This is probably the longest chapter for the Secret Army I've written so far. See what happens when my mind isn't reined in? If you still can't see it, My mind goes completely wild and comes up with page upon page of words. And because of that, I'm sorry for getting this up a little later than what I had planned. You can all blame my wild mind for that.

Now you may or may not see any updates soon (I'm not sure) because I have not long finished my first edit of the book I am planning on publishing and will probably spend most of my time fixing up those edits. In the mean time, know that I do have something in my mind planned for the next chapter. Hope you all enjoy this chapter and I really hope you will let me know what you think about this story.

Poena Est Lex Iustitiae

It had never occurred to Fisk how far away Gaea's camp was to their own camp until they were returning home. By the time they had reached the Hidden Gates, she had counted six days since the explosion. And each day that passed seemed to be longer than the last. It almost felt like eternity was fast closing in on them with news of Flame, Shiba and her father.

Her mother was having a bad time of it, too. Everyday Kara shed silent tears over their missing pack members. And the second someone even mentioned her mate's name, she broke down all together regardless of anything. Just watching her was making Fisk's insides twist and turn like something in a washing machine.

But Kara wasn't the only one to worry. Kaige was always checking behind her as well; looking over her shoulder in search of Flame. It was no secret that the two had a thing going for each other. But the only problem was that as each day passed, her searches grew less and less. It was almost like Kaige was starting to accept the fact that she may never see Flame again.

With a sigh that didn't know if it was relieved or worried, the young grey wolf turned to face Aron. The old man had led the entire pack back to the relative safety of the Secret Army's underground passages, leading them on through even the darkest patches which usually turned non-soldiers back the way they had come.

At that moment, he was briefing the escapees on what life was like just beyond the Third Gate that the pack stood in front of. So far, he had explained that the CSA was basically a hidden village with an army instead of a mayor, and that the CSA did the majority of works in order to sustain all life within its barriers. Now he was explaining something about how there was more than one compound throughout the entire country.

Of course, Fisk merely tuned it out, thinking about what everyone – including her other friends – would think of them once the gates were opened. Just the thought of it was enough to send a chill down spine. Only this particular shiver felt more like a bucket of ice cold water than a cold wind and she ended up having to shake herself to try and get rid of the feeling.

What she didn't count on, however, was the soft touch of Coon as he tried to comfort her. To be completely honest, he was thinking the exact same thing when it came to thinking about how others were going to act. But in a way, he was also trying to tell her that the pack was continuing on into the Compound.

Fisk had been so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't even realise when Aron had stopped talking and given the code through the gates. She only realised when the doors started opening to the familiar sound of hot metal being hammered to the right of the entrance.

" Don't worry, Chloe. I'm sure everything's going to be fine." Coon whispered in her ear.

" I'm not sure, Jacob. I'm just… not sure." She replied.

" Well, I'll just have to be sure for the both of us."

The orange tiger wolf spoke with a wink and a smile, but even that smile had disappeared once the doors of the Third Gate completed their path and showed the sea of busy soldiers of various size, shape, age and background. And most of them were looking right at them, some with weapons drawn but all with hard faces. But none scared the pack more than the wolf standing in golden armour and the palomino centaur standing next to her.

" Whitewater Wolf Pack, you are to meet with the Elders immediately in the Base Headquarters. And they want you to bring the humans. General Bowen will be there." With her message received, the wolf hurried back into the depths of the crowd.

" If you would follow me." The centaur added.

And that was when Fisk noticed her mother stiffen. She knew her mother was a proud wolf – she had gained some of that pride herself – so it didn't really come as a surprise when the silver wolf took a shaky step in front of the wolf pack with her tail slightly raised.

" We do not need to follow anyone." The alpha said with a slight growl in her voice. " We know perfectly well where we are going."

" I'm sure you do, but at this point in time, it is not your place to go against orders. General Bowen himself ordered you escorted to Headquarters. I would not think you would go against his orders twice in a row."

