Homecoming (LEAR PLOT, Private)

Dimitri had no idea how late it was. Well, that wasn't entirely truthful, he'd kept a brief eye on the time whenever possible before they took the walk through what his dad used to call "the maze." It couldn't have been any later than 10:00 PM, but it felt like the moon was destined to be the only thing in the sky forever. Despite the spring beginning to kick in across North America, there was a coldness running through the air that night, it sent shivers through Dimitri's spine. The demigod hadn't said any prayers the morning or night prior, it was a belief that was now long gone to him. In the moment, he was beginning to wonder if maybe he should have.

He'd brought extra gear for once, mostly because he knew for a fact Dominika and Nestor would be going with him. If anything happened to either of them, he'd feel responsible for it. It was his idea to go, and as much as it reignited an old sense within him that people were willing to rally with him, he was beginning to think he should have done this alone. Having Dominika with him to face this meant the world to him, but it also meant he'd allowed his entire world to be put at risk. The dangerous parts were over for the most part, Dimitri figured. They were looking for straggler monsters once they hit the farm, but with the view around them so dark, Dimitri still worried. It only took one second, and it could all be over. He wouldn't be able to get passed Dominika dying right here.

While he didn't have much of a bond with Nestor, the son of Athena, he still shared the sentiment that it was his responsibility to make sure they all left this alive. If things went smoothly, it would be easy-going from here. "Keep your eyes open." Dimitri said, glancing around the area. "It only takes one to do somethin' lethal." Dimitri imagined it must have been eerie to the other two demigods, as far as the eye could see it was just a dirt road, occasionally forking, and forest surrounded the road. To him, it wasn't so strange. To Dimitri, it was just as simple as home.

The trip so far had been mildly successful, though if Dimitri was being truthful in a critique, he would have several cliff-notes to read over. Picking the route was a hassle in general, going south to Georgia then west had some merit, as the roads were more populated and there would be less stops and more people, masking their scent more. To Dimitri, it only made sense to take a direct line soutwest line from New York. He supposed the route wasn't the worst thing to not have planned, considering a stray early monster attack had them abandoning the planned route they had decided on. They'd been winging it the rest of the way, and to Dimitri's surprise, it had worked really well. They were here, after all.

They'd encountered a select few dangerous "work hazards" on the way. Dimitri wasn't in particularly fond of the giants, they reminded him of a time when he could only attack from hiding. Other "work hazards" included rabid shadow dogs with lobster heads, a pretty big lion with a metallic mane, and a pretty odd misunderstanding with some merpeople. Dimitri didn't know they could exist with legs but a gill body. It was a learning experienced, he supposed.

He'd been glad he'd actually brought his sword with him for once. As it stood, the sword couldn't retract in any form, which meant concealing it wasn't the easiest task, though he wasn't worrying about it once he hit the maze. "The maze" was a nickname for the set of roads that were by Midnight Farm, coincidentally, only one of the roads lead there, and many of the roads seemed to lead back to other previous intersections and forks. He'd lost his way on it once during a kid, and his dad took him out to show him the entirety of the roads. Dimitri knew them like the back of his hand, though thinking back, Dimitri didn't understand why so few of the roads led to property, but rather in circles? He figured it could have been explained as proper cattle room.

"It ain't that much further. Maybe a few more minutes straight, it'll be on our left." Dimitri explained. When he'd suggested they investigate here, he had to go for more than just personal reasons; it only made sense to send at least him out of anyone, he knew the area, it was his home once. Dimitri turned back, making brief eye contact with Dominika. He wasn't sure if it was intentional, it was pretty dark, for all he knew, she didn't even see it. "I love you." He whispered to her, though he wasn't sure if he was trying to reassure her or himself in the moment. He hadn't had to face this place in some time. He wasn't sure how he would stand up to the familiar place.

"Either way, I think we'll have to rough it out until mornin', we can't get a thorough investigation in without the sun." Dimitri concluded. "But, it wouldn't hurt to get a look in now, see if we can find anythin'." The demigod said, taking a glance at the two. Having a plan never hurt. "How does that sound to you two?" Dimitri asked.

