Chapter Nine (The cold path to diamond)

And when the truth reveals itself, in all its horrendous glory, there is rarely anything left of the unlucky.

Percy

The aftermath of the fight left a heavy and bitter weight in the air around the Vanguard.

Despite the ugly flare of negativity that would have a satyr depressed simply by being near us, I had managed to set up enough tasks to keep the abled busy enough to distract them from their thoughts. Time seemed to slip away as they reconstructed the tents around the bonfire which had been the source of our ambush.

As they continued to lethargically complete their assignments, the children of Apollo were diligent in their tending to the wounded. I clicked my tongue as my mind shifted to those with the gravest of injuries.

Helen.

Adrastea.

Crystal.

Zina.

Oliver.

Teucer.

Fortunately, Shaquille was able to lull each of them into a peaceful sleep so that Jordon and Katherine could do their work. Most of them at least. Teucer had refused to be put out of commission, forcing his siblings to tend to his most serious wounds before rising and assisting them with the others. It had been an impressive watch to see him juggle between the injured and any injury along his own body which prevented him from helping those before him.

While they had the gravest of injuries, it wasn't a fair enough statement to dismiss the injuries received by others.

Lily had picked up a stab wound to her shoulder for her carelessness in battle.

Chris had a massive gash on his back from when he dove to protect Jordon from a pouncing hellhound.

Marc had a few of his ribs cracked and a few fractures along his fingers from his bare-fisted engagement with a few monsters, which apparently occurred before he entered the fray. Children of Ares were hardcore.

Adrian received an arrow to the thigh.

Chrysilla, Jerome and I had minor scratches.

Nothing that some ambrosia, nectar and rest couldn't handle.

Cassandra was the only one who remained completely unscathed.

There wasn't much that I could positively take away from this whole shitshow, but Cassandra being unmarred was definitely at the top of that list.

There was still the issue of figuring out who had led the demigods in such an idiotic and rebellious charge against the monster camp. The topic had been brought up briefly as I assisted Marc, Adrian and Chrysilla in mounting our command tent, but we just couldn't come to any logical suspects.

I paused as I stood before a massive entrance within one of the many tents which bordered our impromptu camp. Those thoughts had been put on hold for a reason, besides, there was much more to hold my interest hidden behind these fabric walls.

I had separated from the main group sometime in the afternoon after the tents had been set up and the injured were announced to be clear of becoming residents in Hades' realm. It had started as a simple scouting of the enemy stores, before quickly turning to a mapping to ensure that the place would be sufficiently looted before we left.

I had stumbled across many stashes filled with celestial bronze weapons and mangled sets of armour. I had also seen discarded wallets and expensive jewellery from the mortal world. Whether that came from their slaughtering of mortals or what they had acquired from, and for, their time melding into the mortal world, I wasn't sure.

There was still much to learn about the creatures which we had often discarded as foul and mindless beasts.

"Bingo!" I whispered under my breath as I stumbled across a forge. The forge which stretched in front of me was by no means small, yet I couldn't quite help but downplay the enormity of it as I mentally compared it to the one in Mount St Helen.

I made a mental note to have Chris inspect the room a little later.

Despite being satisfied with my search, I carried on to the final few rooms. It was an addicting process which reminded me of a lottery. Of course, there were many great treasures to stumble across, but the amount of rooms which had been allotted for dining was disturbing. I repeated my process of cutting open the fabric doors to the rooms that were safe to be used and explored but leaving the rooms with corpses or bones with their massive sheets of leather to obstruct the view.

If someone truly wanted to see, it wouldn't stop them, but it was a little way to make sure that no one had to stumble across the atrocities if they weren't up for it. And by no one I really just meant Cassandra.

I slipped out of the tent; a gentle breeze brought with it the sound of chirping birds as a sharp beam of light stung my eyes.

"Is that the sun?"

"Yes, it is, Percy. You haven't slept at all last night, you should really get some rest." I shielded my eyes for a moment as I turned my squinted gaze to the son of Hypos.

I nodded at him before walking to his side.

"Walk with me to my tent?"

I began moving as the words left my mouth, giving the younger boy not much of a chance to respond.

"What do you think about what occurred yesterday morning?"

I could feel him shift nervously as he kept stride with me to my left.

"Well, everyone charged the camp, thinking you had ordered it and then we got caught in the-"

"Not what happened. I want to know what you think about the situation."

Shaquille paused for a few moments. I was growing anxious as I saw my tent approaching.

