Hello once more, my viewers!

How hath thou been? I hope you've had a decent week, and if not, hopefully it will get better soon. The feedback on last chapter was rather helpful. It was nice to see that, for the most part, everyone seemed to enjoy, or at least tolerate, my decision with the course of the story. Good to know.

I bet you are all happy that this new chapter didn't take over a month to write. However, I know I will get some backlash, or complaints for the end of the chapter, but I think it's for the best. Ah well, onwards! Please enjoy Chapter 26 of Remnants of the Sea.

"Percy" means speech

'Jackson' means thought

*RWBY* means telepathy/illusions

*flashback*

Ozpin felt as the flaming energy of Cinder licked at his magical shield, the orb's green tint glowing brightly at the contact. "Dammit, Percy" Ozpin mumbled to himself, feeling the young fighter be deposited in the courtyard surrounding the Tower, above the Vault. As much as Ozpin appreciated Percy's insistence on helping, in some cases, it was more a hinderance than an asset. "Enough of this!" Ozpin shouted, sending a shockwave throughout the cavern, knocking back the false Maiden and halting her attack.

Recovering, Cinder scowled, looking to where her foe stood, only to see no one there. Coughing slightly, Cinder slowly backed up, cautiously looking around for the Headmaster. A harsh light from behind her made her shut her eyes. Despite not looking in its direction, it could very well blind her. Just as the light was dying down, Cinder's vision swam, a side effect of having something hard slammed repeatedly against the back of her skull.

The hits kept coming, not giving her a moment to retaliate, and dazing the besieged girl, each hit striking harder and faster than was humanly possible. Cinder felt her already damaged Aura begin to falter, unable to keep up with the constant barrage of heavy hits. Desperately, she fired a torrent of flames behind her in an effort to drive off her attacker.

Jumping forward, Cinder turned around to see her attacker. There Ozpin stood, seemingly brushing off the fire that had engulfed him, the flames not even nicking his clothes. "Trying to kill me with my own powers?" Ozpin mused. "For shame, young lady.".

Cinder cradled her head, feeling the throbbing slowly subside as her Aura stabilized. Her vision was slightly blurry from the onslaught, as well as her ears ringing. Trying to shake them from her head, she shook herself, standing to her full height.

Ozpin was thoroughly unimpressed, sighing at her act of defiance. Several small fireballs were hurled at him, only for Ozpin to block each hit with his cane. Cinder watched in trepidation at the sight of her attacks, upon hitting Ozpin's cane, seemed to be absorbed into it. Ozpin's amused face made it all the more enraging.

Ozpin's face fell into a frown when Cinder released a torrent of flame at him, almost bigger than himself. It was to Cinder's shock and horror when he simply raised his hand, and the palm of his hand began to glow. All of the fire rushed to his palm, as if it was being sucked from the air, all in a matter of seconds.

As the last of the fire vanished, Ozpin closed his hand into a fist, before opening it and flexing it a few times, with no signs of having channeled such power through such a small point on his hand. Cinder was afraid now; she knew Ozpin was powerful, and that he was the one who gave the Maidens their powers, but could he take them away, too? Backing up slightly, she began to search for the way out. "I'm afraid you won't be leaving here, Ms. Fall. You have taken something that does not belong to you." Ozpin said, calmly walking towards her, as if she posed no threat to him in the slightest. Stopping several feet away from her, Ozpin stamped his cane on the ground.

Around them, the places where the small flames had been burning to light the room, which had all been extinguished when Cinder claimed the Maiden powers, all came back to life. The only noticeable difference to the flames were that, unlike before, where they had burned with a green tint, these flames burned and danced pure white. "Now, will you surrender peacefully, or will I be forced to reclaim my property by less pleasant ways?" Ozpin asked, calmly staring into Cinder's amber eyes. Cinder shifted on her feet, debating whether to not to make a run for the exit, sweat beginning to glisten across her forehead. Ozpin sighed. "Well, I tried to be merciful."

Before the Headmaster could move, however, the flames that lit the Vault, which had burned so bright before, suddenly extinguished, only to be replaced with a dark, black and purple flame in its place, leaving the room much darker than before. Ozpin stilled, sending a glance her way, as he stepped back slowly. "Now, now, Ozpin. She's just a little girl. She doesn't know better." A voice echoed through the room. It bounced off the walls, and sent shivers up Cinder's spine, despite having heard the voice many times.

