Emily and Lauren were the only two that knew the difference between the ancient lands and outside of the ancient lands. As soon as they crossed over into the ancient lands that they were attacked several times an hour, a flock of flesh eating stymphalian birds swooped down at them at once one time. Festus torched the birds though, of which was a good thing, Emily was glad of Festus being able to breath fire still. There was also storm spirits that swirled around the mast, both Lauren and Jason blasted them with lightning while Bucky took care of any that were close to the ship with his sword. Emily was glad to have children of Zeus on board, as well as having Bucky aboard or it would have been harder to kill the storm spirits without them. One time, Gleeson was having dinner on the foredeck that a wild Pegasus appeared from no where and stampeded over Gleeson's enchiladas before flying off again. The Pegasus also left cheesy hoof prints all across the deck of which made Emily and Lauren laugh though Gleeson didn't find that funny at all.
"What was that for?" Around midnight while Emily, Lauren, Jason and Percy were fighting off the ninety or tenth aerial attack that Jason turned to all three of them.
"How about you three get some sleep? I'll keep blasting stuff out of the sky as long as I can. Then we can go by sea for a while, and you can take point." Lauren spoke up.
"Jason, Emily and I can do this. We had over seventy, closer to eighty years of fighting monsters with our powers and swords. You two can go and sleep, we will wake you up when it's your turn." Jason and Percy nodded before going to to their cabins, the others also went to bed, Steve, Bucky, Phil and Aubrey looked at them once before going below with Gleeson at the helm singing one of his songs. As Emily made the storm hail that she thought back to when it was only been the three of them on a quest, Lauren, Gleeson and herself. The last time the three of them been on a quest with each other was when Emily and Lauren were nineteen and it was a few months before they joined the SSR and formed Project demigod. At that time Gleeson looked about their age but now he looked middle aged of which seem funny but he still acted the same back than as he does now, none the less. As Emily and Lauren used their powers against the attacks that Gleason spoke over them.
"This is like just the good old days with you two." Emily smiled lightly as Gleeson kept singing and threaten to smash any of the storm spirits or anything that attacked the ship. After a few hours that their turn was over and they went to get Jason and Percy, once Emily woke up Percy that she went to her cabin. As she expected Bucky was on the bed fast asleep, Emily got into the bed and laid down next to Bucky before placing her head on his chest. When she put her head on Bucky's chest that Bucky stirred than she felt him put his arms around her, Emily smiled slightly. Emily noticed that if she gets into bed later after Bucky falls asleep that he would stir a little, before he would put his arms around her and at times he would go on his side but his arms would still go around her none the less when he did that. Emily wanted and need some sleep before they are in Rome, so she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Emily wasn't sure of how long she been asleep but the alarms bell sounded causing her to wake up, it also woke up Bucky of who fell to the floor. The rocking of the sea most likely didn't help Bucky of not falling off the bed, Emily got off the bed as the doors flew open. Emily almost cried in shock, she would admit that the godly world was a strange one and it keeps getting stranger as the years went by. Just like with what S.H.I.E.L.D. does and sees, more so since Emily and Steve became an avengers as well as when Phil started to rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D. Emily seen a lot of monsters during World War II but it seems every since this quest started that she found out more things than she was aware of. For coming into the cabin was dolphins and from how they acted and everything at they were warriors or pirates. Emily and Bucky tried to fight back but they managed to tie up Emily and Bucky, they dragged Emily and Bucky up to the deck. As they went the deck that Emily realized it hadn't been long since she fell asleep at least, maybe a hour at the most.
Emily noticed another ship nearby that seem to have rammed into the Argo II, but without a doubt that the ship was another old Greek trireme. Emily figured that Greek Trireme was built in ancient Greek times as oppose to in the last year like he Argo II was. The Greek Trireme has black sails with a painted gorgon's head, Emily noticed a man standing in front of Percy and Annabeth. Unlike the Dolphins that tied Emily and Bucky up, of who appeared to be a mix of dolphins and men that he was fully human. He was dressed in Greek combat armor, sandals, kilt, greaves, and a breastplate decorated with elaborate sea monster designs. The whole thing was gold as well, even the guy's sword was gold, Emily has a feeling that the sword was made out of imperial gold. Emily noticed that he was wearing a helmet as well, it looked like a gorgon's head with the curves tusks, horrible features that were pinched into a snarl, and golden snake hair. The dolphin warriors were being things up as well as the rest of the crew, one of the dolphin men was dragging Gleeson up the stairs.
"Let me go, you tuna fish!" Gleeson bellowed, he tried to kick the warrior but his hook clanged off his captor's armor. It seem like Gleeson made several attempts to be let go and fight, considering the amount of dents in the armor that the one dolphin man was wearing.
"Ah, a satyr. A little old and stringy, but Cyclopes will pay well for a morsel like him. Chain him up."
"I'm nobody's goat meat!"
"Gag him as well."
"Why you gilded little - " Gleeson's insult was cut when the dolphin put a greasy wad of canvas in his mouth, Gleeson was trussed like a rodeo calf and dumped with the other loot.
"You can't do this!" The golden man's laughter reverberated inside his gold face mask.
"I can do anything I want. My warriors have been trained to perfection. They are vicious, cutthroat - "
"Dolphins." The golden man shrugged.
"Yes. So? They had some bad luck a few millennia ago, kidnapped the wrong person. Some of their crew got turned completely into dolphins. Others went mad. But these...these survived as hybrid creatures. When I found them under the sea and offered them a new life, they became my loyal crew. They fear nothing!" One of the warriors chattered at the golden man nervously.
"Yes, yes. They fear one thing, but it hardly matters. He's not here." Just than Steve, Lauren, Phil and Aubrey were dragged up along with Jason, Piper, Hazel and Jennifer. Piper has a gag in her mouth and she was bound hand and foot like Hazel, Jason was unconscious. Jason has some bruises like Emily and Bucky have but Jason's bruises were much worse than theirs, Jennifer also have some bruises along with Phil, Aubrey, Steve and Lauren. It was clear that they tried to fight back but didn't succeed in fighting the dolphin men, Emily looked at the crew of the other ship wondering who or what they are. A couple of the dolphins have bee stings covering their faces, Emily looked around and saw Leo seem half with it but she couldn't see Frank.
"Excellent!" The golden man directed the dolphins to dump Jason by the crossbows and than he looked at Piper, Hazel, Emily, Aubrey and Lauren. He was looking at them as if they were Christmas presents that he just opened.
"The boys are no use to me. But we have an understanding with the witch Circe. She will buy the women - either as slaves or trainees, depending on their skill. But not you, lovely Annabeth." Annabeth recoiled when the golden man said that.
"You are not taking me anywhere." Emily noticed that Percy's hand crept to his pocket, Emily assumed that his pen appeared back in his pocket. The golden man tutted.
