CHAPTER 15

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PERCY

The journey was short. Percy had no idea where Fenrir brought him. It was humid and hot even though the sun had yet to peak indicating that he was still somewhere in the South. Dorne most probably. By the dim light of the dawn he could see a mountain range that spread in every direction. The soil was dusty with a tinge of red. Plants were scarce but grew in small clumps here and there. It was like he had revisited the Grand Canyon in the US.

Percy jumped off Fenrir's back bringing Ashara down with him lifting her up from her waist. Ashara was surprisingly light. She hit the ground and curled up clutching her stomach. Percy had to grin as he remembered the first time he experienced shadow travel. That experience was not fun at all. Especially since he was a son of Poseidon. Ashara was stronger than he had thought. Percy knew what he was getting into when Nico took him for the first time in his ride through the shadows. But Ashara was not aware of such a thing. In this world magic was viewed as something of a fantasy. Her mind should be in shock. It was astonishing that she didn't throw up… or lose her mind.

Blegh

A noise from his side broke his train of thoughts. He turned to see a familiar sight.

'There it is,' Percy grinned. It was a matter of manly pride that he wasn't the only one to throw up when you experience shadow travel for the first time. Charles had teased him pretty badly when he survived his first experience of shadow travel without throwing up like a fire hydrant.

"Well… I must say Arthur, your sister is more tenacious than you," Percy said with humor in his voice.

"Fuck you," Arthur said as he threw up again.

The man had let go of Sif as soon as they were clear of the shadows. He had fallen powerlessly from her back face planting on the ground with full force. He had only managed to raise his head a bit before the contents of his stomach started to explode out of his mouth. Luckily his dinner was mostly digested. Otherwise it would have been much messier. Arthur seemed have lost his strength to move as he lay sprawled in a puddle of his vomit.

Leaving the siblings to get a hold of themselves, Percy turned his attention to his hellhounds. He was certain that they were struck with weapons just before they escaped. In the dim light of the dawn he could see a large gash across Sif's left hind leg. She limped around him whining. This was the first time she had gotten hurt. Putting his palm on her snout he stroked her calming the overgrown childish hellhound.

"Hold still," he told her.

With that he went to the wounded area and whispered "be healed." The muscles and skin started to crawl over the wound closing it permanently. He could feel his energy being drained so he switched to his wrist guard for convenience. Luckily her tendons weren't cut. It would have been a long procedure had it happened. Sif trembled as the magic did its work. With that wound closed he went around the dog healing all cuts and injuries. Once the final wound was closed Sif leapt up and bowled him over licking every inch of skin she could find.

Percy laughed as her tongue tickled his neck. The strong hound had effectively pinned him down with her weight to convey her appreciation on healing her.

"Down girl… bad Sif… come on get off of me," he managed to breathe out. After a thorough wash with dog drool Sif let him up to tend to the quiet Fenrir. He gave her a spank on Sif's hind as he moved to his other companion who was watching them with amusement in his eyes.

After a quick inspection he found that Fenrir wasn't badly hurt. All his injuries were minor cuts and bruises. Maybe it was because he was the first to leave. Or maybe it was because Fenrir's battle instincts were much sharper than his siblings. He patted Fenrir's back after he was done. The two hellhounds jumped into a nearby shadow and hid from view waiting to be called again after he diffused the situation with their surprise companions.

With this concern out of the way he turned back to the Dayne siblings. The sun was about to rise above the mountains. He saw Ashara sitting down on the ground still clutching her stomach with one hand propping herself up with the other. She watched him intently as he went about inspecting his dogs. She stared at the spot where the hellhounds disappeared. He could see the spark of curiosity in her eyes bubbling to splutter out an exclamation or a question that was running rampart in her mind. Her brother on the other hand had finally gotten up. His hair was a mess and there was still drool smeared about his body.

"Do you want some water?" he asked Arthur.

"Please," the man replied. Percy removed a water skin from his bag and tossed it to Arthur to clean himself.

