Legacy of the Titans [IC] [CLOSED]

[Tomia]

Rebecca
Rebecca listened to the prophecy in shock, Chiron was speculating a good deal about what it meant, but she had a feeling his intuitions were correct. She kept running through the different descriptions in her mind. She didn't really know anyone who had been brought with them, but she tried to think of what might have led them to her. The sword and shield line applied to her, but it likely applied to most children of Ares, after all half the people she knew had a sword and shield they called their own. Still she didn't see any other children of Ares around and so that one was likely her. But what could that second line possibly mean? Chose between old and new? Her dreams immediately came to mind, her father speaking to her... Whatever was going on with her, it was related to this prophecy. This was destiny speaking to her, for better or worse. Rebecca had always felt out of place, like she was different than everyone else. She could never exactly understand why, but now that she was being faced with a prophecy she realized she had the chance to discover what kind of person she really was.

Chiron was explaining the details of the ship they'd be using but Rebecca wasn't really listening. She had already made up her mine.

"I'm in." She told him with a confident tone. This was her moment, and she wasn't going to think twice about it.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

--

There was nothing, nothing at all as far as the eye could see. Darkness all around, enveloping him, forming a perfect void. No light, no touch, no heat or cold. But there was sound. There were voices, so many voices. Roaring, screaming. Deafening. Thousands of voices screaming in the void while he floated across helplessly, unable to hear his voice over the background roar, unable to move or speak or hear anything but the voices and feel anything but the pain that came with them. Then suddenly it all stopped, and there was only darkness and silence.

Then everything came to life with a bright light that burned everything way...

...and the young man woke up.

The first thing that he became conscious off was that whatever he felt previously was quickly turning into a distant memory without a beginning or an end, as often happened with dreams or, in this case, nightmares. The next thing he became conscious of was of a more physical nature, the feeling of his own body. His head pounded terribly and his mouth felt completely dry. As he tried to prop himself up with an elbow before standing up, he realized how heavy his body felt. His movements were sluggish, and the early morning light streaming in from his window almost hurt to look at.

"What the hell..." Raven said to himself as he covered his face with one hand. "Why... ah, right..."

His thoughts, like his body, felt sluggish, but after a few moments his memories came flooding back. Memories of the previous night, of the party he had barely been able to enjoy before being whisked away, and of the ominous meeting he and his fellow university students had with Professor Iraklidis. A summons, to a great quest that was of vital importance, and a source of anxiety and fear. His memories of whatever happened afterwards were less clear. He recalled purposefully getting drunk, not out of any intent to enjoy the party, but rather in an attempt to drown out his newfound knowledge and the dread that it caused in him. He didn't even quite remember how he'd gotten back to his room, but he recalled that it had taken him a very long time to fall asleep, in spite of all the alcohol he'd had.

"...That explains a lot."

Suddenly, a loud piercing noise blared through the room, startling Raven and causing him to fall off his... couch?

Groaning as he forced himself to ignore the pain shooting through his body and to get back on his feet, the young man spotted his cellphone on the nearby table and picked it up to turn off the alarm. Ever since he could remember, he had the uncanny habit of waking up a minute or two before his alarm sounded, something he didn't question, though he was amazed at the fact he managed to pull it off in his current state. It was now exactly 7 AM, which meant he had an hour before his fateful meeting. However, his attention was soon drawn from that fact to a certain detail.

Next to the phone, there was also a note that read:

Don't drink so much next time, little bro. I can't drive you all the time.
-Tiff

"Huh, more explanations." He said. Tiffany was another child of Hecate, a free-spirited, artistic girl he'd met after enrolling in college, who had immediately taken to treating him as a younger brother. Given how distant he and his actual sisters were, it was nice, but troublesome at times.

Now was not one of those times, though. He was definitely too drunk to drive home last night, so he appreciated the lift.

"Well..." Raven mumbled to himself, stifling a yawn afterwards. "Better get ready for that meeting." He said, resigned to whatever was going to happen. He was quite nervous about the whole thing, not knowing what the mission might entail, why it was so important, or why he was chosen, specifically.

With a sigh, he started on his morning routine.

---

Raven stood in front of Chiron, Heracles and the Oracle at the stadium, side to side with his fellow demigods from the previous night. An hour had passed and he was hydrated, showered and dressed up, a huge improvement over his state earlier in the morning. However, that did little to assuage his anxiety as he fidgeted with his hands and waited for the meeting to begin.

Finally, once everyone had gathered, Chiron stepped forward and explained the situation, albeit he wasn't very forthcoming with details at first, merely repeating what Heracles had told them the previous night. Soon enough, however, he passed the baton to the Oracle, so to speak, and she stepped forward, reciting the prophecy. It was intimidating enough to know what they would be up against - Chiron later confirmed it, but it was obvious to him that the old ones alluded to were the Titans - but the worst part was when the Oracle reached the verses about the nine heroes. The subjects of some of the verses were obvious, some others not so much, but there was one in particular that stuck with him.

A heart of darkness... his blood...

It wasn't hard to imagine what the first part was referring to - out of everyone present, as far as he knew he was the only demigod born of a chthonic deity, and the only one who could control darkness as a result. Perhaps it had little to do with his nature, which is what one might think of when the 'heart' is mentioned, but it was still the interpretation that made the most sense. That, however, left the matter of the second half of the verse. What could it refer to? A sacrifice? The idea fit, and it made him nervous... the gods weren't the type to hesitate with such matters, but were the teachers? He didn't think so, and the thought offered him a little solace.

But then the question continued. He could refuse, as Chiron very clearly stated later. But someone would have to embark on the quest, fulfill the prophecy. If he refused, wasn't he forcing someone else to do it, directly or indirectly? They could refuse, but the chain would have to end somewhere, and he was the first link. What if they tried to recruit his fellow children of Hecate? Children of the other chthonic deities were likely candidates as well, but even then he couldn't shake the feeling that by refusing he might endanger his brothers and sisters.

And ultimately... if he refused, they would have to go through the trouble of finding another candidate. If the situation was as dire as Chiron claimed... then, wouldn't that mean that, by wasting their time and delaying the quest, he was indirectly putting the world closer to its destruction?

He was very frightened by the prospect of facing the Titans of course, but... refusing seemed like an even worse option.

Pondering all of this, he didn't pay much attention to the questions posed by his classmates. It was impossible, however, to ignore when a mystical ship straight from ancient legends, the Argo, descended from the skies and settled down on the stadium. Slack-jawed, Raven slowly walked around the ship, taking in everything. "So this is how we're traveling to the Old World..."

He looked towards Chiron, budding resolve in his gaze. "I... I'll come. I want to do my part in keeping the world safe."

[Finland SSR]

Oh and you gotta decide the fate of your life at eight in the morning with no prep

Lyra Kriophora, sword of the Hellenes!

---

Addressing Lyra's question immediately after calling down their means of transport, a flying ship once ridden by Jason and the Argonauts, Chiron was... merciless. They don't have any time to think about the revelations of today at all, if she or anyone else wanted to make a decision, they had to do it right now. In the morning, immediately after being informed of a prophecy which may get them killed, with only their thoughts to help them make a decision. Crying out and demanding a chance to decide wasn't going to do anything, was it? Not that Lyra would have wanted to speak out in such a manner. So, she kept to her thoughts, her eyes withdrawing to the side, eyes glaring at the floor.

