Morgan's Quest

Zachary's, Morgan's and Hammer's quest CRÉDIT CSS

The fresh morning air was breathing softly in my face, playing with my hair as I scaled up the hill. I was wearing a pair of black trekking trousers, my jackboots, and a kaki T-Shirt with my sleeveless black jacket and leather bracelet. One of the pins on it caught the early sunlight, giving it a metallic glow.
My backpack was tightly bound around my shoulders and waist. In it, I had put all the materials I could get at the Camp shop: two ropes, a harness, a foldable three-persons ten,t. With that, I had two other pairs of trekking trousers, my military trousers, four T-Shirts, soap and a special filter that could help us to shower. I had bought cereal and energy bars and drinks along with a bottle of water in case we didn't find a good place to eat, and, of course, fine blankets.
I even had the luck to find a can of black powder, which I mixed up with celestial bronze powder (both bought at Camp store). In case we needed a good explosion.
My dori-trekking stick was attached to my backpack, placed in a strap, and Apokryphos, my weapon, was at its usual place, in my pocket. I had bound my hair into a high ponytail so no strains would come into my face and blur my vision in case of an attack.
I had asked Hammer to take another tent and water-bottles with him, in case we had to suddenly leave the tent to save our lives. I hoped he hadn't forgotten.
Finally, I reached the top of the hill. I greeted Argus, who nodded his head at me, silent. I mean, this wasn't weird, Argus never spoke. Some said it was because he had an eye on his tongue. His blonde hair glowed in the sunlight like sand.
I put my backpack down, and, while waiting for Zack and Hammer, I remembered the moments of the day before yesterday, when Hecate had appeared. My mother... I had often thought about the moment we'd meet, but I had never imagined she'd take the form of an old, nearly toothless lady garbed in a black dress.
And that voice...
But whatever. She was my mother, and even though she hadn't always been there for me, I loved her. Even when she took the form of an old witch. Okay. She was a witch. The goddess of witches.
And after that, the meeting with Chiron... I had some money, both mortal and drachmas on me. Now, we were off to New York Central train station, to take the train- well, hope to take the train.

The sun shone it's faint light across the hills and through the needles of the fir trees, adding effect to the fresh air and cold droplets on the grass.

Zachary and Thaddeus climbed the hill, sharing no eye contact and not speaking a word to each other, though there was a feeling of respect in the air. Their eyes shared determined glances. This was their first quest. Hammer, who always had a streak of wanting to prove himself, found this a great opportunity to do so. Though his blood red eyes were always angry-looking, the brown-haired, rather tall fellow's eyes now shown a foreign look to them: openness. It was his dream, though he spoke of it to no one, not even to Zack, whom he considered his friend. With him he brought everything Morgan asked of him (with some grudge being held), along with some things of his own belongings, including his hammer, of course, ambrosia, nectar -- the usual quest things, along with extra pairs of clothes, and the other basic needs of someone going away for a while, money (other than what Morgan had split up with them) and some drachmas.

Zack, on the other hand, had his turquoise eyes filled with determination for a different reason than his friend's. His dad was in danger, and with his gifts from his father it just renewed that determination. His rings were still on either ring finger shining brilliantly in the light, much like his long, dark-blonde hair in the sun, being gently tossed with the wind luxuriously. In his backpack was nuts and honey (for these did not spoil) for a group of three and a half, just to be sure, along with his other needs such as a handful of good books, clothes, water, and some ambrosia and nectar, as one could never carry enough of them. The wind gently played with his hair as he walked up the hill, and soon saw sight of Morgan. With this, his face broke into a wide and genuine smile. It had been some time since he last seen his love, Morgan. Zack had been quite busy these days, and hardly had any free time; something in which he was not used to at all. In fact, right before he went to get Thad, some son of Hermes apparently needed for Zack to start a small fire, even though there were plenty of Hephaestus kids roaming around. Whatever, though. He did get the two coolest swords ever from his dad, though, which he was extremely thankful for.

