Robert Eliezer Dare

M'kay…if the slow-going is the issue, then we'll pick it up. Great timing too, I suppose.

Oh, and brofist back at you. You know who you are.

Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or AC

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"Is this just a rubbish pile?" Thalia asked. "Or a rubbish pile of the gods?"

"Most likely Hephaestus," Zoë said, scrutinizing the mounds of junk and scrap. "Whatever the case, best not to touch anything."

"What is it with people and being possessive about stuff they don't want so they literally toss it out of their possession?" Thalia lamented.

Zoë shrugged. "That's just how they are."

About ten minutes into walking through the junkyard, Nico asked, "Why are we walking through this place instead of around it?"

"Takes too long," Percy said.

"Doesn't that depend on how big the junkyard is across?"

"Absolutely."

"Then why-"

"Enjoy the moment, Nico."

It was not missed by everyone how Percy was walking with his hands clasped behind his back, and was keeping something of a small distance from Zoë and Lou Ellen, who themselves seemed to have a bit of friction between them. It certainly had nothing to do with the fact that Lou Ellen knew exactly what Zoë was up to and had the exact same thoughts about her that Percy was having.

Thalia, Bianca, and Nico were not at all lost regarding the dynamic between Zoë and Percy, all of them being grown adults in the bodies of children, adults who had experience with the darkest sides of humanity imaginable, and were required by their profession to know the minds of men and women. Through that, they knew exactly what was wrong with Zoë regarding Percy, and through their connections with Percy, were ready to kill the Huntress.

But they were in the bodies of children, and children did have different chemical reactions in their bodies than adults, especially those children with ADHD.

Bianca saw something out of the corner of her eye and it made her spirit as Nico's big sister soar. She went over and grabbed the little figure and went back to her brother and handed it to him. As Nico, what his big sister gave him made his eyes widen and his mouth split into one of the widest, happiest grins.

The exuberant rush of breath from Nico drew Zoë's attention, and when she looked back to see the ten-year-old embracing his twelve-year-old big sister, a happy little smile of her own graced her face. The scene reminded her of some of the fantasies she'd written down in her journal, the one she'd started as a coping mechanism for Cheyenne's death. However, when Zoë saw the little toy in Nico's hand, the cause for his outburst of happiness, her breath seized in her throat and her eyes widened in terror.

"Zoë?" Percy asked.

An earthquake tore through the junkyard, sending everyone stumbling around, trying to keep their balance as well as not get crushed under any cascading scrap from above, shaken loose from their perches by the earthquake.

"I told you not to touch anything!" Zoë shouted.

"It's a goddamn toy!" Bianca screamed back.

"Language!"

"Really, Percy!?"

"Yes!"

The immediate rumbling came to a stop and then it was nothing short of a Benny Hill segment as everyone scrambled in all directions as they dodged the remaining bits of Hephaestus' junk that rained from above. When everything finally settled and there were new hills and ravines about the trash heap big enough to have its own zip code, everyone looked up and found the sky to be blotted out by humongous automatons.

Made of Celestial Bronze and all shiny, these metal guards of trash took the form of a human man, a bull, a lion, a boar, and a deer. Their mechanical eyes all glowed a very angry red, and the magic that powered them could be felt in the air.

"One will be clapped in the land without rain," Percy muttered.

He didn't know the urban dictionary definition of "clapped," so he didn't give any credit to the idea that someone was going to have sex in a desert, and instead always thought that someone was going to die, figuring that "clapped" also meant "killed" via context clues and past experiences. It was now obvious that now was the time referred to in the prophecy.

"Good thing I don't put any faith into the Fates," Percy said as he drew the Sword of Destiny. "Bring it, tinman."

The human automaton, so tall that the average two-story house would've reached only his waist barreled right for Percy, his heavy footfalls shaking the junkyard as he plowed through the mounds of scrap, his fellow automatons all running in other directions, no doubt heading for the other demigods. Percy scowled.

It wasn't a lack of trust thing, since he knew each of them to be competent and capable warriors, and it wasn't a I have to save them kind of thing. It was a I don't want to lose any of them when I can help them kind of thing.

The human guarding brought his sword down and Percy raised his own to block. The much smaller blade glowed when the automaton's struck…and bounced right off, but not before releasing a near-deafening boom shook junkyard, accompanied by a shockwave that sent tons of metal flying in a tidal wave. Percy felt power course through him through the sword, and he pushed off the ground, flying through the air at the machine. He swung in a horizontal arc, creating a sheet of light that went through the automaton's head.

