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Rain fell against the canvas of Flynn's tent. The steady drum of the rain was the only sound in the vast wilderness of Wisconsin. It was the cold, freezing rain of winter, where the droplets chilled in the air, on the brink of freezing into snowflakes but somehow holding back.

Thalia had set up the tent just a few hours ago, just after…that…happened. Flynn was too shaken up to set up his own. It had started raining not long after. Once the sky had rumbled a couple of times, Thalia urged that they find a spot to rest for the night.

Flynn sat in the same spot he had for the past few hours. He hadn't moved a muscle – simply stared down at his gray sleeping bag. His tent was relatively empty: to his left, his bag lay untouched. To his right, his sneakers and button-up lay drying. It wasn't a large tent. Only about one other person could fit comfortably. A lantern hung in the back corner, casting the light of a shaky flame into the tent and lifting the shadows to dance.

Flynn shivered, but not from the cold. He was still in the shock from killing someone. Actaeon was a human, with a soul. Flynn had ended that so easily, and that was what scared him the most: that he was so ready to end someone's life without stopping to think of the consequences. He hugged his knees to his chest, staring down in horror of what he had done.

There was a rustling at the door to the tent, and when Flynn looked up, he saw the massive shadow of Beast moving outside. Beast had kept watch by Flynn's tent the entire night. Now, he was trying to find the hole in the entrance. Soon enough, Beast's nose popped through. He nuzzled in his snout to make the gap wider and then withdrew, instead peeking inside from afar. "Are you well, Flynn?" Communicating with Beast was odd. It wasn't some mental link – though he could hear Beast's voice in his mind – and when Flynn couldn't see Beast, he could only understand him if he made a noise. It was like he interpreted Beast's movements and mannerisms. He knew inherently what each sound meant and how to replicate it. Flynn communicated as a wolf would.

Flynn, who had looked up at Beast's entrance, dropped his gaze, burying his jaw between his knees. "No."

Beast knew not to press any further. He blinked the falling rain from his eyes and stood up, once more resuming his post. Flynn still wouldn't move, His mind grappled with itself, torn between whether or not he had done the right thing.

Before Flynn knew it, he heard Beast growl in front of the tent. It wasn't a growl, rather, so much as a low, throaty rumble, one that warned Flynn: someone was coming. Then Flynn could hear the crunch of footsteps into the packed snow.

"Whoa, take it easy, Furball," Kale said cautiously, "I just want to see Flynn. Is that alright?"

Flynn, for once, lifted his head up, widening his eyes at Kale's voice. Hearing it sent his stomach fluttering. His head thought he shouldn't see anyone now, but his gut gave him the feeling that having Kale there would somehow make him better.

Flynn whimpered a low whine that turned into a quick 'woof', letting Beast know Kale could enter. He saw Beast's head glance back to the tent once in shadow before stepping aside. Flynn braced himself as Kale's shadow grew against the gray canvas.

The zipper to the tent swam across the entrance, releasing the doorflap. Kale stepped in, soaked from the rain. The water dripped in splotches off of his lion jacket. Though it moved like fabric, the water ran off as though it were metal. Once he had stepped inside, he shook out the matted, golden curls that stuck to his head, spraying water around the tent. Flynn didn't even flinch when a few stray drops hit him. Kale looked up pleasantly and said, "Thalia says she doesn't think the storm is one of Zeus's, so, no wrath of the gods!" Kale held his thumbs up and tried to sound optimistic. Flynn blinked, looking away. The weather didn't really matter to him that much at the moment.

Kale nodded and began looking around the tent, anywhere but at Flynn. He had to stoop over to even stand in the tent. Once the moment couldn't get any more awkward, Kale spoke again. "So, how are you doing?" He finally looked to Flynn, shoving his hands in his pockets.
Flynn didn't move his head, but simply turned his gaze in Kale's direction. "I haven't moved from this position for the whole night." Flynn replied curtly, "What do you think?"

Kale smirked, shrugging. "I think you'd make a great paperweight."

Flynn couldn't help himself after that. He broke into a light laugh to accompany Kale's chuckle. "Thanks," Flynn gave in, dropping his arms and letting his legs fall so that he sat hunched over his crossed legs. "I needed that." He stared blankly down, letting his smile dim.

"No worries," Kale grinned, taking a seat perpendicular to Flynn, "I wanted to help, remember?" He looked to Flynn, no doubt referencing his fatal flaw, the only exception to which was sitting not six inches from him.

Flynn smiled weakly, remembering the moment Kale told him about that, about how Flynn was the only person he met that he didn't have to save. Now that Flynn thought back on that moment, his chest began to ache. He had thought nothing of it before, but now? The guy he knew he liked was saying he wanted to save him. How romantic was that? But now all that occupied Flynn's mind was the rhythmic way Kale's chest lifted up and down as he breathed, how close their legs were to touching, and the fact that Kale had trusted Flynn with his secret at the time, but here Flynn was keeping something big from Kale.

"Whoa," Kale sighed an exhausted breath, "What a day it's been today! Just yesterday we started our quest, and now look at us. We've slain a couple of monsters, I'm claimed, you –" There was a second-long pause where Kale chose his words, "–saved us."

"Yeah," Flynn nodded blankly, "That was actually what I was trying to forget about."
"Why?" Flynn was looking down still and couldn't see Kale's response, but he sounded offended. "You saved Thalia and I today. If it weren't for you, we'd be gone."

Flynn rolled his eyes, uncomfortable talking about this and hurting because of it. "I killed someone, Kale. With my own hands. Actaeon was a human being, not some monster. He's not coming back from the dead – not again, anyway." Flynn's eyes screamed with the anguish he felt, but he kept his eyes glued down as he fiddled absentmindedly with the toes of his socks. He struggled to keep his lip from quivering. Flynn didn't want to break down in front of Kale, but it was soon turning into a lost cause.

"You had no choice, Flynn." Kale spoke forcefully, ushering Flynn into reality. He looked up to see Kale staring him down, his eyes hard and almost hurt. Flynn began to feel bad. "It was either him or us, and frankly, I'm over the moon about the fact that my friend saved me from certain death." He looked away, clenching his fists. "For once in my life, I've been the helpless one. I've never felt like that. For once, I was on the other end. You were the hero tonight." Kale looked back up to Flynn. "Thalia and I agreed. You did what you had to do, and it was so we could live."

