What's up guys, here's the last chapter of Sigurd's Story! This is a short one, but an important one. This is basically how Sigurd met that girl that we saw at the end of Book Four. A little more insight into who she is, what's going on with the Shinto pantheon, and an update on Ouranos. It's a set up for Book Five, which is coming very soon!

Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters (except the OC's) Percy Jackson & The Olympians, Heroes of Olympus, or Trials Of Apollo. All of that belongs to Rick Riordan.

7. Ninja Of The Golden Mist

Day Three Hundred and Ninety-One - Entry Three Hundred and Ninety-One

I think I've found it. It and him, though I didn't expect to find him here of all places.

He's already left his trail. Several dead at Shimizu fishing port. I know it's him, because the entire place has been burned to near nothing. The buildings are charred black and smell of smoke. A clear sign of lightning strikes.

I'm going to tread carefully.

Sigurd stared at the destroyed port. It was like a storm had gathered around the area and the area only, lightning strikes rained down and burned the buildings to the ground, split the boats in half, and killed all the people. That's how it was being presented in the media, anyway.

But he knew it wasn't a random storm. It was generated by Ouranos. Sigurd just knew it. He didn't know why the god was here in Japan, he guessed it was far enough away from his enemies that he could remain hidden. Which is plausible, but with Ouranos, there's always another motive to the main motive. He's here for another reason.

What Sigurd's really afraid of is the length of time that he's been here. Has he been here the entire time? Since he fled from their battle near Camp Asgard? That's over a year. If that's the case, then he's had ample time to persuade whatever stronghold represents the Shinto pantheon. He'd literally be beating Sigurd to the objective. That's why he came here in the first place, and of course stumbled upon this.

There was no one to talk to. The act was fresh, he did know that. It looked like it happened...maybe a few days ago, at most. The cleanup crew was still active, removing debris and dead bodies, Japanese police kept a tight circle around the scene to keep anyone from even peeping through. They were a bit stricter than American police, at least, that Sigurd could see.

But Sigurd got around that pretty quick. He was throwing all morals out the window on this journey, as far as manipulating mortals go. And the scary part was that he was getting used to it, to just easily controlling their minds without a second thought. He kept thinking that it was for the cause, the good cause, so it was okay. They didn't get hurt, of course, but still, he's taking advantage of them.

Before he even attempted to step into the little zone they'd blocked off, he made eye contact with every single officer. Which took a good bit of time, considering how many of them there are. Sigurd wanted to create an illusion of himself, disguise his cloak as an officer's uniform, and his facial structure to match theirs. That way he can just scoot in like he's on the job as well.

The problem is, eye contact makes mind control far easier. It's guaranteed to work. One hundred percent. If there is no eye contact, then it's more of a gamble, like...fifty percent, or seventy, if you're lucky. Sigurd's favorite thing to work with is absolutes. Not gambles.

This entire journey is a gamble.

It took about ten minutes to make eye contact with everyone, then Sigurd delved his way in.

He molded their vision to make himself look just like them. Same uniform, same hair, same everything. Then he just walked right through, and they didn't bat an eye.

There were no eyewitnesses to talk to, so Sigurd did a bit of useless poking. He looked at the destroyed boats and buildings, walked the perimeter of the areas a few times, and then just stood still, frustrated.

So he decided to speak with the other officers and see what he could find out.

He walked up, his accent masked by the illusion, so to them he would have a more Asian accent, but Sigurd still heard his own voice. They were huddled in a group and turned when Sigurd walked up.

The words that came out wasn't exactly what he expected. "Have all the bodies been identified?"

They gave him a strange look at first. Like 'who are you?' but then Sigurd stared at each of them, further molding his image to them and throwing in a sense of familiarity. Immediately, the change was evident. It was like they knew him for years.

"Yes, all but two we found in the water this morning."

Sigurd hadn't seen those. "Where are they?"

The man shook his head, "Not here. We're waiting for an autopsy. They were in the water for a long time, barely recognizable."

"What morgue?"

The man told him, and Sigurd thanked them. He walked away, muttering its name over and over again.