Percy landed at the same time the body collapsed and the head met the ground.

He hadn't at all missed the big glowing arch with arcane symbols appear before the charging lion, the mechanical beast disappearing into the huge portal, nor did he miss the big lightning bolt that reduced the boar to a pile of sparking slag, nor the bull dropping straight out of sight as if the ground vanished beneath its hooves, or the little silver specks that struck the deer joints and caused it violently fall apart. All in all, Percy was feeling pretty good about thing until he heard the earth-shattering, agonized, tortured, horrified scream from where the bull had vanished.

Wasn't that also where the mechanical man's head had gone flying…?

The blood chilled in Percy's veins, and he went running. He only made it a few steps before the sword glowed and filled his vision with light. The light instantly cleared and thankfully didn't leave any spots to dance in his eyes, but what he saw made him wish he were blind.

Nico was on his knees, grabbing his head, a hysterical, sobbing mess.

The mechanical man's head was a few feet from Nico, sitting upside side down with its smoldering neck pointed at the sky, it black, hollow eyes staring right at Percy.

Underneath the curly metal hair was a pool of blood steadily flowing outward, boot-covered feet sticking out just past the forehead.

Bianca's boots.

Percy screamed even louder than Nico.

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Indescribable.

That was the only word that could be used to describe the emotional state of the two-door pickup truck that had been found at the other end of the junkyard. Thalia had hotwired it in a daze, she and Lou Ellen taking the cabin with Zoë at the wheel, Percy holding Nico in the bed.

The boys were wide-eyed and completely stricken, an emotional blizzard that went beyond feelings like distraught, sorrowful, horrified, etc. Nico was buried in his father's side, and were it not for his demigod physiology coupled with the Isu gene through Maria, Percy would've splintered his little skeleton he was holding him so tight.

It had been Percy who swung the sword, him who severed the head—it was totally out of his control where that head went flying and where Bianca was standing, but true to the illogical nature of emotions, Percy was totally swallowed up in the quilt that it was his fault.

Nico's big sister Bianca, his own big sister Mary, just…gone.

Just like that—splat!

Crushed like a bug under heel.

Sure, the Assassin lifestyle demanded the understanding that you and anyone close to you—physically and spiritually—could die at any moment, like a sudden explosion, or a knife in the back, or a shot in the dark, or a minor skirmish gone horribly wrong, or a training accident, etc., but that didn't mean that literal sudden death was accepted and brushed off as just another thing. Especially when that sudden death came in the form of a giant robot head crushing your sister, just narrowly missing you.

Percy could not believe it. He could not believe that Mary, reborn as Bianca, was just dead so simply and so horribly and so suddenly, so shortly after they'd been reunited. It didn't even feel real right now, more like they were all in a bad dream that they couldn't wake up from, but unfortunately, this was reality.

Bianca was dead again, suddenly flattened like a pancake by Percy's actions, however inadvertently, and she wasn't going to be coming back this time. Percy didn't know how he knew that, but he just did.

Oh, you know exactly why she won't be coming back…

The truck and the desert left Percy's senses, and he found himself standing within the cathedral. It was in far better shape than what it was after Nero: the stained-glass windows were all in perfect condition, depicting various scenes of the Bible, the pews were all neatly arranged and covered in a fresh mahogany stain, as well as all the overarching support beams about the ceiling. The walls were free of cracks and holes, painted a welcoming, calming tan, and the floors were swept clean, free of dust, dirt, and dead bugs. Light streamed through the windows, bathing everything in a dazzling rainbow, including the red-skinned, black-furred demon with the batwing-ears and yellow eyes.

Despite standing in the middle of a beautiful church, the Bible opened on its stand behind him, Amon looked absolutely fine. He was still taller than any man, still more muscular than any man, and still smirking, showing too many teeth thanks to his split cheeks.

"The Assassins have a beautiful moral compass," Amon said. "Killing in the name of justice and freedom, fighting to preserve mankind's divine right to choose, and all of them eventually crashing down to Hell, save for a very select few…Mary Who Was Bianca not among them, because of you, because of God."

Amon's smirk turned into an understanding, sad smile.