Several feet behind Ozpin, the dark shadows of the room seemed to be pulled together, coalescing into the form of a tall, extremely pale woman. Stepping out of the dark, Salem's dark red eyes flashed in a sick, murderous gleam. "Besides, didn't Mother dearest teach you to share what you have with others?" Salem said, a black and purple flame sprouting in her palm.

Ozpin whirled around, only to be sent flying into a the wall, courtesy of a large, black appendage coming out of a small, dark, swirling portal on the ground. Ozpin slumped to the floor, but was quick to get back up, holding his cane out like a sword. "Run along, now, Cinder." Salem said, as if talking to an amusing child. "Ozpin and I are going to have a little family reunion."

Cinder didn't need to be told again, rushing towards the exit. She heard Ozpin shout at her, most likely for her to stop, only to be silenced by a fireball from Salem. As Cinder used her Maiden powers to propel herself up the elevator shaft, she felt as the Vault, and everything surrounding her, begin to shake violently. Looking down, she could see flashes of light at the bottom of the shaft. Ignoring it, she continued to rocket herself up to the top of the Tower.

Ozpin batted away several Grimm-like arms that shot at him. Surrounding his body was a green-tinted white glow, which seemed to flicker every so often. Glancing up at Salem, He barely managed to raise an energy shield in time to block her torrent of black flames, which clung to every surface, turning it to ash. Pushing forward, Ozpin broke his shield, changing it into a solid beam of white light which spewed from from the end of his cane, clashing with the black flames of Salem.

Ozpin's beam seemed to eat away at Salem's flames, shining through them as it continued onwards, slamming into Salem's chest, and sending her flying back into the wall. Dust fell from the broken wall, obscuring her figure. Ozpin slowly crept towards where she had hit, but keeping his distance. As the dust settled, Ozpin wasn't surprised to find Salem had vanished from her place on the wall. He was surprised when one of Salem's hands wrapped around his neck, cutting off his airway, and lifting him off the ground.

His gaze travelling up her arm, he watched as Salem stepped out of the dark, the shadows bending to her every whim. Ozpin tried to pry her hand from his throat, looking into the dark eyes of Salem. He tried to say something, but could barely get any sound out, apart from a choke, as Salem grinned evilly at him. "Aww, big brother," Salem said, her face pouting to look like a little girl's. "Don't you want to catch up? We haven't talked in so long."

The next ten minutes were a daze for Ozpin. Repeatedly being flung into walls, the floor, the ceiling, or just being beaten and burned. He could only try to drive away Salem with small bursts of light before he was overwhelmed once more. Being kicked in the stomach, he flew back, bouncing off the floor several times, before coming to a stop.

Ozpin coughed up golden blood, multiple cuts on his forehead pouring ichor down his face. Ozpin looked around. His cane lay several feet away, well out of reach, him having lost it at some point in the battle. "You've gotten weak and sloppy, brother." Salem said, kicking him over onto his back. Ozpin looked up at his sister, barely able to move as she stamped on his chest, causing another fit of coughing.

"Salem… please. You don't have to do this." Ozpin said, pleadingly.

Salem smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Begging for your life now, Ozpin? I expected more from someone such as yourself."

Her smirk fell when Ozpin weakly shook his head. "Not for my life." Ozpin gasped out. "Leave the people be. They've done nothing to deserve your ire."

Ozpin grimaced as Salem ground her heel into his sternum, a sharp pain accompanying it. "They deserved it when you created them to try and destroy me!" Salem shouted, her eyes flashing dangerously. Slowly, the flames died down, being replaced by a smile on Salems face. "It's poetic, I suppose, that I will use them to destroy you.".

Salem seemed to pause, quirking her head to one side, as if she was thinking about something, her eyes narrowing slightly in confusion and curiosity. Slowly, a deadly smile spread across her lips. "Hmm, so your little pet project and secret weapon are still here."

Ozpin felt it too. There was a massive amount energy being used above them. Ozpin groaned, grabbing hold of Salem's ankle. "No…" he groaned, unable to do much else.

