Phil's pov
Phil was getting worried, not for Aubrey, she was sound asleep with her head on his shoulder, at the moment they were in her cabin on the Argo II. So Phil knows Aubrey was safe for now at least, he wasn't sure what will happen now the one prophecy was starting. He remember when Emily come and brought Aubrey to the avenger tower, just a few days ago, and he was shocked to see her there. He was surprised that aubrey managed to figure out about Emily being a greek demigod as well, he did tell aubrey the whole story of what happened to Emily or what Emily told him. Though when phil was allowed to tell Aubrey, by his mother, about being greek that phil was worried that aubrey would reject him. But Aubrey didn't care, in the recent months that Aubrey become more greek like, it was only in the last few days that she basically rejected the Roman ways. But they both know that some of her Roman ways would remain with her from her ten years at Camp Jupiter. There was going to be reminders of that fact, like her SPQR tattoo, or at times that she would fight like a Roman. It was earlier that day that aubrey learned of what happened to Jason and they were both surprised to seen each other.
Before boarding the Argo II that Lauren and Steve told him about where Emily and Bucky were going, Phil was shocked and worried when Lauren told him that. For Emily went to check on her one half sister that was a Roman, Hazel, apparently Emily sense something was wrong. That Hazel was on a quest to Alaska, out of the three, the only one who didn't understand the worry was Steve. It wasn't till Lauren told Steve about Alaska and the dangers that Steve worried till Lauren brought up that Emily, Lauren and Steve were more in danger while in Italy and Germany due to the fact that was where the ancient lands were and it was ten times as dangerous there as it was at Alaska. That Emily only has the years of training during the war while she has seventy years worth of training now. It only slightly eased the worrying though. However, the first half sibling of Emily's, though her adoption, that Phil meet that was Arabella when she was eleven. Funny enough that was when he first meet Aubrey as well, it was odd that Aubrey and Emily didn't know each other till that point in time. Than Aubrey and Emily mention that Emily pretty much spoke to the officers, and Aubrey was never an officer. So they never really meet face to face till that one mission.
Phil was worried about Emily mostly because he was unsure if Emily could use her powers, from Hades and Hestia at least, in Alaska. But Phil was unsure about the powers that come from their mother and if Emily could use those powers. Phil hoped and prayed that the gods would protect Emily while she was Alaska but he knew that was not going to happen. So he prayed that she will live though whatever awaits her in Alaska and that she would face it on, knowing Bucky was with her, that he felt better. But Phil does know she can take care of herself and she has her Greek training to fall back on as well as her weapons. But Alaska was a dangerous place to be for a demigod, no matter if the demigod was Greek or roman or even the group of demigods have both Greek and Roman. As Phil sat there thinking of what might be happening to Emily in Alaska that Aubrey stirred a little and opened her eyes. When Aubrey opened her eyes that she looked up at him.
"Phill, are you all right?"
"Yeah, it's that I am not sure what is happening to Emily though. Alaska is dangerous place for a demigod."
"I am sure she would be fine, she has been alive longer than either one of us and had a lot more training as well. Besides by the day after tomorrow we should be in camp Jupiter and I am sure she would be there in Camp Jupiter."
"I hope you are right, Aubrey." Aubrey wrapped her arms around him and he pulled her closer to him before he kissed the top of her head. Hoping that she was indeed right, than there was a knock on the door and Lauren walked in.
"Phil, Steve wants to talk to you." Phil got off the bed and Aubrey followed Phil out of the cabin before she took his hand, the two of them went up to talk to Steve.
Emily's pov
The five of them walked over the land for about a hour, Emily wasn't sure of how long they have been walking. At the moment, she didn't care, all she cared about was to keep the train tracks in sight of which was not hard to do. Thankfully with her power over plants that they were able to stay in the cover of the trees as much as possible, more this normal. With the fighting earlier and using her powers was making Emily tired, more tired than she felt normally. It seems that Bucky noticed that, so he wrapped his arms around her waist as they walked, Emily put her head on his shoulder. Emily has a feeling that a part of this was because she was carrying a child, but than again she never been pregnant before now. As they walked that they heard a helicopter flying in the direction of the train wreck, not only that but twice they heard the screeches of the gryphons. Thankfully he screeches were a long way off, Emily was sure that she could fight but she was unsure of how much more fighting that she could do.
