Warpath's POV
I woke up to Zoe's crying. I look up and saw Thalia rocking her and feeding her. I rubbed my eyes and Thalia look over at me with a smile on her face. She walked over and said,
"Morning sleepy head." I gave her a kiss and look down on our daughter. She had a smile on her face and her electric blue eyes is filled with mirth. She pulled on my hood, and giggled. I smiled and lifted her into my arms. For a moment, we are the only ones in the room, enjoying the silence. A knock on the door and it opened. Gideon walked in, followed by Mitchell, Ilona and Joker. Gideon smirked and said,
"Well, look who it is. The proud daddy eh?" I grinned in his direction and he took Zoe from me and carried her. She giggled and grabbed a part of Gideon's stubble. He ignored it and said,
"The Wielders are rescued and accounted for. What's our next move?" I turned serious and replied,
"The Angiris Council wants to train us in the mystic arts and Ancient Weaponry. Imperious will train me, Tyrael will train Gideon and Mitchell, Itherael will train Ilona and Auriel will train Joker. Then we will switch. The training is today. What time however, I do not know." Gideon was about to reply when a voice said,
"Training will start now. Get ready." I look at the door and saw Imperious standing there. Behind him is the Angiris Council, the Assassin brotherhood, Lord Chaos and Lord Helix. Lord Helix walked into the room and placed a hand on my shoulder. He said,
"Do not worry about Thalia and Zoe. They will be fine. Now go." I look at Thalia. She nodded and said,
"Stay safe." I nodded and said to Imperious,
"Let's go." With that, I walked out of the room, with the Team following me. Once outside, I followed Imperious, Gideon and Mitchell followed Tyrael, Ilona followed Itherael and Joker followed Auriel. All of us went to different locations. Once we are at the Halls of Valour, Imperious said,
"Let's see how good you are in combat. I've seen your team in action, but not from you." I flicked my hands and my hidden blades extended. I replied,
"Let's." With that, I attacked with the speed no one can match, but Imperious blocked them with ease. I jumped back and twirled to avoid the thrust by Imperious, but without missing a beat, he spun Solarion, catching me by the blunt end of the spear and sending me flying. I recovered in mid-air and twirled and landed on my feet. I resumed the attack, employing a trick that I learnt from Lord Chaos and attack in every direction, but for some reason, Imperious block my attack with ease. I leapt back and placed my hands in a X formation and said,
"Mystic art, dimension slash." My hidden blades grew red and I slashed the air. A ripping sound was heard as the fabric of space and time are torn open and two red energy slashes flew to Imperious. He held Solarion out and said,
"Mystic Art, Energy shield." A golden energy shield blocked my attack. But when he was calling the shield, I ran towards him, but he pushed me back and said,
"Mystic art, Crimson Flare." A bright flare erupted in front of me, blinding and disoriented me. I stumbled back and was knocked back by Solarion. Before I could get up, Solarion's tip was on my throat. Imperious stood over me and said,
"Impressive. Not many can stand against me, not to mention holding their own. Also, calling the mystic arts to aid you is wise but dangerous since you are untrained. Dimension slash is a powerful attack but it is also dangerous. The fabric of space and time are ripped open, causing devastation if use wrongly." I nodded and asked,
"How can I master the Mystic Arts? From the way you put it, it will take a long time to learn." Imperious replied,
"That's why we are taking the fast way. Try to summon a Phalanx of Assassins." I concentrated and said,
"Mystic Art, Assassin Phalanx." Immediately, I felt my energy drained exponentially. I collapsed to one knee and look up. A glowing phalanx of hooded Assassins stood at the ready. I stood up shakily. Imperious look on and said,
"Command them to dissipate." I look at the phalanx and said,
"Assassins. Dismissed." The phalanx stood at attention and slowly dissolved. I collapsed to one knee and panted with exhaustion. Imperious supported me up and said,
"Impressive. But that is only one of the basic Mystic arts. There are many more to follow." I stood up and said,
"What are the rest?" Imperious replied,
"You see that slab of rocks there?" He pointed to a large stack of rock and continued,
"I want you to destroy that using only a single Mystic Art." I look at the rock and closed my eyes and concentrated on the Mystic Arts. Soon, one came to my mind and I said,
"Mystic Art, Flash Arrow." I opened my eyes and saw a white energy arrow appeared in front of me and flew to the rock. It impact and disintegrated the rock immediately. Imperious nodded, impressed and said,
"Now, destroy all of the rock slabs using a single mystic art." I took a deep breath and said,
"Mystic art, Snare Shot." An energy snare shot from my hand and flew to the rock slabs and blew them up to smithereens. I was shocked at the power of the attacks that I executed. Imperious said,
