I'm sooo sorry everybody! It took me like two months to get this chapter up! But I do have a good reason! Well, hopefully it is...

Anyways, my computer had a technological shut down and I lost all my files about the plot of this story, I lost all the chapters, so I had to start all over.

Also, school is shooting homework at me like crazy, so I hardly have any time to write.

And I'm just saying now that I won't ever give up on this story. Though at times I don't publish new chapters, it might seem like it.

I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 10: Within

Nicholas POV

Honestly, I wasn't that scared. We could always go back to camp and ask for Chiron's help. I suggested this to Queena.

"No!" she exclaimed, "We can't!"

"Why not?" I asked, confused, "Chiron should…"

"I c-can't!" Queena interrupted. She rubbed her neck and looked genuinely exasperated.

"It's my quest," she said firmly, "And I'll decide what we're going to do."

"But, why?" I inquired, "Nobody'll be teasing you or…"

"I-I just can't," Queena interrupted shakily.

I raised my eyebrow; Queena didn't normally act like this.

"I can't," Queena sighed, "Look, we're just going to keep going in the direction we were before. Was the monster moving, satyr?"

"Um…I don't think so."

"See? We'll be fine," she said hotly.

She had regained that regal attitude of hers again, but her brows were still slightly furrowed and she tugged on her clothes like she was agitated.

"Queena?" I asked carefully, "There something you want to tell us?"

She bit her lip and looked at me warily.

"It's my first quest," she finally mumbled, "I can't afford to look weak."

"Look weak to whom?" Sherman asked, "We all know it's my fault."

"I'm the wrath hunter," she said, "and the…the gods are watching. My father's watching."

"Even if you botch up this quest," I pointed out, "I'm sure Zeus wouldn't mind."

"Quit babbling!" she suddenly snapped, "We have to get going!"

I shrugged and followed her. As I walked, I thought about the break of arrogance Queena had made.

My father's watching.

Even though the Lord of Thunder wasn't exactly merciless, he wouldn't punish his daughter for messing up one quest if it wasn't her fault. Had something happened between Queena and her father? I glanced at the daughter of Zeus. Was she actually the arrogant, over reactive, and indifferent girly I though she was? Or was there something else within? I didn't know.

I closed my eyes and gave into a faint grin. I was pretty positive about one thing, though. Her aloof attitude was masking something…something that had happened in her past.

Thalia POV

"Dang, Rush!" Jade exclaimed, "You're good!"

"Thanks."

He shrugged like it was no big deal and sheathed his sword.

"No! I mean, you're really good. Alex is one of the best swordsmen at camp, and you're almost as good as him. That puts you at the top!"

He simply nodded and slipped on his pack.

"Now that we've practiced and tested Rush," I said, "I think we should start get going to Melanctha."

"Now?" Alex complained, "We just got off the plane and my ears are still plugged, I can't hear anything."

"Get up, you lazy butt," Jade said. She tugged on her brother's sleeve, "We got off the plane hours ago, so you shouldn't be complaining. We'll hear for you, so grab your sword and let's get going."

Alex reluctantly retrieved his sword and lazily stood up.

"Where to, Dasan?" I asked the satyr.

He gestured toward the plains to our left, "East."

My team trekked their way towards the barren lands. I kept thinking about Rush's reputation at camp. He was really good with the sword; why did the other camper look down on his abilities so much? And why did he keep avoiding argument with the other campers. Alex and Jade didn't seem to mind him, but they didn't really count. They pretty much liked everybody.

Thanatos doesn't do anything, a demigod had said, he isn't even considered a god.

Did the demigods believe Rush didn't belong at camp? Could your parent be such a big influence? I grimaced at my ridiculous though. Of course it mattered. Some people respected me just because my father was Zeus, not for who I was. I struggled to remember if Thanatos had ever committed any sort of crime or anything bad in Greek history, but I have to admit I couldn't even remember Thanatos' name ever mentioned.

"Thalia," Jade whispered, "Something wrong?"

I glanced at Rush, who was only a few feet away, "Tell you later."