"Oh, sadly, Annabeth, you will not be staying with me. I would love that. But you and your friend Percy are spoken for. A certain goddess is paying a high bounty for your capture - alive, if possible, though she didn't say you had to be unharmed." At that moment Piper caused a disturbance that was needed for Percy, for she whined loudly so it could be heard through her gag. Than she fainted against the nearest guard knocking the guard over. Aubrey, Hazel and Jennifer seem to follow Piper's lead and crumpled to the deck kicking her legs and thrashing around like she was having a fit. Emily managed to use her poppy to knock some of the dolphins to the ground, while the others did similar things to either Emily or Piper. Depending on who it was, Percy drew his sword out and lashed out at the golden man and started to fight. As they fought that the dolphins managed to hold Emily and the others back to give Percy and the golden man room to fight. However the golden man managed to knock Percy's sword out of his hands and Riptide went into the sea. The golden male pressed the sword against Percy.
"A good try. But now you'll be chained and transported to Gaea's minions. They are quite eager to spill your blood and wake the goddess." Emily looked at Steve of who was looking at her with a questioning face. Emily shrugged, but that was when Percy spoke for it seems that Percy came up with something.
"Fine! Take us away, if our captain will let you." Percy spoke rather loudly and the golden male turned to look at him.
"What captain? My men searched the ship. There is no one else." Percy raised his hand.
"The god appears only when he wishes. But he is our leader. He runs our camp for demigods. Doesn't he, Annabeth?"
"Yes!" Annabeth nodded enthusiastically. "Mr. D! The great Dionysus!" Emily smiled, she understood what Percy was doing, it was than that it become clear to Emily that this dolphins were the ones that kidnap Dionysus all those years ago. A ripple of uneasiness passed through the dolphin men and one dropped his sword.
"Stand fast! There is no god on this ship. They are trying to scare you."
"You should be scared! Dionysus will be severely cranky with you for having delayed our voyage. He will punish all of us. Didn't you notice the girls falling into the wine god's madness?" Hazel, Aubrey, Jennifer, and Piper stopped the shaking fits, they were sitting on the deck staring at Percy. When Percy glared at them that they started up again, trembling and flopping around like fish, Emily and Lauren joined in with the other girls. The dolphin men fell over themselves trying to get away from their captives, if she wasn't bound, Emily would found this much more than what it was.
"Fakes! Shut up, Percy Jackson. Your camp director is not here. He was recalled to Olympus. This is common knowledge."
"So you admit Dionysus is our director!"
"He was. Everyone knows that."
"You see? We are doomed. If you don't believe me, let's check the ice chest!" Percy stormed over to the magical cooler, no one tried to stop when he stormed over to the cooler. He knocked it open and rummaged through the ice, Emily prayed and hope that they would be one in there. Sure enough that Percy pulled out a can of diet coke, he brandished it at the dolphin warriors of who moved away like as though Percy was waving a sword at them instead of a drink.
"Behold! The god's chosen beverage. Tremble before the horror of Diet Coke!" Emily smiled slightly as the dolphin men began to panic, they were on the edge of retreat.
"The god will take your ship. He will finish your transformation into dolphins, or make you insane, or transform you into insane dolphins! Your only hope is to swim away now, quickly!"
"Ridiculous!" It seem the golden male was unsure to point the sword at Percy or his crew.
"Save yourselves! It is too late for us!" Percy gasped and pointed to a spot, Emily was slightly confused, unless if Frank was hiding close by of where Percy was pointing. But Emily was unsure of where Frank was, she hoped that Frank was there, otherwise the plan that Percy came up with may fail. "Oh, no! Frank is turning into a crazy dolphin!" Nothing happened, Emily got worried. "I said, Frank is turning into a crazy dolphin!" Suddenly Frank stumbled out of nowhere making a big show of grabbing his throat.
"Oh, no, I am turning into a crazy dolphin." Frank began to change into a dolphin, Emily smiled as Frank changed his form once more. It was a good thing Frank has that ability and that it runs in his family as well. As Frank changed into a dolphin that the dolphins warriors disbanded in utter terror, chattering and clicking as they dropped their weapons. The dolphin warriors forget the captives and ignored the golden man's orders before all of the dolphins warriors jumping overboard, in the confusion that Annabeth cut the bonds on Piper, Hazel, Jason and Gleeson. Emily managed to cut her own bonds using her sword giving to her by her mother, Emily cut off the rest of the binds of Bucky, Lauren, Steve, Phil and Aubrey. Within seconds the golden man was surrounded but the crew of the Argo II with no weapons but Emily's sword, Annabeth's knife and Gleeson's hooves. The golden man backed to the edge of the railing of the Argo II.
"This isn't over, Jackson, I will have my revenge - " His words were cut short by Frank, who changed forms again but this time it was a grizzly bear. He sideswiped the golden man and managed to get the golden mask off of his helmet, the golden man screamed and covered his face before tumbling into the water below. They ran to the railing to see where he went but the golden man disappeared, Emily looked at the water wondering what happened to the golden man. She hoped he was dead but she knows that wasn't true, otherwise, Emily would have sensed it by now.
"That was brilliant!" Annabeth kissed Percy.
"It was desperate. And we need to get rid of this pirate trireme."
"Burn it?" Emily looked up at Annabeth and Percy as they spoke. Percy was looking at the diet coke in his hand.
"No. I've got another idea." It took a while before they managed to clean up the Argo II. Leo managed to get back on his feet thanks to the nectar. Piper tended to Jason's wounds while Emily did some healing with the others as well as healed some of Jason's bruises or help him along. Emily didn't risk of using most of her healing abilities or over use her healing abilities, for she overused her powers and abilities a few times before. Though she would admit that she managed to expand her limits by doing that but she will didn't want to overuse her powers too much. Even with how much she used, along with some ambrosia and Nectar, that everyone was up and about in no time. They return their own supplies back to where the supplies were suppose to be and Gleeson had some fun with the enemy ship. There was a lot of treasure in the ship when they put the weapons back on the ship, Emily couldn't believe of how much gold there was on that ship.
"I can sense about six million dollars' worth of gold aboard. Plus diamonds, rubies - "
"Six m-million? Canadian dollars or American?"
"I believe it's American. I think. It's heard to tell but with half of the things on the ship and with how old some of it is, I think it would be worth more that." Frank looked at Emily with an eyebrow raised, Emily merely shrugged when Frank looked at her.
"Leave it. It's part of the tribute."
"Tribute?"
"Oh. Kansas." Jason grinned.
