Outskirts of the Andromeda galaxy
Harbringer, 1000hrs
Warpath's POV
I groaned and slowly opened my eyes. Thalia was awake, looking at me with the sharp blue eyes that I fell for. I smiled and said,
"How was your night?" She smiled and replied,
"I can't put it in words." I gave her a soft kiss and got up and headed to the bathroom to clean up. I closed my eyes as the water freshen me up. Last night was a magical night for both Thalia and myself. We finally consummated our love for each other. After 5000 years of not dating anyone, she is the only one who managed to get me out of my shell. I quickly clean up and got dressed. I exited the bathroom and with a thought, Solarion appeared in my right hand in a flash of light. With a glow, my new armour was equipped on me. I took a moment to admire it. It is a flexible armour set, its plating made up of an indestructible metal, offering me maximum defence while making sure that I retain my mobility and speed. I twirled Solarion and it disappeared. But my armour stayed on me. I walked out of my personal chambers and saw that Thalia was in her Assassin armour, waiting for me. When she saw my new armour, she said,
"Wow, you look like a knight Percy, just without the helmet." I grinned and replied,
"Why thank you my love. Now let's go. Everyone is waiting for us." She smiled and walked next to me as we made our way to the mess hall. Everyone was in good spirits, eating merrily and chit chatting heartily. Gideon look up and saw that both of us had arrived. He stood up and walked towards us. He said,
"By god, you two are a sight for sore eyes." I gripped his hand in a roman handshake and asked,
"What happened?" He grimaced and replied,
"Chaos happened. Turns out he's was waiting for you to report back. Called this morning. The team, Shay and Hope got yelled at for not reporting back. Said that he will be chewing your arse out once you got back." I frowned and said,
"Sorry man. I should have reported back once the mission was over." He waved his hand dismissively and replied,
"Come on, its ok mate. Besides, both of you were having fun last night." We blushed furiously. He grinned and continued,
"Need not be embarrassed mate. It's a long time coming if you ask me. Now come on, I saved you a plate." With that, he headed back to the table where the Team is sitting and having breakfast. After a round of greetings, I sat down and started to have breakfast. Thalia sat beside me and started to eat contently.
*Half an hour later*
I placed the last plate onto the rack and headed back up to the bridge. I radioed the Crusader and Shay and Hope appeared. They nodded in greeting and Shay said,
"Jesus dude, if I'm not your friend, I would pummel my fist into your arse." I smiled apologetically and replied,
"It's my fault Shay. I'm sorry. Now I have to report to Lord Chaos and receive my punishment." I opened the holographic channel and contacted Utopia. Immediately, Lord Chaos appeared on the screen. He said,
"Warpath." I bowed my head and said,
"I'm sorry for not reporting back my lord. I am willing to accept any punishment." Lord Chaos was silent for a moment and then he sighed and replied,
"No need for that Percy. I know it is a hard task for you, the Team, Shay and Hope to take on the List. It is difficult. Tell me, is Sira dead?" I nodded and asked,
"Lord Chaos, after I killed Sira, I recovered a thumb-drive. Inside are classified data and emails. I opened the emails and saw that they are from you. Why?" He sighed and replied,
"I will tell you when you are back at Utopia. Until then, have a break. You will depart on the next target two weeks from now. Chaos out." With that, the holographic screen blanked out. I clapped my hands and said,
"Well, you heard the boss. We have a short break. Let's make use of it. Do whatever you want. Just remember to keep your head in the game. Dismissed." With that, everyone slowly walk out of the bridge and headed to their rooms to relax and unwind. But I can't shake the feeling that we are being followed. I opened a secure channel to Shay and said,
"Shay, keep an eye out for any suspicious activity. I can't help but feel that we are being followed." Shay replied,
"Alright dude. Rest up. Shay out." With that, the commlink cut off. I sighed and rubbed my eyes. I walked to the deck and saw that we are still travelling through hyperspace, heading back to Utopia. I looked up to the passing flashes of stars and sighed. Solarion is in my hand, glowing faintly with an ethereal gold light. Suddenly, the hair on the back of my neck stood, warning me of danger. I immediately dodge the attack and a rapier slashed downwards, missing me directly. I counterattacked, swinging my spear into the blade of the rapier. When I saw who it was, I stepped back and said,
"What now Wielder? What do you want?" Jason sheathed his rapier and replied,
"I want you to train us." I glared at him and replied,
"Not going to happen. You already know my answer." With that, Solarion disappeared from my hand and my armour disappeared, leaving me in my Assassin cloak and my Exo-suit. I walked past him and said,
"You and I are not friends nor allies Wielder. We are only colleagues. Remember that and remember well. If you ask me questions that you already know the answers to, I will not hesitate to kill you." With that, I started to walk to the armoury to store my Exo-suit in the vault when Jason said,
"The Percy that I know would never leave his friends in the lunge." Without turning around, I replied,
"He is dead the moment you betrayed him." And I continued to walk down to the armoury, leaving him standing there to contemplate my words.