She nodded and then froze. I followed her wide-opened stare and saw some of the strangest people that I'd ever seen. Though dirty and ragged, they had a fairly humanoid shape…except for one thing. They all had six arms. They didn't have to worry about custom-made shirts because most of them were just wearing loincloths. Even though it was hard not to notice their multiple arms, I still noticed the vicious glares they gave us.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. He had a strange accent, but I couldn't pinpoint where it was from.

"We're on a quest," I replied.

"Demigods, eh?" another bearded man muttered.

"Just because you have god blood doesn't mean you can invade our land," someone accused.

"We're not going to do anything," I argued, "We just have to go through so we can get to a monster."

"Yeah, right," he said, sounding amused.

I sighed and closed my eyes. What was I supposed to do?

"How is this your land?" I attempted to ask, "It's not like you own it."

The tribe snickered.

"Land of the Gegenees," a mutant said, "I would think you've heard of it before."

"The Gegenees," Alex muttered, "Stubborn six-armed monsters. They'll never let us through. "

"We have to get through," I insisted, looking at the Gegenees.

"You think you can just boss us around just because you're the half-blood?" a Gegenee said.

"Why won't you let us through?" I asked, exasperated.

"We just won't," he said, "So you better leave."

Small sparks of electricity that were generated by my annoyance flickered around me. I clenched my teeth and stomped my foot in frustration. All of a sudden, the front row of Gegenees had hair that stood up like they had been electrocuted. Not again! I had channeled my anger into my foot and accidently generated an electric field.

"Ay! She attacked us!" a Gegenee shouted, "Charge!"

"What?" I exclaimed, "I didn't even…"

"They aren't gonna back off, Thalia!" Alex shouted, "Get your spear ready."

I made a face and reluctantly materialized my spear. Swinging my spear forward, I summoned three bolts of lightning that disintegrated three Gegenees.

"Thalia!" Rush called, "That's enough! Stop fighting!"

What was he talking about? There was still a hundred Gegenees to fight!

Lightning bolts lit up the sky as Jade and Alex defended themselves. Rush wasn't doing anything except for standing there. A few Gegenees started charging Rush from behind.

"Behind you!" I shouted.

He grimaced and spun around. He sidestepped at the last moment and drew his sword. Instead of slicing the monsters, he knocked them unconscious with the hilt of his sword. Then, I heard footsteps behind me. They weren't Jade's or Alex's-they were still fighting. Raising my hands, I summoned an electrical field. I heard electric zaps as the Gegenees around me disintegrated.

Suddenly, I felt somebody grab my arm. I spun around to see Rush. His normally solemn face was filled with sheer panic.

"Let's get out of here!" he said urgently.

"Rush, why…"

Before I could finish my sentence, Rush sprinted off. He skidded underneath the Gegenees who tried to stop him and continued to run.

"Thalia," Jade yelled, "stop fighting! We have to get to Rush!"

I nodded in agreement and ran after him with Jade and Alex close at my heels. Alex tried to call Rush, but he seemed to be ignoring everything we said. What was going on with him? Abruptly, Rush stopped running.

"Hey, Rush, what's wrong with you?" I demanded more worried then angry.

He kept his back towards us and didn't reply. I felt someone put their hand on my shoulder. I turned my head to see Dasan.

"Let's just camp out here," Dasan said, "Maybe he'll feel better in the morning."

"Maybe," I said reluctantly.

I glanced at Rush warily and went to set up camp.

"Hey, Jade?" I asked while setting up a fire.

"Yeah?"

I held out my hands and ignited an electric spark. The wood erupted in flames. Jade quickly tossed in some more wood.

"Do you know what's up with Rush?"

She sighed and sat by the fire, the flames deepening the shadows on her worried expression.

"I honestly don't know," she said, "You know, Rush was just one of those kids who hung around the corner and got teased. The only thing I knew about him was his father. Thanatos, right? The figure of death-appears when somebody dies. Apparently nobody ever sees Thanatos though."

