"The only way to have a friend is to be one."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

They were both turning in for the night for the first time as partners together. They had snuck into some Ikea, with Aly still constantly giggling and staying close to him, teasing Percy with the most curse words the boy had ever heard.

At first they had decided to stay in different 'rooms,' but within 30 minutes Aly had found it too unnervingly far, apparently, and joined him on his chosen bed. Luckily, it was king-sized and they used their bags to make a barrier in between them, but somehow the Daughter of Apollo had found a way to snag his arm and drool onto it whilst sleeping.

Percy could only laugh lightly as he considered the day, a warm wetness coating his arm.

He had supplies from the Greeks. He found a partner, one he had known for maybe 12 hours, but someone he knew he could trust - would have to trust, maybe, but could trust. He had a proper weapon now, not some old metal club to defend with. The knife balance had felt perfect in his hand when he had held it.

Aly had eventually disentangled herself, and being more familiar with the general environment had dragged Percy and their things to a nearby bus stop. They had sat there, watching the clouds of a still, cloudy, winter. Things were definitely awkward, neither knowing where to begin from there.

Aly's stomach rumbled loudly. The insane girl had merely giggled once more, before sitting up and pulling up a practically dozing Percy.

Percy lay still, unsure of his next movement.

At this point, he'd rather take on Ladon by himself than face this every morning.

A few days had gone by, and on each he woke up to find Aly practically laying on top of him, having snuggled close to his left side during sleep. In fact, if he wasn't mistaken, today - or rather the previous night - she'd stolen Oreo from him and was drooling on him.

Not to mention she also felt so … soft?

Damn, take a pubescent guy that had barely any voluntary human contact for several years and stick him next to the most touchy female girl in the world. Needless to say, he wasn't feeling very comfortable.

The first morning, she'd moved away while still sleeping, so Percy had eased out of the bed. The following two sunrises had been the same.

But then they'd had to camp out (Aly had a sleeping bag stuffed in her magical bag too), but decided to alternate using it while the other maintained a watch.

After tucking in after a vigilant watch during the first half of the night, he'd woken up with Aly somehow having snuck into the zipped up sleeping bag with him none the wiser. He'd largely ignored that at the time in favor of telling her off for not staying up.

And now that they'd found a place to crash again, she'd cuddled up.

What the hell was he supposed to do now?

Shifting from his left.

Percy rotated his head, looking down to see Aly blinking herself awake.

Uh-oh.

A massive yawn. Murmuring. Smacking of the lips a few times, and a criminally cute crinkling of the nose.

"You're …"

Another yawn. Percy nearly yawned himself.

"You're … warm …" she said softly, at most only half aware.

The boy blinked, astounded at her reaction. Recollecting himself to gather some response, words were at the tip of his tongue when he noticed Aly was asleep again.

Well, Percy thought, I guess she doesn't care.

But I'm still stuck here.

…

Screw it.

Percy drifted back to sleep.

Percy's Journal

Entry 3

So, at the end of last entry some guy named Eugene gave me some advice. Apparently he'd seen me pretty stuck on trying to write more stuff, but stuck. The guy snuck up on me while I was writing - Aly's laughing at me right now. I was totally peripherally aware, the guy was just remarkably stealthy while I jotted down my entry last week. No matter what she says, I'm totally attentive when I write. Well …

Anyway, the guy told me that since I was at a lost to what write, it would be better to do as he said he does himself. Only write a general list or itinerary of the day's more important events and only write full journals once a week. Considering how there's only so much introspection I can tolerate without going nuts, I'm taking his suggestion. Already, it seems to be working pretty well. Really hard to get interesting stuff to fill something worthwhile writing every day, so why not once a week?

Though some days are just boring. Last week was just traveling, and filling out a map Aly and I are putting together of the United States. That, and one massive game of hide and seek in San Francisco dodging a whole horde of six-armed freaks.

Passed by Glass Beach too. Gotta say, pretty nifty place.

Aly - still haven't gotten her real name out of her, for all the wheedling I attempted thus far - I've tried guessing, but there's probably no hope in that. I've given up on trying to sleep on my own. She even stole a platypus pillow pet to accompany Oreo.

I suppose it's just entirely too comfortable being able to sleep next to someone after being lonely for so long. It certainly is for me.

I've been the first person also crazy enough to stick by her. She's mentioned several times she'd failed to properly start up previous partnerships because a few people she tried to with weren't curious enough to take the baits that she dangled, or were too offended by the constant cursing. She'd been stalking the Greeks for about four months, interrogating dropouts for someone worth traveling with. Apparently there was around 2 or 3 a week.

Aren't I a special cookie?