Flynn knit his brow, looking worried. "I suppose." He conceded. He lifted up his legs and let his elbows rest on his knees, relaxing back. It seemed so simple, but Flynn really was starting to feel better about what he did. He was able to put it behind him. Once he knew that Thalia and Kale understood what he did, Flynn didn't worry so much about it. They were the only people whose opinion really mattered at this point, so once they had validated him, he was able to move past it. "But I don't think I'll ever get over how easy it was." Flynn nearly whimpered, dropping his gaze. The idea was starting to trouble him more and more.

"Dude," Kale sighed. By the time Flynn had looked up, he felt an arm wrap around his shoulders. Before he knew it, Kale was by his side, squeezing him tight in a shoulder hug. "You've got to stop beating yourself up about this." Flynn looked away, painfully aware of how close Kale was to him. It wasn't like the night before, when they almost froze to death. Flynn realized the feelings he had for Kale, and now they were just getting in the way of things.

"You are the son of Artemis." Kale said, dropping his arm and mimicking Flynn's position. "You should be better at hunting than almost anyone. You hunted down your prey, and you took it out. No wonder it was so easy."

"You think the reason that I was so ready to kill a person is because I was hunting them?" Flynn clarified, taking a risk and looking over at Kale.

Kale shrugged. "Why not? You're born to be a great hunter, and part of hunting is killing your prey."

Flynn let out a sigh. "I guess." Kale talking to him about it was actually helping him get over it. He felt a little less stressed about the whole thing.

"So," Kale began, "Promise me you'll cheer up, bud?" Kale prodded, nudging Flynn's shoulder with his own.

Flynn chuckled, nudging back. "Fine. I will for you."

Kale grinned mischievously, like his plan had worked perfectly. "That's more like it."

On that cheerful note, the tent went silent for a few moments. Flynn's thoughts flew. He was aware that Kale was so close to him, blissfully unaware of anything. Guilt began to gnaw at flynn, the guilt that Kale had complete trust in Flynn, and yet Flynn couldn't even tell Kale his own secret. But how would Kale react? That's what worried Flynn the most. Flynn knew that the whole world wasn't exactly peachy keen with the idea of homosexuality. What if Kale was one of those people? What if Kale hated Flynn simply for trusting him with something like that? He didn't want one of his best friends to hate him.

But then again, there was also that slim chance Kale wouldn't care. Flynn glanced over at Kale, who was studying the inside of the tent with a dumb smile on his face. Kale was totally oblivious in that moment. Flynn felt a feeling deep in his core, like heat radiating from a furnace. Seeing Kale in that light, so simple and happy, made Flynn want to tell him. He didn't think someone like that would turn on him so suddenly. Taking a leap of faith, Flynn spoke up.

"Hey, you remember earlier today? When you told me about your fatal flaw?" Flynn ventured, shrugging nonchalantly.

Kale glanced sideways back to Flynn and nodded. "Yup. What about it?"

Flynn was suddenly aware of his breathing. He breathed slowly and evenly, choosing his words carefully. "I appreciate how you trusted me like that." Flynn saw Kale smile and shrug out of the corner of his eye, like it was nothing. "But now it's my turn." Flynn looked over, and noticed he had caught Kale's attention. "Can I trust you now?"

Kale didn't even hesitate. "Of course, bro. What's up?" His tone let Flynn know that he was genuinely concerned, which flattered him a bit.

Flynn didn't know how to lead up to this, so he figured the best way to say it was to just get it over with. "I'm gay." Flynn said, dropping his gaze intently onto his toes, wiggling out of nervousness inside his socks. He prayed to the gods that Kale wouldn't reject him, and hell, if he was gay too, that would be one hell of a bonus, but Flynn was nowhere near that lucky.

Kale was quiet. Flynn immediately jumped to the conclusion that he had said the wrong thing. Kale didn't accept him. He probably just butchered the best friendship he ever had. Glancing up to Kale, Flynn saw his brow furrowed in deep thought, staring off into space. Kale noticed Flynn staring and finally came to his senses. "Ok." Kale said quietly, nodding.

"That's it?" Flynn asked, shocked, "I come out to you and all you have to say is 'ok'?"

Kale shrugged, but Flynn noticed his countenance was more distant now than before he had told him. It was like Kale wasn't as close as he was before. "Yeah." He mumbled, almost sounding disillusioned. Kale said he was fine, but Flynn had the sinking feeling he really wasn't. Kale's brow scrunched in confusion as he looked over to Flynn. "You don't…like…" Kale awkwardly pointed to himself, not knowing how else to say it.

Crap. Kale knew. Flynn made a split second decision that if Kale thought Flynn had a crush on him, the rest of the quest would be awkward and difficult. He had to lie. "No," Flynn laughed uneasily, "Of course not." Flynn looked away, his entire face burning from telling the exact opposite of how he felt.

"Oh." Flynn could barely even hear Kale's response. Kale's eyes fell. He too began studying the stitches of his sneakers. His jaw clenched and unclenched sporadically. Flynn practically felt the wall of ice building itself up between them.

Flynn let out a pained breath, running his hand through his auburn hair. "Ok then. Good talk." He just ruined the first real friendship he had ever had. Flynn looked away, still drawing into himself. Despite Kale's help and being honest with him, Flynn felt the tent needed to be empty once again. He was doing alright before.

"Are you...still ok? About everything, though?" Kale sounded cautious as he looked over to Flynn.

Sadness gnawed at Flynn's throat. Kale looked at him not as a friend, but something new he had never seen before. Did all of their adventures thus far mean nothing? Flynn weakly lifted his shoulders and dropped them in a shrug. "I don't know anymore." He whispered.

There was an interim of silence in which Flynn felt the tent floor shift as Kale actually moved closer to Flynn. "I'll stay with you tonight. Just so you won't be alone." He wouldn't look Flynn in the eyes again. To Kale, Flynn's eyes meant death, now.

Flynn still looked at him, though, even if Kale refused to reciprocate. "You don't have to, y'know." He didn't really care if the words came out chilled on ice.
"I know. I still want to." Kale murmured, wrapping his arms around himself and closing his eyes.