"Crazy. But I like it." Percy went aboard the pirate ship and opened the flood valves, he asked Leo to drill a few extra holes at the bottom of the hull with his power tools of which Leo was only too happy to do it. The crew of the Argo II assembled at the railing and cut the grappling lines, Emily brought out her horn of plenty and used it to spew Diet Coke, she also spew out Diet Pepsi as well just to cover both drinks. For there was a chance that Bacchus might like diet Pepsi instead of diet coke unlike Dionysus, plus Emily was unsure of which aspect of Dionysus would accept the offering. The ship sank rather fast since it was filled with diet coke, diet Pepsi, gold, loot and seawater, Percy held up the golden mask that the golden man was wearing earlier.
"Dionysus or Bacchus - whatever. You made this victory possible, even if you weren't here. Your enemies trembled at your name...or your Diet Coke, or something. So, yeah, thank you. We give this ship to you as tribute. We hope you like it." Emily could tell that Percy was having a hard time saying the words, Emily couldn't blame Percy for that. For not very many people liked Dionysus, though she can stand Dionysus better than she could with Hercules of which was saying something.
"Six million in gold. He'd better like it."
"Shh. Precious metal isn't all that great. Believe me." Percy threw the golden mask aboard the vessel of which was sinking faster. Brown fizzy liquid spewing the oar slots and was bubbling from the cargo hold, turning the sea to frothy brown, Percy summoned a wave and the enemy ship was swamped. Leo stirred the Argo II away as the pirate vessel disappeared underwater.
"Isn't that polluting?"
"I wouldn't worry. If Bacchus likes it, the ship should vanish." As the Argo II headed east into the fog that Emily felt Bucky wrap his arms around her and she leaned back into him. As Emily leaned back into Bucky that she felt him put his hands over her stomach, she smiled lightly, she almost forget about the child inside her. Though she still could sense the child through her Hestia abilities, Emily wasn't surprised that she hadn't given it much thought about the child with what has been happening in the last few days. Emily looked around the crew as the ship sailed toward Rome, it seems like the fight with the pirates lifted everyone's spirits. After the fight with the golden man that they flew the rest of the way to Rome after and Jason was insisted that he was well enough for sentry duty along with Gleeson. Of who was still so charged with adrenaline that every time the ship hit turbulence that he swung his bat and yelled die. They still have a couple of hours before daybreak, so Emily and Bucky went to their cabin. Once inside that they laid down on the bed and Emily snuggled up next to Bucky. When she did that Bucky spoke.
"Emily?"
"hmm?"
"Do you think you would be safe over here?" Emily lifted her head so that she was looking at Bucky, he was looking at her concern, it wasn't just for her it was for their child that was in her. Emily put a hand on his cheek and spoke.
"Don't worry Bucky, I will be fine over here. I have been through a lot since I was ten and it has been eighty years since than." Bucky pulled her closer and she put her head between his neck and collarbone. Not much later that Emily woke up to a metallic clang clang clang, Emily looked up at the ceiling, shocked at first, before she realized it was the landing gear being lowered. There was a knock on the door and Lauren poked her head in.
"Hey, guys. We're descending over Rome. You two really should see this." Emily and Bucky got up from their bed before they went to the deck as quick as they could, the sky was a brilliant blue color as if the stormy weather from last night never happened. The sun rose over the distant hills, so that Rome shone and sparkle just like Rome just came out of the car wash. Emily have seen some the Italian cities in World War II but none of them compared to Rome, it seems that Rome has no regard for the limits of geography. Rome spread through the hills and valleys, as well as jumping over the Tiber with dozens of bridges. Streets and alleys zigzagged with no rhyme or reason through the neighborhoods, glass office buildings stood next to excavation sites. A cathedral stood next to a line of roman columns of which stood next to a modern soccer stadium. In some neighborhood that have old stucco villas with red tiled roofs that have cobblestone streets. Emily felt Bucky take her hand and squeezed, Emily looked at him and smiled slightly.
"We're setting down in that park. Let's hope the Mist makes us look like a large pigeon or something." Leo was pointing to a wide green space dotted with palm trees. Thankfully one one noticed the Argo II landed, it was almost like a common thing for the Romans to see a Greek warship over the city. The noise of the traffic was all around them, but the park that they landed in was peaceful and deserted. To their left a green lawn sloped towards a line of trees, an old villa nestled in the shade of some weird looking pine trees. To their right was a long brick wall with notches at the top for archers and it ran along the top of the hill. To the north was the top of the colosseum, about a mile away through the folds of the city, it looked just like in the pictures. Emily looked around, it seem odd to think that this was an old Roman Empire at one point of where one part of her life was shape from. Jason pointed to the base of the archers' wall of where steps led down into some kind of tunnel.
"I think I know where we are. That's the Tomb of the Scipios."
"Scipio...Reyna's pegasus?"
"No. They were a noble Roman family, and...wow, this place is amazing." Jason nodded.
"I've studied maps of Rome before. I've always wanted to come here, but..." No one bothered to finish that sentence, it seems hard to believe that they were really in Rome.
"Plans? Nico and Arabella have until sunset - at best. And this entire city is supposedly getting destroyed today." Emily shook herself out of her daze, she was sure that she wasn't the only one that had to.
"You're right. Annabeth...did you zero in on that spot from your bronze map?"
"Yes, It's on the Tiber River. I think I can find it, but I should - "
"Take me along." Annabeth glared daggers at Percy.
"That's not - "
"Safe. One demigod walking through Rome alone. I'll go with you as far as the Tiber. We can use that letter of introduction, hopefully meet the river god Tiberinus. Maybe he can give you some help or advice. Then you can go on alone from there." Percy and Annabeth were having a silent staring contest, Percy didn't back down, like Emily expected him to.
"Fine, Hazel, now that we're in Rome, do you think you can pinpoint Nico's location?" Hazel blinked
"Um...hopefully, if I get close enough. I'll have to walk around the city. Frank, would you come with me?"
"Absolutely."
"And, uh...Leo. It might be a good idea if you came along too. The fish-centaurs said we'd need your help with something mechanical."
"Yeah, no problem." Frank smile turned into like that mask wore by the golden man, Emily would admit that Leo, Hazel and Frank acted oddly since they left camp fishblood. Emily noticed that there was different kind of tension between the three of them as oppose to the one they had before. Emily did notice since than that Leo and Jennifer become closer to each other since Camp Fishblood, Emily wondered if they were close to a romantic relationship. It was hard to tell with Leo and Jennifer if they were close to a romantic relationship or not, in a way, she hoped that they were.
"Why don't you take Bucky and Lauren with you as well." Hazel looked Emily when she said that and she nodded. Piper drew her knife and set it on the rail.
"Jason and I can watch the ship for now. I'll see what Katoptris can show me. But, Hazel, if you guys get a fix on Nico's location, don't go in there by yourselves. Come back and get us. It'll take all of us to fight the giants." Annabeth looked at Emily.
"Do you think you can search the city for any monsters or anything."
