Chapter Two

It didn't take long to get back to the Big House, and Chiron looked relieved when he saw no one was hurt. His mouth dropped open as soon as he locked eyes with the Executioner, and Bolan could tell he was trying very hard to hide his surprise.

"How ... how did you get past the barrier? No offence, but you look like a mortal!" He exclaimed incredulously.

"That's because I am," Bolan replied.

"Can someone please explain what went on out there?"

"Yes," Nico began. "The fight was taking place about a mile outside of camp. There were a bunch of monsters and people wearing hoods attacking Mr. Cooper," he said, gesturing to Bolan. "We fought our way to him and when the action settled, Hecate ordered us to train him. She said that she blessed him. That's all we know."

"OK," Chiron said skeptically. "Mr. ... um, Cooper was it? Do you know what we're talking about?"

Bolan took a moment to reflect on the events of the previous few minutes. With a start, he remembered the dream he had the night before, and thought that someone would be able to shed some light on it. If not, telling them about the dream wouldn't matter, but he knew that it was worth a shot.

"If I'm being honest, I don't know a thing. I did, however, have a dream last night that might help. I have no idea where I was in the dream, and I don't know who was around. But I do remember someone telling me that I was blessed, and that they needed my help. They said that I would be trained for a little while. I was told that I wouldn't know who I was working with until the appropriate time, and that's all I know. The dream was dark, so I suppose the person, who I'm guessing is Hecate, wasn't messing around when it came to anonymity."

"Alright then. I suppose you should be here for our meeting, then, but forgive me for not believing your story; I'm not even sure if you can fight. If you're supposed to be trained, I think we'll have to figure that out later. Now, let's start over and reintroduce ourselves," Chiron ordered.

Percy motioned for the Executioner to take a seat next to him. Once everyone was settled in, Dumbledore began the round of introductions. Bolan introduced himself as Matthew Cooper, which was the most recent alias he used when he went on missions that required undercover work or forced him to show government credentials. Though he believed that everyone at the table provided their real names, he decided that it wasn't a good idea to reveal his true identity, especially since he was dealing with people he didn't know anything about. Based on what happened in the fight, these were not average civilians. They probably weren't aware of Stony Man's existence or of Bolan's worldwide war on terror, but he couldn't be too sure.

"Alright. Before we continue, I think we should fill our new friend Mr. Cooper in on who we are," Annabeth said.

"Fair enough," Chiron agreed. "Anyone want to volunteer to explain?"

"I will," Annabeth replied, looking at Bolan. "Mr. Cooper, I'm so sorry you had to see combat, it's not a pretty thing. I don't know about those people in hoods, so I can't speak about them, but I can tell you about the monsters we fought. Me, Percy, Nico, Jason, Frank, Will, Leo, Hazel, and Piper are demigods, or half-bloods. Basically, that means we are the children of a mortal parent and a Greek or Roman god or goddess. So, that also means that all those monsters you may have read about in Greek and Roman mythology exist as well. We demigods have fought them many, many times, and we've faced far more combat than most. I'll speak for myself when I say that I'll be more than happy to train you as best I can, especially since you were attacked and that puts you in a lot of danger. Oh! Before I forget, you may have noticed that I forgot to mention Calypso; she is not a demigod. She's actually the daughter of the titan Atlas, so, technically, she's a goddess."

The Executioner took a moment to absorb the information, then nodded in gratitude to Annabeth. He looked forward to working with the group of demigods, even though he normally preferred to work alone.

"Now it's my turn!" Dumbledore began. "For Mr. Cooper's sake, I will start over with what I was saying before the fight. I am the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and wizards are the result of Hecate's blessing. Hecate is the Greek goddess of magic, and we wizards are born with the power to do magic. Those people you saw wearing hoods were Death Eaters, or dark wizards. I was about to mention earlier that there is a dark wizard named Tom Riddle, but he's more commonly known as Voldemort. He started his brutal reign of terror about twenty-five years ago; he was so feared that most wizards didn't even dare to speak his name. You will hear most people address him as 'You Know Who', or, in some cases, 'He Who Must Not Be Named'. With that being said, about twelve years ago, after Voldemort found out about a prophecy that concerned his defeat, he broke into the home of Lilly and James Potter and murdered them, then tried to murder their son, Harry. His killing curse backfired and reduced him to a shell of what he once was, and Harry Potter became famous for that tragic event; he is known as 'The Boy Who Lived', and you will recognize him if you ever see the lightning scar on his forehead. To make a long story short, Voldemort is back to full strength, and we need the help of experienced, battle-hardened demigods because it looks like he has decided to partner with an incredibly massive army of monsters. Mr. Cooper, I do not know how you fit into this, but I shall train you in the use of magic so that you will be prepared to take on Death Eaters, too."

"So," Percy asked, "what is our job, exactly? Is it to protect this Harry Potter?"

"Well," Dumbledore chuckled, "I would not be opposed to added protection for Harry if you chose to help us with that. But, I fear, we really need the best demigods to help us fight the monsters, and hopefully, as we work together, we can take down Voldemort for good."

"In that case, I'm in," Percy said.

There was a series of nods from the other demigods at the table.

"Excellent," Chiron exclaimed. "Now that we have our finest warriors taking on this mission, my part is done. I would suggest you start training Mr. Cooper as soon as possible, and Professor Dumbledore will train all of you in magic. I will collaborate with him to create you some official transfer papers once your training is complete, since that's going to be what will get you into Hogwarts. I guess a bit of good news for you guys is this is technically not a formal quest, and there is no complex prophecy to figure out. Good luck!"