To say Kara wasn't pleased would be an understatement. Not only did the Alpha have to be pinned down from leaping at the centaur, but she also had people telling her to calm down. The only thing that stopped her was a sharp kick in her stomach courtesy of her unborn pups. Apparently even they thought that she attacking the centaur was not a wise decision.

With a sigh, Kara relented and reluctantly allowed the centaur to lead her pack to Headquarters; a glare constantly focussed on the palomino's centaur's back. It wasn't long after they began moving that the doors of the Third Gate were closed and five more members of the Guard arrived to surround the pack. One of new additions was a young male pinto centaur while the other four were mounted soldiers.

As soon as the Third Gate was once more closed tightly, the new arrivals swiftly and silently fell into position with the pinto centaur directly behind the wolf pack and the four mounted soldiers on either side of the group. The palomino centaur didn't even stop to let them get in position. He just continued on lead the group towards the centre of the camp.

And with each step taken, silence seemed to further its reign over the Secret Army.

It was that quiet that it seemed almost like it was going to choke the pack. Heads turned as they were escorted down the street; most of the hard faces remained unreadable while others - mainly younger members - either sported worried looks or were hiding smirks. The forges fell silent as they made their way past. Even the animals seemed to fall silent.

Well, all except one.

Over in the dragon's den, amidst all the heavy silence, the sound of large, heavy chains straining to keep something at bay was easily distinguishable. And, as usual, the roars of anger were not far off in accompanying them. Not to mention the fact that no one seemed to want to even acknowledge the sounds. To be honest, the only ones that were startled by the sudden noise were the arriving escapees and Mutt. In fact, Mutt was nearly the cause of another accident when she morphed into a wolf and nearly jumped onto the back of one of the mounted soldiers in fright.

" What was that?" Katie asked as she clung to Travis and Connor for dear life, the latter trying to figure out why she was clinging to him.

" That would be the sound of an angry dragon." The palomino centaur deadpanned like it was that obvious.

" And not just any angry dragon, a feral dragon." Fisk found herself explaining. " And if that's who I think it is, then you're going to have to learn how to deal with his temper tantrums."

" What do you mean?" Will asked.

" I can only tell you what I know, but I was told that Ripokorpus was hatched in another of our HQ bases. Something happened over there to make him run off, though, and he disappeared. He was found about a month after Kronos' defeat as a practically wild dragon and brought here as a last chance for him. If the dragon keepers can't tame him again…"

There was a few minutes of silence before someone asked, " Why don't I like the sound of that?"

" I don't know." Connor replied, looking down at his strangled hand. " What I do know is that Katie Gardner is much stronger than she looks – especially for a Demeter child. Will, as soon as she lets go, I'm getting you to have a look at my hand."

" If you wanted me to let go, you could have just asked." Katie grumbled as she released Connor's hand and practically glued herself to Travis' arm.

Almost immediately, Connor began making sure that his hand wasn't too badly injured. And, true to his word, he got Will to check it out. That, however, included shoving the injured limb into the son of Apollo's face.

Unfortunately for Will, he was too busy trying to figure out if he was seeing things or not. Amongst the seemingly frozen forms of the onlookers that surrounded him, He could have sworn that he had seen two very familiar figures dash across the path in front of him. And both of them looked very similar to two of his supposedly dead half-brothers… one of them even looked suspiciously like Michael Yew.

But before anyone could say or answer any questions that were possibly forming, the group neared the Mess Hall and the Headquarters building. Fisk and Coon – both of whom were in their wolf forms – were easily able to pick out the sugary scent of their favourite drink being made for one of the CSA children… and it was making their mouths water. It had been ages since they had tasted something sweet and sugary and already they were beginning to grave the drops of Kool-Aid.

However, it seemed no one had noticed – or else realised – the slow but sure disappearance of Dakota as he began edging his way towards the Mess Hall. Just the slightest change in the air and the boy had been able to detect his 'life line' instantly. And the fact that he was a son of Bacchus probably didn't help. All he knew – and the look in his eyes emphasised this – was that if he didn't get Kool-Aid soon, he was going to fight for even a drop of the stuff.