The road trip was longer than he expected. They'd gone South, going at a rather average speed on a highway. He packed his sword in a bag filled with unnecessary things comprising of a book about nuclear physics, an iPad, a novel about time travel and JLA: Earth 2 and a Greek fire bomb wired to a Hydrogen bomb he'd constructed. Most of the journey he spent his time on the iPad drawking sketches and illustrate any possible theories of time travel. And write posts about astrophysics on his Tumblr blog.

When they finally stopped it was about ten p.m. The darkness felt creepy. Made his arachnophobia tingling. He left the dufflebag, but brought his sword and wore his armor, the Greek fire bomb carefully cased. For miles there was nothing but dirt roads and trees as far as the eye can see. This was where the secret location was? Makes sense, since it was difficult for one to find a house here.

"Gotcha." he nodded, circling the empty patch of ground they parked their vehicle on. Aside from the sound of crickets and occasionally wolves howling it was silent.

"Break of dawn. The sun would provide us with a better view." Nestor shrugged. "Besides it's easier to get ambushed in the dark."

Each moment was just a little more intense to Dimitri, and he wasn't very good with any form of deceit. He'd said he loved Dominika, so if something happened tonight, he'd said that, at least. She said something back, but it was inaudible, and he decided not to press her on volume, given that the less nose they made; the better. It almost felt like going to see a loved one after years away. In a way, the farm was a loved one to him, he'd had countless memories and experiences there. It was likely pretty clear on his face that he wasn't calm, but it was dark, so it wouldn't exactly be easy to make out his facial features. Not to mention, considering the circumstances, a stressed expression would be normal for anyone to have.

He looked back to his two companions, taking a halt. There was a lot flowing through his mind at one time, and it was all a little difficult to process, but he remained focused. "Yeah, I agree." He said to both parties. "Still, I don't know how safe it is to start puttin' our heads to rest here; sight line ain't so great with trees everywhere." Dimitri pointed out. "I'm thinkin' we're sittin' ducks if we bunk in the middle of nowhere. We should at least step foot in the farm, bunk there. Sight line is a ton better than it is 'round the road. How do you two feel about it?" The demigod asked. He continued his forward trek again. Despite his calm demeanor, his heart now started pounding.

He caught his first glimpse of a house-like building through the trees, at a diagonal angle. The whole property would be in sight now too. "Just, be ready, just'n case."

After a while the facade of a building came into view behind the trees. Nestor raised his sword incase something went wrong. "Maybe we just camp somewhere near the farm, I agree. If one of us is gonna guard then it should be me. Since I just drank two Monster Energy's and a Diet Coke with some coffee. I'm hyped." Nestor said. He looked at his watch. 10:24. "Sun should be up in 8 hours."

"Wasn't implying that we just rest here. Anyway, lets get going shall we?" She suggested and continued to walk further along the dirt road with the others. She could see what seemed to be the makeshift of the house. There was a little bit of sadness that was left inside of her. She had never seen the place before or met his parents, but she wished she had the chance to. Things in life didn't work out how you wanted them to. If they did, she would have had a happy little life with her mother and father, and her sister would be her full sister. She would be happy and she would pursue her dreams, she'd still have her leg. That was if the world was perfect, but it wasn't.

She wanted to comfort Dimitri, but she also didn't want to make Nestor feel left out or a third wheel. "Where do you think we should start looking first?" She asked to the both of them as they continued to walk. "Also if you're up for it, you can do first watch tonight Nestor. I can do second watch." Nika offered

(too tired to feel like coding this.)

Dimitri wasn't exactly sure how to interject his opinion to the two. He felt that there was no point in keeping the others up; he wouldn't be sleeping tonight no matter what. Still, he wasn't entirely sure he trusted his own eyes. Dimitri didn't want to take the last steps yet, he didn't feel ready. But Dominika and Nestor had continued, and Dimitri wasn't willing to stall their progress. The demigod steeled himself in the moment, and took his pace back up. Soon, the treeline would hit a break, and that would be where the farm was. It was fitting that it be so late, when they reached Midnight Farm.

When they reached the start of the fence, it had all become too real. They'd passed the section of road Dimitri had killed Truman on long ago. There was no blood, his or Dimitri's, left, almost like nothing had happened there. Dimitri figured it could have easily been cleaned by rain over the days and nights, but that section specifically would always be permanently etched in his mind. The cold familiarity of home seeped in to Dimitri when the treeline ended, and the white picket fence began. It would have been easy enough to just hop, but Dimitri continued his walk forward, the break in the fence wasn't that far, and he felt he had to walk in the way it was meant to.

