Allen: At the moment, I'm going to stick with the season five suit.
James Birdsong: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.
Guest 2.0: Yeah, it always made no sense to me why Barry would hand the team over to Cisco when Caitlin was a much better choice.
Guest 1: No kidding, Cisco giving up his powers never made any sense to me. If they had been writing him out, that's one thing, but he stayed on and even got his powers back in Crisis, so I really don't see the point in him losing his powers. Yeah, the idea of a Meta cure is flawed and shortsighted, at best.
Guest 2: Poor Barry. Yeah, I love Joe to, even if I do find his stance on Oliver to be more than little hypocritical. Oh tell me about it, Iris was just never good for Barry period. Trust me, you haven't missed much.
A week had passed since Oliver, Percy, Annabeth and Barry had slain the Nemean Lion. It had been an ordeal for the trio to find a way out of Kansas with a manhunt looking Oliver. Maybe it wasn't the brightest idea for him to shoot those guys at the diner.
Oliver would have preferred to just call Lyla and arrange a flight to San Francisco, but Percy and Annabeth had both been adamant that flying with a son of Poseidon was a recipe for disaster. So, after a few days of living off the land, the three of them had carefully made their way out of Kansas, trying to avoid any police involvement. They may have stolen a car here and there before ditching it on the side of the road (Percy and Annabeth were very grateful that Oliver knew how to hotwire a car).
Once they'd made it out of Kansas, they'd managed to climb aboard a train, climbing aboard one of the cars and getting inside. There were several crates inside that the three of them were leaning back against as they sat down, Percy using it as a pillow as he slept.
"That curse really wears him down, doesn't it?" Oliver said as he eyed Percy in concern.
"He tries to take at least three naps a day," Annabeth confirmed with a sigh and it was silent for a moment.
"So, this Ladon…how dangerous is he, exactly?" Oliver asked and Annabeth sighed.
"I've never fought him personally, but Percy has," Annabeth said as she glanced at her sleeping boyfriend. "It has a hundred heads and, even if a bite won't kill you, the poison will if it's not treated."
"And we're expected to get a scale from it? Great," Oliver said sarcastically. "Any idea who this son of Ares we're supposed to find is?"
"There have been rumors," Annabeth began gently. "Demigods who make the journey from San Francisco talk about a man who cuts down monsters, makes it easier for them to escape. They can never make out who he is, they're too busy running."
"You think it might be this son of Ares?" Oliver inquired and Annabeth shrugged.
"I don't know. But it's worth looking into," Annabeth said and Oliver nodded.
"How do we find him?" Oliver asked.
"Just follow the trail of monsters," Annabeth said flippantly and Oliver looked at her blankly. "Mount Othrys is located there. It's swarming with monsters. The scent of a demigod near there will draw a monster to it."
Oliver was silent as he processed this. It wasn't a good plan so far, but it was something. They needed to find this son of Ares if they wanted to survive Ladon. Oliver didn't intend to die before Crisis and doing everything he could to ensure the survival of his loved ones.
"My dad lives in San Francisco," Annabeth said, breaking Oliver out of his thoughts. "We can head there once we get off; get a change of clothes, some food, shower."
"We stink," Percy muttered suddenly.
Oliver and Annabeth turned to him but he was still asleep.
"How does he do that?" Oliver asked bewildered.
"He's Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said with a mix of fondness and annoyance. "The speed we're going, we should reach California in about an hour, depending on if the train doesn't stop. Get some sleep. I think we'll need it."
Oliver wanted to argue but, if Ladon was as dangerous as she said, he'd need as much sleep as he could get. So he closed his eyes, drifting off to the sound of the train.
He dreamt of his parents again. They were still in the cave; the storm was still raging outside. The fire was going still, but there were signs that a few days had passed. There were some bones of what Oliver assumed were animals Artemis had killed and cooked in the corner and Robert had at least three days' worth of stubble on his chin.
Currently, Artemis was wrapping Robert's wounded arm in a makeshift sling, probably changing the bandages.
"You should let your arm heal for a few more weeks," Artemis advised as she finished.
"Thanks. You're good at that," Robert complimented and she looked away, like she was embarrassed.
"My brother is Apollo, god of healing. And I have had to treat many of my Huntress' injuries," Artemis explained but her face was slightly redder, like she was blushing.
Robert nodded and it was silent in the cave as they both looked outside at the raging storm.
"It's been four days, how is it still going on?" Robert asked in disbelief.
"Zeus must be angry about something," Artemis repeated what she had said last time Oliver dreamed about her. "I love my father, but he is an immature child."
Robert was silent. Whether it was because he didn't know what to say or he was fearful of insulting the ruler of Olympus, Oliver didn't know.
