"So, this is it then?" Percy asked, leaning on the car that Leo had built to take them on their leg of the quest. The other eight demigods were assembled together in a loose circle, glancing to one another in silent concern.
"You guys be careful." Jason said seriously, looking to each of the group in turn. "Watch each other's backs and keep your head on a swivel. Whatever Tartarus throws at us, it won't be anything that we expect."
"Monsters, traps, freakish attempts to kill us." Leo counted the ideas off on his fingers. "Yeah, see, he kinda fell behind the curve on that one."
The group broke into nervous laughter and they quickly hugged and said their goodbyes. Frank and Hazel boarded a chariot that was attached to the foul-mouthed Arion, the horse stamping impatiently. "Since we can't really go much further West, I guess that we will have to see if Arion can run on water." Hazel explained to them. "Because I doubt we will get lucky enough for the chain we are looking for to be only a few dozen miles away. We'll start with Japan and then go from there."
"Be careful on the water." Leo cautioned. "I modified that chariot so that it is lightweight enough for you to float on water, and I even added a seriously wicked engine to it that can take you a few thousand miles if you need it, but it still has limits. If it takes a hard hit from a sea monster or something like that it won't last too long."
"Got it." Hazel said, nodding confidently.
"We'll make sure that it comes back to you." Frank told Leo with a smile. "In one piece I can't promise."
Leo had to stifle a groan as he thought about losing yet another creation he had poured his combustible soul into. He turned to Annabeth and Piper, both of whom had a Pegasus standing behind them. The winged horses were staring at Arion with interest. Arion seemed aware of this and was pointedly not looking at them in return, raising his head in a superior fashion instead. "You sure that you two want to take Pegasi instead of one of my babies?" Leo asked, the question having come up several times amongst their preparations. "Seriously, I could have two magical dirt bikes for you in like, an hour. Maybe two if you want some sweet body work on them."
"Pass." Piper said, smiling.
"It makes sense to take the Pegasi." Annabeth shrugged. "We can see more from the air and we only have to worry about the occasional venti or other air monster."
"Fine, fine." Leo said, turning his gaze to Will and Nico. "I'm guessing you two-."
"Shadow travel." Nico nodded, his hand in his boyfriend's. "With only Will and I, we can cover a lot of ground every day. And, since this chain will probably cast a shadow, I should be able to find it pretty easy."
"Suit yourselves." Leo shrugged.
The group lapsed into another awkward silence before Annabeth clapped her hands together loudly and mounted her Pegasus. "Time for us to get moving." Percy moved forward to stand by her horse and she leaned down, sharing a final kiss with her boyfriend. "You'd better make it back, Seaweed Brain." She told him sternly.
Percy said nothing, staring at her for a long moment. He thought back to what his father had told him and sighed. "You too Wise Girl." He said sincerely.
The first to leave was Nico and Will. Waving goodbye to the others, Nico stepped into the shadow caused by one of the Pegasi and vanished into thin air with Will going with him. Frank and Hazel were the next ones to go, stepping onto the chariot and taking a deep breath. Arion finished the pile of gold that Hazel had summoned for him and stamped his feet several times. "Okay, Arion!" Hazel said encouragingly. "Let's see how fast you really can run!"
The horse was gone a millisecond after she had finished her sentence, the wind from his departure actually causing Leo to stagger slightly. "That horse has some serious speed." He said, looking at the direction that they had gone and shaking his head. "I can't even see them."
"Arion is the fastest horse in the world." Piper reminded him, smiling. Jason stepped forward and Piper leaned down to kiss him on the lips before straightening up and gently pressing her heels against the side of her Pegasus. The mystical horse's wings extended to their full length and it shot into the air, climbing for altitude.
"Guess that's my cue." Annabeth said, following Piper's example and rocketing into the air. The three remaining demigods watched the girls go, not moving until they disappeared into the clouds.
"Our turn." Jason said, climbing into the car and taking a seat in the back. Leo had truly outdone himself with this one, the vehicle having all the amenities that a high end luxury car would have and a few that had not even been thought of until Leo had done something about it. "Hey Leo, what's this… trapdoor thing?"
"Oh, that is what made the car take so long." He explained. "I wasn't sure how much time we would be spending on the road, so I thought I would build a place we could sleep without worrying about a monster munching on us."
