The Stolen God [IC] [CLOSED]

[Setinel]

Recovering from a mentaly strenuous dream

I had been flipping through my book for a bit, when I noticed Asuka wearing her headband next to me. Knowing that I probably snored through the whole trip, I should probably make some conversation to make it less awkward.
As to what... that was the question. I'd seen her at one point drawing. And there was her new bandana. After a little debate in my head, I decided the bandana route would probably result in the best direction of a small talk.
"Hey Asuka, cool bandana. Where did you get it?"

[The Yuktobanian Republic]

Asuka Tanaka

The USS Bunker Hill was heavily damaged by Kamikazes during the Battle of Okinawa. Two A6M Zeros with bombs broke through the clod layer, and smacked into the ship with their bombs. The USS Bunker Hill had almost sank, and it was so heavily damaged that the ship remained out of the war for repairs. Afterward, it had also not been modernized, one of the few Essex-Class Carriers to not be.

"Hey asuka, cool bandanna. Where did you get it?

Eh?

Turning her head, she looked at Jakkob. The same person who had been sleeping next to her in an adorable wa--

She blushed.

No.

Looking away to hide her blush, she nodded. "I got a visit from my mom. She gave me it."

[Setinel]

Asuka Tanaka

"I got a visit from my mom. She gave me it."

Why is she blush- oh

Asuka was blushing. I don't know why, or how, or even if that was physicaly possible, but it was happening.
But why? All I did was say hi? Did I do something to make her- wait...
Oh.
Ohhhh.
Ohhhhhhhhhh.
I turned a little red myself after having THAT thought course through my mind. Gods above. Asuka? And the idea of her having a crush on me? I mean she was nice, and pretty, and I trusted her but...
Oh my Gods I didn't have a but...

I was drawn from my thoughts by her answer.
"Oh..." I said. My mood instantly soured out. Why hadn't my dad shown up in... well years. And mom, I wasn't even going to talk about. This wasn't going in a good direction. Better just ignore social ques and end the conversation.
"That's nice."
A part of me hoped Asuka would keep the conversation going though I'd never admit it. Another part of me hoped she'd pry a little into what was bothering me (if she could tell). But ultimately I felt a bit anxious in the moment and was unsure what I really wanted.

Stop feeling sorry for yourself and go do something stupid.

[The Yuktobanian Republic]

Asuka Tanaka

Good job Asuka. You made the mood weird.

She kept questioning herself. Why did she blush? She has never blushed before, let alone have a crush--

I do not have a crush on Jakkob.

I do not have a crush on Jakkob.

As the blush went away quickly after repeating that same line to herself more than 40 times, she took a look at Jakkob. Usually, he would be hyperactive or loud or trying to... Do something. This time, he was quiet. Him being quiet was on the list of things that Asuka thought would never happen, but it had happened.

"You look like you've seen a ghost."

[Setinel]

Asuka Tanaka

"You look like you've seen a ghost."

I remained silent, my deadpaned gaze ahead dropping a bit to the floor. I wasn't quite sure what to say. I had seen a ghost, but it's not like I was going to admit that. This conversation was not going how I had intended it to, and I wasn't quite sure where to go with it now. It wasn't like I could change the subject, but I couldn't give a suspicious answer either.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
You daft idiot

As if the sentence itself hadn't given me away, the way I said it had absolutely. In a small panick, I opened my booklet again and began pretending to read. I knew I was doing a bad job of it, but it might end the conversation there.
Still though, there was the small feeling of hope that maybe Asuka would care enough to pry some more and- why was I thinking this? Why did I want Asuka knowing all of this information to begin with? It's not like I had a-

Father? Why have you allowed Venus to forsaken me like this?
Why would I ever have a feeling like that for someone so... charming.
why

I turned a bright shade of red, and began pretending to read through my book faster, pulling it a bit closer to my face.
Maybe Asuka wouldn't notice...

[Zanera]

*

Austin Merinen
Son of Neptune
The Airport

---

I did not plan on shaking the hand of a dirty Greek. It's not necessarily prejudice, either. He was literally dirty. And smelly. He seemed...nice. He also seemed to have went on more than an airplane the past couple weeks. It almost surprised me when he went off on a totally different tangent, turning towards his Greek friends exclaiming about a story he'd just have to tell them. In general, both groups had stood around too long doing nothing but chatting or taking verbal stabs at each other. It'd be fine at any other time but this one. Jupiter had delivered the prophecy, which meant something significant. And this quest to address this possibly significant prophecy, probably another big one by the amount of Half-Bloods needed, was being held up by jeering, quips, and regular conversation in a busy airport where before any of them knew it, a monster could be upon them.

Luckily before my stress could hit a new high, someone, surprisingly from the Greeks, had their senses brought back to them and asked what they were supposed to do now. And honestly, I was more busy managing my stress to think of what we were supposed to do after this point. None of the Greeks seemed to have a definite answer. I figured that maybe Chiron might have given the Greeks some kind of instruction. Chiron was a pretty respectable man...er, centaur. That was saying something. It was also kind of mesmerizing that someone like Chiron, who had trained demigods for thousands of years, was turning out this bunch of Greeks, and for such an important mission. But if Chiron thought they were ready, then I'd have to put some degree of faith into his choices. A small degree. A very small degree.

Anyway," I thought that Chiron had provided you with instructions. We didn't really get any instructions either. We'll have to begin discussing a plan and no-"

That's when I heard the thumping and clanging. It was an odd sound, and hearing it was worrying for a demigod. It put more than one of us on edge, but then I saw the man making the sound. Well, it was actually a god. It was Hephaestus, the Greek form of Vulcan, with a gruff beard, a head that was so deformed it almost didn't look human, and a deformed walk, it couldn't have been anyone else. And he couldn't be here for any other reason but to talk to us.

"Ah, so you're not all dead from monsters. Nice to see. Anyway, I made you lot a ride, just for you guys. I trust you'll use it to fulfill the quest, and not for a joyride. As much as one can trust a half-blood. I got a ride for you right out front that'll take you to your new toy. Mind you, the toy will save your life, so you better take care of it,"said Hephaestus, throwing a pair of keys at us. I caught it before anyone else, because I honestly didn't trust anyone else to drive. The Greeks probably weren't all there in the head, and Jakkob wouldn't dare try to wrestle the keys from me. Calling for everyone to go outside immediately, we walked outside and found a tour bus with a notable Greek theme about it. "Jeb, I think everyone agrees with me when I recommend you sit in the back of the bus with the window open."



