tried to think fast, she never heard of the Arai before, she has the knowledge of the underworld in her, but that doesn't include Tartarus. The voice seem to be floated over heard like a movie's narrator's would be in he movie, of where it was there but yet it wasn't.
"What – what do you want?" The voice, wherever it was coming from, cackled maliciously.
'To curse you, of course! To destroy you a thousand times in the name of Mother Night!'
"Only a thousand times? Oh, good … I thought we were in trouble." The circle of the demon ladies closed in.
Bucky's pov
It has only been a few hours since Arabella, Nico, Frank and Hazel came back from Venice, at the moment Bucky was on Deck as well as Hazel, Nico, Arabella and Jennifer. Leo was at the controls while Gleeson was basically on guard duty, Bucky looked over at Emily's four half siblings, it was odd in a way that the four of them were siblings. Three of them have something in common with each other, of which was the pale skin and that was basically it. For neither Jennifer or Hazel have that gleam that Nico and Arabella have in their eyes, Emily has that as well but only in her daughter do Hades appearance. Bucky managed to become closer to Hazel and Jennifer for they were the ones that were easier to talk to than Nico and Arabella. But he did try to get close with them by telling some of his life with them, mostly his childhood and World War II but he never brought up his time as the winter soldier. As he looked over at the four children of Hades that Lauren walked up next to him, Bucky looked over at her though she was looking at Arabella, Nico, Hazel and Jennifer. After a minute that Lauren spoke.
"It's hard to think that those four are Emily's siblings." Lauren looked at Bucky.
"Yeah, the five of them look so different in many ways, even if Emily is in her daughter of Hades appearance." Lauren nodded her head to where the four were, Bucky looked back and saw that they walking over to Bucky and Lauren. When they reached Bucky and Lauren that Hazel stepped forward and spoke.
"We were talking. We were wondering something."
"What?" It was Arabella that spoke up next.
"Apart from Phil and myself that you and Lauren know Emily her best, more so before she was adopted by my father and was made Champion by Hestia. We were wondering if you and Lauren would allow Hazel to use her flashback to show show memories of your childhood with Emily?" Bucky looked at Lauren of who shrugged, Bucky looked back at the four children of Hades.
"All right." The six of them stood in a circle and hold each other's hands, when Bucky and Lauren grasp Hazel's hands that the world dissolved around them. When the world appeared around them that Bucky yelled and grasp, for they were standing in the middle of a foyer of an orphanage. It was one that he knows all too well, it was he orphanage that Bucky, Steve and Emily went to for about year before Emily was adopted. Bucky and Steve stayed there till they were eighteen when they left and started their own lives, hoping that someday they would find Emily. That hope was close to vanishing when he was captured by HYDRA and took in the back for whatever Zola did to him. Bucky was still unsure of what Zola was doing to him at that time, he wasn't sure if he wanted to know the full details of what happened during that month. Just than he heard running, Bucky and the others turned to the stairs as three children ran down the stairs and Bucky knew who those three were. It was an odd sight sight to see the three children running down the stairs of the orphanage.
It was Bucky, Emily and Steve long before they learned that they were demigods but after the promise hat they would be with each other till the end of the line. Bucky was in front, his hair was a little lighter in color than it was now, he was no more than nine years old. He was wearing a shirt, shoes and pants that were much like what he was wearing now, what he was wearing fits the time better. Emily was next, she was much smaller at the age of six almost seven than she was now, plus she looked a little too small for the age of six almost seven. Her hair was halfway down her back in a ponytail, she was wearing a shirt and pants that were a couple of sizes too big for her, unlike the other girls in the orphanages of who wore dresses. For the shirt and pants were Bucky's and Emily didn't like the dresses that she was given at the orphanages so Bucky let her have his clothes to wear. Steve was just behind them of who was even smaller than Emily and looked sickly, but his clothes fit better this what Emily was wearing, but his clothes were hanging off of Steve slightly. It was Arabella that spoke.
"I am guessing the own hair boy is you but who are the other two?" Bucky was about ready to say something when Emily jumped down the last few stairs, while past Bucky and Steve followed suit. When Steve and Bucky landed that they started laughing but that was when the head of the orphanage, Stella James, entered the foyer with a man and a woman that were forty. It was Ms. James that spoke.
"Bucky Barnes, Emily Rogers, Steve Rogers, how many times have I told you not to jump the last few steps?" There was slightly grasp when Ms. James called the three of them by name or at least Emily and Steve. It was Nico that recovered first.
