ATTENTION! ATTENTION! So, my dear, dear, dear...dear...friend KingNoctisXIII has decided to graciously edit my chapters from now on! Say hello, King!

KNXII: Hello

Isn't he great folks!?

So, there will be sort of a different writing style from now on, but rest assured, I am writing these with just as much heart and passion! Enjoy, guys!

The images that swirled around me didn't really make sense. Then again, when has anything in my life ever made sense? I found myself in this weird looking throne room. Commodus was sitting there. He had a trimmed beard and was shredded, but that wasn't what caught my attention. He looked blind. His eyes were cracked and looked burned. He winced as a soldier applied a wet rag to him.

"Enough!" he snapped. "My sight is not returning any faster! We must simply allow it to come back naturally! How is it looking out there?"

"Not good, sir. With you incapacitated and our forces crippled in the battle, we cannot maintain control of the city. The actual police are attempting to quell the fires," he explained, causing Commodus to groan.

"Gather the remaining forces! Tell them to start riots, set fires, whatever needs to be done to keep them busy while we muster our strength!" he ordered. The soldier saluted before running out the door. Commodus waved his hand in front of his face but gave no indication that he saw it and growled. "How did I ever love you Apollo?"

The image faded, and another took its place. I was in Camp Half Blood, and I saw Amos talking with Kinzie on the porch. Hylla was sitting with Chiron, and my brothers, Simon and Arthur, were a few feet away.

"So, Fitzpatrick is dead?" Amos asked. Kinzie nodded before explaining everything we went through. Amos nodded before he stood. "I should help him. I'm useless here, and Sam needs me. I'm heading to Camp Jupiter to talk with Reyna and see what I can do to help prepare them for the Triumvirate. Sam seems to be heading that way anyway." Amos grabbed his sword and walked down the steps towards one of the trucks Hephaestus cabin made. After a few seconds, my brothers stood up.

"Amos is right! We're useless here! I'm going with him!" Arthur said before grabbing his gun and following him. Simon said nothing as he grabbed his gun, but the determination in his eyes said everything as he followed his twin.

"I should go, too," Hylla said while attempting to get out of her chair, but Chiron stepped in front of her.

"My dear, I cannot express how unwise it is for you to leave in your current condition. You are still Queen of the Amazons. If you truly wish to help, I seem to recall that Nero lives in New York City. While Amos heads for California, why not keep an eye on him and do your best to disrupt his efforts?" he suggested.

Kinzie nodded. "Yeah, that's probably the best way to go about things. We watch Nero here, so if he does anything against Sam, we can stop him." Hylla looked annoyed but nodded and sat back down, putting her hands on her now very large stomach

"Okay, okay, we'll do that. We'll watch over Nero. I want scouts following Triumvirate executives and their higher ups," she ordered, and Kinzie nodded. She looked at her stomach where my son was currently growing, and I saw tears in her eyes.

"Please be safe, sweetie," she whispered.

Then, everything dissolved into darkness.

My eyes snapped open, and I sat up, trying to gain my bearings. I was on the edge of a forest, near a large empty field. The area I was laying on was completely covered in frost. I saw the shadows vanishing.

It looks like my powers were going haywire while I was sleeping. That seems like something that should be dealt with immediately...Nah! Better to do nothing and hope for the best, right?

"I see you are awake," a voice said behind me. I turned to find a man standing there. He clearly wasn't mortal, given the roman battle armor he was wearing. His eyes were some sort of yellowish gold...They seemed familiar if I'm being honest, but I couldn't make it out. The weirdest thing about him though was he was see through! He seemed to solidify and then, turn sort of transparent periodically, which was fucking gonna give me a seizure!

"You're the one who was talking to me," I said.

The specter nodded. "I am. I have become quite familiar with Shadow Traveling over the years I have existed."

"Over the years? Who are you?" I asked.

"Well, names are not important. What is important is your mission. I wish to help you," he explained.

I was skeptical, not because he wouldn't tell me his name...Actually, okay, that was part of it, but mostly, it was because when has anyone ever willingly given their help for anything I've done in my life?!

The specter…Shade?…Let's go with Shade, walked forward until he was a foot away from me.

"I have been watching you for quite some time. You have exceptional battle prowess, keen memory, superior intellect, and most important of all, a clearly indomitable will."

"You've been watching me? Wait, you're the guy I've been seeing! I saw you in the basement of Shane's house and behind the car!" I said, and Shade nodded.

"Yes, I had to be sure you are the one I needed. You certainly have potential, but one single task remains that I need from you," he said.

"Oh, no, of course! Of course there is something you need. Fucking forbid that I got my own shit! What did you need? Need me to go to Tartarus and get you something? Oh, I know! Want me to piss off a god because you're annoyed with them!? Oh, no, no, wait! Maybe extinguish the sun, so the light doesn't get in your eyes?!" I shouted angrily. Shade said nothing. He simply allowed me to yell, and once I was done, he nodded.

"I understand your anger; however, this task, I believe, is of mutual interest to us. We need to stop Commodus from retaking Indianapolis," he explained. I stared at Shade, confused.

"Why do you want to stop Commodus? You're like a ghost or…something? Why does anything he does matter to you?" I asked.

"Let's just say, he tarnishes what it means to be Roman and leave it at that," he said.

I sighed. There was no way I was getting a straight answer out of this fucker! I glared but eventually rolled my eyes.

"Fine, I'll help you."

Review guys! And check out Kings story Legacy of the Lights Sky! Very very good! I've been helping him with it for...three years? Something like that. Love you all!