Chapter Eight (The Search for Luck)

There are inexplicable ways in which this world works…

Percy

The heavy patter of raindrops against the roof of my tent flooded my ears.

I groaned slightly as I rolled to the side, pushing myself to my feet in one swift motion, setting me off balance. I wobbled for a few moments, letting my brain refocus as I clutched my head. After staving off the nausea that threatened to accompany the dizziness, I let a long breath slip past my lips.

After many days where daylight was lost due to the inconsistent sleeping habits of the Vanguard, Chrysilla suggested the use of Shaquille's abilities to wake us up earlier in the day. It was something I had considered, but this was the first time implementing the idea.

The roaring of the rain broke me from my trance as I began to blink the last traces of weariness from my eyes. I slid through the flaps of the tent, relishing as the water seeped through my pores, invigorating my bones as I took a moment to smile in serenity.

It was almost a week since we had been given the mission to locate the cornucopia for Tyche. The consistent loss of daylight, and my hesitance to search during the night, had cost us the value of the information provided by the goddess of Luck. About four days ago we stumbled across the remains of what had been a monster camp where we had been informed of. A dishevelled, and massive, bonfire alongside too many humanesque bones were the only signs of what the space had been used for.

The rain gave way to my will and slowly subsided before dissipating completely, leaving only the chill of the early morning. The water which sunk into the earth and dampened the tents and materials scattered around the campsite began to flow towards me. The members of the vanguard slowly trudged out of their tents, annoyed that they couldn't go back to sleep even if they tried.

As I continued to manoeuvre the water away from the campsite and into the forest behind me, I heard Adrian and Marc begin to bark orders, urging the others to dismantle their tents while Ajax and Jordon split off and disappeared into the forest.

A rue smile tugged at my lips as I watched the chaos that ensued before me.

As Zina was making her way to the hearth, presumably to light the fire, Lily bolted straight into her, the daughter of Hermes' attention being diverted by something else. As their collision crumpled them into a heap of tangled limbs, Jerome, who I assumed had been the distracting factor to Lily, forgot his task and moved to help the pair. His act was inhibited by the snapping sound of a supporting beam, which had previously been in his hand, whipping the ground on the other side before crashing back into his skull.

As his tent followed him to the floor, Chris moved to help him, with Katherine by his side to tend to the bloody gash that had formed on the back of his head.

I sighed, shaking my head as I felt a presence to my left.

"Couldn't think of a better way to start our first life or death mission to be honest."

I turned to find Chrysilla, her hands folded across her midriff as a small smirk curled at her lips. I shook my head, a smile of my own forming as I returned my gaze to the calamity that was my Vanguard.

"I'll have none of that sass from you, you hypocrite."

Chrysilla gasped dramatically in response.

"Me? I never said I wasn't a sass queen, I just said I didn't think you were in contention for the title."

"While I'm great at sass, I wouldn't call myself the queen."

I noticed Adrian and Marc beckoning me to the command tent, so I began moving to meet them. I paused slightly, turning back to the daughter of Athena, and flashing her a crooked grin.

"The sass king, however… Has a nice ring to it."

I chuckled to myself as she rolled her eyes at me, turning and making my way to the command tent.

Time slipped by into two hours as the command tent was filled with light-hearted conversation. Chrysilla had slipped in about an hour back and joined our simple planning ahead of our day. Lily had left the tent; having come to inform us that Ajax and Jordon were back and having been sent to inform them to come to the command tent. The two boys now stood before us, a silence filling the room as we heard their report.

The son of Aristaeus brought with him a deer while the son of Apollo brought information.

I sighed softly before turning to the son of Apollo, "Okay then, what is it that you discovered, Jordon?" My question didn't linger long.

"The monsters seemed to have settled a few miles from here. A few are patrolling the areas around their camp but I'm nowhere near as effective at stealth as Ajax, so I had to pull back."

"Why didn't Ajax go to scout out the monsters then?" Marc asked.

"We thought that food would be more important. Can't fight on an empty stomach!"

I stared at Ajax for a moment before I turned and shared a look with the other members sitting at the 'table'.

"So, it is more important for us to eat, than to know where the monsters that can murder us are, and what they're doing?"

The two hunters had no response for Adrian other than a shared, sheepish smile.

Chrysilla sighed before speaking up.

"This will only delay us by a few hours, if they're really camped up then we won't have to worry about much. After you eat, why don't you try to gather some more information this time, Ajax?"

Ajax offered a chuckle that matched his smile, his hand rising to the back of his neck.

"We weren't going to attack them one time?"

I groaned at the words I heard, placing my head on the table.

"This was just your own, private, thoughts, right?"

I shook my head exasperatedly against the table at Adrian's question, already dreading the answer.

"Well… While we were going to store the deer…"

I raised my head quickly, opting to fill the nervous silence that the boy had trailed off into.

"Where is Cassandra?"

Ajax still struggled to slip free from his nerves but thankfully Jordon took the cue.

"She was waiting for you by your tent."

I sighed in relief. Composing myself, I clicked my tongue before asking something I already knew the answer to.

"And the others?"

The son of Aristaeus stared nervously at Jordon, but the son of Apollo seemed unfazed as he responded.

"Lily told us that you called for us. We dropped off the deer in the storage tent and when we were making our way back almost everyone was gone."

"Gone?!"

Adrian groaned at the son of Ares.

"Yes, Marc, keep up!"

"It's hardly fair for me to have known that that's the situation without being told!"

"He does have a point." Chrysilla sided with the son of Ares, who gestured at her indignantly, in gratitude for her support, glaring at Adrian who conceded easily with a raise of his own hands.

Ignoring the others, I leaned over the table and made eye contact with Jordon. "Bring Cassandra here and then gather the rest of the demigods in camp and bring them too."

Ajax sighed in relief, turning hurriedly to leave alongside Jordon.

"Where the fuck are you going, hunter boy!"

Marc's voice made both boys flinch. Jordon quickened his departure while Ajax stiffly turned back to face us. The son of Ares pressed on once Jordon left.

"Why didn't you come to us first?"

I reclined into the chair, grateful that Tyche had left these instead of leaving us with the wooden logs. I was especially grateful for the children of Athena and the son of Ares who were proving to be more than capable and willing to handle this particular matter.

"I thought that was the plan! Everyone was saying that we were just going to rush the monsters and wipe them out-"

"Everyone?" Adrian cut him off.

