AN: So here I am again, and wow it's been a while for this story hasn't it! I'm not going to lie, I kind of forgot about it for a while, and then when I was reminded by a guy in my PMs a few months ago I wasn't really feeling it. Instead I wanted to play around with my other stories. Check them out if you haven't already.

Either way, focusing on the positives I have finished an update. I'll admit it was a pain to write to as I needed to remember what I had planned and what happened before, that and since its still early I need to continue setting the stage for those not familiar with Highschool DxD. Hopefully it came across alright and not too dry.

But anyway, my complaining aside, here is the new chapter, I hope you enjoy it.

Here is chapter 3, hope you enjoy, and please leave a review etc. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to PM me. Also I am on a discord with a load of other writers, so if you fancy popping over to ask questions or offer suggestions about this story, or any of my other ones, or to find new authors you might not have come across yet, please feel free to use the link in my bio.

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or Highschool DxD.

( - )

(Last Time)

'Oh Hades yeah! That's what I'm talking about, boss! So go on, spill, who was it? Was it that crazy cat girl, or no wait, was it that other one, that fallen angel chick that followed Kakabill, or whatever his name was, around like a lost puppy?' Blackjack began to gable.

Percy rolled his eyes. What was it about pegasus', why were they all so chatty and obsessed with gossip, normal horses weren't this bad!

"Drop it, Blackjack!" Percy sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

'Drop it he says, I'll bloody drop him in a second…' Blackjack audibly muttered, even as the black pegasus continued to wing its way towards Calais, and the drop off point where hopefully the other members of Percy's Faction would be waiting to hand over the Holy Swords they had acquired.

( - )

Chapter 3

( - )

(With Percy)

Arriving at the docks in Calais barely half an hour after he had left London, Percy waited until Blackjack had swooped down, his hooves clattering across the tarmac as he smoothly landed, before he easily slipped out of the saddle and stepped foot on the shores of France.

It was still late at night. Checking his watch, he could see it was nearly 2 o'clock in the morning.

He was running slightly late.

Then again, he thought, as he patted the bulging bag at his hip, the extra time he had spent down in the vault had been well spent. While down there he had come across a few interesting bits and pieces, nothing world breaking, but at least a couple of things that he could use, or which others he knew could use.

There had been nothing down there, however that was worth the risk of getting caught stealing from the Church. In hindsight, sticking around for as long as he did was a pretty reckless move. He could only imagine just what the fallout would be if it came to light that he, a known affiliate of the Greco-Roman Pantheon, had up and attacked the church and stolen one of their prized treasures. It would be war, and considering his Pantheon had just come out of not one but two wars, another was the last thing they needed.

He only hoped no one had seen, or figured out just what he had been up too.

Glancing up at the bright moon overhead as that thought, Percy momentarily thought of the enigmatic goddess of the moon, Artemis. After all, he knew from experience that she was able to see everything that fell under the light of the moon. Which meant that she could be watching him even now as he looked up at her.

Fortunately she wasn't a snitch, nor did she care much for the politicking between the Pantheons, or anything really outside of her domains, her family and her Hunters.

Percy's lips quirked upwards into a slight smile at that thought. While he had been working for the Olympians, he had spent a lot of time liaising and coordinating with the Hunters of Artemis when it came to hunting rogue monsters and demigods.

During that time he had built up quite a rapport with the unpredictable Goddess of the Moon.

They'd not been friends of course, but he liked to think they had been friendly acquaintances at the least.

Unfortunately, it had been quite some time since he had last seen the prickly goddess or her Hunters.

Which was a shame, as although Artemis was arrogant and narrow minded at times, she had a dry, witty sense of humour that he appreciated. That, and she had a love of nature and the natural world that he had very much come to understand and respect over the years. Beneath the bluster, the ego and her generally cold, outward demeanour, there was a decent person buried deep down inside, or at least for a god.

More importantly however, she was also his friend, Thalia's, patron goddess. With Thalia having become her Lieutenant some sixteen or so years ago now after the previous Lieutenant, Zoe Nightshade had passed, not that she had aged as much as a day in that time. Longevity and immunity to diseases, both of these were perks girls could gain if they joined the Hunt.

Regrettably, these last few years he had rarely had the opportunity to see his friend, the electrifying daughter of Zeus. After all, Artemis, he knew, like several of the other Olympians and minor gods, had been displeased with his decision to give up his role as their enforcer and sword on the mortal world.

But if that decision had displeased her, then his decision to join the Khaos Brigade had all but enraged her.

