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"The ocean is really nice you will love it Arthur." Kiera said to him giving him a smile as he gently patted him on the shoulder after he hugged Andy, she had grown up in Florida and had gone boating with her mother numerous times in the past before. She was always drawn to the water growing up. Once everyone had collected their money Argus looked towards the group and gave them all a thumbs up, as a way to say good luck. Kiera didn't know why Argus never really actually spoke as she gave the guy a slight nod as she adjusted her things looking over at Leda.

"We should probably get a taxi, unless you guys want to just walk over there." Kiera suggested, New York was really confusing to her, she had gone to New York once when she was really little before she even found out that she was a demigod. Luckily it was New York and there was always an abundance of taxies throughout the entire city walking there would take an hour to get there. A taxi ended up dropping off a couple just a few feet away from the group.

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Madalyne looked towards Stella for a moment she wasn't really sure what island that she was talking about really, the only island that she really knew about in the Bay Area in general was Alcatraz Island. "Not really sure there is an island like that unless you are thinking of Alcatraz or something." Madalyne told her, as she watched Argus getting back into the van and started to drive off, she nodded towards Niah Amtrak was probably the best way to get over to California from here. "It's probably the cheapest way to get there for you guys Amtrak is pretty good I believe you guys need to look for Grand Central Station though for the trains and stuff like that." She told Stella and Jason as she watched Andy hugging Arthur made her smile a little bit.

She turned to Mary Madalyne was pretty sure that they'd have to look for the entarance to the Labyrinth which was easier said than done, from what she knew of the Labyrinth it was always changing constantly, as Madalyne turned around for a moment. She felt a slight draw towards something and then pointed over towards a nearby alleyway. "Lets go this way." Madalyne said as she started to head in that direction, and entered the alleyway. She took a moment and looked around both Mary and Andy would be able to see a door appear on a nearby wall that wasn't there before.

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Kristin looked up at Zeke and glared at him as she really wanted to just punch him in his fugly face for laughing, and shook her head letting out an annoyed sigh as Zeke left the room. "Gods he gets on my fucking nerves all the time." Kristin said rubbing the bridge of her nose in annoyance knowing that she'd be cooped up with him for who knows how long. "I'm going to go there to get some food and stuff for the trip if you'd like you are welcome to come with me if want." Kristin told Janelle as she got up offering her hand brushing it against Janelle's shoulder if she wanted it, as she turned towards Demi asking for money to get some supplies. "If you want to come with to i'll pay." Kristin offered as she started to head out of the Big House and making her way over towards the Camp Store. She saw that Cassian was already there to getting his own supplies by the looks of it as well, as Kristin made her way towards the food area.

Danielle nodded towards Nancy as she got up and started to follow shortly behind Nancy towards where the Roman's were calling home now as well and entered the Praetor Tent. "It's alright I understand." Danielle told Nancy giving her a slight smile, she was really new to the whole thing, she was probably going to lean on Alexandra the whole time. "I'll ask her if I need anything, do you have any advice in general?" Danielle asked Nancy as she got her supplies, Leandra was still there in the corner of the room her mouth was gagged in the meantime that way she couldn't weasel her way out. "Also any advice on to deal with her?" Daneille asked gesturing towards Leandra who had a guard nearby.

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Ezekiel made his way through camp until he made it to his cabin. He shoved the door open, letting it slam shut behind him while making his way to his bunk and grabbed his go bag. Ezekiel rifled through the bag, double checking his supplies from his last quest. He grumbled out mild annoyances from the day as well as what he wanted to grab from the Infirmary and Camp Store.
Ezekiel really didn’t want to go on this quest. He didn’t want to talk to Janelle. He didn’t want Nancy going through hell again and he really didn’t want Demetri to get into trouble. He squeezed his eyes shut as all the emotion hit him in a wave. The anger deflated from his body and was replaced with tears and the encompassing fear of this new quest. Ezekiel sat on his bed and pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes and took steady breaths. The first few were shaky as tears fell but the breathing eventually helped to compose himself and he dropped his hands.
Ezekiel looked over at his bedside table and picked up the picture frame. It was a young picture of his mother, taken by someone when he was only a couple years old. His mother still looked carefree and happy, despite having a two year old at such a young age herself. Ezekiel ran a thumb over the glass and sighed. He reminded himself that he was fighting for her and set her picture back down. The frame rested beside Ezekiel’s few books and some random herbs picked from the gardens and forest around Camp Half-Blood.
Ezekiel stood and grabbed his bow, a quiver full of normal and sonic arrows that he kept and his bag. He slung the quiver over his back and bag over his right shoulder and carried the bow with his left hand. He looked ready but he didn’t feel like it as Ezekiel left his cabin and headed for the infirmary.

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Andy didn't say goodbye either. She had no desire to. That would be like admitting she'd never see Arthur again. She watched Arthur get into the cab and closed her eyes, trying to memorize him. She followed her aunt down into an alleyway. When the door appeared, she opened her eyes wide. "Wow, how did you know?" She asked.

Andy went to the door slowly. She had grown up on the streets in part, so she was a cautious kid. She didn't want to open the door, worrying about what might happen if she did. Her heart pounded. And this wasn't even scary. She chastised herself. "So this goes where we need to go?" She asked.




