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Weeks past, though time didn't matter anymore. Dain lost track of the day almost as soon as he had left.

He remembered nothing, cared about nothing. All that mattered was that he kept moving. His tank never ran out of gas, it ran on a system of hydrogen fuels cells and a clever solar power to recycle the water made from the reaction.

He kept going at a constant speed, only stopping to eat, and hardly ever resting. The half-blood didn't know where he was going, just that he was and had to.

He only felt two emotions throughout that time, sorrow and rage. Rage at himself, sorrow at what he had done.

The first place he visited was New York, New York, though that was only for a short time and didn't really matter. He had been hoping to find a bunch of Hydras, but they had all been disappointing and easily defeated by the Athenian warrior.

He had conversed with his mother for a short time, she trying to talk sense into him, but he wouldn't hear any of it. So she discussed what the ramifications on Olympus as to what happened. In short the Oracle had been right, the gods where torn and the "Great Olympus Rift" had been formed.

Right now he was fighting a sphinx in a small valley on a bridge, one that had insulted his intellect by asking him a series of trivia questions anyone could answer.

The creature leaped at him, but it was to predictable and a simple stab caught the beast in the heart and it exploded into yellowish dust. "Why are they so easy.." he asked himself. But what he was really asking was, "Why can't I just die!"

It was raining and thunder clad the sky, it had been like this sense Clear had died, Dain thought it fitting. He took shelter under a tree on the other side of the bridge that night and fell asleep, his sword nearby. He hoped something would come after him in his sleep.

What he didn't notice was the layer of vines that grew around his body, covering him like a blanket.

Stand beside or step aside,

Dain had gotten more than just a meal from Mr. Rivers, the man had given Dain a few boxes of celestial bronze shotgun shells, and they worked fabulously. He had already killed three cyclopes that had charge after him all at once, morons.

But the real gift had been his words, they had helped him, if only for a short time. His dreams were still haunted by what he wanted most but could not attain. So he still hunted, looking for what he knew wasn't there.

Dain currently was riding down the highway, maxing out the speedometer at near 250 mph, he knew he was going faster. What he was chasing could never be captured, it was so decreed by fate, by Atropos. He was chasing the Teumessian Fox. Dain was never one to give a ******** about fate, especially Atropos who was probably torturing Clear's soul as he chased down this damned fox.

It was always a meter or two away from him, throwing traffic aside with its large bulk with ease. He looked down at his fuel gauge, damn... The high speeds are burning up energy to fast for it to be recycled properly.

They took a turn down to a dirt road the went off the highway and towards a small town, "********.. its probably gana do some damage if I let it keep this up..." he said to himself, not really knowing why he had gained that habit.

Then he saw a young girl being chased by a large dog. She had jet black that had other colors died into it for effect, and looked like she was used to running and doing other such activities because she was giving the dog a good race, but it was gaining. The girl wore black jeans and a really colorful shirt and colorful bracelets on her arms.

Dain recognized the dog and he smiled, there was a way to kill two birds with one stone. Dain pulled out the shotgun and aimed it at the dog.

He fired but missed and the creature was able to catch the girl in the leg. She screamed and pulled a dagger out from a hidden sheath and stabbed the dog's muzzle, making it let go.

Dain fired again, this time catching both the dog's and the girl's attention. The dog then saw the fox and old rivalry took place from there. The dog that caught everything it chased and the fox that could never be caught both turned to stone as the magical and fatal paradox took hold on reality.

"Your lucky you survived," Dain said as he pulled his helmet off after driving up to the injured girl, "That was Laelaps, the dog that catches everything it chases."

Get on the Front lines!

Dain smiled through it all, she reminded him of his older sister Abbi. Of course she had run off with the enemy but hey.

Shrugging, Dain put his helmet back on and started up his bike. He nearly laughed because of what she was riding, a crotch rocket, he hadn't seen one of them in years.

The Athenian warrior followed close behind, keeping a close watch over the girl's injured leg.

Dain nodded as he got off the bike and took the keys out of the ignition. Sure it was a nice town, but the bike was even nicer. He brought the helmet in with him, just because he wanted to and asked the girl as she limped, "Sure you don't need any help?'

She had the same accent as Clear, Dain noticed with a wince. Still, he wasn't going to let that stop him from meeting a new family member. Dain considered what his next move, should he start a new life and go by an alias or maybe should he just go by his real name.

He decided to go by an alias... for now, "Names Douglas," he said with a smile and then a question popped into his head, "Marytrsville? What this town got a history of dieing for what it believes in?"

Dain grinned at the older man's comment, "Heh, painkillers? Don't see the point in them myself, all they do is dull your mind and slow your reaction time." and that split secound can mean the diffrence between life and death, Dain's thoughts finished where his mouth couldn't.

He wish he hadn't left his Ipod back at camp, but they wouldn't be able to reach him otherwise.the note he had left had been addressed to Clear, but the meaning had been directed to everyone.

Dain hadn't really made plans to eat dinner with them, but then again he was running low on supplies. He hadn't really used much of the ambrosia, but he was running short on Nectar Dain doubted they had any of that sweet stuff. Still, it would be good to get some real food.

Dain walked up to his own bike and said, "Well he seems nice. So tell me, how did you figure it out?"

Dain took a double take of Tyler when she announced her parent so casually, and then when she just blasted through his alias, "I'm not in good terms with our mother... Or any god for that matter. So, I don't like to same my first name. Names have power," Dain then reached in his bag pulled out a Ziplock bag with a yellow square in it.

"Thats ambrosia, food of the gods. It'll heal that fibula right up, tastes good to. I got some nectar here as well but I'm saving that for when I'm to injured to chew," then he zipped his bag back up and asked, "So where we gana go before dinner? Go hunt down a few Hell hounds? Make sure the Big Z hasn't unfroze or fox and dog pals, or maybe look for a Micky D's and fight a hydra over a cheeseburger that isn't even how you ordered it. Life as a half-blood sure is grand, ain't it?"