Emily wish that she had her other powers, for she got so used to them that she never gave it much thought about it till now. It was around midnight when the sun finally set and it got cold in the woods, Emily felt Bucky pull her closer to keep her warmer. Emily could see the stars above them, looking up at the stars above reminded Emily of Bucky's and her first date. That was the Fourth of July fireworks at Camp Halfblood and afterwards they went to Zeus's fist and Bucky had ask her to be his girlfriend. That was almost seventy years ago, what made that date extra special was that, not only was it the Fourth ofJuly, but it was her birthday as well. Those days seem so simple compared to now a days, more so with this war coming on, she wish that she could go back to those days. The northern lights were cranked up, Emily slightly as the lights cranked up, she wished that Bucky and herself have that view back on their first date. It was still a bit hard to believe, at the moment, that this place was beyond the gods.
"That's amazing."
"Bears." Hazel pointed, Emily looked to where Hazel was pointing, sure enough there was a couple of brown bears in the meadow a few hundred feet away. Their coats gleamed in the starlight. "They won't bother us. Just give them a wide berth." No one argued with Hazel, as they walked that Emily looked around, the more she looked around that she was starting to see why this was the land beyond the gods. Even though it was beautiful out here, but Alaska was rough and untamed, there seem to be no rules, no prophecies no anything. Expect for danger, harsh wilderness and a bunch of animals and monsters, that mortals and demigods come at their own risk. Even though Emily wished that the world could be beautiful like this but she wasn't sure if she wanted to know what it would be like if there was always a threat just around the corner waiting to struck no matter if it was animals or monsters.
Emily has that feeling now that she was here in Alaska, it was the same feeling she got during World War II. That she was in danger, not just from HYDRA or Hitler, but from monsters and other things, honestly she didn't want to have that feeling always there at the back of her mind nagging and making fun of her. Yes, she was always in danger when she wasn't in one of the camps or the underworld, but after almost eighty years of being in the godly world that she could handle herself outside of the camps and the underworld. Ten of those years was while she was in camp and know that she was a demigod, she was only ten when she learned that fact. But she can tell when a place was more dangerous when she goes there and Alaska was one of those places. Emily was sure she could live by herself here with she learned over the years along with her birth powers helping her. It would have been a nice change and not be bothered by the gods for a while, but where would she been if she had come here instead of accepting Hades's offer. For one thing she wouldn't have Bucky back or Lauren or Steve, two reasons of why she accepted Hades' offer.
Not only that she would have thought those here were died and might be died herself by now, she would have been a lot worse off if that happened. In many ways her life has been good because of what she decided and accepted, sure it can tiring being a demigod, but being a demigod can be worth it. After a couple more hours that the five of them stumbled across a tiny village that was between the railroad tracks and a two lane road. The city limit sign said Moose Pass, standing next to the sign was an actual moose, at first Emily thought it was a statue that looked very life like. She thought that until the moose had turned and bounded into the woods nearby, Emily wished that she has a camera for it would have been worth the shot to take and keep that picture. They passed a couple of houses, a post office and some trailers, everything was dark and closed up. On the end of town was a store with a picnic table and an old rusted petrol pump in front. The old pump looked like it was built in the 1940s or before, the store has a hand painted sign that read, moose pass gas.
"That's just wrong." Emily couldn't agree more, they collapsed around the picnic table, Hazel put her head in her hands and passed out. She was snoring as Hazel passed out, Emily couldn't blame her, Frank took out some of the last sodas and some granola bars from the train ride and shared them with Emily, Bucky and Percy. The four of them ate in silence watching till Frank spoke.
"Did you mean what you said earlier?" The three of them looked at Frank when he said that.
"About what?"
"About…being proud that we're related."
