Back again with another chapter! I think you'll all enjoy this one, as we get more insight into the Norse Camp.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters (except the OC's) Percy Jackson & The Olympians, Heroes Of Olympus, or Trials Of Apollo. All of that belongs to Rick Riordan.

Now then, on with Chapter Seventeen. Sigurd is pretty cool.

17. I Do Something Stupid (What's New?)

Matt

My first reaction to Sigurd?

What. The. Hell.

Seriously, two sentences in and I'm confused. He said he's finally able to speak to me, as in he's tried before? And Camp Asgard?

Okay, that last one is pretty obvious.

It had been in the back of my mind for a while now, the thought of a Norse Camp. I mean, obviously Bjorn and Boris weren't the only Norse demigods, so of course there's a place they live, commune, and call home. Just like we do at Camp Half Blood, and the Romans at Camp Jupiter.

I pushed myself off the ground fully, and the view of the mountains appeared in front of my eyes.

I nearly forgot Sigurd was standing there, if not for his jutting black cloak, I would've. I stared for probably five minutes at the view. Each mountain had a different height, laying out together like waves in the ocean, encompassed with fluffy white snow. It felt like I was in some kind of video game, where everything sat still. No snowflakes fell, the wind barely blew, and not a single animal could be heard. Everything was just...tranquil.

"Breathtaking, is it not?"

My eyes darted to the source, Sigurd. I truly realized that he could see and understand me, knowing full well that I was here. But how? This wasn't real, this was a vision.

Right?

I cleared my throat, "Um...yeah, yes. It is."

"We're in Sweden, not too far from Camp Asgard, actually. I often come here to get away from the responsibilities of daily life, the chaos that comes with being a leader. I'm sure you understand."

I walked close enough that I was standing by his left side on the ledge, overlooking everything. It seemed like we were on the highest peak of the bunch.

I nodded in agreement to what he said, "Sure. I used to watch sunsets, they...cleared my head. Helped me think."

"Used to?"

"Yeah, things have been...well hectic lately, like you said."

"Indeed they have."

We stood there for a minute in silence, just staring at the view. But before long my mind began to overflood with questions. Questions that I needed answered.

I turned to Sigurd, his face hidden by the hood of his cloak, so I still had no idea what he looked like.

"What am I...I mean what is-"

"What are you doing here? What's going on?" He interrupted, "You're confused, I understand. Allow me to explain."

He finally turned to face me, and when he did, I got a good look at his face.

First off, he had red hair, about medium length and parted to the side. It looked like Boris's, only where the Son of Thor's was choppy and punkish, Sigurd's was thick and only slightly unkempt. He had a trimmed red beard to match, with rugged features. I guessed he was in his twenties.

But the thing that stood out the most was his left eye, in the fact that it was hidden behind a black eyepatch, like a pirate would wear. I looked closer and saw the reason. He had a white scar across his eye, going down in a straight line from his forehead to his cheek.

I immediately compared it to Harper. Her eyesight had been taken away magically by Nemesis, her mother, leaving a milky white eyeball behind. But she didn't cover it up with an eyepatch, and Sigurd did. Obviously his situation differed, he had clearly been wounded at one point, and it was most likely cut out completely, leaving him half blind. It confused me though, this guy was strong. So what Norse monster was capable of doing this to the Son of Odin?

A lot of things could've happened, I thought to myself. It may not have been a monster, it could've been a demigod, or he could've gotten it when he was young, or maybe it was apart of his power, kind of like what happened to me.

He noticed me observing his eye, and raised the split brow above it.

"Is it the eye?"

I probably looked like an idiot, staring at some stranger's scar, coming up with scenarios in my head on how he got it. I'm just amazing at first impressions, if you couldn't tell.

I stumbled over my words apologetically, "No! No, it's just...I tend to overthink things."

Thankfully he didn't seem offended, "It's okay. I'm aware that it sticks out. That's actually part of the reason I was able to call you here, though."

"What do you mean?"

He scowled and grabbed the eyepatch with his hand, lifting it up and showing me his eye.

My eyes widened a little at the sight. It was the complete opposite of what I was used to in Harper, because instead of a pure white orb looking at me...it was black.

Sigurd's eyeball was solid black, with the white scar cutting deep over his eyelids. It seemed almost alive, like a swirling void of darkness, and power. There was something strange about it for sure, and as I studied it further and further, I realized that most of his aura was pent up inside of it, swirling. Kind of like Viribus in a way...

"Whoa..." Was all I could say.

He put the patch back over his eye and dropped his hand, sighing and averting his gaze.

"It allows me to do many things. Things which could take hours explaining, and we don't have hours. But one thing it let's me do is locate anyone throughout the world, enter their mind, and even speak to them, like we're doing now. But some areas are murky and unclear."

He paused for a few seconds, and I figured I needed to say something.

"Okay..."

He raised his hand in front of him and snapped his fingers. The instant he did so, the unthinkable happened. Everything rippled and changed, the mountains in front of me morphed and began to change form. It reminded me of some kind of futuristic simulation, or some crazy movie scene. I can't even accurately describe it, I was so in shock.

"Wh-What the hell's going on, Sigurd?" My head darted around like a cornered cat.

Sigurd's tone was deep and serious, "Don't panic, this is part of my ability. As long as your consciousness remains in my control, I can do as I please and show you what I please." He waved his hand, and the ripples seemed to follow it, the mountains' new form finally became clear. It was a perfect replica of Camp Half Blood.

The only difference was, it wasn't in ruins. It was alive, and well. The home that I remembered.

