Guardians of Olympus: Castle of the Damned

by The Mind of a Madman

Erebus has put phase two of his plan in motion, raising the twisted King Malenios of Athens to kidnap Hailey and sacrifice her to the darkness so that he can destroy Olympus. Reunited in time to see her get kidnapped and with four days to cross the country and save her, Miles Dani Lucas and Roxie try to band together and save their friend and prevent the end of the world

1. Return of the King

Guardians of Olympus: Castle of the Damned

Meanwhile, in the depths of Hades

Erebus was a god of great patience. It was the nature of Darkness, always waiting and lurking. Biding its time until it could strike. Erebus had spent millennia waiting for the perfect time to overthrow the Olympian's, and now that his plan was finally in motion it was all about the time in between. He had played chess for years, and it was in the endgame now. As the god strolled through the fields of punishment, observing the thousands of tortured souls who had earned such horrific punishment, he considered how fickle the hands of Hades had been. These souls had been condemned to a pit of darkness so inescapable that not even the god of darkness himself could free them. Yet others roamed free, basking in the light these souls couldn't even fathom. After a moment the primordial being chuckled at the thought of light even being present in a place as awful as this. And soon, it wouldn't even be there. But before he could finally storm Olympus and cast the mortal world into a never-ending void of night, he required the middle man of his plan. A being so easily played Erebus had already corrupted him a millennium ago when he was king of Athens. Oh, how he pined for the old days of black hearted rulers. It wasn't as much fun now.

The 10-foot-tall god continued his walk through the tormented souls, the ages spent in agony increased as he saw some of the original damned. After what seemed like an eternity Erebus finally happened upon his chosen pawn. Erebus had searched the depths of the depths of the darkest reaches of Hades looking for his middle man. Python had facilitated his rise, and of course Erebus was going to finish the job by killing the little girl and banishing the Olympians to the furthest depths of Hades. But he needed someone in the middle, just to prolong the idiotic demigods pathetic hopes of saving the day. But he also needed someone who could put some fear in the hearts of some of the more…liberated girls roaming the world. It was bad enough that Poseidon's brat was learning from his golden boy and Aphrodite's Okie girl, but now the stag was off her leash and running wild in Detroit with Zeus's favorite pet lion. Erebus needed someone in his prime, with a strong hatred for the gods and a penchant for making girls wet themselves at the mention of his name. Erebus had wasted enough time scraping Meidion out of the void just for an old man he could fill with darkness. He needed a sexist pioneer, a king! His search took him to the ancient reaches of the Field of Punishment, the eldest sufferers barely clinging to the last shreds of their consciousness from eons of torture inflicted by the fickle hand of Hades. But in the darkest of corner of the fields hung a giant, wrists and ankles shackled in four directions in nothing but burlap pants. The man had the chiseled features of an ancient king, his wild eyes framed with a thick black mane and a beard down to his pecs. Pacing in front of the restrained giant was a girl no older then 12, blonde locks flowing down to her waist and her ethereal white dress shifting around her as she planted her blade deep between the legs of the giant. "FUCK YOU YOU LITTLE WHORE! I'LL HAVE YOUR HEAD ON A PIKE!" The man bellowed as blood poured down his leg, little flowers sprouting wherever the flow touched.

