The Blood Of The Beast

12: Smiley Armor

Shout out to sci_fi_heart Nana_jou CandyDragon camsings and Menou_Miaw for voting in every chapter! You guys are awesome!

Also, thank you to all my readers for your patience!

(11/08/16 - 25/08/16)

Jason and I sat in a overly furnished living room inside Mars' "humble abode" while the hunters stayed outside the apartment complex waiting for us.

Everywhere you looked were battle axes, spears, sword, helmets, and shields cluttering every corner of the room. The only normal things I could see was a large flat screen television on top of a stone fireplaceand the weathered, old, black leather sofa dropped with a checkered blanket.

He had claimed that if we were going to embark on a quest, we had to be prepared.

And by prepared he meant having enough weapons strapped to our bodies to supply an army.

"He didn't strike me as the hoarder type," Jason grumbled under his breath. He glanced upwards and winced as the stuffed lion head pinned to the wall swayed slightly, threatening to fall on his head.

"How the hell did he manage to fit so much stuff in one room. I'm terrified due to the thought of what might be in the others." I whispered back.

A loud thump came from behind the wall along with various curses.

He grunted and closed his eyes.

"What are you doing?"

"Praying to the man upstairs that I live to be eighteen."

I try to think up a response. I hope I get to eat cotton candy again?

Shut up, brain.

Luckily, Mars walked into the room with Artemis at his tail before I could say something unbelievably idiotic like, "I hope I get to see another ladybug again. Last time I saw one I was thirteen."

"Well then boys, today is the day where you become heroes. Warriors. Killers. Men-"

"Cut to the chase Mars. We're not going to war. You don't have to give them a pep talk." Artemis scolds him in a peeved voice.

He stared at her in disbelief. "I like you better as Diana. Anyways, I'm going to give you your weapons, formulate a battle plan, and take you to the battle grounds. That is, the Colusseum. Not that I'm hoping for a battle it's just that-"

"We get it. Now shut up before you embarrass yourself even more." Artemis cut him off.

Mars glared at her in annoyance. Instead of backing down from the fiercely intimidating god of war, she crossed her arms and looked back up at him in defiance.

Jason cleared his throat and raised his hand.

They turned to look at him.

"Sorry to interrupt your sass war, but... When we get there, how do we know what to do? I mean, we don't have the rest of the prophecy. We don't even know if I should go alone or not!"

Artemis took a deep breath in, drawing our attention to her, then let it out slowly.

"The Fates. They sent us to make sure the future follows the path it needs to. Sometimes humans can recreate the path their Thread of Life takes with the help of one or more god.

"The result is usually war, natural disasters, and an apocalypse. The gods' need to create the dragon-shifters was because a human and a minor god recreated their paths. You two will find out more... Later."

Mars rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah. Fates said somethin', you'll find out somethin' else. Now can we please get to the more important subject? That is, weapons."

-_-_-

I tried not to burst out laughing as Jason shuffled into the room like a penguin. I turned to look at Artemis sitting next to me as she let out an unlady-like snort.

"He looks ridiculous. I think you just found yourself another torture method, Mars," she squeaked out in a high pitched voice as she clutched her sides from laughing so much.

I couldn't help duplicating the manner as an angry war god and pissed off demigod glared at us.

Jason was wearing a full set of mediaeval armor, in which he could barely bend his limbs in, he had two swords strapped to his back, multiple knives around his waist and a smiley face imoji painted upon his chestplate.

"Hey! The smiley face was his idea not mine!" Mars shouted while his face flushing red. Whether it was anger or embarrassment I couldn't figure out.

That just caused us to laugh even more, resulting with Artemis hanging off upside down on the sofa's seat.

"Oh, c'mon, Alex! You can't laugh at me! I saw you in the car with your armor on before it magically disappeared into normal clothes as you stepped outside!" Jason shouted indignantly.

I stopped to ponder that. I didn't remember taking off my armor, or it disappearing. I just remembered leaving Miss Mary's house in shock and not even thinking about the fact that I was wearing ancient Greek armor and had a sword on my waist.

Not bothered at all by Jason's, comment, Artemis replied dryly, "At least his armor was dignified, full of symbols of a powerful goddess, one which I consider my sister, who sponsors him as the Dragonslayer."

She paused a moment and burst out laughing again as her eyes traveled down from his face to his chest. Or up, considering she was upside down?

"Wait, what do you mean, a goddess is sponsoring me? And who is she? And how did my armor disappear? Damn it! Brain overload again!"