Bucky was above with Jason, Arabella and Hazel, Hazel was guiding the ship though the pass heat Hecate suggested. Honestly he wished he never fell off that train, but than again there was a chance that he would been thrown into this life at any rate. Since he married Emily during the war, even before he married her that he knew monsters would be attracted to her because of what she was. He didn't know that she was a demigod at first and neither did she, but he found out about fourteen years later. About ten to eleven years after Emily learned she was a demigod and a year after Steve learned he was a demigod. It was odd knowing that your best friend and wife were demigods, but than learning that you were one as well that was like having cake in his face. He wasn't sure of what might have happen to them if he didn't fall off of that train all those years ago. He wondered if she would have crashed into the ice like Steve did instead or would they both crash or would all of them crashed? There so many things that could have happened if that he never fell off that train, just thinking of what could happen if he didn't fall was driving him nuts.
Just knowing he was part of this life as well as fighting off the monsters that were attracted to the ship was also driving him crazy. He has no idea of Emily managed to do this for seventy years without going crazy as well as being without Steve, Lauren or himself there. Emily and Steve have been gone for like three days now and he was going crazy already, Bucky felt like he was losing himself all over again. He did his best to remain clam for the crew's sake and Emily's half siblings, but without Emily there and her presence to comfort him, it was difficult. He also kept the thought of Emily in his mind of which was the only thing at kept him calm and from going crazy. Lauren didn't seem much better than he was, but at least she was sleeping at the moment, for she lost just as much as sleep as he did in the few days after Rome. After a few hours that they managed to get through the pass, so Bucky and Jason woke up the others. Bucky woke up Lauren, Phil and Aubrey before the four of them entered the mess hall together. As far as Bucky knows, out of the twelve aboard that only Hazel and Frank never seen Camp Halfblood expect for seeing it on the walls.
When he looked at the walls that it was in the middle of the night, torches sputtered at the cabin doorways, moonlight glittered on the waves of the Long Island shore. The beach was covered in footprints like a big crowd just left, than Bucky's heart clenched when he realized what yesterday was. Yesterday was the Fourth of July, not only that but it was also Emily's and Steve's birthday as well as the day he asked Emily to be his girlfriend over seventy years ago. He been so worried about Emily and Steve that he forget about that, however he wasn't sure if he would have remembered anyway or even Emily and Steve would remember. Bucky sat down at the table along with Phil, Aubrey and Lauren besides him, while the others came into the mess hall to try to eat breakfast. Bucky, at least, managed to eat something since of what what happened in Tome, but Arabella and Nico hardly ate much of anything since they were rescued from the giants. Of which concerned Bucky as much as Emily being in Tartarus, Bucky noticed that no one really seems to be eating at the moment. At least, Emily didn't tell them to farm or anything that Demeter was obsessed over, but Emily always made sure that everyone ate enough whoe she was with the crew.
"So, now that we're here …" Jason was sitting at the head of the table by default since they lost Annabeth, Jason did his best to fill in as the group's leader but it was rather difficult for Jason. Bucky could see that he was rather stressed, he figured that was partly because he got used to working with someone as a leader or he got used to Annabeth as the leader. Jason's eyes were more sunken than usual, his blond was messy like Jason forget to comb it of which was likely. Hazel was bleary eyes, her hair was tied back in a bandanna of which gave her a commando look. Next to her was Frank, in black workout pants and a shirt that said CIAO on it, Bucky wasn't even going to try to figure of why Frank has that shirt. Leo looked like he had been in the engine room all night or for a few hours for he seem to have grease on his clothes. Nico looked slightly better since they rescued him, but he was still too thin and too pale, Bucky hoped Tartarus won't affect Emily as much as it did Arabella or Nico. The only one that wasn't there was Piper, Bucky zoned out as Jason spoke, it wasn't till Jason reached near the end that Bucky heard what he said.
"– the House of Hades, Nico?" Nico sat forward.
"I communed with the dead last night." That sent shivers down Bucky's spine when Nico said that, he knows Emily can to talk with the dead as well. But she never talks about it with him of which he was fine with and he was sure that Emily knows that it would bug him if she spoke to him about it. It was still hard to believe that Emily was adopted by Hades, sure in her other appearance she looks the Parton a daughter of Hades and she even has that aura that she allows others to feel when she was in her daughter of Hades appearance. Sure she was scary when she allows that aura to go to it's full height, but still, she wasn't as nearly creepy as Nico was. But bruit could still see Nico seem to be fighting with himself, maybe because of losing own of his sisters down in Tatarus. "I was able to learn more about what we'll face. In ancient times, the House of Hades was a major site for Greek pilgrims. They would come to speak with the dead and honour their ancestors."
"Sounds like Día de los Muertos. My Aunt Rosa took that stuff seriously." Bucky never heard that kind of thing before, but than again he grew up in an orphanage. Of course, Emily never brought a thing up, there was a chance that Emily didn't need to bring that up with Bucky.
"Chinese have that, too – ancestor worship, sweeping the graves in the springtime. Your Aunt Rosa would've got along with my grandmother."
"Yeah, I'm sure they would've been best buds." Nico clear his throat.
"A lot of cultures have seasonal traditions to honour the dead, but the House of Hades was open year round. Pilgrims could actually speak to the ghosts. In Greek, the place was called the Necromanteion, the Oracle of Death. You'd work your way through different levels of tunnels, leaving offerings and drinking special potions –"
"Special potions. Yum." Jason gave Leo a look that said, dude, enough.
"Nico, go on."
"The pilgrims believed that each level of the temple brought you closer to the Underworld, until the dead would appear before you. If they were pleased with your offerings, they would answer your questions, maybe even tell you the future."
"And if the spirits weren't pleased?"
"Some pilgrims found nothing. Some went insane or died after leaving the temple. Others lost their way in the tunnels and were never seen again."
"The point is, Nico found some information that might help us."
"Yeah. The ghost I spoke to last night … he was a former priest of Hecate. He confirmed what the goddess told Hazel yesterday at the crossroads. In the first war with the giants, Hecate fought for the gods. She slew one of the giants ... one who'd been designed as the anti-Hecate. A guy named Clytius."
"Dark dude. Wrapped in shadows." Bucky looked over at Leo when he said that, Hazel turned towards Leo and her eyes narrowed.
"Leo, how did you know that?"
"Kind of had a dream." No one was surprised when Leo said that, whenever Bucky did managed to go to sleep that he dreamed of Gaea or Emily being in Tartarus by herself with no aid. Bucky knew the last part wasn't true but it still scared knowing that anything could happen to her down there since he wasn't there to help her though whatever she was going through. Leo explained of what he saw in his dream and the woman offered two ways to die, when he finished that Jason pushed away his plate of pancakes.
