章節 109: DA : Chapter 109: Legends Revealed I
Later That Evening
"Are we descending soon?"
Annabeth took her eyes of the darkening horizons as she glanced to address Artemis, the goddess keeping her gaze due north.
"Mother said it would be best to land as soon as possible," she agreed as she looked to the same direction as Artemis.
With every mile they moved and the closer they got she could literally feel the pulse of power emanating from the north. Like a massive heart beating a steady rhythm that almost felt like the impending war drum to the young goddess' ear.
Both goddesses remained silent from there on as the approached a large forest clearing with the view of several splotches of lakes beneath.
"Superior National Forest," Artemis commented with a hint of approval in her voice.
"Visit frequently?" Annabeth asked as she looked across to the two other ships.
"Game is low but monsters seem to be plentiful in the area on occasion. Mostly a few fraction packs left by Lycaon to manage the territory, sometimes a cyclops or two, and a few run-ins with the Namean Lion. We shouldn't have any worries though, no monster is dumb enough to attack with so many gods nearby."
As to prove her point she tilted her head around them and Annabeth had to agree. Floating to their sides and above where the chariots of the minor gods and such fighting with them.
Though they didn't seem as tense as before with their departure many still kept eyes peeled to their surroundings as the light began to fall with Apollo's chariot. Already the overhead sky was a dark crimson and slowly pushing into the realms of purple as night was setting in.
She glanced across the deck to see some demigod sentries moving about, some huddled around the railings or simply on deck to avoid getting stir-crazy. Several hundred ADHD demigods in one relatively snug space with little to do at the moment tended to increase agitation but the open spaces of the decks worked well for that.
There had even been some spars and such to the function of entertainment and keeping everyone in decently high spirits. Lunch in the skies had been interesting with the demigods having gotten used to dinning with the gods in recent weeks.
It brought a small sense of nostalgia to Annabeth. Over the last decade most of her social meals had been limited to her temple of residence with her husband, visiting mother, or on occasion meetings with Leo and Calypso whenever they visited the mountain.
Over the last few weeks she'd actually gotten to know all the newest additions to her mother's cabin during the decade she was gone and she managed to reconnect with several of her siblings. It also made her a little sad with the slightest hint of guilt for not visiting the camp more often but she resolved to do that when this was all said and over.
But then that brought her to the present and the admittedly daunting task ahead. They were going to war with apparent demons of some sort, as incredulous as she initially was, and without any form of guidance.
Never before had she truly realized how dependent they had grown on prophecies to even try to decipher what to do. Any and all attempts at communications with the Fates had been met with failure and neither Apollo nor Rachel had been able to get anything cohesive whatsoever.
That lead to some private thoughts on the possibility that the Fates may have been cut off and captured or had simply left Olympus to its-pun not intended-fate.
The question is which option was more terrifying? It also left it in a somewhat novel experience, trying to create genuine plans of their own, without any set factors to consider and such. Of course, that still lead the dilemma of what exactly were they facing or how could they defeat them?
Every time she wondered on the subject she was pulled back to the image presented when Artemis was recovered. The view of Umbra, his icy blue eyes within the writhing black flames and face hidden in darkness set all kinds of alarms off in her head. But there was also something … more.
Like a very vague sense of familiarity within or around Umbra that she simply could not place. She couldn't recall anyone that had such an imposing presence even in a second hand image and she certainly didn't know anyone that carried such a sense of danger to them and yet she felt like she should! She knew gods had several forms of non-traditional senses, being able to feel the world through their elevated consciousness, and sometimes they just 'knew' something that they themselves couldn't really explain.
And this Umbra set that sense off to the point it was messing with her sleep! And it didn't seem like it was only limited to her either.
Sure, she knew several gods had been getting restless nights as they could all feel the shift in the world around them, like a balance that just got tipped just barely enough for them to notice but not really tell where it was going or if it could be stopped.
She even been shocked to feel a marginal increase in the strength of prayers she'd been receiving, mainly from anyone engaged in the formation and construction of architecture and hoping things would been seen through.
She didn't even know regular mortal prayers actually came to them and it seemed like a pleasant surprise to some of the gods who'd thought their power had been waning and only just starting to increase with the increases in demigods.