"That was Emily and Steve at four?"
"Six, seven in another two months." The others looked at him, Bucky looked at them. "They were always on the small side till Emily went to Camp and Steve had that serum placed in him." While Bucky spoke that the man walked over to Emily and it was during that time that past Emily, Steve and Bucky stopped laughing. Emily looked at the man that was looking down at her. The man spoke.
"Your name is Emily Rogers?"
"Yes." Emily tilted her head. "I thought Ms. James made that plain just now." The man looked over at Ms. James.
"Why is she wearing boy's clothes?"
"I am not wearing boy's clothes, is are my clothes, Bucky gave them to me." No one paid any heed to what Emily just said, Ms. James shrugged.
"I gave her dresses but she refuses to wear them."
"They itch. This are more comfortable." Lauren leaned towards Bucky.
"For the most part she hasn't changed much."
"For the most part." The man looked at Emily again.
"We been talking about adopting a girl." Emily scooted away form the man and towards Bucky and Steve.
"You are not taking me anywhere without Bucky and Steve." The other woman spoke.
"Emily, we only have room for one more."
"Than you are not taking me." But the couple really didn't pay any heed to what Emily said and adopted her, the man was forced to pick up Emily and out her over his shoulder before walking out of the orphanage. Ms. James was holding Steve and Bucky back as the couple took Emily out of the orphanage as she yelled them. "Put me down, you have no say in towing me away from my family."
"That is enough, Emily." Emily looked at past Bucky and Steve before she yelled at them.
"I don't know when but I will come back to you." Bucky yelled back at her.
"We will found you, I promise. We are with each other till the end of the line." It was than that the coupe walked out and the door closed behind them. The last thing he saw was Emily's tear stain face before the world dissolved once more as soon as the world appeared that Bucky looked around. They were at a creek, of some kind and the creek looked familiar to him, he was unsure of where he was.
"Where are we?" Before anyone could say anything that four demigods came from behind the trees, or he assumed they were demigods. Due to the fact they were wearing greek armor and carrying the flag from capture the flag between two demigods. It was than that Bucky noticed that there was something down the creek, sure enough he saw a group of demigods that were on one team while a lone demigod on the other team was in the middle. Despite the girl was only ten years that Bucky would know her anywhere even he hadn't seen pictures of her at that age. It was Emily. Bucky was close of calling out but he realized two things, this was Lauren's memory and two of what was happening. For the demigods around Emily were caught in the branches and there was autumn leaves on the ground that was piled very high, up past Emily's knees. Making it difficult for the demigods on the grouse to walk, as soon as the two demigods crossed the river that the branches let go of the demigods. So that they fell to the ground with a thud and the leaves jumped back onto the trees, just as green, or even more green, than the leaves have been or Bucky was going to assume that. One of the tow demigods carrying.
The demigod took off a helmet, judging from the gasp from Lauren, as well as what the one demigod looks like, was most likely Lauren. For the demigod has the same black hair, blue eyes and fair skin as Lauren, he wasn't sure of who else it could be for what he heard that during World War II that Lauren was the only daughter of Zeus at the time. Bucky looked away from Lauren and back at Emily, just as he did so that a green light appeared over Emily, just like it did for Steve during the war. Expect there was a poppy along with the sheave of wheat in the green light above Emily's head, Bucky took a sharp intake of breath when he looked at the poppy. For he suddenly realized that was the poppy around Emily's wrist, the one that she can never take off unless if her mother takes it off. There was gasp from the demigods and all of them looked shocked and surprised, from what Emily told him that it was not a surprise at that time since Emily and Steve were the first children of Demeter to be born in a hundred years or so. Emily looked up as the green light started to fade along with the sheave of wheat but the poppy remained up in the air for a moment before it started to fall. Emily caught it with her hand, as soon as the poppy touched her that the poppy wrapped its stem around her wrist. Emily was just staring at the poppy, when the poppy finished that Chiron knelt down and al the campers followed suit
"All hail, Emily Rogers, daughter of Demeter, goddess of the harvest, agriculture, grains, fertility of the earth, and the seasons." Than it seem like Lauren's become more like a movie being showed on a screen but it was all around them. There glimpses of Lauren and Emily around camp, in the Demeter cabin as well as the zeus cabin of where they playing different games or they were in training. But it seems that Emily spent her time in the kitchen that would be when Lauren was with a boyfriend. Even if Lauren hadn't brought up the fact that Emily never dated till Bucky that this memories would confirm that fact. For it was clear that Emily didn't date any of the boys, even though some of the make demigods tried to flirt with her but she shrugged it off. During the flashes of memory that Emily and Lauren kept growing older, it seems that the training as a demigod took a toll on Emily in a good way. For as she trained, played and pranked through her years at camp that she kept growing and kept growing into the woman she is now. It wasn't till she barely reached twenty and joined the SSR to help Lauren lead Project Demigod that Emily grew into the woman she was now, expect she looked a couple of years younger than she does now. It was as Lauren and Emily walking down the hill away from the camp and Gleeson, of who was standing on top of the hill with worried eyes, that Arabella spoke.
