And so the plot has been spurred into motion, with a cross country road trip, some ambrosia, and a bag of marshmallows. Let's get out your travel music: Carry on My Wayward Son!

CHAPTER 5: WE PARTICIPATE IN A ROYAL RUMBLE (Riley's thoughts)

Nevada seemed like a bit of a stretch. Especially since we had to set off at three in the morning. I'm not sure why we had to be so early, and I was tempted to strangle Zach when he announced our starting time, but I was pretty excited about the quest anyway. I can forgive losing an hour or two of sleep if it meant getting a chance to go and hurt something. I managed to get myself up at least twenty minutes late, although I was trying not to wake up the others. If I was irritated in the morning, there was no way I was chancing it with my siblings. My bigger, angrier, and much more violent siblings. By the time I had left, Reika and Zach were already waiting by the stables.

Zach had switched back to his oversized trench coat, and his goggles were dangling by his neck. Reika looked like she was hopped up on rocket fuel, talking animatedly as she rolled around on her rollerblades before abruptly stopping by a log, collapsing backwards onto it and yelling out "I'm booooooooorreed!" She probably noticed me around then because by the time I'd blinked, she'd completely disappeared, appearing right in front of my face. "Riley! You made it!" She crushed me (or feebly tried to) in a massive bear hug before I could even reply, then changed her mood like a flash of lighting. "What took you so long? Were you hibernating for the winter or something?!"

"Well geez, sorry, some of us aren't always bouncing off the walls with energy," I replied. Her weird super speed perk always made me dizzy when I was near her for too long. She disappeared again in a flash of neon highlights, reappearing next to Zach. He was carrying a brown duffle bag, and I could just barely make out the tip of a shotgun poking out the top of it.

"Is that whole bag filled wit…."

"Apart from the essentials, yes," Zach replied. "So, you're set?" I nodded my head. I had my camouflaged backpack, and that was all I needed, and Reika was similarly equipped. "Chiron gave me a hundred dollars, a few gold drachmas, and some ambrosia squares. I already spoke to Argus and he said he'd give us a lift. Shall we get going?" I nodded my head and we headed for the entrance at Half-Blood Hill. When we reached the top, Zach stopped and looked behind at the camp below him. "I can see it… well, looks like I've finally adjusted."

"You can see it? What, you mean Camp Half-Blood? Couldn't you always see it?" Zach shook his head, then tapped the side of his goggles.

"Not without these at first. I've gotten used to it now though." A big delivery van drove out to the front, Argus seated in the front seat. He looked normal. Tan with windswept blonde hair and blue eyes. Everywhere. Just your everyday hundred eyed camp security guard. He honked the horn, urging them to hurry. Reika had no trouble with that at all, calling shotgun before any of us could blink and suddenly appearing in the front seat next to Argus.

"No fair!" Zach cried. "Only the guy with the actual shotgun can ride shotgun. It's the rule!" She looked in his direction and pulled a funny face, tongue outstretched and bottom eyelid pulled.

"First come first serve!" So I was stuck in the back with the grumbling kid with a shotgun. We were stuck in the car for quite a while, Argus as silent as usual, the way he always was, and for some reason, Zach looked really awkward, avoiding eye contacting and shifting more in his seat than Reika. I decided I might as well try to break the ice a little.

"So, Zach, you're a demon hunter, right?"

"We normally leave the demon part out, but yes. We hunt monsters and stuff. Demons are a different matter. Trust me when I say you don't want to meet an actual demon."

"Right… but you're a mortal, right? And I'm guessing most hunters are mortals to."

"You're the first person I've met who's a demi-god, so yeah."

"But you can see through the mist. You can fight monsters. Not very well, but you can get by."

"Hey! Anyway, I can just barely see through the mist. The mist is like a veil, and it replaces what's actually there with something that you can understand better. Mortals will see anything but the truth if giving the chance, and I'm no exception. But there comes a point where you've got no choice but to face reality. Hunters just know this. If I'm looking for a monster, I look for all the warning signs… the omens that signal its appearance. If I pick up enough of them, and convince myself there's nothing else it can be but the paranormal, then I can see through it.