Niah raised an eyebrow and all of Stella's questions. There was a lot to explain there. And, of course, Jason had no idea about where they were going either. She took a small breath. Then said, "The Caldecott Tunnel is our thing; that is the path to get to New Rome." She winced as soon as she said that. But continued. "What you're experiencing is called the Mist. It is a magical thing that can be manipulated by some, but its primary function is to prevent mortals from noticing our stuff. I can explain more while we are traveling. As for where we are going, Mount Tamalpais is a mountain north of San Francisco. It is the equivalent of Mount Othrys. Much like the Empire State building houses your Mount Olympus." She said, gesturing to the tall building.

She had a feeling she would be explaining a lot to the pair of them during this quest. At least she didn't mind doing that. Stella was the newest camper for the Greeks, and while Jason had been around for a bit, the Greeks weren't the best at orientation, and he was from a different country, so there was no surprise he didn't have a clue.

"First, we need to get to the Grand Central Station. Then we can get to an Amtrak station. Amtrak is one of the few ways to cross the US without flying. And flying is...uh... well, not the safest form of transport for our kind. Even without a kid of Neptune. It probably is fine if you're not on a quest, but being on a quest is like an auto-draw for monsters. I swear they sense it. Also, try not to say a monster's name as that attracts them too." Niah led the way toward Grand Central Station. At least New York was laid out sensically. It was practically a straight shot from where they were to Grand Central.

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Demetri looked over towards Janelle as she offered to pay for his questing supplies. He figured it wasn't a bad offer, she'd been on several quests herself and most likely knew a bunch of the basics to get. Of course no one could fully prepare for what was going to happen, but they could certainly try. He looked towards the front door, sighing a bit as he worried about Zeke and finally hung his head low before responding. "Yeah. Thanks mate, could use a few pointers on what to get anyways. I'm not even sure what to expect." It was a little weird thinking about it. The last time Demetri had visited the store it was to find Maltesers and some ingredients to make Zeke's gift. Now he was going to shop for a battle against a giant whose last slayer was Zeus and a child of his themselves, all to use the Doors of Death.

As he made his way towards the doorway, he'd hope to spot Zeke waiting outside. He would casually ask him if he wanted to tag along and get supplies together, try and have a few precious moments before they finally embarked. But as he crossed the threshold, Zeke was nowhere to be found. There was a tightness to his chest, a slight pain as if his ribs had constricted and were ever so slightly pressing against his heart. He decided not to dwell on it and pressed forward, watching the distance that had begun to grow between him and Kristin. The walk there was relatively quiet, then again the mood that hung in the air made anyone want to stifle all conversations.

When they'd finally arrived at the shop Demetri stopped just outside the door. Waiting patiently for a moment as it all started to become a bit too real. His electric blue eyes pierced through the doorway as he took in a breath before marching in. "Not exactly sure what to look for. Mind giving me some pointers?" He tried to offer Kristin a smile, but even he found it hard to manage given the situation. He'd never truly thought that he would get a quest, always expecting it to be anyone else but him.

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Cassian looked up from the shelf he was at, looking across the store towards the campers that had just walked in. He could overhear Demi asking for advice on what supplies to get when Cassian simply rolled his eyes. He made his way over towards the pair and gave him a leveled look. "Here take what general supplies I've gotten so far. I'll just go and grab some more. There's food, first aid supplies, and other things." He turned around to gather more supplies when he stopped mid turn and turned back to face them. "Listen. I know I may not be the easiest to get along with at times, but we are going to need to work as a team if we want any chance at survival. Look around a bit more, see if anything else catches your eyes."

With that, Cassian had turned back around and headed over towards where he'd previously been. Snagging more supplies that he had given to Demetri. He didn't like their odds one bit. Sure he was finally on a quest, and a major one at that. But unfortunately for him it was with a large group, one of which was a child of the Big Three. Monsters were already going to be naturally drawn to such a large group, but Demetris' scent would be like a signal flare being shot up. He didn't care for the kids of the Big Three, but he didn't want to become another statistic due to another Demigod's mistake or scent.

Arthur Stanford

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Location: streets
Skills: N/A

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Arthur's eyes darted to Leda as she said that nobody was going to die, and he grimaced. That felt patronizing more than anything, thee was a very very real risk of it happening, it already had, and he didn't see why they had to pretend like it wasn't. Maybe it was a comfort, to live in that kind of denial, but he didn't know if he wanted that. He didn't want to be in fear of death, and be constantly scared that he'd lose the ones he loved, but if he was prepared for that, wouldn't it at least hurt less when it finally happened? That was his way of thinking about it anyway.

He walked along with the group, and realized his suggested to the kid of Poseidon that the ocean would be pleasant, and he felt a little silly in retrospect. Arthur shrugged, and didn't have a particularly strong opinion to walking or taxi. He kinda wanted to see the city, but, despite Leda's argument, he still didn't think they were really here for fun. They had a job to do, and if they failed, bad things would happen. so he said, "A taxi sounds like a decent idea, I um, don't actually know how to get one though." All he'd ever heard was that you could flag them down with ease, but he didn't want to just start waving his hands around toward the street.

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So, New Rome was near the tunnel. That did explain a bit why it always made her feel weird to go by. If she understood it seemed that the Romans and the Greeks didn't get along all the time, which was why the separate camps. Or at least she had gathered that from the one day she had been there... and from what had been said about the others, and the complaining from this morning. She heard about Mount Tamalpais and frowned a bit. "I heard of it, but, never been myself. I'm usually too busy helping... my dads." She really hoped that they were okay, but she had just spoken to them the other day and they had seemed to be fine.