"Hang on, I never saw Emily with a boyfriend and you had like three at camp before you married Steve." It was Lauren that spoke.
"That's right, I tried to get her to have at least one boyfriend but she was not interested. I did ask her if she was waiting for someone and she said no."
"Than how come she never dated?" Lauren shrugged when Arabella said that.
"I am not sure, I asked that question myself but she never gave me an answer. I am not even sure if she fully knows why herself. But I think part of it was because she wanted to find and get back to Steve and Bucky so that three of them could be back together." Lauren looked over at Bucky making the others look at him. "But I doubt that she expected to fall in love with you though. When she found you and Steve."
"Like I expected to either." As soon as Bucky said that, that the world dissolved and the scene reappeared in an alley of where an bigger guy throw a much smaller blond hair man against the wall. When the blond hair man turned around that Bucky could hear the gasp from Arabella, Nico, Hazel and Jennifer. Sure they saw Steve when he was six but they never saw him at twenty, true that he grew up but he was still small and skinny. It was rather odd to see Steve like this again. As Bucky, Lauren and he other four watch as the one guy beat up Steve and Steve fighting back that Arabella spoke.
"Whose memory is this? If Steve was here that I would assume it is Steve's." Before Bucky could say anything that Steve tried to hit him byte guy blocked Steve and hit against the trash cans. It was than that past Bucky entered the alleyway and pushed the guy away from Steve.
"Hey. Pick on someone your size." They watched as the guy tried to swing at Bucky but past Bucky dodged before past Bucky hit the guy in the face before kicking him from behind. Once his past did that, that his past self walked back over to where Steve was of who managed to get up from being kicked and pushed around. "Sometimes, I think you like getting punched."
"I had him on the ropes." His past self picked up the piece of paper and unfolded the piece of paper, Bucky knew of what was that piece of paper was. Than his past self looked at Steve.
"How many times is this? You're from Paramus now? You know it's illegal to lie on the enlistment form. And seriously Jersey?" Arabella spoke up.
"Hang on, Steve put different cities on his enlistment form or something?"
"Yes, he did it five times, the last time he did it was when he was recruited and become Captain America." Before they could say anything else that Steve spoke.
"You get your orders."
"The 107th. Sergeant James Barnes. Shipping out first thing in the morning. To England." Steve sighed when Bucky said that.
"I should be going." His past self smiled before he put his arm around his neck and they started walking down the alleyway.
"Come on. We got to clean you up."
"Why? Where we going?" Past Bucky handed skinny Steve a newspaper and Steve took the newspaper.
"The future." The scene dissolved and another scene took it's place, Bucky was almost confused at first but than he realized that this was the camp that he walked into with Steve and Emily. There was a stage and it was raining, on the steps of the stage was Steve but he was no longer small and skinny, instead he was bigger and taller. Of which means that this after the serum was placed in him, Bucky heard of what happened with the serum and everything but it would be nice to see what happens for a change. It was clear that Steve was drawing, Bucky was about ready to ask Lauren if this was her memory when two women walked across the stage to Steve and it was clear of who the two women were, it was Emily and Lauren. It was past Lauren that spoke as they walked across the stage
"Hello, Steve." Past Steve looked back at Emily and Lauren.
"Hi."
"Hi."
"Hi."
"What are you two doing here?" Emily sat down besides Steve while Lauren sat just above them a few steps away.
"Officially, we are not here at all. That was quite the performance." Steve sighed when Lauren said that.
"Yeah. I had to improvise a little bit. The crowds I'm used to are usually more ... twelve."
"I understands that you're 'America's new hope.'"
