"Come on." Percy muttered after Mr. D dismissed Ryker. "Let's go to the armory. I might not be able to go with you, but I can still help you out."

Ryker followed mutely behind him with Jason and Piper following after him. Silver was still perched on his shoulder, enjoying the looks of astonishment that people were sending him. A quest, eh? The owl said contentedly. This sounds like fun.

No one asked you, bird. Ryker snarled. He winced when Silver nipped at his ear. Stop doing that!

No. Silver began to clean the feathers of his wing.

Percy led them to a large shack that had various weapons lined up on racks and stands outside of it. Various pieces of armor were strewn about on the ground, several had claw marks or dents in them. "You will need at least some kind of weapon." Jason told him. "Do you have any in particular that you want?"

"Where's my bow?" Ryker inquired, picking up a long leaf-bladed sword and immediately putting it back down. It felt wrong. "That would be my preference."

"Yeah… about that…" Piper winced and pouted. "I tried to pick it up after you disappeared but it crumbled away into nothing."

"I sort of figured that would happen." Ryker shrugged. He smiled at her to show that he wasn't upset in the least. Now that he was no longer a Guardian of the Forest he was fairly certain that the bow would have crumbled away even if he had been the one to pick it up. "I'll need one of yours then."

"We don't have any that are as big as the one you had." Percy said, disappearing within the shack. He reappeared a few moments later with a bow in each hand. He offered one to Ryker who gingerly accepted the weapon. He tested the draw weight and shook his head. He handed it back to Percy and tested the second one, shaking his head again. "These are the strongest bows we have." Percy remarked.

"They don't have enough draw weight." Ryker said disappointedly. "Besides, they're also kind of small."

"They're only small to someone who uses a bow as big as the one you had." Jason told him. "Do you just want to take one just to have one?"

"I wouldn't use it." Ryker said frankly. "It would only get me hurt if I tried to use a weapon I couldn't trust."

"Well, we can at least get you a sword." Percy disappeared inside the weapons room again, but this time Ryker followed him inside. "What kind of fighter are you? Do you prefer slashing or stabbing? And what kind of reach do you like?"

"These." Ryker said quietly, reaching forward and pulling two gloves off of the shelf. They were made out of some material that he couldn't identify and at the fingertips were several long blades of the same metal that all the weapons were made of. Some light brown metal. He pulled them on and immediately knew that he had chosen correctly. The clawed gloves felt like a natural extension of his arm.

Percy pursed his lips but he shrugged. "I guess to each their own." He said. "You would be the first to use them though. You have to get really close."

"From one extreme to another." Ryker murmured, pulling off the gloves and putting them in one of the pockets on his cargo pants. "From shooting them from far away to ripping them apart right in front of them."

"Here, take this too then." Percy pulled a dark leather duster off of a shelf and offered it to Ryker. "That coat is pretty much unbreakable. It will protect you from all poisons and venoms and it will give you a good amount of defense against any monster's claws or fangs."

And it will keep your talons from digging into my skin over and over again. Ryker muttered to Silver as he swung the coat on. "Thanks." He told Percy sincerely.

They exited the shack and Jason nodded approvingly at the coat. "Nice." He remarked. "No sword?"

Ryker pulled out the clawed gloves and showed them to Jason. "Not my style." He told them.

"So, when are you planning on leaving?" Piper inquired, looking up at the dark sky.

"Now." Ryker told them thoroughly surprising them. "The sooner I get this whole prophecy thing taken care of the sooner I can go back to my forest. Where is this Camp Jupiter at anyways?"

"It's in the west." Jason told him. "I don't think I can tell you exactly where though."

"Why not?" Ryker demanded.

"Because I can't remember." Jason said honestly. "Piper and I were just talking about it. It's like someone is blocking our memory. I think that the gods want you to find it on your own. You said that you were trained by Lupa, right?"

"Of course." Ryker nodded. "She taught me a great deal."

"See if you can find her again." Jason advised. "Without some sort of help you are never going to find the entrance to the Camp. It's too well hidden."

"Well, I'll see if I can track down the she-wolf again." Ryker promised. "I doubt I will be able to though. Lupa is one of the few people who knows the woods better than I do. If she doesn't want to be found I will never find her."

