Chapter 40:
For fifteen minutes, the counsellors were listening in Markus' plan, adding a few things so there wouldn't be a gap in the plan. After the last detail been put in, they all went to the cabin to explain to their siblings what the plan is and to prepare. Pretty soon, Capture the Flag started.
All of the campers, except the children, were stretching or testing out their weapons. Wanting to put his plan into play, Markus zipped through the entire forest, planting the traps that the children of Hermes and Hephaestus had put in place.
Wanting to change things up, Markus brought out Wavebreaker this time for battle. He, Thalia and Percy were heading for the Hunters' flag. They wouldn't expect the children of the Big Three to be coming after them.
Alabaster had set up the illusions and magical traps throughout the forest. Now it was just a matter of springing them.
Chiron's hoof thundered on the pavilion floor.
"Heroes!" he called. "You know the rules! The creek is the boundary line. Blue team - Camp Half-Blood - shall take the west woods. Hunters of Artemis - red team - shall take the east woods. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. No intentional maiming, please! All magic items are allowed. To your positions!"
Markus led the campers deep into the forest (avoiding the traps) and looking for a place to put their flag. The best place that was decided was on top of Zeus' Fist. It was this cluster of boulders in the middle of the west woods that, if you look at it just the right way, looks like a huge fist sticking out of the ground. If you look at it from any other side, it looks like an enormous pile of shit, but Chiron wouldn't let them call the place the Poop Pile, or Shit Pile. Especially after it had been named for Zeus, who apparently doesn't have much of a sense of humour. What a surprise.
Anyway, it was a good place to set the flag. The top boulder was twenty feet tall and really hard to climb, so the flag was clearly visible, like the rules said it had to be, and it didn't matter that the guards weren't allowed to stand within ten yards of it. Markus transfigured the earth and a couple of boulders to form some earth golems, which were twice the height of a normal man. They weren't armed, but were big, strong and quite fast, despite their make-up. He also casted several wards and barriers around the surrounding. Hey, it was never stated that they couldn't use magic.
"You guys know your positions?" Markus asked, getting nods from everyone. "Good. You know your roles. My barriers and wards will be able to guard the flag, along with my golems, but no one get arrogant. Hit those arrogant bitches hard and fast. Percy, you're focus is on defence. Use the surrounding snow to your advantage. Along with that, get any Hunter that comes our way back or down. Thalia, use Aegis to scare them off, along with attacking them with either lightning or wind. I'll thin the crowd that comes from the front. Got all of that?"
Everyone nodded.
"Good," Markus nodded. Then he grinned. "Let's win this game and kick some Hunter ass!"
They all cheered in agreement to his statement.
XXX
The campers broke into small groups. One group was a couple of campers led by Silena and Katie. Signalling to their group, the two of them made their way up the trees, the action coming naturally to them. Up from their view, they saw three Hunters. All of them were vigilante, their eyes scanning their surroundings carefully. Katie smirked, and mentally commanded roots that sprouted out from seeds that Markus had planted with her insisting. The roots slowly morphed into full-grown flowers that produced clouds of pollen.
The cloud of pollen started small, but eventually reached the Hunters. They were alarmed, and tried to move, but it was too late. They already inhaled the pollen, making it harder for them to breathe. They held their necks, coughing and hacking. Pretty soon, they all passed out.
Just as the two were about to move on, they saw another group of Hunters running to the direction of their fallen comrades, bows raised.
Katie made to move, but Silena already did the action for her. She drew her arrow and shot an explosive arrow at the ground in front of them. It beeped for a few seconds, making the incoming Hunters pause. Then it exploded, flinging them back and dispersing the cloud of pollen.
With them dazed, Katie used several roots from the ground to wrap around them, binding them for the time being. Their jobs done, the two girls high-fived each other. They made to move, but paused as a couple of screams rang out across the forest.
Looking in that direction, Silena spoke. "I'm guessing that the traps were triggered."
Katie nodded slowly. "Yes."
"Is it wrong that I'm very happy about it?"
"No, we're playing to win."
"Yeah, I know. But at the same time, I'm not sure I want to know what traps were sprung. They were created by the Stolls after all."
Katie made to say something, then stopped. "Yeah, you might need to worry, then."
XXX
Six Hunters were running through the forest, panicking and fearful. Just what the Hades was going on?! This wasn't supposed to happen! They were supposed to be winning, not running for their lives! Since when did the campers get so resourceful with traps?! It must've been the female campers! The males were too stupid to come up with something like this.
Just as they thought this, the ground exploded underneath them. The Hunters' world was shaking. One of them fell under the ground due to the earth becoming loose under her feet. Another screamed in pain as a bear trap - who used a bear trap?! - sprung onto her feet, biting into her flesh and causing her to fall to the ground in pain.
"We have to retreat!" the lead Hunter shouted. "Regroup and-"
She was interrupted by screams coming from in front of her. The able Hunters prepped their bows in that direction, only to see some of their fellow sisters screaming in fright. The cause was clear a few seconds as a grown man in an odd and scary looking white mask with spirals on the cheeks and red lines underneath the chin (A.N. - Mask from Saw). He was also wearing a black suit with a tie.
"Hello, little girls," the creepy man grumbled out. They couldn't tell by his mask, but he was smiling gleefully. He held up a bloody hacksaw in his hand. "Do you want to play a game?"
The Hunters screamed, unleashing their silver bows upon the being, only for them to harmlessly pass through. They kept on shooting as the man got closer, having no effect on the approaching man. The girls that were running before dropped their bows and fled, screaming as the man kept asking the same thing. "Do you want to play a game? I want to play. Why are you running? I only want to PLAY!"
The girls' screams were heard by all campers and Hunters.
XXX
Close by, several other Hunters were experiencing something similar. Only they were screaming in fear and pain.
The reason why? Well, it was due a thin, unnaturally tall being - that looked like a man - with a featureless face and head that was all white, with a black suit. And he was currently suspending a couple of Hunters with black tentacles that protruded from his back and was stabbing one of them with a rusty knife. The girl in question kept on screaming, begging and crying for him to stop.
The man stopped, looking at the girl questionably. Just as it seemed like he was about to stop, his blank white face opened at the bottom where his mouth should be. What was revealed was a maw of sharp daggers for teeth and an elongated tongue. The nightmarish mouth roared, stabbing into the girl again, this time cutting off one of her legs. The blood sprayed his face and suit.
The Hunter screamed loudly, more in shock and pain than fear this time. She was fully crying, blubbering for the monster to stop.
Eventually, he did stop. But not before dragging the Hunters that were trapped by his tentacles to somewhere deep in the forest. The girl that was now stabbed tried to call out for him to stop, but it was too late. The Hunters screamed as they struggled and wriggled, but could do nothing as they were taken away.
The Hunter that was stabbed sobbed and wailed as to having her sisters taken away, powerless to do nothing.