Sigurd lowered his hand, "This place for one, was murky on my radar, along with a few others. Eventually I realized that my theory of the existence of other pantheons was true. I began studying the Greeks first, then Shinto, then...well, you get the point. Long story short, I come across you, and I immediately identified you as a Greek demigod."

"How?"

"Appearance. You obviously look American, but besides that...the lack of tattoos cancelled out the possibility that you were Norse. Your armor style, hair style, a number of things gave it away."

I was still hung up on the fact that there were multiple camps out there, and always had been, coexisting with us.

A million words sat on the tip of my tongue, but the only thing I managed to say was, "Uh...what's Shinto?"

I expected him to chuckle at my stupidity, but he didn't. Guess this guy doesn't smile too much.

"Japanese Pantheon. They have a Camp as well."

"Wait, Japanese gods?"

"Yes." He snapped his fingers again and a new image appeared. It was a place the size of Camp Half Blood, only the buildings were far different in design. These looked Japanese, from the decorations to the roof style to the trees around the area. Statues of gods I didn't recognize sat all around.

"All this time..." I whispered, completely baffled by how small I felt right now. All this time I thought it was just us, just the Greeks. Then I found out about Camp Jupiter, but that wasn't too much of a shock, because they were kind of tied in with the Greeks, since the gods were basically just different versions of themselves. But this last year has been insane. I mean, Norse beings? And now...what was it? Shinto, that's right, it was Shinto.

What the hell does that even mean?

I put my hands to my head, all of this was too much. Too much information. If they existed this whole time, why didn't they help us?

"Because they don't know about you either." Sigurd said, reading my mind.

"What?"

"The Shinto Camp doesn't know of our existence, nor does the other Camps. Even I didn't know the other pantheons truly existed until about a year ago. An anomaly has been blocking the path of sight for ages, not allowing me or any other person to see, or come in contact."

"Anomaly?" I asked, confused. But then it hit me, and I widened my eyes in realization, "The Mist..."

"Yes, that is the term you Greeks use. It goes by other names, but for your sake, the Mist is what has kept us divided for so long, kept us apart. And..." He looked far off into the distance, "It may have been for good reason. Who knows what our ancestors would've done, had they known?"

"There's no telling." I said, shaking my head.

"Humans are a petty bunch. They are greedy, and they crave war, even if they do not know it. But demigods and gods...well, they are worse. Diplomacy is not the answer to most, and issues are often only solved with violence." He frowned somberly, like the fact truly hurt him, "It is the sad truth."

I barely knew this guy, but hearing him talk and just standing here with him...fascinated me. I felt myself wanting to stay longer, and just hear his life story. There was clearly a lot to Sigurd Borgarsson, and I wanted to know more.

He spoke again, "But we are growing closer to the Great Convergence, as I have dubbed, when all of the Camps come together, and unite against our common enemy, Ouranos."

"You know...about Ouranos?"

He nodded, "Of course. He is the very reason why we are speaking right now. He is the one that set this all in motion, people from your side learning of our existence, and vice versa. But his intentions are pure malevolence. I'm sure you know by now that he wants nothing more than to destroy the world, and rebuild it in his own horrifying image."

My face darkened. Simply talking about him brought that voice back in my head again, so much so that I began to hear it over the mountain surface that Sigurd and I stood on, like someone yelling to us from a distance.

Sigurd turned around and shouted, "BEGONE!" A shockwave burst from his mouth and echoed to the source of the voice, effectively shutting it up.

I felt the familiar prick in my eyes again, and as I put a gentle finger to my cheek, I felt a black vein.

Sigurd noticed, "He has invaded your mind, hasn't he?"

"That's an understatement." I growled.

"Calm yourself. Remember, as long as I am in control, he cannot harm you here. Listen to the sound of my voice, and it will go away. Listen..."

He repeated a few more times, and I listened close, shutting out all other sounds. Before long, my heartbeat went back to normal, and I felt my eyes loosen from the pressure.

I sighed, "That's better."

He studied me, "How did it happen?"

I waved a hand, snorting. "Long story, man."

"I have time. The very reason I called you here is so we could talk, and I could show you important information."

I laughed humorlessly, "Look Sigurd, I like you already, you seem like a great ally. But right now, I don't have the time. Maybe you do, but I don't. The Sons of Thor are out there-"

"Bjorn and Boris."

I stumbled, "Yeah...you know them?"

Something about that question brought on a million emotions in his face, and none of them were happy.

I figured he'd go into some big speech about why he hates them so much, but he only responded with a simple, "I do."

I decided to save it, "Anyway, they're out there, and my father...well, he's out there too, and my friends-"

I stopped abruptly, because an idea just hit me. A good idea.

"Hey, you said you can locate anyone in the world, right?"

He knit his eyebrows in confusion, "Yes, but-"

I nearly grabbed his shoulders, but I figured that wouldn't be too smart. I was insanely excited at the thought of being able to see her again, the others, and even my father. It had felt longer than it seemed.

"Can you find a specific person? She's my...um, friend. Her name's Harper Pierce."

I inwardly cringed at the use of the word friend. But it seemed justified somehow. We had been apart for over a year, so our relationship label surely couldn't have carried over that long, could it have? I mean, I knew she wanted to find me, but that didn't mean she still liked me.

I didn't care. I told myself a while ago that I would always be her friend, no matter what.

Sigurd didn't like my question too much, "I can find her, yes. But you'd have to give me more details. Even so Matt, we have other things to discuss-"

"More details?!" I interrupted crazily, "Okay um, she's about five foot seven or eight, something like that, dark black hair, long, and kept in a ponytail most of the time. She has pale skin and wears mostly black clothing. She carries around these two knives, and their made of this Greek metal called Celestial Bronze-"

"Matt!" He shouted, interrupting my rambling. I could sense his aura was a bit impatient.

