Hiccup was sure he'd seen and heard the worst of the twins after being with them for so long.
Nothing beat what Tuffnut said to him today.
After the worst kind of pep talk in the history of pep talks, he was sure that the last person he'd ever want to discuss the topic of marriage was with the blonde follower of Loki. The Chief had no choice in the matter, however, seeing as he had rambled on about "ring tips" and how to have a happy wife, and a happy life.
Not to mention, he didn't have time to be thinking about marriage now. He had other things he needed to focus on: looking for the Hidden World, keeping the village from going crazy or hungry, the kidnapped girl, Valka going off the island to find if someone was tracking them, Grimmel's threat of killing Toothless...
It was just too much. Thankfully, the village was happy after taking a break on the unexplored island. He had thought his trek through the wildlife would clear his mind.
But cue the Thornstorn in his butt.
After patrolling the new island for a while, both Vikings went back to the main campsite. Hiccup's eyes widened upon seeing that the Berkians hadn't heard his commands and decided to build up on the piece of untouched land. While tents had been placed around the area as instructed, he could see several wooden structures beginning to take shape here and there.
Groaning out loud, he turned to Gobber, who had his hands- well, hand- on a piece of chopped timber and carrying it around to gods know where. "Gobber, I thought I'd made it perfectly clear we were just staying here for one night."
"Aye lass, loud an' clear," he said, trying to lower the wood behind so the Chief of Berk wouldn't see it; not that it didn't matter, since he'd done so already. The elden bald Viking turned to look at the others who were working nearby, shouting in the air, "You've heard the Chief, lasses! No more buildin'! We got up in the morning!"
But a wink delivered by Gobber to the others made everyone realize his words were untrue. Even though turned around on his heel, Hiccup could see the action displayed to the villagers, and looked at him in disbelief.
"Gobber, I'm serious. We need to keep moving."
The latter's blue eyes rolled to the back of his head. "oh, for cryin' out loud! Hiccup, this is the best island we've seen for a long time! It's perfectly covered, tall and paradise-wise. Ye can't blame on the Berkians for wanting to stay here."
He then pointed to the skeleton of a soon-to-be wooden hut, where a white-furred sheep stood and munched on some fresh Summer grass. "See? Even Phil likes it."
The Dragon Rider could feel protests build up on his chest, but as he spun around to see the Vikings hard at work, he knew Gobber was right. Valka had already gone and made sure they were safe, and seeing the island's structure of being way above sea level, it guaranteed protection from nearby Dragon Hunters, seeing as they generally travelled through sailing. The dragons certainly looked like they enjoyed the paradise, so he wouldn't have to worry about the winged creatures adapting to a new land.
After much debating with himself, he sighed out loud in defeat. "Fine, we can stay here. But the first signs of trouble inside the island, we bail, okay?"
Gobber slapped his back, almost making the skinny boy fall over. "Tha's what I'm talking about, Hiccup!" He then turned to the group of lingering Vikings, who were eavesdropping on their exchange, "Welcome to New Berk, lads!"
Cheers broke out all around, and both Berkians saw as the villagers' previous work progress seemed to go to another level. Happy smiles all around, the Vikings began to work harder and much more efficient than before.
The one-legged man led the Rider from the construction area to where they had previously placed their tents. The Sun was grazing the faraway waters of the ocean as the sky darkened to lend the night its place in the atmosphere. Wildlife such as crickets and owls began to call out and alert nature that it was already time for the night to take place.
Fires blazed as nearby Vikings lightened up torches to prepare for dinnertime. Although Hiccup knew the Berkians missed their tradition of eating bundled up in the Great Hall, the other Leaders had decided to make their first dinner on the outside as a celebration of their newest home. Several men carried large black cauldrons with the help of Gronckles and Nightmares, while some brought vegetables and animal produce to some tables already established near the cooking stations. Terrible Terrors flitted about as they tried to get near the fresh food laying around, only to be smacked on their tiny heads by a very distressed Gothi.
Gobber suddenly shrieked out and jumped a few feet back. "Thor's beard, they come out of nowhere!"
Hiccup, somewhat frightened at his unexpected outburst, followed his line of sight to see a small creature, around the size of a large bowl of fruit, standing near the foot of a table, each eye observing a different direction, and its breathing erratic.