* Under OP's assent, and my Co-OP powers, I was directed to write this post and take momentary control of Finnish's character, as well as take temporary control of a major god for story progression, in the place of the OP, who found it necessary to move the story along as soon as possible. Any non-specific character interaction is believed by the OP to be highly probable in this scenario.

[The Irish County of the Beare-Mor]

Jax was standing with the Romans, looking irritated. The smelly one, he doesn't remember the name, needed to be washed down. Alot. "Goodness man, when was the last time you showered?" he thought to himself, not wanting to be rude to him. Who knows what he'd do. But, as the two groups...er...mingled, the most prominent question arose: "What to do now?" Jax began formulating ideas within his mind, but Austin began speaking, talking about formulating a plan.

But he was cut short, some banging and clanging emanated around the airport, but it seemed the mortals didn't hear the noise. That meant one thing: Some sort of mythological creature was nearby, and with this many demigods, it was probably monster. Jax's hand was nearly around the handle of his gladius when he spied him. The source of the noise. Jax released the blade, and looked at him.

A gruff beard covered part of his face, and what was seen of his face was deformed. Yet Jax felt something familiar about him. His eyes seemed to always be gleaming in thought, and he walked towards them with a heavy limp, as if his leg was injured. Then it occured to Jax, "Hephestaus! The greek aspect of his father. That's why he seemed familiar."

Jax looked at him, as if measuring his character. He threw some keys at them, and of course, Austin caught them. "A gift? A little toy? Wonder what it is." Jax thought, as Hephestaus spoke. Jax followed the group outside, looking one last time at him. Jax had things he wanted to say, but not then, not there.

He spied the bus, the greek theme it held. "Graecus" Jax muttered as they headed towards it.

[Saint Ryvern]

Jed Kalmus
Son of Demeter
Washington D.C.

I must smell horrible to receive so much flak...good thing Danann got me with his impressive supply of febreeze... these and other thoughts run through Jed's head as the group strides towards the van that Hephaestus has provided for them. What a nice god...I'm glad to see he isn't afraid like Artemis...my mother too...why wouldn't she just tell me what was going on...I just got this damn tree instead of any answers...what a weird tree

"Jeb, I think everyone agrees with me when I recommend you sit in the back of the bus with the window open."

"First off, Mr. Roman, it's Jed, not Jeb," the child of Demeter says with slight annoyance, placing heavy emphasis on his actual name" so try to keep that in mind. Second, and this one is an item with actual importance, normally if someone with my odor, which is currently being masked terribly by the horridly overpowering scent of orchids, thanks for that Danann," Jed quickly shoots this comment and a glare at his brother, "I would agree that the back is the best place to sit. However, you seem to be in charge of the Romans due to your bravado and general peachiness, so that means I need to talk to you." Reaching the van, Jed moves around to the other side and climbs into the passenger's seat. He takes care to ensure that the potted plant his mother gave to him is placed safely in front of the seat, and then picks it up and holds it close to his chest. Keeping the door open to ensure Austin, and the rest of the party, can hear him, he continues:

"The reason I smell so horrible is that while Camp Half-Blood's very own Sarah McFlyn was delivering Chiron's invitation to you Romans, I was tracking down Artemis' hunters, which is a lot more difficult than finding a stationary camp/city in California. I saw a lot of fucked up things along my way, and I would love to tell you about them, but a) you don't care and b) the important thing to note is that Artemis is afraid. She wouldn't give me any help, instead she just pelted me with basketballs and basically turned me away at the door. Obviously that isn't a good thing. Artemis, or Diana, whatever you call her, being scared is a bad sign, as a member of the Pantheon she shouldn't be hiding out like she was, and we need to keep that in mind as we prepare to face whatever foe this prophecy has predicted. If the gods are afraid, we should be too, and we can turn that fear into better and more thorough preparation. You Romans are all about that shit, after all."

[Parcia]

Sarah McFlyn


Flying wasn't her thing, she preferred to walk. Some hours of gripping her seat like she was going to die was not something she wanted to repeat, and made a mental note not to fly with the fucking Romans, either. Trying to get TSA to notice her knife, which for some reason looked like a screw driver, was a laugh though, and almost made up for it.


When they arrived as D.C, she couldn't help but Giggle at the signs her mates had used to signal the Romans. She stayed quiet, despite the interaction between the two groups mainly due to the lack of sleep she had planned on getting on the plane ride over. When the time came to board the van though, she piped up.

"Yes, Jed smells, he's a Demeter kid, we'er used to it by now, can we get in the van please, i'll drive if I have to."

[Paketo]

Danann Kelly
Son of Demeter
Washington D.C.

Well what a situation this was. 9 Greeks, 9 Romans, and among the Greeks was my truly smelly brother. All in all, pretty good start for your average quest and we had not tried to kill each other.....yet. I am watching you Sarah. Don't go daughter of War on their asses until after the quest.

Breaking me out of my thoughts was the soft clanking noise that grew louder and louder. It seems everyone else heard it as well as we began to tighten up expecting a monster or worse. Lucky for us, it was just your friendly neighborhood blacksmith Hephaestus here to deliver us a tour bus. Mr. Dignified who had yet to name himself....You know what, we really should open these quests with introductions. I don't even know a single Roman's name. You would think starting with a meet and greet would be standard procedure. Maybe the Romans weren't just big on names. Jed and I may be Plant boy 1 and 2 to them.

Anyway back to the bus. After Hephaestus told us something along the lines of you wreck the bus, you die. I took it that way at least. It is hard to tell sometimes if the gods are saying they will kill you or if something else will you for doing something. I am going with the second option here as Hephaestus may be ugly, but he is like that cool uncle who gives you stuff your parents would never get. If you are listening uncle Arthur, thanks for the BB gun.

Mr. Dignified seemed to take the lead role now and no one really questioned. He was the Roman leader already and I don't think any of us Greeks cared as long as he was competent. He lead us outside to the absolutely rocking Greek themed tour bus. Mental note for when we are back to Camp Halfblood, give Hephaestus a extra large sacrifice at dinner.

Next came hell. Mr. Dignified called Jed Jeb, a thing that the entire camp has learned not to do. The one letter difference annoyed Jed to no end it seemed so everyone had quickly learned to say it right. The comment about his smell though seems to have hit Jed a bit over the edge though. I could only give a innocent shrug when Jed glared at me over the Febreze but he keep going telling us of his entire journey over the last two weeks.

So Chiron sent him hunting the hunters over the past two weeks. Damn, that is not a quest for one person Chiron. Jed is lucky to come out of that with only a bad smell. Remember what I said about this quest being off to a good start and no one trying to kill each other? Yeah, that might be over soon.