He took public transportation to a spot near the morgue. Walking in, he made quick eye contact with everyone he saw, and did a little speed run of masking himself. Again, everyone thought he was an officer.

After a bit of talking and showing ID, he was able to get into the back, to the bodies that he wanted to see. When the mortician pulled them out on those metal beds, Sigurd cocked his head.

They were naked, for one. Their skin had turned leathery and almost inhuman. On their chests, were gaping holes, it looked like someone had taken a roughly shaped cylinder of metal and rammed it through their torso. Like an unrefined sword.

Sigurd traced his eyes over it closer, the edges of the wound, and it could possibly be a hand. It could've been Ouranos's hand shoved through their chests.

Another thing Sigurd noticed was that they looked like warriors. They had athletic builds, but they weren't athletes, they had too many scars for that to be the case. Unless they were...cage fighters? No, these are the marks of old sword wounds, perhaps some from battle and some from sparring. Shaved heads, shaved faces, calloused hands...yeah, they were warriors.

Sigurd found it curious that Ouranos killed them, and threw them in the water. He knew that's what happened. Them being on boats was highly unlikely, if they were the only two they'd found in the water so far. Sigurd's theory, is that they confronted him, and they were killed. But he didn't want them to be found, lest his own location be found, so he threw them in the water. Got rid of the evidence.

So that ticked Sigurd's radar as...suspicious.

"Where are their clothes? Do you still have them?"

He raised an eyebrow at Sigurd but answered his question. "Yes...I can go get them."

Sigurd waited as he left the room. It wasn't long before he returned with two bundles of clothes and plopped them on a table near the back end of the room.

"It's curious. I don't know if they were...insane, or just cosplaying." He chuckled at the last part.

"What do you mean?" Sigurd took a closer look and saw two hoodies draped over blue clothing.

He reached out and took the hoodies away, flattening everything else out. Once it was all laid out and separated, Sigurd paused, understanding where the mortician was coming from.

They were...kimonos. Light samurai armor, but a samurai's attire all the same. At the top, sat two blue headbands, with an insignia in the middle. Inside the circular outline, Sigurd made out a sword, its blade being dipped into the ocean. It was...oddly familiar to Sigurd, but he wasn't able to point it out right away.

Moving down, he saw the long kimono robes, mostly blue, but white on the wrists and lapels. By the chest, was the same sword/ocean insignia. What was that?

"Why did you say they were insane?" Sigurd didn't want to reveal ignorance in wondering what was the issue in wearing kimonos.

The mortician gave him a slightly deadpan look. "Well firstly, these are usually worn for special occasions. And secondly..." He pulled out his phone, pulling up a picture of two katanas, the cloth wrapping around their hilts had the same blue/white color scheme.

"These were found with them. I...can delete this if you want. I just thought it was odd."

Sigurd didn't know what he meant at first, then realized he was still disguised as an officer. "Oh, don't worry about it. Did they take the weapons?"

"Back to the station, I think."

"I see."

That was no coincidence. These men had to belong to whatever Camp belonged to the Shinto pantheon. The kimonos, the katanas, the symbol...all led to something. Sigurd just had to found out where. Where would it be? Where would the gods be?

"That symbol...what do you think it is?"

"Well, what I know it is, is Izanagi's sword."

That's when it clicked for Sigurd. Like a lightbulb exploded in his head. Izanagi, essentially co-creator of the entire pantheon alongside his wife/sister Izanami, dipped his sword in the ocean and created Japan. That's what the symbol represented.

"The sword he used to create Japan. In...myth, of course."

The man nodded, "Ah, some believe that whole heartedly."

"Yes. Thank you, that's...all."

Sigurd walked out abruptly, his brain running ten miles a second. Who could he talk to? This was a clue. Okay, they exist, it's got to be somewhere. Sigurd had a hint of that when he was still back home, using his world sight to view the exterior of the Camp itself. But that could always have been an illusion. Now he had some confirmation.

There's a small chance it could just be a coincidence. That these guys were just...feeling brave, still believed in the old myths, had katanas, and decided to confront the psycho causing storms by the port.

