Out of Reach

Chapter 10

Nightly Surveillance

Finding Doctor Thorn was easy. No matter how much those creatures were trying to hide with their magic, they would often forget that mortals have other ways of detecting them. And while the mist could be helpful to deceive human's eyes, it could not fool everything.

Records, cameras, companies databases… The mythology simply could not keep up with humanity. If someone would want to find monsters, hiding in the shadow and hunting for any "suspicious children", then the job was easy – one only had to know what to search for.

Perhaps the monsters didn't feel the need to protect themselves from the mortals. Maybe, just like the so-called gods, they believed that they need no protection from mortals. But that was their biggest mistake. One that Noble Six and Auntie Dot were more than willing to expose.

The initial search didn't take long. There was nothing in this era that could stop or even detect Auntie Dot. The entire web belonged to her. She was now its only ruler.

She could see the float of the information. She could see all the information – both open and encrypted, in both standard and deep web. Nothing could hide from her – she was the only ruler of the web now. Ruler with a particular order.

Doctor Thorn – a teacher at Westover Hall in Bar Harbor, Maine. Finding that information took her less time than even a modern-day computer could acknowledge as the smallest measure of time. But that was to be expected – she was above everything in this era. If she would want to, she could become the only ruler of the entire world.

But not right now. Her Spartan needed information.

"It seems that Daedalus was able to follow the blueprint perfectly. I have no problem with access to anything at all." Auntie Dot reported to her Spartan through his neuro-link. "I was able to locate the Manticore. I am transmitting the coordinates to your HUD as we speaking."

Noble Six acknowledged her with a nod. Now he knew where his target was. Now it was time to see how it operated undercover. And if the situation would allow – he would eliminate it.

"I also estimated that there is a high chance of another encounter with Artemis's hunting party. Manticore seems to be a highly valued target. We might encounter other demigods as well. How will you play this out?"

Noble Six already knew how. He always knew. From all his experience – be it as a Spartan III, lone wolf headhunter, or ONI grim reaper, he knew better than to just expose himself. But if the situation will require this, he will engage in the open conflict.

That was another chance of seeing his enemies in action. To gather intel on how the mythological world operated. Monsters, Hunters of Artemis, and maybe even demigods from one of the camps. It was his time to watch them.

"Perhaps we should thank the Daedalus for his work? I mean, he is most likely still scared of us and is waiting for the verdict?" Auntie Dot's voice once more ranged inside Six's head. If Six was an average person, he would recognize that his now personal AI was half-joking.

"Not yet. Our priority is Manticore. We will report the results of his work once we come back." As always, Six's voice was without even a hint of emotions. And Auntie Dot could only shrug from his response – she knew she still had a lot of work to do with her Spartan.

But that was something she needed to remit for now. Their mission comes first.

As Noble Six appeared from the maze's exit, he already started his prep-work. First, he noticed the weather – heavy snowstorm, with dark clouds barely letting any sunlight to the ground. The area around him was already covered in a thick layer of snow, and that layer just kept growing.

For Six, it only meant that any possible trace of either him or someone else would be covered very fast.

The heavy dark clouds darkened the area, making it hard to see anything without a source of light. Adding to the equation a heavy blizzard, you had a place where any operating unit would have difficulty. Any, except for our Spartan.

The next thing Noble Six took a look at was the Westover Hall itself. The school where his target was hiding looked more like a middle-aged fortress than a school.

"It looks more like we will be fighting against an evil knight than a monster." Meanwhile, Auntie Dot could not hold her giggle while she observed the world through Six's eyes. In her opinion, it was so stereotypical for Thorn to hide in such a place that it was just funny.

As Six came closer to the school, he decided that the roof would be a perfect place to hide. And so, as he was climbing the fortresss wall, he recalled his headhunter days. It was almost the same situation as he was now. Alone, in a place where no one from the UNSC or ONI could reach and help him, hiding and assassinating his targets from shadows… The similarity of those both situations was almost frightening.

Being stuck on the past Earth was almost like a combination of three jobs that every Spartan head-hunter had to prepare for.

Since, in theory, this world was populated by humans, it felt as he was once again fighting against the Insurrection, eliminating their most powerful and influential leader and their military groups.

With monsters and other mythological beings, it was almost like fighting the Covenant. Outnumbered, with just a few targets in his heads, deep within the unknown territory, while everything around was trying to kill you.

And with the maze… It was almost like discovering another place created by a race that existed long before the Covenant even begin to exist.

Yes, coming to the Earth from the past was definitely the weirdest and the most challenging thing Noble Six and his personal AI Auntie Dot had to face. But they would prevail. They would find a way back home. They would join the fight once more. That was a duty of every Spartan.

As he finally reached the roof, he laid down and observed the area. Everything around seemed to be quiet. Everything and everywhere except for one place – the gym hall. From there, loud noises and the sound of music came. And so, the Spartan drew out his sniper rifle and observed the gym from the scope of his weapon.

