The Train ride to San Diego was a grueling one. A ride that would last just over three days. But it was the best compromise they could get and David had no intention on trekking the whole country. A bus would have taken longer and would be notoriously uncomfortable. They could have taken the plane which would have been faster, but the last thing David wanted was to be knocked out of the sky by Hades' ilk. With the train he at least had an escape plan in case something goes wrong. Since it would be a long trip, they got a bedroom that while pricey would be a small comfort. They passed the time playing cards, swapping stories and making plans for their quest. Sometimes they just looked outside watching the landscape wiz past the window
"So did your mother tell you what we're looking for?" David asked as they were having dinner.
Pamela sighed, "she wants me to retrieve the Meliai."
"Meliai? Weren't they my father's caretakers?"
Pamela nodded, "They are the children of Ouranos and Gaea, the first Dryads. An attempt was made to resurrect them, but things didn't go as planned. The people responsible are still out there and looking for them. So, she wants me to get them to ensure their safety."
Helena nodded, "Do we know who is after them."
Pamela shook her head, "Mother doesn't know though they did kill her last lover recently and took their daughter. Despite her attempts she has been unable to find her."
David rubbed his chin "perhaps we'll get lucky, and we can kill two birds with one stone by finding both the meliai and your sister."
Pamela smiled sadly, "I don't think we could get that lucky David."
David shrugged, "I guess we'll just seen then."
Pamela's eyes narrowed, "One thing I do know is that should we encounter their minions we should take them alive in case they know something regarding my sister."
David nodded in understanding but frowned, "that may be difficult, but I'll see what I can do." He thought for a moment before speaking. "If you want, we can divert from our quest to look for your sister."
"But my mother gave me a responsibility," Pamela protested lightly, "I can't disappoint her."
David waved it off, "duty can wait, family is more important. In any case perhaps your mother means for you to find her. since there is a connection between you."
Pamela was still unsure while she did want to look for her sister, she also didn't want to fail in her mission.
"Do we even know where the meliai even is?" Helena asked.
"According to my mother they were being kept in my sister's former estate Aeithales in palm springs so I figured that would be a good place to start."
Helena nodded as they turned to their dinner. As they ate, they began discussing the other parts of the prophecy. "What is this Beast the oracle was referring to? Is it a monster?"
"I doubt it's the one living in a magical castle with talking objects," David grumbled.
Helena shrugged, "what else could it be?"
"Men could be beastly," Pamela pointed out, "as well as some gods."
'Can't argue with that,' David thought to himself, "in any case, if it's a monster that hardly narrows it down."
"It must be one of the heavy hitters if their calling it THE beast," Pamela deduced.
"But who is the question," Helena replied as all three gave several considerations, Typhon, Kampe, Echidna and even the Python.
"Maybe it's Satan," Helena offered.
"That Prince from the Christian Pantheon?" David wondered.
"Or maybe it's pet," Pamela guessed
David shook his head, "I doubt that they would stick their nose into the business of another Pantheon.
Helena shrugged, "Its still worth considering."
David frowned, it was a scary notion, if other pantheons were interfering in each other's business, especially THAT one it could mean trouble in the future.
After getting nowhere with the Beast they decided to move on. "Okay what about this Bane of War?" Pamela asked.
"It must be referring to an enemy of Ares," David concluded.
"Who would Ares' Enemy?" Helena wondered. "If I recall, aside from Aphrodite and Hades most Olympians dislike him."
"The obvious choice would be Athena," David replied. "But I don't see why she would stand in our way."
"She would if her father ordered her to," Helena pointed out. David didn't argue with that he was not going to put anything past his father
"Don't he and Hercules have a rivalry?" Pamela offered.
David shook her head, "Hercules is strong but he doesn't strike me as a Bane of War."
"Maybe it's a pet of Ares," Helena suggested.
"Now that's an interesting thought." David agreed. They also needed to consider the wording of the prophecy more carefully. Since Bane of War could mean an enemy or a servant of war. That seemed more likely since his brother was always itching for a fight.
After dinner they were about to tuck in for the night heading back to their bedroom, Helena froze and fingering her ring turned around, she saw nothing, but she narrowed her eyes suspiciously. She turned back around and saw David standing there, flashlight in hand.
"You sense it too?" she asked
David nodded, "something's on the train." He took a whiff of the air and rolled his eyes, "oh wonderful, her again."
"What is it?" Pamela asked getting her weapon from her bag.