"Ah, hello," He said, coming over to Morgan and gently kissing her on the cheek. Thaddeus stood in the background, ignoring the two and waiting for the quest to get started. He didn't want to waste too much time standing here. Thad crossed his muscular arms and looked over at Argus. Zack wrapped his arm around Morgan's shoulders and he too looked over at Argus. He always found it hard to look him in the eyes when he was covered with them, but he just payed attention to the two eyes that would be his normal eyes.

The boys arrived eventually. It was an odd sight, the big, wide-chested, muscular Hammer with short, military-like brown hair next to the slim, lean, long-haired Zachary. I smiled at the two of them, and hoped they had everything.
Zack smiled widely as he saw me and I answered his smile; he kissed me on the cheek which made my skin redden slightly with joy. He put his arm around my shoulder and I smiled again, putting my arm around his waist, squeezed a bit, then let him go again.
Seeing we were ready, Argus jerked a thumb at the car, gesturing to get in. I slipped away from under Zack's arm and picked up my bag. It was quite heavy, but I had carried heavier in my life. I put it in the car's luggage space, then opened the front door, and sat at the front of the car, next to Argus. He waited for Zack and Hammer to get in too, and as soon as they were seated (in the back seats of the car), Argus started the car and I turned to them.
"As you know, Argus is bringing us to the NYP, New York Penn Station.", I said as Argus drove calmly down the road- how was he able to hold the steering wheel, he had eyes on his palms! I forced myself to look away and glanced at my watch. "We're in time; we're taking the train that departs at 11:02 am. I already bought the tickets, online, and we've got three seats (75,76,77, waggon 3), but the rows are made of two seats so one of us may have to sit in front of the others." I secretly hoped Hammer would take that place so Zack and me could sit next to each other and have the time to cuddle and kiss a little bit. It would perhaps be difficult afterwards.
I resumed presenting the plan.
"We'll arrive at Miami FL at around 6:05 pm... The trip'll take us around a day, approximatively... Once we arrive at Miami, we go to the port immediately (that's why we should use the time on the train to sleep and eat), and go looking for the submarine my mother put to our disposition. And then ... (I made a hasardous gesture with my hand) we'll have to cope with what's awaiting us in that wretched sea. The coordinates of our goal are on bord, or so my mother said."
I was perhaps sounding very talkative, but I liked planning ahead, making previsions. It made me feel   more solid and confident. I just liked having a plan to stick to, so I had at least the impression of knowing where to go, and gthat was always reassuring.
I looked at the two of them. "Any questions, objections, things you'd like to add or take away?" I asked, taking a brown strain out of my face and putting it behind my ear.

Zack followed Morgan's lead rather silently. He placed his stuff into the trunk of the car along with Hammer, besides his two rings. He planned on telling Morgan when he had a chance to explain, though there was a voice in his head telling him to keep it a surprise, but it was foolish to keep a petty secret when their job was to save the gods. He sat in the back along whith Hammer, who shared a small glance. It was one of those glances that seemingly only guys could share; one of respect, understanding, and a wishing of luck. While the glance is usually accompanied with a nod, this one didn't have one. Once the car was started, Morgan turned back. It was soothing to Zack to hear her voice once again, to be in her presence.

She gave a run down of what was going to happen. Zack found it cute how much she planned. It was something he could appreciate; for Zack was a on-his-feet thinker. He listened intently. Hammer was listening rather intently as well. Hammer was like Zack in the sense that he too was a on-his-feet thinker, though he had an understanding of war strategy and liked it. In this sense, he could respect Morgan for having planned. When Morgan was done with saying her plan, Zack smiled, his lips slightly pursed and his eyes partially squinted. Clearly he was thinking of how to word someting right.

"As much as I like your plan, I don't quite think it will be that straight forward." He managed to say, looking into Morgan's eyes. "When your mom said 'face the odds' I don't think she meant facing the problems of trying to go to the bathroom on a train or something. Don't get me wrong -- if all works out and the train gets us to Miami, then that would be great. I just think that our plan shouldn't be the train so much as going south to Florida." He said, feeling a little bad. He then turned to Hammer.

