DevilTriggerDMC Second Chapter...is up. II NOCTIS He didn't know what happened but all of a sudden he was awake, woken up by the sound of the howling winds and the screaming of crows and ravens and birds of night alike, soaring high above him in the obsidian sky, their indistinct shapes almost dancing. Looking around and taking note of every minute detail of his surroundings, he found himself in the middle of misty nowhere. Fog hung heavily in the air and he couldn't see ten feet ahead of him. But even with the almost solid wall of white vapor, a dark forbidding mountain loomed from the hazy dark obscurity, towering over the place like a giant sentry standing guard; it's mass of black darkness barren empty and evil. Shivering he sat there, turning his head from side to side. Everything was weird: the unusually thick mist, the giant dark mountain with its fitting nightmarish scenery, and the night birds whose shapes seemed like dark angels soaring through the air. It was the entire place. Something fainter than a whisper in the back of his head told him that he should know this place, should remember this almost magical place because it was important... But it was like trying to hold water in the palm of one's hand; the feeling slipped away only leaving a sense of confusion. Only fragments of that familiarity still lingered, like tracks left by a careless animal that just pleaded to be prey of something higher in the food chain. Even with that jolt of Déjà vu, and even with that familiar feeling, he still couldn't remember a thing, no clue what had happened to him. He felt lost standing there in the midst of hazy white mist with the moon shining brightly above, only barely visible with such a heavy sinister atmosphere. It struck him funny, or perhaps disturbing, when he realized that he didn't know where he was, despite having the feeling he'd been at this particular part of the world. But the scariest thing about it was that he couldn't remember who he was. His past? Himself? They were all lost to him as if he'd left the memories behind in his deep sleep. It was an empty feeling, a sense of such confusion that it overwhelmed him like waves crashing on sand castles; it's gentle yet fierce force toppling the stronghold of memories to be cherished and wiping it clean away. He was an empty shell with nothing inside, a being only guided with instincts and faint recognitions. Staggering up to his feet as if he hadn't stood in ages, he reached into his pocket for the ballpoint pen almost as if it were a habit and brought it out. Looking at it, something told him to take the cap off so he did. And it immediately extended into a golden sword with beautifully carved designs and a forever sharp blade. There were crashing waves engraved upon both sides of the weapon. And the handle had the carving of a serpent swirling around from pommel to guard. He stared at the sword, its tip glinting in the dim lights of night. Who was he? Questions flooded his mind in torrents of jumbled confusion. He gazed at the sword as if it would tell him everything, as if it would trigger the past and bring him enlightenment. But there was nothing. Still, the pen, sword, whatever, held some significance. "Riptide..." the name came to him but that was it: Riptide, his sword-pen. He stood there, lost and wondering. His mind was flashing through an almost limitless expanse of questions running through his thoughts and confusing him more and more as he pondered over his past. He stood there, alone and empty, with no recollection of anything, only the sense of Déjà vu and faint familiarity. He was alone and he had nothing. He was lost to the world and to himself. He was a blank existence. He was an empty shell—a shadow of a shade or the shade of a shadow. The thoughts swirled and clouded his mind; it was like all the mental escape routes from this madness had been sealed. And he was left with no other options than to deal with it and make the best of it. He was left alone in this world to recreate his life all over again from scratch. Suddenly voices called over to him out of the gloom and doom. From the corner of his eye, he saw the silhouettes of at least half a dozen kids his age running toward him. He turned to them fully when he heard them call. "Jason! Is that you?" As the party got closer, their hopeful expressions slowly faded, to be replaced with looks of confusion. He gazed at them for a moment, noticing their armor and weapons, before he answered them. "Jason? I...am Jason...?" he murmured questioningly. He held the sword up and looked at his reflection. "No..." he answered himself. "No, I'm not." One of the teens began to reply, probably with some sarcastic comment like "No duh!" but stopped midsentence, letting the silence drop upon them. He shook his head, confused, frowning as he tried once again to unsuccessfully remember. "No. I don't know...who I am..." Silence overwhelmed them as the group of battle-ready teens looked at him. He didn't really know what they were thinking. If they were surprised, they hid it well. They looked at one another as if they were conversing amongst themselves in silence. The quiet was deafening, only the screaming of the birds of night and the wind kept them sane enough to not break it. Then one of the girls seemed to come to a decision, turning her gaze back to him. She seemed to struggle to make eye contact with him for some reason. He didn't know. Maybe she could see how blank he was in the inside. Maybe she could see the confusion, the turmoil within. Was there something in his eyes? He stared back and a jolt of familiarity crossed him as he took in the stormy grey eyes. "Come with us." Stormy eyes said finally. "You're obviously a Demigod, so we can't just leave you here and have you killed by monsters. You'll live longer if you stay at Camp and get proper training. Camp's a little short on recruits anyway. " "Demigod. Half-divine." He stared at his hands, then at his reflection in Riptide again. Right at that moment, he didn't really feel too godly. He was lost in this world and in this emptiness, the void that used to contain his past. He nodded and capped the sword. "So you don't know your own name?" another 'demigod' asked, he had a look about him that told a person not to completely trust him, funny how he could tell that much about another person and had not a clue who he was when he glanced at his own face. "Hmm." "Bobby, shut up." Storm eyes reproached and the demigod quieted, hiding his disbelief just as the girl had. He looked away from the campers, not able to bare the looks of sympathy. His frown deepened and he gazed up at the moon again. It was like a magnet to him, an object that drew his attention as if it selfishly wanted his focus to be on only its incandescent light and beauty and not on anyone else. He turned back to the group of 'demigods' and found them observing him closely, their silence almost ominous, intentions well-hidden. "Oh! Cheer up!" the second girl spoke up, her voice and actions bubbly and upbeat as she threw her arms wide in a dramatic pose. It was like she was holding everything in until now, letting her feelings out like an explosion. Immediately the atmosphere relaxed and became almost bearable, almost light. "We have a lot of kids who have some kind of problem. Don't worry! Once you see one of our healers you'll be back to normal. The Apollo campers are really good with handling these kinds of medical things." "Yeah and if that doesn't work you can always go to Somnus' kids," the other girl piped up. The others looked at her in surprise. "They say that dreams can wake even the deepest buried past." "You're really coming out of your cave now, Hazel," the last demigod commented. "You were always silent and shy back in the old days." "Don't tease her, Dakota. Your bully days are over, remember? You're supposed to be nice now," Stormy eyes snapped. There was this protective aura about her that one couldn't quite escape. It hadn't been there a moment ago… Hazel flushed a little as Bobby and Dakota started teasing her while Stormy eyes—Reyna angrily reprimanded them. In the end she had to pull the two bullies by the ears to make them stop. There was a brief silence once again; even the wind seemed to die down. He looked up at the moon and the night sky, thinking. The mist was clearing…fast. The clouds were racing past them overhead, making his head feel dizzy. He stared up as his new acquaintances started bickering. Then he looked up as they ran through the mist and darkness. The moon shone brightly as if shining new hope down with its silver beams. He observed the stars and automatically picked out two constellations out of some subconscious habit: Orion and Zoe Nightshade. "Hey, by the way…We've all introduced ourselves but we still don't know your name. What do we call you, newbie?" He was driven from his reveries by Bobby clapping a hand on his shoulder. "I don't know," he said, even to him his tone sounded strange, halting the party's bickering, his eyes seemed to glow silver with the reflection of the moon and the stars. "I can't remember…so for now, call me Noctis. I'll go with that." The name held some meaning to him, like an anchor to his life from now on. It told the story of someone lost and alone with only the mist and dark clouds and the chirping birds and the moon as company. That was his history. That was all there was for him. Other than that, the past was out of reach from his mind's grasp. He had not a clue what his real name was and not a clue what person he was back then, before he lost his memories. After pondering over his situation he realized that having no past wasn't that bad. It was just an unwanted fresh start. "Alright, let's get going." Bobby exclaimed. The group seemed restless the whole time they had found him. But only now the edginess became clear. "We haven't got all day. Are we going to head back and drop the newbie off or are we going to keep looking for Jason?" Noctis could tell that the group was eager to push forward and find whoever their friend was. He could see their restlessness and…something else. Was it devotion? He couldn't place it, that reverence, but he had a feeling that this Jason character was usually their leader. Reyna looked over at him again, as if sizing him up. The others held their breaths. He nodded at her questioning look as if in consent and she sighed with relief, "I think Noctis here can handle a little jog—prepare him for the forced marches we have to do every morning; this will be a little demo." The others seemed to relax, also relieved. "Let's just check with those nymphs or Hesperides as the Greeks call them, to see if they know where Jason went." Noctis frowned slightly, pondering. The way she said 'Greeks' wasn't exactly scornful, he surmised. But it wasn't respectful either. This realization led to questions but that would have to wait. Now was not the time for idle chatter which was a shame because he had a fair load of questions he wanted answers to. As the group went onward, their brisk pace becoming a jog then speeding up to a run, a random thought occurred to him that maybe the Romans and the Greeks didn't get along with each other. Maybe they weren't on as good terms to be allies as the gods thought so they separated the Romans from the Greeks. That would mean that if there was a Greek demigod camp then it would be somewhere far away from the Roman's base... And there were the Hesperides...Noctis turned the name over in his head, trying to figure out where he had heard it from but as usual he came up with nothing. He had a feeling he knew them though...somewhat. Gwendolyn scoffed as if reading his thoughts as she sprinted alongside him, breaking his connect-the-dots theories and thoughts. "We were never on good terms with the girls. I doubt they will tell us anything." There were grumbles of agreement at that but Reyna, who seemed to have taken charge with Jason's absence, ignored it. "After this, if we find no leads on Jason, we'll return to Camp and introduce Noctis to Lupa. Then—" before Reyna could finish her sentence, the ground began to shake, the earth's tremor turned into an earthquake, splitting the ground open, releasing a horde of nightmares Noctis had never dreamed of. The group's reaction was calm and their movements well thought out. Noctis himself found Riptide already unsheathed and his body crouched in a ready position. He put his back to his comrades and faced the monstrosities, with Riptide in front of him. "Such a large force…Your camp needs to check on its defenses. This is one major security lapse." he backed away slowly. "I don't understand this either," Reyna muttered. "But recently, ever since Jason disappeared, there have been hordes of monsters attacking our camp borders and the camp itself. It's almost as if…" She seemed to play with the thought but then shook her head. "No, that can't be." "What can't be?" "Nothing." Reyna tensed and slowly drew her sword which was strapped to her back, her eyes fixed on the enemy the whole time. Even though they weren't well acquainted, he could see right through the Roman campers' mask of confidence. He noticed the gathering of perspiration on their foreheads and the tensing of their muscles, and he realized that this wasn't what an average demigod had to face. Bobby cursed in fluent Latin and when Noctis looked over his shoulder he could see the other's faces darken, jaws set, grimly facing off the army of horrors. "What are these?" he asked, turning back to look at the monsters. "I don't think I've seen these things before. I would know that at the very least." "It's pretty much everything evil, fickle, heart wrenchingly hideous, and deadly in Roman mythology." Dakota said. "Curse, Terra. The Deity of the Earth hasn't been this active in millennia." "The Final Prophecy is taking place already." Reyna said grimly. "The Doors of Death are open wide. But none of us ever thought that it would happen so suddenly." "Right," Dakota said. "Forget the details. Time to wash my hands in monster blood and have it splattered on my shirt again. I just got this shirt washed, too." Together they charged forward, then divided into two groups and went for the center of the horde, cutting the enemy's forces in half. Noctis ducked under a wild swing from what he thought might be a demon. He slashed down then whipped around and hacked one of the Dracaenae into fleshy pieces. He was a whirlwind of madness and his fury was devastating. Literally. Cut. Parry. Duck. Slash. Kick. Thrust. Another thrust. Stab. Duck and a leg sweep. He checked on the others and saw they were doing just as well if not better but something was off. The army didn't seem to be thinning out at all. The more he thought about it the more puzzled he was. And then it hit him, the realization. The monsters were reassembling, all their dust rearranging themselves like piecing together a billion puzzle-pieces. Glancing at one of the campers' face he realized that they must've figured out the reason but before he could confirm his suspicions as he lay to waste an entire section of monsters, the ground trembled again. Another rumble and a huge serpent slithered out of the crack. "Ah, gods darn them. We have the worst luck ever." Gwendolyn murmured, eyes widening. "It's a Drakon." Noctis said suddenly. The group stared at his back. His shoulders were tense but otherwise he seemed calm. "You've fought one before?" Bobby inquired, doubtfully. "I don't know. Maybe, the name just came to me." Then instinct took over and he charged forward, avoiding the tip of the tail of the giant serpent as it lashed out a mere hairs breadth from where he had been. The others were in action already, moving around, assuming battle formations and taking out monsters by the dozens. Noctis lunged at the serpent and slashed at its hide but the scales proved too thick and tough for even Riptide's razor-sharp blade to pierce. The blade bounced off and he tried not to wince at the pain of the reverberations. The attack was Déjà vu all over again for the umpteenth time. There was a throb at the back of his eyes. But still, no memory came to him. The Drakon swung its head around so fast it nearly took a chunk out of him but years of unknown training kicked in and he flipped in the air, landing on top of it. Noctis stabbed at the eye again and again like a mad man before launching himself off as it crashed into the mountain. "You guys take care of the rest, I'll kill the Drakon." He called over. The others nodded, concentrating on the Dracaenae and Lastrygonians and Hyperborean Giants and other things that they couldn't quite identify, things that seemed to be older than the gods and the titans though how that can be Noctis didn't know. Everything was a blur, monster mixed with humanoid-like figures as the amnesiac dodged around, weaving through the horde of demonic creatures. The Drakon whipped its head here and there, striking like a snake, continuously battering against the ground where Noctis had stood milliseconds before, sometimes even killing its own forces, as it vainly tried to have its late dinner of demigod meat. Of course they had the advantage of regenerating minutes later and the Demigods didn't. As he ran through the enemy lines, the only thing differentiating enemy from ally was the Roman Campers purple shirts that stuck out like sore thumbs from the monsters scaly hides or other. The monsters that were distinctly human even held weapons varying from ancient to modern but he couldn't make out the details as he ran past, dodging here and there. Noctis ran like a demon, cart wheeling off a Giant's back then breaking another monster's neck with his legs, then a stab into the face of a Telkhine. He took a storm spirit, a Ventus, by the arm and grabbed its weapon which turned out to be a shotgun and fired at the horde before throwing the spirit into the ranks of zombies and monsters alike. In seconds, half the army of hell had been vaporized into yellow dust, but a fat lot of good that did anybody except help them catch their breath before the dust shifted and reformed back into monsters and the campers were at it again. The Drakon was nearly on him now as Noctis ran along the valley of hills around Mount Tam. I can't keep this up…I'm gonna die. He thought angrily, frustration overtaking exhaustion. He fought at the boiling, surging anger, but it wouldn't be contained. From overhead, a storm cloud swirled like a funnel, like a giant whirlwind or whirlpool in the sky, black clouds gathering more and more but at the eye of heaven's hurricane, the moon shone through, brighter than ever. Under the moon's gaze, the sea roiled restlessly as if sensing all the action and wanting to be a part of it. The waves crashed together, its rhythm lost in the excitement of the events occurring. The Pacific had become a living organism, not a mere biome for living things but a seemingly chaotic, sentient force of nature that had gone into frenzy, its fury matching Noctis' own. He whipped around, standing firm as he faced the Drakon head on. As it showed its poisonous fangs, Noctis brought Riptide forth. Now the wind was picking up and the storm swirled faster above, it reminded Noctis of those hypnotizing swirl patterns he'd seen before, but he didn't have time to try and focus on bringing the past back. He charged, yelling something like "ARGHHHH!" and the Drakon lunged, roaring a battle cry of its own. Lightning shattered the sky. The ferocity of the attack stunned him, vibrating from the blade of his sword to his arm which went numb immediately. Luckily the beast didn't spit any of its poison or else he'd be dead. The serpent monster roared and the very world seemed to tremble. It reared its frightening head, glaring at him as blood gushed at its mouth but that wasn't enough to kill it, as if that mattered anymore anyway. Noctis took advantage of its distraction at the agony and leapt onto its tail. "This is crazy." He muttered, taking a deep breath. And he ran up its length, up toward its head with his sword held high. The Drakon soon realized what he was doing though and it writhed about, lifting itself high up then flinging itself toward the Pacific. To say it was a rollercoaster ride would be like comparing a pond to an ocean. Noctis could see houses that were situated on the mountains' outskirts and he could see the boats sailing in to dock at the harbor as he held on for dear life as the giant serpent monster thing went flying through the air in loops. They crashed through trees and the Drakon twisted here and there trying to get him off but he held on, all the while clinging to his lifeline with numb fingers. His grip slipping as he readjusted his hold every now and then. It felt like an eternity, and soon his impatience sparked and he hurled himself atop the nightmarish creature's body, as it twisted itself. Running on a Drakon while it twisted and turned and did all sorts of contortions was like wrestling with a tornado. Completely one-sided. Nevertheless Noctis ran, sometimes running with the ground as his ceiling and the sky as the base below. The only thing keeping his feet on the Drakon was his momentum. And then they crash landed into the Pacific Ocean in a gigantic explosion of sea spray and foam and water. The impact was cushioned by the Drakon's body but he still felt the sudden stop come painfully. As it swam outward to less shallow ends, Noctis ran up to the head as fast as he could, before it decided to take a dip in those very deep parts. Lunging forward at its head, he leapt up into the air and brought his sword into an aggressive thrust just as it whipped around, opening its jaws, to make a meal out of him. Riptide struck home, slashing its hide apart and tearing into the flesh. The great beast froze and for a moment Noctis thought that maybe beheading the gods' forsaken thing wasn't enough. Then its head fell into the water and the scaly body slumped, going completely limp. He stood there, half expecting it to disintegrate and half expecting it to come back to life but it didn't stir. Slowly and tiredly he sat down, hoping the tide would push him back to the shore. Then he caught sight of something dark and really long and serpentine swimming close to the surface of the water. Actually, a little more than something: there were dozens of them. Then one hideous head of what looked sort of like a snake burst from the surface with a shriek then another, then another, and another. Noctis stood up once again, cursing as one by one another head appeared, all around him as if trying to trap him. He staggered up to his feet again; fatigue was catching up to him. "You can't be serious..." It was a Hydra. But how was it in the water? He brought Riptide in front of him, brandishing it in the many-headed monsters many faces as if a piece of metal was enough to kill the legend that was said to have multiplying heads. Between Riptide and the monster's many fangs, his sword was pretty much a toothpick and he was a kid size happy meal that the monster would have to tear into tiny pieces to share with its heads. He got into a ready position just in time as one of the monsters heads went lashing out in a frontal assault. He leapt up and met it in the air but of course because of his mass being much smaller than that of a gajillion ton Hydra, he was slammed through the air like a rag doll. The force blasted him off his feet and sent him flying back but the storm winds slowed his speed and he back flipped onto another head as it tried to snatch him for itself. Obviously the monster didn't know any better than to attack him while he was on one of their heads because the other jaws of the beast came snapping at him as he stood there, bracing for the impact that would send him into the air once again. He leapt and blood exploded behind him like fireworks as the creature tore the head he had been on seconds ago to shreds. That didn't do much but one less head was better than a full house. Of course, 99 heads were still terrifying and they were angry now, too. He kind of wished he was fighting a regular dragon and not an almost impossible-to-kill monster. His small triumph was short lived through because when he tried to do the same trick again the heads didn't fall for it. It's intelligent. Is this the goddess of the earth's doing? Noctis thought as the head he was on flung him in the air. Now he couldn't control his trajectory or where he landed. The remaining heads of the creature all lunged at him from different directions, sealing all escape routes as if he could escape in midair anyway. He tried to bring his sword up to protect him somewhat but his arm was still a little numb and for some other reason it wouldn't lift. A head that was quicker than the rest, however, rammed into his chest and slammed him into the sea brutally. He coughed up blood. Scarlet globules seemed to blotch the skies for a moment as his vision flashed white. The attack should've killed him and if that didn't the impact against the sea surface before he went under should've. But surprisingly he wasn't dead. He thought that maybe he should feel blessed by that fact but at the moment he didn't feel too lucky. Ironically enough, the attack had saved his life; if the heads had attacked in unison then he would've been a dead man or more appropriately dead demigod dessert for the glutton of a monster. If the Hydra had attacked more quickly or that one head more slowly, there would've been nothing left of him. He slowly sank down deeper and deeper until he didn't see the serpents. He realized that he wasn't suffocating but that could probably be that he was unconscious and having a really realistic dream. My own personal hell, Noctis thought. Wonderful. But it wasn't. He had to die when he had already lost practically everything. He had to die when he didn't even get the chance to find his past and his life. He had to die like this after fighting only that many monsters on the outskirts of Mount Tam and the Drakon and the multiplying many headed nightmare. He had to die so young in his life. He didn't want it to end. Don't die like this. Anger flared, coursing through his veins once again like liquid fire, like molten lava, burning his patience to ashes of nothing. And the boiling pressure escalated higher and higher. This time it cleared his mind and disorientation. His mind was working overtime. His senses sharpened to the extent that he felt more alive than he ever was. More reflex than anything else, Noctis consciously willed the water push him up; it was like flexing a muscle, the feeling of it so natural that he felt he had been connected to the sea for a long time, maybe from the very beginning. He burst from the surface right in front of the Hydra. Lightning danced across disturbed skies. The full fury of the storm tore at the many-heads of the Hydra. Rain fell with the ferocity and force like bullets. Hail showered down like cannon balls, exploding everywhere. The hydra let out torrents of fire and flames as it battled the tempest. But soon the flames died and it began to sink into the sea, exhausted and beaten. A typhoon swirled about the beast like a prison cell of angry waves rising to take its prisoner down, down, down. Then a giant wave sealed the exit like a huge maw closing in on the many-headed dragon. It brought the beast into its depthless stomach, letting it fall under until it was at the bottom, holding the weight of the ocean. The ocean which had become a furious tempest of sea spray and waves was more than obliged to consume such a monster, bringing the beast down under, down to the ocean floor where the pressure of the sea would kill it. The whirlpool died down to nothing and the sea calmed to its usual peaceful scene, its gentle waves crashing on the shore so far off, beating out a rhythm of the sound of the sea and the tempo of its ebb and flow. The storm funnel overhead faded, the dark angry clouds blown to wisps of vapor then disappearing entirely. Like it was only a dream. Noctis sighed. Out at sea, the world didn't seem so confusing and empty anymore. The feeling of being lost seemed like only a concept and nothing more. The sea was his dreamscape and his home. It was the perfect place to rest and sleep. He felt so elated just standing there in the water, staring at the stars and the moon that seemed like it was about to engulf the world in its silvery incandescent light. Its rays of white and silver beams shone through the meteor black night. And Noctis somehow felt that it was watching over him, him alone at the moment. Shrugging the thought away, he headed back to the others. But when he stepped from the water, all the energy drained out of him and he staggered. The adrenaline that he had pumping through his veins minutes ago seemed to completely vanish and his mind began to shut down. His body ached all over and he was panting as if he had run a marathon. His vision blurred for an instant just before collapsing he found himself staring at a girl with auburn hair and silver white eyes that seemed to glow as bright as the moon. She was breathtakingly beautiful and he had to stop himself from losing his calm composure. After that he was falling, falling to the sandy ground as his strength escaped him completely, falling down into peaceful slumber, the sand as his pillow and bed. Riptide fell from his hands and impaled itself beside him. He felt someone stop his fall and the next thing he knew he blacked out, his sight engulfed in darkness as his mind collapsed under all the stress and events that had gone flying by this night, almost more than he could take, almost more than he could comprehend: waking up to the howling wind and the mist and the sound of night's birds and the glowing moon, the feeling of not belonging and the confusion followed by the realization that he was lost with no memory nor any clue of who he was, then the Roman campers, leading to the horde of monsters crawling out of the chasm, then the Drakon, and the Hydra... And the feeling of confusion was lost to him once again, just like the time he gazed at the moon...