"Bond sales take a 10% bump in every state that I visit."
"Is that Senator Brandt I hear?" It was Emily that spoke up before Steve could say anything,
"Well he has been with the senator for the last few months so it would rub off a little on Steve." Bucky, Lauren, Arabella, Hazel, Jennifer and, surprisedly, Nico smiled when past Emily said that.
"At least he's got me doing this. Phillips would have had me stuck in a lab."
"And these are your only two options? A lab rat or a dancing monkey? You were meant for more than this you know." Than Steve looked around, it seem like he was thinking about something. Emily seemed to be wondered Steve was thinking about or Bucky assumed at any rate, and spoke.
"What?" Steve looked between Emily and Lauren before he spoke.
"You know, for the longest time, I dreamed about coming overseas and being on the front lines, serving my country. I finally got everything I wanted and I'm wearing tights." Suddenly there was a horn honking, Bucky looked towards the horn and saw that it was an ambulance going over to the medical tent for the wounded. "They look like they've been through hell." It was Emily that spoke up.
"These men more than most. Schmidt send out a force to Azzano. Two hundred men went up against him, and less than 50 returned." Emily paused when she said that and looked over at Lauren, Lauren nodded and finished what Emily started.
"Your audience contained what was left of the 107th. The rest were killed or captured."
"Oh my god. Those men." Bucky looked at the men that were being taken into the tent. "There are part of my unit."
"Were you among them?" Before Bucky could answer Arabella that spoke.
"If he was than Lieutenant USA may not have been born and the war would ended differently. What happens that night would be a turning point in the war. Bucky looked at Steve of who has a look of surprise and slight horror on his face while Emily and past Lauren looked confused
"The 107th?"
"What?"
"Come on." Emily and past Lauren ran after Steve towards the command tent, past Lauren looked over at Emily of who just merely shrugged as they ran after Steve. Bucky, Lauren, Hazel, Arabella, Nico and Jennifer followed them into the tent, when Steve, Emily and past Lauren reached the command tent that Steve walked in first, Emily and Lauren followed Steve quickly. Bucky and the other five followed Emily and Lauren quickly before Steve spoke. "Colonel Phillips." Colonel Phillips looked up at Steve as he entered, since Colonel Phillips was sitting down, and spoke.
"Well, if it isn't the star spangled man with a plan. What's your play today?"
"I need the casualty list from Azzano."
"You don't get to give me orders, son."
"I just need one name, Sergeant James Barnes from the 107th." It didn't notice go unnoticed by Bucky when Emily seem to freeze when Steve said his name, that she looked utterly surprised by the fact that he was in the army. Colonel Phillips looked at past Lauren and Emily before he pointed at them.
"You two and I are gonna to have a conversation later that you won't enjoy."
"Please tell me if he's alive, sir. Bar ..."
"I can spell." Colonel Phillips looked at Steve for a moment before the colonel got up from where he was sitting and picked up a clipboard before going on. "I have signed more of these condolence letters today than I would care to count. But the name does sound familiar." There was a slight pause. "I'm sorry." Bucky was most watching Emily, even though they won't see each other till the base that night that Bucky could tell Emily was worried form how she was holding herself. Bucky did noticed when Steve looked away before looking back at the Colonel and spoke.
"What about the others? Are you planning a rescue mission?"
"Yes, it's called 'winning the war'."
"But I'd you know where they are, why not at least ... "
"They're 39 miles behind the lines through some of the most heavily fortified territory in Europe. We'd lose more men than we'd save. But I don't expect you to understand that because you're a chorus girl." Bucky looked at Steve, of who was staring at the Colonel
"I think I understand just fine."
"Well, than understand it somewhere else. If I read the posters correctly, you got someplace to be in 30 minutes." As Colonel Phillips said that he walked over to one of the tables with one of the soldiers while Steve was looking at a map of where the HYDRA base was. He same one of where Bucky was or Bucky was guessing at least, how else would Steve and Emily know where the ken base was.
"Yes, sir. I do." Than Steve walked out of the tent, Emily went out after him as Lauren stay where she was.
"If you have something to say, right now is the perfect time to keep it to yourself." Past Lauren remained standing there looking after Emily and Steve, Bucky looked over at Lauren form the future.