"You know why the campers hate him?"

She looked up at the sky and frowned in concentration to remember.

"Well, I suppose it was because he wasn't very social or something, I don't know," she mused.

I thought about this.

"Did he ever talk back to the kids who picked on him?" I asked.

"Actually, now that you mentioned it, he never did. He never even tried to negotiate or whatever, he just walked away."

"You think he's paranoid about fighting people or something?" I inquired.

"Nah," Alex said.

He dropped next to me and held out his hands toward the fire.

"He didn't hold back when he was practicing his swordplay with me," Alex pointed out, "I notice this kind of stuff."

We were all quiet as Dasan joined us. I didn't know what to think. Rush was like a closed shell, refusing to open. You couldn't see the pearl within.

Rush POV

Leaning against a tree, I stared at the sky. I spotted a bright constellation that looked like a figure of a woman.

"Mom," I whispered.

I blinked back tears as I remembered the incident. My father's angry words came back to me, It's your fault she perished, you weren't strong enough.

He was right. If I had never fought with him, if I had just walked away, she might've still been alive. The memory of skidding cars and crushed metal came crashing through my mind. That crash. The shock. The blood and her soulless eyes…

"I'm sorry," I said softly.

I shut my eyes to try to block out the pain. Our team had already picked a fight and it was only the second day. Would we be able to complete this quest without any fights…without any deaths? As far as I was concerned, getting into battles was just a ticket to somebody's death. I myself had already caused a fight that meant her death. I didn't want to see the figure of death anymore. I didn't want to see my father again…I didn't want anyone else to die.

Hector POV

"This is creepy, Hector," Connor complained.

"It's late, so it shouldn't be surprising for you that the subway is empty," I pointed out.

"Aren't there people, like, always at the subways, though?" Travis asked.

"Maybe this city is different," Pan, our satyr said, "None of us would really know, though it is strange…"

"It's fine," I reassured them, "All we need to do is find the exit and find a hotel to stay overnight. We'll continue searching for Obelix tomorrow morning."

A shadow suddenly flickered past the tracks.

"Did any of you see that?" I demanded.

"I did," Ross replied shakily, "What was it?"

I unsheathed my sword.

"I don't know," I answered, "but that wasn't human. No human has the capacity to move that fast."

"Well, maybe Winter…" Connor mused.

"He's weird, though," Travis muttered.

"Connor, Travis!" I snapped, "This isn't the time to argue!"

"Sorry," they murmured in unison.

"I have a feeling this is a monster," I explained, "Be on your guard. Stay out of the way, Ross. You're our healer, if somebody gets hurt, you have to be there."

He gave a stiff nod and retreated behind the Stoll brothers. Holding my sword in front of me, I examined the empty subway. My eyes caught a flicker of a shadow. At the stairs!

I spun towards the silhouette, and gestured at my team towards the shadow. As I crept closer, I noticed that the figure had a snake-like shape. I paused in my steps and franticly tried to think of what kind of monster it could be. Snakes, dragons, serpents…serpents! Which serpent? I squinted more closely at the silhouette that was maneuvering itself out of the dark. I noticed the feathery wings folded across the snake-like. Wings, what serpent had wings? Wings, feathers, serpents, feathers, birds…the Basilisk Serpent!

"Look, away!" I shouted, as I shielded my eyes.

Connor and Travis managed to turn their heads as the basilisk's reptilian head emerged out of the shadows.

"What is it?" Travis insisted.

"The Basilisk Serpent!" I replied.

"Isn't that some sort of turkey?" he asked, "Wait! I thought that was a myth from European legends or something."

"The basilisk is some variation of a cockerel," I corrected hurriedly, "but that doesn't matter at the moment. The Greek stories have a basilisk of their own."

I glanced at the shadows on the concrete floor. The Basilisk Serpent was heading towards us slowly. It wasn't sure where we were yet because of its poor eyesight. I just needed to buy a few more moments to devise a plan.

"Get back," I hushed, rushing everybody behind a wall.

