Forgotten prophecy

Chapter 42

"So." Leo said after gazing around the city square and frowning. Ryker watched as the son of Hephaestus began to pull random odds and ends from his seemingly endless tool belt and fashion them into some sort of contraption which spun away once Leo let it go. "We are in San Francisco... right? I'm not crazy?"

Ryker could understand his worry though he said nothing in agreeance. His eyes scanned the buildings and streets relentlessly for even a hint of life. His feeling that something was wrong about the city had been correct. Since they had arrived, striding right up the center of the street, they had not yet seen a single mortal. The sounds of the city continued around them, complete with shouts and beeps of car horns, but the sources of the sounds escaped their notice. In fact, the streets and sidewalks were completely bare. Leo had wandered into a donut shop and returned with an armful of baked goods and a confused expression. From what Ryker had noticed, San Francisco was devoid of any life.

"Where is everyone?" Leo wondered, munching on a baked good and offering one to Ryker. When Ryker turned his nose up in disdain Leo merely shrugged and bit into the proffered food. "I thought that we would at least see a monster or two."

Ryker agreed with him again, but did not say anything. The city was still overwhelming his senses with the disembodied sounds and the cacophony of scents, but he found it easier to tune them out when they had no source. He glanced to Calypso and raised an eyebrow. "So, where is this place?" He asked coldly. He did not like her. He did not like Leo either for that matter. Neither one of them seemed to care about his wish to be left alone. In addition it turned out that, unsurprisingly, Leo was a very hands-on person. He had tried to do something called 'rough housing' with Ryker and had been thrown across the street on instinct by Ryker. Far from being scared by the suddenness of the action, Leo had actually laughed and brushed himself off. Calypso was no better. In fact, she might have been worse. She did not seem worried or even wary of him. In fact she appeared to have as much disdain for his tendency to avoid company as he did for them. It was made all the worse that they seemed keen on sticking with him as they traversed the streets, despite his protests.

Calypso took her time with answering. She looked around the city for a few more moments, examined her shirt, smiled at Leo conspiratorially and only then did she say, "We are looking for the tallest building here. Shouldn't be hard to find."

Ryker glanced up at the sky and scowled. The buildings on either side of them were all huge. Their height prevented them from seeing any of the other buildings. "Wish Silver was here." Ryker muttered. He blinked and then frowned. The thought was extremely unlike him. He might wish other people away, but he never wished for company. He scowled at his own thought and pushed it as far away from his mind as he possibly could.

"Who's Silver?" Leo asked brightly, walking hand-in-hand with Calypso. He looked for all the world like someone who was going to a pleasant meal with his girlfriend rather than someone who was about to save his friend's life from a potentially murderous Titan. "Your girlfriend?"

He didn't bother answering, gazing up at something in the sky that had caught his mind. They had just turned a corner and the sky had turned a deep red in a circle surrounding the very top of a massive skyscraper. "That's it." Calypso said a tad unnecessarily. "That's Mount Orthys. But... it seems... different than how I remember it."

"When was the last time you saw it?" Leo said gently. "Three thousand years? Hm. And here I thought that it would still be an actual mountain."

"That's not what I meant." Calypso said, frowning at her boyfriend and drawing a grin from Leo. "Must you make fun at everything?"

"Yes I must." Leo nodded vigorously. "If I don't who will? Ryker? Actually, scratch that. I want to see you make a joke bro."

Ignoring Leo was getting easier and easier as Ryker began to equate his words with mindless noise. Ryker's focus snapped back to the street when movement in his peripheral vision alerted him to something on the sidewalk. He immediately zeroed in on the being and took a step back almost as quickly. She was a beautiful woman, even Ryker had to admit that, but more than that everything about her screamed power. Not danger. She continued walking to them without a single hint of a weapon or any sort of hostility. When she was ten steps away Ryker began to retreat one step for every step that she took. The woman rolled her eyes and snapped her finger and suddenly Ryker could no longer move. He snarled and fought to free himself, but it was to no avail. Leo seemed more curious about the woman than actually worried, and Calypso seemed absolutely thrilled. "Grandmother! It has been too long!"