" And where do you think you're going?" One of the mounted soldiers demanded of the son of Bacchus, the only one to have noticed Dakota's slow escape.

" I was just… um... going to – I mean…" The boy stuttered, obviously not believing that he had been caught. " I need Kool-Aid!"

By this time, Dakota had managed to gain everyone's attention. The majority of the onlookers were just as curious about what he was going on about as the guy who had caught him. But there was a small handful of escapees who knew what was going on. Hank – one of the escapees from the Grotto – was silently shaking his head while Laurel was looking from Dakota to the Mess Hall and back, allowing herself to sigh when she looked into Dakota's eyes. But it was one of the other Grotto inmates that bothered to say anything.

" You have got to be kidding me. Have you become that addicted to the stuff that you can sense when it's nearby now?" Latoiya Bernfeld, daughter of the Roman goddess Angerona, practically screamed out in incredulity. " I'm actually surprised you made it this long without any."

" What is this beverage you are referring to, Demigod?" the palomino centaur all but demanded.

" Dakota's lifelong obsession; Kool-Aid. Didn't you hear him scream it out earlier? By the way, you people wouldn't happen to stock the stuff, would you?"

" Mostly for the younger generations, yes."

" Well, hopefully you haven't rationed the stuff considering this looks more like an army camp than anything else."

" What do you mean?" Were the words that came out of the clearly lying centaur next.

It was Dakota who replied with a slight twitch of his eye, repeating what he had previously said. " I need Kool-Aid! Red Kool-Aid. With extra sugar."

" We are going straight to Headquarters! No detours!"

The resulting argument over what was going to happen wasn't that pretty. Dakota, as deranged as he was at that moment, managed to succeed in disarming the nearest soldier and was holding the sword up in preparation to fight. And the palomino centaur gladly replied to the challenge. The two of them were beginning to circle each other in an attempt to assess the other's power.

In the end, the decision fell to Kara and she ordered one of the soldiers to get a cup of red Kool-Aid for the son of Bacchus. When Dakota heard this, he instantly stopped circling and turned to retreating black varnish appaloosa.

" Remember three extra spoons of sugar!" He called out as his eyes shone happily.

All the centaur could do was sigh with defeat and order Dakota to give the stolen weapon back to its owner. But, unfortunately, the wait for the drink seemed like agony. In reality, it had taken five minutes – more or less – for the group to reach Headquarters. But with Dakota moaning about not yet having his Kool-Aid, it felt like it took years to get there. Thankfully the drink arrived by the time they were at the doors to the building.

The next problem, however, came when Dakota skulled down every last drop the second his hand touched the plastic cup. Usually the drink wouldn't affect him right away. But he had gone cold turkey for so long that the other inmates from Gaea's labour camp had noted that he had started to go crazy. And the second the red liquid touched his tongue, it was almost like he was craze-free. Unfortunately, that meant that he was once again 'drunk'.

Now it was just a matter of getting the son of Bacchus into the building… and that was proving harder than expected. Everyone tried everything from pushing to pulling. There were even suggestions of knocking him unconscious (courtesy of Hank). But nothing worked. Somehow Dakota managed to bypass any and all attempts at getting him into the CSA Headquarters, managing instead to steer himself towards the Mess Hall.

Eventually the palomino centaur somehow managed to haul the boy onto his back, clearly displeased about having to do it in the first place. He also had to hand all of the weapons he carried to the young pinto centaur so that the son of Bacchus couldn't get to them. The reason for this was because the last time he and his weapons were around a drunk child of the wine god, he had suffered badly for it; the large scar on his back was proof. And the old centaur did not trust Dakota one bit.

Finally the mounted soldiers were dismissed from their current duty with a few stern words. The younger centaur, however, remained behind the group at all times. Yet it was with a terse word about silence unless spoken to, the palomino led the group into Headquarters; a stiffness in his walk that clearly stated both his discomfort and his high position in ranks.

