To Covid-20- They're nothing but consistent ^_^

To propheciesandbluecookies- A rarity! Be grateful :P

To Anonymous Person Lucky 13- Could you imagine the sheer chaos if she did go with them? :P Forget monsters, I think they would've killed each XD

To 8Ball3- YES IT IS, PRECIOUS BABIES XD

To avocado-art- Hello! ^_^ And of course! Play with it all you like, just make sure you credit me :D

To An-Unnamed-Goose- (Chapter 67) Austin was going to help them, but the other Party Ponies? Not so much :/ (Chapter 68) Yes, I eventually put them on a map XP And there is a Part Two! (In progress though, I got a bit stuck on one chapter, but I've more or less worked around it now :P )

Thanks for all the reviews! So happy! ^_^


Run!

"Go right, go right!" Louisa ordered. Storm veered right, crashing straight into a bush and falling forward. Her wings snagged on several branches, her chin struck the earth.

Stuck! She whinnied. Louisa appeared, told her to stop wriggling. She glanced back, then up at the trees. What in the gods' names was that thing?

"Dunno. I don't know where it went either."

Help please!

"Right, right. Hold still!" Louisa drew an arrow from her quiver, cutting through the branches and twigs, apologising to the dryad as she did so. Storm's wings would need some healing and tidying up later, she noticed, yanking and shoving and hauling the pegasus free. Right now, however, they had bigger things to worry about.

It had been almost a month since they had seen that group of demigods. Louisa hardly gave them a second thought. They carried on, getting attacked by random monsters two or three times a day. Come night-time, it was worse. The monsters were always worse at night-time. Louisa kept watch with her sword in hand. Storm slept fitfully, wedged to her human's side, assured by the warmth of her presence.

The last three nights had been eerily quiet. Not for the lack of monsters though. There was one. It just hadn't made itself known yet.

Until tonight.

The stupid thing had dropped down from the treetops. Louisa tackled Storm out of the way, escaping it landing on their heads by a split second. She got a moment to look at it, drawing her bow. A hissing, spitting grey-ish white humanoid looking thing with pencil-like limbs and donned in black rags. She caught a sight of its fangs. Storm was awake now.

Run! She had cried.

"Go right, go right!" Louisa had said, watching her equine friend dive straight into a bush and get herself Stuck! She threw a look over her shoulder as she moved to Storm's side, seeing the monster had vanished.

Now free, Storm was looking for it too, sniffing and listening with all her focus. Louisa readied an arrow in the bow, keeping the point to the ground. "Anything?" She asked, not daring to speak louder than a breath. Storm gave the slightest shake of her head. "Move that way," Louisa nodded to her left, the right Storm was supposed to have taken, "'n' keep quiet."

I talk to you in my head, I am nothing but quiet.

You know what I mean. Louisa shot back mentally.

They made it about ten, fifteen feet. A sharp hiss from the trees, they jumped apart. Louisa pulled back the string, Storm spread her wings, snorting defiantly. The creature landed between them, snarling and snapping its jaws. Louisa fired and it vanished. Storm screeched as the arrow zipped over her head. Louisa didn't get a chance to apologise, the monster smashed into her. She caught its claws on her bow, its teeth clenching millimetres from her nose.

Kill it, kill it!

"I'm tryin'!" Louisa slammed her head forward, into its own, bright spots dancing across her eyes. Whatever it was reeled in pain, squealing and staggering, clutching its forehead. She loaded another arrow. It was still ready for her, just at the last moment. It sprang away, her arrow sinking into its arm rather than its chest. She fired again and again and again. Only one other arrow hit it- the last one. She had fired at an empty spot, the thing rushing into place to catch it in its shoulder.

It screamed, rushed her again. Storm whinnied and charged in, rearing up and bringing her hooves down on its head. It slashed at her with its claws, hissing. Purpling hoofprints were already forming on its pale skin.

Storm tried to get it again. It moved, reappearing at Louisa's side. Its fangs sank into her shoulder, she screamed. Blood soaked into her shirt, Storm bounded forward. She gripped her bow in her free hand, swinging it up. It cracked on the creature's skull. It slumped, falling backwards off of her. Her pegasus dashed past, stomping the monster into dust.

Louisa looked down. Her right side was soaked in blood, trickling down her arm, staining across her chest. It dripped from her fingers.

Lou? Lou!

"I'm…" Louisa didn't finish that sentence. Shadows swallowed her vision and she pitched forward, landing on Storm.

She opened her eyes to find herself standing in a throne room. Large and bright, white and gold. Twelve thrones made a U-shape around her, each one large enough to hold the thirty-foot-tall beings in them. Right in front of her were the two main ones, but her attention zeroed in on the one just to the right. A fisherman's chair. Not really a throne, but an over-large fisherman's chair, she realised, a giant fork resting in the gap made for a fishing pole.

With some effort, Louisa looked up into the face of the man sat in that chair. It was her father, undoubtedly, but not the one she knew. The other version. Not Neptune, but Poseidon.