A silence seemed to fill the air for a few seconds before it was broken by Sarah saying "Yes, Jed smells, he's a Demeter kid, we're used to it by now, can we get in the van please, I'll drive if I have to.".

I could only respond one way "I am incredibly offended Sarah. We smell of the earth unlike the Ares cabin" putting on a mock offended look before laughing. I then boarded the bus content to let other people argue outside. Argue? I am actually not quite sure of the right word for what would probably happen out there.

[New Finnish Republic]

Chapter 4: I Don't Know What Will Kill Us First: The Monsters Or Our GPS

You think Google Maps is bad? Try using Olympus Maps. Sure, it can guide you through both the mortal world and places outside of it, but it apparently must have thought that you were walking while using it since it gave you directions at the last possible moment. It didn't help that I was driving in one of the busiest cities in the United States which I had never visited prior to this, had never driven a bus before, I had a bus full of demigods screaming at one another, and there were sexy college girls chasing after us that, after further inspection, turned out not to be so sexy because they had blue skin, blood red eyes, wings, and claws that had already proven to be able to rip right through the metal sides of the bus.

Oh yeah, I probably should mention how that happened, shouldn't I?

So there I was, sitting in the driver's seat of this bus as everyone crowded in, not knowing what in Hades I was supposed to do. I noticed a small GPS located next to the steering wheel, with the logo of a mountain with the words "Olympus Maps" written on it. I was in the midst of fumbling around with it when suddenly it felt like acid had been shot straight into my nostrils. I almost let out of string of curses when I realized that it was none other than the Graceus who had arrived late carrying both a plant and the stench worse than when someone had slipped spicy chili beans into the horses oats (And while I was never able to get enough solid evidence to punish whoever had done it, the snickers from Third later that night made it pretty clear to me who the culprit was). I was about to reply to the Graceus when suddenly-

"Turn right in...5 feet."

"BACCHUS'S HAIRY GRAPES- Hang on!"

I slammed on the brakes and managed to turn the bus just in time, narrowly avoiding the other cars in the way as I did. We must have hit a pothole or something as we did, as I felt a slight bump along the way. Everyone in behind me in the bus had been thrown to the left side of the bus, which temporarily ended the separation of the two demigod factions as the Greeks were sprawled out across their Roman counterparts. I heard several insults hurled in my direction, both in English, Greek, and Latin. I gritted my teeth as I glanced back at the Graceus sitting next to me.

"Look, Fred. Or Ed. Or whatever. I don't know how you Greeks like to present yourself, but if you're thinking any of my Legionaries would dare let something as foolish as fear into their hearts, you're poorly mistaken. We are the Legion, defenders of New Rome, the mortal world, and...hot college chicks?"

Jed looked confused, as I believe anyone would've in that situation. However, a quick look outside of my driver's side window quickly explained the last bit. A group of five bombshell girls that showed more skin than I thought was even possible had driven up right next to our bus and I could immediately tell they were angry. I quickly discovered why, as a huge dent in the side of their jeep made it clear that I had indeed not hit a pothole, but instead their jeep.

I began to roll down my window in hopes of apologizing, but as I did, I noticed something...odd about these girls. And no, it was not how much their...ahem, personal assets jiggled around. No, it was more along the lines that the skin color of these girls began to suddenly change into blue. And their eyes had turned red. And they suddenly gained claws, fangs, and wings.

Yeah, that was probably it.

"Um...sorry?"

"THAT WAS A RENTAL, YOU DEMIGOD SCUM! PREPARE TO DIE AFTER YOU COMPENSATE US FOR THE DAMAGE!"

I looked over to...Ned?

"This is not good."

He simply shook his head.

"No, no it is not."

And like that, we suddenly came under attack from all but one of the formally-hot monsters who took to the skies and began to claw away at the metal sides of the bus. The one behind the wheel continued to drive, and I'm pretty sure I saw her looking up the number for an Enterprise. I probably shouldn't have paid attention to that, as suddenly one of the monsters suddenly crashed through my front windshield. Curses in both Latin and Greek were thrown through the air as both me and the Graeucus punched and kicked at her until she flew away.

As I looked back, I saw the others on the bus were under attack as well as they tried to fend off the monsters. I tried to think back to all of those Powerpoint presentations over the various types of monsters we had to learn about during training. Unfortunately I couldn't seem to remember. You know, Powerpoint presentations probably aren't the best way to try and teach a bunch of kids with ADHD. If I lived through this, I'd make sure to mention that to the Senate. In the meantime...

"Turn left in...10 feet."

I don't know if it was on purpose or sheer luck, but as I followed the directions of the GPS, I managed to bump the chasing car as well as one of the chasing monsters off of the road and into a light pole. If anyone asked, I planned on it to happen. However, there were still three of those things left, and they seemed especially pissed that we killed two of their sisters...Wait a second...

"Letum! I pissed off the Letum?! Oh come on!"

The Letum, or as the Greeks called them, Keres, were monsters who in ancient days prayed upon the wounded men of the battlefield, drinking their blood while they laid there helplessly. If their prey turned out to be more capable of fighting than they had anticipated, their fangs and claws were able to fix that problem in a jiffy. However, they had rarely been seen in the last several decades, and so seeing them here was probably not a good sign. I glanced back at the others.

"Can someone please kill those frickin' things already?!"

Once again, a string of curses went my direction, but it seemed that everyone followed the order, as after several minutes of sudden turns, going through tunnels, and running the occasional red light resulted in the final monster made into roadkill as an arrow downed her into the oncoming path of a semi. I could only imagine what the mortals were seeing with the Mist. Probably a high-speed chase gone wrong, I guessed. I doubted we'd have long before the police soon showed up. The thought of them finding a bunch of teens in a bus that was beat up to Hades driven my who didn't have any sort of license that would've to qualify me to even drive this thing in the first place was kind of humorous, but at the same time made me worry. I glanced over to the Graceus. Maybe if we were lucky, they'd get a whiff of him and decide that we weren't worth it.

"Your destination is...10 feet in front of you."

"VENUS'S SPARKLY- Hang on!"

With a foot stomp that would've impressed Ringo Star, I managed to slam our bus to a halt. Everyone seemed ready this time, as I only heard a handful of curses directed at me this time, although I swear there were more in Latin than Greek this time. Glancing around, I was beyond confused. We had stopped at what looked like to be some old abandoned shipyard somewhere on the outskirts of the city. I looked at Jed...Hey wait, I remember his name this time! Impressive, right?

Ahem.