"Sure, Steve, Phil and Aubrey can come along with me."
"I can walk around the park and look out for ghosts and try to find anything about Rome being destroyed." Everyone looked at Jennifer, but Emily, Jennifer shrugged before she went on. "I am a legacy of Hades as well as being a daughter of Pluto. So I can at least talk to them but I am not sure if I can control them." Jason nodded.
"Good idea, How about we plan to meet back here at...what?"
"Three this afternoon? That's probably the latest we could rendezvous and still hope to fight the giants before we save Arabella and Nico. If something happens to change the plan, try to send an Iris-message." Everyone nodded in agreement, but most of them glanced at Annabeth, they all know that Annabeth may not be back at three or may not come back at all. That she would be on her own searching for the Athena Parthenos than Gleeson grunted.
"That'll give me time to eat the coconuts - I mean dig the coconuts out of our hull. Percy, Annabeth...I don't like you two going off on your own. Just remember: behave. If I hear about any funny business, I will ground you until the Styx freezes over." Emily smiled slightly, she has no idea of how often she heard something similar to that when Emily and Lauren went on quests with Gleeson. For most of the quests that Emily and Lauren went on that Gleeson was there too, the funny thing was that Gleeson didn't take them to camp.
"We'll be back soon." Percy looked around at everyone."Good luck, everyone." Leo lowered the gangplank, Percy and Annabeth were the first off the ship. Than it was Frank, Hazel, Leo, Bucky and Lauren. Bucky and Lauren were hesitate to leave Steve and Emily but they did it anyway, than it was Emily, Steve, Phil and Aubrey. When they were out of earshot of the others and the ship that Phil spoke.
"May I ask of why you suggested Bucky and Lauren to go with Leo, Frank and Hazel?" Emily shrugged.
"It's one of those times that you get a feeling that it has to be like that."
"Have you ever been here before?"
"No, but I been to other Italian cities though." As they walked through Rome that Emily got the feeling that they were being watched, Emily saw a lar a couple of times among a few other monster that didn't attack them, as they walked further into Rome that Emily was sure that they were being watched. As they walked that Steve grabbed her wrist, Emily stopped and looked down at his hand, Steve looked down and let go smiling sheepishly.
"Sorry, it's just that I am still getting used to the demigod world."
"It can take a couple of years before you get used to it properly, but it would be easier if you were trained at camp since they tell you about more things than I might be able to tell you. However, I seen a lot of new stuff in the demigod world recently than I have in the last eighty years." Steve smiled when Emily said that, as they went on walking that they were not attacked by any monster of which worried Emily. When noon came around that they were getting hungry so they found a sidewalk cafe that has a view of temple hill. When the waiter saw them that he was surprise to see them till he heard their accents, than the waiter left that Steve looked at Emily.
"Is he a monster or something?" Emily laughed.
"All right, I need to caught you up on the international cultures as well as American. But the waiter isn't a monster. What is it that the four of us are clueless Americans that eat early, that is what off about that."
"What's wrong with Americans?"
"Nothing expect we are clueless and Americans seem weird to other cultures in the world. Other than the fact that Italians eat later in the day for lunch." Phil looked at her.
"How often do you leave America?"
"A few times, though in more recent years that I left to visit Arabella while she is at school."
"If she remains in England after she finish would you still go visit her."
"Of course, I am not going to tell her where she should go after she leaves after Hogwarts. She would be of age by that point. As a matter fact she would be of age a year sooner than those who can't use magic like she can. For in the wizarding world they come of age at seventeen." After that, that Emily explained things of the wizarding world to them, it seem Steve was glad that he wasn't the only one who didn't know much about the wizarding world. Phil knew some things but not all of it, honestly, compare to Arabella, Emily's own knowledge of the wizarding world was limited. When it was close to two that the four of them went back to the Argo II.
Bucky's pov
Bucky knew enough of the demigod world to know that at times that a demigod would get the feeling that they were needed to be with someone or to do something. Bucky got that feeling when Leo, Hazel and Frank were sent to find Nico and Arabella, he didn't what to say anything but Emily spoke up suggesting Bucky and Lauren to go with them. Bucky has that feeling it was partly because of sisterly concern for her three siblings on her adopted father's side. Bucky felt rather bad for Hazel at the moment due to her underground senses for there apparently a lot of tunnels under Rome. She kept leading them around the city, getting dizzy and doubling back. Bucky wondered of Emily have the underground senses, if she did that he hoped she wouldn't be like Hazel was now.
"Sorry. It's just...there's so much underground here, so many layers, it's overwhelming. Like standing in the middle of an orchestra and trying to concentrate on a single instrument. I'm going deaf."
Because of her senses that they got a tour of the city, Frank seem happy to walk along like a big sheepdog. Bucky was getting slightly impatient and worried, Bucky knew half of it was the demigod stuff that Emily told him about in World War II when she was explaining the demigod world to Steve as well as to Bucky. He was getting impatient mainly because of Emily, he thought back on his life of when he was the winter soldier, of which were a blur of bad memories. He wondered of how Emily felt during the time of where she was by herself, knowing all too well that Steve, Lauren and Bucky were not dead but alive. He couldn't began to think what that was like, honestly Emily has more right to be worried about him than he does of her because of that and she has a lot more training than he does. But she knows he could look out for himself like he knows she can, but Emily can handle herself better in the demigod world than he does for himself, though he still couldn't help but worry about her. He would felt better if it was Emily instead of Lauren that was with them, not that he minded Lauren but knowing Emily was with him would make him feel better. He could still remember of how worried he was when Emily and Lauren went to talk to Hercules not too long ago.
He remembers what Emily told him after they got back from talking to Hercules, it was amusing to think that Hercules, one of the greatest Greek heroes, was scared of Emily of who looks older than Hercules does but is much younger than Hercules. Though if she did something like she did back back in New Rome or even when she told Jason off that he couldn't blame Hercules for being scared of her. For she was scary when she gets angry like she when she told Jason off, till that moment he never saw her like that. The shadows and darkness were try into reach her and he could smell death and fear as well as feel fear coming from Emily. Bucky knew that was her abilities from Hades coming through at that moment, he was sure if they were in a forest that the plants would have died. But he knows Emily can be scary when she was fighting for he seen her in action before, he never wants to make her mad but he has a feeling that he would be faced by that side of her. Bucky dragged himself out of his thoughts as he looked around Rome, they passed churches, freestanding arches, clothing stores and fast food restaurants. It seem like one of the statues of some ancient roman man was pointing at a nearby McDonald's of which was really funny.
"I never thought I'd get to see Rome. When I was alive, I mean the first time, Mussolini was in charge. We were at war."
