Chapter 41:
"I'm so bored," Markus droned with a sigh as he sat beside Thalia and Grover in the van. Apparently, Zoe was the one driving the van while Adria sat beside Grover, doing her damnedest to not glare at Markus.
Only Thalia and Grover were a little shaken due to Zoe's crazy driving. Markus wasn't bothered, staying in the same place that he sat in. Which confused the others who watched. Several cars swerved out of the way to avoid the black van. A police car had chased them due to Zoe's driving skills, or lack there of. Thankfully, she managed to shake them off by performing crazy manoeuvres - well, more crazy - and destroying bits and pieces of public property and other stuff. Namely a fire hydrant, hot dog carts, etc. Markus found it cool for the first half an hour, then it got boring.
"How can you be bored?" Thalia asked incredulously. "And how are you not affected by all the crazy movements caused by Zoe's shitty driving?"
Markus snickered while Zoe and Adria glared at Thalia at that tidbit. "I can move at much faster speeds at this," Markus answered simply. "Hell, I can jog faster than this."
"I've been meaning to ask," Grover said. "How do you have super speed? Did Hermes bless you or something?"
Markus scoffed. "Like that slowpoke had anything to do with my speed. No, it's speed magic."
All of the occupants in the van blinked and processed what he said. "Did you call Hermes, the god of speed, a slowpoke?" Thalia asked slowly, trying to process what her boyfriend had just said.
"Yeah. And he is. I beat the guy in a race."
Zoe almost hit a car from her shock while the others stared at him, even Adria.
"D-Did you just say that you raced Hermes to a race, a-and won?" Grover bleated, shocked.
Markus nodded. "Yep."
"H-How... I-I don't even..." Zoe muttered in shock, trying to get her hands steady to kill- ahem, drive the others to Artemis. They all wanted to call his bluff, but by his expression and tone, they knew he wasn't lying.
"T-That's impossible. How can you be faster than the god of speed?" Adria asked, stumped. While she knew that Markus was powerful and dangerous, this was just shocking. How can a demigod be better than a god in terms of their own domain?
Markus shrugged. "Because I am."
"I - Th-That doesn't - Urggh!" Adria's words eventually led to a long groan as she tried to come up with a solution to what he said.
"I think I broke your Hunter," Markus told Zoe.
"... Yes. Yes you have," Zoe said simply, not even sure what to say anymore. Suddenly, the van was slowing down.
"Hey, what gives?" Thalia asked Zoe.
"I don't know. I'm still pressing the pedal," Zoe answered, annoyed.
"Probably the gas being low," Markus said. "We have to stop. Go to a gas station."
Zoe wanted to refute him but held her tongue, remembering his warning. So she managed to pull up to a nearby gas station.
"Ugh, so hungry," Grover whined.
Markus raised an eyebrow. "You didn't eat before we left camp?"
"No," the satyr replied sheepishly.
Markus could've given him some food from his scroll, but that was for emergencies. So he dug into his pocket and pulled out a couple of twenties. "Here. Buy yourself something to eat."
"Thanks!" Grover said brightly.
He turned to Thalia and the others. "You hungry as well?"
"Yeah," Thalia nodded sheepishly while the Hunters didn't say anything. Their stomachs answered for them.
"Spend the money," Markus offered with a wave of his hands. "I'll get the gas."
"Thanks," Thalia said, kissing his cheek. This surprised the others. The Hunters looked like they were about to gag while Grover had a knowing look on his face.
They went into the convenient store while Markus continued pumping gas for the van. Sensing an unknown presence nearby, he sighed. He knew it was mortal, so it wouldn't be a bother. "You want to come out or continue hiding?"
"Well, aren't you a smartass?" a voice said. A rough-looking man came out from behind one of the gas pumps. "But then again, you ain't smart enough if you knew I was here. Give me your money and I'll be on my way." He pulled out a pocket-knife for intimidation.
Markus had a melancholic look on his face. The thug reminded him of his street days. Good times. "Look, I'm gonna be generous. Walk away, and I won't beat you up."
"Cocky little shit, aren't you?" the thug grinned, showing his yellow teeth. "Just give me the money! I know you're loaded, I saw you give some to your friends!"
Markus' eyes drifted to the dial of the pump and saw it was almost full. "Nope."
"Then I guess this isn't your lucky day!" With that, the thug charged, knife raised. He didn't even get two steps in before Markus appeared in front of him, grabbed his knife-arm, twisted it and slammed the thug's face into the front of the van. All done in one motion.
"Are you alright?!" Thalia exclaimed, the rest of the group walking out of the store. They had just come out when Markus knocked out the thug. She didn't even see him move. Zoe and Adria, having trained with Artemis, saw the movement and were impressed, though neither of them said anything.
"I'm fine," Markus smiled. He then pointed to the knocked out thug. "Him? Not so much." He bent down to pick up the knife that had fallen out of his hand and folded it. "At least I got myself another weapon. Anyways, let's go."
"What was his deal?" Grover asked nervously.
Markus shrugged. "Just some guy looking to rob some people. Now let's go." Markus walked to the van, the others not understanding how he was so nonchalant about what went on.
XXX
Markus was listening to some music on his iPod as the others ate in the van. He was leaning onto Thalia's shoulders while she devoured a cheeseburger. He wasn't bothered by her eating, since his eating habits were much worse.
Scrolling through his playlist and eventually finding some Green Day, Markus removed one earbud and put it in Thalia's ear while he played American Idiot. He knew that she liked the band, so he let her listen to some music. Hearing this, Thalia paused in her eating to give him a kiss on the lips for his actions, then went back to eating. Leaving Markus with some grease and cheese on his lips that he licked off.
Grover and Adria stared at the weird byplay between the couple while Zoe drove. Grover's curiosity at Markus' nonchalance was eating at him. Finally, he could not take it. "OK, I might not be an expert in fighting and other things going on in the world, but I got to say this: you didn't even look worried when that guy was trying to rob you."
"Why should I?" Markus asked with a raised eyebrow.
"B-Because he was trying to rob you," Grover answered, stunned at his casual response.
"So? Lots of people tried to rob me. He isn't the first one."
Grover gave an unsure nod while Thalia had a knowing look in her eyes. The others were unsure about his response, but didn't say anything.
The drive was silent for a good while. Markus brought out his Nintendo DS to play some Pokémon. He put in the game card for Diamond and Pearl and started playing out of boredom. Thalia looked at what he was doing and raised an eyebrow. "Why are you playing Pokémon?"
"Because I want to," Markus answered. He looked at her, pausing his game and bringing out another DS from his pocket dimension. "You want to play?"
Curious, Thalia took the DS and linked up with his own for multiplayer. Pretty soon, she got addicted.
Markus offered another DS to Grover. When he explained the concept of Pokémon, he was confused, but managed to play with the others.
XXX
Markus awoke with a start, wiping the drool on his face. He managed to drool a little on Thalia's jacket, making him snicker a little.
A quick check of his surroundings told him that they were in Washington DC, parked at the Smithsonian. What a long drive.
He looked towards the others, who were sleeping. Markus blinked as he tried recalling what had happened before they all drifted to sleep. Him, Thalia and Grover fought in a linked battle and he had won, as expected. Though both of them were persistent.
He stretched, feeling his back and arms crack. He reached towards Thalia and jostled her slightly. "Princess, time to wake up."
"Ngh," the raven-haired girl grunted, rolling to her side in her seat. Sleepily, Thalia protested, "Few m're mins..."
Markus sighed. He looked at Adria, then at Zoe, both sleeping soundly. Honestly, if Zoe didn't scowl so much, she'd actually look cute. Too bad that she was so grumpy.