The demigod was utterly silent, his facial expression was somewhere between calm and disturbed, but his back was to the other demigods. There was nothing left to say to his allies. They'd had their game plan and advice, and Dimitri had told Dominika he loved her, so whatever happened next, he had no regrets. When they had reached the break in the fence, Dimitri nearly expected to see lights on in the home, the first building on the property. It was the same as ever, only desolate. No crops were planted, anything that was there was long dead, and no animals wandered the grounds anymore.

Something did catch Dimitri's eye, however. The mailbox, by the entrance, the red arrow was up. Dimitri's eyes widened, he was certain it was closed last time. He wanted to communicate with his allies, but there was nothing useful for them to learn about his emotions. He nearly glanced back, but he couldn't bare to look away from the mailbox. His hands shuffled the front open, and he half-expected it to be one of the letters he'd sent home from camp. Surely enough, it wasn't. Growing up, Dimitri's family very rarely received any mail. Not only was their home so far away from the grid, but they were a relatively closed in family.

Dimitri took the pale gold envelope in his hands, as though he was holding the world's most valuable treasure. His eyes narrowed as he tried to make out what it said. Dimitri frowned, he needed light, and he needed it right now. He fumbled around his pockets, trying to find the book of matches he'd stuffed in there earlier, in case they needed fire. He turned back from the farm, so that his back would cover the small flame, and lit a match.

The envelope was addressed directly to him, Dimitri Midnight. The return address wasn't much of an address, but the entire state of California. Where Camp Jupiter was. Dimitri broke the seal gently, and carefully removed the contents. There was a card, with very little in it. The card had bold block letters in it, and read:


Dimitri carefully put the card back in the envelope, and tucked it away. There were oceans of emotions resting in his chest, but his facial expression was calm. He had so many questions and so many unresolved conflicts, he couldn't bare to wait another minute to enter the farm, even though it was the last thing he wanted to do.

"They're connected." Dimitri confirmed. He spoke in a different general tone than usual. The demigod was pretty shot, and didn't have desire to show feeling. "Someone beat us here. I don't really know how much we're gonna find, but, the sooner the better."

Nestor wandered around, looking for signs, or anything for the quest. The farmhouse should be lit up with light, he thought, but it must've been abandoned for years now. If so, why didn't the people from the state come and make use of this land? No, the logical conclusion would be weeks, months, or barely days ago. If so, Lear must have received an early warning or such.

He touched his hand on the fence. Still in good shape. No particular signs of it preparing to collapse. Felt like someone was here. He peered at the window, but the darkness made it difficult to see.

"Should we investigate the farm house? Or leave it until break of dawn?" Nestor suggested, glancing in all directions.

Nestor grabbed the small thermal lense he kept in his pocket. Cut from a pair of thermal glasses, wired to a battery that lasts 15 minutes tops. He put it to his eye and circled the landscape.

Empty

In the heat of the moment, Dimitri hadn't considered that he was keeping information from his allies. He'd never done anything like it before, but where such a matter was so personal to him, it never crossed his mind that it would be important to the others what was written. It made him feel guilty, but that feeling was the least of his emotional burden at the moment. He was angry that this card existed. Was it just there to mock him or was a genuine notice, that Truman had broken some sort of code? Was it just a game to twist and play with Dimitri's feelings? His parents meant the world to him, and it looked like someone else was willing to kill over them too, even if it was merely ethics. The thought made Dimitri furious, but also confused and depressed.

"Yeah." Dimitri plainly replied to Dominika. "We should hit the house. First one, the one on the right. To the left've that's the barn, then further left's where the horses used to be." Dimitri had wanted to say something along the lines of "I'm going either way." However, Dimitri wasn't willing to split up from his allies, especially because it was his idea to come here. If he'd wanted to press forward on his own, he could have came on his own. As hard as it was to balance his personal mission and his mission for camp, he'd taken on responsibility back at his second home. Lear had to be stopped.