"The Mist? Okay, if you don't mind telling me more later. Let's get the train then!" Stella smiled a bit, heading to the counter, humming a bit. She did hear the bit about not saying a monster's name, and made sure to try to keep that information in her mind. She had never been the best at mythology, and that might be better for her. It meant she wasn't about to say something stupid and summon a monster to them. Wait...

"...Just saying the name can summon a monster? Really? Wh... that's scary."

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Nancy nodded, hesitating for a moment. She closed one of her eyes, scrunching her face up slightly as she thought. What was her advice to Danielle, to a new praetor? She had always been so fixated on making sure she paid her debt to New Rome and served the Legion well, she never really considered who would come after her and how to help them. She'd never been given a crash course in leadership, it was something that naturally found her over time (it helped, of course, that she was a relatively powerful demigod and an accomplished one at that). "Well, my advice to you is... At the end of the day, it isn't about us. We're here to serve Rome, to protect people, to keep them safe. Sometimes it's a pretty grody fucked up job, but we don't do it because we want power. We do it because we love these idiots," Nancy said, pausing for a second. "As long as you make your choices for Rome and not for yourself, it'll be rad."

She then looked at Leandra, her eyes narrowing slightly to see her in the corner. Gods, she hated that girl. "Keep her gagged and guarded, and assume the worst. She always manages to achieve it," Nancy advised. "She's real fucked up. If she escapes, I'd kill her. Probably the safest option, but... Here we are." She then paused again. "Anything else?"

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"Mm, cab it is then, I s'pose," Leda said, seeing that she was more or less outvoted by Arthur and Kiera. She didn't really care that much to argue with them - all quests inevitably had a moment where the money basically ran out, and things still seemed to go okay. One way or another, they'd probably end up losing the cash, whether it was to a cabbie or from a monster physically eating the bills. "Right, I'll show you how to hail a cab," Leda said. "It's very simple," she said, stepping up to the edge of the sidewalk and sticking out her arm.

For a brief moment, she had considered actually hailing the Gray Sisters' Taxi Cab, but had decided against it. They could call on them later if things got really dire. For such a short trip to the harbor, it'd be a little silly - as cool as it would be. Everything she heard about the Gray Sisters was positively mental. "Oh, and if you wanna be like in the films, you can shout Taxi!"

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She heard Kristin ask her if she wanted to go to the camp store or something to gather supplies of some sort for their quest. Janelle had to think about that for a moment, especially because the next words out of her mouth seemed to revolved around then proceeding to invite Demetri along with them. For a split second, she made a bit of an annoyed facial expression, but that went away after a moment, and she considered thinking on whether or not she should tag along, or go be alone or something like that right now.

"Naht to sure what else to do, so sure, I'll tag along or whatever, dat's fine wit me," she ended up saying in general, following along after Kristin, perfectly fine with not accepting any help in heading that way. She was good at walking to certain places and all on her own, that's just how she was so to speak with regards to everything, so she followed along with the group to the camp store, for the most part just hearing what it was they were all talking about in general.

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He listened in general to the conversation in general about how everything, and as Niah explained what a few different landmarks really were in general. Jason was completely honest with not knowing much of anything in general. Especially considering how this was a completely different country from the one he really knew, so this was a bit confusing as to where they were heading places. This was very strange, so he was more or less just nodding his head listening to what she was going on about.

"Huh, wahndered 'ow you gaht to New Rome withoutt usin a flyin shep like what we ended up usin to get dere last time befahre. Den again, I dahn't know de area so wouldn't be able to fend me way dere anyway," he said with a shrug, following close behind Niah and Stella still. This wasn't going to be an easy quest of sorts, that much was obvious. He also wondered how much Niah seemed to really know about where they were going in general, so he figured that as they traveled there would be more time to really ask more questions in general really.

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Mary was fine with going just about anywhere for this whole thing, since where they were going the main thing was that they were heading was going to end well for them. Since for the most part, they were headed towards a not so great place for the most part. Listening, she shrugged a bit, before she followed Madalyne out and about towards where they were needing to go in general. This was definitely going to end well for them right? Yeah, totally in general really.

"Let's get going then..." Mary said, as they entered an alleyway of sorts in general. A door appeared out of nowhere, and she wasn't too fazed by it being there in general. Things just appearing out of nowhere when they were heading off on a quest? Made perfect sense really, and could just happen in general with everything else chaotic and going on. "Well, nothing more fun then going through a random door that appeared, let's get going then."

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Praetor Tent:

Danielle listened to Nancy taking in her advice and nodded towards her. "Take care of the people first got it." Danielle repeated back, she looked back at Leandra who was letting out a few muffled sounds to get their attention. She decided to take Nancy's advice and ignore her, she didn't like the idea of being to close to the child of Cupid really. But the guards had it all under control for now as she turned her attention back towards Nancy. "Nope, if I do have any other questions i'll just ask Alexandra for any advice." She said as she went over and hugged Nancy briefly before letting go quickly. "Just come back safely and we can think of retaking back our home once this is all over." She said to her.