DevilTriggerDMC Dunno about this chapter...hmmm... III HAZEL She didn't know what to make of him—of this "Noctis" character. She stared down at him, spread eagled on the seascape bed covers unconscious, and tried to divine something from him. Where was he from? Who was he? He was a mystery to her. He was a stranger—but not just any stranger. She felt something in her jump at the very thought of him. She felt really weird when she was around him. It was like he was the catalyst to let her emotions out. She was always a quiet girl. Being the daughter of Pluto, she wasn't like the other girls like Gwendolyn: all about love and very open and loud. For some odd reason...she wasn't like that. And she didn't want to be like that. She just didn't know how to act like that. But with Noctis around, Hazel felt...so different. She had a feeling that he wouldn't laugh at her for anything and he wouldn't make fun of her for anything. It was something with his eyes—always half-closed and serenely filled with a deep sadness of loss and of something else. "Why? Why am I like this?" Venus seemed to spend a lot of her divine time with her in dreams and in brief conscious encounters. She would always talk about how she would find someone one day but it wouldn't be the way she'd think it would be like. Venus and her prophecies… Why was the goddess into her anyway? She remembered the soft whispers, resonating through the cursed gems that always grew wherever she stayed too long, talking with the wind. The gossip was as nonsensical as a mad hatter. But that was because they hinted at the future and things that hadn't occurred yet. Once they whispered about the new tragic love story of a hero...she wondered if this was it. The story of Hazel's fall...or Noctis'... A hand clapped her on the back suddenly and she gasped. It was only Reyna. "What were you thinking?" "Nothing," Hazel replied, quietly. She touched the mark of Camp Jupiter on her right arm, as she glanced at the orange shirt Noctis wore under his jacket. "Just wondering where he came from…" "Mars has been hinting on some runt of a hero coming to Camp Jupiter but I never thought it'd be someone like him…" Reyna muttered. "He seems like he's a well-seasoned fighter." "Mars is just angry." A figure shimmered into view. It was a teenage girl of about seventeen with long silver hair that seemed almost pink in the sunset. "He's a sore loser—no offense." The goddess added hastily at Reyna. Diana, goddess of the Hunt, stepped from the air onto the sand and knelt down to touch Noctis' hair. Hazel felt a twinge of something—jealousy? The goddess looked up at the others as they gathered. She nodded at them before turning her serene gaze to the fallen hero, eyes half-closed and downcast in sadness. She placed a hand on Noctis' forehead. Noctis' body shimmered briefly silver as his cuts and bruises healed. His eyes flickered and his body jerked as if shocked. That brief second, Hazel could've sworn she saw his slitted eyes glow bluish silver. "Farewell, heroes. I leave the Son of Neptune in your hands." The goddess murmured softly, still kneeling there, staring at the lost hero. She suddenly stood—reluctantly. "How do we know he's not going to be the downfall of us?" Dakota asked. "He looks in his late teens. No demigod has survived that long outside." The goddess smiled. "He's no enemy." She laughed. "I know and you do, too—deep inside you, you know, because you've met before..." And she was gone—like the wind sweeping away the silver clouds, leaving behind snowflakes of silver sparks that shone like the stars and fell, slowly drifting—probably to meet with Lupa. Hazel had a feeling that the moon goddess wasn't going to go away anytime but was here to stay. Hazel sighed. Even though Diana was a maiden goddess, she felt weirdly like a rival to Hazel, how the goddess stared tenderly—almost lovingly at Noctis—and how she seemed so sad at the hero's spread eagled exhausted form. What was going on?

DevilTriggerDMC IV NOCTIS Noctis was falling, falling head first down through into the abyss of nothingness, free falling down to his doom, his demise growing ever nearer and his Death coming ever closer, and there was nothing that could break his fall, and it seemed that nothing could stop him, nothing to make this nightmare go away. In the black and white world of the abyss and the light above that casts no warmth or comfort, in the dreamscape of ruin and barren nothingness, all clouded with black mist, all infected with the sins of a fallen angel, confusion and powerlessness attach themselves like a parasite to once a world of paradise, and now only an unchangeable fate and an unchangeable destiny remain; in this Nightmare World of his imaginings, fate and destiny were one and the same and there were no differences. In this blackened dreamland, this scorched chasm, he saw a vast expanse of land deserted except for the black birds of post war and battles, and the other not-so-glorious results of war: it was a graveyard for as far as he could see. He spotted figures running across and saw himself taking up the front, leading the rest of the group to who-knows-where. The out-of-body experience unsettled him and he wondered if maybe, with a chilling thought of premonition, it was a glimpse of the future. Tears fell like drizzling rain, light and gentle, its crystalline droplets falling with the appearance of liquid silver. Was there no savior for him, no salvation in this hell, and no escape route for which to run to? He fell, confusion taking hold and overwhelming his mind, clouding his thoughts until his mind was blank like how a piece of parchment caught on fire and burnt to stray black ashes, his mind crumbled with the flames of subjection. It was like the flames and it was like building blocks tumbling down, the collapse of his empire. Noctis closed his eyes, getting bored of all the bleak pictures. What in the world was this? Why on Olympus was he dreaming these stupid things? And suddenly, confusion was replaced by anger, and for the first time, it seemed, his mind was clear His surroundings changed as if a giant paintbrush had painted over the dreamscape and created another world entirely. The new place was all different hues of the sky and ocean, blues that ranged from dark to light. Noctis was floating in the middle of the sea, time becoming irrelevant as he lay there floating on his back. The fish swam around him, unafraid of his presence as they continued on following their usual patterns of life. Some of the dolphins though seemed to think of keeping him company for they leapt around him as if guarding him from unknown attackers. Closing his eyes, Noctis tried to escape the dizzying dreamscape of the aquatic biome where he lay floating staring up into the full moon as if searching for something. He had forgotten what he was searching for though and that made him uneasy. He racked his brains, trying to figure out what he was missing, but failed to come up with anything. What was it? What was it that was out of his reach? What had he been looking for? Finally he decided to just try to escape from all these dreams; it was funny enough that he could think as clearly as he was when he was asleep. He wondered if it had to do with being associated with the gods. It wasn't until the storm cloud came overhead that he moved. He felt uneasy about the storm as if something wasn't right; it wasn't natural it seemed, more like a warning than nature's work. He began to swim, diving down to a deep valley and further down, away from the storm above, away from the land of air and into the domain of sea creatures and water; the fish swam with him, acting as escorts, as he made his way to the bottom where he spotted a large palace. He saw sea people swimming around the place, some playing games while others went on about their daily business, and yet others guarding the palace gates, dozens standing at attention. The underwater palace seemed like something from a fairytale, its walls soaring high above, and its gates and other entrances well guarded with mythical creatures of varying sizes and monstrosities'. But Noctis had a feeling that this palace was real and the mythical creatures weren't as mythical as everyone thought them to be because even with no memory he was sure that his eyes weren't deceiving him, then again this was a dream. He sighed. Never mind that; any reasoning in a dream will lead nowhere. As he entered, he was greeted by the many, armed creatures, mermen and muscular giants, possibly Cyclopes, alike. He strode past them and as he did, they bowed their heads in respect. The gesture confused Noctis even more but he continued forward, waving uncertainly at the people, and entered the main building after crossing through the courtyard. He went wandering through mazes of corridors and stairs and rooms, getting himself lost, until he reached what looked like a giant meeting hall with a throne at the end of a long coral-made table. "I see you've found you're way to the throne room without getting lost. I guess you haven't forgotten everything, have you now, Noctis?" he stopped midstride and slipped a hand into his pocket, feeling for Riptide. "Hey now, I'm not your enemy. No need to get all wary of me." Noctis turned to get a better look at who had spoken to him, tilting his head as he glanced over his shoulder at the man waving his hands, defensively. Their eyes met as Noctis stared down the stranger who had walked in from behind him, a feeling a familiarity crossing his mind as if they had met before. The same sea green eyes stared back at him. The man even had the same black hair like his own. However, in contrast to Noctis' pale skin that looked almost a little too unhealthily corpse-white and his pianist fingers delicate and unscarred, the man's skin was tanned and his hands were ones of a fisherman's scarred and lined. He looked like he'd been fishing in the sun forever. His attire was what one would wear to a beach: sandals, a Hawaiian shirt unbuttoned, and shorts. He held a trident in his right hand that had the hues of every color of the sea, his left hand hung loosely at his side. "I don't know anything…" Noctis replied finally, his tone was flat and empty, a hint of sadness traced in his voice as he broke eye contact. He turned his gaze back to the stranger's and saw a flash of grief cross the man's features. "So, it seems. You are a lost hero, my boy," the man walked forward and pulling up a chair he sat down tiredly, setting his trident against the table. "But keep your spirits up. After all of this has ended I would think that your memory would come back. Hera has played a dangerous gamble in this war but one that may be our only way to win." Noctis turned completely to face the man now, thoughts and deductions flashing through his mind as he sorted through the questions racing around in his head. "You're…a god? You spoke of Juno, the goddess of marriage just now, meaning you two must be acquainted with one another to a degree…" The man looked taken aback as he studied Noctis more closely as if he was from a different world. "Juno? You've never referred to any god by their Roman names before…must be your new comrades influences on your knowledge of us. This is quite a feat…to influence a demigod's way of viewing us. And also your attitude…the way you talk and how you act—it's different. However, that's to be expected." He sighed, scratching his chin, thoughtfully. Then he remembered Noctis' question, "But yes, I am a god and sadly I also know my dear sister, Hera…" he grumbled something that was unintelligible, probably an insult about Juno, before clearing his throat. He looked at Noctis expectantly, as if waiting for him to guess even though it was obvious. Noctis hesitated before confirming, "You are Neptune, Lord of the Seas," He stood there awkwardly, deliberating on the thought of whether to bow or not. "The one and only." Neptune smiled. "So what am I doing here? This is a dream but it's going out of control. I don't know this place at all." He looked around, trying to recall ever being in such a place and came up blank. "What's going on? And what's this gamble of Juno you're talking about, something that has to do with my memories being lost?" The god shifted uncomfortably, as he gazed at Noctis, his eyes searching his as if he was sizing him up. "Your first question is simple: I called you here. You have been here before but your memories are wiped so of course you don't remember. As for what's going on…You'll find out at this roman camp you're going to. I'll tell you this much though: Zeus has called that all gods should withdraw from communicating with the demigods; that's as much as I can say. As for the gamble Hera is making, that I can't tell you—it could get you killed. Suffice to say that if her plan works, we might just survive this crisis." He turned to gaze out a window at the seascape outside, where the merpeople swam around, where the sea life went on, care-free and oblivious to the troubles Noctis was burdened with. Noctis mulled this over, turning the information around in his head. He shook his head, confused; none of this was making sense. He focused instead on the main question, "So why did you call me?" Neptune shrugged. "The days ahead of you are going to be rough. And to meet you face to face as Noctis and Neptune rather than our past encounters—we're family, Noctis, it's natural. Also, I called you here to warn you." He sat down in one of the high-backed chairs, twirling his trident. "You've made a lot of enemies in the past, Noctis, mortal and immortal alike. I'm only looking out for you. Some of the gods would love to see you dead so watch your back. My eyes can only see so much so stay alert and be wary." "Wary of what? Everything?" Noctis looked bewildered. "I have to know my enemies a little more so I can properly watch my own back." The sea god smiled albeit sadly. "You're thinking like a true Roman demigod. It's for the better, I guess, but still you're not the same demigod as before. I doubt you'll ever be the same even if you get your memories back. Your life has changed completely, and this sort of change is not going to go away that easily…" Noctis opened his mouth to respond, to ask another question. What did Neptune mean by that? Never the same again? Too late—Neptune waved his hand as if in goodbye and the scene with the throne room of the palace in the sea vanished. Noctis was drifting again, falling back into his previous dreams of the dark abyss but now there were dark angels flying around him, more enemies made themselves visible, their appearance mere shadows and silhouettes distorted in the swirling abyss but still concrete enough to make out. It made things look more dark and forbidding than it already was. He broke free from his mental chains a moment later and reached out toward the sky overhead and at the moon barely visible and then he felt the cool, delicate fingers of a girl grasping his hand and lifting him toward her. Suddenly, his free fall stopped and there was a split second where he caught a glimpse of her but then distant voices were heard through the roiling tempest of black and white and shades of grey, their volume growing louder by the second. "Noctis…Noctis…Noctis…" the voices echoed, reverberating around, bouncing off invisible walls. "Noctis, wake up." Noctis was shaken awake and as he regained his focus, he noticed his new comrades all crowded around him, concerned etched on each of their faces. "Thank the gods you're alright." Reyna stood sternly over him, with the rest standing beside her. "You should feel blessed to have been found by one of the gods, Noctis. If she hadn't found you, you could've been killed." She looked over her shoulder and frowned. "Huh, she's gone…" "Never knew gods to be so shy…" Bobby joked. "Well, you learn something new every day." "Don't let her hear you say that." Dakota warned, slapping the mischievous demigod on the back so hard he coughed. "Or she might turn you into a bird or something. I heard it's her favorite pastime." He gave Bobby a brief headlock before releasing him. Noctis stood up shakily and glanced around. They were standing at the shore and the girl he had seen before he fell unconscious was nowhere to be seen. He glanced over at the others, now that he was focused enough and noticed the dried blood crusted on their faces and the claw marks on their armor. "It must've been one heck of a fight." He searched his pockets, his hand closed on Riptide. He sighed, relieved. "Tell me about it." Hazel mumbled, grimacing as she touched a wound on her shoulder. "We should head back to camp. I doubt the Hesperides know where Jason went anyway. Let's leave the search for tomorrow or so until we've healed." The others murmured an agreement, and the search party began their long journey back. Noctis looked over at where he fell and traced the footsteps of someone from there to the place where the waves crashed, erasing the prints from there. Silver sparks still sparkled from the place Noctis suspected the girl to have vanished. He gazed at the place thoughtfully for a while before focusing his attention on the trip to camp. I'll have to find a way to thank her…whoever she was. He had a feeling he knew the girl, the name on the tip of his tongue but the feeling passed and he was disappointed. The trip back was smooth and uneventful. They made their journey to camp in silence, trekking through rough terrains and through other landscapes that stood as natural obstacles in their path: Steep rocky slopes they had to climb, swamps they had to circumvent, places so consumed by trees the only way to get across was to climb the forest's various limbs, like squirrels Noctis noted to the rest when they leapt from one thick branch to another, or like monkeys Bobby added as they swung from the smaller branches but Noctis didn't like that comparison as much. As they continued onward through the endless obstacle course Nature had laid out for them, Noctis realized that the geology was probably part of the base's defenses. The natural landscape were meant to exhaust travelers with its treacherous chasms and its crazily steep paths and so on; it also created great confusion to those who didn't know where they were going with its identical overhangs and passes and other land marks. That was the critical view of the place but looking over the place once more, one can see the beauty of the land; its bewitching scenery with its huge crashing waterfalls and the huge trees whose limbs stretched out far and wide like hands outstretched to take the entire scene its hands and the endless hills and the cliffs that were like steps to the sky at how they were shaped, the sight of all these things gave off an impression that this place was ancient, centuries old, a place somehow suspended in time. An eco-fanatic's paradise, not that Noctis was one obviously; he preferred more cold places, snowy woods were more his wonderland, his winter wonderland that is. He smiled. The place, Noctis was almost certain, was from an older era, a more ancient time period than this century. He had a feeling that it was meant to be an imitation of the seven hills of old Rome. He was jolted out of his speculations by Reyna who drew out a horn and blew, alerting the camp, he presumed as they continued forward. Stormy eyes turned toward him, her eyes seemed to warn him to behave or something, "We're almost there." The flat plain they were now walking through was littered the gears of war. There were a wide variety of weapons that lay strewn about all over the place, some impaled in the ground, stabbing armored corpses whose flesh had long since been eaten away by carrion-eaters, skeletons pinned down by more skeletons with swords and spears sticking out like pin cushions, other weapons were grasped in bony hands of fallen warriors; there were Roman gladii and other swords of different origins, bows and arrows, lances, spears, javelins, daggers, war hammers, and other weapons that had no names. The different equipment for war were scattered everywhere, the sheer quantity was overwhelming and it gave Noctis a sick estimate of the number of soldiers who participated in this particular battlefield. Skeletons covered the place, not all human-like, some as huge as houses, others smaller but not human size. There were torn flags stitched with different emblems erected here and there, flowing in the wind. The wind carried through the bones of the fallen, making a ghostly sound, it went through armor, making low whistles like moaning, and it made the whole place creepier than it already was. Noctis turned to look at the others and saw them with their heads bowed, walking through the place with an air of respect and reverence. He was about to ask what had happened to result in such a mess when Hazel answered his silent question in a low voice, "This is the Graveyard of Rome. All of this you see—it's what happened at the Fall of Our Empire. These are all the fallen demigods and monsters that fought to the death. No one was left standing in the end of this battle. You won't hear of it anywhere in any historical text by the mortals; the event was erased from history so to speak, that much of a tragedy." Noctis looked around again, puzzled. "How did all this get to California?" he stepped over a skull and gingerly made his way through the scattered swords, careful not to touch any of them. Gwendolyn answered his question this time. "Just like the dwelling place of the gods' changes locations depending on the sphere of influence, the Roman camp and its surrounding landscape does the same. It was really horrible during the time Britain came to power. You heard of the Fire in London right? Yeah, that was one of our men—a son of Vulcan given the gift of fire. It was more of a curse some think but we believe London needed burning at that point—to sort of cleanse the remnants of the Plague." Noctis blinked, bemused. As they proceeded through the bleak field of the fallen, the mist began to fall on them again, thickening as they approached the unknown. Suddenly, they came to a halt and Noctis looked around, bewildered. Why had they stopped? Was there something ahead? Then he realized: they arrived at the Roman camp. When Noctis had caught sight of the camp, his first impression was that it was…very fortified. Other than that he didn't know what to make of it. The Roman base was huge, its walls stretching out from either side toward the end of the horizon it seemed. Sentries stood guard beside the gates. Watch towers loomed out of the heavy mist to cast its gaze on the new arrivals. The Camp's exterior had a huge assortment of almost nothing but fortifications, garrisons, and traps, as if enemy attacks were an everyday thing; a commonplace in a Roman Demigod's life. Any kind of defense one could think of was all there. The Camp perimeters were completely walled with tree trunks that were spiked at the ends to prevent anyone from climbing over it. That was the first layer of defense. The second was a stone wall behind the trunks; providing extra support should the enemies decide to use catapults to fling rocks. And the third obstacle: the really deep and really wide trench dug in front of the Camp walls that looked like a giant maw, about to eat anything unfortunate enough to fall in it. "This is a military camp." Reyna stated. "It's situated right beside the ruins of the Titan's Citadel that's on the mountain. And since this is a permanent home for us Roman Half-bloods, we have to have more defenses than any ordinary base. If we were to be attacked, the attackers would have to go down the trench then climb out of it and then go over the wall all the while dodging arrows and spears and such." She went on to explain, matter-of-factly. "Besides the defenses and assaults from behind our walls, there is our militia. If the wall and ditch aren't good enough and prove ineffective against our enemy then we open the gates and our legions would take them out." Noctis looked on admiringly, impressed but still very taken aback. Romans were really paranoid. But he guessed it was always good to be ready for anything even a blue moon. A guard came running out to meet them; he was flanked by about a dozen or so soldiers behind him. "We heard your call and prepared for your entrance. We'll escort you." he spoke formally, not even out of breath. Noctis started pondering what sort of training the Romans went through. Reyna smirked. "You're our escorts? We're not prisoners of war or anything." The guard smiled, good-naturedly. "Sorry, it's just procedure. Lupa is cautious as ever with everything that's happened." Reyna rolled her eyes in mock irritation. "Whatever. Fine. Okay." She turned to Noctis. "Meet the Third Centurion of the Seventh Legion. Names aren't necessary at the moment so you can introduce yourselves on your own time." Noctis and the centurion exchanged nods as they headed through the gates. The interior of the camp was nothing like the exterior. While the exterior was all defenses and gloom and doom preparations of the worst case scenarios possibly imaginable, the inside was something like a city. There were shops, bath houses, temples of worship, and living quarters. There was a huge theater where some demigods were practicing a play, also a coliseum but there weren't any gladiators about, go figure. The place was pretty much Rome, back when it