Chapter γ Banished and a quest

Aug 31st 1939

In the Greek underworld

"I think father will be proud," said Chris. Holding the lightning bolt in his hands.

"Also blaming the son of Athena. Is a delicate touch," said Claire.

"Indeed, it is," said Chris. Chris and Claire spun around and looked at the messenger god.

"What are you doing here?" asked Chris.

"Taking the bolt back," said Hermes.

"Back to Olympus?" asked Claire.

"Yes, where else would it go?" said Hermes.

"We are not telling you," said Chris. Looking at Claire and disappearing into the darkness.

"Zeus will be angry at me if I do not get the bolt back," said Hermes as he was saying that Henry bumped into him.

"You are Hermes; what are you doing here?" Henry asked.

"Trying to get the bolt back. What about you?" asked Hermes.

"Trying to get the bolt back. I can't go back to camp without it," I said.

"A quest then," said Hermes.

"Yes," I said.

"Mind if I tag along? I am looking for the bolt too. I saw it with two people, a boy, and a girl," said Hermes.

"Sure. Wait, a boy and girl, you said. Were they wearing all black?" I asked.

"Yes, they were; why?" asked Hermes.

"Great, just, great. Those two are twins of the god of the underworld," I said.

"You know them?" asked Hermes.

"Sadly, I do know of them," I said.

"Come, there is a place where we can talk," said Hermes.

"What is this place?" I asked.

"A place where gods and goddesses hang out in your world," said Hermes.

"Okay, that is interesting," I said.

Looking around the cafe. Henry saw signs of Roman, Egyptian, Chinese, and Hindu. To name a few.

"This place is where many gods and goddesses can meet," I said.

"Yes, and that is why we can talk without people looking at us funny," said Hermes. Looking at what was around, Henry started to wonder.

"If I fail this, I will go to Tartarus," I said.

"Then let us make sure that does not happen," said Hermes.

"Then what do you have in mind?" I said. Hermes told Henry the plan.

"Do you think that would work?' I asked.

"Only one reason to find out," said Hermes. Hermes left the cafe.

"Henry, what Hermes told us…" said Daisy. Scratching his head.

"I know it is weird, but all I can think of is that it must be true," I said.

"The Greek gods are looking for the bolt. Would it be cool if we found and took the bolt back to Olympus?," Sadi Daisy is very excited.

"Yes, it will be. I am also wondering what Hermes said about the different protons," I said.

"You mean like the Romans, Egyptian, Chinese, and Hindu," said Daisy.

"Yes, and we should probably get a move on. It is not safe here at the moment," I said.

"Why do you say that?" asked Daisy.

"You do not sense an ominous presence?" I said.

"No. Do you?" asked Daisy.

"Let us get out of here for the moment. I feel that we are not welcome anymore," I said.

"Following you," said Daisy. The two left the cafe after paying with drachmas.

"Where do we start looking? It is not like there can be a sign that says Zeus bolt right here," said Daisy. Both Henry and Daisy look up.

"Like that," I said.

"Yes, like that," said Daisy. They head towards a sign that reads bolt here.

"Keep your guard up; this could be a trap," I said. Readying his spear.

"I know, brother, you do not have to say," said Daisy.

"We should find a place where we can see what is going on," I said.

"Agreed, and one that I cannot well see us. "said Daisy. Looking around, they spot a building that could hide them both but still give them a good vantage point.

"Look," said Daisy as she pointed to the gigantic crater.

"Is that the bolt? This seems too easy. I do not like it," I said.

"Agreed. We need a plan that will be as perfect as possible, but we should also plan for the unexpected," said Daisy.

"Indeed, I do not want to get trapped somewhere we can not escape from," I said.

"Agreed. Now that we know where it is, we should retreat and devise a plan," said Daisy. Little did they know that Chris and Claire were listening to what they were saying and had already put in countermeasures to ensure that the bolt did not leave the underworld.

"What do you think those two will try?" asked Chris.

"Whatever it is, it can not get through what defenses we have," said Claire. Looking at his sister with a worried expression on his face.

"Still, what if they get the bolt?" said Chris.

"Stop being a worry wart; it is not going to change that. Fathers' plan to get rid of nonsense will be grand," said Claire.

"How will we do that?" asked Chris.

"With this ebony blade that is coated in a position," said Claire. Chris looked at the blade in Claire's hand. Just do not slash me with that blade," said Chris.

"I will try, but I will not promise anything," said Claire.

A Little will Later

"What is the plan?" I asked.

"To get the bolt back," said Daisy.

"Yes, to get the bolt back; if you are not aware, the two of us will face who knows what. To get the bolt back," I said.

"Just relax, Henry, and take a breather," said Daisy.

Henry took a deep breath. "We do not know what weapons they have and from what we could see was, well, not that much, to be honest," said Daisy.

"Would it be great if one of us had to sacrifice ourselves just for the other to survive?" I said.

Looking at Henry. "Are you serious?" asked Daisy.

"Do you see me laughing?" I asked.

"No, I do not, so, but let us leave as a last resort," said Daisy.