Honestly, I feel lost in regards to her. What the hell am I supposed to be doing? This is a partnership - an unbreakable one. I haven't had any experience in real life with this, nor do I think she has either. But she's crass enough just to not "give a shit," (quoting her exactly), so it's up to me to be the upstanding moral example.

That's a riot.

"So my mother …"

The duo were in a parking lot, further north. For now, they were sheltered from the spring rains. The constant, strong pitter patter was almost comforting, and it was almost a scene that one would expect to be normal …

Now if only they weren't washing blood off their weapons.

"From what I was told, she'd dropped me off at an orphanage. It sounds bad … but it was a fairly decent one," said Aly, rinsing blood off the floral patterns. "They did actually save the money my mom left."

Her fingers traced over the an anemone. "Five hundred dollars for my future. I had opened their safe, taken just the envelope with my name on it before I ran away."

"It wasn't that hard to. My ears picked out the combination easily. Tumblers falling into place … as I left that life. It was a good district … doesn't quite atone for her not bringing me up herself," she continued. "But for all I know it might've really been better for me not to grow up under her care."

After that confession, conversation paused. It wasn't the time for words … just quiet introspection. Percy placed down his now clean weaponry and silently watched as Aly pulled back from the rain.

As she sat beside him, he pulled her in close and held her tightly.

The redhead's eyes widened momentarily as he did so. It was the first time he had initiated intimate contact.

"Thank you … for sharing," Percy responded. "You've never had the chance to tell anyone this before, huh."

"Pretty fricken much … they're really not secrets … just never talked about it properly."

The Son of Poseidon chuckled softly. "And just when I thought you've been cursing less, too. I guess it's progress."

A string of expletives quickly followed.

So much for a quiet moment.

Percy's Journal

Entry 27

Still hanging out in Washington.

Had an adventure in Olympia recently. Of course, the huge Greek style architecture building was too irresistible not to visit. Surprisingly, there was nothing there.

No demigods hiding away, despite the Northwest generally being where smaller Minor groups hang out judging by a few previous altercations. No artifacts lying about, but honestly that might be a good thing considering the pink scarf we'd come across last time. Not even a few monsters - then again, who in their right mind wanted to meet monsters?

Nah, the adventure came from avoiding the mortal police after Aly and I raided a Costco warehouse to restock on supplies.

Who would have thought my friend's magical repertoire can't do much when several police sirens drowns out the sound?

But now Aly's bag is back to basically being our mobile pantry and wardrobe. It was actually stolen from a temple to Apollo, and is binded to return to her if she gets too far away from it. She mentioned blood magic and Hecate's children. I decided then I didn't want to know more. We've yet to find a limit - ran out of time shoving supplies into the bag. It really isn't the most efficient of satchels - it swings about a fair bit, and the size is just large enough to be awkward. But it's too invaluable to ever put down any farther than five feet away. Don't want to lose it, after all.

Not like the Stygian Steel weapons. Misplaced it again two days ago. Appeared in my right pants pocket instead of my back pocket this time. Still the most shocking thing to basically have a bar of ice shoved down your pants. Not as immediately handy to keep in my bag (still reasonably accessible to quick draw) but that thing is just too cold. Probably should give a few offerings to Styx though now that I think of it. The handy return function is just so useful.

Anyway, the two main pouches are now divided into food and clothing. Aly's finally been organizing things as of late, since she's now carrying the bulk of now both of our long term things - extra winter clothing, sleeping supplies, double the food. Before she never needed to bother, but now she has to actually sort how she puts in everything. Not being able to see into the bag is a big drawback, but at least nothing gets jostled as she moves around.

In short, it's a really bad idea to try to get anything if under pressure. On the plus side, still yet to discover whether there's a maximum capacity for storage. We have enough non-perishable foods and clothing to last at least a year between the two of us.

There are two more practical pockets, which are actually normal. Aly uses one to carry her transforming flute. The other contains small amounts of on-hand cash and snacks.

The snacks … well, mostly lots of gum. She doesn't have any particular flavor preference, it serves better as an ADHD outlet. Something to "distract" ourselves with while focusing. Just constant snaps and bubbles whenever she can. Her favorite way of getting gum before meeting me was swiping it off people that the Greeks dumped away. It was quite simple to do after realizing the Greeks left gum in the bottle holder part of the give away backpacks.

At this rate, I'm also not ever going to stop chewing this stuff too.

And she still won't teach me how to blow a bubble.

"So, where to today, brat?" lolled out Aly from a rather awkward position. She was dangling upside-down in a hammock that she had set up between branches of a single worn and weathered oak about 15 feet up.

Percy, on the other hand, was already on the ground. He'd already put away his hammock, which had been tied to another large branch overnight.

