A/N: Hello again! This is a shorter chapter, since I want to keep the ball rolling this will happen from time to time. Before I disappoint anyone there will be no Percy or Artemis in this story. He's a... (mutters) He's an OC. But! A very necessary one. So it is what it is. Please enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson

"If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared."

- Niccolo Machiavelli

Chapter 6:

Present day. Nevada - Northeast of Reno.

On a cool desert night in a land where few souls lived the sound of a banshee made of steel and fire could be heard echoing over the plain. A monster born from American muscle she was heralded by supercharged screams and thundering roar. Speeding across the deadlands, vengeance came with her.

At the end of a nameless dirt road stood a run-down shanty of a bar. The sort of place frequented by roughnecks and desperate men. Most of its windows were boarded up and the roof sagged haphazardly. A simple wooden sign hung outside covered in faded lettering that once marked it "Benny's Bar".

The car pulled over in front of the building. Her subdued rumbling and idle snarls ceased and out stepped the beast's master. He wore a black leather biker jacket and sunglasses; his hair was black and slicked back. The back of his jacket bore the words "To Hades and Back" at the top, "1989" on the bottom.

He approached the bar and heavy boots hit the stoop as he stood before a slight ajar screen door. The man opened it with a screech that signaled his entrance. Stepping inside, he scanned the handful of occupants and dimly lit smoke-filled room. Within he noted the presence of a couple of old boozers and two big biker guys playing pool but paid them little mind. His focus was drawn to the back of one man sitting at the bar.

The old boozers took one look at this new stranger and promptly decided not to stick around. As they left the bikers merely kept some suspicious glares on their faces, one of them sniffed and muttered something to his fellow.

The man tried to keep a grin off his face. 'Found you, snake.' he thought maliciously. He walked slowly over to an old jukebox that looked like it hadn't been used in years. Spent a few moments flipping through the pages before sliding a quarter into the slot and watching the record get placed on the turntable.

The man turned back to the bar as a steady thrum of guitar followed by an upbeat harmonica began to play. There he met the eyes of the scum he'd finally remove from this mortal plane. The traitor was of the worst sort, betraying his friends and delivering information to the enemy. He was a turncoat and a spy whose hands were hopelessly stained by those who once trusted him. It had been many years, but retribution would soon be in session.

He watched as the traitor's eyes went wide with panic. He could remember the day he had seen them last, smug and cold, from the other side of the battle lines. It was a bitter and bloody day, one of many to follow, but that day became a cemented set-piece in his memory for him to drown his hatred in.

"Vinny! Gods it's been at least a decade. You haven't changed a bit." The traitor edged away from the bar with a meek smile on his face. "You still driving that old Roadrunner? With the 440 six-pack? Man, that thing was cooler than frozen glass." As he continued to move Vinny's eyes followed him, growing paler by the second he tried again. "Come on Vin, you know I feel just terrible about-"

A five-pound celestial bronze ball hit the floor with a loud thud followed by a heavy chain that uncoiled from Vinny's jacket sleeve, he sneered. "Cut the shit Mason, Hades will have you and I got your ticket to ride right here." Vinny noted that bikers were no longer playing their game but now approaching from the other side of the room.

For a moment the air stilled, and nothing could be heard but the whining chant of a harmonica and the battling drums from the jukebox.

Nobody made a move, then everyone did.

With a flick Vinny sent the business end of his ball and chain whistling towards mason who flipped a table in its path before diving behind it. The ball impacted the table, shattering into splinters.

The bikers both rushed towards Vinny, the glamours covering their features shifting to reveal a single eye in the center of their faces rather than two.

Mason peered out from his splintered cover and began to scream at the two cyclopes, "Kill Him! You worthless animals, KILL HIM!"

Vinny jerked his ball and chain in a tight arc and sent it careening into the side of the lead cyclops' head which hit with a satisfying thwack. Leaving the cyclops dazed but still standing. His compatriot rather than moving around the dazed cyclops opted to slam into him, who was promptly planted face first into the floor.

Roaring with fury and charging like a locomotive the cyclops on his feet lunged towards Vinny with outstretched bone-crushing hands. Vinny swung his ball and chain low, skipping the heavy ball of the floor and wrapping it around the cyclops' legs. Diving to the side, he pulled on the chain. The sudden change in direction and the binding celestial bronze chain around his legs took the charging cyclops right off his feet and sent him right through the wall.

The cyclops that was dazed earlier, started to rise holding the side of his head saying only, "Owie". When he reached eye level with Vinny, Vinny produced a long dagger from his jacket and drove it through the cyclops' eye reducing the giant to dust.

With a glare at Mason that said in no uncertain terms, 'I'll be back for you', Vinny turned his attention to the new entrance to the bar. Stepping outside he spotted the other cyclops currently struggling to free himself from the celestial bronze chain.

Strolling over to his car he silently chuckled to himself as he listened to it's angry roars of frustration. The glamoured cyclops were a surprise but not an overly unexpected one. He would have been bored otherwise. Reaching into the car he retrieved a long-barrel shotgun from the passenger seat.

The cyclops finally managed to free himself but quickly found himself looking down the barrel of a twelve gauge. The monster stilled but in a twisted way smiled. Then in an almost eerie likeness from someone long dead said, "Please don't kill me Vinny! I'm sorry, please don't kill me -"

Two gunshots echoed over the desert plain.

'Now for the rat…' thought Vinny.

Reentering the bar, he stepped through the gap and deftly avoided Mason attempting to gut him from behind the wall with a knife. Grabbing his wrist, he snapped the joint and smashed to the but end of his shotgun into the traitor's face.

He went down with a pitiful cry. Vinny just watched him snivel and try to crawl away cradling his broken wrist. His face was a bloody mess, and he was making the most pathetic sounds.

"It's such a shame, a shame that dozens of demigods died because of you. A worthless coward." Vinny delivered a hard kick to his midsection and Mason started wheezing between sobs.

"So much death, all due a spineless miserable little shit like you" Vinny spat.

"Mason Hall, son of Ate, you have been marked for death by Olympus for crimes including espionage, murder and treason. I, Vincent Gallo, son of Nemesis will act as executor of Olympus' will and sentence you without trial under the authority Olympus as an official bounty hunter." Vinny finished with a cheerful grin.

"Formalities out of the way, we'll get to that soon enough. But first…" Vinny steps on Mason's broken wrist and he cries out again.

"... tell me everything you know about the Titan's prophecy."

A/N: Olympus handled things a little differently this time around. If anyone is curious the song on the jukebox is "If you wanna get to heaven" by The Ozark Mountain Daredevils. I usually write to music and that was the anthem for this chapter. Schedule and update dates are on my profile. Let me know what you thought.