AN: Welcome back everyone!

I'm glad everyone enjoyed the last chapter!

I'll be honest, this one took a lot of thought in terms of how I wanted to pace the story, but hopefully there's a lot of material for you guys to chew on!

Right, enough talk.

Let's begin!

Disclaimer: I, Beowulf, do not own PJO or JJBA. I only own this plot, my OC, and the disappointing truth that I do not possess D4C. If I did, I'd be jumping around universes like a bunny on crack.

~Chapter 20~

In a darker corner of Greece, frantic sounds of packing could be heard. A young man was stuffing clothes into a suitcase as fast as he possibly could, muttering in Italian as he went over his belongings mentally, checking to see if he missed something. He was currently in a hotel room, the lights all out save for a desk lamp.

"Okay, seems like I got everything. Now to flee as far from Europe as possible." He nodded to himself as he zipped up the suitcase.

"You will not be leaving." A deeper, older voice spoke out from the darkness in Italian, making the man flinch and whirl around in shock.

"W-who's there? Show yourself!" He cried out as his eyes jumped from shadow to shadow. His eyes then flicked to the door, thinking of making a run for it.

Bang!

"F-fuck!" The man screamed out in pain as what sounded like a cannon exploding came, followed by what looked like a bullet wound punching right through his calf.

"Tell me what you know about the Old Blood, and I might let you live." The voice offered, its tone calm and collected as opposed to the now panicking man with a hole in his leg.

The unnamed man just continued to panic as his head whipped back and forth to pinpoint the location of whoever shot him. "Where the hell are you?!"

"Hmph...perhaps I'll show you..." The voice relented, followed by the sounds of battle machinery whirring.

The man did not see anything, but if he did, the last thing on his mind entered the light given off by the lamp.

It was a singular tank, a gold colored Leopard Two variant glowing with a greenish aura, but the size of a small dog. Its sides were emblazoned with the words 'Resist and Bite.' The turret was still smoking a little from the shot it had fired. But that wasn't all.

Another, and another, and another rolled out into the light, a veritable squadron of tanks numbering ten strong.

The man saw nothing, but he could hear the sounds of battle machinery.

He stiffened as he realized who he was dealing with. "No...it's you! The Arsenale di Passione!"

"Oh good, you have heard of me...now I want answers. The Old Blood. I know you know something traditore." The voice stated, a harsh note entering it as it calmly suggested the traitor give up his secrets.

"I-I don't know! He just told me to keep an eye on things here in Greece! Please, don't kill me!" The man pleaded for his life. It was a pointless effort.

His life was already forfeit.

The ten tanks immediately aimed right at the man's head and fired in unison.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The man's head exploded like a watermelon under too much pressure, spilling blood and brain matter everywhere. Their mission accomplished, the tank squadron began to disappear, disintegrating into golden dust.

-Meanwhile-

Razione opened his eyes, rubbing his forehead as he sighed. Plus side, the target was eliminated. Minus side, the target gave him zero information and he knew just looking at him, that there would be nothing useful that he could have been able to get out of him.

"Oi, Razione! You done with that contract?" Formaggio's voice sounded out from outside the door before the assassin peeked in on Razione, holding what looked like two mugs of coffee. He raised an eyebrow as Razione's Stand stood behind him. "I'll take that as a yes."

Razione's Stand was tall, almost six feet in height. It was completely skeletal, and seemingly made of gold. It wore what looked like a silver Spartan helm, a blood red WW2 trenchcoat that was left open, revealing the golden bones underneath, black combat gloves, and Cowboy style boots. It had what looked like a minigun barrel mounted on its left shoulder along with push daggers on its fists. Its eyes glowed with an unearthly green light.

Currently, the Stand was missing its left arm, but was slowly regaining it as golden dust seemed to affix itself to the stump, reforming it. Razione grumbled a little as he walked over to Formaggio, who offered one of the mugs to him.

"Grazie," the oldest member of La Squadra murmured out before taking a sip of the caffeinated liquid.

Formaggio eyed Razione's Stand as it loomed over from behind him. "So, how did it go?"