"A kindly one," David said grimly, "and she's not alone." He then began packing his things prompting the girls to do the same. They knew there was a monster on the train, but they wanted to stay on the train for as long as they could. So, David volunteered to keep watch while the other's slept then hop off at the next train station. David chuckled to himself "I guess we should have taken that left turn at Albuquerque." This caused the girls to laugh.
Two hours later they heard them, up on the roof. David woke the girls, and they activated their weapons while David squeezed through the window to check it out. He figured that whatever it was, it was after him. He proved to be correct as Alecto turned to face him as a pair of Eurynomos emerged.
"Your girlfriend isn't here to protect you now son of Zeus," the fury snarled pulling out her whip.
David rolled his eyes in annoyance, "You never seem to learn from your mistakes, do you?" He said activating his swordstaff. The Fury snarled and took off in the air. To her surprise David did the same, now they were suspended above the train car the Eurynomos unable to get at him. "Son of Zeus remember," Davis quipped as the Fury cracked her whip. David dodged her strikes and her whip hit only air. David struck back with lightning, but Alecto dodged these just as easily. He got in close, and she tried to strike her with her claws only for one of her hands to be severed by the blade of his staff. David came in again but this time she was ready and slashed at him with her talons creating gashes in David's chest. David cried out in pain allowing Alecto to use her whip to snag his staff. She tried to pry it free from his grasp, but David used this attachment to send a stream of lightning at her knocking her back. David regained his focus and slashed at her again this time getting her other hand. depriving her of her whip. Now vulnerable, he struck again and again taking her feet then one of her wings receiving cuts to his own limbs as her attacks became desperate. Now that she was defenseless, David closed in and grabbed her by the throat keeping her close. She struggled and tried to bite him with her fangs, but his fingers kept a tight grip ad he methodically severed both her wings.
"Get it over with," she snarled," I'll be back I'll always be back, and we will never stop coming for you."
David smiled, "good, the more times you come the more practice I'll get." With that he drove his blade into her heart dissolving her to dust.
With Alecto gone he descended slowly to the roof of the train where the hellhounds were waiting. Not wanting to damage the train with his lightning he held out his hand and sent a gust of wind that blew them off the train. Once that was done, he slipped back into his cabin where he saw Helena and Pamela taking care of four hellhounds in the hallway. They all locked ayes and nodded indicating that they had taken care of their adversaries. With the monsters gone they went back to the cabins and collapsed onto their beds for badly needed rest.
No more monsters came for them as they manage to make it to the next station in Flagstaff. No sooner did the train stop that the three children shot out of the car. By now the scent of the monsters was unmistakable.
After getting a bite to eat, they hopped on a greyhound heading for Phoenix dealing with a couple of monsters in an alley along the way. The ride to Pheonix was largely uneventful, it was when they reached Phoenix did things get interesting.
They were barely out of the station that they were approached by a squad of policemen. They looked the part yet something about their faces seemed off. "We'll have to ask you to come with us," One of them said.
"May I ask what this is about?" David asked.
"You may not," He snapped sternly.
David cocked an eyebrow, "you know that's a violation of Habeas Corpus right?" The officer responded with a blow to David's stomach with his tonfa.
"David?" Pamela shrieked as she and Helena were grabbed from behind and handcuffed.
The officer grabbed David by the hair as another handcuffed him. "I suggest you keep quiet and make this easy on yourself otherwise things could get very unpleasant for your friends."
David was lifted to his feet as he was thrown into the back of the police car. Pamela and Helena were each put into separate vehicles while their bags were thrown in the trunk.
They drove to the outskirts of the city with David's vehicle in the lead. "Officer, I don't believe this is the right way to the police station," he quipped.
"Just sit back and shut up," The officer snarled. "You will need your strength for when you meet the boss."
"Who is your boss?" David asked rhetorically. "The Beast?" He had only been joking but apparently, he hit a cord since both officers reacted and looked at each other. "He
They reached an abandoned building near a lake and the convoy stopped. By then it was nighttime and the three were dragged out of the cars and led inside to a small room where they were chained to pillars.
"Careful with this one the leader gestured to David, "I hear he's really strong." others chuckled as they left the room leaving several vrykolakas to guard them. "Remember if they resist rough them up but keep them alive." The leader told the guards. "The boss has questions for them."
Once they left David turned to the girls, "did they hurt you?"
Pamela shook her head and Helena strained against her binding. "Who are they, she demanded."
"And what do they want?" Pamela added.
"I think they work for the Beast," David replied. "Obviously they were sent to intercept us."
"We need to get out of here," Pamela exclaimed in a panic.
"Already working on it," Helena replied as she fumbled with something in her hand.
