Previously:
"You don't need to look at those sweetheart," I said gently but there was an underlying tone of warning as I said it.

"And you stay away from there," Thalia growled at Eragon.

Arya finished and stepped back. "Eragon should check you since the Varden doesn't trust elves as much as they do Eragon," she said.

I nodded my consent and waited for Eragon to finish with Thalia. It did not take long. When he pulled out, Eragon stumbled a little and was more than slightly pale. His hands twitched in the direction of his lower regions and his body shuddered. Poor guy was probably scarred for life.

"Your mind is a scary place, Lady Thalia," Eragon said in as much of a controlled expression as he could manage. "But you are clear."

Thalia smirked evilly, making Roran and even Arya step back.

Eragon then turned to me and stretched out his mind. He did not take as long as Arya, he obviously learned his lesson with Thalia. When he stepped back, however, he was still shaken.

He looked me in the eyes with some difficulty. "I don't know if I'd be able to go through what you did," he said quietly.

I shook my head. "No one can," I told him. "Those trials were put before me and me alone. They were tailored specifically for me. The Fates needed me to grow the way I did. I needed it. Just like your trials are something I would never be able to do. Some of them are similar, yes, but all the same, they are much different. Everyone has their own trials, what matters is that only you can do yours."

Eragon nodded and shared a look with Nasuada, who had waited patiently along with Roran for us to finish.

"Great," the dark shinned leader said happily. "Now tell me about that Rider."

Eragon told a brief history of how the Dragon Riders started for the benefit of Roran and I suspect, Thalia and me. Yet, we already knew because my sisters had told us. Then he spoke of his fight with Murtagh. When he revealed the truth of his parentage, being a son of Moean, a traitor to the people and Dragon Riders, I watched carefully for the other's reactions.

"It can't be," Nasuada was shocked.

Roran was surprised as well but repulsion was also in the mix. Eragon saw it and I could see how this hurt him.

"Could Murtagh have been lying?" Arya asked, obviously hopeful it was wrong.

"I don't see how, when I questioned him, he told me the same thing in the Ancient Language," Eragon said in resignation.

"You can't lie in the Ancient Language?" Thalia asked, surprised. We both knew they had to be talking about Ancient Greek since that was the one we knew had magical properties in this world.

"You can?" Arya was dubious.

I shrugged. "Haven't tried in this world but the Ancient Language is in our blood where we come from. Most of us grew up with it and are fluent," I started by way of explanation. "Most can't read english, the language of our country because our brains are set for the Ancient tongue. Speaking it is an everyday thing and not used for magic. Magic was done differently back home."

"Try lying in the Ancient Language," Eragon pushed.

I shrugged again and looked at Thalia. "Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elder berries," I said in Ancient Greek with a straight face.

Thalia shrugged too. "You're not entirely wrong there," she said.

I snorted. "True, that was lame, let me try again," I thought for a second then tried speaking, knowing this was an absolute lie. However, nothing came out. The words got caught in my throat and I couldn't make any noise besides a strangled cat noise. I shrugged again. "I guess I can't lie here."

"What did you try to say?" Thalia asked curiously.

I grinned wide in amusement. "That I was turned into a pine tree," I answered.

Now she was scowling. "Kelp head," she said. "Annabeth told me about Circe's Island."

I groaned. "I was hoping that secret died with her," I muttered.

"What?" Roran asked, looking between Thalia and I. "Pine tree? Circe's Island?"

I grinned again. "Thalia was turned into a Pine tree once," I clarified.

"And Percy was turned into a hamster by a sorceress called Circe," Thalia said as she punched me, not to be showed up.

"If you keep punching me," I said with a frown. "I'll have a dead arm."

"No one else can know of Eragon's true parentage," Arya said, bringing us back around to the main topic. "If anyone knew, no one would be willing to join us. And if they knew it was Murtagh, who they had learned to trust in Farthen Dûr, they'll be even more upset than they are now."

Nasuada rubbed her temples. "I knew it was possible," she said. "I just hopped it wouldn't since it's been so long. Now with a new Rider..." She trailed off, sighing in frustration.

I felt offended. "What about me?" I protested. "I am a Rider. You have two Riders on your side now,"

"So do they," the leader of the Varden pointed out.

I waved my hand. "He hasn't shown his face," I said. "Probably won't until you reach the place of where he hides, the coward." It was my personal belief that you fight along side those who are risking their lives for your cause. If you don't, it's like you're hiding for the the fight. Or you do not fully believe in your cause.

"That may be," Arya said, "and you may have some training in the way of the sword and magic-even with out the use of the Ancient Language-but you do not have the training necessary to go against Murtagh and his magicians."