Ajax just looked at me pleadingly.

I waved him off, instead motioning him to answer the question.

"Yeah, it was everyone. I thought it came from Percy himself. They were all so pumped up about it. As we were making our way to the storage tent, everyone was asking where the monsters were-"

"Who was the first person you told?"

"What?"

Ajax turned to Chrysilla. The daughter of Athena leaned over the table, something clearly clicking in her mind that wasn't registering to anyone else in the tent.

"Who did you tell first?"

Ajax turned to me, but I held his gaze. The younger boy shifted on his feet as the tension continued to build.

"Well, it wa-"

"Percy!"

Cassandra broke past the entrance and darted towards me. Her infectious bubbly attitude shattered the tension as she launched herself onto my lap.

"Hey Cassie, I'm glad you're still here."

"Why would I go with the rest of them if you aren't there?"

I smiled softly at her before my eyes raised once more and steeled.

"We don't have time for this, we need to go after them. They don't stand a chance at all right now."

"Why, do you think we aren't as powerful without you there?" I heard Jordon's voice before the boy entered the tent.

Adrian groaned as Marc facepalmed.

"What's with everyone and that stupid idea?" Chrysilla muttered to herself, but the sound carried.

"The reason why we wanted to get more intel, is because I am quite familiar with monster camps from my time in Tartarus." The son of Apollo immediately baulked at my words, "And, as we were discussing over the last few days, the size of the bonfire and the amount of bones we saw kind of tells us that we may be dealing with a lot of monsters."

"But they only had patrol parties in groups of five!" Ajax argued though it seemed like he was defending his decision more than what was being discussed.

Marc grunted as he rose from his seat.

"Ay, but you can't judge the size of a cock while it's soft."

The room went silent for a few moments.

"I…"

"Why the fuck would you use that reference!"

"That's comforting to hear from another guy…"

All eyes darted to Ajax, another silence tainting the air awkwardly for a moment.

"Huh?"

"Okay then…"

A few moments later, we managed to regroup from Marc's bizarre analogy, brushing off Ajax's response to it.

"Okay, back on track. We need to start moving!"

Everyone nodded, moving from their positions, the bewilderment from the previous statement not entirely being shaken off.

"Wait, Jordon!" Adrian called out, halting everyone, "Where is everyone who you were supposed to gather?"

"There wasn't anyone after I told Cassandra to come to the command tent…"

I groaned, the sound chorusing as it was mimicked by Marc and Adrian. Chrysilla instead spat,

"I really hate them all!"

Thirty minutes had passed since we began following the trail that had become a mingled mass of demigod and monster tracks. A light fog had slowly rolled in as the early hours of the day slowly slipped away. There was still about an hour of darkness before Artemis would leave the sky to her brother.

I shifted my gaze, silently cursing as I realized that, in our hurry, the other demigods had forgotten their armour. As I flexed my fingers, I realized that I too had left mine behind. Discarding the lapse in preparation, I decided to refocus on the present, instead of glancing around at those around me.

Chrysilla was a few steps behind me, Jordon a few feet ahead, barely within my line of sight as the fog threatened to consume him. I turned to my right, nodding at Ajax who stared at me nervously. Cassandra held my right hand tightly as she walked close beside me.

"There are some monster tracks that moved towards us recently…" My head swivelled to Jordon as the son of Apollo paused looking over my shoulder in shock.

"Where are Marc and Adrian?"

I felt my blood freeze as I quickly peered over my shoulder. A wave of panic slammed into my throat as I noticed that there wasn't anyone behind me.

"On me, now!" I bellowed, my voice shredding the momentary silence. Chrysilla was instantly to my left, Ajax drawing closer to my right as I led Cassandra slightly behind me, her hand still firmly in mine as I uncapped Riptide with my free hand.

I glanced back towards Jordon to ask him about the monster tracks only to find fog in his place.

"Weapons out!"

"Percy," Chrysilla's voice caught my attention. "There was this voice that spoke, urging me to walk away from the group. I think it was Charmspeak."

I nodded at her despite the curse I let slip from under my breath, as she answered my unasked question.

"Then how come we weren't affected?" Ajax asked.

"Every time I stepped closer to Percy; it worked less. I kept fighting to walk faster to catch up to him until his scream overpowered the other voice."

I shook my head.

"I don't have any abilities that help me with Charmspeak."

I paused as a thought crept into my mind, pulling with it a small smile.

"It must be Cassandra," I whispered under my breath.

"Alright, form up closer to me, I think it's because of Cassandra's luck that we aren't being affected. It's possible that everyone else must have been caught in that spell already, and are at the camp as we speak…"

I could feel the other demigods tense up as the severity of the situation began to reveal itself. The ambushers had been ambushed.

Ajax stepped up a few paces beyond us, assuming Jordon's position. He paused nervously every so often, turning back towards us to ensure that we were still close to him. He made note of the voice whenever he heard it, and we did our best to keep him within our sight against the thickening fog.

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath before trying to use my Mist Sight. I let out an exasperated sigh as it did little to help me see past the intense power within the mist. I pondered for a moment longer before opening my eyes once more, letting my powers flex, reaching out to the water particles in the air and beginning to force the fog to dissipate. It eased up the intensity of the fog near us, but only gave us slightly more range to see.

Ajax turned back and seemed more startled as he saw my eyes. A small grin tugged the corners of his lips and he seemed to calm down a bit as he continued to do his job.

Ever since I had begun my training, Chiron had been mentioning that my eyes seemed to remind him much more of my father. Perhaps they were responding to my emotions, emitting that all too familiar glow that accompanied bouts of rage or flares in my power. Either way, I was grateful that it seemed to do a little in ways of calming the son of Aristaeus.

I quickly refocused on my surroundings as I felt Cassandra squeeze my hand. I paused slightly, noticing that Ajax had stopped and had turned to face us.

"This is about as far as we can go before we leave the forest and enter their camp."

"How can you tell with all this fog?" Chrysilla queried.

"The footsteps are all collected here, it seems we stumbled across the main entrance to their camp."

"At least lady luck is on our side." I gave a wry chuckle, hearing the softest, faintest trace of another laugh in the back of my mind.

"You can tell all of that by just looking at the tracks?"

Ajax nodded in response to Chrysilla, shooting the daughter of Athena a cheeky smile.

