Light slunk through the shadows of the wharf, her hand hovering over her weapon as she moved. Annabeth moved next to her, equally silent and alert.
The two women were on a mission.
They had something to discuss with someone they loathed.
"Do you think he'll actually come alone?" Annabeth asked quietly.
"No. He'll at least have his first mate with him." Thalia replied, her voice low.
"We could fight them off if we needed to." Annabeth said, not sounding completely sure.
"We won't need to. They have the same goal as us tonight, we will work together to achieve what must be achieved."
They fell silent and ducked behind a pile of crates as a guard marched past, his hand hanging lazily next to his sword.
At the other end of the port, two more figures moved.
Hazel's curls had been pulled into a tight bun, making them less conspicuous. Nico walked confidently next to her, his body blending slightly with the shadows.
"Remind me again why we are meeting the sky scum and her number one henchman?" Hazel asked as they looped widely past a guard.
"We have a common goal for the moment." Nico replied.
"Please, those useless bilge rats will attack us at the first instant they can."
"Then we shall be ready to do the same. But for now we have a different target. Besides, if she and her little friend try anything tonight, we will be more than capable of ending the both of them."
"Of course." Hazel's hand flitted to her sword and she smirked.
"They're close. I can feel it." Nico said after a few minutes of quiet.
Thalia, seeming to grow impatient with all the slinking, let out a birdcall.
"Go." Nico hissed, moving forward quickly and responding with a similar call.
"There they are." Thalia stood from her crouch and waited.
"Light." Nico emerged from the shadows first, his dark eyes revealing his dislike for the person in front of him.
"Dark." She responded in a similar tone, her gaze also showing extreme distaste.
"I see you are not alone." Nico said.
"Neither are you." Thalia pointed out as Hazel stepped into view, her strange golden eyes glinting in the darkness. The daughter of Hades stood with her back slightly towards her brother, watching their backs.
Annabeth noticed this and took a similar position with her captain, protecting Thalia's blind side.
"True. But I cannot trust a person like you." Nico motioned to the two girls facing him, noting their hands, which hovered inches from their weapons.
He and Hazel were doing the same, he knew that. And it was noticeable, as that was the next thing Thalia noticed.
"Really? I was just going to say the same." Silence deafeningly reigned supreme as the two captains glared at each other.
"We need to get this done before we have any unwanted visitors." Nico finally said, knowing that sooner or later a guard would appear and raise the alarm.
They may be lazy, but the men sure could shout.
"Agreed. Your crew have heard the rumors then?"
"Yes. They're unsettlingly similar and exceedingly disturbing, to say the least."
"And wildly abundant. Almost too much so." Thalia muttered, her mental gears turning furiously.
"Whoever this threat is, if they truly are a threat, then they're smart." Annabeth spoke up after a few moments of tense silence.
"Why is that?" Hazel asked her.
"The rumors are spreading quickly. That means that they are either working impossibly hard or they have their crew starting some." The daughter of Athena began to chew a piece of her hair as she thought, her mind racing with possibilities and scenarios.
"It must be the second option. There's been stories flying from all around of raids and attacks that have all happened on the same night, when the journey from one to another would take a week at the least." Hazel pointed out.
"Hazel, who did you hear the story from?" Nico asked.
"A dark haired boy with an eyepatch." Hazel replied.
"Two of my crew reported the same." Thalia said. "They were together at a tavern and overheard him speaking about it with a group of ruffian-looking types."
"We're dealing with a rumor mill, used to collect men for a crew most likely." Annabeth decided.
"How do we combat this?"
"We have to find out who's behind it all. And we need to fight fire with fire."
Thalia raised an eyebrow at Nico's statement. "And how do you suggest we do that?"
"Make this known. Spread it like wildfire that Light and Dark are working together, and let the world know the target." Nico looked Thalia in the eye determinedly.
"Make this Green-Eyes fellow run scared."
[A/N they're rather non-observant, aren't they? Oh well.]