Chapter Five: Quests

To say that Saber was pissed off would be a massive understatement. Just as she had started getting used to living with the Cabin Eleven kids, her dead-beat god of a father threw a stone at her head. She had argued vehemently with Chiron for over two hours about moving her to Cabin Three: Poseidon Cabin. In the end, he won, the rules were rules, all that bullshit.

She refused to sit at cabin three's table at dinner, preferring to stay at her pillar next to cabin eleven. It had calmed her former cabin mates a little bit, though not by much. She kept cursing Poseidon. She had finally started feeling as normal as she could've being who she was, and the bastard had ruined that for her, just like he had ruined everything else in her life.

Nobody mentioned what had happened with the hellhound. She figured they were probably talking about it behind her back. The first person to try and talk to her about it had come along while she was busy demolishing the training arena in a fit of rage, all while cursing her father's name as she switched between Clarent, The Married Blades, several of her spears and plenty of her daggers. The attack had proven two things: that she was the Daughter of the Sea God, and that monsters would stop at nothing to get to her.

Of course, the CTF match had also proven that she was a decent battlefield commander, and a beast on the field of battle, seeing as once the team was under her command, they had taken Red Team apart with minimal injuries. That and she was a powerhouse, Clarent's Noble Phantasm making many avoid her in the training yard, once she'd calmed down a fair bit. Luke trained with her the most.

"I know you've got more experience than anyone here," he'd say as they crossed blades. "But you're going to need as much training as possible. Now let's do fifty more repetitions on that viper-beheading strike."

Saber wasn't afraid to admit she learned a thing or two from the demigod.

Annabeth still taught her Greek, but she was distracted. Every time Saber opened her mouth to ask her a question, the girl's stormy gray eyes would lock onto Saber's face and adopt a confused scowl, almost as though she wanted to be angry at her, but something was holding her back. The blonde would stalk off after the lessons muttering to herself.

"Quest…Poseidon…confusing… dirty rotten…got to make a plan."

Clarisse had kept her distance since the CTF match, though her venomous looks said she wanted payback. When Saber had headed to the forges to get some work in for the Hephaestus kids, she had overheard that Clarisse's electric spear had gotten destroyed in the ocean of crimson energy that Clarent had unleashed. So now the daughter of Ares was angry at her for that as well.

She had gone to bed the night before grumbling to herself about self-centered gods, sure that Poseidon had only claimed her to do his dirty work. No way in hell, you uptight prick, she grumbled as she fell asleep.

That night, she'd had one hell of a nightmare.

She was running along the beach in a storm. In the distance, a city was sprawled behind her. It wasn't New York, she didn't recognize any of the buildings. About a hundred yards down the surf, two men were fighting. They looked like those wrestlers she'd seen on TV a few times. They were muscular, with thick beards and long hair, both clad in Greek style tunics, one trimmed in blue, the other green. The grappled with one another, kicking and headbutting, every time they did, lightning split the sky with a roar of thunder as the skies grew darker and the wind rose with a howl.

She had to stop them. Not quite sure why, but she knew she had to. She kept trying to summon the chains she had obtained by beating that golden-haired, red-eyed bastard from Detroit to separate them, but her powers weren't working. She settled for trying to run to them, but the wind kept blowing harder and harder, until she was running in place even with her absurd strength. Over the roar of the storm, she heard Blue yelling at Green. Give it back! Give it back!

He sounded like a kindergartener fighting over a toy, which made her want to smack him upside the head.

The waves go bigger, crashing into the beach and spraying her with salt.

She yelled, Stop it! Stop fighting!

The ground shook as a laugh so deep and so evil it turned her blood to ice echoed from far beneath her.

Come little hero, the voice crooned, making her skin crawl. Come down!

The ground split beneath her feet, making a crevice that went straight to the darkest depths of the Underworld. She scrambled at the sand, but she couldn't get a grip. She fell, and darkness swallowed her.

Saber snapped up in bed, Bakuya and Kanshou in hand as she lashed out at nothing. She was drenched in sweat, plastering her thin nightshirt to her body. Outside, a storm was brewing. She sighed in relief as she realized she was still in cabin three, about as safe as she could get all things considered. The blades faded away as she pulled herself out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom. Turning on the light, she looked at herself in the mirror. She looked terrible. She was pale, her face gaunt. She looked almost like she did when she first started training to push herself past her physical limits. There was a knock on her door.

She stumbled to the cabin entrance and leaned against it. "Who is it?" she croaked.

"Who do you think it is, Seaweed Brain?" came the annoyed response. Annabeth?

Saber pulled open the door and looked at the Daughter of Athena. "What do you want?" Saber croaked again, she sounded terrible.

Annabeth frown. "Are you alright? You sound terrible," she asked.

Saber scowled. "No, really? I didn't notice." She shook her head. "Never mind me, what do you want?"

Annabeth watched her for a moment before speaking. "Mr. D wants to talk to you."

"Is it serious, or can I just ignore him and catch another hour or so of sleep?"

"Serious. So, no napping. And…" Annabeth's face turned red as she looked down. "You might want to change your clothes."

Saber looked down and blushed. She was standing in her doorway dressed in a sweat-drenched white shirt that was pressed to her skin, leaving little to the imagination. She snapped the door shut and moved to the bathroom, quickly rinsing off and switching in to her normal clothing. She reopened the door.

"Sorry about that." She said with a blush. "Bad dreams and all that.

Annabeth cleared her throat and nodded, her own face bright red. "Right, totally understandable. Come on."

As soon as Saber stepped out, she noticed the clouds. The entire week she'd been there, the few rain clouds she had seen had moved around the camp. She had assumed some form of magic. But this…it was beyond huge. It almost looked as though a Category 6 hurricane was brewing.