"What's wrong?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose, "I have attempted to contact you for a long time. I would like us to discuss more important matters, such as Bjorn and Boris, how you'll get here to Camp Asgard, our future plans of attack against Ouranos-"

I put my hands out in front of me calmly, "No no no, Sigurd, you don't understand. Harper is very important to this war, to this quest and...to me. Okay, she's...well, she was my girlfriend. And maybe she still is, ah hell, I don't know. But we've been apart for a year and I've wanted to find her ever since."

"I'm sorry to hear that, but your love life has little to do with what's going on. I can help you find her after we meet in person."

Now I was getting a little angry, and suddenly not finding Sigurd so fascinating. Who the hell was he to keep me away from Harper? From the rest of my friends?

I was about to let him have it, when I stopped and thought for a second, putting myself in his shoes. I thought about how frustrating it would be, knowing that allies were out there, and seeing them, but not being able to talk to them. And when the moment finally came that you could...the guy you're talking to keeps interrupting and goes on and on about some girl he wants to find.

Okay, I get where he's coming from.

I took a deep breath, "Just let me explain, okay?"

He crossed his arms, "I'm listening."

"She's not alone. She's with three other people, powerful demigods mind you, and one of them...is the Son of Ouranos."

I expected him to freak out about that, but instead he just raised a shocked eyebrow, and kept his arms crossed. Wow, this guy was level headed. I was kind of glad that I was talking to him, and suddenly wondered how smoothly things ran at Camp Asgard with him as leader.

"His name is Malachi, and I assure you, he's on our side. He's been manipulated by his father for years into being his own personal killing machine. But Malachi escaped his grip and he's with us. He's reliable, and extremely powerful, almost as much as me."

"And the other two?"

"Well, the other two, their names are Talon and Seraphina Griffith, but we just call her Sera for short. Talon doesn't have a last name, or...at least that we know of. Anyway, she can control Ice to great levels, and I'll admit, she's kind of shy and timid, but when a real fight breaks out, you can count on her. Now Talon..." I contemplated on what to say, because I could already tell that Sigurd probably wouldn't like Talon's style too much. They were basically the opposite from what I've read on Sigurd so far. I'd never seen this guy fight, but just by reading his aura, hell just his facial expressions and body posture, I could tell he strategized, thought things through, and didn't use all of his might at once.

Not saying Talon doesn't strategize, but usually he tends to go in...guns blazing.

I decided not to sugarcoat it though, because I didn't want to hold any information from a potential ally. Besides, the guy can read minds, I better not lie.

"Talon is the Son of Nikandreos, an extremely powerful god who's story would take too long to get into. But to make it short, he's a little wild and reckless, but ultimately a good guy, and he can create just about anything from nothing, given time, and he doesn't take damage."

"He doesn't feel pain?"

"That too, but his body also doesn't take any damage at all. He can't be physically killed for some reason."

Sigurd looked very surprised, but happily so, "Quite an ability, that is."

I nodded, "Yeah, it's pretty mysterious. But other than that, his combat style is pretty simple. He uses guns most of the time, revolvers, shotguns, stuff like that. Occasionally he'll use a sword."

Sigurd nodded, and pressed further, "And your lover?"

I felt my ears get a little hot, "E-Excuse me?"

"Your lover, the girl. Harper. What's her ability?"

I snorted unsuspiciously and waved a hand, "Okay whoa there, let's not use the term...lover. That sounds um, sexual."

Sigurd didn't seem too apologetic, "Oh...forgive me. Customs are different here, I suppose. Well then, your friend, what's her ability?"

There was that feeling again, hearing that word friend sent my stomach into my ass. Obviously I still had feelings for her, but did she for me? That was the big question. I mean, what if I find her, and she hates me? Or ignores me altogether?

Cross that bridge when we get there, I thought. You gotta find her first.

I sighed, "Well, she's really skilled with her knives and hand to hand combat, mainly using her legs with kicks and stuff, and she's really fast."

"So a natural warrior then."

"Pretty much." I agreed.

Sigurd looked like he wanted to chuckle, but it seemed his face didn't know how, or it had been so long since he'd done so, he decided against it.

"Very interesting companions you have, Matt. Although I can say the same for mine, so it doesn't surprise me."

I smiled, "You see now? I have to retrieve them. I need them to help me stop Ouranos, it's important that we all work together. I mean, strategically..." I was trying to appeal to his style, using the word strategically probably helped. "Wouldn't you want us all together at Camp Asgard, or just me? Besides, we won't take long, we'll be there before you know it."

Sigurd raised an eyebrow, "Even though you don't know where our Camp is?"

"Uh...you said Sweden, right?"

"Yes, but Sweden is an entire country. How can you find us without specific directions and guidance?"

I pointed to myself, "Not a problem, I have an ability that let's me sense auras for miles. I'll be able to find the Camp. That many demigods in one place, it won't be hard."

He nodded appreciatively, "A useful ability."

I shook my head apologetically, "I promise after I find them, we'll come straight to where you are, and then we can talk all you want."

He stood there a moment, a struggle going on in his head. Obviously he hadn't planned for this, but I apparently made a decent case, because he wouldn't be thinking this much if I hadn't. A couple of times he opened his mouth to speak, but decided against it.

"Please." I said simply, desperation in my tone. After all, I was.

His good eye read mine with sympathy, and he saw the truth of what I was feeling, and truly how bad I wanted this.