He hummed, wondering as to how to wake them up. His eyes landed on the steering wheel, and he grinned mischievously.
A second later and the horn of the van blared. Thalia gave a surprised scream while Grover bleated in shock.
Two dagger drove towards his body and Markus liquefied his body to turn it into water to avoid getting pierced (A.N. - Like how Juvia does it in Fairy Tail). Markus removed his armoured vest last night as it was uncomfortable. Markus simply laughed, which sounded warbled as his body was slightly liquid, as he received glares from everyone. "You guys weren't waking up, so I improvised."
"Noted," Zoe said dryly. She then looked at her dagger, then at him. "How come thou does not bleed?"
Turned my body to water," Markus answered, shrugging.
"You... you know what? I'm done being surprised," Adria simply said, grumbling.
"Believe us, you get used to it," Grover and Thalia said as one.
All of them got out, weapons at the ready.
"The Mist is thick today," Adria commented with a frown before kneeling down and running her hand through the snow. "And the powder is shifted. Something powerful came through here."
Markus expanded his hydro-sensing, feeling out who they were facing. One signature had the flow of ichor, so it was an immortal. Who, he didn't know, but the being was powerful. Two had regular blood with different properties, which Markus identified as demigods. One was Percy and the other one... Markus growled, recognising the signature.
"What is it?" Thalia asked.
"One immortal, two demigods and the rest are mortals and others I can't fully identify. Probably identify," Markus answered. "One of them is Luke."
Thalia and Grover froze at that. "L-Luke?" Thalia asked, mixed emotions swirling inside of her.
Markus nodded, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Yeah. Listen, we have to go. I'll check who's inside - and don't argue, I'm the better choice. I can get out of there instantly if I wanted to, you guys can't. I'll meet you at the Air and Space Museum, you guys take the van." Giving his girlfriend a quick kiss, he disappeared in pure speed, leaving an afterimage.
XXX
Percy was really regretting interfering when he could've just stayed invisible. But no, he had to grab the scarf so that the skeletons couldn't succeed. That didn't go well for him.
"What's this?" bellowed the General.
Percy watched as one of the skeleton warriors hissed, looking directly at him as he used Annabeth's invisibility cap.
"An intruder," the General growled. "One cloaked in darkness. Seal the doors!"
"It's Percy Jackson!" Luke yelled. "It has to be."
Gee, thanks for that, buddy ol' pal, Percy thought, annoyed.
Despite being confident in his skills, he wasn't sure he could take on skeleton warriors, mortals (who he couldn't hurt with Riptide) and other monsters along with the unknown General. So, he ran.
The guards in front of him raised their weapons to shoot, but were interrupted by gunshots firing. A couple had went down, bullet wounds in vital areas such as the head and neck.
"You know," a familiar voice called out. "When I said to sneak onto the quest, I didn't say get your ass in trouble."
Percy looked to his brother, who had his pistols in his hand.
"Markus! How - Why-," Percy managed to get out, but Markus interrupted him.
"Later," Markus said, aiming his guns again.
Luke growled. "Markus."
"Castellan," Markus greeted with a smile. "Let me get back to you for a minute. Percy, leave. I got this. Go to the Air and Space Museum."
"But - " "Now," Markus said with bloodlust. This made Percy retreat quickly. Now alone, Markus looked at all of the monsters, mortals, Luke, and the General, who leaned forward on his makeshift throne.
"Markus Henderson," the General greeted, an eyebrow raised on his chiselled face. "How nice to meet you. Kronos would be very pleased in you joining us."
"No," Markus answered quickly and with a bored tone.
The General clicked his teeth. "How unfortunate. Well, we were told of your rebellious nature." He gestured towards the monsters and mortals. "Kill-"
Before he could finish, Markus unsheathed Yamato and disappeared, only to reappear moments later, slowly sheathing his sword. At the click, all of the monsters burst into showers of golden dust and the mortals in showers of blood, heads and bodies separated.
"Him," the General finished in slight shock while Luke gaped. The General quickly hid his nervousness with a loud laugh. "I see our information on you wasn't exaggerated, boy! Truly, you have excellent skill with a sword."
"Thank you," Markus said with a smile. "Now, I hate to be rude, but can you give me a moment?" Immediately, Markus performed a Sonido, appearing in front of Luke. Before he could even blink, Luke suddenly choked for air that he didn't get as Markus grabbed him by his neck and lifted him up with one hand.
"I'm going to gut you, you son of a bitch," Markus scowled, bloodlust pouring out in full force. Luke's eyes almost rolled in the back of his head due to the ungodly feeling of killer intent from Markus.
The son of Poseidon raised his gun and shot at Luke's side, wanting to make him suffer. He was surprised that the bullet bounced off and moved his head to dodge the bullet that came back. "The fuck?"
"Ha," the son of Hermes wheezed as he was held by his throat. "G-Good luck trying to kill me, Markus. You should've joined us. The Olympians and Camp Half-Blood won't stand a chance against what's coming- Aaaaah!" He screamed at the end as his arm was cut off by Yamato.
"So, no armour. Not an illusion. I'm guessing that you probably - and this is a guess - took a dip in the River Styx and became invulnerable," Markus guessed as he still held the screaming Luke, who became frightened at the amount of blood pouring out of his stump and the sight of bone. Along the fact that he saw his arm on the floor. Annoyed, he gripped harder, almost crushing his windpipe. "Doesn't matter. Just because you're invulnerable, doesn't mean I can't kill you. In fact, it makes the deed much more satisfying." Markus grinned demonically as his vibrating hand was about to pass through Luke's chest.
Markus growled as he saw the incoming spear heading towards him. Using the son of Hermes as a shield, the spear was deflected, bouncing off of his skin. "Now, that wasn't very nice," Markus growled at the General.
"Apologies, but we need the boy alive," the General said, not really sounding worried about Luke.
"Am I to assume that you are Atlas?" Markus questioned, bloodlust fading. He was still crushing Luke's throat.
"And what makes you say that?" the General questioned.
"It's a hunch," Markus said. "I assumed that, since Artemis is kidnapped, it's more likely that you she is holding the sky."
Atlas grinned. "Skilled, smart and so willing to kill. You'd make an excellent addition to Lord Kronos' forces. A shame that you refused."
"Mmmhmm," Markus hummed nonchalantly. "Sooo, a little birdie told me that you've been dabbling with forces outside of the Greek pantheon. Care to tell me what kind?"
"Now that would be telling," Atlas grinned. "Oh, and by the way, you'd do your best to hurry. My minions are rather... greedy, when it comes to devouring their victims. Put the boy down, and I'll allow you to escape and help your little friends."
"My friends will be fine. I have faith in them. Now..." Markus grinned sadistically and looked at Luke. He lowered his arm so that he could whisper into his ear. "This is for Silena, Thalia, and Annabeth, you bastard." He then dropped the son of Hermes in his grasp. Before he could hit the floor, Markus beheaded him with Yamato. Then - to add insult to the injury - Markus' sword-arm was a blur as it sliced and diced Luke's head so quickly that it looked like his head was still intact. Markus then finished off with a kick that made Luke's head explode into microscopic chunks of meaty flesh and brain matter.
Markus hummed as he stared at the motionless and beheaded body that laid on the floor. With a click of his fingers, the body was ignited with hellfire, the Curse of Achilles not able to withstand the flames of hell. The body was quickly devoured by the flames, which then snuffed out without a trace.
"That was anti-climatic," Markus commented with a wide grin as Atlas seethed.
"You will pay dearly for that, boy," Atlas threatened.
