I don't like proofreading *insert sparkles here because I'm too lazy to use emojis on the keyboard*

Hallez was blissfully unaware of reality.

    Until the dreams, of course.

    Just what exactly did she expect?

    It was incredibly dark. The only reason she realized it was a dream was due to the awareness she suddenly had—the awareness that she was in a dream, and that she couldn't feel her body. It was unnerving to just be and not feel.

    If she could've shuddered, she would've.

    Something seemed to flash far away—the first sign of light and movement. As any human being would've, she went towards it, dragging her consciousness forward towards the flickering, tiny speck of light. As she got closer, she realized it was red, and instead of a speck, it was long, stretching from somewhere within the darkness out into the nothingness, only leaving a segment of a line out in sight.

    At a certain distance, Hallez realized that it wasn't as bright as she had originally thought, flickering and wavering slightly, its light inconsistent. It wasn't just a line, either. It was a segment of a red thread. She seemed to stand over it, watching with a curiosity and a certain hunger that scared her.

    She felt attracted to it for some inexplicable reason. Something in the back of her mind seemed to reach out, pulling her closer to the thread, as if knowing the importance of it. Hallez was confused, to say the least.

    To satisfy that part of herself, though, she seemed to lean forward, studying it.

    Her "eyes" focused on the individual, tiny lines of material making up the thread, just as a voice seemed to drift from it. Startled, she was tempted to lean back, but something stopped her. Instead, she listened to the sound drifting in and out, borderlining audible and inaudible.

    "...be useful in the future."

    "And how will the string...?"

    "...experiment, how to cut it, how to damage it, where the original strings are. It's knowledge we can use..."

    "Can we...Fate...of the gods, then?"

    "Perhaps..."

    Hal had more than a few questions. This red thread or string... Fate? She remembered a story she was once told—about red strings tying people together as a representation of who they would meet, their relationships, and such. Maybe this was that, or at least something similar. Maybe this was a representation of someone's Fate...

    But why this string? Whose Fate was this?

    The thread suddenly hummed, and a bolt of alarm shot through her. She could tell—she knew—that something was wrong. A flash of protectiveness overtook her consciousness, and she reached out with her mind, towards the thread. Something was going to happen. She didn't know how she knew, but she did.

    However, something else got there before she could. An indescribable presence wrapped around her, and seemed to grab onto the thread. A layer of protection surrounded it, and something seemed to happen in another dimension, but Hal couldn't put her finger on exactly what.

    The red thread flashed once, then disappeared, the darkness swallowing it. She was pushed back by the presence, but as she was, she saw that there was more. More threads, billions of them, all red, yet somehow all so different, crisscrossed and all glowing. The light blended together, yet stayed distinct. There was no good way to describe it.

    She was in awe. She'd seen or felt something so...powerful, so different from what she experienced day to day.

    But she couldn't enjoy it for long.

    The presence reached out to her once more, wrapping around her again, like water, drowning out the billions of threads. A voice came out of that presence. Familiar, yet not.

    "You can't be here just yet, Hallez. Go back."

    And without any further warning, she was thrust out of that place, and back into her dreamless sleep.

†††

Sometime later, Hallez woke up with a surprisingly mild ache in her lower rib cage. Her mind was a little foggy, and her chest felt tight.

    She winced as she lifted her arm, and felt the bandages wrapped securely around her torso area, over her shirt. She traced her hand along it until she got to a spot where the slightest pressure made her grimace in pain.

    Yep. No doubt about it. She had gotten shot.

    Miraculously, she didn't die. Then again, they had a daughter of Apollo with them, so she would've at least been on magic life support. That didn't mean it didn't hurt. The opposite, in fact. It hurt like the less-nicer word for the Underworld, and it felt like there was a hole in her body. At the same time, there was a weird feeling in her rib cage, which seemed to restrict her breathing.