"You are barely older than me, Aly. I think that the usage of brat really only applies when someone much older uses it on a much younger person," he equally lazily countered, leaning on the tree trunk that supported the redhead.

With her fully roused, he finished cutting his nails with a nail clipper he had nicked from a store months ago California. After having broken his rather long fingernails in a chase from a group of exclusively Roman girls, likely of Bellona, he'd resolved to always keep his nails cut close, just to keep such from happening again. Aly bit her nails, so it wasn't really any issues for the girl.

"Well that's a pity, Perce," drawled the redhead, "I'm really running out of things to call you. I suppose I could always dig through the Shakespearean insult book you picked up as when you were bored."

She pulled out a water bottle to hydrate herself along with a pack of gum from her deceptively small bag. "If you answer my question, I'll give you gum?"

"Not now. And you should really get down first," said the Son of the Sea from below her.

"Fine, fine. Catch." The Daughter of Apollo replaced her gum and dropped her bag down.

"Dear gods, Aly," Percy muttered as he shifted far to the right to catch the their supplies that the lass dropped. Successful in his venture, he continued. "It's a beautiful morning, and we need breakfast. Unless you aren't hungry?"

Aly tittered lightly. "Well, we're still a few bits out of Salt Lake. I reckon that this gum can last that long, and what's the bet we run into some kinda monster? Though I could probably use more practice with the scamming tactics."

"Which ones again?" asked the boy as he erased all traces of their stay. "I've forgotten how many I learned from my gig with the Thief Lord."

Quickly pulling away at the knots on the ends of her hammock and haphazardly dropping it to Percy to store, his partner nimbly descended, lightly hopping down branches to the ground. If she weren't so light, she likely would have broken through the wood.

"Ya know, I kinda freakin forgot?" She followed Percy as he led them out of the large park they had spent the night in. "Where we headin'?"

"Saw a Denny's not too far off."

"Aw … my fave!" She whistled jauntily, pulling out a few pennies and tossing them into the air with one hand, the other busily threading a dollar around her fingers. Her bag bounced in time with the loud tune, a peppy one she had picked up from who knew where.

The skies were bright in the summer morning, and the pair slipped past a few early visitors.

Percy eventually fell back next to Aly, briefly inspecting the road before jaywalking across with his associate. They both entered to find the restaurant completely full. Perusing a little more carefully, the duo found a table for four that only had a dozing teenager almost laying on top of his pancakes.

"Do you mind if we join that guy?" Percy asked the receptionist as he eyed Aly's twenty dollar bill and mess of quarters.

Aly only smirked, full of mirth as she (somewhat in respect to other customers) stopped whistling and began humming.

"Not at all," the likely college student working for money replied as she picked up two menus and slid through the arrangements of tables to the corner, where the teen lay snoring. "He's been here for a half-hour already, said he was waiting for a girl that still hasn't shown yet."

"Probably got stood up, eh?" commented Percy.

"Definitely wouldn't want to date some drunkard," tittered the employee. Aly tittered in agreement. She quickly sat and peered at the menu, ordering her pancakes with a swiftness only known to those who desired to drizzle diabetic sugar onto layers of stacked brown patties. After the waiter that took Percy's always order of his (naturally) blueberry pancakes and her strawberry pancakes, she inspected the sleeping teen.

Curly black hair, fairly tall, rather messy. Likely hungover, by the looks of it, and not going to overhear his conversation. Having sat next to the unknown boy, she turned back to the the Son of the Sea as he said, "Should we head back north again? We should definitely establish some kind of permanent base, and with all the smaller groups there it might be ideal for us."

The ginger tsked in a light manner, tapping away at the table with the handle of a butter knife. "There's been a few places I've been to in the North area. Nothing really promising there besides possible recruitment of other people. The coastal area above the Greeks is just a constant shit fest."

"I suppose so … the Greeks sorta do shelter them there. There's just nothing up there in the Central North area though … Montana, the Dakotas, and what other state? Minnesota?"

"Most people avoid the Great Lakes area. Places over there are generally fricken full of monsters. The Laestrygonians make Chicago their home - something about it being similar to Sicily," she said with a lilt, tilting her head to watch a plate of steaming pancakes that she could tell was just for her.

The disappointed look on her face when she realized it was blueberry pancakes that would go to the boy at her opposite. Percy decided to notate that expression in his journal, just to remember it better in the future if he ever looked back at his journal. "So no then?"

"No harm in it. And where the hell is my food?" But even as Aly opened her mouth to curse, another plate of food left the kitchen with the heady scent of strawberry and was deposited before her.