"I think everyone assumed that the monsters weren't really that much of a threat. That there really wasn't anything to worry about. Kind of like we were just on the path to exterminating pests."

"Not facing some of the most dangerous creatures that threaten our very existence?"

Shaquille shook his head.

"We knew they were dangerous. We just didn't know they were smart."

I hummed at his response. A soothing silence fell onto us as I let the words spoken replay in my head. Before long we stood in front of my tent. I turned to face the boy, stopping him from leaving.

"After this whole turn of events, would you prefer to train more or rush into another mission?"

He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"I would rather sleep." I smiled lightly at the joke as he continued, "But if I'm being honest. I think most of us should go back to camp. I still can't believe this was the group you said would survive."

I raised the flap of my tent.

"The best chance of surviving. And this is from what I could choose from. If there were even two more veteran fighters that showed up, we would have had everything more under control."

"Is that how powerful the older demigods are? Like you?"

I chuckled, shaking my head as I slipped into my tent. I poked my head out to the son of Hypnos who stared at me curiously.

"There aren't many, if any, demigods as powerful as I am that's alive today. No, that's just how valuable experience in the field is."

I stepped back, closing the flaps to the tent.

"Goodnight!"

I called behind the fabrics as I made my way to the sleeping bag. I was almost tempted to sleep on one of the beds which the Cyclops had so generously left behind for us. Not nearly enough though.

I heard Shaquille's muffled response from the other side of the tent as I felt my consciousness wane the moment my head hit the pillow.

The soft crackling of wood under the intense heat of flames collided with the soft sounds of the nocturnal wildlife.

Cassandra sat on the log to my right, which had been pulled closer to me, and played with the fingers of my right hand as we sat by the hearth.

Moments later, Adrian and Marc took the seats to my left. A few demigods made their way around the hearth, congregating at the opposite side of the hearth as they too found their seats.

"How are the injured?"

"A lot of them are still rattled, but they can all move about at least."

I nodded to Adrian, who sat on the seat to the left of Marc.

"Good, well go get them."

"Already done."

I turned to see Chrysilla sit on the other side of Cassandra.

I gave a silent nod of appreciation as I focused on the odd angles in which Cassandra seemed to be set on bending my fingers. I flexed them a little, startling the little girl at how easily she lost control over her playthings. I chuckled as she began to wrestle my fingers with a renewed vigour.

A few minutes later, the entire Vanguard sat before me. Helen and Zina sat next to each other, with Katherine to their right. Lily and Crystal sat on the other side of the daughter of Apollo, who seemed to be checking up on their injuries. I raised an eyebrow slightly as I noted that Adrastea had chosen to sit next to Adrian.

I shrugged it off.

I let my eyes wander the rest of the group. A nervous energy filled the air as they whispered softly to one another. The sounds collectively pooled into a large mass, which washed over the crackling of the hearth.

"That mission was beyond abysmal." The words pierced through the growing murmuring. Eyes shifted towards me as almost everyone sat up straight to face me.

Cassandra continued her wrestling match with my fingers.

"Percy," Adrian began, "I think it's a bit harsh considering it's only…"

He slowly trailed off as my green eyes stared deep into his soul, begging him to continue cutting me off.

I kept staring at him until he looked away.

"Like I said. Beyond abysmal."

I let my eyes meet those of each demigod.

"Have you all eaten?"

My response was small nods and whispers of the word 'yes'.

"Have you sacrificed a portion of your food as you did in camp?"

I was met with the same response.

"And pray tell, how many of you sacrificed to Tyche?"

I widened my eyes in mock shock at their lack of response as I hummed a 'huh' to exacerbate the faux emotion.

"That's odd. It's almost as if most of you aren't only alive today because of the goddess."

"We're almost dead because we took the mission from her."

The flames flickered violently as I dropped the temperature to near freezing.

I turned my eyes to find who had spoken, but everyone had gone stiff.

"Who spoke?"

No one answered.

"Is it safe to assume it's the same person who told you all that I ordered you to attack this monster camp on your own?"

"We didn't think it was on our own, we thought you were already charging."

I turned to Teucer, who sat next to Chris. I flickered my gaze onto the rest of the group.

The silence was stifling. The cold remained unrelenting under my control.

"Do you all know why I was so hellbent on training you all instead of exploring the world straight away?"

I continued before anyone could offer a response.

"Well, if you didn't know before, I'm sure you know now. But I do have another question. How did it feel?"

Curious eyes raised from their ashamed gazes towards the floor.