    She had to force herself to not panic, and turned her head, not daring to sit up just yet. The ceiling, she first noticed, was a few stories above, with visible, metal support beams and hanging lights. She was against a tall wall that reached the ceiling. Well, it wasn't a wall, more like a giant metal bookshelf, empty save for a few boxes on the higher racks. There was one parallel to it as well, making the space she was in an aisle.

    The place seemed like an empty warehouse, with dozens of labeled boxes scattered about, too far away for Hal to read. More aisles were on the other side.

    It seemed like it could be an abandoned Costco, to be honest.

    She looked up again, and saw Fiona climbing down from the racks of the shelf.

    Hallez sat up, despite the pain, as the daughter of Fortuna dropped down and landed softly a few feet away.

    The brunette started. Her eyes widened. "Oh! Good afternoon, Hallez— Good evening? What time is it?"

    Afternoon?

    Hallez blinked, alarmed. "Wait, what? What day is it?"

    "July seventh," Fiona answered. She looked worried. "Afternoon. Sorry, I know we're on a time limit but... Well—" She paused. Then she put her hands on her hips and glared at Hallez. "First of all, WHY DID YOU DO THAT?! I know we're a contubernium but why did you just JUMP IN FRONT OF A BULLET for Travis?! He's annoying! I wouldn't have minded if he got shot and went unconscious for half a day!"

    She shook her head. "For the record, I don't regret it. Not this time. But Fiona, where are the others?" Hal really did not want to talk about her actions, especially when they were just a few hours away from July eighth, and she still had no idea where Cade and the Ancile were exactly. "Are they here?"

    "Yes, they're here," Fiona replied. "They're in another aisle right now so they won't disturb you, and I'm supposed to watch if you wake up— HANG ON A SECOND! DON'T CHANGE THE SUBJECT! HALLEZ! PLEASE! DON'T DO THAT EVER AGAIN!"

    She was pacing in clear agitation now, as Hallez grabbed onto a beam of the shelf as support, trying to stand. Fiona looked like she wanted to grab Hal's shoulders and shake some sense into her, but thankfully, she had just been shot, and shaking would not do anything to help with recovery.

    "Lavi said that it could've easily been a fatal wound and that it might still be," she rambled, clearly worried and nervous. "Sh-she said she couldn't heal you entirely— Wait. LAVI!" She started shouting. "LAVI! SHE'S AWAKE!"

    Barely a moment later, as Hallez managed to stand, hand hovering over her wound but not daring to touch it, Lavi appeared at the end of the aisle, skidding to a stop, before coming closer.

    "Fiona, this isn't another of your false alarms ri— Hallez, what do you think you're doing standing up?!" Lavi gently put a hand on the taller girl's arm and tried to pull her down to sitting again. "You're in no state to do any extreme movements!"

    Hal doubted standing up counted as an extreme movement, but she wasn't about to argue with the doctor. She hissed in pain. "I'm fine, really."

    "You're kidding me," said Travis, who also appeared. The horse from before, surprisingly, was also there, now equipped with a saddle, carrying the Sword and Shield of Perseus, as well as the other's weapons, looking slightly grumpy. "You got SHOT, and you say you're fine?"

    Well, she wasn't entirely lying. For whatever reason, she felt energized. Despite the painful jolts that came from her wound every time she moved, she felt like she could run a marathon. Perhaps it was due to the urgency she felt, being so close to the deadline. Adrenaline could work miracles, after all.

    Travis stalked up to her, and despite looking furious, the words that came out of his mouth were completely genuine. "I'm sorry, Hallez. I shouldn't have— I was being reckless, and you ended up getting hurt. I'm so, so sorry."

    His eyes flitted away, before coming back to stare into Hallez's.

    Hallez had to give it to him—his apology was short and might be considered insincere, but the way he held her gaze, despite the fact that he was clearly ashamed of himself, was quite admirable. Not many people could look the person they wronged in the eye. It really took some courage to do so.