Flynn's brow trembled. He was unable to believe any of this. All he wanted was for the entire night to end, and it would turn out to be a horrible nightmare. Before he knew it, Flynn fell asleep in the hopes of waking up.

Bright gray stunned Flynn from behind his eyelids, and he blinked away his sleep. The inside of his tent came into focus, and the silence outside its wall quickly made itself known. Every now and then, snow would fall from a nearby tree and break the still, but otherwise, all was quiet.

Flynn lifted his head, seeing from the angle before that he had fallen asleep on the ground. He pulled himself up. Once he looked around, he wanted to fall back asleep.
He was the only one in his tent. Kale had left. Kale dropped his gaze, once hopeful in the light of a new day.

The smell of a burning fire tingled Flynn's senses. Curiosity drew him up, out of his dreary state, towards the door of the tent. Kale must have left it open when he left, Because Flynn simply pulled it aside.

Thalia jumped, dropping the stick she was using to stoke the fire. Wide- and bright-eyed, she shot to her feet. "Flynn!"

Flynn furrowed his brow questioningly. "Thalia?" Much to his chagrin, he didn't feel as bad as he had last night. Sleep had given him a fresh start.

Thalia tried, but no words escape her ready and desperate lips. Finally, she gestured across the fire to Beast's sleeping mass of fur. "I told Beast he could rest for once. I got up early."

"Why didn't you wake us up?" Flynn said, mentally cringe at the 'us' part, as the other half of Flynn's 'us' probably didn't want there to be an 'us' anymore. "We could have been on our way already." He rubbed the back of his bedhead, making his way over to Thalia's side, warming himself by the fire.

"I thought..." She sat down beside him and stared into the flames. "I thought after last night, we needed a good sleep." She turned to Flynn, he eyes cautious and worrisome. "How are you doing?"

"Hungry." Flynn deadpanned, patting his rumbling stomach.

Thalia snorted, shaking her head. Why did she even worry in the first place? "I suppose that's a start."

"Kale talked to me last night." Flynn smirked, cutting to the chase, "And I've come to terms with it. I did what I had to do so you guys could stay alive."

"And we thank you for that." Thalia spoke, her words brimming with pure gratitude. "We would have had to do that same had we been in the situation." She sat back, lying down against her elbows. "And besides. We are hunters. He was a stag at one point. It would be a sin if we didn't hunt him."

Flynn and Thalia shared a soft but still morbid laugh, letting the crackle of the fire fill the silence.

"Kale mentioned that." Flynn interrupted the flames at last. His eyes drifted off into the trees, thinking back on the night before. "Well, he did when he would still talk to me." He mentioned almost bitterly, though he had meant to sound casual."

Thalia scrunched up her face on confused concern. "Why won't he talk to you?"

Flynn clamped his eyes hut, cursing to himself. He'd walked right into again. No running away now. When the prey is backed into a corner, all it can do is lash out and hope for the best. "I came out to him." He blurted out, still clenching his eyes shut, waiting for her reaction.

"Ah." Flynn turned quickly to look at Thalia, as he could have sworn she sounded smug. The sheer force of Thalia's smirk was lessened by her brow upraised, incredulous. "Good for you."

Flynn shook his head, turning towards the reclined huntress. "See, no one ever makes a scene when I prepare for one!" He said with a slight laugh, mostly out of surprise that Thalia wasn't surprised. "And you don't look shocked."

Thalia shrugged. "That took guts, Flynn. Kudos. But really, what does your preference matter to me?" She shot him straight, her eyes blunt. "Guys are hot. I like them too."

"I thought that was against Huntress Law." Flynn snickered.

Thalia rolled her eyes. "We can feel love, Flynn, we aren't complete robots!"

"Could have fooled me." Flynn mumbled, turning his head away.

Thalia's punch wasn't so light as she meant it, sitting up shoulder to shoulder with Flynn. "I heard that." She grinned to the fire as Flynn laughed. "We swear off the company of men. That's all. We can feel love, just never act on it.The anti-boy attitude is contagious, quite frankly. When you spend your days with a band of immortal maidens, most of them still think boys have cooties. I don't hate men. They can just be really stupid sometimes."

Flynn laughed, nodding in agreement. He admitted it.

"Plus," She snorted, "I'm a girl, Flynn. We can tell these things." She turned smugly back to Flynn. "No straight man would look at his male companion like you do."

Flynn froze mid laugh, his face reddening to a shade not unlike that of a tomato or strawberry. Flynn tried to speak, but all that came out was an incoherent mix between a 'huh', 'what', and 'oh no'.

Thalia snorted, pushing the petrified Flynn aside a bit. "Oh come on! Let me demonstrate." Thalia composed herself and looked off into the distance. Her eyebrows crashed together like two waves upon a rock, trembling. Her eyes sunk, hazy and listless. a stupid smile spread demurely across her cheeks, ushering forth a quiet sigh.

Flynn was taken aback by her exaggeration. He shoved her down playfully, issuing her laughter. "I do not get like that!" But he couldn't help himself from grinning.

"Bloody close, though!" Thalia got back up, brushing snow from her sleeves. She let her giggles die before she spoke again. "I've been there. I know what it feels like. And that's how I saw it on your face. But I had to leave that behind."

Flynn was about to ask, but spoke only to Thalia's outstretched hand. "Nope. No more chick flick moments, Winchester." She spoke sternly, once more the Head Huntress of this quest. "It's the past. Right now, we should be worrying about going on ahead. I'll wake up Adonis over there," She thumbed in the direction of Kale's tent, delighted by Flynn's scowl. "You just pack up. The tent will pack itself."

Thalia got up without a word, and as Flynn shuffled back to his own tent, he heard the frantic ruffling of Kale's, along with Thalia's screams to 'Move it or lose it, muscle-for-brains.' Flynn grinned as he slipped inside. At least he had Thalia.

Within a short enough time, Flynn emerged, clothes dried and bag over his shoulder. The campfire had been reduced to a black stain on the white snow. Thalia stood by Beast, tightening a strap on her armguard. Beast acknowledged Flynn with a slight inclination of his head. Flynn reciprocated, honoring wolf code.