The central room of the Headquarters was full of desks and typewriters. Most of the walls were surrounded by filing cabinets of varying shapes and sizes. The only wall that didn't have any filing cabinets had instead a set of stairs leading both up into the dome on the roof and down into the archives centre. To both the far left and far right of the entrance were two hallways that lead to what could only be meeting rooms.

But that wasn't what caught the escapees' attentions. What did were the numerous soldiers that were in the building: there was no other name for them. Soldiers stood around the room with hands on either golden or bronze weapons. Others were sitting at desks working like normal office workers… except those desks had guns, maces, swords, daggers and bows and arrows attached to their sides.

And humans weren't the only species present in Headquarters. Standing on either side of the gate leading to the stairs were a pair of soldiers with two guard dogs each. And sitting to the side of the hallway entrances on both sides of the room were two wolf morphers in the same golden armour as the one who had been waiting for the Whitewater wolf pack by Third Gate.

It was only as the group's eyes found the two headed dog (which looked more like a Dalmatian than anything else) on the other side of the room that they realised that the building had two entrances. And the sleeping black bear on their side of the room was starting to freak out the escapees a little.

Who in their right mind would want to keep such an array of dangerous animals and weapons so easily visible and unguarded?

" Welcome to the Secret Army Headquarters. This is where most of the American work is done. That is, everything concerning the American nation." The palomino centaur said, finally speaking in a tone which didn't sound like he hated everything in the world. " Downstairs is the Archive centre and only authorised personnel are allowed past the gates. There are thousands of years' worth of records down there to look after, you see. And upstairs is the Control Centre, also known as Command Unit 529-77483-H2LO7-B3. Again authorised personnel only. We are going to one of the meeting rooms; specifically the Morphers Courtroom – so I suggest you stay with me and don't bother anyone! That includes touching things."

Realising that they had been caught in the act, the Stoll brothers moved away from the sleeping bear that they had decided to torment. Katie, however, made sure that they never left her sight after that; trying to make the two understand the meaning of the saying 'let sleeping dogs lie' despite her words reaching deaf ears.

Instead, the brothers were glancing at each other and using what they liked to call 'Hermes code' to converse with each other. And the one thing on their minds, as they were forced to follow the palomino centaur, was that this centaur was possibly even better than Chiron. What everyone failed to notice, however, was the once sleeping black bear raise its head and watch the group leave the Central Chamber.

Unfortunately, with each step that the wolf pack took towards the Morphers Courtroom, the more visibly tense they all became. And the look that the left wolf messenger gave the escorted group seemed to unnerve them even more. In fact, by the time they had entered the hallway, Caro's fear had gotten the better of him and he had managed to distance himself from the rest of the pack; his mind not only on what was currently happening, but also what was going to happen.

In silence, the centaurs escorted the group into the second of the two rooms in the hall. Each one of the wolves – as if by some unspoken order – morphed into their animal forms if they weren't already wolf. Coon even had his eyes closed to keep himself from whimpering despite nearly walking into Ice because of it. But to the escapees, it looked like an ordinary courtroom.

The room was longer than it was wide, and it didn't look like there was any solid form of seating for non-morphers. And walking down to the front of the room seemed – to all of them – like walking to the gates of eternity. Goosebumps could even be seen forming on the CSA escapees as they got closer and closer to the end of the hall. The reason for this, as the others discovered, was because of the man sitting at the front of the room.

He was an old man with a patch over one of his eyes, a cane by his side and decorated with medals of war on his chest… and his blue gaze was as cold as the podium he sat on. An air of strong will and power seemed to surround him even more than it did his four wolf companions. In front of him, a desk had been placed with pens and numerous papers and files covering it; possibly telling him everything he needed to know about the wolf pack and the escapees they had brought with them.

As the group continued to near the front of the room, his voice boomed though it like he held a megaphone to his mouth. " General Paixon, I do hope you will provide seating arrangements for our non-morpher guests. They have had a rough time since the fall of the seven and I do not wish to make them suffer for much longer."

" Of course not, General Bowen. Seating arrangements are currently on their way." The palomino centaur replied with a salute before turning to his young companion with a silent nod.

