Practice (PRIVATE WITH DRAGON)

Uh, who's name was specifically mentioned by one of the greatest guitar players in the world? I believe that would be me which means I have you beat little girl. Anyhow, do you wanna take them up on their offer and start a career as a band? We will get to meet all sorts of musicians who will be jealous of your talents. Austin watched the girl with a cautious gaze as he evaluated his potential work with her.

Dallas sighed and nodded slowly as he thought about how he would probably just end up going with anyhow. There were things he should do instead but Dallas wasn't going to stop Anna from taking up her choice of what she wanted to do and if that meant singing then so be it. I don't care as long as Kodee and I can go as personal body guards for this little tour. Dallas turned and saw Kodee smirk and shrug in acknowledgement that he would go for them.

Anna grinned."Then I'm coming too. Someone's gotta make sure Anna doesn't go all diva." Ashley said, grinning. She had a feeling they needed to be together, for they were friends and letters wouldn't suffice.

Austin chuckled and looked around the group of kids around him and sighed. This was what Zephen would have wanted and it would have been something Kat would have loved to be a part of. The son of Nike looked toward the cabins and realized what was wrong. There were five of them and while they could all fit in the car, Austin wanted to have a bit more room. Austin thought for a few seconds and then set his mind upon using all of Zephen's built up money and his car to get supplies as well as a larger vehicle to ride in.

Well we can leave as soon as you guys are ready. How about we meet up at Thalia's Tree in about an hour? With that Austin walked toward the cabins with his mind whirling and his thoughts jumbled up. He stopped at Zephen's bunk and picked up everything, totaling up to around thirty thousand dollars and like five thousand drachmas as well as clothing, weapons, armor, and several miscellaneous items. He headed toward his own cabin and decided to gather his stuff and go shower.

Dallas and Kodee were close to being packed already since they both had just arrived at Camp recently so when they went to their cabins they walked out with their stuff and went to Thalia's Tree. Kodee had a chest plate on with bracers and greaves as well as armored boots that had leather over them. He had on similarly made armored gauntlets and shoulder armor. On his back rested the shield and his swords as well as a bow and arrows. He had a duffel bag with clothing and money as well as drachmas and weapons. Dallas had his own armor and weapons as well as clothes and money and other assorted items.

Austin walked up the hill and met Kodee and Dallas there with his two duffel bags and his back pack that was stuffed full of medical supplies. He smiled at the two and then walked down the hill and grabbed the car which he started and drove up to the border. When he arrived, Austin popped the trunk and the three boys loaded their stuff into the car.

Ashley and Anna realized it was time to go, so they slung their bags over their shoulder and headed up the hill. They put their stuff in the car and looked at one another. "Y'all ready?" Ashley voiced.

Kodee and Dallas looked at each other and smiled knowingly as they both walked toward their girlfriends and dragged them into a hug. Dallas whispered into Anna's ear softly. Why did you suddenly show up Austin like that? While Dallas was busy asking questions, Kodee was holding Ashley close and kissing her like there was no tomorrow. Austin chuckled and honked the horn impatiently. They still had to stop and buy an SUV so they could get around with more room. Maybe he would get one from a demi god dealer since they always had surprises under the hood. When you guys get done making out, I'm ready to leave. We will have to stop and get a bigger vehicle as well as some food but I'm sure we can hit up mine and Zephen's banks.

Anna grinned. "Because I'm your totally awesome girlfriend." She said. "Now I need your help seperating Kodee and Ashley." She whispered smiling. Anna went over to the two and pulled on Ashleys arm "LETS GO GIRLY THE TRAIN TO PONYVILLE AINT WAITIN FOR YA!" She half yelled half said. Ashley ended the kiss and turned to Anna. "Youre such a pain in the butt." She giggled.

Kodee glared at Anna for a brief second before he pulled Ashley into his arms again and kissed her for a couple seconds just to show that he wouldn't be controlled by the girl. This train to success won't be leaving unless we are all aboard so just hold on a second. Kodee grinned at Anna before he wrapped his fingers through Ashley's and walked toward the car, keeping his grip soft and enjoying the warmth from her hands.