"Percy…" Adrian's voice called softly as he saw where I was going with this.

"How did it feel to be at the mercy of the monsters?"

Gasps broke out around the camp.

"How did it feel to have them pin you down, tie you up and treat you like you were nothing more than whatever they desired you to be? How did it feel to be powerless?"

I saw Katherine pull Lily back to her seat while Zina held a sobbing Helen. Marc placed a hand on my knee, squeezing it a little harder than he should have.

I slammed the knuckles of my left into the back of his hand, causing him to release me.

"Well? How does it feel?!"

No one answered.

I felt a small tug on my fingers and turned to Cassandra who was shivering slightly. I sighed, settling back onto the log as I let the temperature slowly rise back to normal.

"Don't forget that feeling. When you want to sleep in tomorrow, don't forget that feeling. When you don't want to train, remember that feeling. When you want to quit before the session is done, remember that feeling. When you are thinking of an easy life, remember that feeling. When you think you know better than those in charge, remember that feeling."

The sobs of Helen filled the quiet. Cassandra shifted onto my lap, snuggling closer to me.

I wrapped my arms around the little girl, hugging her to warm her up.

"You were all chosen for a reason. Every single one of you. Prove it. Not just to me, but to the person on either side of you. And to yourself. What happened was not just a nightmare or just one rare case where things could go wrong. Surviving that morning means nothing towards whether you'll survive the next fight. This is the reality of your existence outside of camp. This is what you all signed up for. The next time we have a mission, or decide to take on some monsters, we may very well have to build a pyre for the person sitting next to you…"

I paused as I noted that Cassandra had fallen asleep in my arms.

"Look at the person next to you."

I waited patiently as they met each other's eyes. They noticed that the tears and the cold were a shared experience for the first time. They began to console each other or reach out for warmth as they let the crushing weight stacked on their shoulder be shared for a moment.

I continued to wait in silence as Chrysilla took the seat which was occupied by Cassandra and reached for my hand. I shifted Cassandra in my arms to allow my hand to wrap around Chrysilla's, squeezing it comfortingly.

"When we train from now on, I don't want you to just think about how far you can push yourself. I want you to remember the face of the person to your left and the person to your right. Their lives are in your hands. When you train, you need to train to ensure that they will survive too. When you eat, I want you to ensure that they have food too. When you sleep, I want you to wonder if they're sleeping well too.

"Your lives now aren't only for you to live now, but the responsibility of myself and those around you. I will not allow you to forget what occurred, no matter what terrible things happened to you, because if you forget what it felt like to be tied up and at the mercy of the monsters, then you'll lose touch with why you need to work so hard to keep the person to your left and right safe. You will no longer be working for the group but for yourself.

"If you can't accept that, then let me know and I'll take you all back to camp to live the merry-go-lucky life you desire."

I squeezed Chrysilla's hand before pulling away. I stood up, keeping Cassandra in my arms as I moved towards her tent to put her in her bed.

I decided to make a quick pit stop in my tent to grab 'The Children of the Sky' before laying the daughter of Tyche in her sleeping bag. It would be much quieter if I stayed with the daughter of Tyche until everyone else went to sleep.

I didn't want to have to face the demigods tonight, not when they had already been spared the full extent of my wrath by the calming presence of Cassandra. I decided that their luck should win out while I cooled my emotions more constructively, at least for tonight.

Third Person

"It's like he doesn't get it! We know it was bad but what were we supposed to do!" Lily cried out as she paced around the hearth in the centre.

"I think he does get it…" Marc started, his fists clenching tightly as his words gathered everyone's attention.

"Even so, he didn't need to go so far," Adrian argued, his voice uncharacteristically meek.

Marc shook his head and shot up to his feet, a snarl curling on his lips.

"Then fuck off back to camp then! The lot of you!" He glared at everyone.

"How can we just go back to that life after what happened?!" Zina argued back.

"After what? One little scuffle with some monsters that didn't exactly go your way!"

"I'm pretty sure I almost got raped!"

"And I'm pretty sure Oliver almost got flayed and burnt alive! But it didn't happen, why? Because the demigod who fought multiple Titans, crawled his way out of Tartarus to then fight against the primordial goddess of the fucking earth itself, came all gung-ho to save us! And now that he's concerned that we're not doing enough to survive and wants us to work harder, you're going to complain?"

A stunned silence took the demigods by force.

The sarcastic clapping of Marc's hand dispelled the silence a moment later.

"Like I said, then you lots can fuck off!"