"Lupa will help you if she thinks you need it." Percy told him. "She'll show up. But if she doesn't you are going to need to find some other way to find Camp Jupiter. I wish I could help you more, but I can't remember where it's at either."

"Here, take this too." Piper offered him three glass vials filled with golden liquid. "It's nectar. If you get hurt, use this. It will heal everything up to mortal injuries."

"Thanks." Ryker set them in a different pocket than his gloves. "Anything else?"

"Be careful." Percy told him gravely.

"We beat the Titans and the Giants, but they aren't gone." Jason added. "They will know about this prophecy. They always do. They are going to want to stop you at all costs."

"Joy." Ryker groaned.

"Avoid any Amazon store that you come across." Piper added quickly. "Don't ask, just avoid them. Trust me. If you do have to go in one though, just… well you'll see."

The three exchanged a look and Ryker heaved a sigh. "Well, guess I'll be going then." He said resignedly. "Thanks for the advice and the stuff. I'll…. Well I guess we will see if I come back now won't we?"

"Be careful." They told him as one.

I'm going to need your eyes. Ryker told Silver as he turned and disappeared into the woods. Would you mind keeping an eye out for me? I feel like we are going to have a bit of trouble on this trip.

No problem. Silver flapped his wings twice and shot off into the night.

Ryker pulled on the clawed gloves and flexed his fingers, testing the fit. "Odd choice of weapon." Artemis remarked as she stepped out from behind a tree in the form of the young girl she had taken when Ryker had first met her.

I thought you were keeping an eye out! Ryker fumed at Silver.

I said I would look out. Silver agreed. I never said I would tell you what I saw.

Kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it? Ryker snapped irritably before turning his attention on Artemis. "They're my kind of weapon." He said defensively.

"Yes, I believe they are." Artemis said thoughtfully, leaning casually against the trunk of a tree. "Off on a prophecy are you? That must be a record. Arrive at camp and get set off on a prophecy the same day."

"I want you to know that I blame you entirely." Ryker told the goddess matter-of-factly. "If you hadn't pulled me out of my forest I wouldn't have to do this stupid prophecy anyway."

"That's not true." Artemis told him. "Prophecies are always fulfilled, no matter how far you run."

"Still blaming you." Ryker said stubbornly.

"I suppose to some degree I do deserve that." Artemis conceded. She strode forward and extended her hand. "Give me your hand. I would like to offer you at least some assistance in this matter."

Ryker cautiously extended his hand and Artemis took it in her own. She pressed a single finger in the center of his palm and a white hot flash of pain lanced down Ryker's arm. "What was that?" He demanded, examining his hand for signs of damage. The skin was undamaged but at the center of his palm where Artemis had pressed with her finger was a shimmering tattoo of a bow.

"That is my own bow." She told him. "If you are ever in need, simply assume the stance you would take when firing a physical bow. My bow will appear. Be wary, the weapons of a god are not to be taken lightly. Use it only in times of utmost need. It will take a considerable toll on your body using it even once. You will have twelve shots. After that my bow will return to me."

"Well… thanks." Ryker said awkwardly. "I appreciate it."

"You are welcome." Artemis told him. She held out her hand again and this time a silver backpack, identical to the ones the Hunters wore, appeared. She offered it to Ryker who accepted it and slung it over his shoulder. "You needed supplies. Inside you should find everything you might need."

"Why are you helping me?" Ryker inquired with genuine curiosity.

"Like I said, I suppose that your current situation is at least partly my fault." Artemis inclined her head and gazed up at the stars. "Also, you reminded me of someone I met a very long time ago. Someone I once considered a very dear friend, though our parentage was quite different. Helping you is my atonement for what I did to him."

"What was his name?" Ryker couldn't help himself.

"His name is Orion." Artemis told him. "He is the only one who has been able to keep with me whilst I hunt. We had always competed to see who the true greatest hunter was."

"Well it's neither of you." Ryker said confidently. "It's me."

"Is that a fact?" Artemis looked as though she was trying not to laugh. "Hm. Perhaps one day I will allow you the chance to claim that title. For now though, I must be off. Remember, do not use my bow unless absolutely necessary. There is a chance that it will reject you and simply kill you."

She faded away without another word leaving Ryker standing alone in the woods once more. "Orion, huh?" He muttered.