Chapter 6: The Town

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So I got tagged by jungle321jungle to write four facts about myself. Do I did. It took me forever to pick which facts, my original included four facts about the color green. So here's my handwritten four facts about myself.

And I tag...

Jacksparrow69 Always_Love_Books_ -HereComesTheSun and IZEnderson

And here's the chapter!

Percy had never felt more miserable eating blue ice cream and talking with a friend he thought was gone for good. And yet, after marveling at strange impossible architecture, all it made him think of was how much better Annabeth's were.

Bianca chatted happily, her hood up but her eyes sparkling cheerily. Everywhere they went she knew someone; a vendor that gave them ice cream, a child who ran up and hugged her, an old couple that thanked her for something.

Bianca blushed and said it was nothing, though it was pretty oblivious it wasn't.

"What did you do?" Percy said, licking a blue dripple of ice cream on the side of his cone.

Bianca bit her lip like an attempt to stop a smile. "Seriously, it was nothing!"

Percy gave her a look.

"All I did was stop a dictator from murdering all the citizens!" She tried to turn away, but a man stopped her putting a praising hand on her shoulder.

"She has done more than that." The man said graciously, "She is truly a gift from Chaos, she is the archangel!"

His voice carried across the market place where many people surged forward to thank her. Everyone seemed to want to give their own words. Bianca looked if anything embarrass to death.

Percy smirked at her under his own cloak, momentarily forgetting his worries. "Just nothing, huh?"

She sent him a sharp glance that clear said you-aren't-helping!

The crowd took to a chorus of "Archangel!" That seemed to melt Bianca where she stood. People shoved food and possessions at her. Of course, the chaos solider refused the gifts but Percy saw a small child slip a small folded note into

her pocket, a red crayon of a thank you picture seeping through. Percy smiled, and licked his ice cream.

He felt a strong grip on his arm. Turning he saw the man who started it all. He had tears in his eyes, and happiness rolled off him in waves. "She used her reward for you?"

Percy swallowed hard, and nodded.

"Son, if the Archangel has chosen you, than you are bound to do great things." The man pulled him into a hug, in which Percy felt more awkward than he'd ever felt. "With your help, Peace will rule again!"

There was that Peace again. Who was she? What happened? But before he could get the questions out the man disappeared into the crowd.

Bianca struggled towards him, grabbing his hand like a desperate attempt to save herself. Her eyes read SOS in a panic. She must have dropped her ice cream cone some time during the formulation. Percy himself, suddenly found the sweet blueberry flavor unappetizing.

"Hey excuse me," He said, "HEY!"

He's voice, that he'd spent two wars too many giving inspiring speeches that lead some of his closest to their deaths, easily rise over the pedestrians. They looked at him with a new interest, and Percy had to shove away memories of the Titan War before he got lost in them.

"I'm sure Archangel will join me in saying this but, " He smiled at them kindly, "she feels your appreciation is unnecessary. All life is precious, she was just doing what she believed was required."

Of course the people in the crowd had no idea who he was. Percy still hadn't worked out how the hood kept people from seeing his face but the only clue to him was the sparkling gray name on his back.

With little convincing Percy persuaded the citizens back to their errands and shopping. The marketplace filled with sounds of vendors and sweet smells. The people still glanced over at them but they didn't approach and hug Bianca anymore.

"Thank you," the dead daughter of Hades said, "I almost despise coming here ever since I saved that planet."

Percy was amazed how easily she said it. Like Oh yeah I saved that planet with millions of people, No big deal. It was almost comical. It was an entire planet, and she just brushed it off like it was nothing.

"Do they know who you really are?" Percy asked as they started to walk again. He licked the side of his dessert, but he couldn't taste it.

"Of course not." She said, "thank the gods! And Chaos. Definitely Chaos. Without this hood I would be a victim of public smothering."

"Can't anyone just pull it down?"

"Nope." She popped the 'p' enthusiastically. "Only I can pull down the hood. Same way only you can pull down yours. Haven't you noticed that even in the harshest wind, your hood hasn't moved?"

Percy hadn't noticed. But as soon as she pointed it out he nodded.

"It's made of a sacred material, something only Chaos knows how to make. The cloak is dirt free. Not even mud from earlier could stay on, look!"

Percy checked his cloak's fringe, but the edges were glistening sliver. Not a spect of brown on the entire fabric. It was amazing.

"And of course it doesn't protect against the rain much or even the cold, but they have to look fancy." Percy was sure she rolled her eyes, "Sometimes I think Chaos is just trying to annoy us. But, yeah, the hood doesn't move unless we want it to."

"Do any of the other Elite members know?"

"About the hood? Yeah-"

"No, about your identity."

"Oh." Bianca's shoulders tensed. Her fingers rubbed together like she wasn't sure wether to answer or to bolt. A couple of laughing kids and a dog pushed in between them while running through the ever-shifting mass of people.