hadn't fallen yet. As they passed through the streets of Rome/camp, Reyna would give a brief description of notable places: the Bathhouses of Neptune, the Forum where the leaders of each legion would meet and discuss matters, the Shops of Apollo and Mercury and other gods, the Garden of the Earthen Gods like Ceres, Bacchus, the Forges of Vulcan, the Salons and Beauty Parlors of Venus and gods-knows-what-else Venus had, there were also the Planetarium of Jupiter, and other places. Finally they came to the newest addition: the meeting hall where all the demigods gathered and where new demigods were told what their test was, "entrance exam for newcomers" Reyna had said with a smirk. "Afterwards, you get one of these purple shirts, recognizing that you are part of our camp, and your name gets written in the records. It used to be togas but we upgraded, thank the gods." Reyna added. Upon seeing the confused expression on Noctis' face, Reyna explained, "When someone in Rome came of age, they gave their bulla and their regular toga over and paid their respects to the household gods, and then they receive the toga of adulthood, white togas with purple linings. It used to be just males but after the Women's Suffrage movement, we got into the tradition. As you can see though, the tradition has evolved, probably for the better." He raised an eyebrow. "What about the test?" Noctis asked. "How does that fit in?" "You face off against adversaries, one enemy at a time until you give out or collapse. Then you're given a rank and the uniform. Everyone will be there to see you, too. It's kind of like entertainment to the rest of us." The others chuckled as Reyna smiled with a hint of a sadistic smirk on her features. "No pressure though, it's only a couple hundred demigods here. Back in the days of Rome before the Fall, this camp was packed, about a thousand or so demigods." "You all went through this?" he asked, doubtfully. Reyna nodded. "But we had training and we were accepted into camp at a young age so it wasn't much of a challenge, more like pleasing the crowd. We were put through the test when we were thirteen." She paused, and then added as an afterthought. "You should be fine. I mean you survived on your own for so long outside in the mortal world, this shouldn't be anything for you." "Once you get your purple shirt, you're allowed to go on missions, fulfill prophecies, all that good stuff." Dakota spoke up, stretching. "Each mission accomplished moves you up a rank." Noctis nodded, pondering over his situation. He wasn't really sweating bullets but his heart rate had picked up to a rapid pace even before Reyna had finished. He didn't know what adversaries were going to be thrown at him but the idea of "fight 'til you drop" was no walk in the park. Then realization dawned on him and the apprehension he had felt skyrocketed to higher levels of anxiety. He looked ahead of him at the coliseum to his left, amid shops and taverns and forges and other buildings. Reyna noticed and nodded, approvingly. "So you've realized what you're going to be put through." Noctis glanced at the coliseum again. Reyna nodded in confirmation. "When do I get tested?" Reyna shrugged. "Probably tomorrow, we'll give you a day to adjust and enjoy then put you to the test. That's how the consuls are like. Don't worry it will be a challenge but not something super hard or anything, Lupa isn't always present nowadays but if she is, then your challenge will be even more difficult. You know, just to impress her." She patted him on the back, encouragingly. Great. "Who are the consuls?" "It changes every two years, it was Jason and Clio, the son of Jupiter and one of Apollo's muses, mortal and immortal, sort of like a balance, but now the new year is almost here so the immortal Augustus Caesar and I, daughter of Minerva, will be the newest consuls of our Roman camp." she smiled, drawing herself to her full height. "I don't know about Augustus, but I do not intend to give you an easy test. That wouldn't be fair." "I agree with that but please call me Octavian," A voice spoke up from behind them and they whipped around to meet the stormy eyes of a tall man wearing casual clothing that didn't seem to go well with his Roman stature. "'Augustus' makes me feel old." He strode passed them and toward a raised platform, he gestured for Reyna to accompany him and she did with a roll of her eyes. Octavian looked over at Noctis, fixing him with his grey eyes. "So the prophecy has come to pass and the lost, wandering hero has arrived at last…" he trailed off, his eyes becoming distant. Noctis was confused. He was the lost hero? Neptune had mentioned something like that, too. But what was the meaning of this. And how did they know he would come to this place? Other questions were brought to light as he turned the facts around in his head. He was a lost hero of a prophecy that has 'come to pass'… As he went down his mind's road, Reyna was busy explaining to Augustus what had occurred on their search for Jason, of how they met Noctis and the attack. Octavian nodding gravely once or twice, the rest of group just hung back, bored, waiting for the meeting to end. Octavian began again, "As it is accustomed for newcomers, you will be put to the test. Your abilities will be assessed and your rank given." He stood up. "But for now, you can rest and enjoy the good food and take a tour around. Try to get a good night's sleep, tomorrow is a busy day and you need to be well-rested for the challenge you'll be put up against." Be prepared. Noctis bit his lip in surprise, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the silver mane and glowing eyes of a wolf. It was Lupa, the wolf goddess of the Roman camp, that Noctis had no doubt. Sleep well, and tomorrow prove your worth. He glanced back at where the goddess had been and found that she had vanished. "The consuls have spoken and there is nothing else to address. You may leave." Octavian stated. It seemed that only Noctis had heard and seen the she-wolf. The rest of the time went by in a blur; Noctis was given a tour around camp but he could hardly appreciate the beauty and architecture of the place with what he had to do tomorrow looming over his head. He went to bed without dinner, his appetite lost as his anxiety boiled beneath the surface. The guest quarters were extremely comfortable and in seconds he was asleep. He dreamed of the coliseum and the gladiators who fought in it but that scene was soon replaced by another. Now he was gazing up at the moon, he was sitting up on the roof of one of the temples of the gods and there wasn't a soul in sight. "What are you doing sitting on my temple, Noctis?" He turned around, and faced Apollo in his Roman garb, keeping his expression blank and impassive yet respectful at the same time. "You were a lot livelier back before Juno wiped your memories." The sun god muttered. "I'm not surprised though. After all, I'm the god of prophecy. And sister warned me of this. 'A nice change, less of a likable idiot and more of a likable leader', she said." Apollo sighed and raised a hand dramatically, "Noctis looks at the moon, And the moon looks back, Love's beginning is sweet." Apollo grinned at his poem and looked at Noctis, expecting a compliment. Noctis tried to look impressed but was having a hard time with such a bad poem. "Um, great…why are you here again?" Apollo looked surprised, "Checking up on you of course. My sister can be really commanding at times, told me to get myself over here and see if you made it or she'd put the hunters on me." He sat beside him, whistling. "You arrived, so that's good." Noctis looked up at the black skies, "Your sister…that's nice to hear." he glanced over at the god to find him looking at him, mischievously. "What is it?" "Nothing," He stretched and stood. "I came to give you something." And out of thin air Apollo took out a silver bracelet, spinning it on his index finger. "Here you go." He tossed it to him and Noctis caught it deftly with his right hand, examining it. On closer inspection, he noticed the bracelet was more of a pendant than something worn on the wrist, a crescent moon of sparkling diamond hung from the chain, mirroring the moon up above. He turned it around in his hand, marveling at it. "Wow…but isn't a little girly?" Apollo grinned. "That's what I said but little sister insists. Put it on and see what it can do, I doubt it's an ordinary bracelet." Slipping it on Noctis clutched the crescent moon in his palm and the bracelet changed into an improvised crossbow with a silver arrow already notched, constellations were etched all over the weapon and they seemed to shimmer and change and move around. Releasing his hold on the weapon, it changed back to the bracelet, hanging around his wrist. He spun the crescent silver of the moon and it changed into a star, he clutched it. The bracelet changed again but now it was a long silver lance. "Useful." Noctis commented as the weapon changed back into a bracelet. "Long range and medium range weapons, combined with Riptide and I'm a one man army." Apollo laughed. "There you go, now I'm seeing some of your old self. And you can thank me later for delivering the gifts. Hermes was going to but I butted in, I had to have a talk with you with all these rumors going around…." He trailed off, grinning. "I'll have to thank her when we meet." Noctis said, firmly. And the sun god chuckled. "You do that." he walked to the edge of the temple roof. "I'll see you around, Noctis. Don't worry too much about the gladiator business, it's not that bad. You've fought worse monsters. And be good to sister dearest, her hunters can be possessive." He fell backwards and in a flash of light he was gone. Noctis woke afterwards, refreshed and ready for what was up ahead. The sun had only just lifted from the horizon but there was already that active feeling, that alertness, the excitement buzzed in the air. Glancing at his wrist, Noctis found that he still wore the silver bracelet Apollo had given him as a present from the goddess in his dream. Getting dressed, he checked his reflection; it was the same confused and lost demigod that stared back at him like through the mirror-like blade of Riptide but somehow different at the same time. He felt calmer, his inner turmoil had subsided to nothing and his questions had lowered to whispers in his head. He didn't really feel empty anymore either but then that might be because of the comforting thought of a couple of gods watching his back. He made his way to the mess hall, where other campers were eating breakfast. It seemed that word had spread fast because there were hushed whispers behind his back and a lot of pointing and people sneaking glances at him when they thought he wasn't looking. He headed out toward the coliseum, just like Octavian had instructed him to proceed to last night before he had gone to bed and found that almost everyone had made themselves present, hundreds of heads turned and all eyes seemed to be on him. Reyna and Octavian sat in the very front of the soon-to-be main source of attention and entertainment on a raised platform. Lupa stalked around the place, making everyone stare warily at her. Oh well, no push over entrance exam for Noctis. Here comes the pain. Noctis rolled his shoulders, uncaringly. He had decided during breakfast to just deal with his dilemma instead of stressing over it, better facing it calm and thinking properly than giddy and distracted. Please the crowd and at the same time give it your all… That's what Reyna had said. Noctis shook his head and walked up to the platform. "I'm ready to undertake my challenge." He looked up at them. "Yes," Octavian said, shifting uncomfortably; he looked uneasy at the presence of Lupa. "I hope you are well rested for this." Noctis nodded. "You'll soon see how blood thirsty a Roman crowd can be during a gladiator fight." Noctis shifted nervously, now. A bloodthirsty crowd? What? Reyna looked over at Noctis and smiled, sympathetically. "Don't worry you'll do fine. Miracles happen on the battlefield sometimes. Besides we've stepped up our rules. It's nothing like old Rome; if you look like you're about to die, we'll call it off." Noctis didn't like people coming to his rescue when Reyna put it that way so he just shook his head. "Nah, it's alright. I think I can handle this." You must be able to handle this…to be the leader of our Roman Legions. Implacable to all opposition, invincible to everything, merciless when situations call for it, and merciful when situations aren't costly, you must be the best. Lupa prowled around the platform, walking in circles around Octavian and Reyna, making them shift uncomfortably every so often. Noctis looked over at Lupa and cocked his head to the side. "I'm no god. But I'll do my best. Let's just get on with it and skip the whole speech part." Lupa turned toward him fully and the two met each other's gazes evenly. Noctis didn't back down. He went through hell before, he wasn't going to be put down or get scared of some small challenge. He stared at the wolf-goddess' golden eyes and saw something fierce and primal there but he hid the disconcerting feelings behind his care-free, oblivious façade. After a moment, Lupa broke eye contact and he heard soft laughter. Something seemed to have amused the she-wolf. You have spirit, hero. Its golden eyes seemed to twinkle and it turned its head toward the two consuls. The games—it begins now… Noctis tensed, preparing for whatever nightmare he was going to go up against. He didn't really know what to expect but he felt calm and oriented. That was good. Say your prayers, Noct. He thought.

DevilTriggerDMC V NOCTIS The crowd was in a frenzied state of being, the stadium in a deafeningly uproar, and the mood just tantamount intense. But even with the chaos and hectic clamor with the shouts and the liveliness of the coliseum, it was all so distant to Noctis. As he stood there and waited for the consuls to give the signal and start the test, the world through his eyes was somehow separate from his conscience. He had detached himself from the present, so much so that the upcoming challenge seemed to him like a fading nightmare. He was still nervous and excited and even looking forward to the looming gladiator fight but it was a muted array of emotions, so faint and faraway that he felt almost numb. He was still there standing in the center of the arena waiting, but his conscience, his sense of reality, had fled. Then all at once, the world returned to him and he was aware of his surroundings again. Noctis gritted his teeth, resisting the involuntary urge to bite his tongue as the frenzy escalated. Clutching Riptide tightly in his left hand, he braced himself and glanced around trying not to look too furtive. He checked each of the gateways that were positioned equidistantly apart about the circular stadium as if they could open at any moment and he would be attacked by some unknown enemy. He looked over, studying the differences between the nine gates with its nine arches etched with old worn text and the Cantos of Dante's Inferno. There was this sense of uneasiness that permeated the place… And the air itself seemed to have thickened and gravity seemed to double its pull around him. Noctis started feeling light-headed as he waited. He glanced over sidelong at his newly acquainted comrades who sat at the front seats. Gwendolyn gave a cheer. Bobby winked and gave a thumbs-up. Dakota just nodded. And Hazel waved lazily. Noctis returned their encouragement with a forced smile before turning his attention to the consuls, waiting for the nine adversaries to show themselves, waiting for Octavian to throw that red handkerchief as the signal, waiting to fight. He tried to keep his mind from shutting down and succumbing to instincts that told him to just bolt out of there or at least find a hiding place or a vantage point. He desperately needed a plan but couldn't come up anything. No brilliant scheme, no flashing light bulb over his head. No strategy or tactics was dangerous though, when he had to fight nine unknown enemies at once. He glanced down at his wrist at the silver bracelet sparkling brightly with its glinting sapphire jewel of a star that with one flick changed to a crescent moon. If objects had emotions he'd say the goddess' gift was twinkling at him mischievously. All his aches and pains had gone now, completely. The trance-like daze, the feeling as if one was in a dream, gone, too. And his mind was clear and blank, focused. What the heck? But wow. Focus… he blinked. What was that voice? That hadn't been his conscience nor did it sound like Lupa's… 'So," he murmured, studying the jewelry more closely. "You've got a few more tricks up your sleeve than I had expected." He knew it was a stretch to think that this bracelet gave him strength but the thought was what counts. Noctis exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders and stretching. His senses were working overtime. Everything had gone into overload. Muscle tension. Heart rate. Instincts. Senses. All so acute, all so overwhelming. All of it was a new level of demigod goodness: awareness, focus, movement, observation. Everything. He touched the silver bracelet to his forehead and felt again the ice-cold energy and the heat rush flowing through him, coursing through his veins like molten lava and cold arctic waters. Looking down, he almost could've sworn there was a metallic silvery shimmer around him, a sort of aura that covered him like a chrysalis and cleared him of any discomfort. Noctis blinked again, taken aback. As he glanced up at the spectator stands and at the hundreds of demigods, immortals, and other creatures alike, he caught a glimpse of a pair of silvery white eyes meeting his gaze before vanishing among the crowds of people. He took in the crowds sitting restlessly in their seats or moving about making bets on how long this new hero would last no doubt, and also having a few laughs and comments. He probably looked like an idiot for not wearing any excessive armor. Only wrist guards. His eyes roamed over to where the gates stood situated around the place each with their forbidding sinister aura, and then over to the soldiers that had come down into the arena and stood at attention along the walls—none of them, Noctis noticed, got anywhere close to the gateways. He felt the few beams of sunlight as the sun shone faintly through the dark rain clouds that had gathered in a swirl of angry restlessness, swirling overhead like a whirlpool or roiling grey hues and the occasional streak of lightning—the very same kind of storm that had occurred as he fought the Drakon and the Hydra. It was disconcerting and a bit unnatural but Noctis paid it no mind. By the gods, everything was confusing. He could feel the unevenness of the ground beneath his feet and the smell of dried blood and rusted metal of past gladiator showdowns. His grip on Riptide had become so vice-like as he stood there tasting the fresh air that his knuckles had gone white. The crowd was cheering and shouting impatiently now—their limited patience lost. And there was again the sound of the rolling thunder, and a low rumble that came from all around and that he couldn't really pinpoint. Still, nothing he couldn't deal with. The field Noctis stood in seemed almost the same size as the Graveyard he had seen outside the camp's walls. As he looked around at the flat dusty field, the landscape began to change around him. It shifted and distorted into new landmarks and rougher terrains. Ditches and walls built as cover took the flat battlegrounds place. Weapons and armor littered the grounds now and more fell like hail around him—Noctis had to bat a few aside from hitting him over the head. Bones appeared everywhere, varying in size and shape. Some carcasses seemed to belong to giants or dinosaurs while some were normal beasts. And other…were distinctly human shaped—he chose not to dwell on it too much like last time but couldn't quite help his fascination. The skeletons littered the ground, its quantity matching the piles of weapons and mountains of armor that were strewn all about. Mist spread across the terrain. It slightly obscured his vision but not entirely. Fragments of scenery flitted through every so often into his sight as the fog swirled and moved about, thinning and spreading equally over the whole place. So it became the Graveyard… Noctis looked over at the consuls who had bemused expressions plastered on their faces but he felt that they weren't all too happy at the magnificent view. As he kicked his way through the old blood ground to get a better layout of the place, he spoke up, "Special effects and setting design? How come nobody ever told me?" the crowd was hushed. Everything was muted again. Weird. Was something wrong? Something caught his attention then and drew him away from his thoughts like a snake charmer charming the wits out a snake. He had caught it out of the corner of his eye and as he turned around, he found the text written on each arch and gate glowing with its seemingly cold light even as it shone blood red, pulsating with a slow rhythm. The source of the rumbling sound became all too clear as the ground literally shook. Something—maybe a number of some things—began pounding from the other side of the nine bronze doors. Eerie sounds of faint moaning and soft whispers and muffled shrieks that sounded so light and low and maddeningly sharp reverberated around the circular arena from beyond the doors. The sound echoed and bounced off the walls. It was everywhere, whistling in the howling winds that had picked up nonstop. The atmosphere had already been dark and tense but it was growing even blacker and bleaker, more sinister by the second. The apprehension, the doubts, and the fears radiated in this dark place, contaminating the air with its poison. The gloom and doom ambiance was on high, its rays piercing everything, affecting everything. Noctis thought that he had maybe taken in too much of its influence already. But he knew how to play the game and he was going to win it. Entertain the crowd and simultaneously kick butt. The rumbling grew even louder and Noctis could hear the whirring of machinations and the clicks of complex locks being opened and the sound of a thousand gears that needed oiling grinding against one another. The ancient mechanisms came to life and its metallic orchestra of musical clicks, whirs, and grinding joined the rumbling of the ground that shook the place so much. The doors' many restraints quickly disarmed themselves. The gates shifted and its many devices, many assortments of machines disengaged. The carvings on the metal frames moved furiously and gracefully, becoming something like a film. The depicted souls of sinners eternally tormented swirled about and the pictures of spidery flames that ran wildly every which way consumed them. Noctis gripped his blade more firmly and touched his bracelet to his lips. "The gates are about to open. Help me." The silver bracelet responded, glowing slightly and pooling more power through him. Flames leapt from the torches of each doorway, illuminating the changing engravings and bringing it into sharper, better light. The depictions of horrifying nightmares and the suffering of countless sinners under the hands of Hell and the script on the gateway and arches were all too detailed and too clear for Noctis to dwell on comfortably. The words of Dante, the other inscriptions from long-forgotten legends, and tales were glowing with an even brighter red still but its light was a cold fury. It shifted and moved and ripped themselves from the metal structures. They flew around the arena, forming sigils and signs. And when Noctis closed his eyes, he could see the scripture burned into his sight. Then something rose from the ground on each side of every gate. A metal hand reached out from the earth and lifted the rest of its self from the ground. Bronze metal sentinels stood guard over the gates, crossing their gold spears to bar the gates from Noctis—not that he wanted to go into one of them anyway. They could have it all to themselves. Noctis tensed, wondering if these were his adversaries but quickly dismissed that. There were eighteen of them, not nine. He shook his head. Don't jump to conclusions. Don't panic or think irrationally. Stay calm and focus. From underneath the black visors of their helmets, each of the sentinels' mechanical eyes glowed red and they began to chant in unison, their voices surprisingly human and natural. The chants continued, rising in volume and growing more hypnotic as the scripts that twisted around like a whirlwind pulsed, and shone brighter than ever. The pictures on the gate frames were starting to glow themselves, so bright that Noctis couldn't even look at the gates anymore. The sentinels fell silent and the light died down to a faint cold radiance. Then each automaton withdrew their spears and stepped away from the doors, stabbing the butt of their spears down in front of them. The nine entrances were beginning to open in sequential order from Roman numeral I to IX, one by one. And Noctis was able to see what was beyond each as the gates slid aside. He didn't like what he saw. Beyond each gate, there was something different: a void, a wild tempest, a cold storm, a grave, a swamp, a chamber of flaming tombs, a lava lake and other horrors… Nine silhouettes stood out of