Razione grimaced as he drained his mug a bit more. "Nothing. The tip we got was for a grunt of the Old Blood that betrayed us long ago. Honestly, deploying Sabaton for him wasn't worth it." (1)

The younger man frowned at that, taking a sip from his own mug. "These guys are getting to be a problem...any luck from Prosciutto and the others in Roma?"

Razione shook his head. "Last I heard, they were in the Vatican trying to get information on the last Nail. They asked for an audience with him."

"Well, let's hope we get something. Pesci called out earlier, said he might have something about the Old Blood."

The elder assassin nodded as he followed after Formaggio.

"Hopefully the Boss isn't getting into too much trouble..."

Cyrus gave a sneeze, grumbling to himself. "Huh, someone must be talking about me."

The wielder of D4C had immediately swapped out once the rainstorm had ceased. Unfortunately he couldn't find a version of himself that had an intact shirt. Being more focused on getting back to their friends, their new addition in tow, he had just bit the bullet and swapped anyway.

He smiled faintly as he recalled what had happened after talking Rina Blackmore down from pursuing her attack on him and Percy.

While hesitant and shy, the girl proved to be an absolute treat to have around, one that Percy had gotten along swimmingly with. He didn't know why, but Percy seemed to have a certain bond with her, to the point where he was currently giving her a piggyback ride while holding onto her umbrella as they made their way into the junkyard. Her smile was still hesitant, but she seemed to have trust in Percy.

She also felt extremely guilty about inflicting so much damage on Cyrus, but the teen Stand User just waved her off with a chuckle. She was a good kid.

After all, if she'd really wanted to kill him, she could have gone for an instant kill shot and that would be it. D4C could only protect him if it was a death that he could react to. If it were instant, he was...well, to be put bluntly. Fucked.

"I really hope your friends are okay, sir." Rina said nervously from her spot on Percy's back. "My...my dad isn't a very good person to fight against."

Cyrus and Percy snorted as they exchanged glances. They could have guessed at that. "They should be fine Rina, don't worry."

As they entered a clearing up ahead, they were surprised to see Thalia standing over the two hunters and Grover, the former two groaning as they rubbed their heads while Grover was blissfully passed out still. She was currently glaring at something in the distance with a tinge of annoyance in her expression.

"Thals! Everything good over there?" Cyrus called out as he approached. Hearing him, Thalia glanced over at him, turning beet red as she noticed his lack of shirt, before said blush turned into a glare as she stomped over to him.

The young Stand User blinked for a moment as she began to stomp over, exchanging a confused glance with Percy. "Uh...Thals what are yo-"

Bonk!

"Ow!" Cyrus yelped as her balled fist crashed into the top of his head. He covered the spot that she had hit him, "What was that for?!"

"Making me leave you behind. Again!" She yelled, before grabbing him by his ear and dragging him over to the others, who were now very awake and feeling partially ashamed.

"Ow ow ow ow ow! What is wrong with you woman?!" Cyrus struggled in her grip as Percy stared at them, stifling laughter while Rina looked on in confusion.

"Why is she hurting him so much?" The girl asked Percy, who paused for a moment, "Uh...let's just say she was worried about him Rina."

Rina tilted her head in confusion at that. "...older people are weird..."

Percy chuckled at that before walking over to the others, only to be surprised when he noticed three other people in the clearing that Thalia had dragged Cyrus into.

One of the three were unconscious, while the other two were standing over the unconscious one.

The unconscious one, who Percy had by now assumed to be the Stand User that had caused the rainstorm (and was making Percy grit his teeth in anger), seemed to be in distress even in his asleep state, furrowing his eyebrows and twitching as he slumbered.

Of the two that were standing over him, one was a woman that seemed like the spitting image of a Heavy Metal singer, if Percy had to take a guess. She was pretty, no doubt, but she seemed odd, and with a start, Percy noticed that her shadow seemed to be attached to that of the unconscious man.

The other person was a tall pale-skinned man, with an aura of darkness about him, even if he wore a...was that a jester's hat? Percy had no clue what it was, for all he knew it was a clown hat, but he noticed that the baubles on the tips of the cap spelled out R-I-S-O-T-T-O.