We had fanned out at this point, Chrysilla standing to Ajax's left while Cassandra and I stood to his right. We followed his guidance to the edge of the tree line, peering out into the clearing.

The fog was much thinner at the edge of the forest, its presence completely gone a few feet from the treeline. With the lessening of the fog and the intensity of my abilities, we had a clear view of the encampment before us. A large bonfire emitted a huge cloud of smoke from the centre, and what seemed to be mud houses littered around some very makeshift tents. Growling and garbled speech barely trickled its way to us, alerting us that it was indeed very much inhabited.

"It seems like we've found ourselves the monster camp." Chrysilla mocked grimly.

Before I could even respond, Cassandra slipped from my hand and darted to the right into the forest.

I cursed softly, grabbing the last two demigods by their shoulders to stop them from chasing after her.

"Fuck!" Ajax whispered aggressively as his body was forced backwards, propelling him onto the floor a few inches in front of me.

"We can't risk the charmspeak separating us, stick together," I answered his glare, turning to Chrysilla who nodded, pulling her shoulder from my grasp as she composed herself.

"Besides, she's the daughter of Tyche and the reason why we were okay in the first place. We can't forget that no matter her age, she's a daughter of a goddess, and we have to have faith in her abilities." I paused, taking a deep breath as I peered out into the direction where Cassandra had darted off. The fog was much more intense where it fell outside of my range of control and there was no telling where she could be by now.

"I know everything is royally fucked right now, but we have to assume she's following her mother's will."

They seemed like they wanted to argue against me letting an eight-year-old demigod run into the forest next to a heavily monster-infested camp, but before they could voice their protests, I pressed on.

"Focus! The rest of them are at the mercy of the monster horde in there. We need to clear out the camp to get to the demigods who aren't blessed to avoid danger!"

They sighed at my words, giving up their argument, though Ajax sent one more side-eye in the direction Cassandra had sped off in.

I turned to Chrysilla, who nodded at me before turning her attention back to the camp. I was momentarily grateful that her cold brewing grey eyes weren't trained on me.

"What's the plan then?" I turned back to Ajax before I let my own eyes harden and shifted towards the camp. Chrysilla was quick to respond.

"It's practically suicide to rush the camp right now, even with the element of surprise, if we still have it."

"Yeah, but the longer we wait the less members we're going to be able to rescue!"

I hummed in agreement with Ajax's counterargument.

"What if there was a distraction that could ensure we had the element of surprise?"

They both turned to me for a moment.

"What do you mean?"

I pointed to the bonfire.

"I could use water to blow that up, create a wave of steam and smoke that'll shock the monsters and give us cover."

"But they'll still be able to smell us."

"Not if the smoke is thick enough." Chrysilla pointed out, countering Ajax.

"And the steam will burn the fuck out of any monsters close to the bonfire when it erupts," I added.

"What about us?"

Chrysilla and I paused, staring at each other for a moment.

"You use a bow and arrow, so you'll be useless when that thing blows. You should probably use the cover to start looking for the other guys, we'll create chaos under the cover of the smoke."

I nodded at Chrysilla's plan, turning to Ajax who frowned.

"How are you guys going to breathe?"

Chrysilla pulled a mask from one of her pockets. Ajax and I stared at her blankly for a few moments.

"I took more of a liking to creating new weapon designs than anything else, so I spent a lot of time in the forges. One of Chris' sisters had this enchanted to repel smoke from my face so I could spend more time helping out."

"Well… I'm almost positive we lost a life to hear that story."

I hit Ajax over the head as Chrysilla huffed.

"Well, you asked…" She muttered to herself.

"No, we didn't," I said, synchronized with Ajax.

"Alright!" I said, stepping forward to cut off any further arguments. "Let's do this."

"Wait, give me a minute to sneak into the camp first. I should be able to get into one of the tents without being noticed."

"And what if you can't?"

Ajax gave a cheeky grin.

"Then you have a secondary distraction!"

He took off at a full sprint before either of us could protest.

"If I said I hate everyone in the group, would I be wrong for that?"

"Well, I'd be tremendously offended for one." Chrysilla took a step to stand to my left.

"Maybe everyone wasn't the right choice of words then."

She smiled at the cheeky grin I shot her way.

"Okay Mr. Smooth," She smiled as she rolled her eyes, "maybe you could try getting into my panties after we save everyone that you hate?"

"Try?"

I chuckled as I turned back to the camp in front of me.

"I officially hate you." I heard her say, urging my chuckle on more.

"Well, you can hate me after we save the others, who I hate. It's time to go!"

I instantly took off, slowly enough for her to overtake me as I pointed the tip of Riptide to the sky, letting moisture from the air gather around the point of the celestial bronze blade.

As I saw Chrysilla about to enter the camp, I let the massive collection of water shoot over her shoulder and towards the bonfire.

Steam and smoke swirled up and outwards, the whole camp suddenly covered as Chrysilla burst past the first tents.

The familiar sound of metal striking flesh, followed by the garbled screams and roars of monsters, filled the air. Blood rushed to my ears, my senses flushing with adrenaline as I took off towards the battleground that was before me.

A thin layer of water coated my face as the air hung heavy around me. The ground beneath my feet rumbled, and debris of dirt and rock spewed upwards and past me. Using a mixture of the sounds and what little control I had over mist sight, I shifted towards the source of the commotion. I quickly dispelled some of the smoke around the nearest monster and myself. Before me stood a Cyclops, its arm raising a huge misshapen log of wood. Before the creature could level another thundering strike against whatever it was targeting, I was upon it, Riptide springing forth and seeking purchase in the monster's exposed neck.

The monster let out a garbled cry, blood suffocating it as I pulled my blade free, letting the life liquid spurt freely as the Cyclops dropped its weapon behind itself, desperately clamping its neck in an attempt to restrict the blood flow.

A roar to my right was quickly silenced as the horizontal arc of my blade cleaved the top half of its brain off. As the Cyclops fell to its knees, I saw the mortified eye of its bredrin appear behind it. I gave it a hellish grin, driving my foot into the shoulder of the descending, deceased Cyclops and propelling myself into the air. My third victim scrambled back, dropping its spear as it stared at me in fright.

There was no mercy.