"What say you?" He asked. Hammer slowly crossed his arms, looking vaguely down.

"Being at camp as long as I have, and hearing the stories of quests gone awry, and of various other things really, I think that this quest is going to be more challenging that we can imagine at the moment. It'd be better to assume the worst will happen, and that plans will fail. I'll agree with Zack that our goal shouldn't be on the train, but going south in general." He stated in his deep voice. He then brought his eyes up and looked at the two. Zack was biting the inside of mouth slightly.

"We'll simply take the train as far as it will safely take us." Zack summed up. "It would be pointless to think of all the possibilites. Almost like the habbit came subconsciously, he started to swirl the ring on his left hand with his right hand, deep in thought, forgetting to bring up the gifts to his friends.

After each of them had talked, I looked at them in turn, trying not to show my incredulity. Did they really think I hadn't thought about this? Did they really think I thought we'd calmly go all the way from New York to Miami?
I mean... we have a Zeus offspring on the loose. It even surprised me nobody attacked us yet.
"Guys," I started, as carefully as Zack did, "I know all this. What I just said is the ideal plan, the plan we would have had if we were normal mortals. Or demigods that didn't smell." I winked at them. "It would have been foolish of me to think we'd reach Miami without any altercations... (I caught myself) In fact - we would be lucky if we reach Miami at all. I talked about the train because it's the fastest and apparently safest and easiest way to reach Miami. We can't risk taking the plane... Not now."
I paused, to let my words some effect, before adding: "It'll be the way Zack described it. We'll have the train carry us as far as it safely can. Then... (I smirked at them) we'll let our brilliant intuitions take over, eh?"
It had always been the idea I had in mind, I had never thought we (=three demigods including a particularly for monsters delicious-smelling son of Zeus) would actually manage a 33-hours-trip on a train and arrive at destination unharmed, but I didn't say it out of fear my words might come out the wrong way. I had the uneasy feeling they were thinking I was kind of ... dumb - okay, dumber than I actually am, I teased myself. But really, if they thought I'd actually believe our trip would go like the plan I presented... that meant a great deal about what they were thinking about my intelligence.
Well, let's just hope they're wrong, I told myself with an inner smirk as I watched the landscape pass away next to us. Argus was driving calmly, and I asked myself how many times he had done this - driving demigods to their quest set-off. Mustn't he be tense? Monsters could attack us at any moment! But he was a mythological creature, perhaps he would reappear some years/centuries later after his 'death'. Who knows.
I noticed Zack playing around with a ring, on his fourth finger. I decided to tease him.
"Hey, I didn't know you've got a fiancée!" I exclaimed, pointing at his ring. Then I noticed the other one, on his other hand. "Oh, there are two of those lucky - or rather unlucky - girls! Is polygamy allowed in America?"

"Ah, show some optimism, dearest," Zack spoke to Morgan, a smile on his face. "We'll get to Miami. We'll finish the quest, even. I don't doubt it. The question is more so when. Hopefully by dinner." Zack joked. "In all seriousness, I know we'll face a lot of challenges during this quest. Challenges I know we can overcome -- if we can get along. I know you two aren't the best of friends, but Hammer and Morgan, you two need to get over your differences. Even the smallest hindrance might cost us a life." He spoke gravely. Sure, they probably already knew this, but it didn't hurt to bring it up. Hammer looked at him and nodded after a second.

"Oh -- the rings?" Zack stopped spinning them and looked at them. "Yes, well they're from -- I'll show you." He said, taking them both off. Hammer looked at him with intrigue, and Zack smiled. Selfish as it was, he liked to be the center of attention at some points.

"In view: a ring with a thunderstorm design on it." He spoke with the mystery of a magician. "But allow me to demonstrate. As you can see, there is nothing behind my back," He said, turning around for them to see his back. "Now, watch what happens," He said. His back was away from them both, sitting in the corner comfortably in the car. He held up a ring with each hand, with his index finger and thumb. Slowly, he put them both behind his back. It was weird, because all he had to do was simply will the rings to turn into swords, and they did. He felt the scabbards of the swords in his hands, and he had them angled so his two audience members couldn't see.

