Chapter Fifteen (Hello Darkness, My Old Friend)

Men oft not fear the roiling rages of the sea until the cold touch of darkness accompanies it to mask the tempered furiosity beckoning them beneath the surf…

Marc

A rush of air slipped past my lips.

Darkness was replaced by searing light as my eyelids parted.

I was on my back.

I was on grass.

The soft sound of birds played a sweet melody that caressed my ears.

My eyebrows scrunched in confusion as the weightlessness of my body didn't seem to match the realness of the world around me.

Where was I?

I gasped in a breath of air as my lungs protested from its prolonged absence.

I shifted my head to the left and caught sight of my axe lying faithfully by my side.

A soft chuckle gave way to a cough as I ruminated on the peculiar nature of my circumstances.

How did I get here?

I closed my eyes, calming as the light faded under the growing murkiness of the dark.

The world trembled around me; a cold chill slivered up my spine as a deep powerful voice reverberated within my skull.

I gasped as I shot up.

I glanced at my hands, which quickly rushed to my face and patted my cheeks.

I let my hands drop and turned to my right.

Helen was strewn across the floor. Her skin was covered in soot and dirt and her clothes were charred and littered with singed holes.

I blinked as I stared at her.

The events of the cave began to replay in my mind, scenes of horror and panic dancing a haunting sequence.

I blinked as the scent of urine permeated through the air.

Queen Sess' last words taunted me.

I bit my bottom lip until I felt the dribble of blood trickle down my chin. The spark of pain tingling across my lips was enough to root me back into reality. I took a deep breath before pushing myself to my feet.

The rest of my group had been scattered a few feet from each other. Their weapons scattered at their sides with only Adrastea managing to keep hold of her own.

They were all unconscious still.

I closed my eyes to blink, and a rush of heat covered me once again.

That's right!

The bomb!

How…

We had to be dead. There was no way we could survive that.

The soft chirping of birds played at my ears once more.

Death didn't work that way.

The Underworld didn't work that way…

But…

I was sure…

A dry cough pulled me from my dazed thoughts. I turned to find Helen sitting upright as a plume of ash burst from her throat. I tilted my head and stared at her for a moment.

Swallowing that much ash had to be lethal, right?

I shook my head and made my way to her side. As I made to stoop beside her, a harsh pain erupted in my side. I glanced down at my bare torso to find a long reddened scar along my side. I moved my hand to touch the sensitive skin and was surprised by the heat of it.

It was almost as if it had been cauterised.

"How are we alive?"

Alive?

I turned towards the voice to find Adrastea. She was already on her feet, her sword held out defensively as her eyes scanned the forest around us. I shook my head, not entirely believing her words.

"I… I have no idea."

I felt a hand on mine. I turned back to Helen as she pulled my hand from my scar and traced it lightly with her finger. I hissed in pain, causing her to hesitate and pull her hand back.

"This was fresh before…" Her words caught in her throat as another spiel of coughing interrupted her.

A groan behind me caught my attention. I turned and saw Jerome pulling himself to a seated position. I scrunched my eyes at the younger boy before I shook my head slightly.

"Get Teucer up."

Jerome nodded groggily and moved to stand up, but his legs gave out on him. Adrastea quickly moved past him, her own strides wobbly, but she managed to make it to the son of Apollo.

I shook my head again, blinking again as I tried to catch my bearings.

We were alive.

We made it…

"Marc!"

"Huh?"

I turned to Helen who had my hand held in hers. Her pink eyes sparkled with concern as she stared into mine. I gave her a small sheepish smile.

"Teucer is up."

I nodded at her and pulled myself to my feet. I stared at the sky and took a deep breath before nodding to myself.

"Alright, Teucer check up on those who are still unconscious, get them back to their feet and can someone get Percy on a-"

Something caught my eye.

I squinted my eyes as I stared at a rock wall a small distance away from the trees before me. It seemed almost unnatural the way that the rocks were stacked upon each other…

I squinted my eyes as I took a step towards the earthen build-up.

I leaned against a tree, uneasiness spreading within me and beckoning me to stay away. I couldn't bring myself to walk any further.

I clicked my tongue at the sudden inability to move but resigned to my flaring instincts. I instead let my gaze trail to either side of the collection of rocks.

Something was burning…

A bright green flame slowly crawled further up the body of whatever it was it was consuming.