My blade bit downward into its shoulder, driving into its heart before I ripped it free. A spray of blood stained my face as I stayed close to the dead creature, using it for cover as I tried to find the next target. It didn't take long, as the body before me was tossed to the side as it disintegrated, clearing a part in the smoke and through a group of confused monsters as it fell.

A fourth Cyclops stood before me. I clicked my teeth at the sight. He was a few feet taller than the others I had met, and way angrier. I crouched low as he brought his wooden log for another swing as his eye glared at me. As the wood careened towards me, I rolled forward. I felt the spear of the fallen Cyclops nick my shoulder and quickly grabbed it with my free arm.

The ground shattered under the blow of the Cyclops, but I remained unstirred. I quickly jabbed the spear at the Cyclops' knee, tearing into the joint earning a horrendous cry of anguish and rage. The creature dropped to its other knee, throwing a massive wide punch my way. I jump-kicked the spear, causing it to rip free from the Cyclops' knee as I let momentum carry me to the ground. I groaned as my back hit the floor, rolling a millisecond later as I propelled myself to my feet.

The claws of a Hellhound dug a small trench in the earth where I previously lay.

"Oh, now we're talking! You guys might just survive a few seconds longer now!"

The Hellhound growled rushing past its injured comrade, which sobbed quietly as it searched the floor for its weapon. I spun past the strike of the hound, cutting off its tail as it flew through the air beside me. The creature howled in agony, but I ignored it, letting the momentum of my swing follow through as I approached the downed Cyclops.

It had just managed to grab its 'club' when Riptide tore through its arm. The creature could barely widen its eye in shock before I sunk Riptide into it. The thudding of the paws against the earth was subtle, but I could feel the shift in the water particles in the air. Testing my reflexes to the fullest, I began to shift out of the path of the hound. My feet caught on the wooden club of the disintegrating Cyclops, and I cursed as I fell to the ground, Riptide slipping from my grasp.

I pulled myself back a few yards as the Hellhound struggled to turn without its tail. The Hellhound finally managed to face me and growled viscously, baring its teeth at me. It lunged once more, aiming for my throat as I fished around the dirt. I felt the stinging sensation of a blade tearing the flesh of my fingers and reached further, pulling at the shaft of the spear, and impaling the hound, its teeth mere centimetres from my face, the wet disgusting slobber gracing my cheek as the stench of its breath lingered unpleasantly.

I huffed as I slowly rose to my feet, patting the dust from myself as I pulled Riptide from my pocket.

"Perfectly calculated," I called out to no one in particular as I uncapped my blade. I had about a second longer before a dracaena hissed angrily, thrusting its spear towards me.

Chrysilla

I quickly scanned the area as I ran past the tents.

As soon as I broke past them, I swung at the first creature I saw. The Hellhound had been sitting on its hind legs, being petted by a much larger Cyclops when my sword freed its head from its body. Before the Cyclops could register that it had begun petting a bodiless creature, it lost its left leg.

As the pain reached its brain, my sword tore through its chest, its heart hanging from my blade.

Smoke blasted my face, as the screams, garbled and distorted, harassed my ears. It seemed the steam had done its job.

Thankfully, I had made a mental note of the monsters before my vision was hampered. I quickly darted to the one I remembered being nearest to me. Another Cyclops took the knee before me as my blade tore away the counterpart joint. I darted around to the creature's front.

"Athena sends her regards, sea spawn!" I spat as I slammed my shield into its face.

I felt the bones crumble under the weight of the strike but didn't relent. I quickly withdrew the shield, thrusting my sword in a slicing blow through its eye. As my blade created an exit at the back of its skull, I twisted it, slashing horizontally to the right to free my lodged weapon.

As the blade swung through the air, blood and brain matter slipping freely, it collided with the skull of a frantic hound. The creature turned to dust before it could even crumple.

I stared in wonder for a moment at the horrific luck of the creature.

"Sucks to suck."

I quickly turned on my heels, raising my shield as I did so. The thump of an arrow hitting my shield took me by surprise. Who shoots arrows when you can't tell a friend apart from a foe?

I moved towards the direction of the arrow when something bumped into my knees, pushing me back. Before I could swing at whatever had done that, the earth cratered where I had previously been standing.

I didn't let my mind remain dazed for long, pushing myself forward and jabbing my sword at the arm which lingered for a bit too long. My sword struck bone before I tore it free, stepping closer and shattering the elbow with my shield. As the creature crumpled and grabbed at its arm in pain, I kicked the bottom of the giant's club. The small shift caused the club to slip on the wet and muddy ground, causing the Cyclops to fall forward just as another Hellhound came through the air toward me.

Its claws ripped through the chest of the falling Cyclops but did little to prevent itself from being crushed under the weight of the one-eyed giant.

I held my shield up, watching as both monsters burst into dust before moving forward.

The smokescreen was beginning to let up now. The air was shimmering from the glistening golden dust that mixed with the dirt of the earth which had arisen from the countless assaults from the many Cyclopes. I took a deep breath as I scanned the area around me. It seemed like many of the monsters had assaulted each other in their confusion, which probably explained the stray arrow that had ricocheted off my shield.

The earth shivered once more, drawing my attention to another Cyclops that repeatedly struck the earth.

I shook my head at the stupidity of the creature before darting towards it, waiting for the club to slam against the earth. As the wooden weapon sunk into the soil, I jumped onto its weapon, catapulting myself towards its face as it began to raise it. My shield quickly found purchase in its face. The momentum behind my assault sent the creature spiralling to its back. I lodged my sword into its shoulder to keep myself steady as we descended to meet Mother Earth.

A few moments before we hit the floor, I ripped my sword free. I stepped onto its other shoulder, driving myself upward as I spun, sinking my sword into its skull as it crashed into the earth.

I staggered slightly as I landed on the floor. I quickly caught my balance as I crouched behind my shield. I could hear in the distance the sound of Percy antagonizing the monsters, mocking them as they fell to his blade, and I smirked as I quickly searched for another to meet me in battle.

Ajax

I quietly slipped past the tents which marked the boundary to the monster encampment.

I paused slightly, hiding to the side of a tent as I tried to gain a better understanding of the layout of the tents. There was one tent that was much larger and much more humanlike to the other end of the camp, but there was no way I was making it to that one without gathering some unwanted attention.

I sighed, shifting slightly in my crouching position before I caught sight of a large Cyclops talking to another. The smaller of the creatures pointed to a mud hut, inciting a booming laugh from the larger one.