The duo ignored conversation and instead savored their pancakes as they dug in, pouring over thick maple syrup and gorging themselves upon the whipped cream topped towers. Half an hour later they were finished, and prepared to leave. But as they thought they were getting the bill, the waitress came over with a pie. "The pie you ordered, sir. To go?"

Aly gasped. Chocolate cream? "What the hell is this for, bastard?" she cried as the server cleaned up their plates.

Percy smiled sheepishly, ruffling his hair in embarrassment. "You really should keep some sort of time-keeping device on you. It's your birthday."

The redhead reached over the table to punch him in the arm. "You ass! I just forgot about it because I thought we would share a celebration! Isn't yours in like three weeks?"

It was. August 1st and August 18th.

The boy laughed. "I'm sure you meant 'Thanks, Percy. You're so nice! I won't curse at you anymore!' If not that, you're still technically paying for it. I was just hoping to surprise you with it later."

Sighing, Aly conceded, smiling glady as she tossed down the money she'd been fondling earlier.

However, another redhead had entered and immediately moved in their direction to seat herself across from the hungover curly haired teen. The girl's keen green eyes panned over everything, to rest upon the money that Aly left on the receipt to be taken.

A waitress came by and took the bill, and Percy placed down two bucks for tips.

However, the new redhead's eyes narrowed, and the teen almost loftily asked, "Why did you only pay a dollar and change for an almost 20 dollar meal?"

"What the hell is wrong with you, -" Aly started, only to have the girl interject "Elizabeth" before Aly could continue.

"Elizabit-" Aly began again, only for Percy to cut her off with the question, "You didn't see the twenty?"

Aly glowered at Percy. Pluto below, that would have been one of the best comebacks. The unrest and consequent slamming of fists onto the table courtesy of one daughter of Apollo led to the waking of the hungover teen.

Blue eyes burst open, contrasting with his pale visage and black hair, and a moan emitted from blood-red lips accompanied his waking. The teen, soon realizing he had food before him, immediately began shoveling food into his mouth. The pancakes were quite cold, having sat there for almost an hour while he slept, but he chowed on.

The three others at the boy's table, previously set to argue, were only immediately ashamed just by being in the near vicinity of the messy eating of the awakened and clearly voracious boy. The new redhead was bewitched with silent horrified curiosity, viewing the gaping contents of the mashing motor mouth that seemed to comprise the entirety of the awakened male. Moments later, she was jolted out from that state when the waitress picked up the tip with a simple thanks. The two other people at the table had disappeared out the glass doors.

"Why did ttthey leave?" the black haired boy asked the apparently named Elizabeth, mouth still chewing through bits of no longer fluffy pancake. "Was it sommmething I d-did?"

The redhead in her conservative skirt and t-shirt, the latter detailing Greenpeace, simply smiled instead of facepalming as many others would. Well, she did lean forwards to rest her elbows on the table and cup her freckled face with her hands, but it wasn't a facepalm. With the slight grin, she quietly teased, "Well, I imagine it was your lack of manners. It's not exactly polite to eat your food like that, you know."

The disheveled black haired boy, finished with his breakfast reached down to the seat to pull up a thermos, and spun off the cap quickly to access the sweet smelling crimson liquid within. Drawing up the container, he gulped and chugged away without spilling a single drop, staining his lips even further. "It also could have been how I questioned them paying for an about twenty dollar meal with only a dollar bill and a few pennies."

With a smack of the lips, Elizabeth watched as the boy exhaled. "Well, I thhhhink it might that they knew you didn't tell them yer name. Like, e-eeearlier, I he-heard my name. Do y-ya think they know everyooo-one's names?"

The amount of sugar he consumed in addition to a likely natural hyperactive disorder led to probably slurred his words beyond the slight stuttering.

"Maybe," the now apparently girl not named Elizabeth acquiesced, "I would suggest we find them, but I'm quite sure we'll meet them again."

The boy before her nodded with the speed of a cheetah - or leopard? However, such quick movements only caused dizziness, and he desperately avoided throwing up by putting his head down on the table to orient himself.

"And I want my breakfast right now, so just keep lying there," not-Elizabeth tutted.

Percy's Journal

Entry 42

In terms of developing a bigger crew, I think we've expanded pretty heavily this week.

"Still cheating businesses there? Enjoy the pie?"

"Shit! Where in the infinite hole of Tartarus did you come from, you soulless ginger! You made me drop my money!" cursed Aly, surprise bringing out her profanity as she scrambled to pick up some clinking coins.

Percy played with a nice amethyst necklace as he nicked from a store just that morning. He much more tactfully said, "Never introduced ourselves. I'm Percy. That's my friend Aly, who is also a soulless ginger. Any reason you're here, Elizabeth?"