"Do you mind if we follow them instead?" Lauren shook her head and the six of them went after Steve and Emily. Just as they reached Emily's and Lauren's tent that Emily came out wearing pants and made her way towards the tent behind the stage. Sure enough when the followed Emily into the tent that Steve was in there, Steve looked up when Emily entered the tent as she out a couple of guns on her belt. Emily spoke before Steve could open his mouth
"I am not going to let you do this alone, Steve. Bucky is my friend too even if I hadn't seen since I was six." Emily went over to where the helmets were and put one of them on her head as Lauren entered the tent, she looked at both Emily and Steve before she spoke.
"What do you two plan to do, walk to Austria?"
"If that's what it takes."
"Yes, if there is no other way." Lauren walked over to them.
"You heard the colonel. Your friend is most likely dead."
"You don't know that."
"Even so, he's devising a strategy. If he detects ..."
"By the time he's done that, it could be too late." Steve walked outside and Emily looked at Lauren.
"You know that they been there for a month as well as I do, we spoke of getting them out if Colonel Phillips doesn't think of a way. I have been getting tired of waiting and just now was the final push." Bucky and the others followed Emily as Emily walked out before she went over to the jeep that Steve was putting his things in, even his old and first shield.
"Steve! Emily!" Bucky turned as Lauren came out of the tent and went over to where Emily and Steve. Steve looked at Lauren before he spoke.
"You told me you thought that I was meant for more than this. Did you mean that?"
"Every word."
"Than you got to let me go." Lauren looked over at Emily and Emily spoke.
"You know me and that I can be stubborn at times and this is one of those times. You know that you can't talk me out of doing this for you tried that before."
"I know, I think you picked that up from Gleeson." Emily smiled slightly when Lauren said that, Steve got into the car and Lauren went over to the side of the jeep that Steve was in. "Not only that but I can do more than that." Emily smile grew when Lauren said that. Bucky was wondering what Lauren was suggesting, than the scene dissolved and when the world came back that they were on an airplane. However, Bucky took a guess that it was only a few minutes for Lauren, Steve and Emily were still wearing the same thing and past Lauren was showing Emily and Steve a map. "The HYDRA camp is in Kransberg, tucked between these two mountains ranges. It's a factory of some kind." Than Bucky heard a man's voice form the pilot seat, Bucky turned and saw it was Howard Stark.
"We should be able to drop you right on the doorstep." Bucky looked as Emily nodded when Howard said that.
"Just get us as close as you can." Steve looked over at Lauren. "You two are gonna be in a lot of trouble when you land."
"And you two won't?"
"Where I'm going, if anyone yells at me, I can just shoot them."
"They will undoubtedly shoot back." Steve tapped his shield.
"Well, let's hope this shield good for something." Steve looked over at Emily.
"Don't worry, I can find ways to protect myself from being shot at." Before Steve could say anything that Howard spoke up once more.
"Agent Huntington? If we're not in too much of a hurry, I thought we could stop in Lucerne for a late night fondue." It seems that past Lauren paid no heed of what Howard said while the Lauren from the present just shook her head and spoke.
"I keep forgetting about how Howard would flirt with Emily and me." It was Nico that spoke. While Hazel, Jennifer and Arabella seemed surprised that someone would flirt with Emily and Lauren.
"He flirted with both of you." Lauren nodded.
"Yes, that was the last time he flirted with either one of us." Than past Lauren spoke up
"Stark is the best civilian pilot I've ever seen. He's mad enough to brace this airspace. We're lucky to have him." Steve gestured between Howard and past Lauren
"So are you two... Do you... Fondue?" It was than that Emily snorted, but Lauren didn't bother to answer that question, instead past Lauren handed Steve a transponder.
"This is your transponder. Activate it when you're ready and the signal will lead us straight to you."
"Are you sure this thing works?"
"It's been tested more than you, pal." Suddenly there was shots at the airplane, Emily and Steve managed to get to the door while past Lauren followed the two of them to the door. Emily and Steve sat down on the door frame side by side.
"Get back here! We're taking you all the way in!" Steve and Emily looked at Lauren before he spoke.
"As soon as we are clear, you turn this thing around and get the hell out of here!"
"You can't give me orders!"
"The hell I can't! I'm a Captain!" Emily didn't say anything, instead both Emily and Steve jumped out of the plane, as soon as they did that, that Bucky spoke.
"They're nuts and stubborn." It was Lauren that spoke.
"What else is new?" Bucky looked at Lauren of who just shrugged. "You know how they are. There was a few times Emily fell off the lava wall." Bucky would have said something but Arabella spoke up.