Dallas just shook his head and sighed since this would be the group they were going to be travelling with for awhile and that meant he would have to deal with this for some length of time. At least it was with friends and people he could trust fighting by his side instead of people that he couldn't trust as far as he could throw them. The son of Hades walked over to Austin and sighed softly. Where are we heading after we get the SUV?

Austin had been leaning against the car door with his arms crossed while he slipped into thoughts deeper than anything else. He looked up when Dallas walked over to him and smiled slightly before pointing toward the west. Our destination is in LA where we will more than likely meet some Roman demi gods. Just don't anger them and don't allow them to know who we are and we should be safe enough for the time being.

Austin was about to look at Anna's phone when suddenly his started going off with no pause until finally he couldn't take it anymore. The son of Nike pulled out his phone and glanced at the screen to see that an unknown number was calling him so Austin clicked answer. Austin speaking...yes I have seen the videos. Yes there was a battle between me and Anna but no we aren't dating. Dude, she's eleven years old. Do you know how wrong that would be? Whatever, maybe we will see you in California or something like that. Yup, nice talking to you again. Austin ended the call and smiled at Anna while he slipped his phone back into his pocket where he could easily get to it.

We have some demi god friends in California ready to see us go on tour with how talented we are. One of them has said that he has a place for us to stay in Las Angeles where we can store some demi god supplies and train at the same time. It might be worth checking out when we get there. Austin slipped into the car and revved the engine to show it was time to hit the road or be left behind.

-----Time Skip-----

The world had never seemed so strange until Austin had gotten to the dealership and immediately been assaulted by screaming fans who wanted to get his autograph as well as Anna's. They hadn't even made it out of New York and already they were being attacked by fans who had nothing better to do. The SUV that they had gotten from the dealership had many hidden gadgets and doo dads hidden within and as they drove down the road, Austin thought about hitting a switch to send them into the air but he didn't. The silent tires seemed to make it all worth it as they passed from New York and into the state of Pennsylvania with his mind already whirling. A+, the name given to him and Anna, sounded pretty awesome after he had gotten over the fact that it was a stupid name.

As Austin pulled up to the house in Las Angeles, California, he saw his friends from back when he had first gone to Camp. One of them was a tall and strong looking guy who had just turned twenty one and was the son of Kronos. Unlike his father, Austin's friend wasn't crazy and was always willing to help his friends. Hey! Is this the house? Austin spoke to him quickly while he pulled out his bags and helped with the others as well. "Yeah this is it. I saw the videos and I must say that you and Anna are awesome guitarists and might make a career out of this."

Austin and the older guy walked toward the house talking while Kodee climbed out and pulled out Anna who had been joking around and laughing the whole way there. Now it was time for them to go into the house and get ready for whatever was going to happen. Kodee helped Dallas out and went and grabbed his bags. So I guess we are here. Are you guys ready for this? I'm ready as long as I can trust on my friends to be here to help me if I need it. Dallas walked over to Anna after smiling at Kodee and then gave her a kiss on the cheek.

As they entered the house, Austin saw a security pad on the side of the wall that had many buttons all labeled with Greek characters and symbols. Austin glanced at his friend and smiled as he typed in the only code that would make sense to them, Forever Divine. It was something that they had talked about and had actually used as their motto for some time. When the code was verified, Greek turrets swiveled up from the roof and large gargoyle looking things appeared from behind them. Small centaur statues rose from the ground and raised bows while stone demi gods raised swords. Now they would have some more protection in case of an attack since all of the weapons were godly metals or Greek Fire.

Nice security system you have here, bro. Austin smirked as he eyed another panel that had appeared, this time in Greek numbers instead of letters. The code was just as simple, 1518, the ages that Austin and Drake had met in Camp. A sliding door appeared in the floor just next to a bookcase as the bookcase slid back into the wall, revealing a hidden case of swords. This must have been the entrance to a training room. Drake nodded and handed Austin the keys as well as a handshake that showed Austin now owned the house for as long as he needed it.

Kodee walked into the house and turned in a wide circle to admire the building that they would be staying in. Immediately he bolted toward the stairs and ascended up until he came to the top floor. After he got there, Kodee found the hidden stair case that pulled down and climbed up into the attic room. It was large with another door that opened up in the ceiling and led out onto a small terrace on the roof. He had a bathroom and two mini fridges as well as a wall with a television and video game system. Instantly Kodee closed the trap door that led up and started setting up his room.