Both of them didn't seem too confrontational or otherwise a threat at the moment, and were instead currently looking over the knocked out enemy Stand User with frowns on their faces.

"Ugh, my head...what happened?" Grover groaned out as the commotion finally woke him up, rubbing his head and wincing as he touched his horns, which had bruised when he collapsed before.

"More importantly," Phoebe's eyes narrowed as she noticed the three other people. "Who are they?"

"Oh, Bamf-Boy here can explain that probably!" Thalia said in a bright and extremely sarcastic tone as she let go of Cyrus's ear, the teen grumbling and rubbing said ear in pain. "They seem familiar Cy?"

"Who are you talking abo-" Cyrus cut himself off as his eyes widened in recognition. Apparently, he'd been a bit loud, because the two looked up at him, with their eyes also lighting up.

Cyrus took a slow step back as the woman seemed to grin with delight as she took him in. "Hey. No. No no no. No hugs!"

"Cy!" The woman cried out before rushing forward to wrap him up in a bone-crushing hug. "Urk!" He choked suddenly as the hug pinned his arms to his sides.

"How is my little brother doing? Oh, look at you! Making all these friends!" She said brightly as she seemed to be squeezing the life out of Cyrus. Everyone's eyes bulged in shock as they watched the strange sight, with Thalia glaring at the woman a little. "Little brother?!" The man in darker clothing just sighed and rubbed his forehead as he walked over to them.

Meanwhile the poor victim of said hug was starting to turn a bit blue as he tapped her arm weakly. "N-Noors! Can't...breathe!" He wheezed out, causing her to let go.

He struggled to catch his breath as he coughed a little, even as the woman smirked down at him brightly. "That, was for leaving us in the dust on such short notice."

Cyrus just shot the woman a glare of annoyance. "Wha? I told Razione and the rest that I would be going back to the US for a bit over two weeks ago!" He protested, making the woman pout.

"Well you never told me! Shame on you!"

The teen groaned as he rubbed his temples. He could practically feel his hair singeing from the burning glare that Thalia was subjecting him to, along with the rest of his quest members giving him expectant glances.

"Care to introduce us, Cy?" Thalia asked in annoyance as she crossed her arms.

He sighed as he introduced everyone to one another. "These are close friends of mine from when I was in Europe for two years. This is Anette, and the guy over there is Risotto. Anette, Risotto, these are my friends."

"You were in Europe for two years?" Grover blurted out, making Cyrus rub his forehead as a headache began to build. "It's a long story, I'll explain later..."

The newly named Anette smiled as she waved at all of them while Risotto nodded in acknowledgment. Anette shot the grey-haired man a glare, before looking back at everyone sheepishly. "Sorry, this one isn't very good with people."

Cyrus choked down a laugh, getting a glare from the red-eyed man. Anette just draped herself over Risotto as she looked at everyone. "So what are your names?"

The group was understandably confused and not very keen on just giving up their names, so Percy just shrugged and started with himself to get it all over with. "Well, my name's Percy."

"Grover."

"Zoe."

"Phoebe."

"Thalia."

At that last one, Anette's eyes widened while Risotto raised an eyebrow at that. He peered at her carefully, before glancing at Cyrus and speaking for the first time in their conversation. "So this is her? The daughter of Zeus you mentioned?" He rumbled out.

The other five quest-goers gaped openly at that. Thalia in particular blushed a bit but still turned to glare at her fellow raven-head. "You told them about us?"

Cyrus winced at her tone, before shrugging and nodding. "Well they can already see through the mist and they're close friends of mine, I didn't see why not..." He said, scratching the back of his head.

The older man smirked while Anette gave him a mischievous smile that...didn't seem too good. But for now, he put it out of his mind.

Noticing the little Rina hiding behind Percy, Anette removed herself from Risotto's person before kneeling down to talk. "And who are you, little one?"

Rina blushed shyly as she seemed to move a bit more behind Percy. "H-hi. My name's Rina, Miss. Rina Blackmore."

Anette looked surprised for a moment at the nervous formality that didn't belong with such a young girl, while Risotto's eyes narrowed in suspicion. The two shot Cyrus a glance, to which he nodded. A darker expression ghosted over the two's faces, before disappearing like it was never there.