I looked at Jed, a look of confusion on my face. Our ride was supposedly here, yet all I saw were old rusty ships that could've given you tetanus by just being in their vicinity. Everyone else in the bus seemed pretty confused as well. They probably thought I had just dragged them out in the middle of nowhere and had gotten us lost in some creepy old shipyard. I glanced at the GPS. Sure enough, it said that our destination was here. But there was nothing here, and if it was wrong, they had no idea on where to go next. Frustrated, I yanked the GPS from the console and opened the door. Furious, I chucked the thing towards the water, cursing as I did.

"Stupid piece of-"

My swearing was cut short, as suddenly the small device bounced in mid-air, almost like it had hit something solid. The sound of metal ringing only made me more confused, and I looked back at the bus. Everyone else's attention, however, was behind me, their mouths opened in awe. Looking down at my feet, I suddenly realized I was now in the shadow of something...large. I slowly turned around, and I soon joined in with the others' facial expression.

There, sitting in the water, was a massive warship that had definitely not been there a minute ago. At first glance, it looked like a trireme, but further inspection revealed something much more different. On both sides of the ship were massive rockets that practically screamed power while on the sides of the ship where the rows would normally be a pair of wings were in place. On the top deck was a variety of heavy weaponry ranging from mounted crossbows, catapults, ballistae, and...a flamethrower. Definitely a flame thrower. On the nose of the ship a massive eye was painted as well as a rather dangerous looking grin. Painted next to that in bold letters read this:

The Argo III.

The Gods had built them a ship, and they made it clear that they were going to encounter a lot of trouble along the way.

Great. Just great.

[Zanera]

Nick Winier
Washington D.C.

---

Well, I think it all started when Mr. Quintessential grabbed the keys. I'm sure he'd disagree, but with some blue flying women ripping apart the bus, his point of view would have been frowned upon, to say the least. In between not bashing my head against something or someone, and not hurling my guts out from nausea, I was now trying to fight monsters, who, to be honest, were at least angry at us for a good reason.

You know those tour bus rides you get around historical sites and cities with any kid of long history, where you eventually find you're now stuck in a small place with a bunch of other people with various levels of stinky breath, who may occasionally let one rip while looking innocent? And maybe, sometimes, the AC doesn't work right, or not at all. That's what I was imagining now, in place of this mess, in between trying to stick my arm out to swat at the...Hades, what were these things? There was just about hundreds of different monsters, and trying to remember them all was a real pain. Luckily that extra monster-fighting training happened in the last two weeks, or I probably wouldn't have remembered that these were Keres at all.

So yay, I knew the name of this bunch of monsters. That didn't really help too much. I was just about to stab one of them right through the heart when I suddenly had to yank my arm in the opposite direction to keep myself from getting flung out the bus by sheer momentum. Mr. Quintessential wouldn't be getting my vote to drive for a very long time. Getting another Greek and one or two Romans thrown onto me, I'm honestly surprised I didn't impale myself on my sword. Soon we went into a tunnel somewhere, and since there wouldn't be any sudden turns in a tunnel, we could strike at these things without worrying about losing our weapons. Or arms. Or heads. Or bodies. Or lunches.

Getting the second-to-last finishing blow on one of them, I felt accomplished so far. Soon we no longer had to worry about the Keres, and we sped onward to our destination. Well, unfortunately, with Mr. Quintessential's driving skills, we sped onward. The GPS wasn't user-friendly, but why give the Roman even that much dignity?

Anyway, the GPS had us showing up in a shipyard. Or a junkyard of ships. Either one works. It looked like we were duped or jipped or whatever it could have been, but the sudden shadow wanted to say otherwise. It took a second to take it in, but after that second I was sure I was looking at the baddest ship I ever saw or ever will see. I was gaping at it and admiring its glory when I reminded myself we were perfectly allowed to board that beautiful thing. Grabbing my backpack, I was soon out the bus, and soon grabbing my stomach when that horribly narrated tour bus ride finally caught up with me. I was doubled over puking in front of one of Hephaestus' most glorious inventions.

Hard to rub it in the Romans' faces when you were busy spilling your guts out your own face. Mr. Quintessential deserved a gut-punch hard enough to make him puke. And I'd probably do it when we had this ship underway. If I had the guts left to do it...

[The Irish County of the Beare-Mor]

Jax Baldwin, Son of Vulcan

"Who let Austin drive?" I thought fervently as the bus drove through the city. Not only was the bus turning haphazardly though the city, nearly hitting a few cars, and I think they actually did hit some other cars, but we were being attacked. So, not only were we sliding, turning, and crashing, but we had monsters to deal with.

I took my gladius, the gold gleaming in the sunlight, and attempted to attack the....what were they....Letum! That's what they were. Stuck on the bus, with Austin driving, we had to kill Letum. I stood up, brandishing my gladius, and lunged forward. Then, because of Austin, the bus swerved, tossing us through the bus. I think I landed on somebody, but I was distracted at the time. Man, do I wish I had some of my designs made...I think a few would help here. Eventually, we managed to beat off the Letum. Finally.

I managed to enjoy endure the rest of the bus ride until we arrived at the shipyard. It was clearly derelict. Was this where our "gift" was supposed to be? I shrugged, walked off the bus, and looked around. The ships were clearly rusted, probably inoperable even with a sonf of Neptune. Not that I'd trust him to drive anything right now. Austin was irritated, throwing the gps at the water. But a shadow appeared on the ground, and I looked up at the source of the shadow.

The sun gleamed off the metal hull of the ship, shining brightly in the midday light. There were weapons, cool weapons, what seened like flamethrowers, missiles, everything I could want on a ship. All there. Wings were attached to the sides of the ship, and an eye was painted on the front. My gods, what a beauty this was. I shook my head in wonder. With this many weapons....there will most definitely be trouble ahead. But with a ship such as this, the Argo III, I felt we could do whatever we needed to do.

I turned to Austin afterward, "Austin, please, don't drive ever again."

[The Yuktobanian Republic]

Asuka Tanaka

Many things in warfare were regretful. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto certainly regretted the decision to attack Pearl Harbor when the United States started ramping up it's production. The United States mass produced Destroyers, Cruisers, Escort Carriers, and Transports, quickly outdoing the Japanese in the naval game. Hitler certainly regretted his decision on attacking the Soviet Union, since the full might of the Soviet Army was brought down upon the German Army as they stormed their way to Berlin. Ultimately, the Axis would regret the entire war all together when the Untied States entered.

Why was she thinking this?

Asuka regretted getting in that bus.

Asuka regretted Austin driving.

Asuka regretted everything.

