With Love And War- Book Five In The United Series

Chapter One

Max's POV:

Time ticks by slowly and at first, and I'm not sure what to do.

I let go of One, finally breaking apart from our forehead touch and look back to where I left Curtis lying on the ground, dead, and bite my lip. I hate Curtis, but he's human. I shouldn't kill humans in such cold blood.

Then I remember Reyna and Clarisse, lying unconscious on the cold, hard ground. I rush up to them with One trailing behind me and find where their heads smashed onto the ground and quickly heal them. Soon enough, they lie awake next to One and I. I explain everything that happened, from how One got stabbed to killing Curtis and healing her.

"You killed Curtis?" Reyna asks me. I nod my head yes and she shrugs her shoulders. "Good. You just did everyone a favor."

I sigh, stand up, and lead Reyna, Clarisse, and One out of Dulce Base. Before I leave though, I look back at Octavian, who's looming over Curtis's dead body. I don't say anything and we all leave before Octavian notices us.

"So how are we going to find the others?" One asks us. Reyna and Clarisse glance at each other with confusion on their faces.

"What others?" Clarisse asks One. One furrows her eyebrows in confusion.

"The Garde. You two are Loric, right?" One asks Reyna and Clarisse. They hesitate, unsure of what to say, so I speak up for them.

"Part Loric. One, your Cêpan has told you about Lorics and humans getting together and having kids right? And some of their kids are Greek and Roman gods?" I ask One. She nods her head, still confused.

"Well, those gods and goddesses also met up with mortals and had kids as well. They're called demigods, and Reyna and Clarisse are demigods. Reyna is the daughter of Bellona, Roman goddess of war, and Clarisse is the daughter of Ares, the Greek god of war," I explain to One. She nods her head, hopefully understanding.

"So, all those Greek and Roman legends about Hercules and monsters..." One starts.

"Those are real, and I am also a demigod," I add in. One looks at me, one of her eyebrows raised.

"Really?" She asks. She doesn't seem scared of me or looking at me like I should be locked up.

"Yeah, I'm the daughter of Poseidon, Greek god of the sea. My dad is a god, but my mom was Loric. I also have an older brother named Percy and a younger half-brother named Tyson," I explain. One looks a bit less confused, thankfully.

"Half-brother? What do you mean by that?" She questions.

"Oh, Tyson's a cyclops, but he's really sweet. Not at all scary or mean," I promise One. She once again nods her head and looks up at the burning desert we're walking through.

"Have you met any other demigods?" One asks me and I nod my head.

"Yeah, we have a whole gang of them back at Mexico, where we went to for the Loric Sanctuary. I'll introduce you to everyone once we get there. Also, you're going to freak out when you hear this; we've joined together with the rest of the Garde, too," I inform One. Her eyes widen and she stares at me in shock.

"You're lying," she says, utter shock in her voice, and I shake my head.

"I swear I'm telling the truth. Clarisse, show her the tablet," I order Clarisse, who hands One the Garde-tracking tablet.

"Those two blue dots are us and all the rest in Mexico are the other Garde. You're late to the party," I explain. One's eyes are wide but there's a smile creeping on her face.

"And? Who else?" She asks.

"Two humans. Malcolm Goode, a Greeter when we came to Earth, and his son, Sam. Also two Mogadorians, but they're with us. Their names are Adam and Ivan. They're step-brothers," I answer. One freezes up when I mention Adam and Ivan.

"Ivan and Adam?" She asks, her voice slightly cracking, and I nod my head.

"Why? What's up with them?" I ask her, wary of every emotion in her eyes.

"I'll explain to you later. Can we just go to Mexico? I'm dying for a second time to meet the other Garde," she says. I laugh then feel a buzzing in my pocket. I dig in my pocket and pull out the flip phone Conrad gave to me on our way to Mexico. I check the ID number and see that John is calling me.

"Oh schist. One, here, you answer it," I say, shoving the phone in One's hand.

"What? Why me? Who's John?" She questions, looking slightly frantic.

"John is Number Four, and I forgot to give that back to my Cêpan. Demigods can't use phones, it's like a beacon for monsters to find us," I explain quickly. One nods her head, quickly understanding, then answers the phone and puts it on speaker for Reyna, Clarisse, and I to hear.

"Hello?" One asks into the phone.

"Max?" I hear John call from the other line. He sounds confused. One and I definitely don't sound alike.

"Um, no, this is Number One," One answers.

"One?" John asks, sounding surprised now, but I can tell he's smiling.

"Uh, yeah, Max told me to answer the phone cause she can't use them, she says it's like a beacon for monsters since she's a demigod or whatever," One explains.

"Uh, yeah, tell Max I said sorry about that, I just really needed to tell her that we're going to Chicago and to meet us at Nine's penthouse," John tells One but before he can end it, I speak into the phone without touching it.

"John, wait! Can I speak to Adam really quick?" I ask him. One stares at me, her eyes wide. There's a little bit of nervousness and gratefulness in her blue eyes.

"Yeah, sure," he replies, then there's a pause. A few moments of silence pass through until we hear Adam's voice on the other line.

"Max? You wanted to talk to me?" Adam asks me.

"Well, not me, exactly," I reply, then gesture for One to speak. She hesitates but then soon talks.

"Adam?" She calls, her voice quiet and shaky. There's a pause on the other side, the silence so sharp it could cut through steel.

"O-One?" Adam stutters. Wait, how was he able to recognize her voice? He's never met her before, right?

"Yeah, Adam, it's me. I'll be there soon, I promise," One tells Adam and before he can respond, One closes the phone, ending the call. She's smiling, almost in a love-struck way.

"You want to explain something to us now?" I ask her and she chuckles.

"On our way to Chicago," she promises. I sigh and lead her towards Blackjack and the other two pegasi.

"You better explain well, or I'm knocking you off Blackjack," I mutter to her.

"Who's Blackjack?" She asks just as the crazy, doughnut-loving horse swoops in with the other two pegasi and land in front of us. One jumps back in surprise, but I can tell she's fascinated by the three pegasi.

"I know. Greek mythology rocks," I tell her as I climb onto Blackjack. One hops on after me, then puts her arms around my waist to keep her balance.

Is she okay, Queen? I'll buck her off if I need to, Blackjack says.

"No, she's okay, Blackjack," I tell him. One looks at me like I'm crazy.

"My dad created horses, so my brother and I can communicate with them," I answer her nonverbal question bluntly. She purses her lips and nods her head, then Reyna, Clarisse, One, and I are soaring through the air.

"To Chicago, Blackjack," I tell him and we're off to Chicago, hopefully to find the others safe and sound in Nine's penthouse.

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Authors Note: Hello :3! That's chapter one of 'With Love And War'! I hope you guys enjoyed, I'll be publishing more soon and you guys can suggest things to happen and I will give you credit for it.

(Also: One x Max is not going to happen #ThankYouForAskingReaderWhoPrivateMessagedMeConcerningThatShip).

Anyways, I really hope you guys enjoyed, more chapters will be up soon! Yours in all demigodness and all that. Peace out!