Maybe it was easier for all the demigods around her to make a choice. Hell, maybe they already figured out exactly which verses spoke to each of them. Lyra felt completely out of place, this was all certainly a string of luck and misunderstanding which has gone too far and tossed her into a coffin.

Sure, if the prophecy was true and picked her out of the entirety of Thermopylae, if not the entire planet, to save all of humanity from the threat of the Titans, then she could not possibly refuse. Not only because that meant that it was the will of the Gods, but that it's what she had sworn herself to train for in the first place. To defend others, to be their shield. But what could she possibly do against the Titans?

In the one time he appeared before her, Hermes assured her that she's more capable than she thinks, but... she can't really do anything. She just... figured she was kind of lucky sometimes. Or unlucky, depending on how you want to treat today's events.

The demigods around her began making their choice one after the other, Talia confidently proclaimed that she will join the quest. With somewhat more hesitation, Raven assured the same. Lyra gritted her teeth, but eventually spoke up as well:

"...I'll come with you as well."

Maybe I'll figure it out as we're heading there.

[Galnius]

Dani

Dani had, at first, been incredibly annoyed at the sudden stoppage of the party. She was having fun for one, and she was just about to coerce some poor daughter of Aphrodite into a game of beer pong. However, the interruption proved to be a welcome one. According to their professor, a quest was to be served, and hers was among the names that was provided. Dani's mind was instantly washed away with the silly plans of the party and instantly began imagining all sorts of wondrous sights and battles. She could see herself battling the Nemean Lion and traversing the great Labyrinth with nothing more than her own mind and blade to protect her.

Once the teacher left, Dani immediately left the party. It was nothing against Troy or Mark, but this was something much more important. She had to get ready, pack, pick her favorite blade and shield, and of course, not forget her toothbrush. In her haste, she managed to tire herself out to such an intense degree that she collapsed on the suitcase that was still open, her pajamas still in hand.

---

Dani awoke to an alarm going off in the most irritating way possible. It was needed, of course, as she wouldn't awaken to anything less, but Dani had quickly come to hate that sound. Her head hurt, and she found herself lying on a pile of clothes. Shielding her eyes from the light, she tried to figure out what had led her to this point.

"I don't remember drinking anything last night. This can't be a hangover. So how...?" As she picked herself off the floor it all came rushing back to her. The party, the announcement, the quest! "Shit, shit, I'm going to be late!"

Packing and closing her suitcase in a rush, she sped from her room to the stadium. When she could, she used a small burst of speed, seemingly teleporting to her car. The speed limits were just barely followed, as a delay due to a ticket simply could not be afforded. Finally, she had arrived, and she stood with the other gathered students. One by one the prophecy was retold, and Dani could hardly contain her excitement. The master of all and victory thing was obviously her. It had to be, no one else fit, and she definitely could master anything. She was unsure of this price of victory thing, but she had a sinking suspicion that it related to an earlier prophecy once told to her. Still, like any prophecy, there was a chance that that which was predicted would not come to pass. There was no point in letting it bother her if she could find a way around it.

Eventually, Chiron asked the one question Dani couldn't quite understand. Why would anyone, for any reason, turn such a thing down? Of course, one by one, other people called forward agreed. Of course they did, how could they not?

"You know damn well you have me Chiron. I am packed and ready to go. Just one question...can I spend the night on the boat instead of my dorm? I want to get used to that beautiful beast."

[Absolon-7]

Anders Thomson

---

Anders couldn't really say no to Jack's suggestion as if this chance was a good one he might as well take it. Unfortunately the rest of the night would come in waves as after the party was interrupted by some professor had hijacked to list a names to assemble including Anders own name. He didn't want to find out the meaning of "we know where to find you" so he obliged to follow him and the selected group outside. Apparently they had been meant for a quest which just doomed Anders' mind to a spiral of panic. The rest of the night and morning were a blur as he prepared to go to where they were supposed to be. The entire meeting there didn't help soothe his nerves either as it was serious enough to warrant the legendary Heracles' presence and the part of the prophecy that he suspected was about him didn't do any favors either. Olympus and Europe ghosting them was just a final nail in the coffin.

He had to cover his face and scraggly hair once the legendary ship of the Argonauts was summonsed for their use. The whole past twenty-four hours were a complete mess. He didn't want to stand out for any reason let alone a prophecy but here he was. But if he was that essential he didn't want to be responsible for things going around as that way of standing out was even worse.

""I guess I'll go, eh," said Anders finally, "I'd be real sorry if something happens just cause my butt didn't go...I guess."

[The Templar High Council]

Jack Mercier
Football Field Argos Landing Pad?

Along with everyone else, Jack was more than a little alarmed at being called out of the crowded house party by (his former) Dr. Iraklidis. He heavily considered escaping through the same back door he used to enter, but knew that despite his skill at running he couldn't get away from whatever divining magics a thousands-year-old centaur had at his disposal. The lot of them filed out into the yard, many whom Jack recognized from his time in school, to hear Chiron's announcement. In light of the big news, Jack rescinded his promise to Anders to play games later tonight. But he did agree to give his friend a ride home. The drive was quiet, and Jack's solo drive home was quieter still.

He had a lot of time to think it over. Jack lived in his own apartment after moving out of the dorms, on the third floor of a complex in downtown Thermopylae. He tossed his toolkit onto the couch, and stood out on his tiny balcony while mulling it over. Out of his back pocket, Jack produced the dagger Hermes left for him when he was a kid. The grip was as comfortable as ever, and Jack passed the dagger back and forth while he thought.

Early next morning, Jack had barely slept. He showed up barely on time to the football field with a cup of coffee in his hand, waving to the gathered students. He listened intently to Heracles, Chiron, and Clare as they filled everyone in, and watched with wide eyes as the flying Argos descended upon them. After that, Chiron asked everyone is they agreed to go on the quest or not. A number of them spoke up, asking questions or giving their responses. To Jack's surprise, everyone seemed pretty set on going. Even Anders, who would definitely rather stay at home than go on this quest, agreed to go. When the gazes started shifting to the few that had not answered yet, Jack more or less shrugged his answer.

"I'll go. I really don't have much else doing on. Just have to let Mr. Smith know that I'll need some time off." He said, referring to his boss at the locksmith.

[New Finnish Republic]

Troy

Glancing around, Troy looked on with wide eyes as one by one everyone relented and agreed to take part in the quest. The fact that some didn't even hesitate to answer further astounded him, as not even as a child of Apollo was he taking the matter so lightly. Chiron and the others had been brutally upfront and honest with what lay ahead of them, only to top it off by practically giving them no time to consider it outside of their initial feelings towards it. It didn't need to be explained that once they chose to accept this responsibility, there would be absolutely no going back until either they had succeeded or died in the process.

Eventually, it came to the point that only Troy remained to answer the call. This wasn't unnoticed by Chiron, as the centaur stared with a neutral expression at the young man, bringing on a sense of pressure that forced him to put his mind into overdrive as he considered what to say.

He knew that declining the offer was the safest option, that there would bound to be someone else who would qualify under the words of the prophecy that could fill his position. At least, that's what he initially thought, but as he thought over the various phrases detailing the prophecy, he couldn't help but find one of them that seemed to strike a cord too deeply within him to ignore.