The school gym was full of young teenagers, doing something completely chaotic – at least from Six's perspective. They were all running around without making any sense. Boys were fighting each other with balloons, girls were wearing weird dresses, and were decorating boys' faces with lipsticks. All to the sound of loud music.

Six could not understand precisely what was going on. He had trouble understanding what the teenagers were doing. Were they fighting? Was this some sort of competition? Was the sound necessary?

Feeling his confusion, Auntie Dot decided to step in.

"They are just having fun, Six. Nothing too serious. This is what most teenage kids are doing with their time."

Six still had problems with understanding such a phenomenon, and Dot could feel it. After all, she was inside his head most of the time. She could quickly tell that Six simply did not understand anything related to normal growing-up. But she could not blame him. He was raised to be a weapon from his earliest days. A weapon, not a human.

Whenever she saw him like this – confused, not understanding – she could not help but feel sadness in her newly found heart. She knew that most Spartans – if not all of them – were almost impossible to be reintroduced back to society. For some, they were already too broken to even try. It almost seemed like being military hardware was the only fate for them.

And yet Auntie Dot believed that one day her Spartan will be able to lay down his weapons and find peace. Somewhere where no war will be able to see him. Somewhere where he could find his human soul once more.

That was her silent dream for him.

And so, they both continued to observe what seemed to be a typical party for normal young teenagers. Those who were not forced to become weapons were allowed to have a normal childhood.

Suddenly, Auntie Dot detected a vehicle driving towards the school. It was one of those large models capable of transporting an entire family. And so, of course, she notified her Spartan about the new guest.

In response, Six moved his rifle and aimed at the vehicle. He observed as the car slowly approaches the school entrance and then stopped. Three teens stepped out of the car, while the driver decided to stay inside.

"Dot, INTEL." As always, Six voice was emotionless. He didn't even flinch when he started to aim at someone who wasn't even an adult.

"Right. The first target, a young boy with dark hair. Perseus Jackson. For someone so young, he already has a fascinating record. Two years ago, he was a target of an interstate investigation. He was accused of multiple acts of terrorism, but he was later exonerated. I can clearly say that someone was manipulating his files – especially the part with terrorism. Other than that, he seems to have a record. The simple case of a troubled boy with a severe case of dyslexia and ADHD. He was already kicked out of several schools. There are records as well of him being abused by his step-father… Hm, seems like a prime example of how Lycaon described demigods."

Six only made a slight nod. The boy seemed to have horrible luck in his life. But the spartan's gut was telling Six that this Percy is someone important. And Six – just like every Spartan – learned to trust his gut feeling. Perhaps he will have to take a closer look at this boy… Later.

"Another target, a young girl with long curly blond hair. Annabeth Chase, daughter of history professor Frederic Chase. When she was seven, she ran away from home. Her disappearance was reported by her father. After five years, she appeared again, with Percy Jackson as a subject of interstate terrorism. After she got her records cleaned, she returned home. No official criminal records after that. She was diagnosed with Dyslexia and ADHD as well. Despite that, she seems to possess a high level of intelligence. To be determined if it is on a Spartan level."

Another nod. It would seem that most demigods were trouble makers. And that only seemed to confirm the Intel taken from Lycaon. But if that was all true, then why was no one taking an interest in such persons? What was stopping everyone from simply connecting the dots?

"Another target is even more interesting. Subject Thalia Grace. Daughter of Beryl Grace, who died a few years ago. She also has a brother on the other side of the country, but she did not contact him so far. She ran away from her alcoholic mother when she was twelve. Interestingly, according to her birth certificate, she's supposed to be twenty years old. Short-tempered, easy to anger, mostly due to years of living in a pathological environment."

Thalia's case has taken Six by surprise. The said teenager seemed to be the only proof that someone was messing with the time. There was a chance that either this young girl has entered the maze just like him, or perhaps there was something – or someone – able to manipulate time. For Six, it meant a possible trace of finding a way back home.

"And the last subject, the one in the car. Sally Jackson. Mother of Perseus Jackson, and recently divorced from a marriage with Gabe Ugliano – who, by the way, is missing since 2005. What is even more interesting that she earned a fortune by selling a sculpture that looked exactly like her missing ex-husband. Now she is attempt classes in a local university."

Something was not right with this woman – at least in Six's opinion. She gained a fortune by selling the sculpture of her husband while her husband had just disappeared. It just could not be a simple coincidence. Especially not if someone would consider myths. There was a possibility that Sally Jackson had somehow obtained an object capable of turning people into stones.

Now Six knew – all those subjects had to be observed by all means. Those people's lives were simply too weird. And Six already knew that those people were somehow involved with the hidden world beyond the mist.

As his new object moved to the school – all except for Sally Jackson – they have met with another three people. Two seem to be adults. One was most likely a teacher, the second one was trying very hard to pretend to be a teacher, and the third one looked like a mix between a teenager and an adult.