Jason's POV
"He is dead the moment you betrayed him." Those words echoed in my head as I stand there on the deck, my feet planted on the ground and observe Warpath headed below decks to the armoury. Once he is gone, I collapsed to my knees, my face showing shock and regret over our past actions towards Percy. Now as an Assassin, he is being cold and emotionless towards us. The only people that he is being kind to is his Team, my sister, the soldiers both in the US army and in the colossal Legion and Helen. He is indifferent towards his former friends and comrades. I was beating myself over this that I didn't know that my wife kneeled beside me. Piper said,
"My love, don't. It's not your fault. All of us are at fault. Don't blame yourself over it." I raised my head and meet her eyes. I replied,
"I know. But it hurts hearing it. He is still cold towards all of us, and I can't blame him." Piper was about to reply when a new voice said,
"Wanna know why he is still cold to you Wielders?" The seven of us looked back and saw the Twin Assassins, Jacob and Evie Frye. Jacob continued,
"It's because you haven't earn his respect. He doesn't trust you. It adds on when you idiots were the ones to drive him away. Go talk to him if you must. Don't say I didn't warn you though, he is prone to losing his temper." With that, they walked off, Evie turning back and gave us a look of pity before joining her brother. Annabeth said,
"I'll go talk to him." I replied,
"No, we go together. We face his wrath as one." Annabeth nodded and together, we walked down to the Team's room and knocked. The door opened and Gideon said,
"Well, ain't you guys the Wielders. What do you want?" Annabeth gritted her teeth in the effort to reign in her anger and said,
"We want to talk to Warpath. Is he here?" Gideon replied,
"Didn't seen him. Why not you guys fuck off and leave us alone. We made it clear that you guys are not welcome here, with the exception of Helen and Thalia." With that, he slammed the door in our faces. I sighed and said,
"Give them time to get used to us. We are not leaving Utopia. Warpath needs our help, whether he likes it or not. Let's head to bed. It's late." With that, we retired to our room and got ready for bed. Little did we know, Warpath heard everything that we said.
Warpath's POV
I heard what the Wielders said. They don't give up do they? I looked at the Team and they are expecting a reply. I said,
"If they refused to give up, then we will make them. Let's show them what we can do. Gideon, Mitchell, wake them up at 0300hrs. Their training will commence from that timing. You two are in charge of physical training. Ilona, Joker, Thalia, you three are in charge of stealth training facility. Jacob, Evie and Helen, you three are with me. We will teach them combat; guns, ranged weapons, close quarters, you named it. They want to be trained, we will give them the training they will never forget." I check the timing. It is 2am in the morning. Another day and we will reach Utopia. I said to Gideon and Mitchell,
"Kit up. Time to wake the Wielders up." They nodded and equipped their gear on. They are in PT kit and are ready to go. I check the clock. It is 2.59am, reaching 3am in 3…. 2….. 1….. I nodded and they set off to wake the Wielders up to what possibly be a living hell for them. I nodded to the others and they went to their respective areas to set up and prepare. Only they left, only Jacob, Evie and Helen are left in the room with me. I said,
"Helen, you are in charge of spear training. Hit them with your best. You know how I train you. Time to dish it out on them." She nodded, Malevolence is in her hand, glowing with power. I said to Evie,
"Evie, you're in charge of swords and knives. Teach them with your hardest." She nodded. I said to Jacob,
"Jacob, teach them close quarters combat. Beat their faces in if you have to." He cracked his knuckles and nodded. I said,
"I will handle firearms' training and safety." With that, I cocked my Atlas 45 pistols and holstered them and walked out of the room.