"Well that's a lovely name! It's nice to meet you Rina." Anette said with a warm smile, earning a hesitant one from Rina as well.

Cyrus coughed loudly to draw the attention away from the clearly uncomfortable little girl. "That brings us to business I guess." He began, before looking around a little. "So...what happened here exactly?"

Grover scratched at his head in embarrassment as he chuckled, "Well uh...I couldn't tell you, 'cause he knocked me out almost instantly..."

Thalia patted him on the back a little. "He knocked you all out except for me, it's not your fault."

The daughter of Zeus proceeded to catch everyone up to speed, even Risotto and Anette despite her distrust. She spoke about how their enemy had managed to knock the other three out with poison, while she had remained unaffected due to her heritage. She also explained how she'd managed to turn the fight in her favor. "And that's when those two showed up." She finished, pointing at the two adults in front of them.

Cyrus whistled a little as he thought the information over. "Damn, so you fought him alone and pretty much won against him huh?" He said with a smirk at the punk girl. Thalia huffed at that, giving him one of her milder glares.

"What's that supposed to mean?" The teen held up his hands in surrender as he chuckled.

"Jeez Thals, don't go biting my head off. I'm just impressed, you did good for a novice against Stand Users." He grinned at her, making a blush fly up her face.

Meanwhile, Zoe was grumbling in annoyance to Phoebe. "Ugh, it's like these two don't even realize what they are doing...romance is such foolishness." She muttered.

On the other hand, Anette elbowed Risotto a little, drawing his attention to what she was seeing. The normally serious assassin let a wry smile curl his lips as he watched his younger brother (and Boss) flirt with the girl.

"Back to the topic though," Cyrus cleared his throat as his face turned serious. "Do you remember him saying anything that stood out? Who he was or anything like that?"

Phoebe frowned as she tried to recall what was said before she'd been knocked out. "He mentioned something about his Boss rewarding him for killing us?"

"He also said he would never work for the 'Storto', whatever that means, and that you ruined his life or something." Grover added as he shuffled on his hooves.

Cyrus's and Risotto's faces darkened as the two spoke up, with the former rubbing his forehead a little. "Storto is Italian for 'Crooked' so safe to say that's about the Titan Lord...as for me ruining his life, I wouldn't know unless I had a name to work with..."

Thalia cut in, "He said his name was Brandon Blackmore, 'loyal soldier to the Old Blood of Passione', whatever that means..." She said with a pointed stare at Cyrus.

The teen Stand User's eyes widened before narrowing in hatred as he turned his gaze to the knocked out Brandon. "Of course..."

Zoe raised an eyebrow at that, "Thou know this fool?"

"Not personally, but I know him by reputation...let's just say he's famous for being a piece of shit. A killer of anyone who pissed him off, drug dealer to whoever would buy, child abuser as well apparently. Now we know what happened to Rina's mother as well. He had her killed and Rina just never knew." Cyrus snarled out. Brandon Blackmore, formerly Brandon Uriara before he changed his last name. Murderer and drug dealer for Passione before Cyrus had taken command.

After Cyrus took command of Passione and cut away the drug trade, the last he'd heard of this asshole was that he had murdered his wife and fled Italy with Rina in tow, which was probably when he had changed his and her last name.

At the descriptions Cyrus gave, everyone were horrified. Zoe and Phoebe glared with newfound hatred at Brandon's unconscious body. Grover looked like he'd be sick any moment, while Thalia and Percy were enraged, with the latter being more so having bonded at least a little with the man's daughter.

Risotto narrowed his eyes in disgust, his red irises glowing faintly, while Anette frowned deeply, her shadow seemingly flickering underneath her.

Rina hid behind Percy's leg a bit more, her face paling a little with little tears brimming as she glanced at her father on the ground. The simple sight of the girl cowering like that made Cyrus's anger burn even more.

"Wake him up Anette. I think it's time we dealt with him." Cyrus spoke in an ice-cold tone as he stalked over to the unconscious Stand User, summoning D4C to his side.

The humanoid's pink-red eyes were cold, yet filled with enough burning rage to boil the oceans.