Trying her best to use her Wakizashi as a fly swatter for the... Things outside, right as she was about to hit one, she was flung across the bus from the momentum of a turn, sending her directly head first into a chair. Coughing, she stuck her hand out the window again and swung her Wakizashi around. Luckily, she managed to actually hit one of them, and she watched it hit the pavement and skidded along the side of the road.

"I got one!" Asuka laughed. "I finally--"

Once again, the bus turned and Asuka wasn't paying attention. She fell off the chair and into the aisleway, letting out a long stream of curses in Japanese and Latin as she slid. As she stopped sliding on the floor, she quickly got up and sat down at the nearest chair. As she sat down, she also watched the last of the annoying things outside get hit by a Semi.

---

The battered bus slowly rolled to a stop at what seemed to be an abandoned shipyard in the outskirts of the city. As soon as the door opened, Asuka ran out, almost kissing and hugging the ground. She missed the ground. She doesn't want to leave the ground ever again.

She also doesn't want Austin to drive again.

Getting up and dusting herself off, she squinted her eyes, looking at the dockyard. There was the occasional fishing boat, and.... Was that a Liberty Ship that was rusting nearby? Looking at the ship, her eyes caught something next to it. Looking down, she saw a...

A Trireme?

She stepped forward, holding her stuff. It was a Trireme, but at the same time, it wasn't. Both sides of the ship had rockets that looked like it could send the ship into the same speed as a bullet train. There were wings on the ship, making it seem like an abandoned project for a flying boat. On the top of the ship, there were mounted crossbows, catapults, ballistae, a flamethrower, and...

... A Dual 5"/38 Caliber Gun.

The same gun that was mounted on the Fletcher-Class Destroyers, forming the backbone of U.S Destroyer Force in World War Two. The same gun that were also on the fast battleships of the U.S Navy as secondary batteries. The same gun that were secondary batteries on the Cleveland-Class Cruiser and the main battery of the Atlanta-Class Cruisers. They fired 127mm Rounds, and it could be dual purpose, able to fire at both ground targets and air targets. Asuka was simply at awe at the gun, rubbing her hands in happiness.

She is going to live in that gun.

[Paketo]

Danann Kelly
Son of Demeter
Washington D.C.

You ever play baseball with a scythe? It is very satisfying and I highly recommend it especially if the balls are Keres. Our terrible driver Mr. Dignified had managed to hit a car full of these vampire monsters and now were trying to kill them. With half my body out the window, I was smacking various Keres in the face if they got to close. On got a bit too close leading to a her being launched of the bus courtesy of Anthos.

"Home Run" I screamed which turned more than a few mortal heads. I don't know what they saw but it must be crazy as Hades. The breeze rushing though my hair and the adrenaline in my system was great until the wrapper hit me. Some mortal had thrown a burger king wrapper out his window and now it was on my face.

"Come on really. I'm trying to fight vampire ladies and I get hit by some mortal's litter. Smite him mom, smite him" I said as I pulled the wrapper from my face. It seemed all the Keres had been reduced to golden dust now so I returned to my seat sinking into the cushions. That comfort didn't last long as I heard "destination in 10 feet" prompting Mr. Dignified to brake as hard as possible. I of course went flying forward around 5 rows of seats. You would think the gods could spring for seatbelts.

"If there was ever a time to have a demigods body, it is now" I said groggily "I call a vote that Mr. Dignified is no longer allowed to drive. All in favor say Aye."

I was met with several others saying aye while others tried to not throw up. We had apparently arrived at what looked to be a abandoned shipyard. Getting off the bus, praise Demeter, we began to walk around seeing only rusty hulls.

"Please tell me Hephaestus has a cruel sense of humor or something." I said as Mr. Dignified threw the GPS at the water. We heard a soft thunk as the GOS landed revealing a.....is that even a Trireme anymore? Jet engines, many weapons and is that.....yep, that is a flamethrower with Greek fire. Oh this will be fun.

Everyone else it seemed was too awestruck to move it seemed or puking. I took the opportunity to board the ship first ignoring nearly everything until I got below deck. I was right everyone had there own room with a smal bronze nameplate on each door. I quickly found mine and entered to a glorious sight. A small garden, soft bed, a tv with the Orlando city match on, and the best part, a mini fridge stocked with cheerwine. I found a little stcky note on top which said 'it automatically refills but I don't know why you wouldn't want Diet Coke instead - Dionysius".

"Okay, you have won my devotion Dionysius" I yelled giddily.

I had cold cheerwine, a soft bed, I was in bliss. I would have stayed there if I did not have one more place to check out. With Cheerwine in hand, I headed off down the hall to the cafeteria were a beautiful site caught my eyes. If was easily the biggest room on the ship easily able to fit all 18 of of plus a few more. The walls were lined with large screens which shifted every so often to different scenes from Camp Halfblood and Camp Jupiter.

"Hey, it's my cabin and you can even see our secret garden a bit." I said to myself. Yeah, you don't talk, we don't tell. We can't make all our money on strawberrries you know. Jed and I take careful care of those special plants.

I'm getting of topic. The wooden construction of the cafeteria gave a homey feel to it along with the torches that lit the room from the walls. In the center was a huge chandelier holding server all torches that gave the center of the room the needed light. The best part however was the kitchen. It almost look like the had simply cut out part of the wall and added one of the best kitchens known to man. All the counter tops were marble and every appliance was there from stoves to washing machines. The coverds were stocked with plates, cups, pots and pans and everything had the new shine to it.

The refrigerator, it seems Hephaestus went all out on this one as the Bronze lettering across it read 'Hephaestus automatically filled refrigerator'. Opening the doors, I found almost every kind of vegetable, fruit and meat you could think of to cook a meal. The wheels in my head started to turn and a grin slowly spread across my face.

I closed the fridge doors and quickly went and grabbed the largest and tallest pot I could find. "With this, I can have real southern collards. This will be so good in half a day." I said to myself in anticipation. What could take a amateur a hour, I took around 15 minutes to prepare throwing all the ham chunks, collard greens, mustard greens, kale in the pot to slowly boil.

I grabbed another cheerwine from the fridge and leaned back against the marble island counter that separated the cafeteria from the kitchen.

"I love cooking"

[The Irish County of the Beare-Mor]

The exterior of the ship, of what I could see from here on the ground, was marvelous, all of that imperial gold and celestial bronze. The soft sound of the waves crashing against the argo II accompanied my footsteps as I turned back, away from the others, and ran onto the Argo itself. I was holding my bag closer to my chest as I boarded the ship. I walked past the many weapons located on deck, the celestial metals glinting from the sun's rays, and headed below deck.