Percy turned his gaze to the mountains until the man was done. Already the peaks of the mountains were bated in the morning sunlight. Birds were trilling waking up the environment. He even heard the howl of a wolf in the distance. Percy wasn't familiar with the location. That being said he wasn't familiar with the southern geography at all He only knew of a few places that he camped out when he was on the road. He could be anywhere for all he knew. Even Essos came to his mind. The surrounding desert scrub gave the location an ethereal look during this time of the day.

"Who are you?" Ashara finally asked breaking the comfortable silence that arose.

"Me? Can't you remember? I'm rather hurt you don't remember me," Percy asked in surprise. He was sure he left a lasting impression with the Dayne duo when he parted with them. Heck the even talked of some personal matter. He even had a moment with Ashara which he was sure she felt too. He was kind of hurt when she asked him a question like that. It wasn't always that he went about saving people from certain doom these days.

"Your entire face is covered. How can I tell who you are? If we are guessing your identity… hmmm… I can't place you anywhere. You look familiar… and you talk like we know each other. Who could you be? Are you Anders Yronwood?" Ashara pondered. Arthur was busy taking off his armor and washing himself trying to get his own slob off of him.

"Oh sorry," Percy said sheepishly. He took off his face wrap and exposed him to the beautiful dame of the Daynes.

"Perseus?" Ashara jumped up forgetting all about her earlier discomfort and gurgling stomach.

"The one and only," Percy declared striking a heroic pose.

"You… how did you?... what did you?... when?" Ashara stumbled upon her own world. Percy smiled brightly at her, sitting down on a fallen tree trunk nearby. He patted the seat next to him for Ashara. When she stood frozen in her place muttering incoherently he gripped her shoulders and forcibly sat her down next to him.

"Hey Arthur are you done?" Percy called out to the man who was behind some bushes in his small clothes rapidly wiping his chest plate.

"Done," he called back. "One second."

Percy heard rustling from the bushes. Arthur was probably dressing back up. "Wait for your brother. We'll have our little talk," he said to Ashara.

"You have so much to explain," Ashara huffed at him.

Percy smiled at her brightly and aster a second she smiled back with a devilish smirk.

A minute later Arthur emerged from the bushes fully dressed sliding his sword into his scabbard looking down. "Thanks for the water skin… Perseus?" he asked in surprise when he saw his mysterious rescuer. Percy must have been the last person on his mind to show up inside the Citadel in a warzone to help them escape in the middle of the night.

"What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same," Percy shot back.

Arthur looked at him intently trying to figure out what was going in his mind and his true objectives. Sadly for him Percy had managed to perfect his poker face to an extent that he could maintain a facade of nonchalance even when doing something completely random.

"We should talk," Arthur finally said.

"Oh dear… are you breaking up with me?" Percy asked in a fake tearful voice.

"What? No… What are you talking about?" Arthur asked in confusion.

"Ahhh… nothing. I guess the context is lost on you people," Percy sighed. "So Arthur, Ashara… let's talk."

Arthur looked around and found a seat in front of the fallen trunk. He made himself comfortable on the rock.

"I know it's none of our business, but what were you doing inside the Citadel?" Ashara immediately fired at him.

"I had some things I wanted to retrieve from the Citadel. I broke in, found them, took them and escaped. Just a routine mission," Percy replied smoothly. "What were you doing?"

Ashara shared a long hard look with her brother and finally nodded to him. "I want your word that you will not reveal anything we say unless we give our permission," Ashara said to Percy. Her tone was not the playful one she used when she bantered with him. Instead it was calculated and extremely serious. Percy immediately knew that this was probably a family secret and they were telling it to him because of their gratitude.

"I promise. Nothing you say in this enclosure would fall into another pair of ears belonging to outsiders. Of that I can guarantee."

"Even your siblings," Arthur emphasized.

Percy hesitated for a moment. "Ok, I promise."

"Do you know of the Dayne family specialty?" Ashara asked him after getting his oath.

"Poison, right?"