He wasn't sure why she had taken his choice to leave so personally, but she had. In truth, she hadn't so much as spoken to him, or even acknowledged him at all over the last two years. Not even when he had met her on Olympus and tried to speak to her, or even when he run into her and her Hunters in the wilds of the Appalachian mountains. She hadn't even deigned to look at him.

It was a shame really, as that had meant he also hadn't been able to speak to, or see, Thalia either.

Percy hummed to himself at that thought, even as he tore his gaze from the moon and once again focussed on the matter at hand. He had better things to be thinking about tonight than a childish goddess.

Buttoning his coat up against the cold sea air, Percy paused only long enough to exchange a few words with Blackjack, and muss up his mane a bit, much to his friend's annoyance, before he set off deeper into the docks.

As he walked, he could hear the clip-clop of Blackjack's hooves as the pegasus once again took to the air, heading off to wait for his meeting to be finished before he would then take him the rest of the way to Japan.

Eyeing his dark, dingy surroundings, Percy clicked his fingers, his eyes narrowing in concentration as he carefully weaved the Mist around him, creating an invisible cloak that would hide him from the eyes of mortals and weaker-willed supernatural beings.

The protective cloak wouldn't work on a higher-tier beings like a demigod, god, angel or devil etc., but on church mooks, and drunk dockers, it would do the trick.

With that done, he continued his journey through the docks, taking first a left, and then a right as he weaved around several large shipping containers.

As he walked he passed by several late night workers, including two prostitutes, and even a small family group made up of foreign men, women and children, all of whom were wrapped up warm as they circumspectly sneaked through the docks and towards the nearby coastline following the lead of a sketchy looking white man.

Not a single one of those he passed so much as looked in his direction.

Instead, he remained unnoticed, even as he soon found himself standing outside a tatty looking house, one which had boarded up windows and doors, some of which had lewd words or symbols spray painted on them.

The place looked like it might once have been quite pleasant, but time and the sea air had eaten away at what charm it might once have had, leaving it looking more like a crack den than the large, opulent house it had once had been back before the docks had overtaken the neighbourhood, and the residents had been forced out.

Glancing up at the shabby exterior, Percy's sharp eyes were able to just about make out a soft orange glow emanating from a slight crack on one of the boarded up windows upstairs. His heightened hearing could also make out the soft murmur of voices from those inside.

Smiling slightly at this, Percy proceeded forward, easily peeling back the already dislodged boarding on the door, as he then slipped inside and quietly made his way up the rickety, rotten staircase. The place stank of mould, decay and neglect.

But still, he thought, as he made it to the second floor and approached a door with golden light streaming out from under it, the place was sheltered and hidden. There would be no nosey moon goddess' spying on while he was in here, nor would there be any haughty angels listening in.

This place was below the notice of beings such as those.

Furthermore, as he brushed his hand against the door, he could feel the magic that had been woven into the building as well. Even if someone knew they were meeting here, he wouldn't have been worried, as from the feel of it Le Fay had been busy. He wasn't sure exactly what magic she had used, but he knew her skills well enough to be confident she had done a good job of it.

Pushing the door open, Percy ignored the faintly etched symbols on the door as he instead just strode inside. His eyes quickly adjusted to the bright light within the room, as he then looked around at the occupants, a slight smile slowly spreading across his face as he took them all in.

There were five of them in the room, six now he had entered, and they were all members of his small Faction within the Khaos Brigade.

Glancing to the one taking centre stage in the group. Percy quickly took in his appearance. The person in question was a Chinese guy in his mid-twenties, who had short black hair, and unusually, bright blue eyes. He was dressed in pretty casual garb too, a pair of jeans, a button-up blue shirt and a black leather jacket. His eyes aside, the guy looked positively normal and unobtrusive, save for the cocky smile on his face as he leant lazily against the mantel of the happily, crackling fireplace, his fingers casually drumming out a steady beat on the worn, wooden surface.

Stoically meeting the guy's gaze, Percy gave him a nod.

The guy was called Cao Cao, and like his name suggested, he was a descendant of the legendary Chinese Warlord also named, Cao Cao. Percy didn't know much about the guy's ancestor -he tended to tune out Cao Cao's bragging about his ancient ancestor- but from what he did remember, he had been a military leader and hero to some during the Three Kingdoms Era in China. He had also tried and failed to unite the country, but despite that failure had still forged a name for himself in Chinese history.

Honestly, though, Percy didn't care much. He judged a person by who they were, not by their pedigree.

But unfortunately some people, like Cao Cao, forged their entire personalities and identities on who their ancestors were and what they did and what had happened to them. It was a bit sad, really.