Maybe to a mortal, that would be a possibility. But Sigurd, knowing what he knows, there is something more to it. Those men were sent to confront Ouranos, to see what was going on. But whoever is in charge, sent far too few men. Ouranos killed them, and now they'll know there's a threat out there.

Perhaps they'll come looking. Maybe Sigurd should wait for more to come.

New plan. That's what he's going with. World Sight is too much of a gamble. He doesn't quite know what he's dealing with, and this is more practical.

So when night fell, Sigurd sat by the port and waited, hidden and out of view. He'd hoped that the other samurai hadn't already come looking. But if that were the case, they would have more than likely not left until they found the bodies. He knows the Shinto's level of power. From what he's aware of, it's on par with the Greeks. Meaning they may have aura sense, or some heightened awareness.

Even if not, they would have taken the bodies back. They would give them a proper burial. If it's really only been a few days, then there's a certain grace period of 'they'll return, just wait' to 'no, they're actually not.'

That's when they look. Sigurd was praying that was the case. It's about all he's got. They would come, he would follow them back. Simple, but that's the plan.

He hates to depend on his father, but right now...he could really use some help. A little cheating, to put it another way.

The first night, nothing happened. Sigurd's persistent, so he decided to try again.

The second night is when it happened.

He was sitting in the same spot. A few hours after dark, he didn't even see them come from anywhere, they sort of just popped up. A swath of them, maybe six or so, all dressed in full samurai armor. Not kimonos, but armor, with a kabuto, do, and everything. Sigurd could feel an incredible presence from each of them, they were dangerous individually, but together, they were nigh-unstoppable.

They looked around for a bit, then spoke to each other under their breath in Japanese. Sigurd tried to hear, but he couldn't make anything out.

He was trying his best not to make a single movement, not even flare his spirit in the slightest. If they had a sensing ability, then they would surely find him, and his cover would be blown. Hell, they'd probably kill him too. They could easily do so.

After a few minutes, they must've determined that they had been killed and taken away. Sigurd thought that was rather quick. They were pretty efficient.

As they started to leave, Sigurd slowly rose up from his position and shuffled after them, as quietly and precise as possible. Every step counted. One misstep, he'd be exposed.

Finally, he crossed an alleyway and saw them walking in an arrowhead position towards the nearest forest. A few miles away, maybe.

Sigurd couldn't believe it, but they walked all the way to the forest. All the way. Not running, not increasing pace, whatsoever. It was kind of ridiculous, but Sigurd trailed behind them anyway. A couple of times, he thought his cover was blown. They would snap their heads in his direction, and he'd have to jump behind a tall patch of grass or a rock, hoping they hadn't heard or seen his movement.

Luckily, perhaps by the grace of Odin, they didn't. When they finally, at last, reached the forest, he saw an equal number of horses waiting on them. Every one of them with white fur, brown saddles, and blue reins.

The same color scheme. Consistent. They rode horses as well, like Samurai.

They all hopped on their steeds, and immediately took off with a flash of light. Blue, all of them. They sped away like teleportation, and Sigurd lost their spirit right away.

Gone, just like that.

Sigurd, in all of his impulsiveness, didn't want to lose them. This might be his only chance. So he did a pretty dumb, counterintuitive thing.

He manipulated his spirit into the shape of a horse and hopped on, racing after them.

He surprisingly caught up with them fairly quick. They could clearly go faster, but Sigurd put it off as them just casually riding, as opposed to something more urgent.

He tried to stay back as far as he could, but they clearly had sensing abilities. They turned their heads around and stared right at Sigurd through their helmets and face masks.

They said nothing, just pulled on the reins and stopped with a skid. The horses created a blockade, and before Sigurd could even blink, his spirit horse crashed into theirs and exploded to nothing, throwing Sigurd in the air.

He crashed to the ground, on his shoulder, then his back, then his stomach. He lay there for what felt like hours, when it was really a few seconds. A few seconds of dread. Crap.

