FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The winter day in New York was overcast and windy. The air seemed to carry a more piercing chill than usual. People huddled together as they walked along the Manhattan sidewalks to help ward off the chill. A light snow was falling causing the ground under the feet of the shoppers to crunch softly. November was over and December was finally here, the christmas shopping season was in full swing now and the people of New York were now crowding into shops to get the best gifts before they were all taken. Now here in New York it wasn't unusual for a kid to be chased down the sidewalk either by angry store owners, outraged parents, or on special occasions the Police. However on this day it did seem a bit unusual when a young chakat teen was spotted running down the sidewalk screaming for help.

No one was quite sure who or what was chasing the young chakat. Some thought it was a police officer, some thought it was a angry store owner, and some swore that it was the ugliest dog that they had ever seen. The truth was even scarier than all of that put together. Shadowpelt could see what was chasing hir very clearly, and shi wished with both hir hearts that shi could not. When shi looked back over hir shoulder shi could see something that should not exist. Something that shi had only read about in stories. It was a woman, a very tall woman at that, she had to be at least seven feet tall. Her skin was a sickly looking green that seemed to shimmer as if her skin were covered in tiny green scales. Her hair was a dark green tied up in dark tightly woven dreadlocks, and her eyes were bright golden yellow with slitted pupils, just like a snakes; but the worst part of all of this was when shi looked at her waist. from the waist down the woman had the tail of a snake. Her movements were fluid as the lower snake half slithering quickly to catch the young chakat.Shi knew what the creature was. Shi had heard the stories of this creature as a cub. It was a Lamia from greek mythology, the snake demon that hunted children. Shadowpelt wished that shi could go back to hir life before hir mother died two weeks ago.

Shadowpelt grew up in New York right across from Central Park, spending hir childhood playing in the park and trying to make friends with the other neighborhood cubs. However Shadowpelt never made friends easily, shi was an odd ball, and sometimes even called worse than that by some of the cubs. Shi was a dark cub both in personality and in looks. Shi had black fur which shaded to charcoal gray along hir belly, hir forearms, and hir forepaws. Shi had red hair that cascaded down hir back in rich crimson curls, but hir eyes, hir eyes were as dark as onyx. Something that was considered unusual for a chakat. Shi always seemed rather reserved never as outgoing or bright as some of the other chakat cubs out there. What made others even more unnerved by hir was that shi always seemed to know when someone was about to die. When the lady in the upstairs apartment was sick everyone was sure that she would get better, but Shadowpelt told them that shi wouldn't, shi told them the old lady would die. Two days later the old woman died in her sleep, and the way people looked at Shadow after that shi never gave hir opinion on someone's health again. But shi could always tell when someone was about to die.

Two weeks ago shi had woken up with a feeling of dread that shi couldn't understand. When shi had gone down to breakfast and saw hir mother standing there in hir uniform for the factory shi worked at, Shadowpelt knew what the feeling of dread was. Shi begged hir mother not to go, shi begged hir mother to stay home, to take a personal day. Hir mother had simply smiled at hir daughter and told hir that shi would be home later that night, not to worry. Shadow's mother would never make it home. They tried to tell Shadow that hir mother was just missing, that they would find hir and bring hir home, but shi knew it wasn't true. Shi knew that hir mother was dead, of course the police did not believe hir, telling hir to cheer up and keep up hope. Eventually though after a week of no clues to hir mother's whereabouts they began to ask questions of Shadow that shi could not answer. They began to look at hir with suspicion in their eyes instead of pity and remorse.

Just when Shadow was sure that they were going to arrest hir for the death of hir mother, a man came to hir and told hir that he knew of a place where shi could be safe, a place where shi could have a home and be accepted. He told hir that hir sire, whom shi had never met before in hir life, wanted hir to go there. As far as shi knew hir sire had left hir mother when Shadow had been born leaving hir alone to raise Shadow. Shadowpelt had never understood why hir mother didn't resent hir sire for leaving, shi did, shi always thought that shi was responsible for driving hir sire away, that if shi hadn't been born then hir mother would have still had a mate and wouldn't have needed to work so hard to provide for both of them. Shi did not like the idea of doing something that hir sire wanted, especially when he couldn't even show up to tell hir about it face to face, but shi didn't really have much of a choice.

Now here shi was running for hir life from something that shouldn't even exist screaming for help that would not come. Shi looked over hir shoulder hoping that it wouldn't be there, that shi was dreaming and it would be gone. However it was still there, still slithering after hir fast as a viper striking, pushing people out of her way to try to get to Shadow. Shi couldn't make hir mind believe what shi was seeing, Lamia's should not exist, they were a myth, a story made up to scare little kids in ancient times. Shi wished that someone would help hir, that someone would make this nightmare end; but no one stepped in to help the teen cub, they just stared at hir as if trying to decide what it was they were seeing. No one even screamed in terror at the sight of an obvious real life monster. But no one seemed to care, it was like they couldn't see what shi could see. The creature was fast but Shadow was used to dodging through the busy sidewalks of Manhattan. Shi dodged between angry pedestrians and speeding bike messengers, still hearing the sound of the Lamia's hissing voice behind hir. Shi turned a corner hoping to lose the monster in the crowd, but instead shi ran right into a cyclops, a real life fourteen foot tall cyclops swinging a club towards hir head as it roared in rage, and shi knew that shi was dead.

Inside a clothing store along that same street two other chakats were shopping. One of the chakats was an albino, shi had snow white fur dotted with bright blonde leopard spots and rosettes that matched the long blonde hair on hir head that was tied back in a ponytail, but unlike most albino's shi had stormy gray eyes. Hir name was Brightsnow, and shi was wearing a orange t-shirt with a logo that said Camp Half-blood on the front in bold black letters. The other chakat was far more eye catching, Hir fur was a rich purple color with fluorescent spots on hir fur, the fur around hir spots glowing a different color with hir mood., hir hair was a rich red color and the air seemed to tingle around hir. Hir name was Aurora and like Brightsnow shi was wearing a orange t-shirt with the same logo.

Brightsnow was looking through a wrack of fabric paints and sewing patterns, while Aurora looked at a few of the tops available. Aurora looked back over hir shoulder and smiled at Brightsnow. The two of them were an odd combo for friends. Brightsnow was shy, reserved and focused on hir artwork, but shi was also sharp and intelligent. Shi was calculating and careful with hir words. Aurora on the other hand was bright and vibrant always outgoing and usually wearing a mischievous smile on hir muzzle. Their lives were always chaotic but that was the way it was for people like them. Shi watched hir friend looking through the art supplies. "You know I know it's your birthday today but we got permission to come into the city way to easy."

Brightsnow didn't respond at first, shi picked up a bottle of bright blue fabric paint and studied the color critically, as if trying to determine how versatile and how useful it would be for hir. Finally though shi spoke to hir friend. "Your right, normally Heraclese insists that we stay at camp and train, but this time he almost seemed pleased that we wanted to go into the city." Shi said as shi put the color back, dissatisfied for some reason with it. Shi was wearing a necklace around hir neck with eight different colored beads, each bead had a different colored symbol on it. Brightsnow touched the necklace idly as shi looked through more paints.

Aurora nodded as shi held out a bright pink top examining it curiously, as if trying to determine whether it would look good on hir, shi held the top up to hir chest and looked dissatisfied and looked at a mirror along the wall as the top's color began to change for no reason, becoming a soft lavender color. The woman standing at a changing booth stared at Aurora as if shi was trying to determine what shi just saw. Aurora wasn't really worried about it, shi simply nodded and put the top back on the wrack."Yeah I agree, which probably means that he expects something to happen while we are out here." Shi was about to move on to a different wrack when they heard a roar from outside the store.

They turned towards the sound, both of them crouching into a defensive posture. What they saw through the window of the store was straight out of a nightmare. A young chakat was cornered between a cyclopse and a lamia. The fact that the monsters were real did not surprise these two, no they had seen much worse in their strange lives. What troubled them was that the monsters had a chakat cornered, a chakat that neither of them recognized.

Brightsnow looked at Aurora."I am guessing this is why Heraclese let us come into the city." Shi said as shi was rummaging through a saddle bag along hir waist looking for something. Shi was looking over the front of the store calculating how many innocent bystanders were between them and rescuing the endangered chakat."You know just once I would like to have a birthday that does not involve a fight with monsters." Shi said in a grumbling voice.

Aurora grinned at hir friend and shrugged."What fun would that be wise girl?" Shi said using the nickname that most people used for Brightsnow. Aurora looked back at the shop window and saw that the cyclops was already swinging his club towards the head of the young chakat. Aurora focused hir will on the young chakat and the lamia and snapped hir fingers, there was a sound like rushing wind and suddenly the lamia had switched places with the dark colored chakat, the cyclops's club smashing into the snake demon, the lamia screamed as she dissolved into gold colored sand on the sidewalk. Thankfully this confused the cyclops who stared down at the remains of the lamia as if trying to determine just what happened. This gave Brightsnow time to act. Brightsnow had pulled out a clay statue of a lion out of hir pouch and threw it at the window of the store. Before the statue could smash into the glass it grew larger and larger till it was the size of a real lion and moving with a life all it's own.

The clay lion burst through the glass of the shop and onto the sidewalk between the cyclops and the young chakat roaring in challenge to the monster. Now the people on the sidewalk started screaming, Brightsnow wasn't sure what they thought they were seeing but they could tell it was scary. Aurora and Brightsnow jumped through the broken window of the shop and stood on either side of the young chakat as the lion began to attack the cyclops. Brightsnow took Shadow by the arm and began to lead hir through the streets away from the cyclopes who was trying to swat away the lion that was clawing at his arm. Brightsnow looked down at the young confused and obviously scared chakat and tried to smile reassuringly."Its okay we will take you somewhere safe."

Shadowpelt looked up at Brightsnow with wide scared eyes as shi ran next to the two strangers."You can see those things? How...how can they be real? They are myths, they aren't supposed to be real, they are just supposed to be stories." Shi said hir voice filled with all the panic and fear that shi had been holding back while running for hir life. Now someone seemed to be willing to help, someone else could see the monsters chasing hir. Shi felt relief washing through hir body, shi wasn't crazy, shi wasn't hallucinating. Shi thought shi had lost hir mind when shi had somehow switched places with the lamia, and then watched in shock as the lamia dissolved into a pile of gold sand on the snowy sidewalk.

Brightsnow knew how it felt to be both scared out of hir wits and relieved to know that shi wasn't crazy. Brightsnow ducked into an alleyway, the sounds of the fighting distant behind them. Shi looked down at Shadow reassuringly. "Its okay, you're gonna be fine, yes those were real Greek monsters. I wish they were just stories but they are not. They came after you because you are like the two of us. It's hard to explain but we are demigods, see the Greek gods from those old myths and legends are real, they never left or vanished or died. And they all continued with the same things that they did back in the old days, having children with mortals, children who turn out like us, half mortal, half god. The monsters they can smell our blood, the blood of our divine parents, and they come to fight us, to challenge us. And we have to defeat them, the monsters keep coming back though, they don't have mortal souls. They always come back sometimes in weeks sometimes in years but they always come back."