"Well, let's see. You single-handedly took out three basilisks while I was sipping green tea and wheat germ. You held off an army of Laistrygonians so that our plane could take off in Vancouver. You saved my life by shooting down that gryphon. And you gave up the last charge on your magic spear to help some defenseless mortals. You are, hands down, the nicest child of the war god I've ever met…maybe the only nice one. So what do you think?" Frank stared up at the northern lights that was still lighting up the night sky.
"It's just…I was supposed to be in charge of this quest, the centurion, and all. I feel like you guys have had to carry me."
"Not true."
"Percy is right, Frank." They all looked at Emily when she said that. "It can be tough when you have just be promoted more so with how recent you came to camp. It can take years before you feel like you would be able to lead. But you are a leader in your own right. You have proven that fact throughout this quest from what I heard as well as from what I seen at the war games and since I joined you guys. Do you know how many times I felt like I couldn't lead the howling commandos in World War II? You don't know how many times that had come across my mind during the war. Sometimes we doubt of what we can do, but you need to push that aside and think of what you have done so far."
"I'm supposed to have these powers I haven't figured out how to use. Now I don't have a spear, and I'm almost out of arrows. And…I'm scared."
"I'd be worried if you weren't scared. We're all scared." Emily spoke up once more.
"Being scared is part of learning of what we can do, I was scared when I first learned I was a demigod. More so when I was being chased by the Manticore, at that time I was unaware I was a demigod till after Lauren killed it."
"But the Feast of Fortuna is… It's after midnight, isn't it? That means it's June twenty-fourth now. The feast starts tonight at sundown. We have to find our way to Hubbard Glacier, defeat a giant who is undefeatable in his home territory, and get back to Camp Jupiter before they're overrun—all in less than eighteen hours."
"And when we free Thanatos, he might claim your life. And Hazel's. Believe me, I've been thinking about it." Emily looked over at Hazel, Emily knew that there was a chance that Frank and Hazel might be claimed by death when he was released. But she knows Thanatos let it slid when Hazel come back to the world of the living just like Hades did when he told Emily to take Hazel back to the world of the living.
"She's my best friend, I lost my mom, my grandmother…I can't lose her, too." Emily knows how Frank felt of losing family, Bucky put his arms around her once more and she leaned back into him. Emily lost Bucky, Steve, and Lauren for a while, about seventy years. For a little amount of time she thought Steve and Bucky were dead only to learn that wasn't true. Emily knows that it would be difficult to bring back Frank's family and honestly, Emily didn't think they want to come back. Than Percy spoke.
"I'm not going to lose either of you, I'm not going to let that happen. And, Frank, you are a leader. Hazel would say the same thing. We need you." Frank lowered his head and started to snore along side Hazel.
"Another inspiring speech from Jackson. Rest up, Frank. Big day ahead." Not long after Percy fell asleep that Emily and Bucky fell asleep as well. When Emily woke up that she was still in Bucky's arms, it was when Emily woke up at she realized it was dawn and the owner came to the store. He felt sorry for the five of them and treated them with breakfast as well as some extra food from his store. Than he called a friend of his that has a beat up ford pickup that looked like it was new when Hazel was born and when Emily was about ten maybe. Percy was sitting in the front with the old man, while Emily, Bucky, Hazel and Frank were sitting in the back. When the trunk broke down that they decided to walk it, by mid morning that they climbed over a rise in the road and saw small bay ringed with mountains. The town was a thin crescent on the right had shore.
"Seward," Hazel didn't sound happy to see her old home. They lost a lot of time already and they needed to get a move on. Percy stepped off the road to the meadows.
"Come on." Just by the one step that Emily noticed that the ground was squishy, Emily knew it was going to be bad so did Hazel. Unless if Hazel knew about something Emily didn't know about these meadows.
"Percy, no!" Percy's next step went straight through the ground. He sank like a stone and the earth closed over his head. Emily panicked as it closed over Percy.
"YOUR BOW!" Frank dropped his pack and slipped the bow off of his shoulder. "Hold one end, Don't let go." Before Hazel touched the bow that Emily grasp Hazel's hand and Hazel looked at Emily. Emily may not have her Hades power and have a better control over the earth, but Emily till has some control over the earth. So Emily knows that the mud hole was deep. Emily looked down at Hazel.