Markus gave a wide, demented grin. Wanting to tell Atlas who he was dealing with, Markus flared his divine energy. Not his magic, mind you, but energy from his divine core. A sea-green aura surrounded Markus' form. The aura was so powerful that it cracked the ground where he was standing. Measuring his power, Markus assumed that his power output, without using any of his Gears, senjutsu, magic or Rage of Sparta, he was stronger than many of the second-generation Olympians.
Markus' eyes bore into Atlas'. He gave a challenging grin. "Bring it on, Titan of Endurance. You, Kronos, the rest of the Titans, you don't scare me. So you better be able to back up your words, because pretty soon, I'll crush you."
And with that, Markus disappeared in a cloud of vapour.
XXX
Markus appeared where the others were. Thalia and Zoë were nearly butting heads, but Grover and for some reason Adria were holding them back. This struck him as odd as Naruto assumed Adria would've let Zoë get in a fight with the raven-haired demigoddess. While he was slightly worried for Thalia, he was willing to let her fight her own battles. Markus then took note of the nervous Percy standing to the side, looking guilty and shifting uncomfortably.
Having enough of all of this, he gave a loud whistle that caught everyone's attention.
"Where were you, Barnacle Brain?" Thalia questioned, disengaging from Zoe. Markus' lips twitched at her comment.
"Well, Princess" - cue growl from Thalia - "if you must know, saving my brother's ass from Luke and the General."
"He was here? Was Lady Artemis with him?" Adria asked.
"Nope. Turns out the General is Atlas, Titan of Endurance. So my theory was correct." Markus noticed Zoe's flinch again at the name 'Atlas'. "And as for Luke, he's dead."
"You killed him?" Grover asked, shocked. Markus noticed the pained expression on Thalia, which made his heart slightly ache.
"Yeah. Along with some monsters and mortal guards. Your welcome."
"That's not all," Percy said. "There are some skeleton warriors coming along the way. Not only that, but Atlas talked about other 'playmates' as well. We need to go."
"Thou are not included in this, boy," Zoe sneered. "You are not part of this quest."
"Hey, I'm trying to save your lives!"
"You shouldn't have come, Percy," Thalia said grimly. She managed to recover somewhat from hearing about the death of her friend. "But you're here now. Come on. Let's get back to the van."
"That is not thy decision!" Zoe snapped.
Thalia scowled at her. "You're not the boss here, Zoe. I don't care how old you are! You're still a conceited little brat!"
"You never had any wisdom when it came to boys," Zoe growled. "You never could leave them-"
"Shh." Markus intoned sharply. Zoe glared at him and made to speak but no words came from her mouth. Stunned, she continued spouting words that no one heard. Thalia smirked at this and tried to say something, only for Markus to put a hand on her shoulder.
"What did you do to her?" Adria asked, alarmed.
"Shut her up for a good while," Markus answered simply. "Now, we are not leaving my brother behind. We-" Markus stopped speaking when he sensed something.
"What? What is it?" Thalia asked, seeing her boyfriend standing still.
"Move!" Markus yelled. The six questers moved out of the way as a shadow covered them and a roar hit their ears. Landing in place where they used to be was a lion, large enough to be a pick-up truck. Its fur was blonde in colour, but glistened and gave off a more molten gold appearance, as its claws shined and looked silver. Gleaming fangs were exposed and dripping with saliva.
"The Nemean Lion," Grover whispered.
The lion roared so loud, it felt like their hair was being parted. Its fangs gleamed like stainless steel. Its eyes stared at the group of teens (and old lady. Guess who?) hungrily as it pawed its way forward.
"Separate on my mark," Adria ordered, since Zoe was incapable of talking. "Try to keep it-"
Markus was already moving. Stepping forward, he unleashed Yamato fully. His arm stayed still, though the others watching saw it blur slightly, creating afterimages. Then Markus sheathed his sword. Purple lines identical to the ones that they saw when they met him at Westover Hall surrounded the Nemean Lion's body and passed through it from all directions.
As they slowly faded, the lion didn't even get the chance to roar before it burst like a piñata into golden dust, leaving behind a duster that was light golden brown. Markus guessed that it was a modern version of the pelt of the lion.
Markus turned to the shocked group. He shrugged. "Was that so hard?"
He then walked forward and picked up his spoil of war, inspecting it. "Not bad," he muttered. "This thing is supposed to be impenetrable, right?" he asked the group, who was still shocked. He could see Zoe trying to talk, so he released the silencing curse he placed on her.
"How exactly did thou cut the lion with thine sword?" she asked.
"My sword cuts through dimensions," Markus answered. "A kitty cat's fur is nothing."
Zoe narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "What exactly are thou? No demigod I've seen is as powerful as thou."
"You flatter me, Nightshade." Markus gave a charming smile. "And trust me, there is no other demigod like me." He looked at the jacket again, then at Thalia. He grinned. "Here ya go, Thals. A brand new jacket from your boyfriend."
"Boyfriend?" Percy questioned Grover, who shrugged.
He went to his shocked girlfriend, who was curious. "W-Why do you want me to wear it?" she asked. "It's your spoil. Besides, it can protect you."
Markus shrugged. "I'd feel better if you wore it. Besides, I can liquefy and vibrate my body, making me impervious to damage, so I don't need it. Now shut up and take your awesome gift." Thalia took the jacket, removing her leather one and replacing it with the duster. He took her leather jacket and put it in a pocket dimension.
"It looks good on you," Markus noted.
Thalia smiled. "Thanks." She kissed him on the lips, making Markus grin. He turned to Grover, grin still on his face. "Hey, G. You want to take care of the security guards or should I?"
"Done and done," Grover said as he polished his reed pipes. "They'll snap out of it in a bit, but right now, all they're doing is running into a wall."
"That literally or figuratively?"
"The first one."
Markus snickered. Then he remembered something. "Shit. Have to stock up on bullets." He took a scroll from his trench coat pocket and set it down. Then he began to unravel it.
The group gathered around, curious as to what he was doing. What was revealed was a strange symbol with a number of squiggled lines. Percy and Thalia thought it was their dyslexia acting up. Adria and Zoe examined the seal, while Grover was confused with what was in front of him. Markus placed his hands on the seal and muttered, "Fūinjutsu: Kai!"
A puff of smoke appeared before dozens of mortal steel bullets appeared in packs. Along with an armoured vest covered in celestial bronze and a couple more guns. The two Hunters gasped, Percy and Thalia gaped while Grover had stars in his eyes. "That is so awesome!"
"Why, thank you very much," Markus nodded. He took out his guns and started loading the bullets into one of them.
"What was that?" Percy asked.
"Fūinjutsu," Markus answered.
Fuin-what?" Percy asked, frowning. "Is that even Greek?"
"Nope. Japanese." Markus sealed the rest of his stuff away. "A little trick I learned when I went to Japan."
"Can you teach me that?" Thalia asked, appreciating this Fuin-whatever it was.
"Yep. Learn Japanese first."
"I can barely read English. How the hell do you expect me to learn Japanese?" she grumbled.
"Simple. Learn."
Before anyone else could say anything, Zoe said, "Look."
They all looked through the glass walls of the museum. They could see a group of men walking across the lawn. Grey men in grey camouflage outfits. They were too far away for the group to see their eyes, but Percy could feel their gaze aimed straight at him. Along with them were nightmarish creatures. Far more than the men in grey. Some had blades attacked to them. Others had varying colour schemes. Many of them had different weapons of different sizes (A.N. - Thet're demons taken from DMC3 and DMC4. Specifically, Death and Hell Vanguards, Hell Prides and Scarecrows).
"What the hell are demons doing here?" Markus asked himself, though the others heard him.
"Demons?" Grover asked. "Is that what they are? They don't look like any monster we know of."