To any other person watching, they would see the Hunter that was stabbed completely fine, only curled into a ball and bawling her eyes out. They would also see the Hunters that were taken away hanging in a tree, uselessly and aimlessly trying to wriggle their way out of the traps set.
(A.N. - I don't have to spell it out for you as to what the Hunters saw in the illusion. If you don't know, it was good ol' Slendy.)
XXX
Charles and Alabaster hid under the ground to surprise the Hunters. The son of Hephaestus questioned as to how they were going to surprise them, but Alabaster assured him that his plan was perfect. They waited for a few minutes, with great patience, till Alabaster felt the footsteps on top of them. Nodding to Charles, both of them sprung their trap.
Charles swung his Wrath Hammer that was alight with flames - something that he installed into his weapon so that it could deal more damage - and struck the ground above them. This caused a crater to form and some Hunters fell through. The ones that didn't prepped their bows, but Alabaster cast a binding spell that caused their bodies to freeze.
"See? Worked like a charm," the son of Hecate said to his partner.
"Fine, fine. I guess it was a decent plan."
The Hunters saw the two of them, Charles grinning and Alabaster smirking. They quickly turned red in rage quickly after realising what had happened.
"Release us at once, males, and we won't consider taking what makes both of you men!" One of the hunters exclaimed. Charles only smirked in amusement, enraging them further.
"Almost forgot how annoying you guys are," Alabaster commented, making them glare at him. "Don't worry. You guys are going nowhere anytime soon, so sit back and relax until the end of the games." With a parting wave, both of them left to deal with the rest of the Hunters, leaving their victims trapped.
XXX
Another team, led by Connor and Travis, were aiming to take out the Hunters that were near the borders. Following the two were the Hermes and Apollo cabins.
Travis and Connor made a signal motion to stop, so the whole group did. "There are three scouts in the area, all in a single knit group," Connor said to the others.
"So what do we do?" a camper asked. The two Stoll brothers grinned mischievously, making the ones that aren't Hermes children shiver in fear. They feel sympathy for those three Hunters.
"What all Hermes children would do," Travis said and Connor grabbed a few gas and stink bombs. "Prank the Hades out of all of 'em!"
Correction, they really felt sorry for those Hunters. Travis and Connor jumped to their locations and saw three Hunters, one of them that is built like a tank. Connor and Travis grinned at each and threw the gas bombs. The Hunters stopped, seeing three red balls before it explode into gas. The gas evaporated after a few minutes to reveal…two Hunters?
"Hey, where'd the other one go?" Travis said, and Connor shrugged. They both gone down to see where the leader was at, looking around the place. They both stop when they felt a hand on both their shoulders and stiffened.
"Looking for me?" a girl's voice said. The two pale and slowly turn to see the big tank like Hunter behind them.
Before any beating could take place, Will Solace came to the rescue. "Close your eyes!" he hissed loudly. Knowing what was about to occur, both sons of Hermes closed their eyes.
The Hunter could do nothing but scream as her eyes were assaulted by multiple flash bang arrows. Her hands immediately went to her eyes. So distracted was she that she didn't see the bow swinging towards the back of her head, knocking her out.
The Stolls waited for a few minutes, then opened their eyes. "Thanks," Travis thanked the son of Apollo. "We almost got our asses handed to us after pulling off a prank."
"Totally unacceptable," Connor added.
Will sighed. "Yeah, sure."
XXX
Markus ran - not at superspeeds - along with Percy and Thalia. Sensing a couple of presences ahead, he held up his hand, halting their approach.
"What's up?" Thalia asked.
"Couple of Hunters ahead," Markus answered. "Percy, you use the snow to take care of the ones in the front- oh, wait." He pointed his hand in a particular direction. He sent several tripping and confundus charm at incoming Hunters through the trees. His spells were successful when he heard several shouts of alarm and bodies hitting the ground. "Took care of a couple of them as well."
"Magic is bullshit," Thalia and Percy commented in perfect unison.
Markus scoffed. "You guys are just jealous. Now, Percy. You do your thing."
Percy nodded, going on ahead. Thalia started to run as well, but Markus called out to her. "Thalia."
She turned to look at him. "Wha-" She couldn't finish as Markus quickly placed his hands in her hand and her waist. He then twirled her like a princess, making her scream slightly in shock. She landed in his side and arms, making it easier for Markus to pull her into a deep kiss.
Thalia was shocked but soon relaxed as she responded to the kiss. Both of them were enjoying themselves, happy at the contact. Thalia made to deepen the kiss but Markus reeled back quickly, grinning. "There'll be more of that later, love."
Thalia scowled, hating being teased. "Ass."
"Well, I've been told I have a great ass," Markus responded cheekily, leaning back to take a look at his own behind. "Plus..." Markus' hands snaked to grab Thalia's ass in his hands, making her squeak. "... I do consider myself an ass-man."
"I hate you," the daughter of Zeus grumbled, cheeks pink.
"No, you looooove me~" Markus teased. He then sighed and retreated back reluctantly. "Alas, our romancing will have to wait. We are in the middle of kicking Hunter ass."
"Uh huh. Like that'll stop you," Thalia commented, glaring at her boyfriend. The word 'boyfriend' made her feel funny, but in a good way.
Markus smiled. "You know me so well." And so the two of them jogged ahead, meeting Percy and a couple of snow-bound Hunters. "You guys took your sweet time," Percy said.
"Don't complain," Markus said. Looking at a defenseless flag, he walked forward, vibrating his body. Good thing too, because three Hunters jumped out of their hiding spots and shot at him. The arrows passed throw his vibrating body, shocking and confusing them. Grabbing the flag, he turned to his crew. "Thalia, if you could," Markus said, his vibrating and sounding like Megatron.
Nodding, Thalia scrunched up her face in concentration, and a burst of lightning struck the Hunters, shocking them. The attack was so fast that it seemed like it appeared out of thin air. The Hunters collapsed, twitching slightly and near unconscious.
"Good job," Markus nodded, voice back to normal. "Now, to win the game." He disappeared in a burst of vapour.
He then reappeared at the site of seeing Zoe struggling to fight his earth golems. He saw that one seemed to be defeated (which was slightly impressive) but had difficulty with the others.
Looking to see who she had sensed, Zoe's eyes widened in caution and slight fear. She backed up, aiming her bow at Markus but not shooting.
"Yo," Markus gave a peace sign, not bothered by the Hunter. "I'm not in a vindictive mood today, seeing as how we're literally inches from victory. So let's wrap things up." Markus casted a small minor curse at the Hunter. "Levicorpus." (A.N. - Yes, it's the same Levicorpus from Harry Potter).
Zoe dropped her bow as she was suddenly yanked by her left ankle by a mysterious and invisible force. She dropped her bow mid-movement, so now she was dangling in the air by her legs. "R-Release me!" she exclaimed angrily, shocked. "What sorcery is this?"