"I am going down." Hazel was about ready to say something but Emily went on. "Hazel, you may have some control over the earth but I do as well from my mother and I have a better control over the earth you do. Yes your control might be more powerful but I would be able to use my control to help us breath." Hazel nodded when Emily said that. Hazel grabbed the other end of the bow, Emily took a deep breath before she jumped in the mud hole and followed by Hazel. When the earth closed over Emily that she managed to grasp hold of Percy's hand before she was frozen into a memory.
Emily was standing in the room she found Bucky all those years ago and Bucky was tied to the table. But there was something wrong, his blue eyes were blank white, he looked like he was in perfect condition instead of the weaken state that she found him in at the HYDRA base. Emily was panic as well worried and she wasn't sure what was going on till she heard a woman's voice.
'Oh my dear, not to worry.' The voice come from Bucky, Emily backed up to the table behind her and she grasped the table with her hands. This couldn't be happening, as soon as she thought that Bucky spoke with the woman's voice. 'It is happening, dear. Long have I wanted to meet you but I never got the chance to, the last time I stirred.' Emily starred at Bucky.
"Gaea!" The voice chuckled when Emily said that.
'You are a quick learner, dear. I can see why Hestia picked you as a champion and why Hades adopted you.' Suddenly the belt that strapped Bucky down were loose and Bucky got off and walked to her and spoke as he did so. 'You can come back and stay here and live the life you were meant to.' Emily slid to one side and backed away from Bucky or Gaea.
"No, this is fake. This is not real. I lived my life without dying and I loved the life I was meant and suppose to have." Gaea clicked Bucky's mouth when Emily said that.
'What is real? Is your life real? If Hades hadn't adopted you, you would be dead.' Emily stared at Gaea of who was speaking through Bucky.
"It might be true that if Hades hadn't adopted me that I would be dead. My life is more real than this." Emily could feel her grip on Percy and Hazel becoming stronger. "All you doing is offering another life I could have had. But honestly, I don't see much of a difference from this memory to now. I am still married to Bucky now. We found each other, even if he lost his memories." Gaea chuckled when Emily said that.
'True, but if you went back that you still be married to him but have lived a normal life with him and got old with him. Your legacy would have been going on.'
"It will be like that now, instead of seventy years ago."
'But there is one last thing, your sister, Arabella.' Panic filled Emily when Gaea said that, Bucky's head tilted as she spoke though him. 'She try to find the doors with your half brother. You should be glad I captured her since they tried to use you.' Emily stopped her foot and Bucky fell to the floor, he looked at her surprised. Emily glared down at Bucky, knowing it was Gaea.
"They never used me and never well, I am the champion of Hestia. Family and friends are more important than going back and living a ripe full life though time once more. I know that I will still have a full life even if I die while stopping you. I prefer to die and rot than to go back as repeat a life that I know I already have. I prefer to live the live that I had and go through the pain and suffering for the rewards I go. Instead of going back and make it feel cheap." Bucky gave her a dirty look. Than Gaea spoke though Bucky.
'Very well, Emily. Until we meet again.' The next thing Emily knew that she was in the bog, she could feel Hazel's hand and she could feel Percy's grip on her hand. Emily manage to move some of the earth away from them to breath, but it was difficult though since it seems Gaea was pushing it back. Emily could tell Gaea was talking to Hazel as well, she wasn't sure of how she knew that but she did. Than Emily felt herself being pulled up out of the bog, when Emily broke though the surface that she cough and spitting mud into the ground. Emily, Percy and Hazel were breathing heavy from what they had been going though and Frank was yelling as well as Bucky.
"Oh, gods! Oh, gods! Oh, gods!"
"Emily, Emily, are you all right." Bucky pulled Emily away from the others and he started helping her get cleaned up or Bucky tried his best. While Frank took care of Hazel and Percy, Emily could hear Frank as Bucky helped her cleaned up.
"You were down there so long! I didn't think—oh, gods, don't ever do something like that again!"
"Can't—breathe."
