Chapter Six: First Day at Camp
On the other side of the groundbridge, Jack dismounted from Arcee and looked at Annabeth who jumped off the femme as if Arcee's seat was seeded with hydrochloric acid. Then, she stared and watched every piece shift and move before Arcee took her biped form. Then, Annabeth swallowed hard and took a deep breath to dull her fears. Flashes of the battle with Hephaesteus' bulls before Annabeth and Percy went on the quest to the Sea of Monsters rolled through the daughter of Athena's mind. She wanted to scream. Seeing Percy almost gored if it wasn't for Tyson made the demigod stop dead in her thoughts. "Wait!"
Jack and Arcee turned at the voice. The young man wanted to laugh at her. The reason he remained quiet lay in the fact he used that time to scour The Key to find a workaround for this very problem. "There's a barrier designed to keep monsters out. Right?" Jack asked as he focused on Thalia's Pine. "It's not perfect, but I can see the border, like plastic wrap on an open doorway."
The boy Prime then looked at Arcee. The femme seemed oddly at home in their current situation which made Jack nervous. The only place he knew Arcee to be comfortable while away from base was in the heat of battle. Arcee simply moved to walk past the tree. The border bubbled for a moment as if Arcee were a bullet in a ballistics gel under slow motion capture. The two-wheeler didn't seem aware of any resistance, but when the "bubble" popped, Arcee's formerly towering fifteen-foot frame now stood at a relatively modest six feet in height. Jack watched in shock at the easy change. Then, Jack mentally facepalmed, Of course she can! Solus' body created the physical Well while her Spark linked it to Dad. Jack reasoned. Arcee and all other Cybertronians brought online this way are the children of Solus, who stands on par and maybe surpasses Hephaestus/Vulcan in skill and power.
Arcee looked down as the strange force field released her. The sensation felt tight but not cramped in contrast to her motorcycle alternate form. The femme also felt vindication well up in her Spark to know the magic only shrank her and looked back with a smirk at the flabbergasted daughter of Athena before Arcee shrugged and continued on into Camp Half-Blood. She thought the force field to be a barrier, but it struck her as more of an organic cell membrane. What did June call it? Cell membranes were "selectively permeable" and allowed certain substances like water and salt to pass freely when possible but actively pumped other substances in and out depending on need. In order to pass through this membrane, one needed a certain divine "marker", like how immune cells identified pathogens and malfunctioning cells within the body. Arcee silently thanked June on her crash course in immunology once when Jack fell ill for around two hours at base. Sure, he tried to hide it, but Arcee knew her partner well enough to see past the bravado where no one else could and asked June while Jack talked with Raf and Miko to avoid embarrassing him.
Jack looked up to see a giant golden fluffy fleece in the massive pine's lowest branch. Jack closed his optics and put his hand on the Pine. If one trusted the old stories as he did, spirits could live in trees, and he did not want to come off as a threat to anyone within the Greek camp's borders. The young man looked up to see the border fold out like doors of a grand palace at his gesture of peace. Then, Jack walked through, past the Big House, to The Hearth.
It is a place of neutrality, Alpha Triton informed the young Prime. Therefore, Hestia's domain remains the best place for you and Arcee for the moment.
Annabeth turned pale and began to shake when Jack and the automaton walked in like average demigods. Everything she knew now hung in the air with nothing concrete for her to grab and sprinted across the border to sprint for The Big House in a panic. As she raced up the steps, Chiron met her at the door in his horseman form. Annabeth watched him as fear and panic blazed in her eyes. However, The Wise Centaur only nodded when he saw Arcee and Jack and clopped down the front steps slowly. Annabeth continued to stare and watch the automaton wearily. She could see the machine tensing and moving subtly in preparation of deference. Oddly, Jack laughed.
"What's so funny, Astroboy?"
Jack ignored her and instead spoke to Arcee. "Calm down," he said in voice that sounded older than his body suggested. "Greeks don't break Ξένια." Jack reached up and squeezed Arcee's servo to soothe her battle-worn Spark. "That would bring The Lord of the Sky and The Bright-Eyed One down on their heads," Jack smirked as Annabeth looked at him in a rage behind the centaur and a fat man in a tiger print shirt with Diet Coke in his hand. Jack's optics flashed brightly on sight of the god. The god's bloodshot eyes and sullen demeanor named him immediately. A god of drunkenness has no drink?