"Viola!" He said, bringing the two swords out. Hammer's red eyes widened.

"They were on my bunk when I went in. And, look--" Zack then unsheathed one, showing it off and all it's glory.

"The only person I can guess it came from was dad." He mentioned.

Leaning back in my seat, I had watched Zack's demonstration with a replica of the amused smile of a skeptic in front of a charlatan. But when he drew the swords from behind his back, I couldn't help but gasp. Two magnificent bronze swords in their scabbards. When he unsheathened one, I could see the blade was embroidered with what seemed to be a lightning... I caught myself. Those were lightnings. White-blue, thin.... I could feel the tension in the air as it got charged with ozone.

"Di Immortales," I murmured, my brown eyes wide.
It was breath-taking art work designed for death.
It didn't surprise me those came from his father; I mean, the lightnings equalled a signature. I admired them for some seconds, feeling optimism for our quest rush into my heart. With such weapons on our side... We could win practically everything. I looked for the names of the weapons, but they were nowhere, neither on the hilts nor on the blade or the sheath.

"These... These are astonishing," I told Zack with admiration. "You must feel very proud."

My thoughts strode back some moments before, and I turned to Hammer, looking directly into his startling blood-red eyes. He had an angular face with a strong jaw and big cheekbones; it was a warrior's face. He was a son of Power, a son of Kratos, and really looked like one.

"I know we had a minor quarrel - but that shouldn't disturb us. We've both proven to be worthy warriors, and I'm honored to lead this quest with you," I said, and extended my right hand.

Zack beamed. Yes, he did feel quite proud. His dad had given him a gift; and not just any old gift. It practically screamed 'Zeus', something Zack was proud about in an of itself -- that he was a son of Zeus. Perhaps his father knew this and that's why he gave him the swords. He was amazingly thankful of his dad. And now he was going to save him. Zack guessed that saving his dad would make it even.

"I look forward to bashing skulls in with you two," Hammer replied, a smirk on his face as his large hand shook Morgan's. He did mean his words -- though he was happy he was going to bash in skulls either way. He may have a small grudge with the girl, but the girl was Zack's friend, and Hammer needed to at least be respectful with his friend's friend. Morgan was no exception.

Hammer's hand was much bigger than mine, and he kind of squashed my fingers between his, but I appreciated the frank hand shaking.

"I'll be glad to," I answered with a smile.

After that, none of us spoke for some time. I was reviewing in my mind all the kicks, sword movements and strategic plans I had learned and looked up at Camp, how to parry most efficiently; I closed my eyes and visualized every movement with precision. I can do this, I can do this, I repeated in my head to boost my confidence.
I even remembered my gymnastic training, because it was a large part of my fighting style: being able to make a flick flack with a sword, dodge by performing a split and cutting the legs while protecting my head with my shield, take hold on my dori to propulse my feet off the ground, looping in the air and landing with my feet on my target's shoulders so to squash them to the ground - and having them in position either to behead them or to pierce them throught the heart.
I redid every movement slowly in my head, searching for possible flaws, and perfecting them if I found some.
Argus was still driving , and after one hour, we reached New York. It was not the first time I ever had been in NYC, yet I was always fascinated by the height and modern elegance of the skyscrapers. I loved the combination of slim metall, glass and pure lines.
The roads were full and the traffic thick; but I looked at my watch and, seeing we still had some time ahead of us, I relaxed again, though I didn't like traffic jam. It was often a good place to be attacked at.

After half an hour, we eventually reached New York Penn Station. I was admirative of it's height and width, yet I felt a pang of nostalgia, because it made me think of the Lehrter Bahnhof in Berlin. 'When would I be there again?' I asked myself. 'Will I ever be able to go there again?' was, in fact, the real question I had in mind.
I thanked Argus for the drive - he nodded assent - and I got out of the car. I took my and the boys' backpacks out of the trunk and put mine on my shoulder.

"This is where we part, then," I stated, looking at Argus.