"So the giant is Clytius. I suppose he'll be waiting for us, guarding the Doors of Death."
"And the woman in Leo's dream?" Hazel passed a diamond between her fingers as she spoke.
"She's my problem. Hecate mentioned a formidable enemy in the House of Hades – a witch who couldn't be defeated except by me, using magic."
"Do you know magic?"
"Not yet."
"Ah. Any idea who she is?" Hazel shook her head.
"Only that …" Hazel looked at Nico, Jennifer and Arabella, they seem to have a silent argument between them. Bucky was sure that they talked about the house of hades before, of what it was about he wasn't sure. "Only that she won't be easy to defeat." Bucky spoke up.
"If Emily or Annabeth were here, they would know who she is." No one spoke for a minute, it was Nico who broke the still silence that followed that statement.
"But there is some good news. The ghost I talked to explained how Hecate defeated Clytius in the first war. She used her torches to set his hair on fire. He burned to death. In other words, fire is his weakness." Everyone looked at Leo and Bucky.
"Oh, Okay." Jason nodded as though that was great news, but Bucky wasn't totally sure if their fire could work or not.
"It's a good lead. At least we know how to kill the giant. And this sorceress … well, if Hecate believes Hazel can defeat her, then so do I." Hazel dropped her eyes.
"Now we just have to reach the House of Hades, battle our way through Gaia's forces –"
"Plus a bunch of ghosts. The spirits in that temple may not be friendly."
"– and find the Doors of Death. Assuming we can somehow arrive at the same time as Steve, Emily, Percy and Annabeth and rescue them." Frank swallowed a bite of pancake.
"We can do it. We have to."
"So, with this detour, I'm estimating four or five days to arrive at Epirus, assuming no delays for, you know, monster attacks and stuff." Jason smiled sourly.
"Yeah. Those never happen." Bucky looked over at Hazel but Leo spoke.
"Hecate told you that Gaea was planning her big Wake Up party on August first, right? The Feast of Whatever?"
"Spes, The goddess of hope."
"Theoretically, that leaves us enough time. It's only July fifth. We should be able to close the Doors of Death, then find the giants' HQ and stop them from waking Gaia before August first."
"Theoretically. But I'd still like to know how we make our way through the House of Hades without going insane or dying." No one volunteered any ideas, Frank set down his pancake roll like it suddenly didn't taste so good.
"It's July fifth. Oh, jeez, I hadn't even thought of that …"
"Hey, man, it's cool, You're Canadian, right? I didn't expect you to get me an Independence Day present or anything … unless you wanted to." Bucky rolled his eyes, he was pretty sure that was not what Frank was thinking about.
"It's not that. My grandmother … she always told me that seven was an unlucky number. It was a ghost number. She didn't like it when I told her there would be seven demigods on our quest. And July is the seventh month."
"Yeah, but …" Leo started to tap his fingers nervously on the table, it was morse code, for Bucky knows that code for he learned at camp. The message said I love you, Bucky looked at Leo wondering why Leo was tapping that, but Leo seem to notice of what he was doing and he stopped at once. "But that's just coincidence, right?" Frank expression seem grim.
"Back in China, in the old days, people called the seventh month the ghost month. That's when the spirit world and the human world were closest. The living and the dead could go back and forth. Tell me it's a coincidence we're searching for the Doors of Death during the ghost month." No one spoke for a minute, Bucky wondered if Emily knew any of this, she did have the time to learn this stuff. Jason pressed his hands against the arms of his chair before he spoke.
"Let's focus on the things we can deal with. We're getting close to Bologna. Maybe we'll get more answers once we find these dwarfs that Hecate –" The ship lurched as if it hit an iceberg, Bucky's plate slid across the table. Nico fell backwards out of his chair and banged his head against the sideboard before he collapsed on the floor with a dozen goblets and platters crashing down on top of him. Jennifer and Hazel shouted at the same time.
"Nico!" Jennifer and Hazel ran to help him.
"What –?" Frank tried to stand but the ship pitched in the other direction and he stumbled into the table before he went face first into Leo's plate of scrambled eggs.
"Look!" Jason was pointing at the walls, the images of Camp Half-Blood were flickering and changing. Leo murmured.
"Not possible." Suddenly a huge distorted face filled the entire port side wall: crooked yellow teeth, a scraggly red beard, a warty nose and two mismatched eyes, one was much larger and higher than the other.,the face seem to be trying to eat it's what into the room. The other walls flickered, showing scenes from above deck, Piper stood at the helm but something was wrong. From shoulders down she was wrapped in duct tape, her mouth was gagged and her legs bound to the control console. At the mainmast, Gleeson was similarly bound and gagged, while a bizarre looking creature was dancing around him doing Gleeson's hair in tiny pigtails with pink rubber bands. On the port side wall the huge ugly face receded so that the creature was similar to the one dancing around Gleeson. The one was leaping around the deck stuffing things into a bag, including Piper's dagger, Leo's controllers as well as the Archimedes sphere that Leo took from Rome.
"No!"
"Uhhh."
"Piper!"
"Monkey!"
"Not monkeys, I think those are dwarfs."
"Stealing my stuff!" Leo ran for the stairs. Hazel shouted after Leo ran up the stairs.
"Go! We will take care of Nico!" Bucky went over to where Nico and his two sisters before Bucky picked Nico up before carrying him to the sickbay of which wasn't very easy to do with the statue. Jennifer followed Leo up to the deck above, when Bucky managed to get to the sickbay that Hazel tried to get him to wake up and feed him some nectar and ambrosia. Bucky went to one side of the room and watch the two of them, Bucky did wanted to get to know Emily's siblings and it was no problem with Phil or even Jennifer and Hazel. Bucky knows Steve for most of their lives before World War II, he will admit that he got close to Arabella and Nico since he meet them but he wasn't as close to them as he was to them as he was with the other two. For Nico and Arabella still freaked him out somewhat so he was unsure of what to say or do around them, for there wasn't much that they could talk about besides Emily. Bucky was unsure of Emily told her siblings about World War II, Bucky sat down on one of the bedside in sickbay and just watched the two siblings. Just as he sat down that Phil and Arabella came into the sickbay, Arabella went over to Nico and helped Hazel, Phil stood to one side till Bucky motion Phil to come over to him. Phil came over and sat down next to him, Bucky knows that Phil was just as worried about Emily as Bucky was but he also noticed that he seem to spend more time with Arabella this any of the other three, even less with Nico.
