Chapter 7.
(Off the coast of Nassu; 8:35)
Ikelik woke up as the sun started to shine through the port holes in the room. he blinked a few times and got dressed. He walked out onto the deck and watched as his crew worked with the half-blood women. Jessica stood on the edge of a boat looking out at Nassu. "You said Arachne would be done with it by this morning?" she asked. Ikelik nodded. "Yeah, let's get going. I want to get to the forges as soon as possible." Jessica nodded and the two lowered the boat into the water. They rowed to shore and shored the boat close to Arachne's shack. The edge of the door was nailed shut, probably Arachne's mother trying to keep them out or just trying to keep the door shut.
Ikelik knocked on the door, only to watch it fall down again. "Guess they don't have carpenters here." he said. Arachne was no where in sight, and neither was her mother for that matter. "Arachne, are you here?" Jessica said. The click of spider legs echoed in the shadows. "Come in half-bloods, come in. I have just now finished the pelt." Ikelik walked in first, having Jessica follow behind him. Arachne stepped out of the shadows, a cloak draped in her human arms. "Here you are, son of Kratos. The Nemian Lion's pelt sewn into a cloak of impenturable armor." Ikelik took it and draped it over his shoulder. "Thank you Lady Arachne. We shall depart at once." "Wait just a moment boy."
Ikelik turned as Arachne walked closer to him. "When you are next on Olympus, do me this one favor. Make sure that Athena suffers for what she has done to me. I want her to know the pain I have felt these part years." Ikelik smiled and bowed. "As you wish, m'lady." With that he backed away and exited the door with Jessica in tow. "How can we be sure she didn't do anything to the pelt, what if it's cursed or something?" Jessica asked when they were out of hear shot of the house. "Your thinking she would cast a spell on the pelt so she could control me?" he asked. Jessica only nodded. "Ikelik headed to the boat and shrugged. "Let's put that to the test." he said. He snapped his fingers and in an instant, Arachne's house exploded in a blast of Greek Fire.
Jessica turned as the wood from the house scattered all over the beach. She turned to see Ikelik waiting at the boat, some sort of black sparkle falling from the pelt. "Use others and be used," he said. "even if she hadn't put a spell on it I would have killed her." Jessica, stunned from what had transpired, kicked the boat into the water and hopped on. "Trust only the ones close to you is what I say." Ikelik said, grabbing an oar. Jessica nodded and started to row. Arachne's house kept burning as The 2 met up with The Ghosts of Sparta. Ikelik jumped onto the deck and pulled the Nemian cloak out of the boat. He unsrtapped his armor and took his old cloak off. Jessica pulled her eyes from his chest, pink running across her face as he pulled the Nemian cloak over his body.
Ikelik restrapped his armor on, finishing by tighning the straps on his arm bracers. The Nemian pelt was just like any other robe he put under his armor, but he knew this one could withstand anything. "Helmsman! Set course for the island forges of Hephaestus! Soon I shall join my father in battle with the most powerful armor on the planet!"
(California, Los Angeles; 10:32)
Kratos burst from the doors blocking his way up to the surface. The souls in the other room scattered, throwing them selves onto the Ghost of Sparta. The Blades of Exile cut through the hazy blue images of the dead. One of them backed away from him. "No! Not you again!" Kratos was tireing from this old man. Taking the blades of Exile, he sliced the spirit into small peices. "This time stay dead!" Kratos yelled at the remains. He burst through the the doors on the other side into a street full of people and strange moving objects on wide roads. Kratos sheathed the blades since no one seemed to notice him. He noticed that every one was walking in a hurry, there were no streat vendors, and every man woman and even children were talking into some strange object that they kept close to their ear.
"Terrible, isn't it?" a voice asked. Sitting next to him was an old man with dark skin. "Who are you old man?" Kratos asked, his voice still in it's cold manor. The old man laughed and took a swig on a bottle. "Care for a drink my friend? It has been a thousand years since your last drink has it not?" Kratos leaned down and took the offered bottle. He tipped it back and shuttered as the taste of warm liquid poured onto his tounge and into the back of his throat. The man gave a throaty laugh at Kratos's reaction. "I can say this, mortal wine has better taste than in your time Kratos." "You still haven't told me who you are, old man." The man took the bottle and stood.