One who holds the torch of life and death, who will travel down both paths? For Zeus's sake, can it get any more grim than that? What the hell could it mean to travel down both paths? The thought made Troy uneasy as he pondered the implications behind the words, knowing full well that the vague words of his father could mean an almost unimaginable amount of things. What the hell were you thinking, Dad, Troy thought once more before eventually shaking his head.

"Count me in as well," Troy finally replied, his voice lacking its usual confidence as he became the last one to accept the call to arms.

"Then it's settled," Chiron said, briefly giving him nod before directing his attention back towards the rest of the group. "You will all have an hour to pack your belongings and return back here. It goes without saying, ensure you take your weapons and equipment. You will be able to wash your clothes and have places to shower, cook, and relax during the journey, so use that information accordingly. I'll make the proper arrangements with all of your professors that you won't have to worry about your studies while you're gone, as well as for what rewards will await once you all return. While there's a limit to how much power I can wield, I can promise that both the Gods and the city of Thermopylae will remember the sacrifices you all will be making in order to save our world."

Looking around the group assembled before him, Chiron took a long pause before finishing with his final parting words of advice.

"Always remember, demigods. While you may not be immortal, your deeds are. Remember your training, remember your heritage, and most of all, remember to look after those fighting next to you. That is all."

---

One hour later...

With a pair of large duffle bags slung across his shoulders, Troy hesitantly walked up the retractable ramp into the belly of the Argo. He hadn't taken long to pack his things, thus from what he could tell he was one of the first to arrive. Once he was inside, his eyes widened momentarily as he stood in shock at what he saw.

Contrary to what it appeared, it was actually extremely spacious on the lower level of the ship, with a wide hallway that was filled with a plethora of room on each side. Whether this extra space was due to a matter of perspective or the result of magical means he couldn't tell, but he was doubly surprised at his lavish surroundings. The interior looked more like the inside of a hotel rather than a warship, as marble lined the floor and white walls adorned with golden trimming lined the corridors and around doorways. Various paintings and murals depicting ancient legends adorned many of the walls, contrasting sharply with the electronic screens and devices that rested next to them.

"Now I know where all of our tuition goes," Troy mumbled to himself, shaking his head as he eventually made his way down to corridors. He immediately noticed that the various rooms were labeled to their respective functions, including a kitchen, a gym, a lounging area, and most notably a war room. The idea that the final room would likely be in full use in the days to come caused a sense of unease to build up within him once more, but he quickly moved past the thought as he found his way towards the living area.

Much to his shock, he soon found what was without a doubt his own room, as a metal plaque that contained both his name and the heavenly symbol of his father was placed next to the door. The nagging thought of this implying Chiron had fully planned on them accepting long before they had actually done so causing a bit of frustration with the centaur to build up within him. Shaking off the thought, Troy hesitantly opened up the door and slowly poked his head inside to see what was awaiting him. Much to his surprise, the rooms weren't nearly as lavish as the other parts of the ship had been so far. A soft grey carpet ran along the floor that intersected with the white walls that still retained the golden accents around them. It was roughly the same size of his dorm room, having a queen sized bed resting in the corner of the room and a large oak dresser sitting a few feet beside it. A small desk with a swivel chair was placed in the opposite corner, a large notebook and supply of pens and pencils resting on the top of it. Troy doubted he would have use for these, but it was at least considerate enough for them to be provided.

Tossing his bags onto the ground below him, Troy took a few deep breaths as he tried to take in everything. It all seemed to be going so fast, as just yesterday he was little more than your average student who just so happened to have a immortal deity as a parent. Given the latter half was certainly was something out of the norms in all practical sense, up until this point he had managed to not let it affect his life as much as was possible. But now he had been given a duty to not only save a goddess, but the world as a whole from the return of the God's most powerful enemies. It was enough to make his head spin, that much was for sure.

Hearing the sound of footsteps and chatter from the hallway, Troy quickly snapped out of his inner turmoil as he exited his room, watching with curious eyes as the others reacted to what would soon be their new home, at least for the time being. You should probably say something, he thought to himself, grimacing at the thought briefly before taking a deep breath.

"Hey guys, once you're all done settling in, we need to talk about..." He paused for a few seconds before continuing. "...this. All of this. Before crazy shit begins. I haven't checked it out yet, but the war room seems like a good enough place to do it."

After waiting for a response, Troy gave a small nod before heading towards the aforementioned room. Entering it, he was greeted with the sight of a large circular oak table, the clearly ancient wood seeming to almost radiate energy as lavish wooden chairs were tucked in beside it. His eyes glanced over the various marble statues, paintings depicting fierce battles such as Marathon, Platea, and most notably the battle of Thermopylae, of which the very city they resided in derived its name from.

Resting in the middle of the table was a glass sphere with a small control panel located next to it. Curious, Troy pressed down on one of the buttons, only to let out a small startled cry as a holographic display filled the air around him, showing him a three dimensional view of the earth. After his surprise had worn off, Troy hesitantly reached towards the floating image, his eyes widening as it responded to his hand movements by moving in tandem to his hand. After a small amount of pondering, he slowly spread his fingers apart, watching as the image began to zoom into the given location on the map.

As it did, various landmarks, cities, and other notable locations appeared with labels. Having currently been centered on the city of Madrid, he moved his finger to press where the label was. The moment he did, a flurry of information erupted in front of him, detailing mundane things such as the weather, population, and primary language spoken. However, what caught his eye was a piece of information labeled "Threat Level", with a percentage underneath that displayed "50%". Curious, he closed out of the information, hovering the map towards Greece, specifically the city of Athens. A grim expression filled his face as the indicator read out at "100%", causing a slight amount of panic to build up within him as he quickly rotated the map towards Thermopylae. His expression softened slightly as he saw it read only at "10%", but still the sense of unease grew within him.

As the sound of footsteps approached, he quickly shut down the holographic display, the image disappearing in an instant the moment he pressed down on the button. Letting out a deep breath, he took a seat at the table as he waited for the rest to assemble. Once enough had, he glanced around at the others with nervous anticipation, not sure of what to say now that they had actually came. However, after a few moments, he finally was able to force the words out of his mouth.

"So, now that we've all effectively unbuckled our seatbelts and placed our hands off the steering wheel, what's your guy's opinions on all of this?"

[Finland SSR]

Troy

One hour later...

Lyra Kriophora, sword of the Hellenes!

---

LYRA

With several bags strapped over her shoulders, Lyra stopped by one of the numerous compartments lined up across the living quarters of the Argo, staring at the metal plaque over what she assumed to be her room for a good minute. Her name, followed by the symbol of Hermes, the caduceus, underneath - a different symbol was plastered on each plaque to signify their respective divine parents. Either Chiron and the rest of the campus party who got them into this adventure could craft these plaques in an hour... or they probably weren't planning to give them a choice in the first place. That's the sort of thing that happens when you operate with a prophecy on your mind, perhaps...

Lyra took one more look at the plaque while her hand began rummaging through one of the bags on her back - until she pulled out a pack of paper stickers, all in various colors. The blue-haired girl pulled one out, reached up while standing up on her toes, and sticked it over the caduceus symbol to cover it up - and then stepped inside. Thankfully, the room was less luxurious than the rest of the ship, not too dissimilar from the dorm rooms she had gotten used to back in Thermopylae over the years. And they've been provided as well, with a queen sixed bed, a wardrobe, a desk, a shower... Chiron and the rest have certainly done everything they can to hide the fact that the teenagers living here were going to be sent against the greatest nightmares the world could envision.