Only one target – a large woman – seemed to be entirely human. Just from one look, Six could tell that both the weird teenager and the male teachers were trying their best to maintain a human-like appearance.

The teenager had weird, goat-like legs. The male teacher had heterochromia and looked as if his clothes were actually suffocating him. That and a giant spiked tail, alongside a partially furred body, were more than a sign for Six that the thing he saw through the scope was not a human.

"The middle-aged woman is Agathe Gottschalk. Teacher in this school since 1994. She has a fascinating record suggesting that she should be anything but a teacher. But she is completely irrelevant to us."

The teacher looked like someone who enjoyed their position and power. It was evident that she was more than willing to overly abuse her position. But she was nowhere near the level of anyone working for ONI.

"Grover Underwood. From the way he looks, it is obvious that he is not a human but a satyr. And from the Intel taken from the Lycaon, we know that satyrs mature twice a time slower than humans… It would explain why he attended the school system for so many years…."

Six could not help but put Grover in the same category as all other monsters. He was not a human. Just like other monsters, he could be an alien for Six. And Six would have no problem with putting a bullet inside this satyrs head. But then again, he never had any problems with putting a shot inside anyone's head.

"Our last target… I have a confirmation. This definitely weirdly looking teacher with heterochromia is our target. Mr. Thorn. A very recently appointed teacher here."

And so, with the confirmation from his AI, Six focused on Thorn, waiting for any opportunity to shot him down. Sadly, as much as Six would have preferred, he could not simply take Thorn down. There were too many witnesses. And, unless Noble Six was willing to kill them too, he was now forced to wait and observe the situation.

He was very displeased by the action of both Grover Underwood and Thalia Grace. They had blown the cover of their team's entire operation within the first few minutes. First, the satyr screaming their names in the presence of their potential enemy, then Thalia by trying to do something to the teachers.

Whatever Thalia did, it seemed to be only working on the female teacher. At first, she looked as if she was under the influence of some drug, but then she returned to her previous state. Thorn, on the other hand, tried very hard to look affected. Tried is the keyword. But Six already knew. Those kids just ruined their entire operation.

And to make it worse, it would seem that those kids were not even aware of this.

Thankfully for them, the lonely Spartan was watching everything from above.

All targets moved to the gym, where they tried to fit into the dancing mass. Another keyword - tried. It was painfully evident that it wasn't something they were used to do. And from their apparent movement and quick looks at a specific direction, Six now could tell what was their purpose here.

"Dot. Two new targets. Dark hair, siblings, twelve-year-old girl, and a ten-year-old boy."

"Bianca and Nico di Angelo. They have recently moved here… Orphans, but… Their birth certificate… It says that they were born during the Second World War…."

Six had other targets of priority. Targets that perhaps could help him go back to his times and rejoin the war. He knew that he could not lose those kids. They were – or rather, their possible knowledge – was too valuable for Six to just let them go. And so, he observed.

"Six, I am receiving a new signal. It's a military one, but it does not look like it was sent from an official military. There is most likely a mercenary force in the area."

That spiked Six interests. Monsters, gods, demigods, and now mercenaries… He was sure that something bigger was going on. And now, he was more determined than ever to find out what it was.

Then, the situation shifted. His main target – Manticore hiding under an alias as "Thorn" came into the gym and forcibly took both Bianca and Nico with him. Surprisingly, no one besides the young demigods and satyr took notice of this.

"It would seem that Lycaon was right about the mist as well…" Auntie Dot's voice once again appeared in Six's head, carrying an academic tone. "But even if the mist is working wonders. He could at least pretend in front of those orphans that he actually is a teacher…."

Six could only agree with Dot. Those monsters had no real military experience. And neither the demigods had. They both just blindly charged at each other, without even thinking about the possibilities. But that had only given Six a further advantage. He could be a few hundred steps ahead of those kids and monsters.

And so, he observed. The demigods were the worst amateurs in the history of covert missions. Anyone would be able to spot them from miles. Anyone within a second could identify the target of their mission. Even the worst Insurrectionists were better prepared than those kids.

But then again, can you blame kids for not being professional soldiers?

"Phone signal intercepted. Playing it now."

"The package – it is ready to deliver."
"Send them to me."

"I have traced the location of the second person. Our target was talking with someone hiding in the Panama Canal."

Mercenaries, Panama Canal, monsters… Noble Six was slowly picking up all the parts of the bigger picture. It seemed like it was no longer just a skirmish between monsters and demigods… Someone was preparing for a larger conflict.

Noble Six's attention once again shifted back to what was happening beneath him. He noticed that one of the demigods – the one named Percy Jackson – was captured by Thorn. He was being moved with the siblings to the large military helicopter.

As they were moved, he overheard their conversation. The siblings were confused and were not able to tell what was going on. Perseus had been stabbed previously and was now limping. According to Thorn, he was poisoned with something non-lethal. And then, the monster in disguise also mentioned something about the general.