After a moment Erebus chuckled and walked over. "King Malenios! Good to see you haven't strayed further into madness thanks to this little minx." The dark lord laughed as the madman lifted his head and stared into the icy black depths of his saviors' eyes. "Lord Erebus! Is that scrawny bastard sending his lapdog to check on me and this hell spawn now?" The mad king laughed as Erebus dismissed the notion. "Actually, I've put my own plans into motion. I intend to overthrow my pathetic underlings and cast the mortals into an endless age of darkness they could never crawl out of. But before I do that I need someone to remove a couple of pestering little girls while my lieutenant deals with the boys." Erebus explained and Malenios smirked. "I heard a whisper that the ice queen was roaming again! Nice to see you placating the lesser beings." The king said as he suddenly felt an icicle sink into his back. He whipped around to find Khione slinking out from behind him. "Call me a lesser being again and I'll leave your shredded cock frostbitten to your face while I take over the world." The blue skinned goddess threatened and the King relented. "Fine, fine. Have your fun." Malenios agreed and Erebus waved his chains away. As the king rose, his wounds healed and his armor returned. His mane shifted to its close-cropped military cut and his beard was trimmed, the fiery look returning to his eyes that terrified his subjects for years. After a moment the giant rose to his feet, towering over Khione and his tormentor and standing eye-to-eye with Erebus. "You truly do choose to work with some of the foulest creatures to grace the earth Lord Erebus." Khione said, and Erebus laughed. "I should hope so darling. The demigods I'm sending him after would slay any of my other subjects without a second thought. With Malenios, he will crush their spirits before he extinguishes their lives. It should be very…. entertaining." Erebus chuckled as Malenios flexed. "And just who are these puny heroes that I'll be adding to my trophy wall?" The ancient King growled as Khione rolled her eyes. "And that's the million-drachma question. Allow me to provide you with some... insight." Erebus chuckled as he held up his hand, surrounding it with a powerful purple aura that matched the lines etched deep into his face. Suddenly a vortex opened and in a flash of light figure appeared. She was old and haggard, her frame hunched over an old walking stick that she clutched in her gnarled fingers, each decorated in heavy rings with different stones and metals. Her body was gaunt, hidden in a thick black cloak that covered her face down to her feet. After a moment, Erebus spoke. "Rise Kalopia, keeper of prophecy, knower of secrets, the blind seer of the Gods. Speak the truth as you see it." Suddenly the women rose and looked up, revealing her face sagging with time and age. But most noticeable of all were her eyes. Deep, sunken pools of white with no pupils stared back at Malenios and Khione, who both found something new to look at. "What do you wish to see Lord Erebus?" Kalopia asked, staring off into the void looking beyond where they were. "Show me the heroes foretold to prevent my ascension to king of Olympus. Show me the Guardians." Erebus said. After a moment the seer hissed and writhed, suddenly expelling thick white smoke from her mouth while her eyes shot high beams into the darkness, startling the souls in captivity. "What is this?!" Malenios exclaimed as the smoke surrounded the ancient beings. "Witchcraft...some parlor trick." Khione spat as Kalopia spoke, her voice surrounding the three though she was nowhere to be found in the smoke. "This is no witchcraft Khione, goddess of ice. This is the curse I bear, the gift I received in exchange for my sight. I see beyond you, know all fates. All you need is to ask." Kalopia laughed as the smoke swirled around them, taking on new shapes and colors until it formed the shapes of the heroes foretold to stop Erebus. "It is foretold, Lord Erebus, that you will kill the Gods and cast your darkness on the world. But before you swallow the light, you must kill the crowns that protect it." Kalopia whispered, her raspy voice filling the vast chasm of the Fields. First came the image of Lucas. "The wily thief in the East mans a force in the thousands, moves quietly but will cut your throat as soon as he gets the chance. His wealth knows no bounds and his shape is that of any man or beast he chooses." Next came Roxie. The young lady inventor in the South will oppose you, pure of heart but deadly on the battlefield. Her creations form a defense most formidable, but she has trained under the Roman wolf in the brutal winter. She forged the last flame kissed steel weapon in existence, and though she has a distaste for war she has only grown stronger since your last appearance."After a moment Malenios scoffed. "These are mere children Erebus. Did you really need our help for these two?" He asked. "Arrogant as ever Malenios. They are but two. Young makes them no less formidable." Kalopia whispered harshly as Dani's form appeared next. "The Princess of the Sea, handpicked by Lord Poseidon to succeed him, master of the waves and blessed with the Jewel of the Sea waits in the west. She holds no forces but her own power is immeasurable, and she was proclaimed as the highest guardian of the daughter of light, bonded by a soul so pure they could never be apart. To kill one is to kill the other." Khione gently stroked the smoky image of the daughter of Poseidon. "A soul bond to the princess of light. She shouldn't trouble us when the time of sacrifice comes." The goddess murmured. "True, but in order to account for every anomaly she has to die now. I don't want there to even be a possibility of disruption when the time comes." Erebus explained as the form of Miles obscured Khione's hand. "Your true challenge, my Lord, lies far in the vast reaches of the frigid wastes. The young lion knows of your coming, the one who rose as King of the North. They say he is a half-breed, Roman cunning and Greek bloodlust. They say he has the strength of 20 men and summons the thundering wraith of the skies like his father. They whisper that he survived the trial of the North and leaves only frozen wastes where he goes. Imbued with the spirit of a God, and they whisper that he is the Great One come back from Hades to save them all. A wolf leads his army, a stag by his side and the girl crowned in flames watching over him. He has slain your forces in the north and makes haste to the girl, leaving only a daughter of wisdom to watch over his kingdom."Kalopia spoke and Malenios whistled. "Seems like he's worth a fight. What's the trial of the North?" He asked, and Khione sighed. "An old ritual barbaric tribes used to select a king in the northern provinces. They would send their best man into the frozen tundra in just his pants and if he came back alive, they would anoint him king. Best guess, they locked Bigfoot here in the freezer for a few days and when they came back he made good with the Frost spirits. It's the same mythos they based those zombies on in that show, the one about the Throne?" Khione said, and Erebus nodded. "White Walkers. The boy freezes people with his touch. Extremely dangerous, but he's not the one I'm concerned about. At least I know him." Erebus said as Kalopia revealed the last figure, this one a girl no older then 16 with fiery red locks in curls down her back. Her eyes were storm gray, but a lighter shade then most. Her figure was lean and athletic, lithe yet dangerous like a snake. "This is the last hero. Yet to be identified to us, or apparently those foretold to stop me. The only thing we do know is that she has some connection to this one." Erebus said, gesturing at Miles. "Interesting. Maybe if we take her hostage we can force the others to submit for her return." Malenios mused and Erebus laughed. "That actually was my original plan. It didn't end so well for the underlings I sent." The lord of darkness said. "We know nothing of her parentage or her weapons. The only thing we do know is that when we went to meet the cyclops who went to retrieve her, they had been killed." The god said, and Malenios snorted. "You mean to tell me that girl killed two full grown cyclops?" He asked, and Erebus could only nod. "This is what I mean to tell you. The only thing we do know is that she's making her way to the camp. When they arrive, it's of the utmost importance that we succeed in killing them. Our source tells us that they plan to move on our hostage tonight." "So, who is the hostage?" Khione asked, and Erebus swiped through the images to reveal the final piece of his plan, Hailey. "The daughter of Aphrodite is fated to be the last light in the darkness that I will bring. If I don't have her to sacrifice, I can't end the Olympians reign. I need her, ALIVE, and brought to the Castle of the Damned. It's the only way we can bring all these annoying heroes together to kill them all in one fell swoop. So Malenios, you'll take the girl to the castle. Kill anyone who tries to stop you. To ensure we cause casualties, Khione warned her father and forced the camp to guard her and bring the heroes back. Break in at night, kill the guards, take the girl and make the demands. With any luck, the guardians won't be there until after your long gone. Then we'll lead them to the Castle and end any chance that I will be stopped." The lord of darkness proclaimed, and after the other two agreed he transported them away.

Just as suddenly, the fields were empty again for only a moment before there was a ripple in the darkness, revealing Nico and Hades standing 5 feet from the meeting spot. "It seems Artemis was telling the truth. Erebus is moving against us and he's freed Malenios and Khione to help him." The god of the underworld mused as his son, taller and more toned but still very much Nico, sighed and crossed his arms. "We'll have to warn the camps and find the demigods. You're SURE the fifth one is already on her way?" The demigod asked, and the god nodded. "I'm sure. Her mother had the girl be on her way to camp and Zeus's precious lion before any of this started. He seems to hope that they will...rekindle what they had." Hades shrugged. "I'll have to be the one to warn the demigods. You need to alert Olympus that Erebus is the enemy." Nico insisted and the god nodded. "No need. Your old comrades and my Olympian siblings have made them well aware." After a moment Nico looked at his father. "So, what have they been up to since they killed Python?" The son of Hades asked, and the lord of the underworld chuckled. "Let's have a look Nico. It all as to be seen to be believed." He said as he held out his hand and opened a hole in reality, suddenly displaying the events of the past. "What is this?" Nico asked. "Think of it like the recap before the next episode. We're just taking a look at what these 4 have been doing since the last quest." Hades explained.