That's probably why Argo looks more like a hotel than a ship inside. There's even marble woven into its construction, as impractical as it is for any use except making this ship look even more like a picturesque resort. That's what came to Lyra's mind, at least.

Troy's call for a team meet-up caught the blue-haired girl while she was in the middle of unpacking her bags - she hastened her pace, swiftly placing her clothes and weapons inside the wardrobe, and made her way out of her room. Since there was only their small band on the ship, Lyra opted to leave her room unlocked, not that she thought there was anything to steal there. She didn't bring anything valuable with her.

By the time she stepped into the war room, Troy was already there, playing with a holographic display of Earth which showed list upon list of information about each glowing spot on the map one were to touch - among them being a nebulous "threat level" counter. Before the demigod closed the screen, Lyra caught a glimpse of the listing as she approached. According to the map, Thermopylae was relatively safe from... whatever it was supposed to be safe from, but the closer you came to Europe, the more that number increased, until you get to Athens and its 100%.

That's... just a dozen leagues away from where I lived. Lyra's soured expression turned to the side. Back when she departed from her home village, it was still in the midst of reconstruction, but there was an air of optimism among the survivors, that no matter how much they lost, the Gods still favor them. Would she still find that optimism - or even anything at all - if she landed there now?..

"I'd rather have those seatbelts still buckled up - not when we have no idea where we're heading." the girl responded calmly, answering Troy's metaphor with one of her own.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

---

---

Soon, everyone who had been called to the field had agreed to embark on the quest outlined by Clare's prophecy, something that left Raven quite surprised. He himself had clearly harbored doubts a whole thing, and it had taken a significant effort to look past them and see the consequences that his cowardice might have if he refused the call. Had the others not thought the same? Did they go through a similar thought process, or did they simply not have any doubts whatsoever when presented with the situation? The thought that he might be the least brave demigod in their adventurous ensemble was hardly comforting, but on the whole, it made sense - he had never truly regarded himself as the type to achieve heroic deeds like the mythological figures of old, and despite his divine heritage he was reluctant to consider himself destined for greatness.

Perhaps this was the Fates' way of proving him wrong?

Whatever the case, once everyone voiced their agreement, the meeting was dismissed and the demigods were given an hour to pack their belongings and return to the Argo. Still somewhat in shock regarding the arduous quest that he had just agreed to partake in, Raven remained still for a few moments before registering what was said and turning around to make his way back to his dorm. He had the feeling that he'd have a long day ahead of him...

---

Sixty minutes had nearly elapsed by the time Raven made his way back to the field where the Argo had landed - he didn't take too long to pack up his belongings, but running around looking for someone who could take care of Arty while he was gone and then bidding his companion farewell was another matter entirely. It was fortunate that his half-sister Tiffany was fond of both him and dogs, as this meant she had no qualms with taking care of the spaniel for however long Raven would be gone. There was some difficulty in explaining that he unexpectedly had to leave Thermopylae in the middle of a semester and answering the barrage of questions that followed, since he was fairly certain he was not supposed to share any details of his quest and the prophecy that prompted it with people outside of his group, but eventually the deal was settled.

Thus, the young man crossed the field and walked into the flying ship with a backpack slung over his shoulder, a duffel bag in one hand while the other dragged a rolling travel bag across the ground. Heading inside through the ramp, the young man was quite surprised, much like those who walked in before him, by his luxurious surroundings. They weren't quite as lavish as his family's mansion on the outskirts of Thermopylae, but it was still quite surprising to see such an environment within the famous warship from ancient times.

After admiring his surroundings for a few moments, the young man decided to hurry along and try to find his room. Passing by various rooms with plaques containing both the names of his fellow questants and the symbols of their divine parents, Raven eventually found a door with a plaque showing the paired torches of Hecate, and just above them, his name: Raven Blake. Looking upon the door for a moment, the son of Hecate was left wondering whether the Oracle had always known that they would accept, whether she and the other members of the staff had simply assumed so and prepared accordingly, or whether they had simply not intended to truly give them an option, and telling them that they had a right to refuse was a lie.

Well... it's no use pondering that, since I'm doing it regardless... The young man thought as he opened the door and walked into the room, realizing with some satisfaction that while it wasn't as luxurious as either his childhood home or the common areas of the ship, it was still better than the dorm room he had grown accustomed to over the past few years.

Better get settled in, then.

With that thought in mind, Raven propped up the rolling bag against the wall, took off his backpack to place it by the desk, and then tossed the duffel bag to the bed. Then, he took off his helmet and cuirass, which he had worn over his clothes for ease of transport, and placed them by the door along with his spear, in case he needed to grab them in a hurry at some point during their journey, which he considered pretty likely.

Before he could do anything more, a voice called out from the hallway, belonging to Troy and prompting all of the demigods at the Argo to head over to the war room to discuss the upcoming quest. While he wasn't particularly fond of the son of Apollo, Raven figured that if they were going to be fighting against the Titans together, the least he could do was make an effort to get along. With that in mind, he looked at his room one last time and then walked out, headed towards the war room.

Upon arriving, the young man noticed that he wasn't the first to arrive - Lyra was already there, and he had arrived just in time to hear a brief exchange between her and Troy. Hearing the calm and collected manner in which the blue-haired girl spoke, even when they had literally been thrust into a quest to save the world from the ancient enemy of the Gods, Raven couldn't help but admire her, and even felt a tinge of jealousy. He wished he could regard their situation with the same aloof coldness, but instead, despite doing his best to hide it, he was terrified inside.

"My opinion on all of this?" Raven echoed Troy's question as he sat down on one of the lavish oak chairs surrounding the round table. "I... I'm pretty scared, to be honest. I never thought I would have to embark on a quest like this, much less... you know, being chosen to save the world and fight the Titans." He said, a weak chuckle accentuating how he felt about the whole thing. "But... well, I could've refused, but that would just put someone else in my place, and no matter how scared I might be, I tell myself I can't just delay the inevitable and push that sort of responsibility onto someone else." He said, pausing for a moment before cracking a faint smile.

"At least I know my principles are stronger than my fears."

[Tomia]

Rebecca
Having headed back to her room to pack like the others, it was starting to kick in that Rebecca would be leaving her friends, her team, and her life as a whole behind for this quest. It seemed like the right thing to do, given the stakes of it all but that didn't mean it wasn't terrifying. In terms of packing, she packed the essentials, toiletries, warm clothing, a first aid kit, and some personal mementos to keep from getting home sick, and of course some armor just in case. Ultimately it manifested in two large suitcases as well as her special bracelet and lighter that she always kept by her side. With that she made her way across the field to the ship, which was breathtakingly impressive. She didn't know the school or community had anything like this, but if they were breaking it out their situation was clearly dire.

The different parts of the ship seemed to be meticulously labeled, from the kitchen, to the armory, and so on. Rebecca then came upon a room with her own name on it, Ares' symbol beneath it. She looked at the fiery red spear for a moment and it gave her unusual pause, as if it felt less familiar than usual. She shock off that feeling and headed in side. The room was well enough but it mostly felt like an empty hotel room to her. It felt lifeless, and far from home. Still she would clearly have to start getting used to it so she unpacked a little before heading back outside to explore the rest of the ship. She found people gathering in the room. She didn't really know many of them but she would have to get to know them so she listened in on the conversation. The one who seemed kind of in charge, Troy, asked them vaguely what they thought of this. It wasn't the most specific question, but a clear answer came to Rebecca's mind.