The poor soul was already a mangled mess. Their lower body was missing and what remained was badly mutilated. It seemed as if their vocal cords were damaged too the way it wordlessly accepted its demise.

I was about to turn back to my group to check our numbers when I saw something glint against the light of the sun. I focused on the object and was surprised to find that it belonged to the dying creature. It was a small enough object that was slowly rising to their mouth, or at least where it should be.

"Marc, everyone's up."

I turned quickly to see Jerome, his daggers in her hands and looking much steadier on his feet.

"No one's missing?!"

He shook his head, confusion playing on his face. I ignored his look and turned back to the body on the floor.

"Then who is…"

Serpentine eyes glared harshly at me as a whistle nestled between her lips.

The dots suddenly connected in my mind as my eyes widened in panic. My instincts were on alert because I was being watched by the monster before me!

"On your feet!"

The whistle pierced through the air and sent the birds fluttering from their perches.

I turned and pushed past Jerome as I made my way towards my axe.

"What's going on?"

I didn't take the time to acknowledge the question as I bent to swoop my axe into my hand.

Monsters!

The word didn't sound the same out loud as it did in my mind for some reason.

I turned to the other and my eyes widened in shock as the world slowed to a stop.

The trees around me began to slowly tilt until I was staring at them from a horizontal perspective. I felt my eyebrows crease in confusion as I felt something leak onto my face.

Suddenly the soft, damp soil and the ticklish blades of grass brushed against my cheek. The sensation sent an overload of information to my brain, the sluggish movement of the world still disorienting me as I felt the grass and dirt depart from my face.

A sudden wave of pain in my cheek and arm alerted me that I had crashed into the floor.

I blinked.

The small act which took a fraction of a second seemed as if I had slipped into a coma as I beckoned them to open, to give me some sort of understanding of what had happened.

The world was blurry as I pried my eyes open, the harsh light of the sun was blotted out by a scattering of trees in the sky above me. I blinked against the harsh light, the curtains of my eyes yielding to my commands to part much easier this time.

"Marc! Get. The. Fuck. Up!"

I turned to the sound of Adrastea's voice. It was harsh but it droned in and out. It didn't pull me to my feet. But her blood rage did.

I felt as if I was being commanded by a superior. By a god. By my father.

My body complied even against my brain's lack of comprehension of the situation.

"Fight!"

The words were oddly familiar. An odd sensation filled me as my brain slowly alerted me that it was my own voice. My axe was in my hand, but I had no idea how it got there. Wasn't I just reaching for it?

The blade swung before my eyes in a brilliant arc of celestial bronze. I felt a childish giddiness as the axe glittered through the sky, glistening in the rays of the sun.

A spray of red had my eyes widening in glee as it splattered against a tree, bursting its portrait into life.

"Pull…"

The axe was above my head. I could feel the weight, but my eyes were still drawn to the falling drops of red.

"Yourself!"

The red orbs of beauty splashed against the disintegrating corpse of a Hellhound and suddenly there was a click in my mind.

"Together!"

The axe sprung free from my arms, spinning mid-air, and splitting a Hellhound from its open jaw, which was trying to lunge at Teucer, who was hunched over Helen…

I felt the blood on the right side of my head, a new stream trickling over my right eye and blurring my sight once again. I felt the gash, stinging painfully as the air grazed it. The sudden howls of agony and growls of anger swam together in the air to paint a vivid picture for my brain.

Queen Sess had summoned Hellhounds.

"Give me a fucking break!" I growled as I began walking towards Teucer.

I picked up the smaller boy by the scruff of his shirt and dragged him away from Helen, never relinquishing my hold on him.

I saw that there was a large gash across her stomach, slowly patching itself together from the work of the son of Apollo. Nodding at her injuries, I pushed the son of Apollo back down onto his knees beside my girlfriend.

"Have her up in five."

"Yes sir!"

I swivelled my head, my senses sharpening as the dreadful hot stench of a hellhound's breath drew closer. Its eyes widened as I turned to face it, ducking under its pounce before grabbing it by its neck with both my hands.

"Arrrrgggghhhh!"

I could feel my pores opening, a foreign rush of power seeping out freely as my muscles tightened. I dug my fingers into the monster's neck, almost faltering at the ease with which they slipped past its fur. The warmth of its blood was strange, even as I gripped tightly at its blood vessels and pulled my arms apart.