"I was wondering how come you haven't tried to talk to Nico or the other two after Emily fell?" Bucky spoke low that only Phil could here him.
"Well, it's more or less that I know Arabella the best of the four."
"I get it that, but can't you at least try more with the others? You and Arabella are not the only two worried about Emily and Steve, you know."
Phil merely nodded when Bucky said that. Bucky looked over at Arabella, Nico and Hazel, Bucky managed to get closer to Jennifer and Hazel after Emily fell. He somewhat managed to get Nico to talk to him more than Nico has done before, a few times Bucky did tell Nico that if he needed to talk to someone or even just be in the same room as a living person that Bucky was there. He wasn't sure what else he could do for Nico or Arabella, since Arabella remained mainly silent, for she only spoke with Phil, Nico, Jennifer or Hazel. Arabella also shared a cabin with Hazel and came out rarely expect for some food or talk to Phil or Nico. Bucky didn't get much of a chance to talk to Arabella since Emily fell, Bucky got up from where he was left the sickbay as Nico tried to get to his feet. When he left the sickbay that he went to his chain, once inside that Bucky sat on his bed to think. No one been in the cabin since Emily fell, for Bucky didn't want anyone to go in there or at least for now. When Bucky learned of what happens to Emily and Steve that he went into a warpath as one would say. For the chain was a mess, the walls were rather dent for the time she hit the walls with his arms, though most of the dents came from his metal arm. His clothing was ripped and were thrown around the room carelessly, the few things in the were have a little bit of damage to it. It took Bucky a while to come down from that, after his memories came back that his frustration see, to lift him when Emily fell. Honestly he felt better of letting that frustration go but it didn't bring Emily back to him though, he was sure no one dared entered the chain when he sort of destroyed the cabin. Just than here was a knock on the door to the cabin, Bucky looked up as the door opened, Nico and Arabella entered the room, they both looked surprised at the mess of the room it was Arabella that spoke up first.
"What happened?"
"I sort of went on a warpath after Emily fell." Bucky looked at Nico and Arabella enforce going on. "What brings you here anyway." Arabella closed the door before Arabella and Nico climbed onto his bed.
"I heard of Emily's childhood from her but I never heard what your and Steve's childhood were like. Nico and I want to know what it was like after Emily left." Bucky smiled slightly and started to tell them of what happened after Emily left till he went off to England when he got his orders. After getting his orders that they should have a basic idea of what happens next after a few months between when Bucky left for England till after he fell. He just barely finished the story when Leo, Jason and Jennifer came back to the ship so that they could resume their trip to the house of Hades.
Emily's pov
Emily wasn't sure of how much longer they could go on, thankfully Emily managed to conjure up some food and water for them to have as they followed the vampire girls along side the river Phlegethon. It was tricky to stay far enough back to avoid getting spotted but close enough to keep the vampire girls in view through the dark hazy air. The heat baked Emily's skin, every breath was like inhaling sulphur scented fiberglass, Emily thought she could die at any time but she did her best to move on. A few times that Emily, Steve, Percy and Annabeth took a sip from the liquid fire from the river that was flowing besides them. At least Annabeth's ankle seem to have healed, for she was hardly limping at all, not only that but their various cuts and scrapes faded as well. After a while that Emily tied her hair back with a strip of denim torn from her jeans, Annabeth also did the same thing as Emily did. With how hot it was getting that neither Steve or Percy could blame Emily and Annabeth for putting their hair into ponytails. Emily walked along besides Steve while Percy and Annabeth were up ahead of them, Emily wasn't sure of how much time has past since they fell down here in Tartarus and she wasn't sure if she wanted to know. After a while Steve spoke quietly to Emily.
"I wonder of how Arabella and Nico got out of here?"
"I don't know but we are going to get out of here as well." Steve nodded when Emily said that, as they walked along that Emily felt like she was going to give up. She wanted to curl up and die, she wasn't sure of how the others were taking this place, but she could fell Tartarus living and breathing as she walked along. She wasn't sure if it was just her or if by any chance it has something to do with being a daughter of Hades. Emily has the strangest feeling at it was because she was a daughter of Hades, but her godly powers seem to be fighting with each other in a sense with how to look at this place. For at times, she could see this place as Steve and the other two as they see it or at least she assumes judging form how the others were like, but at other times she thought that she could see some part of a huge but yet unseen body. When she saw the huge and yet unseen body that she grasp Steve's hand trying to put it out of her mind so that she could stay sane. Steve squeezed her hand and looked at her worryingly when she did that, Emily gestures that she should be fine.
Though Emily wondered if she would be fine after this and see this place in tow ways the whole time she was down here. With each step that she wondered what Arabella and Nico saw this place, did they seen it more as a huge but yet unseen body or did they see it as more as of an endless pit that forces one to go down. Honestly Emily prefers the latter, for it seem make her more sane to think of Tartarus as an endless pit than a huge and unseen body. During that time that Emily kept forcing herself to remind herself of who she was, that Bucky was up here waiting for her to come back to, that she has a child in her and that she has Steve at her side. Those things was pretty much the whole thing that kept her going in this pit of death and monsters. Emily was rather glad that Empousai were not speed walkers, they shuffled on their mismatched legs as well as hissing and fighting with each other. Apparently they were in no hurry to reach the doors of death. Once the demons sped up in excitement and swarm around something that looked like a beached carcass on the riverbank. Emily couldn't tell what it was and she wasn't sure if she wanted to know what that was they were eating. When the demons moved on that they reached the spot of where the carcass was, but they found nothing but a few splintered bones and glistening stains drying in the best of the river.
"Come on." Percy led Annabeth gently away from the scene while Emily and Steve followed behind Annabeth and Percy, Emily looked away as they walked past the scene. "We don't want to lose them." Once more Emily found herself wishing for the days of World War II, for the challenges and problems that she faced than seem so simple compared to the challenges that she has been facing now a days. Unlike before that down here that there seem to be no where she would feel safe or to go to for help and protection. Emily stumbled a couple of times and Steve caught her before she would fall on her face, after a while that Steve put one arm around her to help keep her steady. While Emily put an arm around him to help support herself better before Emily put her head down his shoulder. Emily could still sense the baby inside of her and the baby seem healthy enough from what she could tell. But she hopes that Tartarus won't affect the child in any way, she put her hand over her stomach as they went on walking further downstream. After a few more miles that the Empousai disappeared over a ridge, the river Phlegethon spilled over the side in jagged tiers of fiery waterfalls. The Empousai were picking their way down the cliff, jumping from ledge to ledge like mountain goats.