"So, if I meet some weird big guy that's kind of suspicious, I'll check if his footprints are larger than his feet, if he smells like century old beef jerky, if some of his belongings don't look right, any weird activity in the nearby area, all those things. If there's too many of them, then eventually I'll see him as a laestrygonian giant or whatever he is. Different omens for different stuff. Ghosts short circuit technology. Flickering lights, moving objects, ectoplasmic goo, that stuff, while most demons leave traces of sulphur and cause major omens like thunderstorms, cow mutilations, power surges, the usual."

"That sounds like a lot of work though… and it can't work on everything, can it?"

"Yeah, it's really hard, and needs me to do my research and pay close attention to stuff. That trick didn't help me much with Camp Half-Blood for example. That's why I've got these." He held his goggles up for me to see them better, though with the dim lighting it didn't help much. "They 'pierce the fog of the human unconscious, dispelling illusions and revealing the truth'. That's what it said on the box at least."

"Hey, can I see those?" He looked reluctant to give them to me, but he relented, gently placing them in my hands.

"Don't lose them. I'm virtually blind without them." They looked like a pretty regular pair of goggles. No curse tags, no fancy Greek symbols or Latin incantations scribbled into the strap, nothing. He was looking pretty edgy so I gave him his goggles back.

The rest of the journey was awkward. Reika had plugged in earphones and had retreated from us entirely, occasionally humming random off-tune snippets of whatever she was listening to, and Zach had started scribbling down something in his journal. How he could write in the car was beyond me, and with my dyslexia there was no way I was going to even attempt reading his disgusting looking cursive while in a moving vehicle on the highway.

The sun was high in the air by the time we arrived at the Greyhound Station in Manhattan. I remembered to thank Argus and he simply nodded, driving away in a puff of smoke and dust.

"So the plan is to take the bus to Las Vegas or something?" I asked.

"Until that fails at least, but yes," Zach replied. "We don't have the cash for a flight, so this is the easiest thing we can do."

"Why am I getting a weird sense of déjà vu with all of this? And why do I think that's a bad thing?"

"You're just getting pre-quest jitters, that's all!" Reika exclaimed, lifting her bags with gusto. "Once you're on the road, slaying monsters, running for your life, you'll be totally fine! Assuming you're still alive, that is."

"Let's not bring up our deaths just yet, shall we?" I laughed, hoping nobody picked up the nervousness in it. The bus arrived just then, screeching to a halt as its doors opened for the passengers.

"Wow, I know you guys said that Argus was reliable, but his timing was perfect," Zach said with surprise as Reika bounded right in, moving like a gust of wind. I followed her, but Zach was tugging at his coat, his eyes darting back and forth.

"Do you mind not looking like a freaking criminal?" I asked. "It's bad enough you look like a young Sherlock Holmes without you glaring at everyone."

"Instinct. I'm just looking out for things that might kill me. Apart from you guys." I rolled my eyes as the bus started off, plopping down at the back next to Reika.

"And so our journey to Paradise Ranch begins… this is totally normal…."

"Do you think there's any aliens there?" Reika asked excitedly.

"Aliens? Why aliens?"

"I mean, come on. We're heading to Area 51!" She whispered that last part like it was the most exciting thing in the world, and yet somehow managed to do it loud enough to alert half the bus. "Aren't you at least a little excited for all the stuff we might find?"

"Aren't you at least a little aware of how loud you are? We don't know when we're going to be attacked next, and you're making noise here… And besides, I don't think we're going inside the place. The way Zach put it, we're just heading somewhere nearby. And I'm not sure about this whole aliens angle you've got going on. I know what they say about the place, but isn't that a little weird?"

"Oh come on, I'm the daughter of Hermes and you're Ares' little girl. If weird was a football team, then we'd be the mascots. If gods and goddesses are real, then what's to say that aliens aren't?"

"I don't know, they could be, but why would they visit earth anyway if they're so advanced? We can't even figure out how to get to Las Vegas, let alone off our own planet."