'I guess that's where I'll start.'

I began to sneak my way towards the tent, slipping away from the cover of the tents as the small gaps and alleys between them gave way to the openness that stood between myself and my destination. It was only a matter of time before Percy set the plan into motion and I needed to be much closer to the tent before then.

The sound of a low growl froze me in my tracks.

I turned to see a Hellhound poking its nose at a corpse on the floor. Its bloody snout sniffed the still body, blood flowing freely from the many gruesome lacerations that littered it. The monster jerked its head suddenly, ripping free an arm with its movement. I paled as the action drew my eyes to the head of the body… or rather the lack of one.

Who was that?

A shrill whistle tore through the crunching and squelching of flesh and bones being gored upon. The hound paused for a second from its meal, whining lightly before turning and bounding away; the remnants of the hand flapping wildly as the Hellhound left.

A shuddering breath slipped past my lips.

My body began moving before my brain had registered the action.

Another sound snapped me free from my daze. The sound of flesh being ripped apart was one I heard far too many times in the last few minutes, yet the garbled screams that accompanied it soothed me.

Percy and Chrysilla were here.

A sudden eruption of smoke and steam was accosted by more monstrous cries of anguish, tugging a smile at my lips as the massive flaps of the tent's entrance swung back into place behind me.

While I felt a little guilty at leaving all of the heavy fighting to Percy and Chrysilla, I knew that this was not a fight that I could take. Under the cover of smoke and in such a cramped area, there was no way my archery skills would be of use. I made a mental note to pick up using a melee weapon after this whole thing blew over.

"Fuck you!"

I had an arrow notched on the string of my bow, my feet leading me forward instantly as the owner of the voice continued to scream defiant profanities. My stride broke for a moment as I remembered the Charmspeak which had threatened us before.

"I could take a shit and beat you to death with that, you worthless unmemorable piece of-"

"If you won't shut up, there are other ways I could gag you…"

I broke past another set of flaps, the leather of these giving more resistance.

My grip on the arrow slackened slightly as the content of the room was laid out before me.

Zina was shackled at the base of a massive bed, one built for a giant. She was forced to stand on her toes, shifting uncomfortably as the chains were just so high over her head. Her mouth was covered by a filthy-looking cloth, yet it did little to stop the muffled curses being thrown out. It did even less to hide the searing glare that was trained on the Cyclops that stood between us.

The creature was bare. Its ass was twitching as it stepped back from the daughter of Bia.

Before its foot could touch the floor once again, I had released three arrows. The first sliding into its exposed hole, the second biting into its neck and the third lodging in its skull.

I discarded my bow onto the floor, freeing an arrow from my quiver as I darted through the golden remains of the Cyclops which had begun to descend onto the floor.

I quickly pulled the cloth from Zina's mouth, the girl spitting a few times onto the floor the moment the air was the only thing upon her lips.

I paused slightly, my eyes dropping down as I felt something wet touch my arm.

My eyes widened in shock at the coating of blood that streaked from my sleeve to my elbow.

I let my eyes shift quickly to Zina. Her body was littered with cuts, most minor, but there was a massive gash on her forehead which had poured its liquid contents onto me as I removed the first of the bindings.

"If you're done staring at my beautiful demigoddess figure, could you please free me so I can return to having some sort of decency?"

Her head lulled slightly as she spoke, but her glare was still as strong as before, even despite the heaviness of her eyelids.

"Sorry…" I muttered as I quickly went to work on the thick ropes which constrained her movements.

She placed her right hand over my shoulder, slumping as I undid the first binding. A groan escaped her lips as her left hand fell limply as it too was liberated.

The daughter of Bia leaned on me for a few minutes longer, a small trickling of liquid slipping down my chest. I couldn't tell if it was blood or tears, but I didn't have the indecency to ask.

After a few more seconds, she pulled herself off of me and pointed to her clothes which had been strewn closer to the entrance to the room. I nodded quickly, slowly lowering her to the floor to ensure that she didn't collapse before gathering the scattered fabrics and my discarded bow. I returned, handing her her clothes and turning to give her a little privacy.

"You've already seen everything," she grunted at me, "help me put them on."

I turned, nodding solemnly as I slowly helped her dress, doing my best to avoid her many lacerations.

"What happened to the others?" I had tried to sound confident for her sake, but my words came out in a raspy whisper.

"They took us all to another tent." She let out a wince as the clothes fell onto her exposed wounds. "They had us chained up. That's all I remember after waking up. We were making our move on the monster camp when something told me to sleep…"

Her eyes glossed over slightly, and I shook her uninjured shoulder slightly.

"Hey, what's the story? Keep talking to me."

Her eyes slipped back into focus as she nodded.

"They started taking us, one by one."

I slipped my hand under her shoulder, letting her lean on me as we made our way to the exit.

"And this one was about to take Helen. They were saying what they were going to do to her… She's my best friend, you know. I couldn't just…"

I pushed past the leather flaps, doing my best to ensure the study material didn't hit her as we slipped through them.

"I just felt this build-up inside of me and the next thing I know I was free from my bindings and there were three or four dead monsters around me. Then the cuts and stabs started. I blacked out for a bit and when I woke up, I was here. I knew what was going to happen to me but…"

I held her a little tighter.

"We don't need to talk about this now. It's okay. Right now, Percy and Chrysilla are out there, fucking up these monster scum. I'll be there for you whenever you want to talk about this or anything else, but right now let's get you out of here."

She gave a tiny nod against my shoulder. Her body weight grew heavier as I slowly began carrying her more than supporting her.

There was no way we could fight once we left, but I couldn't leave her here. I needed to get her to one of the Apollo kids.

We slipped out of the tent, and I paused at the sight before me. The smoke had cleared, and Percy was now accompanied by the majority of the other members of the vanguard. There weren't that many monsters left, but the demigods didn't let up.

"Fuck you!"

I turned to Zina to see her blast a Hellhound which was only a few feet away from us, its open jaw eating a beam of raw energy before it exploded into dust, showering us in its remains.

Zina then collapsed into my arms. I quickly lowered her to the floor and took my bow out.

"Jordon!"

I called out, hoping for the best. There was a chance that the son of Apollo was one of the lucky ones who made it out. His name slipped from my mouth over and over, tearing spilling from my closed eyes as I held Zina's limp body in my arms.