everyone's sight in the shade of their respective gates. And as they came into view, stepping forward from the threshold of their imprisonment, Octavian released the red cloth, letting the wind carry it away. It flew up over the heads of Noctis. He could feel himself tensing and the others were drawing their different assortments of weapons. Noctis observed the red cloth's course through the corner of his eye, mainly concentrating on the nine adversaries that had him fairly surrounded. The faces were featureless blurs through his eyes, his attention centered on their movements. The cloth landed. And all Hell broke loose in that instant. Noctis barely had time to register what was going on or who he was up against before all nine champions came rushing at him, all from different directions, covering all the angles efficiently and swiftly "What the—?" he was cut off as he dodged under a swipe that could've taken his head and slashed out with Riptide. It was parried and Noctis had time to see that it was a broadsword before he was showered with blows that he dodged and blocked here and there. He crossed swords again and Riptide and the broadsword grinded against one another, showering them with sparks that Noctis barely felt. He met the red eyes of a knight in black armor. The armor was scratched and battered all over and a spear stuck out awkwardly in the man's chest. Noctis blinked then focused as he leapt over a slash at the shins. Suddenly the knight was in front of him and moving with frightening speed, the knight kicked him in the stomach with his steel toed boots. Noctis flew a few yards back, crashing into a pile of bones. But he didn't feel winded at all. Nonplussed, Noctis got up onto his feet only to be thrown a good distance back again. When Noctis looked up, the knight was already standing over him, raising his sword high over his head. The warrior's sword flashed and Noctis swung his sword out using the momentum and the sudden outpour of strength from his bracelet to hold the attack. He stared at the swordsman again, warily. The two blades resounded with clashes and screeching and showers of sparks. Noctis rolled aside to avoid getting stabbed and the blade sank into the ground where his head had been seconds ago. He leapt to his feet then ducked out of instinct and felt a whoosh of wind where his head had been. He spun around and slashed blindly and kept at it, trying to overwhelm the enemy with speed and brutality. There was a roar and the creature fell to its knees. He caught sight of what he was fighting through the haze of bloodlust that clouded his vision and thoughts. It was a huge monster of some cross breed between a buffalo and a buff human, the Minotaur. Noctis took no time to behead the thing and then turned to see the knight charging him full pelt. He ducked under the knight's slash. Then realizing it was a feint, he quickly sidestepped back and rammed him into the ground. He slashed at the knight's armor then dived out of the way as a torrent of flames came surging toward him. It exploded beside right where he'd been but didn't harm the knight. Noctis glanced over to see a flaming skeleton with a tomb strapped to its back, fire covered the corpse completely and it threw another ball of fire at him. Grabbing a shield, Noctis charged the human torch but a volley of arrows made him change course. As he ran more arrows followed and he was soon zigzagging through bones and armor to make it harder for him to get shot. He could hear the clacking of hooves behind him and chancing a glance around, he saw a skeletal evil centaur with flames running wildly around its hide chasing after him. The evil centaur looked as if it were carved from black stone, its features angular and chipped. Noctis could just tell it was evil with its skeleton horse part and its stony colorless human half and the fact that it was breathing fire, which he knew wasn't normal for a centaur. Through the maze of bones and armor and weapons they went until Noctis reached a dead end. He whipped around to face the centaur and prepared to meet its charge full on. When one was in a desperate position, they tended to do risky things. Noctis managed to leap up and slam his shield, which looked like a pin cushion or a board that had been used for too much target practice, into the brute's chest and sent it smashing down into the ground. After that, he made a run for it, not even bothering to turn around and check on the downed fire breathing centaur as a spout of flame slammed into the pile of bones beside him, turning them to ash. He had to be in constant motion, constantly moving about and watching his step as he ran around the place. Or else he'd be easy prey for the others. Suddenly something black and with wings and fast swooped down, streaking past him as it hit his shield out of his hand. Then it came back for him and slammed into him, sending him flying into a pile of bones with a crash. It flung him up into the air and before he even realized he was airborne Noctis was thrown down, crashing into the ground. He picked himself up but before he even took a step, he was thrown again like a rag doll, up into the air and slammed down. At that brief time, he saw what he was up against. It was like a dark shadow of an angel, even in the faint light under the cloudy sky; it looked all black and featureless. Its wings expended to cover the skies as it grow closer, diving at him. He hit the ground harder this time but even being dropped a few hundred feet up in the air didn't break any bones so that was something. He didn't think much of it though. The dark angel thing was hurtling at him again. Quickly, Noctis stood and grabbed the nearest thing he could reach. It turned out to be another shield. He brought it up to block the angel's body slam and then turned to block a volley of arrows. So the centaur was back. Darn. And this time the arrows were on fire. Improvised weapon use. Again, darn. Hastily dropping the flaming shield, Noctis ran for it but before he could even get a few steps away, something huge slammed into him, clobbering his side and sending him flying yards away. There was a deafening howl from some unknown beast. Looking over, Noctis saw a huge three headed Hellhound gnashing its teeth as it bounded toward him. It slammed him to the ground before he could react. After that, he found it trying to sink its teeth into him but somehow it couldn't and it just threw him into the air. Arrows flew at him as he was airborne but just as the volley of arrows were sent. The dark angel came back into the game and slammed him into the walls several yards above the ground. The thing had unknowingly saved his life. He managed to push it off then leapt off the wall as leverage and flung Riptide at the centaur. The blade sliced right through the beast's neck and its head toppled. Soon after it dissolved into dust. Riptide's course continued and pinned one of the Hellhound's paw to the ground. It whimpered and Noctis felt almost sorry for it. Oh well, he was about to put it out of its misery anyway. Noctis quickly rolled when he hit the ground, and then after taking Riptide out of the Hound's paw, lacerated wanna-be Cerberus into small enough pieces for meat packaging. Then he turned to meet the steely edge of Clarent once more. They fought, he and the Legionary, both not able to master the other, no one able to get the upper hand. Both tried their best to kill the other but with no success. They were both equally skilled and fast. Noctis could've sworn he saw the knight's eyes glitter at the thought of actually finding a worthy opponent. Then the dark angel came and slammed him up. His grip on Riptide loosened and he was hit over and over again and again in the air in quick, rapid succession. Noctis managed to fight back on the umpteenth hit. He flipped in the air and onto the back of the winged beast. Then he swung down and managed to throw the angel thing down, slamming it into the ground. Noctis landed in a crouch on top the evil angel with a sickening crunch. Getting up quickly, he felt for the nearest weapon around him. Grabbing a sword from the many stuck in the ground around him. He had lost Riptide during the aerial collision where he had turned the tables on the dark angel thing but it took a few minutes for the blade to return to his pocket. The only problem was that he didn't have that much time to spare. He leapt to one side as another tongue of flames cam streaming his way then rolled as…arrows followed, their ends flaming. What the heck? He turned around and found the centaur he'd fought moments ago and defeated, very much alive and with a head. Noctis narrowed his eyes. That can't be right. Then he saw it change into the Hellhound that he had diced. It was a wraith, a Changeling. Crap. The shape-shifting beast let out a howl and in its three headed Hellhound state, it leapt over, lunging at him. He looked over its three heads and saw someone sitting atop the thing. The figure was what would look like the Roman God Pluto but it was only a shade, Noctis knew. Still the specter was terrifying by its own rights, dressed in all black armor and the cloak and its scepter held high as it rode the Hellhound. Noctis turned and nearly got cut to shreds by the Roman soldier but managed to side step it. Then he realized it was a feint. The bladesman went in for the kill and slashed at his chest. Noctis could feel the fabric of his shirt part as the blade ripped through it and braced for the pain. It came but in a sort of detached sense. Noctis' senses were working overload. He dully noted that this must be ADHD. He looked down and found that he was bleeding a lot from where the dark angel had used slashed him. The cut ran down from his shoulder to his stomach. It wasn't deep enough to be fatal but bad nonetheless. Amazingly he was still standing. Looking up, he saw the Legionary step back, surprised. Noctis slashed out and knocked the helmet off the knight's head then went for the killing blow. Noctis turned around and saw swrodsman getting back up, the wound on his head didn't seem to be fatal. He parried a sword's thrust and then cart wheeled to the side to avoid a huge spout of fire that came roaring in from behind. Who was throwing the stupid fire? It was annoying. His instincts were coming in use and his senses were at its highest sensitivity. He ran up and slid under to the belly of the wraithlike Hellhound and slashed it apart. The souls that held the beast together split away then reassembled and the mock image of Pluto fell through. Noctis was waiting for him. He twisted behind him and slashed at the impostor's head. The head came away and the body fell to the blood and flesh spattered ground with a thunk! Five down now. From under the belly of the Changeling beast, Noctis slashed wildly at its hide, making long, deep gouges. The Changeling/Hellhound roared and tried to crush him under it by sitting but Noctis rolled out. He was on his feet in moments. Then blocking a heavy blow from the Roman warrior, who had snapped out of his stunned motionless stupor, Noctis flung himself to the side to avoid the Changeling's rampage. A huge fireball came whooshing at him that instant. He barely had the time to bring the surrounding mist gathered around in front of him, forming a huge dome of water, before the flames smashed against his hasty water construct in a blast of condensation. Noctis looked up to see the one who had thrown the fiery missile and his mouth went dry. It was a flaming corpse with a huge metal coffin chained to its back that met his sight. It was a skeletal figure whose flesh had all but rotted and burnt away to leave its bones blackened and exposed. And it was on fire. The bones should have long since turned to ash and cinders but it wasn't. Noctis charged it. There was no time to wonder about things he couldn't fathom or understand. He had to eliminate everyone before he ran out of steam. Gathering the mist around him once more, he threw it at the flaming corpse, concentrating the vapors into one point and shaping a ball of water. The chained human torch skeleton's empty eye sockets seemed to flash red as it turned to meet the watery onslaught. It returned Noctis' water ball with a wall of flames and the water exploded again into a spray of mist. But he hadn't expected it to hit anyway, only to act as a diversion. The foggy haze provided sufficient cover for him as it covered the area. Noctis ran in break neck speed through the smoke screen and punched out, his fist colliding with the skull of the flaming corpse. The thing fell backward and hit the ground. Its flames flickered around it then died. Noctis sighed. Six down. He turned to leave the place but a skeletal hand grabbed his ankle. Darn. He whipped around and faced the carcass of blackened bones, snatched a gladius that was within his reach, stuck to the ground, and started hacking at the skeleton until it was in pieces. The bones were metal which explained the fact that the thing didn't burn to ashes. Ne mystery solved. Then the skeleton reassembled itself, using the other bones around the Graveyard as replacements for the metal bones Noctis had cut to chipped pieces. "C'mon, that's not fair…" He ran at it again but this time he just pushed the corpse thing back, all the way against one of the gates then pinned it down with a couple of blades strewn about and left."That ought to do it." A tornado of wind, dust, bones, weapons, and armor came into his peripheral vision as he straightened and turned to meet the storms which had forward into something that looked similar to the dark angel thing he tussled with moments before, a Ventus. He made a swipe with his hand and the mist reacted, forming into a fist that enclosed around the Ventus before it had time to escape. He slammed it into the ground then around the walls, attempting to subdue the fury of the storm. Noctis brought it crashing down to the ground then slammed it into the walls then the ground again before he got bored and let it drop. The storm spirit's winds had all but died down, hardly able to maintain and keep its form. Its humanoid hands crackled with electricity and twin lances of lightning came into being. Riptide had returned to his pocket by now and Noctis uncapped it. The golden blade met the two lances with a thundering crash. Thunder boomed overhead and lightning from the skies shot down and hit Noctis' blade, sending bolts of shock through him but he held on. Gritting his teeth, Noctis let out s shout and pushed the Ventus back. The winds were picking up again but this time it wasn't the Ventus' doing. Noctis could feel the chaos of the storm around him and as he threw the storm spirit back, he found that he was in the center of a hurricane. Voices began to echo in his head now as he studied the storm that gathered around him, the winds twisting about and lightning flashing here and there. "He's too powerful, P—" "No, I can handle it. You take care of the others. I'll hold of the Titan." "You think you can defeat me mere mortal? Me, Hyperion, Titan of the Light?—No, stop doing that! Stop!" "P—, is that you? The storm…?" Then he returned to the present just in time to meet the Ventus' lances all over again. He parried the blows then launched into a rapid counterattack. Slamming Riptide against the twin lances of high voltage, he managed to bring the humanoid angel-like Ventus down onto its knees. He sliced through the spirit then as it let down its guard and cut it half then slashed again just for extra insurance. Seven down for the count. Getting back up to his feet, Noctis stared around. The mist was clearing and as his surroundings came into view, Noctis could see that the terrain seemed more even after the Changeling and the other creatures had flattered most of it. The Legionary stood several yards off, searching for Noctis. Noctis met his gaze the instant the bladesman noticed him. Switching Riptide to his left hand again, Noctis grabbed a spear that lay by his feet and charged. The guy drew his sword and charged, too. They met at the center of the arena. The sword came slashing out across Noctis' chest a second time and sliced his shirt to further shreds but it seemed lady luck favored Noctis because the blade didn't cut him this time. Noctis felt the coldness of the blade brush past his skin with a shiver. Then the hilt came slamming into the side of his head and Noctis realized the first blow had been a feint. Stars erupted and his vision flashed red then white. But enemy must have used the flat side of his blade because Noctis was still very whole, his head still very much intact with the rest of his body. He glared down the length of his blade. Noctis charged with the spear. It slammed home. Noctis continued on, driving the spear into the dark knight's throat. The enemy fell to the ground and lay motionless. That was eight adversaries down. Letting go of the spear still clutched in his hand and turned around in a full circle, searching for the Changeling, the last champion. It was a little too big to miss and as he looked over his shoulder at it, the thing morphed into the dark angel. Noctis ran at it, Riptide brought back for a thrust once her neared but the Changeling didn't wait for him. It swooped up into the air and flew about the arena in an upward spiral. Noctis looked around, trying to think of what to do. He spotted several swords stuck to the ground, a shield, and a grappling hook. Noctis grabbed the shield first and threw it like a Frisbee at the spiraling winged monster. It missed by a hair. Then he went for the swords and threw them one after another in rapid fire movements. Each blade landed a few feet short of their target and stuck to the side of the walls until it formed steps spiraling up…like a spiral staircase. Steps… An idea flashed through his mind. In the heat of battle, that was something. There usually wasn't time for planning, only improv. Noctis snatched the grappling hook and wrapped its lengthy cord around his arm. Then he waited. Timing was everything. It had to be perfect. The Changeling remained in its course, tauntingly out of reach, and then it flew past the swords and Noctis began to run. He ran towards the wall and threw Riptide as it flew past the last flight of swords stuck in the wall. Riptide missed it but that was only a distraction. Just something to slow it down. Noctis leapt up and ran on the swords like they really were huge, widely spaced flights of stairs. He ascended the makeshift spiraling staircase in a flash. Everything seemed to slow. Time came to a standstill and yet he moved onward. His distant conscience deduced that maybe his mind was several seconds behind his movements. He didn't stop. This was his only chance to give the beast the smack down it deserved. He ran on, up the wall, following the Changeling's spiral course, and came head to head with the thing. The thing let out a primal roar, shrieking out its battle cry, and changed course. But it had realized Noctis' intention a split second too late. Noctis was already about fifty feet above the ground and as he stepped on the last sword, his sword, Riptide, he leaped up and pushed off from the wall, outward, toward the ninth adversary that had swung away from the vicinity of the walls. He swung the grappling hook around at his side once, twice, and then threw it at the thing. The length of the grappling hook coiled around his last foe like a snake. In an instant it seemed the Changeling was bound. Swinging from the cord of the hook, Noctis managed to land on it. He huffed, "You're not going anywhere now." and strangled the thing with the cord. He directed the angel/Changeling thing into a crash landing down into a pile of bones. The impact was jarring. He bit his lip accidentally and tasted blood. Quickly rolling off the creature, Noctis got to his feet and brought the cord swinging up. He swung the grappling hook over his head like a lasso. The Changeling still entangled in it then smashed it against the ground. But now the changeling had gotten free and morphed again into the shape of the evil, fire-breathing centaur he had killed a while ago. Arrows flew every which way he went as the centaur galloped around the clearing. The arrows came ceaselessly as if there was no end to them and the quiver of arrows strapped to the centaur's back was limitless. Noctis ducked under a wall of sandbags as a volley of flaming missiles came hurtling his way over his head. He glanced down at his silver bracelet, the gift of the goddess, and hesitated. He didn't want to show everyone all his tricks but in this situation he might not have any choice. But maybe there was another way. He checked his pockets for Riptide but his blade hadn't come back yet. Darn, he had no choice now. Hopefully the mist will shield the fact that he had a silver bracelet that could turn into weapons. He flicked the star/crescent moon gem and it changed into the bluish-silver crossbow with its intricate designs and sigils. He brought the weapon around and then came into the opening. "Like they say: fight fire with fire, venom with venom, and now arrows with arrows." He let loose his return volley of arrows at the centaur Changeling. Each hit the centaur's arrows out of the way and a few stabbed into the skeletal flank of the Changeling. His crossbow was like a machine gun. The arrows like bullets and the weapon also seemed to have an endless supply of ammo. The long range battle continued for what seemed like hours but he knew that this was getting nowhere and the Changeling seemed to think the same because it changed tack and morphed into the pyromaniac skeleton with its coffin chained to its back. The thing threw darts of flames at Noctis that singed everything even remotely close to it. He had to bring forth the mist around him to form a shield. Noctis let go of the crossbow and it charged back into the bracelet. Then he flicked the gem again and clutched the long silver lance moments later. Searching his pockets, Noctis uncapped Riptide one-handedly and threw it like a boomerang. Riptide flew through the air and stabbed the flaming skeleton in the chest, through the coffin, and pinned it to the ground. It roared and ripped Riptide out, throwing his blade to the side. It began to grow, larger and larger, until it towered over him. It kicked him in the chest and he went flying into the wall opposite the monster. He fell onto his staircase of swords and without thinking, he ran up it once again. When he leapt off the side of the wall, mirroring the movements he had done to take it down while in angel form, his bracelet changed into a crossbow again. Firing several rounds, he watched his arrows' course, noticing that it left a fiery blue-white trail. His weaponry seemed to improvise as he fought and added new additions and adjustments. His arrows looked like small comets and he could only surmise the damage they caused were beyond normal; it left huge gashes and other severe wounds on the giant's rough, iron-like hide. Flames danced around the spearhead tips of his missiles, sometimes emitting sonic shrieks and punching a hole through the giant's torso with ease. Noctis felt as if he were airborne for a long time as he took in all the details, analyzing the damage, and the course of the arrows. He wanted to land atop the giant's head but he knew he couldn't possibly make it that far a distance. A flash of memory came into his vision of how he had used the winds of the storm when he fought the Hydra. He had been airborne just like now and he had used the wind to keep him that way. There was a tug in his gut and the storm around him that had been raging moments before returned. Furious howling winds pushed him forward and he landed atop the thing. His entire body was glowing now, at the edges, outlining his body in silver and blue fire. He felt like an avenging archangel come down to smite the demon down. His crossbow changed into his medium range weapon form, the lance again. He barely felt the resistance as he drove it through the giant's head and then he raised it again to smite it once more. The storm gathered around him and obscured the crowd's vision throughout his whole performance. And he gathered the mist and water about to form a lance of its own which came down, drilling into the beast. After that, the giant fell and Noctis along with it. He crashed into the ground and rolled out of the changeling's way. His silver lance changed back to bracelet form. Riptide clattered to the ground from his loose fingertips. It was over. Thank the gods, it was over. He was tired, really tired and as he staggered up and looked around as the mist cleared once more he saw the crowd in silence. He was half conscious and half asleep. His vision was blurring and growing darker by the second. He was falling. Then he felt himself being caught by soft, delicate, and gentle hands. A voice whispered in his ear, "You were amazing, Percy." Was I? He thought. Then, Percy...? But he couldn't think properly and the thought escaped his mental grasp. "Sleep now, Perseus. All is well." Sleep. He still had to thank her for everything, for taking care of him and protecting him and healing him and giving him such an awesome gift but he couldn't open his eyes—they were like lead... And then he fell into the goddess' comforting embrace completely and then into his dreams...that took him far, far away into his own dreamscape wonderland.