"Sorry!" When they were by the side of the road, all three of them were sitting, shivered and spit up mud clods. Hazel explained the vision that she had in the bog. She even told them about Nico being captured. It was clear that Hazel was worried that Gaea did captured Nico. If Gaea told Hazel that as well, than it has to be true.
"I think she did captured him." Than Emily explained the vision she got as well, Emily also told them about Gaea trapping Arabella. Though Emily has no idea of why Gaea appeared to her in the bog since Emily was not one of the eight. Unless if she thought of Emily as the leader of the six that help the eight, no one spoke for a minute when Emily said that. But Bucky spoke up.
"Are you sure that Gaea was speaking though me in the vision?"
"Yes." Emily shivered at the thought. "It was creepy and scarier than on the Helicarrier when you were the winter solider. I thought it couldn't get scarier or weirder than that. That seems like heaven next to the vision I had in the big." Perc rubbed his shoulders and his lips were blue.
"You—you saved me, Emily and Hazel. We'll figure out what happened to Nico and Arabella, I promise." Emily looked at the sun, it felt good after being down there for a while. But she was still trembling though.
"Does it seem like Gaea let us go too easily?" As Bucky plunked out a mud clod from her hair as Percy plunked a mud clod from his hair.
"Maybe she still wants us as pawns. Maybe she was just saying things to mess with your mind."
"She knew what to say. She knew how to get to me." Frank put his jacket around Hazel's shoulders before he spoke.
"This is a real life. You know that, right? We're not going to let you die again." Frank sounded determined, Hazel pressed her coat pocket of which Emily was sure of where the firewood was. Emily managed to stand up as well as Hazel and Percy.
"We should get going. We're losing time." Emily and Percy looked down the road at the town.
"Any hotels or something where we could clean off? I mean...hotels that accept mud people?"
"I'm not sure. I might know a place we can freshen up." They followed Hazel into town, guessed that Hazel have been on this route before. She led them along third avenue, there was a railroad station, a two story hotel and a few other things. Instead of go into the hotel like Emily expected that they turned to the shoreline, Hazel walked towards an old house that didn't look safe. The roof was sagged, the walls have holes, the door was boarded up.
"Come on."
"Uh, you sure it's safe?" Hazel found an open window and climbed inside followed by Emily and the others, their feet kicked up dust. There was mouldering cardboard boxes that were stacked along the walls, there was faded labels read, greeting cards, assorted seasonal. Emily wondered why this house have a bunch of cards in it, Frank spoke dragging Emily out of her thoughts.
"It's warmer in here, at least. Guess no running water? Maybe I can go shopping. I'm not as muddy as you guys. I could find us some clothes." It seemed that Hazel didn't hear Frank. Hazel was climbing over a stack of boxes in the corner. Emily followed Hazel over as she moved an old sign, what surprised Emily was old drawings and photos. In one photo showed a woman who looked so much like Hazel that it was unbelievable, next to that picture was one that couldn't be possible there but yet it was there, in that picture was a boy no more than 15 years old, he has black curly hair, a crazy grin like a child of Hermes and similar eye color to Leo. If Emily didn't know any better that boy in the picture was Leo. Frank has his fingers hovered over the pictures.
"Who…?" Hazel started to cry. "Sorry, Hazel. This must be really hard. Do you want some time ... "
"No. No, it's fine."
"Is that your mother? She looks like you. She's beautiful."
"Who is that?"
"That's…that's Sammy. He was my—uh—friend from New Orleans." Emily noticed that Hazel wasn't looking at Frank as she said that.
"I've seen him before." Emily bit her lip, she remembers when Percy brought up about the Argo II, she knows Leo was working on the Argo II. She knows it should be set sailing soon and it might be already sailing towards Camp Jupiter for all she knows. However that was besides the point, she looked over at Percy when Percy comment that he seen Sammy before. Leo and Percy haven't meet quite yet, Percy most likely saw Leo working on the Argo II in that one dream Percy brought up.
"You couldn't have, That was in 1941. He's…he's probably dead now."
"I guess. Still…" Emily stepped closer to the pictures as Frank shook his head, she touched the face of the boy named Sammy.