Emily felt her heart crept into her throat, even if the four of them reached the bottom of the cliff alive that it seems that their journey would only become worse from here on out. But that was not saying much since they seem to be close of being killed on the way here a few times already. So there wasn't much to look forward to, Emily was sure that it would get worse as they moved forward towards the doors of death. The landscape below them was a bleak ash grey plain bristling with black trees, that reminded her of insect hair. The ground was pocked with blisters, every once in a while that a bubble would swell and burst before disgorging a monster like larva from an egg. Emily wanted to throw up as she looked down below them, with the baby inside her that feeling increase. All the newly formed monsters were crawling and hobbling in the same direction, towards a bank of black fog that swallowed the horizon like a storm front. The Phlegethon flowed in the same direction until halfway across the plain of where it met another river of black water. Emily couldn't remember the name of that river but as the two rivers combined that it made a steaming boiling cataract and flowed on as one towards the black fog. The longer Emily looked at the storm of darkness that the less she wasted to go there but they have to go for she was sure that the doors of death were in that direction. The doors were the only way for them to go home and above, Percy peered over the edge of cliff.
"Wish we could fly." Annabeth rubbed her arms.
"Remember Luke's winged shoes? I wonder if they're still down here somewhere." Steve looked at Emily, Emily merely shrugged, she wasn't sure what Percy and Annabeth were talking about. But she has a feeling that she knows of when they had the shoes, during the time of where the master bolt and the helm was stolen. Emily looked at Percy before she spoke.
"Did you have that when you went on that quest to get the master boot back?" Percy nodded when Emily said that, it was Steve that spoke.
"Master Bolt?"
"Zeus's main weapon, that is what the other lightning bolts are design after." Steve raised an eyebrow when Emily said that. "Don't ask me, I can't say of why anything is what it is in the godly world. Even if I lived in it for eighty years." Steve shook his head before Percy spoke.
"I'd settle for a hang glider."
"Maybe not a good idea." Annabeth pointed above them, Emily looked up to see dark winged shapes spiraled in and out of the blood red clouds.
"Furies?" Emily shook her head and spoke.
"No, those are not Furies, those are some other kind of demon, there are thousands down here, I am sure of that. For there are three furies, if they were down here that they would have already left or they would have come and found me by now. They can sense when I am near as well as Arabella."
"Including the kind that eats hang gliders. Okay, so we climb." Annabeth didn't pay any heed to he comment about the furies finding Emily down here, that was one thing that Emily didn't have to worry about if the furies were down here with her that they would still answer her and list e to her. Emily looked down below and she couldn't see the Empousai below any more, they disappeared behind one of the ridges of which didn't make Emily feel any better. For there was a chance that they might be hiding for them to go down there below to eat them but that was if hey could smell them. But it was clear of where they needed to go to get to he doors, like all the monsters crawling the plains of Tartarus that they should head towards the dark horizon. Emily used her poppy to help all four of them to climb down so that they have something to hang onto if they should lose their footing. But it was still challenging to keep their footing and avoiding rockslides to alert monsters to their presence, as well as making sure that they didn't plummet to their deaths. Halfway down the steep cliff that Annabeth spoke up.
"Stop, okay? Just a quick break." Emily noticed of how wobbling her own legs were, it wasn't very good, she heard Percy curse himself. After a minute that the four of them managed to sit on a ledge together, next to a roaring fiery waterfall. Percy put his arms around Annabeth and Annabeth leaned against him, she was shaking from exhaustion, Emily didn't feel much better. Emily leaned against Steve of who put an arm around her shoulders, Emily got so use to Bucky and his metal arm that it seem strange to have a flesh arm over her shoulders as oppose to a metal one. Emily managed to to conjured up some food and water for them to drink and eat, but they didn't or drink too much though.
"Things could be worse."
"Yeah?" Percy tried to sound upbeat, Emily was at least glad that Pecy was trying to be upbeat. Annabeth snuggled up against Percy.
"We could've fallen into the River Lethe. Lost all our memories." Emily smiled lightly, she remembered hearing about that from Hades and how pissed off he was with her half sister making the sword with his approval first. Emily couldn't believe that her half sister did such a thing to disobey Hades and than to trick Percy, Nico and Thalia. Emily would admit that she argued with Hades before, but she had a good reason due to how stupid some of the things that Hades did. However, Apparently Percy and Iapetus fell into the river but due to Percy being a son of Poseidon that the Lethe didn't effort him since he remained dry. Iapetus, on the other hand, lost his memories, she remembered when the three of them left Iapetus at Hades' palace. Hades didn't treat Iapetus too well at first but Emily managed to get Hades to treat him better as well as Persephone. She pointed out to Hades and Persephone that he wasn't dangerous any more, and that his memories were gone. She also pointed out that he was friendly, happy and totally clueless of who and what he was, that he could change for the better. That this could be a new start for him, so Hades treated Iapetus better after that, Nico and Emily told Iapetus some of the things that happen above. It was more on Emily's part, Nico told him about Percy and the things that Percy done as well as what a good friend Percy was. There was this one time that Iapetus, of who was renamed Bob by Percy, asked Emily about Percy.
Emily did tell him that Percy was a good person and told Bob more about Percy, Bob did ask of why Percy hasn't visited him, Emily told him that Percy has been really busy with fighting in a war. That he was also in training to become a hero and that Percy didn't have much time to visit his friends that were not fighting along side him or training with him. However, Emily wasn't sure if Pe cry gave him much thought after that, even if Percy did that Emily was unsure if he would be welcomed in the palace or not. Bob was sadden by the fact Percy hasn't visit him so far, but he understood that Percy was needed for the war effort. Bob accepted that fact that Percy may not visit him any time soon, it was perfectly true of what Emily told Bob, for Percy was in a war with Kronos and he was on a lot of missions before having a small break before he was taken to be trained for Camp Jupiter. That lead to where they sitting on a ledge next to a fiery waterfall in Tartarus, of where in Tartarus they are that she doesn't know, not for sure. Emily wished that they have a guide or someone, or at least something better than demons that eat flesh, down here in Tartarus to guide them.
"Yeah, the Lethe, Not my favorite."
"What was the Titan's name?"
"Uh … Iapetus. He said it meant the Impaler or something."
"No, the name you gave him after he lost his memory. Steve?" For the second time that a laugh sounded in Tartarus but this time it came from Emily instead of Annabeth.
"Steve? That would be amusing to say that least." Steve smiled slightly when Emily said that, no one question her of why Emily said that but Percy answered Annabeth's question.
"Bob." Annabeth managed a weak laugh, the third laugh that was heard in Tartarus that was known at any rate.