Below decks, the lighting was different, as there was no sun there, but it still illuminated the halls nicely. Doors lined the sides of the halls, each personalized with a demigods name, not that I knew who each demigod was, I didn’t exactly introduce myself. Anyway, one of the doors caught my eye, ”Jax Baldwin” was engraved into one of the doors, but at that time, I was more interested in how the ship ran. I don’t even think I should call it a ship, it was in a class all of its own.

Further down the hall, and down another flight of stairs, was where I assumed the engine room was located, and I was right. At the rear of the Argo III, was the door, located neatly in its doorframe. A low humming seemed to emanate from the other side of the door, and such, I decided to go into the room, seeking to find out how it all worked. I walked inside, and shut the door behind me.

Now, I don’t think you can understand just how intricate this machinery was. The floor was metal, in fact, the entire room was metal, either Imperial Gold or Celestial Bronze. There was piping, near the back wall, that connected to many orifices, and, located next to the pipes, on both sides, was located a container of sorts. One on the left, and one on the right.

A terminal was located in the centre of the floor, with wires running from the containers to the rear of the terminal. Now. I’m not going to tell you all the technical nonsense that was located on the terminal, but I will tell you that if those numbers, what was being measured, wasn’t watched, and something went wrong, then the ship would definitely be really close to blowing up. But it was in stable condition, at least for now. Possible because the Argo wasn’t actually going anywhere right now.

Anywho, a few of the pipes was hissing, and blowing out steam. Which was a good thing, trust me, relieves pressure. Did I forget to mention the monitors? There were monitors hanging around the room as well, monitoring the insides of the containers. Again, without mentioning too much technical stuff, we can just say imperial gold has more uses than just killing monsters. the monitors did the usual monitoring stuff, allowing me to see the imperial gold being used, making sure the water levels were high enough, checking the turbine speeds, the usual stuff.

I think I found one of my favourite rooms in the Argo. But, I had yet to check out my room. So, with one look at the terminal, and the monitors, I headed back out of the room, and back to the rooms. I approached my door, and pushed it open. I walked inside and looked around. A bed, a television, a dresser, and a cabinet was located within. But not only that, there was also a desk as well.

On the desk was a lamp, some paper, the ones used for schematics, and a few pieces of Imperial Gold and Celestial Bronze. I gave a quick prayer of thanks to Vulcan, and started to stow my stuff away. I would finish going through all the drawers and such later. With Austin’s driving, I definitely need to relax, at least for a little bit.

[Setinel]

Giving my Number to some Sexy Monster

I sat by myself at the back of the bus for most of the ride to the... wherever we where going.I didn't matter. I needed time to myself. I didn't want to deal with my mother and the others at the same time. It didn't take long for me to recover. Especially with Austin slamming us all around. It made for some excellent slams at him.

I didn't really gey the time however. Because his driving was so bad it attracted several bombshells to the bus. One of which was trying to break through the windows up front. I ignored the fighting however, and turned to the beauty in the other car. I put on my best pickup face and spoke.

"So what's your name?"
She let out a screech and grabbed at my throat.
"Really? I would have said HAGHAKAHAG, but that's nice too."
I wrote down my phone number on a slip of paper and tossed it out the window as she slammed into a light pole and we drove by.
"Call me babe!"

I was heartbroken to find I had not recieved a message when I next checked my phone. Oh well. At least Asuka had probably noti- oh my gods. Popular you tubers floated through my head, and the phrase... beauty divine:
It's time to stop

When we did arrive, the warship was big and... that was it really. I didn't know much about boats, just that they didn't usually have wings... and that they usually had enough rooms for everyone staying on board. But unlike the other demigods, I found something else. A chair on the deck. A plastic folding chair, like at a pool. And an umbrella.

"Um... thanks dad?" I wondered a bit, before sitting down in the chair. It was uncomfy. Extremely uncomfy. I let out a few swear words (in english mind you), and croshe'd my arms. Gods this quest was about to take a turn for the worse.

[Zanera]

Nick Winier
Abandoned Port in Washington D.C.

---

Imagine a trireme. That must already be hard, huh? Now imagine it with wings and a couple of rockets on the back. Still hard to imagine? Well, don't hurt yourself. I'll just explain it to you. It had wings, and it had rocket boosters on the back. There was also some various wooden weapons like ballista and catapults. The side of the ship was celestial bronze, and there was a couple of eyes painted on the front of the ship. Making my way onto the top deck, there was a lot to look at. One of the many things I especially noticed, besides a big WW2 ship gun, was the steering wheel, and everyone knew who wouldn't be operating the wheel.

I wanted to try out a few of the weapons on the old busted ships around us, but some exclamations of pleasant surprise drove me towards the below decks. I quickly found myself eager to find my own room. The ship seemed pretty well detailed. Not only was it ready to fight Ancient Greek monsters, but it also seemed like a luxury liner. Like when someone gets on a cruise ship, I was eager to find my room. When I found it I found a gold plate on the door with my name etched in black, with a laurel wreath in between my first and last name, probably because I was a child of Nike. I opened the door to find a decent-sized room with a nice bed, a medium-sized flat-screen tv on a dresser, a bedside table, and another table against the wall. There was a series of lights on the wall above the table, with a nail under each light. One of the nails already had an award hanging on it, one all the way to the left.

A Participation Award for Making the Quest Team for the Next Great Prophecy
Nike

Thanks, mom. I decided I'd just dump my backpack on the bed and go fire the ballista. With my trumpet still slung over my shoulder, I decided to make my way back up to the top deck to start firing off the ballista at the abandoned ships. Loading in a spear, I took aim and fired.

[New Finnish Republic]

Chapter 5: I Lost My Trireme Operating License

I had to admit, this was...impressive. I suppose I shouldn't have expected anything less than something built by the Gods themselves. Something I noticed that was quite odd was that there were both Greek and Roman styles present in the ship. Did the Gods from both sides manage to work together on something? The idea was ridiculous, yet I couldn't ignore the evidence that was surrounding me. The implications behind that bothered me immensely. If the Gods from both sides are working together on this, that could only mean whatever we were up against was a big enough of a threat that the two sides have to unite. That must've been why they were sending us on a mission to rescue Venus, as the other Gods must've been busy preparing for...whatever it was they were about to face.