I shook his hand, careful not squeeze the eyes on it too much, then I turned to the boys.

"Let us be off," I said, looking around. "We must be attracting all the monsters in 50 kilometers' range."

"See ya, Argus," Zack spoke, getting out of the car and placing an arm around Morgan's should. Hammer gave Argus a small nod of respect as he closed the door, and Argus drove off, becoming but a small speck off in the distance. Zack shot a look at Hammer just to see his general composure (mild annoyance, as usual), and then to Morgan.

"What train are we leaving on?" He asked, looking at the place in general, trying to get a mental layout in his young and inquisitive head.

"We're taking the 91 Silver Star, from platform 3," I answered. "It leaves at 11:02 am.

I glanced at my silver watch, on my left arm, and frowned slightly.

"It's 10:53. We'd better be quick."

Holding my backpack firmly over one shoulder, I started pushing my way through the crowd. By Hades, how could so many people be here in the morning? Okay, it wasn't that early, but still. It was one of the biggest crowds I had ever spotted.
I had to use my elbows while being careful not to lose sight of Zack and Hammer. For Hammer, it wasn't that difficult because of his broad built; for Zack, who was slim but tall, it was easy to mistake others for being him.
It took us more than five minutes to find the platform and to squash our way through, but I was glad we had finally reached it. As we got into the train, I stumbled on a stair in my unique skillfulness, but caught myself in time. Nonetheless, I heard some laughs behind me.
A bit flushed, I started looking for our seats, still stealing glances behind me to make sure they were following. Some people were looking at me weirdly because my military clothes, but I payed them no attention.

I eventually got sight of our seats.

"Finally!" I smiled and put my backpack on one of them. I could've put it up, but I preferred to keep my stuff close to me, just in case.

Zack and Hammer both followed the lovely Morgan Landry to the train. Zack almost had to catch his love, who almost tumbled down the stairs, but as he should have known, his girlfriend was quite agile enough to get herself out of that situation with enough ease to make it look like it never happened (or so Zack percieved; the giggles behind Morgan were on cue to her stumble). Hammer was getting eyed at by some girls around his age, however had no mind to pay attention, to even notice their flirtatious smiles. Zack had seen them looking at Hammer out of the corner of his turquoise eyes, and lightly smirked. Zack would be more surprised than a five year old getting a new Xbox 360 for Christmas if Hammer fell in love. He seemed quite incapable of that, and for that reason, found Hammer all the more interesting.

Stepping onto the train at the time it started, Zachary smiled widely as Morgan placed her backpack into the red cotton-cushioned chair. He took his off and placed it in the seat next to her's. Hammer silently went to the two seats behind him. Luckily the row was empty, so he took his backpack off, put it on the seat closest to the outside, and sat in the inside, observing the moving pavement out the window.

That was, until a voice interrupted the short-tempered Hammer.

It was a large man. And by large, I don't mean tall -- unless you could tall horizontally. It was the biggest man Hammer had ever met. Hammer wondered if his belly was in fact made of straight mayonnaise.

"Is this your backpack?" The porky man asked. Hammer didn't even answer. He took his backpack, and out of the big-boned male's view, rolled his eyes.

Great. Zack sits with a fit girl with no worries about space. Doesn't have to worry about space at all. Me? I'm a big muscular guy having to sit with a guy who has more fat than a doctor's yearly total of liposuction.

The man sat down squishing Hammer closer to than window than he was comfortable. He thought he'd probably be more comfortable stuck in a barrel.

Zack looked behind to see how Hammer was fairing. He looked wide eyed, traded glances at Hammer, whose eyes said 'Kill me' while Zack's replied 'Dear god am I sorry.'

Removing his backpack to his lap as he sat down, Zack looked at Morgan.

"How long is this train ride supposed to last?" He asked, hopefully to benefit Hammer. He looked miserable, and a short train ride looked like all the hope he could need before he knocked the guy next to him out and somehow fitted the man's body out the window.

The train began to move and the New York Penn Station melted into the distance. I suddenly realized I hadn't taken the train in a long time, and it made me think of Berlin, and when I used to take the ICE to go and visit my grandparents. At the recollection of that, a faint smile twisted my lips.