    "It was my decision," Hal said, while shaking off Lavi's hand, standing up again. "Don't be apologetic. Lavi, I can stand, seriously."

    Lavi sighed at Hal's stubbornness. "You don't look like you're passing out at least," she grumbled. "I'm sorry I couldn't do much for you, by the way. I...don't get much experience with these types of wounds being in the Tenth Cohort. I know how to use healing magic, but I know nothing about hands-on work, such as removing a bullet or stitching close a wound. That...means that you've still got a bullet inside you, but it can't be helped for now." Everyone, including the horse but excluding Hallez, winced. "I've stopped the bleeding temporarily with magic, and used those enchanted bandages. They should last long enough for us to finish this quest."

    Ah. So that was why she felt so weird. She had a bullet stuck inside her.

    The thought wasn't at all pleasant, but she distracted herself by focusing on something else.

    "The quest," Hal muttered. She looked up. "Right, the quest. Where's— No, wait. First, how did we get out?"

    "It turned out that the tunnel wasn't a dead end," Fiona spoke up. "It just split off into two narrower tunnels that went up in a spiral. Apparently, they weren't supposed to shoot you, so the guards kind of panicked, and we took the chance to get away."

    "Then Fiona searched for a safe house nearby for us to regroup in, and we took another snowdrift to get out of there, and here we are," Travis added.

    "Where's Mercury?" Hallez asked.

    "Mercury is in another aisle right now. He woke up an hour before you, but he's...weak." Lavi exchanged glances with Fiona and Travis. "He's awake, but he hasn't been able to move or speak. Apparently he's wounded more than we thought he was."

    The horse had trotted over, somehow quiet despite all the weapons on his saddle. His white eyes stared at her with an exasperated look. Hallez still wondered how she could tell his emotions. It was almost scary how expressive the horse was.

    "I need to see him," Hallez said. "Mercury. And I'm fine, I promise. It's July seventh, and we still don't know where the Cave of Medusa is."

    Lavi looked like she wanted to protest, but Travis interrupted. "Lavi, as much as I want to protest that Hallez needs to rest first, I have to agree; it's eight o'clock already, we have four hours until July eighth. Hallez's friend, and the Ancile—we have to get them back. If anyone knows where the Cave of Medusa is, and has an easy way to get there, it's Mercury."

    Fiona nodded. "I agree with your boyfriend, Lavi."

    Both Travis and Lavi jumped away from each other so fast, they were mere blurs in the air for a split second. "FIONA!"

    Hallez patted the horse's neck, walking to its saddle and taking her pocket knife and dagger. Despite her re-energized state, that small distance made her slightly out of breath as she said, "C'mon, let's go. Where is he?"

    Lavi walked out of the aisle, the rest of them following. Hallez flicked open her pocket knife, checking its condition, before putting it away and unsheathing the dagger. Both were in pristine condition. She hadn't used them all that much so far—or at all, really. They would've been useful while she was breaking out of the CEIRA compound, but she didn't have them then...

    Wait, so how did they end up there?

    She was about to ask when the horse snorted, and nudged her hand, which was holding the dagger.

    She stared at him.

    Did...the horse bring them? How? Why? What?

    Actually, she shouldn't ask questions no one could answer. She decided to push it to the back of her mind for now.

    She made sure both blades were secure on her figure, as they went several aisles over, before walking in. The shape of the mailman—no, wait, Mercury—was laying on the ground, a glass of something that was not water beside his head. A box laid a few feet away, with a large, red label shouting at people to handle with extreme care for fear of it exploding.

    That was new.

    Mercury's head turned to look at them as they approached, his blue eyes piercing, and Hallez froze, flinching at the gaze. Despite his supposed weakened state, he radiated power even more than when he was unconscious. She could feel it even without shifting into the state.

    The others didn't seem affected, so Hallez quickly braced herself, and walked forward. Her wound seemed to ache even more in the presence of the god.