I didn't know how long had passed, but I was suddenly pushed away from the daughter of Bia. I opened my eyes to see Chris standing over me. I looked between his legs to see that Jordon had arrived.

The son of Apollo went straight to work on the daughter of Bia.

The tears continued to flow as I laid back on the floor in relief.

Cassandra

The heavy fog seemed to roll off of my skin as I darted through the trees.

Mommy had told me in my head to run away from Percy to help him, so I didn't wait a second. It had barely been a minute by now, but I could tell that there was something weird about the fog. Every time it tried to get closer to me, it seemed to thin out and then disappear.

I didn't really question it. A lot of weird things happened around me, especially when things were trying to hurt me. I smiled at the thought. Mommy was always protecting me from wherever she was. That's what I had realized a while ago.

"Stupid demigod! Do you know how many centuries I've spent learning to control the mist like that? What kind of fucked up power is that!"

I slid to a stop as the fog suddenly cleared, and I saw an odd creature lady in front of me. I tilted my head as I tried to remember what Percy had called this one.

"It doesn't matter if you can negate my powers." A cruel grin stretched across her face, letting her pointed teeth flash its yellowish tint at me.

I frowned as I stepped back, causing its grin to widen as it pulled out a bow and notched an arrow.

"Yes, I love the fear that reeks from you worthless godlings before death consumes you."

I felt my face scrunch up as I raised a hand to my nose.

"Percy always told me that you guys smelled bad, but I didn't realize it came from your mouths!"

The creature stopped in its slithery tracks. It glanced down to the floor for a moment, almost as if it were thinking about checking its own breath. It hissed before it shot a glare at me.

I snapped my finger before pointing at it.

"Right! You're a dracaena!"

The monster shook in outrage before it took its first shot. The arrow flew over my shoulder, whizzing past my ear before it stuck into a tree with a rattling thud. The fact that it missed seemed to tick the creature off more.

"You… you stupid, filthy child!" Its second shot flew off to my right, ricocheting off of a tree before hitting the first arrow in the shaft, exploding it in the process.

"I'll make sure to keep you alive so I can eat you from your toes!" The third shot flew straight into the air.

We both paused, our eyes staring into the sky as the arrow flew past the top of the trees.

"I'm sure even Percy could shoot better than you."

I heard another hiss, leading to me turning my attention to the fast-approaching monster in front of me.

I held my ground.

"Um… I wouldn't do that if I were…"

A massive roar of agony tore through the sky above us. The dracaena ignored it, as it angrily continued to slither towards me with pace.

I sighed, taking a step back as I heard the cracking of branches and trees which gave way for whatever was falling from the sky.

The dracaena was a few feet in front of me when I first saw it. It was a baby dragon, about the size of a small car. It crushed the dracaena before it dug into the dirt.

"Stupid monster. I tried to warn you!" I muttered to myself as I walked closer to the dragon which was squirming in pain. I saw that it had an arrow in its neck, the same arrow the dracaena had shot at me probably.

I shook my head before jumping to the side of the poor dragon, quickly ripping the arrow free.

It let out a cry of pain before it slowly transitioned into a soft mewling. The dragon stared at me for a few moments. It nudged me slightly, earning a giggle from me as I petted its head.

A loud explosion caught my attention from behind me.

I stood up from the dragon, turning to face the camp as I realized that Percy must have started attacking the monster camp.

I turned to check on the dragon again, but it had already begun flapping its wings and flying away.

I gave it a wave and a bright smile before turning back to where I heard the explosion from and began sprinting towards the camp.

I broke from the treelines, not pausing even as I saw the wave of smoke beginning to move towards me.

Before long I was covered by the hot, stifling smoke. The horrible, garbled growls and sounds of choking and suffering guided me away from most of the monsters. Whenever one noticed me and began to attack me, they would be cut down randomly.

A few cyclopes were too slow, and their weapons struck the earth behind me as I darted past them.

My eyes were watering now as I took ragged breaths. I bumped into something, falling to the floor next to it as I heard the earth shatter from where I was running. I quickly shot to my feet, blinking away the tears which were forming from the smoke. As I wiped my eyes, I saw that I had managed to stumble to the front of a tent.

I quickly slipped in, stumbled again, and fell on my knees coughing.

As I caught my breath on the floor, I heard something fly over my head, narrowly missing me as I was now on the floor.

I raised my head, trying to figure out what had flown over me. I huffed indignantly at the sight of a dagger hanging from a support beam next to the entrance. I turned to see where it had come from, and my eyes widened as I saw a Hellhound dissolving over the prone and sobbing figure of Lily. A quick glance behind Lily allowed me to see that there were six others tied up around a large central beam. I quickly pulled the dagger free from behind me and moved to free them of their bindings.

I started with Marc, who grunted his appreciation, quickly moving to untie the demigods on the other side of me to quicken the process.

Just as Marc had freed Adrian, the entrance to the tent was roughly flung open. Before I could even put the dagger in front of myself, Marc was upon the Telkhine. He hefted the creature into the air by its neck, slamming it to the ground before it could even claw at him. It let out a horrific screech as a reddish aura began seeping from the son of Ares, who had begun driving his fists into its doglike face over and over again.

I turned back to the others who were still tied up, cutting the ropes tied to Jordon and Chris before pausing to check on Adrian. The son of Athena was kneeling next to Lily, comforting the small girl as the, now free, son of Apollo darted towards the others.

Chris intercepted a Cyclops which had stepped into the tent, alerted by the horrible screeching of what remained of the bloody Telkhine. I winced at the fact that it still wasn't dust as Marc still stood over it.

I refocused on my task at hand, after freeing Jerome he darted into a random room behind the pillar. I quickly freed Tassos before Shaquille, careful to avoid his unconscious body which Tassos caught.

"He's sleeping, trying to get help from one of the dream state deities." Tassos comforted as he rubbed his wrist, his eyes darting between the room where Jerome had left and the entrance to the tent.

A few moments later, Jerome came sprinting back into the room, dragging a rope which had everyone's weapons tied to it. The son of Hermes panted for a moment as he placed his hands on his knees.

"I got your weapons!"

The words caught the attention of Adrian, who nodded at Jordon who now held the sobbing daughter of Hermes in his arms, his healing song causing her body to glow a light green.