In a splay of blood and veins, I ripped the Hellhound's neck into two.

I turned to face the rest of my group, struggling against the sudden onslaught of the monsters. Adrastea was the only one who seemed unfazed by the creatures. Although her bloody stains had no openings to indicate they belonged to her, she seemed distressed. She spared a moment to stare at the other demigods present with mournful eyes before refocusing on her next victim.

Letting that slip free from my mind, I nodded and turned to see that Kerwin was back-to-back with Jerome. The son of Hermes had a nasty gash on his left thigh which kept him partially immobilised and Kerwin had a small chunk of his torso missing on his right side.

"I can think of no better way!"

My voice rang out through the clearing. The surge in power stifled my brain as a red tint enhanced my view of the battlefield.

"No better way to die!"

I turned to the Hellhound I had just downed. I pulled at its spine before it could disintegrate, keeping it as a spoil. Hefting it as a spear, I spun and launched it at a Hellhound creeping too closely to Adrastea's flank. The spine cleaved its hind leg off before dredging a small trench past the disabled creature. I huffed lightly, rolling my shoulders, and turning back to my axe.

A Hellhound stood to my side, growling even though its head was low in a bow.

"Give me a moment and I shall hand you your death."

The creature faltered. It's eyes widening as it pissed itself before me. I paused, a laugh tearing free from my lips as I slowly bent down to retrieve my axe. I stayed low in a stoop, staring into the panicked red eyes of the hound.

"Your death and your death alone shall be swift."

My axe split its skull in two. It burst into dust instantly as I rose to my feet and placed the axe on my shoulder.

"Teucer!"

"Done! She's up!"

"Good lad. Get to killing."

My eyes peered firmly at the Hellhounds which stood before me as Helen made her way to my side.

"Gods, I could fuck you right now."

"Is there a time you wouldn't?"

I turned to see the smirk at the side of her lips.

"You good to fight?"

She turned to me, a savage grin spreading on her lips as she notched an arrow.

"No sir. I'm ready to die!"

My own lips split apart in a feral grin.

"You heard the lady squad! It's time to die for what we believe in! It's time to die for ourselves! It's time to die for Percy! It's time to die for the Vanguard!"

My stomach clenched painfully as a massive wave of energy seeped freely from my pores.

"Let's die!"

Helen darted forward as the roars of rage and approval rang out from my little ragtag group. Her first arrow flew aimlessly and hit a tree. I smirked and took off beside her, catching up as she let her second loose. The arrow turned a Hellhound into a unicorn before she turned to me and jumped. I reared my free hand back before pushing with all my might under her feet. The daughter of Aphrodite soared over the small gathering of monsters.

I immediately sunk back into battle stance and swung my blade at the first Hellhound which was still fixated on Helen's flying form. My axe delicately took off the front of its mouth, leaving its eyes to widen at the loss of its snout and most of its jaw. I kicked the creature back and swung my axe in a horizontal arc which ripped its legs and stomach apart.

Helen landed beside the tree with her arrow. I smirked as the small opening I had created gave me just enough space to see her rip the arrow free and slit a Hellhound's throat before she started to dance through the hellhounds.

"Let's die!"

Jerome sprinted past me, one of his daggers flying free from his grip and catching a Hellhound in the eye. He quickly slid under the howling creature and split its underbelly open with his other dagger. I ran up to the Hellhound, ripping the dagger free from its eye before it could begin to disintegrate and running another through with it. I quickly hurled it at another Hellhound Jerome was running towards. The sudden reappearance of his blade didn't halt him in the slightest. He spun to the right of the creature, ripping the blade free from its face while swinging his other blade across the flank of another.

"Let's die!"

I screamed at the top of my lungs in response to Adrastea's voice, the red hue which tinted my vision intensifying as a Hellhound clamped down on my left arm. I peered down at it and wriggled my arm inside of it. I felt my finger slide upwards. The creature tried to let go of my arm, but it was too slow as my finger slipped up into its brain, stopping only at its skull. It fell limp on my hand as I swirled my finger and mushed its brain.

I swung my axe to decapitate the creature, kicking its limp body at another assailant and catching it with an upward stroke to its underside. I turned to the growing horde of monsters as I pried my left arm free. I snarled at them as Jerome and Helen made their way to my side. I turned as I felt a body press against my back. My snarl turned to a grin as I locked eyes with Kerwin. The younger boy grinned back as my eyes trailed and I noticed that Teucer and Adrastea were at his side.