    "Lord Mercury," Lavi said, slowly crouching and picking up the glass. "This is, uh, Hallez, daughter of—"

    "Oh, I know who she is." Mercury unexpectedly smiled, and tried to prop himself up on his elbows, but failed. He scowled. "Argh— Ms. Phillen, help me up."

    Lavi blinked, and set down the glass before helping Mercury to a sitting position. "W-wait, Mercury, are you sure you're supposed to be— I mean you were unable to even speak a just few minutes ago—"

    Mercury sported a good-natured smile as he sat. "Don't worry, Ms. Phillen. I merely forced myself to temporarily recover in favor of speaking to your contubernium. I'll collapse in a bit after we have our short talk. Ah, I've missed giving mortals advice."

    Hallez cleared her throat, a hand hovering over her wound. She would be lying if the easygoing way Mercury was speaking didn't make her a bit unsettled. Even Minerva had stayed serious and somber throughout their conversation.

    But then she remembered Minerva telling her the story of Perseus, and how she and Mercury had helped him reach the Cave of Medusa to cut off her head.

    "Mercury," Hallez started uncertainly, "may I ask where is the Cave of Medusa? And how do we get there quickly, within the next few hours, if possible? It's urgent."

    "I know it's urgent since you hit my head so mercilessly on a door frame," he said matter of factly, smiling. Hallez didn't see anything that suggested he held a grudge for that—however he even knew what happened while he was unconscious. "Don't worry, I won't kill you. I'm not my dear old man after all. It's his job to get offended at the littlest things."

    The other three shot Hallez an appalled look.

    "As for your question," Mercury continued, "I already knew what you were going to ask, and I'll give you a way in. After all, I'm grateful you saved me, even when you didn't have to."

    She was surprised at the generosity, and she paused, listening for more. Surely there was a catch. Hal didn't remember hearing about any story where the gods didn't need a favor done in exchange for their divine help. Except maybe Perseus', but what she had heard was told by a god, so there may have been some altercation.

    "The location is difficult to access through normal travel, and even if you use the Fluvius system, you'll be going in through the front doors, which isn't exactly discreet. However, there is a system of travel that is known to be the fastest way to travel in the world."

    "Is it what you use to travel, Lord Mercury?" Travis asked.

    Mercury nodded, outrightly grinning. "Exactly, Mr. Janet! It's called the Mercury Transit, an international transportation system that goes through space and time, and almost guarantees overnight deliveries!" His voice suddenly dropped to a whisper. "Unless I accidentally end up five hundred years in the past and drop the shipment off at that jerk Columbus' doorstep again—" He continued with his usual enthusiasm. "And with only 5% shipping fees, you can get guaranteed quality service! No broken packages will be arriving at your doorstep if you choose Mercury Transit toda—"

    Fiona blinked. "...Uh, Lord Mercury?"

    "Ah! Right! Sorry about that." He coughed into his fist. Really, it was almost admirable how shameless he was being. "Anyways, if you go now, you should be able to get there in an hour. It's relatively safe, since monsters are not permitted to enter, but I will warn you, the Transit around the Cave of Medusa is quite...unpleasant. I've long since cut that section off from the main Transit, so I have no idea what kind of creatures may be lurking about. You'll know how to get there."

    Hallez nodded, slightly...shocked? Surprised? Confused? One of those. She was surprised he hadn't mentioned them owing him a favor. It felt almost out of character. Was there really no catch? "Thank you—"

    "I'm not done," Mercury cut in, quickly. His face suddenly turned serious, and his voice dropped. He wavered on the spot, despite being in a sitting position, and had to put a hand against the floor to keep himself up. "I'm still weak, and I've used up a lot of energy to talk to you, but there's something you need to be aware of in the Cave of Medusa. Something even the gods are afraid of."

    The sudden shift in the conversation mood was more than offsetting. The four demigods exchanged glances.