Within moments, the young pinto centaur was gone and back with chairs for the escapees. But until he was back, the escapees still had to stand behind the wolves… including a still slightly drunk Dakota who ended up having to lean on Hank after he was almost kicked off General Paixon's back. Once the chairs had arrived and everyone was comfortable, however, both centaurs were given orders to guard the door.

That meant that court was now in session.

" It was been previously agreed that the escapees of Gaea's Labour Camp be tended to first before judgement is given by the Wolf Pack Elders." General Bowen started, taking a pen in hand. " Start from left to right and give me your name, gender, where your came from and – if you're a demigod – who your godly parent is. Come now, don't be shy. This is just so we know who you are and can sort things out accordingly."

Of course, the first person had to be Dakota, but with a little help from Hank (who was practically forced to sit next to him thanks to earlier predicaments) the son of Bacchus had his details taken down. After that, things went by more smoothly than one would expect. Even the Stoll brothers were paying attention to what was going on. When it was all done, however, Melissa Tamworth stood from her chair and spoke up.

" General Bowen, Sir, I would like to report that there was one other escapee amongst us." She said as confidently as she could despite her memories and task. " He was Octavian Abrami, descendant of the Lord Apollo and augur of Camp Jupiter. Unfortunately, while escaping from the vicinity of the prison area known as the Grotto, the building exploded and his life was lost. He is the only know casualty from the explosion."

" Such dark news you bring, Ms Tamworth. I had hoped to have both the Roman augur and the Greek oracle of Delphi safely within the walls of the Secret Army. Alas it was not meant to be." The General sighed. " Now we must look away from that for the moment and focus more on what is now. Demigods of Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter, I am afraid that I have been a bad host up until now. My name is General Aiden Bowen and I command the Secret Army of America and all of its bases. In fact, as we speak, my soldiers continue to search for a way to aid the prophesied seven heroes find a way to defeat Gaea and return the Olympian gods to their rightful thrones. Soon, you shall join them in protecting the magical and non-magical worlds beside them, but first you will be taken to our Base Hospital where you shall receive the best medical care and treatment we have. But for now, you must wait until this meeting is over for that to happen. Wolf Elders, you now have the floor."

" Thank you, General." The Senior Elder replied.

" Hey look! That dog has no tail!" Dakota called out in his drunken state.

It was so sudden and out of left field that nobody had the change to clasp their hand over Dakota's mouth to stop him from saying it. And there were mixed reactions from all.

First off, the entire Whitewater wolf pack cringed at the obvious (but not intended) disrespect to their elder while the rest of the escapees all hurried to silence the boy. General Bowen merely pinched the bridge of his nose. And finally, three out of the four wolf elders raised their tails and growled at the son of Bacchus.

" Who gave the son of Bacchus alcohol?" The General sighed.

" It's not alcohol, Sir." Mark Atkins replied, sporting absolute embarrassment on his face. " It's red Kool-Aid with extra sugar. As soon as he found out we stocked the stuff, he went on strike and demanded some, even going as far as to start a sword fight with General Paixon over the matter. This is what happened after he downed the lot."

But the thing was, even in his state of ecstasy, Dakota was telling the truth. And the deep, laugh-like howl that soon followed Mark's recount shocked everyone into looking up and noticing the obvious. For, standing on the highest platform of the triangular podium, was an old black wolf with a bob tail and a bitten ear amongst the numerous scars of war.

After a deep breath, the old wolf – with clearly aging fur – lowered his head and opened his golden eyes.

" Peace, everyone." He said with a sparkle in his eyes, his voice carrying around the room through the pendant around his neck. " The son of Bacchus means no harm. And besides, it is true, is it not? I do have no tail."

" But Zaydan!" Grumbled a female red and white wolf with both her ears bitten off.

" Peace, Aglaia. Believe it or not, but being recognised by something different once in a while is kind of refreshing, so to say. As for your curiosity, young Dakota, I got into a rather nasty fight which nearly cost me my life. Instead I came out of it with a missing ear and a missing tail. But those old war stories are for another time. Now we must get down to business."

