Chapter 52: Alcyone

Alcyone had to think fast. An oath to the River Styx could be rather binding, but she wanted the people here to trust her. Making up her mind, Alcyone shouted to the open-mouthed crowd, "I swear, by the River Styx, I am forever loyal to your side as long as you do good for mankind!"

Thunder rumbled overhead. Alcyone thought she heard the winds sigh and whisper, "I hear you."

Done with her oath, she let the energy inside her well up and explode, stopping all of Time. Allowing a small smile of satisfaction flit across her face, she stood up, stretched, and called to the boy with white hair, "You."

Suddenly the boy found he could move again. He was shaking like a leaf in the autumn wind, with a look of fear, plain and simple, etched upon his features.

"Will you allow me in?" Alcyone asked softly. "I did swear to the River, you know. You heard it."

Stammering, the boy said, "B-b-but I need your n-n-name."

"It is Alcyone."

The boy gulped. "A-A-Alcyone, I now allow y-y-you to enter our w-w-walls!"

Alcyone looked closely at the small dome over the lush hills. It had disappeared. She strode confidently into the beautiful refuge.

As soon as Alcyone had gotten inside, the dome reappeared.

"What have we here?" A boy who appeared to be 16 years old asked. He had an aura of authority about him, and seemed to be the kind of person people respected and followed.

"Alcyone, sir." Alcyone said in reverence.

"So you're Krono's kid... I heard about it once, but I couldn't believe that it was true."

"No, that was my father. I am his granddaughter."

The boy stroked his chin, as if there was a beard growing there, though through her left eye (which was the one that existed in the Void) Alcyone could see that there clearly wasn't one.

"What should we do with you now? You already swore your loyalty," he muttered to himself. "An invasion around the borders. . . what are those things?" The boy looked at Alcyone again. "My name's Neesik, by the way."

"Neesik, those creatures are called Heartlesses. They have been. . . pursuing me. But I am confident that the dome around your camp can stop them."

Now Neesik looked very surprised. "The border? You can see it?" Then, "We need to get you trained."

Chapter 53: Eshana

Eshana trudged along with everyone else. She could see that Bhavana and Pranu were still fuming from their argument before. And then she saw it.

It was... THE MALL!

"OMG GUYS CAN WE LIKE PLEEEEAAASSE GO TO THE MALL!?" She said

"Nope, sorry Eshana, the quest comes first." Shirley said.

"Fine then." she grumbled. Still, her eyes kept on flicking toward THE MALL. She hadn't had a shopping trip in such a long time. But soon her thoughts went to other things.

Such as, Josh for example. Josh was also a genetic freak. He had been in the cage next to her at the lab. When Tim came to rescue her and Bhavana though, he got left behind in the fight that happened after. Tim hadn't let them go back to get him. Josh Williams, son of Hades. Supposedly the only one there ever would be.

Perhaps, that is.

Chapter 54: Bhavana

Bhavana flew next to Tim. She synchronized her golden wings with his chocolate brown ones.

"Hey Bhavana!" Eshana called in front.

"Yeah?" She called back.

"Come over here." Eshana replied. Bhavana reluctantly flew to the front.

"Yes?" She inquired.

"Do you see that building over there?" She asked.

Bhavana gasped "OMG, ITS STARBUCKS!" They all hadn't had coffee in such a long time.

"Let's go." Caiyi said, "I need something to wake up my brain."

"But guys, at this hour, it almost 9, they won't be open." Shirley said.

"Oh, right." Bhavana said dejectedly.

Just as she said that, Tim soared past her, fast. He beckoned her. Bhavana laughed and tried to catch up. She zoomed past him like a bullet.

She was going faster him ,'Whoa, I'm going really fast!'

She turned around to see Tim and the rest of the flock staring at her, about a fourth of a mile away. They looked at her, absolutely awestruck.

"What was that?" Tim called as Bhavana flew back to them.

"You have warp drive." Alex said, her eyes big.

"How do you do that." Eshana asked.

"Did you get hyped up on coffee somehow?" Caiyi inquired suspiciously.

"Idk Eshana, and no, I did not drink any coffee." Bhavana replied.

"Uh huh, so what was that?" Ruidi asked.

"Well, she can run fast, so theoretically, she should be able to fly fast, but wow, Bhavana, that was like, awesome!" Shirley said.

Tim looked at Bhavana.

Suddenly she was scared

'What if he thinks I'm a total freak?!.'

She glanced at Tim's face. The expression was both horrified and awestruck.

And after that, she knew something had changed between them.