Dionysus shivered and straightened when he met Jack's optics. "Yes, yes; welcome to Camp Half-Blood and all that nonsense." Thunder boomed. For a moment, the god looked up nervously at the sky. "Names have power, boy," the god started on a rant he seemed to have had with many demigods before. "You do-" The god froze mid-word, mad light of exuberance in his eyes. "You didn't use any names. I'm impressed."
"Welcome to Camp Half-Blood," Chiron said with a light bow. "Lady Hestia informed us you would be coming, but I did not expect an answer so quick."
Arcee nodded. "Hesitation isn't in either of us."
Jack smiled and waved his hand. A Human-sized cube of a sky-blue liquid appeared in the young man's grip in contrast to Energon's usual cobalt shade. Arcee glared at the young Prime when she saw the drink, but Jack only shook his head and offered the god the cube which shimmered into a goblet at the god's touch. "Call it a peace offering from Primus to Olympus, Mr. D," Jack grimaced. "The Archivist says it's restitution for…" Jack trailed off with an abashed and nervous expression. "…Bulkhead wrecking one of your temples in Greece."
Dionysus looked at the goblet in his hand as if it might vanish. Then, the plump god put the goblet to his lips and sipped with a long sigh of relief. The wino then began to cry before he took another long gulp from the chalice.
Jack took a deep breath to keep a scream from tearing its way out of his throat. Yeah, Jack thought to Vector as the Prime of Space-Time as he watched the god. You're right. Arasuum would eat this one alive without a thought. Jack shook his head. Makes me glad this is Earon in The Age of Fools and not ancient Coruscant or Mandalore.
You're adapting to The Key more quickly than Father thought you might, Prima cut in with praise. You might want to sharpen your awareness, though. Everyone is staring at you and have been for a few dozen nanoklicks, plenty of time for an enemy to take your Spark, little brother.
Jack groaned and held his head. As the eldest Prime left his mind. The son of Primus looked around in confusion as everyone stared at him save Chiron. Jack shook his head to push away the last vestiges of pain and looked to the one familiar island in this sea of uncertainty: Arcee. A throat clearing from the god of wine made Jack jump and blush profusely when he realized his optics seemed to stay locked on the femme's faceplate.
"Mr. Derby, if you are quite finished staring, we will move on to the place you shall stay for your time here."
Out of hearing range for Jack and Annabeth but not for her, Arcee heard Dionysus mutter something about "Aphrodite" and "extra-planetary affairs" as he walked back into The Big House. The femme shuttered her optics and kept them closed for a Sparkbeat or two and blushed bright blue, not in embarrassment but fury. She had no idea who this "Aphrodite" was but knew neither Primus nor Solus would be able to admit a second sentient to the Sparkbond even if June or Megatronus consented, an almost nonexistent chance to begin with if Arcee knew June as well as the femme hoped she did. Records remained sparse but horror stories aplenty when it came to attempts to add a third to a Sparkbond. Sparks exploded from the strain and atomized the chassis in the process. Conversely, Sparks could also fizzle to nothing in response to the attempt.
Then again, these didn't match up with the almost flippant tone Dionysus used when he spoke. Does he mean REPLACING a Sparkmate while the bot still functions?! Arcee growled and shook her helm vehemently at the thought. These gods are worse than scraplets! At least a swarm of them promised quick passage to The Alspark. Arcee's chassis audibly shook with equal parts rage and disgust with just a hint of unexpected fear directed towards Jack. His mother was the daughter of Roman Apollo. Did Roman Olympians have more loyalty to Sparkbonds than their Greek counterparts?
Jack could hear what he thought was Arcee grinding her denta as the god walked away and directed Annabeth to take Autobot and demigod to The Hermes Cabin. The walk there went by quickly. Part of Jack wondered if it had anything to do with Annabeth's continued insistence to paint Arcee as an automaton creation of Hephaestus. "Annabeth, stop!"
The daughter of Athena turned with the haughty expression of a young woman who thought she knew everything and dared others to challenge her. Jack walked up to her and stared into her face hard enough to make the girl draw back. Absently, Annabeth saw Jack's fist shiver with restrained anger. Why does he care for this machine so much? Then, the teenager shivered as she looked at Jack who could have been Percy if it wasn't for his iridescent blue optics which unnaturally clicked and whirred in irritation as Annabeth continued to watch him.