Gideon's POV
I stood at the side of the door leading into the Wielders' room. Mitchell was at the other side of the door. I nodded and pulled the pin on the flashbang that I have in my hand. Mitchell open the door slightly and I threw it into the room. Mitchell quickly shut the door and waited for a few seconds. The bang of the flashbang and I kicked open the door and yelled,
"Get dressed in your PT kit. Training starts now. Move it!" That shook them out of their daze and they quickly got dressed and ran out of the room and assemble on the deck. I walked in front the six and said,
"Warpath decided to train you unworthy fools in the ways of the Assassin. You think you are worthy of the title 'Wielder'? Let's see if you can survive through this hellhole that we are about to put you through. If you can survive through this, you will then be worthy of the title. Now, you are nothing. Now drop and give me 100 push-ups. No resting! Anyone of you who collapses before completion of the set will restart from zero. Starting now!" Immediately, the six dropped and started to do push-ups. After 50 push-ups, I saw the one wielding the ancient hammer begin to tire. At 70 push-ups, all of them are showing signs of tiredness and distress. At 90 push-ups, Annabeth finally collapses, sweating and panting. I walked up to her and said,
"Pathetic. Only 10 more and you can stop and rest. Restart from zero. All of you." The six panted and restarted from zero again. But, they keep on falling short. I sighed and said,
"You guys are pathetic. You wanted to be trained. Warpath granted that. Now you idiots are showing this pathetic standard. If you can't pass this, don't bother going for the other stations. They are tougher than this." That managed to set Annabeth off. She shakily stood up and said,
"Why don't you just shut up?!" I walk up to her face and said,
"Why don't you make me bitch?" That pretty much send her over the edge. She tried to attack me, but after a few seconds, her face was covered in bruises. I dusted my hands and said,
"Wow, you guys are not good at this. My grandmother can do this faster than you idiots. Want me to stop the insults? Then hop to it!" that set them to prove me wrong, and boy they did. They managed to complete the 100 push-ups that I asked them to do. I slowly clap my hands and said,
"Wow that is fast. I give you that. Now see the end of the deck?" I pointed to the end of the deck and continued,
"I want you jackasses to run to the end of the deck, and run back here. 50 repetitions." Leo said,
"You crazy dude? We just finished close to 200 push-ups and you want us to run?" I raised an eyebrow and said,
"This is not a training course that is easy for weaklings. You want to quit? Go to the corner and sit there." Leo glared at me, but I wasn't scared at the slightest. I said to him,
"Oh are you angry little man? Come on, give me your best shot then." He lunged at me but I saw that move coming a long time ago. I dodged and launched a crippling blow to the back of his head, hard enough to knock him dizzy, but not hard enough to knock him unconscious. I kick him to his back and place my boot on his chest and yelled,
"You think you deserved to be called a Wielder?! You act using your emotions, you act as if we are obligated to train you! Well guess what Wielder, we do not have to train you. You wanted to be trained, but you are giving me this stupid attitude and anger as if you know a lot. Fine, let's see how long you will last against an intergalactic criminal." I look up and saw Warpath observing the training, and by the look on his face, he is not happy with what he seen. I said,
"You're in trouble idiots." Warpath leapt down to the deck and with a flash of light, his new armour was on him. He snarled at the now terrified Wielders,
"So this is what I find. A bunch of idiots trying to push their luck in changing the training that I set in place. I was the one who ordered them to train you. You want to change the training that I implemented? Fine." He radioed the rest and said,
"Guys, report to the deck immediately." After a few minutes, the rest of the Team came running to the deck. Thalia grabbed Warpath's arm and asked,
"Warpath, what's going on?" He held up a hand for silence, and continued,
"They don't deserve the training that was given to them. They want to change it. You want to have an easier training program? Fine. Training's over for you. Go find someone who has an easier training program to train you. Get lost!" slowly, the Wielders headed back below decks to rest. Warpath said,
"See what I mean, they think they know everything, and yet they keep on pestering me to train me. Now, when I granted that, they refused to cooperate." Thalia said to him,
"Let me handle it. Trust me." She gave him a kiss and headed down below decks. I placed a hand on his shoulder and said,
"Let her handle man. I get the feeling the Wielders are in deep trouble."