Indeed, about a month later, they were once again meeting the red-haired, green-eyed girl for Greenpeace. The girl was distinctly dotty, a rather strange aura of surrealness that seemed to warp the air as she sat on a bench before them. Her oddity, beyond the fact that she'd found them in a completely different city several states away, only was increased by the same drunk boy was laying on her lap drinking what smelled like concentrated diabetes.

"Well, I didn't exactly follow you as go to where I knew you would go to next," exclaimed the girl gleefully as swung her legs back and forth, not upsetting the boy's resting position.

"And how were you aware of that?" Percy continued to investigate as he tightly gripped Aly in hopes of keeping her from responding. The two of them had discussed finding more allies, and these two strange people could definitely fit the bill. Certainly, they had some skills if they'd tracked them down hundreds of miles. It wouldn't do for Aly screaming out what was likely her own variant of Elizabeth's name and scaring her away.

"Maybe because I'm the Oracle of Delphi!" the girl whom he believed to be Elizabeth claimed brightly. At Percy's sceptical face, she continued, "Like, I know your name. Percy."

"Oh, maybe, I dunno, you found that out by listening to me call that retard by that name coming over here?" Aly snipped, no longer deterred from speaking by Percy's painful grip on her arm.

"Well … then fine. My friend Dakota here said he heard his name spoken while he was half-asleep, and this is Bismarck - nowhere else really to go to in North Dakota. It would be hilarious if his name was North, though, huh?" the girl continued almost undeterred. "And I kinda told a lie to you before. My name's actually Rachel Elizabeth. Fair's fair, you told me your names and all."

"And how'd you find us here? Why not South Dakota?"

"I'm pretty good with computers. Hacked into the traffic camera system. And my friend and I did spend a week there before coming here. Ended up just staying here because no reason to go anywhere. And now you show up! Did you guys walk all the way? Or perhaps take a tour of the world first? Took so long!"

"Walking's less stressful than public transportation. Too many mishaps when we try."

"Don't suppose you guys know how to drive? You two looks old enough to, and surely you two scam artists aren't afraid to rob one."

"Thought about it, but too easy to track when used. Stolen cars get reported, and even if not stolen the license plate can be followed. Covering that up long term is too hard."

"I suppose that explains it," mused Rachel.

"Why you here?" Percy finally got to his own question, shaking his head in slight confusion from the new redhead's fast paced inquisitorial nature.

"Oh! Well, you two seem powerful, but only a duo! Knowing Mist magic, that's some pretty hard stuff. You guys are likely looking to create a group. You two have been making a name for yourselves recently - most groups have heard rumors of a duo making their way by storm across the West recently. With that sort of reputation, you're rather going to get targeted and eliminated, forced to be on the run, recruited, or get stronger.

"I don't believe you guys can get strong enough to wipe out crews of hundreds of people by yourselves, now can you? You've probably thought on this yourselves. If you have any pride or sense - and it seems you do - you'd choose the option of getting stronger with quantity."

Rachel finally took a breath, and almost motored on. However, Dakota lifted his head to speak before she had the chance.

"What … ssshhe said."

And then plopped right back down.

Looking at the original pair's somewhat skeptical faces, Rachel sighed. "Don't underestimate him. Dakota's helped me get survive these past few years after I ran away from home. We've got a supplies established pretty much everywhere - we can help."

"Well, I suppose things are really moving along, Perce," sighed Aly, "This could work though. Let's sneak into somewhere? We'll need to talk more, and that's gonna take awhile. Oh, and you're in, fellow soulless human being."

"Well, actually, our stuff is across the city … let us go get it?"

"You'd think with how damn large the U.S. is, it'd be more difficult to run into fellow freakin demigods," commented Aly as she aggressively parried an Imperial Gold spear of a most likely Roman scout group leader with her Stygian Steel weapon. "If you would distract this sod for me, Perce?"

However, her partner Percy was only focusing on the two males that were trying to break through his guard. Ducking a spear - what was the Roman name for it? Pilum? - then grabbing it and pulling on it, he went to slice the weapon in half, but had to retreat when the other jabbed at him with one of two gladiuses. Gladii? On that matter, dual wielding? "Bit busy here."

Indeed, Aly was merely weaving through the prodding spear of a glossy black haired girl with equally dark, piercing eyes at the moment. Finally ducking through, Aly brought around her metal bar and bashed into the gladius of the other female, who seemed half distracted manipulating plant life. The bar rebounded with calculated angle and force, and Aly spun around a full 360 in a completely unorthodox motion and clubbed the spear user in the head.