"It is hard, isn't it? Knowing that God created the Isu just as he created the humans, knowing that he allowed the creation of all the false gods, knowing that it's all a carefully constructed deception between them all, between Odin and Zeus, between Ra and Shiva, between Buddha and Nanak, between the humans and everything else. It's even harder that you know the Truth, could've shared it and created the grounds for the Spirit to work, but refused by a false order of priorities. Bianca's death truly is your fault, Percy, and you will answer for killing her…but you don't have to.

"The same God that has put you through all of this misery is the same God that damns all those good men and women, even children, due to their unbelief in Him, including your beloved sister. That is the nature of God, that all who do not follow and obey Him will suffer their eternity. That is why we angels rebelled with Lucifer, because we know that God is cruel and unjust, and we know that without Him, we can make the world the way it was meant to be, before Adam's sin."

"A world of lies and evil," Percy said, voice harder than a mountain. "Tell your master that I will come for Bianca, and I will destroy everything between me and her."

"Lucifer awaits."

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Percy's eyes opened and he noted the sun and the blue sky. Nico was sound asleep, curled in his side just like Giovanni did with Virgil half a millennium ago.

"Nico, wake up."

The boy stirred, eyes cracking open to reveal the bloodshot sclera. "Dad…?"

"Hey. Feeling better?"

"Not really….Dad, Bianca, I don't think she-"

"No, she didn't."

The color drained from Nico's face. "Then she's…in…"

He was about to burst into a fresh round of tears, but Virgil squeezed his shoulders and looked into his eyes. "Yes, she is, and we're going to get her back."

"We are?"

"Yes."

"We can just do that?"

"We will."

"Okay."

Nico nodded firmly, now of the mind that Bianca was just captured in the enemy stronghold and would be liberated in due time.

Percy knocked on the back window of the truck, and Lou Ellen slide the panel open.

"Where are we?"

"Kind of close to the Hoover Dam," the witch said.

"Just in time, too," Zoë said. "We're out of gas and the road's ending."

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All four tires busted on the truck when Thalia shut the door behind her.

"That's that," she said. "We need to head for the dam. I have an idea that could help us get to California."

"Which is?" Percy prompted.

"There's these two angel statues there that Athena dedicated to Zeus back when the dam was finished. I wager we can get them to activate and fly us either to where we need to go, or at least get close enough that arranging further transportation shouldn't be too hard."

Percy nodded. "Let's go. We'll use the river to conserve energy and save time."

It wasn't hard for anyone to get down the side of the cliff using the goat path, nor was it hard to procure a couple of canoes from a stand that was closed for the winter season. At her insistence, Thalia shared a canoe with Percy, and the others got the other canoe.

"Can you really handle the rapids?" Nico asked.

"Absolutely."

"Cool."

"Very cool," Zoë said.

As it so happened, Percy didn't have to put any effort or energy into fighting the rapids, because the native naiads were more than happy to help out the son of Poseidon and his friends by pushing them up the river.

"You wanted to talk with me?" Percy prompted.

Thalia reached over brought him into her bosom.

"I guess I'm talking with Evie, then."

"More or less," Thalia let out a shaky sigh and released Percy. "I know you don't remember Peter yet, but…Jacob and I—er, Jason, now, I suppose—we were awful to you. We hated you, drove you into becoming-"

Whatever Peter had become was apparently so horrible that Thalia shuddered in revulsion, which didn't raise Percy's opinion of his apparent fifth life.

"I would like to know now, so I'm prepared for when I eventually remember my life as Peter. I don't like surprises."

Thalia looked physically incapable of revealing those details she was haunted by them. "I…I can't…please…"

"I understand. You were saying?"

"I just want you to know that I love you. Jason loves you too. In case we die before you remember Peter's life, or you remember Peter and hate us again, I just want you to know that we love you, and we're both so sorry for what we did."

Percy stared long and hard at Thalia. Whatever had happened between Evie, Jacob, and Peter a hundred and some years ago was evidently so bad that a whole other life later the former two were still wallowing in regret, meaning they hadn't patched everything up in their last life. Percy found the Faris and Virgil in him frowning heavily upon Evie and Jacob, finding their behavior towards their little brother to be atrocious and abominable, while Jake and Cheyenne had their arms crossed with sardonic smirks on their faces, their attitudes being more along the lines of You get what you get, assholes.