The son of Ares turned on his heels, wincing slightly as his hand shot up to his ribs as he stormed off. Helen quickly rose from her seat and silently followed the injured boy.

A few moments later, Chrysilla stood up and shot a look which expressed her stern disappointment.

"You didn't see the panic in his eyes. While you were being tormented by the monsters, he was being tormented by the idea of failing you all and dooming you to a horrible demise. I can understand if you say he doesn't get it, but please don't imply that he doesn't care."

The daughter of Athena walked out.

Ajax sighed and shook his head.

"What she said."

He then followed her lead, earning a huff from Chrysilla who had overheard him as she walked away.

Shaquille stood up and just began to walk away. He paused and turned around.

"He didn't sleep for a second last night. He kept patrolling the camp even though Lady Tyche said we should be safe. I'm pretty sure he checked each corner of each tent just to be safe too. Hades, he took the entire night shift by himself! I don't like how his words feel any more than you guys do, but I guess that's how the truth is supposed to feel in situations like this."

The son of Hypnos walked back to his tent.

Everyone left at the campfire sat silently.

"Marc is right, who knows what he went through in Tartarus? If he can survive that and two wars with Giants, Titans, and the Earth Mother herself, I think he has enough right to talk about being in a hopeless situation." Adrian said softly, though it reached everyone's ears perfectly against the backdrop of silence.

"I don't want to go back to camp, I feel like I can't go back anymore. I'd just ruin the innocence of everyone else. I just can't help but blame Percy!" Crystal cried as she put her face in her hands.

"He was honest with us from the start," All eyes turned to Katherine, "You want to blame him probably because you don't want to blame yourself for being so weak and powerless. We all knew the risks when we tried out, he gave us so many chances to back out and he's still doing it. I don't think he's trying to be mean or to hurt our feelings. I think he knows that this is a true wake-up call. And that he won't force us to continue, but if we want to ensure that what could've happened yesterday isn't the way we die, going back to camp is the safest option."

Lily had made her way to Crystal, consoling her half-sister as the soft sobbing of the girl rang through the silence.

"It's like he said," Adrian began a few moments later, "we need to get stronger, not just as individuals, but as a unit. He was trying not to rush you all into too intense training just yet, but I'm sure that will all change soon."

"I take it that none of us are actually going to do the smart thing and take him up on his offer and leave?" Chris asked rhetorically, though it seemed he was hoping someone else would disagree and not have him be the only one to go back to camp.

"As much as I want to, I don't want to be no little bitch." Kerwin said, earning a small round of laughter from everyone there.

"I guess we'll give him our answer when he wakes up."

Percy

The night rolled into the day.

I didn't sleep again that night, instead opting to read through the last part of the book. It was a difficult read, as it didn't quite click with me as did the things mentioned in 'The Children of The Sea'.

I knew I would have to discuss these things with the children of Athena with me, but I still held some reservations about the idea. I decided to wait until I had finished the last book before I offered it to them to read. I knew that they were enchanted so that the information would dissipate if I wanted, but I didn't want them to know if I had lost trust or faith in them.

"Coming in."

I stared up from my seat in the command tent, a small grunt of acknowledgement leaving my lips as I noticed the son of Hephaestus entered.

"Great, you're right on time."

"Hard not to be with Shaquille around."

I chuckled lightly as I nodded in response. I quickly motioned for the boy to wait a moment, shifting the papers on the table as I searched for what I needed to talk to him about.

"Ah, here it is." I picked up the ring from Tyson, presenting it to the boy in front of me. "While we were on our way to come to your aid," Chris shifted awkwardly, "I noticed that we had to leave our armour behind in our rush. This, however, is enchanted to have my armour form on my body in an instant."

"Then why weren't you wearing it in the fight?"

I stared at him for a moment, unsure how to receive his tone.

"Like I said, we were in a rush."

He nodded, urging me to continue.

"Is there any way that you'd be able to use this enchantment and recreate it for the rest of the Vanguard?"

The son of Hephaestus stepped forward, querying if he could hold the ring. After gaining approval, he picked it up and studied it for a few moments.

"No, this enchantment is way too complex for me," he returned the ring to me. "Besides, I'd need a fully functioning forge to be able to pull that off in the first place."

I hummed, slipping Impenetrable onto my finger, letting my fingers trace along it.

"Well, that's a shame. I did however find a forge, would you-"

"Here? In which tent?"

I sighed, turning my attention back to the boy to see his eyes were alit with excitement.