Chapter 55: Alcyone

Alcyone gaped at the training grounds before her in wonder. Immense expanses of grass and dirt as far as the eyes could see. All around her, children clad in heavy-looking armor clashing their even-heavier-looking swords together, participating in a mock battle. In the middle of this scene was a large, shabby wooden shack.

One camper led her to that shack. "Pick your weapon from there." The camper deliberately avoided meeting her eyes.

Alcyone entered the big wooden shack. Inside were weapons of assorted shapes, sizes, and colors. But none looked suitable to her. Disappointed, she exited the shack.

"Um," Alcyone asked, poking a nearby girl's arm, "Can I make my own weapons? Mother taught me how, and I think I can remember."

"Watch it!" the girl snarled. The girl turned around, and she glared at Alcyone. The girl seemed to grow in size. Her face was reddening with anger. As the girl recognized Alcyone, the color started draining out of her face, then the redness abruptly flooded back in again.

"Don't go around thinking you can intimidate me!" the girl spat at Alcyone.

Nearby, another girl who was listening to their conversation ran in.

"Don't be mean," she chided the red-faced girl. To Alcyone, she said,"You can make one if you know how." The nice girl pointed to a building far-off in the distance. "You'll have to walk, though."

"Doesn't matter how far it is." Alcyone replied, then her flickering image vanished altogether.

When Alcyone stepped out of the Void into the building, she noticed that the building could be more accurately called a smithy. Someone asked her, "What materials?"

"Willow branches, and some iron and..." Suddenly Alcyone had an idea. "And maybe some phosphorus sesquisulfide?" The boy gave her a strange look, but nevertheless gave her the materials she asked for, except he didn't give her iron. Instead, there was this orangish colored material.

"Celestial bronze." a girl with big, rough hands explained. "Only metal that works against monsters."

The people here did not question her, or ask what Alcyone was doing here. That was nice. Alcyone bent the willows and shaped them into a curve. She used sandpaper to make the part of the bow where the arrow rubbed against it rough and jagged. She shaped the arrows out of the glowing hot metal. Accidentally, she dropped one of the chunks of metal onto the floor. It immediately began to hiss and fizz. Quickly, she scooped it up with a iron spatula thingy and plopped it back onto her worktable.

Gradually, a bow & arrows started to take shape. It was hard, and Alcyone wasn't really good with metals and such. When the weapons were finally finished, she poured the phosphorus sesquisulfide over the arrow tips and upper part of the shaft and watched it harden. She was finally done with her bow & arrow.

Alcyone headed back to the training grounds. Someone stopped her. "You have to use a sword." It was the nice girl from before. The girl pointed at the shack. Alcyone entered it.

One sword in particular caught her eye. A simple double-edged sword with a blue gem embedded on the hilt. Alcyone looked hard at the sword. An inner light seemed to be shining through it. "I dub thee Starlight." she said, smiling at her medieval words. She chose that one, and went back to the training fields.

And so began Alcyone's new life at the camp.

Chapter 56: Caiyi

"Why exactly are you following us, again?" Caiyi scowled for the tenth time in a row.

"Because," Pranu said.

"Because...?" Tim echoed.

"URRRGGGGHHHH! Just shut up and walk, will you?!" Pranu yelled. The three boys grinned at each other.

"NO WAY, JOSE!" They yelled simultaneously. Bhavana stomped right over and glared at the boys. They immediately stopped. Suddenly, some hunters appeared right in front of them. There was a faint silver aura around them. Ruidi and Caiyi drew their swords while Tim prepared a lightning bolt.

"Who are you?" Caiyi shouted.

"We are the hunters," said one of the hunters. Then another, stepping out, said, "And I am Artemis."

"Um..." Pranu said.

"Um..." Ruidi echoed.

"Uhhh..." Caiyi's mouth dropped into an O.

"Hmmm..." Tim yawned.

"So-" Pranu started.

"You-" Ruidi interrupted.

"Are-" Caiyi continued.

"CHEESE!" Tim yelled. Everyone cracked up. They burst into hysterical laughter. The so-called Artemis apparently didn't like it, because she hurled a stream of sparkling white energy at them. They just barely dodged in time, but the resulting explosion sent them flying.

"Did she just try to kill us?!" Tim asked.

"Let's use it!" Caiyi yelled, basically ignoring him.

"Okay!" Ruidi agreed. "Phoenix!"

"Dragon!" Caiyi added in.

"Lightning!" Tim said.

"Ball!" They yelled and hurled it straight toward the goddess's head...