Apollo Cabin/Infirmary:

Bryan was inside of the infirmary showing a few of the more younger siblings how to treat wounds, when he heard the door to the infirmary open, and turned to see his half-brother coming into the room. "I'll be right back, just look over your notes and whatnot." Bryan told him as Bryan made his way over towards Zeke and got the feeling that something was bothering him. "Is everything alright?" Bryan ended up asking Zeke as he went to grab a nearby bottle of water and took a sip of it. He then went over towards a nearby cabinet and pulled out a satchel with some medical supplies. "I figured that you were probably going on a quest and got you some medical supplies." He said as he handed them over to his half-brother.

Grand Central Station:

The group would make it safely to the area was rather large with various people coming in and out of the building. Luckily there wasn't any monsters in the area just yet anyway, as there were several ticket booths that lined either side of the room. That the group could go to in order to get a ticket from they would have to ask for the price of the ticket however.

There were some people who were looking at the group of three kids who entered but went on about their usual business, Stella would feel something brushing up against her leg and the three of them would hear a small little bark. They would be able to see a tiny cute looking puppy with hints of green in it's fur that also looked a bit more like grass it looked up at Stella barking happily towards her clearly claiming her as it's new owner.

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As if right on cue another taxi noticed and probably heard Leda's call, and started to drive over and parked right in front of them, Kiera looked towards Leda and smiled towards her and went to open the door for the three of them. Once Leda and Arthur got into the cab Kiera got inside as well to, the driver took a moment and looked at the three of them. "Where to?" The driver ended up asking the three of them, Kiera looked down seeing there was a map of Manhattan and leaned forward to take a look at it.

She saw a spot that looked pretty good and pointed towards it while looking at their cab driver. "Pier Seventeen please." Kiera told them, as the driver nodded towards them and quickly started to pull out. Only Arthur would catch a slight change in the man in the rear view mirror of the cab he'd see the man's eye briefly change to one large eye, before turning back to normal. Kiera wasn't really sure what to do from there once they were dropped off by their cab driver. "So what should we talk about?" Kiera asked looking at her two quest mates, while she looked out the window seeing the sights all around her from inside their cab.

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Madalyne looked towards Andy and shrugged slightly towards her. "I didn't really honestly I just sort of more or less felt a little bit of a pull." She told her niece as she opened the door, and it revealed a rather creepy looking set of stairs that felt like they would lead down forever. "Time to wander down into the creepy dark flight of stairs." Madalyne said mainly towards herself taking in a deep breath as she started to head down the stairs, the moment that the group entered it however the door suddenly disappeared behind them. It was rather dark for around five seconds before torches suddenly lit up that lined either side of the wall.

Madalyne reached forward and grabbed one of them from one of the wall stands just in case things suddenly went dark for them, she looked at both Mary and Andy. "Stick to me you two close alright?" She said to the two of them, eventually they made it to the bottom of the stairs that led them into a rather large room. At the other end of the room there was a sleeping Sphinx, it wasn't awake yet luckily, there was one other door that was directly behind the Sphinx however. "Hopefully it doesn't wake up, but if it is I hope you two are good with riddles." Madalyne said to Andy and Mary as she quietly tried to make her way around the room.

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Kristin turned her attention towards Demetri as he asked what to get as she looked around the room somewhat when Cassian decided to approach the three of them and gave his pack of supplies towards Demi. "If there's anything that Cassian forgot i'd recommend getting some food, and basic camping supplies to." She suggested to Demetri as she looked over at Janelle. "Do you need help getting stuff you need?" She asked her as her attention turned over towards Cassian, she didn't really know the kid of Mr. D all that well really before she spoke up. "I always work well together even if it's Zeke it's not my first rodeo going on a quest with him anyway." Kristin said herself and Leda ended up going on a quest for Zeke's father of all people.

Then out of nowhere a rather loud clap of thunder came down around the camp store along with a bright flash of lightening as the whole building shook a little bit, knocking a few things off of the shelves. Demetri would feel a slight pull towards what was going on outside, and he'd be able to see in a small scorched crater outside the store was a double bladed sword, with bits of lightening arcing around the blade itself with a note attached as well. Demi would notice as well a bald eagle looking down at him and then towards the weapon before quickly flying off. Kristin made her way outside and stared at the weapon and then over towards Demi, her own spear was a gift from her mother to. "Looks like your pops got you something." Kristin said to Demi.

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Ezekiel heard Bryan’s voice and looked over to him showing some of the younger Apollo campers around and how to prepare basic remedies. Ezekiel remembered when their old head counselor was doing the same for him four years ago. Ezekiel looked away quickly as his mind flashed to how much had changed since then. He set his backpack down and started going through the cabinets to grab more supplies.
Bryan walked over there and handed Zeke a bag. Ezekiel paused and took the bag. He looked through it and sighed, it had everything he would need for a quest. It bothered Zeke that Bryan had a feeling Zeke was going on a quest. And a feeling that something was wrong.
”I don’t like that you figured I was going on a quest.” Zeke turned around and ran hands through his hair and over his face. He was exhausted already. ”Yes, I’m going on a quest. Nancy had a vision then Rosie had the same one. Nancy, Demetri, Janelle, Cassian and I have to go to Vegas to the Lotus Hotel. Something about giants and the doors of death so you know, simple. I’m tired of leaving. For once I just want to stay here and get impaled with a spear while doing the chariot races or get knocked over the head with the hilt of a sword while playing capture the flag and you know how annoying I find those events.” Zeke preferred working in the first aid tent during those ventures but he had to participate sometimes.