"My kind of sorcery," Markus simply answered, walking forward and planting the Hunters' flag at the campers' side, signifying their win.
"Camp Half-Blood wins!" Chiron boomed happily. He truly looked happy at this and so did the campers as indicated by their cheering. "For the first time in years!" he added while crying happily.
The campers cheered the loudest than they ever did and if it wasn't for the barrier, New York would've heard. They came up together, hugging their siblings or friends, throwing their weapons down and dancing happily. The entire camp went insane with happiness.
Markus was grinning at the campers celebrating, the happiness contagious. Before he could do anything, he was promptly glomped by a couple of blurs. The force of it knocked him on his back. When he saw who it was that tackled him, he grinned at seeing Silena, Thalia, Katie and Annabeth had hugged him. He tried to hug all of them, but couldn't. So decided on enjoying the hugs. Ah, it was good to be him.
Meanwhile, the remaining Hunters that are conscious or was just getting up were in shock and disbelief. They just lost Capture the Flag for the first time in years. They found a few knocked out, muttering words that didn't make sense. A couple were crying. Some in traps or hung from trees. Two of them were buried with their head in the surface. And many of them smelled like shit, rotten eggs or covered in mounds of dust.
As Markus was enjoying the remnants of his group hug (Annabeth had gotten off of him, while Katie, Thalia and Silena had stayed), he suddenly remembered that he had forgotten something. That became clear to him when Zoe yelled out, "Release me at once!"
Markus and the girls looked at the suspended Hunter, who looked frustrated. A couple of Hunters had tried to pull her down, but she kept dangling.
"You think she'd make a nice ornament?" he asked the girls, who had now gotten off of him.
"Yes." "Definitely." Silena and Thalia chorused simultaneously. It was definitely not because they were biased. Not at all... okay, maybe a lot.
Katie hummed. "I'm not sure..."
"You could hang her in Cabin Four and cover her with lots of greenery. Probably a couple of plants and Venus flytraps," Silena suggested helpfully.
Katie's eyes lit up. "That's a wonderful idea!"
"I am not thine ornament! Thine will release me, now!" Zoe demanded, somewhat petulantly.
"Say please," Markus offered. "After all, I would think a lady such as yourself-" Thalia and Silena snorted at that "-would have proper manners."
Zoe growled, her face turning red. That might actually be due to the blood going all the way to her head.
"I'm waiting~" Markus called out in a sing-song voice.
Zoe snarled, but couldn't do anything else. "Please, let me down!" she bit out.
"Well, since you asked so nicely," Markus mocked, waving his hand. Zoe was free from the spell, and ended up crashing onto the ground. She managed to manoeuvre herself so that she landed on her side rather than her head.
Picking herself up, she glared at Markus, who was whistling innocently to himself. Before anything could happen, everyone heard someone gasp.
Someone… something was approaching. It was shrouded in a murky green mist, but as it got closer, the campers and Hunters gasped.
"This is impossible," Chiron said. Markus looked towards the man at that, never hearing him sound so nervous. "It… she has never left the attic. Never."
And yet, the withered mummy that held the Oracle shuffled forward until she stood in the center of the group. Mist curled around our feet, turning the snow a sickly shade of green. If possible, she was looking at both Zoe and Markus. Looking at each other, they separated a bit to see who she was looking at.
None of the other campers dared move. Then her voice hissed inside both of their heads. Apparently everyone could hear it, because several clutched their hands over the ears.
I am the spirit of Delphi, the voice said. Speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python.
The Oracle regarded Percy with its cold, dead eyes. Then she looked at Markus, and her gaze lasted longer. Markus just raised an eyebrow, wondering why she was doing that. Then she turned unmistakeably towards Zoe.
Approach, seeker, and ask.
Zoe looked nervous at that, but stepped forward. "What is my destiny?"
The Oracle's mouth opened, and green mist poured out. They all saw the vague image of a mountain, and a girl standing at the barren peak. It was Artemis, but she was wrapped in chains, fettered to the rocks. She was kneeling, her hands raised as if to fend off an attacker, and it looked like she was in pain. Huh, she seemed to heal from Markus' ass-beating from before. The Oracle spoke:
Six shall go west to the goddess in chains,
One shall be lost in the land without rain,
The bane of Olympus shows the trail,
Teamwork of Campers and Hunters combined prevail,
The Titan's curse must one withstand,
And one shall perish by a parent's hand.
Champion of storms must follow the burning trail,
And face the one free from the frozen jail.
Then, as the whole camp was watching, the mist swirled and retreated like a great green serpent into the mummy's mouth. The Oracle sat down on a rock and became as still as she'd been in the attic, as if she might sit by this creek for a hundred years.
XXX
The council was held around a Ping-Pong table in the rec room. Dionysus waved his hand and supplied snacks: Cheez Whiz, crackers, and several bottles of red wine.
Markus made to reach for the wine, but his hand was slapped at by Silena.
"What the hell was that for?!" Markus frowned at his girlfriend.
Silena shook her head, a stern look on her face. "No. No wine for you."
"But come on! Just a little sip?"
"No! You're underage!"
"Bullshit! I'm... uh..." Markus mentally calculated his age. "Eighteen."
"No, you're not," Silena denied, shaking her head. "You're fifteen. Your birthday was in August, remember?"
"Wait, you're fifteen?" Charles asked, shocked. The others looked shocked at this as well.
Markus pouted at being caught. "Yeah. Why?"
"Dude, you look like you're nineteen," Connor pointed out. "How the Hades do you look so much older than you actually are?"
Markus shrugged, grinning. "Puberty has been very nice to me."
Unknown to everyone, every girl bar Zoe mentally agreed with that statement.
Then Chiron reminded Mr. D that wine was against his restrictions and most of kids were underage. Mr. D sighed. With a snap of his fingers the wine turned to Diet Coke. Nobody drank that either.
Mr. D and Chiron (in wheelchair form) sat at one end of the table. Zoe took the other end. Thalia, Grover, Percy, and Markus (co-captains) sat along the right, and the other head counsellors - Beck, Silena, Katie, Annabeth and the Stoll brothers - sat on the left. For the Ares and Hestia cabins, Mark and Alabaster stood opposite to the rest.
Zoe started the meeting off on a positive note. "This is pointless."
"Cheez Whiz!" Grover gasped. He began scooping up crackers and Ping-Pong balls and spraying them with topping. Markus and a couple of campers snickered at that.
"There is no time for talk," Zoe continued. "Our goddess needs us. The Hunters must leave immediately."
"And go where?" Chiron asked.
"West, obviously," Zoe responded. "Artemis is being held hostage. We must find and free her!"
"You're missing something, as usual," Thalia said. "'Campers and Hunters combined prevail.' We're supposed to do this together."
"No!" Zoe denied. "We do not need anybody else! The Hunters shall go alone!"