Just from a few short sentences, Noble Six gathered an insane amount of information.

First – the general. Noble Six now acquired a target of high value. If removed, something would most likely shatter the entire organization and military movement of those monsters.

Second – He knew that someone was helping the monsters. Someone was buying the help of mercenaries and was most likely trying to control everything from the shadow. But the Spartan already had a trail. All he had to do was check what ships were near the Panama canal during the call.

Third – now Six knew that even if demigods were a little different from the rest of the human population, they could still be at least poisoned. That was precious information in case of a possible battle against any demigod.

Soon, the rest of the demigods (and one satyr) joined. It would seem that the hiding monster had no choice but to fight against the kids.

He was more than displeased with the fight on both sides. The monster itself – for someone who was supposed to have at least some form of intelligence – fought very instinctively. Almost like a mindless beast.

Demigods, on the other hand, were even worse. They were charging without a plan straight at the monster. Most likely thinking that their demigod's abilities were more than enough to take down their enemies. In Six's opinion, that was the worst battle he had ever seen.

Six could not understand many things in their performance. Why were they using very outdated weaponry? Why would someone use a sword or a spear when you could use a gun? Why charging straight to the enemy when you could use the advantage of everything around you and kill the monster in a few moves?

Of course, Six knew that monsters could not be killed by a mortal gun – at least according to Lycaon. But Noble Six proved that theory to be highly inaccurate many times. During all this time, he was using weapons created only by humans. He was able to kill monsters without any problems.

Was it perhaps some sort of propaganda? And if yes, then whom it served? The monsters? Or the gods?

While Six could understand why monsters would try to make people believe that killing them with mortal weapons is impossible. He could not find any logical reason why gods and anyone associated with them would spread such misinformation.

Meanwhile, Auntie Dot was analyzing everything as well in her own mind. She could not understand the pure stupidity of this entire situation. She could not understand how anyone could train those kids to simply charge at the monster. Within a second, she found at least a few hundreds different, dozens of times more efficient ways to take down this enemy within a matter of seconds.

According to all the Intel from Lycaon, most demigods were trained inside their camps. But what she saw was the worst amateurishness ever recorded.

All of those kids below could not properly use their weapons. They did not coordinate their movements. They did not cooperate. They were worse than fresh cadets. And it was just against one monster. What will they do when an entire horde jumps at them? Or even an entire army? They were simply not prepared.

Dot knew that she was a little too harsh on them. After all, those were still just children that were forced to fight against terrifying monsters. But whoever sends them here must know this. Why he or she could not prepare them, train them as military units? The chances of their survival would skyrocket.

As both Six and Dot were observing and analyzing the fight, a sudden sound of a horn announced the arrival of another group. And both Spartan and his AI already knew who was coming.

"Another meeting with Artemis and her Fanclub. Are you going to say hello or…?" Dot could not help herself and decided to crack a joke about the hunting Goddess and her followers. Judging from her tone, it was apparent that she was anything but Artemis's fan. Especially not after what they tried to do to her Spartan. "Let's see how they fight without our presence."

B312 quickly noticed incoming hunters. They were moving swiftly through the forest, barely leaving any trace of their presence. If not for the horn, they would most likely be invisible most of the time.

The monster reacted quickly by sending dozens of spines towards the tries. And from the shots, hunters answered by sending dozens of arrows that soon intercepted the incoming missiles. Both Six and Auntie Dot were forced to admit that it was very impressive. Only Spartans and a few very talented individuals within the ODST could intercept missiles with their own bullets.

Soon, the Manticore was wounded, and a few girls came out of the woods and flanked the monster. Thorn yelled something about the ancient laws, but he was quickly denied by the hunters. Six would deny the beast as well. There are no rules and regulations at war. Anyone who thinks differently is a naïve idiot.

Six recognized a leader of the group immediately, standing in front of the monster. Artemis, the hunting goddess and a person of interest. She looked exactly the same as during her previous encounter with a Spartan, with just one significant difference – she was now looking like a twelve-year-old teenager.

"It seems that they really can change their appearance. I wonder what else we will be able to see from them…"

Before Six could answer, one of the demigods, a blond-haired girl, leaped onto the monster's back and then drove her knife into the monster's mane. Another stupid decision, at least in Six's opinion. They all had massive superior firepower. They could use it to defeat the Manticore within seconds. Now, because of that blonde demigod, it all turned from a cutting-edge situation to a hostage situation.

One does not just give up their high ground like that.

Then, the Hunters made another tactical error. They have decided to use their firepower and overwhelm the Manticore. Noble Six could already predict how this situation would end. With his back against a wall, the Manticore will run away and take the hostage with him. And then he or his superiors will most likely use the hostage as a bargaining chip.

And it happened just like Six had predicted. One of the hunters gave the order to open fire. Manticore, despite being severely wounded, took the girl and ran away. And Six decided to use that chance. He used his sniper rifle to mark the blonde girl with a localization device. Now, the young demigod's location was marked within his hub.