I faced the monsters before me again, rage fuelling an insatiable bloodlust as I growled at them defiantly. I shrugged my shoulders, bouncing the demigods around me and stirring them into action. As we took off towards the Hellhounds, our voices synchronised in a chorus of defiance that serenaded my ears over the boisterous snarls and growls of the enemy.

"Let's die!"

Percy

A sudden gust flushed the forest, sending the trees into a frenzied dance around me.

I eyed the sky warily for a moment before recasting my gaze to the daughter of Bia beyond the trees ahead of me. I fiddled with the small note in my pocket, pushing it further down as if to hide it from the sky.

Athena had sent an owl while I was on call with Adrastea. The note basically told me where Squad Two was and I had begun gathering the rest of the Vanguard to move towards that location.

Zina's eyes were closed as she sat with her legs crossed on the floor. I had taken upon myself the task of retrieving the daughter of Bia while the others broke camp for our hurried journey across the country. I made to step closer to her, but there was a sudden shift in the air that forced me to pause my advance.

An ethereal glow ebbed from the girl's pores, bathing her in a white light as the air seemed to grow thinner. I quickly took a few steps back until I felt the ozone return to its natural form around me.

I called upon my powers, prepping to minimise any potential damage as I continued to peer cautiously at the daughter of Bia. The light which hugged her body intensified, the winds seemed to be sucked into an unseen vortex within her glow.

Without an indication, Zina's eyes shot open and the bright aura around her vanished.

"Okay, that's the first part done."

Her voice carried easily through the silent forest. I shook my head as I took a few tentative steps towards her. Once I was certain that the air was no longer thin, I closed the distance between us.

"That's part one? I thought you were going to explode with the amount of energy you were storing."

Her eyes darted to me in shock before an easy grin grew on her face.

"Not quite the case. Remember what I did to the tree that riled Tassos up?"

I nodded at her, motioning with my head back towards the camp as I did so. She took the signal well and immediately shot to her feet.

"Well, I've been trying harder to be able to store more energy than I was before. I've found a perfect way to funnel and recycle the energy I draw in so that I can avoid exploding or being drained from it all."

I hummed, eyeing her for a moment as we began walking back towards the others.

"Physical enhancement?"

She chuckled in exasperation as she shook her head.

"Should've figured you'd catch on quickly. How'd you know?"

I sent her a sideways glance as I stepped around a tree.

"There's still a faint glow around you, and like you said, all that power had to go somewhere."

To be more precise, it was a common feat for most demigods with a power source they could directly draw from. For instance, I gained significant boosts in many attributes whenever I was coated in water. I wasn't exactly buzzing about revealing that I had come across that information in the books I got from Pelagios though. I still couldn't shake the feeling that I needed to keep that quiet.

Zina seemed as though there was something else that she wanted to say, but she quickly lost her chance.

"Percy!"

I whipped my head around at the sound of a voice I hadn't heard in such a long time.

"Nico?"

The teen smiled back at me uneasily. He stood a few inches shy of me, his skin glowing a light olive hue as his worried obsidian eyes peered at me.

"Your group needs your help!"

I nodded instantly before I stepped closer to the son of Hades. I felt Zina's hand grasp my shoulder, and I spared her a second to nod at her. Grabbing her hand into mine, I extended my other hand to Nico.

The world faded into darkness as we slipped into our own shadows. The experience was as awful as I had remembered it.

We were spat out near the edge of a forest. I could see the horde of monsters between us and the height of the cliff face.

I hummed as I felt Zina's hand clench tightly around my own, clearly affected by the newness of shadow travel.

I squinted as I peeked through the tiniest of gaps between the sea of monsters before me. I felt Zina's hand tug against mine as she bent over to heave. I was about to turn back to her to check on her when I heard a horrendous cry erupt from the middle of the horde.

I let my eyes fixate on the area and a wet scream persisted.

Three orbs of water quickly formed and condensed around me. They shot off into the mass of hounds, shredding them easily into dust. Through the settling specs of their remains, I managed to catch a glimpse of Jerome's torso being bitten into as the boy squirmed in agony.

"Let's die!"

A massive roar tore through the agonist screams of the dying demigod. Jerome's eyes flickered open, his cry dying in his throat, and he reached to his side. He drew at the claws that remained of another Hellhound and dug it into the eye of the creature mauling him.

