"So, how does this work?" Catia asked as she eyed the scalpel in the doctor's hand. Her eyes glazed over with a glamour, and she stood still as a statue.

"She makes an incision in the back of your neck and then removes the tracker with a pair of tweezers," Steven said. Irritation was plastered across his face, but it was also clear he just wanted to get this over with.

"I guess let's do this." Catia sat down in the chair in front of the doctor, then leaned her head forward. The woman brushed the hair off the nape of her neck and Catia fought the urge to tense. She needed to stay as relaxed as possible or this would hurt much worse than it was already going to.

The cold swipe of the alcohol wipe made shivers slide down her spine. She grabbed the hard edge of the seat with her nails, digging into the hard surface for support and so that her hands would be occupied. Catia didn't want to accidentally hit the doctor.

The cold metal of the scalpel touched her skin. For a second, she felt nothing. But then, pain flashed against her skin, and she could feel the line of blood as it flowed from the wound.

When the tweezers dug into the incision, the pain flares to white-hot. Black spots danced in her vision, but she refused to allow herself to pass out or utter a single noise. Steven was already watching her with a look of satisfaction. He had known this would hurt like Hades.

When the doctor was done, she cleaned the incision before neatly stitching it together with a liquid bandage. With Catia's demigod healing, it would be nothing but smooth skin in a day or two.

Once Catia was done, it was Skye's turn. The doctor grabbed fresh supplies while Skye situated himself in front of her. With precise movements, the doctor sliced down his skin lightly, the sharp blade instantly drawing blood.

In a matter of moments, the woman was pulling the tracker out with the tweezers. She closed Skye's wound before stepping away. Steven then stepped closer to her, and Catia smelled the metallic tang of magic.

"You will return to your home and forget any of this ever happened," Steven told the woman. The magic of a glamour slid over his words and the woman nodded listlessly.

Then she walked out of the room without a word.

Skye stood up from his seat. "Tell us about Connor's mission."

Steven crossed his arms over his chest. "According to the Council, it was a simple retrieval. Girl in a small town in the Midwest that doesn't see much monster activity. There used to be a base there before the Council shut it down because they stretched us too thin."

"But if it was a simple retrieval, why send only the Senior Guardians on the mission?"

Steven smirked. "Guess Nehera can't keep a secret."

Catia shook her head.

He sighed before continuing. "The Council said that it was to prevent loss of life. That five of the best on this mission would keep the body count down. But Connor had his suspicions that it was more than that. And I did too."

"Then why let Connor and the rest of them go through with it? Why not argue that it wasn't safe? As a representative, you surely have sway with the Council," Skye said.

"I stay close to the Council, so they won't expect my misdeeds. But no one can change the minds of the Regents when they want something. And they wanted this mission to happen. They said that getting the girl was of the utmost importance."

"But why?" Catia asked. "You said yourself that monster activity was low in the area, enough so that they could risk keeping a base unmanned. So why was it so vital to collect her?"

Steven shrugged. "The Council would only say that she was in danger. Said that they weren't the only ones who wanted her. We all assumed monster activity had picked up again since the base was defunct. But after Connor's message, I started wondering if there were other people who wanted the girl."

Skye scoffed. "What would mortals do with a demigod?"

"I don't know. But either way, someone is after that girl. And whoever it is was powerful enough to stop a team of five Senior Guardians."

Catia and Skye exchanged a look. That thought sat well with neither of them. But if they wanted to find Connor and finish his mission, they would have to walk into this, no matter how dangerous it was.

"Where did they go, and who was the target?"

"Oakdale. It's a small town in the Midwest. Girl's name is Anen Carver. She's a first-generation demigod, but her godly parentage is unknown. She's seventeen, enrolled in the local high school. And that's all I know."

"Thank you for the information," Catia told him.

Steven didn't make any comment as they left the room, headed to pack their bags for the trip. Catia grabbed a duffel bag from her closet and stuffed in as many clothes as she could fit. She had a cache of weapons in her car, and so did Skye.

She twisted the ring on her finger thoughtfully, wondering what else she should bring. A light knock on her doorway made her turn.

Nehera was there, her eyes already slightly black and her nose bruised. A twinge of guilt rushed through her at the sight.

"I heard you were leaving for a mission," Nehera said. "I wish I could go with you. But my dad would never let me."

Catia wasn't sure of what to say. Her life would have been nothing if they hadn't allowed her to fight monsters. If Connor had insisted on keeping her locked away... 

"But I hope you find Connor," Nehera continued. "I hope you find him and bring him home."

"Thank you," Catia said.

Nehera turned to head back down the hallway, but paused. "Oh, and I'm not angry at you for what you did. As much as I wanted to be, you are blackmailing my dad because of what I am was necessary. I would have done the same to bring my dad back home."

Catia gave a small smile. "I am sorry that you had to be caught in the middle. And for what it's worth, I didn't want it to come to this. But these are desperate times."

"I understand. Good luck. And be safe."

Nehera left, but a pit of guilt was still open in Catia's gut. Nehera was an innocent, the very thing Catia had sworn to protect. And yet, she'd thrown her under the bus the first chance she'd gotten. She averted her eyes away from the mirror on her dresser, too ashamed to look herself in the eyes.