"That is not surprising for the lava wall is hard to do. You need some training to get to the top." Lauren looked at Arabella.
"I was talking about on purpose not when a camper is trying to climb with not very much training. However a couple of those times were pranks on the Hermes cabin." Bucky and he others stared at Lauren. "That is a long story, to put it simple, it involved wind, plants, freaking o the Hermes chain, glue and glitter." It was Jennifer hat spoke up.
"Glue and glitter, I don't remember anything of that in those memories that were shown."
"Not all of my camp memories shown when it went fast." Suddenly the world dissolved and the scene changed. Suddenly they were back in the commanding tent, Colonel Phillips was typing, he was talking as he spoke. Bucky panicked slightly for he was talking about Emily and Steve, he wondered why the Colonel was writing that letter. Than past Lauren entered the tent, after a few moments that Colonel Phillips looked up at past Lauren and she spoke.
"The last surveillance flight is back. No sign of activity." Colonel Phillips didn't say anything for a minute instead he got up before he looked at a corporal.
"Go get a cup of coffee, corporal."
"Yes, sir." Colonel Phillips walked to one side of the tent, his back was to past Lauren as he spoke.
"I can't touch Stark. He's rich and he's the army's number one weapons contractor. You are neither one." At the last part that he turned to look at past Lauren. Bucky looked over at Lauren before he spoke.
"When was this? I don't remember this."
"Wait for it." Bucky was about ready to ask of what that was suppose to mean when past Lauren spoke up.
"With respect, sir, I don't regret my actions. And I don't think Captain Rogers or Lieutenant Rogers did, either."
"What makes you think I give a damn about your opinions? I took a chance with you Agent Huntington. And now America's golden boy as well as his sister of who is your best friend and a lot of other good men are dead because you had a crush." As Colonel Phillips spoke that he walked over to past Lauren.
"It wasn't that. I had faith." Bucky snorted when past Laurie said that, for he remembers all too well when he was trying to flirt with her the one time that she paid no heed to him. That it was clear, even to him, that Lauren has a crush on Steve.
"Well, I hope that's a big comfort to you when they shut this division down." Past Lauren bit her bottom lip, than there was yelling coming form the soldiers outside. "What the hell's going on out there." Past Lauren followed Colonel Phillips outside to see what was going on. Bucky, Lauren, Arabella, Jennifer, Hazel and Nico followed them, as they moved through the crowd that he noticed the road lack was being open. Emily, Steve, and his past self walked into the camp with the freed prisoners behind them, Bucky smiled understanding of why he never remembered that letter. The soldiers made a path for them, one of the soldiers shouted look who it is, past Bucky, Steve and Emily smiled lightly as they made their way to Colonel Phillips and past Lauren. Emily left Steve and Bucky as she went over to Lauren, past Lauren and Emily hugged each other, when they pulled away that Lauren put her hands on Emily's shoulders
"If it wasn't for the fact that Demeter claimed you that I would say that you are a daughter of Hermes."
"I can say the same thing about you." Past Lauren smiled lightly as well as Bucky and the others just as Steve spoke to Colonel Phillips.
"Some of these men need medical attention. " Steve and Colonel Phillips were looking at each other as a couple of soldiers were yelling.
"Medic, we got wounded."
"Right over here." Than Steve saluted before he spoke once more.
"We, Emily and myself, like to surrender myself for disciplinary action." Colonel Phillips looked over at Emily, his expression seem to say that it was hard to believe that she wasn't a daughter of one of the big three or Ares. Than he looked back at Steve.
"That won't be necessary."
"Yes, sir." Than Colonel Phillips turned and looked at past Lauren and Emily before he spoke.
"Faith, huh?" Bucky snorted and spoke.
"I am still going with the crush." Lauren glared at Bucky when he said that. "That only works if Emily does it." The six of them laughed, as they laughed that Lauren and Emily went over to Steve, Lauren spoke up.
"You're late." They looked over at Steve as Steve lifted the broken transponder.
"Couldn't call my ride." Lauren smiled slightly when Steve held the transponder, than past Bucky yelled.