"Have fun dying, then," Markus quipped, getting Zoe to glare at him. "What? It's true. Not heeding a prophecy is a quick way to get killed. So go ahead. Be stupid and fail. Not our fault if you can't rescue your precious goddess."
"Silence, you-" Zoe was about to say, but clamped her mouth shut as Markus glared at her.
"I'm not sure you remembered the last time you annoyed me," Markus said silently. "Need I remind you?"
The Hunter didn't say anything, which satisfied him.
"I fear the prophecy says you do need our help," Chiron said. "Campers and Hunters must cooperate."
"Or do they?"Mr. D mused, swirling his Diet Coke under his nose like it had a fine bouquet. "'One shall be lost, one shall perish'. . That sounds rather nasty, doesn't it? What if you fail because you try to cooperate? And this 'Champion of storms'? Who is this champion? A champion of Zeus?"
Markus breathed in deeply. He knew that the prophecy was referring to him. How the Oracle knew of his connection to Susanoo, he didn't know. All he knew was that he was going to be involved in this quest, he was going to follow a burning trail, and fight someone that broke free from a frozen jail. His mind tried breaking down the lines. Burning trail. Did that mean he was literally going to follow a trail of fire? Or something more symbolic? Was 'burning' to do with burning corpses? Were the quest members going to die and be burnt to death? If that were the case, then he was definitely going on the quest. Or something else?
Frozen jail? The only frozen jail that he could even remotely think of was Cocytus, the frozen lake/river in the Underworld. But that was a prison for traitors. Was he going to face a traitor or sinner? But why would that have any significance to the prophecy if it was just a sinner? Unless it was someone powerful. But his mind was drawing a blank as to who it could be. Or was it not Cocytus? Maybe a literal frozen or icy jail. But who? So many possibilities. So many-
"What about you, boy?" Dionysus asked, rounding to look at Markus. The god's words snapped him out of his thoughts. "You seem deep in thought. Any light to shine onto this mysterious 'champion'?"
Now everyone was looking at Markus, wondering what he knew.
Markus clenched his jaw tightly at being put on the spot. "You choose now of all times to use your brain properly? I'm shocked. What, being sober actually a good thing for you?"
Mr. D purpled. "You damn bra-"
Suddenly, the room dropped several hundred degrees. Ice started to coat the ping-pong table, freezing the Diet Coke and Cheez Whiz and crackers. Everyone shivered at the sudden coldness that was instantly produced. The cause?
Markus just looked at the god, and suddenly an image started to form behind him. Something that made Dionysus almost shit his pants in fright and the others to recoil in horror at.
A familiar creature was behind Markus. Twelve pairs of identical sea-green eyes shone from the heads of twelve dragon heads. Looking at it, everyone felt like their were getting sucked into a black hole, the cold adding to the effect.
Mr. D was receiving the worst of it. He was almost rendered catatonic at seeing the familiar, frightening thing that haunted his dreams and thoughts at almost every single moment. He dropped his Diet Coke and promptly vanished in a breeze, the air smelling of fresh-pressed grapes.
At seeing the cowardly god flee, Markus recalled the cold, ice and aura that he produced. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief at seeing the dragon and cold disappear, but the memory was still burned in their minds. It was almost bad as the demonic spectre. Suddenly everyone was reminded of how frightening Markus was, and reminded themselves not to piss him off.
The son of Poseidon breathed out sharply through his nose. "Let's get back on track. Zoe." The Hunter hesitantly turned to look at him. Markus tried his best not to smirk at the display. "As our resident god has said, I do know of this 'champion'. Which is me. The title comes from my heritage as a son of the Stormbringer. Something Poseidon went over with me," he lied without missing a beat. No way was he revealing the secret of other pantheons. "As such, I'm involved in this quest. Do you have any problem with me tagging along with you?"
Markus looked at the girl, mentally daring her to say no.
Zoe gulped, the previous display of power still fresh on her mind. "N-no." She cursed herself for stuttering. "Thou can accompany me on the quest."
Markus smiled coldly. "See? Now was that so hard?"
"... Remind me to never piss him off again," Connor told his brother, who nodded in agreement.
"Agreed," Travis nodded quickly.
"We must not delay," Chiron warned, trying to get the mood to what it was before. "Today is Sunday. This very Friday, December twenty-first, is the winter solstice."
"Artemis must be present at the solstice," Zoe said. "She has been one of the most vocal on the council arguing for action against Kronos's minions. If she is absent, the gods will decide nothing. We will lose another year of war preparations."
Markus silently growled to himself. Now he wasn't feeling so eager to go on the quest. On the last two quests, he at least had a valid and personal reason to go. For his first quest, his jackass of an uncle was getting pissy and was accusing him of stealing his nightlight. For his second quest, he had to recover the Golden Fleece to save the camp.
Now, he was being sent to rescue a goddess. The only goddesses that he actually acknowledged or liked was Hestia (favourite aunt), Hecate (his boss, who he had to contact) and Iris (who did all of the Iris-messages). Every other goddess he didn't give a damn about. He wasn't really fond of the gods. And he was saving one that he personally defeated and somewhat hated. Huh, now he kind of felt how Luke did.
He was absolutely sick of dealing with the Olympians, save his father, and being their fucking errand boy. Second quest aside, he didn't want to go running around and cleaning up their messes. If Artemis got kidnapped, then she could rescue herself. Why the fuck did demigods have to deal with this bullshit?! The only reason he was even bothering to partake in the farce was because of the risk of leaving his friends alone on the quest.
"I must agree with Zoe," said Chiron. "Artemis's presence at the winter council is critical. We have only a week to find her. And possibly even more important: to locate the monster she was hunting. Now, we must decide who goes on this quest. Markus is already going, along with Zoe."
"Three and three? Three Hunters and three campers?" Percy suggested. "Seems fair."
Thalia and Zoe exchanged looks.
"Well," Thalia said. "It does make sense."
Zoe grunted. "I would prefer to take all the Hunters. We will need strength of numbers."
Markus snorted. "Fuck no. I would end up killing all of them before we even departed. Hell, they'd be even more annoying than any monster."
Zoe glared at him, but didn't say anything.
"You'll be retracing the goddess's path," Chiron reminded her. "Moving quickly. No doubt Artemis tracked the scent of this rare monster, whatever it is, as she moved west. You will have to do the same. The prophecy was clear: The bane of Olympus shows the trail. What would your mistress say? 'Too many Hunters spoil the scent.' A small group is best."
Zoe picked up a ping-pong paddle and studied it like she was deciding who she wanted to whack first. "This monster - the bane of Olympus. I have hunted at Lady Artemis's side for many years, yet I have no idea what this beast might be."
"Chiron," Percy said, "you don't have any ideas about the monster?"
Chiron pursed his lips. "I have several ideas, none of them good. And none of them quite make sense. Typhon, for instance, could fit this description. He was truly a bane of Olympus. Or the sea monster Keto. But if either of these were stirring, we would know it. They are ocean monsters the size of skyscrapers. Your father, Poseidon, would already have sounded the alarm. I fear this monster may be more elusive. Perhaps even more powerful."