Still, Cao Cao wasn't all bad. He was a pretty charismatic guy really, his arrogance and ego aside, and he was someone Percy got on with, in small doses. The guy, for all his faults, was not a total douche.

On top of that he was a true believer in the main cause the Hero Faction stood for, he truly and passionately believed in protecting normal humans from the supernatural, and as such hated the status quo. He also hated the idea of supernatural entities; vampires, fallen angels, gods, goddesses, devils and the like, all preying on humans at their leisure, and for their own amusement.

Percy respected his passion, even if the guy was sometimes a bit too passionate and militant at times.

It was one of Cao Cao's main downsides. He had become so obsessed with fighting for the cause that he had become an elitist. The guy was obsessed with power, and had grown up to believe that the path to protecting humans was through using power and force. Which, in a way, he was right about.

Unfortunately, this also meant that he thought those with Sacred Gears were above normal humans, as they had been gifted with a power from 'God', the Biblical God that is, to protect humanity, which in turn made them special, and thus better than the rest of humanity. It was pretty twisted logic really.

That, and from what Percy had seen, he was pretty prejudiced against non-humans too. The guy hated the idea of letting anyone who wasn't human or didn't have a Sacred Gear into the Hero Faction, and often argued against the inclusion of anyone who didn't meet his strict criteria.

In fact at times, when he was truly riled up, he also argued against Percy himself being the leader of the Faction, after all he was only part human. This in part though, was also because he thought he was the strongest in the group, and thus should, by his own philosophy, should also be the one leading the Hero Faction.

Cao Cao, Percy knew, was a prickly one, and more than once they had almost come to blows over the guy's beliefs and belligerence.

Still, for all his arrogance and cockiness, Cao Cao did have the power to back it up. After all, he was the wielder of the first and ultimate Longinus, one of the thirteen original top-tier Sacred Gears. He wielded one of the ones with enough power to kill gods, the True Longinus, a weapon which was also known as the Holy Spear of the Setting Sun, and which was the first and most powerful of the Longinus and the same spear which Saint Longinus used to stab Jesus Christ.

Despite all his negative traits however, he was still a good and honest guy at heart and had the best of intentions. Cao Cao was just a bit of a hothead. He was too blunt and too prideful, and it showed, and that was coming from him, and he knew that he was pretty hot headed too.

Giving Cao Cao a nod, Percy then glanced over to the grinning woman on the other side of the fiery hearth.

At the sight of her, he couldn't help but roll his eyes and try and fight off a smile as he noticed the sultry look the beautiful, blonde haired, blue eyed, French woman she was giving him.

Her name Jeanne, and like Cao Cao she was also another member of the Hero Faction. Unlike Cao Cao, however, she was also an incorrigible flirt.

Glancing down at her attire, Percy fought the urge to roll his eyes again as he noticed the finely made, rust-orange colour armour she was wearing, his gaze momentarily flicking to the intricate golden inlays on the armour, including several fleur de lis, and if he was not wrong, several protective holy symbols.

He had requested that they come incognito and dress normally so as to not draw too much attention. After all, this was supposed to be a covert operation.

Jeanne, however, had come dressed for war, and instead of dressing down had worn her finest and most beautiful set of armour.

Honestly, it was so typical of Jeanne, he had to fight a smile.

Unlike, Cao Cao, she was a cheerful, kind, easy-going person. She was also a capricious person, the kind of person that enjoyed making up nicknames for people, and loved using poor innuendos and puns to embarrass people or to make them laugh. But, underneath her flirtatious and friendly exterior, he also knew that she was a fierce and deadly warrior, one who deeply believed in standing up for the underdog, and in protecting the weak and helpless.

Which was maybe natural, as she was the descendent of the famous French heroine, Joan of Arc, and had consequently grown up hearing tiles of her ancestor; what she was like and what she had stood for, and what she, Jeanne, should aspire to be like. As she had grown up, from what he knew, she had tried to forge herself into the idealised version of her ancestor, but had done so in a way that did not undermine who she was as a person.

Either way, he enjoyed her company. She was good fun, and a good companion too.

More than that, she was also a loyal friend, and a true warrior. Which was in part because, Jeanne, like the large majority of the Hero Faction, had been born as a Sacred Gear wielder. Her Sacred Gear was known as Blade Blacksmith, or also as Holy Sword Creation, and as the name suggested it allowed her to create numerous Holy Swords of different attributes and abilities at will. Overall, her power set was incredibly versatile, and she was highly skilled with using it.

Of course the same could be said for every member of the Khaos Brigade, Lady Ophis didn't just invite anybody to be a member.