"Hazel?" Emily looked over at Hazel of who looked at her. "What was his last name?"
"Valdez, why?" Emily stood still and she was shook, than she looked over at Bucky of who looked just as surprised as she did. "Emily?" Emily looked back at Hazel.
"It's nothing." Emily wasn't sure if she should say anything, she wasn't sure if she was correct in assuming what she was thinking. If she have her Hestia powers that she might be able to tell but she didn't though, but that was not only for she felt that she should know about that already. ThanFrank cleared his throat.
"Look, we passed a store on the last block. We've got a little money left. Maybe I should go get you guys some food and clothes and—I don't know—a hundred boxes of wet wipes or something?" Hazel put the gold prospecting sign back over her pictures and drawings, Emily figured it hurt Hazel in some way of looking at those pictures and drawings.
"That would be great. You're the best, Frank."
The floorboards creaked under his feet. "Well…I'm one of two of who is not completely covered in mud, anyway. Be back soon." The floorboards creaked under his feet, before Frank could leave that Bucky spoke up.
"I can come with you." When they were gone that Emily, Percy, and Hazel made temporary camp in the house, they took off their jackets and tried to scrape off the mud. As Emily got some mud out of her jacket that she decided to try to clean it better later after leaving Alaska. They managed to find some old blankets and used them to clean up, the greeting cards made good places to rest if you arranged them like a mattress. Perc set his sword on the floor where it glowed with a faint bronze light. Emily was laying on birthday cards from different years.
"Thank you both for saving me. I should've told you that earlier."
"You would have done the same for me."
"Yes, But when I was down in the mud, I remembered that line from Ella's prophecy—about the son of Neptune drowning. I thought. 'This is what it means. I'm drowning in the earth.' I was sure I was dead." What surprised Emily was that Percy's voice quavered, this has to be the first time that she ever heard him have a quaver in his voice. It sounded odd to hear that coming from Percy.
"Percy, that prophecy might not have been complete. Frank thought Ella was remembering a burned page. Maybe you'll drown someone else."
"You think so?" Emily smiled as Percy and Hazel spoke. It was like watching old friends coming back together.
"You're going to make it back home. You're going to see your girlfriend Annabeth."
"You'll make it back, too, Hazel. We're not going to let anything happen to you. You're too valuable to me, to the camp, and especially to Frank." Hazel picked up an old valentine, the lacy white paper fell apart in her hands.
"I don't belong in this century. Nico only brought me back so I could correct my mistakes, maybe get into Elysium."
"There's more to your destiny than that. We're supposed to fight Gaea together. I'm going to need you at my side way longer than just today. And Frank—you can see the guy is crazy about you. This life is worth fighting for, Hazel."
"Please, don't get my hopes up. I can't—" Emily was about ready to say something that the window creaked open, Frank and Bucky climbed in holding some shopping bags.
"Success!" They showed off of what they got, they got a new quiver of arrows for Frank's bow, some rations and a coil of rope of which Emily found odd. "For the next time we run across muskeg." From the local tourist shop that they brought five sets of fresh clothes, some towels, some soap, some bottled water and a huge box of wet wipes. Emily took some wet wipes and the one set of clothes before ducking behind some greeting cards to get washed and changed. Emily folded up her jacket that she has been wearing and put it on the belt that was put of the clothes she got. She stepped out from behind the cards at the same time Hazel did.
"So, now we find a boat to Hubbard Glacier."
"If we're going to battle to the death, I want lunch first. I found the perfect place." Frank led them to a shopping plaza near the wharf, whee an old railway car was converted to a diner. While Frank, Percy and Bucky ordered that Emily and Hazel asked around, the news they got wasn't very good to hear. When they went back that Hazel needed to be cheered more than Emily and the food wouldn't work.
"We're in trouble, we tried to get a boat. But…I miscalculated."
"No boats?"
"Oh, I can get a boat. But the glacier is farther than I thought. Even at top speed, we couldn't get there until tomorrow morning." Percy turned paled when Hazel said that.
"Maybe I could make the boat go faster?"