Everyone seemed to be going about their normal morning business, though Saber could feel the tension in the air. Soon enough, the two girls reached the Big House. Dionysus sat at the pinochle table in that stupid tiger-striped shirt of his with a Diet Coke in hand. Same as on her first day. Chiron sat in his fake wheelchair across from him. They seemed to be playing against wind spirits of some kind, since there were two sets of cards floating in the air.

"Well," said Mr. D without looking up from his cards. "If it isn't our little celebrity."

Saber sneered at him. Anyone who paid attention would notice she hated her old man, her desire to do nothing more than to sucker punch him into the next century.

"Come closer," said Mr. D. "And don't expect me to kowtow to you, mortal, just because old Barnacle-Beard is your father."

Lightning flashed in the clouds and a rumble of thunder shook the windows. Saber scoffed. "I'm not sure if you've been paying attention, but I hate Poseidon. I'd like to introduce him to a few of the weapons I have stored up. So, try not to break your brain by understanding that."

Dionysus scowled. "If I had my way, I'd cause your molecules to erupt into flames. We'd sweep the ashes under the porch and be done with this headache. But Chiron seems to feel this would be against my mission at the accursed camp: to keep you little brats safe from harm."

"Spontaneous combustion is a form of harm, Mr. D"

"Yeah not to mention you tried that already, remember. Didn't work so well for you. Now if you were Hecate, maybe it would've." She grinned as the god's scowl deepened. "You don't have a very good memory, do you?"

Chiron cleared his throat before the god could retort.

Dionysus sighed and grabbed a playing card from the table, before pinning Saber with a glare. "I'm off to an emergency meeting. If you're still here when I return, I'll turn you into an Atlantic bottlenose and send you back into your father." The playing card is turned into what looked like a credit card or something similar. The god snapped his fingers and faded away, leaving nothing but the smell of fresh grapes in the air.

Chiron gave a tired smile and motioned to the chairs next to him. "Please, sit."

Annabeth sat, Saber opted for leaning against the support beam. Chiron watched her for a moment before shaking his head.

Chiron laid his cards down with a sigh, a winning hand he hadn't gotten to use.

"Tell me, Saber," he said. "Exactly how long have you known you were the daughter of Poseidon?"

Saber scoffed. "I knew I was more than human since day one. I figured out I was Poseidon's kid about five years ago. Was hunting a pack of telekhines that had been snatching precious metals for some kind of project, I never did figure out what. I had tracked them to a cave system along the coastline and while I was using my power over the Ocean against them, the leader or elder or whatever called me 'the Spawn of the Sea God.' I got curious so I asked a friend what that was supposed to mean. She told me it meant the bastard who abandoned my mother and me to the monsters was the King of the Ocean. I remember my mom used to pray to him, begging him for help every time we had to go on the run again."

She shrugged. "Figured that Barnacle Beard's brothers wouldn't be too happy, so I laid low, doing a bit of bounty hunting, earning a crap-ton of money along the way. I was on a job when Child Services found me. Didn't want to kill them so I roughed them up a bit and let them take me in. Wasn't expecting them to put me in Yancy Academy. It wasn't so bad, if it hadn't been a school for punks like Nancy."

Chiron nodded slowly. "And that attack you used during Capture the Flag? What was that?"

Saber smirked. "It's called a Noble Phantasm; a powerful ability usually meant to destroy or protect whatever its aimed at. All the weapons in my arsenal that have a history behind them, have a Noble Phantasm. Clarent belonged to Mordred, Daughter of Arturia Pendragon: The King of Knights, better known as King Arthur."

Annabeth cut her off. "Hold on…Mordred and King Arthur were women!?"

Saber laughed. "Yeah, surprised me too when I found out. Every time I gain a new named weapon, I get its history, and the history of the person who wielded it. Plus, it turns out that I'm descended from the Pendragon line on my mom's side, which makes it easier for me to use Clarent and Excalibur. As it turns out, Arturia pretended to be a guy for most of her life, so everyone thought that was what she was. Mordred was always wearing heavy armor and was quite the tom-boy, so everyone just assumed that she was a 'he'."

Chiron nodded thoughtfully. "And how many weapons do you possess?"

Saber shrugged. "Not sure. Lost count at around twenty thousand. Weapons with a Noble Phantasm, currently only a couple hundred. Heck the bow I used is the one that Paris of Troy used to shoot Achilles in the heel. But every time I get a new one, that's another powerhouse in my arsenal. Problem is I haven't practiced as much with Noble Phantasm attacks, which is why Clarent Blood Arthur drained me so much. That's the only reason the hellhound was able to get to me."

Annabeth snapped. "So, you knew where you were supposed to go the entire time and didn't say anything? Why not?!"

Saber pinned the Daughter of Athena with a stormy, ocean-eyed glare. "Because I hate my father. Well, the gods in general, excluding a couple. He abandoned me and my mom to monsters." She snarled, making Annabeth flinch back. "Every night she would pray to him, begging him for help. Instead, he left her to be torn apart by monsters and let his daughter fight for her life day in and day out for seven years."

She scoffed. "And you people wonder why I never pay homage to the gods. The only ones I would ever respect is Hestia, Artemis and possibly Athena. I don't like Athena all that much for one massive reason, but I respect her. Artemis, I actually kinda sorta like. She's strong and treats her Hunters like family. And Hestia has to be the most mature and respectable of all the Olympians."

Chiron cleared his throat to get the conversation back on track. "Yes, well. It seems you're going to have to appease the very gods you hate." Saber's head snapped to him.

"Excuse me?" she asked incredulously, disgusted with the idea.

The ancient centaur nodded solemnly. "Yes, your quest. Now the details are a bit…confusing."

Saber frowned, thinking back to the weather and her dreams of the horse and eagle, then the one just a few minutes before about the men on the surf. Give it back…

"Zeus and Poseidon are fighting over something, aren't they?" Saber asked, fearing the answer. "Something belonging to Zeus was stolen, and he's blaming Poseidon."