"I'm surprised you knew about it. It's something we try to keep hidden and many of the houses are not aware of or specialty," Ashara said in surprise. "I wonder how you found it."

"You don't have to wonder that much. The library at Winterfell has records on all of the Houses in Westeros. Yours is a family Zoe and I found interesting. The Kings of Torrentine… the last of the three Dornish kings to bend their knee to Nymeria. One of the only houses of the First Men with no Andal blood in the south. Of course we would look into you guys."

"Interesting," Ashara said. "Back to the subject… the use of poison waned over time since our family was conquered by the Martells. The use became so obscure that we went entire generations with no poison brewers. We just use the existing stock when the need arose. But few generations ago we found out the only manual recording our unique concoctions had disappeared. For generations our family searched for it. Our father finally tracked it down to the Citadel. A previous maester had taken it out of its hiding place and smuggled it out of Starfall."

"The knowledge thieves at work," Percy commented offhandedly.

Arthur picked up the story from his sister. "Our father left our home without informing any of us of his destination a few moons ago. A few weeks later our men found him half dead near our holdings. He was poisoned. We acquired the services of many maesters and healers from Essos. But all of them were unable to identify the poison. When we discovered what it was by fluke we were shocked. It was one of our own brews. Somebody had used one of our own poisons against us. Father forbade us to go looking for answers. He kept his silence when he asked who attacked him. But we were able to track down our father's destination. He had gone to the Citadel. But on his return journey he was ambushed. From what we found out in the Citadel, it was done under the orders from the maesters."

Arthur paused the story trying to compose himself. Percy could see the rage in his eyes. His helplessness and desire for revenge was visibly seen from his body language. Ashara on the other had wiped her eyes a couple of times. Her lip trembled as she remembered her father's fate. Percy remembered how distraught he was when Hades kidnapped his mother. He was brimming with anger rearing to go at anybody who stood in the way of his crusade. So he could relate to the two.

"I'm sorry," Percy said slowly. "If there's anything you need from me, you only have to ask."

"Thank you," Arthur said gratefully. "But the antidote to the poison is only found in that manual. Without it our father will die a slow agonizing death. I don't think breaking into the Citadel would be easy after this. The Order is bound to increase guards and patrols to protect their 'sacred temple',"

"So you didn't find the manual?"

"No," Ashara replied sullenly. "But we found a lot of incriminating material on the Order. Some of these can cause a massive blow to their reputation."

"What did the manual look like?" Percy asked remembering all the books he had pillage from the vaults. He didn't even read some of them. He just copied them because there wasn't a copy of that book in their inventory.

Arthur described the book the best he could. According to him, it was written in a coded language only the Daynes knew. The book itself wasn't large only containing about a hundred pages. It was bound in leather with a symbol of an eye above a sword in the front. Percy had to fight hard to keep a grin from forming. It seemed like lady luck was smiling down at him for he had found the exact book hidden away in the vaults. The Daynes were about to get the surprise of a lifetime.

Percy brought his backpack forward and rummaged inside for a bit much to the surprise of his new friends.

"Is this it?" he asked Ashara bringing the earlier described book out in a flourish.

Ashara took the manual from him. One glace at its cover her mouth dropped open. She almost dropped the book from her trembling hands. Arthur wanting to know what the fuss was about got up to see the book in his sister's hands. When he saw what it was he fell down to the ground in a heap.

"How did you find it?" Arthur asked with a daze look.

"Eh, I took a rather scenic route through the Citadel. I found this wedged in a cranny. Because t looked different, I borrowed it from the Order," Percy said nonchalantly. "You are welcome to take it. It's something that belongs to you family. Consider it a gift from the Starks."

Ashara placed the book carefully on the tree trunk and engulfed him in a teary hug. Percy couldn't help but blush a little. Partly it was because he was reminded of his time with Calypso. Other part was because he was being hugged by an extremely beautiful woman. In fact this was the first woman to do so in this world apart from his family members.