"Mussolini? Wasn't he like BFFs with Hitler?" Hazel stared at Leo like he was an alien, Bucky looked at Leo like he was one as well. Bucky never heard that term before, but it seem Lauren has for she face palm herself almost like she was saying, Leo, are you crazy or something along those lines. True, Bucky hadn't been in the ice with Steve but he was frozen though, he was only let out for missions till Steve and Emily were his targets. In guns, he knew how to work them and knives, but he never got around to everything else till his memories started to return. Or at least the ones that were lost since he never forget about Emily or fully at least, for he could remember what she looks like and his nickname for her but that was all he could remember. Other than the ring he wore has something to do with the woman he could remember and spoke to him and tried to make him see reason of what he was doing.
"BFFs?"
"Never mind."
"I'd love to see the Trevi Fountain."
"There's a fountain on every block."
"Or the Spanish Steps."
"Why would you come to Italy to see Spanish steps? That's like going to China for Mexican food, isn't it?"
"You're hopeless."
"So I've been told." Hazel turned to Frank and grabbed his hand.
"Come on. I think we should go this way." Frank gave Leo a confused smile, like he couldn't decide on something, but he cheerfully let Hazel drag him along. Lauren walked up to Leo and put an arm around his shoulders and spoke.
"Come on, doofus." Lauren removed her arm and went after Hazel and Frank, Bucky and Leo followed behind them. After walking forever that Hazel stopped in front of a church or at least Bucky assumed it was a church. The main section has a big domed roof, the entrance has a triangular rood and the typical roman columns and there was an inscription across the top: M. AGRIPPA or that is what Bucky assumed it said. Before he fell from the cliff in Germany that he could english read just fine, but now he seem to only be able to read Greek. Leo must have thought it said something else or he thought it said something else than what it was supposed be.
"Latin for Get a grip?"
"This is our best bet. There should be a secret passage somewhere inside." Tour groups milled around the steps, guides held up colored placards with different numbers. Leo must have been listening to one of the groups, judging on what he said next.
"This is the Pantheon. It was originally built by Marcus Agrippa as a temple to the gods. After it burned down, Emperor Hadrian rebuilt it, and it's been standing for two thousand years. It's one of the best-preserved Roman buildings in the world." Lauren, Bucky, Frank and Hazel stared at Leo.
"How did you know that?"
"I'm naturally brilliant."
"Centaur poop. He eavesdropped on a tour group." Bucky looked over Frank when he said that, Bucky learned that there some different phrases that demigods use that were different from how mortals use them or were totally different, like Centaur poop. Bucky hear Emily say Oh my Gods instead of oh my god or for Zeus's sake instead of for Pete's sake, among many other sayings.
"Maybe. Come on. Let's go find that secret passage. I hope this place has air conditioning." When they were inside that Bucky couldn't help but look around for it was nothing like he seen before even when he was in the one camp in Italy or even in England. The marble floor was patterned with squares and circles, the main space was one huge chamber with a circular rotunda, like a Capitol building back in the states. Lining the walls were different shrines, statues, tombs and other things. But what caught his eye was the dome, all the light in the building came from one circular opening eight at the top. A beam of sunlight slanted into the room and glowed on the floor, it was almost like if one of the gods were looking down at the humans. Hazel stopped in the middle of the room and turned in a circle.
"This is amazing. In the old days, the children of Vulcan would come here in secret to consecrate demigod weapons. This is where Imperial gold was enchanted." Bucky wondered how that worked, Emily might know, but than again she may not know that fact.
"But we're not here because of that."
"No. There's an entrance - a tunnel that will lead us toward Arabella and Nico. I can sense it close by. I'm not sure where." Frank grunted.
"If this building is two thousand years old, it makes sense there could be some kind of secret passage left over from the Roman days." Bucky looked around, Leo was looking around. But than Leo turned toward a red marble altar looking thing with a statue of a Virgin Mary on the top.
"Over there." Leo marched over to the shrine, it was shaped like a fireplace and there was a name inscribed on it like a tomb. "The passage is around here. This guy's final resting place is in the way. Raphael somebody?"
"Famous painter, I think." Leo shrugged when Hazel said that.
"Hold on..." Bucky looked around, most of the tour groups were not paying much attention to them for they were to busy gawking at the dome or other things. But three tourist made Bucky uneasy, they were about fifty feet away form where Bucky and the others were. They were overweight middle aged men with American accents, Bucky could tell that from how loud they were conversing with each other. But there not watching them though, Bucky looked back at Leo as Leo slipped around the side of the tomb. He was running his hand down the back of a Roman column all the way down to it's base. When Leo reached the bottom that Bucky noticed a series of lines been etched into the marble, Roman numerals
"Heh. Not very elegant, but effective."
"What is?"
"The combination for a lock." Leo was feeling around the bakx of the column for some more and found something, Bucky looked at it and saw a square hole about the size of an electrical socket. "The lock face itself has been ripped out - probably vandalized sometime in the last few centuries. But I should be able to control the mechanism inside, if I can..." Leo put his hand on the floor, Leo started to control it with his ability to guide it with the numbers. Bucky could here the click of the lock, on the floor next to the wall that one section of marble tile slid under another, revealing a dark square opening barely large enough to wiggle through
"Romans must've been small." Leo looked at Frank. "You'll need to change into something thinner to get through here."
"That's not nice!"
"What? Just saying - "
"Don't worry about it. We should go get the others before we explore. That's what Piper said."
"They're halfway across the city. Besides, uh, I'm not sure I can close this hatch again. The gears are pretty old."
"Great. How do we know it's safe down there?" Hazel knelt down and out her hand over the opening as if she was checking for something.
"There's nothing alive...at least not for several hundred feet. The tunnel slants down, then levels out and goes south, more or less. I don't sense any traps..."
"How can you tell all that?"
"Same way you can pick locks on marble columns, I guess. I'm glad you're not into robbing banks."
"Oh...bank vaults. Never thought about that."
"Forget I said anything. Look, it's not three o'clock yet. We can at least do a little exploring, try to pinpoint Arabella's and Nico's location before we contact the others. You four stay here until I call for you. I want to check things out, make sure the tunnel is structurally sound. I'll be able to tell more once I'm underground."
"We can't let you go by yourself. You could get hurt."
"Frank, I can take care of myself. Underground is my specialty. It's safest for all of us if I go first."
"Unless Frank wants to turn into a mole or a prairie dog. Those things are awesome."
"Shut up."
"Or a badger."
"Valdez, I swear - " Lauren looked over at Bucky of who mouthed, does it remind you of anyone? Bucky put his hand over his face, it sounded similar to how Bucky and Steve would tease and argue with each other.