DevilTriggerDMC VI ARTEMIS "Sleep well, my hero. All is well." Artemis murmured softly as she knelt down holding the young demigod carefully in an awkward embrace. The mist swirled about into an illusory arrangement of crashing waves that swept over the grounds. In seconds, the arena was back to normal. The automaton sentinels knelt down on one knee and held their spears in salute while the ground beneath them shifted like quick sand, dragging them down under. And at last, Artemis and Percy stood alone in the arena of gladiators, amid the laughter and cheers of the crowd. Sitting there in the middle of the arena, the goddess allowed her mind to wander in the hazy clouds of thought and wonder as she gazed at Percy's peaceful expression. She sighed. She didn't know what happened, didn't know what had caused her world to be upturned upside down. She didn't know, didn't even bother to consider the idea, that she might be dragged down to this state and feel…something beyond fondness and friendship, traversing the border of normal to extreme. It had never occurred to her that she could succumb to these feelings: emotions that bubbled so close to the surface, making her heart leap and skip as if striking a thousand beats per second, along with those unsettling butterflies in her stomach. She just didn't realize that she could feel like this: emotions like a ticking time bomb, threatening to explode as the pressure continued to build, emotions that shook with restrained force, threatening to erupt like an active volcano in a spray of molten lava and fire, emotions that rose, soaring faster than fireworks launched into the night sky. But from her first encounter with Percy, everything had changed like an inverted landscape—all its colors warped and changed. When she had decided to meet Percy Jackson, it had only been to see for herself what was so unique about the young Half-Blood. The gods had spoken so highly of him, some believing him to be the savior of them all and others believing that he was a potential destroyer; both were formidable and sparked the interest of everyone in Mount Olympus. It was hard not to be at least drawn to Percy. She wanted to see firsthand what was so different about the demigod. At first, she had only been mildly interested, but after their meeting under the dark clear skies and radiant full moon that fateful night, that detached interest soon became something so much more than that. It was like a moon that waxed and never waned, only growing brighter and brighter until it engulfed the night with its resplendence. With each passing day, her feelings shone brighter, to her and to others. And what had once been a mild interest became a shy obsession. She felt happy—almost giddy with excitement and joy—and slightly startled. She had seen within him a dazzling brilliance, a light, pure and innocent and warm beneath the carefree character. Percy was honest, determined, and loyal. All the qualities that she once believed men to lack were there, underneath his skin and seen through his bright emerald eyes staring innocently back at her, whether in her mind or right there before her, contradicting her very ideals. Everything she believed in, all the things she had once taken as fact, and the things she had turned her back on, were suddenly in front of her, cast in a new light, golden and bright, that revealed the truth, complete and untarnished. The boundaries had been broken and new territory lay beyond waiting to be explored. Everything she had once felt, the scorn for men, the rigid stance of maidenhood, and the idea that love escaped her fingertips, began to collapse before her mind's eye like card castles toppled over by a flick of the finger. It felt like she had been born anew, like a phoenix rising from its ashes, or an infant first glimpsing the outside world. She felt like a young adolescent with a school girl crush. She felt like a foreigner to this new and strange universe, a permanent tourist to Percy's world. He had offered her an exit to her old days like the curtains drawing close then back up again as the new act began. It was like she had been asleep all this time, only to wake up from nightmares and pleasant dreams alike and find that the world has changed. There had never been a demigod who took so much responsibility upon himself and only himself and dealt, with the consequences that resulted in this burden, as Percy, never a hero so…kind and straight-forward as the Son of Poseidon. He didn't care about power, or immortality, he didn't even care much about his own welfare. He was like an innocent puppy as Thalia once admitted laughing, only without the special treatment. She knew he was something special, even before his refusal, she knew from the moment she had met him. And then that day came when Percy refused immortality had shown the gods that there might be something more to life than material gain and power. It had been unfathomable. It made them think that they were possibly missing out on something. And Artemis often wondered whether their encounter was a prelude to some new beginnings. She couldn't understand it, couldn't wrap her head around it, couldn't grasp its threads or look into its depths. The goddess just couldn't figure what had possessed her from that day—or night—forth. Now, her life was going down a long forgotten road, a road that felt so new from its long abandonment, so unused that it was covered with many dense unforgiving foliage of guarded thoughts and other such defenses and traps that a hunter would use to dissuade anyone from going near it. It had only taken one chance meeting with the son of Poseidon to strip away those barriers and remove the mental traps and bring down the walls of defense she had built up for so many years. The feelings were like the tides and waves of the sea, they couldn't be controlled, only influenced. And those waves of forgotten comfort washed over her in embracing torrents of warmth that hadn't been let loose for so long. Sighing she stared, gazing at the unconscious form of Percy as she held him close. "Maybe the reason why we don't understand you is because there hasn't been a hero who cared so much for others. Maybe that was why I fell for you. Or maybe there's something more to you than that…" Glancing at his wrist, Artemis spotted her gift she had made her frustrating brother give to him, and smiled. Percy had put on quite a show. Artemis had been present ever since the very beginning of Noctis' ordeal. She had seen the intensity, the shocking ferocity of the battle. The fiery of blades clashing against blades with a symphonic resonance that rang in everyone's ears over and over again like an orchestra performing in an echoing chamber. It was all too much, so overwhelming like the high tides at the ocean, so vast like gazing at the stars and the vast sky and realizing how infinitesimal one really was. Anarchy fell upon the world as everything occurred faster than the eye could follow, as everything around everyone began to go on fast forward. It was bewildering. But what really caught the goddess' eye was the creeping shift in atmosphere that had begun to seep through the whole of the camp, almost tangible in the air. It seemed to have affected everything but the crowd who had been too busy roaring in bloodthirsty approval as their champion cut down enemy after enemy. She had seen the change that had come over Percy. She could see it in his eyes when Percy—no, Noctis—had fought and fought, crushing his enemies as a conqueror would have: killing and moving on, leaving the enemies fallen forgotten. It came over him like a rapid-spreading plague, a consuming virus that manifested itself physically for all to see. It was a parasite, a symbiosis that covered the true self in its metaphorical armor. And in that moment, Percy became Noctis. He was no longer the Greek hero, no longer the carefree demigod, or the champion of the Graeci that he once was. He was Noctis, a soldier of the New Roman Republic. He had been reborn as a Roman hero, one of the guardians of the New Province. Percy probably would've never asked for this, but he hadn't been Percy for quite a long time now. Even before the test, he had been changing, unconsciously undergoing the evolution of his very character. It was as if he belonged to Rome more than Greece. Rome called to him and took him into Her arms, not the other way around. Artemis shook her head, trying to clear all her heavy thoughts as her eyes traveled back to Percy's calm features that looked more Roman than Greek. Looking at the sleeping demigod now, Artemis almost wondered whether the Greeks hadn't taken in one of their own after all, and had stolen a hero of Rome instead. At the end of the day, if Percy hadn't been tied down by sentiment or held back by friends, he would've realized a long time ago that he didn't belong to the Greeks. It was like his very soul was drawn to the New Province. And finally, he had reached his destination. It saddened her a little but change was inevitable. And even with change, memory was like the vast ocean; it ebbed and flowed but never ran dry. Change could only reach so far. All of these changes didn't matter, because in the end, Percy would always be Percy. And Noctis would always be Noctis. No matter the wiped memories or the new friends or the drastic changes in his life, he would be forever the same, soul-wise. Percy was still there if one were to figuratively look inside: the same courageous and noble soul the likes of which were only seen once a millennia. But now, the Son of Neptune/Poseidon would have two sides: the Greek and the Roman, Percy and Noctis. And in a sense, he was more complete this way, having both sides of the coin rather than one. Artemis sighed, sadly, brushing a long lock of hair from Noctis' face as she turned her attention to the present. She couldn't believe that the young Half-blood could sleep so soundly, even in the cacophony of noise and shouts that surrounded him, so soundly for someone who had gone through so many terrifying and dangerous ordeals. Then again, Noctis probably didn't know even half of what he had been through to gain the respect of the gods and demigods alike. She looked upward now, staring at the dark skies, as a howling whirlwind swept down upon the Coliseum, faster than a hawk diving for its prey. Rain had begun to fall—the full force of the relentless storm steadily escalating to its furious climax. The steady, melancholy tempo of Heaven's tears that tapped a light rhythm became the rapid bullets of heaven's machine guns that pounded the ground with brutal shots. Wind—cutting air—howled and whirled about in the Coliseum, echoing throughout the stadium in eerie screams in various tones like the voices of a thousand, ten thousand, or even more fallen angels that had risen from the earth. The winds' overwhelming gusts tore across the field, battling its own war as if the spirits of the dead had woken with a vengeance. Lightning streaked through the sky as if tearing the world asunder with one mighty stroke of an invisible sword, its furious course through the heavens faster than any mortal eye could perceive. Thunder followed, rippling through Nature's cloudy ceiling with a deafening roar as if the gods had unleashed their full fury upon the land—then again maybe it was the sky that was at war with the earth, or perhaps a thunder god busy battering away at great enemies with his war hammer. Dark—almost black—clouds roiled up ahead, forming inconceivable patterns of different hues and shades of black and grey. It swirled together in the chaos above, forming a funnel—the eye of the storm peering down at the battlefield below. It was like an Artist had painted a gothic abstract of a landscape that was steadily blacking out into darkness, as if anticipating the impending danger that was to come. He designed a scene fitting for the intro to a horrible war, painting with angry brush strokes those fury clouds and slashing wind and streaking lightning and rolling thunder. Artemis gazed up at the sky again, her eyes flashing silver. A sudden sense of disquiet took hold of her as she continued to gaze up at the sky. Something felt wrong. And the more she thought about it, the more she was convinced that something was up and that something was coming closer, fast. The spectators, oblivious to the growing sense of dread and danger, had erupted into an explosion of shouts, cheers, and applause. The whole of the Roman stadium moved about now: bets were being collected and there was much talk. Despite the storm and its pelting, punishing blows to the world below, people streamed out of the stands and onto the stadium, talking and laughing amongst one another. And for a second, all seemed well indeed. Then, the sirens and bullhorns started blaring wildly, frantically sounding the alarm of an attack. One moment, nothing seemed to be wrong as everyone walked about the arena laughing and conversing excitedly with one another. The next, it was as if hell had broken loose all over again as people scrambled for the doors. The calm atmosphere had shattered to pieces, like a mirror of peace and harmony shattered by the mere sound of a scream, to be replaced by panic and frenzy. The stadium was thrown into chaos as everyone tried to get through to the exits. Shouts and curses were heard as the crowd fought to get out. Some ran for the armories to prepare for the battle while others, who were already armed, headed straight for the fray. Through the pandemonium, no one, except Artemis and a few others, noticed the creature that was illuminated up ahead as the sky flashed blinding white once more. The thing was getting closer and closer, swooping down to land atop the Coliseum of New Rome. The only thing that could be distinguished of the giant creature was its two glowing crimson orbs that stared down unblinkingly at the arena and the crowd that had started pushing and shoving to get out. Lupa stared up at the beast's glowing red eyes, and snarled. There was another flash of lightning, and the serpentine something, with its huge black wings that stretched out on either side as if to cover the whole world under its wing, came into full view of all. It was a dragon, or at least something that resembled one because dragons were usually smaller. This thing looked as if it could sink an island under its own weight or at the very least squash a building under clawed foot. It obscured the entire skies, shadowing the entire Coliseum in darkness, as it reared its head and let out a battle cry that shook the entire land. Artemis tensed, summoning up her strength. Her eyes were blindingly white now, flecks of silver and blue sparks whirled around her, engulfing Percy as well in harmless crackling sparks of fire and light, like faeries prancing and circling them in a dance of bluish flames and silvery brilliance. The moon shone a blinding azure in stormy daytime, its rays cutting through the clouds, bathing the entire land in light. Artemis' power awakened and using the moon as a sort of satellite surveillance, she was able to see the entire camp from a bird's eye view. The place was falling apart. It was Hell. The whole of the camp was in danger of complete annihilation. Whoever had planned the attack on the Republic had planned carefully. Demigods were fighting undead demigods. Legions clashed with undead Legions. And other creatures trampled the place as the soldiers of New Rome attempted to hold them at bay. Buildings caught on fire as the skies rained fiery hail and flaming rain as undead sorcerers chanted their sorcery, weaving their evil magic. And through the chaos and confusion, the people of Rome were holding out, but only barely. Out of the corner of her eye, Artemis could see Lupa encompassed in an aura of golden flames. The wolf-goddess' wrath was everywhere. She knew of what was happening to her beloved Province; Lupa was patroness of Rome after all. The fireball came in a fiery tempest and for a brief moment everyone was blinded as it seemed to consume the place. Then there was a loud hiss like the sound of a thousand angry snakes. A wall of mist and water and rain had covered the place in a dome. Artemis blinked, taken aback. She glanced over at Lupa but even the she-wolf was confused. Lightning flickered through the heavens once again. The heavy downpour grew worse as the rain picked up even more. Through her moon's eye, the goddess could see that the fires were being put out and that the place was being completely drenched by the hurricane. Icy winds blew everywhere, bringing the temperature down to below zero in an instant. It was as if the whole ocean had been withheld up above in the restless, chaotic clouds' icy grip, only to be unleashed upon earth when the pressure was too much. The Power of Neptune. Storm caller. Lord of the Seas. "The nymphs! Look, they've come out of the water!" Reyna shouted, pointing upward. And sure enough the water spirits were soaring in the pouring skies. How the water maidens managed to do this Artemis had no idea, and no time to try to find out as the ground shook again like the whole camp had been hit by a high-magnitude earthquake. The water spirits had protected them once and it had probably cost them a lot of strength, Artemis didn't think they could hold for much longer as more fire rained down on them only to be shielded by water. The dragon that towered over the Coliseum like Talos over ships at sea reared again, ready to launch another fiery tempest of flames. With a wave of her hand, Artemis sent a thousand arrows shot from a thousand invisible bows at the beast. The thing exploded into sulfurous dust and with another gesture Artemis blew it into the sky scattering it through the world so that it may never reform. But there were more, she could see them flying in the skies with other nightmarish creatures soaring along. Dragons roared in the skies along with its companions and demonic riders as they bombarded the camp from above with fiery hail and fireballs the size of meteorites. The Legions of Rome were now rallying together and breaking into formations. The commanders of each unit were now tearing themselves away from the confusion and firmly grasping the situation. In the Coliseum, order was being restored as well. Octavian and Reyna continued to issue orders here and there, organizing groups of demigods and directing them to different places as they moved about. In minutes the place was almost empty. Reyna hurried off, promising to meet up with them later. Artemis supported Percy through the exit and into the streets, followed by the demigod's new group of friends and the two consuls while Lupa had gone off to the front lines, in an angry flash of gold. As she ran, Artemis produced a bullhorn and blew. The blast sounded across the camp, echoing and traveling far and wide. A few seconds later, several other horn blasts could be heard echoing throughout the land in response. The goddess turned to inform Octavian, "I have sent a call. My hunters will be here shortly." The Roman immortal nodded, gratified. "They will be most welcome, Lady Diana." Sighing, Artemis continued on, running through the streets, weaving through crowds of soldiers heading to the front lines. She was piggy backing Percy now as she ran with his friends flanking her sides and guarding the rear from attacks. Enemy Legionaries were everywhere now. Somehow the walls had been breached even with all the defenses and guards the Romans had stationed. Artemis glanced through the moon and beheld a figure with a familiar crest charging the Legion of Minerva, slaughtering many soldiers in the process. The dark figure rode atop a black dragon, leading the Legions on a rampage over near the Temple of Jupiter Stator. As Artemis looked closer, she saw that the crest bore the emblem of the second Triumvirate. Then the figure turned and glared up with a look of hatred at the skies and she could see his features more clearly. Things seemed to have taken a turn for the worse as she recognized the man: Marcus Antonius, who had been defeated by Octavian in the naval Battle of Actium. The soldiers around her must have heard her intake of breath as they looked over, concerned. "What's wrong?" Octavian asked, turning to her, tensing. He ran along to her left, clutching his gladius tightly in one hand while the other traveled to his pocket to take out a golden Denarian. "If Noctis' too heavy for you, I can help…" Bobby offered, joking. He was silenced however by a look from Gwendolyn and the others. "Okay, okay, just trying to lighten the mood." Artemis glanced over apprehensively at the First Emperor of Rome, wondering if she should tell him. After a moment she sighed, "The enemy…it's—" Artemis was cut off as a shadow fell over them all, they glanced up. A giant dragon, almost identical to the one they encountered in the Coliseum but wearing armor, landed in front of them, blocking their path. The rider atop it wore black armor the color of obsidian. He raised his sword to the skies and roared a battle cry. Octavian's eyes widened. "Pompeius, you fiend, what have you done?" the former emperor was beside himself now, his rage cold and dangerous as he glared at the man atop the great black winged beast. "Is this your evil doing, Pompeius?" the rider gave a snort of derisive mirth. "I have returned, little Caesar," Pompey laughed, his laughter cruel and malicious. "I have returned as I vowed I would. I was to rule Rome, I was destined! Terra told me so! And what happened? Your adoptive father took it away from me. Now I shall claim what is mine and that will be the end of it!" he shook his reins and the dragon reared like a horse, drawing back and taking a deep breath, flames pouring from its mouth as it prepared to fry them all to cinders. With a toss of the coin, Octavian held in its place, a glowing sword of gold that shone as bright as the light of the sun. He ducked under the dragon's wild slash and sliced apart its armor with rapid strokes. In a blink of an eye, the armor of the great beast shattered to fragments like a whole puzzle being undone. Pompey laughed. "Do you really think you can take me down?" he gestured at the ruins of the Province. "I once said to Caesar that I could raise an army with a stamp of my foot on the soils of Italy. And now I have raised it, raised my undead comrades from the ground with the power of Terra and her giants. See before you what my Legion can do: it has conquered Rome! Look at the ruins of this place." "I have bested a thousand or more enemies more powerful than you. This won't take long." Octavian retorted, evenly. "And as for Rome, it still stands. Our Province will never fall as long as the last Roman lives and fights on." Then they were at it again, Octavian became nothing but a blur of gold, and purple as he danced around the beast, systematically destroying it: severing tendons and muscles, cutting vital points and all the while dodging the dragon's sharp talons and jaws and fire. Artemis stared at him, and then turned. " I leave this one to you." she began to run past, as Octavian engaged the old friend-turned-enemy of Julius Caesar in battle. The others, with only a moment's hesitation, followed the goddess close behind. Hazel glanced at the others, who shared the stunned disbelief with the others by the appearance of Pompey. "Wow, the world has really gone insane. Pompey and all the other countless heroes..." There was a murmur of agreement, as they continued onward. "Are you afraid?" Dakota asked, as he sliced an enemy soldier in their way down. "Yes." "Don't be, we got our own Avengers. Enemies of the state or not, we'll crush them." "So we're superheroes." Bobby contemplated thoughtfully. "Not a bad way to look at us. I call spider man." The others laughed as Bobby cut down another enemy Legionary with a mocking flourish. "Oh shut up, you joker," Gwendolyn exclaimed, slapping the back of his head playfully. "We need to focus." "When did you turn into Reyna?" "I said shut up." Artemis smiled as she ran on. Percy had made some interesting new friends. She glanced to the side at Percy's calm expression as he slept on. A flicker of blue fire seemed to pulse from him but it was probably a trick of the light. "Look we're here!" Bobby shouted with satisfaction as he rammed a Dracaenae in the gut before slicing it up and scattering the dust. The others stared up at the temple that loomed overhead. The temple had been modified extensively. It stood as tall as formidable skyscrapers, shadowing over the area like a giant watchtower. Its gothic architecture seemed to be fit for a king rather than a place for worship. It took one's breath away no matter how many times one looked at it. "Let's hurry, young heroes," Artemis said, breaking the silence. "The sooner we enter the safety of my temple the better for Noctis here." "I'm not that young…" Bobby muttered as they climbed the temple's many stone steps until finally they reached the top and entered the place. "I'm turning sixteen very soon." He recoiled suddenly as Gwendolyn raised her hand. But she just covered her mouth and yawned, smirking at him. The inside was just as breathtaking as the outside. The ceiling had numerous carvings and designs showing the vast expanse of ether at night: planets, constellations, the sun and other stars with no formation or figure. A crescent moon surrounded the depictions in its embrace. The floor mirrored the ceiling picture by picture in detailed clone-like mimicry. On the walls hung exquisite tapestries of various lunar phases, pictures of the goddess herself, whether it was her punishing wrongdoers or saving heroes, and also deer under silver moonlight. And this was only one part of the temple. The other rooms were probably intended as living quarters for her hunters and, on rare occasions such as these, herself and Percy. It was dark, and slivers of bluish light shone through from the circular tinted colored glass that ringed the moon, looking like miniature suns. It cast an almost ethereal glow over the place. It had an aura of reverence and awe that even took Artemis aback. Across the large circular room, at the end opposite the huge doorway, stood a throne, its outline framed in blue light from behind and around the floors, where crystals of varying sizes shaped into countless weapons lay, glowing and pulsing brightly. Two wolves made of silver and encrusted in sapphire gems stood guard, flanking the throne and crouched as if they were about to spring out at anyone who approached the seat any minute now. Artemis made her way across to it, gently laying Percy on it. She stepped back and stared at him. He looked almost like a king, Artemis thought, as he sat there cross-legged and asleep, his breathing slow and steady with his fist resting on his cheek, while the other rested on the throne's arm. The light from the crystals around him illuminated his face in a dramatic light. The others stopped by her side, equally struck by how totally royal he looked. Hazel turned to her, "You're going to let him sit here while we fight the Attackers? What if something happens…?" Artemis shook her head. "While he's in here, my power will protect him. The Aventine hill is well protected with its new defenses. And I've set defenses of my own before, too." Besides that, she was linked to the temple; it worked the same way as the moon, so she could keep Noctis in her sight at all times even without being in the same room as him. The others were silent for a moment before there was another horn blast and the hunters of Artemis burst into the temple, with bows ready, strings drawn taut. The tallest, a girl with spiky black hair and punk rock clothes, stepped forward and bowed. "Lady Artemis, I have returned on your call. And you'll be pleased to hear that we managed to save the Loose Canon from Terra's loonies. Though it was a close one." When she straightened, she caught sight of Percy and blinked. "Percy?" Artemis smiled, flustered for some reason. "Yes, that's Percy. Don't wake him, Thalia. He's had a long day." Thalia just stared in surprise at her sleeping friend, taken aback. Then realizing something, she snapped out of her daze, "But that's your throne, my Lady…" she gestured at Percy. "You're okay with this?" "Of course," Artemis replied, albeit defensively. "Why wouldn't I be?" Thalia couldn't find an answer as the lieutenant of the Hunt stared at the goddess closely, her eyes trying to pierce through Artemis' wavering defenses. "Anyway, "Artemis continued, hastily trying to change the subject. "Did you find Jason?" "Huh? Oh, yeah," Thalia replied, bemused as she squinted at her goddess, scrutinizing her as if trying to get some insight just by staring. "I was so happy. I thought he'd died." She trailed off, then, "Did something happen between you two…?" she smirked. "No," Artemis exclaimed. "You've been listening to my stupid, annoying, lying, frustrating brother again, haven't you?" Bobby raised his hand, "Hey! Let's get going. Super heroes have a schedule, you know. Can't wait all day." Dakota pulled the joking Half-Blood into a headlock, "That's enough from you, Bobby. She might turn you into a jackalope; just think of how sad we'd all be if you were to be like that." He turned to the others, oblivious to Bobby's weak attempts to free himself. "But seriously, let's get going." Percy's new friends quickly headed out, the Hunt following behind. "Super heroes…? What was that all about?" Thalia muttered. Gwendolyn laughed and went on to explain, talking animatedly to her and gesturing energetically. "Mood swings…" Bobby muttered under his breath. Gwendolyn's head snapped toward him. "What?" Artemis was the last to leave. And as she took a step outside, she glanced back, staring at Percy. This won't