"The basilisk of Greek stories is the Basilisk Serpent," I continued explaining quietly, once everybody was behind the grimy wall, "One look from its eyes and you die."

"That isn't good news," Connor murmured.

"You can't get anywhere near the Basilisk Serpent because its poisonous breath is fatal if you breathe it in."

"What?" Travis hissed.

The sound of scales scratching the cement grew closer.

"The basilisk's eyes are its flaw," I hurried on, "Even though it has eyes that can kill its opponent, the basilisk isn't immune to its own gaze."

"Ross' mirror shield," the Stoll brothers said in unison.

"We can't just get in front of the Basilisk Serpent show him his reflection, though," I said, "We're in danger of its poisonous breath if we get to close. Listen close, this is the plan."

Travis POV

The Basilisk Serpent had eyes that could kill you with one look and a poisonous breath. You couldn't look at the monster because of his eyes and you couldn't get close to it because of its breath. Considering the sound of the scales scraping the floor, the Basilisk Serpent also moved pretty fast. Somehow, we had to destroy this monster without looking at it and without going to close to it. Our lives depended on Hector's famous capability to create genius strategies. If the rumors about Hector's strategist abilities were even a bit exaggerated…let's just say we wouldn't be getting out of the subway tonight.

Obelix POV

"What is it, Achlys?" I asked.

"You know I like to be called Alice," she complained.

"Mmph."

"Thought you might want to see something," she said.

"Wait a second," I replied

I excused myself from the room and went outside to the fountain. I examined the area to make sure no one was watching. The windows were closed and the garden was empty. I picked up my cell phone.

"I have a fountain," I said into the phone.

"Alright, you know what to do," she answered.

I lightly dipped my finger into the cool water of the stone fountain. The water gave a sudden flash of sapphire light. An image rippled on the surface of the water. It was a dark scene of four boys and a satyr hiding behind a wall. A monster was emerging from the shadows…it was the Basilisk Serpent.

"This is the team that was assigned to assassinate you," she explained.

"I recognize one of them," I responded, "The tall one is Hector Lunar, the son of Athena."

"Yeah," Achlys confirmed, "The two boys that look alike are brothers, Connor and Travis Stoll of Hermes. The boy with black hair is Ross Archie, son of Apollo. Apparently, he's an expert healer. The satyr's name is Pan."

"You've been watching them closely," I observed.

"Well, I've been keeping tabs on all of the teams," she replied, "With my ability, it's really simple. I already informed Melanie and Leon about the progress of the teams sent after them."

"You mean Melanctha and Timoleon," I corrected.

"She likes being called Melanie and my brother likes being called Leon," Achlys sighed, "Despite how smart you are, you really suck with names."

"Never mind about that," I said, examining the scene in the fountain. Hector Lunar was explaining to his team about the Basilisk Serpent.

"Why did you want me to see this?" I inquired.

"Well, with your brain, I guess you already know about the Basilisk Serpent," she replied with an air of what seemed like a smirk.

"That's true."

"Let's say somebody has his team stuck in a corner and he manages to come up with a plan in a few minutes to kill the serpent. His plan works and everybody survives. Would you consider that person a good strategist?" she asked.

I thought about the scenario she just described.

"I would," I answered, "The Basilisk Serpent does have its flaws in battle, but it's a rather difficult monster to defeat and the flaws are difficult to pinpoint."

"If this Hector Lunar guy manages to come up with a plan to defeat the serpent, I would say you'd have to watch out for his team," Achlys said.

"I will," I said.

"But seriously," she reassured lightheartedly, "if they even manage to get where you are, they'll have quite a battle on their hands."

"Never underestimate your opponent, Achlys," I responded.

"Alice," she said sharply, "and you sound like Confucius."

"Do you even know who Confucius is?"

"Shut up, Obelix."

My cell phone suddenly gave a series of earsplitting beeps. I glanced at the screen and discovered that Achlys had hung up. I tucked the phone into my pocked and watched the scene in the fountain water intently. How smart were the sons of Athena in reality? I would soon find out.