Anette, who had seemed so cheery, now had a firmer expression as she nodded. Her shadow seemed to peel from Brandon's, revealing her Stand fully.

It was a humanoid figure about as tall as she was, with inky black coloration as if it were made from the shadows themselves. It had a bone-white mask, similar to a plague-doctor's except in the shape of a antlered deer's skull. The Stand itself had glowing blood-red eyes and a toothy maw like that of a she-wolf, with a similar reddish color glowing in its throat. It had two arms that ended in claws that had a silvery shine to them, and the bottom half was nothing but a wisp of smoky shadows, though if one squinted, they would have seen tentacle-like tendrils that seemed to writhe in the darkness. (2)

While the rest of the younger people gathered stepped back in surprise, Cyrus paid it no mind. "Risotto, with me." He snapped out as he made his way over to Brandon Blackmore with Risotto in tow.

"Uh...why is Risotto doing what Cyrus says like that?" Grover asked. Risotto was a full on adult, so why was he just taking orders from Cyrus? Sure, the teen could be pretty commanding, but he was still a teen...

Anette shot them all a confused look. "...oh he hasn't told you all?"

By now, Thalia was getting really sick of all this cloak and dagger. "Told us what?" She asked through gritted teeth. Anette just grimaced a little and shook her head.

They were quite far away, not enough to hear unless there was screaming, but definitely close enough to see.

"If any of you are squeamish, I'd look away now." Anette said quietly as her Stand hovered behind her silently.

"Uh...why?" Percy asked nervously as he put his hands over Rina's eyes.

"Trust me, just...look away."

Brandon Blackmore was not very calm at the moment. The last thing he remembered was trying to kill that weird as hell lightning bitch, before...before something grabbed him?

He remembered the feeling of his limbs locking up, denying him his movement, as a massive hulking thing seemed to appear from nowhere near the girl he was fighting. He shuddered just thinking about it...

But where was he now?

"Had a nice nap?"

Brandon's eyes snapped open, going wide as he realized who was in front of him.

Cyrus Khan loomed over him, the infamously strong Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap by his side, while next to him stood the veritable Jester of Death, Risotto Nero. Brandon grimaced as he realized exactly how much trouble he was in.

"I believe I asked you a question, Brandon Blackmore." Cyrus's cold voice came again. Brandon gulped a little, before scrambling and trying to make a run for it. Almost instantly, a pair of scissors appeared in both of Brandon's legs, stretching and distorting the skin as they opened on their own.

Snip!

"GAAAGH!" Brandon collapsed onto the ground, screaming in agony as the scissors cut through his hamstrings, completely ripping through the flesh as well and leaving gaping wounds in his legs. He would never be able to walk without treatment.

As he collapsed, Cyrus just strode forward, seemingly without a care in the world, Risotto standing behind him with an apathetic expression. "Care to cooperate now?" The man just snarled up at him with all the hatred he could muster. "Fuck...you!"

D4C's hand shot forward, grabbing Brandon by the throat and hoisting him up until he was hovering well above Cyrus himself, his feet dangling.

"I would tread very lightly at this exact moment, traitorous worm! I do not treat such dogs with respect after attacking my comrades!" The sheer venom that Cyrus spat those words with was shocking to everyone around, save for Risotto and Anette. Thalia made to take a step forward, but Anette stopped her with an arm, shaking her head. Cyrus paused for a moment, as if calming himself down a bit, before continuing. "I'm going to be asking you questions, and if you do not answer...well, let's just say that the Furies won't have much left to torture when I'm finished."

Brandon choked as he clawed at the blue hand around his throat. "G-go...to...Hell!"

Cyrus's eyes narrowed, before D4C's other hand moved so fast it seemed to blur.

Shrip!

"GGRAAAAHAAH!" He screamed in agony as he clawed at his right arm...or rather, where his right arm used to be.

Brandon's arm was chopped off at the elbow, almost seeming like it was torn off.

Thalia and the two Hunter's jaws dropped in horror, while Grover and Percy gagged at the blood and ruined flesh, turning a sickly shade of green. Rina however did not see anything as Anette covered her eyes and ears. Anette on the other hand, simply wrinkled her nose in disgust and Risotto just pinched his nose.