Shadowpelt looked up at Brightsnow with wide shocked eyes as if part of hir could not believe what shi was hearing, and another part of hir thought that things were finally making sense. Shi was trying to make the two sides reconcile, shi was trying to process what shi had seen and experienced with what shi had been raised to believe to be true. Monsters were not supposed to be real, greek gods were just stories. Yet shi had seen those monsters, shi had felt that they were in fact real, and now shi had to face facts, perhaps there was more to reality then what shi had been told in school. Shi looked up at Brightsnow. "You mean m..my sire is a god?" Shi asked a mixture of disbelief and amazement in hir voice.

Brightsnow nodded as Aurora put a hand on the young chakat's shoulder."Yes dear your sire is a god, for me it was my mother, I am a child of Hecate goddess of Magic and Ghosts." shi held up hir hand and a ball of blue fire appeared in hir palm before disappearing. "I was the one who switched you and the lamia so the cyclopes didn't hit you." Shi said with a grin down at the younger chakat.

The young teen chakat looked at Aurora and laid hir ears back."Thanks for that, you saved my life. I thought for sure I was dead." Shi was about to speak when they heard something shatter loudly down the street and the roar of the cyclopes coming after them. Brightsnow cursed under hir breath and Shadow could have sworn it sounded like Greek, but shi wasn't quite sure how shi knew that. Aurora waved hir arm towards the brick wall at the end of the alleyway and it melted into another alleyway, Brightsnow grabbed Shadow's arm and lead hir down the new alley while Aurora closed their passage behind them.

Aurora looked at Brightsnow as they ran. "So wise girl I don't suppose you have any stronger sculptures than that one with you?" Brightsnow was known for using hir art as a weapon in battle. It was one of the reasons that shi was a deadly opponent in battle, even though shi hated to fight and would only do so if shi had no choice in the matter.

Brightsnow shook hir head as shi pulled them around the corner of a shop."No I don't I didn't bring anything majorly powerful with me, I didn't think I would need them." Shi cursed hirself for not thinking and bringing hir strongest sculptures with hir. Shi sighed as shi stopped and listened for sounds of pursuit. The cyclopes was still close behind them and shi knew they couldn't out run him they would have to fight him. Shi looked at Aurora." Did your mom teach you any spells strong enough to destroy a cyclopes?"

Aurora grimaced and peeked around the corner to see how close the cyclopes was. "No sadly, I have some powerful stuff but most of it isn't battle magics." Shi closed hir eyes and concentrated on some of the spells shi did have, summoning illusions of men with swords and spears around the cyclops to distract him.

Shadow looked between the two starting to feel worried again. "You guys can beat that thing right? You guys have magic right?" Shi said with a scared tremble in hir voice. Shi was starting to feel cold in the pit of hir stomachs. Shi could hear whispers in hir ears though there was no one there.

Brightsnow sighed as shi shook hir head."We are gonna do our best to beat this guy but a cyclopes is a powerful opponent. They are not easily killed." Shi pulled another clay statue out of hir pouch preparing to throw the clay bear at the monster.

Shadowpelt was breathing heavily now, shi could feel something welling up inside of hir as shi heard the whisperings get louder in hir ears. Shi felt useless, and afraid; shi didn't want to be afraid, shi wanted to help but shi didn't know how shi could, these people said shi was the child of a god, but shi didn't feel special, shi just felt cold inside. Shi saw the illusions of Aurora vanish as the cyclopes come around the corner, his club raised above his head preparing to swing on the three chakat teens. Something snapped inside of Shadow, shi felt a tug in hir chest and shi screamed in a mixture of fear, rage, frustration and despair. This seemed to make the cyclopes pause as if the scream troubled him.

There was a moment of silence as the cyclopes looked at them preparing to resume his swing on the young demigods, but before he could gather his wits to resume the attack the sound of thousands of crows filled the air, and sure enough there were birds swarming the air around the cyclopes their sharp beaks pecking at the monster. Soon the cyclopes couldn't even be seen through the swarm. When the birds cleared away and flew off into the sky there was nothing there but gold colored sand.

Brightsnow and Aurora looked at each other their eyes wide, they had never seen someone summon crows to destroy a monster. Shadow stumbled into Brightsnow's arms feeling as if shi had just run ten miles through the snow. Shi was exhausted and cold and shi didn't know what had just happened but shi knew that the monster wouldn't be coming back anytime soon. Shi tried to stand up again but shi couldn't seem to get oriented again, Brightsnow supported the younger chakat though knowing that shi needed to rest. "Just catch your breath, we are safe now. We are gonna take you somewhere safe."

Shadow looked up at Brightsnow blearily trying to catch hir breath still not clear on why shi was so tired. "What happened? Where did those birds come from? And what is your name? Who is your parent?" The questions just came out in a rush, shi didn't know why it was so important, shi just couldn't think straight.

Brightsnow smiled down at the tired chakat."Well I think you are responsible for the birds but don't worry we'll figure everything out I promise. As for who I am I am Brightsnow daughter of Athena. Now why don't we get you somewhere safe."

Aurora managed to hail a taxi and between both hir and Brightsnow they got Shadowpelt into the backseat and gave the driver some cash and a address for somewhere safe in Long Island. Along the way they managed to calm down Shadowpelt and got hir to tell them hir story and and tell them hir name. Shi was slowly recovering from whatever happened back there with the crows. Shi watched the city give way to the countryside of Long Island, hir mind racing with everything that happened, with all the revelations that shi had received today. Hir sire was a greek god, and he never once came to visit hir, or hir mother. He had abandoned them, couldn't a god do better than that for his children? Couldn't he have been there at least just once. Just to let hir know who he was, but he had never visited hir. When hir world was falling apart, when hir mother was gone he sent someone else to tell hir where to go, he was a god and he couldn't even take his own daughter to safety himself.

The taxi driver let them out reluctantly, because there was nothing at the address they gave him. However they were insistent and he let them out onto the dirt road below a hill with a huge pine tree, it was the biggest pine tree that Shadow had ever seen in hir life, and on the lowest branch of the huge tree hung something that shimmered bright gold in the afternoon sunlight. It looked suspiciously like sheeps wool, shi turned to Aurora a look of incredulity on hir face."Surely that can't be the Golden Fleece...I mean aren't there some myths that..you know are just stories?"

Aurora just giggle and shook hir head."No as far as I know most of them are true even if there are some of the details that they get wrong, and yes that is the real Golden Fleece, it's been here at the camp almost 100 years now," Shi said with a smile as shi and Brightsnow led Shadow up the hill.

Shadow tilted hir head as shi looked at Aurora and Brightsnow curiously."You said here at camp, so this place is what like a summer camp?" shi asked curiously. Shi had been to a few summer camps when shi was a cub and shi had never enjoyed them, shi was always treated like a freak.

Aurora shrugged."Yes and no, it is a bit like a summer camp but not really. This is a place for demigods to train, a safe haven that the monsters can't reach." as they were talking they finally reached the top of the hill and Shadow gasped looking down into the valley on the other side of the hill. It was the oddest and yet most amazing thing shi had ever seen, there was a lake filled with canoes racing across it, a climbing wall that seemed to be spewing lava, what looked like a working blacksmith forge built into a ancient greek building, and an assortment of about twenty of the strangest buildings shi had ever seen, each one was designed differently, and they were laid out in the pattern of a greek omega symbol. Aurora smiled at the look of wonder on the face of the younger chakat and began to lead hir down towards a huge four story blue house set apart from the other buildings. "Come on we will introduce you to the camp director and the activities director, and assuming you can keep your jaw up off the floor we will get you settled in."

Shadow turned to look at Aurora a look of curiosity on hir face."Where will I be staying? And why would the directors make my jaw drop?" Shi asked curiously as shi continued to take in the sights of the camp, a real arena where two campers in orange t-shirts looked to be having a sword fight, a volley ball pit where she saw some campers playing against young women in green dresses with green woven laurels on their heads. There was also a small cave set into a small hill not to far from the blue house, the entrance was covered with a curtain decorated with green snakes and torches were lit outside of the entrance. Shi also saw a open aired dining pavilion, and that was when shi noticed that there was no snow on the ground, the snow that had blanketed the ground on the other side of the hill just seemed to stop at the pine tree.

Aurora smiled indulgently at Shadow. Shi remembered when shi first came to camp how full of questions shi had been as well. "You will see when you meet them. As for where you will be staying well at first you will stay in cabin eleven. That is the Hermes cabin, each camper is sorted into a cabin based on who their godly parent is. For me it's Hecate cabin twenty, for Brightsnow it's Athena cabin six, but for any camper who dosn't know who their godly parent is they stay with Hermes cabin until they are claimed by their godly parent." Shi explained with a reassuring smile.

They led Shadow over to the big house where a tall man with tanned skin, Shadow had never seen a tan like this on a human, it was a perfect tan his skin almost looked like it was the color of bronze, his dark brown hair came down to his shoulders in waves, his eyes were sky blue like bolts of lightning, he wore tight black jeans and combat boots, he wore a pair of black leather bracers with silver lightning bolts on each one, and a duster that almost looked to be made of lion fur. But his chest and abs were completely exposed and his muscles were full and rippling, yet he didn't seem overly muscled. It was like looking at a picture of the idea of male perfection. Shadow shook hir head to clear hir head not sure where that thought had come from.

Aurora and Brightsnow grinned at the look on the young teen 'kats face since they saw that look a lot on the girls and herms here at camp. They pulled Shadow up on the porch as Brightsnow walked right up to the man. "You knew we were going to find another demigod out there." Shi said hir voice full of annoyance which Shadow didn't quite understand, but Brightsnow wasn't done yet. "You could have told us, you could have given us warning that way I could have taken more powerful materials with me." Shi huffed and then turned to Shadowpelt. "Welcome to Camp Half-Blood Shadowpelt I am sure you will fit in just fine here." With that shi turned and walked off towards a gray building that had an owl engraved over the door.

Shadow was staring after Brightsnow in shock as Aurora laughed at the stunned look on the face of the man in the duster. Shadow turned back at Aurora a look of perplexity on hir face which only seemed to make Aurora laugh harder. Aurora looked at the man and grinned. "Well Lord Heracles you were told that shi can be volatile where hir art is concerned, and shi was looking forward to getting those paints."

The man known as Heracles laughed the sound like rolling thunder through the sky, he grinned at Aurora his teeth bright white. "Oh I knew when I gave you both permission to go into the city, but Shi needs to get out of Cabin Six more, shi needs to be more involved with the other campers especially those of hir own cabin. Shi takes hir responsibilities as senior councilor seriously but shi hardly socializes with the other campers."

Aurora just shook hir head and grinned at him. "Lord Heracles shi is a child of Athena none of them socialize much unless they are discussing building something, or strategizing something." Shi said with a shrug. "Anyways this is Shadowpelt shi is undetermined at the moment but whoever hir parent is shi is going to be majorly powerful." And with that Aurora began to tell him exactly what happened when they were in the city.

When shi was done Heracles stared at Shadowpelt, his face brooding and thoughtful. The look unnerved Shadowpelt who fidgeted nervously for a moment before shi looked up at Heracles. "A...are you really Heracles? I thought you died in the myths?" Shi said with wide eyes.

He grinned down at Shadow and chuckled. "Yes I am 'the' Heracles, son of Zeus. When I died a mortal death my father offered me the chance to become a minor god, the patron of Heroes. The way you defeated that cyclopes was very intriguing young one. I am curious to know who your divine parent may be..."