"Thank you," Ashara muttered in his neck.

"You are welcome." Percy patted her back rather awkwardly. It seemed like an eternity until they separated. He could see a light blush on her face as well. It gave him hope that one day this friendship could in fact turn to something more. A small fantasy was already emerging in his unyielding brain.

"Yes. Thank you," Arthur added after his sister ignoring the blushing duo. If he noticed anything going on between them, he didn't say a word. He acted like nothing had happened.

"Oh, by the way I found all these notes with the book. I think it'll prove important to you," Percy said pulling out the bound papers he found out with the manual. Arthur took them off his hands without another word.

Percy stayed silent as the siblings worked their emotions. Arthur kept stroking their family heirloom like it was a newborn baby and he was the father. Percy respected their silence as they had just recovered a priceless manual belonging to their family containing their legacy. It also paved the way to heal their father. From their conversation Percy could tell that they were close, much like he was with his family.

"So the Silent Wolf came to rob the Citadel," Ashara said finally.

"Something like that," Percy grinned. A howling wolf in the distance made them look around for the source. Wolves usually hunted at night, but sunlight had yet to strike the ground.

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask… WHAT THE HELL WERE THOSE DOGS?" Arthur burst. Percy had been waiting for this moment. He knew that this was the only thought running through their minds from the moment they escaped. He saw it in Ashara's eyes. But she was reluctant to breach it due to the fact he was the one who saved them. He found it cute that she tried to squash this question from bursting out despite her fiery nature unlike her brother. It had slipped their mind when Percy brought forth the item they were searching for desperately but the wolf howl had made it come to the forefront of their minds again.

Percy was just as mystified and curious about the divine world when he was introduced back on earth. Despite the danger that the monsters pose to demigods, he too had the childish wish to befriend one. Especially something awesome like a dragon. He could have become in instant celebrity in the divine world like Heracles or Theseus. He understood his friends need to know about the hellhounds since they were probably the first ever magical thing they had laid their eyes upon.

"Yeah, what were they? And where did they go?" Ashara piled up on him immediately after.

"They are close by," Percy replied. "Do you want to see them?"

"Tell us, what are they? How did we travel from the Citadel to the Red Mountains in an instant?" Arthur questioned looking around in suspicion.

"Sif," Percy called out. The hellhound leapt out of the shadows to his arms in the size of a puppy. Percy immediately hugged her and ruffled her fur in affection. Sif meanwhile whined and yipped at the attention she was getting licking him all over again, her tail wagging nonstop.

Arthur and Ashara watched in fascination as they watched his interaction with the previously massive hound that leapt out of the shadows.

"This is Sif," Percy introduced the hellhound. "She's a hellhound, just like her brother Fenrir."

"A hellhound? I've never heard of them," said Ashara.

"I doubt you would've. They are pretty much unknown to the rest of the world. These little guys are primordial creatures much like the dragons. Hellhounds are the children of night and darkness. They are the guardians of the abyss. And now, our companions."

"This is the first time I'm hearing of these 'primordial creatures,'" Arthur murmured.

"So what can they do?" Ashara asked. "And can I hold her?"

Percy handed the overjoyed pup to Ashara without a single word. Ashara was a little hesitant when she first received Sif, but soon her fear melted when she saw that Sif was nothing but an overgrown puppy. Percy whistled and Fenrir too emerged from the shadows. But unlike his sister he didn't come near them. He just circled around the clearing and sat down keeping a little distance from the group eying Arthur warily.

"Aren't you cute," Ashara fussed over Sif.

"She's a rather overgrown baby," Percy said with a smile. "You can pet her too if you want," Percy said to Arthur. "I wouldn't go near Fenrir if I were you for the moment. He's rather hesitant around new faces. Give him a little time."

"So we owe our life to these hellhounds?" Arthur said looking at the two hounds intently. "It also makes you wonder what you Starks are hiding up in the North. You are the first Stark to enter the South in a long while… and you bring some unknown creatures with you. Creatures with never before seen powers much like the dragons. It truly makes you wonder…."