"Yes, it's a few tents to the right of the destroyed hut. As I wa-"

"Really?! Then I can do what you want me to do, I'd just need everyone's armour, but I can't do much for those without armour unless I have the right materials."

I stared at him blankly for a few moments.

"I thought you said that it was too complex."

"To recreate that particular enhancement, yes. That one is riddled with many things I've never seen before, even when I worked on projects for the children of Hecate. I do know a few other enchantments that can be placed to offer what I understand from what I see there."

I stared at him, nodding for a few moments.

"I can see you're going to be very difficult to work with."

He grinned widely at me, stretching out his arm and displaying his massive frame.

"It's part of my addictive and lovable charm."

A small smile pulled at my lips.

"Okay great. Well, gather everyone's armour and meet me at the tent after lunch."

The boy frowned. "You're going to tease me with being able to forge and then leave me hanging for so long?"

I chuckled at his antics.

"I found a treasure room of sorts," I quickly pressed on as I saw his eyes widening, "I just want to assess which materials are from our world and which aren't so that we can build up some form of treasury to finance our travels in the mortal world."

"You sure know how to turn a man on, Commander!"

We stared at each other for a few moments before we both broke out in laughter.

"What can I say, I'm a man of many gifts."

"Alright Santa." The boy managed as his laughter died down. "I'm going to get some breakfast. I'll be eagerly awaiting the time we share after lunch."

"Too much!" I called after him as he left the tent, the sound of his laughter trailing behind him.

I shook my head slightly. I couldn't deny that I felt relieved to have such a pleasant interaction with the boy after my words the night prior. I knew I was being particularly blunt and, while I wasn't worried about ruining relationships over what had to be done, I was pleased to see that I hadn't. At least with Chris.

I took a long sip from the water bottle before me. I stretched, the smile remaining on my face as I went through some of the other plans I had laid out for the future.

"Morning Percy."

I looked up, slightly surprised to see that Chrysilla and Adrian had entered the tent. I glanced at the watch on my wrist before staring back up at the pair.

"Huh. I didn't expect you two to be up so early."

I motioned for them to take their seats.

"I have great news though." They remained standing at the entrance, but I brushed it off, my excitement getting the better of me. "Remember how, in our rush, we all forgot about our armour?"

"I don't have any armour…" Chrysilla responded while Adrian nodded.

"Yeah, it would have taken too long to put on."

I nodded at Adrian.

"Well, thanks to the hoarding of the monsters and their forge, I've managed to come up with a solution with Chris. We should be able to enchant everyone's armour, and even give armour to those without. The enchantment will ensure that there is no need to spend all of that time putting it on!"

I stared excitedly at the pair for a moment before shifting my eyes back to my ring, which now sat comfortably on my right middle finger. I absentmindedly pointed at the chairs on either side of me,

"Come, take your seats! We can start talking about our plans. I don't mind catching Marc up afterwards."

"Maybe we should wait to have this meeting until you address the rest of the Vanguard."

I looked up from the sheets spread out before me, my curious gaze falling on Adrian.

"It's fine. They won't be up for a few more hours and we'll just be lo-"

"They're up and waiting for you at the hearth."

I turned to Chrysilla, raising an eyebrow for a moment as I stared into her eyes.

"Really?"

An incredulous chuckle slipped from my lips as I returned my attention to the paper in my hand.

"Yes, really. Why don't we go outside and take a look?"

"Yeah, Percy. It's better to have this talk now than later."

I shifted my eyes between the half-siblings, before settling on the one who spoke last.

"Alright, lead the way, Chrysilla."

The girl nodded with a small smile as slipped past the entrance, Adrian right behind her.

"Are you coming?"

I sighed as they stared at me from the entrance. I gave one last look at the sheet of paper in front of me before putting it on the table and rising from my seat.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm coming."

The walk to the hearth was silent, an uncomfortable one tainted by my lack of belief in the words of the Athena pair.

"What the fuck is going on today?" I asked quietly as we approached the hearth. They were right. All of the members of the Vanguard were gathered before me, waiting for us to take our seats. "What time is it?"

"Around six in the morning."

I turned to Adrian.

"Is it possible for them to be up this early? I thought they were allergic to the morning!"

Chrysilla snorted in laughter as Adrian shot me a small smile.

"Maybe they have more surprises in store for you."

I shrugged, as we took our seats.

A few moments of silence enveloped us. I let my eyes roam around the members before me, a curiosity spreading throughout me as I pondered on their motives for waking up so early.