At that moment, I saw a huge man coming our way.
Okay, I knew there were obesity problems in the USA, far more than in the countries I had been in previously. But this? This had its place in the book of records. His enormous belly floated in front of him like a giant balloon, and his legs were fat and shapeless. I wondered how he could walk without falling to the front, pulled down by the mass of his stomach.
He walked past us and addressed Hammer.
Zack and I exchanged a look of dismay. Was he going to sit next to him? It soon proved out he was.
I bit my lip.
Hammer wasn't the thinnest of men, but at least, his width was made of muscles.
I looked over to him and made an excusing face so only he could see me, and not the man next to him.

"Sorry," I whispered.

I turned my face to Zack to answer his question.

"I'm afraid it lasts long... 6 hours, perhaps even 7."

While I was speaking, I caught myself gazing into his shapely turquoise eyes. At first, I had always thought they were blue, but now I had looked into his eyes deeply several times, I could see they were not entirely blue, but pale blue-green, the color of rain. I had eventually decided the color was either aquamarine or turquoise.

Hammer made a grim face that looked like it seriously considered strangling the man next to him. He deeply sighed, and looked out the window.

Great, 7 hours of me being pent up. I really hope we get to fight the biggest monster after this...I wanna rip off some heads.

Zack, as expected, was feeling severely bad for his muscular friend.

But there was nothing to do about it. The man looked easily agitated, so if Zack was to even trade spots with Hammer, the man would make a big deal out of it, and by then it wouldn't even be worth the effort. Zack smiled at Morgan, and then relaxed in his red chair.

"Well, best rest for as long as we can for the journey ahead." Zack said, closing his eyes, and waiting for sleep to come his way. He wasn't really all that tired, but he could at least try and sleep.

I itched on my seat, feeling a bit uneasy. I would have gladly switched places with Hammer, but I felt it wasn't to be. So I turned my head, innerly wishing him the best of luck and the most of endurance and patience. Poor lad.

I turned to Zachary, who said, as always, a wise thing.
Sleep... I had woken up at 5 am this morning because of the stress - I always wake up early when I'm stressed, especially through exam times. The sleep would go away at once and I would find myself staring endlessly at the ceiling without any clue whatsoever about what to do. Most of the time, I would just get up and start working or reading.
But a Quest was worse than an exam, and all I had done was rolling from side to side in my bed, trying to find sleep. I would've trained... if I could. But there was nobody up at 5 am, safe for some children of the morning star or the dawn. But they weren't known for their combat skills, so I had forgotten that. Besides, we weren't allowed to get out of our cabins before a certain hour. Cabin leaders were exempt, most of the time, but that wasn't my case. I was just a fellow cabin mate.

So now, after the initial excitement wore off a little, along with the stress, I felt my eyelids flutter. Even though I was still alert, the thought of a nap slowly but surely made its way into my mind. I knew it wasn't wise to sleep now - anything could happen.
But it hadn't been wise either not to sleep this night, but that had, in the end, not been entirely my fault. I mean, what could I do in that case? Take sleeping pills? Pff.
I looked out of the window, my hand cupping my cheek. As my gaze strode aimlessly across the melting landscapes, I felt I was acutely aware of my backpack at my feet. I was afraid I had forgotten something - water, food, equipment... or worse: weapons.
I quickly checked. My hoplon, disguised as a bracelet made of two leather straps, was at my wrist. Good.
My dori, in trekking-stick-form, was in a strap at the side of my backpack.
And Apokryphos, my weapon, was as usual in my left pocket. In my right, I had my phone. I know what you're going to say: demigods with phones? That's suicide!
Well, I am the daughter of a minor divinity. And no monster had found me - yet. Perhaps my scent wasn't strong enough because my mother wasn't an Olympian.
Anyhow, I was suddenly afraid of using it - because of Zachary. If I phoned now... next to Zachary... could monsters find us because of that?
I grew more nervous and told my thoughts to shut down. I had, like Zack said, to relax.