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"Awesome." From her tone, it was clear Andy did not think going down the creepy stairs was awesome. But she took a deep breath and started down. It had been dark until the lights came on, and the only thing reassuring about that was that Chocolate could use the shadows.

When they saw the Sphinx, though, Andy shook her head. She was not good with riddles. Andy was barely literate before coming to Camp. She had taken some lessons and gotten a few coping mechanisms for Dyslexia since that was a common trait in half-bloods. But she still wasn't well read. Or would be considered smart by any standard.




"I'll explain as best I can. And don't worry about it too much, the monster thing. They'll show up whenever they feel like, to be honest." She had to bite back an automatic response to Jason that it was good he couldn't find his way to New Rome. Relations between the two camps were supposed to be better. And she was a Senator. She wasn't going to push the old feud, especially in a time of need like this. Niah smiled at the strange dog that seemed to claim Stella.

She went to the counter. "Hello, could I get three tickets to San Francisco. Two teens and a kid." She asked when she got to the front of the line at the ticket counter. She hoped a train would be leaving soon. They also might have to do transfers. But at least they'd get going.

"That will be $315," The ticket agent said. Niah's heart dropped. That was so expensive. She checked how much she had been given; it was only $100 in mortal money. She had that much again in her own money, but that wasn't enough for all three of them still. Not to mention eating.

"I don't have that much." She looked at the ticket agent sadly.

"I can get you three on a Grayhound for $214." The ticket agent person offered.

"I've got two hundred. How far would that get us?" She knew the ticket agent probably thought this was suspicious at this point, but there wasn't much choice.

"Kansas City, Missouri price is 192." That didn't leave much for food, but maybe the others had some cash and even had packed some food. She had some snacks, but real food would be hard to come by. She, however, was not going to make that choice by herself. Niah turned to the other two.

"Well, what do you two think? We can get to Missouri and then figure it out from there. That at least gets us part way." She waited to hear their opinions.

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Demetri was surprised to say the least. He hadn't expected Cassian to go and be helpful, let alone give him his supplies just like that. Sure whatever was in there Kristen would technically pay for but now he hardly had to think of a thing. He rummaged through the lot, seeing the vast assortment of items Cassian had grabbed in such a short amount of time. With an awkward smile he managed to get out the words "Thanks" as the child of Dionysus walked away. He'd need to find his own snacking food for the trip, making his way down the isle past Kris and Cass he went to an area with candies on display. "Can't forget these buggers. It'll make any trip bearable."

Demi grabbed several packets of Maltesers off the shelf. Stopping as he looked at the sheer amount he'd grabbed before decidedly taking two more just to be safe. Cassian had already grabbed a few non-perishables, so Demi wasn't too worried about the rest. He was about to turn and let Kristen know he was all done shopping when there came a loud crack and crash. A few items rattled on the shelf as he watched the bright flash of light that seemed to match his eyes perfectly. It faded away as he began to feel a strange pull towards the weapon that lay where it struck. He took a few steps forward, stopping at the doorway as he saw the eagle look at him and fly off.

He didn't know how to feel. He hated his father for everything he'd done, he wanted no real part in his legacy, and yet in his hour before a major quest he had sent him a weapon arced with lightning and a simple note tied to it. Perhaps in some way Zeus was watching over him, perhaps this was his way of helping when he was otherwise unable to. Demetri reached out and grabbed the weapon by its handle, lighting dancing around his hand for a moment before sparking up towards his hair. He hadn't even noticed it, but in the moment he had dropped his disguise he'd been wearing for most of his life. His dark hair faded to a blonde that shimmered as the light caught it. Like strands of gold were woven through his hair.

He lifted the weapon, twirling it in his hands when he subconsciously held it in a particular way causing it to part down its middle and split into two separate scimitars. Each with lightning that danced along the blades. The note slipped off the handle and onto the ground as Demi held both swords in one hand and knelt down to pick it up. "Hey son, I hope this aids you on your quest." The words felt foreign, as if they weren't meant for him. He stuffed the paper into his pocket and cleared his throat. "Here's hoping this something is a giant killing weapon. We're gonna need it."

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Cassian turned to tell Kristin he didn't need help finding supplies. That's when he saw her talking to Janelle. His mouth closed, fully aware of how he was about to embarrass himself or seem conceded. He hadn't expected her to answer him though, but he suggested he left the comment open to the room. Cassian closed the gap between them, picking up an item and inspecting it as he spoke to Kristin. "I wasn't fully referring to you. I know you've been on a handful of quests already. I'm more worried about those who haven't, including myself. I was taught how to fight and fend for myself. I've no idea how to work as a team but I intend to learn quickly." He glanced over towards Demetri who was piling on candy into his order.

"Listen. We have a kid of the Big Three coming. I'm just worried, ok." Cassian spoke in a hushed voice. What happened next was anyone's guess. A flash of lightning, the sound of thunder, and the shop shaking as the impact hit just outside of it. Like the other two, Cassian went towards the dangerous sound to see what had happened. It was as if Zeus was telling him to shut his mouth. A weapon, forged for Demetri and delivered by lightning with an accompanying eagle. A sign from the gods that perhaps this quest might not be as horrific as he thought. Or, that his suspicions are right and they'd need this to advance forward.