Finally he sighed, "Very well, we will delay our discussion. I'll find your friends."

My chest did a relay race with delight. I smiled with gratitude, "Thank you, Sigurd. You won't regret this."

"I hope not. Now, more details on your friends. Or if they are all together, just one would be fine. You said the girl has black hair and clothing, pale skin, and a height of about five foot seven?"

I nodded, "That's correct. And she carries around two Celestial Bronze knives. They have the same color as regular bronze."

"Okay..." He waved his hand and concentrated, immediately the wide image in front of us shifted from the Shinto Camp to a shot of the planet, from the view of Outer Space.

For a second, I was taken away completely from the task at hand. I had to simply marvel at the sight of Earth from a satellite's view, it was like I was literally floating above it. Tiny traces of large land masses could be seen, the water curved and shifted around them like strokes of paint on a canvas. And the craziest part, was that it felt alive. Like one giant organism.

I snapped back to reality when Sigurd asked, "Her name is Harper Pierce, you said?"

"What?...Oh, yeah."

"Her age?"

"Same as mine, sixteen."

His good eye widened a little, "You're only sixteen?"

I nodded, a little puzzled, "Uh, yeah. Why? How old did you think I was?"

"Older than sixteen." He mumbled, "But it matters not. Is she still in America?"

I couldn't see why not. I remember Percy saying she had gone with the others on their own quest to Scandinavia, but I doubted they were there by now. Otherwise Sigurd probably would've known about them.

"Yeah, she most likely is."

He nodded, "Okay, good." He motioned his hand again, and the image started to zoom rapidly, until it landed on the Earth. It became shaky, like it was running faster than light, darting around and looking.

Sigurd cocked his head, and strained his fingers, quickening the pace even further.

Finally he landed somewhere in an abrupt halt. The image showed a huge mansion surrounded by a blizzard, and nothing else. No other houses, vehicles, not even trees could be seen. Sigurd's view floated in front of it a good distance away, similar to some kind of spy drone.

"She is here, in the state of Indiana."

I knitted my eyebrows, very confused. "Why the hell is she there?"

But then it hit me, the blizzard, the giant mansion. Was she...

"Sigurd, can you move back some, to the entrance gate?"

He flicked his finger, and the image moved backwards several feet, until it stopped directly in front of the large metal gate. Above the locks, read the engraved words- GRIFFITH MANOR.

My eyes widened, "Sera's family..."

"What?"

Panic swelled inside of me, "I have to get there as soon as possible. Sigurd, thank you for your help, really, thanks so much." I reached out and shook his hand vigorously, to his slight annoyance.

"What are you-"

I was about to turn away from him, when another thought entered my mind. My father. How could I forget about him? We were in this together, and I was about to take off.

But then again, where's he been this entire time?

I shook that from my head, there could be a thousand reasons why he hasn't come after me. I still needed to find him.

"Sigurd, one last person to locate."

"Who?"

"My father, Hercules."

"A god?"

"Yes. I need him too, and I need him fast! We have to do this together. I haven't seen him since we fought Bjorn and Boris!"

He held up his hands, "Okay, calm yourself. It won't be hard, gods are easier to locate." He waved his hand again, and clenched it into a fist, changing the image. It ran again until it came upon a night sky, and a large bird flying through the clouds, above a narrow highway and golden wheat fields on each side.

It zoomed in, and I saw my father, in good condition, riding on the back of Kyros, his expression determined.

"In the State of-" Sigurd started.

"Kansas, I know." I smirked, "Thanks man, I owe you a ton."

He snapped his fingers and the image disappeared completely, returning the snow covered mountains.

"You owe me your presence." He said, almost grumpily, but I could tell he wasn't actually angry. "Seek us when you find your friends and arrive here. There, we will discuss everything."

I nodded, "I will." I looked around for an exit route, "Is there...a backdoor? Or..."

"I'll take care of it." He reached up and put two of his fingers in his mouth, letting out an ear splitting whistle. As soon as the noise echoed across the mountaintop, a black dot appeared beside it's peak, seemingly getting larger.

"What's that?" I pointed at it.

"That is my raven, Vardar. Or Watcher in English." The raven got closer and closer, it's wings flapping by it's side, it had it's eyes locked on to me like I was prey.

"Goodbye for now, Matt Beckett. We'll meet again soon." Sigurd said, turning his back to me, and beginning to walk up the snowy hill, leaving my sight.

The raven Vardar flew at me with great speed, and finally stopped in front of me, staring it's swirling eyes into mine. I looked into them, and got caught in the same trance that brought me here. Suddenly everything started whirling rapidly, my perceived reality changed, and that gut feeling was back, like I was caught in a hurricane.

But soon enough, it passed, and my eyes opened.

It took me a second to identify where I was. But when I felt the soft mattress beneath me and saw the night sky outside of the window above me, I remembered I was in Eliza's brother's room.

Not for long.

With this information, I could find everybody within a day, and not waste any time. I had to get going now.

I threw the covers off of me and got up, thinking about Eliza and her parents, how nice they had been. I hated to leave so soon, before I was able to repay my debt, but this was a bigger matter, I had to leave now.

I made up the bed, cringing at every creak the floor would make, and it made a lot of creaking.

I tip toed over to the window to see if I could fit through, but after opening it and shoving my head through, I realized my shoulders were a tiny bit too wide to fit.

I inwardly groaned. Guess I'm gonna have to use the front door.

I closed the window as quietly as I could, and made my way to the door of this room, carefully grabbing the knob once I got there.