So I crossed my legs, folded my arms under my chest and inclined my head, like I did when I was little and wanted to take a nap in the car.
I waited several minutes, but sleep would not come. I always had problems with this: I could not sleep when I was sitting. I had to be lying down somewhere. Silently, I cursed out of frustration:

"Vlakas!" I articulated in Ancient Greek, speaking too silently for anybody, even Zack, to hear.

Glancing at him, I saw he already had his eyes shut. I didn't want to wake him.
His presence was soothing, though. I felt ... How did I felt? Protected? Hmm. Not enough. At ease? To weak. No, I think the good term would be secure. I felt I was in security with him. I found it odd, especially now he was sleeping, but finding that out made me feel better. I took the opportunity to study him again: his long hair that framed his pale face with gold, his neat, straight nose, the pale swelling of his lips above the decisive form of his chin.
I resisted the urge to kiss his cheekbone, because that might wake him up unnecessarily. A faint smile played on my lips as I continued to watch him like this. I couldn't help but thinking: he's the son of Zeus. He's intelligent.
He's my boyfriend.
Now I thought about it, I found a funny twist in our relationship: Zeus had honored my mother, Hecate, above all other divinities by giving her major powers over earth, sea and sky.
Zeus had admired Hecate... and probably still did.
So his father had a soft spot for my mother.
And we - two of their children - were dating. Yes, it was funny, I thought, smiling a little more. Just enough to let my teeth show.

Okay, all this mythologico-romantical theories laid apart, I still should sleep.
Sighing, I put my head lightly on his shoulder, hoping it didn't weigh too much (well, I didn't think the half-neuron that vegetated in the empty space up there was too heavy), and closed my eyes. Sleep Morgan, I told myself. You'll need this rest later.

With his eyes shut but his brain still active, Zack became a bit more alerted of his surroundings. He could hear Hammer moving around in his chair, probably hoping to find a place of comfort. There was silence from his love, but that soon became meaningless with a simple gesture of leaning on his shoulder. He, in turn, rested his head on hers. Letting out a sigh of a mixture of the most positive feelings a being, whether human, god, or somewhere in the middle, could feel, like happiness, love, joy, contentment, empowerment, Zack felt amazing. He felt on top of the world. He smiled widely, and mentally thanked the gods, and then specifically thanked Tyche, who gave him such wonderful luck. Even if he could change anything he could about his life, Zack wouldn't. He couldn't ask for more splendid girlfriend, for better friends (whether Hammer acknowledged Zack's view of him as a friend was unimportant), a father who did care (shown through his lovely gifts) -- anything -- he couldn't be more happy.

He could smell the odors of a populated area. Smells of sweat and perfume; foods like nuts and meats and bread; the essence of sweeter things, like pies, pastries, and most thankfully of Morgan's hair. Whatever shampoo she used, or if it was her own distinct scent, it was simply sublime.

He could hear conversations going on, from celebrity gossip (no, I didn't know that actress was pregnant. And it wasn't even her husbands! How dare she...), to a professor going on about his theory of plasticity in the brain to a college. He could hear laughter from behind, the train passing smoothly over its rails, and the faint sound of a dog barking (were dogs allowed on board?); everything felt at ease.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't sleep. He was alert observant, as if he were caught in a fight. His first quest had him excited. He still had a good night of sleep before, but now that he was here, you know, on his way to Miami, he was ready. He lightly kissed the forehead of Morgan to show his love for her, and to hope his feelings of bliss would pass on.

So he allowed himself to rest like this. Not sleeping, but allowing himself to relax.

~~~

Hammer was having trouble showing the same excitement of the quest. It was his first quest, but he just wished an army attacked them. He was never known for his patience, or of emotional matters (other than anger), so he nearly scoffed at Zack's suggestion to rest.

Rest? Hammer thought, mentally laughing. I'd much rather fight Ares one on one with my bare fists.

Being a general grump about his situation, he found it increasingly difficult to find a comfortable position. He eventually did, however -- well, comfortable enough. Not too much to his surprise, the man next to him pulled out a big bucket full of fried chicken and started to munch on it like a snack.

Only in America... Hammer sighed.

Happiness came even more when Zack leaned his head on mine and I smiled widely. With my eyes shut, I couldn't see him, but all the same, I was feeling amazing. Then, he placed a kiss on my forehead and it seemed like everything was just right. I hoped this moment would last as long as possible.
Our legs were touching, and I enjoyed feeling the hardness of his knee through the fabric of his trousers. It felt intimate, but not too much. I liked it.