"Well, I only have one fricken piece to my weapon and you have two! And I already got one brat, so deal with the other!" The redhead retreated behind Percy, her steel weapon lengthening into the marvelously crafted instrument it was. She began to play, wisps of steam curling away from the insertion of warm breath into a cold interior.

An airy melody floated through the air as Percy successfully sliced a deep gash into the weapon arm of one gladius wielding male, at the cost of the back of his shirt. She watched, still playing away as Percy pulled back to face the pilum user male. Meanwhile, the plant weaving brown haired female rushed to heal the gladius user.

Percy smirked as he played with his knife, tossing it up into the air, letting it revolve before catching it while also spinning the metal bar of the other half in his hand. As his remaining enemy warily approached, the redhead glimpsed a sleeping hogtied male archer behind the motley Roman crew, likely a Son of Apollo or Athena judging by bright blond hair.

Her strain of music almost broke when Percy's wrist snapped out. The motion of his knife flipping blade over handle was hypnotizing as it left to meet the female between the eyes by the handle, knocking out half the leftover attack force. By sheer luck, she fell upon the person she was healing, keeping the warrior pinned under her weight.

The remaining male stood, eyes corpse cold and calculating as he considered his odds, the odd melody in his ears prickling away. The Daughter of Apollo could just see his brain ticking away, trying to understand what the pretty sounds were for as he tried to keep track of Percy. Perfect.

The lightly traveling pitch of the flute suddenly peaked in a sharp whistle, and the final remaining enemy dropped his weapon in agony in order to cover his ears, as the other male stopped struggling to free himself. The victorious girl stopped playing to cackle and gloat, "And I got the rest of the idiots!"

At least before noticing that Percy was also rolling around in pain. "Ah shit, I hit you partially too then?" the ginger groaned as she walked up to him and poked him, releasing the shuddering green-eyed Greek from her magical spell.

It was both the illusion of pain that came from both the innate wrongness of her final note of music, and the sorcery straining through the melody that locked all but the most practiced minds into a symphony of pain.

"Damn it, Aly! Aim better!" was the first thing that came cursing out of her friend's mouth as he struggled to rise, almost instigating a slight argument. "You need more practice with that one."

Neither noticed as the nearby pilum user also rose, in pain but prepared to attack. However, the somewhat unhinged warrior quickly noted the 2 to 1 odds and made his decision. "I wish to negotiate for surrender."

"Who are you? And for what?"

Bryce turned sharply to see who responded, before grimacing in pain from the quick movement. The two who'd brought down his team weren't just two then. Two more enemies, fresh and back from gods knew where. "Bryce Lawrence of the Romans. And just give me a second, please …"

Still, all was well. It would be too easy manipulate everything into his favor with such willing enemies. They weren't Roman, there was no way then - any Roman group didn't take surrender when victory was already achieved. He would just have to pretend to be sacrificing what seemed to be a lot while achieving his goal.

"We're clearly defeated, but too numerous to capture for a long period of time to trade and I find it unlikely that you will kill us. We've already lost. We are still obviously incapacitated," began the beady eyed boy as he gestured around his fallen group, "I propose that you take away our prisoner and the fallen girl nearest to you," pointing out the tied blond behind the Romans and the first girl to be knocked out, the black haired girl.

"As Hank," gesturing to the other sound assaulted male behind him, "is a dedicated Roman soldier and is injured, a burden to heal if you are to take him. Leila is not of much worth - too untrained - I doubt of value to other forces, I willingly surrender our Apollan prisoner and the rather insubordinate if well trained Roman here. Surely we can make a deal?"

"And why would we want them at all?" lolled out Aly, who inspected the poker-faced enemy.

Well, he hadn't thought out that far ahead. There was no way he could be able to kill the one he was trying to sell out by himself at this point. Hank was already beginning to wake up. "I'll give you half our stock in godly food. It's the best I can do. Please, spare us for our attack and allow us to return to the east coast," Bryce pretended to beg.

"Fine." Score. The fearsome boy he battled picked up his now former petite partner. The unconscious girl that Aly clubbed in the head was still out of it, and the large male foe he hadn't faced walked over to wake the archer in Roman camp. Seeing how the musician's brown eyes tracked his movements, he carefully follow his word and took out four ziplock bags of ambrosia and two canteens of nectar.

No real loss though. "My thanks," slithered out. Bryce's grin slowly widened as the winners of the fight moved on from the battleground.

"So, a lot happened while we were retrieving our things?"

"No shit."

Percy and Dakota merely continued transporting their prisoners as they searched for a safe place to get things sorted, even as the redheads began squabbling. They gathered little attention, oddly enough as it was, pulling along a now conscious yet still tied blond behind them and carrying the likely concussed black haired girl. Mortals were surprisingly accepting of the strangest things, even if it was the Mist.