"Bob the Titan." Emily gazed across the ashen plains, she knows that the other titans were down here somewhere but she didn't want to know where they were or even if they been reformed yet or not. Thy might be bound in chains, roaming aimlessly around Tartarus or even hiding somewhere waiting for the four of them to show themselves. Percy kissed Annabeth's forehead before he spoke.
"We should keep moving. You want some more fire to drink?"
"Ugh. I'll pass." The four of them struggled to their feet, the rest of the cliff looked impossible to cliff, Emily was sure it would been worse without her poppy. Emily's fingers were cramped, and she could feel blisters popping up on her ankles. Emily felt hopeless as they climbed down the cliff, she kept fighting back that hopeless, she kept reminding of what Hestia told her for the last seventy years. Of which during which Emily been looking for Steve, Bucky and Lauren and try to learn what happened to them after she last saw them and learned that they were not dead or haven't died quite yet. 'There is always hope even when it seems like there is none. Just keep in mind of the thing that you want to happen and keep that hope.' At the moment Emily wants to get out of there and be back in Bucky's arms again as well as to see her half siblings again. Emily was the first one down of of the cliff followed by Steve, than Percy, and Percy helped Annabeth down. Emily and Steve leaned against the cliff that they came down from while Percy and Annabeth collapsed on the ground. Emily looked ahead to see what stretched ahead of them now to where they would be going. Ahead of them stretched miles of wasteland, bubbling with monstrous larvae and bits of insect hair trees. To the right of them was the Phlegethon splitting into branches that etched the plain, widening into a delta of smoke and fire.
To the north, along the main route of the Phlegethon, were cave entrances, the ground was riddled with them. There was also spires of rock jutted up like exclamation points. As Emily looked around that she has the feeling that they were being watched, it wasn't really watching it was more implied than anything else. It was more of the fact that something was aware of them being there and that they were not suppose to be there. Emily looked at the ridges above her, she suddenly realized something and it scared and worried her worse than seeing Hades almost lose it and go into his true form or even when when she saw what Zeus did to Maria Di Angleo. As well as what see so far in Tartarus with her eyes seeing what they wanted to see of this place, while Emily was unsure of what she wanted to see of this place. The ridges above them looked more massive teeth instead of ridges, the spires of rocks looked more like broken ribs and as she moved the dirt around that she was looking at what looked like could be considered as skin. Emily managed to shallow, for the first time she realized that Tartarus was the pit and the pit was him, that they were in his mouth. Emily blinked and her vision seem to change slightly, instead of seeing ridges or the spires for what could be passed as parts of a body. That instead of seeing a landscape that she saw properly of what Tartarus was, that the spires of rocks were ribs and that the ridges were indeed teeth. Emily didn't say anything, she hugged Steve and buried her face into his chest before closing her eyes hoping the vision would go away.
"Emily, are you all right?" Emily didn't respond and she was shaking form what she just seen, she was unsure if she could or not. But she movement, she opened her eyes and lifted her head form Steve's head. Thankfully the vision of the body vanished, of which Emily was glad of. It was than that Emily noticed that Annabeth stood up before she wiped the soot from her face, she gazed towards the darkness on the horizon.
"We're going to be completely exposed, crossing this plain." Before they could say anything or move that a hundred yards ahead of them that a blister burst on the ground, a monster clawed it's way out. It was a glistening telkhine with slick fur, seal like body, stunted human limbs was clawing it's way out of the blister. The telkhine managed to crawl a few yards before something shot out of the nearest cave, it happened so fast that Emily could only register a dark green reptilian head before it went back into the darkness. The monster snatched the squealing telkhine in it's jaws and dragged it into the darkness, Emily put her arms around Steve's neck and held on tight. She put her face back into his chest, she has been through so much already, she got some new half siblings and life was going well after the Titan war for a while. She hoped that there would be a few years before another war happen or she was thrusted into something again like word war II or even the Titan war. So that she would have some time to raise her child in peace with Bucky at the avenger tower, thanks to Arabella she has some practicing with raising children. But this was too much, this was way more this anything she has been through or anything that she could think of, it scared her as well as freaking her out that there was since a terrible place since as this. At the moment she wondered if she should have rejected that offer that Hades made her all those years ago but she knew if she didn't that she may never saw Bucky, Steve or Lauren again.
"Oh, yeah. This'll be fun." As Percy said that, that Steve told Emily that it was all right, Emily pulled away but she refused to let go of Steve's hand as they started to walk along the river. They did their best to avoid cave entrances and stick close to the bank of the Phlegethon, they were moving carefully around one of the spires of rocks when a movement caught her eye. Something was darting between the rocks to their right, Emily has a feeling it was a monster that she just saw but she wasn't sure on that. There were other things besides monsters down here that they have to worry about like the things that could be in the caves, but she hoped that whatever that was, was friendly. Suddenly Percy froze in his tracks and Emily almost bumped into him. Percy grabbed Annabeth's arm before he spoke.
"The empousai. Where are they?" Emily scanned around, they could have been eaten like that one telkhine was eating by that one monster that she has no idea of what it was. Emily knows that the Empousai were not ahead of them for they would be visible somewhere on the plains ahead of them. Unless if they were hiding and we're waiting for them, Emily grasp her poppy and it changed into her sword, Steve also drew his sword as well as Percy. However, Annabeth was holding tight to Emily's dagger in her hand as the Empousai emerged from the rocks all around them. The five of them formed a ring around them, it was the perfect trap. The one Empousai that was wearing a ripped cheerleader uniform limped forward on her mismatched legs. Her fiery hair burned across her shoulder like a miniature Phlegethon water fall and her cheerleader outfit was splattered with rusty brown stains. The Empousa fixed Percy with her glowing red eyes and bared her fangs at Percy.
"Percy Jackson. How awesome! I don't even have to return to the mortal world to destroy you!" Even though that there was four to five that if they were in the mortal world that the four of them could take on the five Empousai that stood before them but it would be tough though with how fast they can go as well as among other things. The Empousai could easily dodge their strikes, Emily was sure that they would be harder to kill down here than in the mortal world. The cheerleader hissed with laughter when she looked at Annabeth. "And your friend Annabeth is with you! Oh, yeah, I totally remember her." The cheerleader touched her own sternum, Emily remembers the battle of where she was killed by Annabeth stabbed her in the back. Than she looked at Emily and Steve before hissing with laughter as she looked at Emily and Steve, Emily tighter her held on the sword.
