In a city--but it was the city in particular that caught the attention of Lucius more than anything else. Asgard--that was the thing he spoke about. A small touch of awe burst through his chest. Feo had grown up in the Asgard--that was why he had some strange ideas, some strange concepts and--more importantly... the Asgardian coinage. But he had been around the actual gods, the creatures and beings that lived in Asgard. That was absolutely incredible. Something about that... was mind boggling.

He stopped in his tracks for a moment before he hurried to keep pace with Feo. "The Asgard--" he echoed quietly. "Holy cow."

Loki--Feo had stayed with Loki. That was how he had ended up in the college. Loki had kept in him in Asgard, but not well enough considering the bitter laugh. Field study.

To learn how demigods worked, how their minds worked and that sort of thing. But there he was, choosing Lucius of all of them to try and piece out. That was real smart. Lucius couldn't hardly figure his own self out sometimes.

Lucius glanced toward Feo for a moment, readying a jeering comment toward himself. But he kept talking instead. The smile Lucius wore faded slightly. If things went south--well, they were going south now. Well, they were headed west but for the gods? They were going south and the gods had no idea.

"See, the problem is, the demigods aren't inherently bad. Their world and all of that has been created because of the gods and what they push onto them," Lucius commented idly, "the issue is that there are good kids in the demigod world. But that goodness gets pushed out and to the side when they reach a useful age because the gods suddenly remember they exist and now, they have children clamoring over each other to try and get the attention of their parent. Where the parent and the gods are basically looking out for who survives the free for all."

The young man pushed one hand through his hair. "Ha--you sure picked a weird one to study, eh?" The comment finally slid out after a few moments of silence. "But granted, I didn't start at that college. I went to one farther from home--on purpose. I wanted to try and start fresh, start new. Which, it worked out for a little bit. But I... I opened my mouth and got in trouble. I mentioned that maybe the gods were wrong for how they treated others and... boy howdy that was the wrong thing to say. I finally convinced them to let me transfer to the other campus which was closer to home and 'better influences' or something and they let it happen. I had a scholarship that transferred as well since I'm in kind of a niche but needed career path."

Lucius let out a weary sigh. "... and then the factions and all of that happened... and it just kind of solidified that idea that the gods really suck at parenting and they need to be held accountable for it," he tapped one hand against his thigh, a weary note to his smile. "... which is why I'm out here. I would've done it anyways."

He could only imagine what Milo was thinking. A smug part of him was confident that he had done this part. He had escaped campus, gotten out, gotten this far and they had a plan. That was more than anyone else had done.

And it was more than just putting his head down and suffering through.

"That's kind of the beauty of confidence," Lucius gave Feo a much brighter and far more sly smile, "nobody questions you because you look like you know what you're doing. Even when you ask question!"

Feo knew--he understood what Lucius was getting at in a way that others didn't. They'd hum and haw but then they'd settle in and just state that ... that was how the world was. They just had to get in and win the system to get better. But that was exactly what the gods wanted them to do.

"Oh they absolutely don't," Lucius let out a dry laugh and shook his head. Gods caring about their children? Yeah right. Well, okay, so there were a few who kind of ish did and that was rare. Usually it was because that was literally what they were the deity of. Families, children or whatever else.

Lucius gave Feo a warmer smile though he felt a small burst of heat ripple up into his cheeks. "W-well, I mean, y'know, you could say it like that, I guess," he stammered. Lucius really didn't think of himself as rebellious but now that the word was out there, he supposed it fit. He always considered it more of going his own pathway, rebellion was a dangerous word to throw around. But it... was rather fitting now. Which was fine.

Weird. But fine.

His eyes flicked up toward him with a sharper grin. Oh he was almost always winging it--just now they were hidden. Brains? Sure. Sure, that's what they were.

Lucius wasn't sure he believed him at all.

"I think it's going to get us on the right path to finding out what will work," Lucius commented, tucking his hands behind his back as he followed the train tracks. "If the initial plan does work, then fantastic. If it doesn't and we have to adjust it as we go, that's alright too. It's the duality of man against the rigidity of the gods. Duality does far more than rigidity does. But either way, if it doesn't work quite the way we want it, we do still have each other. That's something--perhaps that's more than enough. But hey, why go back to that place when we can explore the world?"

Lucius waved his hand to gesture around them. "All of... this, the ... Kansas."

There wasn't much to see in all reality. There were fields... a lot of fields and the train tracks. The town was largely behind them now and it was just the train tracks and the open fields. Some distant farm houses but nothing much more than that.

"For a godly item as powerful as the Cestus, you'd think it would've ended up somewhere cool like ... I dunno, Greece? Maybe Rome? Or even New York. But Kansas?"

Lucius shook his head and sighed. "That's like losing a penny in the couch cushion. There's nothing there but lint and fuzzies. Maybe some other coins you dropped."

"In the middle of nowhere," Lucius echoed and let out a chuff of a laugh. "Well, y'know.... it would be the last place I would look. So that's gotta be part of it, I'm sure. But then again, the fact that some guy just magically happens to have a mythical stash of relics for a personal collection? That seems really suspicious to me. It's almost like it's that guy who doesn't want to be found... because he knows what he has. Who knows, maybe we can get this guy on our side too."

He shrugged loosely as he waved one hand. "The more the merrier--but he's not getting special treatment, no no," the young man let out a warmer laugh, giving Feo a sharper and teasing smile, "that's for you and you alone."