I twisted it open silently and opened it at a turtle's pace. I was home free.

I'll come back later, Eliza. I hope you'll understand.

But the girl herself was standing right in front of me, her arms crossed and a glare in her eyes.

I nearly jumped back in surprise, but I remained cool and simply gasped.

"Eliza?!" I whisper shouted.

"Going somewhere?"

I nervously fiddled my thumbs, "Oh uh...no, I was just going to the bathroom."

She raised an eyebrow, not buying it.

I slumped my shoulders and sighed, "Okay fine. I was leaving."

She seemed to expect that, "And why were you going to do that? You're not in the condition. Unless you're finally gonna go to a hospital-"

I held up a hand, "I'm not...actually hurt, okay? Well, I was, but I'm healed now." I lifted my shirt and pulled off the bandages, revealing unharmed skin.

Her eyes widened, "What? But...but, how?"

I tightened my lips. Maybe it was time to tell her the truth. I mean, I could lie, sure, but what was the point. I mean, who cares if she knows the truth, and so what if she freaks out. There's still the chance that she won't freak out, and I can actually vent a little about my problems to someone completely out of the picture. It's honestly what I've wanted for a while now.

I walked over to her brother's bed and sat on the edge of it, "Eliza, I haven't...been honest with you. You were right about me, I'm not normal, and there is something going on."

She shook her head, "I knew it. What is it?" She walked over to stand in front of me, not before closing the door.

I inhaled, not sure where to start. There was so much I could get into, explain, demonstrate, but I figured that would all be too much. Even the basics were too much if I'm telling the truth.

But I decided to start with that, "Okay, so you know the Greek gods, Zeus, Poseidon, those kind of guys?"

She nodded, "Yeah, we learn about them in school. Myths."

I shook my head, "Myths that are actually real."

She didn't seem to get it.

I elaborated, "The Greek gods are real, Eliza. And so are the bad guys you've probably heard of. The Titans, Giants, all of the monsters, they exist too in real life."

Now she got it, and her face expressed pure shock, but at the same time, a sense of I knew it!

Her mouth was half open, "Holy shit, that...explains so much." She sat down beside me.

Now it was my turn to be perplexed, "What do you mean?"

She glanced back at me, then at the floor, "Ever since I was little, there were times in my life where I would see...the strangest crap. I mean, the weirdest stuff. Like humans that looked normal, but as you look closer, they have a forked tongue or something, or a baby with three eyes. One time in the city, I saw a really tall guy with no eyebrows, and I swear his eyes...there was nothing in them, like literally no pupils or anything."

I nodded, "Those were monsters. But...wait a sec, how did you see them? You're a mortal."

She snorted, "You say that like you're not."

"It's because I'm telling the truth. I'm a demigod, half god and half mortal. My father is Hercules."

"The hero that did the twelve labors?"

"Yeah."

She squinted suspiciously at me, "Prove it."

I laughed lowly, "The hole in my gut healing wasn't proof enough?"

"A Son of Hercules would have super strength right? Prove it. Lift something."

I cocked my head in disbelief at her, a bit surprised at how she was taking this. But it was a relief at the same time, because she was handling it way better than I expected.

I got up from the bed, "Alright then, stand up."

She did, "Okay."

I reached down and clasped my hand to the underside of the bed, and lifted the whole thing off the ground like it was nothing. The headboard was brushing up against the ceiling.

Her mouth formed an O shape, "Okay...that proves it."

I smirked and set it back down quietly. "Yeah, but it's not always a cool thing. Like I said, monsters and stuff." Then the confusion came back, "Which you said you've seen before."

"I think so, yeah. I mean, it makes sense that all that stuff is real, because I've seen so many strange things, that it has to be."

"Why didn't you ever say anything to the police? Or your parents?"

She scoffed and sat back down, me along with her, "Pshh, people would've thought I was crazy, talking like that. So I never said anything, just put it off as hallucinations."

"Believe me, I wish they were." I grumbled, "That's the reason why I've gotta go. There's this one really bad...monster, and he's trying to destroy the world, but we've been fighting him for awhile. Now...I have to get back to it."

"The entire world? Oh man..."

Suddenly something hit my mind. A possibility as to why Eliza saw things that other mortals couldn't.

"Eliza, it's rare for regular mortals to be able to see our world. We have this thing called the Mist. It's like the veil that keeps everything hidden, but you've seen past it more than once. I think you're a clear sighted mortal. They're rare, but they exist."

Her eyes widened to the point of saucer level, "There's more people like me?"

I nodded, smiling at her expression, "Yeah. My friend's mom is like that."

"Whoa..."

"I'm glad you're taking this so well. I was afraid you'd be mad at me for lying."

She frowned, "I'll admit, it annoyed me, because I knew from the start you were lying. But now...well, I understand why. And I understand that you gotta go. So...I won't hold you any longer."

She looked almost sad, like she didn't want me to leave. But that was crazy, we barely knew each other.

But I had to think for a second. In the time we'd known each other, she's talked more about her true passion than probably to anyone in her whole life. Of course she'd miss me, I was seeing her for what she truly was, and not the mask she put on every day.

It made me feel guilty, because she was a nice girl, and I wanted to repay her for her kindness.

Like a lightbulb in my head, I just got an idea on how to do so...

I smiled and grabbed her shoulder, "Hey, I'll tell you what. When I get done with all of this Greek stuff, I'll come back here with my giant eagle-"

"You have a giant eagle?"

"Yeah, his name is Kyros, and he's actually my father's, but that's besides the point. Anyway, when this quest is over, I'll come back here with Kyros, and I'll fly you wherever you want to go. Heck, all the way around the world if you want. All those locations you've been dreaming of visiting and writing about, I'll take you to them."