At least that had been some positive result with the fall-out that angel created in Cordoba, causing even the most stoic of non-believers to have the occasional wish or silent thought that could count as prayer.
She shook her head of those thoughts as she felt the shift of the ship as it began a more noticeable decline. She glanced back to see her mother at the steering panel, listening to Festus Omega's report of stability and location as the other ships. She breathed slowly as she adjusted against the railing, her breath misting over as she rubbed her arms to stave off the incoming cold.
Wait … cold?
She suddenly straightened as she noticed the wind picking up and shared a look with Artemis, the goddess having also noticed the change in temperature.
Crack!
Both goddesses jumped with the flash of lighting that just barely missed the ship as the gentle breezes turned into a roaring blast of air. Annabeth hunkered down as she felt the pelting of freezing rain, looking around as Artemis and any demigod on the deck made grabs for ropes along the railings. Soon an alarm sounded all along the Argo V and Annabeth could hear the other ships following as the calls of the minor gods on their chariots followed.
"What's happening?" Artemis' lieutenant, Aria, asked as she ran up to them with her bow drawn and pony-tail flapping wildly in the wind.
"Not sure," Artemis replied as she flagged down one of the chariots hanging off their starboard side.
"My lady," the accompanying god saluted while the driver tried to reign in the oxen currently kicking at the front.
"Have the chariots set down quickly, we need someone on the ground to help pull the Argos down while the drivers focus on keeping the ships stable," Artemis instructed while gesturing to Athena as the goddess went wild with the controls and Festus Omega adding his own mayhem and just to prove her point, the ship suddenly listed to the side with a sudden blast of wind.
Annabeth saw other chariots pulling in closer to the Argo III and IV as well with commands being barked by Leo and Hephaestus and demigods running around on the decks.
Another crack of lightning flashed as some ducked, the bolt having gone dangerously close to taking the main mast of the Argo III but it seemed that Zeus managed to deflect it away in time. She squinted as she wiped away the stinging rain and keep her footing on the slippery deck, her helm not helping at all in these conditions.
Suddenly there was a scream of pure terror and nearly everyone stopped to look at the head of the Argo V with one of Artemis' remaining hunters shaking like a leaf and pointing ahead of them.
They all turned and stopped cold at the sight. Just before them, as if completely ignoring the sudden storm, was Umbra. His wings extended and literally radiating a miasma of darkness, a couple hundred or so feet in front of the three vessels and their escorts with his hood pulled up and those damned eyes glowing within the shadows.
At that moment Annabeth really had to give it to Artemis for not breaking down the first time she was in the demon's presence. Even from the distance Annabeth could tell that several gods and demigods were shaking just from being in the presence of that being. Every instinct in Annabeth was telling her to turn tail, to run as quickly as she could because before Umbra she was little more than prey, that he was the most dangerous thing here by a long shot.
"Umbra," Artemis growled beside her with so much venom that Annabeth flinched but still willed her sword to appear in hand as she focused on Umbra.
A silence seemed to have fallen over the entire area as all three ships loaded with demigods on deck and the chariots with their drivers focused on the source of all their current troubles. Umbra just looked back at them impassively, his arms crossed as the temperature seemed to get colder with the sun finally setting. She could practically taste the fear and tension in the air as all looked up Umbra for the first time.
"You would do well to remember," Umbra began, his voice carrying low and husky with an underlying growl that made many shudder for varying reasons. "That we offered neutrality to those that didn't try to fight us. For demigods, this offer stands until you've already been cut down. Turn back, go home to your families, and leave a war that has nothing to do with you. Only your remaining Olympians need fear us."
There was a tense murmur going throughout the demigods at his words and Annabeth could see some seriously considering it judging by their faces. The fear of death in this battle, the wish to remain at peace, and the very sight of Umbra was shaking their resolve.
"Lies!" Zeus boomed aboard the Argo III, his master bolt crackling within his grip as he glowed golden in his rage. "You are nothing more than the next monsters needing to be destroyed and banished to Tartarus! Not only do you go against the throne but you've even revealed us to the mortals. To follow you is to bring chaos itself to this world!"
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Don't forget to throw some power Stones, to keep the story going.
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