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Stella listened to Niah talk to the ticket agent and heard the disappointment in her voice. It seemed that they didn't have quiet enough from what they had gotten from Chiron, and that worrying. Until she remember the money her dads had given her before she had headed out with her friend. She reached into her backpack and dug around for a moment till she felt the texture of her wallet. She pulled it out and then opened it out and counted the bills mentally. "I have about $200 from when my dad's gave me some money, and I didn't exchange it all at camp for drachmas. I can put some of it towards our tickets, if you want."

Stella's attention was taken away from the other two demi-gods she was with when she felt something brush against her legs. She heard a little bark and she saw the most adorable wolf pup in the world. She scooped the pup up and as it licked at her nose, she melted and fell in love with the puppy. "Guys! I think he's claimed me as his owner! Can I keep him? Can I bring him with us, please?" She looked up at the two older demi-gods and held the little puppy up. She could see his tail was wagging as he kept licking at her face. Of course, to any mortals around, the puppy probably looked normal.

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Nancy was surprised as Danielle hugged her - she hadn't thought they were that close. Nancy wasn't the most hug-friendly of people - sure, she hugged Mads and Niah, but that was different. There was a bond between the three of them that defied description, going beyond the normal bounds of just friendship into something else entirely, something as beautiful as it was weird. She awkwardly hugged Danielle back, grateful the hug hid her face from Danielle, so Danielle couldn't see how confused Nancy looked. She replaced her confusion with a smile though as she pulled away from the embrace. "You're going to do great," Nancy said.

She glanced over at Leandra, having heard the muffled sounds trying to come from her, and Nancy rolled her eyes. "Gag me with a fucking spoon," she muttered under her breath. But then the mask of duty slid over Nancy's face again. "Right. I should get going then. Take care, Danielle - may the gods be with you," Nancy said, slinging her bag over her shoulder, and holding out her arm slightly for Joanie to perch on, before heading back to the Big House.

One step closer to her living nightmare...

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Leda climbed into the cab with Arthur and Kiera, wondering briefly what sort of thing to be prepared for next on this adventure. She'd never really fought monsters underwater before - maybe that was something to mention to Chiron as something to improve upon. That could be fun. And it would be pretty hot, with everyone's hair floating around them, sweeping upwards. Of course, she knew she could probably do this privately with Kiera.... and at that point, Leda decided she wasn't going to mention this to Chiron at all. It'd be more fun if it were just the two of them.

"Could always start playing two truths and a lie to pass the time," Leda offered. Quests were exciting, but they could also be pretty boring too. Games were often needed - at least, they were in Leda's experience. She was easily bored with things. If nothing stimulating was happening, then she needed to find something else to focus on. It was one of the curses of being a speedster and a demigod - a healthy dose of ADHD.

Arthur Stanford

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Location: streets
Skills: N/A

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Arthur watched with a look of surprise as the Taxi just appeared. He had no idea how this was a functioning buisness, he wondered about how cab drivers reliably got people to enter their cars, or about the how commonly people actually needed cabs. For the first time in a very long time, he felt wonder at a thing that wasn't wonderous, and that was a very good feeling to have. Stepping into the cab, he looked around at his companions, settling in to this being his new situation.

Arthur blinked at the concept of ice breakers, and clearly winced at the mention of that game. He remembered playing it before, and he didn't want to thinkuch about the past right now. Instead Arthur said, "That's an option but um. How long do we think we'll be here?" His voice sounded anxious, which he hoped was just read as nervous to start their adventure, he didn't want people to think that he was barely stable, or that easy to set off into an emotional episode.

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Janelle was just sort of wandering around the Camp Store, not really trying to find anything in particular that she might need or something. She was perfectly fine with just getting a hold of the basics more or less. After all, the main thing that she needed was her staff in order to get along in a fight, so she just needed to take a few things or something like that with her. Right now, she really wanted to just get things going along so that they actually could move on with the quest. "No, I dahn't need any 'elp," she said to Kristin as she wandered around.

Course, she was still not too thrilled at who it was that she was going on the quest with. The group seemed to be super dysfunctional, and the group all together if she had to guess, was going to result in making things worse really. She heard the boom of Demi getting the weapon, and she listened to what everyone was saying to understand what exactly it was, and who likely gave it to him. Janelle basically just ignored that entire situation, namely because it revolved around Demi.

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He just followed along after Niah as she got into the line in order to see about getting them train tickets to the other side of the country. The conversation was interesting to say the least, as Niah discussed with the person at the ticket counter about how far they could potentially go. 200 dollars was not a whole lot of money to say the least, especially since it also meant they'd have to figure stuff out for other things or emergencies that might come up if they needed more money.

Jason looked at Niah and Stella, as Stella mentioned she had a bunch of money too that they could use if they needed to, and he figured he'd mention that sort of thing. "I 'ave about 50 dahllars myself dat I'd be able to chep in, but sounds like we should 'ave enough to get to San Francesco between de three o' us," he said to the pair, before noticing the little pet that popped up out of nowhere and went straight for Stella. He couldn't help but laugh a little bit at Stella's comments. "I dahn't see why naht," he added, answering her questions about keeping the pet and bringing it along.

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"Hey, you never know, creepy stairs could lead to somewhere more fun," Mary joked a bit, looking at the stairway in front of them behind the door. Yeah, no, she didn't believe that at all, and she was pretty certain that they were heading towards a not great place really. However, she didn't voice that fully out loud, figuring it was better to stay a bit light hearted about the whole situation, instead of dragging things down considering where they were headed.

