A CLOUDY DAY

After my servants swore loyalty to me, the Titans talked for a few more minutes before the meeting finally ended. Atlas bit his tongue to hold his temper, and he was in a sour mood for the whole time. Thankfully, it was Hecate and Prometheus, not him, that would accompany me back to DGH. I would never be able to get in any sleep if the reverse had happened.

I was introduced to the leader of the Amazons, Andromeda. She was a tall, dark-skinned girl with curly hair that was tamed in a ponytail. She had a ring on her finger that seemed to be composed of amethyst. When she took off her hood, the silver tiara around her forehead shined in the moon. And I saw her face. Now, four pretty ladies were surrounding me.

The peculiar thing about Andromeda was that she never spoke. If someone talked to her, she would always have someone next to her who would respond in her place. I got a little curious, but I held back. She could interact with me however she wanted.

As I walked towards The Black Pearl, Hypsipyle stopped me. "My Lord, perhaps you may prefer a longer ship to sail on? There is more than enough space to accommodate you and your friends."

Jeez, exactly how big was that ship?

"How many more people could you cram in there?"

"I believe a little less than one hundred. Why?"

"I should have asked this sooner, but do your people have more vessels of this magnitude? How about the Amazons?"

"This is the only warship my people possess. Due to our isolation, we never had any reason to go seafaring or fight maritime battles. The only exception was when we fought random crafts that attacked us. The land provided us with all we needed, although we did fish on our coast occasionally. As for the Amazons..."

"We have our own ship, my liege." It was the spokesperson for Andromeda(her name was Ada). I did wonder if they were twins, but that's something for another day.

"How many people can it take?"

"Substantially lower than Lady Hypsipyle's, but big enough to host up to one hundred people. We have five such vessels."

I turned to Vittoria. "Should we get as many people to come with us as we can? The extra manpower will be nice."

She shook her head. "If you want manpower, my mother can procure empusai for you. I just have to ask. Although..."

"What is it?"

"We'll be going up against demigods who have trained for war. Our side, well, is filled with mortals, except the Amazons and empusai. Demigods tend to be stronger than regular humans, so we can compensate for that by strengthing our numbers. How many people are aboard that ship?"

"One thousand," Hypsipyle answered. "How many do we expect from our foe?"

"Before I left, the number was around five-hundred-fifty. But it's been more than four months. At most, we can expect seven hundred soldiers. I would like to widen the gap more, though." She turned to Ada. "Would there be any problem in requesting more troops?"

"Not at all," Ada replied. "How many more do you need?"

"How many soldiers do you have in all?"

"Unfortunately, this is all of them. We Amazons are a small tribe. As such, we have no more than five hundred troops to give to Lord Yiannis. Please forgive our meager numbers." She bowed to Vittoria and me.

"Don't be sorry. I'm the one who should feel that way," I motioned for Ada to rise. "I'm the one who needs you and who came up with the idea to attack DGH early. I'm the one who's asking a lot from you and Hypsipyle - many of your companions could die because of me."

"There's no need to apologize to us," Hypsipyle stated. "After all, we swore our lives to you of our own free will."

"Yes, and I'm grateful you're already giving so much to me. Hypsipyle, do you have more troops I can borrow?"

"Yes, Lord Yiannis. If you took everyone on the Isle Of Lemnos, you would have an army of ten thousand. However, it would be comprised almost entirely of civilians. As for trained soldiers, I left fourteen hundred to guard the island. If you want all of them, I will reciprocate, but I ask that you only take a fraction."

"I understand." Naturally, she needed people to guard her home. Andromeda's ships could carry one hundred people per boat. "Is it okay if I request five hundred more? And I would like permission to use all of your boats, Andromeda."

The two women nodded. To be honest, I wanted to double our numbers and go to DGH with two thousand soldiers. But that was too greedy - I would use much of Hypsipyle's army. If I went too far, she could lose the majority of her forces. That would weaken her manpower, and I didn't want that. If she wanted to fight alongside me, she would need as much of it as she could get. Besides, we had no more ships since I was using up all of Andromeda's. This was the most I could take with me.

If I remember correctly, some demigods are on my side, like Vittoria and Brian. If so, then could I bring them along for the ride? I would have to ask Kronos, but I couldn't rely on them. Vittoria assured me I could get an army of empusai from Hecate, but how many? After some discussion, I found that answer to be a solid two thousand and five hundred. Excellent. They'll absolutely be a part of our main force.

I denied Hypsipyle's offer. Vittoria and Circe put a lot of work into constructing the Black Pearl. I wasn't just going to abandon it - plus, I liked it. If I went with Hypsipye's crew, I'd feel cramped. There are just way too many people on board.