"That's some serious danger you're facing," Connor Stoll said. "It sounds like at least two of the six are going to die."
"One shall be lost in the land without rain," Beckendorf said. "If I were you, I'd stay out of the desert."
There was a muttering of agreement.
"And the Titan's curse must one withstand," Silena said. "What could that mean?"
"Could be one of two things," Markus spoke. "One: Prometheus' curse. He was chained to a rock and got his liver eaten by an eagle sent by Zeus. But he was feed by Heracles, so that's a moot point. Although considering that Artemis seemed to be in pain, it can be a factor. Another factor is the punishment or curse of Atlas, the Titan of Endurance. He was punished with holding up the sky." At the word 'Atlas', Markus saw Zoe flinch. Markus filed that away for later. "Artemis could be holding up the sky. Of those two choices, both of them seem to be likely, though I'm leaning towards the latter."
"An excellent deduction, Markus," Chiron complimented. "And the deal with Atlas seems the more likely scenario."
"One shall perish by a parent's hand," Grover said in between bites of Cheez Whiz and Ping-Pong balls. "How is that possible? Whose parent would kill them?"
"Think of who we're facing, G-man," Markus told the satyr. That got Grover to agree.
There was heavy silence around the table.
Percy glanced at Thalia and Markus and wondered if they were thinking the same thing he was. Years ago, Chiron had had a prophecy about the next child of the Big Three - Zeus, Poseidon, or Hades - who turned sixteen. Supposedly, that kid would make a decision that would save or destroy the gods forever. Because of that, the Big Three had taken an oath after World War II not to have any more kids. But Thalia, Markus and Percy had been born anyway, and now they were getting close to sixteen. Thalia was the most likely candidate.
"There will be deaths," Chiron decided. "That much we know."
"But who will it be?" Annabeth asked the question that was on almost everyone's minds.
No one spoke for a minute.
Eventually, Silena broke the silence. "I think we all agree that three campers and Hunters should go on the quest."
"Oh, I see," Zoe said sarcastically. "And I suppose you wish to volunteer?"
"And if I do?" Silena responded coolly. She narrowed her eyes. "Is that a problem, Hunter?"
Zoe scoffed. "Actually, yes. You'll just be a burden. What can a child of Aphrodite do-"
"Slap yourself," Silena ordered, charmspeak laden in her voice. Zoe responded to the command with almost no resistance. She looked shocked, her cheek stinging. "W-Wha-"
"Do not underestimate me," Silena told her, glaring at the shocked Hunter. "Just because I am the daughter of Aphrodite, it does not mean that I'm useless. I could make you fall in love with a goat. Or make you break your vow as a Hunter. And you will have no control over yourself. Piss me off, and I will make all of that happen. I promise you that."
Zoe, along with some campers, had horrified expressions on their faces. Markus, Katie, Thalia, Percy and Annabeth had proud looks on their faces for their friend. They knew that Silena had grown not just physically, but also in terms of her attitude. Before, she wouldn't have been able to stand up for herself in some cases. Now, she was able to handle herself very well.
"Please, stop this," Chiron pleaded. hoping to get the room to its previous mood. "Fighting among ourselves will yield no results." Almost everyone scoffed at that, but Chiron continued. "Let's start with the Hunters. Which three of you will go?" Charles suggested.
Ignoring the evil looks she was receiving from many of the campers, Zoe stuttered a little before answering. "I shall go, of course, and I will take Phoebe. She is our best tracker."
"The big girl who likes to hit people on the head?" Travis asked cautiously.
Zoe nodded.
"Oh, okay," Travis said. "Just that we have a T-shirt for her from the camp store." He held up a big silver T-shirt that said ARTEMIS THE MOON GODDESS, FALL HUNTING TOUR 2002, with a huge list of national parks and stuff underneath. "It's a collector's item. She was admiring it. You want to give it to her?"
Zoe just sighed and took the T-shirt. "As I was saying, I will take Phoebe. And Adria. She is an excellent healer."
Markus discretely looked at the T-shirt, catching a whiff of... blood? Why was there blood on the T-shirt? Markus shrugged, filing it away for later.
"And for campers?" Chiron asked. He eyed Percy for a moment, but said nothing more. Percy did see this and wondered what was going through the man's mind.
"Me!" Grover stood up so fast he bumped the ping-pong table. He brushed cracker crumbs and Ping-Pong ball scraps off his lap. "Anything to help Artemis!"
Zoe wrinkled her nose. "I think not, satyr. Thou are not even a half-blood."
"But he is a camper," Thalia said. "And he's got a satyr's senses and woodland magic. Can you play a tracker's song yet, Grover?"
"Absolutely!"
Zoe wavered. "Very well," Zoe said. "And the third camper?"
"I'll go." Thalia stood and looked around, daring anyone to question her. Markus looked to see if anyone else wanted to volunteer, but there wasn't. Silena looked occupied by something, which made Markus worry. Katie seemed to be fine. It was Annabeth that seemed the most annoyed. Guess she wanted to go on the quest as well.
"And me," Markus said.
"Whoa, wait a sec," Percy said, feeling left out. "I want to go too." Markus blinked while Thalia looked nervous at that. They didn't know what to say while Chiron's eyes still studied the boy, his eyes sad.
"Oh," Grover said, suddenly aware of the problem. "Whoa, yeah, I forgot! Percy has to go. I didn't mean… I'll stay. Percy should go in my place."
"He cannot," Zoe said. "He is a boy. I won't have Hunters traveling with another boy."
"It doesn't matter what you or your Hunters want," Markus piped in. "I don't see why you are so against him coming. And so help me, if you say it's because he's a boy, I will freeze you solid and shatter you."
Zoe's mouth closed so fast that she almost bit her tongue.
Chiron sighed. "The quest is for Artemis. The Hunters should be allowed to approve their companions." Percy just looked on in disbelief. "But Chiron, that doesn't mean anything!" he insisted. "Just because they don't like me doesn't mean that I can't go! You know how strong I've gotten. I can handle this!"
"I know, my boy," Chiron agreed. "But that doesn't mean that I can allow you. Not because I question your skills or bravery. But it's dangerous having all the children of the Big Three on one quest. Kronos could kidnap one of you and use you to sway the prophecy in his favour."
"But-" Percy made to interrupt, but was stopped. He suddenly couldn't move his body. It didn't obey his command. He couldn't speak! What was-
Percy's head was forced to move by an unseen force, towards his brother. Markus didn't say anything, just mouthed 'Later'.
Now knowing that it was him, Percy nodded slowly.
"So be it," Chiron said as he wrapped the meeting. "Thalia, Markus, and Grover will accompany Zoe, Adria, and Phoebe. You shall leave at first light. And may the gods be with you."