New Orleans, Louisiana

The youngest of the heroes had followed the beckoning of the wilderness to the woods deep in California. It was there that she was greeted by Lupa, the great demigod trainer, and her pack of wolves who lived with her. The technician listened to Lupa's grand speech of training and surviving and learning the skills of the wolf, and she decided that it was EXACTLY what she wanted to do with the rest of her summer. Stripped of her toys and cut off from the world, Roxie spent 3 months living among the wolves, learning to fight and survive without the aid of technology. While she was tucked away in the woods, Roxie had dreams of a sword, forged steel with sparks of fire imbued deep into the blade that never died out. It was then that the girl decided to finally build something she could use with her hands. She worked day and night building a working forge out of the materials she had a available, shaping a furnace out of boulders and heating it with kindling from the forest. She was severely lacking in tools, but after a few lousy attempts the builder let something deep within her take over, a sense of craftsmanship buried in every child of the fire god. She fashioned herself a hammer, found something serviceable for a hilt, and built the first and last Battleforged Sword in the time since the Greeks first built weapons. It was shortly after that Lupa released her from the training grounds, deeming her fit for duty and a solider any Roman or Greek would be proud to serve with. She returned home to New Orleans with Scout in tow, having adopted the wolf because he was in fact adorable. Her family wrote it off as a stray dog who followed her home from summer camp, Roxie's preferred excuse for her extended absence. On the upside, Scout was an excellent protector from her brothers noogies and wet willies. The only issue was he had a penchant for chewing up anything Roxie left lying around, which was usually her laundry. It made it hard to explain the constantly appearing holes in her jeans beyond it being a style.

In addition to learning her godly parents trade in the woods and finally hitting her growth spurt to a towering 5' 6" and a half, Roxie quietly adopted the mantle of Spider-Gwen for protecting the city from monsters, wayward gods, and the general scum of the city that tended to permeate New Orleans. The pint-sized heroine, now 13, figured that the easiest way to help her hometown without revealing herself as a monster slaying demigod was to portray herself as the next logical choice: a superhero. It took a couple weeks to get used to web swinging around the Big Easy and she didn't know a whole lot about the fighting repertoires of Spider-Girl's past, but between living with wolves for two months and swinging the hammer for days on end, Roxie at minimum had a right hook Miles would've been proud of. Besides, the perks of being Spider-Gwen meant hand to hand didn't have to be her strong suit. Roxie was perfectly capable of webbing up criminals and leaving them for the cops to find with plenty of evidence, all the while perfecting the street art tag she left at the scenes. At first, she just went with SG, but it quickly became clear no one understood that. It took a few tries and countless sketches for her to accurately draw her mask, but now it was almost like second nature. Whether they wanted it or not, New Orleans had a web swinger on patrol now.

At the current time, Roxie was coming in from her usual grave shift patrol around Bourbon Street. For the first time in weeks she hadn't spotted a single crime to break up, leaving her with an abundance of time on her hands. The daughter of Hephaestus had opted to text TJ, her partner in crime from CHB. Roxie has grown attached to her half-brother, and did her best to keep up with him when she wasn't busy. As the heroine slipped into her room and flicked on the lights, a gruff cough startled her into webbing without looking. "GAH?!" Roxie yelped as her shooter went off, securing her dads left hand to the wall. "Well that's not much of a Hello now is it?" Hephaestus said gruffly as he pried his hand free. "Dad! Jeez what have I told about just showing up like that, you know I hate people sneaking up on me!" Roxie whispered harshly as she pulled off her mask to look her dad in the eye. "Hm. That's some excellent tensile strength in the webbing. Remind me to get the recipe later, I might need a net." The tinkerer god pondered as he rolled the web into a ball and pocketed it. "Sure. Great. What are you doing in my room at 3 in the morning?!" The girl pleaded, trying to make her exasperation clear. "There's little time to explain. Erebus has sent one of his lackeys to Camp Half-Blood. He intends to kidnap that girl you saved and sacrifice her to plunge the world into darkness and he's planning on kidnapping her tomorrow night. You need to get there first." Hephaestus rattled off, suddenly producing a backpack and a plane ticket. "I already packed you and got you on the first flight. We can't risk moving you or your friends through Olympian means without alerting Erebus." He explained as Roxie's eyes widened. "Friends? You mean their coming too?" The girl said hopefully. "Yes Yes, Poseidon's daughter, Hermes boy, and Zeus's son with the little blonde Hunter and his friend. Mars's little hell-spawn." The god of fire agreed and Roxie perked up. She hadn't been able to keep up with her friends much since they all returned home, and even if they weren't meeting up under good circumstances at least they would finally be back together. "Alright alright. But what about school and Mom and... well this?" Roxie asked, gesturing to her suit. "As far as school knows, you have the flu and you'll be out for the week. I told your mother your needed, she can choose to believe what she likes. As for Spider-Gwen..." Hephaestus said, summoning an automaton in a Spider-Girl suit in a plume of smoke. "-The city will be in good hands. Are you up for this?" Hephaestus asked and his daughter nodded, eyes full of fire. "You bet I'm up for it." And with her mask back on, a peck on her dads least grimy cheek, and a belly rub for Scout, Spider Gwen swung off once again.

Dani

Oro Del Mar, Malibu

After returning home from her first summer at Camp, Dani had assumed she would return to her below average existence as a beach bum and petty thief until she was called upon to save the world. Perhaps for the first time in her life, the daughter of Poseidon found her luck had changed. Wielding his bottomless money chest like a checkbook, Lucas had refused to let her return to poverty and she would swallow her trident before going back to her mom. So, the son of Hermes bought Dani her dream house, an opulent beachside mansion on Oro Del Mar in Malibu. It was furnished in only the finest things, and perhaps Dani tricked herself into believing she could relax as Lucas made his return to New York, pecking him once upon insisting that he bring his stupid face back to LA soon. A knock on the door the next day revealed she was wrong. The girl opened her door to reveal Percy, who informed her that Poseidon had summoned her for training at his palace. Dani agreed, and was anointed to be the Mistress of the Waves, a title she believed to be very stupid no matter how powerful it made her. The sophomore eventually left her dads palace and returned to her own, assuring him that she would uphold her title. True to her word, Dani summoned massive waves outside her house and spent most of her time surfing and deciding which bikini she liked best. With Lucas's treasure trove at her disposal, the daughter of the sea had allowed herself to indulge in her own materialism. Doing so led her to buy out a swimsuit store, and now she had committed herself to the painstaking process of find her favorite one. It was in one of those bikinis that Dani discovered she was needed from another face from the past. After spending the day toying with the waves and lazily floating from one end of the beach to the other, Dani popped out of the waves to find another former hero hanging out in her backyard.

