AN: Chapter's up, peeeeeeeps. Hope this quick update makes up for the long time it took last time!
The Seeker Within
Chapter 28- The Treasure of the Argonauts Part 1
The team traveled back to their various homes the next day, with Zhalia disappearing in the crush of the airport without saying goodbye. Dante's thoughts flickered between her and his mentor the whole journey home, leaving the teens to amuse themselves- Loki was doing card tricks, and teaching Will to do some of the simpler ones, she herself was good at slight-of-hand magic, but still had to learn to master the most difficult trick.
Will said goodbye at the Venetian airport, calling over his shoulder as he dodged through the crowd to where LeBlanche was waiting with the car. Loki waved manically till he was out of sight, then trudged along after her mentor, who was still lost in his own thoughts. When they finally arrived back at Dante's house, the blonde was beginning to get worried about the russet-haired man- he'd not responded at all during the trip back to Venice, not even to say goodbye to Will. In the couple of days following the mission in Vienna, training with Will pushed these thoughts from her busy mind, but she kept an eye on him all the same.
Loki sighed. It was the fifth day after Vienna, and Will had decided to move on to sparing. He'd deemed the blonde ready the day after they'd gotten back from the mission, and had been relentlessly pushing her limits since. It was not going well.
The pair circled each other for a moment, each waiting for the other to strike first, a match of patience that the younger won. Will sprang forwards like a panther, and lashed out with his leg, his opponent flipping backwards, balancing delicately on her hands before flipping back to her feet, towards Will, and using the momentum to strike a kick at his stomach. She stopped just before it hit, and her partner leapt up to the roof, crouching in a corner made by a rafter and the wall. "Remember what Dante told us! Commit to the attack, even if you expect a counter!"
The azure-eyed teen below him glowered furiously. "Are you saying I have commitment issues?" She remained still for a moment then, suddenly, Hyperstrided upwards to the rafter across from him, using the beam as she used the bar at gymnastics to launch herself at the emerald-eyed boy. He darted away, falling to the floor to meet her challenge on solid ground. She twisted to follow, as lithe and sinuous as a snake, but skinned her bare feet on the old, splintery wood of the rafter. Biting her lip to hold back the cry of pain, she used Featherdrop to float gently to the floor, then brought the First Aid kit that they kept in the practice room over to her with a Bubblelift.
Desperately trying to hold back his laughter, the Casterwill lad padded over, a cocky smile on his face. "Smooth. Do you want to spar, or are you going to keep fighting yourself?" From the floor, it just looked like the girl had missed her landing, got hit, and fallen down, so when he was met with a cobalt glare, he stopped surprised.
Unknown to him, the words had struck home with Loki. She did fight herself, regularly, whenever the strange power within her raised its head. Though she had better control of it now, the blue-grey mist more often took control than she did. Embarrassed by her fall, in pain from her feet, and just tired of always being scared of herself, the blonde lashed out at her friend. "Oh, of course you get it, Mr. I-was-raised-from-birth-to-be-a-Seeker!"
Will, who never took kindly to being spoken to like that, even less so when it came from his best friend, narrowed his eyes. "Dante just told us that spell talent should be an extension of your natural technique. You're so obvious and awkward- you did better when you couldn't use powers!" Inwardly, the blonde winced. That remark had stung.
"Dante's lessons always make sense to me!" She spat, every muscle tense at what had to be her and Will's first fight. "Just go away!"
The Casterwill shook his head stubborn as always. "We practice every day, and you haven't improved at all since we got back from the last mission!" Azure eyes were rolled as the Irish lass thought back upon her training- not what she did in with Will, oh no. At night, when everyone else was asleep, she would try and summon and control her power where no one could get hurt. It left her drained the next day, which meant drops in her other studies and getting beaten by Will, but now she could make it appear and disappear without many problems. Of course, she hadn't tried to make it do anything yet, deciding to take it slow, and she still knew that in a fight, the power would direct itself. That scared her, the way that no matter what she did, if the power too over, she wouldn't be able to stop it, not even to save her friends.
