Thanks to all the people who have reviewed. Please keep up the good work, your thoughts help alot.
The parking lot of the road house was crowed with motorcycles that reminded Nico of Ares' bike and massive eighteen wheelers. It seemed vehicles here were required to either have skull, flame, or confederate flag decals on them some where. Neon light from beer ads shone from the grimy windows of the building. Loud music and voices spilled out every time the door opened.
Nico glanced over at Kaie and raised an eyebrow. She grinned and walked into the roadhouse, leaving Nico to follow.
The large room was dark and packed. Scantily clad waitresses moved smoothly around beefy men clad in leather and plaid. Nico found himself annoyed when Kaie drew several appreciative looks from around the room as she moved towards the bar.
Kaie had already ordered a beer by the time Nico reached the bar. He tried to do the same but got carded. Kaie's laughter as he pulled out his wallet and proved he was legally twenty one was worth the trouble. Something he had hidden and since Bianca's death stirred deep in his gut.
"You sure know how to pick bars. First Mexico now this." Kaie sat down next to Nico as he spoke.
"Shut it. After this is all over I'll drag you somewhere really fancy and make you pay." She bit her lip as she grinned.
Nico couldn't stop himself from teasing. "So we're going to be friends after this escapade is over? I thought I was just a glorified parole officer." He put a hand on his chest in mock hurt as Kaie narrowed her eyes.
"Shut up Death Breath."
"See. That's the type of thing that makes me think you don't like me."
"Shut up or I will make you shut up." Kaie told him playfully.
"Really? Nico's interest was piqued. "And how exactly would you do that?"
Kaie opened her mouth to respond but was interrupted. A severely overweight and sweaty trucker and two of his friends had come up on her other side. "Why don'tcha leave the kid and come with us beautiful?" His words were slurred. He was obviously drunk but Nico realized he didn't care. All Chiron's warnings about not using demigod abilities on regular mortals flew from his head.
He started to stand but Kaie pushed him back down onto the bar stool before turning her attention to the other men. "Walk away now while you can or your friends will be carrying you away." Her voice held the same age and emotionless quality from when they were on Olympus.
The man started to respond but was interrupted by a loud rumbling. So loud it echoed over the pounding music and shook the building's windows. Silence fell as people looked around in confusion.
"The sky was clear when we came in right?" Nico nodded at Kaie's question and stood.
"So its not thunder."
"Probably not."
"Di immortales." Kaie cussed and stood before walking towards the door as a second rumble echoed, followed by the nervous murmurs of the mortals. The mortals seemed to sense that something was wrong, they watched nervously as Kaie pulled back dusty wooden blinds to glance out into the dark night.
"Get Down!" In an instant, she spun and pushed the people closest to her against the floor. Nico dropped on instinct as a boulder of ice, the size of a Mini Cooper crashed through the front of the building, taking out the door and part of the wall.
Chaos erupted as people panicked, stampeding as they tried to find a way out. Shadowy figures walked towards the hole in the wall, laughing.
Kaie walked backwards slowly from the hole. Flipping over tables, chairs, and pool tables as she moved to create a rudimentary barricade to slow the monsters down. The silver on her left arm glowed slightly and Nico could see the effort it took on her face.
A few seconds later, she was crouched next to him behind a pool table. The design on her arm still glowed, the dim light showing that it was outlined in blood. He raised an eyebrow but Kaie simply shrugged noncommittally.
Frost spread across the floor, coating anything it touched. "Hyperbolean Giants." The words were accompanied by white mist as the air temperature dropped.
"We need to keep them distracted and away from the people." Nico nodded as he pulled out his sword hilt and activated the gem, allowing the blade to fold out. Some of the crowd had gotten out the back and through a broken window but more than two dozen people were huddled behind various tables and the bar. Keeping them safe was the immediate priority.
"Gray Lady." A harsh voice echoed in the quiet.
"Now's not a good time. Come back later!" Nico couldn't help but laugh at Kaie's response. He immediately stopped though when the giant did the same. All humor in the situation was gone instantly.
"Come with us now and we will spare these mortals." Nico saw a calculating look in Kaie's eyes before she responded to the giants. She seemed to know what she was doing.
She half stood so her head was visible over the top of the flipped poor table. "Really?" She dropped backwards, flat against the ground when a chunk of ice the size of a cannonball flew threw the air her head has just occupied.
"I find that really hard to believe when stuff like that happens." She waved a hand in Nico's face silently as she spoke. "Mind repeating that offer?" Gesturing quickly for him to go left before counting down from five with her fingers.
They moved instinctively. Kaie jumped over the pool table, pushing off of it and landing on the first giant's shoulders. Nico slid under his panicked attack and hamstrung him. Kaie stabbed him in the back as he fell forward, rolling away as he dissolved into golden dust. The whole thing took only a few seconds.
Four more stood in the doorway, their grins disappearing quickly.
"Even split or double team?" Nico glanced at Kaie in the split second they had as before the giants attacked.
"Double team." Kaie jumped sideways as a six foot club swung towards her, shattering the floor as it hit. She pushed off the bar and aimed used the momentum to lunge for the giant's eyes. While it was distracted, Nico lunged under the swing and stabbed upwards. Two down, three to go.
A moment later, Kaie was crouched on top of the bar, her breath coming out in white clouds. Nico was a few feet away breathing just as hard. They moved together, not needing words to know what the other was thinking here.
Kaie went low this time, shattering a knee cap while Nico moved sideways, slicing sideways. He spun under an attack from another giant as the third exploded into dust and stabbed it in the foot. While it was distracted, Kaie jumped on its back and sliced its throat.
The final giant stood in the hole in the wall, looking much more unsure of itself. Kaie smiled cruelly at it. "You have five seconds to turn around and walk away." It spun on its heel and raced away. Kaie half expected to see a cloud of dust like in the cartoons.
"Why the hell did you let it go?" Nico's furious voice broke the instant of silence.
"We can follow it."
"How!" He threw his hands up, exasperated.
"You can sense auras remember?"
"Oh." Nico watched the giant race away, opening himself to the auras around him. After searching through the dozens of mortal ones, he found the giant's. Sure enough, he could follow it easily.
Kaie glanced back at the mortals who were beginning to move out from where they had hidden. One of them, an older man who looked like a trailer park Santa Claus pointed a rifle at them. Nico hadn't noticed yet, still focused on the giant running into the distance. "You're like them. Monsters"His fearful voice was shaky as he formed the words. His finger spasmed and a gunshot echoed in the cold air.
Bad news. I'm going into the hospital for an operation and will be there for several days. Unfortunately, that means I'm not going to be able to update the story till the end of the week. I'm sorry for the delay but stay with the story, I promise the wait will be worth it.