Annabeth and Chiron exchanged surprised glances. "And how did you know that?" Chiron leaned forward.

Saber shrugged. "Uum…well the weather the past few months has been crazy, like the ocean and sky are at war with each other. Plus…a dryad friend of mine mentioned that Zeus was angry about something. Combined with the weird dreams I've been having, it's the only thing that makes sense. My guess is Zeus lost something important, and he thinks either Poseidon stole it, or I did for Poseidon…"

Chiron looked pleasantly surprised. "Full marks, Ms. Jackson. Yes, Zeus and Poseidon are having their worst quarrel in centuries. They are fighting over something very valuable that was stolen. To be precise: a lightning bolt."

Saber's blood ran cold. "You're shitting me…Zeus's Master Bolt is missing, isn't it?"

Chiron nodded, causing Saber to curse excessively in Latin. "Yes. Zeus's master bolt, the original weapon is missing. A two-meter-spear of high-grade celestial bronze, capped at both ends with god-level explosive. It is the symbol of his power, from which all his lightning bolts were patterned from. The original was used during the Titan War, it is the bolt that sheered the top of Mount Etna and hurled Kronos from his throne."

The blood drained from Saber's face. As much as she hated the gods, she was more than aware that their weapons were nothing to laugh at. The Master Bolt made hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers. And in the wrong hands…Saber's breath caught in her chest as she thought of something and her legs gave way. She slid to the floor. "The first place to be hit by the war…it'll be New York, won't it?"

Chiron and Annabeth frowned in confusion, but both nodded. Saber couldn't stop the sob from coming up. Kalie…

Her face twisted into a scowl, her fear turning to rage. I'm not losing anyone else. I won't do it for the gods, they can all go to Tartarus for all I care. I'm doing it for the civilians that'll be caught in the cross-fire.

She looked to the ancient centaur and pushed herself up, eyes blazing with determination. "I'm in. Just tell me where to go."

Chiron motioned with his hand for her to sit. "An explanation is in order first. Zeus believes that you are the one who stole his bolt –"

"He's insane. I've never been to Olympus. I mean, yeah I know where it is, but I try to avoid it as much as possible."

Chiron pinned her with a look that had her clamping her mouth shut. He continued. "during the winter solstice Zeus and Poseidon got into their usual back and forth trivial arguments. After the meeting, Zeus noticed that his master bolt was missing, taken from the throne right under his nose. He blamed Poseidon at once. He accused him of convincing a human hero to take it while they were all distracted. He just didn't know who. Now that Poseidon has claimed you as his daughter, he believes he has found his thief."

"Bullshit!" Saber snarled. "I'm a lot of things, I'll be the first to admit that, but one thing I'm not is a dishonorable Thief, let alone a pawn for my dead-beat god of a sperm-donor!"

Annabeth spoke up. "It doesn't matter to Zeus. He's been paranoid about his brother wanting to overthrow him for millennia, but now you come along after they made a sacred oath not to have anymore kids? That was the last straw."

"And that's somehow my fault? That justifies having monsters hunt me nonstop until I was strong enough to make them afraid of me?" Saber looked to the stormy skies, eyes burning with rage. "WELL FUCK YOU, ZEUS! I DIDN'T TAKE YOUR DAMNED BOLT, BUT I CAN GARUNTEE YOU, WHEN I FIND IT, I'LL SLAP YOU IN THE FACE WITH IT YOU TWO-BIT COWARDLY BASTARD!"

Lightning split the sky, but didn't strike. Breathing hard, she looked to Chiron and Annabeth to see them staring at her in horror. "Don't look at me like that," she snarled, making them jump. "That bastard wants to blame a kid just because she's connected to his ass of a brother, that makes him a damned coward. I'll find that damned bolt, then I'm going to shove it so far up Zeus's ass, he'll be tasting lighting for the next century."

Chiron sighed. "Well, that's certainly one way to put it. But yes, what better peace offering than the daughter of Poseidon returning Zeus's property."

"I'm not Poseidon's daughter. He lost the right to call me that when he left us to die." Saber snarled. She stood and pinned Chiron with a look. "Just tell me what to do. But know this: I'm not fighting for the gods. I'm fighting to protect all the civilians who'd suffer if there was a war. End of story, goodbye, the end."

Annabeth Chase

Annabeth watched the black-haired Knight as she stalked up to the attic to meet with the Oracle. She had been mostly silent while the girl had raged at Zeus over his paranoia, not knowing what she could've possibly said to calm her. Just standing near her had been difficult, the power flowing off the girl in corrosive waves of emotion. It almost felt as though she had been pushing her way through a hurricane of rage and hate, every wave of fury trying to drive her insane. She turned to Chiron, her teacher looking very tired as he too stared after the girl.

Without looking at her, he spoke. "My dear, I want you to go with her on her quest."

Annabeth froze, her heart rising. "What? You mean it?

Chiron nodded. "Yes. She will need someone to guide her. No doubt she knows a thing or two that will help you find the bolt, but you will need to make sure she doesn't turn against the gods any more than she already has. With her power, she would make a dangerous enemy to have, and I fear that there is more at work than even the gods can see."

He turned to her, eyes filled with exhaustion. "She needs to find her place in the world around her, but she is so set against the gods that she won't let herself become part of it. I can agree wholeheartedly that the Olympians can be self-centered, paranoid and prideful. But too much is at stake for her to turn her wrath toward the gods."

Chiron sighed. "I've only heard rumors of a warrior dressed in silver armor, wielding such a powerful blade. One of the few things that was always the same about the rumors, was her hatred for the gods. Now it seems that those rumors are true, but we have a chance to change the narrative. You and whoever else she chooses to go with her will need to keep her on the right path."

Annabeth nodded, her stormy eyes looing toward the ceiling. Saber should be done by now…I just hope I can do what Chiron asks.