Walking down the staircase, it was a bit obvious where they had ended up at this point, and she remained quiet as they walked down, eventually reaching the bottom, and coming face to face with a Sphynx. Mary was alright with riddles, she just would prefer to sort of avoid them if possible, since usually they could be a bit annoying in her mind. She just nodded her head a bit at what Madalyne had said in general, but not saying anything as she would prefer the Sphynx to stay asleep.

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Praetor Tent -> Big House:

Danielle looked at Nancy after she let go of the hug and gave her a slight smile and nodded towards her, she was a little bit nervous but at least Alexandra would be there to help out as well to. "Just be safe alright?" Danielle told her, watching as Nancy headed out of the tent. Joanie made a little sound and flew over onto Nancy's shoulder and nuzzled against her cheek, from the Big House Nancy could hear that the van had came back from the city dropping off the first group of questers.

Rosie came out of the Big House and looked over at the Roman Leader before her and gave her a slight wave. "Chiron told me to see you guys out, and to give you some of these." She said as she approached Nancy holding out a sack of Drachmas and some mortal money as well to, since Nancy was the only one there she figured she'd give it to her and being a Roman she'd be the most responsible one out of the group.

Apollo Cabin/Infirmary:

Bryan could understand some people enjoyed going out on quests while some others usually prefered to stay within the safety of the camp all year round like some campers do while others prefered to stay in camp during the summer. "I totally understand and get where you are coming from." Bryan told him gently patting his half brother on the shoulder unfortunately there really wasn't a way to get out of a quest once you either chose to go on it or you were fated to go no matter what. "You guys will do perfectly fine and make it back home i'm sure of it though." Bryan said trying to reassure him, and took a moment to look at their half siblings. "Want me to walk you over to the Big House or something?" He offered.

Grand Central Station:

The ticket lady looked at the group there and at the little wolf puppy, to her it looked like any other ordinary puppy to her as she looked at the computer and then at the group as they discussed what their options were currently. "So what would it be an Amtrak ticket to San Fransisco or a Greyhound ticket to Kansas City Missouri?" She asked the group, behind them a line was starting to form some people were looking slightly impatient while they were waiting for the kids to decide. The puppy in Stella's arms was clearly happy and continued to lick at Stella's face barking happily at her loving all of the attention.

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Kiera thought for a moment she was completely fine with starting a little game that she suggested as she looked towards her girlfriend and smiled at the thought. "I'd totally be down for Two Truths and a Lie." Kiera said to Leda as she looked at Arthur and gave him a slight nudge wanting him to play along as well to. "The drive isn't to far and won't take to much longer." The driver said as looked at the group in the review mirror and started to give off a rather creepy looking smile as he started to drive a little bit faster now and started to weave through some traffic.

Kiera was jostled slightly at the bit of erratic movement, Leda would see the driver's eyes switch between one single eye to two again through the rearview mirror. "Could you I dunno drive less like a maniac?" Kiera told their driver, she didn't see the Mist had shifted with their driver. They were close to the pier now, but then he started to drive towards a creepy looking alleyway now with a massive truck bay door at the end of it with the door slowly opening now.

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Madalyne was trying to stay as quiet as possible for the three of them as she slowly tried to walk past the Sphinx that was there, the massive monster was still fast asleep which was actually a good thing so far. However their luck decided to suddenly turn as Madalyne ended up stepping on a plastic bag that had somehow wounded up inside the Labyrinth. The sudden noise caused the Sphinx to open up her eyes, and stretched out letting out a loud massive yawn. Upon seeing the three tasty looking mortals before her she smirked and with it's massive tail hit a nearby lever that closed both exits to the room to shut with a massive gate.

"Such tasty mortals." She said as she slowly started to circle around the group licking her lips as she eyed them up and down, before speaking again. "I'll cut you three a deal, answer three riddles correctly and i'll let you free, however get two incorrect I get to have dinner." She told them, as Madalyne reached for her sword looking at Mary and Andy for a moment, it was either fight the monster or play it's game and potentially become food. "Alright then whats the first riddle?" Madalyne decided to ask looking at the Spinx as it smiled and thought for a moment before coming up with one. "At night they come without being fetched. By day they are lost without being stolen. What are they?" The Sphinx said looking at the three of them.

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Kristin turned to look at Cassian for a moment she had only really been on two quests before one of them being with Zeke and Leda obviously which was a little bit interesting. Usually any child of the Big Three on a quest was either a really good thing or a really bad thing usually monsters were attracted to them the most. "But also having a Big Three kid on a quest can be helpful they are one of the more powerful ones after all. And you'll do fine just work as a team and try and get along with everyone else." Kristin whispered back to Cassian as she looked towards Demi inspecting his new sharp pointy toy it was interested. "Just ya know don't poke your other eye out with it." Kristin said teasingly before heading back inside to get what she needed herself.

Kristin grabbed herself a small basket and started to get some food and eventually found Janelle looking along the shelves. "Got what you need?" Kristin asked Janelle as she grabbed herself a fire starter figuring that they might need it and stuffed it into her pack along with a few packs of beef jerky to she was about finished getting what she needed while looking at Janelle.