Crouching beside the wall on the other side of the room, was Siegfried, or Sieg if you were Jeanne, another member of the Faction and one of the best swordsmen Percy knew, which was saying something.

Shifting his attention to look at the tall, silver haired, and oddly enough, red eyed man -this despite him being fully human-, Percy gave him a nod in greeting. His gaze then shifted over the other man's somewhat better attempt at dressing-down as he did so. With Siegfried having donned a priestly coat over the top of a normal looking black suit and tie, perhaps to mock the Church he once worked for, or perhaps just because he liked the style, Percy didn't know.

Either way, although it was better than some of the other's attempts, it was hardly subtle, not when he was supposed to be robbing a secret and highly classified vault beneath the Cathedral of Notre Dame. A facility which would be filled with soldiers and agents of the Catholic Church, all of whom wore a different colours and symbols on their clothing and armour than the Orthodox Church colours and symbols denoted upon Siegfried's coat.

Then again, maybe he thought it was.

Percy had always had a hard time getting a read on the other man. Siegfried had a mysterious past, one that he didn't like to talk about, but from what Percy did know, he had used to work for both the Protestant and Orthodox Church at some point in his life, or at least he had before he turned his back on the Church and on God.

Still, Percy got on with him well enough. Siegfried had a sharp mind and a dry, sarcastic humour that he appreciated. He was also a legacy of Sigurd, and as such wielded his namesake's sword, the dragon slaying sword, Gram. That, and he was also a very capable Demon Sword wielder as well. Which is also why he had a number of other demon blades in his possession, not that Percy could remember them all off the top of his head. With Demon Swords, like one might expect, being the antithesis of a Holy Sword, as in it was a sword that had been infused with demonic power, and was the perfect weapon to use against Angels and Fallen Angels. He was a useful guy to have in a fight. Especially when one factored in his Sacred Gear, Twice Critical, which although a pretty common Sacred Gear, still doubled the wielder's strength and raw power.

Smiling slightly as he saw the other man stand up at his entrance, Percy shared a nod with him. The smile lingered on his lips for a few moments, before he glanced over at the hulking brute standing next to Siegfried.

Heracles.

He was a giant of a man who stood at more than two metres tall, with an overly large build, and shoulder length, somewhat edgy, grey hair.

Looking him up and down, Percy could also see, that like several of the others he had forgone his instruction to dress like a mundane human, and had instead chosen to wear a set of gleaming bronze, Greek style armour.

This, Percy suspected, he had probably done to denote his connection to his namesake, Heracles, who was his two times great grandfather. With Heracles, being a legacy of the bloated buffoon, and now minor god, Heracles.

Not that the mortal Heracles had ever met his two time great grandfather, unlike Percy. Which was a cause of tension between the two, especially when Percy often said less than complimentary things about the puckered arsehole. He, after all, still remembered how Heracles had screwed over Zoe Nightshade, just like he had so many others in his quest for self-aggrandisement. The guy was a dick of the highest order.

Unfortunately, just like his namesake, Heracles was also an arrogant, overgrown dick, one that was overly prideful and overconfident in his abilities. That, and he was a battle fanatic, more so than any of the others, which was saying something.

That said, he was admittedly immensely strong, and durable, and had a natural magic resistance, all of which he had inherited from Heracles. It seemed, despite his diluted connection, the guy was still a favourite of the egotistical minor god. Which was something that only inflated his already oversized ego. As did the fact that he also had a Sacred Gear, like the others. Only his Sacred Gear was called Variant Detonation, and like the name suggested, it allowed him to create an explosive aura around his body. An aura which he could manipulate at will and use to give his physical attacks an explosive edge. It was annoying to fight against, especially when it was combined with his raw physical strength.

Giving the larger man a stoic look, Percy eyed the giant legacy for a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly as he saw Heracles cross his arms and sneer at him, before with a slight grunt he looked away.

The Hero Faction, like many other Factions in the Khaos Brigade, was divided. Not everyone liked the fact that he was the leader, especially those that had been there longer than. Some, like Heracles, chafed under his leadership, and often did all they could to undermine him. It was annoying, and often times led to violence as he had to exert his authority in the only way some people understand, by force.

Thankfully, the majority, including Cao Cao for the most part, accepted, grudgingly in some cases, that he was the boss, and as such did as he commanded.

Holding back a roll of his eyes at Heracles truculent childishness, Percy looked over to the final member of the group, with a slight smile.

Le Fay Pendragon.

She was a sweet, British girl, with golden blonde hair and innocent blue eyes.