No sooner were the words out of his mouth then they both gasped in surprise staring at something above Shadow's head. Shi looked up and nearly jumped in surprise, floating above hir head was some kind of holographic image floating above hir head a bone white skull surrounded by ghostly blue flames, even as shi stared at the image it slowly began to fade away. Shi stared at Heracles who smiled at hir. "Well now I know, you were just claimed young one. Welcome Shadowpelt daughter of Hades Lord of the Dead....."

The news spread quickly over the entire camp, the news that a new daughter of Hades had been claimed at camp, something that hadn't happened since Samantha Wayne came to Camp Half blood. People were both excited and nervous by the news of a new child of Hades, they were rare here at camp even after Nico Diangelo helped secure a place at the camp for the children of Hades. Never had there been two in the camp before. Down at the lake another chakat was laying by the lake shore twirling a silver brooch shaped like a eagle in hir fingers. Shi had black fur except along hir belly and chest and the underside of hir muzzle; Shi had teal leopard rosettes and spots all over hir black fur and one that surrounded hir left eye. Hir name was Starpelt, shi was a daughter of Zeus, well one of them anyway. There were two other campers in cabin one with hir, one of which was Tamaias Rains, the senior councilor who was almost eighteen now. Shi gazed out over the water as if waiting for something, shi had a slightly worried look on hir face as shi looked at the water. There was no movement on the lake, no waves, no fish jumping in the water. It wasn't natural, the lake almost looked dead.

After a few moments of hir staring at the water two heads broke the surface of the lake about ten feet from shore, the two swimmers made their way through the still waters till they crawled up onto the shore both looking completely dry despite coming out of the water. One was a young male otter morph with light brown fur with an odd pattern of cream colored stripes along his back and black spiky hair with sea green eyes, he was wearing a pair of tattered and frayed jean shorts with a fish stitched into the front of one of the legs, and a fishnet sleeveless shirt. His name was Triton Summers the senior councilor of cabin three the poseidon cabin. The other swimmer was a younger chakat with dark blue fur with white tiger stripes, shi also had dark black hair and sea green eyes. Shi wasn't wearing any clothes at all just a necklace with a bronze colored trident hanging from it. Hir name was Waveburst, shi was Triton's little sister, well half sister, shi was also a child of poseidon.

Starpelt grinned when shi saw Waveburst's bare breasts as shi walked out of the lake dry as could be. Shi tossed a orange camp shirt at Wave. "Put a top on would you, you're gonna give the guys over at the Apollo cabin a nose bleed walking around looking like that." Shi said in a teasing voice.

Waveburst giggled as shi put the shirt on and walked over to the belt pouch shi had left on the shore earlier and pulled out a brush and brushed hir bushy black hair out as shi looked over at Starpelt. "Hey someone has to keep those boys on their toes." Shi said with a grin, but the grin faded quickly shi sighed as shi looked out over the lake.

Starpelt frowned and looked over at Triton who was quiet as well, which was unusual for him; usually he was a huge talker, always in the middle of things at the camp. He was a cheerful otter who loved to flirt with the girls at camp and show off by surfing on the lake where he could control the waves. Today however he looked brooding and worried, this was not like the cheerful senior councilor of the Poseidon cabin. "What did you guys find down there?"

Triton sighed and ran his hand through his hair and looked over at Starpelt."I don't like this Star, the Nereids and Naiads won't even come out to talk to us, I thought if I took Waveburst down there they would come out, I mean they like hir way more than they like me. But nothing, they are hiding and we can't figure out why, they have stopped the movements of the lake, the fish are hiding, it's like a graveyard down there."

Wave nodded as shi looked over at hir half brother."It was like the whole lake was so full of fear, but what could they be afraid of here at camp? The borders protect the camp and they are water spirits to begin with, no creature of the sea could find it's way to the shores of the camp, the borders protect it unless dad gives them permission to come here, and he only does that for creatures that serve in his court, not monsters." Shi strapped hir belt pouch onto hir waist and sighed. "And Heracles won't listen to us when we say that there is something wrong, he never takes the water nymphs seriously, and they absolutely hate him ever since that whole thing with the river nymph and the stables incident, they've made no secret of that everytime he goes near the Lake."

Triton nodded and smirked just a bit remembering their camp director's face being drenched with a column of water shooting straight out of the lake the first time he tried to take one of the canoe's out. "Yeah well he never did apologize for that and still doesn't see why he should so he's just gonna have to deal with their ire, but right now we have bigger problems we have to figure out what to do about this, figure out what this means." He ran his hands through his hair again before looking at Starpelt again."So did we miss anything interesting while we were down there?"He asked jokingly but the look that Starpelt gave him made him pause. "Wait did something happen while we were down there?"

Starpelt just shook hir head. "Nothing bad really, Brightsnow and Aurora came back from their little trip into the city leading a new half-blood into camp, another chakat camper, apparently as they were introducing hir to Heraclese shi was claimed." Shi let that sink in before shi continued. "Shi was claimed by Hades."

As one both Triton and Wave's jaws dropped, they both knew that children of Hades were rare, very powerful, and sometimes very different from the other campers. As far as Wave knew there had never been a chakat child of Hades born. Shi closed hir muzzle and tilted hir head looking at Starpelt. "Does Sam know about that? Has she made it back to camp yet?"

Starpelt shook hir head and picked up hir saddle pack and padded back towards the cabins."No not yet, she hasn't made it back to camp yet, her dad wanted to see her down in the Underworld and wouldn't let her tell anyone what it was about." Shi said with as the three of them made their way back to the cabins along the river, moving past the forges, the Hephaestus campers hard at work with their various projects

Wave grinned as shi noticed Starpelt craning hir head around to look for someone in the people at the forge. "You wouldn't happen to be looking for a certain saber toothed chakat would you?" Shi asked with a grin

Starpelt grinned over at Wave and shrugged hir shoulders. "What can I say me and Wildheart have a lot of fun together, I'm not about to deny it." Shi grinned as shi hugged Wave and Triton. "I'm gonna go see if shi's free or if shi's wrapped up in a project you two try to stay out of trouble would you?" Shi asked teasingly.

Triton just grinned as he watched Starpelt trot off into the forge lost among the sounds of hammers and bellows, and engines. He threw an arm across his little sister's shoulders and started heading towards the low gray building made of Stone from the ocean floor and fossilized shells. "Alright sis let's get back to our cabin and see how bad Rick and Simon have messed it up while we've been down in the lake. And maybe we can get them out of the cabin long enough for some weapons practice..."

Not far from Triton and Waveburst in another cabin that was made out of black stone, like onyx, with torches lit with green fire and a skull engraved on the door, the Hades cabin. Shadowpelt was opening the door to hir new home. Shi had already gone through the orientation and the tour with Aurora, and been shown where the dinner would be taking place later that evening. Aurora thankfully understood that it was all a bit much and Shadowpelt needed some time to take it all in. Aurora showed hir to the door of cabin thirteen, but shi did not go in, so Shadow entered the cabin that was now hir home by hirself. The inside of the cabin was like nothing shi could have expected. The walls were just as dark on the inside as they were on the outside, there were no windows inside the cabin, the room was lit by torches inside as well, but strangely shi couldn't feel any warmth from the fire of these torches. Infact the room was rather cool. The effect of the ghostly blue light on the black walls was eerie, it was almost like being in a crypt, yet shi found it strangely comforting. The beds in the cabin were large comfortable looking beds, one was obviously made for a biped, a victorian style bed with hanging curtains like cobwebs on the sides and black satin sheets and a huge black comforter. The other was obviously meant for hir, it was a taur style bed low to the ground larger with plenty of cushions and a black satin sheet for hir as well.

Shi walked over to the taur bed and ran a handpaw over the sheet with a soft purr, shi felt oddly comforted being here. "The beds show up tailored to the style of each new camper, when a new camper comes in a new bed appears, it's part of the enchantment." Shadow nearly jumped out of hir fur when shi heard the voice speaking behind hir. Shi turned and saw a female bat morph standing in the doorway of the cabin with a duffel bag slung over one shoulder and a smile on her face. She was wearing a black tank top with a skull and crossbones on the front and a pair of very snug fitting black jeans, she had what looked to be several onyx earrings in her left ear and a skull ring on her right hand also made of onyx, her wings which ran along her hands were tucked in under her arms. She walked into the cabin and shut the door behind her. "Hey there, you must be the new camper everyone is talking about. I am Samantha Wayne and I am also a daughter of Hades." She sat down on the edge of her bed and dropped her duffel bag as she looked over at Shadow with a calculating yet not hostile stare. "So that makes us sisters now."

Shadow blinked in surprise when shi heard this, shi was told that there was another child of Hades that came to the camp, but shi had never stopped to think that it made Samantha hir sister. Shi didn't quite know what to say to that, Samantha was obviously much older than hir, probably seventeen, and yet here shi was explaining things about the cabin to hir and calling hir a sister. "Umm Yeah I guess it does, so how long have you been here at camp?"

Samantha smiled a bit as she unzipped her duffel bag and began to unpack, pulling out mostly goth style clothing. "Well I have been here four years now, I was the first person to use this cabin since Nico Diangilo left the camp."

Shadow looked around the cabin again and now shi noticed that some of the walls were decorated, the stone carved with scenes of a river flowing along a rocky shore, a dark looking palace with skeletal guards, and a field full of endless people. Then something happened that truly shocked hir, a ghostly figure walked right out of the wall seeming rather lost until he saw the two of them his form seemed to solidify somewhat, though he was still transparent, and he was now a ghost wearing a old English Victorian style butlers outfit. He bowed to both of them and said in a voice that seemed low and hollow, as if he were speaking from the end of a tunnel,"Hello M'ladies may I help either of you with anything?" The ghost asked.

Shadow's eyes widened at the sight of the ghost but Sam just looked over her shoulder at him and shook her head."No Simon we are fine, but this is Shadowpelt another child of Hades."

Simon turned his ghostly eyes on Shadow who was fascinated by the ghost. He did not scare hir, shi had a feeling deep inside of hir that if shi wanted to shi could control him, which was something shi guessed came with being a child of Hades. The ghost bowed to Shadowpelt deeply. "Yes we heard of hir being claimed and will serve hir just as we serve you Miss."

Shadow turned to look at Sam and tilted hir head in confusion. "Umm what does he mean by we?" Shi asked curiously.

Sam just shrugged. "Simon is only one of many ghosts that serve here in the Hades cabin. When Nico Diangilo made this cabin he somehow connected it to the Underworld itself. Sometimes spirits come here seeking help or guidance to the Underworld, some come because they want to try and get us to speak to dad on their behalf, try to get them into Elysium for them. But the ones like Simon are sent here from the fields of Asphodel to help us here in the cabin, either advising us in the use of our abilities."

Shadow noticed that the ghost had disappeared when he was no longer needed. Shi looked over at Sam and tilted hir head. "What is dad like? I mean I know he's a god but...what is he like?"

Sam tilted her head thinking for a moment before she answered. "That is a hard thing to answer. Dad is a god but he is also one of the Big Three, the three eldest sons of Kronos." She said and walked over to Shadow and smiled softly. "But he is strong willed and charismatic, he has an aura of power and leadership about him, he is arrogant at times but not as evil as everyone likes to make him out to be."

Shadowpelt nodded and looked around again and was about to speak again when a horn blew somewhere in the distance. Shi turned to look at Sam curiously, noticing that hir new big sister was smiling. Sam patted hir on the shoulder. "Come on that is the signal for dinner, after dinner I will teach you some of the abilities and perks that go along with being a child of Hades."