"Hey! Let's hear it for Captain America and Lieutenant USA." Suddenly the soldiers started yelling and cheering. Than the scene dissolved and another scene took it's place, they were in some sort of communication room, Lauren was wearing her fighting uniform that have the pants as oppose to the skirt. Emily was in her Lieutenant USA uniform and she looked slightly pale and looked like something just happened or something was going on, not only that but Emily also looked worried and scared. Bucky, Arabella, Nico, Hazel, and Jennifer looked at Lauren, of who went rigid, it was clear that this was memory but Bucky has no idea of which memory it was. Suddenly, Steve's voice came over the radio and Jim answered it, before Jim could say much of anything that past Lauren made him move and sat down while Emily moved in beyond Lauren.
"Steve are you all right?"
"Lauren! Schmidt's dead."
"Is that an airplane?"
"That's a little bit tougher to explain."
"Give me your coordinates and I'll find you a safe landing site."
"There's not gonna be a safe landing, but I can try and force it down." Suddenly Arabella gasp, Bucky looked at her but before he could say anything that Arabella spoke.
"This is when Steve crashed into the ice." Panicked spread through Bucky, he understand of why Lauren went rigid for this was not a happy memory for her or Emily. Honestly this would be a worst memory for Emily than it would be for Lauren since Emily lost him a couple of weeks earlier. Past Lauren spoke up.
"I'll-I'll get Howard on the line. He'll know what to do."
"There's not enough time. This thing's moving too fast and it's heading for New York. I gotta put her in the water."
"Please don't do this. W-we have time. We can work it out." Emily spoke up.
"Steve, there has to be another way to stop the plane besides the one you are suggesting." Bucky could hear the pain coming from Emily, but it was clear that she knows that there was no way that she could stop Steve from what he was goi to do.
"Right now I'm in the middle of nowhere. If I wait any longer a lot of people are gonna die. Lauren, Emily, this is my choice." Bucky could hear Steve fiddle with the controls before ti sounded like the plane was going down. "Emily..."
"I am here." Emily was close to tears as well as Lauren but they were both holding the tears back.
"I am sorry for what I am going to do. I am sorry that I won't been there, more with what happened recently. Please do me a favor." Bucky wondered what Steve was going to ask Emily.
"What?"
"Protect the demigods, do what you can."
"I promise to do my best." Bucky could tell that Emily was close of choking as she made that promise to Steve."
"Lauren..."
"I'm here."
"I'm gonna need a rain check on that dance."
"All right. A week next Saturday at The Stork Club."
"You've got it."
"Eight o'clock on the dot. Don't you dare be late. Understood?"
"You know, I still don't know how to dance."
"I'll show you how. Just be there."
"We'll have the band play something slow. I'd hate to step on your..." Than Steve was cut off, Emily lowered her head when Steve was cut off and Lauren spoke.
"Steve?" Bucky watched as Emily went over to a chair as the tears started to roll down her cheeks as Lauren spoke. As Lauren spoke that it was clear she was even closer to tears than before. "Steve? Steve?" When Lauren said Steve that third time that Lauren started to crying, Emily covered her face with her hands as they cried. Bucky bit his lip, he knows at the time of this memory that Emily was thinking that both Bucky and Steve were dead. Even if she learned later that was not true, that this memory was something she would rather forget. Suddenly the scene dissolved once more, when the scene came up that they were in snow covered mountains. Not far from them was four soviet patrols walking, Bucky looked at them, for some reason they looked familiar to him. Lauren spoke up.
"Where are we?"
"I don't know." Suddenly one of the soviets yelled in Russian and the four of them went running in one direction and Bucky could understand them. "Come on." The six of them followed the soviet patrols, it didn't take them long to catch up for they stopped. Laying on the ground trying to move onto his side was his past self with a missing arm, thankfully the arm with the wedding ring was not the one missing. His past self looked at the patrol before he passed out, the patrol managed to turn him around and dragged away. The six of them followed the patrol quickly, they entered a base of where they put his past self on ice. Than the next thing he was pulled out of it and onto a table, not only that Zola was nearby telling him that he would be the new fist of HYDRA and that his memory would be wiped. During that time that his metal arm was being attracted to his past self, that he raised arm to look at the new arm. Than the round things that took his memory came down and around his head, he was struggling against them as they did their work. Suddenly, the room seem to ripple, Bucky looked around in surprised, the other five noticed that as well. It was Arabella that spoke.
"What was that?"
"I don't know, I don't remember that. But I would that this memory is rather fuzzy to me." However Lauren spoke.