"Well if you knew there was a planet that had gods and goddesses on it, then wouldn't you try and visit? There's tons of UFO sighting every year, and more since, all over America! And lots of old civilisations show visits with astronauts and people in space suits, or with rockets landing here and leaving. Just think of the Mayans, and the Aztecs! Who built the pyramids?"

"I dunno, people? Really smart people?"

"Not good enough! There's no way they could have done that unless a god helped them, and we know how rare that is! They'd have more chance of getting alien help than the gods giving them a hand!"

"You're sounding nuttier with every word you say, Reika." An old man in a bowler cap and grey jacket in front of us turned around, his elbow leaning on the back of his chair.

"You're interested in aliens?" The man asked me. He had one of those smiles that reminded you of everybody's grandpa or a reliable uncle. But the smell of cigarettes was strong on this old man.

"Uh, yeah, I guess you could say that. My friend here especially." The man's smile grew warmer as his big black eyes switched from me to Reika.

"Oh really? My wife is into that kind of thing too. Not me though. I think it's a load of rubbish."

"Really?" Reika asked. "But your wife thinks it's cool though. I guess you can't always agree, huh?"

"Trust me, it's a blessing if we actually can agree. But who cares about aliens anyway? There's much more 'cool' stuff out there you know." He pulled out a cigarette, placing it between his lips before blowing out a single smoke ring. Something about this guy was creeping me out. He seemed like some kind of stalker looking for a bit more than directions to the bathroom. For some reason, Zach didn't seem to have noticed. Not like I needed him anyway, it just annoyed me that he could be so calm during all of this. "There's real monsters out there. Creatures and creepy crawlies, gods and demons, you know, that sort of thing." He laughed heartily, and I couldn't be sure how serious he was. I was getting some really bad vibes off of this guy. It was when he took his second puff of his cigarette that I noticed what was wrong. He didn't use a lighter. His cigarette had been lit by thin air.

"Reika…."

"I'm starting to get the hint." We both started to get up, but the man stood up with us, planting his hands on our shoulders.

"Oh please, sit down will you? I'm enjoying our conversation." His hands felt burning hot, even through my shirt, and I winced as I sat down, fighting back the tears that were welling up behind my eyes. That got Zach's attention, as he finally turned away from the window.

"Huh? Reika, Riley, what's up?" It was only then that I finally realised that he seriously didn't notice that this old man's hands were glowing like burning coals, or that he was smoking an unlit cigarette. Or that his eyes had gone completely black, the whites of his eyes and everything. I thought that would have stuck out at least. I was sure if we tried to scream or call out, we'd be piles of ash in a second.

"Yeah, everything's cool. Hope you're ready for the quest, Zachariah." I was hoping that would trigger a reaction, but nothing. He just nodded his head and carried on as usual.

"Please, I'm always prepared. Packed all my favourite weapons too, and the Megiddo Circuit is totally ready for anything."

You moron! I wanted to scream at him. Why are you pulling out your secret weapon right in front of this guy?! That's probably the only reason he hasn't killed us already, to find out where it is! I guess my angry mental screams didn't reach him, because he began rummaging through his duffle bag, the Megiddo Circuit clearly visible. The old man smiled, keeping one hand right in front of our faces, sparks flying between his fingers as he silently reached for the tool with his free hand. The sound of a gun being loaded froze him in his tracks. A pistol was notched under Zach's armpit, pointed straight at the old man's forehead.

"I don't know what you are, but you've got a lot of nerve to try and steal this right from under my nose, and to try and threaten those two." The old man smiled, laughing a little to himself.

"You wouldn't shoot me in such a crowded place, would you?" Sure enough, they were starting to attract more stares than they would have liked, people turning in their seats to see what was happening. They couldn't see the gun yet, but that would change pretty quick if Zach blew this guy's head off.

"You'd be surprised. I've done worse in busier places."

"Well that's a darn shame. I was hoping I could get that little toy of yours without a scratch. My contractors won't be too happy if it's covered in your blood, and dry cleaning probably doesn't cover that."

"I've got a better offer than whatever you're being paid. I won't plant a bullet in your skull if you back off peacefully right now."