Shadow's week at camp was filled with surprises as shi was introduced to life at the camp, the training, the classes, and the other campers. Shi was surprised to learn that shi was incredibly good at sword fighting seeming to move almost instinctually, as the only ones who seemed to be able to beat hir in the cabin arena challenge were Triton and Waveburst from Poseidon cabin. Shi began to learn from Sam how to use the powers that went with being a child of Hades, summoning ghosts of skeletal warriors. There was another ability which Shadow was trying to master which shi was having trouble mastering. Shadow walking, moving through a shadow to teleport between locations. Shadow kept walking into walls instead of moving through the shadows.

Many of the campers began to notice that wherever shi went one or two crow's seemed to always appear near hir. Shi didn't call them, shi still wasn't sure how that shi did that in the first place but they always showed up wherever shi was, and on a few occasions even ravens showed up near hir. Shi knew that many considered crow's and raven's death's messengers, and sometimes it disturbed many of the campers to see so many birds that were usually associated with death, however that did not stop them from accepting and welcoming Shadowpelt.

The life at Camp Half-blood was exciting and never the same each day. The camp's activities director was the winged goddess Nike, no not like the shoe, but the Greek goddess of victory, and she was constantly pushing all of the campers in their training. But on this day she was alone in the arena with two campers both of them from cabin three. Triton and Waveburst, those two required personal training because none of the other campers, not even the Ares cabin could stand toe to toe with them. Nike trained those two personally, and these days she often found herself on the losing end, something as the goddess of Victory, she found highly embarrassing.

This session Waveburst was resting and having a drink as Triton and Nike were training, Nike had out her bronze longsword the guard shaped like a pair of golden wings spread close to the blade. Triton on the other hand favored a spear and because of that Poseidon gave him a celestial bronze spear the blade was jagged the sharp curved edge of the blade looking like the crest of a wave. He called it Typhoon, and like the storm that was the spear's namesake it could do a lot of damage.

Nike and Triton circled each other warily each one waiting for an opening, waiting for the other to make a mistake. However there was another reason that Nike had asked to train with them alone. She wanted time alone to talk to these two in particular. "So you still can not discover the reason for the Naiad and Nereid's fear? Many of the campers are becoming concerned with the state of the lake and even the beach nearby." She said as she feinted towards Triton's left hoping to force him into exposing his right to an attack.

Triton did not fall for the feint and instead lashed out with his spear trying to aim for Nike's exposed shoulders hoping to force the victory goddess into giving ground before the longer reach of his spear, of course Typhoon had other abilities that he could use to push the goddess back but they had agreed to make this a contest purely of weapon's skills not powers. "No we haven't, we have tried sending Rick and Simon down to check it out but they are both a bit shy around the water nymphs to begin with so getting them to actively search for them was a bit of a challenge."

The goddess frowned as she was forced to give ground before the longer reach of the spear before trying to duck under the reach of the spear and slash at what should have been Triton's unprotected midriff, however he was quick and expecting her to try to get in close, he brought the end of his spear up in a sweeping motion to knock her blade back and dance out of reach to circle her again. She gazed at him thoughtfully trying to find an opening. "I don't like this, this has to mean something big is coming. I have tried to tell Heracles but he is convinced that it is nothing to be concerned with." She said in disgust.

Waveburst who was sitting in the stands of the arena watching her older half brother circle the goddess fingering the trident shaped pendant around her neck. "Well He never really takes the nymphs seriously, whether they are wood, air, or water nymphs of any kind." Shi said with a smile on hir muzzle. Shi didn't know why Triton asked hir to come to the practice session, shi often got the feeling he was grooming hir to be the next senior councilor for Poseidon cabin.

Nike nodded vaguely as she moved in to strike once more she deflected Triton's thrust towards her shoulder and tried to catch the shaft of his spear and break it but he was too quick and she found herself struck on the side of her head with the end of the spear, forced to stumble backwards her wings furling a bit to keep her balance. She would have tried to advance again but she found the tip of Triton's spear at her throat and the young otter grinning at her. She sighed and held up her hand in surrender to him. "Ares is never going to let me live this down when I go up to Olympus to be there for the Solstice meeting."

Waveburst giggled a bit and shook her head as Triton flicked his wrist and his spear shrank down into a walking stick that he carried everywhere, it would also disguise itself as a cane if he needed to take it into a public place. "Well if he gives you a hard time remind him that he once lost to a child of Poseidon too," Shi said with a grin

Nike just nodded as she shook Triton's hand and smiled at the both of them, but the smile faded quickly as she looked out where she could see the lake, the still waters reflecting the light of the sun like a mirror. All around the camp clouds were moving around the clear skies of the camp, weather was controlled within the borders of the camp. "I don't like this, it feels like something is coming, something big." Not even the birds were calling in the trees, the only sounds of life other than the campers, was the sound of a raven on the roof of the Hades cabin, definitely not a good omen.

Waveburst noticed where the goddess was looking and frowned as well. "What could come here though? What could scare all of the water Nymphs and even some of the woodland nymphs?" Shi asked troubled. Like all children of Poseidon shi was very sensitive to the state of the waters near hir, shi could feel the fear emanating from the Lake, and it was reaching a fever pitch.

Triton nodded his face showing the same concern. "Yeah I don't like this either, but I have a feeling that we are going to find out, and I don't think we will like the answer when we get it."

Over at the Athena cabin the twenty Athena children were busy with all of their various projects, many were absorbed in books that they had pulled off of a huge bookshelf that covered an entire wall, some were looking over aged scrolls that were covered in ancient Greek writing, several were also working on art projects either painting or sculpting. Brightsnow was over by hir bunk where shi had a sculpting table set up piled high with a dark red clay that seemed to shimmer at times. The clay was a gift from hir mother. Shi still had a large supply of it but hir mother told hir that shi would not receive more till hir next birthday, so shi had to be smart about it's use.

Shi continued to sculpt the clay into the shape of a gryphon. The clay was blessed by Athena so that when shi gave it shape the clay could come alive when shi chose and help hir in whatever shi required. Shi mostly used the clay to make helpers for hir research and art, the clay golems were strong and depending on the shape that shi gave them they could perform very complicated tasks for hir. Shi examined the gryphon critically for a moment before deciding that shi needed more detail on the wing feathers.

Shi continued hir work for several moments in silence barely noticing the activity of hir siblings around hir until one of them, a young human girl only ten years old, came over to Brightsnow tugging on the sleeve of hir top to get hir attention. Shi blinked and looked up in surprise having gotten so lost in hir art that the interruption surprised hir. "Umm yes what do you need Amanda?" Shi asked the younger girl.

Amanda smiled up at the senior councilor and fidgeted a bit holding a canvas in her arms. "Well all the others say you are the best at painting and I am still not that great at it, c...could you teach me?" She asked nervously.

Brightsnow was taken aback by the request, shi wasn't well known for being the most social member of the cabin. Shi spent all hir time wrapped up in hir art that sometimes hir cabin was late for breakfast or lunch. Shi was surprised by the request but secretly pleased that the others in the cabin considered hir the best at painting. "Sure thing Amanda I would be happy to teach you how to paint." Shi said with a reassuring smile for hir younger half sister. The look of pure happiness that spread across the face of the little girl warmed Brightsnow's hearts and shi was about to say more when the screaming started.

Elsewhere in the forges amid the Hephaestus campers and their various projects, Starpelt was laying down on a work bench smiling as shi watched a strong well muscled chakat with tawny fur and redish brown tiger stripes and saber tooth teeth. The chakat's name was Wildheart, a child of Hephaestus obviously, and spent most of hir time working here in the forges, but shi also made time for Starpelt, who was hir best friend and coming to be more than that as they spent time with each other.

Shi was working on a guantlet armlet, the celestial bronze gauntlet was made for hir arm as was obvious, the claws made of celestial bronze were wicked looking and sharp. As shi put the last strap in place shi stood back to admire hir work. "Hmm Yes I think that will do very nicely." Shi said with a smile and turned to Starpelt with a wicked Saber toothed grin. "What do you think Star?"

Starpelt tilted hir head slightly gazing at the gauntlet. "Hmm it is definitely impressive but how will it hold up to fire and extreme heat?" Shi asked curiously, it wasn't well known but Wildheart had a very rare ability for a child of Hephaestus.

Wildheart looked down at the gauntlet critically for a moment before flames began to crackle to life around hir hand spreading warmth all the way to where Starpelt was sitting, Wildheart placed the flame covered hand on the bronze gauntlet for a moment the heat rising higher and higher as Wildheart tried to test out the heat stress level of hir creation. When shi pulled hir hand away the flames flickered out and the gauntlet was unharmed. Shi grinned over at Starpelt. "I think this was a success." Shi said hir excitement obvious.

Before Starpelt could respond an explosion sounded somewhere down near the beach and the screaming started, the Aphrodite campers scrambled away from the lake shore where they were tanning and tried to run for cover, a group of satyrs who were having a volleyball match with some of the kids from the Apollo cabin ducked for cover while the Apollo kids brought out bows looking around for the source of the explosion.

From the waves of the beach a mist began to roll in quickly blanketing the camp in a veil that confused the campers. However what came next was even worse. Shadows began to rise up out of the waves, shapes that moved onto shore, they kept coming too and it was obvious that they were armed. The mist cleared just a bit and what the campers saw was definitely bad, the shapes that were moving out of the water were over a hundred telekhines, monsters with bodies like dogs and flippers like seals, you would have thought it would be impossible for them to hold weapons in such strange hands but they carried sharp spears and wicked looking curved swords like scimitars.

Starpelt growled in surprise at the sight of the army of monsters rising up out of the waves and moving in an attack formation towards the camp and the campers, but what rose next from the sea made hir blood run cold with fear. Dark shapes that looked almost thirty feet tall maybe more rose up out of the long island sound towering over the army of monsters there were at least five of them, their skin was a ice blue, their eyes seeming to be made of glaciers their snow white beards were were tangled with what looked like frozen animals. They were Hyperboreans, the giants of the northern wastes.

Starpelt looked around at Wildheart and many of the other Hephaestus campers. "You guys grab whatever weapons you can and all the Greek fire you have and form a defensive line." Shi called out to them as shi took off the eagle brooch from hir camp shirt and the silver eagle changed in hir hands becoming a long bronze sword with a silver guard shaped like an eagle, the sword was a gift from hir father Zeus, the long bronze blade crackled with electricity as shi ran over to some of the Nemesis campers who were holding off a group of the telekhines with daggers and spears.

Shi concentrated and sent a bolt of lightning down hir sword towards the monsters, they scattered when the bolt struck the ground throwing dirt and rock in every direction as shi swung hir sword at one of the stunned telekhines. The dazed monster exploded into a pile of gold colored sand and shi screamed as shi charged the rest of the monsters.

Nearby the Ares campers were organizing into a phalanx defensive position trying to push the Telekhines back while avoiding the deadly freezing breath of the Hyperboreans, the senior councilor a burly boar morph named Shogus was leading them swinging a war hammer that erupted into flames with each swing. He noticed a Hermes camper, a chakat named Coalpepper, using a bronze boomerang against one of the Hyperboreans the sharp deadly blade of the projectile slicing through the calf muscles of the giant but it was only serving to anger the giant.