So instead, she stuffed some more clothes into her duffel bag before leaving her room and shutting the door behind her. Skye was already waiting in the living room, his duffel bag packed full, and his favorite broadsword strapped to his back.

"Are you ready to leave?" Skye asked her.

Catia nodded her head before grabbing her car keys off the countertop. Skye already had the keys to his truck in hand. They turned to head out to the garage when Steven stopped them.

"No matter if you believe me or not, this mission is dangerous. Trust only yourselves."

Catia and Skye exchanged a glance before nodding.

"We'll be fine," Skye replied.

Steven looked doubtful, but he said nothing. Nehera stood by his side, the corners of her mouth turned down into a frown.

Without another word, Catia and Skye headed out to their vehicles.

"Only stop for gas when absolutely necessary," Skye said as he loaded his bag into the passenger seat of his truck. "I want to arrive as quickly as possible."

Catia nodded as she slammed her backdoor closed. "I know the drill. Set a course for the base, no detours. My car should be good on gas way longer than that truck of yours."

"We stop together."

Catia nodded. "I know."

They both climbed into their vehicles. Catia started her car, which hummed to life. "GAIA, set a course to Oakdale, Missouri."

"Setting course for Oakdale, Missouri. Approximate arrival, 11:32 PM."

Catia took a deep breath. Nearly fourteen hours from now. She pressed on the gas pedal, more than ready to get this trip out of the way.

~

The town of Oakdale was silent and dark. The streets were deserted, lit only by the orange glow of streetlamps. Not a single house light was on. Catia supposed it wasn't too strange, considering that it was nearly midnight, but she still couldn't help the aura of creepy that washed over her.

Skye's headlights were behind her, the only sign that she wasn't completely alone.

She drove through town, trying to shake away the feeling of unease. Had Connor felt this same thing as he'd arrived? Or was this happening because she knew he'd disappeared somewhere in this town?

Catia pressed on the gas a little harder, eager to arrive at the Guardian base on the outskirts of Oakdale.

It was another ten minutes before she arrived at the driveway. Unlike many Guardian bases, trees or a large stretch of land did not hide this one. Instead, it had a simple paved driveway that flanked a perfectly simple two-story house. Even though it had gone defunct, the white siding still looked well kept.

Catia parked in the driveway, with Skye right behind her. There were no other cars, even though Catia knew Connor had taken his Jeep. She twirled her ring with unease as she stepped out of the car.

Skye looked as uneasy as she felt, his broadsword in his hand.

"I have a bad feeling about this place," Skye whispered to her.

"I feel the same."

She tugged her ring off, her bow instantly appearing in her hand. With the smooth metal under her fingertips, some of the tension eased away from her. But she was still on edge.

The front door was not locked, and the house inside dark and silent. Even though her vison was better than that of a mortal, it was still nearly impossible to see. Skye flipped on the light, and Catia had to squint to adjust to the sudden brightness.

The living room looked unused. Sheets covered the furniture, and the bookcase along one wall was completely empty. Catia ran her hand along the shelf.

"No dust," she noted.

Skye raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. They moved further into the house, flipping on light switches. The rest of the rooms were much of the same: unused furniture, empty shelves, but no dust. Not a speck.

The upstairs was just the same. There was no sign that anyone had been here recently, except for the lack of dust.

"They swept it clean," Catia said as they entered the last bedroom. All the others had been empty, not even a crumb under the beds. Dresser drawers were empty and clean as well. Whoever had been here had wanted no trace of the Guardian team left behind. But who had done it?

"Check the drawers," Skye told her. He turned to check the closet and nightstand.

Catia sighed as she pulled open drawer after drawer. There was nothing. She went to open the last one, but it wouldn't budge.

"This one's stuck."

Skye was immediately by her side, helping her pry open the drawer. But it was no use.

"Give me a knife," Catia said.

"You're not gonna be able to pry it open that way," Skye grumbled.

She shook her head. "I'm not going to force it."

Skye shrugged his shoulders as he pulled a knife from his belt. Catia pricked the tip of her finger hard enough to draw blood. Skye opened his mouth to protest, but Catia shushed him.

Using the blood, she drew a symbol in Ancient Greek on the wood of the drawer. When she finished, it glowed a ghastly silver for a second before disappearing completely.

With shaking hands, Catia reached out to tug the drawer open. It did so without resistance.

"What the Hades was that?" Skye asked.

"Runic magic," Catia said as she pulled open the drawer. Inside was a single slip of paper.

"But where did you learn that?"

"From Connor, during our magic lessons. You know, the ones you slept through because you preferred to stab things with a sword instead?"

Skye nodded. "Oh yeah."

Catia looked at the paper. It was Connor's handwriting, but rushed and hasty, as if he'd barely had the time to write it before shoving it in the drawer and locking it away.

"Protect her at all costs?" Skye read aloud. "What does that mean?"

"It means that we need to get to Anen before something else does. That's what Connor was trying to say in that message he sent us, but it was too garbled. This is our mission."

"So, what, we extract the girl and then look for Connor?"

"The girl might even lead us to Connor. Whatever or whoever wants her took them down. Whether they are dead or hostages is the question. But they were thorough enough to wipe this place clean. I think Anen is the key to finding Connor."