"It's still hard to wrap my head around, that the gods exist," Robert said softly.
"I'm sorry that my father is preventing you from returning to your wife," Artemis said, eying him critically.
"What is it?" Robert asked as he noticed her gaze.
"I hate men," Artemis said simply. "I have seen a millennium of their capacity for hate, greed, and betrayal. You…you are different."
"I try to be. My father…was not a good man. I try to be different but sometimes I feel like I'm just following in his footsteps," Robert confessed and the cave was silent for a long moment, save the storm outside and the crackling fire inside.
"My grandfather, Kronos, ate his children, save for my father. My father abandoned my mother and did not lift a finger to help her when Hera cursed her. We are not bound by our families, we can carve out our own paths," Artemis told him wisely.
"Do you hear that?" Robert suddenly asked.
It took Oliver a moment to understand what his father was saying. There was no more thunder. Robert and Artemis looked towards the cave entrance. The storm had inexplicably stopped. Artemis got to her feet and walked out, the sun shining making her appear even more beautiful. And Oliver wasn't 'he only one to notice, judging by the look on his father's face.
"Now that the storm has passed, you may return home," Artemis said.
"If I can find my car," Robert said dryly, obviously wondering how he was going to drive with one arm.
"I will accompany you," Artemis vowed.
The dream shifted then. Gone were the cave and his parents. He was in some sort of temple. There was a stone altar a few feet from him and a statue of a woman up ahead.
A blond woman with bright eyes entered the temple, looking around. She reminded Oliver vaguely of Annabeth, especially when she had a golden dagger in her hand. She looked around, like she was waiting to be attacked. She walked up to the altar, examining it with a critical eye. She touched it and something seemed to go wrong. The altar began shaking and the woman stepped back before something shot out at her.
Oliver was shaken awake by Annabeth before he could see what happened next.
"We need to get off, now," Annabeth said urgently.
It took a moment for Oliver to realize what was going on. The train had stopped. The workers would be checking the cars any minute. Oliver grabbed his gear, grateful that Annabeth had already woken Percy, who was up and about. Together, the trio jumped from the car and headed out. They still had a long way to go.
Philadelphia
Mid Afternoon
The Hellhound cried out from pain before it seemed to disintegrate before Barry's eyes. He pocketed his dagger before moving on.
After leaving Camp Half-blood, Barry had sped away from New York. If he wanted a fresh start on his journey, best to get away from that camp. He'd ended up here, in Philadelphia. It wasn't a bad place, Barry mused. There were some good restaurants and the people were nice enough. He'd had a few encounters with monsters but, with his speed, it wasn't hard for him to deal with them.
Barry wondered, was this what the life of a demigod was like if they didn't make it to Camp Half-blood? It was a hard life, if one got to life it at all. It certainly put things into perspective for him. He'd been fortunate, but there many others who weren't.
Currently, Barry was walking down the street. No one paid him any mind, the mist hiding what had just happened from the mortals. Barry idly wondered what they saw when he stabbed the Hellhound before deciding it really didn't matter. A man in a jogging outfit was next to him before turning to him.
"Hellhounds, right?" he asked and Barry just about had a heart attack.
"W-what?" Barry stammered and the man chuckled.
"Hellhounds, annoying little beasts. I don't know how Hades pus up with them," the man said and Barry stared at him, realizing this guy wasn't an ordinary mortal.
"Who are you?" Barry asked and the man smiled.
"Probably the only person in this world that's faster than you. Hermes, god of Thieves and travelers, messenger of the gods," Hermes introduced himself.
Barry stared at him, not sure if he should bow or something. His only encounters with a god so far had been with his mother and Mr. D., who didn't exactly make Barry want to bow to him.
"Anyway, I have a package for you," Hermes said as a clipboard seemed to appear in his hand. "Sign here."
Hermes offered him a pen and Barry grabbed it only to realize it had two snacks on it.
"Don't mind George and Martha, they're harmless," Hermes said.
'Do you have rats?' One of the snakes said.
'George, he's busy.' The other one scolded him.
'Too busy for rats? That's sad.'
"This is too weird," Barry muttered as he signed the clipboard.
Barry handed Hermes the pen back and pulled something out of his bag.
"Your mother sends her regards," Hermes said as he pulled out something small.
It wasn't until Hermes handed it to him that Barry realized what it was. It was a compact mirror, like the kind women used to apply their makeup.
"A mirror? She sent me a mirror?" Barry asked incredulously as he looked at Hermes.
But Hermes was gone, vanishing into thin air.
"Huh, so that's how that feels," Barry muttered.
California
Later in the afternoon
Once they'd left the train yard, Oliver had found a car and hotwired it. Currently, the trio was driving on the road, still a half hour out from San Francisco.