"I wish I could, kid, but you know how demons work. We lie, but we never break our contracts. And why would I back up? The way I see it, you guys are outnumbered here." The bus drove into a tunnel, the bus getting filled in near total darkness. Everywhere I looked, I could see little pinpricks of red light hovering in the air like fireflies, always in sets of two, the brightest of the glow coming from the driver's seat. Then it hit me. These weren't like our indecent old man right by us. These were the glowing red eyes of monsters.

An explosion tore the air apart. My ears felt like they'd just exploded, and I reached my hands up to my head to protect them from the sound. Just a single gunshot, but from so close it may as well have been a grenade. The bus exited the tunnel and everyone burst into action, barely giving me any time to recover. They looked like they were moving in slow motion at first, but I snapped myself out of it, the world returning to its usual pace.

The old man had fallen back somewhere in his chair, but the rest of the passengers whirred into life, quite literally, the sound of gears and machinery coming from their limbs as they stomped towards us. Zach got up, firing well aimed shots to their hearts or foreheads. Some of them stopped or fell, but most of them kept walking like a wall of bronze.

"Automatons!" Reika called out. She placed her feet against the back of her seat and used it as a springboard, launching forward and digging her shoulder into an automaton's gut. The impact looked painful, her whole body crumpling to the floor with no real difference to the automaton. I drew my dagger and headed towards her when the bus made a sharp turn left, swerving all over the highway and slamming us against the windows. I dropped my dagger in the panic, an automaton kicking it away before yanking me off the floor with an iron grip. Zach bashed the back of its skull in with his pistol, sparks flying in the air as it let go of me. I shook out my wrists, then thrust my palms into its stomach, knocking it backwards into a chair.

He fired at another one, first in its knee and finally in its head, the robot collapsing as we headed for Reika. She had been grabbed by four Automatons, and they were each pulling a limb like they were trying to stretch her.

"I know you guys are busy and all," she squealed, her breath strained. "But… could you please… help?!" Now I was pissed. We'd barely even started and this was what we had to deal with. Creepy paedophilic old men with glowing hands and people made of steel. I balled my fist tighter than I was clenching my teeth, aiming it for an android in a hideous looking purple floral dress.

"I don't think punching them is a good…." The rest of Zach's warning was lost as I roared, planting my fist firmly in its chest. The robot went flying, taking three more automatons with it, and almost yanking Reika with it too if she hadn't slipped out of its grasp when I hit it.

"Get off ya tin-can hitch-hikers!" I roared. I could feel the cool touch of metal around my hands and forearms. I looked down at them, seeing the familiar shape of large celestial bronze gauntlets, a large bear paw etched into the palms and reinforced studs around the knuckles. The tips of the fingers had big claws coming out of them, perfect for tearing everything to shreds. It took Zach a second to drink it all in before Reika snapped him out of it, clicking her fingers in his face.

"Right, sorry." He snapped his goggles onto his eyes. "Reika, get the wheel. Riley-"

"I'll kill you all!" I roared, lunging into the fray. Space was limited, but that was perfect for what I was going to do to them. I punched, shredded, and slashed my way through them, bits of metal and gross fake skin flying everywhere as I paved a path to the driver's seat. One of them tried to punch me, its fist slamming into my face, and staying there, not even making a dent. I grabbed its wrist, turning to it slowly.

"That hurt you jerk! That really freaking hurt!" I closed my hand, the automaton's wrist collapsing on itself before planting my fist in its face. It flew right out the window, broken glass and all. Reika dashed between the aisle, appearing at the driver's seat, wrestling with the driver for the wheel.

"I'm borrowing this, thank you very much!" She pulled out a slightly oversized knife (or slightly undersized sword) and sliced clean through the automaton's hands, leaving it to look at the open wiring of its stumps as she got the bus off the highway. The coach clearly wasn't meant for off-road travel, each individual bump rattling us so much I swear my fillings were shaking inside my teeth. I looked back to see Zach running down the aisle, clutching the chairs desperately as the bus jumped a few feet into the air.

"Pull the emergency brakes!" I screamed as I backhanded someone's robotic grandmother.