"I think that we have no idea what to expect. We can spend our time worrying about what's next or what the prophecy might be, but that's a waste to me. We're here, together, so we might as well make the most of that before some other crazy thing is thrown our way."

[The Templar High Council]

Jack Mercier
Argos

Assuming that they would be leaving from the meeting anyway, Jack had packed before leaving his apartment and stashed his bags in his car. He waited by his beater of a vehicle while the others gathered their things, called his landlord and other non-college people to direct their concerns to Chiron himself, and waited to board at the same time as everyone else. His first impression was that of shock: he was completely taken aback at how large and fancy the interior of this ship was, especially given the age. The rest of his companions ambled around before someone found the living quarters, and Jack took the time to shrug off his bags and wish that his quarters were more to his liking.

Before Troy called out to everyone that they should meet and talk, Jack was strolling down the hallway trying to remind himself about what he knew of everyone. Anders and Dani were friends of his, Raven he was acquainted with but wouldn't necessarily say 'friends,' and the rest were mostly friends of friends of friends, et cetera. It didn't slip his notice that there were two children of Hermes aboard this ship, though Lyra covered the caduceus on her door with a cute paper sticker. Jack wondered why they were the only ones who shared a parent, but regrettably didn't know that much about the blue-haired warrior beyond her name and she had an odd way of speaking. He hurriedly stepped out of the way after Troy's call, dodging back towards his room, and joined the growing group in the war room shortly after.

"I think that the weight of the situation hasn't hit me yet, it just feels like another task for work so far." Jack spoke a lot with his hands, and continued gesturing as he continued. "But if possible, can we keep our proverbial hands on the hypothetical wheel? I've never sailed before, or flown, so I'd appreciate if someone was in control of this overly designed sailboat." The extended driving metaphor was starting to become old, and Jack's hands fell to grasp at the back of the empty chair he stood behind.

"The only thing we can really do is go forward, we've all accepted this burden. And nothing has appeared in our way to stop us yet." He paused to look around the war room, admiring the array of electronics at their disposal. "I'd like to spend more time in here though, seems like the most obvious place to meet and plan, aside from the dining room sometimes, and maybe if I can wrap my head around this more then I'll have a better opinion to give you." A slight grin punctuated his final response, as Jack hoped to put his analytical mind to work looking at their options moving forward.

[New Finnish Republic]

Troy rolled his eyes at Lyra's response, about to say something snarky in response before the arrival of the other members of the group began to assemble within the room. One by one, the nervous responses came out, doing little to settle the nerves within Troy. What have we even got ourselves into, he thought to himself before eventually shaking his head in an attempt to rid himself of his doubts. Leaning over the table and placing his hands on top of it, he took a deep breath before beginning to speak.

"I certainly agree on spending more time in here," he said, nodding to Jack briefly before continuing. "The real question here is what we plan on doing from here on out. There's a lot of distance between us and Greece, and only the Gods know how long it will actually take us to-"

"If I may interrupt, Mr. Weaver, based on my current calculations, it will be approximately two weeks of journey until we reach the assumed destination of our current objective."

Troy's face went pale for a moment as he practically jumped up from where he was resting in response to the sudden voice that spoke out. Rapidly glancing around to each corner of the room, the child of Apollo looked for the source of the unknown voice.

"Um, who the hell are you?" Troy eventually spoke out, a great deal of worry and confusion in his voice as he continued to search for whomever had just spoken.

Not even a second after he spoke, the table in front of him began to glimmer with lights, eventually materializing into a holographic figure of a bearded man wearing a long flowing tunic holding a scroll in his hands. An amused expression filled its face as it observed the state of shock on the silver haired boy's face, almost seeming to chuckle before collecting itself and turning to face the others in the room.

"I suppose I should introduce myself. I am the Joint Autonomous System Official Navigator, or JASON for short. I apologize for the shocking introduction, but I calculated that the most opportune moment to greet all of you would be when you were all assembled together. So thank you, Mr. Weaver, for not wasting my time."

Having finally recovered from the initial surprise of the appearance of the holographic projection, Troy's gaze narrowed as he was quick to pick up the snarky tone that came out of the robotic voice. "First of all, I wasn't even scared," Troy said in a vain attempt to regain his pride, "and secondly, to repeat my question again: Who the hell are you?"

In a gesture that further caused spite to build within Troy, the hologram rolled its eyes in response to his question before replying.

"While saying such is a gross understatement of my actual duties, I am effectively the pilot of this vessel. Did you really believe that Chiron would trust the piloting of the legendary Argo to a bunch of children?" Placing his fingers on his forehead and shaking his head, JASON let out a small exasperated sigh before seeming to regain its composure as it turned its attention back towards the group as a whole. "Along with this duty, I also act as both the defense systems and provisions management director. In other words, it is my duty to both ensure your safety as much as possible while also ensuring that we do not starve to death along the way to our objective."

Glancing around the room for a few moments, the AI gave each of the members present a calculated stare before eventually continuing.

"I can see that Chiron has chosen a rather...unique assortment of individuals to go along on this journey. While as much as my rational processing cannot begin to comprehend his choices, I must respect his choices and serve you all to the best of my abilities. Thus, I suppose it would be wise to enlighten you on your upcoming journey."

Walking around the table for a few moments, JASON suddenly moved his hand towards the table, prompting the holographic projection of the Earth to appear once more. However this time a notable blue line ran across the land and sea masses, traveling from their current position all the way towards Greece in a series of notable stops along the way.

"Based on my current calculations of available food supplies and other amenities, we will need to be taking several short stops along the way to our destination to refill our supplies. My namesake was able to survive on his long harrowing journeys with little more than a handful of containers of dried meats and jugs of wine, but unfortunately my programming dictates that this is not an acceptable means of sustaining all of you. I've assigned a route that should mitigate potential dangerous encounters along our journey, but unfortunately I am unable to guarantee that our progress will not be slowed along the way." JASON paused for a moment, a somber expression on his glowing face as he looked at the demigods assembled around him. "While I will do as much as I can to defend against such interruptions, I am limited to what limited defense systems that are onboard this vessel. It will be up to all of you to fend for yourselves, both while onboard the Argo and whenever you depart."

Nodding to himself, JASON placed his hands behind his back as he began to walk around the room once more. On occasion, his projection would pass right through the demigods, the picture seeming undisturbed by the sudden obstructions as he continued to lecture the group.

"As for what will occur during our undisturbed times of travel, there are ample amounts of areas in which you may entertain yourselves. I will do what I can to clean after yourselves, but please do make an effort not to make too much of a mess during your stay. I would certainly hate to misidentify any of you as intruders after you fail to wash your dishes and be forced to deploy the onboard defense systems on you as a result," it said, the thinly veiled threat masked with artificial sarcasm filling the air as he paced around the room.

"Besides this request, the only other thing I ask of all of you is to remain in one piece throughout this journey. Unfortunately my creators have dictated that I do everything within my powers to keep you safe from harm, so it would indeed be a pity if I were to fail in my first real-world exercise." Stopping in his tracks, the holographic figure raised an eyebrow as he looked towards the demigods.

"If there are no further questions, you may feel free to leave. The Argo will be lifting off shortly, and while my piloting skills are beyond comparison, I cannot guarantee that the takeoff will be without a few jostles."