"Let's die!" The son of Hermes repeated, finally, as he pulled himself to his feet. He swayed from side to side as blood continued to drain out of him.

The cool touch of rage fell upon me as the boy began to collapse. The orbs of water around him had already cleared a path through the monsters nearest to him. The other members of the Vanguard continued their strained task of slicing through the hounds as I began to pull at Zina.

It felt as though it were taking her an eternity for her to catch her bearings.

A massive bolt of white light sizzled the air as it shot past me. The brilliant arc of white forged a blazing path through another patch of Hellhounds.

"Nico. My Healers. Bring them."

I didn't look back to see if he had responded. Instead, I released my grip on Zina's hand as Riptide elongated in my other.

"You have my full permission to go all out, Zina. Once I can see the others, I should be able to keep them safe."

She simply darted past me, her body taking a white hue as she made a beeline for the nearest hound. Her shield had been left behind in the abrupt nature of our travel, but her spear presented itself through the back of the first Hellhound she met.

"Let's die!"

I flickered my gaze towards the direction of the voice. The orbs of water were heavily tainted with monster blood now, and they grew much harder to control. Grunting slightly under the added strain of using my powers, I released them.

Riptide was quick to take their job.

I numbly carved a path, that had been threatened to refill itself, towards Jerome. My sword sprayed him with blood as it ripped through the skull of a hound pouncing on him.

"Die… die.. die…"

The son of Hermes shifted, muttering hysterically as he limply swung his arms at me. I quickly slipped his arm around my shoulder and heaved him to his feet.

"I don't remember telling you that you could die."

His eyes shot open for a moment before he squinted at me. His eyes lulled and rolled back in his head, but a silly giggle trickled past his lips.

"Ay ay, sir…" He barely whispered as I managed to pull him to the edge of the clearing. Jordon and Katherine quickly took the boy out of my hand and began to tend to him. I turned back to the clearing and noticed that Chrysilla and Adrian were also present.

"Percy!"

My eyes refocused on the gathering of Hellhounds, and I noticed Zina pointing. I followed her finger and noticed that the rest of the Vanguard had managed to group up.

Adrastea and Marc stood tall, swinging at anything that dared try to get past them. I noticed Helen and Teucer were between the two children of Ares. I couldn't tell whose blood they were nearly drowning in, but the state of Marc and Adrastea suggested that it was an intermingling of all of their blood.

I felt a body nudge into me and glanced down. Chrysilla and Adrian brushed past me holding Kerwin. The boy was in a similar state as his siblings, grumbling and belligerent as his wounds spilled more blood than seemed possible.

Making my decision quickly, I turned back to Zina, "Go ahead!"

"What's happening?"

The question flowed softly into my ears from Chrysilla, but I barely registered it as I felt my entire being slip into a trance. The air grew heavy and hummed with raw power as Zina began to concentrate. My eyes shut as I stretched my senses out as far as they could go.

I managed to sense Katherine reach for her bow as Chrysilla tried to sprint past me. My hand instantly shot up, blocking her path as she began beating at my back. A water spear, heavy with sap, tore through the bark of a tree and impaled the Hellhound rushing Zina. What little natural water remained pulled apart and began swarming the girl as she concentrated.

I felt Chrysilla's hands still against my back and I exhaled briefly.

"Don't move," I whispered.

Chrysilla's hands instantly fell to her side, and I called all the water I could sense to form around us and Marc's ragtag group. A few tendrils bound the children of Ares' arms and legs while the rest began to spin around them, forming a water dome.

A similar dome formed around the demigods around me as I felt the air grow unimaginably stale. My demigod senses cried out for me to run as the power continued to build up. Chrysilla slipped back to Katherine's side, urging her to get back to treating Kerwin, as Jordon hadn't budged from his ministrations on the son of Hermes.

"Get ready."

I heard a voice from someone I couldn't sense. I recognized it as Nico's but pushed the thought from my mind as I continued to concentrate. Without any further warning, the world was bathed in a startling white. Even beyond the curtains of my eyelids, the flash seared into my eyeballs. My Mist Sight was suddenly shaken as I felt blinded.

I felt the edges of my water domes begin to hiss and evaporate under the immense power exerted on them and gritted my teeth. I dropped to a knee as I reinforced the water dome around Marc's group with the tendrils previously holding them in place.

