First Attack

//I have 3 more chapters coming out today for those interested. They'll probably be over on Patre0n, but I can be convinced to post one more on here. If you haven't subbed to Patre0n, then make sure to do so as I'm switching to rapid daily uploads.

We finishing up this volume in MAYBE 8-12 days. Most of it will be up on Patre0n so if you sub, you'll be leaps ahead of everyone else.

Patre0n.com/ShadowDrev

Goal: $69/$420

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"And that should do it. You're all set and ready. Thank you for coming to C.C's Spa and Resort. We do hope everything was to your satisfaction."

A handheld mirror was passed to Annabeth as she wiggled herself into a standing position, rising up from the seat she had been sitting in for what felt like two plus hours. Stretching her limbs, she took the time to glance over the results Reyna and the other workers had put into not only her hair but her nails as well.

She had to admit, she kinda liked what they did.

During the length of the trip to get into the Sea Of Monsters, Annabeths blonde hair had taken a beating, being sprayed with seawater and getting caught in various places aboard the SS Overland. It had poofed out and became rather brittle, sustaining more damage than was necessary. In the relatively short time span she was here, the workers had completely reversed the accrued destruction. Normally, her hair fell just past her shoulders and was quite average. Now, it possessed a vibrant sheen to it, revitalized and ever so lush. Using some kind of voodoo magic or some manner akin to it, they had also managed to make her hair curl in such a natural manner, making it somewhat bouncy and elegant. In all her life, Annabeth was certain her hair had never looked this good.

It probably would never look this good again.

As for her nails, they were intricately painted after some extended TLC. The most prominent part of it was the small symbol of the owl painted onto her middle finger.

"Wow," Annabeth remarked, unable to think of anything else to say. "This...."

"Do you like it?" Reyna questioned, giving a small smile. "I figured I'd make your nails a bit unique. You're the daughter of Athena, after all. Owls seemed appropriate."

"I love them." Annabeth turned around and returned the smile. "Thank you. All of you."

"Of course," Circe replied. "Anything for one of my nephew's dear friends. If you need anything else during your stay here, don't hesitate to ask. We have plenty more accommodations meant for gods and demigods alike. Dinner is in an hour or so. For now, feel free to roam our grounds to your hearts content."

Annabeth gave her a small bow and readily opened her mouth to reply, but quickly closed it as a lady rushed through the door, a serious look on her face. Without a word to anyone else, she walked up to the immortal sorceress and leaned close to her, whispering into her ear. Gradually, Circe's look of professionalism faded, replaced by one of anger and genuine frustration. Annabeth didn't need to ask to know that it definitely had something to do with Chion. If there was anyone who could attract all kinds of trouble without trying, it was the idiot with the power over ice. Even for a demigod, the youth was a magnet for disaster. Sometimes literally.

"Send some workers to round them up." Circe did her best to keep her cool, but her temper was poorly concealed. "I will not have these.....hooligans making a mess of the Resort!!"

"Yes Ma'am," The woman replied before instantly departing the room.

"Your friend certainly is....a lively one," Circe said. "Apparently, a flare gun was just shot off near the edge of the island. The residents are confused and scared. He's quite an annoyance."

"Luke?" Annabeth already knowing the answer to her question.

"Chionothýella Pagos." Circe turned around and moved to the other door. "He's the one who caused all of this."

(("Yeah.....figured as much."))

The blonde watched as Circe left the room. When she did, she immediately spun on her heels and sprinted to the other door, the same one Autumn had exited through. With the newest piece of information, there was no way in Tartarus she was just gonna peruse the grounds and wait for dinner. Chion never did anything without a solid reasoning for it. If a Flare Gun was fired off, then it was most likely a cry for help or something akin to it, meaning the daughter of Athena didn't have the luxury of taking it easy. She had to hurry up and regroup with her friends and figure things out.

Reyna shouted something behind her, but Annabeth was already long gone, dashing through the innards of the building and into the courtyard. Not putting on any sort of brakes, she made a beeline in the direction she thought Chion would be in.

And ran smack into him.

Admittedly, she hadn't really been looking where she was going, having tunnel visioned on the road ahead of her. It was lucky that Chion had, in fact, taken note of her because instead of colliding with him, she merely tripped and was caught by the collar of her shirt mid-fall. The only reason she didn't panic was because of how cold the area got despite it being a warm day. When she was yanked back onto her feet, she was met with icy blue hues, ones she recognized all too well.