Now she looked completely taken back. Her eyes were seriously wide and her jaw was to the bed sheet.

"B-But why? Why would you do that for me?"

"Because you're a nice person, and you have dreams. Something that's surprisingly rare in people nowadays might I add. I want to help you get started on those dreams." I shrugged and chuckled, "Besides, I owe you."

Her face was one of utter shock, but once that passed, she looked down and fiddled with her clothes. I ducked my head to see a tear fall down her cheek.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

She slapped my shoulder, "Nothing's wrong, you idiot! That's just..." She sniffled, "That's the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me."

"Well I haven't done it yet."

"I can tell your not joking." She said, "But you don't have to do that, not for me. You've got things to worry about. I'll get there on my own one day."

I wasn't taking no for an answer. "Eliza, I don't back down on promises, and I promise that I'm gonna do what I said. You deserve it. And hey, you should tell your parents about your dream, I'm serious about that. If they really support you, they'll understand. And even if they don't...do it anyway, follow your dreams. Not a lot of people pursue a career they actually enjoy, and that's why most people are miserable nowadays."

She wiped the tear from her cheek and nodded, smiling wide, "I-I will. Thank you, Matt."

"You're welcome."

A silence ensued, save for the crickets chirping outside. I was about to say that I should be going, when she turned to me again, a questioning look on her face.

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

An electric shock shot through my entire body. I felt my face get hot. Oh gods, not this...

I had hoped she didn't have feelings for me, since we hadn't known each other for even three days, but then again, my crush on Harper developed the very day I met her, so it wasn't a far cry.

I dreaded turning her down, because I knew I'd have to. Eliza was pretty and fun to be around, but...she wasn't Harper. I still had feelings for her.

I sighed, "Um...Eliza, I'm flattered, but-"

She interrupted with a laugh, "Oh no no, I'm not hitting on you."

"Oh um...wait, really?"

She chuckled and put a hand on my shoulder, "Really. I um, don't exactly swing that way."

Oh, she doesn't swing that way.

Oh...

A huge wave of relief washed over me, and I audibly sighed, "Oh thank the gods. I thought I was gonna have to reject you."

She raised an eyebrow and half glared at me, "Reject me? Say I'm interested in boys and I was hitting on you. Why would you reject me? Something wrong with me?"

I scratched the back of my neck nervously, an angry woman was not something I wanted to deal with right now. Although I'd probably have to soon...

"No, nothing's wrong with you at all! You're great, really. I just...well, I actually do have a girlfriend. Or I used to, but still kinda do?"

She giggled, "Are you asking a question?"

"I don't know."

She stopped laughing and got serious, "What happened?"

I let my dead weight slump in the mattress, and began to ramble.

"Well, there's this other demigod, a girl named Harper. We went on a quest last year and long story short, we started dating. But we were only together for like a day, because that night, my father came to me and offered to train me, so I could get more powerful. I couldn't refuse it. It was the first time even meeting my father, and I knew I needed the boost. But I...had to make a tough decision. Either go with my father and train, leaving Harper behind, or stay with her and not get stronger, and probably end up dying."

She looked at me sadly, "That...sounds awful."

"It was. Ultimately, I chose to go train, and leave her without a trace. Which...I regret now. I was afraid if I told her she would freak out and refuse, or even worse, she would convince me to stay, so I didn't tell her at all. But now I realize that was extremely stupid."

"I'll say." Eliza said, "She must've been worried sick about you."

I nodded shamefully, "She was no doubt. I haven't seen her in person since, or even talked to her in any way. I've...probably broken her heart, and she's already been through so much suffering. I mean, her brother's a psychopathic traitor that killed their father, and as if that wasn't enough...I went ahead and did what I did." I felt like punching myself in the face, making myself bleed. Something to punish myself, and somehow atone for what I did.

"How can she forgive me?" I whispered sadly, "How will things ever be the same? I miss her so much, and I want to be with her. But...I'm afraid she won't want to be with me."

I let those words hang in the air, and silence passed. Thirty seconds, a minute, a minute and a half. It dragged on, and so did my sorrowful thoughts.

But finally Eliza spoke softly, "I don't know you that well, Matt. But I can tell that you really care about her, and that you're sorry for what you did."

"I do care about her."

"Do you love her?"

"I..." I hesitated, "I don't know. Hell, I'm not even sure I know what love is."

"Well, either way, you really like her. And I'm sure she feels the same way, and wants to see you as bad as you want to see her."

"Doubtful." I grumbled.

"I wouldn't be so quick to think that. I'm a girl, so I know how they feel."

I didn't say anything.

Eliza sighed, "Look, just find her, and tell her how you really feel, how sorry you are. If it's real between you guys, she'll see that you're genuine, and forgive you."

"Maybe..."

She stood up and started walking to the door, "C'mon, you've gotta get going, right?"

"What are you-"

But she was already gone, opened the door and walked out down the hall. Only to come back a few seconds later with my sleeveless chestplate, dawning a baseball sized hole in the stomach area.

"Figured you might need this."

I stood up and took it, "Where did you get it?"

She scoffed, "It was on you, silly. I've been keeping it in my room, waiting to call you out on it."

I smiled, holding it in both of my hands, it felt so right. I had worn this thing for so long now, it was basically a part of my body.

I sat it on the bed and gripped the sides of my shirt bottom, "Since you're not into guys...may I?"

She chuckled, "Go ahead."