The rest of the demigods quickly scampered aboard the ship and began to explore what was likely going to be their home for who knew how long. While I may have not been as eccentric as the others, I was pretty excited myself. I made my way through the hallways and passed by what looked like a lounging room for the party. A massive 96" 4K TV was set up against one of the walls, and I noted the supporting surround sound speakers that were placed next to the TV. A variety of gaming consoles, DVD and Bluray players, and music players were arranged around the TV, and after a quick inspection with the remote, it looked like they had every possible TV channel available to them. There were even a few channels that should not have been made available to a bunch of kids, and I made sure to quickly set up a parental control password to keep Jakkob away. Gods knew what he would've done if he'd found that channel. I shuddered at the thought.

On my way to the rooms, I was pleased to discover a small yet fully equipped gym inside, with benches, squat racks, exercise machines, a dumb bell rack, and even a few treadmills. I was glad to see that was there, since I often used the weight room as an outlet for my daily feeling of wanting to smash Jakkob's face in. Located next to the gym were two separate bathroom facilities, one for the girls and one for the guys. Curious, I poked my head inside the boys and checked it out a bit. Toilets, urinals, and sinks with mirrors above them were located on one side of the room, while on the other was what must've been the showers. While there were small juts of wood coming out from the wall that offered some separation, it was a communal shower none the less. That didn't bother me too much, but I had a feeling the Greeks would likely be complaining about it eventually. I was very pleased to see a sauna in the corner of the showers as well. While I'd been raised on a boat for practically all of my early life, I was still a native of Suomi, and thus a sauna was somewhat of a blessing for me.

Once I had scoped the place out, I finally arrived, according to the massive bronze plaque attached to the door, my room. I slowly opened the door, not knowing what to expect. Much to my surprise, it was...Holy Hades, it was friggin' cool. A 48" flat screen was mounted on one of my walls that had a supporting speaker system. A small electronic tablet was attached to the wall, and I was thrilled to discover that not only could I adjust the lights, temperature, and humidity of my room, but I could also use it to search up any music, show, or movie I wanted. I made a mental note to watch some baseball once I had some free time. I glanced at my bed, which was rather large yet simplistic, just like my one back at Camp Jupiter. In my closet were clothes that fit my fashion tastes exactly as well as a collection of swords, shields, and armor that looked brand new. To finish the room off, on the wall was both the banner of New Rome as well as a Boston Bruins banner and a flag of Suomi. I was in heaven, and the thought of leaving this place seemed pretty stupid to me, but there was much work to be done.

Reluctantly, I got out of my bedroom and began to find where everyone was and told them to meet up in the lounging room. While it might not have seemed like it from the outside, the inside of the ship was massive, and it took me quite some time to accomplish that task. I didn't know if that was just how triremes were in real life, or if the Gods had pulled some strings to alter space and reality a bit. They just loved to screw with us mortals by doing that. I suppose we got some revenge with Einstein, who was actually a demigod himself, who basically gave the Gods the middle finger by putting their powers into tangible scientific equations.

After what seemed like forever, I had almost gotten everyone directed to the lounging room. The only person missing was Jax, and after a bit of searching, I found him in what must've been the control room of the ship, based on the various control panels and machinery that surrounded me. I noticed a small steering wheel in the corner of the room. Curious, I reached a hand out to touch it, but my hand was soon slapped, and a various serious Jax looked me in the face.

"Do. Not. Touch."

I gulped, taken back at the fire in the kid's eyes. I suppose my earlier driving may have been a bit...traumatic for the others, so I guess I didn't blame him.But did he have to hit me? I frowned the whole way back to the lounging room, wondering if everyone else was that upset with my driving. Surely, I couldn't have been that bad, right?

I decided not to dwell on the thought, and instead found myself a seat in the lounging area. Around me, the rest of the party members sat down on a variety of chairs, recliners, couches, and even a foam ball pit that was in the corner. Why the Gods decided to put in a ball pit, I don't know. Probably to handle Jakkob, I suppose.

Once everyone had assembled, I cleared my throat.

"Alright, so I know we haven't had much time to introduce each other, with the whole Lepum incident and all. So I propose each party introduce themselves and offer any advice they can."

I glanced over to the formerly-stinky Jeb.

"Mind going first, Graecus?"

[The Irish County of the Beare-Mor]

Jax Baldwin
Son of Vulcan

---

I had a brief rest, just a few minutes. Enough to allow me to recuperate from Austin’s driving. I yawned, after all, I didn’t sleep well on the plane, and the night prior? Sleep was but a hope to be had. The bed was comfortable, if not a tad simple. But we never have enough simplistic things, do we? I mean, I am a son of Vulcan, the god of blacksmiths, so everyone would expect me to make these big complicated machine, right? Well, that’s not always so. Sometimes the best solutions are right in front of you, the simple things.

Such as a mattress, a bed frame, a blanket, and a couple of pillows. Nothing so complex, yet appreciated. Anyway, I stood up from my bed, and looked through the drawers, starting with the cabinet. It was solid black, and metallic. The handles on each drawer, however was coated with silver. It was roughly 3 feet tall, each drawer only 10 cubic inches. I pulled open the top drawer, checking what was inside.

There was a tablet, not too big, but not too small. Perhaps a foot long, 6 inches wide. It wasn’t that thick either, but I don’t think it’ll break very easily. I pressed the power button near the bottom, and the screen turned on, the backdrop a bright white with a logo. Underneath which said “Vulcan Technologies”.

Once the power screen faded, a simple application opened up. There didn’t seem to be a home button, in fact it only seemed to contain the one application. It was like a drawing application, but with so much more. Different formats, ease of access. I looked through some files contained on the device, and a schematic file popped up. I opened it up, and it showed a basic schematic of the Argo III. Just enough to show me where each of the maintenance panels are, and where each of the pipes and wires run to.

I gave another prayer to Vulcan, before setting it down, on top of the cabinet. I looked through the other 2 drawers, which had nothing except for the remote for the television. No matter, I didn’t need much else. I walked over to the dresser, and looked through each of the drawers. Clothes, neatly folded were located within. All my size. Just plain outfits, jeans and t-shirts.

Anyway, I went through the drawers on my desk, which held naught but extra writing utensils, some erasers, and more papers. I cracked a smile, I guess I’ll be transposing my designs from my notebook onto these papers. If this quest is as big as everyone thinks, and I suppose it is with 18 demigods, then a few designs will most definitely help.

After looking through my room, which was definitely better than the one back at home, I decided to head on over to the control room. It was a focal point for all the wires, where the energy is collected and dispersed, according to the base schematic. So it was there I headed. It wasn’t hard to find, just follow the corridors.

Anyway, I went inside, and instantly set about examining the electronics and mechanisms. In the corner was a steering wheel, guess who wasn’t touching it. Soon afterward, who should come inside but Austin himself. I was busy examining on of the transferral stations, which we don’t need to go all detailed about, but from the corner of my eye I saw Austin start to reach for the wheel.