"Impressive. Not many can know the spells that easily." I shook my head and replied,
"These Mystic arts, are they sealed?" Imperious replied,
"Only a few of them are because of their devastating attacks. But, you will need to know all of them to defeat the Kingpin." I nodded and continued to practise spell after spell. Before I know it, two days have passed. I collapsed on a knee and panted in sheer exhaustion. A hand was placed on my shoulder. I look up and saw the Team. Gideon said,
"We did it sir. All of us mastered the Mystic Arts." I nodded and replied,
"Good. Now to Weapon's training." Imperious stopped me and said,
"Weapon's training is no longer needed. Once you mastered the Mystic Arts, your weapons are imbued with that magic. All you need to remember is when to use it." I nodded and said,
"Team, let's move." I ran back to the room and saw Thalia teaching a young lady that is my daughter. I walked over and Zoe look up to me. She said,
"Hey dad." I chuckled and replied,
"Hey Zoe. Guess I missed your first steps huh." She stepped up and hugged me. She replied,
"It doesn't matter. I know that you held me when I was still an infant. That's all it matters. You were there for me." She stepped away from me and drew a Kukri and said,
"Using the Animus really helped in my training. Let's see how well it is." I replied,
"Very well. Let's see." With that, we are transported to an Arena. Surprisingly, Gideon drew his sword and stood beside Zoe. He grinned and said,
"It's not every day that I have a chance to kick your ass Perce. Remember the first day you are trained by me?" I grinned and called Solarion to my side and said,
"Clear as day." With that, three glows of light erupted. A golden light, an electric blue light and a grey light. When they died down, we are all suited in our combat armour. I charged at Zoe and attacked forcing her on the defensive. Without missing a beat, I twirled and blocked a slash from Gideon. I kicked him away and ducked as Zoe threw her throwing knives at me. I counterattacked and said,
"Mystic Art, Energy shield." A golden shield blocked the knives and they dropped to the ground. Zoe said,
"Mystic Art, Blackout." A dark energy blade erupted from her Kukri and flew towards me. I said,
"Mystic Art, Energy swords." The Arena darkened and energy swords flew down from the Heavens, countering the skill entirely. I stopped the attack and when the smoke cleared, Zoe was lying there. I dashed over to her and saw that she is exhausted. I gently shook her awake and her eyes fluttered open. She asked weakly,
"Dad? What happened?" I replied,
"You called down a Mystic Art that is too powerful for you to control. You will need training. But first, you need to rest." I carried her back into the room and saw everyone standing there. I placed her on the bed and said,
"Rest up. Tyrael will train you in the mystic arts once you recover." I look to the rest and said,
"We have to strike now. Let's move." With that, we headed out to the outside world and are shocked at what we saw. A desolate world greeted us. The mortals are enslaved by the gods. I look back and asked,
"How did this happened? How long have we been here?" Lord Chaos sighed and replied,
"5 days equals to 500 years in the mortal world. Demigods, mortals, all enslaved by the gods. The Kingpin is presiding over them." I gritted my teeth and said,
"All of them will fall. I swear it." A voice said,
"And you will not be alone." I turned back and saw Zoe walking to me. I said,
"You should be resting." Zoe rolled her eyes and said,
"Dad, I'm immortal. I regain my strength quickly." I shrugged and said,
"Alright. Our first step is to muster up an Army. We need to free the slaves, demigods and mortals." Artremis said,
"My Hunters are part of the resistance force that is working here." I nodded and said,
"Zoe and I will take the concentration camps. Alpha team, take care of their military installations. Take them out using stealth. Assassin Brotherhood, destroy their supporters. All unknowns are hostile. Primordial Council and Angiris Council, Remain here. This is our base of operations." I look at my watch and saw that it is nearing nightfall. I said,
"Operations will begin in 3, 2, 1. Stay safe." With that, Zoe and I ran into the forest and disappeared. Alpha Team went to the Harbringer and took off, engaging stealth mode. The Assassin Brotherhood headed into the city and blended into the crowd. All of us knew what to do. Right now, Zoe and I are in the forest blending into the background. The forest is crawling with guards. I signalled to her and approached a guard silently. I drew my knife and silt his throat, killing him silently. Zoe did the same with the guard that is next to the car. I nodded and slipped back into the shadows. She followed my example. We creeped to the concentration camp, bypassing quite a number of guards. Once we reach the outskirts of the camp, Zoe took out her binoculars while my Exo-suit equipped a threat detector to my eyes. I said,