She was also a witch -though not a classic Disney type of witch-, a witch who also happened to be a descendent of both Morgan le Fay and King Arthur.

Despite her mixed pedigree however, she was still very kind and humble. She was also a bundle of barely suppressed joy and enthusiasm, and had no ability to hide what she was thinking. Her expressive face was pretty much an open book to any who spoke to her.

She also, Percy had long since realised, loved the pageantry of the supernatural, and had really leaned into the whole magical girl/ witch aesthetic, with her often times wearing a blue sorceress-like dress with golden stars on it, and a big blue witches hat with a black bow. Today, she also wore a pink cape over the top of her dress.

In his mind, she looked like a cosplayer. Thankfully, though, out of all those present, she was the only one that hadn't needed to be circumspect in her dress.

Instead, she had just been brought along as the rest of the group's ride out of here, and had consequently stayed at the house during the mission setting up some protections and prepping an enchanted bag within which he could hide the three stolen Holy Swords in such a way that their distinct magical signature would be masked. Such a thing was a necessity for when he split with the group and travelled to Japan -a place Le Fay had never been before, and so was not able to teleport him too-, all while the agents of the Church, searched for him and for the Holy Sword's unique, magical signatures.

Fortunately, Le Fay was very good at what she did. On top of which, on a personal level, she was also one of those few, genuinely decent people that exist in the world, and not a complete stick in the mud like her stiff, rigid older brother, Arthur.

That said, under her bright exterior and happy go lucky attitude, she was also an immensely powerful sorceress. One that they depended on for travelling around with teleportation, and for setting up complex magical defences. That and she was pretty dangerous when it came to wielding combat magic too.

Grinning slightly as she saw him, she didn't hesitate to wave gleefully as he closed the door behind him.

"Evening all. Or is it morning?" Percy said as he finished looking around at the occupants of the room and instead joined them.

"Perseus." Cao Cao nodded, pushing himself up from the fireplace's mantle and instead standing straighter. "You're late…"

"I got distracted," Percy shrugged, absentmindedly, patting the bag at his hip as he stepped closer to the fire in the hearth and warmed his hands.

"Oh, and just what mischief have you been getting up to, Percy?" Jeanne replied, a coquettish grin on her face as she looked him up and down, her blue eyes glimmering cheekily in the light from the fire.

"Petty theft by the sounds of it." Heracles muttered, a prominent scowl on his brutish face as he crossed his armoured arms in front of him and looked down at him. "I thought you told us to be fast, and to not hang around? We've been waiting here nearly an hour. Some of us actually have things to do, you know."

"An hour?" Le Fay asked, her nose wrinkling in confusion. "We've only been here for ten minutes or so, I think…"

"Well, it felt like an hour." Heracles grumbled, sending Le Fay a sideways look but not commenting otherwise. Not even Heracles, unpleasant as he was, liked upsetting the happy, go lucky girl.

"Yeah, I told you to be quick and quiet, just like I also told you to dress normally, as in, you know, not wearing identifiable armour or symbols…?" Percy shot back idly, even as he stood up straight, and gave Le Fay a smile and reciprocated her hug as she lunged forward and wrapped her short arms around him. At fifteen, she was the youngest in the group, and it was at times like these, when she was happy, that she showed her youth.

Mussing up her hair slightly, much to Le Fay's chagrin, Percy sent her another smile, even as he took a step back and avoided Jeanne as she tried to move in for the hug too, his smile widening slightly as he saw her send him a cute, disappointed pout.

"Hey that doesn't seem very fair, Percy, that she gets a hug and I don't," Jeanne said, her hands shifting to her hips now as she gave Le Fay a wink, even as Le Fay stuck her tongue out and grinned back at her.

Holding back a smile at their playful interaction, Percy glanced over to the others. Cao Cao was just watching the interaction, a faintly amused expression on his face. Siegfried meanwhile was just blankly staring at the fire, barely paying attention to any of the others. "Siegfried, Cao Cao, how did your side of things go?"

"Got the sword," Cao Cao shrugged, reaching behind him as he did so and grabbing a wrapped up sword shaped object from where it was lying against the wall behind him. "Here's one Excalibur Transparency, just for you."

"Any problems?" Percy asked, taking the sword from his subordinate. Cao Cao and Heracles had both been the ones to attack the vaults under Canterbury Cathedral.

"Other than the idiot going a bit overboard and potentially causing some structural damage to the cathedrals foundations, no." Cao Cao replied blithely, his gaze shifting slightly to the scowling Heracles, before he looked back at Percy. "We silenced all witnesses, and for good measure I fried all their electronics too while I was there. Like you say, it's best that our involvement goes unnoticed. We don't want to get caught up in the chaos, Kokabiel, is going to cause when he makes a spectacle of himself in Japan."