"That's because they're not." A gold portal appeared beside Markus. When he put his hand through it, he brought out Red Queen. "They're demons straight from hell. These aren't Greek monsters. We're going to have to split up. Hunters and Thalia, you take the skeletons. Me, Percy and Grover take the demons."
"Wh-What?" Grover bleated in nervousness. "I-I don't think-"
"Grover," Markus said seriously. "Man the fuck up or die. There isn't time for being a pussy. Your best strength is your reed pipes. Ensnare them so that Percy and I can take them down easily. My guess is that the skeletons are armed, and since the Hunters has their bows and Thalia has her lightning, it'll be easier for them. Now go!"
With that, the group split up to battle their chosen opponents.
*Play: Devils Never Cry - Devil May Cry 3 Soundtrack *
Percy and Markus took out the Hell Prides and Scarecrows first and made easy work of them. Then they took on the Hell Vanguards. They were the more trickier demons to deal with. They swung their scythes with deadly accuracy, and would've beheaded the sons of Poseidon if they hadn't dodged.
Percy was in combat with two of them and was using every ounce of his skill with a sword to block their attacks. Markus was having a blast, using his superior strength to cut through the Vanguards and any foolish lesser demon who got in his way. Markus revved Red Queen, hacking and slashing his flaming sword. Sensing an attack, he dodged a scythe attack and kicked out, making the Vanguard stumble. Taking advantage of this, he hopped on top of the Vanguard and stabbed it with Red Queen.
Revving his sword, he practically rode on top of the demon, unleashing his Devil Bringer and grabbing and throwing any demon in his grasp.
"Yo, Percy!" he called out to his brother, who managed to perform a Stinger on one of the Hell Vanguards. Just as the other one was about to attack, Percy jumped out of the way just as Markus hopped off his demon ride and slammed it into the demon, making both of them fall into a heap. Killing his own opponent, Percy slashed down at the demons who landed in a heap, Markus copying the same action. Both swords sliced them in half.
Grover was playing his reed pipes, ensnaring any demons to help Percy and Markus and using his goat feet to stomp on any one that got too close.
With the skeletons, the girls were having a tougher time. While they managed to intercept and even kill a couple, they kept on coming back. No matter how much power they packed into their arrows or attacks, or how many times they hit them, they kept on coming back.
"A little help here, guys!" Thalia called out, blasting another skeleton with lightning while several bullets bounced off of her. She was really grateful for the Nemean Lion pelt.
Markus was finishing a Roulette Spin on two Death Vanguards at once in the air when he heard the cry for help. Performing an Air Hike with a green magic circle, he finished it off with a flaming Helmbreaker that did them in. He leaped, hopping on top of several of the demons' heads before jumping and landing beside Thalia.
"Switch!" Markus called out, making Thalia nod and join Percy and Grover in dealing with the demons. Taking out one of his guns filled with celestial bronze bullets, Markus fired three rounds to inspect the skeletons. The bullets hit them and made some fall, but they got back up quickly.
Markus cursed, liquefying his body to avoid their bullets hitting him. He mentally went through his arsenal to see what could keep the skeleton warriors down and came at the easiest choice. "Move!" he called out to the two Hunters, who kept on shooting the skeletons. Quickly, they both rolled away, leaving Markus to deal with them.
Holding out his Devil Bringer, Markus channelled hellfire to his demonic palm. Condensing the ball to the size of a ping-pong ball, Markus lobbed the ball of flames to the centre of the skeleton warriors. Clicking his fingers, the ball of flames exploded, taking out the skeleton warriors instantly. This time, they didn't regenerate or get back up.
Nodding in satisfaction, Markus looked to the rest of the group, who were now dealing with the demons. They managed to thin the herd considerably. Now they were only roughly twelve demons left. Running to join the group he helped take out the remaining demons.
As the last one was killed, most of the group panted with exhaustion, happy to be rid of their enemies. Before they could celebrate, loud screeching filled the air.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Percy exclaimed, fed up with all of the demons.
Soaring through the air were a couple of bird demons that had bone-like wings spread out. They had the structures of pterodactyls, but looked more menacing. Oh, and they also spat out fire. Lovely.
The Hunters took out their bows and tried shooting them down, but the demons were too fast. In return, they spat out fireballs, making them duck.
Thalia concentrated, calling upon lightning from the sky to strike them down. She managed to kill one that was too slow but the rest avoided the bolt.
"There are too many!" Zoe called out. "We have to get to the van!" While the group tried to leave, a red barrier suddenly formed around the area that they were in.
"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Percy shouted, annoyed. "A fucking barrier?!"
They suddenly had to dodge, avoiding several fireballs launched at them.
"Aστραπή Βροχή! (Lightning Rain!)" Markus called out. The sky rumbled, before dozens of larger-than-average raindrops made of lightning fell from the sky, showering the flying demons and injuring many of them. Some were killed during the barrage. Markus erected a magical barrier that protected the others from the onslaught.
Markus looked at his girlfriend and gave her a knowing grin. Thalia grinned in response. Holding out their hands, they both worked together in tandem to bring down multiple large bolts of lightning from the sky. The sky lit up as if there were a thousand fireworks exploding. The questers closed their eyes due to the brightness.
After the light faded, they opened their eyes to see smoking and charred corpses of the demons that fell from the sky. As soon as the dead bodies crashed onto the ground, their forms broke away, turning to ash.
*End song*
The red barrier faded away, allowing the group to leave.
"Okay," Markus nodded. "Now we can go."
And so they ran past the opening, leaving the Smithsonian.
"We should head back to the van, continue on with the quest," Grover suggested, but Zoe shook her head.
"No. I doubt that is the last of those... demons." She still had an unsure look on her face, as if she couldn't accept the fact that they weren't dealing with Greek monsters. "They would surely chase us down easily if we took the van. We need a faster mode of transport."
"Hold on," Markus said, before running ahead at super speeds. Moments later, he came back, still running with the others. "There's an old subway entrance. We can take a train. It'll be faster."
"Then we should hurry," Thalia said.
"Way ahead of you." Before anyone could say anything, Markus took them one by one to the place that he was talking about. None of them got the chance to scream before they were taken off at super speeds.
The group suddenly landed at the entrance of the subway station, feeling the need to hurl. Grover did hurl.
"Warn us next time!" Thalia wheezed, shaking a little. The others nodded in agreement. Funnily enough, their hairs ruffled like porcupines, making Markus chuckle.
"Sorry," Markus shrugged as they tried to put their hairs back down.
A few minutes later they were safely aboard a southbound train, riding away from D.C. As their train came above ground, they tried looking for any following demon, but there was none.
"Thank the gods," Grover sighed in relief. The others nodded in agreement.
They changed trains a couple of times, to make sure that nothing was following their trail. Unfortunately, when they finally got off the train they found themselves at the end of the line, in an industrial area with nothing but warehouses and railway tracks. And snow. Lots of snow. It seemed to be much colder here.
They wandered through the railway yard, thinking there might be another passenger train somewhere, but there were just rows and rows of freight cars, most of which were covered in snow, like they hadn't moved in years.
A homeless guy was standing at a trash-can fire. They must've looked pretty pathetic, because he gave the kids a toothless grin and said, "Y'all need to get warmed up? Come on over!"
Skeptical, Markus studied the man. Going on a hunch, he activated his Magesight. His eyes glowed as he studied the man. He could see his divine aura, signifying his status as a god. And the nature of it was familiar. He knew who he was.
"It's okay," Markus motioned to the others.
"And how can you tell if it's okay?" Thalia asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Because I know," Markus said firmly. "I wouldn't put you guys in danger like that. This guy's harmless. Well, not sure to me."
Seeing her confused look, Markus leaned towards her and whispered, "Apollo."