"You seriously need to stop thinking they're bad luck, Gobber," Hiccup said as he bumped the older Viking, who looked terrified upon looking at the small Hobgobbler, currently swiping its tongue across an opened eye.
The individual in question pointed his hands at the creature in panic. "Look at it! It's plannin' to kill me in the night, I'm sure of it!"
Hiccup rolled his eyes as he passed by the Viking, shaking his head when he heard Gobber screech again. He willed his legs to carry him fast through the lands, stopping outside a familiar tent.
"Astrid, I really hope-"
His words got stuck in his throat as he turned to look at the gathering inside the small pavilion. Astrid was there, along with Annabeth and Percy, whose faces read everything but good news. There was a table at the left side, which they cornered as they looked down at a piece of white paper with strange blue horizontal lines.
He stepped inside. "Uh, what's going on?"
The three of them exchanged glances, until his girlfriend spoke up. "Hiccup, we know why the demigods are here again."
Annabeth grabbed the piece of paper and showed it to him. Immediately, he saw the Berkian alphabet scribbled with mysterious black liquid on it, spelling out an out-of-place phrase.
Hiccup's eyebrows furrowed as he read through it. "Fire will burn without the hearth? What does that mean?"
"It's a goddess," Annabeth told him, "Hestia, to be more precise. We didn't come here just to see you guys again. Percy here's been having nightmares lately, and we saw these runes dancing around a fireplace back in our home. Somehow we knew all of this was connected."
The Chief turned to Percy, "What kind of nightmares?"
"Dragons dying," he replied with an undertone of discomfort. "And not just any kind of dragons. Night Furies. Four days ago, I dreamt of one that looked almost like Toothless. He said that they were all being killed," the sea-green-eyed teenager shuddered. "It was dark, man."
Annabeth then placed the paper down on the table. "I believe we were called here to find out who kidnapped Hestia. I think that was the little girl Astrid told me about. Greek goddesses have a tendency to appear younger than their divine form, so it is possible the same child you rescued in the forest was Hestia."
"But, how can you be sure?" the female Viking warrior asked. "Usually, a god looks... well, godly, right?"
Her calculating grey eyes spun to her. "You said she was hurt. Was she bleeding?"
Hiccup responded for her. "We think so. It looked like gold liquid, though."
Annabeth nodded. "Golden Ichor. It's the gods' version of blood, seeing as they're immortal. And you said her name was Tiseha. An anagram for Hestia, is Tiseha, so maybe she didn't want to tell you guys her identity."
"Why wouldn't she?"
The daughter of Athena shrugged. "She was hurt. Chances are she was engaged in battle, which is quite strange for a goddess like her. If she had been hurt by the enemy, she wouldn't want to reveal herself to just anyone, even if some strangers saved her life. She would've relied on you guys to keep her safe, unless-"
And she stopped herself. In deep thought, the blonde girl began to walk around the small space, eyes locked on the ground as her mind raced.
Percy looked at her in worry. "Unless?"
She didn't respond right away, and instead kept her gaze on the tent's ground. She then turned to look at the awaiting group. "Unless, she was being chased. If she was being targeted by someone, Hestia wouldn't have wanted you guys to be thrown into the mess too."
"Grimmel," Hiccup caught on to what she was saying. "Grimmel was after her, managed to escape, then kidnapped her back in Berk. That's why he turned to look at the sky."
Astrid walked forward, arms crossed above her chest tightly, expression serious. "Why, though? Why would Grimmel want to kidnap her so badly?"
At this, everyone silenced. The gears inside Hiccup's mind were racing to the best of their abilities, yet they could come up with no explanation as to why the Dragon Hunter would want to take a goddess hostage.
Percy sighed out. "Well, at least we know we were sent here because of Hestia. The question we should really be asking, is why there hasn't been a prophecy trying to tell us what to do next."
As soon as those words flew out from his mouth, the cloth holding the tent closed suddenly flew apart, a distressed-looking young teenager standing in the entrance gripping tightly onto the white veils.
Nico's distressed look didn't go unnoticed by Hiccup, and he was sure he didn't like his expression at all. "I hate to interrupt you guys, but something's happening outside."