The group walked the dirt path, which was pretty hard to see in the night. However, Dimitri knew the path by heart, he'd walked it before sunrise nearly every morning for over a decade. The house was the closest split from the path. Walking up the few steps onto the front porch was absolutely surreal. Last time he'd been here it had all been an adrenaline rushed moment. This time, he relived a great deal of memories in the slow, cold, dead of the night. He gripped the door knob, and slowly opened the door. There were no locks in the house, not even on the front door. Dimitri felt even more regret; it could have saved their lives. And they'd be sleeping here tonight, too.

"Watch your step." Dimitri commented, quietly, to his companions. Last time he was here, there was some debris on the floor from the struggle his parents had. "Just gimme a second..." Dimitri said in a wind up, quickly closing the curtains for the one window that wasn't already covered. It wasn't the safest move, but they needed light, especially if something was in the house. The only thing more conspicuous than a curtain closing was lights flashing on. Dimitri pulled the light switch from the ceiling, and the light on the main room sprang on.

He immediately looked at the corner, across from the kitchen, where the fireplace was. The bloodstains were still there.

Nestor followed the demigods as they walked along the dirt path. He stepped with a hurried pace but fortunately lightly. He gripped his sword in case they needed to repel an ambush. A perfectionist, he was. Always overly careful and makes everything perfect. He remembered the last time he went to a farm far in a town called Eisenburg (as in Jesse Eisenberg). Mosquitos, bug bites, the intolerable heat made him hate campings and farms.

Fortunately they had a house.

As they stepped on the porch, Nestor observes carefully around him. Nothing spectacular. He entered the farmhouse and covered his eye, wincing slightly. "Sorry. Unadapted to sunlight. Or any light beams.". He dashed his eyes around.

Again, nothing.

Until he squinted his eyes when he spotted the fireplace. "I'm going to assume that is ketchup mixed with artifical coloring chemicals aka is that blood? Or chili sauce?" Nestor questioned.

"Not a whole lotta colorin' that comes natural." Dimitri commented. Though, his comment was aimed to be more of a distraction to his allies than actual insight. Despite having two other people in the room, Dimitri was feeling very alone. It was just as surreal as it was last time, seeing the house. Pictures were hung on the wall, though any with Dimitri he was far younger, furniture was mostly neat, save for the corner, and decorations were layed out. It was something Dimitri never had questioned until he'd been away for so long; why did they always keep the house so nice, tidy, and decorated? There were only a few visitors in his entire lifetime there.

"Sadly, that blood ain't no clue. That blood belongs to the owners of the farms. It's a real shame that their last visitors didn't have the decency to clean the blood." Dimitri was pretty adamant on his statement, despite the fact that he was referring to himself. All Dimitri was expecting to find when they'd set out was maybe something Truman had left behind, and hopefully capture one of their trained monsters. However, with that letter in the mail, Dimitri was on his toes. Unless Lear felt legitimately guilty, that letter was a telltale sign that something was wrong. But if Lear did feel remorse, then the situation was worse. "I'm hopin' that Lear didn't already double-back with her monsters." Dimitri voiced to the group. Even though he was feeling personal torment, he made sure to believe none of it mattered. He had to keep going forward.

"Let's just, quickly take a look at the rooms. In and out, there's only a few'n here. If y'all wanna look't the barn after, then I'll go with you." Dimitri said. He wasn't the most excited to be scoping his own house for threats, but it had to be done. The only rooms they had to look at were his parent's old room, his old room, and the kitchen. The rooms were pretty open and large, but the house overall was small, to maximize the rest of the property's space.

Nestor entered a bathroom. He flushed the toilet and opened the sprinklers. Water still running. The sole lightbulb had power. He walked to the opposite of the bathroom to the broom closet. Dust was released when he opened it. Old mops and brooms. Hardly been used. He inspected everything carefully, before walking out to the hallway.

"You know the owners of this farm?" he raised an eyebrow at Dimitri's remark. If this was his family farm then…oh dear. Fortunately it was hypothetical. He would never understand the feeling of being orphaned. He met his mother only once. Last winter solstice. And if he lost his father and stepmother…simply pain.

"Aye, let's check the barn." Nestor agreed. They would need to find a place to charge his phone sooner because he himself boosted it to the point it could catch signals out in the woods.

Then something occured to him. "Hey Di. Who's paying the electric bill?"