Shogus left one of his brothers in charge of the phalanx and dashed over to the Hyperborean that was attacking Coalpepper and threw his hammer towards the face of the giant as it was about to breath ice on the chakat. The hammer caught fire as it streaked towards the face of the giant slamming into the giants forehead with a burst of flame and a sickening crack that sounded like bone breaking. He had the satisfaction of seeing the giant fall back on a group of telekhines their spears and swords lodging into the giants back and causing him to break apart into a cloud of gold sand.

Shogus was about to retrieve his hammer when a bronze blur whirled by his head and the sound of a blade lodging into the body of a telekhine. He turned to see Coalpepper holding hir boomerang and a bronze dagger grinning at him. "Watch your back." Shi called as shi dove off to find more monsters to fight. Shogus just grinned as he turned his attention back to his siblings the sounds of battle surrounding him, explosions of Greek fire surrounding the monsters as the Hephaestus campers did their best with their machines and mechanical constructs to hem the telekhines in.

The Telekhines were being pushed back by the combined might of all of the campers, Samantha Wayne summoned a legion of skeleton fighters in ancient Greek armor to battle the monsters, while the kids from Posiden and Zeus cabins battled against the Hyperboreans using their powers over water and lightning to push the giants back. But Waveburst was busy with the largest of the Telekhines wielding a trident similar in appearance to hirs and a net with wicked looking bronze hooks in it.

The monster jabbed his trident forward trying to skewer the chakat, but Waveburst was an expert with the Retiarius fighting style. Shi quickly dodged the trident and used hir own to swipe away the net that was cast in hir direction. Shi growled at the telekhine and slammed the end of hir trident onto the ground and the ground beneath them shook knocking the telekhine off balance and shi tried to press the attack snarling as shi stabbed at the monster. "How did your kind find your way here? It should be impossible for monsters to make their way to the shores of this camp."

The telekhine growled at hir as he retreated another step glancing around at his forces being beaten back. The last of the Hyperboreans falling to Heracles himself, he turned back to Waveburst and snarled. "You may enjoy this victory godling but know that we will be back, your precious camp is not safe anymore, the Ichthyocentaurs have Agemon's light." with that he turned and ran from Waveburst back towards the sea with the remnants of the monster army. Waveburst did not pursue him, hir eyes were wide with shock at the telekhine's words. All around hir the campers were cheering at the Victory while Apollo campers were going among the campers and administering first aid to the wounded.

Waveburst made hir way through the other campers and the satyrs and Dryads that were helping to move the wounded and administer the medical attention to those who were injured during the attack. Shi made hir way over to Triton who was standing next to Heracles and Nike. Shi looked at all three of them, hir face grim. "We have a big problem...."

Later that night the campers were gathered in the amphitheater for a campfire and a meeting, there were only fifteen wounded and thankfully no deaths. The campfire that night was a somber affair, not even the Apollo campers were singing that night. Everyone stared at the fire thoughtfully their minds racing with thoughts of how this invasion happened.

Heracles and Nike strode into the center of the amphitheater looking over at all the somber faces. Heracles was just as somber, for once he was not smiling, it had been thousands of years since he had seen first hand a battle like that. "We were lucky." He said his voice carrying over the hushed campers. "We got organized quickly and managed to repel the invasion but this won't be the last time they come for us."

The silence seemed to grow heavier, those words hanging in the air. A camper in the row of Zeus campers stood up, he was a tall human with stormy blue eyes and spiky black hair and lean muscles. He was about nineteen and clearly very strong, he wore a silver bracelet on his arm and a sword at his side. "How did this happen? How could they find their way here? This isn't supposed to happen, the camps borders are supposed protect us from things like this happening." His name was Tamaias, he was the senior councilor of Zeus cabin and considered himself responsible for a lot of the campers here because he had been at camp longer than anyone other than Brightsnow.

Heracles sighed and nodded as he looked at Tamaias with a grim look. "Yes they should have protected us, the camps borders have protected us from every attack since the Golden Fleece was brought to our camp by Percy Jackson and Clarissa La Rue. But this attack still happened, they got past our borders as if they weren't even there." He looked briefly towards the Poseidon campers before turning back to the rest of the camp. "Waveburst battled with the captain of the Telekhine forces and he revealed that they were sent by the Ichthyocentaurs they are sons of Poseidon but long ago they grew jealous of the attention that their father bestowed upon his demigod children and left his court. The Telekhine captain said that they have Aegmon's Light. Which is what led them to our shores and through our barriers."

Shadowpelt stood up where shi was watching next to Sam, hir face showing a mixture of fear and confusion on hir face, shi had watched hir new big sister summon a legion of skeletons and direct them like some kind of dark general. "Okay I know I'm new here so I hope this doesn't sound like a stupid question but what is Aegmon's Light? I have never heard of Aegmon before." Shi sat back down nervously but Sam smiled reassuringly, a raven fluttered down out of the tree and cawed before flying away again making some campers nervous.

Heracles nodded in Shadowpelt's direction. "No Shadow, this is a legitimate question some here do not know Aegom's story, but I am not the one to answer you, nor should Nike," He turned instead to Triton who was sitting next to Waveburst and the two other Posiden campers. "It is for Triton to answer this because it concerns him and his siblings the most."

Triton sighed as he got to his feet, his arm was in a sling, he had dislocated his shoulder during the fight but thanks to some ambrosia and nectar, the food and drink of the gods, he would heal quickly. "The story of Aegom is not a happy tale, like any demigod his life was full of danger and mayhem, but unlike most it was known by many that Aegom was a disappointment to Poseidon, he tried to use his abilities to steal from others. However when the city he lived in was attacked he stepped up and led a navy against the invading northern cyclopes tribes, he nearly died defending his home and Poseidon heard his prayers and gave him the power to lead his men safely home through the northern mists. After that Aegom was known as the Navigator, it was said that he wore a crystal around his neck that worked as a compass leading him where he needed or wanted to be. However his life was not easy even after that, his wife and son were taken by a sickness that no one could cure. After their deaths he sailed away, no one really knows where, and threw his light into the sea. After that Aegom was never seen again." Triton sat back down amid the strained silence.

Everyone looked at one another wondering what this could mean, and how they could fight against waves of monsters that could find their way past the magic borders that were supposed to protect them. Heracles held up his hands and looked at all of them. "The camp is in danger as long as the Ichthyocentaurs have Aegom's light they will use it, they will continue to send monsters here perhaps something worse than Telekhines next time. We need a quest to take back Aegom's light, we can not leave it in the hands of the Ichthyocentaurs. Perhaps the Oracle can tell us who should lead this quest."

A young chakat, maybe only thirteen years old, stepped forward. Shi was wearing a white silk top that was decorated with the image of a serpent on hir chest. Hir fur was a rich golden brown color dotted with blonde cheetah spots, hir long auburn colored hair was tied back in a intricate braid. Hir name was Summerkiss, shi was the Oracle for the camp. As shi walked in front of everyone all eyes were on hir, two of the campers from the Apollo cabin rushed to hir side as shi seemed to fall to hir side a green mist seemed to seep from hir mouth and the tear ducts of hir eyes. Shi opened hir mouth to speak but what came out was a cold rasping voice that sounded like something that emerged from a snake pit.

Five heroes shall search for treasure lost

Their ship shall fail to waves of frost

At the sunken city they shall stand and fight

And be guided home by Aegom's Light

The Oracle seemed to come back to hirself as the green mist faded away, there were a lot of campers muttering nervously after the prophecy was made, one of the Ares campers stood up and looked at Heracles and Nike in confusion. "But who are the five heroes? The prophecy gives no clues."

Heracles nods and looks to the Oracle for clues since she was the one who spoke for the gods. Summerkiss shook hir head as if trying to clear hir head of a voice that would not go away. Shi looked up at the campers and smiled reassuringly. "I know the prophecy does not give clues I am sorry but I was given the feeling that the gods themselves will choose the Five that must go on this quest."

Tamaias stood up and looked at Summerkiss his eyes full of concern. "The gods will choose? The gods never take direct involvement in quests it's against their rules, why would they choose now? This sounds like something bigger than just Aegom's Light." He said his face lined with worry.

Heracles nodded. "You are right this does sound like something bigger is stirring, my father does not speak to me about such things but I will not question him now, if the gods wish to decide in this matter it will do no good for any of us to argue with them." He looked around at all of the campers. "The gods will tell us their choices in their own ways, for now all of you should get to bed, I have a feeling that the next few weeks will be a trial for many of us."

Aurora made hir way back to hir cabin beside hir siblings hir face thoughtful. Hir fur giving off a dull glow to show how confused and worried shi was, shi had been useless during the attack, hir magic wasn't enough, shi wished shi could help defend hir friends and family better. Shi looked up as they neared cabin twenty and looked on the cabin that had been hir home for the past four years of hir life. Shi brushed a strand of hir red hair back out of hir eyes and sighs. A hand touched hir shoulder and shi looked up to see hir older sister, and the senior councilor of their cabin, a wolf named Mana Nightfall. "Aurora it will be okay, we will make it through this, you heard the prophecy whoever these five are,they are going to make it home with Aegom's Light."

Aurora smiled and nodded. "Yeah I know, but it's not going to be an easy trip for them whoever gets chosen might die, we have no way of knowing if all five will make it home." They entered the cabin which was filled with several alters and work tables, the work tables stacked high with potions and vials and crystals. The walls of the cabin were midnight blue and painted with silver runes of power, energy could be felt coursing in the air of the cabin like a heartbeat, this was the cabin of Hecate goddess of magic.

Mana walked to the center of the cabin where a ritual circle was engraved in the floor and held out hir arm over the circle and began the nightly ritual that they went through every night before bed. "Mother Hecate we honor you and ask your guidance in all our workings." The rest of the cabin repeated the chant and moved towards the circle to take their places for the ritual when the circle erupted in a glow of blue light that left everyone shielding their eyes from the raw magical energy. When the light cleared a tall woman stood in the center of the circle, shi was dressed in a robe of shimmering blue, runes of power dancing over the fabric as if it were made of magic itself. This was Aurora's mother, it was the mother of all of them in the cabin, it was Hecate herself.

She smiled down at the campers her long flowing black hair held back in a net of gold and pearls that shimmered with power. "My children, you have all honored me and your power reflects that, you are strong in the ways of magic my children and that magic is needed now like never before. Forces have begun to wake in the world that could bring ruin to us all if we do not stand tall now. And so I have appealed to lord Zeus, and one of you shall be apart of the Five chosen." The Hecate campers began to murmur excitedly, each of them ready to prove themselves to their mother. Hecate raised her hands and silence fell and she held out her hands and a book appeared in a blaze of blue light. The book was huge bound in thick ancient leather embossed with runes of power. "This is the Grimoire, my Grimoire of magic," She walked out of the circle and through the crowd of her children and stood before Aurora who looked up at hir mother in shock as Hecate placed the Grimoire in Aurora's arms. "You are my chosen Aurora, inside of your heart burns the fires of magic and with this book that power will shine forth, your power will be legendary my daughter."

Before Aurora could respond, to protest that Mana was more powerful, that there were others who knew more spell work than shi did, Hecate began to glow and everyone averted their eyes as Hecate revealed her true godly form, which no mortal could gaze upon and survive, and vanished in a blaze of blue light. Aurora stared at the spot where hir mother had stood hir eyes wide as shi realized that shi was part of the Five, shi was going to go on the quest, and if hir power was not enough shi might not come back...