"Both of you, be quiet. I'll be back soon. Give me ten minutes. If you don't hear from me by then...Never mind. I'll be fine. Just try not to kill each other while I'm down there." Hazel dropped down the hole, the four of them tried to look as normal and casual as they could be. Tour groups came and went, most paid no need to them but some looked at them apprehensively. Bucky has a feeling that it was partly because of his mechanical arm that he has, Bucky got use to it over the years even after his memories return, though he was weary with at first more so with Emily than anything else. For his mechanical arm was rather strong and he didn't want to cause any harm to her, but he got use to putting it around her and she got used to it as well, for he knew when they resumed their relationship again that it seem off to her with his arm. Bucky noticed that the three Americans, that he noticed earlier, were still hanging around the middle of the room. One of them kept glancing at Bucky, Lauren, Frank and Leo with distaste. Than Frank spoke.
"She talked to me earlier, Hazel told me you figured out about my lifeline." Bucky nearly forget about Frank, Leo stirred. Bucky looked at Frank and Leo before looking at Lauren of who shrugged.
"Your lifeline...oh, the burning stick. Right." Burning stick? Bucky has no idea what they were talking about.
"Look, man. It's cool. I'd never do anything to put you in danger. We're on the same team."
"I always knew fire could kill me, but since my grandmother's mansion burned down in Vancouver...it seems a lot more real." Leo nodded when Frank said that.
"Your grandmother - did she die in that fire? You didn't say."
"I - I don't know. She was sick, and pretty old. She said she would die in her own time, in her own way. But I think she made it out of the fire. I saw this bird flying up from the flames."
"So your whole family has the shape-changing thing?"
"I guess. My mom did. Grandmother thought that's what got her killed in Afghanistan, in the war. Mom tried to help some of her buddies, and...I don't know exactly what happened. There was a firebomb."
"So we both lost our moms to fire." Leo told them of the story of how his mother died, Bucky felt sorry for Leo, Bucky never really remember his mother very well, he only knew Steve's and Emily's father for a short amount of time before their father died. He could remember the sound of his mother's voice and calling him Wind Prince and made Bucky cookies till she died, unexpectedly, a few days after Bucky meet Emily and Steve. Though he never heard of what happened to Lauren's mother, she never spoke of it or at least none that he ever heard.
"I never like it when people tell me, Sorry about your mom."
"It never feels genuine."
"But I'm sorry about your mom."
"Thanks." No sign of Hazel, the three Americans tourists were getting closer as they seem to trying to sneak up on them without the four of them noticing.
"Back at Camp Jupiter, our cabin Lar, Reticulus, told me I have more power than most demigods, being a son of Mars, plus having the shape-changing ability from my mom's side. He said that's why my life is tied to a burning stick. It's such a huge weakness that it kind of balances things out."
"We've all got weaknesses. Me, for instance. I'm tragically funny and good-looking."
"You might have weaknesses. But your life doesn't depend on a piece of firewood."
"No, I wonder..." Leo faltered as he looked across the room, Bucky looked over and saw the three American tourists were coming their way. They were making their way to the tomb and all three were glaring at Leo.
"Uh, Frank? Has it been ten minutes yet?" The odd thing was that the Americans' faces were angry and confused, like they were sleeping walking and they were in a nightmare. Than one of them called out.
"Leo Valdez." The voice was hollow, metallic, and he spoke like English was his second language. "We meet again." All three tourists blinked and their eyes turned to solid gold.
"Eidolons!" The three Americans clenched their beefy fists, even though they were overweight that he has a feeling that they were still dangerous.
"They can't fit down the hole."
"Right, Underground is sounding really good." Frank changed into a snake and slithered over the edge, Leo, Bucky, and Lauren jumped in while the spirits began to wail above.
"Valdez! Kill Valdez!" Bucky wasn't sure if he could fit through or not since he was the biggest after Frank, but he managed to fit into the hole to his great surprise. The hatch above closed cutting off their pursuers but it also cut off all light as well, but they could deal with that. Bucky hoped that they didn't need to get out the same way they came into this tunnel. Frank must have turned into human form since Bucky could hear wheezing before Frank spoke.
"What now?"
"Okay, don't freak, I'm going to summon a little fire, just so we can see."
"Thanks for the warning." Leo's index finger blazed like a birthday candle, in front of them stretched a stone tunnel with a low ceiling. Just as Hazel predicted that it slanted down than leveled out before going south.
"Well. It only goes in one direction."
"Let's find Hazel." Bucky didn't have any problems with that. After a hundred feet or so that they turned a corner and found Hazel, in the light of her golden cavalry sword she was examining a door. She was so engrossed that she didn't notice them till Leo spoke.
"Hi." Hazel whirled, trying to swing her sword but it was too long to wield in the corridor.
"What are you doing here?"
"Sorry. We ran into some angry tourists." Leo told Hazel of what happened and Hazel hissed in frustration.
"I hate eidolons. I thought Piper made them promise to stay away."
"Oh... Piper made them promise to stay off the ship and not possess any of us. But if they followed us, and used other bodies to attack us, then they're not technically breaking their vow..."
"Great, Eidolons who are also lawyers. Now I really want to kill them."
"Okay, forget them for now, This door is giving me fits. Leo, can you try your skill with the lock?" Leo cracked his knuckles.
"Stand aside for the master, please." Bucky looked at the door as Leo stepped forward, the door was coated in imperial gold and a mechanical sphere about the size of a bowling ball was embedded in the center. There were numbers and letters, what surprised Bucky was that the letters were Greek so he could read them.
"These letters are Greek."
"Well, lots of Romans spoke Greek."
"I guess. But this workmanship...no offense to you Camp Jupiter types, but this is too complicated to be Roman." Frank snorted.
"Whereas you Greeks just love making things complicated."
"Hey, All I'm saying is this machinery is delicate, sophisticated. It reminds me of..." Leo was staring at the sphere, as though he was trying to remember something. "It's a more advanced sort of lock. You line up the symbols on the different rings in the right order, and that opens the door."
"But what's the right order?"
"Good question. Greek spheres...astronomy, geometry... Oh, no way. I wonder...What's the value of pi?"
"What kind of pie?"
"He means the number, I learned that in math class once, but - "
"It's used to measure circles. This sphere, if it's made by the guy I'm thinking of..." Lauren, Bucky, Hazel and Frank stared at him blankly.
"Never mind, I'm pretty sure pi is, uh, 3.1415 blah blah blah. The number goes on forever, but the sphere has only five rings, so that should be enough, if I'm right."
"And if you're not?"
"Well, then, Leo fall down, go boom. Let's find out!" Leo started to turn the rings starting outside and moved in. Nothing happened. "I'm stupid, Pi would expand outward, because it's infinite." He reversed the order of the numbers, starting in and moved his way out, when he aligned the last ring that something inside the sphere clicked and the door swiping open. Leo beamed. "That, good people, is how we do things in Leo World. Come on in!"