    Something the gods are afraid of... A person? A weapon? A creature? Hallez wasn't an expert in the old classical myths, but she knew that there were only a set amount of things the gods were truly afraid of. Mainly things involving the death of immortals.

    Was it a weapon that could kill a god?

    Hallez was still consciously aware of the pure power radiating off of Mercury right that second. How monsterous would the weapon have to be to be able to kill a god with that kind of power?

    It couldn't be Mania. She shouldn't even consider that possibility. It was most definitely clear that Mania wasn't the one behind this. It just didn't make any sense. It didn't add up. Something else was behind this whole scheme. Stealing the Ancile, the incident at Rome Ultima months ago, kidnapping Cade, her note, the prophecy, dropping Mercury off at the CEIRA compound...

    And now something that was powerful enough that even the gods feared it.

    No wonder nothing up until then had been adding up with Mania in the center—because Mania wasn't in the center of it all.

    This wasn't just about the Ancile and Rome Ultima now. It was still important to make sure everyone at the city survived, of course, and that Cade was rescued, but there was also something else. Something bigger.

    "...If we weren't sure before, we're definitely sure now," Hallez said. "Tim and the others were wrong. It's not Mania. It's something else. Something even bigger than just this quest."

    Mercury nodded. "Exactly, daughter of Letum."

    "What do we have to be aware of?" Fiona asked.

    "It's not just one thing," he answered. "It's a whole group. I've had my suspicions for a while, but they must've somehow caught on that I knew something. That's why they dumped me in the middle of nowhere. I don't even know how they caught me by surprise, and I'm a little ashamed."

    "Who are they?" Travis queried. "What do you know?"

    "Still not much," Mercury admitted. He was breathing heavily now, but he kept his voice as even as possible. "Even as the god of travels, I don't know much. I'm not book smart like Minerva, but I'm wise enough when it comes to you mortals—enough to know that none of us gods should lower our guard as long as they're still around, even the older folks. All I know is this: they've been gathering an alarming number of resources, as well as recruiting people and monsters from every corner of the world. They're trying to assemble an army, with the promise of breaking the confines of their life, in very innocent wording. I...tried to keep track when I found that they had a contact within the Fifteenth Legion."

    Fiona started. "Wait, what? They have a contact..." She swallowed. "So you're saying this other super secret group of people—not the people we just escaped—is presumably assembling an army, and they're probably super powerful, and they've already kidnapped one of the twelve Olympians and the Ancile, and held it hostage for whatever reason, framing it on another god, and all that stuff that's been happening; they have a contact inside the Fifteenth Legion?!"

    Mercury nodded. "Yes. And, I'm running out of time here"—he was right; he looked like he was about to fall back at any moment—"so I'll make this quick: you can enter the Transit if you free-fall right from the top of this warehouse. Just trust the system." He breathed in deeply. "Ah, yep, that's me. I'll be...sleeping, I suppose."

    He collapsed onto his back, his power level slowly dialing down until Hallez felt that she could breathe more easily again.

    The god's hand suddenly shot up into the air, smacking away Lavi's, who had been reaching for the glass of liquid. The hand pointed at Hallez, even as his eyes closed. "Oh, and yes, for that extra bit of info there, you do owe me a small one... Good luck."

    There was the catch.

    But she surprised herself when she found that she wasn't really mad, as the god of travels slipped into unconsciousness again, back in his weakened, vulnerable state.

    "Good luck?" Travis muttered. "As a child of Fortuna, it doesn't mean much."

    Hallez stared at Mercury. The horse nudged Hallez's side with his head (gently, minimizing the pain in her rib cage), as if agreeing with what she was thinking.

    She sighed. "I think we'll definitely be needing it though."

---

For some reason the latter part of this chapter has been one of my favorites to write so far—
Also is it just me or does almost every Hallez chapter's first sentence seem almost sarcastic
Because the next one certainly is

-Lunya