CHAPTER XCIII:Out Of The Warmth.

After breakfast we put in a formal request to get our gear. Two guards grabbed all of our weapons and bags and set them in the side hallway outside of the dining room. Penny had her head on my lap with headphones on while she read a book.

"How's she doing?" Seth asked, looking at the, almost, empty seat that held Penny's legs.

I looked down at Penny, who was covering her face with a book, and returned my gaze back to Seth, "Penny's doing okay, I just think the noise got to overwhelming."

"Why do you say that? Is she wearing ear plugs or something?" Adam asked.

"Gun range quality mufflers," Penny called out.

"Are we sure she isn't a Vulcan?" Mino asked.

I held back a laugh as Penny sat up. "Live long and shut the fuck up, Theseus," Penny said doing a, half hearted, Vulcan salute.

I let out my laugh and Penny hit me in thigh. It hurt like hell, I laid my head on the table and then held a scream. Oh fucking gods, I thought to myself holding my thigh, was Penny always this goddamn strong?

"Penny, I think you crippled the Oracle," Seth muttered out.

"No, no. I'm fine," I said continuing to hold my thigh. "How are you so fucking strong?!"

"War goddess trait, every demigod gets some physical attribute from their parents. Being incredibly strong is mine," Penny said, clearly holding back a laugh.

"Do you actively hold back in training, Penny?" Olivia asked.

I sat up and took a sharp inhale as Penny nodded. I wonder how often Penny had to hold back so she wouldn't hurt fellow adventurers. Shortly after breakfast, we all got up and started gearing up by a side door I had noticed earlier. To my left as Snake Bite at a small side window, smiling as she leaned over a counter littered with arrows and daggers. I still felt like taking one of the daggers and stabbing it through her eye socket for her comments about Apollo and me. Then again, a slash from my dagger would definitely do the trick well enough.

"Sorry for the jokes, Trivia told me that the potion requires internal fire. What better way to do that than doing what kids of Mercury do best, piss people off with rapid fire jokes. Plus I enjoyed making your familiar laugh," Snake bite said pressing a button on her desk.

"Where is my familiar now?" I asked.

"Her head is on your left shoulder," Snake Bite answered. "Maybe I should give you a potion of the Parcae."

I smiled happily, "No need."

I swiped at the air near my left shoulder, and felt my hand hit something solid. A feeling a satisfaction was cut short, like a piece of The Fates twine, when a sharp pain went through my arm and two holes appeared in my hand. Snake Bite giggled, and looked at my shoulder. My eyes burned for a brief second second, but when I looked back at my shoulder my familiar's head was resting there.

"I really don't like showing myself to a temporary Oracle, but you gave me no choice," Draco said.

I moved my hand along my neck to feel that Draco had wrapped around my neck like a scarf. "Are you always around me like this?" I asked.

"Not always, but most of the time. You're quite cold, it makes it easier to cool down," Draco whispered to me.

I came to a sudden realization as me and Draco were talking. "Draco? Can anyone else see you?" I asked.

"Nope, just you and a few select others," Draco answered.

I looked at Draco, "So to everyone else-"

"Yes, it looks like you're talking to your shoulder to everyone here. Except Snake Bite of course," Draco said, cutting off my question.

"Oh great, I look crazy," I said, petting Draco a bit.

"Only a bit," Snake Bite smiled. "Now off you go!"

Snake Bite hit something under the table and a portal opened in front of the group and me. A cold air rushed through biting to the bone. Draco left my shoulder and curled up in my jacket pocket. Olivia walked through the portal first with the rest of us following through. The cold got worse as I stepped through, the wind sharpened it biting through my clothes like snake fangs. We started walking through the snow field, hearing six sets of feet making the snow crunch in a broken pattern.

In the distance was a small town, we headed towards it. As we go closer the cold got worse, and the town looked more and more abandoned. The first building was missing segments of walls, and the windows were busted out.

"That sign is in Greek," Olivia said from ahead.

Penny looked at it, and smiled. "Town Khione, the Latin below it says Town of Snow."

"Oh great! A creepy ass demigod town! I call dibs on dying last!" Adam said running into the town.

"I call survivor girl!" Olivia said running after Adam.

Mino shook his head. "I'll go first if it means not having to deal with those two for a bit."

Mino walked into the town, with Seth following close behind. I stayed behind with Penny investigating the outskirts of the town. The snow wasn't remotely disturbed and the building next to the sign was damaged from weathering and aging. Penny came over to me and handed me a brochure. The brochure heading read as follows: Town Khione (Kilo), demigod fortress of snow.

"I never heard about this town, how about you?" Penny asked.

I flipped through the brochure remembering a distant memory. "Once, from an old demigod in Elysium. There was a group of demigods in Elysium's forest, they all died to a group of monsters. They talked about the main school expanding to get more demigods, but they did it backwards. The original towns were built around the school, but this time they were gonna make the town and then a new school. They even named the town Khione to appease the goddess of snow but it didn't work. Every demigod fought to the last with no reinforcements and trying to survive the weather as well."

Penny looked around at the snow and at the claw marks on a wall. "Are we sure a Greek monster did this?" Penny asked.

"We just assumed….it was an expected assumption…..why?" I asked.

"Most Greek monsters leave bodies, it's inevitable. They eat a bit of them and move on, and no Greek monster moves in hoards large enough to eat a whole town. The ones that do don't eat demigods either," Penny explained.

I was stunned, "are you saying-"

"A monster native to this land killed them, and then they disposed of the bodies," Penny answered before I could finish my sentence.

Penny walked into the town, and I followed close behind. We walked to where Mino was at the town center. Ration packs, never ending water bottles, and discarded weapons were left in the town center covered in snow. A last stand was made here, and among the spears and swords were two assault rifles. Based on the damage done to them, there was a kid of Hades here helping this city. I wonder who, and if they were brought back. I picked up a rifle and aimed it, I fired a single bullet into an sign a few yards away.

"M16A3, fully auto firing, 5.56 mm rounds, 30 round clips, and it was used by the US Navy and Marines. A solid rifle, especially for the weather," Penny said looking around.

"Mino, grab the other rifle and let's go," I ordered.

Mino grabbed the other rifle and started walking off. I followed close behind, with Penny, inspecting the town. Claw mark and small rust stains covered the wall. One building in particular caught my eye.

"Hey, over here!" I shouted, walking to the building holding my gun up hoping the building was empty.