Percy decided to be a little open with them. They told him one of their if not their greatest family secret. He could see the benefit of having one of the strongest houses in Dorne as their ally. Starfall was located in a place that was important maritime operations. The Daynes had never been able to build a large port in river Torrentine's delta to project their power. But he could see its immense value. The said port could transport into the largest trade hub since it was located in a place that was important for all western and eastern trade routes.

The entire vale that contained Starfall, High Hermitage and Blackmont was isolated from the rest of Westeros. The only way to access them was the only entrance to the valley in the southernmost part of Westeros. In a way Starfall was located in a very secure area. It was one of the reason that the Daynes were able to hold against the Martells in their conquest to unify Dorne.

"Tell me more about them," Ashara demanded cuddling Sif on her lap.

"Well, as I told earlier these to rascals are named Sif and Fenrir. These two and their siblings are part of my family. They have the ability to travel using shadows. And humans can tag along for the ride. But you need to know where you are headed unless you want to experience a horrible accident. They can also adjust their sizes whenever they wished. These two are my companions. My siblings have their own. And that's about it," Percy replied.

There was something that had bothered him when he found the injuries on Sif. Everything he knew told that hellhounds were impervious to mortal weapons. Like all monsters they could only be harmed by Celestial Bronze, Imperial Gold or Stygian Steel. But here she was with a large gash that was inflicted by a sword that was made of the castle forged steel. It shouldn't have been possible. While he was talking to the siblings he was thinking about this phenomenon. The only answer he could come up with is that hellhounds belonged to the mortal plane in this world. That was why the normal people could see and hurt them.

When he returned home he had to tell others of this observation. He wasn't sure whether Zoe was aware of it since she was always with her hellhound Blacknight when she was on her hunts. He was sure Silena and Charles weren't aware of this.

"What are the names of the others?" Ashara pestered.

"Well there's Ares and Nemesis, my parents companions. Then there's Zoe's companion Blacklight, Charles' Irontooth, Brandon's Raijin and Lyanna's Freya. With my Sif and Fenrir that's all of them."

"So Perseus… can you tell us what your family is doing hiding behind a veil of secrecy?" Arthur asked Percy with a small smirk deviating the talk from the hellhounds his sister was gushing.

"Nothing much. I'm not supposed to talk about our affairs with 'Southerners'". He said air quoting the 'southerners' part. "Brother's orders. All I can say is that we are tired of how the Targaryens treat us and we have decided to make our own destiny instead of hanging on to every word of a delusional man. So far we managed to solve our food crisis."

"What about the new port at Sea Dragon's Point?"

"I guess you have all heard about it. Nothing surprising… I mean the mad king yelled it out loud in the court. The port is for our own protection. Each year the Iron born reavers invade our land kill our people, kidnap women and plunder what they could. We wanted to stop it. Hence the harbor. We'll base our defense from there."

"I would like to see your lands. I've heard that Winterfell is a majestic castle. It's said to be rivaled only by Harrenhall," said Ashara absentmindedly.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Percy said without a thought but immediately grimaced at the slip of his tongue. "What you know of is only the portion of the castle above ground. Winterfell extends far into the ground. If you count that, it is the largest castle in Westeros… period. But you must promise me to not tell about this to anyone."

"Alright," Arthur and Ashara said together. Percy could see the surprise in their faces on what he revealed. He had effectively created a magical picture of Winterfell in their minds.

"Well, now I want to see Winterfell more than ever," Ashara sighed.

"I can arrange that," Percy replied after hesitating a bit.

"Really?"

"I have to ask my elder brother, but yes… I can arrange that."

"So Perseus, what's your plan now that you robbed the Citadel? Did you find what you were looking for?" Arthur questioned.

"Oh, I've found it alright. I think the Order will be in chaos for a while," Percy grinned remembering the carnage he dealt in the vaults and the 'liberated' deathdart. "I have to head north soon because I made a promise to mother that I would be back within a week. I don't want to get on her bad side again. What about you? Have you decided on the King's Guard?"