"Hello, Louisa." He said, smiling grimly. At least Poseidon could smile at her. Neptune just scowled.

"Dad." She mumbled.

"Mmph." Someone grunted. She turned her head slightly, seeing a man sitting in one of the main chairs. Pinstripe suit, salt and pepper hair and beard trimmed to perfection, a lightning bolt crackling in his hand. Louisa stared at it for a moment, mesmerised. "It is improper not to address the king first."

"What king?"

"I am king!" The man thundered. Lightning flashed in his beard. "I am Zeus."

"Jupiter." Louisa translated. His form flickered, two mirror images of him springing apart, roaring and fighting. She stepped back at the display, glancing at her father questioningly.

"We are our Greek forms. Calling upon us by our Roman names will cause… that." Poseidon gestured at the Zeus-Jupiter hybrid. Zeus eventually won, straightening his tie and coughing.

"Don't do that again." He warned, glowering at Louisa. She nodded meekly.

The other thrones were occupied now. All large beings, with widely different fashion choices- some regal, some formal, one in overalls, one in pyjamas. Looking around, she recognised some of them, or at least knew their Roman equivalents. She saw Apollo strumming away on his stupid lyre, clenching her fists at the sight of him. The mental image of shoving the instrument down his throat settled in her mind, appeasing her somewhat.

"Louisa." Her father called, waving for her attention. "Are you listening?"

"No."

"As discourteous as you are, brother." Zeus grumbled.

"It's a charm." Poseidon insisted. Louisa looked from one to the other, not liking this version of them. Too… relaxed? She wasn't sure if that was the right word, but they were widely different from the versions she knew.

"Where am I? Where's Storm?"

"Storm is fine." Poseidon assured. "You are on Olympus." An image popped into her head- the dream she once had, of a city atop a city, gleaming white and gold amongst the bleakness of the mortal world.

She felt her shoulder, glanced down. There was no blood.

"Am I dead?"

"No. Almost, but no." Poseidon waved his hand. A fine shimmering mist sprang up, rippling with rainbow colours until it settled on an image. Storm appeared, Louisa slumped over her back, leaving a trail of bloody droplets on the woodland flooring. Storm huffed and strained, stumbling, monster dust coated on her hooves. "You've got a loyal pegasus, daughter." Poseidon nodded. Storm came across a riverbank, wading into the shallows and crouching. In the image, Louisa groaned. The bitemark in her neck was already healing.

The image vanished. Poseidon was watching her.

"Why am I here?"

"We want to talk to you."

"Why?" She didn't need to ask. She knew there was something, knew it. Ever since hearing Austin talking with his friends, ever since Polybotes offered to train her, ever since everything had happened to her, she just knew there was something. What the something was, however, it seemed she was going to find out now.

No-one answered her immediately. They all kind of looked at each other- except for Apollo, who was still playing some song, bobbing his head and humming to himself. The picture of it wedged down his throat was looking more and more tempting with each chord.

"It has come to our attention that your loyalty wavers as of late." The lady beside Zeus spoke out. Louisa looked her up and down. She wore a white dress with feathers on, blue, purple and green in colour. Her eyes were stern, her face almost statue-like in its immovability. Her dark hair was pinned back in an elaborate display of whatever that was. Louisa stared at it for a moment. This lady had only said one thing- Louisa had no idea what 'wavers' meant- but she already didn't like her. "Your father has had this discussion with you and you did not listen." She continued, frowning. "And with what awaits you, we agreed we must act now and talk to you ourselves." Louisa had to do a double-take at that.

"You can do somethin' for yourselves?" Lightning flashed and Zeus growled.

"Impertinent little brat!"

"Brother, please." Poseidon gestured for him to calm.

"Why do you defend her, Uncle?" This came from a lady somewhere on Louisa's left. Dark hair and stormy grey eyes. An owl was nesting on the arm of her throne, she was stroking the feathers on its head. "You've been in two minds yourself whether she should remain alive. You even threatened her with your trident. Why do you defend her now?"

"Mmph. I, or should I say, the, ah, other me… well, regardless, I've had some time to reflect-"

"Your wife spoke to you, didn't she?"

"-and I've decided that I will withhold judgment for the time being." Poseidon finished, pretending not to hear the grey-eyed lady. "She is my daughter, I will decide her outcome." The look he gave Louisa wasn't one she envisioned a father giving to his child- more like a man regarding a wayward pet or wild animal of interest.

"Confused." Louisa admitted. The feather-dress woman sat forward in her seat with a sigh.

"Child," she said, words clipped, "the fates that await you are not in our favour."

"Still confused."

"You could kill us all."

Ah. There it was.

Louisa considered it for a moment, biting her thumbnail. She looked around at them, twelve ginormous gods with an array of weapons and musical instruments and nocturnal birds at their disposal, and then looked down at herself. Eight and a half years old, present in a dream, her body in a river somewhere after a creature chomped on her neck, guarded by an injured and weary pegasus that was not yet fully grown.