[Finland SSR]

Raven

Rebecca

Jack Mercier
Argos

Troy

Lyra Kriophora, sword of the Hellenes!

---

Soon after Lyra, the rest of their team began to filter into the room, giving their own thoughts on the situation they've all found themselves in - all with different impressions. Raven did not mince his words - the prospects left him afraid, but he clung onto this responsibility nonetheless, knowing that someone would have to fulfill his role anyway, and so he figured that it'd rather be him and not someone else. Rebecca simply wanted to put her mind to rest and not worry about the prophecy while they still have time. Jack, her fellow child of Hermes, seemed to follow the same train of thought - they've accepted this burden and nothing's gotten in their way just yet, so why not just move forward.

Lyra's eyes turned to the side, and the blue haired girl did not speak. Silently, however, she couldn't help to admire everyone else's resolve. She had to hide so much fear behind a disciplined facade, while her teammates could all just... move forward. Raven even made it clear how noble their decision to pick up this burden was - and she didn't even consider looking at it that way. Though, is it really right for someone as incapable as her to occupy one of the seat in a campaign this important?

"...yeah." Lyra muttered under her breath, her voice more fragile than before, in agreement with the others - just in time for Troy to activate the ship's navigation and control system. Taking the shape of a hologram and introducing itself as Jason (well, J.A.S.O.N.), it explained the rules in the ship, its role, duties, and what the squad of demigods are expected to do with this knowledge. It will pilot the ship, take them wherever they need to be, defend them to its ability, provide them with food, watch over them and clean after them. All with a good dose of sarcasm while doing it.

"I'm... not sure how to feel about leaving so many chores in the ship to one computer," Lyra stated. That didn't sound like a recipe for anything good... and she's gotten used to keeping after herself, anyway. "I'll look after myself while I'm on the ship, if you don't mind, kyrios."

[Zarkenis Ultima]

---

---

---

After opening up to the group and laying out his feelings of apprehension, Raven listened to the others speak their mind. None seemed to have paid much attention to him, instead focusing on expressing their own innermost thoughts, though he supposed that was to be expected. First after him was the fiery-haired daughter of Ares, Rebecca, asserting that worrying about whatever was to come was futile, and that, now that they were in this together, they should make the most of their time together. It was a sentiment he could get behind, and he certainly looked forward to getting to know his teammates throughout this venture - they would need to build some trust between them if they were to trust each other with their lives when they fought the titans, not to mention there were a few students here that he wasn't quite familiar with.

Ironically, the next person to speak was not a student from the University of Thermopylea, but someone he and some others knew from Thermopylae High, Jack. He was as carefree as usual, and largely echoed the others' sentiments, mentioning that he was still wrapping his head around the mess they were now in. There was another thing he could agree with. He didn't think there were a lot of people who could easily process and accept something so important and so abrupt with ease, and he certainly wasn't one of those people. He could only hope things would go smoothly, though he had his doubts.

Before long, a few important questions emerged. Namely, how were they going to get to Greece exactly, and... what was going to drive the Argo? Seeing as they were all given a choice to refuse the call, he doubted that Chiron, Clare and the others would've bet on one of them having that rather particular skill - although there was always the possibility, given that they apparently knew in advance that the whole team would accept - and none of them had come along to serve as a pilot, which left the question open. Things were made clear soon enough, however, as a disembodied voice spoke up to clarify everything. Needless to say, Raven was startled at first, but as the voice explained everything, he felt somewhat relieved, if weirded out that there was an artificial intelligence of all things in an ancient relic of the old world.

The way Jason addressed them, calling them a 'unique assortment' of individuals that he 'struggled to comprehend' did little to reassure him, however, and while it might have been comforting to hear that there were some limited defensive capabilities to the Argo, it hardly made him feel better to hear that they would still have to fend for themselves ninety percent of the time.

Come this point, Raven was visibly uncomfortable, shifting on his seat and fidgeting with his hands a lot. So when the AI declared that they were free to go, the young man stood up almost automatically. Realizing what he had done and feeling eyes on him, he felt a wave of embarrassment, which only motivated him further to make his exit already instead of lingering any longer. He could always get to know the others later.

"I... I'm going to go get some air. It was good to talk to you all." He said, forcing himself to smile at the group before walking off towards the deck.

[Finland SSR]

Lyra Kriophora, sword of the Hellenes!

---

A few minutes after JASON made his presence known and began to explain his existence to the demigods gathered in the war room, Lyra stepped out. She had gotten her answers, and the team was starting to disperse, so nothing was holding her there, anyway.

For a second, she stood there, unsure of what to do next. Now that she's been made known about everything needed to know about this journey, she really needed some time to think about this, all by herself - it's only been what, ten minutes since she made her way to the ship? And almost all of that time got spent either hastily unpacking her stuff or listening to others voice their opinion. All she got to say that she'd rather have their seatbelts buckled on while they have no clue where they're heading... Which is fair enough, but that wasn't the only thought clouding her mind.

The girl eventually decided to take some fresh air and made her way to the deck - there, however, instead of an empty floor, she found Raven, immersed into much of the same. Not that it was a surprise - after all, hastily leaving the war room, the son of Hecate had stated that he was going to get some air, and it's not like he was going to leave the ship. Still, it was something Lyra hadn't prepared for in advance. With a brief sigh, the blue haired girl made her way to Raven's side of the deck and rested her elbows onto the handrail.

For a while, she stayed silent, staring into the distance, but finally, she turned her eyes towards Raven and opened up:

"Did you..."

What's the way she should say this...

"...find your line in that prophecy?"

[Zarkenis Ultima]

---

After leaving the war room where the rest of the demigods had gathered, Raven briefly found himself at a loss on where to go. Certainly, he'd said he would go get some fresh air, though that was more of an excuse than an honest expression of his intentions, not to mention he didn't know which was the way to the deck - he had entered the ship through the ramp, but going back that way didn't seem like a good idea. He could perhaps head back to his room and start unpacking his belongings, but wouldn't they be at risk of falling off upon takeoff?

After deliberating just outside the war room for a few seconds, the young man decided against staying there any longer and simply began walking, his aimless wandering eventually morphing into an exploration of the ship. Before long, thanks to the clear, helpful signs strategically scattered throughout the vessel, Raven found himself arriving at the deck of the Argo, where the fresh air seemed to carry away some of his concerns. The son of Hecate grimaced slightly upon feeling the radiant morning sun shining upon him, and quickly moved to a spot where the shadow of the sails could protect him from the sunlight, but otherwise, he had no complaints about being here. It was calm and serene.

Leaning on the railing, Raven looked at the landscape while allowing his mind to wander. With the suddenness of Chiron's summons and then the somewhat hostile welcome Jason made, his mind had been focused primarily on the weight of their mission, the dangers to come. But up here, in a calm environment that allowed him to think, his mind began trying to look for that elusive silver lining. They would be in danger, yes... but what story worth telling lacked conflict? And he would be going far from home, but that only meant he would be seeing and exploring new places, he would have the chance to forge new memories in distant lands... with new companions. Was it so bad?

It was not a clear cut issue by any means, of course, but if nothing else, these thoughts helped soothe his heart.

Immersed in his thoughts as he was, he didn't notice the presence of another person on the deck until he heard the sound of a faint sigh nearby. Surprised, he glance to the side only to find that he was no longer alone, his friend from the literature club having joined him. While she approached and leaned on the railing next to him, she didn't seem too terribly interested in talking. Raven didn't mind - despite the silence, he enjoyed the company.