take long, Percy, she thought. Before the great metal doors soundlessly closed behind her, Artemis saw for an instant a flare of blue light and fire that erupted from the crystals around the young demigod. She blinked in astonishment but as she took another look, the crystals were back to normal. Weird, there can only be so many times that the light could trick you. Minutes later, they were at the front lines, battling monsters that seemed to go on endlessly. Artemis saw her hunters taking a stand near the gate, trying to block any more enemy Legions from entering. The tides were against them. The monsters kept reforming, kept swarming around them, kept coming, in innumerable numbers. It was like trying to wage war on the sea or sky, both impossible feats. Octavian had taken care of Pompey already and was leading the Calvary through the enemy lines, cutting down enemy after enemy. The Legion of Mars roared their battle cries as they charged the hordes of Terra, spearing the undead legions and dividing them in half. The Legions of Apollo stood atop the walls and shot supersonic arrows and machine guns at the undead like it was some Sisyphean target practice. "Hold your ground!" Reyna hollered over the noise of war. She led the Legion of Minerva out and joined up with the Hunt in an attempt to better stop the forces of Terra from entering. The Legion pushed forward and moved to secure the gates but the effort was in vain. The hordes of the Underworld kept coming. Soon the Legions and allies of Rome had to retreat. It was either that or get overrun. Octavian stared grimly at the scene before retreating along with the rest. Yes, the tables were turned against them, or maybe they had been turned from the very beginning. But the fact was that Rome couldn't hold. Then there was a loud roar that shook the physical as well as the mental dimensions. Lupa stood at the gates alone and let out another roar that sent shockwaves rippling through the air, sending the enemy Legions back a few meters. Fire rained down from the skies on Lupa's call and decimated the undead. But even that was futile. Artemis raised a hand and the very skies turned black as if the sky was a mass of water and a bucket of black ink that had been dumped into it. Day became night and the moon and stars shone bright in the sky, through the ravening clouds. Streaks of lightning hit the earth producing shudders throughout the region. Mountain Tam high overhead seemed to shake with the intensity. Then the stars fell, one after another. Thousands of thousands of stars fell to earth. They crossed the skies and cut the clouds like mincemeat. They fell. The shooting stars fell upon the enemies of Rome. The skies returned to normal and night became day once again. Artemis collapsed, gasping. Thalia ran to her side and shook her. "Lady Artemis! Lady Artemis! Are you alright?" Artemis glanced up to meet Thalia's concerned gaze. Artemis panted, trying to catch her breath. "Fine. Just tired." Octavian frowned as he crouched down with Thalia. "That's strange. What's happening? You're a goddess." He paused. "I didn't know the Olympians can get tired …" "I've been cut off from Olympus ever since I spoke out against Zeus for withdrawing from mortal affairs." She stood steadily with Thalia by her side, glancing at the gates. What met her eyes wasn't pleasant: the Legions of monsters and undead demigod had stormed through the defenses and were now chasing down the retreating Roman forces. "We need to retreat. Find high ground. Then we'll be able to pick them off easily." "The Aventine Hill then," Octavian said, standing also. "That's where Noctis is. The enemy Legions will follow us there, and then we'll crush them." If we can… Artemis wanted to add but didn't. Lupa was already on the move, the she-wolf nowhere in sight, probably already at the Artemis' Temple by now, preparing. The retreat was bitter. They saw shops and villas razed to the ground, temples ruined, the Forum burning, and the Curia in rubble. The undead were singing now, singing their horrid song of Rome's Second Fall. It rang in the ears distastefully like nails on a chalkboard. Finally the Legions of Rome were backed against the steps of the Temple of Diana. Octavian had straightened, he spoke, his voice thundering over the clang and clash and other piercing sounds of the gears of war, "We cannot retreat any more, this is where we make our final stand. Legions, rally! Rome shall not Fall." he raised his sword and the Romans roared with him. The charisma of the man amazed Artemis as she looked upon the hopeless situation, the burning Rome, the ruins of Rome, the destruction, the carnage. And the hordes, the almost infinite number of enemies. She knew it was the end. To her right, Thalia cursed. "We'll never make it." She drew another arrow and notched it with bleeding fingers from the string. Artemis turned and looked despairingly. The enemies were practically indestructible and everyone knew it. Then Antonius arrived, atop his great black dragon, clad in matching black. She could hear Octavian suck in his breath as if his worst fears were confirmed. "Di immortales!" Bobby spat as he stared up at the figure. "Octavian, it's been awhile, friend." Mark Antony smiled. "I lost to you once, remember? I always thought that wasn't the way it should have ended. Well, here's the alternate ending. Unless you're willing to make a truce…" "Marcus, is betraying Rome once not good enough? We were both born and bred to be heroes of Rome. But you turned your back on our sacred pact. During the time of the Second Triumvirate, why did you betray Lepidus and me? Was not ruling part of Rome enough? What will satisfy you?" Octavian shook his head, sadly. "I don't know what to make of you, Marcus. And I will not accept a truce. This is where it ends. One force will be left standing: either of Terra or the Province. Let the Parcae decide the victor." Marcus waved a hand, arrogantly. "Augustus, Augustus, listen to my terms first. I do not wish to destroy Rome, only rule it. I give you an ultimatum that will save thousands of lives: give us the Son of Neptune and we will leave. We will even restore the Province. It's a good deal. One life for countless thousands." He sheathed his drawn sword. "The Fates need not determine whether one of us dies. Come, Augustus, be reasonable." Octavian shook his head again. "I thought you knew me better than that. When I ruled Rome, I preached values. Remember? You think that has changed? No. My mind is made and also the minds of my fellow citizens I believe. We don't sell out comrades. " Marcus' smile faded. He glared at Octavian, "Then you leave me no choice." He raised his hand signaling the Legions of the Undead on his mark. His hand fell, and the enemy charged. Artemis and the rest tensed, prepared to meet their fate, then— The world flashed a blinding white, flecked with pale azure sparks that exploded everywhere in bolts of lightning and in crazy zigzagging streaks like electricity. They screamed overhead, crackling and pulsing in the air, before condensing into orbs of evanescent bluish silver fire that fell like snowflakes to the ground and disappeared, only to be replaced with ample more light and sparks and fire and lightning. The enemy Legions were driven back, blasted off their feet by the sheer power of whatever had caused this. The blue embers became shooting stars and they zoomed about, hurling themselves at the invaders as if some invisible gym class were playing dodge ball and the armies of Terra were the targets. "What the heck—?" Bobby shouted as he rubbed his eyes, half-blinded by the light, while fumbling for his gladius. Artemis turned to the others and saw their equally stunned expressions, surprised by this recent turn of events. She stared with the rest as stars began to swirl around them, moving in a circle around the world as if the earth had started spinning a thousand times faster than it was supposed to. The storm grew to higher heights as thunder rumbled like low laughter and the lightning streaked across the whirling skies like white cracks of a hollow globe of glass and the rain fell harder like heaven weeping and the winds cutting like blades. Over the noise of chaos, Artemis heard the sound of footsteps echoing on the temple floor. She turned. The doors of the Temple of Diana had drawn themselves open of their own accord and stood there waiting for the shadowy figure beyond to pass through. All that could be seen of the person or thing were the twin glowing pupils that shone crimson red. The legions of Hostis, the enemies of the state, caught their breaths, some even falling to their knees with all weapons fallen or thrown aside forgotten as if an avenging angel, or god, had come down to punish them, others went mad and started screaming incoherent words, and even others who snarled like demons at the sight of their holy enemies. Noctis stepped out of the shadows and crossed the threshold swiftly, staring about, his eyes as red as blood. He stared at the scene before him: the legions of undead demigods and enemies of both Rome and the gods of Olympus. He stared at the ruins of New Rome and the Roman army pushed to the brink of total annihilation. He stared with a calm indifference as if peering through a dream. It was almost chilling, Artemis thought as she stared up at him. The whole world seemed to warp into a different scene from a different universe as Noctis stood there, surveying the world distastefully. An aura of power washed over the moon goddess suddenly as if it were a healing current, rejuvenating her. And she was refreshed and comforted to the point that it was almost too much, and she was overwhelmed. The day became night once again and the stars shone ever so bright, the different constellations were alive now. Orion was up there, drawing his bow. Zoe Nightshade was there, too, running along the sky. Taurus, Leo, Draco, Sagittarius, every last one of the starlight forms, whether of winter or summer or fall or spring were there watching over them. Artemis looked on, dazzled by such an unexpected entrance. "Percy…? Is that you?" Thalia looked over and followed her gaze, then gasped. Percy, or Noctis, began descending the steps down to the bottom where Terra's Legions stood, either frozen by paralyzing fear or grabbed by indomitable madness. Even Mark Antony was taken aback by the lost hero that continued to descend, taking all the time in the world as he strode down the stone steps. Then there was a whisper as if the earth was imploring its followers to move, to react and respond to the situation at hand. The Legions of the undead snapped out of their trance in a panic, their battle lines chaotic and disorganized as they readjusted to their surroundings. "Fire at him!" Antony roared above the uproar, his eyes flashed red but unlike Noctis' clam cold eyes of glowing red, the consul of the Second triumvirate was furious. The man's eyes and actions betrayed his growing sense of unease, a hint of desperation, to stop this one adversary. "What are you doing? Fire!" The enemy attacked, foot soldiers aimed their automatics, archers drew their bows with flaming arrows, and spearmen stepped back to hurl their missiles. It was a million against one and Artemis couldn't help but cry out. But none of them touched Percy as he stopped there in the middle, between the Roman Legion and the army of the Undead with its hordes of innumerable Underworld nightmares. It was like a transparent force field surrounded him as he continued onward, oblivious to the bullets shattering and arrows splintering and spears breaking. His glowing red eyes were brighter. He glowed with an aura of blue and white flames. A miniature storm—a hurricane—began around him as crystals appeared out of nowhere and whirled about him. With a wave of his hand, the crystals shattered and reassembled into thirteen different weapons: a spear, a lance, a halberd, a double-bladed axe, a sword, a trident, a scythe, and other variations of these medieval weaponry—thirteen crystalline shapes that circled him, picking up speed as the gemlike forms flickered and shimmered in and out of focus. Then the crystal gears of war shattered altogether and became a crystal storm that followed him about wherever he went. Marcus Antony roared in defiance and lunged, but Octavian was at his throat in no time, engaging the old enemy in combat. The god of Rome, the first emperor, was ablaze as he fought Antony, friend of Caesar. The first wave that charged the Romans at a bull run was the hordes of Underworld creatures. Noctis reached out with his outstretched hand and the whirlwind of crystal shards became a sword. He seized it while his other hand spun the silver bracelet and it changed into a lance. He flashed white and disappeared in a trail of silver and blue sparks of dazzling light, reappearing in front of the enemy. He stabbed and slashed and hacked. One minute he held a sword, the next it became the double bladed axe, then the next it was the halberd and then the scythe and another lance and a gladius. He fought like a man possessed, like a demon unleashed in a fury. It was so raw and uncontrolled it was almost insane. Artemis blinked before joining in the fray herself, working her way to fight alongside him. She called down the stars once again and fired a thousand arrows from the sky and all around. The others, Percy's new friends and Thalia with the Hunt followed after her. The tides had turned finally in their favor and the enemies were being driven back, forced to give back all the ground they had gained. And as Noctis pushed the forces of Earth further and further away, his power washed over the damaged state of Rome, healing it, cleansing it almost of the results of war, and over the citizens of the city-state, healing them also. Finally they were at the gates. And with a tremendous effort, they managed to push the enemy out. But Noctis continued on, walking now, again with no hurry, toward the retreating enemy. "I will return, Octavian. Don't you forget that, and next time I'll have Legions that will cover this whole world and bring Rome down to Her knees." Mark Antony swore. He reined his dragon and soared upward. Then the sky flickered and flashed, and Antony fell, struck by the god of lightning's bolt of punishment. Noctis strode alone now toward the enemy lines. Thalia cursed under her breath. "Does he want to die? Ugh, Seaweed Brain." She started after him, Artemis with his new comrades at her heels. "Percy! It's over, get back over here. You'll get yourself killed." Percy didn't seem to hear her as he walked on. Artemis flickered with silver sparks as she nervously took a step toward him. "Percy?" Then again, crystals appeared, one by one, like solid apparitions yet ghostly at the same time, high overhead they took form, as if sitting atop the hills and scenery of clouds above, like hawks perched on airy branches over a cliff, waiting for the prey to make the first move. They shattered to a million pieces and rained down on the Legions of Terra and struck them all down. Monsters vaporized and their yellow sulfurous dusty substance soared up into the air and into his sword of silver, sealing themselves within the cold metal that he had grabbed from the crystal winds. Carvings of the many different beasts of the Underworld and of Terra appeared etched on the blade as one by one they were sucked in. The demigods and sorcerers went down in sprays of dead blood and the earth opened up to take them back in its clutches like a direct route to the pit, falling to the dogs. Noctis flashed white and appeared before Artemis, taking her breath away, as he took her and practically flew up the walls of Rome. "Sure, leave us to run for our lives!" Thalia shouted as she and the others ran back to the gates of Rome which closed behind them. "Not like we matter if we fall into that hole." Whether Noctis heard or he just simply ignored the comment, Artemis couldn't figure out through his impassive features as he ran on, killing countless tray Rogue legionaries and monsters that had survived the earth's mealtime mayhem as he dashed here and there, running on walls then on solid ground then flying in midair over ramparts then running atop battlements again. It was so disconcerting to be here then there then somewhere else and so on faster than light even for a goddess but soon they were back behind the safety of the fortifications. Behind them, on the Graveyard, the earth swallowed everything in its giant maw like a giant glutton. It devoured demigods and bones and weapons and other mementos of the Fall alike. Thalia was at their side in seconds. "Are you alright, my Lady?" she reached out, but at that moment, the crystals vanished and the bluish silvery aura along with it. Percy's eyes returned to its usual unnaturally bright green and he collapsed, falling into Artemis' arms for the second time this day, unconscious. Thalia stared at her sleeping friend in bemusement. "What is this time of year for him? Hibernation period?" and before Artemis could stop her, Thalia flicked his forehead with her finger. To the goddess' relief, it didn't wake him. The others had come to Artemis and Percy's side, too. They looked over and, after seeing that Noctis was perfectly fine, began tending to the wounded. Octavian lingered for a bit as he examined the two. "Hmmm…Not bad." He commented, pausing briefly before continuing as he looked down at Percy sleeping in Artemis' arms, "We'll have his initiation ceremony and feast in a week or so, right before he goes on the quest, Lupa has for him. There we'll announce his rank as Commander of the Fourteenth Legion of Rome, the Legion of Neptune." "Wait, Noctis is going on a quest in a week?" Bobby asked, outraged. "I waited thirteen years to go out and kick butt for my city-state. How come he gets the fast lane ticket to the roller coaster?" he crossed his arms, glaring indignantly. Gwendolyn slapped the side of his head. "Stop pouting, Spider man. You're supposed to be a super hero." "And you're too old to pout anyway," Reyna added as she came behind them, making them jump. She turned to Artemis and spoke, "Lupa's getting worried that we might be going too slow with things. We were lucky this time, but we might not be so fortunate when Antonius returns." "You really think he'll return?" Hazel asked, doubtfully. "He'll return," Octavian stated, wearily. "Marcus has always been true to his word." He turned to look over at the setting sun as it disappeared behind the horizon. "Now, let's get going, it's almost dinner." The others followed the consul as he turned and left. Finally Artemis was left with Thalia and Percy alone. Thalia stared at her, eyes narrowed. Artemis raised an eyebrow. "What?" "Nothing," the daughter of Zeus replied, smirking. "It's just that…I think I know why Apollo's kept his eye on Percy ever since you met him." Artemis gave her a look. "Okay, okay, I won't tell." Artemis sighed, too exhausted to argue. "Whatever." They made their way toward the villas of Neptune on foot rather than on the litters that were offered to them. Thalia had exclaimed that she had felt bad for the litter-carriers so there they were, walking through the crowded streets of Rome with Percy on Artemis' back, not that she minded much. "You're gonna stay here for awhile, aren't you?" Thalia stated more than asked. Artemis nodded and the girl smirked again. "You can wipe that smug look off your face now and stop teasing me. I have enough of that coming from Aphrodite and Apollo. Even Hermes is bothering me just because my brother and his muses like to gossip to the whole world about other people's business." Thalia laughed as she took out her iPod and walked on, silent now, humming to herself as she was immersed in her world of music. Artemis turned to look up at the sky. The moon shone a crescent white when only moments before it had been completely round. She wondered about Noctis—Percy—and his newly acquired powers, powers that went as far as to the extent that it was able to affect the land around him so dramatically, power that made the stars fall like she did. She wondered about his blood red eyes, and his glowing pulse of blue and slivery light that had surrounded him like flame molded into armor. She wondered about his thirteen gleaming crystal swords and the sealing blade that was still clutched in his right hand, its thousands of carvings of the monsters slain by him writhed within, shining through in the silver reflection. The sword seemed to thrum with intense excitement as if it were sentient; the way it pulsed and the way it shimmered were almost like emotions that stirred just below the surface of its cold silver blade. When they reached the villa, Thalia decided to call the entire Hunt to camp at Percy's since it was so big. The Hunters laughed and giggled as Thalia told them something interesting. Artemis was too tired to bother much as they gave not-so-subtle glances over their shoulders at her. If it was about her and Percy, then she would have to set them straight tomorrow. At the moment, she was too sleepy, too tired from today's work, to do anything but think. So she let her hunters go on, giggling and whispering. She tilted her head to the side, gazing at the demigod in deep slumber. Percy…What happened…? How did you gain this power? She lay there on the soft bed with Percy opposite her, on the other side, and played with a strand of hair. She stared at his features once again and wandered into the tracks of aimless thoughts as sleep enveloped her in its warm blanket…

DevilTriggerDMC VII ARTEMIS The gods had no conscience. The gods had no dreams. There was no explanation for this; it was just there—accepted as a fact that was never opposed. But the Fates seemed to have made an exception for Artemis. She slept and she dreamed. For the first time, Artemis dreamt mortal dreams—random visions that shifted and changed every so often. Almost with a life of its own. Like Daedalus' Labyrinth—not living yet living at the same time: a sentient machine. The images were so impulsive and revealed what only chance willed it to show—flashing scenes with glimpses of the possible future and the concrete past clouded over her mind's sight like steam over glass. They were there one moment, then gone the next. Elusive and Alluring. The past was in front of her one second then behind her the next and she couldn't turn back as she faced the oncoming future. Like trying to capture the winds, these images fluttered and flew with its spread wings from her desperate grasp. It was rather disconcerting to her as if she was in a world with no solid substance—only ever changing landscapes and realistic illusions. It was rather confusing for her with all the clustering images like densely packed stars that swirled about in a galaxy's maelstrom of thoughts and dreams and nightmares all alike with each of them overlapping the others. Dreamscape scenery swirled in and out of focus and gathered before spreading, accumulating then dissipating like morning dew. And she was taken aback—taken aback that a goddess could sleep and dream like any other mortal. Yet here she was—consciously aware that she was in this realm of mystery and dreams. And she continued through dreamland's mazes to see what was to come, waiting half-interested for the story to unfold. She wasn't quite sure why the Powers that Be had chosen her as the special case. But she had a feeling that even the Fates would have to pull some strings with something higher up the food chain to accomplish such a feat as to affect a goddess—to make her feel so much more than a goddess should feel and sleep with dreams when a goddess should not be able to either sleep or dream at all. She just didn't quite know what to make of this. It was a blessing and a curse—so intertwined together it was hard to differentiate one from the other. Sometimes Artemis felt torn between the good and bad side of the Fates' gift. But whether the goddess of the Hunt actually felt cursed or blessed was something that was subject to change from time to time. Sometimes she felt the emotions that swelled within too much to bear. At times, they were so overwhelming that it drove the goddess off the wall. Everything just seemed to push her over the edge, close to the brink of tears as she tried to hold it all in—her inner turmoil, her feelings of confusion… Then sometimes she felt her new experience was wonderful. The clarity of her thoughts and feelings were so clear and dazzlingly brilliant like a full moon reflected on the calm waters of the sea—the happiness, the joy, the contentment, the peacefulness. She'd wander through the meadows of her mind, euphoric as she thought of all moments in her life that had led her to this. Those overpowering torrents of emotion followed her wherever she went like a giant shadow—always there for the better or for the worse. The feelings seemed to overload one's senses at times, but all in all, Artemis didn't really mind. So what if she was…different from the other gods? It was all for the best in the end. She was tied with Percy and her hunters now more than ever before. She'd fall asleep and all the stress seemed to just slip through her thought—slipping from her mental fingertips like sand. She was dreaming what she imagined a demigod would dream—dreams with more meaning and seemingly more lasting impression than normal visions through slumber. She saw the vast expanse of the Roman Camp and its Seven Hills—the prelude to the Roman Empire inevitably approaching, rising even now as it took shape, forming slowly, growing from the city-state to the vast empire like water cascading throughout the lands when it rained. The first century BC Rome was rising—the horizon bridged the two tenses of time, from present to future She saw the Graveyard of the Fall outside the Province's walls, darker than black and as unsettling as a haunted dwelling. And she saw the dark shadowy figures running across its bleak, grey landscape. As she looked on from above through the moon's eye, the forms seemed to change, transforming into a thousand shapes like all the unsubstantial matter of her dreams. The figures became hawks streaking close to the ground with their black cloaks fluttering in the fierce and howling winds like wings. They were birds of prey with claws outstretched and almost touching the earth as they flew in a formation of a spear. Then, they became dark angels, discarding their guise of birds to reveal their true nature with their faces hidden by their ebony wings, making them faceless. And they swooped low over the land as if in search of lost souls. Then, they were sleek black wolves, trailing tendrils of black fire that were their cloaks. Their feral fury expressed by the way their paws punished the land as they ran on with inhuman speed. They ran through the rough terrain with no delay, no stops, as they skillfully weaved through the Grave's many obstacles. They bounded over the thousands of weapons sticking from the ground and the shields scattered about and the bones of countless monsters and still armored skeletons of fallen heroes. In the skies, dark clouds gathered about the vicinity, swirling and ravening wisps that roiled overhead in angry patterns as it seemed to climb higher and higher, spreading wider and wider with the aid of the furious winds. These insubstantial wraiths—these airy overhangs of unease—collected into one entity, becoming a blackened hand—a claw of some demon from gods knows where—stretching to seize the whole world and crush it. Darkness descended over all, over everything, like a black blanket had fallen over the high heavens, shielding it from the light. The landscape became nothing but a scene of black and white with shades of grey like all the color had been drained away. What light was left in the world dimmed to a flickering spark—a timid ray of hope—that had no effect on illuminating the lands. Those silvery rays became almost nonexistent with the darkness pressing in from all sides like the light was surrounded by dark phantasmal Legions of ghosts. It was like embers from a dying campfire fading to black—a candlelight that burned ever lower, soon to vanish. The setting, already bleak and grey, became sinister. And the eerie silence only heightened the apprehension—that heavy anxiety—as Artemis stared in despair at the running figures. It was twisted irony, a warped humor that was harsh and bitter. Because now she saw the hawks—natural born predators of the skies—being hunted themselves. They were being hunted by an invisible enemy that loomed ever closer ever nearer and only primal instincts allowed them to sense the approach of their doom which was at their heels, breathing its cold breath down their necks. From her moon's eye view, Artemis could see the earth move, distorting and contorting with ethereal spirits threatening to burst from its surface. The earth continued to rise and flex its muscles as if it were in the stages of awakening, rumbling and groaning like a yawn. Then, the spirits rose from their cage and soared about in the air around the fleeing figures as if attempting to stop them in their tracks with ghostly walls of the dead. All the silvery slither of light became evanescent phantoms of phoenixes, fading to nothingness only to be reborn from its ashes out of the Dark, rekindling its light, and then fading once again as Darkness and Light fought on. All hope seemed to be a mere concept—a myth invented to soften the hard truth. It was so far away—in the distance, upon the dark grey horizon that was out of light's reach. It was a wild goose chase. The figures continued on, determined to see it through, stubbornly shaking away the oppressing atmosphere. The shadows flitted forward, the rough silhouettes of the seven dancing across the dance floor of the ancient battlefield as they ran on like an unrelenting force—a fierce wave that was not to be deterred. Then the earth opened up—like the time it had swallowed its own undead Legions during the attack on New Rome—and took the heroes within itself, into the black depths of the abyss. Then the scene changed and just as Artemis thought that the story was over, she was falling with the Half-bloods, free-falling down, down, and down to nowhere it seemed. Out of the gloom, a sleeping lady in black could be seen at the bottom, smiling contentedly as she slept on smiling in triumph. 