Oh Gods, the flashbacks:

”Slamming against the side of the bus, not knowing who I was pushed against. The squirming of bodies, and then freedom: Only to be thrown against a window. I managed to attack the Letum when I could, but never knowing how I would end up.”

I did the only thing that came to mind, I smacked Austin’s hand and said to him, “Do. Not. Touch.”

He left soon after, and I eventually joined the others up in the lounge room with the others. Just as he asked for introductions...

[The Yuktobanian Republic]

Asuka Tanaka

The Mark 12 5"/38 caliber gun was a US naval gun that was used during World War Two. The gun was installed into Single Purpose and Dual Purpose mounts used primarily by the US Navy. On these 5" mounts, Single Purpose (SP) means that the mount is limited to a certain elevation with no AA capability, and is designed to fire at surface targets only, while Dual Purpose (DP) means that it is designed to be effective against both surface and aircraft targets because it can elevate to 85 degrees and has the capability of Anti Aircraft Warfare. United States naval gun terminology indicates the gun fired a projectile 5 inches (127 mm) in diameter, and the barrel was 38 calibers long, making the 5"/38 dual purpose midway in barrel length between the 5"/51 surface-to-surface and the 5"/25 anti-aircraft guns from before.

That same gun was on the Argo III.

On the Argo III, the 5"/38 was in a dual purpose housing, with two guns in the turret. It was painted a grey, and it looked relatively new, as if they were still being produced and it came straight out from the factory. Opening one of the doors that led into the gun from the side, Asuka gasped in awe at the interior. The breech, or breeches were in perfect condition, and ammunition for the guns was stacked neatly in a corner. There was also a hatch in the floor, possibly going into the main cabin or the magazine of the entire ship. Surprisingly, the air smelt fresh, not of rotting objects. In the corner of the turret, next to what was a small TV, a folding desk, and a lamp was a cot that had a pillow and a blanket. It was as if it was foretold that she would sleep in the turret.

"I am going to sleep here."

Setting her stuff down next to the cot, she quickly laid down on the bed, giggling to herself. She couldn't contain her excitement from living in the turret. She grabbed an inert shell nearby, and quickly hugged it.

"I like this."

As she hugged it, Austin poked his head into the turret, and was about to say something before he saw the scene of her hugging a shell for the gun. In his eyes, a look of disapproval was seen as he just motioned for Asuka to come follow him. As he left, Asuka debated on whether she should bring the inert shell.

I'll bring it.

Entering the lounge room, she quietly sat down on a couch, hugging the inert shell that looked like an active round.

[Setinel]

Beating the greeks to first impressions of glory

I didn't even let the greeks introduce themselves when Austin started speaking. Rather I jumped right up and stood before them all with a proud grin.
"Jakkob at your service. Centurion of the 3rd cohort, and the finest and best looking the Roman leigon has to offer."
I saluted before walking out the door.
"And seeing as how most of you are likely to die, I don't care to learn your names either. See you in Hades."

[Zanera]

Nick Winier
The Argo III...Meeting Room?

---

I wanted to fire the ballista, and was starting to hit my mark when I was called down to what I guessed was our meeting room now. Looking at everyone else, including some weird Roman girl hold a shell from the WWII turret, I soon learned the Romans were even more unprofessional than what professionalism Mr. Quintessential could lend to his own legionnaires. I thought I heard Mr. Obnoxious say his name was Jakid, but that couldn't be right. Or it was, he seemed like a Jakid. After listening to Jed introduce himself, I decided to speak up.

"Unironically, you Romans have repeatedly proved yourselves pretty unprofessional for people that constantly drill and fight together. Seems like you guys have dropped your honor codes or whatever you might have had. I know Jed stinks, but between Caesar's driving and Jakid, I think we have our camp attitudes a bit backwards... Anyway, my name is Nick Winier. Son of Nike. Nike Cabin at Camp Half-Blood."

[The Irish County of the Beare-Mor]

Jax Baldwin
Son of Vulcan

---

Wow, so Nick Winier here doesn’t have a very high opinion of us, does he? Well, I suppose that is what happens when you let Austin drive, or when Jakkob, of the third cohort, introduces himself. Well, it is what it is I suppose, but now that we have some peace and….no monster attacks, I can go ahead and introduce myself, these demigods deserve to know who is in charge of the engine.

So, I stepped forward, and made sure everyone saw me. I held my tablet in my hand, definitely wasn’t going to let that out of my sight. I called out, making sure I was heard, “Hello, guys! I am Jax Baldwin.” I made a small bow at this point, “and I am a son of Vulcan. Apparently the only one on this quest, so, nobody better destroy or ruin, or blow up, or in any other way stop any of the many complex machines here from functioning as they should.” I nodded, making sure they all heard. “Also, Nick, we all agree with you about Austin’s driving, and Jakkob is….unique, so don’t judge the many by the actions of the few. Good day.”

I stepped back, returning to my previous position, and awaited any other introductions.

[Paketo]

Danann Kelly
Son of Demeter
Lounge/Cafeteria I don't know man. I didn't design this ship

Well, the collards were cooking and it seemed everyone was gathering for a meeting so I went as well. Everyone grabbed some kind of sitting gathering round in a loose circle. The Greek and Roman sides seemed to form a line down the middle as neither of our groups were used to each other yet.

Mr. Dignified breaking the silence asked for introductions and had Jed go first. That Roman with the black eye immediately interrupted and intruduced himself as...Jacques, Jake, John boy? I didn't really pay attention to the annoying voice, wait I got it. His name is Franz. Next came Jed and I once again didn't pay attention since I already knew Jed. My attention was drawn by one of the Roman girls holding...is that a 5 inch WW2 era shell?? What the hell! And why is she cuddling with it?!?

I am not counting my luck that we will have a single normal Roman. Next went Nick who openly declared that the Romans did not act like Romans and that Mr. Dignified was a terrible driver. I completely agree with that statement.

Next came another Roman who introduced himself as Jax Baldwin, a son of Vulcan or Hephaestus to us. Looks like he is going to be our resident mechanic and if also seems he didn't take too kindly to Nick's comments.

Eyes turned to me and I guess that signaled it was my turn to go.

"Danann Kelly, Son of Demeter" I introduced myself "Your resident North Carolinian and you will basically find me in my room or the kitchen. Jed and I are your resident plant guys and chefs...wait Jed, have you ever cooked? Well anyway, pleased to meet you all and I motion that Mr. Dignified never be allowed near another driver's seat."