Ironically, the room Dimitri took was one he knew very little about. It was his parent's only little corner of privacy from him, their bedroom. The room was nearly fluorescent, taking on a primarily white theme with subtle pink features every so often. Under different circumstances, Dimitri would never pass up the chance to ask his dad why he'd chosen pink as a color for his bedroom, though he figure he'd do anything for his wife, even sleep under pink roses. He'd only seen the room one other time, and it was so long ago that he couldn't recall anything about it. He didn't know the first thing about where things would be.

He turned the lights on, and they were more bright than he'd figured the rest of the house was. His eyes took a harsh hit from the adjustment, but it didn't deter him from looking. His eyes ached from tiredness, and his mind yearned to be able to see clearly again once more. His bloodshot eyes scanned the room. His parents had spent every night there, together. Now they were dead, two people who had given up everything to raise some child they didn't even know. Two people who had nothing but love and kindness in their heart. His parents were the type of people to do the right thing, always, they made the world, a cold and dark place, worth living in again. They were truly good people, heroes even, and now they were dead, all because of Dimitri.

"You know the owners of this farm?"

"Yeah. Used to be my parents." Dimitri answered, a short response. The demigod felt a wild sense of distraught pile onto him the more he thought about it. If he hadn't been so close with them, they wouldn't be dead, and they would still be making the world a better place. The demigod was glad he was alone, he didn't exactly yearn to presence of others while he searched the room. Clearly nothing that was a living threat was in the room, Dimitri had mostly been searching through everything for personal reasons while Dominika searched the other rooms. Dimitri had found lots of things that held tormenting knowledge of the past. Photos, jewelry tapes, old love letters, and the bottle of liquor a year his dad allowed in the house. "All clear." Dimitri called out to his allies, silently enough to keep it in the house.

Dimitri opened up one of the last drawers, and in it was a perfectly untouched hand, literally, from someone's body. The sight left Dimitri in a shock, but his body didn't react. He knew from that instant that it was his mom's hand, and it wasn't just because the wedding ring still on the finger. The features were identical to his mom's. Dimitri was beginning to feel pretty dark in the moment, it felt like Truman was alive all over again. This Lear person was clearly connected. Dimitri just wanted it to be over. He wanted Lear to be dead, so that he wouldn't have to feel the sharp drive forcing him forward.

"Hey Di. Who's paying the electric bill?"

Dimitri paused. The hand was a lot to take in, among everything else around him. His home had just always had power when he was a child, the concept that it had to be imported or created never even hit him, until Nestor had pointed it out and it hit him like a brick. "I-" Dimitri was about to respond, but then suddenly a loud crashing sound banged from outside, towards the barn. All he could think of was that someone was out there, someone who should be killed.

Dimitri didn't say anything. His mind had become utterly flustered in a hurricane of emotions and feelings. The demigod stuffed the ring in his pocket and turned back, not a single ounce of hesitation stopped him. He didn't bother attempting to look out the window or make a game plan. His heart wasn't with Camp Half-Blood in the moment. When he stormed out that front door and towards the barn, it turned out his heart had died a long time ago.

If Dimitri had been paying attention, he would have noticed several things out of place on the Midnight homestead. Tire tracks which lead to the barn. An old van parked in front of the barn. And three goodly sized Cyclopes ready to kill Greek demigods.

Bolt, Stem and Axel were waiting quietly for the demigods to come out of the house. The first one had stormed out already, heading to the barn, but they wanted all three at once. Kill them by surprise.

Axel shifted his position from the barn loft, looking over to the other two Cyclopes. This was their chance to prove they were competent monsters. All it took was patience for this bait to work.

"What the hell?" Nestor muttered. There was the sound of crashing, banging. Coming from the barn. Nestor peeked through the curtains. Dimitri was already heading toward the barn. That was rash. Then something hit Nestor like lightning on the pole of the clock tower. There was a truck here. Only until now did he notice the old pickup. It would be regular if the Midnight family left the truck there. Except for the fact that earlier when he checked the road, there was a black trail. It would be normal if this area didn't have so much rain.

Someone was here

He attempted to call out for the son of Cymopoleia, but that was fatally dangerous. He couldn't go after him because by then Dimitri would've been in the barn. Nestor did the only logical thing then.

He dashed up the stairs, turning around the corner. A room was open. When he poked his head in, Dominika was sitting on a bed. Checking stuffs of the household. He frowned.