A knowing look appeared on Thalia's face before nodding.
They huddled around the fire. Markus melted all the snow around them, making all of them significantly warmer.
"Thanks," Grover thanked in relief.
"Yes, thank you," Zoe said slowly, not used to saying those words to a boy.
"Neat little trick you got there, kid," the homeless man noted. His face was relaxed and slightly dazed. Like a hippy. "That magic?"
"Maybe," Markus shrugged. "But you'd know all about neat tricks, wouldn't you?"
The man chuckled, though he did have an angry gleam in his eye. "I guess I do."
The group looked between Markus and the man, curious as to what was going on. Only Thalia knew what was going on.
"You kids need a train going west?" the homeless man asked, his previous dazed expression on his face again.
"Yes, sir," Percy said. "You know of any?"
He pointed one greasy hand.
Suddenly they noticed a freight train, gleaming and free of snow. It was one of those automobile-carrier trains, with steel mesh curtains and a triple-deck of cars inside. The side of the freight train said SUNWEST LINE.
Markus rolled his eyes at the name.
"Thank you..." Percy started to say, but looked to see that the man had disappeared. "Where'd he go? And who was he?"
"A god," Markus answered. "An annoying one. Let's go."
XXX
An hour later the group was rumbling west. There was no problem about who would drive now, because they all got their own luxury car. Zoe and Adria were crashed out in a Lexus on the top deck. Grover was playing race car driver behind the wheel of a Lamborghini. And Thalia had hot-wired the radio in a black Mercedes SLK so she could pick up the alt-rock stations from D.C. while she sat next to Markus, who was bobbing his head to the music. Percy occupied a Mercedes Spyder, something that was deemed his dream car.
"Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?" Markus asked suddenly.
Thalia raised an eyebrow, but nodded. He joined her in the shotgun seat and closed the door.
"How are you?" Markus asked. When Thalia was about to say something, he added, "And don't bullshit me. I saw how you reacted when you heard about Luke's death. Talk to me."
Thalia blinked, tears suddenly pricking at her eyes. The radio was playing the White Stripes, but neither of them focused on that.
"It's just..." Thalia started, her voice cracking. Then she steeled her features, and continued. "... I get that he was a traitor. He betrayed me, the camp, everyone. I know that there was almost no chance of him leaving the Titans. And yet... I thought that he would still come back to us, after all this time. I thought that, maybe, I could convince him to come back to his family. To me and Annabeth."
"You loved him, didn't you?" Markus asked with a knowing look. He knew about how Thalia, Luke and Annabeth travelled together. And while Annabeth had a huge crush on Luke, Thalia was the one who connected with Luke the most. She seemed more hurt about the news on Luke than Annabeth did. While this did leave a bitter taste in his mouth, he couldn't fault her for it. And it'd be hypocritical of him to get angry about it when he was dating two girls at the same time.
Thalia nodded slowly, looking at his reaction. Markus noticed this, and wrapped an arm around her slightly. "Thalia, I'm not mad. I don't blame you, given all that you went through with him. And it'd be hypocritical of me to be angry at you."
Thalia nodded again, leaning against him slightly. It was silent between the two of them for a few moments, except the sound of the radio playing.
Then she said, "You didn't make it quick for him, did you?"
"Let's not talk about tha-" Markus tried to avert, but Thalia looked at him, eyes flashing.
"Markus. Answer me. How did he die?" She knew that Markus was one of the few who hated Luke the most for what he had done. She, along with the others, knew that Markus was vindictive and vengeful, despite being easy-going.
Markus hesitated slightly, not saying anything for a few moments. Then, he relented. "I beheaded him, along with turning his head into confetti and setting his body on fire," he said in one breath, awaiting her reaction.
The daughter of Zeus blanched, looking as if she was about to throw up. She didn't, but she did seem a bit queasy. "That... wow, you really don't mess around, do you?"
"Thalia-" Markus made to say, but Thalia held up her hand.
"It's okay," she said briefly. "I'm... not mad at you. He was a traitor. He-"
"-Was also your friend," Markus consoled, pulling her against him. "I can feel your distress, Thals. You're still sad. You don't have to act all tough. That's one thing I love about you, but you don't need to act strong all the time. Let it out. Please."
Thalia didn't say anything for a moment, and the tears refused to fall. But after a moment, her walls fell, and she placed her head on his shoulder. And sobbed.
Not wanting the rest to hear her, Markus quickly created a speed clone to turn off the radio and apply a silencing seal around the car. Then he held her as she wailed. He rubbed her back, holding her delicately as she continued to pour out her sadness. Her heartache.
He sent his magic around his body and used it as a sort of warmth that blanketed the daughter of Zeus. Instead of casting a spell, he used it to envelop her to comfort her, like a warm blanket. He wasn't trying to get rid of her sadness, but lessen it.
After a few moments, due to his intervention, Thalia's cries turned to slight sniffles. He rubbed her back comfortingly, magic lacing his fingertips. Despite herself, Thalia shivered slightly in pleasure at the sensation.
"Better?" Markus whispered.
"Yeah," she nodded. "Thanks."
"You don't need to thank me, princess. I'm here for you. Like I said, your strength is something that I love about you, but you don't need to be strong all the time."
She smiled. "You know, it's words like that that made me fall for you." She kissed him lightly, Markus responding.
They held the embrace for a moment before separating. Markus wiped away stray tear marks on her face. He then looked down at his coat. "Looks like I'm going to need another jacket."
"Sorry-" Thalia started to say, but Markus waved it off.
"Don't worry. I have loads." He removed his jacket, exposing his T-shirt and bare arms. While Thalia was admiring his arms, she also saw the Κράτος rune on his right arm. She reached out, tracing the rune with her fingers. Markus shivered slightly at her touch.
"Nice tattoo," she commented. "Where'd you get it?"
"Not a tattoo," Markus corrected. "A rune." He then explained about the ritual that he performed, showcasing his other runes and tattoos. As Thalia digested the information, she finally said, "Now I see why you're so powerful."
"Partially," Markus said. "You don't have a problem with them?"
"No. I get that it was partially due to your fatal flaw, but I can't judge. My fatal flaw is power lust. If I was in your situation, I'd be tempted to do so too. Besides," Thalia lifted Markus' shirt to showcase his Uruz rune on his stomach, "They look sexy."
"Glad that you like them," Markus smiled. He was so glad that she didn't judge him for his decision so long ago. "Hey, how about we get some rest? It's been a long day."
Thalia was about to protest, but she yawned, suddenly feeling tired. "Yeah. Okay."
Smiling, Markus summoned a few pillows and a blanket. He also placed a couple of softening charms on the car seat that they sat on.
"Best. Boyfriend. Ever," Thalia grinned, happy.
Smiling widely, both demigods wrapped themselves up with the blanket and snuggled close to each other, falling asleep.
XXX
In his dream, he felt weird. Yes, his dreams were usually weird, but this was approaching Top Five Weirdest Dreams.
He felt his consciousness along with Percy's mashed together into a figure. He also got a full view of the entire dream, yet he felt that he and Percy were actually the person in the dream. Creepy.
He (or Percy) was wearing an old-fashioned Greek tunic, that looked a little too breezy downstairs, and laced leather sandals. The Nemean Lion's skin was wrapped around his back like a cape, and he was running somewhere, being pulled along by a girl who was tightly gripping his hand. Markus also saw his image along with Percy's shift between who he knew and then to the man called Heracles.
"Hurry!" she said. It was too dark to see the girl's face clearly, but anyone could hear the fear in her voice. "He will find us!"
The girl's voice sounded familiar, but Markus couldn't place a name.