"I think I speak on behalf of everyone when I say that we are all going to stay with you."

My eyes shifted to the familiar owner of the voice. My eyes locked with Marc for a few moments before they danced to each of the other members, pausing as they nodded their affirmation.

"Alright then." I clapped as I stood up from my seat, "If that was all, there are a lot of logistics we need to go over."

Chrysilla grabbed my arm and held me in place.

"We were thinking that maybe we could go over it with everyone today, seeing as we're all up for it."

I sighed and sat back down, only relaxing completely as Cassandra gave me a small wave from her seat. I smiled as I saw her swinging her legs over the ground, without a care in the world.

I motioned at Chrysilla to take over and the girl began to address the rest of the group.

"We're looking for a solution to the chain of command issues..."

I groaned as the clanging of metal on metal rang out from beyond the thin walls of my tent.

The day before the group had decided upon splitting up into four squads of five. Marc, Adrian, Chrysilla and I had been nominated as the leader of each group and we spent a few hours working out how each member would be assigned to a squad.

Outside of training and battle, the members were free to roam and interact however they wanted, with the person in charge being myself. In battle, however, the leader of each squad could carry out assignments however they saw fit.

Each squad had a child of Hermes, or Jordon, to carry messages across squads, if need be, one Archer and/or Healer, one child of Ares and one with special abilities. It was a simple enough layout which focused on functionality and the concept of becoming much more coordinated. This way, it gave a direct chain of command to obey. If an order wasn't heard from myself, or a squad leader, it was to be ignored or cross-referenced.

I was surprised that the others had been so willing and helpful. The idea to split into squads was Adrastea's idea, while the division of demigods was Zina's.

I shook my head as I quickly got myself in order and left the tent.

Today was the first day that everyone would be split up into their squads for their training. I stretched as I basked in the morning sun. I decided to check up on all of the other squads before I made my way to my own.

The first squad I saw was Marc's squad. Well, what little of it had been fully healed already. He had been assigned Helen, Teucer, Jerome and Zina. Helen and Zina were both still having their wounds tended to and Teucer was busy with his sister taking care of the injured.

I heard an exhausted yelp and turned to see Marc aggressively assaulting Jerome under the pretence of training. Marc roughly kicked the son of Hermes in the stomach, sending the boy's twin daggers scattering as he sprawled out on the floor. Marc groaned, cradling his ribs for a moment as the twin blades clattered on the ground, skidding across the dirt before resting at my feet. Jerome began scrambling towards his weapon before realizing whose feet it had fallen before. He sighed in relief, looking up at me with such hope.

I simply gave him a sad smile before nudging his daggers towards him, nodding towards Marc, and walking away.

As rough as the training was, I had faith in Marc to not get carried away. I had already seen enough to notice he was holding back significantly and doing enough to allow Jerome to become more proficient with his weapons. I felt satisfied with his method, as rough as it was, but made a mental note to allow him to train with me every so often to ensure he didn't get too rusty training his squad members.

I heard Jerome give another cry as the war axe thudded heavily, embedding in the floor, probably...

I flinched and sped up before I could change my mind and step in to help the son of Hermes.

In my haste, I bumped into Chrysilla, who had taken a quick step back to evade the massive war hammer being swung by Chris. It made sense that she didn't even consider using her shield against that weapon which seemed to belong to one of the Cyclopes.

The daughter of Athena quickly turned her head, her body tense as though she were about to attack me.

Before either of us could say a word, I noticed the familiar sound of an arrow being notched. I quickly turned to see Jordon letting an arrow loose towards the distracted Chrysilla. The daughter of Athena threw her weight at me, causing the both of us to tumble onto the floor, narrowly evading the flying arrow.

Before I could even shift on the ground, Chrysilla was back on her feet, her shield deflecting another two arrows before she shifted away from another downward swing from Chris.

Now I had decided upon a strong policy against stepping into the training of the other squad members unless there was a good reason.

I didn't expect to find one on the first day of training.

The sight of the massive slab of metal rushing towards me lit my instincts alight. I quickly rolled towards the son of Hephaestus, uncapping Riptide as I rolled under his attack. I quickly drove the pommel of my blade into the side of his knee. As he fell, I noticed another arrow being let loose, this one from Ajax.

Chrysilla quickly stepped between me and the arrow, letting it harmlessly bounce off her shield.

I quickly got to my feet and began to move away, letting the group continue their training before Chris grabbed me by my shirt. My eyes went wide as I felt my body leave the ground before crashing into the back of Chrysilla, who yelped in surprise as it was my turn to let my weight bring us to the floor.