Thalia's POV
I flicked my hair behind my ear and walk to the Wielders' room. I heard muffled complains and groaning on the other side of the door. I opened it and saw that three of them; Leo, Jason and Hazel are lying on the bed, groaning in pain. I shook my head and said,
"Are you guys really that weak?" Jason look at me and replied weakly,
"As if you did undergo Percy's training." I glared at him and replied,
"I did little brother." I look at the rest and said,
"What were you thinking? Do you know how much paperwork Percy have to do to persuade Lord Chaos to allow him to train you? Now, you just cock it up by thinking that you can change the training system that Percy implemented. Good luck trying to survive." With that, I walked out of the room, ignoring the guilt that the Wielders have on their faces. I walked to the bridge and saw Percy sitting in the captain's chair, deep in thought. I placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently, letting him know that I was there for him. No words were spoken. After a while, I said,
"Percy, don't. They are to be blamed. They do not know how we operate." He nodded and replied,
"I knew giving them a chance is a bad idea. They will be transported back to Earth once we arrive at Utopia 3 hours from now. We don't need their help. They will only be in the way." I was about to reply when the alarm sounded. I looked to Percy and saw he was in full battle armour. Solarion is in his hand, glowing in power. He said,
"Intergalactic pirates. They dare to board my ship" He ran to the deck and saw that the pirates are fighting the Wielders, but it is clear that the Wielders are being overwhelmed. I drew Silverlight and leapt into the fray, blocking a cowardly blow from a pirate that is about to slash on Jason's unprotected back. I kicked the pirate away before spinning to decapitate him. Without stopping, I dodged low and avoided a blade that was slashed at my head. I closed my eyes and called on Silverlight's power. A flash of silver light erupted from the blade and it erased the pirate from existence. I opened my eyes and continued the fight when the remaining six pirates dropped to the ground, dead. In their head was a glowing throwing knife. I looked back and saw that Percy slashed Solarion into empty air, releasing the blades and they flew to the pirates with deadly precision. He retracted his spear and the blades flew back and attached to their holsters in the spear. He grinned and muttered,
"Never knew that it can do that." He looked to the Team and said,
"Team, nice work." Without a glance to the Wielders, he started to walk back the bridge when Jason said,
"What about us? We helped too." He replied without turning around,
"Help? You call that help? I don't think so. You guys are just getting in the way. You think you can survive? Out here, you guys will be trashed and gutted." Annabeth then said,
"Then train us. Let us help you." Percy turned around, his eyes filled with fury and he hissed,
"Train you? You think, after what you idiots pulled on Gideon and Mitchell, I will train you? You are a fool if you think that will happen Annabeth Chase. I don't take apprentices when they are betrayers. I gave you a chance, and you blew it. You guys will be headed back to Earth after we arrive on Utopia. That's an order." With that, he turned around and headed back to the bridge. I watched as he disappeared into the bridge and turned to the Wielders and said,
"Now do you see why you need the training? You barely hold your own against intergalactic pirates, and you want to go up against the big shots? You are going too far of yourself. Perhaps you all will be safer on Earth. The Team will handle this." With that, I started to walk off when a hand grabbed my arm. I turned around and saw that it was Annabeth. She said,
"Just give us a chance." I shook my head and replied,