"I hate Leo World." Hazel laughed as well as Lauren and Bucky, for Bucky could see Emily saying similar to that or made of Leo of saying it. Inside, the room was about the size of the forge back at camp Halfblood or from what Bucky could tell since he never been inside the forges at camp. There was bronzed topped work tables along the walls and baskets full of ancient metalworking tools. There were dozens of bronze and gold spheres, loose gears and wiring littered the floor. Thick metal cables ran from each table toward the back of the room, there was an enclosed loft like a theater's sound booth and there was stairs that led up to the booth on either side. All the cables seem to run into it. Next to the stairs on the left was a row of cubbyholes that were filled with leather cylinders. Bucky looked around, as he did so that he noticed Leo jumped when he glanced to his left. Bucky looked to where Leo glanced and was close of jumping out of his skin. Flanking the doorway were two armored manikins that were outfitted with full suits of roman armor, shield and sword. Leo walked up to one of them and spoke as he did so.
"Dude. These would be awesome if they worked." Frank edged away, Bucky couldn't blame him for it, the manikins were rather creepy. Though Bucky wasn't sure which was more creepy, the red skull taking off the face mask or those manikins.
"Those things are going to come alive and attack us, aren't they?"
"Not a chance. They aren't complete." Leo tapped the neatest manikin's neck, Bucky realized that there was some loose cooper wires that from underneath the breastplate. "Look, the head's wiring has been disconnected. And here, at the elbow, the pulley system for this joint is out of alignment. My guess? The Romans were trying to duplicate a Greek design, but they didn't have the skill."
"The Romans weren't good enough at being complicated, I suppose."
"Or delicate or sophisticated."
"Hey, I just call it like I see it." Leo started to jiggle the manikin's head, making it nod like the manikin was agreeing with him. "Still...a pretty impressive try. I've heard legends that the Romans confiscated the writings of Archimedes, but - "
"Archimedes? Wasn't he an ancient mathematician or something?" Leo laughed when Hazel said that.
"He was a lot more than that. He was only the most famous son of Hephaestus who ever lived."
"I've heard his name before, but how can you be sure this manikin is his design?"
"It has to be! Look, I've read all about Archimedes. He's a hero to Cabin Nine. The dude was Greek, right? He lived in one of the Greek colonies in southern Italy, back before Rome got all huge and took over. Finally the Romans moved in and destroyed his city. The Roman general wanted to spare Archimedes, because he was so valuable - sort of like the Einstein of the ancient world - but some stupid Roman soldier killed him."
"There you go again. Stupid and Roman don't always go together, Leo."
"How do you know all this, anyway? Is there a Spanish tour guide around here?"
"No, man. You can't be a demigod who's into building stuff and not know about Archimedes. The guy was seriously elite. He calculated the value of pi. He did all this math stuff we still use for engineering. He invented a hydraulic screw that could move water through pipes."
"A hydraulic screw. Excuse me for not knowing about that awesome achievement."
"He also built a death ray made of mirrors that could burn enemy ships. Is that awesome enough for you?"
"I saw something about that on TV. They proved it didn't work."
"Ah, that's just because modern mortals don't know how to use Celestial bronze. That's the key. Archimedes also invented a massive claw that could swing on a crane and pluck enemy ships out of the water."
"Okay, that's cool. I love grabber-arm games."
"Well, there you go. Anyway, all his inventions weren't enough. The Romans destroyed his city. Archimedes was killed. According to legends, the Roman general was a big fan of his work, so he raided Archimedes's workshop and carted a bunch of souvenirs back to Rome. They disappeared from history, except... Here they are." Leo waved his hand around the work room, Bucky looked at Lauren of who looked almost as lost as Bucky, even though she spent more time of being used to this and knowing more about the Greek myths than he did. Bucky learned to count on Emily to learn about the Greek myths, Bucky wasn't sure what to say and neither did Lauren.
"Metal basketballs?"
"Guys, Archimedes constructed spheres. The Romans couldn't figure them out. They thought they were just for telling time or following constellations, because they were covered with pictures of stars and planets. But that's like finding a rifle and thinking it's a walking stick."
"Leo, the Romans were top-notch engineers. They built aqueducts, roads - "
"Siege weapons, Public sanitation."
"Yeah, fine. But Archimedes was in a class by himself. His spheres could do all sorts of things, only nobody is sure..." Leo paused, than his nose burst into flames, Bucky had to stop himself from laughing, Bucky has a better control over his fire. Not once did Bucky managed to light his nose on fire, or just a single part of his body. If he did lose control of it and he is around Emily that he didn't need to worry about it since she has the same ability though it came from Hestia as oppose to her godly parent. Leo managed to stop the flame before he ran to the row of cubbyholes.
"Oh, gods. This is it!" Leo lifted out one of the scrolls. "Guys, this is the lost book! Archimedes wrote this, describing his construction methods, but all the copies were lost in ancient times. If I can translate this..." Bucky looked at Lauren and spoke.
"What is he talking about." Lauren shrugged.
"No idea. When it comes to building things, don't talk to a child of Hephaestus or Athena. Because they would be doing what Leo is doing now." Bucky raised an eyebrow when Lauren said that. "I will admit that the rest are not as bad as Annabeth or Leo are but they could go on for hours about anything and everything for the most part." Leo was paying no head to them and he was murmuring to himself.
"The secrets of Archimedes. Guys, this is bigger than Daedalus's laptop. If there's a Roman attack on Camp Half-Blood, these secrets could save the camp. They might even give us an edge over Gaea and the giants!" Bucky, Lauren, Hazel and Frank glance at each other.
"Okay, We didn't come here for a scroll, but I guess we can take it with us."
"Assuming, that you don't mind sharing its secrets with us stupid uncomplicated Romans." Leo stared at Frank blankly.
"What? No. Look, I didn't mean to insult - Ah, never mind. The point is this is good news!" On the table next to Bucky, Lauren, Hazel, and Frank that one of the orbs clicked and a row of spindly legs extended from it's equator. The orb stood and four bronze cables shot out of the top, hitting Hazel, Frank, Lauren and Bucky. Bucky crumpled to the floor along with the other three and was knocked out. Bucky barely had time to realize that something moved before he was hit by a taser of some kind that knocked him out. When he came around that Bucky knew he was out for a little but, but he wasn't sure of what happened after. When Bucky started to stir, that he heard a voice that didn't belong to anyone that he was with at the moment but he heard it before.
"Bah! Come! We will destroy the demigods ourselves."
"I don't think so, guys." Bucky knows that voice, it was Leo, Bucky managed to open his eyes than and saw one of the manikins was moving. The one with the lion head shuddered and lowered his sword and Leo was grinning.
"You're in Leo World, now." Bucky sat up slowly as the lion head turned and stormed down the stairs, instead of advancing on the five of them that he marched up to the opposite stairs and faced his comrade.