"All I need from you are your mouth, and your brain to be intact until I am finished with you. The rest, is expendable. Will you cooperate now?" Cyrus spoke as if nothing happened, tilting his head as his eyes promised more. Brandon nodded violently. "ALRIGHT I'LL TALK I'LL TALK!"

D4C let him go, dropping the man to the ground as he coughed to get air back in his lungs. Cyrus just crouched down, staring at the man with his cold stare. "You're in league with the Old Blood as a soldier huh? Fascinating choice...he must have even pierced you with the Nail to give you your Stand, and the blood relation you have to Rina gave her one as well..." Cyrus mused to himself.

Brandon snarled as he massaged his throat. "Worthless brat! She couldn't even do the simple task of killing you with her Stand! I should have had her killed too when I dealt with her mother!" Cyrus's eyes darkened further, looking like green-pink orbs of cold fire. D4C struck once again, this time shaping its hand into a that of a knifehand before thrusting forward.

"GRAHAHAGH! YOU BASTARD!" The cloud Stand User snarled out in a mix of rage and pain as his eye was destroyed, gouged out by the fingers of Cyrus's own Stand.

"You're starting to piss me the fuck off, but I want to know who'd hire a piece of shit like you. Who is your Boss?"

Brandon chuckled darkly even as his ruined eye spewed out blood. "You...you can't win against him..."

Cyrus frowned as . "I don't think I asked that...I want a name. Who is your Boss, the leader of the Old Blood?"

"You don't know what he's like. He's worse than the Boss we had before you took over Passione, and made it weak." Brandon spat out, his remaining eye filling with a strange mix of fear and idolization, like some bizarre form of Rapture.

"He's beautiful...and cruel, and so very, very powerful...even with your strength, you don't stand a chance against him!"

The teen scowled as he grabbed Brandon by the front of his shirt. "Enough games! Give me a name!"

The wielder of King of the Clouds sneered in his face. "I don't know...but I'll give you this...he's known only as the Wolf King...the one that'll tear all you fuckers apart..."

Cyrus frowned at that. The Wolf King? The hell kind of nickname was that? Quietly noting the information down, Cyrus kept up his glare. "What else?"

Brandon cackled some more as he grinned in Cyrus's darkened face. "That's all you're fuckin' getting from me. Either way you slice it, I die here so I'm not saying a damn thing more about my Boss."

Risotto, who had been listening in, frowned with the slight bit of acknowledgement in his expression. Not willing to give up the information? Commendable...even if he was scum.

Cyrus bit his lip a little as he quickly analyzed Brandon's expression and condition. He really wasn't going to give up any more information. Frowning, he stood up, dismissing D4C, before turning to Risotto. "I trust you can deal with him."

Risotto nodded as he stepped forward. Cyrus made to walk away.

Brandon kept his cruel grin on his face, even through the sweat and pain of having lost an arm, an eye, and the means to move his legs. "What? Is the famous Boss of Passione too weak to finish off his enemy?" He spoke out loudly, definitely loud enough for the quest-goers, along with Anette and Rina to hear from where they stood.

"Boss of Passione? What the heck is he talking about?" Phoebe asked out loud. Cyrus had grimaced at the attempt at mockery, but ignored it, making the move to step away.

Noticing that his taunt wasn't enough, Brandon smirked again. "I wonder...do your friends know about this life? Does your lightning bitch know?"

Cyrus stiffened, freezing in place with his foot in the air. There was a chill in the air as even Anette grimaced and Risotto's eyes widened just a fraction while everyone else seemed a mixture of confused at what he meant and enraged at the slight against Thalia. Thalia in particular glared angrily at that last insult, while still wondering what this guy was talking about.

The crippled enemy laughed, thinking he had succeeded in rattling the young man. "They don't huh? I can only imagine what'll happen when the Wolf King gets to you and your friends...I imagine he'll start with them first!"

As his shoulders shook a little in the struggle to contain his anger, Cyrus gritted his teeth. No. He wouldn't let a single one of the Old Blood touch them. How dare this insolent pile of scum threaten him and his friends like this? "No matter, Risotto will-"

"I bet he'll start with that lightning whore of yours first...nice and slow to make you watch..." The crippled Stand User sneered as he laughed cruelly.