"Tis I Kratos. The grave digger who buried your mother and brother." Kratos stepped closer to the old man. "How are you still alive? You should have died of old age after I had died in Greece!" The old man started to walk and Kratos followed him. "The Gods deemed me worthy of immortality, but I am forced to live on nothing but wine and my wits. This bottle never empties you see." Kratos didn't care about the bottle's magic properties, he wanted information. "If the gods have cursed you as well, then perhaps you will help me." The grave digger laughed again and turned a corner.
"There is much I can tell you Ghost of Sparta. But first, there is something you must do. Now this isn't a random task, far from it. There is a camp, children of the gods that are trained to fight in their name. Destroy them, and not only will I tell you what you need to know but also you will have destoryed an army of the gods!" he said laughing. Kratos scratched his beard, thinking it over. "Where is this encampment?" he asked. The grave digger stopped and pointed to a small doorway a hundred feet away gaurded by two people in armor. "Through that doorway, there you will arive in New Rome. An ecampment of half-bloods and mortals loyal to the gods."
Kratos stepped forward past the grave digger. "And Spartan," the old man said. "You shall see your son soon enough." Kratos gave a small nod and walked away, to kill an entire city.
"Damnit this sucks!" Frank said for the upteenth time. Hazel sighed and shifted in the hot sun. "Frank will you just shut up." she said. Frank leaned against the wall and sipt on the ground. "Well think about it Hazel! We're decorated hero's of Rome and we get stuck on gaurd duty! Plus we get Jason back to lead again and he goes back to that Camp Half-Blood!" Hazel loosened the straps on her armor and faced her friend. "Look we were asigned gaurd duty. Just deal with it!" Frank grumbled but stopped when someone stepped into his line of sight.
"Hey, who's that?" Frank asked. Hazel turned to see a man with pure white skin, a red swirling mark on his left side, and 2 blade hilts on his back. "Dunno, maybe some cosplayer that got lost." Frank grunted. "What the hell would he be cosplaying?" The man came closer and pulled the twin blades out from behind his back. "That doesn't look good." Hazel said. "Prepare for a fight." she said readying her sword. Frank notched an arrow and waited.
Kratos charged after pulling the Blades of Exile out. The two gaurds readied their weapons as Kratos jumped onto the archer. The boy's eyes widened as Kratos buried a blade into his chest, running his heart through. The boy coffed up blood as Kratos leaped backwards when Hazel slashed at him. "Frank!" she said, running to his aide. "Hazel, run." Frank gasped. The girl shook her head. "I'm not leaving you!" Blood splattered on Frank's chest, as one of Kratos's blades peirced her armor and through her chest. Frank looked in shock as Hazel's body fell on top of him as Kratos retrieved his bloodied blade.
Tears streamed down Frank's face, mixing with Hazel's blood. "No, no damnit! This can't be happening!" Kratos walked up to the lad and looked down at him. "If there is anyone to blame child," he said. "blame the Gods." With that, Kratos knelt and thrust his blade into Frank's skull. The life drained from his eyes, leaving both of the gaurds dead. Kratos stood and walked in through the door way into the way to New Rome.
Kratos heard cries for readying arms and shouting as he stepped into an expansive feild, a river flowing in front of him. A large compound stood on the other side of the river. He carried the Blades of Exile at his waist, walking slowly towards the river. None of the archer's fired an arrow as he stepped into the rushing water. The water rushed by his legs, trying to tear him down to the end. The Ghost of Sparta watched as the archers were twitching in their posts. As the edge of the river was close by, the leader of the front gaurd lowered his sword. "Fire!"
Kratos dashed out of the river as thousands of arrows sailed through the air toward him. Several soldiers armed with golden swords and spears charged him. Twirling the Blades of Exile, he cut his way through the soldiers. As he reached the gates, he jumped into the air and brought both of the blades down the middle. The gate shattering caused several supports to shatter, bringing down the catwalks ringing the gate.
Several soldiers fell from the catwalks onto the hard ground, dieing instantly. Kratos walked among the corpses of the Romans. Looking on to the bigger emcampment in the valley. From where he stood, he could see more soldiers scurrying around. "I shall not be stopped." He said under his breath. He gave out a bone shaking cry and ran into the onslaught of Roman soldiers.