"Yes, I've decided that it's not worth it. I will head home and save my father. Then I have no idea… my whole life I dedicated myself to the sword. But a sword is worthless without any direction. I'm not too keen on inheriting the Dayne lordship. I think I'll tell father to nominate my cousin. He's much more suitable to hold the mantle."

"But what about you?"

"I'll travel the land. Maybe go to Essos for a while," Arthur said indecisively.

Percy though for a while. Arthur was a skilled warrior and even more talented commander. He had seen him in action and Percy could say that Arthur was the only person he currently knew who could match him skill wise with a sword. Percy wasn't ashamed to say that Luke was more qualified than him when it came to swordplay. The only reason he won and recognized as the most talented swordsman was due to his raw power and natural affinity. Percy just used his natural instincts to fight. Only when he entered Elysium did he start to study swordsmanship as an art. Percy didn't train to gain his proficiency while Luke grinded his natural talent to reach perfection. Even then Luke couldn't match the raw power of a child of the Big Three. Thalia had single handedly thrown his ass of the cliff on Mount Othrys when he had already obtained the Curse of Styx. It showed how much of an unfair advantage the children of the Big Three had over other demigods.

They could use skilled commander like Arthur in their planned permanent army. Hell, he could even become the commander of the Wraiths. And they would gain a permanent ally with mutual benefits in the South. Cregan was appointed as his right hand man to act on his behalf when he wasn't around. Ethan oversaw the kirai and kyorai colony. But neither of them were the leader of the Wraiths. They had yet to determine a leader. Obviously the Wraiths wouldn't like the notion of being under the command of a southerner. But Percy knew that Arthur could rise to the occasion. Furthermore he was descended from a family of First Men which had its roots heading back to the Dawn Age.

Then of course there was Ashara. Honestly an image was forming in his mind his future family with her. He wanted that special thing that Charles and Silena shared. His parents had it too. From what his heart was telling, he could 'feel' that Ashara was the one. And he was absolutely sure on his parent's approval. Zoe would even go forth and call Ashara her new sister since she would remind her of Calypso who happened to be her favorite sister. If not for anything else, he would try to recruit Arthur because of Ashara.

"How good of a shot are you?" Percy asked Arthur.

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, how good are you with a bow?"

"Decent I guess. I focus more on the sword. Why?"

"I can offer you something that would blow your mind. You want to help the people… done. You want to tour the world? Done as well. It is the perfect opportunity for you. But you won't be able to leave the North for quite a while should you accept."

"What is it?" Arthur asked intrigued.

"I will tell you later. I have to talk with my family first. You'll hear from me soon regardless."

"Alright," Arthur said with a hint of suspicion in his voice. "I saw a brook over there. I need to take a leak and a quick wash. I will be back soon"

"Ok… I'll keep your sister company until you return."

Arthur got up and walked rather awkwardly towards the water source. He grabbed the empty water skin to fill as a courtesy. Percy watched in amusement as Arthur walked around Fenrir keeping his eyes on the hellhound who was watching him leave. Both of them were vary of each other.

"Thank you," Ashara whispered to him placing Sif on the floor. She refused to look him in the eye. Percy could see a myriad of emotion running through her face. The foremost was relief.

Percy couldn't imagine what would have happened to the two had they been caught in the act. Most likely they would have lost their lives. He was like a guardian angel to her who arrived in the nick of time whisking her away from certain doom.

"You don't have to thank me. I would have rescued you without a second thought," Percy said to her.

She glanced at him. He could see the pooling tears she kept at bay. She slowly raised her hand and touched his face. Percy just sat there frozen gazing into her eyes deeply captivated by the purple expressive pools. He slowly placed his hand on top of hers. The whole world seemed to have come to a stop. There was only Ashara in his eyes… she was the only one existing with him in this moment.

Ashara drew close and placed her lips on his chastely. She stayed like this for a few seconds and drew back.