"Front entrance is heavily guarded. Two troops of elite guards. Flanks are blocked by electrified fences. Zoe, deploy a Nano drone swarm." Zoe activated the drone swarm and she linked it to my Exo-suit. A live feed was shown in front of me. It showed the defences of the rear entrance, and I don't like what I saw. The rear gate is being guarded by Metal 0-1 and Taskforce 141, and they have self-destruct collars on their necks. I said,
"Zoe, guide the swarm and land on the collars." She nodded and did that. I said,
"Activate the self-destruct sequence." A mini explosion disabled the collars and they fell off. Sandman look over at where we are and nodded. I nodded and placed a finger on my lips and ordered them to evacuate. With the rear entrance cleared, we sneaked to the compound, when a hand halt me. Sandman muttered,
"Don't. This is a military installation for the Olympians. It is impossible to enter." I said,
"HQ, this is Warpath. Target is a military installation. Call in a bombing run." The commlink crackled as Lord Chaos replied,
"Negative Warpath. Bring back Metal 0-1 and Taskforce 141. HQ out." With that, I said,
"Do you have a suppressed weapon?" They shook their heads. I said,
"Alright. Do what I do and don't be a hero. Stay on my ass." With that, Zoe led the way into the forest, with me covering the rear. Once in the forest, I said,
"Mystic Art, Fatal Eclipse." A dark shadow encased the area, killing all of the guards in the area. Then Sandman said,
"I need to talk to you on something when we are back at HQ." I nodded and continued to run and exited the forest. I ascended the stairs to the Angiris Council entrance. The entrance opened and Imperious said,
"Get in." We rushed in and Imperious closed the door in a hurry. He said,
"The gods are closing in to our position. We need a new base to continue operations." I nodded and said,
"Get your things head to the Harbringer." He nodded and headed for the Halls of Valour. I turned to the rest and said,
"Patch yourself up in the med-bay and prepare to move." They nodded and limped to the med-bay at the west wing. I turned to Sandman and asked,
"So, what is it that you wish to discuss with me?" Sandman sighed and said,
"The Olympians are not afraid of you. They know your true identity and are not afraid. You need to be something more. A legend that can make them tremble at the mere mention of your name." I frowned and nodded. I said,
"I'll think of something. Go on ahead to patch up." He nodded and went to the west wing. I headed to the gardens of Hope to seek advice from Hestia. She said kindly,
"You will figure something out Percy. It's only a matter of time." Her answer is cryptic and it confuses me. I asked,
"What do you mean?" She only smiled and walked away, leaving me confusing than before. I walked deeper into the gardens and saw a statue of 6 people riding horses. I look closely at the lead rider. He wore a hood, similar to the other riders. But in his hand, wielded a very familiar spear. I inspected the statue further. But it gave me no clue on what Hestia meant. I heard my name being called and I look over and saw that it is the Team. Thalia asked,
"Hey babe. How's Zoe?" I replied,
"Zoe's fine. She did well in stealth. But her combat skills are untested." She nodded. I said,
"How did the mission go?" Mitchell replied,
"The slaves are rescued, but the central compound is too heavily guarded. We couldn't breach it." I nodded and said,
"Sandman told me that the Olympians don't fear us. I asked Hestia for advice, but her answer is cryptic. Look at that statue." Gideon look at the statue of the horsemen. He said,
"The rider on the left. He wields El'driun. And the lead rider wields Solarion. But how is that possible?" I shook my head and said,
"Your guess is as good as mine." Thalia pointed to the horsemen on the right and said,
"That rider is wielding Silverlight." I muttered,
"The Ancient weapons. Think about it, all of us here wield the ancient weapons. Thalia, you wield Silverlight. Gideon, you wield El'driun. Mitchell, you wield Soulrapier. Joker, you wield Talonstrike, the first bow and Ilona, you wield Warmonger. Don't you see, we wield the Ancient Weapons." Ilona replied,
"But that does not link to us being the Horsemen. It could be our descendants." I frowned and nodded. I said,
"Let's not think of this too much. We have to leave. The Olympians are arriving soon." As soon as I said that, an explosion rocked the compound. The runes at the entrance glowed, reinforcing the entrance. We ran out of the gardens and saw the Angiris Council ready for battle. I said,
"Angiris Council. Go to the Halls of Valour. The Harbringer is there. We will hold them off." They nodded and ran to the Halls of Valour. I said to the Primordial Council,
"Primordial Council, please head to the Harbringer. Bring Zoe with you. Get her and the Angiris Council out of here. Metal 0-1 and Taskforce 141, follow the primordial council." Sandman said,
"Stay safe." With that, they followed the Primordial Council. Zoe remained behind. She gave me a hug and said,