"You sure you're not secretly a son of Hermes? Because we've been stealing a lot of cars," Percy noted.
"When I'm not a wanted criminal, then we can look into other methods of transportation," Oliver said dryly.
"You just had to shoot those guys," Percy said sarcastically.
"What's done is done," Annabeth said before an argument could erupt. "For now, we need to focus. We head to my dad's house for a change in clothes, then we have to find this son of Ares."
"So we're asking a child of Ares for help while on the run from a child of Ares. This is a recipe for disaster," Percy said sarcastically.
Apparently, Percy had issues with Ares. Oliver silently debated if he wanted to know before he saw something fly out towards them. Oliver had barely swerved before a golden bronze dagger crashed through the windshield, hitting the middle seat between Percy and Annabeth. Exactly where Oliver's head had been a few moments earlier.
"Not again," Percy groaned as they saw China White and several of her men approaching, White twirling her knives.
Angrily, Oliver grabbed his bow and quiver, storming out of the car. Percy and Annabeth were quick to follow him, Annabeth using both her knife and the knife White had thrown. Percy clicked his pen and it turned into a sword as they assessed their surroundings.
"You know that those weapons won't work on mortals," White said smugly. "But thankfully, their bullets will work just fine on you."
"Thankfully, these weapons will work on you," Oliver growled, aiming his arrow at her.
Percy stepped in front of Annabeth, knowing the curse would protect him, not so much her. Oliver knew that they were in trouble here. He was trying to figure out how to take them down without risking Annabeth when something happened.
One of White's men gasped as he was impaled by a sword. White and her men looked shocked as he fell back, dead before two shots rang out and two more of White's men dropped, bullet holes in their heads. White and her men looked around wildly as Oliver, Percy and Annabeth tensed, not sure whoever was doing this was friend or foe.
"Whoever you are, you can't stop us! I am the daughter of Ares and I will not be denied my revenge!" White ranted to the sky.
"You know nothing of revenge."
Oliver's heart stopped as a dark haired man rushed in, whirling two swords. Within seconds, he had cut down the rest of White's men and took aim at her. Snarling, she tried to cut him down with her knife, but, to her shock, he caught her knife, paying no mind to the cut on his hand. He then easily disarmed her and threw her to the side.
"Well, looks like things have turned," Percy noted.
Sneering, White pulled out a baseball cap. One Percy and Annabeth recognized.
"Stop her!" Annabeth cried but it was too late.
White put on the baseball cap and seemed to vanish, to Oliver and the man's shock.
"What the hell?" Oliver breathed.
"She's here, she's just invisible," Percy explained and the four of them remained on guard.
For several, tense filled moments, it was silent. Then, suddenly, as if moved by instinct, Annabeth pushed Percy out of the way, startling him as she cried out. Annabeth stumbled, a red stain on the back of her shirt. Percy watched in horror as she fell as Oliver and the man whirled around. Percy then got a dark look on his face and let out a roar of rage. Percy made a grabbing motion with his hand and there was a cry of agony. With a shoving motion, White was sent flying back, the cap falling off her head. Percy moved towards her but a voice stopped him.
"Don't…don't Seaweed Brain," Annabeth muttered weakly.
Percy paused but it was enough. White grabbed the cap again and disappeared once more. However, this time, Oliver had no doubt that she was leaving. The scared look in her eyes, he had never seen that on her before. As Percy rushed to Annabeth's side, Oliver turned to their savior.
"Slade," Oliver said and his old friend looked over at him.
"What are you doing in my city kid?" Slade asked pointedly.
"It's a long story," Oliver said before looking over at Annabeth. "One we don't have time to hash out right now."
"Damn it Wise Girl, why'd you do that?" Percy demanded worriedly.
"Same as last time," Annabeth muttered weakly.
"I have a safe house nearby. Let's go and we'll try to stitch up that wound there," Slade said before looking over at Oliver. "Then, we need to have a talk."
Philadelphia
Same time
Barry was sitting in a café, looking at the mirror Hermes had given him. Why would his mother give him this? Was there something special about this mirror? It was driving him crazy. With a sigh, Barry stood up and something seemed to shift. He felt like he was about to be attacked. Monster, he thought.
Immediately, Barry pulled out his knife and moved to stab what was behind him. He stopped at the last moment, barely managing to avoid stabbing an innocent bystander. But it wasn't just any bystander, Barry realized with a start. It was-
"Patty?" Barry breathed.
Hermes is played by Tom Cruise. Thank you to my friend Aragorn II Elessar for his help with that.
And now things are going to start to get interesting, for both Barry and the quest. Slade and Patty will have an important role to play in the next few chapters.