Piper McLean, the Oklahoma born megastar of the silver screen in her twenties, had been called back to the place that was once her home to find it was now inhabited by the wealthiest 15-year-old Pipes had ever seen. The daughter of Aphrodite had long maintained her looks, her bronze skin and dark locks framing her as the Cherokee princess of Hollywood. She arrived in the backyard of her old home in the only clothes that felt appropriate, a Camp Half-Blood t-shirt she had fashioned into a crop top and white jeans. As Dani popped out of the water in only her bikini, clearing the 10-foot difference between her back porch and the ocean below it with ease, the daughter of the sea couldn't help but feel an odd mix of infatuation and feeling completely underdressed. "Huh. I wasn't expecting company today, but you can stay as long as you like Pocahontas." The blonde admitted as she pushed her wet mane back over her shoulders. Piper smirked and sighed. "First, no pet names. If anything, I'm Rapunzel. Second, I'm here because you've been tasked with a job oh mighty... whatever fancy title you got over the summer." Pipes said as she handed Dani the weathered parchment she had received. The younger girl looked over the letter, her face morphing from carefree to concern. "Haley's in trouble?!" Daniella exclaimed as Piper nodded. "I hope you keep a bag packed for stuff like this." The daughter of Aphrodite said as Dani rushed past her, quickly changing and grabbing all her important stuff.

As the blonde ran back onto the deck with her bag, Pipes raised an eyebrow. "Uh, the doors that way?" She said as Dani rolled her eyes, whistled like she was hailing a cab, and jumped off the ledge. Piper watched in amazement as a pure white Pegasus with a rainbow mane darted out from the waves and caught the young demigod. "Come on Dash, we got a world to save!" Dani yelled triumphantly as her steed pawed the air and soared off, leaving the elder hero in the dust. All Pipes could do was shake her head in amazement. "This gets stranger and stranger every time I get roped back into this mess."

Lucas

Arcadius International, W. 46th St, Floor 87, New York City

Lucas had reached a very content moment in his young life. The sophomore stood and faced the floor to ceiling window in his office, staring out at the skyline across from him. The son of Hermes had returned from the battle with Python to finish out his time as Camp Half-Blood and make his presence known in New York. The day after the summer ended at camp, Lucas made his pilgrimage to his grandfather's home in Montauk and finally made the entire story known. His mother's drug habits, her failure as a parent, getting thrown out as a kid and living on the streets for years, never sleeping in the same place twice for fear of his mom tracking him down. Lucas had never known his grandfather that well, but it was certainly the first time he saw the old man cry. After the truth was known, Lucas took it upon himself to go home with the eviction team to rub salt in the wound. The now retired hitman walked up the steps of his old 3 story brownstone with the movers behind him, knocked on the door, and couldn't help but feel a smirk crawl across his face as the woman who had called him worthless all those years ago opened the door and saw her reckoning had arrived. The years had not been kind to his mom, years of drugs and drinking having left the middle-aged woman haggard and hardened. It brought Lucas great joy to see just how far she had fallen, and it gave him so much more joy to finally say what he had always wanted. "Hey mom... get the fuck out of my house."

It took the movers no time at all the scrub every inch of his mother's existence from the brownstone, but it took even less time for the NYPD to arrive to haul off the demigod's mom. There was a statute of limitations on child abuse, but there was not one in finding lots and lots of heroin out in the open of the house. After the entire house had his mom's presence stripped away, Lucas determined that he couldn't stay anywhere in his childhood home. Being in the den of nightmares he had once called home brought him no satisfaction, and he honestly wasn't sure what to use it for. After a few minutes of debate, Lucas walked over to the head mover and pressed the keys into his hand. "Hey. Keep it, I don't care what you do with the stuff." And with that, the son of Hermès walked back to his apartment and tried to decide what to do next. But before he could, Lucas was greeted by a total stranger hanging out on his couch eating Oreos and watching Impractical Jokers. Out of principal, Lucas had no choice but to draw and fire on sight. It seemed like the only logical solution. But imagine his surprise as the bullet bounced harmlessly off the intruders' head, flattened and falling dead to the floor. Stunned, the gunman tried two more times, watching as perfectly good bullets flecked off the back of the man's head like spitballs. After a moment, the man stood, ran his hand through the back of his curly black locks, and turned, revealing a strong face covered in dark whiskers, the deep brown eyes with a familiar mischievous twinkle staring back at Lucas. Though the name eluded him, something tugged in the back of Lucas's mind, a long-buried memory of the same stubbly face looking over him as a child. Deep in his chest Lucas felt the truth stabbing from the inside, and though he tried to hide it the break in his voice betrayed him. "Dad?" The boy managed as the man before him smiled in the goofy way that somehow conveyed love that the sophomore had grown used to seeing on his half-siblings faces. "Well I can't say I was expecting to be greeted with a few rounds to the head but I guess being 15 years late to your son's life entitles them to be a little moody. Hey Lucas."

Lucas wanted to be mad. He wanted to fall back into his heart of stone and not be involved with this. It was hard enough being friends with people, this all seemed so foreign. But as Lucas stared back into his father's face, somehow his own, all he could feel was the raw emotion in his chest of being deprived of a real parent his whole life. After finally excising his mom, his childhood home, and everything in it, somehow it drove him into the arms of Hermes. The god wrapped his arms around his son for as long as he could, while Lucas buried himself deep into a niche that somehow felt familiar, wrapped up in what he imagined Amazon Prime would smell like if it was a person. "You used to go right for that spot when you were a baby. Funny how things like that don't change." Hermès chuckled as Lucas said nothing, just remained perfectly content. But after a moment, he couldn't help himself. "Dad, what are you doing here?"