"So, what do you have planned?" I asked. Daisy told Henry the plan. How one of them needs to distract them leads one of them away while the other deals with the one remaining.

"I have a bad feeling about this," I said.

"Well, tough luck, this is the plan; win or not, this is the best plan we have," said Daisy.

"The worse thing is that we have no backup," I said.

"Remember that can not be helped at the moment," said Daisy.

"You know this is an dies plan, right?" I said.

"Stop bringing the room down, bro," said Daisy.

"Well, sorry for being realistic here," I said.

"Well, good night, see you in the morning," said Daisy. She leaves to go to bed.

"See you in the morning," I said.

In the Morning

"Henry, wake up. You sleepyhead. Daisy said.

"I am up," I said, very sleepy.

"I booked us passage," Daisy said.

"To where?" Henry asked.

"On board the SS Algonquin. A ship that is going to new lands.," Daisy said.

"This is not good," I said.

"Why?" asked Daisy.

"Well, do you know about Athena and Poseidon's beef?" Henry asked.

"I think so. Why?" asked Daisy.

"It just means that we might have difficulty getting to the other continent," I said, thinking to myself.

"That will be true for the others as well. Daisy said. Looking at the SS Algonquin (Sigh), this will be fun," I said.

"I like your pessimism, Henry," Daisy said. Henry and Daisy boarded the SS Algonquin. "This is not going to be fun at all," I said.

"Well, it is not like we have any other way to get over there," Daisy said.

(Head down) "That is true, but.," I said.

"No, but silly. Let us settle down and wait to see what happens," Daisy said.

"Okay," I said, looking at all the people on that ship.

Meanwhile, in the Underwood

"Jeez, Chris, you did it again," said Claire.

"Did what?" asked Chris.

"We are practicing for when we see the twins of Athena," said Claire.

"True, but I…," said Chris.

"Don't say that you do not want to fight them," said Claire angrily.

"Don't overthink things," said Persephone.

"My lady. What do you mean by not overthinking things?" Chris and Claire said.

"Exactly what I said. Now, what are you two going to do?" asked Persephone.

"Let me think. Ahh, thinking is too hard. I want to hurt the two Athena twins," Chris said.

"Even though I like the way you are thinking right now, there is no way to know where they are," said Claire.

A person clad in old Greek armor appeared.

"Hercules, what are you doing here?" asked Persephone.

"Oh, nothing much. Just overheard what you three were talking about," said Hercules.

"Sure you were," said Chris.

"What? It is not like I know what is going on and why," said Hercules.

"Then why are you here?" said Persephone, turning around.

"Yeah, that is true," said Hercules, floating away.

"Jeez, he can be creepy," said Chris.

"Even if that is true. It does not mean that what he said should be taken lightly," said Persephone.

"I mean, I guess that is true," said Claire.

"Claire, let us go and see what to do about the twins," said Chris.

"Okay. Though I agree with that, it does not mean I will go with you willingly," said Claire.

They leave the palace to start the search.

In the Overworld

Ellis Island

Narrator: Looking around New York City, Daisy and Henry sense that people are looking at them.

"This is one of Great Britain's colonies," I said.

"Yes, I hope there is no war that will take this colony away," Daisy said.

"Yeah, I can tell that these people are looking at us like we do not belong here," I said, looking around at the people.

"What should we do?" I said.

"Let us see where we can go," said Daisy.

"What year is it?' I asked.

"1939, I think, month and date, August 31st," said Daisy.

People are throwing tomatoes at them.

"These people do not like the Brits," I said. As he dodged one of the tomatoes.

"Agreed. That said, there is nothing we can do about that," said Daisy.

"True," I said, thinking about how the Americans resent British taxes and being ruled by King George VI.

"Ow, watch it. You almost bumped into me," I said.

"Oh, my bad," said a man.

The man had a weird symbol on his right arm.

"It's okay," replied Henry.

"What was that all about?" asked Daisy.

"I do not know, but I saw a weird symbol on his right arm. I think it was a hammer," I said.

"Were there any designs on the hammer?" asked Daisy.

"Four swirls and what looked like a face," I said.

"It might be Mjolnir," said Daisy.

"Why would Thor be here? He is a god," I said.

They watched who they thought was Thor walk away.

"True, but let us find a good place to rest up," said Daisy.

Three Days Later

Narrator: While walking around New Your City, Daisy and Henry came across a paperboy.

"Extra! Extra! Read All About It! Britain is at war! Britain is at war!" said a paper boy.

"How much for a paper?" I asked.

"15 pence, sir," said the boy.

"Here you go," I said.

"Thank you for your purchase, sir," said the boy.

"Henry, what is that?" asked Daisy, looking at Henry with a blank expression on her face.

"It is the New York Times," I said.

"I know that, brother. I am talking about the image on the front page," said Daisy.

Looking back to the front page, it showed a lightning bolt.

"No way. It can't be that easy to find what we are looking for," I said.

Looking at the front page where the bolt was. Just embedded into a museum.