The wind hollered at my face, my disheveled hair even messier, covering my eyes. Hypsipyle and Andromeda followed behind me, their ships filled with soldiers. All in all, I had an army of fifteen hundred. If Hecate kept her word, it would be upped to four thousand. That's a stark difference from DGH's seven hundred maximum. Of course, my foes would be demigods, some of them formidable. They would have a strength advantage, but the hope was that the difference in numbers was big enough to negate it.

Prometheus began my "training" as soon as I departed to the Isle of Lemnos. Until I got there, he relentlessly attacked me with a sword - which sums up our "tutoring lessons." Thanks to Hypisipyle, we acquired iron swords to spar with. Vittoria taught me how to use anima more efficiently in spellcasting, and seldom Mei took her place. We stayed in the Isle of Lemnos until the Amazons arrived with their war vessels. Then, after a night of partying, we set out to the seas once again. And Prometheus returned to being brutal again. All in all, I was a very busy man.

But my training was on pause for now. I needed to be in tip-top shape because DGH was right next door. It has been eight months since I left, and I gained a lot. But would it be enough?

I had a good army and two Titans on my side. I had Vittoria and Mei, who in their own right were excellent fighters. The former was also someone who I depended on for so many things. I would be leaning on her especially hard now. Her role will be crucial - if she strikes a decisive blow, DGH will be crippled. It will take time for the cult to reorganize. With so many vacancies, Nick should have an easier time filling them with fellow double-agents.

"What's with that dumb face?"

Vittoria stood beside me. "Second thoughts?"

"No, it's too late for that. I'm just, well, I'm anxious. This is the first real battlefield I'll be in. And I'm the one who's in charge of everyone here. "

"Are you worried about the death toll?" Vittoria asked gently. "You've had a gloomy, somber expression these past few days like you were anticipating something tragic. Your leadership skills don't seem to bother you. Otherwise, you'd be frantically asking Prometheus for advice every second. Or me."

"Yeah. Even if we win, I'm sure to cause Hypsipyle, Andromeda, and their followers a great deal of grief. Then - then there's DGH," I sighed. "Unfortunately, many of them are decent people, unlike the gods. And there's Helen. I wonder how much she'll cry seeing her friends die-"

Vittoria seized my hands. "You can't save everyone, my Lord. I'm sure you knew that already." I looked dejectedly at the ground. For the past week, the collective suffering was the only thing I could think about. "You know, before I knew the cult existed, I thought I could save them. The kids in DGH. I thought I could get them to switch sides or at least stop helping the gods. I don't want them to die in vain, to be used by the gods. I-"

Vittoria curled her arms around me. After eight months, she was actually taller than me. Her hair still reminded me of lemons. "I told you, you can't save everyone, Lord Yiannis," she let go of me. "The only people you need to concern yourself with other than your sister are the ones here. Everyone in DGH is your enemy-"

"I know that! But...what should I do then?"

"When you watch people from all sides die, I can understand feeling sorry for them and wishing you could save them, but this IS a WAR. We're adversaries, not frenemies. Would you rather ask of us to minimize casualties at our own expense and make victory impossible?"

"Obviously not. This was MY plan, remember? I know what I'm doing. I'm going to kill a bunch of people, some people I actually like. I'm not going to ask everyone here to hold back and die as a result. Everything I've done up to this point will be meaningless then." I looked at the sky, glaring at the clouds. "The gods...if only they weren't able to recruit and find heroes. Then we wouldn't have to do this. If we could reach fledging demigods before DGH could, they could be fighting for us instead. At the very least, we could make DGH's numbers too small to be a threat. But how do they even find them?"

Vittoria raised her eyebrows. "You don't know?"

"Nope. I didn't bother to care until now."

"One simple way is to have us demigods do it. If we know of or suspect someone else to be one of us, we just bring them back to camp."

"So, how do we know if they're like us?"

"Oh, monsters love them. And if we see them doing something out of the ordinary, like controlling water, then that's another way to know. But usually, the cult appoints someone, or Chiron just decides to go on his own. The naiads that live in DGH seldom go as well. The cult tends to control the process, though."

"Interesting...then..."

"Yes, Lord Yiannis. If we succeed, then you can have Nick cater demigods to our cause. If Lord Kronos approves, I might just be able to set up a knockoff DGH. Of course, you still have to send some to DGH; otherwise, that'll cause more suspicion."

"As the one in charge of the Amazons, you'll be targeting the cult itself. And your role becomes even more vital."

"Even so, do you doubt me, my Lord?" She had her iconic evil grin cemented on that face. And she called me cocky. Funny.

"Not at all. As a first-timer, I should be doubted. And about our plans...I'll be updating them. And when you're done with your job, find me on the battlefield. I'll need your help for something else."

"Which is?"

DGH was now in sight. As we got closer, I could see Chiron and some others. It seems the centaur was drilling them in phalanx formation. For their sake, they better figure it out. More of them will die otherwise. I probably shouldn't hope for that, though.

Everyone in DGH stopped. They scrambled, scattering in several directions. Chiron laid his hand on his bow. It seems everyone saw the flag of Kronos that was on our ships.