"Stay safe dad. Come back alive or I will kick your ass to hell and back." I smiled and nodded. She did the same to Thalia and ran after the Primordials. I look at the Assassin Brotherhood and said,
"Retreat to the Harbringer. Go." Evie and Jacob gave me a hug and Evie said,
"Stay safe my protégé. Come back safe." I nodded and said,
"All of you go now." They nodded and ran to the Halls of Valour. I look at the Team and said,
"Well, our last stand." Gideon said,
"We will make sure we take the Olympians to hell with us." We nodded in agreement. Six glows of light envelop us. Once they died down, all of us stood in full battle armour. I closed my eyes and said,
"Mystic art, roman phalanx." In front of me, the ground glowed and a roman phalanx stood in front of me. I said,
"Form a defence in front of the Halls of valour." They nodded and ran and formed a defence line. At the entrance, the runes reinforcing the door is dying down. I said,
"Get ready." We got into a battle stance. One last explosion and the door flew open and the Olympians walked in. Zeus sneered when he saw us. He said,
"Come with us if you want to live." I spun Solarion and gave him the finger. I said,
"Go fuck yourself." With that, all hell broke loose. The Olympians charged at us, but before we can defend and counterattack, a rapier blocked Zeus's bolt. A figure in front of me said,
"You want a fight Father? You got one." The figure materialised to show Jason. The other Wielders also materialised, all holding their weapons. I grinned and said,
"I like these odds." At this words, five Olympians flashed to our side. Apollo said,
"Perce, Zeus forced us to fight. I personally do not want to. I swear to Chaos that this is the truth." The sky darkened and returned to normal. I waited for a few moments and said,
"Very well. Go to the Harbringer. Roman defence line, let them through." Apollo led Demeter, Hades, Hermes and Amphitrite across the defence line and to the Harbringer. The rest of the Olympians stood their ground, now wary knowing that their numbers had dropped. Slowly, Poseidon, Hephaestus, and Aphrodite joined our side as well. Poseidon said,
"I'm sorry son." I nodded and beckoned them to cross the defence line. I motioned to the roman defence line to reform and said,
"Let's get this show on the road." With that, the remaining Olympians; Zeus, Athena, Hera and Ares charged, the 13 of us met them head on. The resulting power flux blew the building into half. I yelled into the radio,
"Harbringer, take off and get out of here!" Lord Chaos replied with a desperate tone,
"No Warpath. We are not leaving you here." I yelled back while blocking an attack from Athena,
"Chaos, go! Now!" With that, I activated the ion engines and the Harbringer flew into space. I muttered,
"Zoe, I'm sorry." With that, I stabbed Solarion into the ground and yelled,
"Mystic Art! Fatal Eclipse!" A dark shadow engulf the entire landscape. Athena saw it and said,
"Olympians, fall back." The four of them flashed back to Mount Olympus. The darkness engulfed the entire building, destroying everything in its path. As it approaches us, Thalia gripped my hand and said,
"For what it's worth. I'm glad we are together on this day." I nodded and look at the Team. They nodded and look at the approaching eclipse. I look back and saw that there is a launch pod. But it can only hold seven people. I said to the Wielders,
"Guys, take the launch pod and get out of here." Hazel said,
"Percy no. We are not leaving all of you here." I shook my head and replied,
"I should have forgiven you a long time ago. But it's too late now. Get to the launch pod. Go." With that, I snapped my fingers and teleported them into the launch pod. I activated the launch sequence and the door snapped close. The Wielders banged on the windows fruitlessly, watching us with helplessness as I activated the launch. I saluted them as they took off into space, joining the Harbringer. I said to the Team,
"Alpha Team. It's good to serve beside all of you. I'm sorry that it had to end this way." Gideon replied,
"No Warpath. We already knew death will be at our doorstep the moment we accepted your offer, and we did good in the universe. This is the end of our journey, we face it as warriors." We look on to the eclipse as it engulfs the sun and throws the Earth into darkness. But before that happens, a yellow light glowed and engulfs us and all turned black.
Unknown POV
I look at the unconscious heroes lying on the beds, out cold. I heard footsteps behind me and I turned. I saw Lord Spirit standing there. He asked,
"How are they?" I shook my head and replied,
"Not good. All of them have injuries from the power flux on Earth. They would need time to heal." Lord Spirit nodded and said,
"They would have to heal quickly. They are the ones to succeed the Ancient Riders." I nodded and said,
"Let's hope that they will." With that, Lord Spirit disappeared into thin air. I continued to observe the heroes, the ones who would continue the legend of the Ancient Riders.