"Even if you could, from what the captains tell me, it's treacherous—icebergs, mazes of channels to navigate. You'd have to know where you were going."
"A plane?" Emily shook her head as Hazel spoke
"I asked the boat captains about that. They said we could try, but it's a tiny airfield. You have to charter a plane two, three weeks in advance."
They ate in silence after that, Emily ate four bites when a raven settled on the telephone close to the table that they were at. When Emily saw the raven that she shuddered, Emily knows what that means when one sees a raven, more so on a quest. Emily wasn't the only one who reacted to the raven, for Hazel shivered when she saw the raven. Emily looked down and away from the raven, as Emily did that the raven's cawing changed to a strangled help. Frank got up so fast that he nearly toppled the picnic table, Percy drew his sword while Bucky also drew his sword. Emily looked to where the raven was, where the raven was a fat ugly gryphon that glared down at the five of them. Emily and Hazel stood and drew their own swords. Frank nocked an arrow and took aim, but the gryphon shrieked making Frank flinched and his shot missed.
"I think that's a call for help, we have to get out of here." The five of them ran to the docks, as they ran that Emily looked over at Bucky of who looked at her and spoke.
"Is this normal on Quests?"
"Which could of normal do you mean?"
"Running."
"At times yes, but only when we are outnumbered."
"Are quests always have monsters and fights like this?"
"Yes. Welcome to the demigod world, Bucky." Bucky glared at her when she said that, Emily shrugged when he did that. "You should known what kind of world I was part of in the war. You were aware to some of it but not all of it." The gryphon dove after them but Percy slashed at it with his sword but the gryphon veered out of reach. They took the steps to the nearest pier and raced to the end, the gryphon swooped after them, it's front claws extended for the kill. Emily raised her sword but an icy wall of water slammed sideways into the gryphon and washed it into the bay. Emily smiled as the gryphon squawked and flapped it's wings, it managed to scramble onto the pier and shook like a dog.
"Nice one, Percy."
"Yeah, Didn't know if I could still do that in Alaska. But bad news—look over there." They looked to where Percy pointed, about a mile away, over the mountains, a black cloud was swirling. A whole flock of gryphons was flying towards them, there was no way to outrun them and no boat to use that was fast enough even with Percy's help. Frank nocked another arrow while Percy raised his sword.
"Not going down without a fight."
"I'm with you." Emily and Bucky raised their swords, than Emily heard the oddest sound, a whinnying of a horse. Hazel than cried out.
"Arion! Over here!" A tan blur was ripping down the street and onto the pier. The stallion materialized right behind the gryphon and brought his front hooves down, smashing the monster to dust. Emily smiled as Arion did that, Arion looked pleased with himself and he looked at Emily that the unexpected happen.
'Hey sis.' If Bucky hadn't grasp her waist, she would have fell into the water behind her out of shock. Emily stared at Arion in surprise as well as Percy.
"That was the first time I ever head him not use foul language." Arion nickered when Percy said that. "Who is Sis?"
"He was talking to me. Who else could it be." Percy looked at her when Emily said that. "For some odd reason that I can understand Arion."
'Well duh, silly. You are my half sister. Children of Demeter or Ceres can understand me like a child of Poseidon or Neptune can understand me.'
"Than would explain it." Hazel hugged Arion.
"Good horse! Really good horse!" Frank backed up and almost fell off the pier like Emily was close of doing but Frank caught himself in time.
"How—?"
"He followed me! Because he's the best—horse—EVER! Now, get on!
"All five of us? Can he handle it?"
'Of course I can ... ' Emily tried not to listen to the rest of what Arion said, seriously if her mother knew what Arion was saying that she would freak out more than she did when Persephone was kidnapped by Hades or even when she learned that Emily was not dead. That was saying something.
"All right, no need to be rude. Let's go." They climbed on Arion, Hazel was in front, Frank was right behind Hazel. Percy was behind Frank, Emily was behind Percy while Bucky was behind her and he has a good grip around her. Emily was sure that was because Bucky didn't want to lose her again.
"Run, Arion! To Hubbard Glacier!" Arion shot across the water, his hooves turning the top of the sea to steam.