Hermès sighed and looked down at his son. "Now I'm sure you have all sorts of questions and though nothing pains me more then to tell you this...but your needed at Camp Half-Blood." Lucas listened as Hermès informed him of the impending kidnapping of Hailey and the rise of darkness over all Olympus surveyed. "So, what do they need me to do?" The assassin asked. "You need to go to camp and defend the girl at all costs. And Olympus forbid Erebus were to take her, you and your friends would be sired to retrieve her and prevent the fall of Olympus." Hermès explained. "You mean Miles and Dani and Rox are all coming back?" Lucas asked, and the god nodded. And as he darted to one of the many rooms in his apartment, Lucas couldn't help but chuckle a little. "What's funny?" Hermès asked as his son returned, keys in one hand and go bag over his shoulder. "Oh nothing. Just imagining how many times Miles is gonna strike the poor sap who tries to take Hailey with lightning." Lucas snickered as Hermès thought for a moment, then laughed. "Alright that's pretty funny." But before the shapeshifter could leave, his dad stopped him. "Hang on. Keep this with you." Hermes said, producing a single snake fang on a length of cord like his camp necklace. "This is a fang from George, one of the sacred snakes on my staff," Hermès said, gesturing to the weapon Lucas just noticed was leaning next to his door. "Oh. Thanks George?" Lucas said, feeling awkward until a voice in his mind replied "Ittthhhhh no sthweat kid." The voice lisped as another giggled. "Don't mind his accent, the fang takes a little to grow back." The other snake informed him. "Ok. So, what's this for?" Lucas asked. "Just keep it with you. When the time comes, you'll understand." Hermes explained. "Oh, how I've missed cryptic God-talk." Lucas snickered as he hugged his dad one last time. "Good luck Lucas. Remember, I'm always with you. And I love you." Hermes said as he grabbed his staff and, with a snap, he vanished. For a moment, the demigod bit his lip and sighed. "Nope. Not gonna act like a bitch when the world needs saving, no sir. That will be for later on FaceTime with Dani." He decided out loud as he took the elevator down to the parking garage, settling on the deep purple Aventador he had first bought with his endless money chest. He originally wanted to call it Nero, but after a few senior campers told him about a particularly nasty history CHB had with the apparently still living emperor, he eventually settled on Twilight because his girlfriend was secretly a 6-year-old. Everyone knew what the whole name was, but only Dani was allowed to use its full name because Lucas still liked to keep up something resembling an image. With that, he started up and hauled ass to Long Island.

Miles

Andres Shop, Ford Assembly Plant, Detroit

Deep in the heart of the Detroit was a monster of a building, a gigantic concrete cube that rose 40 feet into the air, with another 20 feet of windows making up the roof. This was the Ford Motor plant, once the booming heart of industry in the Motor City, the building had stood empty for years as industry pushed further towards rural Michigan and outside the US. The doors were closed until the factory was purchased by one Miles Donovan for 2 million cash, and another half a million for the discretion of the sellers. The large Ford logo was stripped from the side of the building, replaced with a large golden eagle clutching lightning in its talons, bearing the name Empire Motors. The surrounding community believed it was a luxury car plant, and the Mist told them as much. But in fact, there was no such company anywhere ever. The fake name was the name of the shell company under which Camp Jupiter and Miles had purchased the factory, dubbing it Andre's Shop in honor of their fallen leader. Once they owned it, Miles had put the Roman Engineering Corps to the test. Tasked with restoring the old factory, the legionnaires had carved out a muster ground in the center of the assembly floor big enough for the Northern Legion to assemble in. Surrounding one half of the muster space was the barracks, complete with full beds that expanded and retracted from the wall, entertainment center, and dining hall. On the other side was the Assembly grounds, where the engineers built and serviced the equipment the North used, far above the pay grade of the average camp Jupiter soldier. High above the assembly floor was what used to be the offices, 3 separate floors of cubicles and corner offices for Ford executives. At Miles request, the Engineering Corps had the office floors completely redesigned. To start, they converted it all into 1 floor, replaced the roof with windows, and imported marble for the floors. Modeled after the decadent roman palaces of old, either side of the massive penthouse had a living room, each filled with overstuffed sofas and recliners and giant TVs that took up an entire wall. In the center of the apartment was a built-in hot tub, with the roof above it built to retract for nice days. To the rear of the hot tub was the elevator, and in front was a small alcove Miles had dedicated to stuff he thought was cool. A signed Ben Wallace jersey, a signed Miguel Cabrera jersey, the ball from Calvin Johnson's retirement game, and a replica Lombardi trophy because the Lions would never win a real one. Hanging a left at the Detroit shrine took you past several walls of murals and street art to the kitchen, and taking a right brought you to the throne room where Miles held court and planned the Legions moves. But that was only half. The door behind the Throne of the North led to an entire half of the penthouse, essentially leading in a long hallway to one of three doors. The one on the left was emblazoned with the likeness of a stag, to the right a wolf, and straight ahead a lion. Through the biggest door of all, past the finest accommodation's money could buy, on the balcony that overlooked the skyline of his home, stood the King of the North in all his nervous twitchiness.

Many in the ranks had wondered what had their leader on edge. After all, this was the demigod who had stared death in the face plenty of times before, who had survived the trial of the North and been blessed by the primordial goddess Frost as ruler of the tundra's, recipient of a free 1 foot growth spurt on top of his already intimidating visage, and in addition to his command of ice and lightning and the winds Zeus had wrangled in ancient times, Miles was backed by the most elite group of warriors still walking the earth. If anything, everyone else in the world had a right to be nervous. But for reasons available to precious few, Miles was nervous. For weeks he had been plagued through the night by nightmares and visions, fragments of things yet to be slicing through his brain like a knife. After some prodding, the 16-year-old managed to get Thor, who still held residence in Miles head, to pick out the important pieces and tell him what it meant. And, perhaps rightfully, Miles was concerned about what he had learned. Because from his head had come... well not quite a prophecy but maybe a quarter of one. It was only 4 lines, but coupled with his dreams and how things had been going the last few weeks, Miles did not like the lines that came to him.