It was nighttime. A million stars blazed above. The two were running through tall grass, and the scent of a thousand different flowers made the air intoxicating. It was a beautiful garden, and yet the girl was leading both boys mixed in one through it, as if they were about to die.
"I'm not afraid," Percy tried to tell her. It was oddly involuntary for him. He could speak but it was someone else's voice along with his. Still, he went along with the man's word's. He was not afraid.
Markus didn't say anything, getting a feeling that this all was in the past.
"You should be!" she said, pulling him along. She had long dark hair braided down her back. Her silk robes glowed faintly in the starlight.
They raced up the side of the hill. She pulled him behind a thorn bush and they collapsed, both breathing heavily. Neither boy knew why the girl was scared. The garden seemed so peaceful.
Percy felt strong. Stronger than he'd ever felt before. Markus actually felt weaker, for some reason.
"There is no need to run," Percy-Markus told her. Their voices sounded deeper, much more confident. Huh, it was like they were a fusion, like in DBZ. Freaky weird. "I have bested a thousand monsters with my bare hands."
"Not this one," the girl said. "Ladon is too strong. You must go around, up the mountain to my father. It is the only way."
The hurt in her voice surprised him-them. She was really concerned, almost like she cared about him-them.
"I don't trust your father," Markus said this time.
"You should not," the girl agreed. "You will have to trick him. But you cannot take the prize directly. You will die."
Percy chuckled. "Then why don't you help me, pretty one?"
"I… I am afraid. Ladon will stop me. My sisters, if they found out… they would disown me."
"Then there's nothing for it." He-They stood up, rubbing his-their hands together. Okay, this was getting confusing. All in all, Percy was enjoying the scene. Markus was feeling slightly bored.
"Wait." the girl said.
She seemed to be agonizing over a decision. Then, her fingers trembling, she reached up and plucked a long white brooch from her hair. "If you must fight, take this. My mother, Pleione, gave it to me. She was a daughter of the ocean, and the ocean's power is within it. My immortal power."
The girl breathed on the pin and it glowed faintly. It gleamed in the starlight like polished abalone.
"Take it," she told him. "And make of it a weapon."
The fusion - Markus knew it was Heracles, but it would sound cooler if it was a fusion. Then again, it might not - laughed. "A hairpin? How will this slay Ladon, pretty one?"
"It may not," she admitted. "But it is all I can offer, if you insist on being stubborn."
The girl's voice softened the boys' heart. He reached down and took the hairpin, and as he did, it grew longer and heavier in his hand, until he held a familiar bronze sword.
Markus raised an eyebrow while Percy was shocked. It was Riptide, Percy's sword.
"Well balanced," Heracles said. "Though I usually prefer to use my bare hands. What shall I name this blade?"
"Anaklusmos," the girl said sadly. "The current that takes one by surprise. And before you know it, you have been swept out to sea."
Before Markus-Percy could thank her, there was a trampling sound in the grass, a hiss like air escaping a tire, and the girl said, "Too late! He is here!"
Both boys woke up at the same time: Grover shaking Percy awake while Markus was cuddling with Thalia. He didn't hear anything outside, which confused and worried him. Then he remembered that he put a silencing seal. He dispelled it, and was able to hear knocking and chattering outside. "Markus, Thalia. Wake up."
Markus sighed, not wanting to get out. It was so comfy. Alas, duty called. He silently cursed Artemis for getting kidnapped.
He shook his girlfriend. "Thals. Wake up."
"No," she moaned, hogging the blanket to herself. "Too comfy. Five m're minutes."
"I know," Markus agreed. "But we have to get up." When she didn't budge, Markus said, "I'll douse you."
Immediately she was up. "I'm up! I'm up!" Markus chuckled and removed banished the blanket and pillows away, making Thalia sad. "I wanted to sleep more," she whined.
Smiling, he kissed her nose. "We've had our rest. We need to continue the quest." Seeing she wasn't happy, he offered, "When we get the chance to sleep again, you'll get all the sleep that you need. Along with pillows, blankets and a large, warm mattress."
"That does sound nice," Thalia thought aloud. She sighed. "Fine."
Reluctantly, both demigods left their car, joining the others. They took notice that the train had stopped. Markus caught Percy's eye, who ha a knowing look on his face. Markus didn't focus on that for a moment. He concentrated on the girl that he saw in his dream. Zoe Nightshade.
"Hey, guys. You go ahead. I need to confirm something with Zoe about the quest," Markus offered suddenly.
Everyone looked confused, especially Zoe. Adria made to protest, but Markus turned to look at her, his eye lighting up with power, showcasing that he was serious. The Hunter was quick to leave.
Seeing the nod Markus gave them, the others drifted off.
Curious, Zoe looked at Markus, who gave her a serious look. "What dost thou want?"
"When we're you going to tell us that you were a Hespheride?" Markus asked seriously.
Zoe's eyes widened in shock as she looked at Markus. Then she clenched her jaw tightly. "How do you know that?" she hissed.
"Had a dream about it. You also met Heracles. Which is cool. Anyways, why didn't you tell the group that Atlas was your father and you knew specifically where Artemis was kept?"
She suddenly stepped forward, grabbing Markus' collar. "Thy lips shall not spread the truth or else thou shall feel my wrath!" she snarled.
Zoe's hands experienced a biting cold so frosty that she screamed, hands encased in ice. She looked in shock. "How-"
"I understand that it's your business, but if you ever do that again, I will shatter your hands," Markus said seriously. "Now, are you going to be calm, or do I have to follow through with my threat?"
Wisely, Zoe backed down. She didn't seem any less angry, but was now a little tame.
The ice melted from her hands. She rubbed her hands together swiftly. "Now that I've gotten your attention, I want to ask. What happened that you left your home and joined the Hunters?"
She refused to say anything, making Markus nod. "Okay, so something terrible happened. Fine. Since it's your past I'm talking about, I'll allow your silence. Let's see: you aided you aided Heracles in one of his labours. When you did help him, you went against your sisters and father to do so. Finally, Heracles acted like a jackass and denied you whatever he promised, most likely freedom from the Garden of the Hespherides. Heartbroken, you started hating men due to his actions." Markus chuckled seeing her shocked face. "I'm not just all about power, you know? I actually have a brain and can use it damn well. So, the son of Zeus is the reason that you hate all males?"
Zoe gave a slow nod, seeing that her secret was exposed.
"That's stupid." At her enraged face, he continued. "I get that what he did was terrible, but that doesn't make all men terrible."
"Please," Zoe scoffed. "All men are pigs. You use and toy with women for your sick fantasies and desires. You are disgusting, greedy, pathetic and evil."
"Funny, considering all of this is coming from a daughter of a Titan. A being known for their cruelty, even more than the Olympians." At Zoe's stunned face, he continued. "I could hate the Titans, therefore hating you and all other half-Titans by that logic, when they've done nothing to me to earn my hatred. I don't hold your heritage against you, Nightshade. Frankly, I don't care. Just because you're a daughter of Atlas, doesn't mean that I'd suspect that you're a traitor or evil. You're a bitch, sure. But not evil."
"That... that's different," Zoe weakly argued. The logic used was making Zoe think about her hatred of men. Something that she was scared to do.
Markus raised an eyebrow. "Really? Then let me give you another example: if all men are vile pigs, then all women are sluts."
"How dare you?!" Zoe screamed in rage.
"Why are you angry? I'm just using your own logic against you." Markus continued, now on a role. "Aphrodite, the goddess of love, has slept with probably more men than Zeus has women. By that definition, she's a slut." I mean no offence, Aphrodite. "Meaning, because of her actions, all women are sluts and filthy whores, by your logic. After all, she's an Olympian goddess, so her example can be followed by a number of people."