I took off my shirt and replaced it with the chestplate, the leathery inside of it sliding over my body like slick glass, resting comfortably on my torso. I slid my arms through and wiggled around to get that perfect fit.

Eliza whistled and grabbed my bicep jokingly, "Gotta say, this Harper's pretty lucky."

I smiled, "Sure."

She looked at me seriously, "Things'll work out. You just have to have faith."

I nodded hesitantly, "I'll certainly try."

She led me to the front door downstairs after I put my boots on, and we walked out into the cool night, greeted with the enhanced sound of crickets and cicadas, cows and other farm animals everywhere.

I walked to the edge of the porch, and looked back at her in the doorway.

"Thanks for everything, Eliza."

"No, thank you. You've changed my mind about keeping my journalism dream a secret. I...I think I'm actually gonna tell them."

"That's great. I'm proud of you."

"Okay now you sound like my dad, and that's a bit creepy. Get outta here." She laughed.

I two finger saluted her, "I'll be back soon for our trip, so don't wander too far, okay?"

She grinned and waved at me, "I'll be waiting for you, tough guy."

I waved at her once more, and turned around to the night. Bending down and pushing myself off the ground, I shot into the sky...


I was back, baby.

Feeling the night wind against my skin felt so good, like I had been released from a cage after ten years. It was like I was spreading my wings and flying leaving the nest.

I used Viribus to control the wind behind me, holding the Ancient club in my left hand, and using my aura sense to track my father.

After about ten or so minutes, I felt a ping, and my neck tingle a bit.

I located the source and turned my head slightly.

There.

I forced a wind surge to thrust me in the direction, I darted through the clouds like a jet, swerving and curving around drastically.

Soon enough, I saw a brown dot and a figure on top of that dot in my sights.

I slowed down just in time for them not to hit me. My father and Kyros stopped fifteen feet away from me, Kyros flapping his wings slowly to keep them in the air. I used Viribus's current below me to keep me up.

"Sup." Was all I could say.

My father looked outraged, "What's up?! That's the first thing you say to me after all of that?!"

Okay, hold up. Why is he mad? He's the one that didn't come after me.

"What are you talking about? I crash landed and stayed overnight at this mortal's house."

"I mean your aura! I couldn't sense it!"

"Wait, what?"

He groaned, "You heard me! I couldn't sense your aura. After dumb and dumber knocked you across the sky, I fought back at them, and woulda killed them too, I was so damn mad. But they escaped before I could. So straight afterwards, I took care of Kyros and healed him. Then, I searched all over for you, but could never pick up your aura."

I furrowed my eyebrows, "That's...weird."

My father's annoyed expression softened a little, "I mean, was it that bad that it lowered your aura to the point of a mortal's?"

I shook my head, "I don't know. It might've been-"

It hit me. Viribus.

I looked down at the club, then at my father with panic.

"Father, I used Viribus back there. I had to, the wound was too deep."

His eyes widened, "You're kidding..."

"No, I wish I was. I shouldn't have taken it. Now he's in my head! That's probably what interfered with my aura. Oh gods!"

"Hey! Calm down, Matt. We are gonna get through this, you hear me?"

I calmed a little and forced myself to breathe. Ouranos was spiking my emotions, trying to get me off my game. But I couldn't let it work, I couldn't.

"I-I think I'm good."

He nodded, "Good. Now hop on Kyros."

I snapped back to reality, because it hit me like a truck. Harper and the others! They were out there at Griffith Manor! I had to get them.

I landed on Kyros urgently, "Yeah, let's go. I've got a lot to tell you..."

As we flew in the right direction, I told father about Sigurd, the talk of Camp Asgard, and multiple Camps throughout the world. I told him about rescuing Harper, Talon, Malachi and Sera, and where they were.

He gritted his teeth, "The Griffith's. A nasty bunch, they are."

"You think they're okay?"

"Most likely, but I...don't know. Those bastards can be smart."

I didn't like the sound of that. As I stared out to the sky in front of us, and felt each passing cloud, I silently hoped they were okay. All of them.

"What about this Sigurd character?" My father said, an eyebrow raised, "You trust him?"

I nodded, "Sure, he seems like a reliable ally. And he's powerful. Besides, his aura didn't show he was lying."

"Maybe he's just good at hiding it."

"Nah, he was genuine, father."

"Either way, the thought of multiple Camps...damn, that's insane. I never would've thought."

I agreed, "It's crazy I know, but...it's actually a good thing. I mean, think of all the allies we could have against Ouranos."

"But think of all the allies Ouranos can have in them. Look at him now, he's already using two powerful demigods from the Norse Camp. What comes next when he uses demigods from the Shinto Camp? Who are stronger than the Norse, by the way."

I had to concede with that. My father was right. "It's a double edged sword then."

He chuckled, "You're starting to learn, kid."

For the next couple of hours, we flew at a fast, steady pace, the thick fluff clouds of Kansas soon turning into the thin strokes of Indiana. Kyros concentrated further once we entered the state, and his flying became even more precise, his wings straightened and his head ducked low.

"Use your aura sense." My father said, "They'll be around here somewhere."

I sent out my radar, to find a sign of them, but nothing came back, no feeling, nothing.

"Damn..." I muttered, and tried again, but nothing again.

We moved around and tried for another few minutes, occasionally sensing something promising, but when we went to it, it was just a group of mortals. Each time I felt more and more disappointment.

After another few minutes of flying around and searching, my father announced, "Think I've got something!"

I quickly walked across Kyros' back to where he stood and sensed for myself. When the radar came back, I felt a faint aura, very faint, but still there, and it had an underlying tone of strength.