Now they knew completely that he was here, that he had powers, that he was different. His spirit wasn't blue, it was green. He was a foreigner, and weaker than them. He couldn't outrun them, or fight them, even the endless prison might not work, with as many of them as there are.

So now he can only hope they treat prisoners kindly. Or just end it quick.

Their armor clanged up to the point where they were all surrounding him in a circle. One of them placed his boot on his shoulder and moved him so he was now belly up.

He spoke Japanese, and Sigurd understood.

"Who are you, foreigner?"

Before Sigurd could even contemplate a response, the circus he was in got crazier.

From the distance, somewhere Sigurd couldn't even discern, came a powerful, overwhelming imposure of will. That's the only way to describe it. It wasn't a blast, or manipulation of spirit, it was just...pure willpower, taking the form of energy.

It was like heavy wind. It hit every person except Sigurd and knocked them several feet away. They tumbled on the ground and into the grass, dumbfounded and screaming in surprise.

Sigurd sat up sharply, his eyes darting everywhere to find the outside source of power. Enough power to knock these behemoths away.

The person appeared before him, either through instant teleportation, or a speed beyond light. Sigurd couldn't tell.

It was a woman. She was short, slim, covered in a cloak not too different from Sigurd's, and wore...an odd mask. It was a cat. A smiling cat. Sigurd recognized them from Hibachi restaurants, the little containers with their paws in the air.

She reached out her hand for him to take, her tone urgent. "Take my hand!"

Sigurd hesitated, the entire thing moving far too fast for him. At his lack of movement, the woman shouted even louder this time. "Now!"

Sigurd grabbed ahold of her palm, and immediately upon contact, he was surrounded with warmth, and the color of blazing, orange fire.

A cylinder of light erupted from thin air and coated the pair of them. It became a shield for a moment, when they entered a bridge world. A kaleidoscope of all kinds of odd colors. It only lasted for a single moment, but Sigurd's brain etched the memory. It would be hard to forget something like that.

Then as quick as the light came, it vanished, instantly, and he was somewhere else.

He was in another forest, but this was completely different. For one, only bamboo, and it seemed there was an elevation below him, like they were at the top of a hill. He could hear a rushing river in the distance, the sound of night creatures making noise.

"What the..." He looked to his left and saw the girl, woman, whatever she was, standing there, arms crossed.

"Who are you? What was- why did you-"

"Relax first, then speak." She commanded, and Sigurd noted that it was indeed, commanding. She was a leader, if not, then very confident.

Sigurd breathed a little, but before he could ask his questions again, the woman spoke first.

"I'll ask the questions first. Who are you? You're obviously a foreigner, but you have a different chi."

Chi, meaning spirit, or aura. Got it. Sigurd just came right out with it. "I'm Sigurd Borgarsson, Son of Odin. I'm looking for the Shinto Pantheon's camp...base, temple, stronghold, whatever it's called. I need to speak with whoever is in charge."

Since her face was covered, Sigurd couldn't gauge her reaction, whether she was shocked or not. Judging by her tone, she seemed mildly interested. "A Son of Odin this far away from home? Why?"

She said it so casually that Sigurd didn't even comment. "Because I'm trying to unite the pantheons. There's a universe level threat out there, a Greek god named Ouranos. I think that our only chance lies in unification."

At that, she seemed to stiffen a little. "Ouranos? You're here on that matter?"

"Yes. Why, do you know something?"

She didn't speak for a moment, instead facing away from Sigurd and walking a few steps in the opposite direction. It looked like if her hair was exposed, she would be grabbing it right now in frustration.

"I know of him. He's here, in this country. I know he means to manipulate and burn everything to the ground. He...has already made progress."

"What do you mean?"

"He's used his tongue to convince...prominent people to work for him. It's sickening."

Sigurd was confused, "You're going to have to elaborate."

"It's a long story." She then did a double take, unsure as to what she should reveal and not reveal.

"You've worked closely with the Greeks?"

"I did, over a year ago. I came in contact with their most powerful demigod-"

"Talon?"

Sigurd reared his head back. "Talon? No, I meant...Matt Beckett, the son of Hercules. Wait, how do you know Talon?"