Salem looked back down at the injured Headmaster. "Well, as sad as I am to cut our little reunion short, there are some of your students that I have to pay a little visit to." With that said, Salem dissolved into the dark, leaving Ozpin lying on the ground of the destroyed Vault. Ozpin struggled to his feet, shuffling over to his cane. Plucking his weapon off the ground, Ozpin leaned heavily on it. Taking a deep breath, Ozpin closed his eyes, stretching out his senses.

He could feel Percy and Ruby above them, facing his sister. With a burst of effort, Ozpin flashed himself towards the group.

*flashback ends*

"And that was when I encountered Salem trying to capture Ms. Rose, and already had a hold over Perseus." Ozpin said, cradling his throbbing head, and graciously accepting the cup of coffee offered to him.

Qrow picked up one of the chairs that had been knocked over in Glynda's office. The room had almost been left untouched by the fighting for the school, only with dust caking every surface, and one wall having collapsed. Ozpin sat in her seat, retelling what had happened, and planning their next move.

"So, She has Percy now." Qrow said, sighing before taking a long drink from his flask. Ozpin merely nodded his head in return, unable to do much more. Sitting down in the chair, Qrow seemed to have a far away look in his dark, crimson eyes. "What are we gonna do now, Oz? The CCT is down because that damn dragon, our allies are scattered, and now our little ace in the hole has not only been taken away from us, but is now in Salem's hands!" Qrow shouted, standing and beginning to pace around the room.

Glynda sighed, massaging her forehead, much like Ozpin. "Please, Qrow. Sit down." The beleaguered professor said, sipping on a small cup of tea. Setting her cup on her desk, she leaned back, crossing her arms. "The CCT will soon be operational once the necessary repairs have been done to it. After that, we can begin to sort out this political mess. James left for Atlas this morning. Hopefully he can explain things to the politicians on that front." Glynda said, sounding as exhausted as the others.

The room fell into silence, with each member making their own plans. "Qrow?" Ozpin said, getting the attention of the scythe-wielder. "How are your nieces handling all of this?" Ozpin asked, clasping his hands.

Qrow's expression fell even further. "Yang isn't doing too good." Qrow explained. "Losing her arm has really seemed to knock the spirit out of her. She barely eats, doesn't really talk, and just sits in her bed, staring out the window. Can't say I really blame her though."

"Ms. Xiao-Long has always been a fighter. I'm sure she will bounce back from this." Glynda said, trying her best to convince not only Qrow, but herself as well. Despite her prickly persona, she cared a great deal for all of her students, and Yang was no different. "And what of Ruby?"

A small smile graced Qrow's lips. "Well, she still hasn't woken up yet, but I'm sure it will be any day now. From what he's told me, Tai has been having a difficult time keeping their friends from breaking down the door every day to visit them." Qrow said, laughing sadly. "He's offered to give JNPR a place to stay, but the Nikos girl keeps denying him, saying she already has bought them a few rooms at a local hotel."

Ozpin nodded his head. "It is nice to have such loyal friends. They will need it in the coming months." Ozpin said, with his colleagues nodding in agreement. Standing up from his seat, Ozpin made his way to the door, ignoring the large hole in the wall, and leaning very heavily on his cane. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go. There is quite a bit to deal with in Vale as a result of this mess." Ozpin stated, hobbling out of the room. "Oh, and Qrow?" Ozpin said, turning around. "Do inform me when Ms. Rose awakens. I would like to speak with her."

-Line Break-

"Do you think this is such a good idea, Thalia?" Nico asked, the punk girl looking just as uncertain as her darker, and paler, cousin. "I mean, he's been in there for months! As strong as Percy is, even he might not be able to last that long." Nico said, hoping with all his soul that he was wrong.

"He has to be, Nico. He survived Tartarus, so this should be nothing more than a cake walk." Thalia said, trying to brighten her cousin's spirits. "I hope…" she muttered to herself.

The two cousins stood outside of the main doors to Olympus' throne room. Pushing open the massive doors, they were greeted with the sight of all the gods sitting in their thrones, with Jason standing at the foot of his father's, as well as Piper standing by her mother. Hazel and Frank had shown up to see them off. They had tried their best to come along, but Reyna had managed to convince them that, with the others having gone off, they would need them to lead the camps, with Leo helping to prepare New Rome's defences.