But after a few minutes, the blue-haired girl addressed him with a brief question, one charged with meaning.

"My... line?" He repeated with an uncertain tone, looking at Lyra and then back at the landscape ahead. Silence ensued for a few moments before the young man would speak again. "I did. I think so, at least. The, um, heart of darkness, I figured it was talking about me, what with Hecate being a goddess associated with the underworld and all that... I don't think it fits anyone else here, and I don't think any other line fits me, either." He explained. After a moment, he sighed. "I'm not keen on finding out how my blood is going to reveal the way, though..."

Shaking his head to clear out the dark thoughts that encroached on him, Raven straightened up and turned to look at Lyra. "What about you?"

[Finland SSR]

Raven

Lyra Kriophora, sword of the Hellenes!

---

"One who was born with a heart of darkness, whose blood will reveal the way forward..." Lyra muttered under her breath, repeating that line from memory while Raven described it. He clearly did not sound confident, but he tried to rationalize his guess to the best of his ability - he pointed to the connection his divine mother had with the underworld and guessed that it was even less fitting to everyone else in their group. The rationale was sound, and she could believe it. "Lucky for you..."

Raven turned the question around, however, asking about her line in the prophecy. Lyra stared back at him for a second, her expression turning more grim, then turned to the foggy distance.

"I don't know. I don't know... anything." Her voice turned weak and fragile, on the verge of breaking down. "It'd be ironic if it was just my reading comprehension failing me... but I really don't think I should be here. Maybe it's a really painful case of luck, but it feels more like a curse." Far too much luck is really all she could claim as her own, isn't it? She would have died against the Hydra without it, she would have never ended up in Thermopylae without it... "I mean, we're going to be facing off against the Titans, aren't we? You, Dani, Troy, and everyone else are demigods, you've got amazing powers, you are all leagues above an average person by default - whereas I... I can't really do anything. You're the kind of people me and my people would worship, rather than expect to fight side by side with, see?"

[Galnius]

Danica was struck speechless as she entered her room. It was simple, yet the mere fact that she would be on the Argo was enough to awe her into silence. Her suitcase was quickly torn open as she rummaged threw it, already making herself at home by throwing whatever was in the way onto the floor below. Eventually, she found her target.

It was nothing more than a simple photograph, but it was one she needed in clear sight. Dani placed it into her desk facing the bed. Looking back at her was a 7 year old version of herself wearing a blue sundress and adorned with pigtails, next to her then 34 year old father. She held up her first ever gold medal, the first of many. This was from a soapbox racing tournament, and her dad had gotten her an entire cake to celebrate. She had been a bit sick for a few days after eating half of it in one go, but it was worth it. . It was one of her fondest memories. Still, Dani felt she had that kid beat, considering she had never dreamed she would be on the Argo.

She was soon awakened from her thoughts on the past as an announcement rang out. Troy had waged a meeting, though Dani couldn't guess what for. Most likely, people hadn't even had their first power nap here. Still, she obliged, and found the war room.

It was there that she met the autopilot, named JASON, because of course it was. Dani restrained herself from speaking, as she knew of she were then she wouldn't be able to stop. While she was giddy herself, she could still read the room, and for some reason not everyone seemed so much as happy. Then again, perhaps they were having trouble leaving behind what they knew.

Eventually, people started moving out. The first two to go were Lyra and Raven, the people she usually badgered. It was clear that people are going to filter out, so Dani had to act fast to not be left alone, or worse, stuck with the lazy son of the north wind.

She quickly found her target in someone she had helped with a car once. He was a bit famous, and infamous, as a locksmith, and definitely had the Hermes flair that Lyra lacked.

"Jack!" Dani ran over and grabbed him by the arm. He was the escape. He was the key to her entertainment for the next hour or so. "C'mon, let's find the kitchen. We need to make something to celebrate. Maybe cupcakes or something. Chocolate, to cheer up some of these downers. And don't worry JASON, I won't make a mess!"

Pausing, she turned back before trying to lead Jack out. She knew herself well enough that, even if she didn't intend to, she may have just lied to the AI. "Umm...correction. I'll clean up after we make a mess!"

[Zarkenis Ultima]

---

Raven felt a cold chill travel down his spine as he heard Lyra's soft voice recite the lines in the prophecy that he believed applied to him. The way she called him lucky immediately afterwards made a bitterness rise inside of him, and he scowled while looking away from her. But when she spoke again, with a voice that now sounded frail and wavering - a far cry from how calm and determined she had sounded in the war room, and the meeting with Chiron before that - his anger seemed to subside immediately, replaced by mild confusion and a concern for her friend and classmate. She sounded very lost and uncertain of her place in the Argo and, seeing this vulnerable side of the blue-haired book enthusiast, the young man's first instinct was to try and cheer her up.

"I, um... I don't know if my opinion on this matters to you or not, but I think you should be here, Lyra." The son of Hecate began, his tone sincere and encouraging. "Maybe the prophecy wasn't too clear for all of us, but I don't think Chiron and the Oracle made a mistake in calling you here. If what they said is true, they had much more information than just the prophecy at their disposal." He argued.

"And even if not... I mean, I've seen you fight. You're one of the best we have, you know?" The young man assured her peer, offering her a faint smile. "Maybe some of us have these amazing powers but I think you're wrong to say you can't do anything. You can certainly fight better than I can." He said with a chuckle, recalling his sparring match the previous day, and its rather embarrassing conclusion.

"I suppose you can choose not to believe me, but it's not just my word, you know? That story you told once, about the hydra..." Raven trailed off as he finally decided to walk closer to the blue-haired girl, placing his hands on her shoulders and looking her in the eye. "You're the stuff of legends, Lyra. You are. I'm just a rich kid in over his head, but you're the girl who defeated the hydra." He stated with a sudden conviction that he himself found rather surprising. "So don't say that you shouldn't be here. Out of all of us, you're likely the one who deserves it the most."

[Finland SSR]

Raven

Lyra Kriophora, sword of the Hellenes!

---

Hearing Lyra's insecurity, Raven immediately moved to try to cheer her up. He explained that whatever her feelings about the prophecy might be, the Oracle, Heracles and Chiron must certainly have chosen her with a reason in mind, and even if she might feel behind everyone else, she cannot possibly claim to be unable to do anything. With a reassuring smile on his face, he continued pointing out example after example - the expertise with which she wields a spear and shield, compared to him and his novice abilities, and even the Hydra which she faced off against all by herself.

Right, I did mention that once... It was something which Lyra never really liked to boast about. She failed to protect anyone, after all. Neither her family nor her village, by the time she finally took it down, everything was in ruins.

Raven stepped forward, getting the blue-haired girl to turn towards him directly - then, suddenly, he placed his hands on her shoulders, calling out to her with more intimacy than before. Her first reaction was a shocked stare, followed by her eyes glancing to the side and her forcefully suppressing a pained grimace. Raven's motivational speech had turned poetic by that point - he went as far as to call her a legend in the making, more worthy of being here than anyone else on the ship. How more ridiculous could this possibly get?

Lyra's right hand began to move, weakly and shakily, then suddenly snatched the arm on her left shoulder by the wrist and pulled it away.