Sera Jackson (Saber)

You shall go west, and face the god who has turned.

You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely retuned.

You shall be betrayed by the won who calls you a friend

You shall fail to save what matters most, in the end

The lines had been delivered by a mummy using illusions of familiar figures to convey her message. A man in purple robes with a seven-foot long katana, a giant with dark skin wearing a Greek war kilt and carrying a massive bone sword-axe weapon, a woman dressed in black robes with a crooked dagger in her hand, and that red eyed, golden haired bastard from Detroit, in that order.

When she had headed up to the attic to talk to the Oracle, she most definitely was not expecting a mummy. A book or scroll, maybe. Talking dead body? Nope, didn't see that one coming. Sure, she'd fought draugr before just outside Boston, but none of them had talked, just swung their ancient weapons at her pathetically before she had cut them in half.

Face the god who has turned? Betrayed by someone I call friend? Thought Saber as she descended the stairs. What god turned from what? The rest of the gods? Who will betray me, and how will they do it? I fucking hate prophecies. She grumbled. The only line that had really mattered to her was the last line, spoken by that bastard from Detroit. You shall fail to save what matters most, in the end…what am I going to fail to save? Mom? Kalie? They're what matters most to me, not mentioning the fact that mom has been dead for seven years. Saber groaned as she rubbed her face, she hated prophecies. They were confusing and frankly made her a bit paranoid every time she heard one, because every single one spoken to her mentioned a betrayal, and failing to save something important. Though at least that curly haired woman with the big black cat from Michigan tried to make light of the prophecy she had given her.

Saber shook her head as she returned to Chiron and Annabeth.

"Well?" he asked.

Saber sighed and told him what the Oracle had said, leaving out the illusions of the ancient warriors...or how she knew them.

She was shaken from her thoughts as Chiron spoke up. "Alright, Saber. The first thing you must know is that the Oracle's words often have double meaning, so dwelling on them will do nothing more then confuse and anger you. I understand that anger is a weapon you use often, but this isn't the time for that."

She scoffed. "Clarent's Noble Phantasm is fueled by my rage and hate. And I got plenty to go around. So most that'll happen is it'll make me stronger."

Chiron shook his head in exasperation even as Annabeth frowned at the Knight. From where Saber was standing, she seemed to be both excited and conflicted about something. She shrugged internally. She'd figure it out later, once they were on the road.

Chiron spoke up again. "Now, this line about the god in the West. If Zeus and Poseidon were to weaken each other in a war, who would stand to gain from such a conflict?"

Saber frowned. "Any number of gods could. Ares would grow stronger from the war, Hades might want to expand his kingdom, though I doubt it. It might not even be a god. Are there any Titans in the West?" she mused.

Chiron shook his head. "No, there are not. Hades is the only logical possibility. A Fury attacked you at Yancy Academy and a hellhound managed to enter the camp in order to attack you here, where you should be safest from those who would hunt Half-Bloods. Hades must have a spy here who summoned the hound from the Fields of Punishment. He must suspect that Poseidon would try to use you in order to clear his name of Zeus's accusations." The centaur ignored Saber's growl of disgust as he mentioned Poseidon using her.

"The Lord of the Dead will have hidden the bolt in the Underworld, where none of the gods may enter without permission from Hades himself. It's there where you will find the Master Bolt."

Saber was skeptical. She'd done a few jobs for the Lord of the Dead in the past, bounties on escaped souls and rogue servants, all of them paying very well in both drachma and jewels. He wasn't an overly ambitious god, even if he was a bit arrogant. Maybe he was being used by something older and much more powerful…or maybe they were barking up the wrong tree. At the moment, they didn't have a choice. All the evidence; circumstantial or otherwise; pointed to Hades, so that's where they were going.

She sighed in resignation, suddenly feeling drained. She hated the intricate games of the immortals. At least the monsters were straightforward about their goals. Most just wanted to kill you, while others just wanted to be left alone. She had a few contacts who might be able to help them.

"Well, I'll need to make a few stops before we hop on a plane and—" she was cut off by Annabeth and Chiron both crying out.

"NO!" they shouted at the same time, earning a raised eyebrow from the Knight.

"Are you insane?" Annabeth asked. "Have you ever been on a plane in your life?"

Saber nodded. "Yeah a bunch of times. It's not my favorite way to travel, but it certainly helps to get from one place to the next quickly."

Chiron spoke. "Think, Saber. You are the Daughter of the Sea God. Your father's bitterest rival is the Lord of the Sky. You would be in His domain. You would never come down again alive."

Saber gaped. "What? So just because Mr. Barnacle Beard claimed me, suddenly I can't just hop on a plane and get to California?"

Both Annabeth and Chiron shook their heads. Saber's head met the table she was sitting at. She slammed her skull into the wood repeatedly, cursing all the while. By the time she was done, there was a massive bruise on her forehead. "I fucking hate the gods." She grumbled, earning a concerned look from both the Centaur and Half-Blood across from her. She sighed in resignation. "Fine. I'll travel overland then. I swear to God, if Zeus or any of those other immortal bastards show up to try and screw with my mission, I might just kill them. Consequences be damned."

She looked up to Chiron. "I take it I need a third member of my party?" At the centaur's nod, she sighed, turning her head to make it seem as though she wasn't interested, when she was in fact watching the two in her peripherals. "Well, might as well have somebody I can trust. I'll take Grover along. Who knows, maybe he'll learn to be less of a coward along the way," she said nonchalantly, watching Annabeth out of the corner of her eye. The blonde's face twisted into an angry snarl the instant the word 'coward' left her mouth. She continued. "But I suppose a coward's better than that idiot of a loose-cannon, Clarisse. Or the wimpy looking healer Lee Fletcher. And at least I know Grover pretty well, unlike those other two…" she shrugged in disinterest as she stood from her chair. Before she could leave the table, Annabeth shot to her feet.