Then Flynn looked to Kale, who was sitting opposite the fire, immersed in playing with his lion keychain. Suddenly, it was back to the way it was on his first day at camp. The cold affected Flynn more than ever.

When Flynn turned back to his tent to try and figure out how to pack it, he found the entire thing compressed into a small wallet sized square of canvas, lantern and all. He smiled as he shoved it into his bag, walking back over to Thalia. He didn't look to Kale. If he was going to ignore Flynn, Flynn could do the same.

With a helpful smile from Thalia and Beast eagerly leading them in the right direction, the group headed west, though, it didn't seem completely West. Flynn felt the wind on his face, and it was the northern wind. Flynn had never studied the winds before in his life, but yet to him, it was the north wind. It was probably his powers as a tracker coming to the surface, but Flynn wasn't sure whether he really did supernaturally know, or whether it was all just a lucky fluke.

"Are we going North?" Flynn brought up as they carefully crossed a frozen river.

"I was just about to ask." Thalia spoke up, leaping onto a nearby stone. "It occurred to me as well." She paused and looked to Flynn, nodding a sign of approval.

Flynn grinned and leaped to the opposite bank, making sure to help Thalia ashore.

"The trail curves." Beast cocked his head to imitate the trail. "It is most strange."

"He's following the trail. For some reason, it goes North." Flynn explained, turning back to offer Kale his hand.

Kale, however, summoned what strength he had and vaulted onto the snowy shore. He teetered for a moment, but regained his balance and pushed on, ignoring Flynn's hand.

Flynn was still for a moment, then he rolled his eyes. He let out a disgruntled breath, shaking his head slowly. He turned to the sight of Thalia discreetly glaring at Kale as he made his way past.

"He's acting more like a son of Jerk-ules, right now." Thalia muttered, never once removing her gaze of doom from the back of Kale's shiny silver track jacket.

Flynn shrugged, passing it off as nothing. He was grateful Thalia couldn't hear his inner screaming. "It's fine." Flynn kept a low register. He didn't want Kale to notice. He was too busy trailing close behind Beast, who had begun sniffing the ground in search of the trail.

"No it's not." Thalia urgently whispered back. "That was cold."

"Well, it is winter." Flynn pushed ahead, passing Kale without acknowledgement just as Kale had done to him. The wide open expanse of wilderness stretched out before him, and that is exactly what Flynn liked to see.

"You are tense." Beast leaned over to Flynn, nudging his shoulder. Flynn turned to Beast, only then letting his limbs relax. He didn't even recall them locking up.

"Just preoccupied." Flynn rolled out his shoulders, cracking his neck.

Beast didn't press, but now he knew. Why couldn't people just leave it alone? Flynn was sure as hell trying. It was time to change the subject. The problem was, there was nothing else to say. The best was to just keep quiet.

Flynn kept quiet for hours, until the steady din of traffic overpowered the silence. "What is that?" Kale spoke up from the back of the group.

"Cars, obviously." Flynn deadpanned, walking faster to get to the source of the noise. He stopped at a ridge, looking through the tree line. "What's that building?"

Thalia caught up to him, Beast taking his other side. She squinted, trying to see it closer, finally running a hand down a nearby tree. "These trees are native to Minnesota. I noticed the change a few hours back. Eastern Minnesota, though. Closer to Lake Superior."

Flynn happened to notice a street sign off one of the nearby roadways. "Mall of America?" He read cluelessly.

"No way!" Thalia erupted. "I've always wanted to go there!"

Flynn had never been to a mall – well, except that one time his dad was tracking a manticore that was living in a Washington shopping complex. He'd never gone for fun though. He only paid attention to book stores and –

"It's like, the biggest mall in the country! I bet they have a Hot Topic in there!" Thalia cried, turning to Flynn excitedly.

Flynn lit up. "That is my store!" He grinned. Flynn may not have been to many malls for fun, but he still always sidetracked into a Hot topic or two whenever he went. He paused. They were on an important quest. Though, they were already halfway across the country. "I guess we could take a quick break. It's only the third day, right? We're already halfway done." He shrugged, throwing his suggestion out there.

Thalia smiled mischievously. "It couldn't </i>hurt." The two giggled and descended down the slope, Kale following behind. Beast didn't, though.

Flynn finally noticed halfway, turning to the giant wolf. "Oh no. you're coming this time. Every time we leave you, a monster attacks us without you there to help."

Beast shuffled nervously. "I do not like civilized areas, Flynn." It sounded like he pulled that out of nowhere, though. Flynn didn't buy it.

"Oh," Thalia spoke up, "I forgot about Beast." She stopped to think, then backhanded Flynn across the arm, remembering something important. "Wait! We can still take him!"

"I'm pretty sure people will notice a 5-foot-tall wolf stalking around a mall." Kale added counterproductively.

"Not with The Mist's help." Thalia spat with a bit too much ice, not even glancing in his direction. "Chiron taught me how to bend it and make mortals see what we want them to see." She explained to Flynn. "He can be a tiny little puppy for all we care." She triumphantly placed her hands on her hips, nodding.

"Brilliant." Flynn grinned back to Beast, letting him know one way or another that he was coming with them. Beast didn't like it, but if he did protest, he masked it well. Gingerly, he followed the group towards the mall.

When people stopped to comment on how cute a puppy Flynn had, he simply thanked them graciously, grinning over to Thalia, who just soaked in the glory. They were doing fine until they arrived at the entrance, where the guard stopped them. "No dogs allowed," He grunted, throwing a chubby, sausage-like finger to Beast.

Flynn's protest was cut off by Beast quickly sitting down, for once acting like an obedient dog. It was just not Flynn's day for speaking up, as Thalia placed a hand on his arm. "We won't be in there long. He can handle himself." Thalia and Kale vanished through the automatic doors, while Flynn took one last look at Beast. He sat motionless to the side of the entranceway, matching Flynn's gaze in both directness and intensity. He wasn't moving.

Reluctantly, Flynn joined Thalia and Kale inside, but, like the other two, had to stop and stare. The Mall of America was undoubtedly the biggest building Flynn had ever entered. It was enormous. It became clear when the three observed a mall directory that it must have been the size of a stadium. There was even a small amusement park in the middle!

It became clear when making their way through the crowds to Hot Topic – which of course was on the other side of the mall – that the Mall was its own city, three levels of civilization.