The blonde found herself flung back to the last time Percy looked at her with anything less than pure contempt. The trio of her, Grover, and Percy came back with The Fleece, and Percy smiled at her as he helped Thalia to her feet. Annabeth's fist rose of its own accord and tried to hit Jack with a scream of rage as tears rolled down her face. Annabeth blinked when a metallic impact echoed from the punch. Then, pain bloomed in the hand and drew it back on reflex. Annabeth cradled the wounded hand in her other and tried to incinerate Jack with her eyes as unshed tears continued to wait in them.
Jack met her glare for glare, but his held more sympathy than hers. "I know you are hurting, Annabeth," Jack said gently. "However, pain is no reason to be a bigoted aftplate." Jack closed his optics and consciously drew reign on his bubbling emotions. "There cannot be order without punishment for crimes." Jack saw Annabeth turn white as a sheet when she likely remembered Primus as The Lord of Order. "(By The Allspark and The Pit, I curse this daughter of She Who Stands in Front to be marked for hunting by the bane of my Spark. As it is set; so, shall it be.)"
Arcee looked at Jack in stunned shock for a few moments before she watched Annabeth teeter as if struck from the strength of the curse. Naturally, as a Cybertronian, the femme understood the curse, but the words used rang with ancient power unlike the mundane form most Cybertronians used for everyday speech. The best thing she could think to describe it would be Latin versus English. "Jack, why did you do that?"
Jack frowned, "It was time to knock that glitch down a few pegs after nearly two straight days of her insulting you and talking down to me." Jack smiled and didn't realize his hand reached up to rap around her side while he spoke.
Arcee only smiled to herself and didn't bring it to his attention.
Travis and Connor Stoll walked out of the cabin and smiled at the pair. Part of Jack thought of Miko when he saw the boys. Their features gave off the vibe of tricksters, and Jack mentally made a note to be mindful of the twins and the others in the cabin who shared family traits like the boys. They smiled at Jack, and one indicated Arcee. (Jack thought he was Connor.) "Who's her parent?" He asked with a dopey grin Jack could imagine on his own face back when he had a crush on Sierra. For some reason, the look irritated Jack deeply.
"Arcee, Daughter of Solus Prime," Arcee said calmly. "Jack and I were sent on a quest to this place to investigate a few odd happenings."
Jack raised a mental eyebrow. Half-truths to make Lord Hermes proud… Jack sighed. I wonder if they can detect lies. The techno-organic demigod offered a hand, "Jackson Darby, Son of Primus."
"Nice to see ya again," Travis said kindly. Each brother took a sleeping bag from the wall and laid them in two empty spots on opposite sides of the cabin.
At sight of the sleeping bags, Arcee looked at Jack in uncertainty. Then, after her partner snuggled down into the bag, Arcee did her best to mimic his movements to get comfortable in the offered portable berth. Exhaustion rolled over the pair and sent them to Morpheus' realm easily. If only Jack knew the nightmare that waited for him on the other side.
Jack could feel the rain start to fall as he ran. Frantically, he tried to access his blade or blaster to no avail. The young Prime could feel his Spark and heart hammering in sync in his chest. The wet muted sound of rod-like legs echoed in his ears and drew the boy to look back, but he refused. The laugh of his pursuer sent chills down his back. The rain began to fall harder and ruined his ability to track her by sound.
"Where is she?!"
A tisking sounded from somewhere scarily close on his right. Jack looked to see a ship illuminated in the flash of lightning and froze. A laugh trilled in a broken mirror of joy from just beyond the loading ramp. Jack steeled himself and found Spark Render in his hand. Jack nodded and ran with Solus' gift gleaming in hand into the ship. He desperately wanted to call out, but he knew that to be suicide for this enemy.
"Maybe Thalia can call down a bolt on the ship…"
Before Jack could think further on a plan to save his friends, Airachnid jumped down and hissed. A terrified scream he knew to be Annabeth's almost blew out his audios.
"Hello, my Jack…"
Jack woke with a roar. "GET FRAGGED, AIRACHNID!"
Arcee was next to him in the next moment. He didn't understand how she crossed the room in a few fractions of a second, but Jack drank in Arcee's presence regardless. The two of them stayed intertwined for a few moments more. Then, Arcee reluctantly removed her arms and looked at Jack in worry. "What happened?"
"We need to keep our optics on Annabeth, Percy Jackson, and Thalia Grace," Jack told the femme. "I don't know how, but they and Airachnid are extremely important."
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