The next morning word began to spread all over camp, Hecate herself had chosen the first of the Five, Aurora. Not only had she chosen Aurora she gave her chosen a book of her personal magic to help the quest. At breakfast the campers, the satyrs, even the dryads watched Aurora with admiration in their eyes. However Aurora quickly ate hir breakfast and went back to hir cabin to study the Grimoire given to hir by Hecate. Everyone was buzzing with who would be chosen next how they would travel on the quest, and where they would even have to go.

In cabin six the Athena campers were all pouring over every single book and scroll in their library, trying to find the hidden location of Aegom's Light. Even Brightsnow was hard at work pouring over a book that looked at least a thousand years old. Like all the books and scrolls in the Athena library, it was written in ancient Greek, all demigods were dyslexic their brains were hardwired for ancient Greek. Hir gray eyes were scanning the pages of the book and after several moments shi held up hir hand to get the attention of hir fellow cabin mates. "Everyone I think I know where Aegom's Light is." Shi called getting the attention of everyone in the cabin.

Shi held up the book and looked at hir siblings with a serious look on hir face. "The prophecy said the Sunken City, there has only been one place that was referred to as the Sunken City, it was also called the Cursed City." Shi paused for a moment and looked at hir siblings. "It was the lost human city of Atlantis." There was a collective gasp at that revelation.

Someone chuckled behind Brightsnow and a rich light female voice said from behind hir. "Very good my daughter, you found the answer quicker than I thought you would, but you have always been one of my brightest children." Brightsnow turned and was surprised to see a very tall woman standing there in a smooth elegant white gown with golden armbands and a necklace with a owl shaped pendant. It was Athena, goddess of Wisdom, Arts and Crafts, and Battle strategy.

Brightsnow gasped in shock and bowed to hir mother everyone else following hir lead. Brightsnow looked up at hir mother. "So I am right Mother? Aegom threw his light into the sea where Atlantis sank?"

Athena smiled. "Yes and no, there is more to it than that sadly but you must learn this for yourself, You Brightsnow are my chosen, you will go on this quest both for the sake of those you travel with and for your own."

Brigthsnow's eyes widened and hir ears laid back as shi shook hir head. "I don't want to go on the quest mother, there are others who would be better suited to going." Shi said pointing to some of hir siblings.

Athena smiled and shook her head. "No Brightsnow it must be you, I have watched you bury yourself in your art, you value your skills as an artist and with good reason but you must learn to broaden your life to look to your friends, and your skills both in wisdom and art will be needed on this journey." She held out her hand and placed a spool of golden thread and a vial of shimmering paint in Brightsnow's hands. "This thread is from my own personal loom and will help you even in battle my daughter, the paint must be used sparingly for it is stronger than anything you can think of, and it's power will be needed."

Brightsnow tried to argue again but before shi could open hir mouth to protest hir mother disappeared in a flash of white light. Brightsnow looked around at hir cabin mates, some of them looked jealous some looked curious but everyone was thinking the same thing, that made two of the Five chosen, only three more remained to be found...

Shadowpelt was sitting on hir bed in cabin thirteen watching Sam who was busy reading over a very strange book that she had drawn out of her trunk. Shadow was worn out from weapons practice with hir big sister, shi still was not in the same league as Triton or Waveburst but shi was improving, as shi watched hir sister reading shi grew curious about something. "Do you want to be chosen for the quest Sam?"

Sam looked up from her book, her eyes wide as if the question surprised her. "By the gods no, I get enough attention around here being a child of Hades, I don't want to go and add to it be being Father's chosen or whatever." She said with a laugh

Both of them were shocked when a calm cold voice sounded behind them. "And why not child? Do you consider yourself unworthy of such attention? " They both turned and there standing before them was a tall man with cold dark eyes, the look in those eyes spoke of an intense charisma and strength. He wore long dark silk robes that seemed to writhe with the image of tortured souls as if the very fabric were woven from the spirits of the damned. Shadow was able to guess who this was, this was Hades, this was hir father, a cold resentment began to grow in hir thinking of the suffering hir mother went through, the loneliness and this man never once came to see hir, he abandoned hir, abandoned them both.

As if he could sense her thoughts Hades turned to face Shadowpelt, his cold eyes studying hir curiously. He had bone white skin and long straight black hair that only served to make his skin look more pale. His expression when he gazed upon his chakat daughter was not angry merely curious about hir. "So you resent me child? You should not, I did visit your mother, but I could not visit you. If I had your life would have been so much harder, your mother knew this. It is why shi suffered so, shi suffered because you could not know the truth until you were ready. Now you are here and I must ask you to put aside your anger child. It does you no good now, you will need it later, you will need to focus it into a weapon to sustain you as you go on your journey. You must be my chosen on this quest Shadowpelt." He stepped over to hir and held out his hand to hir, in his hand was a charm bracelet with what looked like a twenty sided die attached to a chain, the die was made of what looked like a black iron with images carved into each side, each image painted a bone white color. "I give you this, the die of fate, when you are in need take this die in your hand and roll it around when it stops you will be granted a power depending on the cast of the die."

Shadow started to respond, possibly angry but hir father was gone as if he had simply melted into the shadows of the cabin. Shadow looked down at the bracelet and a cold feeling spread through hir body as shi realized that shi was now going to have to go on the quest, shi was one of the Five.

Again the camp was buzzing with the news that two more had been chosen, Brightsnow of Athena, and Shadowpelt of Hades, that meant that three of the Five were now chosen, and thanks to Brightsnow they knew where they had to search, for the lost mortal city of Atlantis. No one knew where that was located but at least there was a destination in mind now.

Starpelt was inside cabin one with Tamaias and their other sibling Ronin, a young fox morph, all of them looking at the statue of Zeus in their cabin thunder rumbling in the tiled ceiling. Starpelt got to hir paws and shook hir head. "It dosn't really matter who all is chosen to go on the quest Tamaias, our biggest concern is going to have to be defending the camp until they return with Aegom's light and the monsters can no longer find their way here."

Tamaias sighed and nodded. "I know Star but I still think that one of us should go on this quest, I would prefer it if it were me, you are just as capable of defending the camp and getting everyone organized while we are gone, I don't understand why dad won't choose one of us I've been asking all day." He said glancing at the statue of their father for a moment before looking back at his siblings.

Ronin was about to speak when thunder boomed louder than usual in the cabin and a flash of lightning struck the floor in front of the statue causing them all to jump in shock and stare as the statue of Zeus was replaced with the real Zeus, he wore a dark pinstriped suit his eyes were bright blue like a flash of lightning in the sky. He stepped down off the pedestal where the statue used to be and moved between all three of them. "So you all wish to be apart of the quest?" He asked gazing at them sternly his blue eyes flashing. "This quest will be dangerous and only the beginning of the hardships the chosen shall face." He turned to face Tamaias, "But you are correct that one of you is meant for this quest, but it is not you, your place is here Tamaias."

He held up a hand when Tamaias started to protest. "No Tamaias, I know you are strong but you are not meant for this, and in your heart you know it." He turned his attention to Starpelt instead. "You are the one who must go on the quest Starpelt." Starpelt looked at hir father in shock hir eyes wide and hir ears laid back. He did not smile or make any motion of encouragement or reassurance, it was not his way. He held out his hand and in his palm was another eagle brooch this one made of crystal the light shimmering through it casting rainbow's against his hand. "This is the crystal heart of Zephyr the north wind itself, if you can learn how to master it's power your own powers will grow."

He placed the brooch in Starpelt's hand and was gone in a flash of Lightning, leaving Starpelt looking dumbfounded that shi was now the fourth member of the Five, that left only one more to be chosen....

With only one more of the five left to be chosen many of the cabins were arguing that they deserved to be chosen for the quest and it was causing some tension. Quests were a chance to prove yourself, they were always sought after. But this time the gods were choosing the people for the quest personally, that made it even more appealing, to be the chosen of one's godly parent would be a even bigger prize for most.

Waveburst finally got tired of the of the fighting and walked down to the beach where the camp kept two Greek battleships for mock sea battles, Waveburst and the rest of the Poseidon campers always won those events. Being the children of the sea god gave them a bit of an advantage.

Waveburst settled down on the beach and looked out over the ocean breathing in the air as the breeze rolled in off the sea, shi could feel the ocean in front of hir, shi could feel the currents and waves as if they were apart of hir, it helped to calm hir down. Shi had closed hir eyes to just listen to the sound of the waves when shi heard the sound of someone casting a fishing line out into the water.

Hir eyes snapped open and shi turned to face a man wearing a dark blue hawaiian shirt with bermuda shorts and a fishing hat, he had tanned weathered skin and his hands were scarred like a fisherman who spent his life hauling in nets. He had black hair with sea green eyes and Waveburst knew who he was immediately. This was Poseidon, hir father.

Poseidon smiled as he looked over at Wave tugging at his line to see if he had a bite yet. "Hello Waveburst, It is good to see you, you've grown a lot since you last came to visit me down in my kingdom." He had a bright kind smile on his face as he looked at his daughter.

Waveburst snorted and shook hir head as shi watched hir father with his rod and reel. "Dad you know I can't visit often, your immortal wife and son don't like it when your demigod children come to visit too often." Shi reminded him, thinking of the cold receptions shi got the last time shi ventured to hir father's kingdom.

Posiden sighed and smiled a bit sadly. "Someday I know they will realize the importance of demigods, the role you play in the world is too important for the gods to stop having demigod children."

Wave just smiled and shook hir head as shi looked out at the sea again the waves just reaching far enough to wash over hir handpaws the cool waters bringing hir a energy and calm that shi never had anywhere else but in the water. "Why are you here dad? Not that I'm not glad to see you but Triton and I have been trying to get your attention for weeks to find out what was going on."

Posiden sighed and shook his head. "I could not tell you the answers you know that Waveburst, somethings you heroes have to figure out for yourselves, but I can tell you that this is only the beginning, things are stirring again, and even we gods do not know what it is that is raising such tension in the air and sea's, for those are the area's affected most right now Waveburst, the sky and sea's are nervous. Zeus does not like not knowing why, that is why he allowed us to choose our chosen directly."

Waveburst looked at hir father feeling a cold trickle of dread going down hir spine." You mean the gods don't know what's happening, something strong enough to block the sight of the gods? What could possibly do that?" Shi asked hir voice barely a whisper.

Poseidon sighed. "I do not know honestly, but I have a feeling that we shall know soon enough my daughter. This quest will shed light on many things I fear, but you know why I am here Waveburst, you know that only one of my children can use Aegom's Light." He looked down at hir. "You are my chosen Waveburst, you have to go on this quest and it will be up to you to lead the others home again.." With that he gave a tug on his fishing rod and the pole bent as it dragged something through the water towards the surface. Something large broke the surface of the water showering both of them in salt water, When Wave looked at the water shi gasped in both shock and awe, a ancient trireme warship sat there on the surface the sails billowing slightly, the wood of the ship gleamed as if it were brand new painted with designs of waves rolling onto beaches. The main sail was a rich sea green color with a gold trident on it.

Waveburst gasped, shi had never seen a ship so beautiful and wonderful it felt like it was part of the ocean it floated on, shi could almost feel it as an extension of hirself. Poseidon looked down at his daughter with a smile. "This is the ship Tidebreak, this will be your ship to bear you on your way to finding Aegom's light."

Waveburst looked up at hir father with a curious look on hir face."Where is Atlantis father? No one knows where it is, many people have tried to find it but it's never been found. The island has to still exist somewhere."