"Feel the curse of the wings

As the darkness holds fast

From the shrine to the winds

The face from the past"

The son of Zeus had a particular hatred for stuff like that. Brain teasers, riddles, they drove him up the wall in search of answers he didn't have to solve problems he wasn't qualified to deal with. Of course, Miles was also on edge because he was missing the person who kept him off the edge. Angel had absconded about two weeks ago, and though at the time Miles had been convinced it was a good thing the thought now occurred to him that she kept him from diving off the deep end when it came to confronting the insanity of the world he was a part of. Without her, things got weird. And odds are it would probably be worse if it wasn't for- "Hey Sparky, you up yet?" A voice called as Miles heard the door to his room slide open. As he heard the rhythmic padding of the huntress's sneakers against his floor, the young ruler couldn't help but smirk at the nickname. Only she would call him that after he became a king, but she was the only one with a right after all. "Hey Blondie." Miles said as Amanda wandered next to his perch on the balcony.

A few days removed from her thirteenth birthday, the freshly crowned Princess of the Wild had come into her own under the Northern Legions tutelage. Freed from the watchful gaze of her mom and with her sister effectively retired from being a hero after getting smacked down by Python, Amanda had fully embraced being handed the reigns to her life. The young huntress still wore her blonde locks in waves down to her mid back, long enough to braid or ponytail or whatever she pleased. She had traded her hoodie for a white parka she wore open, bulletproof of course, still fur lined for the cold, but now wore a crop top under her jacket and white camo pants, but keeping the rainbow Jordan's that had become sort of integral to her look. "How are you wearing a crop top, it's like 20 degrees!" Miles asked as the blonde pushed herself up onto the railing so she could sit and face him. "You get used to it. Good hunters don't get cold." Amanda smirked. "Just because Bear Grylls said it once doesn't make it true." The athlete pointed out, and the younger girl simply stuck her tongue out at him. "Stick that thing back in your mouth, you've still got Nia's spit on it." Miles laughed as the girl's cheeks flushed. A year older then the blonde, Nia was a lieutenant in the Legion and had quickly become Amanda's first serious girlfriend. The two were inseparable most of the time, splitting only when something important came up. Frankly, Miles found it adorable that he was important enough to the hunter for her girlfriend to not tag along. The two sat in silence for a moment, gazing out into the skyline. "You still thinking about her?" Amanda asked, and Miles smirked. "A little. I guess that's standard for break ups though." He said. "I'm telling you it's for the best. Something wasn't right Miles, I know you could feel it. I know you couldn't put your finger on it because I couldn't either but...it was something!" The blonde insisted. "No, your right. Something was up, and she wouldn't be honest about it so I didn't have a choice. It's a logical thing to do, it just doesn't make me feel better." The son of Zeus admitted. "Look Sparky, you're like a brother to me, so I'll do for you what I do for Ash when stuff like this happens to her. You hid in your bedroom for 3 days, you got sad, but now you have stuff to do. Big stuff! And if the stuff doesn't happen the people around you are going to start asking why it isn't happening and whatever this is is not an explanation. So, you have to get out of bed, put on pants, and get on with your life, feel me?" Amanda declared as her mentor looked over in bewilderment. "Say that last part again?" Miles laughed as his sidekick shrugged. "When Ashley gets dumped she doesn't leave her bed and doesn't wear pants. She wanders around the house in granny panties and a big t shirt and eats ice cream. It doesn't apply to this but the sentiment is the same!" Amanda insisted, seemingly unconcerned with how badly she had outed her big sister. "Your right. Not about the pants thing obviously but your right!" Miles said, swinging back over the balcony and wandering into his room. "Sweet! Now make yourself look official, that praetor from Camp Jupiter is coming today." Amanda reminded him as the King of the North changed. "Which one, Reyna or Lord Douche?" Miles asked. "No idea, they just said wait for the convoy." Amanda explained as Miles returned, now dressed in his usual t-shirt, jeans and Jordan's. "This better?" Miles asked and the blonde smiled. "You look much more like someone who regularly fucks up monsters and is invincible then someone who has been in his room for 4 day's sad sleeping without inviting a certain blonde bestie to share his giant bed!" Amanda pouted as Miles strolled past her, ruffling her hair as he did. "I don't think Nia would appreciate that." Miles snickered. "She can come too, it's a big bed!" Amanda insisted. "Y'know you could just sleep in it with your girlfriend, I'm not sure why I'm there in your fantasy." The athlete pointed out as Amanda promptly flopped down on the double king as if to prove her point. "It is very big. And I am very small. It needs a big person so the bed does not eat the small people." The blonde declared, as if it made all the sense in the world.

"Whatever you say Panda." Miles snickered as the blonde blushed. "Hey! We talked about that, you can't be that cutesy!" The Hunter whined. "It is adorable and I'll do whatever I want Panda." Miles continued, the name a long going inside joke around both her mom's nickname for her, and a mishap on one of her first hunts where a rouge claw had shredded her jeans and revealed her purple bikini cuts sporting an army of tiny pandas. "Fine. But not in front of anyone!" Amanda pleaded as they left the residence and headed for the throne room. "Oh, that's a shame, I was planning to announce it as your new title today too!" Miles laughed as Amanda stopped walking. "What?" The son of Zeus asked as he looked back and came face to face with his friend's famous puppy dog pout. "Oh, come on, don't do this!" Miles groaned as Amanda held the face, eyes big and lip wobbling. "Alright alright I was kidding, you know I won't do you dirty, just please stop looking so damn sad." He said, and the blonde relented. "Thank you." Amanda smiled as she skipped into the throne room. "I keep the weirdest company." Miles sighed as he followed her in.

The throne room was already packed, the usual assortment of guards standing at attention as Miles and Amanda walked in. The room was circular and huge, with a planning table and war boards to the left and a huge waterfall that fed into a pond. The water was 15 degrees all year round, much too cold for anything normal to live in or even to be flowing. But because the waterfall was also a sacred site for Frost, the primordial goddess held in very high esteem in the northern territories of the Roman Legions, the water flowed as it did and the pond was stocked with Rainbow Glacier Fish Amanda had brought back from one of her Arctic trips. The fish were sacred to Frost and were known to bring good fortune to their owners when cared for, shining all kinds of colors under the water. It was also said that if you killed one, you would instantly freeze to death. As such, the glacier fish normally ate better then Miles did, which made the waterfall an excellent place for Olympians to pop up in while on holy travels. It was like a subway station that connected to every subway line in the universe, and was maintained much better than most subways.