"They also brought two others with them. Emily Barnes and Steve Rogers, if I am correct." Emily tried to think, even with the four of them together that they may not stand a chance, for all four of them were not in good shape for battle. Not after of what they been though already, even with the serum in Steve as the Phlegethon that they been drinking from. Emily thought of calling for Fluffy and Mrs. O'Leary but decided against it, for who knows what could happen if she tried to call for those two. She didn't want to see the two of them become fierce wild hellhounds, she couldn't do that to her dog or even Arabella's dog. There was no help coming for them, so they four of them would have to think of something or do something. However fighting was a long shot for them, at the moment. This Percy spoke.
"So … I guess you're wondering what we're doing in Tartarus." The cheerleader snickered.
"Not really. I just want to kill you." Emily wasn't sure of how to respond to that statement but Annabeth chimed in.
"Too bad, Because you have no idea what's going on in the mortal world." Emily got it, she knew what Annabeth and Percy were doing now, it seems that Steve got on quickly as well.
"Yes, that is true, you don't know what has been happening. We know what have been happening." It was Steve who spoke next.
"There has been a lot of fighting that you have missed out since you been down here." The other Empousai circled around them and were watching the cheerleader for a cue to attack, the cheerleader only snarled crouching just out of reach of Percy's sword.
"We know enough, Gaea has spoken."
"You're heading towards a major defeat." Annabeth sounded so confident, Emily was surprised by how confident Annabeth sounded. Annabeth glanced at the other Empousai, one by one, before she pointed accusingly at the cheerleader. "This one claims she's leading you to a victory. She's lying. The last time she was in the mortal world, Kelli was in charge of keeping my friend Luke Castellan faithful to Kronos. In the end, Luke rejected him. He gave his life to expel Kronos. The Titans lost because Kelli failed. Now Kelli wants to lead you to another disaster." The other Empousai muttered and shifted uneasily when Annabeth said that. Than Emily spoke up.
"Listen to Annabeth, for if we can't stop Gaea that our friends above will stop her."
"Enough!" The cheerleader's fingernails grew into long black talons, she glared at Annabeth as if she was thinking of slicing Annabeth into small pieces. "The girl lies. So the Titans lost. Fine! That was part of the plan to wake Gaea! Now the Earth Mother and her giants will destroy the mortal world, and we will totally feast on demigods!" The other Empousai gashed their teeth in a frenzy of excitement. Steve looked over at Emily with a worried look, Emily gave him a look back that told him that they would find a way out of this. Than Annabeth yelled.
"The demigods have united! You'd better think twice before you attack us. Romans and Greeks will fight you together. You don't stand a chance!" The Empousai backed up nervously, hissing.
"Romani." It was clear that they have bad experience with the twelfth legion before or any of the roman army since the fall of Rome, depending of how long they have been down here. That whatever happened that it didn't work out for the Empousai.
"Yeah, you bet Romani." Percy bared his forearm and showed them the brand he'd got at Camp Jupiter – the SPQR mark, with the trident of Neptune. "You mix Greek and Roman, and you know what you get? You get BAM!" Percy stomped his foot and the Empousai scrambled back, one fell off the boulder where she was perched. But the Empousai recovered quickly before the Empousai closing in around them again. Emily pulled back her two bracelets to allow her own tattoo to be shown and allow the Empousai to see it.
"He is not the only one down here." She lit her hand on fire just after they saw the tattoo with the glyph and fire, the effect was similar to when Percy showed his tattoo. But when the Empousai recovered that the demon girls closed in around them just as fast as before. The cheerleader spoke once more.
"Bold talk, for four demigods lost in Tartarus. Lower your sword, Percy Jackson, and I'll kill you quickly. Believe me, there are worse ways to die down here."
"Wait! Aren't empousai the servants of Hecate?" The cheerleader curled her lip.
"So?"
"So Hecate is on our side now. She has a cabin at Camp Half-Blood. Some of her demigod children are my friends. If you fight us, she'll be angry." One of the Empousai growled and spoke to the cheerleader.
"Is this true, Kelli? Has our mistress made peace with Olympus?"
"Shut up, Serephone! Gods, you're annoying!"
"I will not cross the Dark Lady." Annabeth took that opening.
"You'd all be better following Serephone. She's older and wiser."
"Yes! Follow me!" Kelli, the cheerleader, struck so fast that none of them didn't have the chance to reacted, thankfully she didn't attack them. Instead Kelli lashed out at Serephone, for a half a second, the two demons were a blur of slashing claws and fangs. Emily hopes that Serephone would win, but it was over and Kelli stood triumphant over a pile of dust, from her claws hunt the tattered remains of the dress that Serephone was wearing. Kellie snapped at her sisters.
"Any more issues? Hecate is the goddess of the Mist! Her ways are mysterious. Who knows which side she truly favours? She is also the goddess of the crossroads, and she expects us to make our own choices. I choose the path that will bring us the most demigod blood! I choose Gaea!" Her friends hissed in approval. Annabeth glanced at Emily, Percy and Steve to show that she was out of ideas and that she did what she could. That she got Kelli to eliminate one of her own, now there was nothing left but to fight them, of which was something Emily wasn't looking forward to. But what choice did they have, Emily noticed that Steve took his shield from his back ready for a fight.
"For two years I churned in the void. Do you know how completely annoying it is to be vaporized, Annabeth Chase? Slowly re-forming, fully conscious, in searing pain for months and years as your body regrows, then finally breaking the crust of this hellish place and clawing your way back to daylight? All because some little girl stabbed you in the back?" Kelli's baleful eyes held Annabeth's. "I wonder what happens if a demigod is killed in Tartarus. I doubt it's ever happened before. Let's find out." A few things happened next, first Percy sprang and slashed Riotide in a huge arch. He cut one of the demons but Kelli dodged and charged at Annabeth, however four other Empousai emerged and charged at Steve and Emily. One grabbed Emily's sword hand as she tried to fight, but it was difficult, the other four Empousai did the same thing with Percy and Steve. But the Empousai were having a harder time of holding Steve due to the serum that was in him he managed to cave in their heads before they managed to hold him better. Annabeth was doing her best of attacking Kelli with only Emily's dagger of which was better than using the rocks or the sand as weapons.
Annabeth was doing well with Emily's dagger, though it was clear that Annabeth wasn't quite as used to the dagger that Emily gave to her as she was used to her own dagger. When Emily looked at Annabeth that she saw that Annabeth picked up a rock and smacked into her nose when Kelli wasn't paying much attention. Along with stabbing Kelli in the neck with the dagger, Kelli wailed as Annabeth scooped up some gravel and flung into the Empousai's eyes. Emily managed to knock one of the Empousai down as Annabeth screamed and fell, Emily panicked. She saw Percy was stumbling towards Annabeth's direction, but with one of the vampire on his back and her teeth into his neck. Emily knows that must be painful, for she heard from Hecate of how much pain would course through the body when an Empousai sank their teeth into a demigod. The Empousai that was behind Emily kicked her so that she fell to the ground, the Empousai was standing over Emily ready to bite her. Before the empousai could do such a thing that a shadow fell across them, a deep war cry bellowed from somewhere above echoing across the plains of Tartarus and a Titan dropped onto the battlefield.