While DGH was in chaos, we stepped foot on land and began the assault. Prometheus stood on my right, Hypsipyle on my left. Mei went ahead of us, a collection of one thousand empusai at her side. Her goal was to do as much damage as she could. When DGH reorganized, she would fall back. Then, in her place, I would charge forward with my own army of fifteen-hundred - all of whom were Hypsipyle's followers. Mei would fight in the front lines with me, but the empusai would be in the back. If the majority survived, we would still maintain a strong force, somewhere around the two-thousands.

A thick cloud of mist covered the area. I couldn't see anything in front of me, but that didn't matter. Mei and the empusai could. As per my request, Hecate enshrouded DGH in fog. This will only make things more chaotic and very hard for individuals to defend themselves. Thus, it will be easy to kill them, which in turn would leave me with more empusai left afterward. The problem was that the mist wouldn't be up forever. With Olympus right above, the gods would eventually notice that someone was casting a powerful spell in their territory. It would only stay temporarily, according to Hecate, no more than three minutes. When magic is used for longer than that, especially one that consumes lots of anima, it distorts the environment. Basically, it leaves small "holes" - places where anima was taken. These holes are far too small to be noticed by anyone, except, of course, divine beings like the gods. So Mei was on a time-crunch. But so far, everything was going according to plan.

Those "three" minutes were some very long hours. It was like watching a movie, being on the edge of your seat. I really wanted to know what would happen next. Would Mei could back with less than half of what she originally had, or would I see one thousand empusai behind her again? What was going on in the mist? A bunch of screaming isn't reassuring.

Since I can't have Helen join this skirmish, if anyone on my side sees her, I've ordered them to simply knock her out, tie her up, and place her far away from the battle, somewhere deep in the forest. Mei knows what she looks like, thanks to Vittoria. Hopefully, either one of those two can find her...

The mist gradually vanished. When it cleared, I saw Mei hovering in the air. And...I didn't count, but I didn't notice any significant drop in numbers. Mei had indeed kept the majority of her forces alive. Phew. Then, there was no need to worry for now. I ordered a forward march, divvying our forces into detachments. It was my time to shine.

Dead bodies lay on the floor. The empusai were merciless. There were puncture wounds all over the corpses, some of whom belonged to boys younger than twelve. DGH was a haven for demigods. For some, it was the only place we could live, where we would be accepted. Nobody would call us a freak here because we're all the same. Kids as young as eight darted here from places as far as California. It was like a pilgrimage, and I was taking their holy temple, their refuge.

One particular carcass broke a chord in me. It was that of a teenage boy, an eighth-grader. When I was free, I hung out with him somewhere in the forest. Marijuana wasn't allowed here, but he hid stacks of them under his bed. His parents had frequently abused him as a child, and well...he got bullied a lot. He thought nobody really cared about him, and with monsters always on his tail, he fleed here. I was the first one to be in contact with him.

He was like a stray dog when we first met. Sloppy, wild, stinky, dirty, and scared. He didn't trust me, and I got his situation, so I froze time and dragged him to Chiron. Afterward, he came to me a lot, not trusting anyone else. I caught him smoking pot, and he was horrified. He really begged on his knees to keep it a secret, and I got him to trust me more when I helped him shove his nice collection under his bed. I told him of the monthly check-ups done in everyone's room and warned him to keep the weed on him at all times if that happens. Pretty soon, I was the only person I talked to, and he told me his story. It was sad, like a lot of demigods. I held the kid's hand, introducing him to Vittoria, Helen, Amelia, and even Anatasia, who spoke softly to him. Well, he shat his pants whenever he saw Anatasia, but he got along fine with the other three. And I actually WANTED to help him - to find some support here. Aside from the cult, we're a very messy family, and I wanted him to be a part of it.

I'm so glad it's raining right now.

I can use it as a cover for my tears.

But it won't give me a good excuse. It can't blanket the sins I just committed and the ones I will soon perform.

I looked, assessing all the damage I did. I bore my eyes down on every dead body I saw. The gods may be cruel, but now I have a lot of blood on my hands too. And it will only grow. I can't even imagine the suffering Kronos's invasion will cause.

I wanted to tear the skies into shreds. I silently quipped a prayer to Kronos. That Vittoria would kill every cult member and come back alive. That we would win.

Segments of my forces ran, especially the empusai, who viciously attacked any fleeing demigod they got their hands on. More than a hundred already lay dead, and I had lost count. Too many were dying too quickly.

At last, a cohesive army stood before me. Anatasia led the helm, backed by her siblings. All the demigods were united in a rightful fury. It was a running joke that we bickered so much that we'd never be able to fight together. I was going to cry again. It was so beautiful to see everyone stand together, holding arms and weapons. The messy family would fight to the bitter end.

And I was going to rip them to shreds.