I rose and eye brow at her. "I am more than a match for them both," I answered hotly.

"Percy, they don't know," Thalia rubbed her temples.

"Don't know what?" Eragon asked, confused.

"There is more to our lives than what you saw," I answered cryptically. "I've had more years of training with my sword than Eragon has. Perhaps even Arya."

"I doubt that," Eragon said as Arya turned a disbelieving look from Thalia to me. "I mean with Arya. You're probably right with me. I could see you practically grew up with that sword."

"How old are you?" Nasuada asked, she looked just as confused as Roran still was. "You are not an elf."

"I am centuries older than you," I said to her with a look. At that moment, I felt my age and not the eighteen years I've felt for the past few weeks.

"Whoah, Perce," Thalia said, her eyes widening. "You just grew old. You look almost as old as Chiron does."

"That's a first," I said, reaching up for the grey beard that grew out of nowhere. I focused and I could tell that I was back to normal. Shrugging, I turned to Arya, the dark haired elf. "You're welcome to test me on my claims if you like."

"Maybe later," Nasuada told us. "Right now, I need to know, Eragon, can you take on Murtagh with the combination of the elves' spell casters?"

We talked more about strategy and fighting until Nasuada rose up her hands and said, "Enough, we can't do this now when we're all tired and our minds are clouded from fighting. Get some rest then we'll come back."

Everyone agreed and started to leave. However, before Eragon could go very far, Thalia stopped him.

"Do not let your heritage trouble you," she said. "Your father and brother do not define you." She let out a wry smirk. "I should know."

I snorted in agreement as Arya put her hand on his shoulder. "Lady Thalia is correct," she said. "their shame is not yours."

"Aye," Nasuada said, "and do not let yourself think that our opinion of you has lowered. Your have a kind heart. The name of your father cannot change that."

Poor Eragon looked overwhelmed. He twisted a hand over his chest and bowed. "Thank you," he said, a faint crack of emotion clearly heared.

I stayed behind as Eragon left with his cousin. They had some things to talk about and I would only be in the way.

"Where can Thalia and I put up our tents?" I asked Nasuada. "We are going to need a space large enough fro Blackjack to lay down."

"You can set up camp by Eragon and Saphira," Nasuada suggested uncertainly.

Arya shook her head. "No, a dragon should have their own space," she countered. "They can camp by me."

Nasuada nodded in agreement. "Very well," she said. "Get some rest. Tomorrow will be a hard day."

"Come," Arya said simply as she left the pavilion.

Thalia and I followed easily after the cat-like graceful elf. Blackjack and Vindex had some problems with the tight spaces between tents. My dog did not want to leave Blackjack's back, having too much fun being so high up. My black and white dragon ended up soaring about the camp in the dark sky.

As we approached Arya's area, which was some ways away, Arya turned to me. "If you would be up early tomorrow, I would like to take you up on you offer to test your skills," she said.

I shrugged, feeling like I have been doing a lot of that lately. "How early are we talking about?" I asked to clarify. "Because I have been told I get up too early for my own good."

Arya eyed me carefully. "Just as morning breaks," she answered.

I nodded in understanding. "That won't be a problem," I told her. "I'm normally up well before the sun rises."

"I still don't get how you do that," Thalia muttered. "It's not healthy."

I smiled at her then turned back to the elf. "Where would you like to meet?"

"You saw the training area on our way here?" Arya said. Then, when I nodded, she continued. "There."

I dipped my head as she went into the tent. I thought about all the people I knew back home and I could honestly say that no one was quite like this elf princess. Artemis might come close but they are still quite different. They would get along well if they ever met.

The next morning I did not go directly to the training area to prepare. Instead, I went on a long run around the camp to familiarize myself with the lay out. I ran but Saphira, asleep curled up but a tent I assumed to be Eragon's. I ran by an obviously new part of the camp and saw that it was Roran and the rest of the village he came with. I passed by Nasuada's pavilion and the camp of the Urgals, as I've been told they were called.

After that, I had to slow down to a walk since that was when I had gotten out of breath. I tried doing it without tapping into my godly powers and I am actually kind of proud to have gone that far. The tent I stopped by was emitting a very earthy smell. It was very strong and almost over powered my heightened senses.

I was about to walk in to find out why it smelled like that when I remembered that no one would be as crazy as me and be up at this hour.

I stood there, kind of clueless as to what to do when a woman's voice called out. "Don't just stand there! Come in!"

Shrugging, I pushed back the flap and walked in. I had to bend down since the entrance was rather short but I couldn't quite straighten back out all the way even after I walked in.

"Hold this for me, will you?" The same voice said and I grabbed it without looking the tone in her voice was commanding enough for me to do it instinctively without asking any questions.