Darkness suddenly cocooned the inside of my dome, and I grunted my appreciation to my cousin as I focused on the dome around the others, lessening my hold on the one around us slightly.

I was vaguely aware of the trail of blood which seeped from my nose but paid it no mind.

I was vaguely aware of the searing pain which seemed to boil my guts from the inside, but I paid it no mind.

I was vaguely aware of the water dome around me collapsing, but I paid it no mind.

Instead, I put all my focus into the one around the others.

My head began spinning and I was vaguely aware of the fact that my throat had clenched up.

"Percy…"

Nico's voice rang out through the intense agony that reverberated in my head.

"It's good, you can relax."

I released my hold on the dome and inhaled deeply as I fell to the floor. My breath came unevenly as I became aware of the sweat which I was bathed in.

"Everyone alive?"

"Everything demigod, yeah…"

I grunted in acknowledgement as I continued to breathe unsteadily. The grass beneath me tickled at my skin as I took solace in the reprieve from the use of my abilities.

"You mind if it rains a little bit?"

Nico chuckled as he sat beside me.

"As long as you keep me dry then I don't mind."

Nodding slightly, I sent a silent prayer to my father. Moments later, a sudden downpour erupted from the sky, bathing me, and filling me with energy as it did so. I collected a ball of water slightly larger than my head and surrounded my head.

I took a deep breath, relaxing instantly as I swallowed it all and felt it cool my insides. After a few moments of the treatment, I felt the pain slip away completely.

Pulling myself to a sitting position next to Nico, I finally managed to pry my eyes open.

"Being able to keep me dry without touching me is new."

My lips formed into a crooked grin as my eyes scanned the Vanguard.

"Being able to manipulate the shadows like that is new."

I saw his smile from the corner of my eye. He shrugged slightly.

"True. It's kind of funny. Back in the day, I was the one who used to pass out from a simple use of my powers now look at us."

I snorted and shook my head at him.

"It's been a long day for me already."

"Says the guy who can now, quite literally, summon an energy and healing source?"

"That was my dad actually. Besides I'm just the only one of us overt with those kinds of abilities."

Nico paused slightly. He seemed to want to ask something but was debating it with himself.

"Are you going to tell me?"

I clicked my tongue slightly as I watched Jordon pass out from exhaustion to the side of Jerome. Teucer, barely conscious and still bleeding, immediately took his place.

"When we get some more privacy."

Nico nodded, noticing my preoccupation.

"I know it's a bit fresh still, but you almost froze up before reacting to the battle. Are you good?"

I sighed, letting my tired eyes flicker back to my cousin.

"It really was a long day. Ares showed up and we almost fought, and you know how dealing with his aura can be. He forced the mission on them, and I had to step away to blow some steam off. Made arrangements to start the journey here and you showed up."

"Seems like the average Tuesday for the Hero of Olympus."

I chuckled slightly at his response and let the silence slip in.

"You'd normally have something to say in response to that."

I let my eyes shift to Nico. He had grown a lot. His hair was longer now, almost touching his shoulders. He had put on a few extra pounds of lean muscle, and his dark eyes didn't seem to stand out against his skin as much, which had taken some more colour to them. A much more vibrant olive than the pasty white that I had seen so often on him.

"It's not every day that your, usually, stoic cousin visits rather excitedly. It is even rarer that on that one day he visits, you're more than likely to lose a few of your members."

Nico chuckled lightly.

"No, you're not."

My head darted towards Nico who winked at me.

"Don't look at me like I've grown another head… or another power. I can sense death, kind of in line with my whole dad being the Lord of the Underworld. Yeah, they're not ripe for the picking, I guess you could say."

I stared at him for a few seconds before letting out an almost dry laugh.

"You've been spending a lot of time with Will, haven't you?"

He blushed slightly.

"Thalia says the same thing whenever I'm even the slightest bit happier than usual. Do you guys hate to see me happy or something?"

I shook my head quickly.

"No, no. It just reminds me of when we first met. I appreciate who you are now, but your good old Mythomagic days were some of the best."

Nico huffed.

"That's some borderline paedophilic stuff there."

I glared at him half-heartedly but gave up after I heard Katherine cry out.

"You absolute fucking idiot! I leave you alone for one second!"