At first Emily thought she was making things up now due to how Tartarus was affecting her. But as the silvery figured dropped out if the sky and stomp Kelli flat that she knew that it was not Tartarus that was affecting her and that he really was there. The Titan was ten feet tall with wild silver Einstein hair, pure silver eyes and muscular arms protruding from a ripped up blue janitor's uniform and in his hands was a massive push broom with a name tag that read Bob. It was Bob, Emily was so happy to see him that she almost cried out in joy when she saw him. When he stomped on Kelli and turned her into a pile of monster dust that Annabeth yelped and tried to crawl away from Bob. But he wasn't interested in her, instead he turned to the remaining six Empousai. One of the Empousai was foolish enough to attack Bob and it was the one that was holding Emily. She lunged with the speed of a tiger but she never stood a chance, a spearhead jutted from the end of Bon's broom. With a single deadly swipe that he cut her to dust, the other vampires tried to run but Bob used his broom like a boomerang. The broom slice through the other vampires and returned to Bob's hand, the titan grinned with delight and did a victory dance of which made Emily smile.
"SWEEP! Sweep, sweep, sweep!" Hope was returning to Emily as she watched Bob dance around, Emily never thought she would love to see the day when a titan falls into Tartarus willing, attack Empousai and dance after destroying them. Emily looked at Percy and Steve, of who were just standing there, it seems that Percy and Steve couldn't speak at the moment. Emily was sure that they couldn't bring themselves to believe what just happened happen, that they have some good luck down here for a change. Annabeth looked just as shock as Percy and Steve did, Emily was the only one that wasn't surprised or shock.
"H-how …?"
"Percy and Rachel called me! Yes, they did." Annabeth crawled a little further away from Bob, her arm was bleeding badly, Emily managed to get up from where she was and staggered towards Bob.
"Called you? He – wait. You're Bob? The Bob?" Bob frowned when he noticed Annabeth's wounds.
"Owie." Annaberh flinched as Bob knelt next to her, Emily spoke up.
"It's all, Annabeth he is friendly." Emily knows that Bob would have better healing abilities down here than Emily would. She saw Bob do his healing ability before when she would come down from a mission with Phil and her wounds hadn't fully healed that he would heal them. Even though her wounds, cuts and scar would heal faster than most other demigods. Sure enough when Bob tapped Annabeth's forearm that her forearm mended instantly, Bon chuckled before he bounded over to Percy and Steve healing their wounds. When he healed Annabeth that Emily went over to Steve, after Bob healed Percy and Steve that he healed Emily's wounds of which was mostly a broken ankle and a wound on her shoulder.
"All better! I am Bob, Rachel's and Percy's friend!"
"Uh … yeah. Thanks for the help, Bob. It's really good to see you again."
"Yes! Bob. That's me. Bob, Bob, Bob." Bob shuffled around, obviously he was pleased with his name. "I am helping. I heard my name. Upstairs in Hades, no one rarely calls for Bob unless there's a mess or I need to protect Rachel and Arabella or if they want to chat with Bob." Annabeth gave Percy and the other two a puzzled looked and Emily spoke up.
"Bob is a janitor in the palace, it took a little while before he become a sort of member of the family in a odd way." Ever since Emily revealed to the world that she was alive that she switched between her two appearances in the underworld so Bob seen both appearances and knew that she was Rachel, no matter what she looks like at the time.
"Yes. Bob part of Rachel's family. Then I heard my friend call!" Bob beamed. "Percy said, Bob!" Bob grabbed Percy's arm and hoisted him to his feet.
"That's awesome, Seriously. But how did you –" Bon's expression turned serious.
"Oh, time to talk later. We must go before they find you. They are coming. Yes, indeed."
"They?" Emily was sure that there other monsters out there that were coming for them, not that matter of which of the four of them that they would be after.
"Yes. But Bob knows a way. Come on, friends! We will have fun!"
Bucky's pov.
Bucky was standing on the deck of the Argo II, the Argo II was docking at a busy wharf at Venice. Bucky looked at Venice, his thoughts kept going back to Emily and how she was doing, his thoughts also went to Arabella and Nico and how they were acting. Bucky would be like how Arabella was or mostly, but he knew that he needed to at least try to step up to the hole that was left by Emily and Steve, Phil felt the same way apparently for Phil been doing his best to help him. After Bucky pointing out about how much time that Phil spent with Arabella that Phil spent more time with Hazel and Jennifer as well as Arabella. Phil tried with Nico but with how he was that it was difficult for them to get close to them, but Nico seem to become more comfortable with Phil and Bucky. Phil and Bucky considered that a good thing, even if he wasn't talking to them yet, even if Nico could talk more with Bucky than he could with Phil. Jason and Frank were trying to fill in Annabeth's and Percy's places, Bucky was sure that they were having a difficult time with that as well. The four of them were filling big shoes that Emily, Steve, Percy and Annabeth left behind, Percy was the one that tied the eight together while Annabeth was the main leader of the eight. While Emily was the hope that was need when things looked tough while Steve, Emily, Annabeth and Percy were the ones that were looked to when they needed to a plan or to know what to do. As Frank walked up from the stairs and stood besides Hazel that that Hazel spoke.
"What are they?" Bucky was looking at the weird shaggy monsters, that didn't belong there, milling through the crowds. The shaggy monsters were out of place next to a city like Venice. With it's red tiled roofs, metal church domes, stepped towers and sun bleached buildings that were in different colors of valentine candy hearts - red, white, ochre, pink and orange. There were statues of lions that were on top of pedestals, over doorways, even on the porticoes of the largest buildings. Where the streets should have been were green canals etched their way through the neighborhoods. Each one jammed with motorboats, along the docks that the sidewalks were mobbed with tourists. It was weird to see canals instead of streets like in Tome or most other places that he has been to before. Bucky looked at one of the monsters, each monster was about the size of a cow with a bowed back like a broken down horse.