"Sadly, it's not my decision to make. I am only an Assassin. Warpath is a Master Assassin. My rank is lower than him. I can't request for that. Furthermore, I am his girlfriend and apprentice. I will not put him in such a compromising position." With that, I dashed away from the Wielders, hoping to catch Percy in the bridge. When I entered the bridge, I saw Percy piloting the Harbringer as it arrive at the outskirts of Utopia, at the centre of the Milky Way galaxy. I placed a hand on his calloused hand and laced my fingers with his and said,
"Percy, do you love me?" He look at me in surprise and replied,
"Of course I love you. Why ask such a stupid question?" I smiled and kissed him and replied,
"Just wondering my love. You have been a bit distant from me ever since you obtained Solarion a few days ago." He grimaced and replied,
"I don't mean to. I wanted to master the power of the spear. It is an ancient weapon. But I have a feeling Moros is not its first wielder. Who is its first Wielder I wonder." I shrugged and replied,
"Whoever it is, it wielded a noble power. Solarion is proud to have a wielder like you." I gave him a kiss and pulled away. He smiled and said,
"Anyway, how is your training? I have to report to Lord Chaos on your training to see whether you're worthy of the Master Assassin rank." I rolled my eyes and said,
"I mastered all of them but Evie's style of fighting. Wonder if she can give me a few lessons." He was about to reply when a voice said,
"I can, if you can keep up." I whirled around and saw Evie standing there. She smiled and said,
"What? I'm glad that my protégé has found love. He has been a serious and silent person ever since he joined us." I looked over to Percy and saw that his face was red. He muttered,
"Evie…." She laughed and said,
"Thalia, your training will begin tomorrow at dawn. Don't be late." With that, she walked out, leaving us alone. I smiled and gave Percy another passionate kiss. When we pulled away for air, I said,
"It's been a long time since we did that." He smiled and replied,
"I know, and I'm sorry." I smacked him playfully and turned serious. I said,
"I have a pretty bad feeling. I mean, why would Lord Chaos be communicating with one of the members of the List? It doesn't add up." He nodded and said,
"I have to consult Shay and Hope on this." He opened the holographic channel and said,
"Harbringer to Crusader, do you read me?" Shay's voice replied,
"I hear you Warpath. Go ahead." Percy replied,
"I require your council after we land. Can you and Hope meet me after we ask for our next assignment?" He replied,
"Alright. Now I have to return to Hope. She wants to do stuff with me." I placed my palm on my eyes and sigh,
"Alright go. I'll see you after we land." With that, I shut off the holographic link. Jesus, those two have serious sex deprivation from each other. I shook my head to clear my head and said,
"Harbringer to Utopia. Permission to land." Lord Chaos replied,
"Permission granted Warpath. It's good to have you back." I piloted the Harbringer to an empty hanger and parked it. Above me, the Crusader docked into an empty hanger beside the Harbringer. I leapt off the deck and landed beside Shay and Hope, who are just walking out of the Crusader. The Team followed my example, leaping off the deck, falling in step beside us. A comfortable silence was among us as we headed to the Citadel to report the death of Sira to Lord Chaos. Once we entered the citadel, I walked to the throne room, where Lord Chaos and the Primordial Council are in a meeting. I opened the door and walked in, the Team, Shay and Hope walking beside me. I kneeled down and said,
"Lord Chaos. Sira is dead." Lord Chaos replied,
"Aye. Good work Warpath. You and your allies did well." I asked,
"What is our next assignment?" Lord Chaos said,
"Your next assignment is both a target on the List and the Assassin Watch list. Visit the Assassin council and they will give you your assignment." I then said,
"Lord Chaos, I seek your council on a side matter." Lord Chaos waved his hand, allowing me to continue.