"I don't think it is part of your memory, I think this is Hecate's doing or maybe even Hestia, to allow us to see something." Bucky was about ready to ask what she meet when another ripple but this time a blue light appeared right next to the table that his past self was on. The light took shape of a woman, not just any woman, it was Emily and she was wearing her Lieutenant USA uniform. She was starting at his past self with a small sad smile, just like he remembers in this memory or what he could remember of this memory. Than Emily spoke and it was the same words that he remembered in his memory.
"I promise I will always been there for you. I will never stop loving you and I will look for you till we are back together." As Emily said the last words that she disappeared. Bucky was stunned when she disappear and as his past self sat up after the round things were removed. Hazel spoke up.
"Was Emily really there?" Than the words of Hestia entered his mind. 'It is a long story, young one. But you will know what it has to do with what will happen or what I seen in the future. However with some of it, it tears me to see happen. I can't see of everything that will happen. You and your two friends will need to count in each other. So in order to make sure you do what you need to do in this war and past it that I put a blessing on you that you will find your way back home by remembering who your one love is. Just know this, that you have meet her and you already formed that bond with her even though neither one of you realized it at the time.' He also remembered Emily bringing up that true love bond as well, as he remembered those words that he has a feeling that Hestia knows or knew that either Bucky or Emily would be the winter soldier or that they would be separated from each other. He realized that Hestia made it possible for him to remember Emily after his memories were wiped by that machine and somehow Hecate was making it possible to allow the others to see what he saw.
"No, that was in my mind. Emily was the only thing I could remember." It was Arabella that spoke.
"Of which I don't understand of how you could remember her and nothing else."
"Hestia." Everyone looked at Bucky when he said that, he looked at them. "The plane ride over to England to join the 106th that I had a demigod dream, I guess. However that was during the time that I was unaware that I was even a demigod. So I am not sure if it counts as a demigod dream or not. But she told me about being bonded with my true love or he one I am meant to be with since we already meet. At the time I had no idea of who she was talking about and it never crossed my mind it was Emily. It sounded like she was unsure herself but I really don't know, but she saw enough of the future that she knew that Emily and I would be separated at least one. She used a blessing that I would find my way back home by remember who my one love is, because of the bond Emily and I share and that blessing that no matter what they did, if they known about it, that they couldn't get rid of Emily or at least the memory of what she looks and sounds like." Lauren spoke up.
"Are you saying that HYDRA didn't know about you remember Emily to a degree?" Bucky shook his head.
"No, with my memory wipes and it seems the visions, or whatever they were, of Emily that I thoughts I made her up or I was crazy. It wasn't till the Helicarrier that I learned that Emily was real, honestly I wished she was in her normal appearance when we were fighting at that bridge and street instead of her other appearance." Bucky paused for a moment before he went on. "Why was she in that appearance?" Bucky looked over at Arabella as he asked that question.
"That was because Steve asked her." Bucky raised an eyebrow so Arabella went on. "We found out of which Agent was HYDRA. So Steve more or less asked Emily to change her appearance. What he said was: 'At the moment we need Rachel for I believe that we might need her for what we are going to do and it will let off some of your stream.' The night before Steve said that, that we learned some things that pissed off both Steve and Emily. Not that I could blame them for it, though I am sure she felt better when she kicked Jasper off the roof." Bucky stared at Arabella, that didn't sound like Emily, but it was Lauren that spoke.
"That doesn't sound like Emily." Arabella smiled when Lauren said that.
"Why do you think that Steve asked her to change her appearance, for it is something Rachel would do. But you been around long enough to knew Emily kept her life as Rachel and Emily apart from each other as much as possible." Bucky spoke.
"In other words, she needed to make sure that people didn't realize Rachel was Emily." Arabella nodded when Bucky said that. "But that still didn't answer the question of why she was in that appearance during that fight."
"Because we were going to take Jasper to the headquarters to get in and use him to stop project insight. But that plan was thrown away when you came along and started to attack us because of your last mission." Bucky shrugged, however it was than at his past self got up and some of the people in the room out him into a cube like container and the ice was started to form over his past self. The room rippled again, twice, and like before that a blue light appeared and once more it was Emily, but this time she was in her brown uniform instead of her Lieutenant USA uniform. She was looking at him and there was a small smile on her face.
"You are still there, this gives me hope. Don't worry my wind prince, we will be together again in time. Remember me." Emily faded as the light disappeared and the world dissolved around them, when the world from around them again that they were back on the Argo II.