Finally, they arrived at Hot Topic. The dimply lit cavern blasted rock music with lead singers gasping for air every few seconds. On either wall were t-shirts encased on display, one side men's, the other women's. Flynn immediately rushed over to the plaid button-ups. "I've never seen these before, they must be new!" He called over the blaring, screaming music to Thalia.

She was nearby, trying on different metal bracelets with studs and unnecessary zippers on. "And these are on clearance!" She responded with glee. "Oh my gods, they have the newest albums!" Together, she and Flynn rushed over to the CDs, comparing each other's musical taste.

Kale, meanwhile, stood away from them both, his arms crossed and looking altogether uncomfortable. Flynn and Thalia fit in. Despite Thalia's Huntress uniform, she still spiked her hair out and wore thick eyeliner. She was a rocker underneath it all. Flynn was practically the store's poster boy: form-fitting black jeans, converse, button-ups, and piercings. He could have worked there.

Kale wore comfortable jeans, athletic sneakers, and a track jacket. He was probably trying to remember where the nearest Foot Locker was while trying to avoid the scary parts of the store.

Flynn had wandered over to the piercings section, seeing what gages they had. "Hey look, they have one that looks like a moon!" He pressed his finger to the glass, and Thalia joined him. Kale quietly made his way up to the two of them, casually mentioning he thought it looked cool. Flynn spun around, surprised that Kale was even talking to him. Kale looked a bit less distant, even endeavoring to look endearing, but before Flynn could say a word, the three heard a sweet voice behind them.

"May I help you?" Flynn turned to find a girl dressed not too different from the mannequins in front of the store. Her skin was pale, almost neon, in the darkness. She wore a black and blue striped hoodie that was two sizes too small and littered with pockets. The sleeves were loose, concealing her hands. The hoodie ended at her midsection, revealing her pale stomach and belly button piercing. Her black denim daisy dukes doubled as overalls, though the steps hung suspended by her side, extending past the hem of the shorts. Black tights, ripped and mismatched, ran the length of her legs, beginning just above her knees, leading to thick combat boots – obviously black. She smiled a seemingly sweet smile, though the look in her dark eyes told Flynn there was something else going on. Her hair was short and flipped out like Thalia's, though dark brown rather than obsidian. Wisps of hair were died a bright neon blue, giving her the impression of emerging from a deep freezer when Flynn looked at her. Her eyeliner ran a dark ring around her eyes, and Flynn noticed a tongue ring when she talked. Flynn recognized her mannerisms and features. Flynn couldn't place it, but something about her looked familiar. "My name's Delilah. I'm the manager."

"And I'm the assistant manager." The three jumped at the boy whom they suddenly noticed by Delilah's side, his arm resting on her shoulder. Flynn swore he wasn't there a second before. He too dressed like he had walked off of their website. His dark jeans – charcoal gray, not black – were rolled up at the bottom, revealing black skater sneakers. His black jacket, looking like a mix between a suit jacket and old-fashioned military garb, hung on his spindly frame and the My Chemical romance concert t-shirt beneath it. His pitch black hair was spiked up across the top of his head, and he sported a silver noise ring that looked strangely like a serpent biting its own tail. "Call me Prospero." He added, flipping a coin back and forth between the fingers of his free hand. Well, that was a nice name.

Flynn glanced over to Thalia, who in turned looked to Delilah and Prospero. "No, we're just looking, thanks." She smiled courteously. "My friend here liked the moon gage you have." She nudged Flynn's arms while thumbing the jewelry in the glass.

Delilah lit up. "Oh yes, that's recently gone on clearance." She happily made conversation, clasping her hands up in front of her. When she lifted her arms, her sleeves fell, revealing black fingernails and one or two gothic looking rings with exotic gems. "It would look good on you!" She mentioned as an afterthought.

"Although, I think you're just fine without it." Prospero winked at Flynn, leaning off of Delilah. He grinned, his smile no less than charming. He wasn't that bad looking, now that Flynn really looked at him. He had a boyish charm about him, like he could double in both a boy band and Warped Tour.

Flynn was speechless. He was pretty sure he was just flirted with. Flynn blanked. He would have flirted back under normal circumstances, but being the flirtee for the first time threw him for a loop. He had no clue what to do other than stand around awkwardly. His cheeks flushed, and he pleaded with his eyes that Thalia would do something.

"Uh, no, thanks again!" She interrupted, gesturing with her hands out. "We actually have a job to do, so…" Thalia trailed off when she noticed Delilah and Prospero silently staring at Flynn's undershirt, his orange camp shirt. Delilah glanced to Kale and noticed the same shirt, then looked sideways at Prospero, who nodded.

"Oh but you must stay!" Delilah chimed almost creepily, turning back to Thalia. She lowered her voice and said, "It's not often we get campers in here."

Flynn's eyes widened. They knew about Camp Half-Blood. Kale blurted out the thing on everyone's minds. "You mean you're –"

"Demigods." Prospero cut him off, tearing his eyes from Flynn to cast a scrutinizing stare in Kales directions. "Yes. Yell it from the rooftops why don't you?" Prospero narrowed his eyes. Flynn couldn't help but laugh at Kale's shocked, taken aback expression. Serves him right, for now.

"Perhaps we should continue this conversation in the back room." Delilah smiled warmly, though it felt on the verge of scalding. She turned to the center of the store, calling out to a young girl dressed in what looked like a pastel-colored church dress with matching cardigan and headband. "Penny! Take over for a little bit."

The girl smiled and glided over to the checkout counter. "Okeydokie!"

Delilah turned and waved the gang to follow. "Mortal." She whispered as she and Flynn passed Penny, grinning brightly as each of them passed.

"Really?" Flynn asked, looking to Delilah. "Why'd you hire her? She doesn't look like the type."

Delilah shrugged. "She makes us look good. Plus, she's a killer in a mosh pit." Flynn glanced back at Penny, who was giggling sweetly as someone tried to purchase something He certainly could not picture her at a rock concert, let alone flailing around a mosh pit.

Delilah led the three past the dressing rooms and into the backroom, a break room stacked with inventory. Boxes filled with merchandise lay around, stacks in groups pertaining to their section in the store. In the middle was a plastic table with a plastic cup half crumpled on top. It sure seemed homey.

