The Romans seemed somewhat in a daze immediately following Mars's sudden disappearance. Reyna was the first to get slowly to her feet. She gazed with mild disbelief at Ryker who was examining his Mars-touched-palm with interest. The others slowly got to their feet as well, all of them now looking at Ryker with something that resembled awe. Even Silver seemed slightly stunned. She picked her way across the clearing and grabbed the hand that Mars had touched, examining the flaming spear mark that the god had left behind. "What did he tell you?" She asked finally, dropping his hand.

"I'd rather not say it more than once." Ryker told her. He nodded to Reyna who seemed to wake up from her daze and resumed her brisk manner.

"Mars himself has appeared before us and offered this Greek demigod his own blessing." Reyna declared. "He has marked him with the brand of the legion. As directed, we will offer him all the help we can on his quest."

The assembled Romans, with the exception of a few grumbles in the crowd, seemed to accept Reyna's words and began to disperse. Reyna strode over to Ryker and offered him her hand. "I am sorry," She told him. "That I had to put you through that. Is your back alright?"

Ryker rolled his shoulders and nodded. "Yeah, good as new." He said, "Whatever that big guy with the spear poured on me it healed the cuts. No harm done. Did you want me to tell you what he said?"

"If you wouldn't mind." Reyna nodded.

Frank and Hazel joined them in the center of the field. Ryker couldn't help but notice that Frank seemed rather pale. "So, guess you met my old man?" He asked Ryker glumly. "At least you met Mars instead of Ares. Mars at least is kind of cool. Ares is just a jerk."

"Haven't met him." Ryker said. "I've met five gods now, but he hasn't been one of them."

"Five?!" Hazel repeated, her mouth dropping open in shock.

"Well, four if you don't count my mother." Ryker nodded. "But yes. I just met Venus inside Reyna's tent."

They looked to the Praetor for confirmation and Reyna gave an uneasy nod. "It's true." She sighed. "Come on, let's head back to my office. I expect that whatever Mars told you will have something to do with my missing legionnaires."

"It does." Ryker nodded. "Also, can I get my bag back? It was a gift from Artemis. And it has my weapons in it."

"Speaking of weapons, what did Mars mean when he said you fought like a beast?" Hazel asked.

"I expect that he meant exactly what he said." A quiet voice came from the shadows of a banner from their right as they passed by it. Ryker raised an eyebrow in surprise when a young and very pale demigod with hair the color of midnight simply emerged from the shadows. "Mars does not mince words."

"Nico!" Hazel said happily, throwing an arm around the newcomer and planting a kiss on his cheek. "You should have told me that you were stopping by! I thought you were back at Camp Half-Blood spending some time with Will,-."

"I was, I was." Nico said, his pale cheeks gaining some color as he blushed. "But Chiron asked me to check up on the Underworld to see if any of the missing demigods had shown up there. None have by the way. When I get back Will told me how some new demigod had shown up, killed a lamia, and got sent off on a quest. Since Jason is busy building a temple at Camp Half-Blood and I'm sort of an ambassador between the camps, I thought it might be alright if I stopped by."

"Of course it is!" Reyna smiled at him and wrapped him in a tight hug. "You know you always have a home here, whenever you want it."

Nico shuffled his feet, embarrassed, but Ryker could feel the joy that seemed to roll off the pale boy in waves. "Yes, well… Like I said I came to meet him." He looked Ryker over and his eyes narrowed. The son of Hades examined Ryker as he walked a circle around him. "That wound on your throat… When did you get it?" Nico asked.

"A few years ago." Ryker touched a hand to the top of the cut that ran from his throat to his navel. "Why? Something wrong? Come to take me back to the Underworld son of Hades?"

Nico blinked and frowned, but it was Hazel who asked the question; "How did you know he was a son of Hades? Have you met one before?"

"No, he smells like death." Ryker told them, tapping the side of his nose with one finger. "Death has… a very distinctive scent."

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you." Nico sighed as though he had heard this many times before.

Everyone seemed shocked when Ryker patted Nico on the head awkwardly. "I don't fear death." He told the young demigod. Ryker, who had been raised to trust his instincts, was very hyperaware of other people's thought and emotions. He could not read minds, but he could tell enough off of body language to understand what an animal was doing. It had saved his life more times than he could count. He could tell that Nico had gone through a great ordeal of pain in his young life, far too much than anyone had a right to.

Ryker blinked and removed his hand from Nico's head. The reassuring gesture was not like him at all. Even the nymphs and dryads of the forest had scarce managed to pull a smile or laugh out of him. But seeing someone like Nico who had clearly gone through so much seemed to agitate Ryker's protective instincts. "Everyone fears death." Nico told him confidently, somewhat thrown by his pat on the head. "That's just human nature."

Ryker simply smiled in response. It was a smile devoid of any warmth. The group stood there awkwardly before Reyna cleared her throat loudly. "Well then, let's go shall we?"

They walked silently into Reyna's office, her metal dogs rising from where they had been sitting to greet their master. Reyna shooed them away and leaned against her desk, her arms crossed. "Would you mind telling us what Mars said now?" She asked Ryker.