As the cousins approached the circle, with some gods briefly glancing at them, all eyes seemed to be locked on one thing.

A swirling black and purple portal was in the centre of the room.

The portal shuddered and gave off a dark mist. Every time that I'd would struggle to close or fade, a circle or sigils surrounding it would shine brightly, keeping the portal stable. Hecate stood by Hestia's throne, keeping an eye on the runes, and making sure they stayed active.

"Demigods!" Zeus boomed. "The time has come!"

"We know, dad." Thalia mumbled, her and several other gods annoyed at his unnecessary drama.

"You are to go through this portal, which we have managed to keep from disappearing, destroy whatever is sending these beasts to our world, and return as glorious heroes!" Zeus proclaimed, his eyes shining with pride at two of his children leading the quest. "Unfortunately, we are unable to bestow upon you a prophecy, as Apollo seems to be having troubles lately."

Everyone glanced over to Apollo, who looked rather embarrassed. "Hey, it's not my fault. I can't just make a prophecy come whenever I want!" Apollo tried to defend himself. "I dunno what is happening. Maybe because they're going to another realm, or something. It's not like we've had this happen before."

Zeus cleared his throat to regain everyone's attention. "Yes, well, because you are not being issued a traditional quest, we have allowed you to bring more than three members on your journey."

The members of the quest shared a glance at one another, each one having some form of worry on their faces. "Father?" Jason said, drawing the god's attention.

"What is it, son?" Zeus asked gruffly.

"What about Percy?"

The room grew quiet, with the only sound being that of the portal swirling. "Yes, brother. What of my son?" Poseidon asked, leaning forward in his seat, leaning on his trident.

All eyes fell to Zeus, who looked unworried by the sudden change in mood. "If you encounter him, or have a chance to save him, you are to do so, but do not let your friendship for him cloud you from your main goal." Zeus said flippantly, unconcerned with the possible fate of his nephew.

With nothing more to be said, the four walked forwards, standing in front of the portal. Each one of them had on a backpack filled with spare clothes, ambrosia and nectar, a sleeping bag, and a tent. Hecate approached them as well. "Demigods, we have no idea what is on the other side of that portal. I can put an enchantment on you so that you stay together when going through. There is no telling if you will be split up or not upon passing through." Hecate explained. As she said this, she raised her hand, which began to glow.

They felt the magic wash over them, their bodies glowing slightly in tandem. When the glowing subsided, Hecate lowered her hand and stepped back. "Thank you, Lady Hecate." Piper said, smiling slightly.

Hazel and Frank approached them, faces sad, but accepting. Frank and Jason shook hands, nodding to one another. "You all better come back now, you hear? I don't think I'll be able to deal with Reyna's nagging without you to calm her down." Frank said, earning a laugh from his fellow Roman.

"Now you know how I felt." Jason replied, giving Hazel a hug.

"Don't worry, guys." Piper spoke, also hugging Hazel and Frank. "We'll be fine, and we will bring back Percy with us!".

Saying their goodbyes, the two stepped back, letting their friends go.

Facing the portal, each demigod checked their gear one last time, making sure that it was safely secured. Taking one last look at their surroundings, and at one another, each one of them pulled out their weapons. Thalia's spear crackled with electricity, Jason's sword, and Piper's dagger, gleamed in the light, and Nico's dark blade seemed to suck the light from the room, similar to the portal in front of them.

Nico glanced up at his father, who was looking back at him with a neutral expression on his face. It had been hell trying to convince Hades to let Nico go on the quest, the overprotective father doing his best to keep his son in the Underworld. Nico knew that he still didn't approve, but had only relented due to Nico bringing up how they owed it to Percy to at least try.

There was also a combination of annoying demigods hounding him to let Nico go that helped his argument.

Taking a deep breath, Thalia walked forwards, her stride confident and powerful, the exact opposite of what she felt. Her fellow demigods followed after her. As she felt the cold of the portal wash over her, Thalia thought determinedly to herself. 'Don't worry, Percy. We're on our way. We won't leave you behind.'

~End of Book One~