"You know," Chion grinned slightly. "You should really watch where you're going, Miss Chase. You might faceplant one of these days."

(("But YOU'RE the one who almost made me faceplant,")) Annabeth argued internally, not saying it aloud.

"You look amazing, by the way." The white-haired youth reached out and ran some fingers through her hair before she could say anything. "I kinda liked the way you were before, but you definitely look good like this too. It definitely helps to be a natural beauty though."

Annabeth opened her mouth to rebuttal, but her words caught in her throat. The best she could manage was to slap his hand away and look at the floor. She could feel heat rising to her face, and her heart seemed to hit her stomach in a way that made her lose all sense of reason, including her ability to form proper sentences. She wasn't sure what was happening, but she was definitely aware of how much she enjoyed being called a "natural beauty."

"In any case, we should get a move on. We can talk about your makeover later." Chion turned around and glanced in the direction Annabeth had been heading. "Luke needs us."

It took a few seconds, but Annabeth managed to snap out of her trance when the youths words finally registered.

"What's the situation?"

"I'll tell you on the go," Chion said as he gestured with his head. Breaking into a run, Annabeth chased after him, remaining hot on his heels as he led way.

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Luke wasn't entirely sure he could process what he just saw, his mind having gone completely blank, which was a given considering the implications of what he just witnessed. A sense of dread encompassed his entire being to where he could barely hold the gun he had just fired off, simply dropping it to the ground after a few seconds. The tentacles continued to appear as the creature swam around the same spot again and again, almost creating a whirlpool with its sheer size. Compared to every monster or creature Luke had met before, this behemoth was in a class of its own, a different beast that might as well have been a god for how little he would probably be able to affect it.

Even when a tentacle came out of the water and got even closer to Luke, to the point where it was a mere few feet away, he could only stare, unable to react.

It was only when the black wolf grabbed him by the collar and yanked him to the side, avoiding the beasts tentacle that he managed to come to his senses. The timing couldn't have been better as the avoided tentacle slammed into the surrounding environment, collapsing trees and destroying the vegetation.

(("That could've been me,")) Luke noted as he hurriedly moved away from the cliff face, putting as much distance as he could from his and the monster (("I have to get to Chion. We need to leave."))

"Luke Castellan."

Before the blonde could properly get moving, the sharp feeling of danger appeared once again. This time, instead of spinning around, he took cover by diving behind a nearby tree, not even bothering to look in the direction of the voice. His instincts proved to be right on the money as an enormous blast of fire slammed into the spot was had been standing in, burning the vegetation into naught but ash. The flames disappeared immediately after, but it was clear that the simple force of impact wasn't anything to scoff at, easily being enough to kill a human upon contact.

(("They aren't looking to discuss things,")) Luke noted, getting back into the right mental state. (("That definitely wasn't a warning shot. It was lethal blow. Circe? Or her subordinates? I didn't see any monsters other than that Titanic sized hunk of flesh and suckers."))

"Come with us and you won't be harmed. Lady Circe wants to talk with you."

(("I'm supposed to believe that?? I may not be Chion but I'm not an idiot.")) Luke drew his blade from its sheath as silently as he could, prepared to defend himself. Peeking around the tree, he quickly took in as much information as he could with what he could see.

There were three of them, and they looked like they meant business. They didn't wield any sort of weapons like swords, aside from some knives attached to their hips, but that didn't mean they were harmless, the fireball being more than enough evidence of that. Given that they were working under Circe, it was plausible that they were extremely proficient in the ways of magic, something that was almost impossible to fight against from the distance Luke was currently in. The only way he was winning this was by element of surprise and being able to get in close, a feat that was currently unlikely, especially since they knew the tree he was currently hiding behind.

"If you refuse to cooperate, I'll be forced to use extreme measures." The lady in the front raised a hand and pointed it towards the tree.

"You already USED extreme measures Megan," Luke replied from his spot, poking his head out slightly. "I would say that trying to hit me with a magic attack is pretty severe, or are we on different bases?"

Megan frowned. "Megan?"

Before the woman and her compatriots could process what Luke had just said, vines wrapped around their ankles and yanked them into the air. More and more ropes latched around them, locking their hands in together, preventing them from so much as squirming.

"Maybe you should rest up there for a bit 'Megan'," Autumn said as she wandered into the picture. "I'll handle this guy for you."

"Autumn!! Release us this instant!!"

(("Who the fuck is Autumn?"))