Thalia, Flynn, and Kale stood close-knit, despite the size of the room. Delilah stopped and spun on her heel, her hands swinging behind her back. Her movements seemed too fluid, too airy. It reminded Flynn of the sprites he'd seen sometimes on hunts. Prospero took his place beside her, the coin in his hand now replaced by a deck of cards. "So, to whom do we owe the pleasure?" Delilah almost sang. As she talked, Prospero played with the cards, flipping them and shuffling them in insane combinations. Flynn found himself mesmerized.

"I'm Thalia Grace," Thalia introduced herself, "Daughter of Zeus and Huntress of Artemis." Delilah's eyebrows popped. It wasn't everyday people met a child of Zeus.

"Kale Samson." Kale raised his hand. "Son of Heracles." Prospero glared at Kale, though when Flynn began to speak, he dropped the gaze and returned to his charming disposition.
"And I'm Flynn Winchester." Flynn waved, "Son of Artemis."

Prospero's jaw dropped slightly, and he stopped playing with his cards. "Well, well, well. Look at that." He glanced sideways to Delilah. A silent conversation passed between the two, Delilah grinning brightly.

"You're the first of your kind." She turned with adoring eyes to Flynn. "That makes you special." Flynn noticed Prospero nodding like it was an understatement, which flattered and unsettled him at the same time. Kale shifted uneasily behind Flynn and Thalia.

"Are you guys unclaimed, or –?" Thalia began, hoping to change the subject.

"Children of Hecate." Delilah shrugged, as if it meant nothing. Flynn's knowledge of Hecate surged into consciousness. He certainly knew that goddess. His dad never let Flynn forget one bit about her.

"Goddess of Witchcraft." Prospero with a polite smile.

"Magic." Thalia corrected, using a nicer term.

He shrugged, smirking in her direction. "Whichever you prefer."

"Why aren't you guys at Camp?" Thalia continued her interrogation. Flynn checked the expression on her face, and he knew it well by now. She thought something was up.

When Thalia mentioned camp, Delilah shifted her weight, wincing. It was small, so insignificant Flynn was the only one to notice it. "Why waste our time there when we have our own full-fledged business?" Prospero asked innocently, gesturing to the store around them.

"Not many people know it," Delilah spoke up, apparently recovering from her fit, "But this entire chain was started by Children of Hecate. There's one working in every store around the country."

"We wanted a store that truly sold our…unique taste of culture." Prospero added, gesturing to their clothes. It made sense. The occult seemed right at home beside Tripp pants and metal studs.

"And besides." Delilah beamed. "We already know how to defend ourselves. We have full mastery over our powers." As proof she held out her hand, and a ball of blue flame ignited, hovering above her palm.

"Yeah," Prospero nodded. "And I've really been standing behind you this whole time." His form flickered and vanished like bad reception on a television screen. Flynn spun to find Prospero leaning against the door to the store, smirking smugly. He leaned away and sauntered over to Delilah, the two sharing a small laugh.

"Prospero is a master of illusion." Delilah closed her palm, extinguishing the fire. Prospero shrugged like it was nothing, but glanced decidedly out of the side of his vision at Flynn, checking to see if his display was working in his favor. Flynn simply lowered his gaze, the grin on his face appearing out of embarrassment rather than infatuation. "But anyways," Delilah continued, leaning closer to the group, "I'm guessing since there's three of you, you guys are on a quest. Am I right?" She grinned like she was trying to coerce a juicy bit of gossip from them.

"Yeah, actually." Kale nodded. "We're on a quest to –"

" –to prove ourselves worthy. Nothing more." Thalia interrupted. Flynn understood that tone. She was trying to keep their true intent from Delilah and Prospero, but why?

Prospero smiled brighter, pocketing his cards. "Ah, yes. Quests. I remember those." He nodded, folding his hands out in front of them. He glanced over to Delilah, who nodded as if in approval. Prospero turned to the wall nearest them and traced incomprehensible symbols along the wall, and suddenly Flynn felt trapped, locked in the room. It was as if the world outside didn't exist.

"Magical soundproofing." Delilah explained as Prospero returned to them. "We don't want anyone outside hearing us."

"Why wouldn't we want that?" Thalia asked cautiously, tensing up.

"Oh, nothing bad, per say!" Prospero held out his hands.

"We just have an offer for you that's more…frowned upon in our society." Delilah teased, waving them over to the back wall. "We don't just run a clothing store."

"We children of Hecate run our own magical business as well." Prospero ushered them forward, walking behind the three.

Flynn walked up to Delilah gingerly, Thalia and Kale behind him nervously. She stopped in front of a seemingly insignificant piece of wall and waved her hand before her. An array of symbols embedded into the wall lit up a bright blue as if charged with energy. There were four lines, and though all of them weren't written in English, Flynn could still read the second line. "'Something wicked this way comes'?" Flynn read the inscription. "Isn't that Shakespeare?"

"Good-looking and smart! Jackpot!" Flynn heard Prospero call behind them, and he subsequently rolled his eyes.

Delilah giggled. "Yes, it is. All four lines together read a passage from the witches in Macbeth. The Weird Sisters were the most famous children of Hecate."

"'By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes. Open locks, whoever knocks.'" Prospero recited for them.

"The first line," Thalia broke in, indicating the symbols on the wall, "That's Roman. And the second is Greek, that's why we can read it, but what are the other two?" Flynn studied the third and fourth lines. The third looked like a row of different pictures, including a bird, vulture, lion, and a zig-zag horizontal line. The fourth looked like a bunch of sticks arranged vertically, one beside the other. He had no clue what they meant.

"They are the languages of different mythologies." The wall pushed back and slid aside as Delilah talked, revealing a stairway passage leading down into darkness. "They are the hieroglyphs of the Egyptians and the runes of the Vikings. Each a different language of gods." Delilah turned and descended the steps, which Flynn now observed with each step as ancient stone. Flynn knew of no reason why he was following Delilah – by all logic he shouldn't – aside from the fact that he was utterly curious and intrigued. Since Thalia and kale were following, they either felt the same as he did, or they were blindly following his lead. As Delilah walked, torches along the wall ignited with eerie blue flames, triggered by her presence.