Before she could a struggle could be heard outside yelling and cursing could be heard as the sound of clashing metal bounced along the walls. The door was kicked open and a boy burst inside. He was wearing chainmail and a brass coloured galae helmet with a black plum at the top. In his right hand was a Spatha sword while his left held a hexagonal clipeus shield. The vrykolakas turned as he cut down two of them. The others tried to attack but the boy made short work of them bashing them with the edge of his shield before cutting them in half with his sword. Once they were gone, he went over to the trio.
"Can you fight?" He asked
"Cut me loose and you'll find out," David quipped. The boy raised his sword and cut the chains keeping them bound. Once he was free he rushed outside as the boy cut the others free. David came outside to see a girl fending off the officers surrounding her with two of the officers dead at her feet. That was when David realized that their 'heads' were fake, and one had its shirt torn open to reveal a whole face covering their torso. 'Blemmyae,' David thought, 'no wonder their heads seemed wrong.'
The girl, about the same age as the boy was holding her own. Her armour resembled fish scales and her helm was decorated with an octopus. In her left hand was a trident while her right hand held a shield shaped like a scallop seashell. David let out a stream of lightning at the cops throwing them back. He then used the distraction to reach the cars parked nearby. David opened the door to lift the latch that opened the trunk Once the trunk was opened, he grabbed his bag and fished around inside until he found his weapon. He then turned to help the girl who was now facing 4 automatons just as the boy came out with Pamela and Helena. They both went to their respective cars to retrieve their weapons.
David let out another torrent of lightning at the automatons causing them to spasm and collapse. The girl gave him a nod and they turned their attention to the remaining Blemmyae who let out a shrill whistle to reveal three Strixes flying above them. By now the Boy, Pamela and Helena had joined them weapons ready
A gurgling cry was heard, and David saw that the Eurynomos had returned and this time they had reinforcements in the form of dozens of Vrykolakas and more hellhounds.
"Friends of yours?" The Boy asked, and Dsavid nodded as they got ready to fight. They each picked a target. David volunteered to deal with the Strixes, Pamela fought the Blemmyae, Helena took on the Vrykolakas, the girl would take on the Eurynomos and the Boy would fight the hellhounds."
"Beware the strixes," said a voice in David's head, "They curse those who kill them."
With this in mind David took to the air and deftly dodged their attacks while using his blade to sever one of their wings sending them plummeting to the ground.
Meanwhile, Pamela was able to make short work of the remaining Blemmyae saving the one who had dared to strike David for last. Evidently having a giant face as a body was a poor design choice much like a cyclops but even less practical.
Once the Blemmyae were dealt with She turned to the grounded Strixes intending to finish them off when David called out to her. "Don't kill them," he said, "keep them bound till dawn."
With a nod Pamela raised her hands and vines burst from the ground and ensnared the Strixes by their remaining wing. They seemed to realize what was going to happen as they struggled violently against the vines tearing at them with their talons but for every vine they cut there always seemed to be more until Pamela called forth more vines to bind their talons and neck as well.
With the strixes restrained and the Blemmyae dead David and Pamela turned to help the others. Pamela went to help Helena who was bashing the Vrykolakas with her morning star. Whiel David engaged the hellhounds together with the boy.
Slowly but surely the monster army dwindled until Dawn emerged and the sunlight killed off the strixes.
When the battle was over, the five of them went inside the building to rest. That was when they got acquainted. "Thanks for helping us," Pamela said gratefully."
The Girl smiled, "no problem though that was the first time we faced hellhounds before."
"No kidding the Boy replied wiping his brow, "they sure can put up a fight especially in groups."
"Sorry about that," David said looking down. "We never meant to bring you any trouble."
The Boy and Girl looked at each other confused. "Trouble?" The boy wondered, "sure it was the largest group we've faced so far but it's not lie we're not use to fighting monsters."
"These things happen if you're a Half Blood especially one of the major ones," The Girl added. David nodded with a sigh and held out his hand. "I'm David Roosevelt, son of Zeus."
"Zeus?" the boy asked as he took David's hand, "as in the Greek King of the Gods?"
"That's him," David replied begrudgingly. as the girls also introduced themselves shaking hands with the girl."
"I'm Pamela Clementine, daughter of Demeter."
"Helena Delgado, daughter or Eris"
"I see," the girl replied. "I'm Cora Jones, Daughter of Neptune and Current Queen of the Amazons."
The boy smiled and released David's hand, "Nice to meet you David, I am Gabriel Mordicai, Son of Mars, Centurion of the First Cohort, Praetor of Camp Jupiter."