Made sense.

"How?" She asked, trying to keep her tone empty. Couldn't be too curious about such things now- Zeus was shifting in his seat, very much wanting to skewer her with that lightning bolt of his. On the other hand, such knowledge would prove useful if they kept asking her to find hairbrushes.

"We do not know." The feather-dress woman scowled. Louisa kept her expression blank too, but she was a little disappointed, to tell the truth. "We've spoken about this in length," the woman continued, "you could yet prove to be a considerable threat and wipe us clean from existence. But there are some," she glared around the room, "that aren't willing to see you perish just yet." Louisa said nothing to that, noticing that she was hungry. What should she have for breakfast?

"You were willing to side with Polybotes." The grey-eyed lady chipped in. "Your own father's bane, the giant born to bring him down, and you were going to swear on the Styx to join him." Louisa frowned at her, breakfast forgotten.

"He killed my friends."

"And I'm sorry about that, but-"

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"You ain't sorry." Louisa's hands were shaking. She held them clenched at her sides, trying to hide the tremble, but she knew it was there. It infected her voice too. "You ain't sorry." She repeated, firmer, glaring up at the grey-eyed lady. The owl snapped its beak at her, she ignored it.

"We're not?" The woman arched an eyebrow. Louisa shook her head, swallowing dryly. "Why aren't we sorry?"

"Could've saved 'em."

"That is not-"

"You're gods. You're meant ta do anythin', right?" There were murmurs from some of the other gods, ones that hadn't spoken yet. Neither agreement nor disagreement, but enough to know Louisa was along the right track. "You could've saved 'em."

"We did not call you here to talk about your dead friends-"

"I want to go back now."

"We are not done yet."

"Send me back!" Louisa raged. Green light sparked from her fingers, bristling around her wrists and then fading. The grey-eyed woman smiled at her.

"No."

"Louisa, you must hear us out." Poseidon implored. She turned her glare on him, eyes burning. She would not cry here. She would not. "You have turned down our requests. You were going to side with a giant. You must understand that we are concerned you will stray from the right path." Louisa scoffed, turning away from him, folding her arms. She decided to glare at the floor, waiting for them to shut up.

"Do you see now, Uncle? You were correct the first time. It is not wise to keep such a threat." That was the grey-eyed woman again. "We must do the right thing."

"Now hold on," another woman intervened- Louisa recognised that voice- it was Venus. Or whatever her Greek form was. Aphrodite. Ruby's mom. "Louisa has been faithful for years, she has proven a valiant aid to many of us, Olympian and minor. And she… she helped my daughter." The goddess looked at Louisa, the only one to show even a glimmer of grief or guilt. Louisa stared back at her for a moment, and then back at the floor. "Should we not show at least a little decorum and gratitude?"

"Well, for starters," growled Poseidon, fingers tightening on the giant fork, "you are not killing my daughter."

"Brother, please, the Fates predict she could very well end us all."

"Rather hypocritical, Uncle."

"Athena, for once, hold your tongue."

"She could kill us and you wish to silence me?"

"Given the right circumstances." Poseidon snarled. Athena scoffed, rolling her eyes. Poseidon turned to Zeus, fuming. "You heard the Fates yourselves, brother, the chances are slim."

"And yet you wish to risk us all out of what, pride?" Zeus shook his head. "It would be safer to blast her now and have done with it." There was a thud, green sparks flitting from the butt of the trident as it struck the marble floor. Louisa looked up at the noise. Poseidon and Zeus were glaring at each other, lightning crackling in the beard of the latter.

"You will not kill her. I have decided I will sustain her. She is of my blood, she is under my protection."

"See sense, Poseidon," Athena implored, "there is a reason you three undertook that solemn oath to never bear demigod offspring." Her stormy gaze landed on Louisa, trying to shrink her under its intensity. Louisa stared back steadily. "The Fates decreed she would bow to a power beyond her control, we cannot risk the already tentative state of Olympus under such an opposition."

"Again," Poseidon snarled, "given the right circumstances. We do not yet know the outcome, I say we bide our time and give her guidance where fit."

"You are making a fool's decision." Athena retorted coldly. "You favour your children too much, Uncle, you will doom us all."

"No." Poseidon defied, now on his feet. "If it comes to it, I will be responsible for my daughter's fate. Not any of you." Athena spread her hands.

"You say that now. Let's see how that holds up when the time comes."

"If." Poseidon countered. "If the time comes." Athena regarded him for a moment, steepling her fingers.

"Indeed." She eventually said. "If."

"Favour?" Louisa echoed. The sentence had been turning over in her head while they finished their little bickering. "You favour me?" She began to laugh, though there was no humour to it. "You liar."

"Excuse me?" Poseidon frowned. Green light crackled around the top of his giant fork. Louisa spread her hands, leaning forward slightly to smirk at him, almost a mock bow.

"You're a god. Figure it out."