Adrian stood by my side, strapping his dagger to his side before he turned to me.

"What's going on outside, Cassandra?"

"Percy and the others are fighting the monsters."

"Which others?"

"Chrysilla and Ajax."

I heard Marc utter a curse, causing me to turn to the larger boy who was drenched in monster blood and guts. I took a step back as he made his way past me, his stench more intimidating than his large presence. He quickly picked up his massive battle axe, swinging it in dangerous arcs to readjust to its weight as he made his way to the entrance.

"Wait, we need a plan!"

Marc stopped and swivelled to the son of Athena, his eyes blazing as he snarled at him.

"You want us to sit down and play commander now? While Percy is out there, and the others are dying!"

Adrian flinched at the venom behind his words but quickly regained his composure.

"That's it exactly! The others were taken to other tents. It wouldn't matter if we killed all the ones outside the tent when the others are in the tents with the monsters doing gods alone knows what to them."

Marc growled, turning on his heels.

"You're better at thinking, I'm better at killing. You deal with that. I'll help Percy and Chrysilla."

"Okay, one second! I know this is probably just your son of Ares thing that's clogging your brain, but at least take some help!"

Marc paused, another feral growl slipping from his lips. He shook his head, making a tsking sound before turning to Chris and Jordon.

"Get your weapons and follow me."

The two boys nodded, Jordon slowly letting go of Lily, who clung to her brother instead.

Adrian cursed to himself as the three boys left the tent. He turned and paced for a moment, his eyes on Lily and Jerome. The son of Athena smiled grimly to himself for a moment before nudging Shaquille.

"Watch over Lily and Cassandra, we're going to save the others."

Shaquille groaned, barely waking from his slumber before giving Adrian a thumbs up and rising to move towards the shaking girl.

The two boys quickly left the tent, Jerome taking the time to shoot his half-sister one last look of concern.

I watched the son of Hypnos stare awkwardly at Lily, before turning to me for some help with dealing with the still traumatized girl. I giggled at him before turning towards the room where Jerome had just come from. There was a compelling energy, one similar to when I spent time with my mom.

I quickly darted to the room, earning a cry of protest from Shaquille, which I ignored.

As I entered the room, I found my mom's symbol thrown on a pile of rotten fruits and vegetables. I frowned at the carelessness with which it had been discarded before picking it up. It quickly shrunk into a small necklace with a tiny golden horn on it. I smiled brightly at it before putting it on.

I felt a strange rush of energy, but I ignored it, skipping back out of the room.

Once I was back, I found Lily with a murderous look on her tear-stained face, her dagger in hand and her bow strapped to her back.

Shaquille bit back a yawn as he leaned heavily on his polearm.

"Ah, you're back."

I nodded at Shaquille with a huge smile as I motioned to my necklace. He gave me a small smile, patting me on my head.

"And you found it. At least all of this wasn't for nothing."

Lily spat on the ground.

"Are you two done yet? Can we go kill some of those fucking monsters now?"

Shaquille sighed; his confirmation useless as the girl had already begun storming out of the tent.

"Don't study it, she's had a… much harder night than the rest of us who were tied up."

I shrugged at him.

"Let's go kill some fucking monsters then!"

He paled slightly at the grin I gave him before groaning and walking towards the entrance to the tent.

"Don't tell him you heard that from me."

"Who?"

Percy

A loud battle cry tore through the battlefield.

The sound caught the attention of the Empousa before me, costing her life as Riptide slid through her throat.

I turned to the sound to find Marc leading Chris and Jordon from a tent. They began to carve their path through the remaining monsters. I smiled to myself.

"About time."

I changed my direction, letting Riptide pave a path of blood and dust towards the raging son of Ares.

"Good to see you're alive."

I grunted as I stepped beside him, cleaving the head off of a Cyclops which sat hunched on its knees clutching its abdomen where the mighty war axe of Marc resided.

"It'll take more to kill me."

I pushed him to the side, letting an arrow whizz harmlessly between us.

"I promise you it'll take much less."

He nodded grimly before ripping his axe free from the growing pile of dust.

"Adrian is leading the rest to find the other demigods."

"You weren't all together?"

Marc shook his head, his lips thinning as his eyes dimmed.

"There was something weird about this, Percy. They didn't just want to eat us…"

"What?"

He split a Telkhine in half.

"They-"

A large energy beam fizzed past us, leaving a searing hole in three monsters before fizzling out.

I stared at the dissolving monsters for a few moments before my eyes shifted back to Marc and then to where the energy beam had come from.

I saw Zina, pale and bleeding severely in Ajax's arms.

"Jordon!" I turned to see that Marc had begun yelling, "Help them!"

I turned to see Jordon nod at the cry, he turned and began sprinting towards the fallen girl.

I saw Chris intercept a monster from his path by tackling it to the ground. I quickly split its skull before helping the larger boy to his feet and motioning towards Jordon.

"Go with him, Chris. Keep him safe."

I turned again and saw that the monsters numbered far less than before. Most were already injured and slowly dying, or dead. I turned and saw Chrysilla easily slaughtering a few telkhines which were littered with arrows.

"Percy!"

I turned to the sound of the voice and my smile widened. Cassandra jumped at me, causing me to drop Riptide as I caught the daughter of Tyche. I glanced around us quickly, taking quick notice of the fact that the monsters suddenly seemed far more interested in either Marc or the floor as they tripped over their feet.

"Did you get it?"

I asked as I let my eyes wander the field for a moment, taking advantage of the fact that the smoke had cleared up. I saw Adrian rush out of a tent with Jerome and Teucer. He pointed at another tent, shouting something before disappearing back into the one he just exited, while the other two took off to where he had directed them.

I turned to where Marc had come from, to see Lilly rushing random monsters, stabbing them with no care in the world as she completely bypassed protecting herself. I calmed slightly when I noticed Shaquille standing at the entrance to the tent, pointing at any monsters who made it past the furious daughter of Hermes' attention, putting them to sleep before they could attack her. She would then swivel as she heard them hit the ground, stabbing them more like a crazed serial killer than a highly trained demigod.

"Yeah, it's right here!"

I turned down to the smiling daughter of Tyche who held out the golden horn which was strung around her neck.

I smiled back at her.

"It's very pretty, just like you."

Cassandra giggled as she began to fiddle with the horn in her hands.

"Are you okay though, nothing hurt you right?"