Of course, Noble Six could save the girl, but such an action would not have any strategic value. That and he would expose himself to hunters.

Instead, Six decided to use the young demigod as bait. With the beacon signal synchronized with her, he could learn where they were taking her. And with that, more valuable Intel, such as who was behind all of this, who was cooperating with monsters, and who was the mysterious person on the Panama Canal… It was all a small trail, but this wasn't the first time for Six. He already knew what to do.

As he observed the entire situation, he waited for the right moment to mark a few other targets. After all, they were all valuable sources of Intel for Six… Not like they had any knowledge about it. He observed how hunters quickly raised a camp. He noticed the tension between the normal demigods and the hunters. The knowledge that hunters were not the most favorite among the other demigods and monsters could one day become instrumental.

Soon one of the demigods – Thalia Grace – stepped out far enough from the group to be marked without anyone noticing. And so, Noble Six marked another person. And then he moved his eyes for another one.

At that moment, Perseus Jackson, Groover Underwood, and Nico di Angelo were sitting together. Bundled around, while the youngest of them explained the rules of the weird card game to them. Soon, another target – one of the huntresses – came and took Perseus with them, claiming that her "Goddess" wanted to speak with him.

Auntie Dot scoffed at the idea of anyone claiming to be a god. It was one of the most ridiculous titles anyone could claim. Anyone walking around and parading with such in her mind was nothing more than mentally challenged and belonged to a psychiatric hospital.

Six, on the other hand, said or thought nothing of it. In his life, he had already met many Insurrectionists claiming to be something more than just 'human.' Be it because of the chemicals they have taken, from the modifications to their bodies, or because of some weird and primitive rituals they had performed.

Unsurprisingly, they had all bleed in the same way as any other human. And Auntie Dot hoped that with Artemis, it will be the same case.

As both Perseus and a high-ranked huntress moved towards the largest tent in the Camp, Noble Six decided to not waste more time and marked the two people now entering the tent. Another demigod and the first huntress marked.

Then Six quickly moved his riffle towards the youngest boy and one satyr and marked them as well. One can never have enough of Intel about the enemy. And then he marked a few huntresses in the same manner.

As the list of all marked people appeared in his hub, he decided to wait another few minutes. He had another gut feeling. His instinct was telling him to stay for a few more minutes and observe.

Soon, he noticed how hunters were quickly clearing up the campsite. Six could not understand why they have set up their camp here in the first place if they were going to move away, not even an hour later. It was completely illogical and utterly stupid from a strategic point of view. If Six – or anyone else – wanted, then he would eliminate at least half of all hunters while they would still be busy packing their things.

Noble Six just could not help but wonder how those girls were still alive.

As most people were busy checking and packing their belongings, two people decided to move aside and talk. Those two were the newly found siblings – Bianca and Nico di Angelo.

"Nico… We need to talk…." Bianca started while her tone betrayed some uncertainty. It was almost as if she feared something.

On the other hand, Nico behaved as if the coolest and most amazing thing just happened to him. Almost not carrying about the fact that the Greek myths are full of monsters – both in human and nightmare-ish forms.

"I am so excited! Percy and Groover told me stories about the camp! It's going to be awesome! Tho we will have to sleep in one cabin with a bunch of people, but I guess it can't be that bad! Oh, and there are pegasi there, and they train with swords and-"

"Nico, I won't be joining you there… I… I have joined the hunters…."

Nico's entire happy mood momentarily disappeared, replaced with confusion and then with sadness.

"But… Why? Why would you do that?"

"It's… It's for the best. I need to find my own path in life, just like you have to find your own. I can't stick with you forever. I am sorry, but it has to be like this."

Young demigod's wide eyes were full of tears. His face betrayed every single emotion young Nico was just experiencing: Confusion, sadness, betrayal. But how could anyone not feel like this in his situation? Anyone else would react similarly, knowing that the only person you had in the world had abandoned you for a bunch of strangers.

While Nico was on the edge of despair, his sister slowly turned away and walked towards the rest of the hunters.

And the only witnesses of that silent tragedy were Noble Six and Auntie Dot, watching everything from the safe position.

B312 wasn't sure what to think about this situation. And yet, he could feel the hint of anger appearing in his heart. He could still remember his parents trying to protect him, doing everything they could to get him off of the attacked world. He could still recall their deaths. After all, he watched them die. They were happy to see that their son could escape hell. They have sacrificed themselves for him. So that he could live.

And so, he could not understand why Bianca would abandon her own brother to join a group she knows nothing about. It was illogical for anyone to do.

Auntie Dot, on the other hand, was furious at the girl. She could not comprehend how someone could do such an atrocious thing to anyone. How could she just casually abandon her own little brother? A ten-year-old boy who barely could understand what was going on around him? How could one be so heartless?