"Well, there is no time like the present to go bolt," said Daisy.

"To the Queen's museum and the World's Fair," I said.

"Is there anything else on the news we should be worried about?' asked Daisy.

"Oh, yes. There is. There is a war around the world right now," I said, looking at Daisy.

"Did you just say a war?" asked Daisy.

"Yes, and Germany invaded Belgium. That brought Britain into the war," I said.

"All I know is that Ares will be pleased with the war," said Daisy.

"Not to mention Athena as well," I said.

"Well, let us hail a taxi and get to the museum," said Daisy.

She stuck up her hand, signaling a taxi to a stop.

"Queens, Museum, please," I said.

"Let us get you there," said the taxi driver.

The taxi starts to move.

"Did you hear the news?" asked the taxi driver.

"About Britain going to war?" I asked.

"Yes, about that," said the taxi driver.

"Just did," I said as he held up the newspaper.

"I wonder if Britain will ask us to fight for them?" asked the taxi driver.

"It is a possibility," I said.

"You know that people are talking in this colony about a revolution," said the taxi driver.

"I see," I said. Looking out at the city.

"Kid, what are your thoughts on what I just told you?" said the taxi driver.

"I think you should wait a bit more," I said.

"Why is that?" asked the Taxi driver.

"I do not see Britain holding onto much of their colonies past the war," I said.

"That is an interesting take. What brought you to that answer?" asked the taxi driver.

"That is what my instinct is telling me," I said.

"Well, we have arrived at the Queens museum. That will be 2710.13 pence," said the taxi driver.

"Here are 2710.13 pence," I said, handing thirty dollars to the taxi driver.

"Thank you. Have a good day," said the taxi driver.

"Henry, let us go," said Daisy, getting out of the taxi.

"This is the World's Fair. Look, there is the Queens museum," I said.

'Well, well, well. What do we have here?" asked Chris.

"Brother, it looks to me that those two are looking for something," said Claire.

"Hey, what are you two doing here? I thought you were supposed to be in the underworld under house arrest," I said.

"We got out of there under good behavior," said Chris.

"Doubtful, since Hades can be very cruel–even to his children," said Daisy.

Looking down the steps of the museum

"Oh, there is nothing in the museum. We checked," said Claire.

"I highly doubt everything that you say," I said.

"Well, believe it or not, it is your loss, "said Chris, as he and Claire left the museum.

"What do we do?" I asked.

"We still need to see if there is anything that we can find in the museum," said Daisy.

Inside the Museum

Narrator: Looking at a map of the building, Henry and Daisy came to a map of the museum.

"Looks like there is a Greek section of the building," I said.

"Still, we need to be careful. We do not want to draw attention to ourselves," said Daisy. Looking over at Daisy.

"Says the person with a sword drawn," I said, sighing.

"Hey, we do not know if they will attack us," said Daisy.

"I thought you were the rational one of us, and I was the battle junkie," I said.

"May I help you?" said one of the museum staff.

"Not at the moment, but thank you for asking," I said, walking away with Daisy in tow.

"Oh, not at all. Have a great rest of your day," said the attendant very maniacally.

"That was weird," said Daisy.

"Yes, tell me about it. It was like that attendant knew why we were here," I said.

"Let us just get what we are here for and get out of this place," said Daisy.

"Agreed. This place is giving me the chills," I said.

"Hey, you are not allowed back there," said one of the security guards.

"Why? Is it a part of the museum? If we can not then we need to go back there," said Daisy.

"Do you not read the sign? Only members can enter this area," said the security guard.

"Well, okay, then we will not go into the exhibit," I said.

"Okay then," said the security guard, walking away.

"What do you want to check?" I asked, with a puzzled look on his face, and walking over to a couple.

"Did you see that exhibit?" asked Daisy.

"Which one?" asked the man.

"The one on the Crocus said.

"Oh, that one. Yes, you can go into the exhibit," said the man.

"Okay, thank you for letting us know," said Daisy as she turned towards the exhibit.

"No worries, have a great rest of your day," said the woman.

"Daisy, I have a bad feeling about this," I said.

"What kind of feeling are you having?" asked Daisy.

"The kind that puts me on guard," I said, as he looked around all worried. (Sigh)

"We will take it nice and slow," said Daisy. As Henry and I looked around the exhibit.

Crash! Something fell and shattered to the ground.

"What was that?" Henry asked, looking around the room.

"Unsure, but whatever it is can not be good," said Daisy.

"Who is there?" asked the security guard.

"Quick! Hide!" I said.

"Agreed," said Daisy.

Daisy and Henry hid behind two statues–one statue of Zeus and the other of Hera.

"Looks like there is no one here. "Said the security guard as he turned around.

"Look what is behind the guard," said Daisy.

"It looks like a cyclops. What is it doing here, of all places?" Henry asked.

"What should we do? It does not look like we can stay here for a long time," said Daisy.

"I say we wait till the security guard leaves and then continue with what we are doing. "I said.

"Agreed," said Daisy.

Narrator: We walked around trying to be quiet as we continued our search or the Agis.