Warpath's POV
I groaned as I woke up. I sat up and look around. I was in a room and I saw the Team unconscious in similar beds. I got off and walked around. I stumbled, my legs obviously not feeling right. I supported myself on the wall and I heard a voice,
"Whoa, easy there kid." I look up and saw a man standing there. My Exo-suit activated and I said,
"Who are you?" The man smiled and replied,
"My name is classified. Call me Hunter." I nodded and asked,
"Where am I?" Hunter chuckled and said,
"Nowhere. Figure out for yourself. Looks like your team is awake. Good luck." I look back and saw my Team groaning and sitting up. I look back and saw that Hunter disappeared. I narrowed my eyes, wondering what did he meant by good luck. Gideon stumbled to me and said,
"Where are we mate?" I replied,
"No idea. All unknowns are hostile." I look down and saw that most of my weapons and equipment are gone. Only my two Atlas 45 pistols are there. I took one out and toss it to Thalia. I said,
"Gideon, you're with me. Thalia, you're with Ilona, Joker, you're with Mitchell. I want to know where the hell are we. All unknowns are hostile. Let's move." With that, I planted a micro C4 charge on the wall, and hit the detonator. The charge blew a hole in the wall. We sneaked out and saw that we are in some kind of communication hub. Data servers are lined up together in a single room. But that didn't caught my eye. What did was the lack of security in this place. I muttered,
"Where's the security?" I narrowed my eyes and activated Eagle Vision. I saw in the blue hint that the Team has no skeleton. I drew my Atlas 45 pistol and opened fire, killing Joker instantly. I said,
"Where the bloody hell am I?!" A voice chuckled and said,
"Fine. I'll let you know." The server room melted away, as did the Team. I found myself standing in a throne room, where the Team was waiting for me. Thalia ran and gave me a tight hug. I hugged her back just as tightly. When we parted, I look at the throne and saw a familiar man sitting there. I kneeled down and said,
"Lord Spirit." Spirit laughed and said,
"Stand up my boy. There is no need to bow to me." I stood up and asked,
"Lord Spirit, where is the man named Hunter? I would like to have a word with him." Spirit laughed and replied,
"I can't allow that. I know by having a word, you mean kill him for keeping you in an illusion." I nodded. Spirit sighed and said,
"He was under orders. You see, everyone assume that you and your team are dead. This has awoken the Ancient Riders, the first enforcers of the universal law." I asked,
"And what does that got to do with us?" Spirit turned around and said,
"You all are the successors of the Ancient Riders. I did not bring you here, nor did Hunter. The Ancient riders chose you all to be their successors." My Exo-suit deactivated and I said,
"When do we meet them? My daughter is still on the Harbringer and I do not trust the Wielders and the Olympians to meet her." Thalia nodded in agreement. Spirit said,
"Go to the Archive Rooms. The Rings of the Ancients are scattered all around the room. Call to the Rings. The one who chose you will glow." We nodded and Spirit teleported us to the Archive Rooms. The word huge is an understatement. The Archives are filled with books, artefacts and scrolls that occupy the shelves that stretched across the room, and there are who knows how many shelves are there. I said to the Team,
"Find a quiet place and call the Ring to you. It will either find you or it will guide you." The Team nodded and split up. Thalia walked next to me and laced her fingers with mine. She said,
"Let's go Percy." We walked to a corner of the Archives and sat down. I closed my eyes and thought,
"Ancient Rider, whoever you are, guide me, your successor, to your ring." In my mind, a description of the ring came up. The Ring is made up of an unknown material, black in colour. It is in the shape of a dragon ring, but the jewel in it has a shape of a small sword. I opened my eyes and saw a blue glow at the end of the Archives. I walked over to it and saw the Ring glowing. I reached out to the ring and it flew to me. It slid onto my left ring finger and an ethereal blue light engulf me. When the light died down, I was still in my Assassin cloak and all of my weapons are there. I look to my ring finger and saw the ring there. I shrugged and headed back to the corner and saw a white ethereal light. When it died down, Thalia is standing there, her ring is the exact identical copy as mine. The only difference is that the sword jewel is an emerald. I said,
"Looks like the rings know that we are 'married' in a way." Thalia smiled and replied,
"Percy, we are. We don't need a piece of paper to signify that." I gave her a soft kiss, when she returned. When we broke apart, she said,
"Come on, let's find the others." We walked hand in hand to the entrance. Gideon has also found his ring; a ring shaped like a small phoenix. The jewel is a mix of red and orange, like flames. I said,
"Gideon, where are the others?" Gideon replied,
"Not sure mate. I have no idea what the Ring do." I shrugged and replied,