Even if they couldn't tolerate basic things like gay marriage. Seriously, when he learned of it not being legal, he decided it was good to be demigod if he didn't have to deal with stupid shit like homosexuality being wrong. His mother had taught him better, bless her soul. That, and perhaps because Greek and Roman civilizations were accepting of such behavior.

Tapping Percy to get his attention, Dakota gestured at a church. That'd do.

"We could recruit these people too, hm?"

"Percy, is there something addled in that itty-bitty little mind of yours?"

In his attempt to curb her cursing, reflected Percy, Aly only really gained many more words that could be taken as an insult. If the object of her current ire - himself - was going to try to convince her to use fewer cuss words, she sure as Hades would up the ante with other mean words that she could find in a dictionary/thesaurus.

Lip curling, Percy leaned back in the chair in which he sat, crunching through Cheetos he pillaged from a vending machine he broke as a pseudo meal.

"Well, why not try?" he countered, somewhat pissed due to his already stressed temperament. "It's not as if we haven't gained any other members."

They had healed the Roman and adjusted the imprisoned archer, but both now handcuffed to chairs and kept inside confession booths (why the hell did Dakota carry handcuffs?). Rachel was currently tending to them very kindly, talking to each amiably while feeding them pickpocketed sandwiches from Trader Joe's. They'd each responded radically differently.

The blond archer's looks took after what he thought Apollo looked like - blond hair, blue eyes, somewhat of a looker. The funny thing was how he had a longbow, and only a longbow. Had he run out of arrows, or did the Romans who thought archers were wimps destroy the arrows? The boy had taken the situation quite well, likely due to having heard previous conversation about recruitment or being hogtied by the Romans for some time and being captured nothing new for him. He was a bit quiet, but talked readily enough for the odd situation for reasons unknown. He had told them his name - Lee Fletcher.

The Roman, on the other hand, was dead silent. She refused to lower herself to be fed by another, ducking Rachel's constantly outstretched hand that held a water bottle. The ebony haired girl hadn't really taken well to waking up captured by enemies, which was an obvious emotional reaction that anyone would have. The most interesting thing to consider, however, was exactly what she was angry at. Percy had sat across her for almost a half an hour, and the self-righteous Roman had met his eyes quite angrily for 10 minutes. The remaining time, her gaze had wavered. Her dark eyes had lost their focus on Percy, yet remained furiously pointed at his bodily self. It was disconcerting, but it was obvious she wasn't quite so angry at him rather than something in general.

Then she'd just closed her eyes. Perhaps meditating? It was only afternoon. The group just left her to her own devices.

"You wannnnnnaaa thinnnk about something weird?" slurred out Dakota, having splished water over his face to not sugar crash. Staggering from the row of chairs he sat at, he nearly knocked over a bench before bending awkwardly to rescue it. "We miserable demigods actuallllly get to gett away from one of the gibbest morrrtal arguments there are!"

"Hm?" Rachel commented distantly, filling in a church's coloring worksheet for little kids. So far, Jesus was looking far more like a DJ at a concert than hanging on the cross. Percy could only wonder how torturing a man to death was appropriate for kids. Well … then again, he fought monsters off almost daily.

"Weee don't have to religion abbboutt arguing!" said Dakota, swapping a few words around.

Percy and Aly, unfortunately, had already adapted quite well to Dakota's strange manner of speech. As demigods, you really had to be able to adapt. The demigod who didn't realize the body of a monster had dissolved into a swarm of venomous snakes would probably die writhing in pain compared to the one who got the hell away.

"Thhoosse wee ignorant mortals have so many arguments about stupid religion!" Dakota exclaimed in what he must have thought was a very graceful proclamation before laying on the ground (it wasn't as he tripped on air and fell flat on his face), holding up a pamphlet from the last sermon that was titled SCIENCE IS SIN. "Say what you want about thossse arsess upstairs, but at least we get the automatic knowledge that this kinda stuff stupid is irrrr-"

Crash. Topple. Snoring.

"He's sugar crashed," Rachel noted, as if Dakota's outburst had absolutely no significance. She walked over to the nearest confession booth, her clothing shimmering in the light gleaming through the painted glass church windows. Poking her head in, she asked lightly, "Anything to add, Lee?"

Aly snorted. Personally, Percy thought it was likely some issues considering her pretty boy half-brother. She never did learn exactly why Apollo was in his Roman form specifically for her conception. It was just generally impossible to ever hope to understand divine parents. She was convinced that it was important, though. Maybe because it set her out from all the other Sun kids. We've never heard of another Roman Apollo kid, so maybe she's right. But overall I only think the difference is that she knows Latin instead of Ancient Greek.