Dallas climbed the spiral staircase and walked into a medium sized room with white walls and two walls completely covered in shelves for holding any manner of items. There was no closet so Dallas walked up to one wall of shelves and started running his fingers along the edges. If there were so many security measures then there was bound to be some secret in this room as well. As his fingers ran over what looked to be a power outlet, a switch was flipped and the second shelving unit opened to reveal a second room filled with shelves and drawers. It was a private storage room meant for whatever he had to put in there. Quickly Dallas put his stuff in the storage room besides his armor and weapons which he put on the shelves. This was his room now for while they were there.

Kodee walked down the stairs with just a pair of swords belted to his back and a simple set of armor on under a tee shirt and jeans. His hair was brushed out of the way and he had ditched the leather jacket but kept the boots just to be safe. As he walked down he saw Ashley in her room and he knocked before entering. So do you want to go do something?

Ashley grinned. "Yeah sure." She got up and kissed him. "What ya wanna do?" She asked.
Anna had changed into her black and white rose jeans and thrown on a tank before pulling on her Converse and walking out of the house and sitting on the curb with her notebook. She started flipping through the pages, before finally finding a blank one and starting to draw.

Austin had found the living room, rather easily since it was large, and had pulled out his guitar to start strumming away on the strings to get comfortable and calm down. He was midway through a song when his phone went off and he was forced to pick it up. The conversation was basically short and to the point as the talent agent spoke about how she wanted Austin and Anna to meet her for a brief discussion about the gig she had already set up for them. The show would be in two days and they would have to be ready for a large crowd since they were famous just from that one video online.

He sighed as he hung up and walked outside to find Anna on the curb drawing in her notebook. We're supposed to go meet the agent now so she can discuss our gig in two days. I guess she didn't want to wait for us to get here before setting it up and now we are to expect a large group of fans to be there.

Kodee laughed and thought for a second before looking up at the ceiling and his room. Maybe they could go up to the roof and see the security system up there but not even he knew what was up there. Then he remembered the door that led outside which meant there had to be something cool up on the roof. Well, there's a cool door that leads onto the roof from my room. Do you wanna go see what's up there?

Kodee climbed the stairs with Ashley's hand in his and smiled at the thought of what would be up there. Then he came to the trap door and he reached up and pulled down the folding stairs. Quickly he stepped aside and waved his arm in front of him. After you, my darling Ashley. He smirked at his false gentleman behaviors because he couldn't ever be a gentleman even if the world depended upon it.

Austin climbed into the front seat of the SUV and waited for Anna to get it. As he waited, he slipped in the iPod cord that would connect it to the vehicle speakers. On the iPod were all of his written songs and some that he hadn't finished but had just created some of the melody to. Austin turned on the iPod and flipped to a song titled "Hidden Secrets" The words hadn't been written but the melody was soft and painful that spoke of things not known about.

Dallas woke up from a sleep he hadn't realized he had entered after he had sat down on his bed to check his phone. His eyes blinked open to the sound of silence and a calm sense of accomplishment. They had made it to California and now they were in the house waiting for Austin and Anna to get there call. Still why was it so quiet? Dallas stood up and walked out into the hallway to find out what was going on.

Kodee followed Ashley up the steps and into the room before he pulled the steps up and closed the trap door. The room was warm enough to be comfortable but not hot and he turned to look at the door that led outside. Kodee wrapped his arms around Ashley and smiled at her. This is a great room but it is better when you are here with me. Kodee opened the door and led Ashley outside to the terrace that looked out over large green lawns and beautiful trees.

The wind blew softly against Kodee's face, cooling his skin and making him shiver slightly as he looked over at the drive way where the SUV had been just moments earlier. Apparently Austin and Anna had left to go see about something for A+. What a strange name but it was kind of funny how they had been battling just to joke around but now they were a band.

Suddenly three turrets spun toward the green lawns in the back and started firing sporadically. Out of the trees came three hellhounds, both of which fell to the guns within seconds of exiting the trees. Kodee pulled Ashley close to him and smiled at the thought of the monsters falling so easily.