The AI could feel the rising anger within her Spartan. After all, she was inside his head. And she could fully understand his anger. What that little girl did, was something standing in complete opposite to what Spartans were thought. About the sacrifice, about not giving up… about everything. Spartan III's were created knowing that their parents gave up their life to save them. So to see one member of a family just casually abandoning another… Both she and her Spartan could not truly comprehend this.

Dot could as well feel the Spartan's confusion. He could not understand from where that anger came. He could not understand why he was so angry and frustrated at the very scene he just witnessed. But Auntie Dot knew. She knew better than him.

The sorrow, the anger, the loneliness… It was all inside every Spartan III. They all knew what it's like to be left alone. How to suddenly lose everything that matters for a child. And Auntie Dot could see Six's tragic beginning every time she would venture into a specific part of his mind.

Happy childhood. The Covenant attack. The atrocities of their soldiers. Cries of pain and despair. The last goodbye. And then only loneliness.

And every time she would see this, she was not able to stop herself from experiencing something to complete sadness. She was more than sure that if she wasn't just an AI, she would most likely be crying over the fate of her Spartan.

To make it all worse, she knew he could barely remember anything from the past days. He could barely recall his parents – the only thing that ever came to his mind about them was their tragic death.

He could no longer remember their faces. He could no longer remember anything specific from his childhood. There was only pain and sorrow inside his mind.

And thus, she was not surprised by how he started to feel towards this young girl.

"Six…" She tried to talk to him about it, but he immediately stopped her with one thought. Spartans weren't too emotional, and they weren't people who were distracted during a mission. Auntie Dot knew she would have to wait with this conversation.

And so, they've focused once more fully on the group of teenagers, waiting for something near the cliff. As the sunset lazily started to appear on the horizon, on Six's HUD, a new object appeared. As of now, it was marked as primarily unidentified. From the information on his HUD, Six could only tell that it was a size of a civilian car and it was moving fast. A little too fast for any vehicle from the twenty-first century.

Not to mention, it was not moving on the ground. It was flying. And it was as blight as the sun.

Soon, the weird flying car landed, leaving an area of melted snow all around it. And from the car came out a young man with blond hair and tan carnation, dressed in jeans, loafers, and a sleeveless t-shirt. Judging from the playful smile, it was evident that the new guest was someone with a little too playful personality.

And yet, Six could tell that the new target was hiding something behind that smile. Almost as if he was trying to convince everyone around him that he was happy.

For a while, the new person of interest and the rest of the observed group mainly talked about some weird, needles things with one notable exception – the location of the camp half-blood. Artemis asked the person of interest if he could give a lift to the group.

It was the intel that both Noble Six and Auntie Dot needed. While Lycaon could provide a rough address of the camp, only now B312 could fully confirm his claims and have more precise intel. Now all he had to do is just follow the dots left by the unwary demigods.

That and he just learned the name of the new person of interest – Apollo.

Before Noble Six could depart back to the maze, he saw something that, even in his time, should be considered to be impossible. The flying car that brought the new person suddenly transformed into a bus-like vehicle.

"Dot. Have you recorded it?" Six's voice was now full of suspicion. He wanted to know how anyone could transform their vehicle like this. At first, he had no idea about what actually happened. But just then, he recalled how ONI scientists were experimenting with the advanced cloaking devices.

"Yes. And this could be what you think of. But then again, why would anyone use cloaking in such a way? That flash just ruined everything. Unless it is the limit of their current technology…" It would seem like Auntie Dot just receive another problem to solve. Not that she ever mind.

It would seem that most demigods were used to the fact that some vehicles just magically transform. Soon most of the group just entered the newly converted bus. Then, the new person of interest took over the group while the hunting goddess departed somewhere else.

Noble Six was just about to move to a different position when he caught the new person looking in his direction. Most inexperienced people would flinch and start to panic. But Noble Six just remained motionless while trying to judge if this newly appeared person could genuinely see him or was it just a stroke of blind luck that made him look in his direction.

Whatever if this new person called "Apollo" did or did not see him mattered not for Noble Six. He already got what he wanted. And so, he observed as Apollo simply entered the bus and then quickly flown away from the school.

"Weird cloaking devices, cars that can fly, a new person of Interest, Camp Half-Blood… It would seem that our trip was informative. Now we only have to figure it all out…" Auntie Dot said while her Spartan entered the maze.

And a slow and quiet nod was her only answer…

Apollo wasn't the same god after his vision. He just couldn't. And most likely, no one would.

In his immortal life, he had seen many horrors and sadness. It was part of his prophecy gift. He just knew what will happen to some people. He could see what they were trying to hide. And it was terrifying. If he could, then he would simply give this gift of prophecy to someone else.

But he couldn't. He was forced to observe without the ability to change anything. Enslaved to his own power.

And he could not forget what he had seen that night. The atrocity that his own sister committed. The horrors her own son was forced to witness and survive. If it was too much for a god, then how could one child handle it?

That part was another dreadful truth. That child did indeed handle it. Better than most people and gods would. But he paid a very high price for that. And in Apollo's mind, such a price was way too high for anyone to even consider.