Percy nodded at that, he wasn't surprised that Cao Cao had already clocked onto just what Kokabiel was up too, especially with Kuoh being the well-known residence of the two Pillar Clan devil heiresses. The guy was a very capable warrior, and a good strategist too. He was the kind of man that Athena would have been proud to call her child, Hades, even had her hubris already quite prevalent within his personality. "Was there much resistance?"

"A few Exorcists and a couple of soldiers with silly little guns. Nothing of any consequence." Cao Cao shrugged. "I didn't even break a sweat."

Percy nodded at that, hiding a wince at the thought of the collateral deaths this little expedition had caused, even as he shifted his gaze to Siegfried.

"Excalibur Nightmare," Siegfried said softly, pulling the wrapped up sword out from under his coat, his red eyes locking with Percy's as he handed it over.

"Any problems at Notre Dame?" Percy asked, taking the sword from the softly spoken, battle fanatic. "I hope Jeanne didn't cause too many problems?"

"Hey!" Jeanne replied, a look of faux outrage on her face as she glared at Percy. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means he's met you…," Cao Cao replied dryly, a sardonic smile on his face now as he watched Jeanne huff.

Le Fay meanwhile just giggled.

"Don't you start, you little menace," Jeanne shot back, her lips twitching upwards in spite of herself as she tried to fight off a smile.

"Jeanne performed adequately. Her swordplay was as good as it usually is, and despite her personality issues, she caused no problems." Siegfried replied, the joke going completely over his head as he bluntly answered Percy's question.

"Personality issues? This coming from you, Sieg? This coming from the guy with the personality of a dead fish, and a desperate need to collect big swords to overcompensate for his little one?" Jeanne replied quickly, rolling her eyes as Siegfried just gave her a blank look in response.

"Oh, did you get a new sword?" Le Fay piped up suddenly.

"Yes, and he just handed it over." Percy quickly stepped in, talking over Jeanne as he saw her suddenly smirk, a wicked gleam in her eye. "Oh, and Siegfried. Were you spotted while you were there?"

"Yes, there were seven guards. They were taken care of before they could alert any reinforcements. The security system had also been switched off at the time of the attack." Siegfried nodded robotically. "There is no way that our actions can be traced back to us."

"Yeah, it's just a pity that the guards weren't up to much. I was hoping for a fight." Jeanne sighed.

Siegfried nodded his agreement. "Their abilities were sub par."

"Just another example of just why the Church is failing." Cao Cao chipped in dismissively. "They're influence and forces wane by the year, and their skills and swords rust and decay as they hide in their gaudy temples obsessing over triumphant of the part, dead Saints, and the garish trinkets and relics of a bygone age. They've long since strayed from their truth path, now the Church is but a shadow of its former glory."

Percy fought the urge to roll his eyes as he heard Cao Cao's impassioned words. This was not the first time he had complained about the Church and its toothless ways. He was like a broken record sometimes.

"Corruption and hypocrisy is rife," Siegfried added unexpectedly, his red eyes shifting to Cao Cao for a moment. "As is fear. There are many there that mean well, but those at the top are rotten to their core and reek of fear, they taint the lower echelons with their venal, cowardice, avarice and demagoguery."

"Err, what?" Le Fay asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"I've no idea, I think he means the leadership are corrupt shits, and are dragging the rest of the Church, including those that mean well and have the best of intentions, down with them." Jeanne piped up.

"Oh, well why didn't he just say that then?" Le Fay complained.

"I did," Siegfried replied blankly.

"Yeah, in the most complicated way you could." Jeanne shot back. "Sometimes I think you do this on purpose Sieg, no one can be that oblivious. Then again, Percy's pretty oblivious at times too…"

"Oh, what about?" Le Fay asked.

"Well…" Jeanne grinned wickedly.

"Anyway," Percy interrupted, cutting her off before she could corrupt Le fay's innocent mind. "Now that I have the swords, I'll be heading to Japan to drop them off."

"Oh, I've never been there before! Bring me back a souvenir!" Le Fay piped up.

"I would like a sword," Siegfried nodded his agreement.

"It's just Jap crap, no point in wasting your time with it." Heracles broke in brusquely. "You'd be better off sticking with your Demon Swords, Siegfried."

"Hey, you can have Japanese Demon Swords too, you know?" Jeanne shot back, her hand raising, even as she created a gleaming, Japanese katana in her hand. The sword had a soft, white glow along the edge of the blade, and the whole thing emanated Holy energy. "Just as I can create Japanese style Holy Swords."