XXX
Markus told the others that he needed to do something. That something involved dragging Percy to Cabin Three for a quick chat.
"I know that you want to go on this quest because of me, Grover and Thalia," Markus spoke instantly, shocking Percy as to how he knew. "I also know that your loyalty - which is your fatal flaw - is partially motivating you."
"How - wait, how did you know of my fatal flaw?" Percy asked. He knew the topic of fatal flaws. Markus discussed it with him once upon a time. He said that they were mental weaknesses that all mortals, gods and demigods possessed. Markus even told him his own fatal flaw. Or flaws. Anger and greed. Looking back on it, he could see why those were his fatal flaws. Anger was obvious, while greed was something Percy had already known of his brother by being near him.
Markus scoffed. "You seriously think that I wouldn't know your fatal flaw? Come on, baby brother. You wound me."
"I will gut you if you say that stupid nickname again. Just one more time."
How about Blue Boy, then?" At Percy's growl, Markus chuckled. "Alright, alright."
Then Markus schooled his features. "But seriously. I get why you want to go. And I'm not against it. In fact, I encourage it. But be smart about it. I can tell that the Stolls are planning to prank Phoebe, which could result in her not going. Sneak past Chiron and try to get out of camp."
Percy went through all of that in his head, and grinned. "Got ya."
"Good," Markus nodded, patting him on his back. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I have to make a couple of calls."
With that, he sped out of the cabin. Standing at the porch, he disappeared in a cloud of vapour.
XXX
Underworld
Markus had vapour-travelled directly to Hades' throne room in the Underworld. He was able to catch a conversation between Hades and two familiar kids.
The conversation was stopped when Hades noticed his presence. "Nephew," he greeted with disdain.
"Uncle Corpsebride," Markus nodded with as much seriousness as he could muster.
The di Angelo kids' jaws hung open at what Markus had called their father. Hades snarled, shadows billowing off his form and the ghouls of his robes wailing. "What did you say?" he snarled.
Markus sighed. "Look, let's not get into this act. I've had to deal with this song and dance with other Olympians, and it didn't end well for them. Hermes was the only cool god. Anyway, I didn't come to annoy you, actually. I came to check up on the kids."
"And why is that?" Hades spoke, glowering.
"Ever hear of doing things out of the goodness of your heart?"
At Hades' deadpanned look, Markus nodded in remembrance. "Right, you don't have a heart. Forgot about that."
"Your pitiful grudge against me is pathetic," Hades noted.
"Says the one who sent a horde of monsters after Thalia when she did nothing wrong, along with kidnapping Percy's mother and bargaining with my mum's dead soul because you lost your night cap."
Hades actually contemplated whether he should kill the half-blood before him. It would save so much trouble. "You are honestly the most annoying and vexing half-blood that I have ever encountered. I'm actually looking forward to your death the most out of every soul that has entered this realm."
"Aw, uncle. You do care for me. How sweet. Anyways, Bianca, Nico. How are you guys?"
"F-Fine," Bianca said, blushing a bit. Whether it was due to Markus' physical attributes, or hero worship, he wasn't sure.
"Hey, you're that guy from before! We met in that casino place! You're so cool!" Nico exclaimed, stars in his eyes.
"Really?" Markus asked, smiling. Nice to know that his awesomeness was appreciated.
"Yeah! Against those monsters, you teleported. Then BOOM! They're all dead! Can you teach me how to do that? Can you?! Can you?!" Nico practically jumped with excitement. Literally.
"Nico, calm down!" Bianca admonished. This made her brother pout, but still looked to Markus expectantly.
He chuckled. "It's okay." He walked forward. "And I can teach you when you're older. Don't want your sister killing me for trying to teach you how to be awesome."
"Really?!" Nico asked, grinning.
"Really," Markus nodded. He looked to Bianca. "Hey, Bianca. How's Nico been treating you? More importantly, how's the Underworld? I know that it's a dull place."
Hades grumbled, which made Bianca squirm a little. "It's, uh, okay. We got used to the idea of our dad being a god, along with gods and monsters existing."
"Let me guess, Nico was jumping with joy and acting like he was the king of the world when he found out that Hades was his father?" Markus guessed, amused.
At Nico's blush and Bianca's laugh, he knew that had his answer.
"Hey, you're the son of Poseidon, right?" Nico asked.
"Yep."
"So does that mean you can use water? Like, can you make a giant wave and sink ships and islands and all of that? Can you talk to fish? Wait, does that mean we're cousins?" Nico's rush of questions came blurting out of his mouth.
"Yes, yes, yes, and yes," Markus answered, grinning. "I can also do magic."
"Magic?!" Nico shouted in excitement. Bianca's eyes were wide in shock.
Markus turned to look at the Lord of the Underworld. He was looking at the kids with something akin to happiness and joy. Which was shocking, since Markus was used to the doom-and-gloom mood. Guess Hades did care for his kids, after all.
He then looked to the kids. "Yeah. Wanna see?"
And so Markus performed several magic tricks for the di Angelo kids. From transfiguring rocks into animals, or a handkerchief into a dove, or even several light shows that easily awed Nico and impressed Bianca. He also showed off a little by making a couple of speed clones. Nico told him that he was the coolest person ever, which made Markus get a boost in his already large ego.
He then sent the speed clones out on a race across the Underworld with the children of Hades on their backs. As soon as he said go, Nico was hollering and shouting as the clones ran.
With them gone, Markus looked to Hades. "Are you going to send them to Camp Half-Blood?"
"No," Hades answered, frowning. "I do not trust my brothers. No doubt Zeus would strike them down the moment they stepped foot in that place. Not to mention that they would likely be discriminated against due to my... less than stellar actions."
"That's true," Markus nodded, surprising Hades. At seeing this, the son of Poseidon scoffed. "It's not that surprising. I have no love for Zeus or most of Olympus save for a few. And while I love Camp Half-Blood, I'm willing to admit that the campers have faults."
"It's surprising that a child of an Olympian would have no love for the place," Hades noted. "Then again, most feel the same way."
"I don't hate Olympus, just the gods," Markus corrected. "They're unbearably arrogant, proud and annoying. Zeus is the worst. He's egotistical, arrogant, and a fucking dumbass at almost every point."
Hades threw his head back and laughed loudly. "You know, I'm actually starting to like you, boy. Finally, someone who see the Olympians for who they are. But what are you going to do about the prophecy? Assuming that you know of it?"
"I do," Markus said. "As for the prophecy, I don't know. I have no love for the Olympians, and I can freely admit that I'm selfish enough not to give a damn about the rest of the world. However, they're the lesser of two evils, since the Titans are just as bad, if not worse. And Thalia is the more likely candidate for the prophecy but I refuse to allow her to go through with it. Push comes to shove, I can either take her place or go against the prophecy. I already have countermeasures set specifically for the prophecy. And I don't planning on dying. At all."