"How dare you talk about Grover like that!?" she nearly screamed, fury lacing every word. "So, what if he's not the bravest person around nor the strongest, he's twice the person you could ever be! If not for him, I'd be dead, just like –" she cut herself off, breathing heavily in rage

Saber smiled to herself and turned toward the fuming blond. "Oh, I know he's a much better person than I am. After all, I'm just a mercenary with a bone to pick with the gods. I just wanted to see how you'd react. So, you're one of the two Half-Bloods that was with Thalia,"

Annabeth's angry snarl was swiftly replaced by a shocked expression that made Saber chuckle. "What? I'm a mercenary. Part of the job is paying attention to your surroundings. I've picked up bits and pieces while I've been here. You've been here for seven years. Grover was the one to bring you, along with two other half-bloods, one of whom didn't make it. Thalia died seven years ago, sacrificing herself to save her two friends and the satyr sent to guide them to safety. You being one of the two who survived makes sense."

She shrugged at Annabeth's shocked expression. "My question is: how do you keep fighting for the gods after they allowed your friend to be killed because her ass of a father and his brothers made an oath they couldn't keep?" Her sea-green eyes locked onto Annabeth's stormy gray ones, searching them for an response even as the blond gaped like a fish out of water as she grasped for an answer. Saber shook her head. "You sit on that one. I'm going to go get Grover. I suggest getting some more sleep. We leave as soon the sun is up."

With that, the black-haired Knight exited the Big House, heading to where Grover slept.

The next morning, Saber stood at the top of Half-Blood Hill. She was dressed in a black baseball cap, dark blue jeans with a red leather jacket over a dark red tank top, Clarent strapped to her back with her duffel bag over her shoulder. Her hand was pressed to Thalia's tree as she waited for Annabeth and Grover to join her. Ever since she had heard what had happened to the Daughter of Zeus, every time she got close to the tree, her blood boiled even as her heart broke. The girl had died defending her friends, just as her mother hand died defending her. All because the Big Three had made an oath they couldn't keep.

Saber sighed as she leaned her forehead against the cool bark of the tree. Don't worry, Thalia, she thought. I'll make sure Annabeth comes home safely, even if I have to die to make it so. I swear it on the River Styx. She heard the rumble of thunder as the oath was sealed. She pulled back, praying that the fallen Hero had heard her. Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard Chiron's hoof steps approaching along with three others. Turning away from the tree, she spotted the centaur walking toward her with Grover, Annabeth and surprisingly, Luke in tow.

Annabeth was wearing a pair of khaki shorts, a pair of running shoes and her bright orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt. Saber sneered at the shirt. She'd have the girl change shirts later. The girl had her curly blond hair tied into a ponytail, her bangs framing her face. The girl's magic baseball cap; which she had explained was a gift from her mother for her twelfth birthday; was tucked into her back pocket. She was carrying a book on famous classical architecture, written in Ancient Greek, for when she got bored on the trip. Her long bronze dagger, which Saber had accidentally stored up in her UBW, was strapped to her arm under her shirt sleeve. And she was blushing, her eyes flitting to Luke before quickly shooting away to look at anything else.

Grover was dressed in slightly more inconspicuous attire, her tiny horns covered by his favorite green Rasta-style cap, a black Nickelback t-shirt over long pants, his hooves covered by fake feet with his crutches to cover his odd gait. The only issue she had was the kill-me orange backpack, which no doubt had their food and other such supplies contained within. She'd have to buy him a new backpack while they were in New York.

Luke was dressed as he normally was, orange t-shirt and khaki pants over work boots. His Greek xiphos was strapped to his waist. Oddly enough, he was carrying a pair of running shoes. He approached her and smiled in a friendly way.

"Hey," he said as the small group joined her on the hill. "Just wanted to say good luck. I thought you might…um maybe you could use these." He held out the sneakers. They looked normal enough.

"Maia!" he commanded sharply. Saber's eyes widened in awe as white bird wings sprouted out of the heels, fluttering slightly in the light breeze.

"No way!" she exclaimed, snatching the winged-shoes away from the Son of Hermes. "These are genuine flying shoes created by Hermes himself! I've never even seen a set before, much less held them!"

Luke rubbed his neck sheepishly at the girl's slight nerdgasm as she turned the shoes over in her hands. "Those served me pretty well when I was on my quest. Y'know, before you stole our thunder. Gift from Dad. Of course, I don't use them much these days…" his expression turned sad.

Saber snapped out of her nerd moment and frowned. Luke barely knew her, yet here he was giving her a magic item after coming to wish her good luck on the idiotic quest she had to go on.

If she had been anyone else, she would've blushed as hard as Annabeth was. She cleared her throat.

"Hey," she said. "Thanks Luke."

"Listen, Saber…" he looked uncomfortable. "A lot of hopes are riding on you. So just…kill some monsters for me, okay?"

Saber gave a wide grin as they shook hands. "Not a problem. Just keep things calm around here till we get back."

He grinned in return and nodded. "I'll do my best."

Luke patted Grover right between his horns, then gave Annabeth a good-bye hug, who looked ready to pass out then and there.

After Luke was gone, Saber turned to Annabeth with a smug grin. "You're hyperventilating."

"Am not."

"You let him capture the flag instead of you, didn't you?" Saber's eyes twinkled with mirth.

"Oh… why do I want to go anywhere with you?" Annabeth snapped before down the opposite side of the hill, where Argus, the head of security with one hundred eyes covering his body, was waiting with a white van.

"I don't know, my dashing good looks?" Saber called down to the blond, causing the girl to scoff even as Grover slapped his hands over his mouth to keep from laughing.

Saber shook her head in amusement even as Chiron cleared his throat, drawing Saber's attention to him. "Luke meant well…but I do not believe that taking to the air would be wise…"

Saber's face twisted into a snarl. "Yeah? Well Zeus can put a sock in it. We're going to find his fucking lightning bolt. Best he doesn't kill us until AFTER we've brought it back to that paranoid jackass."