"Two." She said quietly. "Only two know. Omega and...Se-Secret." Percy could've sworn for a second she almost said something else. "She Charmspoke me into reveling myself to her."

Bianca winced like it wasn't a happy memory. Percy raised an eyebrow. Secret? She seemed like a nosy jerk, now.

"And did you find out who she was?"

"No." Bianca snapped shortly. Percy flinched at her outburst.

"Oh." He said in a small voice.

"Sorry, I just...Sorry." She turned away. "Come on, I'll show you the training arena."

They didn't talk on the way there. It made Percy feel awkward. His thoughts danced on topics ranging from his discarded ice cream to the different people in the crowd to the buildings, anything to keep him off thinking of Bianca's mood.

The buildings looked like the apartments on Earth, back at his house. Not very fancy. Families walked in and out of the doors. Mothers talked on the sidewalks, kids played a game Percy didn't recognize with a glowing kick ball and sticks. The people were about as different as could be, but no one seemed to care. Blue skin, purple skin, four arms, one foot, three eyes, the people got along with smiles and laughter.

Slowly as they walked for what looked like miles, though Percy didn't feel anything. The building they walked towards stood taller than the apartment buildings. It was made of black marble and a silver lining, not unlike the chaos soldiers cloaks. The doors were silver, and reinforced and open to the general public, although it didn't look like anyone was going in.

"The training arena is also our modern day Acropolis." Bianca informed him. "So if we get attacked, the town resides in here while we battle off the threat. Ever since Havoc suggested it the only thing it's ever been used for training by the Elite."

"Havoc?"

"Oh..." Bianca sighed miserably, "He was part of the original Elite team, he died last year. He got stuck in a housing collapse saving a family. I'm the last from all the way back then now."

Percy could hear the pain in her voice. Havoc must have been close to her.

"I never even knew who he was." She brushed her hand by her cheek, and Percy was sure she was wiping away a tear.

They entered the colossal structure and inside was a huge room. Chests and cases of food and water were stacked on one side enough to last years even with the amount of people in the city. One the other side was a court that resembled a basketball court with weapons out. Targets were floating magically in the air just like the planet lights. On the court two people were battling like their lives depended on it.

Percy followed Bianca to them, stop right on the edge where the marble floor met the wooden boards. There were deep edges in the wood from previous battles.

The two figures each wore the black chaos cloaks fighting with swords. They moved in a blur of sliver, black, and gray. Every move was accompanied by the shrill sound of metal on metal. The cloaks swirled in a tedious circle, like extra distracting weight.

"Who's fighting?" Percy asked.

"Hero and Revenge." Bianca answered. "Hero's the one on the left, I forgot you can't read Chaos. "

Hero swung his sword with a passion. He was a blur. And his hood obscured his face with a terrifying gleam. There was something familiar about him, like all the soldiers. Percy wondered if under all the hoods there was another demigod he witnessed the death of.

Revenge might have started the battle evenly matched, but it was clear that he was tiring. He was still a sight to see, with a flurry of attacks and blocks that made Percy's eyes cross, but Hero was looking almost...bored.

Then it haired so fast Percy almost missed it. Revenge pulled out of an attack and Hero whipped back. Right before they started again Hero's cloak wrapped around his ankle, unnaturally.

Hero fell forward with a yell. And Revenge smirked, and slashed his sword through Hero's neck. Hero looked shock as his entire body fizzled.

Percy jerked forward, but Bianca stuck out her arm.

"Percy, remember we can only die by the same way we already did." She said, trying- and failing- to hide a smile. "See watch."

Percy turned back to the fight were Hero had solidified, looking completely annoyed.

"Dead, I win." Revenge said standing back, he dropped a hand to his comrade to help him up.

"Yeah, right!" Hero snorted. "You cheater, we agreed no powers!"

"I don't know what your taking about. It not my fault you decided to trip."

Bianca smiled and even Hero laughed, which echoed in the otherwise empty room. Percy suspected that it was actually Revenge's fault, and kept the info in the back of his mind.

"You cursed more this morning when I accidentally tripped you, didn't you?" Hero laughed. Revenge smiled. And they both looked over as if suddenly aware of their audience.

"Hey, Archangel, and...Don't tell me..." Hero frowned in thought, "Savoir, right?"

Percy nodded.

"Great!" Hero said nudging Revenge in the stomach.

Revenge grumbled. "Whatever."

Percy recognized the cloaked figure as the same one that was a main voice chastising him when he introduced himself.

He would've said something but at that moment something completely unexpected happened. Screams from outside cascaded into the training arena, and an explosion rocked the ground under there feet. Percy grabbed his pen from his pocket, as Hero, Revenge and Bianca raced towards the doors.

Before they got there an older man stumbled into the steps, his clothes smoking.

"Fire," he coughed, "Fire!"

Then he collapsed onto the floor.

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