"Yeah, but your Sacred Gear is stupid." Heracles replied.

"Says the walking bomb." Jeanne snapped back. "Your Sacred Gear is just stupid, noisy and completely lacking in style and elegance."

"Come now, you two." Cao Cao interfered, his ever present smirk still on his face. "All Sacred Gears are blessings, don't forget that."

"Don't you have the strongest Sacred Gear though?" Le Fay chipped in.

"Yes," Cao Cao smirk widened, "Yes I do."

"I like swords," Siegfried added randomly.

"Of course you do," Jeanne smirked back, a salacious grin on her face. "Just like C.C. likes spears…"

"Right, that's enough, we're getting off track!" Percy interrupted, cutting off the irritated looking Cao Cao before he could respond, or the confused Le Fay before she could ask for clarification on just what Jeanne was insinuating. A part of him was bemused at how he, the only one of with ADHD, was not going off on a tangent right now, while the others just started bickering and bantering.

"You're just jealous because you don't have a Sacred Gear." Heracles replied snidely.

"Hey, that's mean! And, also not true, I don't have one either!" Le Fay piped up, an indignant look on her face as she immediately rushed to Percy's defence.

Not that he needed her help, though the thought was appreciated at least.

"Yeah, I don't have one. But I'm not jealous. I don't need the blessing of a god, as I already am half god, dickhead." Percy retorted bluntly. Something about Heracles always got under his skin. Most likely it was his connection to his less than pleasant ancestor, and the similarities between their personalities.

"Well, so am I!" Heracles replied heatedly.

"No, you're semi-semi-semi-semi divine, which basically means you're as divine as you are smart, by which I mean not very. You're just a mortal with the slightest essence of divinity in you." Percy retorted hotly, before sighing and rubbing his temples.

"Fuck you," Heracles bit out.

"Oh, good one, how long did it take you to think of that?" Percy smirked sarcastically.

"Hey, stop it, you two!" Le Fay shouted as she stepped in between them.

"Yes, oh glorious leader, shouldn't you be leading by example right now?" Cao Cao chuckled.

Blinking at that, Percy sighed and pushed down his growing irritation. "Yes, probably. It's alright Le Fay, we're not about to fight or anything. Heracles is just being himself, and I let him bait me a little."

"Yes, tall brawny and brainless was just trying to start a fight, because that's the only thing he knows how to do." Jeanne added snidely, her blue eyes glinting dangerously as she glared at Heracles.

Heracles just huffed in response, and folded his arms in front of him.

For all they called Heracles stupid, Percy knew the guy was smart enough to know when to back down.

That said, it had been several months since Percy had last had to put him in his place, and by the looks of it he was getting antsy again. A fact that was probably not helped by the others goading and provoking the temperamental would-be hero.

"Jeanne, leave it." Percy said softly, placing his hand on her armoured shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze.

Glancing at him, she sighed and nodded.

"Now, as I was saying before. We're going to need to head off now, I suspect the alarm has already been raised, and the Church will already be trying to track us. Not that they can, not with Le Fay's magic on the room. Now I'm going to fly direct to Japan, Le Fay I want you to take the others back to the base. Cao Cao, let Lady Ophis know the first part of the job is done. I'll contact her later, after I drop off the swords at Kokabiel's base, and see what she wants to happen next." Percy said, even as he picked the long, canvas bag Le Fay had enchanted, and stored the three wrapped up swords inside. The wrappings already on the swords should have already sealed their power. The bag was just an extra precaution, and a convenient way of carrying the three of them.

Slinging the bag over his shoulder, and looking around at the others, a part of him couldn't help but dread just what they'd get up to in his absence.

At the same time, though, he trusted that there would at least be some sensible ones among his Faction, and that the cooler heads would prevail.

Cao Cao nodded in response to his words.

As too did Le Fay, Siegfried and, grudgingly, Heracles.

Jeanne meanwhile just bit her lip.

"I think should come with you." She said after a few moments of silence.

The others looked at her at that, even as Percy also gave her a curious look.

"I'm a big boy, Jeanne, I can look after myself." Percy smiled, throwing out some easy material for her to play around with as he did so.

Strangely, she didn't take the bait. Instead, her frown deepened. "This whole thing with Kokabiel sounds dodgy, and knowing Lady Ophis, she's going to want you to stick around for a while to keep an eye on her investment. I think you're going to need some back-up."

Percy blinked in surprise at her words, feeling oddly touched as he did so. "It's possible that that is what she'll want, but if that is the case, I can always call for back up later."