Ryker quickly repeated what the god had told him while the other listened intently. When he finished they all seemed to be considering the god's words. "Well, to hear that they are alive is good news at the very least." She offered.

"I just told you that." Nico said sourly, scowling at the Praetor.

"It always helps to get multiple opinions."

"Next time you go to the Underworld." Nico shot back.

"So the gods want you to be the one who figures out what's going on?" Frank asked uncertainly. "That's not going to be very easy. We've been trying to catch whatever it is for weeks now and we haven't even seen them."

"Probably because you aren't used to hunting something as smart as yourself." Ryker told him. "Whatever is taking these campers, it doesn't want to be caught. It's smart. Reyna told me that all the campers that have been taken were vital parts of your legion."

"It sounds like you have a plan." Silver noted. She began to examine her arms with mild interest, almost as though she wished she had feathers to preen. "Unless, of course, you have developed a propensity for stating the obvious."

"I like her." Thalia declared, smiling at Silver. "You would make a good Hunter. Ever think about joining up?"

"No one asked you." Nico snarled. Ryker caught the look of tension and anger that Nico and Thalia shared before they both looked away from one another. There was bad blood there, of that much he was very certain.

"At any rate," Reyna said, bringing attention back to the matter at hand. "Yes, every one of the Roman legionnaires who have been taken have been upstanding members of the camp. I assume that it is the same with the Greek camp?"

"That's right." Annabeth nodded grimly. "On top of that it doesn't look like they are going after just the major gods either. A child of Hypnos was taken just two weeks ago. Like I said, it seems like they are going for campers and legionnaires who are well known."

"We've tried to bait them out." Frank told Ryker. "We had some of our more distinguished soldiers on guard duty one night with a few dozen watching them from a hidden spot a few hundred feet away, but nothing."

"Of course not." Ryker snorted. "Any hunter would be able to sense a trap like that from a mile away. No, you won't catch him."

"Then what would you have us do?" Reyna asked. "Let our campers be taken one by one until whatever plan they abductors have comes to fruition?"

"No, but it would make my job a lot easier." Ryker sighed. "Just keep things going like they are now. Don't act like anything is different. As far as you know nothing will be. Like Silver said, I have an idea. I'm not sure how well it's going to work but we will see."

"Are you going to tell us what your plan is?" Hazel demanded. "Because I would really like to know."

"I am not." Ryker told her. "You would just get in my way. The sooner I wrap this up the sooner I can leave."

"What do you mean 'leave'?" Reyna asked. "The gods have issued you a quest, you must see it done."

"They told me to find out whoever it was that is taking your people." Ryker corrected, deliberately forgetting the prophecy. "Once I find that out I'm leaving. For now though, I'm here. Did you have any plans for tonight? Anything big?"

"Just a game of capture the flag, right?" Annabeth asked Reyna.

The praetor nodding in confirmation. "Yes." She examined Ryker through narrowed eyes as though she could not figure him out. Perhaps she couldn't. "Are you going to participate?"

Ryker glared at Thalia. The Hunter blinked but grinned back at him and winked. "Aw, come on." She cooed at him maddeningly. "You aren't still angry at that are you?"

"Yes." He snarled. He reached into his bag, which had been brought back to him by one of Reyna's dogs, and pulled out his claws. "I'll tear you apart for dragging me into all of this."

The others took a wary step back. All except for Nico who rolled his eyes and chuckled darkly. "I think I know what Mars said when he said 'more like a beast'." He commented airily.

"Yeah, no kidding." Frank muttered, still watching Ryker warily even as he stowed the claws back in his bag. "But I don't like the way my dad said he was giving you a blessing and a curse. That never turns out well."

"First time for everything." Silver told him loftily, her gray eyes sparkling with delight. "This is more fun than I have had in such a long time."

"Glad you are enjoying yourself." Ryker said dryly, glaring at the owl-woman.

"Thanks. You too."

"I'm not enjoying myself." Ryker answered.

"As much as I enjoy this conversation, I have other things to get to. Frank I'm sure that you do as well." Reyna told him. "Actually, I needed to discuss the Second Cohort with you. Oh! Speaking of cohorts, Ryker you need to join a cohort. I don't suppose you have any letters of recommendation? No? Of course not, that would be too simple. I don't suppose you have a preference."

"Does not joining one count?" He wondered. "I would prefer not to join one. Like I said, I'm not staying. I know that Lupa taught all of you to rely on the pack for strength, but that's not the lesson she gave me."

"You've spent time with Lupa?" Frank's surprise could not have been plainer on his face.

"I thought Lupa brought everyone she trains here, or at least shows them the way?" Nico wondered aloud.

"She does." Hazel said, just as lost as the others.

"Lupa does what she thinks is best for each demigod." Reyna said uncertainly. "But I've never heard of her letting a demigod return to the wild. At any rate, Ryker, you have to join a cohort if only just for show."

"Why not see how each of the cohorts fight tonight?" Frank suggested. "They will all be participating. You can see which one you like best from there."

"Fine, but I'm playing too." Ryker warned, shooting another glare to Thalia. "I have a debt to settle."