The Guardians and their doors.

Αυτό δεν είναι κεφάλαιο (Also, what is happening in this picture?)

Clarisse swung her xiphos, severing the rope on the last catapult and causing it to overshoot its range and bludgeon its base.

Raising a hand, Sora swooped in and grabbed her wrist, yanking a very happy daughter of War into the sky before the empire troops could regroup and surround her.

"Annabeth's pissed," Sora warned, twisting to avoid an arrow that his wind had missed.

"I haven't been able to go all out for months." Clarisse grinned. "It was worth it."

"Something tells me we'll be getting our fair share of blood soon," Sora muttered.

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Shoot to Thrill by ACDC blared from the speakers as several ships descended, shields lowering as they pulled out of range of the empire's arrows, only to be cut off abruptly as an electric spear was rammed into the circuit box.

Thirty feet above the ground, rope ladders we ended from the sides, several Kidemonas sliding down and grabbing guide ropes tossed down, leading the ships to settle in the outskirts of the Varden camp.

A gangplank was lowered and seven Kidemonas descended, one pointing at Nasuada, and turning the group that direction.

"Greetings, Lady Nasuada, Leader of the Varden, Lady Nightstalker." The one in front called out, smiling and nodding her head, but not outright bowing.

She was another woman, which warmed Nasuada considerably at seeing another female leader, with long blonde hair that curled in natural ringlets, although her eyes were grey as a storm, and as hard as stone, a warrior and a leader, despite her amiable greeting and familarbody language.

"Greetings. You must be Annabeth of the Kidemonas." Nasuada said, knowing that only one of the kidemonas her envoy had described had eyes like that.

"Indeed. This is Perseus, my husband and fellow leader, Jason, third in command, Clarisse, our weapons master, Piper, our Quartermaster, Jazz, our head Mage, and Jackie our cartographer."

Nasuada quickly buried her surprise that Perseus was not introducing them. "I welcome all of you to the Varden War Camp. I've heard tale of your deeds and I am pleased to meet you in person. May I invite you and your comrades to my tent so that we may have supper and discuss where we will go from here?"

"That sounds wonderful, Lady Nasuada." Annabeth agreed. "If you would lead the way."
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"Why am I suddenly a cartographer?" Jackie asked Jazz in Greek, keeping her eyes on the Varden, who had gathered to google the ships and its warriors.

"Do you know a different way of explaining that you read the books?" Jazz hissed back.

"That's fair."

With Nasuada's guards clearing the way, the trip was short, hemmed in as they were. If it wasn't for Percy's presence, Jackie would have bolted by now, instincts screaming to stay out of crowds that monsters could be hiding in.

She wondered how she had ended up in this situation. She had only been Kidemonas for a bit more than a year before this multidimensional quest had begun, and now she had been elevated from rookie to valued source of intel, all because she had lost her mind to boredom and picked up a book with when she was 13 and gotten hooked.

She had been attacked by a cyclops two hours later but she had gone back for the book afterward.

Nasuada's tent was more spacious than she had imagined, with a throne-like chair near one wall, a carpet and several folds that hid guards, and one cursed pain shield child.

She had told Jazz about Elva earlier, and the elder who had assured the younger kidemonas that she would help undo Eragon's accidental curse instead of letting him bumble it as he had in the books.

A table was called for, and within minutes, everyone but Clarisse, Jazz, and Jackie was seated, the three standing guard behind their patron.

Several ministers and other important people that Jackie had to pay attention to and rack her memory to identify came in, each giving their own little sneer or look at disdain at seeing how young the Kidemonas leaders looked.

The meal began and within half an hour Annabeth had resorted to subtly threaten a rather annoying older minister that the Hunters would look merciful if he didn't stop inquiring about her marital status and insinuations that woman belonged in the household.

How Nasuada put up with any of this Jackie didn't know, but she did know that the dark-skinned woman was enjoying listening to Annabeth threaten the minister when she had been forced to hold her tongue.

"Perhaps we can turn to the topic of the hour." Nasuada finally said, perhaps spotting Piper reaching for Katropris. "The Varden would like to form an agreement between us and the Kidemonas to bring down the empire. We could use your skill and manpower in this fight."

"We traveled down here for two reasons, Lady Nasuada. The first was that we were seeking a safe place for several refugees who have taken shelter in our fleet to find safe haven."

"The Varden welcomes any and all fleeing from the empire. And if your refuges want to flee further south, Surda would also welcome them."

"Indeed." King Orrin said, ripping his eyes away from Piper. "Any as fai- any are welcome in Surda." He stammered.

Jazz snickered as Piper smirked.

"And the second reason."

"Empire troops attempted to capture one of our own on the King's orders. We do not take that lightly and taking his head would send the message nicely." Annabeth revealed, saying it in a way that implied she could do it herself if need be.

"Lady Nasuada's, perhaps this is not a conversation meant for the ears of children." A minister said, looking pointedly at Jazz.

"Trying to negotiate an alliance is very difficult when my ministers assume I can command a member of the other party. You know this Minster Agland." Nasuada chided.

The minister bowed his head and flinched when Jazz's eyes glowed green.

"Perhaps we should get one thing out of the way," Annabeth said, steepling her fingers and leaning forward. "The Kidemonas will not swear fealty. This is non-negotiable."

Instantly chaos broke out among the ministers.

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Not only am I back, but Trump gets the boot! Whoop! Whoop!

Also, I was quarantined under suspected exposure for several days a few weeks ago and I have to say, for everyone out there fighting on the front lines to keep us safe from this pandemic, those putting themselves at such high risk to help other people.

Thank you.

I was so terrified the entire time that I was going to die, that every chest pain was a sign my last breath of air would come from a respirator and my family wouldn't even be able to be there and I wouldn't get to finish this dam book.

But it was a head cold. I'm fine! Yay!

P.S. in my half serious/half joking so I don't cry emotional state, I wrote out a writers will, which included an actual plot and promises on several people's parts to finish this thing if I can't so updates may just come faster now.

Or not.

Probably not.

Stay safe. Social distance and for gods sake wear a dam mask. Its not that hard. I had a random person on the street hand me a mask in a ziploc. Its not rocket science.