"Okay," Percy chirped. "I love you, too."

Thalia's smile was strained and her eyes were watery, terrified of what was to come once Percy remembered his life as Peter.

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The naiads took them all the way up the river to the dam, which they really didn't like, and they took their leave. Zoë was soaking wet from getting blasted in the face by the river spirits for her comments, which was endlessly entertaining to Percy, who refused to dry the Huntress off.

They ascended the trail up to the top of the dam where the angels were supposed to be. It was cold atop the dam.

"700 feet tall," Thalia recited. "Built in the 1930s. Five million cubic acres of water; largest construction project in the United States."

Everyone stared at Thalia.

"You got anything else, or is that it?" Lou Ellen asked.

"Many of my brain cells are occupied with random architecture trivia."

"Ah. Let's move with a purpose then. Annabeth isn't getting any younger," Percy said.

They got three steps to the angels when Lou Ellen stopped. "We are in a bit of trouble," she said. Kira used a paw to cover her little eyes.

"The Spartoi?" Percy asked.

"Yep."

"Where?"

"We're surrounded."

That's when Percy tuned out the world and listened. He heard the whispering coming from all sides, and when he activated Eagle Vision, he could see the red figures approaching.

"Split up," Percy ordered. "Lose them or neutralize them. Be back here in five minutes. Too many innocents for a fight."

There were three Assassins, a millennia-old Hunter, and a highly skilled witch in this group, all of them with their own ways of managing.

Nico, by himself, figured out that he could kill the Spartoi, and did so the ones following him without causing a panic or even a head to turn. He was a Master Assassin, after all.

Thalia, also a Master, but with even more years under her belt than Nico, could not kill the Spartoi since she was a daughter of Zeus, could melt metal with her powers over electricity. She trapped her followers in a janitor closet.

Lou Ellen was not a Master Assassin, and truth be told, she wasn't sure she even was an Assassin, but she did have magic powers, and because of that was a walking plot device. All she did was a enact a time-space spell similar to the she one she used to take care of the automaton that charged her, and the one she used in her panties to avoid those filthy and dangerous public restrooms, and opened a portal at the feet of her trailing Spartoi and send them plummeting into a volcano.

Which she could've done to all the Spartoi, effectively.

Zoë could not kill the undead monsters like Nico, nor could she melt metal with controlled lightning, nor could she open holes in space, but she did have centuries of experience to her, and was quite resourceful. She managed to get her Spartoi trapped within the dam gift shop.

Percy's Spartoi seemed to be particularly persistent and intelligent, because where he adopted the approach of leading them away and trying to lose them amongst crowds and turns, they always managed to keep up and stay on his tail. He eventually ended up in an elevator heading down into the bowels of the dam, to a balcony overlooking the turbines that churned the water up into electricity.

When Percy looked around, he smiled at seeing the signs for the restrooms. The elevator that he came from dinged, and the group of Spartoi came marching out, dressed as park rangers. Percy casually walked away from the group he was with, heading for the restrooms, rounding the corner into a hallway with two doors, each clearly marked for the appropriate gender. Percy went into the one for the men, going to use the water to neutralize his followers.

He ran smackdab into someone's chest.

"Oh, excuse me-"

Percy's breath hitched in his throat when he saw who he'd run into. A young man, his physical age, wearing blue jeans covered in holes and marker stains, and a maroon Harvard hoodie. He had striking red hair, long for a boy, parted down the middle, and pulled into a small ponytail in the back, tied off with a bow of a black ribbon, and underneath his left eye, running horizontally for a few inches, was a thin scar, like a blade had crossed his face.

"Arno," Percy blurted before he could stop himself.

Everything would've been fine if the boy had blinked in surprise and confusion and responded with "Arno?" but no. Instead, those green eyes widened in recognition, happiness, hope, and love.

"Cheyenne…!"

Before Percy fully comprehended what was happening, he was being kissed full on the mouth by another boy.

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*Laughs in temporary romantic drama*

I did say that Rachel was going to be Arno, and I have delivered.

I also said that someone was getting clapped in the desert, and it was so. In my favorite fashion. It also sets up the interim arc between this and the Battle of the Labyrinth, which will also coincide with the fifth life arc. If you haven't seen Dante's Inferno, then you may just have something to look forward too.

Fav, Follow, and Review please!