Teucer had passed out over Jordon and Jerome. I didn't even realise he wasn't good enough to be using his powers.

I sighed, drinking in the moment for a bit and staring up at the sky. The grey clouds blotted out the sun but were illuminated by a bolt of lightning that danced across the sky.

"Where were these demigods during the wars?"

I chuckled at Nico, patting the boy on his shoulder.

"Waiting for me to train them."

The son of Hades snorted as he pulled away from my grip.

"You've been talking to Thalia too much. You sound just like her when she became the lieutenant. Have you been snogging her behind Artemis' back?"

I shot Nico a heated glare.

"There are three women that I really can't let hear you say that!"

Nico stared at me with confusion for a second, theatrically counting his fingers before his eyes widened drastically.

"Oh shit! Which one?"

His eyes darted between members of the Vanguard trying to pick out the most likely. He paused suddenly and I followed his eyes. Chrysilla was on an IM directing the rest of the Vanguard to double-time to our location. Chris was on the receiving end, being given a thorough update by the daughter of Athena alongside her instructions.

"You always liked a woman that could take charge."

I snapped back to Nico and realised I had been staring. I groaned at the younger boy's tactics as he chuckled at my plight.

"I'm glad to see you've found someone though. Judging from her black hair… I'd say maybe a Demeter kid. You were always fond of Grover, maybe you found the female version of him?" He prodded suggestively. When he noticed my instant aversion to the topic, he instantly turned back to Chrysilla to study her more.

"Wait a minute… Are her eyes… No way!"

I sighed, sagging my shoulders despite the small smile forming on my lips.

"Yes, I know. Aphrodite is having her way with my love life."

"I didn't know she had a sense of humour! I'm going to sacrifice some extra food to her for this! Wait until I tell Thalia!"

I turned to Nico, tempted to threaten him, but sighing knowing it would do little to stop him. Instead, I sat in the comfortable silence knowing that my Vanguard was going to be alright. At least for now.

"Hey, Nico. Thanks for staying behind. You didn't have to."

"What and leave you to call a massive storm and flood out your group while you worry?"

I rolled my eyes at him while he smiled.

"Seriously though. Don't mention it. It's what family's for."

I returned his smile.

Thunder crashed in the sky above, drawing my nervous glance as I shot up to my feet. The storm clouds immediately ceased and parted, letting Apollo shine his chariot upon us.

"Ah, so the little gay boy came to interfere…"

I felt the hairs on the back of my neck rise as quickly as the temperature in my blood.

The shadows from the trees responded before the words could leave Nico's mouth. They pulled towards the son of Hades, seeming to dim the light of the sun as they did so.

"Careful now, Ares…"

I took a deep breath to calm myself as I fished Riptide out of my pocket.

"Shouldn't you be the careful one, Death spawn? I can't imagine your little boyfriend would be too pleased to see you gallivanting out in the wild with the hunky Hero of Olympus here."

I let my eyes shift to Nico, who clenched his teeth tightly together as he struggled to keep calm.

"Ares." I drew the god's attention to me, as I flicked my gaze towards him. "Have you come bearing gifts for a successful mission?"

Ares gave a humourless chuckle as he slipped past the treeline towards us.

"Your little group didn't complete the mission, the son of Hades did."

I hummed lightly, staring at the collapsed entrance to the cave and back towards Ares.

"How can you prove that?"

The god stared at me incredulously for a few moments before he snorted derisively.

"You do know that I'm a god, right?"

"But the Underworld is outside of your jurisdiction. So, there's no way for you to rightfully know what occurs there without you having breached into my father's realm."

Ares' head snapped back to Nico, the flames in his eyes burning brighter momentarily. He made to speak but thought better of it and closed his mouth. I clicked my teeth tauntingly as I slipped in between the god and Nico, who was still fighting the rage induced by Ares.

"Ah, now whatever bit of brains you have are working."

"Listen, punk! It doesn't change the fact that he," Ares pointed behind me at Nico, who was finally catching himself, "interfered by bringing you here!"

"Wasn't it a quest for the Vanguard?"

Ares paused as Nico made his way beside me, shooting me a grateful look for temporarily shielding him from Ares' effects.

"Precisely, and you aren't exactly a member of the Vanguard no aren't you, death boy."

Nico shook his head theatrically as he shifted his gaze to me.