"I have no idea as well." Just then, the rest of the Team re-joined us. I said,
"You guys got it?" They nodded and I said,
"Let's go." With that, I walked out of the Archives, only to see that the walkway that is linking the Archives to the throne room is gone. I look ahead and saw Lord Spirit and Hunter standing there. I said,
"Lord Spirit, what is the meaning of this?" Lord Spirit replied,
"You have to leave. The choosing of the Rings has destabilised my palace. Leap into space now. Call your mounts. Good luck." With that, both of them disappeared. All around us, the throne room is collapsing. I said,
"Let's move." With that, the six of us did a Leap of Faith into the void. Just before we enter the void that could kill us, six shadows appeared and we were shot back up into space. I look down and saw that I was sitting on a dragon and a majestic one at that. It is the length of 14 buses and it is a dark shade of blue. Gentle amber eyes sit concealed within the creature's long, narrow skull, which gives the creature a rather menacing looking appearance. One small central horn sit atop its head, just above its wide, cat-like ears. Several rows of small tendrils runs down the sides of each of its jaw lines. Its nose is short and has two short, slitted nostrils and there are tendrils on its chin. Several sharp teeth poke out from the side of its mouth and give a preview of the terror hiding inside. A lean neck runs down from its head and into a long body. The top is covered in wide scales and a row of thick armour plating runs down its spine. Its bottom is covered in scale-like skin and is coloured much darker than the rest of its body. Four long limbs carry its body and allow the creature to stand noble and tall. Each limb has 3 digits, each of which end in long talons seemingly made of onyx. Terrifying wings grow starting from just above its shoulders and end just passed its shoulder blades. The wings are bladed in structure, the skin of the wings seems to glow as if made from fire itself and each bone structures ends in a curved, yet blunt tip. Its massive tail ends in a curved talon and is covered in the same wide scales as its body. Its body is also glowing, like embers in a dying fire. I said,
"What is your name dragon?" I felt a probe in my mind and I allow it in. A female voice replied,
"My name is Venia. It is nice to meet you Percy." I smiled and replied,
"You know my name. Were you and the others waiting for us?" Venia chuckled and replied,
"Yes. We had slumbered for eons. But your presence, along with your team, has called us. We are equals." I called Solarion to me and the spear appeared in my hand in a golden flash. I yelled,
"Ancient Riders, follow me!" The rest of them bellowed in reply, raising their weapons,
"Lead on Warpath!" With a yell, Venia flew into space, a trail of fire trailing behind her. Thalia rode beside me, Silverlight was glowing in her hand. She look at me and nodded. I nodded and look forward. I said,
"Venia, you know my memories. I trust that you saw all of them?" Venia replied in a tint of anger,
"I saw them all my rider. The Olympians will pay, along with their offspring." I replied in an attempt to soothe her anger,
"Do not worry. Death is too much of a mercy for them. They had asked for my forgiveness, something they must earned." Venia sighed and replied,
"Very well Percy. I will spare them. But do not expect me to be friendly to them." I chuckled and replied,
"I never say you have to." With that, Venia roared, the other dragons following her example. Her speed picked up, and soon, the starlight became a blur. I said to Venia,
"Where are you taking us Venia?" She chuckled in my head and replied,
"To see your daughter. I sense that she is being harassed." I stiffened and said,
"Riders, prepare for battle." With that statement, my spear glowed. We slowed down and the Harbringer came into view. I said,
"Harbringer, lower the shields. Override, A07." The gauntlet chipped and the shields lowered silently. I said to Venia,
"Land silently, I suspect something is not right." Venia sent a nod in my head and told the other dragons to do the same. We landed on the deck silently. Venia said to me,
"We are in the Rings. Call on us if you need our help." I replied,
"I will Venia." She glowed a dark navy blue and transform into a ball of light and entered my Ring. The other dragons did the same as well. I said,
"We will split into two teams, Gideon, Thalia, you're with me. Mitchell, Joker and Ilona, you're Bravo. I'm sending you my feed. You will not like it." I accessed the bridge's cameras, and it shows the Olympians and the Wielders holding the Primordials prisoner. Worse still, Zoe, Artremis and Hestia are being tortured. I gritted my teeth and said,
"We are going in hot." With that, I leapt and threw a micro sonic charge onto the bridge's window. The charge found the right frequency and self-destructed, shattering the window in the process. I fired my grapple and leapt into the throne room, catching the Olympians and Wielders by surprise. I hissed,