'I win, mortals. Heroes of Olympus—and the changed goddess that looks on with them—meet your doom.' With a jolt of dread, the goddess realized it was Gaea, the primordial goddess of the Earth. But how could the earth goddess sense her? Dreams weren't supposed to be dangerous. Dreams weren't supposed to hold that much reality—only a twisted version of it. One of the figures falling beside her drew out a gladius. It was Jason Grace. Another figure drew a bronze blade with crashing waves etched on it. She felt her heart flutter as she recognized the second person: Percy. There was laughter, the laughter of many beings—giants—and with them Terra/Gaea chuckled. 'This is what is to come, goddess of the moon. This is the inescapable end. But it doesn't have to be this way…if you cooperate, no one you care about will come to harm.' Artemis looked on and shook her head. No. no, she wouldn't accept this. She wouldn't let this happen. And she wouldn't side with the earth goddess either. 'Come.' A hand seemed to be outstretched toward her invitingly. 'Do we have a deal?' Then light consumed everything. It was the same feeling Artemis had when Percy—Noctis—descended from the temple of Diana: that horrible yet wonderful aura that washed over everything and everyone, breaking them or healing them. But this time, it wasn't coming from Percy. It was shining down from above. The light of the night sky became blinding as day, piercing through the ground, penetrating the crust and downward. 'No, Gaea. No, Terra.' The light bathed everything and the sleeping Gaea frowned. 'You!' she was cut off by the sudden rise of howling winds. And then— Artemis woke with a start. Her heart was pounding so hard it seemed to want to leap from her chest. She made to sit up but couldn't. Rubbing her eyes, Artemis looked around, trying to figure out why she couldn't move. Then she looked down and blushed, embarrassed and flustered as a wave of heat swept over her cheeks. Someone had drawn the covers over Percy and herself. They were so close, only inches away from each other's face that she could hear the demigod's soft breathing as he slept on. Before she had met Percy, she would have probably cringed at the very thought of being this close to a guy. But now… The goddess put her head on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat, and sighed. What had happened? She had been dreaming the most horrible thing. The running figures. The land rising and moving. The spirits blasting through the surface. The maw of the earth opening to take them all in. All of this came back to her in such vivid detail. She shuddered and touched the son of Neptune's cheek, making sure that he was here with her. Then there was that other being from the sky. She felt she should know who it was but something prevented her from remembering it. What was wrong with her? The gods couldn't sleep. Gods couldn't dream. Gods couldn't tire for that matter. But here she was: a contradiction to these very beliefs. She could sleep now. She could dream dreams. And she could tire from battle like any other. Artemis shifted slightly, suddenly tired. Eyes drooping, breathing slowing, she drifted off to sleep again but this time stuck in a world between reality and wonderland. She didn't dream of that nightmare again. No more grey lands with the seven running figures. No more spirits. No more sleeping Gaea and that terrifying light of the sky. She didn't dream anything significant now, only fleeting images of Olympus—of home. There was only a trace of longing that was quickly erased by elation. Sure, she missed her brothers and sisters and all. But compared to being with her hunters and Percy, Olympus was worth giving up. It was boring up there anyway with all the gods forced to sit around 24/7 and twiddle their thumbs just because Zeus and a few of them couldn't get over Percy showing them up. They just couldn't accept the fact that sometimes even gods were wrong, that sometimes they needed demigods—not only for quests but also guidance. She was pulled from her slumber by the sound of footsteps. Artemis got up. Under the covers, it felt so comforting after her dream. But it couldn't be helped. If Thalia saw her, then it was as good as the whole Hunt had seen her. And then it would spread from there to one of the gods and reach Apollo or even worse Aphrodite—if the goddess of love didn't know it already. Artemis sighed and checked her reflection. Not that she cared how she looked. Really. Except with Percy here… Thalia bounded into the large bedroom just as Artemis made to leave. "Oh, you're up already…" her second-in-command looked disappointed as she hastily stashed the camera away into a jacket pocket. "Gwendolyn just ran by to tell us we had to get to the Curia and meet up with the rest of the camp heads." The way she said Curia held some distaste for some reason and as Artemis glanced over at her second-in-command, even Thalia seemed taken aback at her hostility. But she quickly dismissed it. Looking over at the still unconscious form of Percy, her lieutenant shook her head, exasperated. "Hibernation time, I tell you." she grinned. "Luckily for Seaweed Brain here, he doesn't have to be there. Lupa said that it was better for him not to go anyway." Thalia laughed and flicked the sleeping demigod's forehead. Percy frowned in his sleep, but didn't wake, just as Artemis glared at Thalia, annoyed for some reason. "Okay, okay." Thalia waved both hands in surrender. Then she smirked, "So…how did you sleep, my Lady?" and ran out of the room before Artemis could get a hold of her. Artemis stared at the open doorway of Percy's bedroom, with a mixture of feelings coursing through her. Annoyance. Embarrassment. Bemusement. All of them went through her frame of mind, intermingling until she couldn't quite figure out what she felt the most. She turned to Percy, still sleeping soundly under the covers. His innocent face was sad and confused even in slumber, Artemis noted. Like even in sleep, he knew he was lost, that he did not yet belong, that he was missing something… She crossed over to his side and touched his face. "You don't have to feel so lost and alone. You've got other people here who care about you." She missed that smile, that idiotic grin Percy always wore when he was with his friends and having a good time. Not like she purposely stared at the young Half-Blood. It was just one of things she caught when he was around with her back then… "Hey, we really do need to get to the Senate House," Thalia peeked through the door. "Lupa's asked us to be there by 7." "You seem a little too hyper today, Thalia," Artemis muttered, steering the daughter of Zeus out of the room as she made to flick Percy on the head again. "Oh, I forgot to tell you." Thalia looked over at her, suddenly nervous at the change of tone. "Don't call him Percy here. The Roman campers think he's Noctis—that's his new name." "What's wrong with 'Percy'?" Thalia asked. "Doesn't seem bad to me." "It's Greek. They're Roman. The two don't mix." The goddess said simply. "The other campers wouldn't bother listening to someone Greek. And he's supposed to be their leader—our leader." "Understood, my lady." Thalia saluted, still puzzled. You'll soon find out, Artemis thought. And I hope you don't kill each other when the time does come. "Artemis? Earth to Artemis." Thalia waved her hand. "You're not telling me the whole thing, are you?" "You see," The goddess sighed, "Have the other hunters guard Percy. I don't really trust the camp's stability at the moment or its security for that matter." Thalia nodded, still smiling at both Artemis and the out-cold demigod behind her, and went to the others. The goddess continued to contemplate the outcome of Hera's gamble. It was like a story or movie building up to its climax. The tension and the stress grew with time. She couldn't shake off the thought of the future Roman and Greek confrontation. How can two opposite sides of the coin cooperate? She stared at Percy for a minute longer before walking out the room and closing the bedroom door behind her. Whatever was to come, the Fates held the paths in their hands. Or did they? Artemis had a feeling that something greater was at work here. Something even more powerful… She stopped in front of her hunters who had all gathered at the pavilion. "You know what to do, right?" she looked at each of them in turn. "Protect Percy if anything happens." "Don't worry, Lady Artemis," Phoebe, one of her hunters, said, smiling. "We can take care of him." The way she said it didn't leave the goddess all that reassured but she didn't have time to think up any alternative. On their way out, Artemis and Thalia met with Percy's new friends. "I hope Noctis is alright," Reyna said, concerned, after Thalia reported Percy's current status. "After everything that happened yesterday…" "And just when he had settled into the Camp…" Gwendolyn murmured, twirling a lock of golden hair as she gazed at the sky. "That's a lot to take in." Bobby laughed. "Oh my! Gwendolyn actually has a soft side!" he said in a singsong tone of voice. Artemis bit her lip at that but said nothing. Thalia looked on amused. "Fallen in love again? For the umpteenth time?" "No, I'm not!" Gwendolyn replied, hotly, a little red faced. "I would never do such a thing to Lady Diana!" "Wait, what?" Artemis exclaimed, flustered. "What are you talking about?" Thalia was laughing now, so hard that she was gasping for breath. Gwendolyn looked equally startled before she blushed, too. "Oh, wait. That was a dream. Darn, Venus!" she threw her hands up in defeat. Dakota spoke up. "Why were you dreaming this again?" Reyna kept silent, staring at them all with a raised eyebrow as if to say: Are you crazy? Gwendolyn crossed her arms. "Don't look at me like that! It isn't my fault! I'm the daughter of Venus for gods' sake. And mother's always messing with me…" she added, fuming. The others let it rest at that. Gwendolyn seemed close to the point of hitting somebody. "Oh yeah by the way, I found this…" Bobby took out a silver coin and flicked it in the air. It changed into a slim sword. "Been looking for it?" he lifted it high over his head so Gwendolyn couldn't reach it. "Hey, give me that!" she punched him in the gut and he recoiled, laughing. "You didn't find it, you stole it." "Anyway…back to Noctis," Hazel said, helpfully, changing the subject and taking away the awkward silence. The demigod turned to Artemis. "You sure he's alright? We could postpone the meeting and get some medics from Apollo's Legion…" "He'll be fine. All he needs is rest." Artemis assured them all. She sounded confident—or at least she thought she did—but she was just as worried as the rest of them behind the mask. She'd never heard of any demigod going on autopilot before but that was just what happened during the surprise attack yesterday. That time, Percy didn't seem to be Percy. He didn't seem to be Noctis either. He was someone totally different, someone ancient and powerful. No demigod could cause the stars to fall, much less do it multiple times—hero of one of the Big Three or not. It was unthinkable. Unimaginable. It just couldn't possibly be. Only the gods had that kind of power… Artemis was shaken from her train of thought by Thalia. "His body's probably recovering from all that beating he took. Fighting and more fighting for hours upon hours on end can do that to people," her lieutenant supported, siding with Artemis. However, she, too, seemed a bit anxious as she took a peek back at the villa of Neptune. "Seaweed Brain will up and about in no time." She added, seeing Artemis look over her shoulder as well. "Then we can all get know each other properly." She smirked, glancing pointedly at Artemis who faltered slightly in her step. Roman campers milled about, talking excitedly as they roamed the streets, going about their daily business. Artemis took in the camp with quiet admiration. The place was beautiful. Like paradise. The buildings that had been destroyed just yesterday had been rebuilt overnight. The streets that had been littered with weapons and blood and a few bodies were now clean. It looked as if there had never been a surprise attack on the camp at all. "Wow," Thalia exclaimed. "Half of this place was in ruins yesterday and now…" "Our campers are dedicated," Reyna explained, proudly. "We usually get things done in no time. Construction is a piece of cake. Get the Vulcan and Minerva teams on it and they'll work wonders." She glanced up. "We're here." The Curia was huge, almost as big as Artemis' temple. It was breathtaking like all the Roman architecture. Three stories high, the building rose above the shops and villas, situated at the center of the entire Province. Huge statues of the Roman gods that stood upon tall pillars of ivory marble surrounded the structure, almost level with the roof of the Curia, like giant guards towering over would-be troublemakers. Inside, the Senate meeting room seemed to have been modified to hold more campers. It was as big as those rooms professors used to teach hundreds of students—those huge lecture halls in universities. The leaders of each Legion were already present. The generals of the Twelve Olympian Legions sat in the front while the leaders of the minor gods' Legions sat in the back. The hierarchy was clear as day but there didn't seem to be any resentment between the two groups. Everyone was lounging about, chatting amiably with one another as if nothing had happened yesterday. Yeah, we have to fight undead Legions and rebuild half the camp every day. No big deal. At the end of the room were the seats for the magistrates or consuls in this case. Octavian was already there, sitting rigid, straight backed, and at attention. His eye twitched as the noise level grew with more and more people coming in but he didn't say anything as he patiently waited for everyone to gather in the huge room. Reyna hurriedly seated herself beside him. Lupa sat in the center of the room, resting her head on her paws in a very human-like character. "You called," Artemis stated more than asked. Lupa sat up. 'Yes, an important matter has come to our attention.' She made her way to the goddess of the Hunt, staring up into her eyes as gold met silver. 'No doubt you've already heard.' The she-wolf's eyes flickered bright gold with unease like the flames of the sun for a second. The room quieted almost at once as all eyes fell on the two of them. Thalia shifted uncomfortably behind her as Artemis stared into the eyes of the patroness of Rome. Then she broke eye-contact, having seen enough through the wolf-goddess' mind. 'So you do know…' "Terra is awakening…" Artemis said, musing over this. A murmur of disquiet passed through the leaders, senators of Rome, who gathered about. "Yes, I've known this. I saw it in a dream." And she explained her disturbing vision. When she finished she found Lupa staring at her weirdly. "What is it?" "Gods don't dream. They're not supposed to have a conscience either." Octavian replied, staring at her closely. "I've noticed that you are a bit different." He shifted in his seat. "Something's happening that's changing you. But what?" "That isn't the current problem." Reyna interjected. "We need to know what to do now. Terra's made her move." The two consuls looked at Lupa, questioningly. The wolf goddess seemed taken aback at Artemis. 'A dream?' the she-wolf's gaze pierced through her, and Artemis let the goddess into her mind. The recent nightmare came back in full detail, images so vivid that Artemis felt she was there with the running figures once again. The nightmare replayed in her head for the wolf goddess to see. And the experience was just as daunting, just as exhilarating as the first time. She saw the figures running from the unknown forces that pursued them. She saw again the spirits and their earthy chains being shattered as wayward souls tore the world asunder like bubbles exploding on the surface of boiling water. She saw once again the maw of the earth closed over the heroes. And she saw their descent into Terra's world, down into the black chasm. Then the feeling was gone and Lupa was staring at her with a mixture of wonder, bewilderment, and apprehension. "What's going on?" Thalia asked as she grabbed Artemis' arm, shaking her. "Artemis!" The goddess took a shaky breath before exhaling slowly and glanced up at her lieutenant's piercing gaze that was filled with concern. "It's okay." She turned back to the wolf goddess. "Are you satisfied?" Lupa continued to stare at her, surprised. 'Moon goddess, you've changed.' The she-wolf prowled about, pacing now, agitated by this phenomenon. 'You sleep and you dream and you feel so much more...' She turned to fix her eyes on Artemis once again. 'It's almost like you're a…' She trailed off, pondering over this. But even though Lupa had left her statement unfinished, Artemis knew what the patroness of Rome was about to say: It's almost as if you were a mortal. "But how can this be?" Octavian said. "Gods don't have a conscience. They don't dream either. When I gained my immortality, I realized this." Artemis shook her head. "I don't know either. But it's not that bad…" Suddenly, the she-wolf's power flared, gold streams of light engulfed the room. The wolf's ears perked as if picking something up from a level of sound mere mortals couldn't hear. Lupa let out a snarl and Artemis realized why. Just barely audible, the sound of whispering from deep within the earth could be heard through her sharp senses. It resonated throughout the floor of the Curia. Then just as suddenly as it came, the voice faded. "Spies." Octavian breathed, hearing the voice of Terra himself. "Di immortales! Even within our walls, it is unsafe. That explains how the enemy got through all our new defenses so easily." Artemis whipped her head around the assembly, mentally attacking all of them in succession, searching for the traitor. "The spies are hidden from me." She muttered, frustrated. Thalia stepped to her side, bow already drawn. "Artemis, we need to get to Percy." The goddess nodded, drawing out her own bow. An explosion broke the quiet atmosphere and the light of it was illuminated through the stain glass windows. 'It seems subtlety isn't the only way Terra handles things.' Lupa growled, almost irritated rather than angered this time. There was a moment of confusion before Lupa brought order. This time the Romans were ready. Then arrows broke through glass and rained down on them all. Never mind about prepared then. Outside, the forces of New Rome clashed with unseen forces of Terra. Arrows seemed to just whizz from every direction and spears thrown here and there. "Amazons." Artemis murmured. "Terra's brought back the Amazons. An arrow streaked past her, inches away, and cut her cheek. She brought her bow out of thin air and notched half a dozen arrows, Thalia mimicking her. There was a rustle toward the canopy of trees that stood right outside the Curia and a slight shadow of someone crouched under the shadows of a hedge. Through the moon's eye, Artemis homed in on the rest and let loose. Arrow after arrow left her fingers and her bow sang like a harp. Amazons dropped down, bleeding profusely. But their wounds seemed to heal, their bodies regenerating in milliseconds from regular attacks. Artemis' arrows did more pressing damage. They struck like bullets, blasting the targets through. Then just as suddenly as the attack had begun, it faded. And the enemy disappeared like mist. Leaving several wounded in its wake. Artemis glanced around and in a flash. Lupa appeared beside her, looking at the mess. 'Is Noctis alright?' Thalia was staring between the two curiously and Artemis realized that Lupa was talking only to her now within the confines of her mind where no unwanted listeners could hear. Artemis searched through the moon and found Percy's villa undisturbed. She could see her hunters playing Frisbee outside. 'He's fine. He just needs some rest.' Artemis paused for a second before, 'You can't be planning on sending him on a mission so soon.' 'We will train him. In one week's time, he will set forth upon his conquest.' Lupa spoke with a note of finality. Artemis nodded reluctantly in assent. She turned to leave, Thalia and the rest with her. 'You will be accompanying him on this mission so prepare yourself.' Artemis stopped and looked over her shoulder in surprise. 'The Oracle says so.' Lupa said simply. Artemis could've sworn she heard the thunder in the background as if this were some dark Shakespearean script played out in the real world with the dramatic effects. The rest of the day was uneventful. Thalia and the Hunters were invited by Gwendolyn and the rest to go around the camp, buying souvenirs and all. Artemis didn't have anything against it so she let them. Now, sitting next to the sleeping Percy, Artemis faced the window surveying the lake and the mountains in the background. There was the sound of a muffled sigh as Percy stirred. Artemis glanced at him for a second and met his half-closed eyes. Percy sat up, slowly and looked out the window with her. The sun was setting below the mountains and the lake shimmered and red as the light of the sunset cast its rays on the calm surface of the water. "Where am I?" the son of Neptune looked around the room then back at the window. Artemis stared at him for a second, watching as his bright green eyes caught the light and flickered golden. "You're at the villa of the Sea god, Neptune." She watched as Percy flopped back down. "My name is Artemis. But just to be safe call me Diana here. The Romans don't like the Greeks that much." "Artemis…" Percy trailed off and the goddess' heart leaped. "Diana." He amended, tasting the sound of it. He stared at her a minute longer. "You've got a cut on your cheek. What happened?" he touched her cheek where the arrow had cut her and withdrew revealing ichor. She blushed. "Oh nothing, just took out a couple of Amazons at the Senate," Artemis brushed her hand across the wound and healed it. She told him what had happened. "I don't think this was meant to kill anyone. It was more like a terror attack—something meant to instill fear. And to show that even behind the walls, nowhere is safe." Artemis echoed Octavian's words, concluding her account. "Like a message," Percy said. "Terra's way of telling us: You can die but you can't hide." "And a way of goading the camp to do something." Artemis added, a sudden thought crossing her. She looked at Percy with apprehension and dread. "Terra wants us to go on a quest. I don't know why." She answered the demigod's questioning look. "But Terra's been trying to get us to do something. Maybe mess up on this mission or something." A few moments passed as they sat there, absorbing all this. Then Percy scratched his head. "This is too much to take in all at once. Too many things are happening all at the same time." He muttered, shielding his eyes with the back of his hand. "Speaking of a lot of things happening at once, how are you now?" Artemis asked. "Yesterday was something, don't you think? Fighting gladiators then fighting undead armies must be exhausting." Percy frowned. "Wait, what undead armies…? The last thing I remember was beating the giant wraith and falling, then someone catching me and saying it's alright." Artemis flushed a minute at his recollection before fully understanding what Percy was saying. "You mean…you don't remember Terra's Legions overrunning the place. Mark Antony. Dragons. Light. Your crystal weapons…" Percy looked at her for a moment, contemplating this. "No…what happened?" Artemis told him everything. About Pompey flying with his Legion in an aerial attack on New Rome and about Mark Antony leading the ground forces. About how the Romans had been pushed back to the Aventine Hill where he was sleeping in the temple of Diana and how he came into the midst of battle and pushed them back. You don't remember anything?" Artemis asked again. She didn't know what to think now. She had been right. He hadn't been Percy. He hadn't been Noctis. Whatever had come over him was strong. Not even gods could take control of demigods personally. They could order them around but never inhabit their bodies. Percy mumbled something unintelligible, brow furrowed as if he was straining to remember all this. Finally, he sighed. "I don't know." he looked at his hands. Artemis stared out at the skies. "I believe you. I had this dream." She explained the seven figures running over the Grave of Rome. She told him about the restless spirits and the earth opening up. And Terra. And the other voice from the sky. "And I felt this aura—that same presence that was within you when the light came through the earth." Percy stared at her for what seemed like an eternity. His expression was concentrated and his eyes revealed the conflicting emotions within. "I guess that settles it then. I got possessed by…something. But what was it?" There was an awkward silence as Percy's question hung in the air. Artemis bit her lip. She knew who it was…or did know at least until now. The name was at the tip of her tongue. But no matter how hard she thought over it, there was that memory block standing in her mental path. Finally Percy shrugged. He didn't seem to want to know. He looked almost agitated by the thought of him being controlled by someone without his consent. Not that Percy would allow anyone to take over anyway, Artemis knew that. He broke the silence. "About dreams. I've just remembered something…" he rubbed his temples as if trying to recollect everything. Artemis held her breath. What did he remember? Camp Half-Blood? His previous quests? Annabeth? "This whole time I was asleep, this dream just kept playing over and over in my head. I don't know what it means. But I feel that it has something to do with what I can do…" he paused. Then, looking up to meet Artemis' confused expression, he explained, "My new powers." he stretched out his arm and focused on the palm of his hand. Slowly, a sliver of the air condensed and formed a crystalline gladius. Artemis exhaled sharply, "That was what you did while you were possessed! At the time when you led the counterattack on the Legions of Terra." She touched the solid weapon and quickly withdrew. "It's ice cold." Percy released his grip on the blade and fell back onto the soft plushy pillows. "This…I got this at the old haunted house. It was in the woods and it looked like it had been recently torn apart by a bunch of giants. There were bloodstains all over the place." A chill ran down Artemis' spine as she realized what house Percy was talking about. This must have been the time right after Jason and the others had freed Hera. That explained Percy's long absence. Percy twirled his silver charm bracelet around, wondering. He continued, "I woke up there. That was where I started out. That was my new birthplace—at least that's what Lupa said anyway. She was in it. She told me to survive and then left." He went on to describe his dream and Artemis lay there beside him, listening. Apparently, this house was the last thing Percy remembered about his past. Anything else beyond that was still beyond him. The only places Percy could go were the woods and the house. The house was out of the question. There were werewolves there—Lycaon's pack, Percy said—and they seemed to be searching for him. He stayed in the woods for weeks, trying to find a way out. But every time he tried to run away from the house, he would always end up back at where he started. She saw a shadow cross over him as he talked about how something happened back at the House—except he didn't know what. He had been exploring the place one day when the wolves had left and found something…That was all Artemis could get out of him. Then he found a way out and ran for what he was worth. He ran and ran and ran until he couldn't run anymore. Until he collapsed. Artemis stared at Percy as he looked up at the ceiling, not meeting her eyes. Something was off. Something he didn't want to talk about at the moment. "Juno must be at work here," Percy stated suddenly. "In another dream, my father, Neptune, told me that the Queen had made a risky gamble. It sounded like an exchange." He drew out Riptide. "I remember this blade, too. Back at the House, it was bronze. But now it's gold." he scratched his head. "None of that makes any sense to me." Artemis took the pen from the demigod's hand and examined it. "There has been word of Hera's plot. I can't say a lot about it. But if this works out, we might be able to defeat Gaea once and for all." "That's what Neptune said," Percy recalled. "But what is Juno's gamble?" Artemis put the pen back in his hand. "I don't know about everything else. But I have a feeling we'll soon find out." Silence fell once again. This time Artemis spoke up. "Just to tell you. Lupa's going to start your training tomorrow. In a week you'll be on your first quest for the Romans…" she glanced sidelong at him, seeing how the Half-blood would take it. "There are spies within the camp. Lupa and the consuls seemed to think that the faster we move the better off we'll be." Percy stared at his hand as he created a crystal orb that pulsed like a heart. "Spies…" he grimaced, closing his eyes. "This total déjà vu…" he strained to remember, clenching his hands. He played with the orb of light for a while before letting it vanish into the air. "As for training…Tomorrow sounds better than today. I'll be ready." He looked out the window. The Roman demigod yawned. "It's almost sun set. I guess we should go to dinner." He stood up and held out his hand to help the goddess up. They'd have to deal with other matters later. But for the moment, Artemis forgot all about Percy's possession and Hera's gamble and the coming Great War and everything else. Overhead, the sky swirled in pinkish red and purple hues. The moon was already visible. Its crescent seemed to her like a sleepy eye in the process of waking. The sun was sinking over the horizon now. Its golden orb sending streaks through the skies. Noctis looked up at the heavens and opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it, looking thoughtful. Outside, campers were already making their way to the Mess Hall. Everyone was chattering away cheerfully, joking, laughing, and talking. Artemis could see Thalia and the hunters in the crowd of people talking to Percy's new friends. When they caught sight of them, they made their way over. Before the two parties met, Noctis turned to Artemis, "I just thought of something. When you told me about that voice in the sky and about the same presence inside me, I was wondering…" he stared at her, his gaze piercing her to the soul—if she had one—and looking inward. "Do you think the one who possessed me was…"