Doom...

Cyrus finally turned around, making Brandon choke on his laughter suddenly as the teen's eyes seemed to be literally burning with darkness. He had expected the boy to break down or snap at him, but for him to walk away ultimately.

Instead, his remaining eye widened in shock the boy walked closer, grabbing his face and making him look eye-to-eye.

In an blur of motion, Cyrus raised his fist in the shape of a knifehand, the entire arm shadowed by D4C before cleaving downwards with awe-inspiring speed.

The pathetically sickening last thoughts of Brandon Blackmore, after all he had done in life, would be a plea for mercy.

Squelch!

D4C's terrifying strength cleaved clean through the repulsive Stand User's body as it made contact with the top of Brandon's skull. The hand ripped right through the middle of his body, splitting him almost in two and only stopping at his gut. Blood exploded everywhere as the man's body was essentially ripped in half in less than a second, a terrifying amount of it spraying onto Cyrus as his hand and arm rested just above what was probably the remains of Brandon Blackmore's small intestine.

Ripping his hand out of the filthy corpse, Cyrus paused for a moment, before cursing to himself.

He'd lost control... Looking down at himself, he grimaced. He was absolutely covered in blood, his hand tipped with viscera and brain matter. "Damn it..."

Turning around slowly, his heart sank like a two-ton boulder in the ocean.

His fellow quest members were staring in stupefied horror. Grover had dropped his pipes, his jaw on the ground and eyes wide in alarm. Percy was much the same, his sea-green eyes bulging while his face was starting to match the color of his eyes from the gore. Zoe was gaping openly, stepping back slightly as her hold on the bowstring slackened. Phoebe was holding her knives, backing away a little as she raised them feebly.

And Thalia...

Her electric blue eyes were wide in horror, a hand over her mouth as she stared at him, covered in blood that was not his. He grimaced.

"Well...guess I'll have to explain a lot..."

AN: Phew, and done!

So that's the end of Brandon Blackmore. Not exactly the most brutal of beatdowns a la the notoriously glorious 7 pages, but definitely vicious. A Mafia Boss is not merciful to traitors, much less scum.

But now, he'll have to deal with...quite the fall out. Plus we had the reveal of Razione's Stand, as well as a physical reveal of Scaretale, which is Anette's Stand!

Notes:

(1) Ah, one of my favorite bands! The Stand of Vladimir Razione revealed, Sabaton! If you paid attention to his description a few chapters ago, he had physical resemblance to Par Sundstrom, one of the lead members of the Band, as well as having the famous plated vest that the lead vocalist Joakim tends to wear.

I came up with his design and such during the week that their newest song "Steel Commanders" was trending in the US, so I thought it would be a lovely addition to replace Melone.

(2) Scaretale revealed! I took a bit of inspiration for the design from the Wolf of the Kindred in League of Legends. As for the ability...well someone was very close with guessing Anette's Stand Power, but you'll see it fully revealed later!

Right, that's it for the notes. Not too much regarding them, but definitely a nice long chapter for you guys for you guys to feast on haha.

Sabaton

Destructive Power: B

Speed: B

Range: C (5 meters) - A(100+ kilometers)

Stamina: B-A

Precision: C-B

Developmental Potential: D-E

Ability: Can function as both a singular entity and as multiple. Can split itself into multiple miniature military units and war machines to cover a larger area. These units can then be controlled remotely by the User from immense ranges or can work autonomously.

Can create a maximum of 10000 units, but some units take up more than others, such as basic infantry soldiers being 1 cost, but devastating weapons such as a miniature nuke costing 9000. Stand possesses limited intelligence when in the form of multiple units, sometimes questioning orders and suggesting alternatives, but will generally follow Razione's command.

Scaretale

Destructive Power: C

Speed: C

Range: B (50 meters)

Stamina: B

Precision: C

Developmental Potential: C

Ability: ?

And that's that!

Hopefully you guys enjoyed the chapter as much as I enjoyed making/struggling with it.

Remember to leave solid reviews if you would be so kind. The criticism and feedback sustain my mind.

Cheers!

Beowulf