"But," Thalia continued, sticking close to Flynn, "Those mythologies don't exist. Only the Roman and Greek gods are real." Flynn heard a hesitant pause behind him. "Right?"

"Not at all. The other gods exist just as ours do." Delilah didn't turn from the darkness ahead, but as they continued, the darkness seemed to lift slowly. "But the Romans and Greeks were separated until only recently. We have heard the rumors of the Gigantes rising and the two camps responding." Delilah must have been talking about the Roman demigod camp, the other camp aside from Half-Blood. "What makes you think the other mythologies aren't hidden and separated from us too?"

"We have met them." Prospero spoke up from the back. Flynn had forgotten he was even there. "Magicians of Egypt and Warriors of Asgard. All converge in our catacombs."

"Hecate is the Goddess of Crossroads." Delilah spoke up once again making the three jump from her sudden interruption. "For her children, our paths are meant to cross with people from all walks of life, including our Roman siblings of Trivia, the Egyptians, and the Norse."

The darkness melted away until finally, their path leveled out into a massive stone antechamber, dimly lit only by the multicolored flames flicking inches above their torches along the walls. Magic was strong here. Flynn knew what magic felt like. It was a sensation on the fringe of feeling, one you're not entirely sure is there but that you somehow know is. "We run a…a bazaar of sorts." Delilah worded carefully. "For any and all denizens of the mythological world that seek some…unconventional fare." She smiled sweetly, but mischievously, like a spider inviting bugs into her web.

"You mean a demigod black market." Thalia spoke. Flynn heard the disgust in her voice. "I've heard whispers of you guys." Flynn could tell she disproved. She kept fidgeting uncomfortably; as if she was caught here she would get in serious trouble.

"We don't use that exact terminology." Prospero dodged, "But basically."

"I don't like this, Flynn." Thalia urgently whispered by Flynn's shoulder, "Hecate sided with Kronos in the last Titan war."

"What is this place?" Kale blurted out, masking Thalia's hushed plea.

"The Labyrinth." Delilah answered, holding her hands out around her. After she spoke, the walls around her echoed with workings and movements from beyond, as though they were alive.
Flynn's brow furrowed. He'd heard of the myth, but swore the labyrinth was in Greece. He looked over to Thalia for an answer, but she looked a little paler than usual, the look in her eyes frantic. "But how? It was destroyed with Daedalus. How do you still have access to it, let alone control it?"

"Like we said," Prospero snickered, "goddess of Crossroads. We cast a spell with it."

"With?" Flynn clarified, "We're talking about an inanimate maze, right?" The ground beneath him trembled with small vibrations, but apparently it was only underneath him. "Right!?" He looked up worriedly from the angry ground to Delilah in front of them.

"The Labyrinth is alive, Flynn." Delilah cooed, as if she were explaining to a young child. "It runs underneath everything, like a second skin. And it always moves. We don't control it at all, simply help sustain a small part of it, the part we need to house our archives. It still has a mind of its own, and changes appearance all the time." She looked around, as if taking it in for the first time. "Aww, man. I liked the canals it had in here last time." She shrugged, turning and walking ahead toward a stone wall.

Prospero urged them on. The three helplessly followed Delilah, with nowhere else to go. As she approached the wall, Delilah extender her hand palm-side down towards the wall, extending her thumb, index, and pinky fingers while curling the other two. "Thyra." She spoke with a heavy Greek accent. In response to her words, the stone shifted, forming a rounded archway leading into a dark tunnel.

Flynn knew what that word meant innately, because it was Greek. Delilah spoke the word "door" at the wall, and a door magically appeared.

"Magic is all about turning your thoughts and words into reality." Delilah called back, as if in response to Flynn's own thoughts. "It is a force that extends across the four mythologies and unifies them. The words you speak incur what the magic will do." Delilah glanced back to the others, a smile on her face. "Despite its supernatural nature, it's a pretty exact science."

The group passed different alcoves along the walls, each with different objects hidden away inside on display, and each with a magical wall of light keeping them safe. They passed books that turned their own pages as they passed, enchanted mirrors that showed Flynn anything from his own reflection to what he wanted most – he didn't get a close enough look, but he thought he saw a lock or two of golden blonde hair – and various weaponry from all kinds of centuries and places.

"You sell these objects?" Thalia asked incredulously.

"For the right price." Prospero responded.

"Some we procure in our travels and keep here for the highest bidder. Others we make custom for the buyer, giving them just what they need." Delilah added, shedding more light on their shady business.

"And so why are we here?" Flynn spoke up, taking his eyes off a pair of curved swords that looked like question marks, which he swore he had seen in an Egyptology book he read once.
"Isn't that obvious?" Delilah said, stopping and turning around, innocently surprised. "We're offering you our services. We'd like to help you on your quest. Who knows what you'll find in here, and we can sell it to you."

"What's the catch?" Thalia crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows questioningly.

Delilah giggled. "Why, the only catch that ever comes with purchasing something. Simply the right amount of payment."

"Seems legit enough." Kale muttered from Flynn's left. He glanced around curiously. "Whoa." Kale must have caught his eye on something. Flynn followed his gaze to a weapon held up on a stand in a nearby alcove. As he approached, the wall of light dissipated with a wave of Delilah's hand.

It was a hammer. Not the toolshed kind of hammer, but an old war hammer, with a mallet the size of a car tire. There was a lanyard attached to the grip, and inscribed along the mallet were the runes Flynn had seen on the door to the labyrinth.

Kale wrapped a hand around the grip, and in a flash, arcs of electricity surged up his arm, and he froze. Flynn immediately rushed to help him. He grabbed Kale's arm and wrenched him back. He released the hammer and the sparks died. "Are you ok!?" Flynn cried, holding Kale's arms and trying to coax a response from him.

Kale finally moved, looking down at Flynn as a light died in his eyes. "Fine. I…just…did you guys hear something?" He looked around to everyone, though they all denied it. He frantically cleaned out his ears and stretched out his neck. "What was that?" He asked Delilah, stepping away from Flynn and flexing his fingers. "I heard a strange name…Thorn? Shore?"