Poseidon sighed and looked out at the ship. "That is a hard question to answer Wave, when I sank that city I made sure it could not be found and there is a reason for that, there is something buried in that city that is not meant for the mortal world and though the gods warned the people of Atlantis they scorned our warnings and began to tamper with a power that did not belong to them and thus for the sake of the rest of the world I sank the island and laid upon it a curse that the island would constantly move under the sea's it would never be in the same place, it will make it hard to find but you have the power to find it Wave just trust yourself."

Wave blinked and looked at hir father before just sighing and nodding as shi looked longingly at the ship, shi loved boats and to be sailing a ship like Tidebreak would be a dream come true. "I won't let you down dad, I will make it through and bring back Aegom's light."

Poseidon smiled down at his daughter and laughed, the sound like waves rolling in on the sea."Yes I believe you will my daughter, now I have one last gift for you." He held out a fishnet glove and gave it a shake and it transformed into a thick net with celestial bronze hooks in it. "This is the net Whirlpool. It's pull is hard for anyone to fight. This will complete your Retiarius fighting style."

Waveburst took the net in hir hand and it changed back into a glove that shi knew would fit hir arm perfectly. Shi looked up to thank hir father but he was gone. And now with the choosing of Waveburst all of the Five were chosen. Now the quest for Aegom's light lay before them....

All five of the heroes gathered at the Big House for a council before they left on the quest, only Nike and Heracles were there with them. They made an odd group together, but all of them were wearing sleeveless camp half blood shirts, the orange shirt looked a bit odd on Shadowpelt though who was rubbing the black charm bracelet on hir wrist nervously as if shi didn't think shi belonged here.

Waveburst looked over at Heracles and sighed."Well we have all been chosen, which means that now we have to get going, my dad says that I will be able to find Atlantis once we are out on the water." Hir voice held a ring of excitement at the prospect of sailing the Tidebreak.

Starpelt snorted and grinned at hir friend."Okay so we have a ship and you can find where we need to go, so this should be relatively simple right? Except that the ichthyocentaurs are both minor sea gods in their own right, this won't be simple and telekhines might be the least of our problems on this quest."

Brightsnow nodded hir gray eyes thoughtful. "Yeah Starpelt is right we are going to need to be prepared for the worst. The ichthyocentaurs are not going to make getting to Atlantis easy, they are going to try and sink us and from what the prophecy says they might actually do it." Shi turned to Waveburst. "Is there room on your ship for me to set up a workstation to make more of my clay statues?"

Wave nodded hir head and looked around at all of the other demigods around him. "We will all have plenty of room on the ship, I want to take at least two days for us to prepare because we are going to need to be sure we have everything we will need." Shi smiled at everyone around the table. "But I know we can do this we will all make it home."

Shadowpelt looked at hir with a look of anxiety and excitement."You're sure we can do this? I have never been on a quest before." Shi looked around at all the others. "I don't want to hold you guys back and maybe get someone hurt."

Starpelt smiled and shook hir head. "Shadow enough you're not gonna get anyone hurt, you are a child of Hades, a child of one of the Big Three, that makes you one of the strongest demigods around, you've seen some of the stuff Sam can do right? Trust me you will be fine out there."

Shadow nodded and rubbed hir bracelet while Heracles looked around at all of them. "You five are our hope, the chosen of the gods, we will hold the camp while you are on your journey but I would urge you to hurry, the longer it takes you to retrieve Aegom's light the more chances the enemy will have to send more monster's our way." with that he dismissed them to make their preparations...

Waveburst was sitting on the beach looking out at the ship that would carry them across the water on this quest. Shi was running a hand over the trident shaped pendant on hir necklace obviously thinking heavily on something. However that did not stop him from hearing when someone approached from behind, someone who's scent he was familiar with. "Hey Aurora." Shi said turning to stare at hir friend, who shi had to admit that shi liked as more than just a friend. "What are you up to tonight? I thought you would be studying your mom's book."

Aurora smiled and padded over to the beach the afternoon sun lighting up the ship which rocked on the waves of the beach. Shi grinned at the sight of the ship knowing how much Waveburst loved to go sailing. "I wanted to see the ship, I know how much you love sailing and this is such an impressive ship. " Shi leaned against Waveburst purring softly the fur around hir spots glowing a soft pink. "I'm glad you're on this quest Wave I feel better knowing you'll be here with me."

Wave smiled and hugged Aurora nuzzling hir friend. "Don't worry Rora we are gonna make it through this I promise." Shi said giving hir cheek a lick. "Now tell me have you been studying that book your mother gave you?"

Aurora smiled and nodded."Yes I have, and some of the spells are not too difficult to master and will be useful in battle, but the more I get into the book the more complex the spells are and the more time and study I will need to master them. " Shi looked over at Wave and felt a flush of warmth go through hir, Waveburst was one of the most popular 'kat's at the camp everyone loved hir and respected hir power, the dark blue fur and white stripes gave hir an exotic look, the wild spiky black hair making hir look somewhat wild and intimidating and of course the sea green eyes that were always so mischievous. "But I will study hard on this trip Wave, I won't fail you or the others." Shi promised...

Two days later they were all gathered in front of the ship getting ready to start. It was early morning, the gray light of dawn casting dim shadows through the mist that surrounded the borders of the camp even on the ocean beyond the ship. Waveburst was onboard the ship with hir older brother Triton getting everything ready to make way, shi knew that Triton was worried about hir, he might act carefree and wild sometimes but he felt responsible for those in his cabin. He looked over at Wave who was raising the sails with hir will alone. An ability of the children of Poseidon. "Wave please be careful on this trip okay? I know you're strong but you are up against two minor sea gods that are also children of our father. They weren't always bad, in fact a hundred years ago they were in charge of training the mer heroes underwater. Their names are Aphros and Bythos and they are strong warriors, they trained my namesake Triton."

Waveburst sighed and nodded. "I know, I hate that I have to fight my half brothers but they've grown bitter, they abandoned the training of the mer heroes when dad wouldn't favor them over us. Now they are threatening this camp just to attack us. They have to be stopped Triton and I have a feeling that I am the only one who will be able to do that in the end, I think in the end the fight will be me versus the Ichthyocentaurs on my own."

Triton sighed and nods looking out over the waters."Yeah I know and that is what worries me sis, you're only fourteen years old, you're one of the strongest fighters here at camp but I am worried this might be too much for you." He sighed and looked back at hir. "Just remember sis that the powers of the children of Poseidon are vast and flexible and even when you think your power is at it's end there is always something you can do if you have the imagination and the willpower to to do it it."

Waveburst smiled softly as shi looked at hir big brother. "I know Triton and I promise you I will get Aegom's light back, I will make it home and bring everyone back with me." Shi walked over and gave Triton a hug and nuzzle before pulling back with a smirk. "Now while I'm gone will you please try not to tease the Aphrodite girls too much? The last time you teased them we had them swarming the Poseidon cabin trying to get a kiss from you."

Triton just laughed and shrugged."I'll try to behave myself sis though your one to talk when for a whole week we had the guys from Apollo cabin reciting love poems to you outside of our cabin." He said with a grin.

They both laughed at each other as the others started to come onboard the ship. Aurora and Brightsnow were busy talking to each other most likely about either magic or art with those two there was really no way of telling for sure with those two unless they spoke louder. Starpelt was walking onboard with Shadowpelt the older chakat smiling reassuringly down at the younger.

Heracles walked onboard too, his lion coat was buttoned up today against the morning chill. He walked over to Waveburst and smiled."I hope your journey is not nearly as difficult as many of mine were as a demigod. Be careful though I know the sea's very well from my years guarding the Mare Nostrum and there are many dangers you will face."

Waveburst tilted hir head and looked up at the camp director curiously. "I remember that you used to guard the entrance to the ancient lands but how did you go from that to being the camp director here?"

Heracles smiled."Well for a long time I was stuck guarding the entrance of the ancient lands resenting my father for where he stuck me. But eventually father and I settled our differences though Hera and I still loathe one another, my father offered me this job when Dionysus and Chiron both retired from the camp, Dionysus went back to Olympus and Chiron retired from training Heroes relinquishing his immortality and lived the rest of his days peacefully. He grew tired of training heroes and watching them die, so the jobs were given to Nike and Myself to take the place of the two of them."

Waveburst tilted hir head looking up at Heracles with a curious expression. "Who is guarding the entrance to the Mare Nostrum now?" Shi asked curiously."Because I have a feeling that this quest will lead us in that direction."

Heracles shook his head and sighed."Sadly I don't know, Zeus never gave me that information and I do not ask because I honestly do not care as long as it is not me." He said and he waved a hand and crates appeared on the deck of the ship."You will need these, ambrosia and nectar incase you get injured, there is food in there as well so you should be good on supplies for the journey. "

Wave nodded and smiled as Heracles turned to leave the ship. Shi turned to Triton and gave him a hug. "Hold the camp while I am gone bro, I promise I will hurry as fast as I can just be safe Triton I have a feeling you guys are in as much danger as any of us on this ship."

Triton smiled down at his sister, his usual cocky grin was back."You come back safe sis and I promise I'll keep everyone here safe." He said as he turned and headed off of the ship leaving the five chakat demigods alone to get underway in their quest to save the camp...

It took very little time for Waveburst to get the ship underway, shi was able to will the oars to begin to row while the sails billowed in the wind. Many of the others had gone below deck to relax or prepare while they got underway, no one knew what challenges would await them while out here in these waters but they didn't think it was going to be easy.

Waveburst was still on deck at the rudder of the ship looking back over the waves towards the camp they were leaving behind, shi could smell and sense someone approaching from behind. Shi smiled softly. "I would have thought you would be below working on more clay statues Brightsnow." Shi said turning to look at the daughter of Athena.

Brightsnow smiled and shook hir head as shi gazed out over the water. "No I wanted to talk to you, you said that you have a feeling that we are headed to the Ancient lands the Mediterranean, the Mare Nostrum. Does this mean that's where Atlantis is?"

Waveburst sighed."To be honest Wise girl I'm not sure, but it is originally where Atlantis was, dad said he cursed the island so it would move around on the bottom of the sea but I don't think that the ichthyocentaurs are gonna want to use a moving island as a base but Atlantis would be perfect for them. They would need an underwater base because they can't go out of the water, they are sea gods their power only works in the sea."

Bright nodded as shi looked over at Waveburst. "You realize these guys are your brothers, half brothers true but they are son's of Poseidon too and they will know all the powers you can use against them, you're going to have a hard time in this fight."

Waveburst sighed and nodded."Yeah I know, but they have got to be stopped, I wish they could go back to what they were before, what they were a hundred years ago, they were trainers for the mer heroes they ran a camp similar to camp Halfblood they trained my dad's immortal mer son Triton." When shi mentioned Triton hir face darkened and shi gripped the trident pendant around hir neck. "One hundred years ago after the end of the Giant war the cyclops in the underwater forges began to work on something for Triton a trident to match the power of our father's it was meant to be a gift from the Ichthyocentaurs to Triton, a gift for their prized student."

Shi took off the pendant and it grew into a celestial bronze trident the shaft gleamed black seeming to swirl as if containing water in the polished black shaft. The sea itself seemed to respond to the presence of the trident the waves reaching higher as if trying to greet the weapon. "They called this trident Torrent or Maelstrom, however when they presented it to Triton the Fates themselves showed up and spoke words over the trident, one of them pronounced that the trident could not be used by Triton that it must go to a demigod child of Poseidon and that the trident would never work in the hands of Triton. The Ichthyocentaurs demanded that Poseidon punish the Fates for ruining their gift to their student. When my father refused they left his court saying that they were tired of him overlooking his immortal children in favor of the demigods."