"I tried, they uninstalled them!" I turned to Reika desperately. She took a step back, bounding over the gearstick and running her rollerblades across the front windscreen. How she pulled this off, I still don't know, but she spun like that, leaped off the other door, twisted one more time, and dropkicked the driver into his own door, both the driver and his door falling out onto the dirt below with the clutter of trashed metal.

"Stop the bus!" Zach roared. It looked like she was on that when they hit something that clearly wasn't their average rock. The whole bus flipped onto its side. I was in the process of strangling a robotic poodle when I felt my whole body become weightless temporarily. Then the bus slammed into a tree, and everyone slammed into the roof (or wall or whatever). I cried out in pain as my forearm felt like it had been coated in a furnace whilst being frozen numb. Yup, something was definitely broken. Or at least sprained with the awkward angle my arm was twisted at. And only then did the emergency lights turn on.

"Come on," Zach yelled, pulling me up by my bad arm almost violently. I screamed at him, and he dropped me painfully like I was going to eat him. "Sorry, sorry. But we've got to get out of here. I don't know how many of them are still functioning." He pulled out the Megiddo Circuit, pointing it at the roof. "Nekomata!" She appeared in a flash of light, and for once she wasn't sleeping. She seemed to get the idea already, scratching it violently a few times before outright punching a hole through it. We all crawled through, trying desperately to escape the damage we'd just caused.

"You're rather naughty children, aren't you?" a voice said, as something crawled out after us. It was the old man, a single bullet embedded in his head. It was still smoking too. It plopped out and into his hand. He observed it curiously before looking up at us. "That smarts you know. How would you feel if I shot you in the head?"

"I dunno, dead might be a start," I suggested. This guy was seriously starting to piss me off. I only needed one arm to handle him, but I could feel my energy starting to fade. Reika looked slightly sick too, so there was no point asking her to do anything. Zach fired a few times. Most of the shots missed, but the ones that were on target were swatted aside like they were nothing, melted in the process and splattering against the bus in liquid form. Nekomata lunged at him, but he just kicked her in the face, sending her careening back to Zach's feet.

"Dear me, and here I was expecting you to be good at using demons. I have to say, I'm rather disappointed." For a second, I almost forgot that he was some horrible abomination. He honestly sounded like a sad old man whose nephew had done something he wasn't proud of. "Well, since you can't live up to your weapon, how about I take it off your hands, give it to someone who can use it?"

"I don't think so, it's a pretty cool toy," he said. Wind built up around him again, his trench coat billowing around him as if he were in a gale. "Nekomata, return! Let's do this, Jack Frost, Aura!" Nekomata vanished in a cloud of blue smoke, getting replaced by two more red sparks.

One of them was a short snowman, about half my height, with a really wide, innocent smile, blue boots, and a blue cap that made it look a bit like an elf. The other was a slim, black haired woman in a flowing white dress. But she was floating in the air, and slightly transparent, almost ghost-like. "Guys, initiate arctic devils trap!" The ghost, or aura, darted forward, flying with her arms outstretched like she was pretending to be a bird. She flew around the old man, blowing gusts of wind at him. He looked like he was getting pretty angry, breathing out great gusts of flames at her in rage. "Reika, go!"

"O-on it!" she stuttered, streaking towards the man. She leaped into the air and dropkicked him in the face, the old man falling backwards and skidding through the dirt. A few more automatons were starting to crawl out of the hole in the bus, but the aura's wind kept them all from taking any more steps forward.

"Jack Frost, bufula, now!" The snowman complied with a little bit too much glee, the air around us instantly dropping ten or twenty degrees as it held its arms out in front of it. Snowflakes began falling around us, but for the people in the bus, it was more like a blizzard, the whole vehicle getting frozen solid as it was encased in a giant block of ice. The Jack Frost looked more carefully at it before blasting it with a bit more ice, carving a smiley face onto it. Zach exhaled a long breath, his arms going limp as the monsters returned to light, disappearing from view. We stood together in a line, admiring the havoc we'd just caused.

"We've been a team for less than twenty four hours," Reika began.

"And we've already capsized a bus," Zach continued.

"And torn apart the environment," I finished. "We're not a bad team, eh?"