Lightning split the sky, thunder shaking the earth. Saber looked to the stormy clouds. "Oh, Fuck you! You want your damned bolt back, you just gonna have to let me do my job!" she turned to a shocked Chiron. "And by the way, I will be requiring payment after this job is done. I never do anything for free."

Chiron watched the black-haired girl for several quiet moments before he sighed and reached into one of his many satchels. "Your issues with the gods aside, there is something I need to give you before you go."

He pulled out what appeared to be a gleaming bronze click pen. He handed it her in an almost reverent fashion.

She stared at the pen for a moment before looking at the centaur as though he was crazy. "A pen… you want to give me a pen?" She looked back at the pen for a moment. "Gee. Thanks"

"This is a gift from your father. I've kept it for years, not knowing you were who I was waiting for, nor where you even were. But the prophecy is clear to me now. You are the one."

Saber took the pen from the centaur and frowned as a mix of disgust and confusion running threw her. On the one hand, she wanted nothing to do with Poseidon. On the other…this was the first thing he had ever given her that wasn't meant to kill her. Ever. On a whim, she clicked the pen. In a split second, it went from a pen to a shimmering short-sword with a segmented bronze blade. The grip was covered with a soft leather. The crossguard was emblazoned with a trident.

With the ever-aggravating spike of pain lancing through her head, she felt the history of the blade flash through her mind as the blade inserted itself into her Unlimited Blade Works. From its creation by the Cyclops' under the sea on Poseidon's orders, to the Hesperides Zoë Nightshade, daughter of the Titan Atlas, owning it up to the day she gave it to Hercules and he carried it for a generous amount of time before he switched for a massive bone sword to better fit his massive frame. Through the many wars of the world, from being wielded by Kassandra, grand-daughter of the Spartan king, Leonidas, to being used in WW2 by a son of Poseidon name Christopher Mensk.

With a gasp, the flood of information stopped, causing her to drop the blade as she stumbled back, her back hitting Thalia's tree as she gasped for breath. Anklusmos. Riptide. That was the blade's name. And what a tragic history it possessed. She ignored Chiron's questions of her wellbeing as she pushed herself to her feet, wiping her eyes clear of the tears that had gathered in her eyes. She picked up the blade from the grass where it lay and pressed the trident on the crossguard, causing the blade to shrink back down into a pen, before she put it in her back pocket and walked down the hill, pulling her baseball cap down over her eyes to avoid looking at Grover or Annabeth. She didn't say goodbye.

Argus drove them out of the countryside and into western Long Island. It felt a bit odd to be on the highway again with Annabeth and Grover sitting on either side of her as though they were on a field trip rather than a potentially suicidal quest to keep the idiotic gods from destroying everything she cared about. After the twelfth Burger Kind, Saber spoke up.

"So far so good," she told Annabeth. "Ten miles and not a monster in sight."

The blond gave Saber an irritated look. "It's bad luck to talk that way, seaweed brain."

Saber scoffed. "Says you. In my line of work, anytime you're not getting bombarded by monsters ever five feet is a good day." Saber narrowed her sea-green eyes at Annabeth. "So…you mind telling me why you seem to hate me so much?"

"I don't hate you."

"Could've fooled me."

The blond folded up her cap in her lap. "Look…we're just not supposed to get along, okay? Our parents are rivals."

"Who cares?" Saber snapped, causing Annabeth to jump in her seat. "We are not our parents. We want to be friends, then we'll be friends."

Annabeth shook her head. "It's not that simple. Poseidon has disrespected Athena time and time again. Hell, he took his girlfriend into her temple at Athens and –"

Saber cut her off, eyes glowing with rage. "Wrong. Poseidon raped a young woman in Athena's temple simply because he was lusting after her. Athena didn't care. She cursed the poor girl like it was her fault that happened to her, forcing her to suffer isolation and hatred because of something beyond her control."

Annabeth stared at her in shock. Grover and Argus were watching the exchange with wide eyes.

Saber ignored the Satyr and hundred eyed man. "What? You actually believed that bullshit version of history. The gods always adjust the details of their crimes to make it seem like they were justified in their actions. And you people wonder why I hate the gods. I've actually met Medusa, by the way. She runs a candy shop just outside the New Jersey. Nice lady, though lonely since she can't look anyone in the eye without turning them to stone. At least, not without those glasses of hers." She smirked at Annabeth's gaping expression.

"Not all monsters want to destroy everything. Medusa just wants her curse to end so she can actually interact with people." Saber smiled lightly as she leaned her head against the seat. "Makes terrible jokes, but her cookies are awesome."

She didn't say another word as they entered the city, even as Grover and Annabeth poked and prodded her for more answers. She insisted they stop at Central Park before they headed to the Bus Station, leaving no room for argument. Annabeth looked rather cross with her, but a single heated glare had her backing down as they entered the park. Within a few minutes, she spotted Kalie, her bright green pixie cut bobbing amongst the trees. The dryad spotted her as well and immediately bolted over. Saber caught her as the tree spirit leapt at her, hugging her tight as the dryad cried into her shoulder.

"When I didn't hear from you… I was afraid you were dead." Kalie whimpered into her shoulder. Saber kissed her temple and pulled her close.

"Oh, come on, you know me. I'm too stubborn to die." Saber said with a small smile as Kalie gave a tear choked chuckle, shaking her green-haired head as she did.

"Please don't do that again." She whimpered.

Saber stiffened and sighed, leading the dryad to a nearby bench. "Unfortunately, there's something I need to tell you. And I don't think you're going to like it."

She began to explain everything that had happened, from the Minotaur attack to Poseidon claiming her and the upcoming war between Zeus and Poseidon. Annabeth and Grover stood nearby, looking rather uncomfortable with the situation. By the time she got done, Kalie looked furious. Her leaf-green eyes snapped to the Daughter of Athena and she stomped over to the blond. Before Annabeth could say anything, the dryad slapped her across the face. Hard.

