Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I own nothing.

The following morning the Hermes cabin still lay covered in darkness. Few rays of sunlight managed to penetrate the non-existent visibility that had been brought on by the snowstorm.

Rorik slowly awoke, Erin still with her face buried in his chest. His faced turned a bright red at the sight of her sleeping form. She looked so cute, her hair framing her face as she slept. It was still bitterly cold outside. And seeing as how they lodges had no heating, the heavy blanket that they shared being the only thing that fended off the biting cold.

There were footsteps above him. 'Right, we're not the only people living here.' A clock on the table said that it was just past nine. 'Time to get up'. Gently he shook Erin awake. She groaned but didn't raise her head. Seeing her reluctance to wake up, Rorik employed a devious trick. He pulled on the blanket, leaving the blond haired girl at the mercy of the frigid temperatures.

"Di Immortales, Rorik !" She quickly grabbed ahold of blanket and pulled it towards her. To Erin's dismay, and Rorik's amusement, the force of the pull was enough to propel the 16 year old girl off of the couch and on to the freezing floor.

Both became incapacitated with laughter. Rorik leaned over the edge of the couch and saw her lying on the ground, hair all in her face, laughing her head off. And she looked beautiful. To Rorik, even on her worst day Erin could have put Aphrodite to shame. And something about how relaxed and beautiful she was without even trying only greatened Rorik's attraction to her.'This is the time to tell her. This is what Percy was talking about.'. He reached down and held her hand in his. She stopped laughing and look at him confused and slightly red faced.

"There's something that I need to tell you." Rorik said.

"Yeah ?"

"You saved me on that day on the hill. I had given up but you just wouldn't let me. You were the last thing I thought of before I passed out, and the first thing I thought of when I woke up. And it has been the same way everyday since. So, what I'm trying to say is-"

"Holy shit, it's cold out there !" Alejandro slammed shut the door on his way inside Hermes lodge, not noticing for a second the scene that he had interrupted. "C'mon guys. Percy told me to come get you. He said that breakfast won't be open much longer."

Rorik and Erin both looked at Ale for moment, then to their hands, then to each other before Erin lept and sprinted away to the Apollo cabin as a blush formed on both their faces.

20 minutes later

The three of them sat around a table, taking in the warmth of the adjacent furnace. Breakfast was simple, a few scrambled eggs, some toast, and some coffee or hot chocolate. The Mess Hall was fairly well packed with most of the 15 wooden tables sporting around 5 people.

Percy took a seat across from Rorik and grinned. Despite being in his 30s, the man still had a carefree attitude about him. "Mornin' guys. Sleep well ?" Percy asked, sipping on his coffee.

Erin and Rorik both blushed and nodded their heads.

"Hell yeah. Compared to our recent places to sleep, this place felt like Olympus itself." Said Alejandro, again ignorant of his friends embarrassment. And that's how the rest of the meal went. Ale keeping a steady conversation up with Percy, mostly about the forges that were on sight, while Rorik and Erin stayed silent.

As the meal was ending Percy addressed all three of them. "Things are insanely busy around here and this storm isn't making anything easier. We'll probably end up having to rethink your prophecy later on in the afternoon. Until then you guys pretty much have free reign of whatever you want to do. I'll see you later."

"Sounds good" Said Rorik.

After Percy had left Rorik stood up and told his friends that he would be outside. They nodded and let him go, knowing that he would be fine despite the temperatures.

Rorik needed to think as well as someone to vent to. Only one person, or dragon rather, fit his criteria. He walked around to the back of the lodges where Nokholvir had spent his time since they arrived at the camp.

"Hey Zeymah." Said Rorik, leaning up against Nokholvir who was laying on the ground.

"Ahnok, Zeymah. Hello, Brother." Replied the Dragon. "You seemed distressed, Zeymah. Do you require assistance with anything ?"

"No, not really. Thank you though. I'm just stressed."

"May I ask what the cause of your stress is ?"

"It's Erin. Percy told me to tell her how I feel. I'm trying, but It's hard." Rorik sighed, realize that a dragon with a entirely different culture probably couldn't grasp how humans courted. "I'm sorry, Zeymah. Human emotions probably don't make much sense to you, do they ?"

"They make much sense to me actually. Far more sense than they would to any other dragon."

"Really ?" Asked Rorik.

"Yes. I have another brother, a fire dov like myself, who raised a human boy. I met the child many a time. He was always running about and imitating his 'father'. So in a way I am his uncle."

"That's incredible" Rorik was shocked.

"Yes, it truly was. But alas, I have not seen either of them in quite some time."

"I'm sorry for you."

"Thank you. I appreciate you words." They sat in silence for some time before Rorik pulled out from his pocket the little book that Chiron had given him. Recently he had noticed something on the inside cover of the book written in Dragon Tongue. At first glance it looked like a poem, but Rorik felt sure that it was a song. The song sang about the power of the Dragonborn and how he would defeat a great evil. But two verses always stuck out to him.

The verses read, 'Hearken now, sons or snow, to an age, long ago. And the tale, boldly told, of the one ! Who was kin to both wyrm, and the races of man, with a power to rival the sun. And the voice he did wield, on that glorious field. When great Tamriel shuddered with war, mighty Thu'um, like a blade, cut through enemies all. As the Dragonborn issued his roar.'

Rorik sat there, pondering the meaning of the verses. Time passed and soon more than a few inches of snow had amassed on various places on his body. But still, the Nord felt nothing of the cold.

All of a sudden Rorik's tranquility was shattered when he heard a scream come from back in the camp.

Rorik lept up and yelled back to his dragon friend. "Nokholvir, wait here. I'm gonna go see what happened." The whiteout conditions whipped his face as he sprinted around the side of the lodges and back to where the scream had come from, outside the Mess Hall.

Paris was holding who Rorik assumed to be the oldest of the three sisters, Erica. The one that Percy had mentioned was on a scouting mission the night before. Erica was collapsed in Paris' arms and had blood and cuts all over her.

"Everyone, run." She coughed.

And at that moment, all Hades was let loose.

Hey guys. Holy Hades' hand grenade I've been busy. I have something going on every single day except today, every single day since my last update. I'm sorry for the late update, but It couldn't helped. But yeah, I like this chapter. Still just barely over 1,000 words, but I like it. Sorry if the fluffy parts are shit. I'm a guy and I'm still not great at writing so it is really difficult. Did any of you catch the reference to Igneel and Natsu from the anime Fairy Tail ?. Well I hope you did. There's also a character who's a reference to Erza from Fairy Tail. And big news. I think I've got a rough estimate on the number of remaining chapters. There will probably be 4-6 more chapters. I'm rushing to get it done by June 14th which is when I leave for summer camp for a month. Bye guys. Please review, follow, and favorite.

-Arkos T.F.I.W. out