"What are you doing? We have to - " The lion head slammed his shield into the wolf's head chest and smashed the pommel of his sword into his comrade's helmet. So that the wolf head became flat, deformed and not very happy wolf, than the wolf head started to shout again. "Stop that!"
"I cannot!" The lion head was wailing, Bucky smiled slightly. Both suits of armor drop their swords and shields before they started to slap each other.
"Valdez! You will die for this!"
"Yeah. Who's possessing who now, Casper?" The machine men tumbled down the stairs, before they started to jitterbug like 1920s flappers, he remembered seeing the pictures as young boy asking about the pictures. He couldn't remember of who he ask but he remembered the shock of the person when he asked that question to, three or even four at the time. Leo shouted at them. Bucky thought it might be his mother but he wasn't sure on that fact and he never can never really remember that all too well. Than the spheres that were around the room started to pop, like little bombs.
"Frank, Hazel, Lauren, Bucky! Take cover!" Bucky was stilly dazed but not as much as the other three though, but all four of them got Leo's warning. Frank pulled Hazel under the nearest table while Bucky and Lauren went under another table that was close by. Bucky noticed that Frank was shielded Hazel with his body, Bucky knows he would have done the same thing if Emily was here. Than Leo did something, up in the booth, for the armored warriors blew apart, while rods, and other things flew everywhere in the workspace. Bucky could hear popping from the tables above his head, he figured it was the spheres that were popping. Than everything went quiet and the air smelled like burning car engines, as Bucky and Lauren got out from under the table that Leo raced down the stairs.
"You're alive!"
"Yes, we are alive." Bucky was about ready to ask what happened but Hazel beat him to it before he could ask that question.
"Uh, what exactly happened?"
"Archimedes came through! Just enough power left in those old machines for one final show. Once I had the access code, it was easy." Leo patted a sphere in his hand of which was steaming.
"The eidolons. Are they gone?" Leo grinned,
"My last command overloaded their kill switches - basically locked down all their circuits and melted their cores."
"In English?"
"I trapped the eidolons inside the wiring. Then I melted them. They won't be bothering anyone again." As Bucky and Lauren did their best to keep steady that Leo helped Frank and Hazel up onto their feet.
"You saved us."
"Don't sound so surprised." Bucky glanced around the destroyed workshop and out the corner of his eyes that he saw Leo do the same thing as Bucky was doing. "Too bad all this stuff got wrecked, but at least I salvaged the scrolls. If I can get them back to Camp Half-Blood, maybe I can learn how to recreate Archimedes's inventions." Hazel rubbed the side of her head.
"But I don't understand. Where is Arabella and Nico? That tunnel was supposed to lead us to Arabella and Nico."
"Oh. Hazel, how exactly were you tracking Arabella and Nico? I mean, could you just sense them nearby because they was your siblings?" Bucky looked at Hazel, she was still a bit wobbly from her electric shock that she got.
"Not - not totally. Sometimes I can tell when they are close, but, like I said, Rome is so confusing, so much interference because of all the tunnels and caves - "
"You tracked them with your metal-finding senses. Their swords?"
"How did you know?"
"You'd better come here." Leo lead Bucky, Lauren Hazel and Frank up to the control room and pointed to two black swords that looked similar to Emily's black sword. Hazel would have collapsed if Frank hadn't caught her.
"Oh. Oh, no. But that's impossible! Nico's and Arabella's swords were with him and Arabella in the bronze jar. Percy saw it in his dream!"
"Either the dream was wrong or the giants moved the swords here as a decoy."
"So this was a trap. We were lured here."
"But why? Where's my brother and sister?" A hissing sound filled the control booth, the bronze mirror on the table was steaming. A sleeping face of a woman appeared in the mirror, Bucky backed away when the face appeared.
'Ah, my poor demigods. You had your choice.' Her voice echoed through the rooms, it seemed to be coming from the mirror and the stone walls as well. Of which was freaking Bucky out. He knew that there was a bunch of things that comes from dating a demigod, married to a demigod or even being one, but this seem too much to take. It seem that Gaea, at least he was going to assume it was Gaea, was all around them. Considering she was the earth and they were in the earth that made sense but it made him unease as well. 'I offered salvation to all of you. You could have turned back. Now it is too late. You've come to the ancient lands where I am strongest - where I will wake.' Bucky pulled out his pen and he clicked it so it transformed into his sword, Lauren had pulled out her sword as well, Leo pulled a hammer from his tool belt. Leo whacked the mirror but it quivered like a tea tray.
"In case you haven't noticed, Dirt Face, your little ambush failed. Your three eidolons got melted in bronze, and we're fine." Gaea laughed softly.
'Oh, my sweet Leo. You five have been separated from your friends. That was the whole point.' The workshop door slammed shut, Bucky panicked, how could he get back to Emily now. 'You are trapped here, Annabeth Chase faces her death alone, terrified and crippled, at the hands of her mother's greatest enemy.' The image in the mirror changed, Bucky saw Annabeth sprawled on the floor of a dark cavern, holding her bronze dagger as if warding off a monsters her face was gaunt, her leg was wrapped in some sort of splint. Bucky couldn't see what Annabeth was looking at but it was something horrible though, somehow Bucky knew it was happening now. 'The others, Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Steve Rogers, Emily Barnes, and my dear friend Percy Jackson - they will perish within minutes."
The scene changed again, Percy was holding riptide, leading Jason, Piper, Emily and Steve down a spiral staircase. He could see Emily has her bronze sword out and Steve has his shield on his back with his own sword in front of him. 'Their powers will betray them. They will die in their own elements. I almost hoped they would survive. They would have made a better sacrifice. But alas, Hazel and Frank, you will have to do. My minions will collect you shortly and bring you to the ancient place. Your blood will awaken me at last. Until then, I will allow you to watch your friends perish. Please...enjoy this last glimpse of your failed quest.'
Bucky couldn't stand it much longer, but it seem Leo beat him to that. For Leo's hand glowed white hot, Lauren, Hazel, and Frank scrambled back as Leo pressed his palm against the mirror so that the mirror melted into a puddle of bronze goo. Bucky put his hand over his chest, he wasn't sure what could happen to Emily and the others. He remembered those fourteen or fifteen years of not seeing her and how his heart seem to be brewing though he didn't understood it. He remembered his whole time as the winter solider and her face and everything about her was the only normal thing as his life as the winter soldier. He brought death and pain, but it seem that he brought the most pain to Emily and he has no plans to bring any more suffering to Emily and himself and their future together. Thankfully the voice of Gaea went silent, Bucky looked down as Leo spoke.
"Sorry. She was getting annoying."
"What do we do? We have to get out and help the others." Bucky looked up as Leo scanned the workshop that was littered with pieces of broken spheres.
"I've got an idea. But it's going to take all five of us." Leo started telling them his plan.