"You dare to torture my daughter?! I will kill you all." With that, I charged and swung my spear, catching my father on the blunt end. I spun and blocked an attack from Jason. He said,
"Percy, we have no idea what you are talking about. The Primordials are fine." I slipped away from the attack and hissed,
"You think you can trick me?! I hacked into the security cameras and saw the entire thing." Jason blocked and replied urgently,
"I swear on my life that everything I said is true." I slowly lowered Solarion and replied,
"What are you talking about?" Jason said,
"The Olympians and the other Wielders started acting weird once they are on the ship. I was the only one unaffected. I smuggled my niece, Artremis and Hestia into the escape pod. The Primordials followed as well. I hacked into your Exo-suit using this." He held up a device scrambler, one that I used back on one of my missions. He continued,
"I have no choice but to get you angry to snap your dad out of it. All of the video feed is a fake. Zoe is fine, I swear." I look at Poseidon, who was sitting up and groaning. He said,
"What the Hades happened. One thing I was fine, then the rest is a blur." I look at his neck and saw something smoking. I plucked it off his neck and saw that it was a neuron transmitter, giving whoever that implanted it control of the human brain. I muttered,
"Looks like the Kingpin got here before I did." I look at Jason and said,
"Jason, where are they?" Jason replied,
"They're outside. I locked them in the escape pod for their safety. I came back in here to spy on what they are doing." I said,
"Bring me to them." He nodded and walked to the deck. There, the escape pod opened and the Primordials, Zoe, Hestia and Artremis stumbled out. Zoe glared at Jason and muttered,
"I am so kicking your ass if you do that again." She look over and saw Thalia and I. She said,
"Dad, mum." She ran over and gave both of us a bone-crushing hug. I chuckled and replied,
"I'm sorry for leaving for so long. I hope you can forgive me." Zoe chuckled and replied,
"It's ok dad. You and mum have a big job to do. I don't intend to sit on the side line though." My eyes narrowed and said,
"No no young lady. No fighting in wars for you." Zoe rolled her eyes and replied,
"You need help dad. I know you are hunting the Kingpin. I managed to hack into the communication grid and isolate the communication channel that the Kingpin is using. They are quite a few. Sending it to you now." An incoming feed appeared on my gauntlet and it showed five communication channels. I said,
"Alpha Team. Monitor the communication channels. Alert me if anything pings." They nodded and Gideon asked,
"Warpath, what about the other Olympians? They will be searching for us." Zoe smirked and replied,
"Again, one step ahead of you. I activated an EMP pulse that fry specific objects. I saw the implant and calibrated the EMP pulse to fry that. They should be alright by now." As soon as she said that, the Olympian gods stumbled out. I said to Zoe,
"Not bad. I can make an operator out of you, if you want to." Zoe grinned and replied,
"Thanks dad. But Lord Chaos used the Animus to train me using your memories. I have the same set of skills that you have." I face-palmed and muttered,
"Oh man….. Lord Chaos why?" Lord Chaos chuckled and replied,
"Don't worry, I used only your training memories." I shook my head and said,
"You would need to know how to survive Zoe. You would need to ask Master Evie…" I trailed off as I heard knuckles being cracked. I look at the Team, who gave me sympathetic looks. I slowly turned back and meet the eyes of Master Evie. Evie flicked her left hand, her hidden blade shooting out. She hissed,
"Give me one reason why shouldn't I hurt you." I lowered my head and said nothing. The sound of her blade being sheathed made me look up. She look at me with sadness in her eyes. She said,
"I'm tired of reminding you not to take unnecessary risks. If you refuse to learn and get it into your head, I am not fit to be your master." With that, she turned and headed below decks. I raised my hand to stop her, but Jacob stopped me. He said,
"I know you want nothing more than to beg for her forgiveness, but have you noticed how different you are?" I look at him in confusion and asked,
"What do you mean?" Jacob replied,
"You no longer planned your move before striking. You are no longer as merciless as before. You are the reckless hero that you once were. You forgot your training as an Assassin." I began to reflect on the words that Jacob said. He was right. I made decisions before planning. I spared the guilty as it is wrong and they are unarmed and helpless. No matter what they look like, they are guilty. I said,
"You're right. I have to apologize." Jacob kneeled down to my height and said,
"It doesn't matter what you did. You are an Assassin at heart. You trained for 5 millennia. Remember that training, but remember to keep yourself anchored to what makes you human, and that are your friends and family. Keep a balance between the two." He patted my shoulder and continued,