When I finally saw what I was holding, I almost dropped it. "Holy son of a featherless chicken!" I exclaimed. "Why in the name of my sisters to you have this?"

'This' was a head of one of the soldiers we had fought yesterday. It's glassy eyes were open slightly and its smiling mouth was open. The face seemed to have been in the middle of a laugh before it was decapitated.

It was unnerving.

I was holding it by the hair so I spun it around so I wouldn't have to look at its Joker-face.

"That," a short, black haired lady started as she pounded away at a mortar, "is part of my experiment-put it on that spike right there."

I looked down and saw a wooden spike in the middle of the tent and awkwardly set the head on the spike. "What's your experiment for?" I asked curiously, knowing subconsciously somehow that she would ignore me as I looked around the tent. A cat lounged on a chair in the corner, it's amber eyes looking unblinkingly at me. Hanging from the top of the tent were all sorts of leaves, roots and flowers. One of them I recognized.

"Nightshade," I whispered, touching it lightly. I thought painfully of a huntress who gave her life to save the quest we had gone on. I had looked but did not see her constellation in the sky anywhere. This is the first time I've felt homesick.

Your friend was very brave, a voice said in my head.

Somehow I knew that it was the cat sitting on the chair.

Were-cat.

Oh. That made sense.

"Thank you," I told it, stepping away from the plant. "She was not really my friend though, she only started to like me right before she..." I trailed off, not wanting to say it.

She trusted you, he said to me, that's as close as you can get to a friend with a girl like her.

I laughed lightly. "True," I said. "I am Percy Chaosson."

Solemnbum, and with that, the were-cat went right back to sleep.

"And I am Angela," the short, dark haired lady said as she hacked at a big pile of roots. "He likes you."

"He does?" It took me a second to figure out who she was talking about.

"Solemnbum only talks to people he likes," she explained. "Why does he like you?"

I tilted my head. "Maybe because I'm a Rider?"

"Oh, no," she said, shaking her head. "He talks to people who are not Dragon Riders too. No, it must be something else." She stopped what she was doing and leaned in close to me. Looking directly into my eyes, she hummed.

Her eyes were a strange color of deep green, blue, and purple. They seemed knowledgeable-too knowledgeable-as if they were reaching to the darkest parts of your souls and digging up you deepest secrets. Most people would have trouble meeting her gaze but I had the Fates as sisters and trained under Luna. I met hers easily.

"You are not from around here, are you?" She asked suddenly.

I shook my head. "No, I am from a different world," I answered. I suddenly had a thought that maybe I should not be telling people that fact.

Angela smiled. "Don't worry," she said as if reading my thoughts. "I'm not most people."

I hid a smile at that and happened to glance outside. Seeing that it was now brighter outside, I turned to Angela again. "I have to go," I told her. "I promised to dual Arya this morning."

"Really?" She said in surprise. "Then hang on one second, I'm coming too." She bustled about, putting things away before grabbing her cloak and leading the way outside.

We made it to the training grounds just as Eragon and Roran did and after Arya had obviously been there for a while. The elf was sparring with a dummy. She obviously had gotten impatient. Thalia was surprisingly there as well.

"I wasn't expecting you up this early," I told her as she walked up to me, rubbing her eyes still.

"Didn't wanna miss the-" yawn "show," she grumbled.

"You had better go," Eragon said, looking from me to his elf friend almost nervously. "She was about ready to send for you."

Without another word, I walked in Arya's direction, taking out Riptide as I went. Before I'd gotten very close Arya saw me. She scowled as she stopped hacking at the dummy and faced me.

"Where were you?" She asked. "You said you got up well before this."

"I was on a run," I told her. "Was able to see most of the camp before I realized the time."

Arya's brow furrowed in concern. Her eyes studying me as she asked, "Do you need a few moments to rest from your run, then?"

I laughed. "Arya, I am no ordinary human-or Dragon Rider for that matter," I told her, getting in my ready position. "I am ready."

Arya eyed me a few second more before finally getting in her own position.

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The fight started out normal. I mean for Percy. Arya was actually holding her own rather well. She lasted almost as long as me and thats saying something. So far, the only people who can come even close to breathing Percy is Artemis, Apollo, Tartarus and possibly Ares. Albeit Ares is too afraid to try now and he hides that fact behind excuses.

Chaos is a given and the Fates don't fight physically. Not for fun at least.

Arya almost got him several times, getting in close only to pull back quickly and get under his guard. Percy saw the trick just in time and I could see his respect for her skill grow.

Percy almost get her at least a dozen times but every time, she caught his sneaky twitch of the wrist only seconds before it caught her in the ribs or on the neck.