"I... I don't..." Zoe mumbled, shocked. Her mouth was opening and closing, trying and failing to come up with a solid argument. If Markus wasn't trying to prove a point, then he'd laugh at her expression.
"Don't judge the actions of one man against all men," Markus said. "Yes, some men are vile, are rapists. Are evil and wicked. But that's human nature. As many men that are evil, there are probably an equal amount of women that commit the same act. Women who are paedophiles and rapists. Women who kill purely for the joy of it. In fact, Artemis and your Hunters are such a group. You claim to hate men for what they have done to you, yet you perform the same acts. Your mistress turns men into animals and hunts them to satisfy her bloodlust. She has probably destroyed families and relationships because of her selfish and hypocritical actions. If you're willing to turn a blind eye to your actions and not feel remorse, that makes you the true monsters, not men. So think about that before you sprout anymore bullshit from your mouth."
With his piece said, Markus walked ahead, wanting to join the others. He looked back at Zoe. "Think about what I've told you. Because if you ignore my words and continue to act the way you do, I'll probably end up killing you for your stupidity."
Then he walked off, leaving Zoe to her thoughts.
XXX
Markus met up with the others. Apparently, they were in a small ski town in the mountains. They had made it to Cloudcraft, New Mexico. It looked boring.
The air was cold and thin. The roofs of the cabins were heaped with snow, and dirty mounds of it were piled up on the sides of the streets. Tall pine trees loomed over the valley, casting pitch-black shadows, though the morning was sunny.
"Where is Zoe?" Adria asked immediately upon seeing Markus.
"She's thinking about the strategy I told her about," Markus said, standing beside Percy. He noted that he was shivering. He also saw that the others were also shivering.
Being nice, Markus brought forth his magic to the air, making it dense and humming with energy. He didn't pull out too much, just enough to push the cold away and make the surrounding air warm.
Immediately, the others were able to feel the effects. They relaxed as the air became warmer.
"Who turned up the heat?" Grover asked.
"That would be me," Markus said. "Decided I should heat things up. I'm just releasing a small bit of your magic."
"This is a small bit?" Percy asked, stunned. The others were shocked as well. "Just how powerful are you?"
Markus hummed. He didn't exactly want to show them. The surroundings would be destroyed. So he gave a rough estimate. "I can probably beat the Big Three if I really went all out, though fighting dad would be tough."
At that, everyone stopped and stared at what Markus had said. It was simply impossible to imagine that a demigod could defeat gods, let alone the three most powerful gods. Suddenly they were really, really thankful that Markus was on their side and didn't join the Titans.
"How are you so powerful?" Adria asked suspiciously. "No demigod, even children of the Big Three themselves, can be as powerful as you claim."
Markus gave a small grin. "Simple. I wanted to be powerful, and it was done."
Before anyone could try and figure out his odd statement, Zoe came from behind, looking confused.
"Zoe? Are you alright?" Adria immediately asked, by her side. Zoe didn't answer, still deep in thought. When Adria jostled her slightly, she snapped out of it. "Yes. Yes, I'm fine. Let us continue."
Nodding, the group set out. Though Markus was able to feel Zoe's gaze on his back.
"Grover, we need to somehow get to the coast. Apollo said I should try and find Nereus in San Francisco," Percy said, getting the goat boy's attention.
Grover looked uneasy. "That's good, I guess. But we've got to get there first."
"Good point." Percy said a little shaky. He then turned to his brother. "Can't you teleport us all there with magic?"
"I can, but it'd be difficult," Markus answered. "Namely because I haven't been there before. Teleporting to places that I haven't been is risky. I can chance it, but I'd rather none of us were missing any body parts along the way. It'd be a last resort."
The grouped stopped in the middle of town. They could pretty much see everything from there: a school, a bunch of tourist stores and cafes, some ski cabins, and a grocery store.
"Great," Thalia said, looking around. "No bus station. No taxis. No car rental. No way out."
"We could always make one," Markus offered, but the others shot his idea down.
"There's a coffee shop!" said Grover.
"Yes," Zoe said, snapping out of her mood. "Coffee is good."
"And pastries," Grover said dreamily. "And wax paper."
"... Someone say coffee?" Markus asked after a moment. Thalia's, Percy's and Grover's eyes became wide at that question.
"No," they all said at the same time.
"What?! Why?" Markus asked, shocked.
"It's because you'll become hyper, you won't sit still and you'll become like a squirrel," Thalia listed off.
"... We're demigods! We are all of those things!"
"Yes, but you're the most ADHD demigod that we've met," Percy said.
"That's you!" Markus pointed at his brother angrily. "With all the shit you've pulled since becoming a demigod and even before that, you have no right to say that statement."
"While I agree with you-" "Hey!" "-I'd advise against it," Grover said while Percy was angry at his words.
Markus narrowed his eyes at his friends who denied him a simple pleasure that he hasn't tasted yet. Grinning like a madman, Markus zipped ahead into the coffee shop.
"No!" the three exclaimed, fright in their eyes. They tried running after Markus, but knew it was futile.
"I don't know why you all are overreacting," Adria scoffed. "It's just coffee. What's the worst that can happen?"
XXX A few minutes later XXX
"I stand corrected," Adria said in slight awe and fear.
The reason why? It was because Markus was consuming several cups of coffee. Several as in ten. And he was still going.
The questers, and even the clerk, looked in slight awe and horror as Markus consumed so many beverages that it could potentially kill a man. He foot was stamping the ground so quickly that it was starting to create a dent in the floor.
"Whoooo!" Markus cheered after drinking his twentieth coffee. "I feel so freeeee! I'm rearing to go finish this quest! Matter of fact, I feel like I can do the whole damn thing by myself!" He was disappearing and reappearing around the coffee shop at speeds that Markus was used to, but it was worrying for the others. He even managed to find himself standing upside down on the ceiling, break-dancing.
"What... What the Hades is going on?" Thalia asked, stunned.
"I-I don't know," Percy said in response, fearing for his brother's sanity as well as his own. "We are never letting him near any coffee again."
"Why can't we stop him now?" Grover asked, not touching his own pastry or coffee. He flinched at the frightened looks on the demigods' faces.
"We literally couldn't stop Markus if he was normal," Thalia said slowly. "You want to try and stop him when he's essentially high as my father?"
Grover opened his mouth, then closed it. He already knew the answer.
"I have been alive for several millennia," Zoe said, watching Markus put his fingers to his lips and move it up and down, making airplane noises, "yet I have never seen a sight so... so bizarre."
"And he says that I'm the most ADHD demigod," Percy scoffed. He felt a couple of eyes on him, and he looked to see Thalia, Grover, Zoe and Adria look at him incredulously. "What?"
"Nothing," they all said at the same time. Neither of them knew who was the most troublesome demigod: Percy or Markus.
"Hahaha!" Markus was now performing several flips, before performing a Spin Dash across the floor. No one was able to question the physics behind his actions, or the logic. Finishing his Spin Dash, he landed in a heap, a questioning look on his face. "I suddenly feel the need to traverse a place called Green Hill Zone along with a two-tailed fox."
The poor clerk fainted, the shock of seeing such bizarreness getting to him.
Pushing himself upwards, he ran out of the shop, creating a sonic boom that shattered the windows. A couple of seconds later, he arrived, grinning like a loon. "What are we waiting for? Let's a-go!"
"First he's a blue hedgehog, now he's an Italian plumber," Percy muttered, facepalming.
Thalia shook her head to retain some of her lost sanity. "That's it: no more games for him."
Suddenly, Grover and Markus froze, worrying the others. Percy was about to ask what was wrong, when a warm breeze rustled past, like a gust of springtime had gotten lost in the middle of winter. Fresh air seasoned with wildflowers and sunshine. And something else—almost like a voice, trying to say something. A warning.