He knew her sister's son was alive. He was out there, lost and confused. Trying to find a way back.

Apollo already knew that it was him who came from the portal on the weird spaceship. He immediately connected the dots after his vision. Her sister's son and his new nephew. The impoverished boy, his sister, wished to die in the worst possible way.

And the very thing his sister was now hunting. Or at least, she was before learning about the scent of a powerful ancient monster. But Apollo knew that sooner or later, she will reassume her hunt for the "automaton," as she called her son. She will just have to face a few significant troubles.

Yes, Apollo already knew what will happen. He knew that the prophecy about her is coming. And once again, he was helpless and powerless to stop it. Just like always.

As he looked up, he could sense that the son of Artemis was watching him. In a place where he could observe this entire area without being noticed. And if anything he saw in his vision was true – and he already knew it was – then Artemis will really have an adamant time trying to hunt her son down.

He saw in his vision what he became. He and his brethren. Apollo wasn't even sure if her sister will be able to gain any advantage in this hunt. A small part of him wanted to laugh at such a thought, saying that she is a goddess of the hunt. No mortal could ever become even close to being as good as her. And yet, in the silent whispers were constantly chanting something else.

They were telling the story of a grim reaper, of someone who could make entire battalions and legions vanish. Of someone who could survive in a place where everything was against him. Of someone created to stop the great army of monsters. Someone of Hyper-Lethal Vector.

For Artemis, it is going to be the most challenging hunt of her life. Because she won't be chasing a mindless or stupid monster. In her hunt, she will be forced against someone who can adapt to everything. Someone, who will not stand down, and who will turn every tactic against her. And Apollo could only pray to whoever was listening. He prayed for a peaceful solution.

Apollo smiled tiredly. A significant change was coming. Something beyond gods or titans, something not even giants or primordials could understand. A new glorious age was coming. An era where mortals will finally show what they are truly capable of. And his nephew was a living example of how glorious it could be.

He wished he could just go to him and speak to him about it. He wanted to ask him about many things. But he knew if he will try to approach the ever-vigilant son of Artemis, then he will once again disappear. Somewhere where no god could reach him.

But as of now, he was once again forced to play a playful god. Once again, he will have to wear his mask and pretend that everything is fine. For the sake of the demigods. To whom he was just about to give a ride to the camp half-blood.

And so, he only smiled widely and asked.

"So. Who wants to drive?"

Hello, after so many days! It has been a while since the last chapter...

As much as I'd wish to make those chapters faster, I simply cannot. I am too busy in the real world... But, I hope that you enjoy every update.

Time for your comments:

Janny092 – Thanks! And pretty much, yes. They are just big celestial parasites.

Cringyusername SBSVQQ – Thanks. I wanted to surprise all readers with something a little extra.

StellarEngine – Thanks! But I am afraid that you will have to wait a little bit more for the reaction.

Ozilla – I see no reason as to why Noble Six or any other Spartans shouldn't be able to lift up the sky. The real question is – will he?

ApotheosisXIII – Pretty much, yeah.

Rarrarshark – Thanks… And you guys are definitely taking too much pleasure from bashing Artemis…

Steadysmoke420 – I am glad.

Crazzytony – Are you sure that the future Artemis did not recognize B312? As to what will happen… Cannot tell, sorry.

BlitzNeutral69 – Kinky Fuckery is happening to Circe. Don't worry citizen, it's just a standard ONI operation, it would be best for you if would just forget about this entire thing XD

Lordbrrt – Crazy indeed.

AkihitoTheExiled – Here is your delivery then.

Spyash2 – Arrow's idea seems to be interesting, but as of now I cannot say if I will implement it or not. And if I would do it, then I still need to think through as to how exactly I'd do it.

Caboose – You are literally a second person to inform me about this channel. I will check it out when I will have more time.

Mirrors Cracked And Broken – Sowwy, but cliffhangers are now my best buddies. And it is safe to say that… yes, she did.

Trooper0007 – Oh, some of them will be angry definitely. Especially knowing that without monsters, you will lose at least 50% of reasons as to why you should believe in gods.

SGT Iceman– Pretty much. Auntie Dot? More like Mommy Dot. Bear-Mommy Dot.

GOCsoldier426 – Well... Compared to any Spartan, demigods literally are nothing more but a bunch of ADHD kids. Hunters are no exception.

Guest – No spoilers about the future of Circe shall be given.

Nliochristou – I cannot exactly say anything in that matter. Me answering would spoil most of the story plot.

KL - …let's just not bring out a can of worms known as Nasuverse. As to humanity surpassing the mythology… That already happened in the PJO books. Gods are simply too stupid to realize that. They are in a state of blissful ignorance. Humanity from the Halo-verse would just kick their assess.

Truckasaurus Rex - *slowly moves out of the way…*

Tech Jammer – Thank you for your kind words!