"But, Le Fay has never been there before, and so wouldn't be able to use her teleportation magic to get us there. We'd need to find another way to get to you, and by then it might be too late. I think I should go with you to watch your back. Plus, while I am there I can create a summoning circle and summon Le Fay, so she can get the others over there too if needed." Jeanne replied, her words carefully chosen, even as she looked over at Le Fay.

In response, the younger girl shifted about. "That would work, I mean once I've been there I can remake the connection and travel back whenever."

"You could also just give me a slip of paper with a teleportation circle on it, and do it that way too?" Percy replied.

"Oh yeah, that would work too!" Le Fay perked up, her eyes brightening, as she then proceeded to dig about in the satchel at her hip for some paper and ink.

"But still, if you want to come with me, that's fine." Percy continued, looking over to Jeanne now. The blonde was acting strangely. Her behaviour was oddly serious, so much so that he had no choice but to take her seriously. "Blackjack might complain about the extra weight, but I'll just give him a few extra apples to compensate."

"Good," Jeanne nodded, perking up at his words. Only for her expression to then turn dangerous. "And, did you just make a snide comment about my weight?"

"No," Percy said quickly, raising his hands up in defence.

"He did, I heard him do it." Heracles spoke up pettily.

Percy sent the larger man a sour look.

"I'd like a pegasus." Siegfried added helpfully, a thoughtful look on his face. "The ability to fly would be useful in a fight."

"Flying is pretty cool." Le Fay nodded.

Cao Cao meanwhile just smirked. "And now who is distracting us?"

"This isn't my fault," Percy groaned, rubbing his temple again as he did so, before he sighed. "Right, new plan. Le Fay, can you make inscribe a summoning circle on some paper and give it to Jeanne, who'll be coming with me, and she'll summon you once we're there? Cao Cao, once Le Fay is done, you head back with the others and let Lady Ophis know what's happening. Heracles you stop being a dickhead. Siegfried, you're doing fine, keep up the good work."

Siegfried gave him a thumbs up at his words.

"Oi," Heracles growled in response, only to be ignored.

Jeanne just gave him a saucy grin. "So does this mean I get to hold onto you all the way to Japan? Oh no, wait, I've just thought of a better one; do you want to me in front or from behind?"

Percy let out a sigh.

"She's as bad as Kuroka." Cao Cao sighed at the same time, before meeting Percy's gaze and giving him a nod. "I'm on it… boss…"

"Yay, I finished the summoning circle!" Le Fay cheered suddenly. "Oh, and sorry, what did you just say, Percy?"

"Don't worry about it short stuff." Jeanne smiled, taking the proffered slip of paper in her hand, even as she mussed up the shorter blonde's hair, much to the younger girl's displeasure.

"Hey, stop it!"

"Right, this shit has devolved enough. Le Fay, take them away, Jeanne, you're with me." Percy interrupted, pulling Le Fay into a half hug to say goodbye as he did so, before he gently started to usher Jeanne towards the door.

"Oh, so commanding," Jeanne purred as she allowed herself to be shepherded towards the door.

"See you round, Perseus," Cao Cao nodded, a smirk still firmly on his face as he patted Le Fay on the shoulder.

"Bye Percy, Call for me soon!" Le Fay called, before she closed her eyes and raised her hand, her mouth moving as she muttered some inaudible words. In response a large complex looking golden coloured, magical circle formed under her feet, before it then expanded outwards, subsuming the rest of the group, even as Percy and Jeanne stepped out of the room.

Turning, and giving them a final nod, Percy watched as all four of them quickly sank into the golden circle. With Heracles, the tallest of the bunch, managing to flip him the bird, before he, like the others, disappeared from the room. After which, the golden circle then also faded from existence too, leaving the room completely quiet and empty, save for the slight crackling of the fire in the hearth.

"Let's go, it's a long flight to Japan, and the sooner we get there, the sooner we can get some sleep." Percy said, turning from the now empty room as he instead started to make his way back downstairs, and out of the house.

"By that you mean… sleep together?" Jeanne asked, as she quickly followed along after him.

"No," Percy replied, not even bothering to look back as he already knew there would be a suggestive smirk on her face.

"Spoilsport."

( - )

AN: So what did you think? Please leave a review, comment etc. If you have any questions or suggestions feel free to PM me.

Also I am on a discord with a load of other writers, so if you fancy popping over to ask questions or offer suggestions about this story, or any of my other ones, or to find new authors you might not have come across yet, please feel free to use the link in my bio.

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you later.

Greed720.