Markus, through the haze that he was in, felt something that he was familiar with. This was natural energy. A lot of it. So much in fact that it almost overwhelmed his senses. He slammed his mental barriers down on his mind to snap him out of his funk. He was still affected, by the coffee, because he liked the buzz.
Zoe gasped. "Grover, thy cup."
Grover dropped his coffee cup, which was decorated with pictures of birds. Suddenly the birds peeled off the cup and flew away - a flock of tiny doves. Markus' Fehu rune glowed brightly, along with his Yang tattoo. There was so much natural energy that his tattoos absorbed the energy, glowing even brighter.
"Woah," Markus noted. "I'm glowing."
Grover collapsed next to his coffee, which steamed against the snow. They gathered around him and tried to wake him up. He groaned, his eyes fluttering.
"Hey!" Thalia said, running up from the street. "What's wrong with Grover?"
"He's overwhelmed with nature energy," Markus explained, getting eyes on him. "He can sense the abundant energy that appeared suddenly."
"How would thou know that?" Zoe asked curiously.
Markus grinned like a loon. "I'm kind of a sage."
"What?!" Zoe and Adria exclaimed, shocked.
"Yeah. You guys didn't know?"
"Zoe, why are you so shocked?" Thalia asked.
Before she could say anything, she was interrupted by Grover's moan. "Uuuuuhhhh."
"Get him up, then," Thalia said.
"It's near," he muttered.
The others tensed, not knowing who he was speaking about. Percy bent down and slightly shook him. "Grover. Hey, Grover. Wake up."
"The gift," he kept on muttering, tossing and turning. "The gift of the Wild."
Markus placed a hand on Grover's head and sent a burst of electricity through it. This was enough to snap the satyr out of his state. "Wha-? Where..." Suddenly, Grover gained a frantic expression on his face. "It's here. The gift."
"Oi, Grover!" Markus snapped. "Why don't you tell us what 'gift' is coming?"
Suddenly, there was a crashing sound in the forest nearby, like a bulldozer. Everyone got their weapons out.
"Whatever that 'gift' is, I don't think it's friendly," Percy muttered. The ground shook, making everyone prepare themselves.
"A gift," Grover repeated.
And then, with a mighty roar, the largest pig any of them had ever seen came crashing into the road. It was a wild boar, thirty feet high, with a snotty pink snout and tusks the size of canoes. Its back bristled with brown hair, and its eyes were wild and angry.
"REEEEEEEEET!" it squealed, stomping on the ground.
"Well, I always did want some bacon," Thalia smirked. She raised her spear, but Grover yelled, "Don't kill it!"
The boar grunted and pawed the ground, ready to charge.
"That's the Erymanthian Boar," Zoe said, trying to stay calm. "I don't think we can kill it."
"I'm guessing that this is the gift of the Wild you were talking about, and so we can't kill it because it was sent by Pan," Markus said in one go.
Grover nodded. "Pretty much, yeah."
"... Okay," Markus muttered, putting away his weapon.
"Then how are we supposed to stop it from killing us?" Percy asked, Riptide and Lowtide still raised.
The boar squealed again and swung its tusks. Before it could do any damage, Markus sped forward and grabbed the tusk. The boar roared in defiance and tried to free itself while also skewering him, but Markus held onto the tusks firmly, not letting go.
"Don't kill it!" Grover exclaimed worriedly.
"No problem," Markus responded.
Then with a grunt, Markus pulled the boar towards him, making the creature rise from the ground slowly. Markus' muscles contracted slightly as he lifted the boar in the air by its tusks alone. Then with a roar, he slammed it head-first into the ground. It didn't disappear in golden dust, but it definitely was out like a light.
"... That was anti-climatic," Thalia muttered, lowering her spear.
"Remind me again: why are we on this quest when he can just handle everything?" Percy asked the others.
Markus dusted his hands like he was taking out the trash. "Too easy," he muttered.
"You didn't have to hit it so hard," Grover said, checking on the boar.
"You said you didn't want it killed. It's not killed," Markus shrugged. "That was pretty badass, if I do say so myself."
"Ha! Please, I've performed better feats than that in my mortal lifetime," a voice called out. The group tensed, not expecting someone to show up.
The voice belonged to a man that walked out of the forest. He was a mountain of a man, who stood around 6'8. He had short cropped black hair, electric blue eyes like Thalia did, a healthy skin tone along with a white toga and leather sandals. He had an identical Nemean Lion pelt like Thalia's draped from his neck like a cape, with the head of of it over his head like a hood. He also had a large club like a baseball bat.
Zoe snarled like an animal when she saw the man. "You!" she exclaimed with venom.
The man chuckled, his voice deep. "Zoe Nightshade. How... pleasant it is to see you again. Still frolicking with my sister's handmaidens?"
Markus raised an eyebrow. It was the same guy from his dream previously. He wore different clothes and had a godly aura around him, but he knew who it was. "Heracles."
The god Heracles turned to look at the one who had spoken. He sneered. "Hello cousin."
And boom! Heracles (I'm calling him that since that's his Greek version) has appeared. Le gasp!
Hope y'all liked the chapter. I'm ending it on this particular cliffhanger.
Here, the questers going on the quest, Markus killing Luke (an actual tragedy when I wrote it. Quite brutal), killing the skeleton warriors along with demons DMC style, Markus conversing with Zoe about her view of males and Markus curb-stomping the boar. Yep. Quite a lengthy chapter.
Truthfully, I wasn't sure if I should off Luke or not in this chapter, but then I realised Markus' character and then remembered that he wasn't getting out alive. Despite that, I do like Luke as a character. He was very intricate and was something of a revolutionary, of a sort. Plus, I do like the villains more, so sue me. I'm sure you can tell why Markus was angry at Luke.
Anyways, next chapter is the confrontation with Heracles. How much you want to bet about what happens next chapter? Along with why Heracles is there in the first place.
Now, review answering time:
1) I do agree that I'll have to plan that little space arc very thoroughly. I'm still on the fence about the 'fathering-the whole-pantheons' thing, but I'll see.
2) Thanks for the suggestion on the Warhammer 40k videos. They really helped. Thanks for your praise on the story as well. Markus might thrash Atlas so much that I'll doubt he'll be able to hold up the sky anymore. As for Ladon? I'm honestly thinking of Markus keeping him as a pet, maybe make a pet monster collection. Cerberus, Ladon, etc. And the golden apples will be plucked.
3) I do agree that defeating Tartarus won't be as impossible as I thought, so thanks for that. And I do agree that taking away a god's divine influence may weaken primordials, not make them fade. So now Markus could possibly beat him, if not can. And thanks for your praise on the story. The prophecy was a bit hard to hash, but I tried to make due.
4) That suggestion is really good. I can think of a few planets that could involve influence from Monster Hunter, Attack on Titan, Godzilla-level fights, destruction on a wide scale. It'd be glorious... ahem. Anyways, tell me your suggestion on what the 'burning trail frozen jail' line was about. I'm curious.
5) Like part 3), I now believe it is possible, since Piper was able to make Gaia sleep. Aphrodite is powerful, but not that powerful. The fight between Markus and Tartarus will be big, bloody, and very hard for him.
6) I think I know which fic you're talking about. Thanks for the suggestion on Iceman. I can sort of implement that idea into the story. Thanks very much.
7) He can and will do that, but I don't want to use the space/time magic loop every time. Probably on Zeus when he throws his master bolt at him.
Anywho, thanks to all those who f,f,r and r the story. I love y'all.
Stay tuned to more chapters from Kronium34- Okay, I'll stop being silly.
Read and Review!