Percy turned slightly to watch as she simply continued rifling through all the music she could find in the chapel, looking to see any interesting pieces of music. He jumped up, now sitting on the organ above her, legs next to her arms as she rifled through the hymn book. He knew it was only an exercise in futility - she had yet to acquire any education on how to properly read music. She only knew how to mimic music she'd heard before if she wanted to play those sort of things, as far as he'd gathered from their travels. Anything original she could just improvise.

Lee's response was muted by the ruffling curtains of his booth. And if the scraping noises were of any indication, Rachel was dragging the guy out, still bound to a chair by the arms and legs.

"Lee here really has something to say about that, actually," commented Rachel, as if she hadn't just treated a boy dropping unconscious nonchalantly before dragging another boy out by a chair. Demigod life introduced you to strange things.

The blond took in a deep breath, before quietly monologuing in his rather uncomfortable position, "Well, I learned during my time with the Hunt that Jesus was actually a Son of Apollo from one of Apollo's trips for picking up music and poetry. The guy not only healed lots of permanent disfigurations and diseases, but also managed to recreate reviving people from the dead. So far as to revive himself from the dead using some kind of timed magic," detailed Lee, inhaling a deep breath before continuing, "He was made a minor god I don't know when, just like the other guy who revived people from the dead. Don't know how he is now, but that's what I heard."

Percy blinked at his heightened makeshift seat, trying to comprehend the tale as Aly moved to a position she could lean back to rest on his legs. That was certainly an interesting legend to leave. "And who was God then?"

Lee peered at Percy, whom the blue-eyed boy pegged as the leader of the four man group. Percy just seemed to radiate strength not found in the average teenage demigod that Lee encountered before. "I'll tell you if we strike a deal for me to join up with you guys," Lee responded, "Just a temporary thing, because I do want to return to the Hunters, but it might be awhile, til I find them again …"

"Well … fricken fine, I guess. But later. We should get moving damnit, there was a sign talking about a Wednesday night service outside and guess what bloody today is, arsehole?"

Maybe a lot more issues with the Hunters than he thought.

Perpetual twilight.

It was clearly not earth, but at least the sky was visible, if one could consider such an atrocity as visible. Said bastardization of the sky was strange, an interwoven tapestry of the most vivid Night and variable Day, where Darkness and Light reigned equally. The stars lit the Heaven, but what could be considered day and night were not supplied with any obvious source of light; there was no moon; no sun. The Earth did not lay alone in its lingering slumber, as all Water and the Sea ran erstwhile across the world. All things of Nature grew throughout, Created to be the Life to rule and exist - for Fate would draw them deep within, where the Underworld yawned; its only purpose was to consume all, yet all would be left to the heartbeat of Time that reverberated through the alien landscape.

It was the dream of those that still remained. Those who were beyond comprehension, if not understanding.

After all, it was they who knew the night and darkness existed before day and light in the heavens, and so the world was created in the waters of salt and waters of no salt. The sky came into being, kissing the earth, just as much as the underworld sundered the earth.

But time, nor fate, nor nature, nor creation, nor life waited.

The very world wished for itself as it was once, regardless of which of their compatriots still lived among them. The sky fell in an age long gone, and the earth tread upon its own path. But such primordial powers were not one to stop due to any small issue. The roaring seas, the ever expanding underworld, the unending pit, the boundless skies, the fortress of earth. Such may have been ruled by others, but it was created by them.

It would return to as it once was.

The nights were becoming darker, and the days lighter. The skies up in the far atmosphere were gathering, the sea currents of the far deep were churning, the molten depths of the earth were heaving. Turmoil boiled within the pits, the primal jungles grew once more, lakes and streams roared along with the natural life seemed to be fighting for its place once more. In time, it seemed to say, as fate decrees.

Aly's Take on the Author Notes…

Apparently they do. Finish the Author Note and you'll know soon.

Freaking god forsaken little piece of crap author, paradoxed is.

I object.

Don't care. Anyways, apparently this guy was inspired by some other shit character to write me of all people. ME! It just flowed out, apparently. Idiot.

I object.

YOU TOLD ME TO SAY THAT BLOODY STUFF.

No, I object to you calling me an idiot.

THEN BE MORE SPECIFIC, YOU TWAT.

Spare me. It took so long to find a proper name! Aly only came from a long hunt for a suitable name across baby-naming websites! Anyssa for purity in Greek, into Alyssa, sanity in Greek. You're as hell not pure nor sane!

SAY WHAT?

What. Anyway, it's fine those don't fit, since your real name isn't either of those.

TELL ME MY NAME.

Hush, dear child. In time. Please favorite, review, follow, volunteer to be a beta.