"And if the Olympians foolishly kill you before all of that can happen?" Hades asked, curious.
Markus scoffed. "Oh, I have a plan for that."
"Which is?"
"Not telling. Can't give up my ace in the hole yet."
Hades smiled. " If you weren't the son of my brother, I'd actually be glad to be your father."
"I don't know how to react to that," Markus said after a moment. "So I'll just ask another question: how old are the kids?"
"What kind of question is-" Hades started to say, but Markus cut him off.
"Don't bullshit me. I know that time runs differently in the Lotus Casino. Physically, they may look like kids, but chronologically, they're a lot older. Will that affect their position for the prophecy?"
"Unlikely," Hades answered. "While they're true age is past sixteen, their physically too young."
"Good," Markus nodded. "I like the kids. Don't want to burden them with the prophecy. Another thing, do you actually plan to keep them here for the rest of their lives with the Ancient Laws in place?"
Hades didn't say anything for a moment. Then he answered, "I don't know. The Ancient Laws play against me, that's true. But I have nowhere else for them to go."
"They can live in my apartment in the mortal world," Markus offered. "I can ward the place and lock it so tight that no god could find or sense them."
Before Hades could say anything, the clones came back with Nico and Bianca. "So you actually beat Hermes in a race?" Nico asked excitedly.
"Yep," the clone answered. "Then I knocked him out. Along with a bunch of other stuff."
"While this is amusing," Hades announced. "I believe that Markus was leaving." He looked intently at the demigod, making Markus nod a bit reluctantly.
"Aw," Nico pouted while Bianca did look a little down.
"Don't worry, kiddo. I can come anytime I want, so I can see again soon," Markus offered, making Nico bright up again.
"Cool!" he yelled out.
"You meet Cerby?" Markus asked his clones, who nodded. "Good."
Both clones dispersed. Markus ruffled Nico's hair and promised to play again, while Bianca did something shocking. She went onto the tip of her toes and kissed Markus softly on the cheek.
"Think of it as a thanks for helping me with Nico and saving us," Bianca said, a little shyly.
Markus smiled, nodding and wishing her goodbye. Greetings done, he vapour-travelled out of the Underworld.
XXX
As Markus slept, he decided to contact Hecate. How did he do that? A little skill called Essence Projection. This was essentially him projecting his divine essence as a sort of dream state rather than his normal state. He figured that this was how gods usually contacted demigods through dreams.
However, while the skill was very useful, it mainly worked when he was sleeping. So he was rather limited in using Essence Projection. Also, he couldn't use any of his powers or magic. He couldn't even punch something. Still, Markus was happy with the benefits.
As Markus' essence swept across the mortal plane, he tried spreading his senses, locating where the goddess of magic was. Eventually, he found her. Hecate was simply sitting in a cave - which was seriously getting old. Did she have to fit into the whole theme of being a witch - looking over a scroll of text. She was wearing regular jeans and a red flannel T-shirt, so at least she was dressing normally. She had her pet weasel, Gale, screeched and passed loudly passed gas.
"I see that the little shit hasn't changed," Markus announced, his astral form projecting itself to the goddess and her pet.
Gale hissed while Hecate didn't look surprised. "Markus Henderson. So you finally show yourself to me, after all this time." She still didn't look up from her text.
Markus looked at his... was she still technically his boss, since he was the champion of Susanoo? Meh, food for thought later.
"Hecate. It's been a while," Markus greeted. "I'll just clear the air between us: I'm sorry for acting like an ass towards you."
Hecate finally looked up from her text. "Do you think a simple apology will smooth things over between us?" There was no anger in her tone. Just simple curiosity.
Markus' shoulders sagged. "No. Look, I understand that you were angry at me for letting my greed control me, but I still stand by I said before."
Hecate looked at him. Well, astral him. "When I warned you of your greed controlling you, I was so sure that you would foolishly kill yourself in a pathetic attempt at power. And yet here you stand, already knowledgeable on astral-projection and infinitely more powerful than when I last saw you." Hecate had a slight bitter sweet smile. "Looks like I was wrong."
"Maybe so, but it doesn't change the fact that I blew you off when you were just looking out for me. I was headstrong at the time. Can we just forget about the whole thing? I miss the stingy, annoying boss that bugged me with her little requests."
"Well, you were unbearable at times," Hecate mumbled, making Markus laugh loudly.
"That I'm willing to agree with you on," Markus replied. The cave was silent as the two didn't say anything for a while, comfortable with the silence.
Then Hecate spoke. "Where we you all this time? Shortly after dealing with Zerith, I felt you disappear, straight off of my scope."
Markus decided to give a little half-lie. "I was in Japan for a while, studying some Shinto magic."
"Is that why I can sense the power of a foreign god?" At Markus' slightly shocked face, Hecate elaborated. "I never miss such details. Even if you are in your astral form, that doesn't mean that I can't sense your power. It is massive, an ocean compared to the small lake that your power was. I presume that this god has made you his or her champion?"
"Yes." No use lying to her anymore. "But that doesn't mean that I'm not your disciple. It's mainly thanks to you that I'm where I'm at. I'll always be grateful towards you, Hecate. You're the one who protected me when my mother died. I'll never forgot that. Plus... you're the last link to my mother." The last part was said with a small whisper, but the goddess heard.
Hecate smiled lightly. "If your mother were here, I can tell that she'd be proud of you."
"You really think so?" Markus asked. He wanted to know the answer, as his mother's act of saving him and herself were very important and were held dear to his heart.
"I know so," the goddess answered, smiling.
Markus smiled, feeling happiness swell in his chest. "That's good."
"Make me proud, Markus Henderson. I'm putting my faith in you that you can succeed in life and surpass the potential your mother had. Don't let me down."
"I won't. I swear on the Styx." Even if he was in his astral form, the sky boomed, signifying the oath.
Markus' essence retreated back to his sleeping form, leaving the goddess to her own devices.
XXX
Markus awoke in Cabin Three next morning, fully refreshed and ready for his quest. He looked at Percy's bed and saw that he wasn't there. Good, that meant that he followed what he'd said.
Markus got prepared. His weapons were all in his personal pocket dimension. So he stashed large amounts of food from the mess hall into a sealing scroll. He opened up another sealing scroll that contained fresh clothes and weaponry for himself. His trench coat, a black T-shirt with a gold omega symbol on the front, an armoured vest underneath that was coated with celestial bronze, combat boots and a couple of mortal steel bullets.
When he was finished, he strapped Yamato to his hip, for safety sake. Finished, he walked out of his cabin.
Before he met at the entrance of Camp Half-Blood, he made to visit someone. Walking towards the centre of camp, he smiled as he saw the familiar goddess attending the hearth.
Grinning with glee, he quickly walked forward and hugged her. "Auntie Hestia!" Markus exclaimed, glad to see her. She was one of the people that he had missed dearly through his training.