"If Sera dies because of you and your pathetic gods, I swear on the River Styx that you will pay with your life." She snarled at the stunned demigod. "I don't care about what you have to say. All the gods have ever done for that girl is cause her pain and suffering. If she pays with her life because she got sucked into your war due to paranoia and greed, you and every other person involved will pay."

Saber stared at her adopted sister in shock. The dryad continued. "Sera is the only family I've got. You'd better make sure she comes home safe."

Annabeth nodded numbly, rubbing her red cheek as she did. Kalie's eyes snapped to Grover, who flinched something fierce as she did. She stared the satyr for a moment before she turned and walked back to Saber. The black-haired girl blinked as the dryad pulled her into a tight hug.

"Promise me you'll come back safely?" Kalie said in her ear.

Saber nodded. "I promise. I'll make sure to give Old Barnacle Beard a piece of your mind along the way."

Kalie pulled back and nodded even as tear pricked her eyes. "Good. Now, go save the world."

Argus dropped them at the Greyhound Station on the Upper East side. Before he bought their tickets, Saber dragged Annabeth and Grover into the store next to the station to buy a slightly larger, dark blue backpack for Grover and a simple gray t-shirt with the Eiffel Tower on it for Annabeth, telling them that their current bag and shirt would draw in monsters who wanted easy kills. Any other day, she would've welcomed the battle. But since they were on a time table, she didn't have the patience.

While waiting for the bus, they started playing Hacky Sack with one of the apples in Grover's pack. Annabeth was awesome, bouncing the apple of her knees, elbows, chest, whatever. Saber wasn't too bad herself, but she made the mistake of bouncing the apple toward Grover's head. With one massive bite, the apple was gone - core and all. He tried to apologize, but neither of his female companions heard him, since both were too busy laughing to hear him.

Finally, the bus arrived. As they stood in line to board, Grover started sniffing the air. Thinking he was smelling food, she took a sniff as well and nearly gagged. The air was suddenly ripe with the smell of rotting flesh.

"Somethings coming." She said quietly as they boarded.

"What is?" Annabeth asked, her storm gray eyes narrowing.

"Not sure, but whatever it is, it's not alone."

They took seats at the back of the bus, stowing their bags just above them. Annabeth kept slapping her cap on her leg nervously. Saber felt the same way. She could tell something was about to happen, but she didn't know what. She hated that.

As the last of the passengers boarded the bus, Annabeth's hand clamped onto Saber's thigh. "Sera." She said, the fear in her voice shutting down any reprimand Saber might've given for the girl using her birth name. Saber looked toward the front of the bus

An old lady had just boarded the bus. She was wearing a crumpled velvet dress, lace gloves, and a shapeless orange-knit hat that shadowed her face, and she was carrying a big paisley purse. As she tiled her head up, her black eyes glittered, and Saber's heart skipped a beat.

It was 'Mrs. Dodds'. Older, more withered, but definitely the same cruel face. Saber cursed under her breath as two more old ladies boarded just behind Dodds, one with a green hat, the other with a purple hat. They looked just like Dodds – same gnarled hands, paisley handbags, wrinkled velvet dresses. All three of the Furies had arrived.

They sat in the front row, just behind the driver. Their legs were crossed over the walkway, making an X. To anyone who didn't deal with getting attacked on a daily basis, it would've been casual. However, to Saber, Annabeth and Grover, the message was clear enough: No one leaves.

The bus pulled out of the station, and they headed through the slick streets of Manhattan.

"She didn't stay dead very long," Saber grumbled. I can't summon Clarent on the bus, not enough room. Bakuya and Kanshou could work, but I'd have to be careful not to harm the civilians. Ugh, why'd she and her sisters have to show up HERE and NOW of all places?! This won't be an easy fight. Not when they know what I'm capable of. I had the element of surprise last time, I don't have that now. That and there was only one. Though in here, they don't have air superiority, so I might be able to kill them without too much trouble. And that's not even taking Annabeth and Grover into account.

"All three of them?" Grover whimpered. "Di immortals!"

"It's okay," Annabeth said, obviously doing the same as Saber and trying to think her way out. "The Furies. The three worst monsters from the Underworld. No problem. No problem. We'll just slip out the windows."

"They don't open," Grover moaned.

"A back exit?" the blond suggested.

"There isn't one," said Saber with a grimace. Even if there was, it wouldn't help all that much. They were on Ninth Avenue, about to enter the Lincoln Tunnel.

"They won't attack with witnesses around." Grover said weakly, even as Saber shook her head in exasperation.

Annabeth shook her head. "Mortals don't have good eyes. Their brains only process what they see through the Mist."

Saber shook her head in return. "Not if the Mist is shredded from my Summoning."

Annabeth furrowed her brow. "What?"

"When I summon powerful named weapons like Clarent or Arondight, the Mist gets shredded to bits. Let's mortals see what they normally wouldn't until it repairs itself. So instead of seeing three old ladies trying to kill us with handbags, they'll see three demons trying to rip us to shreds with razor talons." Saber explained quickly. "But I'm not sure I can beat all three at once. Last time I face a Fury, there was only one and I caught her by surprise. Now there are three and they have a pretty good grasp of what I can do. I might have a bit of an advantage since we're on a bus rather than somewhere they could fly, but…"

She didn't need to finish. It was possible she could die in a fight against all three Furies, as with any other fight with Big-League Monsters. She had gotten lucky last time and had caught Dodds off guard. Not so much this time.

The bus hit the Lincoln Tunnel. The bus went darker than night until the lights in the aisle lit up. Without the sound of the rain, it was eerily quiet.

Dodds got up and said in a flat voice, "I need to use the restroom."