"No, I don't think I've been inducted into the group." I shook my head to confirm his words and he turned his attention back to the god. "So, it seems what little intelligence you have, is working after all."

"I'll ignore that comment, but only because-"

"Hold up!" Nico quickly interjected, "I wasn't done yet. To have interfered, I would have had to have slain at least one monster, correct?"

Ares gave a low hum, one that mimicked a growl, in thought.

"You were responsible for the death of Queen Sess!"

"How would you know that?" I quickly parlayed, throwing Ares off as his eyes fell upon me.

"Because she died outside of the cave!"

"Did you see me kill her?"

"No… but!"

"Ah, so you're assuming I killed her?"

"I… what? No!"

I turned to Nico, placing my hand on the underneath of my chin.

"If your entire accusation is based off of an assumption then I guess your whole argument is invalidated."

Nico agreed instantly.

"Which means you owe the Vanguard for a successful mission."

Ares growled and the world seemed to come to a complete stop.

"Listen here boy lover and Pegasus dung!" The atmosphere shifted tremendously as the oppressive power of the god began to roll over us. "I saw you shadow travel the group out of the cave, and I saw you bring the rest of the vanguard here! Don't act like that isn't interfering!"

Nico was about to retort, eager to continue the little game of irking the idiot god before us. I quickly cut him off, growing tired of the insipid nature of the god.

"Ares." Riptide sprung free in my hand. "I'm tired of talking. Let's do this the way you'd prefer."

A wicked grin spread across his face as his sword appeared in his hands. Nico sighed as he stepped to my side, his own blade out.

"I didn't exactly pencil in defeating a god today, Percy."

Ares' smirk faltered at the sight of Nico as his eyes flickered between us.

I rolled my shoulders, never taking my eyes off Ares as I did so.

"At least you can't say we never do anything fun when we're together."

"Ah fuck you two!" Ares growled, summoning a pouch, and throwing it at us. "It's a barracks. Indestructible on the inside, with fully functional automations and an unlimited supply of training weapons that repair themselves if broken."

I hummed and smiled slightly, nodding in acceptance as I bounced the sack in my free hand.

"Whatever happened to the curse you placed on me? The one against weapons or something like that?"

Ares grumbled for a moment.

"It was a Greek Curse. The Little Tiber washed that off of you."

The god flickered slightly as he said that, and I grinned up at him.

"Do you swear on the river Styx to let the training tent remain in existence for as long as a member of the Vanguard lives?"

Ares grunted before swearing upon the sacred river. The sound of thunder rumbling overhead earned a nod from me as the deal was sealed.

"Fuck you both. Fuck you. I swear there'll be a day when I come for my revenge."

Nico scoffed and made a show of sheathing his blade.

"You'll stand before us both the same way you stand before us today."

I grinned, slipping Riptide into my own pocket as I nodded.

"So, I really hope you bring backup. Wouldn't want an easy fight after all."

The god growled and disappeared instantly.

"Ah, it's always fun messing with that prick."

Nico chuckled as he nodded slightly.

"Yeah, he really needs to stop grinding my gears too."

"Ah, forget about him. You got an hour or two?"

Nico eyed me curiously.

"You're not going to have me fight another god, are you?"

I shrugged easily.

"Only if they start it."

Nico chuckled.

"Fair enough. But yeah, I got time."

I nodded before turning towards those present behind us. They were now breaking free from their stunned forms as the effects of Ares dissipated upon his departure. They immediately went back to treating the injured.

Taking solace in the fact that no one was going to die, I nodded at their busied forms before turning towards the forest and leading my younger cousin past the trees.

"Perfect, I've got a lot that I wanted to talk to you about."

A/N: Hello Hello Hello!

Guess who's back with a brand-new chapter!

It be me!

Okay, it's Christmas Eve when I'm finishing this chapter, but I'm sure it's Christmas Day for some of you already. I was a bit sceptical about whether I'd finish this chapter, and it may be a bit rushed, so keep that in mind.

I just want to take a moment to thank all of those who leave reviews on my chapters. I can't explain how much it really means to me and it's the only reason that I'm still uploading if I'm honest. Life is tough and the times are hard, but if we give in then there's nothing good left to get.

That's enough of that sappy shit lol.

I usually wish you guys a great day when you see this, but today I'm wishing for only the best for you all! Have a great Christmas day and I hope you all get exactly what it is you wanted today! See you all next time!

-ZedricSOZ