~~~

A dog's barking woke me up. Had I been asleep? Probably. But I didn't feel like I had rested, because my eyelids were still fluttering a bit. Perhaps it had just been a kind of half-sleep, the kind I had when I slept in sitting position.
Suppressing a yawn, I turned to Zack and smiled at him. Then I turned and gazed between our seats to check whether Hammer was still alive or not - but apparently, he had survived until now. I turned back and crossed my legs. My trekking trousers were really comfortable. They seemed rough at first sight, but they had a soft interior and were wind- and water safe.
The dog's barking became louder and I understood it was coming towards us. Apparently, it was alone. I frowned. Couldn't the master keep an eye on his beast?
As it came next to us, I recognized an ugly black and white bulldog. With a smile, I recalled how my brother always said they looked like they had run against a wall to have their head so squashed up.
But now, it was starting to sniff Zack's trousers with interest. It wouldn't have bothered me if it hadn't started to growl.
Raising my eyebrows I looked at Zack.

"Seems your perfume doesn't suit him," I teased him.

The barking of Zack had stirred him from a very light nap. His opened his eyes and his head followed the source of the noise: a pure white and a contrasting charcoal black bulldog. While most people considered them ugly, he had always found a soft spot for 'em. He knew they weren't as attractive as others, but it still seemed cute.

“I thought no one would notice!” Zack jokingly replied to Morgan. He brought his arms down to the dog and started to give it some lovin’.

“Who’s a good boy?” He talked to the dog and it rolled on its back and Zack scratched its stomach. It seemed to be enjoying itself very much so.

”I hate animals,” Hammer spoke, shaking his head at Zack’s actions.

“Ah, there’s no reason to be a kill joy, Hammer,” Zack said in return to his friend.

”Annoying creatures.” Hammer said in disapproval, as he went back to being his quiet self.

“I just don’t think you’ve met a good one,” Zack suggested. Hammer didn’t reply, but instead he just rolled his eyes.

Hammer had never liked animals. It seemed to be something he was born with. Cats, dogs, bunnies – anything that wasn’t a person Hammer found bothersome. They were vicious and dumb. Made messes everywhere…what was there to like? How could others like animals that much? Zack was insane. Well, that he kind of knew already.

Speaking of Zack, when Hammer found that Zack was a powerful enemy (the Nigel incident), and that he could understand him, Hammer grew a large amount of respect for the son of Zeus. Hammer was feared 90% of the time, and the other ten percent was fear – well, before Zack and Morgan. While Morgan still seemed uneasy towards him, Zack was someone who he could at least talk to. A good friend, he was. Perhaps this quest was going to be a good time after all.

Zack looked over at Morgan, who looked nervous and deep in thought. He placed an arm around her shoulder.

"Are you all right?" He asked her. He half way ignored the growling of the dog -- thing probably was just going a bit crazy or something. Then the dog nipped Zack. It drew a small amount of blood from Zack's large hands, and he was confused. The dog was just having the time of its life a minute ago.

"Playful little thing..." Zack mumbled off, bringing the blood on his hands to his mouth and sucking on the wound to clean it a bit. But then the dog started to bite at Zack's pants.

"All right, guy, it's high time you head off." Zack said to the dog.

"I told you." Hammer stated.

Zack didn't reply, and attempted to push the dog out of their row with his foot. He didn't seem to want to leave, but was getting more aggressive. Perhaps it was just better to ignore the thing.

"Anyway, are you feeling all right, gorgeous?" He asked Morgan, still with an arm around her shoulder.