That had to be someone.

"Go there!" I pointed and shouted.

My father tapped Kyros on the neck, "Go, buddy."

Kyros turned and swooped down, flying straight in the direction of the aura. I squinted down and unconsciously leaned forward, trying to spot any large mass of the color white.

Then I felt a tingle in my neck, more so than before, I looked around and finally spotted it, sitting below us.

A huge plot of land, and just like with Sigurd, it was encompassed in a blizzard. In the middle of it though, I could see the faint outline of orange rows, which I guessed to be lights through windows.

"That it?" My father asked.

I nodded, "That's it. Head straight down there, we gotta get them out!"

Kyros swooped in and dove right past the gate, clearing the area and quickly making his way to the mansion.

But just as we got halfway to it, a roar bellowed next to us, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw a giant furry fist come at us.

"Watch out!" I yelled and jumped up, bashing the arm with my own, sending it falling back in recoil.

My father leapt off Kyros and attacked the second monster, grabbing it on it's head by a heap of fur and throwing it to the ground.

We both landed on the thick blanket of snow, sinking past our ankles. The monsters in question were large, taller than twenty feet easy and muscular. They looked human, kind of, with gray skin and patches of white hair. They honestly reminded me of the depictions of Greek giants I had seen. But the hair ruined that theory.

I brought up my fists, and was ready to blow the monster to kingdom come. I didn't have time for this.

"GO!" My father yelled, bringing me out of my angered state.

"What?!"

He blocked a punch from the giant and grabbed it's hand firmly. He then brought his knee up as hard as he could and broke the monster's hand clean off. Blood flew everywhere and the monster howled in pain, stumbling backward.

My father turned to me, "GO! SAVE THEM! I'LL HANDLE THESE GUYS!"

I looked between the growing number of giants and him, not wanting to leave him behind. We had just been reunited, and now I was about to leave him again.

He noticed my hesitation and rolled his eyes, "Damn it kid, GO! GO TO THE MANSION!"

I dodged a punch from the giant, it's fist hit the ground with a shockwave, sending barrels of snow flying.

I nodded to my father, "I'll be back!" And I took off faster than light.

I immediately went to the source of the fading aura, ignoring the others. But not completely ignoring them, because if they were there, that meant...the others were alive too.

But this aura...it was fading, and fading fast. It was dying.

My stomach sank at the thought of it being Sera, because it most likely was. The pain of coming here had to have taken a toll on her, and she was naturally not much of a fighter, so it made sense.

But that made it all the worse.

I tightened my jaw and made my way around to the back, standing outside of the building the aura was in. I slid in the snow to a stop, leaving a trail of the sunken material behind me.

I had to help Sera. I couldn't let anything happen to her.

In front of me was the backside of the mansion. It honestly looked like a castle you'd see in Legend of Zelda or some other fantasy thing, the kind that the villain stays in. It was dark and ominous, and it rose up very high. I was standing at the backdoors right now, facing an outing of a place, like a section being pushed out of the house. I say this because it was attached to the mansion, but it wasn't flat up against it. The probably thirty by thirty rectangular section was jutting out of the rest of the building, like some separate room latching on.

Whatever it was, I had to get in there.

I walked up to it quickly and kicked the door down, sending it clanging and slamming against the brick wall on the opposite side.

As I walked in, I noticed immediately many strange things in this room.

First of all, a battle had clearly happened here. Cut marks, dents and cracks littered the walls, roof, and floor. I glanced over to my right to find the outer wall busted open, like someone had been thrown through it. A pile of pebbles and chunks of brick sat below it.

The room itself was dark, but the light of the hole in the wall and the two torches to my left lit it up enough that I could see...

Blood.

I gasped at the sight, blood on the floor in big drops, a trail leading to the torches.

I followed it, and about ten steps from the back wall, parallel to the one with the busted hole, sat a sight I never, ever, could have prepared to see.

It was Harper.

She was laying on her back below the torches, her head a few inches away from the bottom of the wall. She was loosely wrapped up in a black cloak, which was the reason I hadn't spotted her right away. But that cloak...it looked familiar.

Then the realization hit me like a rock. It was Levi's cloak.

Before I even had time to think about that, I saw blood pouring from her mouth and nose, her body covered in red cuts. Her cheeks were stained with tears, but her eyes were closed, like she was unconscious.

No feeling in the past year came close to the horrible sensation I felt right now. Not even the mind games of Ouranos and that eye thing made me feel as bad. Not even the wound the Sons of Thor had dealt me was this bad. Right now, seeing Harper like this...I felt heartache, like I was going to fall down to the floor and faint myself.

But instead, I instantly rushed to her side, and knelt down, looking at her once beautiful face, now mangled and bloody. I put my ear to her chest and listened for a heartbeat. Finally, I heard one, but it was very faint.

It was like someone had reached inside my heart and stabbed it. Words can't describe the pained emotions I felt right then.

"Oh gods...Harper..." Was all I could say.

This was not the reunion I had expected. I wanted to see her happy, running to me, embracing me. Hell, I would have far, far, FAR preferred her pissed off than this.

I couldn't stand to see her in the slightest pain.

I should've been screaming for my father, or thinking of a solution, but the only thing that ran through my mind, was a question.

What the hell happened here?


(000)

Wow, I had a lot of fun writing that one. I hope you all like Sigurd, because I can't wait to include him more in the story!

A huge cliffhanger again, I know. But don't worry, you'll find out what happened to Harper next chapter, although you probably have a good idea...

Hope you all enjoyed! The next chapter will be one of the best, so stay tuned!

Until Next Time.