Brightsnow listened intently hir gray eyes focused and sharp as shi took in this information, not much was known about the underground politics of Poseidon's realm. But listening to Waveburst it sounded not so different from Olympus, the gods needed the Demigods to battle the monsters to defend the mortal realm and to fight for them in times like the Giant war but often some of the gods looked down on their demigod children as useless or their immortal spouse's tried to make life hard for the demigod children. Shi sighed and looked at the trident in Wave's hand."I take it that is the trident that was meant for Triton?" Shi asked curiously. "Why wasn't it given to the demigod Triton?" Shi asked curiously.

Waveburst shook hir head. "Poseidon tried to give it to him but the trident would not pass to him, it kept coming back to our dad, it would not go to anyone who bore the name Triton, so it was given to me instead." Shi explained.

They both stared off into the ocean for another few minutes in silence the trident Maelstrom going back to a necklace. Eventually Waveburst took watch at the wheel while Brightsnow went below to go back to hir artwork, trying to make sure that shi had plenty of strong powerful statue's to use in battle against the Ichthyocentaurs and any of their monster army....

The first day out they did not see any sign of monsters or even that night, they enjoyed the peace as their voyage started. They did not speak to each other much during the day, Shadowpelt actually spent most of hir time in hir cabin, though Brightsnow and Aurora caught voices from inside the cabin and they were fairly certain that the young child of Hades had summoned a ghost to talk to. That night Starpelt cooked dinner for them in the galley something that they didn't often get at camp, cheeseburgers. The chakats devoured the greasy burgers with delight and burned offerings to the gods in the hearth that was placed in the galley.

That night they took turns keeping watch making sure that someone was on deck at the wheel at all times, Waveburst had made sure that each of them could steer the ship relatively well while shi slept. The night was clear and full of stars as they took their turns on watch. Aurora was the last one to take watch, one hand on the wheel as shi watched dawn rising, the waves lapping at the prow of the ship, it was an impressive sight. Mentally however shi was going over many of the spells shi had learned in the Grimoire hir mother had given hir. The higher level spells were beyond hir capabilities at the moment, and besides shi would need hir sisters working in tandem with hir to pull them off. However some of the first spells in the book were well within hir skill range.

Shi was just going over one of the few battle magic spells shi had managed to learn when suddenly the ship lurched as if it had run into something hard. Shi suddenly remembered the lines of the prophecy about the ship failing to waves of frost and shi dashed to the entrance to the lower deck."Wave we hit something." Shi yelped as the ship lurched again making hir ears lay back as shi heard the other's scrambling up the stairs. Waveburst was the first one on deck hir eyes looking over the horizon to see what the problem was.

As the rest of the demigods came onto the deck the ocean in front of them surged up over the rail of the ship, a wall of water just hovering there in front of them, but what worried them even more was that there was a man riding the wall of water, his skin was a light blueish green color, his hair long and a dark emerald green almost looking like seaweed, from the waist down was a glistening fish tail the scales shimmering in the early morning light, their color a light blueish gray. He had a long wicked looking bronze spear in one hand the other hand had a huge spartan style shield.

Waveburst growled as shi summoned hir trident from it's necklace form hir eyes narrowed as shi looked at the merman, around hir the other's were getting their weapons ready, starpelt already had hir bronze sword out hir eyes narrowed the wind rising as shi growled at the stranger, Brightsnow had a clay statue of a eagle in hir hand ready to throw it at the stranger, Shadowpelt took the die from hir chain and rolled it in hir palm before opening hir hand to reveal a black bladed battle scythe the blade seemed to scream when moved as if something inside the blade was in pain.

Waveburst stepped forward hir trident held in front of hir. "I am Waveburst, child of Poseidon who are you and why have you stopped us Merman?" Shi demanded

The Merman glowered down at the chakat demigods his expression one of disdain. When Waveburst spoke his face took on a look of loathing. "Do not presume to demand anything of me whelp, I am Glaucus one of the greatest mer heroes, I would not expect a pathetic demigod child of Poseidon to know me." He sneered. "Though if you had any form of decency you would know me and show me the respect your father never did."

Waveburst blinked, mostly because shi did know who he was. "Glaucus the fisherman who loved the sea so much that you jumped into the ocean and refused to leave it again even though you were drowning, the gods heard your prayer and turned you into a merman." Shi said blinking in confusion. "You trained with Triton under the Ichthyocentaurs. Why would you attack us?" Shi asked.

He seemed pleased that shi knew of him. "Yes you are correct, perhaps you have a brain in that skull of yours after all. However surely you realize why I am here, you do not deserve to wield that trident, it belongs to Triton it was made for him not for you" He said. "But now with my teachers gaining power thanks to our new master we will get the respect we deserve, and Poseidon will pay for his neglect of his most loyal subjects."

Waveburst growled at the implications both about hir and about hir dad."Dad doesn't ignore the merfolk, he spends more time down there on the ocean floor than he does visiting me. I hardly see him and yet you think he favors me over all of you? I know him he cares about all of his subjects and children it wasn't his fault that the Fates intervened in the matter of this trident, the gods can't command the Fates even the gods are bound by Fate." Shi said anger in hir voice.

Glaucus just sneered at hir and raised his sword."Enough of this let us see which of us the Fates favor more me or you and your fellow heroes!" With that the water carrying him surged towards the demigods on the boat. He was aiming his blade for Waveburst clearly but before he could reach the blue chakat a bolt of lightning blasted him right in his chest, thrown from the blade of Starpelt's sword, it stunned him knocking him to the deck the water washing back into the ocean. Glaucus growled under his breath as he straightened up his fish tail splitting into a pair of feet the feet covered in fish scales and fins waving out over his ankles.

Starpelt stepped forward hir stormy blue eyes glaring at Glaucus. "You will not stop us, your desire for attention from the gods proves that you can not do things for yourself, you yourself are a minor sea god. Yet you spurn their gifts? Who is this new master that you speak of and what do they want?" Shi asked growling.

Glaucus sneered as he raised his sword again."You won't live long enough to find the answer to that question godling. Because you won't be getting another sh..."He would have kept going with his babbling but a bolt of blue fire streamed from the hands of Aurora into his face, the fire should have burned him but it was cold fire it caused him pain but it didn't burn.

That was all it took for the other demigods, they started to attack, Brightsnow threw hir eagle statue into the air watching it grow into a life sized eagle and attack the merman while Waveburst summoned hir net and began to circle Glaucus while Starpelt circled the otherside. Shadowpelt did not move in to attack just yet letting the more experienced demigods fight first.

Starpelt slashed at Glaucus's left side while Waveburst lunged at his right the two of him trying to catch him off guard but he was no slouch he knew what he was doing he used his shield to block Starpelt's slash the sword clanging off of the shield, but Waveburst managed to maneuver hir trident past his guard the celestial bronze blades of the trident dug a small grove into the shoulder of the merman making him scream in anger as he also managed to score a scratch on hir shoulder as well.

Glaucus pulled back with a snarl hoping to regroup only to be attacked from above by the clay eagle that Brightsnow summoned earlier. The clay bird raked at his head with it's talon's but the merman summoned a wall of water from the sea to knock the clay bird aside, the clay cracking a bit from the force of the water. However this left him open to an attack from the front, Shadowpelt swung hir scythe in a practiced arc towards his exposed shoulder. He barely got his shield up in time to block the young demigod's attack hir scythe hitting his shield not with a metal clang but with a wail that sounded almost like tormented souls screaming out in pain. Glaucus seemed to glow blue for a moment the blue aura flowing into Shadow for a moment before the merman staggered back with a look of shock and revulsion on his face.

Shadow stared at him with cold eyes, only hir tail's twitching betrayed hir nervousness, yet shi did not back down from the glowering merman. "Scythe of souls, one strike begins to drain your life essence, not your soul mind you just your essence." Shi said with a growl. "Meaning a few swings of this will be enough to kill even an immortal like you." The scythe glowed blue for a moment, the wailing of the blade reaching a fever pitch before dieing down with the glow.

Glaucus was about to respond no doubt to say something witty and scathing to the young child of Hades but before he could speak a net was thrown over him, celestial bronze hooks digging into the flesh of the merman preventing him from effectively swinging his sword. He cursed in greek as he struggled trying to remove the hooks from his flesh so he could escape the net.

However his actions were in vain, Waveburst growled as shi pushed hir trident into the merman's back channeling the power of the trident into the merman's flesh water rushing through the merman's body hard, even though the merman's body was attuned to the sea the torrent that now swirled through him ripping apart muscle and sinew was too much ichor, the golden blood of the gods, ran from his mouth before he felt something vital snap inside of him and his body dissolved into a golden powder onto the deck mixing with the water from Wave's attack.

It took a moment for them to realize that the battle was over, they all relaxed breathing a sigh of relief Shadow's paws giving out as shi collapsed on the deck for a moment. Aurora and Brightsnow put hands on hir shoulder to steady hir but shi shook hir head."No it's okay I'm fine, using that scythe was draining." Was all shi said, as they looked seeing that the scythe was gone in it's place was the black die.

Wave sighed as shi too put away hir weapon looking down at the disappearing water on the deck, almost as if the water were being absorbed by the ship. Shi sighed and looked around at all of them. "Well we knew that this wasn't gonna be easy but I don't like the thoughts of some master pulling the strings behind this." Shi said looking out over the rail of the ship at the lapping waves.

Aurora walked over to Wave and then gasped as shi saw that there was a very nasty looking cut on Wave's shoulder. "Wave you should have told us you were hurt." Shi went downstairs and brought back a container of ambrosia squares and some bandages. Shi gave some of the squares to Wave who ate them sighing at the taste, it tasted like hir favorite italian pasta, chicken alfredo. Once hir wound was bandaged and the ambrosia gone Aurora smiled at Wave, "Next time duck Seaweed brain." Shi teased.

Waveburst giggled and smiled nodding."Sure thing glow 'kat." Shi smiled and looked at hir friends. "Well I guess we should get back to making our way towards Atlantis."

The next two days on the sea were quiet, the waves and winds pulling the ship towards the Mediterranean. The chakats were on edge expecting attacks the entire time, and tempers flared a few times, especially between Starpelt and Waveburst, knowing that children of Poseidon and Zeus often get touchy around each other the others did their best to smooth things over between the two demigods, Shadowpelt began to withdraw a bit more to hir cabin where shi could be alone, though often voices came from hir cabin. The others were growing worried about hir but when shi was out with the others shi seemed fine, even more cheerful.

The ship made good time despite some very strange storms that kept striking. They would form right over the ship but only last for a few minutes before they dissolved. Starpelt tried to find the source of the storms but could not. They were all beginning to feel the strain of the journey when they were told by Waveburst that they were coming up on the entrance to the Mediterranean sea. They all piled on deck to look upon the entrance to the ancient lands.

Shadowpelt looked at the island in front of them, the island that guarded the entrance to the mediterranean. There was supposed to be a guardian there to test all demigods who tried to enter the ancient lands....but instead they saw at least a dozen Hyperborean's waiting for them. The huge giants were staring at the ship with looks of rage on their monstrous faces. "I have a feeling...that this is a trap..." She said in a small voice....

To Be Continued.....