"I don't know if you feel the same… but from the moment I saw you, something drew me towards you. With you… I feel safe and free…"

"I feel the same," Percy interrupted her breaking out of his stupor. Percy placed his hands on her face gently. He returned her chaste kiss on the lips. He didn't want to rush into things. All his previous relationships started with infatuation and escalated into sexual tension. Then they rushed into the relationship and ended up getting hurt. This time he was going to take his relationship slow… like Charles and Silena did. They were able to form an unbreakable bond over time by getting to know their partners first. He was going to do that this time because he wanted the love Charles and Silena had for one another.

"I want to give us a try," he said releasing her lips. He gazed into Ashara's face enjoying its every minute detail. She had closed her eyes when he had kissed her and had yet to open them.

"What now?" Ashara asked returning to their initial positions after giving him a bone breaking hug.

"Now we must return home. I have some duties I must attend to and you have the same. But when time comes, I'm going to come for you. Will you wait for me?"

"Yes, of course you idiot. I will wait for you. Though I'm not thrilled to be without any contact," she added with a pout which he found cute. "And you'd better not be seeing other women or visiting brothels. I'm going to geld you if I discover indecent behavior from my future husband."

'Yep, she's back,' Percy thought as Ashara continued to make threats about how he would discipline him should he betray her trust.

"Future husband, huh?" Percy asked with a smirk enjoying the banter with Ashara.

"Of course. I'm going to marry you… period. There's nothing more to talk on that."

"And I agree with my future bride," Percy said with another smirk. "I may have a solution for the problem with our separation."

Percy said opening his backpack again. After rummaging around for a while he brought out a stone slate. It was shaped like a picture frame. But instead of a picture, there was a blank sheet of paper. The design itself was simplistic with no elegant carvings or anything that drew eyes immediately. It was something you overlooked even if you discovered it by chance. He handed it to Ashara.

"What is it?" Ashara asked curiously turning it all around.

"It's something Charles and I created in our downtime. We haven't decided on a name yet. You have one and I have another. We can communicate through these. First you need to write my name on its surface. When the paper turns to a blue tinge you can write anything you want to say to me. I will be able to see it from my slate. What I write on mine would be displayed on yours."

"Wow… how does it work? From the way you explained it sounds magical."

"Who says there's no magic?" Percy questioned. "This slate is indeed powered by magic. Runes to be more exact. But we'll get to that later. All you need to know is magic exists. It's just hidden in plain sight. And explain it to your brother too. We'll need to keep in touch soon."

Whatever question Ashara was going to ask was interrupted by the sound of boots. They instantly knew of the impending arrival of Arthur. One look from Percy silenced Ashara. He mouthed 'later' to her for which she nodded.

The sun had finally peaked and its rays bathed them in a bright golden hue.

"We need to get back," Arthur said as he entered the clearing going around Fenrir again.

"I can drop you off at Starfall if you want," Percy proposed. He was on his way home anyway. A little detour wouldn't harm his schedule at all. He had visited Starfall on his way to the Citadel because he used the Prince's Pass to enter the southernmost part of Westeros. He knew it was a rather roundabout way. But this path had the least amount of towns and cities along the way.

"Yes, thank you," Ashara immediately accepted. "Ow, come on Arthur… our men have already left for Starfall. If we don't accept Perseus' offer we would have to travel alone in this desolate region until we are able to procure horses. And who says we won't get ambushed by bandits or worse the agents the Citadel used. So get your head out of your ass."

Ashara's rant didn't surprise either Percy or Arthur. Percy grinned at the fiery beauty. Arthur shook his head at his sister's antics. He was use to these quick outbursts. Most of them happened in the most unfortunate locations and most of them were directed at him.

"Alright, we'll have it your way sister," Arthur conceded. "So Percy, lead the way."

"Same as before," Percy said. "You ride Sif. Ashara and I will ride Fenrir. Don't worry they know the way."

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AN

And that's a wrap. See you soon. Don't forget to review.