DevilTriggerDMC VIII ARTEMIS Artemis really didn't know what to say. She stared at the ground, shifting uncomfortably under Percy's watchful gaze as he waited. It wasn't that she didn't want to tell Percy. Artemis just didn't know how to answer his question, because she didn't know who possessed him either… "I…" She looked up, staring into Percy's eyes, and faltered. There was definitely something wrong here—the Fates were always turning from one direction to another but this… Something was wrong with everything that was going on. "I don't know, Percy…" "But you have some kind of idea of what's going on, right?" Percy pressed, urgently. He clenched her hand in his a little. His eyes seemed to flicker gold for the slightest of an instant as if the sunlight was caught captured within his pupils. Artemis frowned, shaking her head. It could've been any of the primordial gods that had disappeared millennia ago. Why they would help save Rome? The goddess didn't know. Or maybe it was one of the Faded. It could've been Helios or Selene or Summanus—any of the weakened gods that gave up their form for pure ethereal spirits. Or Erebus. Or any of the Dark gods that were able to take control of mortals and use them as vessels. Or it could've been something far more dangerous… Something ancient—something older than even the Primordial gods. Something much more unpredictable. "No, I don't want to think about the possibilities." Was it her imagination that Percy's eyes seemed to glow the color of amber, losing his natural sea-green shade? It must have been a trick of the light…When she looked again, that shadow of golden light had vanished. "May the Fates be kind…" Yes, the trick of the light. That was it. Percy was still in control. The goddess shifted her gaze to the skies—the Skyscape was beginning to darken as dusk became night. The dark clouds were covering the place now like converging battle lines. Yes, the Son of Neptune was still in control. But for how long? A flicker of unease. A flicker of apprehension. Anxiety pushing to the limits. And dread… "Never mind," Percy put a hand over his eyes as if taking off an invisible mask. "Sorry." He stared at her with concern through his fingers. "I'm just confused…" He rubbed his temple irritated, his forehead creased, eyebrows furrowed. His eyes seemed to flicker again as he seemed to go through a myriad of thoughts and emotions. Artemis shook her head again. "Yeah, let's talk about something else." She clenched her hand as Percy released his hold of her. For some reason her hand felt so cold…She missed his warmth. She missed it like it was the last trace of light and heat that would ever touch her. She sighed, and then gasped in surprise as someone tackled her from behind. "Hey, what's up, my Lady?" Thalia peered over the goddess' shoulders, looking sideways at Artemis and forward at Percy, her hands still on both the goddess' shoulders. "Didn't see me coming, did you?" she grinned. "Thalia," Artemis nearly shouted—her hand half way to her chest. "Stop trying to surprise me!" "I thought I did surprise you," Thalia half-asked, half-stated, cocking her head to the side, blinking. She laughed, wrapping an arm around the goddess, and turned to Percy. "We've been scouring the entire place for the two of you. Where were y'all?" she paused. "On second thought, never mind that. I don't want to know." Percy cleared his throat. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow, questioningly. He had taken a step back at the sudden arrival of Thalia and the crew as he surveyed them all. "Nothing." Artemis made a mental note to talk to her lieutenant about some things when they were alone. Percy frowned but seemed to think nothing of it. "Um, maybe we should head for dinner now," he pointed toward the direction where everyone was heading. "I think the feast is about to start." His eyes had returned once again to its familiar sea-green. Artemis glared daggers at Thalia, still a little pink at her outburst. Putting Percy between her second-in-command and herself, she rang her hands. "Good idea." She looked over at her Hunt. They were looking at her with growing wariness as if she had caught some disease. Phoebe nodded her head pointedly at Percy then at her with an accusatory gaze, the other hunters looking uneasy. What was going with them? Artemis tilted her head slightly, eyes looking up, thinking furiously. What? She turned her attention to her hand which was clutching at Percy's sleeve. She let go slowly, feeling awkward at the no contact thing her Hunt was trying to communicate to her. Guilt was being to take root deep inside. What was she doing? Why was she acting like this? Being dependent on some Son of Neptune. She shook her head, confused. Wait—that wasn't it. It wasn't fair to look at it like that. Percy had needed her as much as she needed him. The goddess looked back at her Hunt and gave them a talk-to-you-later look. Her look was resolute and she'd made up her mind but it was still hard to look at her girl's looks of betrayal—she wanted to tell them that it wasn't the case. But no matter how she looked at it, it was what it was. She was breaking her vow. Percy looked her, puzzled, before shrugging and taking her hand, pulling the moon goddess with him as he fought a path through the bustling crowd. Artemis stumbled after him, regaining her grace as she jogged to keep up, the others following behind. "Did something happen? She heard Dakota ask the rest of them. "It's just Percy—I mean 'Noctis'," Thalia exclaimed. "He's always clueless and innocent like that." Artemis smiled softly at that. She glanced sidelong at Percy—he didn't seem to pick that up as he went with the crowd toward the Mess Hall. Suddenly he stopped. She came crashing toward him, hitting him in a body slam from the back. Percy though stood firm, staring up. Following his gaze, Artemis traced the trail of a shooting star—falling down to earth in a streak of blue. His eyes were half-closed in disconcerting and confusing sadness—as if he himself didn't know why he was sad at the sight of a falling star. The others caught up to them then. "What's going on?" Thalia asked. She looked up and saw the star. "Oh…stargazing?" "Let's just hang out at Venus' Café," Gwendolyn suggested, looking over at the mentioned coffee shop with yearning. "The feast lasts like forever anyway. No one will notice if we're a little late. Besides, the coffee and snacks at Venus' are so good." She pretended to swoon slightly with ecstasy. "Yeah, whatever." Bobby walked toward the shop. "I could use a PowerAde or something." The others followed him. "Yeah, it'll be easier to get over to the dining area, anyway." Hazel added, helpfully as she looked into the café's windows with interest. "In any case, it's hard to catch up with the two of you." She gestured to Artemis and Percy without turning around. Her actions seemed to take her friends back because they fell silent. "Someone's jealous…" Dakota muttered under his breath, opening the coffee shop door with its bells jingling pleasantly. Artemis paused at that, flushing. What? "What's going on?" Percy looked oblivious. He seemed to have given up on understanding half of the conversations they were having. Nothing, let's get in." Thalia walked briskly through the door. "No point standing around here in the middle of everybody else's path." Artemis stood at the doorway, unsure of herself. Her other hunters stood there, unmoving like her, looking a little sick to the stomach. The millennia long phobia of love and Venus was hard to break. She glanced at Percy, looking for something in his eyes or expression. Reassurance? Encouragement? Percy shrugged, looking at the sign—oblivious as ever. He walked in, glancing back as if beckoning her and the rest outside to come in. "C'mon, it's just a coffee shop," Thalia said, dismissively, though she tensed. "They have pizza," Percy added, encouraging, gesturing inside at a couple sharing a slice—that only made her hunters cringe more. Artemis herself flushed at the sight. "I don't think I've eaten in ages." "Let's just go. It's not like Venus will bother us in there," the moon goddess walked briskly into the love goddess' espresso bar. The Inside was decorated all in red and pink and white and blue and purple, all the colors of the sunset. There were draperies everywhere and a mini all-you can eat buffet within the shop. Artemis sat at the far end of the café at a table in the corner. The others joined her. "I'll get the food," Percy offered, breaking the awkward silence, and then paused as he caught sight of one of the customers paying the cashier in Roman Denarii, "As long as someone lends me the money." Dakota gave him a bag of coins and Percy hurried off to the counter before any more customers lined up. "So, what's up with you and Seaweed Brain over there?" Gwendolyn asked Artemis. "You his patron or something?" The hunters leaned in to hear what Artemis had to say. The goddess on the other hand was having a hard time answering that question. What was Percy supposed to be to her? She considered him something more of a friend but she'd never really gotten the whole item thing. Millennia of shunning love and all really left one inexperienced in the romance department. "I don't know." "You're asking Diana here," Dakota pointed out to Gwendolyn. "A maiden goddess, vowed to never love. And you expect her to know what you're hinting at or talking about?" he looked over at Percy who seemed to be having a very serious conversation with the girl at the counter. Artemis followed his gaze. Percy looked a little irritated—maybe the food was just taking too long or worse maybe they were out of pepperoni. Artemis returned to look at the others who were silent and staring around. Gwendolyn was gazing interestedly at the goddess, which was creeping her out. Dakota was spinning a silver denarius on the table, watching it roll about. Reyna was sharpening her knife with a quiet air of dangerousness. Bobby was nowhere to be seen—probably off to loot the nearest convenience store which was right across the street. Thalia and the rest of the hunt were talking amongst themselves, debating. And Artemis… she was unsure of what she should be doing. "You have to have some idea of what Noctis is to you," Gwendolyn said, almost encouragingly. "You healed him after our battle with the undead and then you came to him at the Entrance Exam." She produced a vial of red liquid—like fruit punch—and twisted it open, letting out a perfume of strawberries. "Close it." Reyna uttered, without looking up. "You know better than to try and create love." Gwendolyn pouted but put the vial away. But the slight yet distinct scent of strawberries still hung in the air like the aftermath of a make-up session. "He's a friend—I know that," Artemis replied to Gwendolyn's indirect question. The demigod nodded her head enthusiastically as if urging the goddess to continue. The hunters were looking a little scandalized and hurt. "He saved me from the Curse of the Sky. That was something." Artemis thought furiously, what was this girl trying to make her say? She was growing more uncomfortable by the second as she looked down at her hands on her lap. "Here's the pizza," Percy appeared between Artemis and Hazel, settling the food and Cokes and coffee down. "And the drinks. I got some ice cream, too, if anyone wants any." He sat down and began to dig in. "So, what's my training going to be tomorrow?" Artemis sighed, relieved for the distraction. "Probably swordsmanship, your sword style is outdated—too Greek. Roman Legion training will toughen you up just fine," Reyna replied, sheathing her wickedly sharp dagger. "You'll probably be doing that all day." Artemis noticed Percy looking a little uneasy at that. "Next will be Latin, you need Latin to understand the signs—the omens. It does a lot more than that, too, but you'll get it once you've seen it." Dakota supplied, scratching his head. "Weapons training, too," Reyna added. "The Roman soldier was proficient in a number of weapons and so will you be." She paused. "Though, I'm really wondering if you are going to get trained tomorrow." She looked uncertain as she glanced, calculatingly at Percy. "Why not?" "There's still the point of knowing who was in control of you that time." Reyna remarked. Artemis shifted uneasily. Not this again. "This being whatever it may be helped us a great deal but we still don't know why it did so. It might have been protecting its vessel and just that. We need to know where its allegiance is but also if we can extract it from you." Artemis stared at her bowl of ice cream sundae. "What happens if we can't extract it from Noctis?" "We have to extract it from him or else," Reyna looked at the others darkly as if sharing a dark understanding of what that 'else' was. "There isn't much of choice in the matter. We have to take it out of you." She told Percy. "What's so bad about keeping a being like this inside me if it's good?" Percy asked. "I mean we could win this war if we could get it to cooperate." He stared at his new friends who were looking at him sadly as if he was missing out on something. Artemis herself was beginning to realize what they were hinting at but she kept the thought from her mind. "Mortal vessels aren't exactly the best kind for powerful beings," Thalia spoke, carefully. "Like during the last Titan War, Luke was the vessel for Kronos except he had to undergo the Styx to make his body invincible. It wasn't just to make himself impervious to steel. It also kept him from decomposing." "Kronos? You mean Saturn?" Dakota asked. "You were heading the defense of Olympus after you helped us with the beginning phases of our siege against Mount Othyrs, weren't you?" "Yes." Thalia replied. "But I knew Luke was the vessel before that. We used to be friends." She looked stiff then as if the grief of her friend's fate was still fresh. "After the War I did some research on containment and mortal vessels are ways for faded or ethereal gods and other things to reincarnate and 'come back'." "Exactly" Reyna exclaimed. "Mortals who are the vessels of spirit gods or other spirit-like beings have a very short life span. Because there is so much power that they have contained within them and not as innate powers but completely godlike powers, they start to rot from the inside and disintegrate." Percy looked at his hands. "That's not cool." He looked up, opening his mouth to say more except he was interrupted by the pleasant jingling of bells as the doors to the café opened. Octavian stepped in. he was wearing casual clothes underneath his purple-lined toga this time. "There you are, Noctis. And Lady Diana? In a café like this?" he looked a little incredulous before staring intently at Percy. "I need you to come with me." He looked serious—almost grave. Artemis had a bad feeling about what he wanted Percy for. "Is this about who was in control of my body when the Camp got attacked?" Percy stood up, finishing his ice cream. Even in the direst situations always finish the sundae. He wasn't looking well, Artemis noted. His pale complexions looked almost gray in the dim lighting of the shop. "Yes." Octavian replied and opened the door. Percy followed him out, Artemis following behind. The others followed behind, too, hurriedly emptying their plates and cleaning up after themselves as they exited the shop. "You'll be able to get the thing out of him, right?" the goddess asked, dreading the answer. "We might be able to. It all depends…" Octavian trailed off, as he stared forward. "We don't know who it is that marked Noctis as the vessel. Some of the old beings would destroy the body with their extraction and others might not." He paused, before looking back Percy, "we will try though." They came to the temple of the gods—a huge circular building with twelve arches and pillars around with each statue of the Olympians sitting on their thrones under each arch. In the center of the room was an altar where sacrifices were placed. 'Now, let the gods examine you.' Lupa came prowling out, from the shadows. The wolf stared at Percy then at Artemis, her golden eyes glowing with irrepressible power and potential disintegration of victims. The son of Neptune walked forward as Octavian directed him to the altars. There was knife lying on the dais—it hadn't been there before but now it just appeared. Percy took it up, staring at it, wonderingly as if enraptured by the designs on it. It was golden and had the symbol of all the gods on them, swirling around its blade and its pommel and its hilt, guard, everything. "We must know if this being is friend or foe." Octavian spoke. He looked at the altars then at Percy. 'But first we're going to have to know just who possessed you.'

DevilTriggerDMC IX HAZEL For some reason Hazel felt so…exposed. Her thoughts seemed loud—reverberating within her head to the point she thought she might be thinking aloud. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't look. She couldn't be here of all places. She'd made a deal with the enemy already. She was in league with Gaia! And here she was in the temple of the Olympians—under the watchful gaze of the gods. And there was this other feeling…this feeling that something much darker was at work here—corrupting her, goading her, whispering things to her. So coaxing, so silvery, so serpentine, that she couldn't get enough. Light shone down from the ceiling of the domed temple—golden and piercing. She turned to look at Noctis who knelt before the dais in the center of the circular space. His black hair reflected against the light of the temple taking a golden streak. His downcast eyes—serene and sad as ever—slowly rose to stare at…Artemis. The goddess looked heartbroken—her silver eyes close to tears. Something passed between them and Hazel knew she couldn't win. She couldn't beat the goddess if she was in love with Noctis—not when Noctis and Artemis already shared a bond. Noctis looked resolutely back at the Huntress. He smiled before looking over at the rest of his friends. His eyes rested on each but only briefly. The son of Neptune shrugged care freely and stood up, staring at the light above. Artemis' eyes widened as a mark of some kind formed upon Noctis' forehead. Hazel couldn't see it properly but something told her that it wasn't good. Then the sign disappeared. Warmth returned. But the goddess' stare still lingered on Noctis' forehead as if she could still see it. Hazel heard an intake of breath. There was a murmur from above as if the gods were conversing. There was a rumble of thunder followed by a flash of lightning far off in the distance. To her left, Octavian and her friends stood stock-still as statues, observing nonplussed. Something had happened there right before their eyes. But they'd missed it. "What's going on?" Reyna asked confused. "Were not the gods going to inspect Noctis?" Noctis brought his hand to his forehead, his eyes narrowed as if in concentration. Artemis rushed to his side, clasping his arm, and looking at him intently. He glanced blankly at her for a moment as if he didn't know who she was. His eyes flashed red for one split second but Hazel caught the stare—it wasn't Noctis'. It was someone else. Noctis shook himself, murmuring something that couldn't be heard by anyone except Artemis. The goddess took a hold of his hand that was clasped to his forehead and pried it away. His forehead looked fine to Hazel and the rest of her friends shifted uncomfortably out of confusion. "What's going on?" Reyna repeated urgently. "What is wrong with him?" Hazel looked from her friend back to Noctis. His eyes—it was his eyes. They glowed now, a deep red, like blood—rich and chilling upon sight. They weren't Noctis' anymore. They flickered and faded like the lights of a dying candle. Artemis didn't look around. Thalia took a step toward her as the goddess stared intently at Noctis. "My lady…?" she reached out but hesitated before withdrawing. The goddess looked agitated. Her face was pale. "How did he get inside?" Noctis shook his head, confused. "I…I don't know…" he stared at his hand. "So much power…and it was from this source…from this thing." Octavian stiffened. The former emperor's eyes narrowed. "What is going on?" he looked over Noctis. "He looks fine to me…" "Nothing." Noctis muttered. "Yea…nothing is wrong with me." he took hold of Artemis' hand from his arm, staring at her. She looked fiercely back at him, not letting her gaze go. "Let's go." He led her away, leaving the temple behind. His eyes had that let's-talk-in-private look about them. The others followed behind, clueless as to what had happened. Soon the temple was almost deserted. Hazel looked back at the dais. Something caught her eye. "Let me check on something. You guys go on." She told the gang. She walked up to the center of the room and bent down. There it was. Before the dais where Noctis had knelt. There was an imprint of some marking…some symbol. She looked closer, tracing the figure, thoughtfully. Hazel left the building, shivering. She didn't know why. It wasn't cold. Maybe it was the fact that she felt the gods' eyes watching her intently back then at the temple—reading her mind. Those eyes prying into her deepest, darkest secret. Maybe it was the fact that something came over her at the time. That whispering—so silvery, so deceiving. Or maybe it was because of that mark…that engraving that Noctis had left behind. That Reversed Pentagram.

DevilTriggerDMC X PERCY His head hurt. Everything was fading around him, fading slowly to darkness. What was going on with him…? He couldn't concentrate. He couldn't think. All he saw through half-closed eyes was darkness. His head throbbed in rhythm with his pulse, beating loudly at a panicked pace. Bits and pieces of discordant memories flashed through his mind. A brief glimpse of a pine tree at the top of a hill. A shadow of a girl with a baseball cap. A flicker of light that revealed the face of a blonde-haired teen with a scar across his face. A sight of a satyr. A Cyclops. A centaur. Lightning bolt. Fleece. Goddess in chains—Artemis? For some reason this image stayed in his mind even when more images flooded his throbbing head. A labyrinth. The river Styx. Kronos—Saturn. And then— His name….what was his name again? He couldn't remember. What was it? His name…the images tore through him like rapid, fierce winds tearing through the small cracks of craggy cliffs, widening the opening from the previously-locked cave of within. He had to remember! His name—what was it? Artemis must know...then a flash of images flooded his mind. And he lost his train of thought. Then he remembered… The faint smell of the sea. A smile. "Percy…" Percy…That was familiar. He'd heard that name…Percy…Percy Jackson… Yes…Percy Jackson. That was his name. He remembered now—almost too clearly. He was Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, and a Greek demigod…His head throbbed again. He remembered the Wolf House. There was something there… Back then, he didn't know what to do. Lupa had trained him and then left, leaving him to fend for himself. The wolves had come…but not Lupa's. They were different. They were evil. Lycoan's bunch. He took refuge in the House. He'd searched the place thoroughly… But there was this one door. To the basement. That he had overlooked. He never thought much of the unknown room and its forbidding black door. Until he had to take cover there when the Lycans attacked the House. The room beyond was filled with candles surrounding a red pentagram on the ground. It was like from some occult movie—something out of a horror… That wasn't what bothered him though. He'd blacked out before he could think of anything else. But before he slipped away into darkness…he caught the glimpse of the Demon. That Demon that had been with him ever since that day onward. Percy winced again for the umpteenth time as his head throbbed with pain. He felt like someone had hit him over with a bat or something. His head just hurt…a lot. He brushed his hand across his forehead to where that mark still burnt—visible only to his and Artemis' eyes apparently. He looked beside him to where Artemis sat. After leaving the temple, Artemis had led him to this place. It was a secluded area, near the Neptune Villa. They rested on the rocks at a small stream. Water nymphs swam around occasionally, curious. Percy met Artemis' gaze. She didn't look happy. Her silvery blue eyes darted to his forehead. She sighed. "It's gone now." He looked at his reflection in the water. Sure enough the reversed pentagram had disappeared. He sighed also. He wondered if that mark…had to do with the Demon… Artemis definitely knew what was going on with him. She acted as if every moment was precious or something—like he was about to just disappear in thin air. She had to know…but he couldn't bring himself to ask her. The look in her eyes was enough to stop him. He didn't want her to be sad. She was really upset back then…and it made him feel terrible. So there they were, at the streamside, sitting side by side, silently watching the stream flow. The silence stretched and stretched, one and on. Percy looked over again at Artemis. He stared up at her. "You know, I'm not going anywhere." He said firmly, almost like a vow. The goddess stared back at him, uncertainly. Percy held her gaze determinedly. She took his hand and stared down at his palm. Uncertainty traced her eyes. Percy couldn't define what emotions he felt. He didn't know if it was wrong to feel like this. He remembered the flash of a girl in a baseball cap. What was she to him? He couldn't' define it. But for some reason…it didn't seem to matter. Being here with Artemis felt almost right… He stared up at the skies. For some reason….he felt that this wasn't the end to this story. Things always came up to complicate things… The sun had just set under the mountain tops. Light was quickly fading. The Moon shone down now, reflecting on the stream, an orb of brightness in the dark. The stars glinted in the skies, infinitesimal sparks of light that seemed so fragile. If only this moment could last a little longer. Artemis shifted beside him, drawing his eyes to hers. She looked so serene and sad and beautiful. "Athena's probably having a fit right now," she commented aloud, her eyes looked sidelong at him almost bewitchingly. Percy tilted his head in curiosity. What was she talking about? Artemis seemed to realize this. She coughed, nervously, "Never mind." She paused. "A quest will be given to you…very soon I think." She was staring at him again. Percy looked up at the skies again. "You're probably right." He glanced at the bracelet she had given him. It glittered in the light of the night sky, almost as bewitching as its giver. "We still need to find a way to purge that Being from you." Artemis put a finger to his forehead. "If my suspicions are correct…what you have in you isn't some old god or goddess or anything of our world." Percy frowned. "What do you mean?" Artemis leaned back with an arm. "There are things in this world that are far older than the gods…older than the titans…and even older than Uranus and Gaea themselves." She twirled a strand of hair about, thinking. "There are things that are even beyond us gods. Things much more powerful. An intelligence that far surpasses Olympus." "Is there such a Being?" Percy sat up, staring at Huntress. "Didn't Gaea and Uranus create the World?" "Before that there was light. And then darkness. Then earth and sky created by the horizon." Artemis spoke almost as if it were rehearsed. She stared at Percy. "There are beings that have lived before us. Mediators of the World." "You mean like God?" Percy asked. Something was starting to click. The Demon. The Pentagram. Artemis was silent for a minute, staring up at the stars. "Yes." She looked at him again. "Do you know who possessed you now?"

venus143 grate as always but why don't you make a mark of athena? it would be better since alot of people are making one and alot of people will be very interested in it?

venus143 And thanks for the comment:)

DevilTriggerDMC thanks and i think i will.

venus143 yea you should i would totally read it:)