Finally, there was the throne, a massive seat made entirely of ice. It constantly gave off smoke because it was always below freezing, and if anyone who wasn't Miles happened to touch it they would find themselves stuck to it for as long as Miles wouldn't command the ice to release them, making it quite literally a seat of power. To the left of the throne stood Reggie and now Amanda, his closest advisors and friends in the legion. To the right were AJ and Kaiya, his generals. AJ was a homegrown soldier from Grand Rapids, a son of Ares and going on his fifth year in the Northern Legion, known for his bravery and combat skill, tall, well-built and fearless. He wore a Lions hoodie, jeans and work boots, freshly spattered with monster blood but Miles couldn't tell what kind. AJ was so often in the middle of killing something evil it wouldn't surprise him to know it was a bunch of different ones. Kaiya was a much different story. A Korean import to Camp Jupiter, Kaiya was a daughter of Athena who was claimed at 11, and had sailed across the pacific with nothing but her suitcase and something in her gut leading her to the Romans. She taught herself English, rose through the ranks to Battalion Commander, but when offered the promotion to command the first legion of Camp Jupiter, had turned it down and transferred to Detroit. Reggie has expected her to washout with the first two weeks, and Miles had admitted it seemed unlikely she would last. 3 days later Kaiya's battle strategy and tactical skill ended a full-scale monster assault with no casualties and in record time. A week later when AJ's squad was wiped out by a hydra and he was taken prisoner by cyclops, it was Kaiya who spearheaded the assault to bring him back in under a day, again without casualties. When they got back and AJ was duly promoted to General, Reggie had asked for a second recommendation to work with him. Kaiya had been his first and only choice. Miles had nothing but confidence in the idea and it had proved its merit time and again. She was only 5' 5", black hair with streaks of blonde in waves down her back, wearing a black tank top, camo jeans and white Air Force 1's, a gift from Miles after her promotion. The son of Zeus had heard newbies swear she was the scariest person in the room, but at the moment she was jumping up and down trying to put bunny ears behind AJ. Miles had determined Kaiya was many things, but scary was not the word he would use.

"You're late." Reggie said as Miles made his way to the throne and finally sat down. "I'm never late. You can't start without me, and things start when I get here. I'm not late, your early." Miles snickered as his best friend rolled his eyes. Reggie was the Legion Commander, one step below Miles, but he constantly swore he wasn't cut out for being an advisor. Reggie was an up-close guy, known for being on the front lines gutting monsters no matter what his title said. The son of Mars had never bothered with power or authority after his time at Camp Jupiter had shown him just how unproductive and annoying people with power could be. In his life, Reggie had respected three people of power. Andre, Miles, and Reyna. He didn't count Amanda because as powerful as she was, Amanda was just a kid and his friend, so he didn't bother qualifying her within his biases. When Miles had him made Legion Commander he had tried to turn it down, so Miles froze him to the throne for an hour until he finally said yes. Reggie promptly uses his newfound authority to do the same things he had done before he was a Commander, hanging out with the same people and ignoring any administrative or political strife that he thought would be tedious, which covered all of it. According to Reggie, if it didn't involve stealing something, killing something, or blowing something up, it wasn't in his job description, and Miles had wholeheartedly agreed with that. Mainly because if it didn't involve stealing something, killing something, or blowing something up, it wasn't in Miles job description either. That applied to the only other people in power Miles had around him, making the Northern Legion the most effective unit the Romans had, and the most demerited because they were effective in breaking almost every rule the Romans had. As Reyna had once put it, "We handed the reign of a Roman Legion to a bunch of trigger-happy Greeks and the only Roman who does things exclusively the Greek way. Nothing you guys do surprises me anymore." Miles had taken it as a compliment despite the fact that he had been talking to Reyna after a disciplinary hearing because the North had gone several months without filing battle reports. They had still hadn't, and were in trouble for it again. Miles knew it didn't bother Reyna because he got nothing but results. However, it wasn't Reyna who had come to check up on them. "Alright, let's get this done quick. I've got stuff to do." Miles sighed as he gestured to the massive front doors of the throne room, which slowly groaned open to reveal a small complement of Roman legionnaires, armor gleaming and camp shirts freshly pressed. "Ugh. Shinies." AJ growled under his breath, and Kaiya muttered some fairly insulting things under her breath in Korean about the soldiers Miles chose not to translate. As they reached the center of the room the soldiers parted to allow their leader to enter view. Because Reyna didn't even pretend to care about Miles lack of administrative work, and because Frank Zhang had hung up his toga in pursuit of college and his girlfriend, a new praetor had to be brought in. Sadly, this one was not chosen for his battle tested bravery and exemplary record like any of the last four praetors. He was picked because he was rich, connected, and the last in a very long line of family members who were much better and braver then he was. The praetor was thin and pale, barely reaching 5'5 with a mop of blonde hair that fell into his eyes and an entitled smirk on his face that screamed 'Please Punch Me Here.' Dressed in a freshly ironed toga in deep purple and gold, his legion brand stood out against his pale skin detailing the mark of Pluto and just 3 years of service. "Miles." The boy finally spoke, his southern drawl sparking annoyance in everyone in the room. "Hey Josh. You made it. That's...I'm glad you didn't die on the way here." Miles managed as the praetor laughed, though it sounded like a strangled cat. "I did not. You certainly kept me waiting though. 8 minutes exactly." Josh said, gesturing to one of his men who was peering at his watch. "Did I? That doesn't sound like me. I'm normally always on time for things that are important and need to happen, right AJ?" Miles asked, and his general smiled in a way that wasn't unlike people who smiled while they stabbed you. "Yes sir, very on time to important stuff." AJ agreed. "See? Punctual." Miles declared, smirk glued to his face. "You wouldn't happen to have intentionally kept me waiting would you Miles?" Josh asked, a hint of anger growing in his voice. "Now what would give you that impression?" Miles asked. "Well when we first arrived, the legionnaires at the gate checked our vehicle 5 times. They said it was marked as a vehicle of possible suspicion, despite having all the proper documentation. They did a great deal of damage searching for contraband." Josh said. "Yeah we've had a lot of problems with people in BMW's trying to drive into the shop demanding oil changes from the engineers. Very annoying people." Miles said. There had been no such occurrences, but he had told the guards to scour every inch of Josh's car for a reason to not let him in, and in the process literally tear it apart. "Really? That's a shame. Hey, I'm sure Mommy will buy you a new one for your trouble." Miles said, and the praetor glared at him. "She will, but we haven't been reimbursed for the last 3 your guards have dismantled because you never processed the expense reports." Josh said. "Yeah, Layla is in charge of all that clerical stuff, but she's actually on a very in-depth recon mission right now, you wouldn't understand." Reggie said, stone faced as ever. Miles had actually sent Layla to Aruba to visit her family, and every time something from Josh came to the compound whoever was getting the mail threw it in the furnace. "Interesting. Then as you know it is tradition for the home legion to salute visiting praetors as they enter, and yours were nowhere to be found." Josh said. "Yeah it's a crazy coincidence that they were doing a field exercise the exact day and time you were coming! Scheduling, crazy thing." Amanda laughed. Miles had sent most of the legion to Michigan State-Michigan at the Breslin Center, and the rest were asleep. Field exercises had been the day before, intentionally. "... Right. And finally, when we found someone escort us up here to this ice box and tried to enter, the guards would not let us in because you were not allowing visitors today. And when I politely informed them that I WOULD be speaking to you, one of them got very emotional and the other was extremely hostile before we finally got to the waiting room." Josh finished. "Hostile? My guards? To you? I couldn't imagine. We should bring them in here and find out what they did that was so offensive, so we can correct it. Right Kaiya?" Miles asked, grin a mile wide as Kaiya simply smiled. "Absolutely." She said, and the doors opened again to allow the guards in, both light skinned girls. One was 14, wearing a white American Eagle shirt and jeans and the other was just over 12, in a pink tank top and white jeans, clearly still upset. "Tiana what's wrong?" Miles asked as the younger one looked up at him. "I-I did like I was supposed to and told the shiny guys they couldn't see you until you were ready, and the mean one said he wanted to, and I said no, and he said that I was gonna get kicked out of the shop and have to live on the streets and he tried to slice up my tattoo!" Tiana whined as she showed Miles her arm, her SPQR with symbol of Venus and 5 lines now baring the imprint of something sharp. "He tried to WHAT?" Miles asked, humor now gone as the tension suddenly became palpable. "He did! And when I told him where I would stick his toga if he didn't back off his goons pushed us out of the way and just went in!" Crystal added, gesturing to one of the soldiers who suddenly seemed concerned about how close he was standing to Miles. "Josh...that wasn't very nice." Miles growled as he stood up, the smell of ozone filling the room.