"Okay, but that doesn't explain what it is." Jason said, ducking out of Percy's line of sight to presumably inspect the trap door. A substantial amount of clanking and a low whistle by Jason followed soon after and Percy peered over the edge of the car, frowning. Jason had disappeared from the back, a hatch opened at the bottom of the car. As Percy watched Jason poked his head out of the hatch and shook his head. "You took one of the tents of the Hunters of Artemis, didn't you?" He asked Leo, grinning.
"Took, that's a good word." Leo said fairly. "But I did nothing. I had the Hermes cabin do it for me. After that it was a simple matter to take the enchantment from that and transfer it to my little trapdoor."
"That's sweet man!" Percy said, climbing into the front passenger side of the car. "But don't you think the Hunters are going to be upset when they realize that one of their tents are missing?"
"Probably." Leo admitted. "But they can't prove that I am the one who arranged to have it stolen, so, really, that seems like a 'them' problem to me."
Leo turned the car's ignition key and grinned wildly as the engine roared to life. "I haven't fully tested this yet." He admitted to Percy. Jason had disappeared into the trapdoor again, the hatch closed behind him. "I only had time to take it out for a single test spin, and I haven't tested any of the defense or weapons systems I installed."
"Well, never a better time to test them out than on the road." Percy said wisely.
"I like the way you think, Jackson." Leo said, slamming his foot down on the accelerator and launching the golden car forward. There was a dull thud from below the floor of the car and a stream of muted cursing drifted up to them from where Jason was at. "Okay, test number one results: turns out the car's momentum affects the tent. I wasn't sure it would, to be honest. Jason was a very effective guinea pig."
Percy laughed as they turned onto the highway and Leo really opened their machine up, passing by other cars so quickly that they were seemingly standing still.
In the trees of the camp, demigods clad in red stood silent. They watched as the last of the questing demigods departed and glanced between themselves. "It's time." Dante said, floating lightly down from where he stood on his branch. He touched down on the earth with barely a sound, the others watching him intently. His face was the picture of disgust and discontent, scowling miserably as he made his way to the outskirts of the camp. At his sides were his weapon of choice, two Imperial gold-lines chakrams that, somehow, always returned to their owner.
As expected, two Roman guards and two Greek scouts were there the moment he was within the camp's boundaries. "Who are you?" One Roman asked roughly, directing his spear at the newcomer.
Dante forced a smile, a cold one that never reached his eyes, and gently brushed the spear aside with one finger. "I am here to speak to your commanders." He said coolly. "On behalf of the demigods who have made their way alone in this world."
"Uh, what?" One of the Greeks asked, not following.
"What do you mean, demigods who made their way alone?" The other asked.
Dante's patience, which was admittedly fleeting at best, was wearing incredibly thin and he thought for a long moment about simply getting rid of these four obstacles and moving into the camp. He knew from his reconnaissance where the tent of the commanders were, and he was reasonably certain that he could get there without being detected. "I am sure that you are aware that not all demigods are found by the scouts you send out." He said, giving the diplomatic route one last try. His hands were already beginning to drift towards his chakrams, sizing up the sentries. "Well, those of us who were never found have formed our own little Hunt. We have come to offer our assistance against Tartarus."
"And how do you know about that?" One of the Romans, the one who had directed his spear at Dante, asked bluntly.
Dante pursed his lips, considering the exchange. He nodded once at his conclusion: he had attempted the diplomatic route for long enough. It was time that he either finished the conversation, his way, or they allowed him to pass. "I will gladly answer any and all questions that your commanders have for me, provided that it is them who answers them."
"I think you will answer any questions that we ask, first." One of the Greeks said, raising his sword.
The sword had barely moved when it abruptly stopped, the reason being the chakram that had inexplicably appeared at the offending Greek's throat. "I have been very patient." Dante said coolly. "Now, you will let me pass or I will be forced to make you."
"I hate to tell you this, but you are outnumbered." One of the Romans said, stepping back several feet and raising her spear. "I don't know who you are, but you are under arrest."
Dante rolled his eyes and raised the hand that was not holding the chakram to the Greek's throat. On cue, an arrow arced from the trees and smashed into the spear, neatly removing the spearhead. "Now, I think it best that you reconsider your statements." Dante said coolly, smiling with savage glee. "Next time the arrow might not miss."
Hello readers, I hope you have been enjoying Forgotten Prophecy. I thought I would have a bit of fun here, now that things have finally finished developing. If you would like an OC to be considered(for the Hunters of Artemis or the Hunters of Orion) please PM me and let me know. As always, your reviews are much appreciated.
Cheers, Hallowed