"Ignore that for now. Continue your explanation."

"No, I want to know how you know that name, and who you are."

She didn't get angry, but her tone was stern. "Continue, please."

Sigurd wasn't sure what to do. If he should insist. She was obviously powerful, but Sigurd was wildly confused. He knew nothing about her, why she saved him, or what her name even was. He supposed it was reasonable to explain himself, but after saying the name of someone she shouldn't know, he deserves a little elaboration.

But alas, he continued. "I contacted Matt Beckett, and his group came to me. Ouranos had been hiding in our area, the Norse area, for a while then. He recruited two demigods, sons of Thor, to his side. They were powerful, and I needed help in stopping them. Hence, our allyship. We fought them, but it was unsuccessful."

"How?"

"Well, the sons of Thor were killed, but Ouranos escaped. Not before killing taking possession of his son, Malachi, and killing Matt's father, the god Hercules." Sigurd emphasized the last part, "And I mean killed permanently. He's gone forever. Ouranos has a weapon that allows him to do such a thing."

"I'm aware. It's a form of diamond imbued with chaotic energy."

Sigurd's expression was probably comical. He was in such disbelief. "Okay, your turn. Who the hell are you? How do you know about Heavenly Diamond, and how do you know about Talon?"

"I am Asuka, daughter of Amaterasu. I know about Heavenly Diamond because I have seen it, as I have seen Ouranos in person. I know the name Talon because..."

At that, she trailed off.

"Because what?"

She continued, "Because I have been interacting with his father for a long time. Keeping his...presence a secret."

Sigurd's eyes widened. He knew Talon's father was a very mysterious subject among Matt's group, and the entirety of their Camp. Talon himself had next to no idea of anything about his father. His whereabouts, the main one. Now Sigurd finds out that he's been in Japan this entire time?

"Talon's father? He's been here this entire time?"

"I don't know what you mean by that. I found him not that long ago. He told me about his son, and that I was the key in helping them meet. He said it was urgent that they did so."

Sigurd's brain might've fried if she said anymore. Firstly, he had to wrap his head around the Amaterasu part. That's the most powerful deity in the Shinto pantheon, without question. She's the Shinto Zeus, so that explained why Asuka was powerful enough to blow all of those samurai back. Secondly, she had seen Ouranos in person? When? Why did he have his Heavenly Diamond out?

And of course, lastly, Talon's father had told her those things? To find his son? Why...her? Why not tell his son where he is? It doesn't make sense.

"Nikandreos told you this?"

"Yes." She nodded.

"And why haven't you gone yet?"

"He said it wasn't the right time. Not until just days ago."

Sigurd found that hard to believe and detected that she was lying. But...he thought it wise to stay silent on that.

"Do you know where the Camp is?"

Asuka nodded again, "I do."

Sigurd stared at her lifeless mask, unsure of what she was thinking. If she was aiming to go to Matt's camp...this would be huge. It would change everything. He hadn't seen Matt in a long time, he wasn't sure how he had changed, how his friends have changed. If they were even...alive. He had no contact with him, he figured if Matt needed him, he would be the one to initiate it.

But he never did, so Sigurd left it alone.

"Then I'll go with you."

Asuka shook her head, "No, I must go alone. This is my mission."

"We're going in the same direction anyway. My mission is basically complete. I've spoken with just about all the pantheons I wanted to speak with, so I'm going to tell Matt my progress. Also, it would help if they saw you accompanied by a familiar face. They might get hostile if you show up unannounced, looking the way you do."

"Looking the way I do?"

"Yes. They know me, it will go far better if it happens this way."

She thought about it for a moment, then sighed.

"Very well. But don't get in my way. This is important."

"Do you see me taking this lightly? I know the severity of this. I'm in the same boat."

"Then you know we must leave right now."

"I'm ready."

Sigurd could hardly believe that this was happening, that the events had turned out this way. It was far different from what he planned, but he found out information that he needed to know. Valuable information.

He wondered what Matt was going to think of this. Or Talon. Finally able to see his father.

It was going to be quite interesting, to say the least.

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