"What are you doing?" Nestor asked curiously, driven away by his ADHD. Then he shook his head in dismissal. "Nevermind. There's something in the barn. Dimitri's heading for it." he said frantically.

Dimitri's sword was drawn in his hand when he'd left the house, the door shut behind him, though it didn't stay that way for long. Dominika had barged out when Dimitri was close to the barn, his barn. Dimitri's ears quite literally rang, with a fierce echo. The disorientation made things difficult to process, as a whole. He tried to stay alert for anything, but even his vision was beginning to blur, making it impossible to see anything in the distance during the darkened night. His steps were not quick, all Dimitri felt was utter disappointment, anguish, and rage, all bundled together into some twisted emotion he couldn't begin to understand, especially while under it's state.

He hardly was able to make out her first sentence, when she insulted him. The demigod stopped dead in his tracks, only feet away from the barn. He listened to the rest of what she had to say, but hardly was able to. Who did she think she was? Every bad moment Dimitri had shared with her now played through his head. When she was short with him when they first met, and lied about allergy season. When they'd been at that meeting and she didn't stand with him. She hadn't even kissed him without calling him an idiot, even when they agreed to date she had called him an idiot. Even now, back home, she looked embarrassed to comfort him when he faced everything. Dimitri knew she never meant any of it, but in the moment, he threw away that knowledge in a moment of destructive doubt.

"You don't get it, and you never will get it." Dimitri practically spat back at the daughter of Jupiter. "Is there anythin' else you wanna throw on me? Anythin' else you want to see me struggle with? Maybe just jam that spear in my throat instead?" Dimitri yelled back. Anything remotely in the area knew where he was at this point. Simple silence followed afterwards, while the two demigods looked at one another. "I'm doin' this." Dimitri ended it with that, before he managed to pull his view away from the silhouette of Dominika. Doubt grew within him, though not for long.

Not a single step further and Dimitri could practically feel the presence above him, falling down toward him. He was only able to shoot his head up in time to confirm that a painful existence was in the very near future. Dimitri would have tried to act out of instinct, but he hadn't reached his senses again just yet, not until the weight of the massive silhouette landed on top of him.

OOC Note: Awaiting approval for Belle for Dominika to be silent.

Nestor stood at the house, but unsheathed his sword. Just in case, he put his hand on the trigger of the Greek fire grenade, strapped to a bottle that would push oxygen inside at the rate of H2:02 = 2:1. The result would be a tremendous explosion. That would easily eradicate anything. Now he began to regret when he went to the Khione Cabin to ask for the Hydrogen to be cooled. He turned off the farmhouse light and flipped on a thermal goggle (built as a request in exchange for 5 drachmas by a Hephaestus demigod). Dimitri went into the barn. He sighed in relief.

It was short-lived.

There was movement. Another shape appeared and crashed on Dimitri. Nestor stepped back and dropped the goggle. He frantically picked up the goggle and raced toward the barnhouse.

Dominika's words burned like a wild forest fire. However, he'd only had so very few moments to process them before he was dangerously close to death's doorstep. Dimitri only had few precious moments to gather his bearings, which thankfully, the being had granted him when he looked up. There were few things that would be able to bring Dimitri back into reality after the night that had just followed, but one of them was certainly being jumped by what he identified as a cyclops. He noticed things get complicated when there was another crash, and he caught a glimpse of one of them on Dominika. A fire awoken within him the second one of these things had landed on him, but it began to burn hotter than hell-fire.

His sword wasn't within reach, and while his knife was tucked away in his side, it wasn't going to be a swift enough grab while there was a monster on top of him. There were a few water lines that ran through the property, but Dimitri had only seen them ever twice in his life when they were under maintenance. For all he knew, they could be rusted or drained, maybe not even running at all. If they were there, and still flowing with water, Dimitri would have to be able to burst them while still under at least some ground, which wouldn't be easy at all. He'd practiced so hard the last two years, but underground pipes was something entirely different.

Before he could make the call, he felt an intense pain shoot through him. His combat instinct began to kick in; he wasn't going to get out of this by just thinking about the situation. And one thing was clear in his head, he was going to make this thing pay. It was clearly bigger and stronger than him, but there were other ways to fight. Dimitri attempted to shift the entirety of his body weight to the right, hopeful to take the higher position. The demigod also threw a fist into the sole eye of the cyclops, relentlessly.