"So do I," said her sister.

"So do I," said her other sister.

They started down the aisle, black eyes gleaming with malice as they locked eyes with Saber.

"I've got it," Annabeth said. "Sera, take my hat."

"What?" Saber recoiled at the thought. She had an idea of where this was going.

"You're the one they want. Turn invisible and head up the aisle. Try to get past them. Maybe you can get to the front and get out of here!" said the blond in a harsh whisper.

Saber shook her head. "No way in Hell. I'm not leaving you two just to survive. We stick together. End of discussion. They want me, they'll have to fight for me."

Annabeth opened her mouth to argue, but caught the look in Saber's sea-green eyes. Determination, a desire to protect, a burning rage that felt almost like a raging wild fire. There would be no convincing Saber to abandon them. The blond sighed and nodded.

Saber turned to the Furies and gave a feral grin as they seemed to look between themselves. Once they got within five feet of the two demigods and satyr, they began to change. Their faces stayed the same but the rest of their bodies swiftly became the hag bodies of the Furies. Their handbags became fiery whips. They threw back their heads and gave identical hideous wails as their raised their whips even as Saber surged from her seat, blue motes of light coalescing into the Married Blades, Bakuya and Kanshou. She felt the familiar ripple of the Mist tearing in response to the weapons entering the world.

The passengers screamed in fear as their mortal eyes locked onto the demons as their fiery whips lashed out at the black-haired girl with the black-white blades. They quickly surged out of their seats and headed to the front of the bus as Saber engaged the Furies, sliding under them to put herself between the passengers and the demon ladies. Grover was pelting the Furies with tin cans while Annabeth moved inside the range of the whips to get in close with her dagger. Saber went up against 'Mrs. Dodds', her twin falchions trying to get to the demon. She ducked and dodged, avoiding the whip at all costs. Her tactic pushed her back toward the passengers, all of whom were shaking in terror as they watched a thirteen-year-old go up against a demon with a flaming whip. The bus driver was having a panic attack, the bus sliding in and out of traffic before heading down one of New Jersey's rural roads. The man must've hit the emergency brake because the bus wailed and spun hard, throwing Saber off balance as the bus slid to a stop against some trees.

Disaster struck as the whip lashed under her arms and struck Saber in the chest, flinging her back even as she felt her connection to her Unlimited Blade Works fall away. She gasped as her blades shattered and disintegrated, the Married Blades returning to her UBW even as her concentration was shattered. She winced and pushed herself to her feet, glaring at the grinning hag as her chest pulsed with pain. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the passengers staring in unadulterated fear as they watched her. There were three children; two girls and a boy, all no older than six; watching as well, though they didn't look as afraid as the others, but rather enchanted by the girl-warrior before them.

Saber stared for a moment before she scowled in defiance and turned back to the Fury, trying to call up her blades again.

Bad idea.

She screamed as red-hot pain lanced through her body and she fell to her knees. It felt just like it did when she had tried summoning Arondight all those years ago. Somehow, the Fury had cut her off from her massive arsenal of weapons. She growled as the Fury cackled.

"Seraphina Jackson. You have offended the gods. You shall die."

Saber snarled. She still had one weapon left. Reaching into her back pocket, she pulled out the pen and clicked it, letting Riptide spring to its full length as she pushed herself to her feet. She vaguely noticed that the blade was perfectly balanced and fit her hand perfectly. A weapon forged for the Child of the Sea God, she though numbly as she raised the blade.

"I'm not dying just yet, you ugly ass bitch," she snarled, her words coming out as a rumbling growl. The Fury hesitated at the sight of the blade. She didn't seem to like the weapon.

"Submit now, and you will not suffer eternal torment," Dodds snarled.

"Like I'd fall for that. You're Furies. Hades' chief tormentors. It's your favorite pastime" Saber said as she moved her free hand behind her back and motioned for the passengers to get out of the bus. She felt them moving as she surged forward, lunging at the Fury with a flurry of attacks, putting the demon on her back foot until she collided with her sisters.

Something in the back of her mind snapped like a bow string and on a whim, Saber brushed her thumb against the trident on the crossguard and nearly cheered as the sigil glowed the color of the sea. She twirled the blade and grinned as it came to rest in her hand as a seven-foot-long trident of shimmering ocean blue metal. The Fury gaped as Saber spun the blue trident in her hand and stabbed her through the throat, pulling her off the ground and pinning her to the side of the bus as she melted into bronze dust. Her sisters screamed in fury as they watched their sister fall. Saber yanked Trident-Riptide out of the wall and reached for the water outside the bus. With a clenched fist and the familiar pull in her gut, she sent a cannonball of solid water punching through the side of the bus and through the second Fury's stomach, before she turned the ball to a razor-sharp whip and tore the other in half with an ear-piercing wail of pain.

As they turned to dust, Saber fell to her knees, using the shaft of Trident-Riptide to keep herself from falling flat. Having her UBW cut off like that had been so sudden, she had put more power into the water than she had meant to. Annabeth rushed to her side even as Grover grabbed their bags from the overhead compartment. Pulling her to her feet, Annabeth led her out of the bus as the air became charged with electricity. They had barely moved a few meters before lightning stuck. On instinct, Saber raised a shield of water to absorb the blast. Of course, that weakened her further. The resulting explosion from the lightning igniting the gas in the bus tossed them several dozen meters, sending them flying into the trees. The last thing Saber saw was a tree branch rushing toward her face.

*Peeks head around the corner.* Hello? *Yelps as readers throw books and chairs at head*

So sorry for taking so long to update. My brain has been stuck on this chapter for forever and three months. I am attempting to increase the speed of my typing, however due to my brain working in hyperdrive, I tend to start new stories before I finish the one i'm currently working on, so don't be surprised if in the coming days, you see more stories pop up before chapters.

As always, thank you for reading, i hope you enjoyed. Reviews galore please!