The creatures or monsters have matted grey fur, skinny legs and black cloven hooves, the creatures' heads seem much too heavy for their necks. Their long nose like snouts drooped to the ground, their overgrown manes completely covered their eyes. One of the creatures lumbered across the street, snuffling mad licking the pavement with it's long tongue. The tourists parted around the creature unconcerned, some of the tourist even petted the creature, that worried Bucky. Bucky wondered of how the mortals could be so calm with those monsters around, than one of the monster's appearance seem to flickered. For a moment the monster or creature turned into an old fat beagle, Bucky almost laughed when he saw that old beagle but the creature changed back into being the creature that Bucky saw when got on the deck. Jason grunted.
"The mortals think they're stray dogs."
"Or pets roaming around. My dad shot a film in Venice once. I remember him telling me there were dogs everywhere. Venetians love dogs." Bucky didn't say anything, instead he just looked at the creatures that were moving about on the streets of Venice.
"But what are they? They look like … starving, shaggy cows with sheepdog hair." No one volunteered any information.
"Maybe they're harmless. They're ignoring the mortals."
"Harmless!" Gleeson laughed. Bucky looked over at Gleeson, Gleeson was wearing his usual gym shorts, sports shirt and coach's whistle. His expression was gruff as ever but he still has one pink rubber band stuck in his hair from the dwarves in Bologna. The one pink rubber band looked funny but he didn't dare tell Gleeson about the pink rubber band because of the reaction that he would get from him. Bucky was still having a hard time of how Emily and Lauren got along with Gleeson in the first place. For it was hard to think of how they befriend a war path satyr while the rest of the satyr were more about nature. "Valdez, how many harmless monsters have we met? We should just aim the ballistae and see what happens!'
"Uh, no." Bucky has to agree with Leo on that fact, for there too many monsters for them to use the ballistae, besides there were tourists here and he didn't want the tourist to get harm when they shoot at the creatures.
"We'll have to walk through them and hope they're peaceful. It's the only way we're going to track down the owner of that book." Leo pulled the leather bound manual from underneath his arm, there was a sticky note on the cover with the address that the dwarfs gave Leo in Bologna.
"La Casa Nera, Calle Frezzeria." Than Bucky heard Nico.
"The Black House, Calle Frezzeria is the street." Frank looked like if he might flinched when he realized Nico was at his shoulder, Nico was so quiet and brooding that he seem to dematerialize when he wasn't speaking. At times Emily was so quiet that she sneaks up on him in the last few months to almost two years in December when he found her in the HYDRA base trying to get rid of the HYDRA people there. Bucky wondered if it was a child of Hades thing, he never remember Emily being that quiet before he fell from the train.
"You speak Italian?" Nico shot Frank a warning look like watch the questions but Nico spoke calmly.
"Frank is right. We have to find that address. The only way to do it is to walk the city. Venice is a maze. We'll have to risk the crowds and those … whatever they are." Thunder rumbled in the clear summer day, they passed through some storms the night before, Bucky remembered being up helping Jason with the venti in that storm last night. Lauren was also there to help, it was a good thing that they have three child of the wind on board, two were half siblings while Bucky was a child of a minor wind god. Bucky hoped that the storm passed over but there was a chance that storm may not been over with, besides he learned in the war that the weather in Europe was quite different from the states. Bucky frowned at the horizon as Jason spoke.
"Maybe I should stay on board. Lots of venti in that storm last night. If they decide to attack the ship again …" Jason didn't need to finish, out of everyone the best ones that have much luck fighting them was Jason, Lauren and Bucky. Bucky spoke up.
"Lauren and myself may as well as stay here as well." Jason nodded his thanks when Bucky said that, Gleeson spoke up.
"Well, I'm out, too. If you softhearted cupcakes are going to stroll through Venice without even whacking those furry animals on the head, forget it. I don't like boring expeditions."
"It's okay, Coach. We still have to repair the foremast. Then I need your help in the engine room. I've got an idea for a new installation." Bucky has a feeling that Leo was going to try new things out with that sphere of his, Bucky didn't really care about that sphere. All he cared about was getting Steve and Emily back as soon as they can and get them out of Tartarus. Piper shifted her feet.
"Well … Whoever goes should be good with animals. I, uh … I'll admit I'm not great with cows."
"I'll go." Leo patted Frank on the shoulder and handed him the leather bound book.
"Awesome. If you pass a hardware store, could you get me some two-by-fours and a gallon of tar?"
"Leo, it's not a shopping trip."
"I'll go with Frank." Bucky has a feeling that Frank wasn't comfortable around Nico, Bucky couldn't blame Frank since Bucky still feels slightly unease when he was around Nico. But Bucky has been working on that or trying to at least, Bucky has slowly being getting to Nico in the last few days.
"Uh … you're good with animals?" Nico smiled without humor.
"Actually, most animals hate me. They can sense death. But there's something about this city …" Nico's expression turned grim. "Lots of death. Restless spirits. If I go, I may be able to keep them at bay. Besides, as you noticed, I speak Italian." Leo scratched his head.
"Lots of death, huh? Personally, I'm trying to avoid lots of death, but you guys have fun!" Bucky was glad he wasn't going to leave the ship, he already enough to worry about with Emily and Steve being in Tartarus. The least thing that Bucky needs to worry about the monsters, ghosts or anything else that might be waiting for them in Venice.
"I'll go, too." Hazel slipped her arm through Frank's. "Three is the best number for a demigod quest, right?" Frank seem relieved, Nico was staring at the canals before he spoke.
"All right, then. Let's go find the owner of that book." It was than that Arabella spoke up.
"I may as well go as well, the spirits seem extra restless. It might be a good idea if I come along to help Nico." Frank looked at the other, Bucky shrugged, Bucky was sure that Frank wasn't thrilled of going with three children of Hades or Pluto. Even if one of them was his own girlfriend, though they hadn't been together for very long at the moment. While Frank, Hazel, Arabella and Nico were away that Bucky, Jason and Lauren fought off some storm spirits, beyond that there wasn't much to do, after a while the four of them came back without the book. When they got onto the Argo II that Bucky noticed that Frank changed, he was taller and didn't have the baby face and looked more like a warrior than a sumo wrestler. They took off from Venice as Frank started to explain to them of what happened in Venice and showed the the barley that they took for the one farming god. Once Frank finished that Bucky looked over Phil.
"Could you make barely out of thin air?"
"I am not totally sure. I might be able to, I know Emily could at least. But I might be able to grow more from the barley if I have to." Bucky shook his head when Phil said that, if Emily was here than they didn't need to make that stop. After the meeting that Phil went back up deck to spend time with his girlfriend, Aubrey of who is a roman, it was odd to know that two sets of couples on board that were Roman and Greek as oppose to greek and greek or roman and roman. Bucky sat down on his bed, he looked up at the ceiling wishing that he was with Emily at the moment.