"Y-You can't strike me! It's a crime, they'll drown you in the Tiber!" Josh exclaimed, backing behind his men as Miles stepped closer. "And I'm sure they'll be just as forgiving when they find out you tried to slice up one of my soldiers, in my HOUSE." The King of the North said as he grabbed the praetor by his skinny neck. "Y-Y-You wouldn't hurt me on holy ground, would you Miles?!" Josh said as he came eye to eye with the son of Zeus. "It's. Not. Your. Holy Ground. JOSH." Miles said as he reached out to summon his sword to gut the praetor. But before he got the chance, a more powerful presence plucked it out of the air. "SON." A voice boomed from the waterfall, and Miles paused as a crackle of thunder burst forth from the waters and became the towering form of the kings' father. Miles turned and locked eyes with Zeus, who held his sons weapon in one hand and the master bolt in the other. "Put the boy down, and stop this game. Something important is happening." The King of the Skies glowered, and finally Miles dropped the blonde. "AJ. I want the Praetor and his goons out of my sight in the next five seconds or I'm going to turn around and VAPORIZE THEM." Miles commanded, and his general happily obliged. "This way gentleman, this is the last stop on your tour, please do not come back and I hope you have a terrible trip home on the bus!" AJ said as the guards led the terrified Romans out. "Kaiya, take Crystal and Tiana our for lunch. Their choice." Miles continued, and Kaiya quickly took the girls out. "Bye Miles!" Tiana said as they left, leaving only the two Kings and the younger one's advisors, who did not need to be told to stay. Finally, Zeus broke the silence.

"Y'know you can't go around gutting every Roman in charge because he says something you don't like." The bearded god said, and Miles rolled his eyes. "I'll stop trying when he stops trying to ruin everything." "You know this isn't how the Legion is meant to do things. It isn't the Roman way." Zeus implored. "So, what! I don't need the Roman way, I get results doing things my way! I don't have the patience for their stupid formalities or the politics of putting my friends in charge or making a third year my general!" Miles declared, and Zeus sighed. "I know son. I know it seems impossible to work with some of them. Most of all... whatever that one was." "He's a pathetic excuse for a Roman who got to power by being related to someone famous and being creepy, underhanded, and nasty. He's got no powers, no skills, nothing that could help anybody! He's never worked for a damn thing, while I busted my ass proving my worth to get here and now all he does is try and stop me." Miles said, disgusted with the whole situation. "That's true, but perhaps a problem for another day. You and your advisors are needed." Zeus finally explained, and suddenly Miles was focused again. "Hailey?" The athlete asked, and the King of the Skies nodded. "Erebus is plotting for tomorrow night. There's little time to waste." Zeus insisted. "Alright, I just need- "Miles began, only for Kaiya and AJ to return, the boy shouldering 3 bags with ease. "Go bags prepped boss." AJ declared as he passed them off. "Josh?" Miles asked. "Sent packing on the most inhospitable bus I could find. Not even sure where it was going." AJ said proudly. "Tiana?" "She's fine Miles, their eating, I taped her up, she sends hugs." Kaiya explained. "Ok. Kaiya you're in charge, AJ try not to break anything important while I'm gone." Miles said as Reggie and Amanda stood next to him. "You sure about this Sparky?" Amanda asked as Miles smirked. "You wanna get there fast right?" He chuckled as ozone filled the air. "Good luck son. I've got nothing but faith in you." Zeus said as he disappeared back into the waterfall. "Well that's not very encouraging." Miles shrugged as the pressure suddenly dropped in the room. "Gods I hate doing this." Were Reggie's last words as with a clap of thunder, a bolt of lightning consumed the hero's and took them away.