Instantly, as the pendant around the old wolf's neck spoke the final word, the old wolf's golden eyes shone dangerously in the lights coming from the lit torches that sat along the walls. Next to that, the air around the wolf pack seemed to thicken with anticipated fear. They had heard stories of what happened during these kinds of Courtroom meetings from eagles and wolves alike, and they were more often than not stories for a midnight campfire.

Even the escapees could feel the shift in the room. To them, it felt like some climatic scene in a horror movie or something similar… or – for the Greek demigods – like going up into the attic to receive their quest from the previous oracle of Delphi; not saying that Rachel Dare wasn't creepy when she went all oracle on them.

And despite the fact that a small portion of her mind was wondering what had happened to her friend, Katie also noticed the shift in the older wolves as well.

To the left of the black elder (Zaydan's right) was the red and white female known as Aglaia. She was standing on the platform above the one that General Bowen sat on – and the glow from the room made prominent the purple colouration that hid within her deep blue eyes. And she didn't look very happen with what the Whitewater wolf pack had done… especially seeing that her eyes seemed to have locked themselves onto Mutt.

On the platform beside the red and white elder stood another female. Unlike the other three elders, she had no missing body parts; instead making up for it with the number of battle scars. But the main difference with this elder was that she looked more like a black and tan German Shepherd than a wolf; her markings even going as far as to give her a light coloured chest, underbelly and toes. And her green eyes stared down any possible threat into quick submission like a police dog on duty.

Finally there was the last elder. It was obvious he wasn't a high ranking elder from the fact that he was the closest out of the wolves to the floor. His coat was a pretty even mixture of black and brown, but there was a light grey colouration to his muzzle and legs. And his size alone was something to take into consideration when planning the best way of escape. But even though his body posture was both elderly and leader-like, his grey gaze seemed to be searching for someone or something amongst the wolf pack.

" I see that your Alpha male is missing, Whitewater. Why is that so?" Zaydan asked, his tone both cold and serious.

" He was lost in an attempt to find another of our members. We don't know where he is or whether he is alive or dead, though we presume the latter." Aron replied after taking one look at his Alpha female and noticing that she was in no position to respond with anything concerning what had happened.

" I see."

" Do you realise what your pack has done, Alpha Kara?!" Aglaia growled. " Without your little party, things amongst the packs would be a lot easier to deal with. But because you had to go and disobey orders, we have been in a right royal mess! Had you been present amongst the Choosing, you would have gained three new members and all wolf packs would be working throughout the country as expected of our part within the Secret Army! Instead they're all out there looking for you and not doing what they're supposed to be doing! Disastrous things happen when wolves go on unauthorised missions. Especially when they return with uninvited guests like that… mutt you've brought with you."

" Aglaia, I want to make this quick for the humans sake. You going off on one of your usual rants won't make that happen."

" But it's all true, isn't it?"

" It is, but it is not necessary in this particular meeting."

While all this was going on, Fisk noticed the second female elder watching her mother closely. Now, as her companions settled down, the German Shepherd elder spoke. " How long until you are due, Kara?"

The question shocked most, but Kara somehow managed to raise her head and replied confidently with a short, " Very soon, Elder Erina."

" How soon?"

" Within the week, Elder."

" So you went out into the world you know is currently being controlled by Gaea and endangered not only yourself and your pack, but the lives of your unborn pups as well?" Kara was almost in tears by this time. " I know you better than that, Tiahna Monako. What brought on this rash decision?"

" My… my promise to Elder Skarb. The one… the one Shiro and I made when Shiba first came to us, ' protect her with our lives'. She is basically my daughter just as much as Fisk is. I couldn't let her die in that horrible place."

The elder sighed heavily. " Your worry is understandable, but your actions cannot go unpunished. And as the Whitewater wolf pack will be unable to perform proper duties for the next six months, punishment will be held afterwards."