TheCrystonian – Add to the mix him being the son of Artemis. Our moon goddess will have a heart attack!

Skiff - *Sound of 30 mm Gatling Gun appears from far away…*

Mythic Imagination – Thank you for your kind words!

Kersplunk - …I am lost for words. I literally don't know what to say…

WordBearer01 – Thanks!

Templar – Typical of them…

Visari lives – Pretty much, yes.

Superstyker – I guess I will have to consider this idea then…

Scepter – THAT… Is a good question… A question that I am not able to answer… To be honest, I don't know yet.

646 – Not cool Artemis, not cool.

Fuze – Task failed successfully then?

Pvt. Marlow - …then what are you still doing here? Go, write it down and publish it!

Sm0keyPanda - …Yeah…

Austin – Thanks… And… Well, some demigods will definitely try to see Noble Six as a demigod. Especially Annabeth, who – as much as intelligent she is – still blindly follows the gods' propaganda. And yes, events from Kane Chronicles, Magnus Chase, and the following books after PJO will appear in this story.

Guest – Oh yes, she will!

GTU patriot – I cannot answer this comment, because of the major spoilers.

SplitShot – Thank you very much for your very kind words. You actually, make me blush for a few seconds.

Cpl.A Shepard – Okay...

Guest – Yeah, Atena compared to anything from the Halo-verse is pretty mediocre…

312 – Thank you for your kind words. I am very happy that you enjoy the concept of this story. But I don't think I will give B312 any form of weird weapon such as the Red Queen. For now, B312 will stick with UNSC/Covenant weapons.

Guest – Hephaistus has a very sad backstory and definitely deserves some chance. As for Hestia… Hestia is the bestia!

Code Viper – It will most likely go like this. B312 at this point emotionally barely resembles a human being. If the story ever reaches that point (and I hope it will), it will be extremely hard for Artemis to get any reaction from B312. I mean, for him Artemis is just a random person. That and he is a broken child soldier. He will most likely not understand what Artemis is trying to achieve… Can't wait to write that part.

Arrowhead – And let's not forget about the fact, that he will most likely see everything and everyone from PJO as a pure heresy… And in the next episode of "What? My Mother is a heretic?"…

Lord of emus – XD

WHATcountryman – I can already see this situation happening somewhere in the future! And to be honest, this is something Auntie Dot would say to the Artemis for sure!

Guest – To be honest, it is a brilliant idea that I'd wish to see, but I am afraid that I don't have time to write it. And so, that is the perfect opportunity for you guys – you are more than welcome to write the reaction story – either for Out of Reach or Fear the Light – I will be very happy to read a PJO reaction story from you guys! (Please, make it happen!)

Ardin – I don't know yet.

Athrix – Yes, that will be epic… And who knows, maybe ONI already knows that?

Mr. Journey – For that I am afraid you will have to wait. And thank you for your kind words.

XXxxxadisxxxXX – Well… I will not lie when I'll say that my English is very far from perfect, and the "past times" in the English language are especially hard for me since they are completely different from how the past time works in my native language. Writing those stories is one of my ways to get better at English. And I can only hope to become better so that my imperfect English would scare away any potential readers.

jaychristiansmith23 – I think you meant the past Artemis…

Guest – Nope. Very busy schedule. That and I don't know how SCP x DMC could work… I just don't know…

Pvt. Marlow – I have not seen then Alita… And with my current busy schedule, I don't think I have the time to watch it or even write fanfic about it… But, why won't you try it?

Guest – Yes. And thanks!

Tylerbmotter – And I can't wait for the opportunity to finally write about it.

Guest – Thank you very much!

Tylerbmotter – And I can't wait to write about it!

Kersplunk - …ouch…

Helghasttrooper – Understandable. It is very hard to have any positive feelings towards parasites after all.

ThunderbladeN – In other words, you… just called my story "Mediocre at best"… That hurts man…

Blueumbrella – At some point Six and Auntie Dot will meet with the main cast. That, and what else could you expect from celestial parasites (aka gods)?

LyKaiosK – There you have it!

Guest – It is highly possible that UNSC does have nano-blades. And they sound cool, so maybe one day… As for the rest… Yes, as of now, this story takes place around the great prophecy. As for the rest – wait for the future chapters.

AlphaOmega - …meh, I'd give him a different song.

Jbprowler – And yet they are so necessary…

WildWeaver – They will be furious!

AlphaLegionaire – Pretty much yes, to be honest, I knew it from the beginning that if I will ever reveal (even if only partially) who B312 really is, it will be (in the story of course) by accident.

Deathtrooper357 – But I need those cliffhangers man!

Kodiak75 – Exactly that.

Machine253 – They would all just drop dead in the first round!

snow in the darkness – Thank you very much! You have no idea how much it means to me to being compared to "Wolves that walk alone" – the best fanfiction story about Noble Six and the best Halo crossover that is out there! Thank you!

And that is it. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.

Check out my discord server for more information: discord . gg/ pghekDe

See ya!