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Ezekiel looked around at his cabin mates as well and sighed before he nodded at Bryan’s request. He had extra clothes in his ready pack and slipped the pack Bryan gave him inside that one before putting it on his shoulder with his quiver of arrows. He picked up his bow, feeling the familiar grove of where his fingers rested and followed Bryan out of the cabin.
”I just need to go to the camp store, get some food,” he said. Ezekiel talked to Bryan about random things, how the younger Apollo students were doing, what sort of drills they should run and how their own classes were going. Ezekiel was liking the mundane things of life here at camp, even if he complained about them. He wondered mildly if one day he would be a counselor but being as he was sixteen and going on another quest, he’d be lucky to make it back alive. Bryan’s belief that he would return was little help.
Ezekiel made it into the camp store but didn’t pay attention to the others who were there. He grabbed a few items that he wanted, dry perishable items mostly but a couple things like fruits that would expire within a couple of days but would be a good sugar intake. Just as Ezekiel was about to pay though, he thought of his half sister and rushed through the store once more. He grabbed another bag and started stuffing items into the bag, multiples of what he had gotten already plus a tent and some sleeping bags. He returned back to the front and paid for all the items. It had occurred to him that Nancy probably didn’t have these items for travel and she’d need her own bag of supplies.
As he approached the Big House once more, he saw Nancy and Rosie there. Ezekiel turned and hugged Bryan. ”Keep everyone safe,” he said before he joined the two people already there. He handed Nancy a pack. ”I wasn’t sure if you made it to the store. I’ve got all the medical supplies but there is some food, extra clothes and a tent plus sleeping bag. Ah, I see you’re in charge of the money. Smart,” he said, nodding his head a bit too much. He looked around then back at Nancy, dropping his voice.
”Are you sure you want to do this?” Zeke selfishly wanted Nancy with him. To make amends of some kind after all the time they had lost but also so he wasn’t alone. He really didn’t want to do this quest either.

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Demi blushed a bit, embarrassed as Kristin poked fun at him. He clicked his tongue, making a slight tch sound in response to what she had said. "Oi no fair. That wasn't even my fault, bloody monsters gouged out my I as I was transformed. Still…to be safe." He made his way back inside the store, looking around. There was a ton of supplies, food, and just about anything a camper might need. Save for perhaps a sheath for his new gift from his father. He heaved out a heavy sigh as he looked towards Kristin. "I'll be back. Gotta find a safe way to carry these so that I dont poke anyone's eyes out by accident. Really, you'd think Zeus would've thought to give them a sheath as well. I'm heading to the armory but I'll be quick."

He quickly made his way towards the Armory, careful not to run as he had to open blades ready to slice something by accident. He'd never seen what Celestial bronze could do to a demigod and he didn't want to find out. Once there he began to rummage around, searching for a sheath for his sword(s) and while there were a few on display, none of them matched the uniqueness of his blades designs. Frustrated, he began to search for anything really. A guitar case, something to hold the wooden bit of a bow, really whatever he could find. Finally he'd stumbled upon an old dark leather back holster. It had four separate areas to slide in a sword and tie it off. Not unlike what Deadpool wore for his swords. It was a bit comical but it would have to do.

With everything settled and his swords now strapped along one side of his back, Demetri made his way towards the Big House where they were also supposed to meet up for the quest. Nerves began to build up, anxious for what was to come and how well it would go. But he tried to steady them. Taking a deep breath with each step as he began to break into a light jog. He made his way past Kristin and Janelle, calling to them as he passed the entrance to the store on his way to the Big House. "Hey! I'm all ready and packed up. Heading on over to the Big House to wait on our uber." He kept his pace, running till he reached the steps and sat down at the second lowest step. Breathing, and waiting for the rest to come.

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One minute Demetri was there examining a sword, the next he'd bolted off to find a sheath. Cassian couldn't make heads or tails of the guy. Deciding between whether he was ADHD or just very focused on getting what was needed for the quest as quickly as possible. Then again, hyperfocus could also be seen as a side-effect so it could easily go back to square one with him. Kristin had already gone back to double check with Janelle, seeing how things were going on her end. He wasn't quite sure why, but she seemed quieter than usual. He wondered if something was on her mind, but decided not to pry at the moment.

His gaze lingered for a moment too long as he watched the two interact before he turned his back to them and began to pretend to look around for more items. If he asked her anything now, it could make for an excruciatingly long awkward car ride to wherever they were going. He didn't need that, nobody did. With the last of his supplies gathered he looked towards Kristin and Janelle and waved at them with a smile. "Figure I'd stick around with you two. I think Chiron mentioned it being two trips, so figured you me and Janelle for one, and the Apollo kids with demi-zeus in another. He'll probably need two kids of Apollo anyways." He said jokingly.

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Stella was over the moon at the fact that it seemed that her companions were willing to let her bring along her new little pet. She had already accepted that this pup was hers, and the pup was one of the most adorable things she had ever seen in the world. She didn't notice the growing line of people behind them, and their irritation at the fact that they were taking so long. She did look up when Jason spoke again, saying that they probably had enough money between the three of them for the Amtrack tickets to California. She gently pet the little pup in her arms, even as it continued to give her little loving kisses with its tongue along her face.

"It seems that between us we can afford the Amtrack tickets, so we should take those, yes? Also do you think they'll allow my puppy, or does that cost extra?" She would pay the extra for her puppy if needed, but she had no idea if that was even allowed or not. Sure, if her pup was classified as a service dog it would be allowed, but would the mortals even believe that? The dog had just appeared and while it probably looked normal to them, it was still new.