This happy thought in mind, the girl stood, and began to walk away. "I was going to study, but you were in the library yesterday, so I figured the books were still tired." Loki called over her shoulder, too exhausted to think of anything else. Will, seeing that something other than being beaten was wrong with his friend, went after her, eyes filled with worry.
"Loki?" She paused. "What's wrong? You know you can tell me anything, right?" With a sigh, she turned back.
"It's nothing. Just the same old worries- what's going to happen, are we all going to be safe, am I ever going to be able to control my powers?" The last one slipped out before she could stop it, and understanding dawned in Will's jade orbs. Being so gentle and kind, having such unpredictable, destructive powers still scared Loki, and Will knew that better than most, having been the one she talked to about it all. He still marveled at the blue-grey power every time he saw it, but when it came down to it, it scared him too. Nothing had ever been seen like it before, and probably never would again, so the sapphire-orbed teen was going blind with it, trying to force it to work with her by pure strength of will. The way she talked about it, it was like it had its own mind.
The brunette walked over to where Loki stood, head bowed, hesitated, then drew her into a hug which she quickly returned. "You're not alone." He said simply, and she nodded once, an apology in her cyan eyes, one which Will wordlessly accepted. Hearing Cherit calling for them, the teens hurriedly stepped apart, red-faced and embarrassed. When the titan peered into the room, he stared at them shrewdly for a second, then smiled.
"Dante's getting a mission from Guggenheim! You should get down there and see what it's all about!"
A quick change out of their training clothes later, and the teens wandered downstairs, sharing excited glances. As usual, the Huntik operative's cheery face was on the massive TV screen, and the golden-eyed Seeker was lounging on an armchair, feet on the table.
"According to Greek mythology," Dante was saying, "Their flagship, the Argo, was built around the beam of a divine tree." Will smiled, and spoke up from where he and Loki were hovering at the door.
"Which probably means it was really enchanted by a Seeker. You must be talking about Jason and the Argonauts." Dante nodded, eyes serious, and Guggenheim looked over. Seeing the blond's gaze fall upon her, Loki smiled shyly, and waved hello. The man nodded back, then turned to Dante, who began speaking again.
"That's right. It's possible that the hull of the ship could be intact." With a happy sigh, Guggenheim began to explain the details.
"Misson: Jason and the Argonauts. Reach the port of Velos, find the flagship Argo, retrieve Jason's logbook and his titans, the Hoplites." Pictures of a quaint, Mediterranean fishing village filled the screen, then a picture of what the ship should look like, and finally a mission card.
A smile tilted the corners of Dante's lips. "Guggenheim, I accept." The Foundation man smiled, then signed off, the screen going black. With a funny, little grin, Dante got to his feet, walking to the front door and taking down his coat. At Loki's inquisitive look, the smile grew. "I know what you're thinking, Loki. A mission at last, am I right?" An answering smile appeared on the blonde's face, and she laughed, nodding.
"And I can guess what you're thinking too! This is a big mission too, and we'll need Zhalia's help?" The man and the girl stared at each other for a moment, before both laughed, the dark moods that had hung about them since Vienna clearing as they shared a look, both in that moment promising to help the other get through whatever had caused it. Dante's amber eyes softened, and as he walked to the post office, the little smile never left his face as he thought about his family, the true one he had found in Loki, Will, Metz... and maybe Zhalia.
The next day saw the team, newly reunited, smiling and laughing under the Mediterranean sun. They walked the length of the docks, talking to the fishermen there, learning what they could. Will and Dante fit right in with the lean, tanned men, discussing the fish prices and the tides, leaving the girls to walk by themselves, mingling with the fisher's wives. After stopping for lunch, they mixed up the pairs and tried the docks they hadn't reached yet. Smiling and joking with the fishermen, the teens quickly learnt of a likely place, forming a solid friendship with the group of men quickly. As they were waving goodbye, seeing that it was time to meet up with the others, one fisherman looked shocked when they raised their hands, then spouted a bunch of Greek. Loki flushed, and tugged Will away.
"What?" He cried, not knowing much Greek, having spoken in his native tongue, not theirs. "What did they say?" After much nagging, and a few threats, the blonde told the brunette what the fisher had said.