"Go and make it up with my sister." I ran below decks, coming to a stop in front of her room. But a tingling sensation made my hair on the back of my neck stood up. I immediately pulled out the schematics of Evie's room. I saw that it is full of shadows. I immediately knew that she will use her ability to sneak out. I opened the door slowly and switched on the lights. I said into the room,
"Master Evie, I know you are mad at me for taking risks, and I am sorry for that, I really am. I'm not asking you to forgive me. You're right. I made unnecessary risks during the mission. I don't know where you are, but I know you are listening." When there is no answer, I sighed and closed the door. I went into the Team's room and saw the entire team there. When they saw me, they started to ask questions, but Gideon saw the expression on my face and motioned to the team to stay quiet. I silently walked to the entrance to my personal Chambers and the panel slid open silently. I entered and the panel slid shut. I walked in a daze to my bed and sat down, tears silently dripping from my eyes. I ruined my relationship between my closest mentor, all because of my stupidity. I was busy beating myself over it, I didn't notice the panel sliding open. I felt a weight beside me and I look to the right. I was surprised on who I saw. Evie sat beside me. She placed a hand on my shoulder and pulled me into a hug. She said,
"Quiet now. It's alright." I shook my head and replied,
"Why are you here? I thought you hated my guts for taking unnecessary risks." Evie replied,
"I can never hate you Percy. You are like a son to me." She gave me a reprimanding look and continued,
"But what you did is indeed reckless. I do not want to hear of this again. Am I clear?" I nodded and replied,
"I assure you. It will not happen again." Just then, an explosion rocked the entire ship. Alarms blared and Thalia's voice came over the commlink,
"Percy, the ship is under attack. We need you on the deck ASAP." I replied,
"Copy that Thalia. I'm enroute." I activated my Exo-suit to Assault and readied my weapons. I look over and saw that Evie has also suited up. I said,
"There must be ambushes outside the panel. We have to lure them in here. Hide in the shadows." We hid behind the wall and I opened the panel. Immediately, soldiers rushed in. We crept to the exit and saw the Team being held prisoner. I heard Gideon say,
"Go fuck yourself asshole. You want to make me talk? Let's see how hard you try." I grinned and we slipped out of the room. I said,
"Hey, idiots. Say goodbye." I shut the panel and activated the self-destruct sequence on my personal computer. A muffled explosion followed by screams was heard. I turned to the Team and walked over to them. I undid their bindings and said,
"You guys alright?" Gideon replied,
"We've been better. But we can fight." I nodded and said,
"Suit up and follow me." I stacked up on the door and placed a micro C4 charge on it. I look at Evie and she nodded. I blew the charge, killing anyone on the outside due to the exposure of the shockwave produced. I cautiously walked out with my SN6 machine gun, my finger on the trigger. Evie covered my back as we advanced. The Team followed, our combat training kicking in. I whispered,
"Huntress, this is Warpath. Do you read me?" My earpiece crackled as she replied,
"I read you Warpath. Enemies has headed below decks looking for you. The Wielders, Olympians, Zoe and I fought off the invaders on the deck. We are holding position in the bridge." I replied,
"Copy that, Warpath out." I said,
"We have to get to the Primordials and Assassin brotherhood. Evie, Gideon, you're with me. We will look for the Primordials. The rest of you, look for the Assassin brotherhood. Escort them to the Bridge." I said to Gideon,
"Call the Falcon. We have to get off the ship and blow it up entirely." He nodded. I whispered,
"On me." I took point, with Evie and Gideon covering the corners of the walkway. I activated eagle vision and red tints appeared in the room that I'm about to enter. They didn't notice me sneaking in. In a flash, I threw 5 throwing knives with deadly precision, killing 5 of them before they can react. Without missing a beat, I drew my silenced pistols and fired 4 shots with deadly accuracy. The bullets entered the remaining guards' heads, killing them instantly. I holstered my pistol and activated eagle vision. The familiar blue tint appeared in my eyes and I saw that one of the soldiers is carrying orders. I went over and kneeled beside his dead body. I picked up the holo-tablet and read the order, and I was not happy on what I read. It said,
'These people are charged with treason and mass destruction of planets around the universe. Bring me their heads.'
Signed
The Kingpin.
I look at the tablet and browsed through the faces. All of them are myself, the Team and the Assassin brotherhood. I used my wrist computer and scanned the order, and I sent a virus into the holo-tablet. I stood up and said,
"Come on. Let's keep moving." With that, I took point and led Gideon and Evie to the deck. But, the order is stuck in my head. Whoever this guy is, I will end him to stop any more atrocities from being committed by the Kingpin.