A Fire Burns Within Me (completed)

Depredate

Previously:
Thalia was about to snap back, telling her not to use her last name when Grover elbowed her in the ribs, effectively silencing her.

"Sadmep, where do we go?" Tyler asked, looking from the bus to her but when he looked back, she was gone.

"I am assuming onto that bus," Grover said, pulling Thalia in that direction.

"Hello, welcome on the Universe Express, where will I be taking you today?" An elvish looking alien asked, smiling at them from his seat behind the wheel.

Thalia, Grover and Tyler shared looks, all coming to a silent agreement. "Do you know where we can find someone going by the name of Fire Lord?" Thalia asked.

The elvish alien was really helpful when he learned Thalia was Percy's- or Fire Lord's- cousin. Of course that was only after Thalia threatened him with the end of her spear, Grover mentally admitted.

"Is Fire Lord in trouble?" The guy, whose name they learned was Toll, asked as he looked at some monitor.

"Not that we know of," Grover answered before Thalia could say anything.

"Yeah, the kelp-head could be kidnapped for all we know," Thalia said now.

"Or on a bounty list," Grover added wearily.

"Or in another war," Thalia said, looking at her nails. "Or trapped in some crazy lady's dungeon."

"Yes to all three...except for the crazy lady one," Toll said with a laugh, "your cousin was kidnapped on the planet of the Golden Shadows, not ten minutes after I left. Wanted on planet Aviary and in a war on Rocthag."

"What did I say?" Thalia siad, not even having the decency to look surprised like Tyler. "He's a complete and utter kelp-head."

Toll laughed but suddenly stopped when he saw what was on the monitor.

"What is it?" Tyler asked, eyeing the script in the strange language.

"This monitor tells me who is at the stops I routinely visit," Toll shakily told them. "It tells me which planets have people needing to travel from planet to planet."

"And?" Thalia asked impatiently.

"It just told me someone from one of the most avoided planets is waiting for a pick up," he said as a very yellow looking planet came into view. "No one goes to or from with the exception of Fire Lord that is. But he's not there right now."

"What is it called?" Breathed Tyler, staring at the planet in from of them.

"The Planet of the Golden Shadows," Toll answered shakily. "Demigods, you are about to meet a Golden Ninja."

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The first attack on the camps was small, hardly worth any panic but the minor god that delivered the message generated enough of it to send everyone of the Olympians down to help. Once they were gone and the throne room was empty, the minor god opened the throne room doors once more, showing the destruction and terror on the other side.

As he did so, a large being, sporting head to toe armor and hole-ridden bat wings, walked in. "Well done, Phobos," the being said, "that was quite a show you put on."

"Thank you, Lord Despair," Phobos, god of panic and flight, son of Ares and Aphrodite bowed before straightening and nervously licking his lips. "My Lord?"