With that, Chiron wheeled himself out of the Big House, leaving the rest of them to figure out the logistics of the upcoming training schedule. Calypso said that she would not be accompanying them, stating that by order of Hecate she needed to go to Olympus. Leo, while saddened at the prospect of her departure, understood, and she left not too long after Chiron.

"OK," Percy began, "how do you guys want to start training?"

"I believe that our main priority should be getting Mr. Cooper trained first," Dumbledore suggested. "If that works for you all, we can then move on to a comprehensive training schedule with magic, as I think that will take a while since we have tons of material to cover. The school year does not begin until September, but I would factor in a few days at minimum to get supplies, plus, we need to create papers for all of you, and I need to figure out how I can get Mr. Cooper involved. What do you guys think?"

"I trust your judgment, Professor," Annabeth replied thoughtfully. "My main concern would be how to divide training so that Mr. Cooper has the best results."

"Why don't we do it based off of our skills?" Nico asked. "Percy and I could teach him how to fight with a sword, Annabeth, Hazel, Piper, and Jason could work with him on close quarters combat and knife fighting, Frank, will, and Leo could work with him on archery and some basic tactics with explosives or whatever Leo thinks would fit him, and then at the end of each day we could all meet up and compare notes. That way, if we need to, we can focus on a specific area over another. We could also each take turns educating him on the different types of monsters and both Greek and Roman battle strategy; I think, and someone can correct me if I'm wrong, that we could even get him into Camp Jupiter and train him there as well."

"That is an excellent idea!" Piper said cheerily. "That would be pretty intense; Mr. Cooper, would you be up for it?"

"Absolutely," Bolan replied.

"Great! Dinner is in a couple hours; It's probably a good idea for us to do a skills test for Mr. Cooper, that way first thing tomorrow we can begin training. What do you all think?"

"I think," Annabeth started, winking at Percy, "that you finally had a good idea to share, Seaweed Brain!"

"Well thanks, Wise Girl! Mr. Cooper?"

"I am completely at your service, Mr. Jackson. What should we start with?"

Leaving the Big House, Bolan followed Annabeth, Hazel, Piper, and Jason for his first assessment. They walked for a bit, then stopped at a door in another building that turned out to be an armory. There were a lot of blades, and not much else, although the Executioner did spot a shotgun hanging on the back wall. Annabeth explained that the weapons were specifically designed to kill monsters with a material called Celestial Bronze, and Jason informed him that the Roman metal was called Imperial Gold. Bolan was then instructed to grab a practice knife from a smaller weapons box in the back corner, so after testing a few different sizes, he went with a well-balanced medium-sized dagger. The four demigods selected their practice weapons, then led him outside. Their knives were made to look as realistic as possible, but their blades were dull, which, in Bolan's case, didn't matter, since Celestial Bronze couldn't harm a mortal. The demigods, however, could be harmed, so for safety reasons, they chose to use dull knives until they were able to determine the soldier's skill level.

Bolan's years in combat had taught him to always be alert, even in situations where it was easy to drop his guard. He knew, more than most, how combat heightened senses and dulled others, and he learned when to trust his instincts. As he followed the four demigods to an open patch of grass, he saw Jason shift his weight to his right foot, preparing to attack. With surprising speed, he spun, charging the Executioner with his weapon raised. Immediately, Bolan dropped into a defensive stance and blocked the first attack. Their weapons flashed as Jason tried to get the upper hand, but for all his fighting skill, the Executioner was better, sparring the demigod to a draw in seconds. Both Annabeth and Piper charged forward, and Bolan was forced to make a split-second decision as his booted foot lashed out and kicked Piper's knife away. With the odds now one-to-one, Bolan blocked Annabeth's attack. He pretended to go low, his knife plunging toward her stomach, but she saw the trap and blocked the thrust. Bolan sparred her to a draw in a matter of seconds but knew that close quarters combat was easily one of her top skills. Clearly, that's what kept her alive when battling monsters. Well, it was that and her intelligence, the soldier thought as he looked around and spotted a couple of younger demigods he didn't know looking at him in amazement.

"Your life is full of combat, isn't it?" Piper asked as she retrieved her knife.

Bolan just nodded in reply, his mind flashing through countless battles he'd fought.

"Does it bother you?" Jason asked.

"No, I got over all the moral dilemmas long ago. I am a soldier, and I have a never-ending mission to protect the free world at all costs from those who would try and destroy it."

"But," Annabeth said with tears forming in her eyes, "how do you cope? Doesn't it ever get tiring? Some of us here have fought in two great wars, and I am one of them. All I want is a normal life, but this never seems to go away. I still have nightmares!"

"I'm so sorry to hear that," Bolan answered. "I can't imagine what you guys have been through, but as hard as it might be to think about it, if I were you, I would try and accept the possibility that you may never have a normal life. If you do, then by all means, embrace it. But if you are called on to fight, then you need to fight. No matter how many monsters you put in the ground, there will always be more. No matter how big of a threat you may face, there will always be a greater one. It's a never-ending war, and if it's a never-ending war, then warriors will always be needed."

"I really look forward to hearing more of your story," Hazel said. "I think we can call it a day until Percy and Nico come to get you. Thank the gods you're here!"

As Mack Bolan walked back to the Big House, his mind kept replaying Annabeth's words filled with so much sorrow and pain. He hoped that someday soon, her wish would be granted, and she would finally have a normal life free from the horrors of war.

Author's Note: That's it! Chapter two is done! Hope you enjoyed, and please leave a review! Oh, and by the way, just so everyone's aware, there are going to be some things in the next chapter that will be canonically inaccurate. Just go with it, as it may or may not continue throughout the story, but I wanted to warn everyone for the next chapter specifically. Anyway, thanks for stopping by and giving my work a read!