" I agree." Elder Zaydan added. " As punishment for your inability to follow orders, the entire Whitewater wolf pack will be off line and under the direct command of General Bowen for three months post the birth of your pups. Whatever he says, you must do… no matter how hard. But for now, this meeting is postponed due to the presence of the non-morphers. Questions can be asked during the next meeting in a week's time when we find out more on the status of your missing Alpha and pack members."

" Yes Elder." The entire wolf pack responded.

All was silent from that moment on as everyone awaited the call of dismissal from the General. But the General seemed to be paying more attention to the only elder who had yet to speak. Finally his curiosity got the better of him.

" You do not wish to add anything, Elder Skarb?" He questioned, finding it odd that the elder had yet to speak.

" I… there is one thing I want to ask." The black and brown wolf replied.

" Then speak."

" Where is my granddaughter?"

It was dark when his eyes fluttered open. The only source of light in the room was a slim line from under a nearby door. And it was that dim light that made it possible to make out the bed that he was lying in. at first he thought that everything that had happened was all a dream… and that idea was strengthened when he heard the faint sound of other people sleeping in the same room.

But all that changed when he heard the steady beep-beep of a machine beside him. The sound reminded him of some distant memory – one from when he was a kid – but he couldn't quite place where he had heard the sound from. And when he tried to remember the distant memory, all he got was a sore head out of it.

" You take it easy. Rest. Kaine look after you." Someone whispered from beside him, making him jump in surprise. He had expected everyone else to be asleep judging by how dark it was.

Without even giving him a chance to ask any questions let alone speak, this Kaine fellow was checking his reflexes and other vital signs. It only dawned on him where he was when Kaine went to check his heart rate. He was in a hospital.

How he got to the hospital, he had no clue. He didn't even know what hospital he was in or who was with him in the room. And if he was in a mortal hospital, who knows what kind of problems he could cause there? It wasn't long, however, before he realised that his confusion and worry were getting the better of him and he realised that Kaine was holding out a small candle to him with a red-bronze coloured flame burning at the end of the wick.

" Uh, Kaine, dude." He didn't realise how scratchy his throat was until he started talking, and it was only with a coughing fit that he was forced to stop for a few moments. " Is fire supposed to be that colour?"

" This fire, yes." Kaine replied, handing him a cup of water as well as the candle. " This not normal fire. This dragon fire. Fire that burns within dragon brothers can heal fire creatures and fire gods. This fire will help you heal."

" How?"

" You are more like dragon than Kaine. You ahnka freyna… you take… abs… abs…"

" Absorb?"

" Yes, absorb. Kaine thank you. You absorb dragon fire from candle and the dragon fire will make your inner fire burn bright and strong. All fire son of Hephaestus always like that with dragon fire. Stories say so and Kaine know. So Kaine bring you more dragon fire in two days. Tomorrow, when sun comes up, you get Ambrosia or Nectar by full duty medics. Then, next day, Kaine return with more dragon fire for you. This continue till you get better and soon, when you and everyone else is better, Kaine will show you my siblings."

" What do you…" He tried to say, confusion practically rolling off him.

" Absorb dragon fire now. It will come naturally and make you strong." Kaine urged him instead, cutting him off.

Getting the feeling that this Kaine fellow wasn't going to let him do anything else until he had done what he was told, he placed his hand of the 'dragon' flame. It was warm and easily tickled at his palm, but it was also comforting at the same time. Without him even doing much, he felt his body embracing the warmth of the fire and the next thing he knew was that it was dark in the room again. What he did notice, however, was that the fire's warmth was seeping through his body and making him tired all over again.

" Good. Dragon fire make you sleepy because you not used to absorbing fire. Kane will answer any remembered questions next time he sees you. Now Kaine let you sleep… maybe even help you enter what dragons call Embrace of Sister Moon." Kaine replied softly yet still with a bright tone to his voice.

" How can you help someone sleep?" He asked, his eyelids already beginning to droop.

" Easy. With dragon lullaby told to Kaine when he was little. Now, sleep well Leo Valdez."