"Thor." Delilah spoke smugly, her eyes slightly impressed. "That is said to be Thor's Hammer. He was the Norse God of Thunder. Only the worthy may unlock the true power of that hammer." Kale looked pleasantly surprised that he was worthy, but before he could live it up, Flynn continued walking ahead.

"It must be a dud then." Flynn pushed ahead, leaving Kale standing offended by the Hammer. "What else you got?"

Thalia was taken aback that Flynn would buy into this whole thing, but Flynn rolled his eyes in response. "Thalia. We've got a job to do. We barely got by our last few encounters on luck alone. If they have something that will make us stronger, for that final task of ours," Flynn said, referring to Gration, "I'm gonna buy it."

"I don't think you'd need it." Thalia assured him solemnly.

"Well, I do." Flynn turned, walking down the tunnel with Delilah at his heels. He stopped at a sword that was moving on its own, but when  they all stopped to look at it, it constantly shifted between aiming itself at Delilah or Prospero. "What's this?" Flynn asked as the sword hovered within its alcove.

Prospero stayed at a safe distance, albeit a safe distance closer to Flynn. Delilah walked over to the sword, gesturing to it. "This is the Sword of Damocles." When all three didn't get it, she continued. "It belonged to Dionysus II of Syracuse. After he hung it upside down above his throne to show the fear that people in power live under, it was enchanted to forever attack those who have the power in a situation."

"Which is why it's pointing at you?" Kale took a stab at the obvious.

"Yes." Delilah confirmed, shrugging like it wasn't her fault. As she did, the sword lunged from its alcove and sliced Delilah's free hand. She cursed in Ancient Greek and held her hand close.

Prospero leapt forward and spoke the word for "calm". The sword froze, flying back into its stand.

Delilah held out her hand, the red gash of blood clearly visible. Delilah spoke "heal" and the cut sealed itself, the blood dissolving into thin air. "I hate that sword." She shook her head, turning instead to Flynn as the two walked deeper, turning a corner into an adjacent corridor every now and then. "So, Flynn. Son of Artemis. Your mother is a goddess of archery. You must be naturally skilled at long-range weaponry, right?"

Flynn shrugged, watching a bouncy ball that wouldn't stop bouncing around its alcove at 50 miles an hour. "I suppose. Dad always did say I was skilled at firing a gun."

Thalia scoffed. "Not to mention you hit a bull's-eye with your first arrow." She added nonchalantly, almost to herself.

Delilah grinned. "Impressive. Do you have one of your own? I mean, I can tell that necklace you're wearing is one of your weapons," She said, pointing to Flynn's neck."

Flynn shook his head. "This is a dagger Artemis gave my dad. I don't have a gun or bow." He thought for a split second, looking down at the ground. "I wish I did though."

Flynn looked up into Delilah's bright, triumphant grin. "And we can help with that." With a flick of her wrist in mid-air, a new hall opened to their right, and Delilah led them all into the small room beyond. A light shone down on a pedestal in the center, illuminating a small silver ring in the center. "I'll guarantee you that any Child of Apollo will have a bow. That's what you need." She said, pointing to Flynn from the opposite side of the pedestal. "Or rather, this is what you need." She placed her hands on the pedestal, leaning over the ring. "We've been working on this for some time."

"I'll bite." Flynn said, crossing his arms. "What does it do?"

Delilah picked the ring up and held it up to the light. The diamond ring glinted in the light. "When the gem absorbs enough moonlight, it'll change into weapon form whenever you want. But you don't look like a diamond type of guy," Delilah commented, looking thoroughly closer at the necklace around Flynn's neck. She passed her hand over the gem, and the rock changed into the same blue topaz of Crescent Fang's eyes. She offered the ring over to Flynn.

Flynn caught the ring as Delilah dropped it into his palm. Immediately, it was right for Flynn. It was the perfect weight, the perfect size, the perfect metal. It looked like a class ring, with the gemstone on a raised fixture above the initial band. Flynn slipped it on his right ring finger, seeing how it felt. He almost forgot he was wearing it. He was about to hand it back when his eyes caught something in the stone. Beneath it, engraved into the metal beneath, was the image of a wolf howling up to a moon. "How do you like it?" Delilah asked.

Flynn looked up, nodding. "It feels really good."

"It only costs 20 drachmas." Delilah cooed, trying to convince Flynn to buy it. "And it's satisfaction guaranteed." She grinned, the light gleaming off of her dark eyes. "You'll get just what you paid for."

"Alright." Flynn nodded, reaching into his pocket for the money.

"Flynn, really?" Thalia gasped, backhanding Flynn in the arm. "What are you doing?"

Flynn handed the drachmas to Delilah, who quickly grabbed them. "Think about it, Thalia. I'd own with a bow and arrow. You saw me at camp. If I had one of these, Gration wouldn't stand a chance."

"Yeeeaaaahhhh…" Delilah dragged on, closing her palm. When she opened it, the drachmas were gone. "It's about time you knew." She looked up in an unapologetic, brusque manner. "I don't think you're gonna get to Gration."

Flynn's jaw dropped. They'd been tricked. Kale turned to the door, ready to run out with Thalia and Flynn, but Prospero blocked the exit. He placed his hand on the wall and the stone door slid shut, caging them in.

"I knew it." Thalia spat, taking out her dagger. "You're working for Gaea, aren't you!"
Delilah scoffed just as Prospero joined her in front of them all. "Gaea? Like I care about some crusty piece of earth."

"And we don't give a rat's ass about the gods, either." Prospero grinned, shaking his head.
"We're the only people that matter in our lives." Delilah shrugged, cracking her knuckles. She examined her nails indifferently as Prospero spoke.

"By the way – now that we have your money – that ring there? There's a glitch in the weapon. It's not really a bow. Or a gun. We're not really sure what it'll turn into. And it needs about two weeks of moonlight to charge the initial change." Prospero smirked, shrugging. "Sorry, handsome." He winked with a click of his teeth, which made Flynn want to punch him out.

"You won't be around in two weeks." Delilah added, looking coldly across the room and the three demigods. "We would have let you walk out. But then we saw you were from Camp Half-Blood. So we have to kill you now." She looked over to Prospero and nodded.

With a grin, Prospero held out his hand. "Double Double, toil and trouble." Flynn moved to attack, but just as he did, the world spun and went dark.