Cassandra shook her head, staring at me with a smaller smile.

"I'm okay, Percy. Mommy protected me."

I nodded, placing her on the floor as I reached into my pocket to retrieve Riptide.

"And I will too."

There weren't that many monsters left though. Jerome, now accompanied by Oliver, had begun cutting off the monsters trying to escape into or past the tents next to them. I noticed that Adrian had returned from inside of his own and was doing the same.

Despite Riptide being drawn, there was no need. Marc had stuck close to me, mutilating, and violently decimating the monsters as they slowly took stock of their situation and shifted from attacking us to trying to desert.

The last of the monsters were being dealt with when a massive roar tore through the campsite. I turned to the source, the largest tent on the other side of the bonfire. I shifted my grip on Riptide as I narrowed my eyes at the tent.

A huge Cyclops, rivalling the size of Polyphemus, pushed the tent to the side as he stepped from behind it.

It screamed something at us, a garbled incoherent tongue that meant nothing more than a clear indication of emotion.

Rage.

It held a massive sword in one hand and a much larger club, made purely of metal, in the other. It took a step forward, as it glared at all of us. It was about to take another step when it suddenly slipped.

Its sword swung at an odd angle as it fell, slicing off his other arm and launching the club into the sky. The giant humanoid monster crashed onto the floor, creating a miniature quake.

We all stared in morbid fascination as the metal club descended onto its skull, crushing it as the giant exploded into a pile of dust.

The pause extended as the standing members continued to stare at the remains of the giant in muted shock. I composed myself, letting my eyes start to trail the surroundings to take a head count as soon as possible.

"That was extremely unlucky…" Marc's voice cut the silence.

"On the contraire, Ares' child. I'd say that that was most fortunate."

I swivelled to see Lady Tyche standing before us, a broad grin on her face at her joke.

She waved me off as I began to bow.

"It may be an unpleasant reward, but it is the best I could offer given the attention that this has garnered from…" she trailed off, pointing to the sky. "You can stay at this camp for a week, you will be safe from other monsters. It is not so much my protection but rather the information that monsters tend to stray from places that stink of their death. They may be ruthless creatures, but they do value their time out of Tartarus and any indication that they could meet a quick end would deter most of the lesser monsters."

"What about the major ones?"

I turned to face Adrian, his body was caked with blood and golden dust.

Tyche regarded him with a level of disgust that seemed to be for more than just his grim stained appearance.

"They fear only the gods."

Tyche turned to me for a moment, staring at me for a second.

"You need to gain control of these children if you wish them to remain alive. Should it have been another deity to have given you this mission, only those who stayed with you may have survived."

"Thank you for your advice, my lady. I will do my best, but know that I still keep what we discussed at the front of my thoughts."

Tyche smiled gently at me, stepping closer and placing her soft palm on my cheek.

"It's a shame that the Fates have woven plans for you much greater than I could ever comprehend. Otherwise, the smile of Lady Luck would have shone on you so bright all misfortune would evade you, much like that of Cassandra."

"I'll be content with being able to see your smile, my lady."

Tyche chuckled, stepping back from me as she turned to Cassandra.

"Come, honey, let's spend some time together while I teach you about that cornucopia you just got."

Cassandra nodded, jumping into her hands as the goddess turned to the rest of the group.

"Do better."

She then disappeared in a wisp of air.

The early morning light began to peek over the horizon.

"Alright, everyone. I'm going to need the uninjured to return to where we were camped and bring our supplies here."

I heard some muttering of discontentment but ignored them as I turned to Marc. The son of Ares simply nodded at my unspoken request and moved to gather the members for the task.

"You're awfully close to Lady Tyche."

I turned to find Chrysilla who refused to meet my eyes. I let my eyes flow over her body, frowning slightly at the sight of each nick and scratch that marred her skin. I let my eyes settle on her face, which remained turned away from me, smiling at seeing it unmarked aside from the specs of dirt and blood which also caught at the edges of her dark hair.

"She reminds me of my mother," I replied with a chuckle as I moved to where Zina was being treated by Jordon.

"And that's it?" The daughter of Athena asked as she trailed behind me.

"I may be a descendant of the Greek gods, but I will not abide by their normalization of incest…" I paused as I turned back to her.

"To the same degree, I guess."

Chrysilla stared at me for a few moments before chuckling. Adrian caught her attention, asking for her assistance. She gave me a sly look before walking towards her half-brother.

I shook my head, another smile gracing my lips at the interaction. I knelt by Zina, watching as Ajax held her hand tightly, his eyes filled with worry.

"How is she?"

Jordon looked up, sighing as he met my eyes before turning back to the daughter of Bia and responding.

"Better than some of the others I saw…"

"Then go and help them."

"No! Heal her fully first!"

Jordon looked at me for a moment, before nodding and leaving the daughter of Bia with myself and Ajax.

The son of Aristaeus reached out to pull Jordon back, but I quickly slapped his hand down.

"Would you rather other members die in agony, or Zina be injured and unconscious for a while longer?"

Ajax froze, letting his eyes fall on Zina's face. Her breath was soft and steady, and she seemed at ease, probably much better than she had been when she collapsed. He seemed to realize this and backed down, instead grabbing her hand in his.

"I'm sorry… I just…"

"Finally understanding what you signed up for?"

He nodded and I stood and began to walk to the other person who was being tended to. Once I was out of his earshot, I shook my head.

"Good."

A/N: Just another reminder that things are very much rated M for a lot of reasons.

Also, Fridays around this time will be the new date and time for posting going forward!

Now I know I really painted this out to be heavy and not at all a walk in the park, but was this how you expected their first mission to go? Was this how you thought things would play out as a whole? I know that a lot happened in this chapter, but this is about the length that I'm more comfortable with for the moment.

I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I just want to say once more that I have a large portion of this already written. In one of these chapters, I'll have to ask about how I go about the aftermath of what I've already written out.

Finally, to those who left reviews asking to see certain things, I really appreciate it all. You guys have some great ideas, but I'm not entirely sure everything can fit within what I'm seeing for the story. If I see something that makes sense and fits, I have absolutely no problem with adding it.

That should be everything. I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter… or at the very least it puts it all into perspective how this story should be progressing from here.

Anyway, I hope you're all having a great day whenever you're reading this. See you all next time!
-ZedricSOZ