"Sorry, I-I should have warned you earlier," she explained, quickly realizing that her yank was more violent than she wanted it to be, and let go of Raven's hand. "My shoulder is permanently damaged, Hydra venom got into it, its damage can't be fixed, and well... But you only touched it, so it's just a jolt of pain." Couldn't say that about getting struck there with something actually dangerous - making it a yet another reminder of her inherent fragility.

"Don't-don't say I deserve this... don't step down to my level..." Lyra continued. Her grimace vanished, replaced by her usual stoic expression. "You and Danica are great, and even if you're starting with the basics, I can promise that you two will become legendary eventually. I know that Troy is also doing really well, even if he might not come off like that at first glance. I... don't know everyone else that well, but if their prophecies are anything to go by, they can achieve things no mortal person ever will, too. And maybe I'll have a role somewhere in the symphony too. Maybe I'll teach you and everyone else how to fight and watch you eventually surpass me. But..."

It was getting difficult to maintain her disciplined expression, but Lyra pushed along regardless.

"I don't want the fate of the world to fall on the shoulders of someone like me. I'm just a huntress from Athens. I'm just... lucky."

[New Finnish Republic]

Troy

---

Glancing around as the others left the room, Troy gave Jason a distasteful glare, much to the amusement of the holographic man who responded with a small mocking wave of his hand before disappearing in a cloud of pixels. He's going to be a pain in the ass, that's much for sure, Troy thought to himself as he let out a small annoyed snort of air before leaving the room himself. Like many others on the ship, he was interested in scoping out the ship, having done little more than head to his room prior to the brief meeting they had.

Finding his way towards the dining area, Troy wasted no time in heading into the kitchen, quickly rummaging through the various refrigerators and pantries in a curious search for what was currently available for food. Much to his surprise, there seemed to be a wide plethora of options available, from leafy green vegetables to thick slabs of meat. He didn't know what the preferences were for the others on the ship, but it seemed like that at least initially there would be no issue of anyone finding a good meal to cook up. Granted, we are college students, so they could've just given us ramen noodles and we wouldn't have complained, he thought to himself with a small roll of his eyes as he opened up the final refrigerator in the corner of the kitchen. After a few moments of hopeful searching, a scowl appeared on his face as he noticed a certain type of beverage was notably missing from the wide variety available.

"Looks like I know what our first supply priority is," Troy mumbled his breath as he shut the refrigerator door, only to suddenly find himself standing face to face with someone.

"Holy-" Troy let out a surprised cry, his heart nearly jumping out of his chest as the sudden appearance had caught him off guard. After a moment of recollecting himself, he suddenly realized who it was, causing him to let out a small exhale as his heart continued to race. "Jesus, you almost gave me a heart attack," he said, a small amount of embarrassment in his voice.

[The Templar High Council]

Troy & JASON

Dani

Jack Mercier
Argos

Jack stood by, watching and listening to the others talk until JASON popped out of nowhere and explained even further. He nodded along with the rest as the procedures of the journey were outlined, before the group broke and started spreading out throughout the ship. Jack watched Raven and Lyra, two people who seemed to be joined at the hip as of late, independently leave the room the same direction. He was about to kick off of his place standing behind a chair and return to his quarters before someone latched onto his arm and asked him to join them in the kitchen for cupcakes.

"Sure thing Dani." Jack replied, exaggerating the action of standing up straight and clutching her arm in his. "Lead the way, mon ami."

The two of them journeyed to the kitchen to find that they weren't the first to think of this idea. Regardless of their fellow crew's actions, Jack started flipping through the latched cabinets, looking for bowls and pans to make their pastries out of. "I'm not sure how I feel about a computer being responsible for driving us around. I know drones are a thing, so self-driving flying things work better than cars do, but I hope that we're not going to be stuck on any trees during our trip, you know?" Jack began laying the tools out on the counter, hoping Dani would get the ingredients they needed in the meantime.

[Absolon-7]

Troy

Anders Thomson

---

Anders couldn't stop being overwhelmed by how much their journey was rushing forward to a start. He was packed with all the stuff he thought he'd need like extra clothes, hygiene stuff, his laptop, along with his enchanted equipment. He kept his thought to himself through the whole war room meeting with the preposterously high danger rating in Europe stunning him into silence. However, that 10% danger rating right here was too high for his own comfort. Could what's happening in the Old World have already reached here even in the slightest ways? If there was anything that he thought was cool on the ship however was that hologram Jason. At least they didn't have to worry about piloting a ship on their to do list. He ultimately decided that he needed a drink to wash down his nerves but he accidentally surprised Troy into being startled.

"Oh I'm really sorry, eh. Didn't mean to give ya no cardiac arrest," apologized Anders, "Just need a good ol drink from the refrigerator. Like did the see any milk in there? Just feeling in over my head over this. So I thought something hearty to drink would be good, eh"

[Tomia]

Rebecca
"Are there any bottles of water in there?" Rebecca asked Anders. "I'm not sure I really trust tap water on a strange ship." She said as she walked into the kitchen and saw him opening the door to the fridge. As she approached she had a feeling Anders was a bit off, and raised an eyebrow. "You alright? You look stressed, well more stressed than the rest of us I guess." She wasn't surprised that he was stressed however. Even before it was revealed they had a hologram as a guide this was an extreme amount to take in.

"So..." She said, trying to think of some topic of conversation for the group and maybe take the attention off Anders a bit. "Do you all have any hobbies? Other than monster hunting that is? Personally, I love soccer, I'm on the team at University." She told them, hoping causal conversation might get people to relax a bit. They needed to get comfortable with each other after all. Still even in that moment the prophecy hung over her head. What did it mean that she would have to chose between old and new? Did that somehow involve the people here? She decided she needed to take her own advice and try not to think about it, smiling through the stress instead.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

---

Raven recoiled, shocked at the abrupt manner in which Lyra's right hand shot towards his and quickly pried it off her shoulder, and took his left hand off of her as well, taking a step back to give the girl some space, unsure of what was going on. The blue-haired girl quickly explained, relating that during the feat alluded earlier, her battle with the fearsome Hydra, her shoulder was corroded and irreparably damaged. The young man frowned, now regretting an action that had been intended to comfort her peer. He supposed it made sense - even the heroes of old struggled against a creature as mighty as the Lernaean Hydra, so who in this world could face it and come out unscathed?

The girl continued to speak afterwards, saying that he didn't have to drop to her level, that he and the others were destined to great things and that even if there was some role for her in the grand design of the gods, it would be something peripheral, a role as a teacher or mentor of sorts. Not that you're much older than I am He thought as a smile appeared on his face. She insisted afterwards that she was just lucky. She seemed to have some sort of fixation with that, with her luck, and though he couldn't understand why, it wasn't hard to think of how to flip that over.

"No, Lyra. We are." Raven smiled reassuringly at her, placing a hand on her good shoulder and giving her a light squeeze. "We are lucky to have you with us, and I'm sure you'll come to see it in time." He was completely convinced of the words as he uttered them.

The scene was interrupted as his stomach suddenly grumbled. The young man realized that in his rush to overcome his brief hangover and prepare for the earlier meeting, he had completely neglected his breakfast and as a result, his body began to demand nourishment in its own peculiar way. Raven suddenly backed away, looking down and then back at Lyra with a light shade of red on his face, clearly embarrassed.

"Uh... I..." He mumbled, as if about to justify what had just happened, before simply giving up altogether and changing his tune. "...Do you want to head over to the kitchen? I could use something to eat." He stated. If nothing else, the polite thing to do was to invite her to come along.