"It's about the Wielders. Fierce Warriors they may be, but they are no match against the forces of evil in the universe. They barely hold their own against intergalactic pirates. They will only be in the way if they wish to stay." Lord Chaos replied,
"Then train them Warpath. I see no reason to send them back to Earth. They just need training." I bowed my head and said,
"With due respect milord, I tried. They refused to follow orders even for physical training. Not just that, they tried to change the training system that I implemented for my prospective protégés." Lord Chaos was silent for a while, then another Primordial, Aether, said,
"Perhaps your way of training them is not fitted for them. You said it yourself. The training that you implemented is only for your protégés, not for training warriors. Allow their training to be taken over by both Chronos and I. They will fare better under our tutelage." I look at Lord Chaos and asked,
"Is that ok with you Lord Chaos?" He replied,
"Aye. I approve. All those in favour?" The entire primordial council raised their hand. Lord Chaos said,
"The motion is passed." I bowed and said,
"Thank you Lord Aether for your suggestion. I am in your debt." He smiled and nodded. I looked at Lord Chaos and asked,
"By your leave, Lord Chaos?" He nodded. I bowed and walked out of the council chamber, the Team, Shay and Hope followed my example. Once outside, I said,
"Go rest up. I will inform you guys about the assignment tomorrow." They nodded and went off. Only Thalia remain behind. I smiled and said,
"It's been a while since I can have you all to myself." She laughed and gave me a kiss. A light cough was heard behind us. We broke apart, blushing. Behind us stood the Primordials Aether, Chronos and Gaia. I called my spear to me and said,
"What is she doing here?" Chronos replied,
"Easy Warpath. She's on our side here. Put Solarion away." I lowered my spear and said,
"You haven't answer my question. Why is she here?" Chronos sighed and said,
"She wants to make amends with you and the Seven for what she did on Earth. Give her a chance Warpath." I look at her, waiting for her to speak. She sigh and said,
"I know I caused the deaths of your friends back on Earth. But I want to start off on a clean slate. What says you?" I was silent for a while, then I said,
"Very well. But, you have to gain my trust. I don't trust you for now." With that, I relaxed my grip on Solarion and it vanished with a glow of light. I turned and walk away from them, Thalia gripping my hand and walking beside me. When we got to the Team's Room and we entered, the Team was just preparing for bed. Gideon asked me,
"So, how did the training arrangement go?" I sighed and said,
"Aether and Chronos agreed to take them as their pupils. I'm sure glad that they won't be meddling in our business anymore." Gideon nodded wearily and replied,
"Amen to that. By the way, bathrooms are available. Go ahead and get ready to hit the hay. I'm exhausted." I nodded and wave him to bed. He groaned and slipped into his bunk, instantly falling asleep. I looked around and saw the Team are slowly falling asleep. I chuckled softly and said to Thalia,
"Use the bathroom first babe. I'll be in my personal chambers when you're ready." Thalia gave me a kiss and replied,
"Sure thing love." With that, I headed to my personal Chambers entrance. I pulled the sword handle and the door slid up silently. I entered and the walkway lights lit up dimly, lighting the way. I walked to the middle of my chambers and clapped my hands, turning on the lights. My bed was unmade as usual, seeing that I'll be using the room most of the time. My central computer is running, processing data that I collected from missions and my weapons rack, both guns and bladed weapons, are at the side. I unsheathed Oathkeeper and placed it on the rack, and the rack clicked; locking the sword in place. I unholstered my Atlas 45 pistols and started to clean them, wiping them of the dirt and grime that was in the barrel of the gun. Once cleaned, I placed them on the gun rack, locking them in place. I went to my closet and pulled out a set of fresh clothes and headed to my bathroom to bathe and clean up.
*Ten minutes later*
I emerged from the bathroom in my sleeping clothes, which is a plain t-shirt and sweatpants. Thalia was sitting on my bed, waiting for me. She said,
"Well, you look better when you clean up." I chuckled and replied,
"Thanks. It's been a long time since I did." I went to my computer and sat down on the seat and started to key in the latest mission report. Thalia look over my shoulder and asked,
"What are you doing?" I replied while looking to the screen,
"Keying in the latest mission report, as well as the performance review for the Team." Thalia replied,
"Well, how did I do?" I chuckled and replied,
"I can't tell you that. It's classified unfortunately." Thalia pouted, a sight that melted my heart. I kissed her and said,
"Just for you, you did pretty well out there." I entered the last performance review on Gideon's performance and switched off the computer. I stretched and said,
"Let's go to bed." Thalia sighed and yawned, replying sleepily,
"Let's." I carried her and place her on my bed, slipping in beside her. I pulled the cover over us and watched her sleep peacefully. I lay awake for a while longer, thinking on the next target that I will have to hunt on the List. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I allowed myself to enter the realm of Morpheus.