"He told you to reel in your net whilst it holds such a pretty fish." Will gaped at his friend, then looked back over his shoulder at the smiling man. He wolf-whistled, then pointed at Loki, who blushed again, then grabbed Will's hand, and pulled the shocked boy away.
When he finally overcame the shock, a rueful smile played across his face. "Why, Loki, I thought you would have at least thanked the fisherman for the compliment." She pulled her tongue at him, then grinned.
"Being called pretty by that old man is hardly flattering!" Pouting playfully, she nudged him in the side. "But its a sight better than looking like you!" Will grinned wolfishly, then got his revenge by tickling Loki mercilessly. She shrieked, and ran away, giggling. Her tormentor followed, their laughter lingering on the air long after they had gone.
When the pair reached the meeting point, they'd calmed down, a little. The warm weather and the excitement of being on a mission had perked everyone right up, and even the normally sullen Zhalia was smiling. After ordering drinks at the cafe they'd met up in, Dante asked the teens what they had found. "There is a river several miles north of the coast." Will said, sipping at his cup of tea
Being mock serious, Loki nodded, stirring her lemonade with her straw. "The fishers called it Stavropolous." Zhalia nodded coolly, her eyes the same colour of the coffee she was drinking.
"That's what we got." The blonde wrinkled her nose, looking at the cappuccino the blue-haired woman was cupping.
"How can you stand that stuff? It tastes awful!" Will had to agree, his emerald eyes glinting over the rim of his mug. Zhalia just shrugged, and took another drink.
"I like it." Dante sighed, rolling his eyes at the azure-eyed girl's disgusted face.
He coughed lightly to get there attention. "Get we focus please, children?" Loki blushed, Will looked embarrassed, and Zhalia just shrugged, keeping her coffee away from the blonde who was so appalled by it. "Now, it might just be a local legend, but there's a chance that the Argonauts sank the ships there so no one else could use them. So, let's find out." He gave them all a cheeky smile, and the youngest member of the team returned in tenfold, her eyes lighting up. Will and Zhalia shared a look before shrugging at the way the other two got so excited about everything.
And, in a sinister black car parked in front of the shop, a man picked up a phone to call Defoe. And in Silene, Libya, Defoe picked up.
The lanky man was at a dig-site, supervising the unearthing of a unique artefact. He was decidedly unhappy about his new role as a delivery boy, pacing along one wall of the tomb, shooting death glares at any and all who came near. Behind him, a team of archeologists were pulling the stone lid of a coffin. When they finally succeeded, the senior archeologist reached in and plucked out a long sword. It was plain enough, the blade dulled from the ages, and the hilt no more that two bronze arcs with a handle. This sword was made for a purpose, and nothing more. the man holding the weapon looked up, saw Grier fiddling with his amulet, and immediately ran for Defoe.
"Mr. Defoe! Its the Sword of Saint George." With a snarl, Defoe snatched the blade from his minion, and held it to the light, testing the edge with a gloved thumb. He scoffed when he found it to be blunt. It wasn't much use as it was. The archeologist spoke up again. "According to our best information, there's a titan within! The dragon, Lindorm!"
Defoe swatted the man away, still holding the sword. "It is of no consequence to me- after all, the Organization considers me unworthy to bond with such a titan. Now, get out of my sight!" Defoe fumed to himself. "I'm merely assigned to transport this titan to Prague, a delivery boy! That's all I am." He trailed off into indistinct mutterings, probably empty threats about how he'd get his revenge, when suddenly, a ringing burst out of his back pocket. With a malicious smile, he dug out his mobile, and answered the call. After telling the man on the other end not to let his enemies out of his sight, he hung up and marched to the door.
"One of my spies has spotted Dante Vale." He said in answer to Grier's questioning glance. The blond immediately marched after his superior.
"Shouldn't we complete the mission we have been given first?" The man rumbled, sea-green eyes giving nothing away. Defoe shook his head, a cunning look flashing across his rat-like face.
"I'll tell them we're having delays unearthing the Sword of Saint George."
AN: This one came so easily- they just handed the one-liners to me on a silver plater!