As we sorted out our limbs from our entangled state on the floor, the three other demigods stood over us with smirks on their faces.

"Yield!" Chris said smugly.

Before I could even question what I had been dragged into, Chrysilla rolled on top of me, before grabbing my left shoulder and using the momentum of her roll to drag me with her. I closed my eyes, mentally fed up with being used so much as I unwillingly let myself become part of a human wheel.

Before the third time, I felt the ground on my back, I had collided with some feet. Still dazed, I slowly tried crawling away from the pair of feet before I was brought even further into the mess.

I managed to crawl a few meters away before turning and sitting on the grass, holding my head, and staring back at the ruthless group.

Was this penance for leaving Jerome to his fate with Marc?

Chrysilla had apparently used our little human wheel formation to throw Jordon off balance and, while he sat up, his bow too far out of reach, Chrysilla had plucked an arrow from his quiver and slid behind him, forcing him to yield with an arrow to his throat while keeping the others away as she also used him as a shield.

The moment he yielded; she threw the arrow at Ajax like a mini spear. While he panicked, fumbling his bow in the process, Chrysilla darted towards her sword. Chris was much closer to her weapon and smiled, racing the girl towards the blade. He began to raise his hammer, a triumphant grin on his face, until the daughter of Athena darted past him, letting his weapon fall to the ground, and shaking the earth around them. As he stared in shock, Chrysilla had chosen to go for her shield, flicking it up to her hand with her foot before spinning and driving the front of the shield into Chris's temple, knocking him clean out.

Before Chris' body could thump against the floor, Ajax dropped his bow and gave up.

I stood up, clapping sarcastically as I rose to my feet.

"Now was there any particular reason that you all decided to involve me in that little fiasco?"

Ajax looked to the other boys, as though he were expecting them to speak, but sighed as he saw Jordon had already moved over to tend to the small gash which had formed on Chris' head.

"When we saw you bump into Chrysilla, Jordon suggested we use you as a distraction to win the fight."

I sighed and squeezed the bridge of my nose.

"Correction." Chrysilla started with a wide grin on her face as she rose from retrieving her spear. "I noticed you were approaching and positioned myself to make them believe that they could use you to their advantage."

Jordon looked up from healing Chris as he and Helen stared at Chrysilla in shock.

"That's fucked up…" Chris mumbled before Jordon turned his focus back to tending to the poor kid.

"Athena always has a plan…" I muttered under my breath, but Chrysilla heard it.

"And soon they will too." She nodded towards the three members who had now grouped up. Chris had regained full consciousness but held his head in pain while Jordon offered him a piece of ambrosia.

I shook my head at her.

"I'll have faith in your training method." She smiled and began to move towards her squad members, "but, I think I might want some retribution for being treated like a ragdoll, I think we should organize a spar once everyone is more settled."

The daughter of Athena paled a little, but I walked off before she could reply.

As I continued walking, I paused as I saw Oliver unconscious in a heap to the side.

I turned back to Chrysilla and shot her a curious glance before I saw her mouth 'Oh shit!' before nudging Jordon and having the boy rush over to their last squad member.

I sighed. I had been wondering how the entire group was already performing a full-intensity training session. I was so engrossed in being roped into their little scuffle that I had forgotten about that particular nasty gash on Ajax's right forearm, and that Oliver had… Well, it looked like the cut behind his right ear had been reopened…

"Oh shit, Teucer and Katherine are going to kill me…"

"You probably shouldn't have promised them that he wouldn't get hurt then."

Everyone stared at Chrysilla in disbelief for a moment, causing the daughter of Athena to shift nervously. I let out a shocked chuckle as I shook my head.

If I was worried about a lack of intensity before, I should be concerned with them overdoing it now…

"Just get the poor fucker to your siblings, Jordon!" Chris urged, gingerly nursing his wound, which had already begun to stitch itself up.

I smiled to myself, at least they were taking things seriously. Besides, as cruel as it sounded, more injuries meant more practice for the children of Apollo anyway.

As I continued walking, I came across Adrian's group. He had been assigned Kerwin, Katherine, Crystal, and Shaquille. He seemed to have taken the much more sensible approach of having his injured members sit and talk. I remembered some of the injuries I had seen from this group, shuddering slightly.