Finally, Percy reverted to a move I've seen only a few people do in my life. Luke, Sam-one of Percy's Hunters and Percy himself. Only this time it happened too fast for me to see. The only way I knew it even happened was from the sword flying through the air and landing on the grass a few feet away. Though I may have missed it because I was growing sleepy again. Percy really did get up too early for his own good.

"Yield?" Percy said in satisfaction.

I glanced at Eragon only to see him staring at Percy in shock. Smirking, I crossed my arms. Despite Arya being an elf I kind of expected this outcome. Percy was definitely older than the elven princess and has had more experience. It was inevitable that he beat her this morning.

Arya had schoooled her features so she wasn't easily readable, only, even she was unable to completely hide her surprise at being bested. "I yield," she conceded breathlessly, taking a wary step away from my cousin.

"Perfect," I said, rubbing my hands together. Turning to Eragon, I said, "Do you think she'd fight me?"

"Are you as good as him?" he asked in return.

I scoffed. "No," I told him. "I only now one person who could possibly beat him."

Eragon shrugged silently, still in shock at my revelation.

Taking that as a maybe, I grabbed the elf's sword from the grass and bounced up to Arya. "Spar?" I asked, holing the sword out. "I want to see if I can beat you."

Arya accepted her sword gratefully and nodded. "I will fight you," she said solemnly.

"She doesn't fight like Artemis, Thalia," Percy warned as his sword vanished in a small beam of light. He stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"How much different?" I asked, analyzing Arya carefully as she did the same.

"You'll see," he said with a smile in Arya's direction.

"You don't mind if I use my knives for this do you?" I asked her. "I was never that great with a sword."

Arya nodded calmly and the fight began.

I saw immediately what Percy was talking about. Artemis fights like her domain of the wild. That is to say; wildly. She fought like a wild animal at times and it was unpredictable. I saw a little bit of difference when I watched her fight Percy but Arya does not fight like Artemis, no matter how similar they were. Arya was a logical thinker, that much was obvious. She fought like it was a dance, already choreographed with a planned ending. Yet she also fought in the moment, acting on instincts that were ingrained into her brain and her actions.

The fight lasted a long time, well into early afternoon. We were evenly matched. I didn't see either of us winning anytime soon and we had to go talk to Nasuada about what we were going to do next.

"Okay guys, we need to go, it's time to wrap this up," Percy said from the side lines.

We put up our weapons at the same time and bowed.

"Well, met Lady Thalia," Arya complimented as we headed to Nasuada's pavilion.

"Well, met indeed, Lady Arya," I answered with a smile.

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I was glad to see Arya and Thalia hit it off. They were going to be spending a lot of time with each other soon.

"Lady Nasuada," I started after we entered the tent. "I am afraid I will need to leave soon, I must go train with the elves to...ah, 'complete' my training as a Dragon Rider."

"What? Why?" She demanded. "I saw you fight Arya, you are magnificent!"

"But not with magic," I pointed out. "I don't rely on my magic as often as I probably should. Hardly ever, really. There are also things we don't really know about this world and about Dragon Riders." I chose to leave out the part about Dragons in general.

"What do you mean?" Roran asked.

"Some secrets that can only be told with the elves or other dragons," I answered. "While Blackjack and I may be old, we do not know everything. There will always be things to learn, things to understand."

"I agree," Arya said. "Not only that, but it would be an insult to the elves if Percy did not at least present himself."

Nasuada chewed that over for a few seconds and nodded. "Very well," she finally said. "I see the sense in what you say. When will you leave?"

"Tomorrow, I think," I said, looking at Thalia briefly. "Or the day after."

My cousin shrugged indifferently. "Works for me," she said. "I'm coming right?"

I shook my head. I had been watching Eragon nad noticed he was looking at his own cousin uncomfortably. He had something to tell us and I had a feeling we would want as much help here as we can.

"I need you here, Thals," I told her. "You can have Vindex with you but I think only Arya, Blackjack and I should go."

"Dang it," she muttered grumpily. "I was starting to miss the forest."

"It is probably for the best anyways," Eragon said cautiously, as if he knew that a bomb would go off with his next words. Not that he knew what a bomb was. "Since I will be leaving soon as well."

And indeed the bomb did go off.

"What?" Nasuada said in shock.

"I need to go with Roran after Katrina to save her from the Ra'zac," Eragon explained helplessly.

Can't say I'm surprised. He has a good heart and smart mind. Kind of like me if I'm honest.

I turned to Thalia. "This might be a while," I told her with a smirk, referring to the current argument. The second I said that, Arya and Nasuada immediately started to argue about the wisdom of his plan.