After a good bit of driving (the Egyptians definitely drive out farther than Greeks), I reach the middle of nowhere. My directional sense tells me I am somewhere in Central Pennsylvania, possibly by Harrisburg. I look around for any signs of monsters, but there aren't any so far.
"Alright, Arthur," says Sadie. "You are miles outside of Harrisburg. Although there is a Nome and House there, they can't help you. They know about the prophecy too, and they're not going to interfere. Every pantheon has heard the Prophecy in one form or another, and it's been worrying everyone across the world."
After unloading my stuff, I begin looking for signs of paths. I detect another road about a mile south of where I am. Seeing that the sun is setting, I decide to settle down for the night. I find the most secluded patch of forest I can and pitch my tent. Using a mix of Greek and Egyptian magic, I conceal the tent as best I can. Hopefully, the monsters will leave me alone tonight. I opt not to light a fire for cooking hunted game and simply eat some food the two camps packed for me. I do have an agreement with Sadie to where we can both access the same safe in the Duat and once in a while she can pitch in some foodstuffs and supplies. Even with a prophecy in place, I can still bend the rules. Once my paranoid brain is too tired to continue watching for monsters, I head into my tent and sleep.
Once again, I have a dream about the Underworld. I stand at the exact same spot as last time and fly up to see the scene.
Back and forth is how I best describe what I see. In some sectors of the front, Hades's trench has advanced about ten miles towards the other side. Considering how wide is no-man's land, that's not an amazing push, although it does close the gap. On the other hand, the left flank has been breached by the monsters from the bright fissure. I try hard to keep track of all the platoons charging back and forth across the battlefield. The monsters still don't have any weapons made of that black metal, but none of them seem to try to capture any. I look for the command tower where I last saw Hades. Again, he's with that other man from before. I didn't get a good look at him before, but now, I can see him perfectly.
He's a tall, lanky black man wearing a plain black suit. His hair is dark and unruly, a forest of black wires. He's also sporting a beard that's longer where it should be a goatee, a sign that he hasn't shaved in quite a while. I have an eerie feeling of deja vu, which would tell me about who this might be. But, that feeling is instantly broken when I hear the two talk.
"Sector Lethe has been holding fast so far," the man says to Lord Hades. "We have a steady stream of reinforcements guarding the line, but my magicians are overtaxed trying to retrieve and revive the fallen as quickly as they can. I don't think I can continue until you reopen and send in some reserves."
"Osiris, how many times do I have to tell you that won't happen?" Hades says back. So this is the god Osiris. I expected something way different. Something about that person doesn't seem very godly, but maybe that's what being out one's pantheon does to a god. "I have received news from Mercury that members of the Thirty-Fifth Nome in San Francisco are aiding the Romans with the battle in the sky. Last time something like this happened was against my last European son."
So that's not actually Hades, but Pluto. Explains the calmer attitude, at least. Although, I wonder who's his last European son. From his tone, I speculate it's someone I wouldn't want to have dinner with.
"In any case, you have to hurry," Osiris responds. "Any news on that boy?"
"Mercury also said that the boy has been sent to the Twenty-First Nome," Pluto replies. "That's the last I heard about where he is. I don't know why he's being sent this early, but I'll have to make one exception for this one lad. He's the first mosaiko born since last century, and if he's the one of the new Prophecy, he holds the fate of the world in his hands."
I take a step back and abruptly wake up.
I wake safely in my tent. Once again, something that cursed Prophecy won't say to my face drops a bombshell on me. They don't mean that for real, do they? I'm a kid! I should be playing with my friends and awkwardly chatting up girls. Why do the Greeks and Egyptians have nothing against child soldiers? I thought it was Western Civilization that ended such a barbaric practice. Turns out, these gods can't do any better.
I pack my camp and make my way to the road. It was a much shorter walk than expected with my brain racing. What was, in reality, thirty minutes of hiking felt like a minute. I take a good look at where I have taken myself before proceeding.
The path looks deserted, like once upon a time it was a major thoroughfare. The path looks wide enough for a six-lane highway. The road has definitely been reclaimed by nature, although whatever was used to pave the road has made the soil underneath infertile. The path cuts clearly into the distance where it wasn't grown with weeds and saplings. Detecting that this is a path west, I begin walking the trail.
After about two miles, I stop to read a sign that says "lOd esnynPlvaain runTpiek." Mentally reordering the letters to something that vaguely makes sense, I reread it as "Old Pennsylvania Turnpike." Funny how the prophecy happens so quickly, but then I remember "roads" was plural. This may be the first in a series of old paths.
Another mile later, I encounter all sorts of trouble.
I honestly can't even keep track of how many monsters I fought for the next seven miles. So many monsters kept attacking me I hardly remember what they look like. There might have been a hellhound or twelve million, but it's all the same. A hack, slash, bash, spell, or slice later, whatever attacked me went make to wherever it came from. Now that I think about it, some of them probably weren't even Egyptian or Greek, but tomayto-tomahto at this point.
What should have been a short ten-mile stretch of footpath turned into an all-day cardio-workout video-game hack-fest. By the time I had travelled ten miles, it was already dark and I'm not even close to the path anymore. I don't know what other hero has possibly endured this, but I'm surprised I am not in the least bit injured or mentally broken. Probably not yet, but still. I'm supposed to be sent off to war, and I'm already fighting one before I even arrive. The cruel irony of the situation would be funny if I had a companion, but even that isn't available at my disposal. Meanwhile, there's supposed to be a great battle going on in the sky, and though I can't see it very well, I can hear the monsters being hacked open. If I let the Mist cloud my ears (which I'm starting to realize is just the surface layer of the Duat), it would sound like commercial jets. As I now realize, mortals can't really comprehend the truth, so they just make stuff up. Ignorance really is bliss.
I once again find a patch of forest to conceal my camp. After setting up all the basics, I rummage through my stash in the Duat to see what has changed. I find my ambrosia and nectar are still there, albeit locked away. I guess letting Carter have some was an absolutely terrible idea. Thankfully, Sadie left a key cast behind illusion magic for me to find. She also left in some other nice little goodies: a pack of pre-cooked bacon, a few eggs, Heinz beans, butter, black pudding, a pack of Lorne sausages, potato scones, a pan, a camping stove, a plate, some utensils, and a six-pack of Ribena. The perishables have been cast with a light se-kebeb, or cold spell for refrigeration. I haven't seen most of this stuff since two years ago when I went on vacation in Scotland. Of course, the whole fiasco about Ribena's health benefits was ongoing, but I still will happily crack a bottle of this stuff any day. The fact that Sadie expects me to cook a Full Scottish Breakfast (I thought she's English), as an American at that, is a bit astounding, but nonetheless, I'll take these goodies.
I toss all the items into the pan for a lazy fry-up. I eat my dinner, which is really a breakfast, with the Ribena, which pairs quite well for my American palate. Thankfully, the plates and pan are magic and don't need to be cleaned, for I have no sources of water nearby. With a nice dinner to finish off an otherwise terrible day, I go to sleep in my tent.