Not another word said, the group of four sprinted out of the tent to see the area being brightly illuminated. The intensity of the light was almost too much to bear, making them all shield their eyes to adjust to this newfound brilliance. The air smoked and heated to unimaginable temperatures; so hot that Hiccup felt a droplet of grime trailing its way on the side of his forehead.
As his eyes got used to his surroundings, he saw the entire village circling the cooking area with tense looks on their faces. Some murmured to each other, while others just kept staring at the bonfire made by the small flames under a cauldron.
Whatever was inside it was boiling beyond a Nadder's fire now as sizzling sounds rang out around them. The group approached cautiously, Hiccup's eyes widening at the large fire and worried the same thing would happen after Grimmel attacked.
Out of nowhere, the flames loosened their intensity. And a voice spoke out.
Creatures lost on the veils of memory
Their cries stir and calls the enemy
The Hunt in darkness shall lead the way
For mortal blood shall be spilled in the dawn of day
Gasps could be heard here and there. Several Vikings raised their weaponry upon hearing this mysterious and raspy voice ring out from the cauldron's fire. Somewhere near the back of the circle, Gobber shouted, "Hobgobbler curse! We're doomed!"
Hiccup had no clue as to what had just gone down, and every time he went back to what had just been said, he felt even more confused than he was a few seconds before.
Memory? Hunt? Mortal blood? What did all those lines mean?
Annabeth's voice filled the tense silence. "There's our prophecy," she said in disdain.
Vikings began to break out of their shock by yelling out, scrambling away from the fire, or trying to put it out by washing it down with water. As soon as the cool liquids grazed the flames however, they would only sizzle dangerously and grow even larger than Hiccup could've ever imagined.
Panic rose as dragons flew about, trying to get away from the incoming bonfire. Vikings ran at all directions, trying to gather any wooden element near the cauldron to keep it from creating another hellfire.
Hiccup's racing mind began to overtake his senses completely, and drowned all sorts of sounds from entering his reasoning. The scenes before him blurred erratically to the point where he couldn't make out proper shapes; just a discord of contrasting colors and distorted figures. He could feel the powerful beats of his heart pound and vibrate on his eardrums like a villager chopping on wood. His system took a roadtrip of nosedives as he was sent in all directions, but reality.
The Chief felt his body being jumbled back and forth repetitively, but couldn't shake off his paranoia.
He saw another color enter his line of vision, yet didn't seem to react to it.
It wasn't until he heard his name being shouted with such command that he finally snapped from this alternate dimension.
"HICCUP!"
His head spun around so he could look right on at the pair of sky blue eyes he'd grown to love over the years. Blonde eyebrows creased in utter anxiety as Astrid managed to gather Hiccup's attention to her.
Her hand raised up to rest on his cheek. "Hiccup, are you okay?"
He wasn't okay. If anything, the Chief was definitely mental; delusional. The weight of his responsibilities was becoming too much to bear. The fire that burned just a few ways from him mirrored the one that haunted his soul. His eyes left Astrid's for a moment, trying to find Toothless amongst the chaos. When he did, both friends connected gazes and a sense of relief washed over the human Rider.
He'd seen his father die up close. He'd battled a madman influenced by a god. But he wasn't sure if he was ready to see the Night Fury dying at the hands of Grimmel.
Throughout it all, he managed a weak smile. "Yeah, I'm okay."
Astrid cheered up upon hearing this. Annabeth and Percy stood nearby, looking somewhat relieved Hiccup hadn't gone insane. Nico seemed slightly less unnerved than when he interrupted the gathering back at the tent.
The heartfelt moment didn't last long.
"Chief, Chief!"
The group turned around to look at the source of the shouting, the forest-green-eyed boy surprised to see a familiar recruit landing near them atop a very well known Skrill across Berk. The Rider jumped off her and ran over to the five people standing near the still burning cauldron.
He huffed out a few times, obviously out of breath. "Chief, there's something wrong with one of the new guys," his eyes shifting gazes to the son of Poseidon, "your short elf-like friend."
Everyone's eyes widened. "What's wrong with Leo?" Annabeth asked.
"I don't know. He got crazy all of a sudden," Jyharri explained quickly. He seemed distressed and greatly perturbed. "Said was talking about killing and possessing, and-"
Percy placed a hand above his shoulder, "Jyharri, focus. Anything besides that out of the ordinary?"
"His eyes... They were golden."