Hestia smiled, now in the form of a woman this time. She looked radiant, stronger than the last time Markus had seen her. "Hello, Markus. I have missed you. How has my favourite nephew been?"
"... I'm your favourite?" Markus asked, grinning. Hestia only smiled knowingly.
"So I see you are going on a quest," Hestia said, noticing his attire.
Markus' grin fell from his face. "Yeah. Apparently, I'm saving Artemis, who I don't like."
"I can tell," Hestia said. "I heard about your encounter with her. Zeus was furious."
"When is he not?" Markus scoffed. Hestia chuckled.
"That's true. But I wasn't exactly happy to see her in the state she was in. I do care for her greatly, as she is one of the few who visit me."
"Well, she was asking for it," Markus huffed. Only to yelp as he was bopped on the head. "Ow!"
"Now, now, there's no need to be rude, young man," Hestia admonished. "I understand that Artemis is difficult to deal with, but there's no need to act bratty. I get that enough from Zeus."
"Yeah, yeah," Markus waved off. Hestia narrowed her eyes, and pulled on his ear.
"Ow, ow, ow, ow! Auntie, stop!" Markus whined.
"I certainly will not, mister. You go away for two months and - when did you get your ears pierced?"
"Uh... I... uh... bye, Auntie!" Markus phased out of her grip and dashed away. Though not before reappearing again and hugging her tightly. In response to this, Hestia gave him a tender kiss on his forehead.
Grinning at her, he dashed away again. If he had looked back, he would've seen the longing and contemplative looks that Hestia had on her face.
Once he was at the entrance of camp, he raised an eyebrow at the sight. Chiron seemed to be trying to calm down a very pissed off Zoe. "What's up? he asked as he only saw Zoe, Thalia, Grover, and Adria, who was glaring at him. Oh, joy.
"Phoebe won't be coming because that shirt those boys gave her was rigged with centaur blood!" Zoe growled.
"... Not really feeling all that bad," Markus admitted after thinking about it. Hell, he already knew about it.
Adria scoffed. "It's likely that you are conspiring with the foolish boys, male."
Markus just looked at the girl. Just looked at her. And her leg snapped.
Adria howled as she clutched her broken leg, which caused her to fall to the ground. Everyone looked in shock at what had happened. They turned to Markus, who had a blank look on his face.
"I am not in the mood for your shit, girlie," Markus said simply. "So I'm going to say this once." He raised her arm up, which had the brand BITCH on it. Like every other Hunter bar two had. "I have a very short temper. I already spared all of you useless bitches twice, and I'm already pushing it this one time. Open your mouth for anything useless on this quest, and I'll kill you. No questions asked."
"You can't-" She started to say, but Markus just made her other leg snap. She screamed louder this time.
"No questions asked," he repeated coldly. Adria could do nothing but nod, blinking back tears.
"Markus, that wasn't-" Chiron started to say, but Markus interrupted him. "No, Chiron. If the Hunters are going to ruin the mission because they got stupid, then I'm not pulling any punches."
To Adria and Zoe, he addressed the issue immediately. "I'm pretty sure you saw what I did to your goddess. That was me being bored. You do not want to see me annoyed. I'm willing to work with both of you if can keep a lid on your mouth and actions towards me and possibly Grover. If you don't, I'll kill you and end up killing Artemis in retaliation. Am I clear?"
Both of them nodded quickly.
Markus smiled widely, startling them. "Good! Now, let's hit the road."
"Wait," Chiron said. "You all are short one member. Maybe I should get Percy. He did want to volunteer for this quest."
"Oh, don't worry about him. He'll come around," Markus simply said, confusing the others. But they waved it off in favour of going on the quest.
As they left, several campers - like Silena, Katie and Annabeth - came to wish them off. And so, the questers were off.
And finished. Been a while since I did a lengthy chapter.
Lots of stuff occurred. Campers winning Capture the Flag for the first time, the Oracle issuing the prophecy, Markus meeting the di Angelo kids and Hecate, and finally starting the quest.
For the prophecy, the last two bits will play a big part in the quest. I won't spoil it, but I'll just say that 'the one free from the frozen jail' won't be Greek. That's all.
So Markus has a plan to deal with the Olympians and the prophecy. The first part won't come into play until the end of the quest and they all go to Olympus. Hopefully, by then, y'all find it unique. As for the prophecy, I don't need to tell you that it will play out much differently than in canon.
Now, what else, what else? Hmm... oh, yeah. Review answers. For all the guest reviews, I'll do it in order:
1) Sorry the game didn't play out quite like you imagined. Instead of dementors, zombies, xenomorphs, etc., I went with the classics. Slendy and Jig Saw weren't the only horrors that the Hunters faced during CTF. I just didn't include them because it would play out the same way as with the mentioned two paragons of fear did. Hope you liked it.
2) Titan's Curse will play out with more mythological enemies, namely some demons, facing a god, and a couple of monsters. That's all I'll say, really. Don't want to spoil the whole thing.
3) Markus destroying Tartarus? Hmmm, that'll be both exciting to write but also a bit... impossible for him. Markus is OP, true. And will continue to grow OP. But Tartarus is a powerful primordial, so him being destroyed is a bit unrealistic. I can make Markus that OP, so it won't be a problem. But we'll see. Could make him the Champion of Tartarus. The pit, not the primordial. And he could gain the title by literally destroying all the monsters and Titans along with matching Tartarus.
4) Adventures with the Norse pantheon? Already on that. Maybe not directly interfere with Magnus Chase canon - i.e. doing the quest for him and the others - but do expect ass-kicking of giants, gods and monsters. Looking at Fenris and Jormungand there.
5) Markus'll find a challenge outside of the Greek pantheon. Since nothing short of Gaia and Tartarus (and possibly Kronos at full power, maybe) can really stand in his way. and by the time this story reaches TLO and HOO, he'll be much stronger than now.
6) Power armour? Good idea, but he doesn't really need armour, since he can phase through objects and heal with water. But I do have an idea for power armour, so thanks for the idea.
7) While I do like your idea, I actually don't know much about Warhammer 40k. Like at all. Not to say I won't consider your idea, just seeing I'll need to catch up on it. Thanks for the idea, though.
8) Going to space? Well that sounds stupid-... -ly awesome! Seriously, I didn't think of expanding the story by that much! You sir (or madam) are a genius! Markus fathering a few pantheons? That'll seem like a whole cluster-fuck for him. Which would be funny. I can think about that, along with visiting other planets, which could be a definite. I'm serious, the ideas help a lot, so thank you very much.
9) I would so like to do Jojo's "za world" time stop trick. Just found out about the series and currently watching it, and am steadily being convinced.
Well, with that lengthy review-discussion, I'd like to say bye to y'all. Enjoy the story, review, follow, favourite, do a manner of different things. Stay in school, eat healthy shit and- I just realised that I'm rambling. While typing. And I should stop. Like, now. Nooooooooooow - Okay done.
Read and Review!