Katherine and Kerwin were the only two members not present, as Katherine was tending to wounds and Kerwin was still recovering from having been run through with a spear… Yes, he was indeed present at the last meeting, just a few hours after being run through with a spear. Ares' children were just a different breed. I was more amazed that Adrian had somehow convinced him not to be at their group meeting instead of being laid up in the infirmary.

I sighed in relief. Having one sane group leader was a nice feeling. He saw me walking past and gave me a nod. I nodded back and kept moving forward.

I eventually stopped as I could only marvel over the flora that had been spread before me. I glanced around and recognized the location as the path between the entrance and the forest where we had set up our attack. The space between the forest was now flushed with beautiful flowers and small trees which served as the border of the little garden.

I stood stunned for a few moments at the raw power being displayed.

As I struggled to catch myself from the flourishing sensation of awe, Cassandra came running down the path before me and jumped into my arms. I smiled softly as the little girl repositioned herself in my arms before slowly trudging forward.

I gave a low whistle as I trailed past the entrance, which was arched by two thin trees that I couldn't quite place. A quick glance to the sky only enhanced the experience as the son of Demeter had even created a canopy with the outlying trees. The barest traces of the sun trickled passed the overhanging leaves, shading us from the heat of its rays as the spaces between the trees allowed the gentle breeze to sweep through the small garden.

Deciding I had taken enough time to admire the abilities on display, I instead shifted my gaze to take stock of the members of my new squad. Adrastea was the closest to the entrance. She laid on her back, her arm in a sling and several small cuts and bruises still lingering about her body. I shook my head as I noticed the odd smear of blood across the bottom hem of her shirt.

"You know, even though we don't have a child of Apollo in our group, you can still go see one whenever right?"

The daughter of Ares smiled up at me before shaking her head.

"A good warrior basks in their wounds from defeat just as much from the glory of victory."

I stared at her for a while after she returned her gaze to the sky, or what of it she could see through the scattered leaves and branches. Was it that all the children of Ares were borderline masochistic psychopaths, or did I just collect them all?

"I think I'm going to enjoy our time together," I said earnestly with a small smile. I then shuffled past her prone figure, letting her bask in the moment as she continued to stare off into the sky.

In the middle of the garden, Tassos sat, cross-legged with his eyes closed. There was a small tree which had begun to wrap itself around him, almost as though it were protecting him while he was lost in concentration.

I decided to let him continue to concentrate for a while longer, turning my attention to Lily who sat near him on one of the roots which protruded from the ground.

I gave her a small nod before resting Cassandra on a root which had forced itself from the ground beside me, almost as though it were offering us a seat.

I sat next to her and took a deep breath, enjoying the moment for a while as I let myself stare in awe at the power of another demigod.

Before long, the growth stopped, and Tassos opened his eyes, panting heavily. For the first time, I noticed just how much he was sweating. The tree which had wrapped around him had grown small leaves which collected his sweat and let it flow to the floor where it was absorbed by the roots.

It was amazing just how much demigods were capable of. I could only imagine what proper training would produce.

"Adrastea!" I called out, then waited until I heard the shuffling through the grass.

The girl gingerly sat up from her spot.

"We won't be doing much physical training today, but we will be talking a bit about history."

I heard them groan at the thought of being lectured, but I smiled at them knowingly.

"I know I know it sounds boring… but what if I told you all that there was another demigod, a daughter of Apollo who accomplished feats similar to Hercules?"

I saw their eyes had lit up and smiled, 'hook, line and sinker.'

The 'history lesson' had been much more of an interactive storytelling as they asked many questions about the lost stories of the ancient daughter of Apollo. They quickly asked to hear more stories and I obliged. Once they had heard two more, I began asking them questions about the quests and what went wrong and right for the demigods. I felt the smile even in my eyes as the small lesson reminded me of my time with Chiron on the veranda of the Big House.

The thought of making him proud sent a flutter of butterflies in my stomach.

We were a long way from perfect, but for the first time, I felt like I had everyone on the path with me. All that's left is for me to get them to the end of the road, wherever or whatever that may be.

A/N: Chapter Nine Complete! It feels great to be so consistent! This chapter marks the beginning of the third consecutive month of uploads! This is huge for me to be very honest, and I feel as if I'm finally living the life I was meant to, as corny as that sounds. Here's to hoping that I can become a professional and published author one day and live my life putting stories on paper and putting them out there.

That little bit of self-appreciation aside, thank you all for being a part of this journey so far and I'm so glad to see how many of you are enjoying the chapters that I'm posting. I hope that this chapter was just as enjoyable, and I can't wait to see what you guys think about it!

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