He fell silent for a few moments as he walked along the Nordic demigod. At the very least, the weather was nice. It wasn't too warm but it wasn't too terribly cold either. Lucius could get fairly cold fairly quick. But this weather was nice. The patchy clouds overhead provided some semblance of shade occasionally from the heat of the sun.

"Exactly, the reason is better than the journey," the winged demigod of Zephyrus bobbed his head firmly, bouncing golden hair. His eyes flicked back toward Feo for a moment or two. Had he thought about it?

... well, he had. But he knew full well that it was not the type of answer that Feo was going to ever accept. In all reality, Lucius had envisioned the whole thing going down in flames of glory, showing demigods that they could be more but knowing full well the gods would end the treason. He'd figure he'd watch the rest from the world beyond. But now... perhaps fortunately, that plan was slowly starting to change.

"Probably go back," Lucius finally said, letting the plan come as he spoke. "Find demigods who need a place to stay and probably take the campus over, giving them a better place to stay. That way I'm still close enough to the gods and I can see when they're going back on their promise."

He glanced toward Feo for a moment, almost to gauge whether or not that was a good answer. He had a feeling, a tiny inkling, that it was much better than his previous one. But that was an inside thought and that thought would remain as such.

But it had been the inevitable end. Lucius had always known, somehow, that whatever he did... it was always going to end abruptly. That was part of his nightmares, the looming vision of staring up at golden eyes and having it all go dark. The inevitable.

The voice always whispered that he should keep going, topple the gods... but be aware of his inevitable end.

What if it changed?

Lucius glanced back at Feo. "I--I am open for suggestions though."

Lucius hadn't really thought through the whole plan. He had vague thoughts for what could happen beyond facing the gods themselves but nothing too solid. Partially because he knew--he just knew--that he wasn't going to be making it much farther than that.

But there was a dangerous thought that popped into his head as Feo spoke. Bigger than just one campus... Feo probably meant more than one but Lucius felt a small skip in his chest.

Bigger than one campus... the thought was only aided by his teasing grin.

How else to keep the gods in check... but by ruling them himself?

Lucius took in a deeper breath and let it out again. Now that was a particularly stupid idea but it was the type of stupid that just might work. It would require gathering some friends and perhaps a few other gods to help along but... it could work. Especially since the gods could choose one thing to focus on. Him or the war.

But he couldn't reveal that plan yet. No, it still needed some planning.

Lucius gave Feo a lopsided smile, bumping against his side. "Y'know, you're the only one who's really egged me on like this. Everybody else says not to--or that I'm crazy. You get so used to that sort of thing that when someone tells you ... to do it, it seems so wild."

Feo's grin returned and Lucius gave him a brighter grin in return, preening just a touch. "Well, now, I think it's a little too late for that. I think I am all that and a box of rocks."

The young man let out a loose laugh, shaking his head for a few moments. The wind picked up just slightly, catching his hair and the edges of his clothing. Somewhere, in the distance he could hear a faint moo of a cow, likely carried on the wind.

But he was listening for the sound of thundering engines rumbling on the distant tracks. The puff of the engine, the whistle--even the way the ground shook when it was near.

But the air was silent barring the sound of the wind and their own footsteps along wooden rails.

There was a slight temptation to take the watch off. But Lucius wasn't sure how his wings would react with the new tunic and he did not want to tear it to pieces on accident. That would be bad--really bad.

Lucius paused for a moment or two, waiting. There was something that was ruffling his feathers--the feeling of something watching them from a distance. But he couldn't quite tell what yet. He lifted his hand up, urging Feo to stop as well.

"Something is out there," he whispered, "can you feel that? That feeling of something mythical--like us--something is out there. I don't know what or who or where."

The young man shook his head, turning in a slow circle before he paused and took a few seconds to blink.

He had... to take a moment to really register what he was seeing. He knew centaurs were a thing, he had seen them before.

...

But this one had the body of... a cow and a really frizzy dark mane of hair that floated around their head like a cloud.

Lucius grinned back lightly. He was impossible and stupid. Two things that clearly should never have mixed but there he was tangled up in both.

Aside from... whatever this was.

Lucius still couldn't quite figure out what he was seeing--or if it was real. This was one funky sort of mirage otherwise. It was stopped on the other side of the tracks, watching them with some sort of confusion. He was also not prepared for the deep voice that came from the being.

The rumble of a low voice but the tone was far more confused, if not concerned. The being's accent was thick and clearly rural--not quite southern but definitely mid-western.

The being's head tilted to the side, watching the pair.

"What're a pair of young men doin' out here? I'd know if I'd seen you in town but I ain't seen the lot of you before," the grumble was more confused than anything else, "an' judging by those looks, you both can see me for me."

Lucius looked back toward Feo, his eyes flickering with some sort of confusion before he took in a breath and let it out again. "Uhm--yeah, hello..." what exactly did he say to this?

Confidence right?

Lucius shook his head lightly and pushed one hand through his hair. "Well, I've never met someone like you before. But we're on our way to Garden City--"

"Ahh, itching to take a look at the private collection then. I figure so, dressed like that and whatnot," the beast ambled forward, making his way across the tracks. It wasn't that Lucius inferred it from the voice or appearance but he had ... well, he would keep his eyes upward from then on.

The cow-taur, not that Lucius knew if they had a name or not... Minotaur was already taken... smelled like grass. Mostly like grass. His skin was a darker color, almost a warm chocolate brown, his eyes were a deep hazel. The cow-half was just a soft brown. Nothing out of the ordinary.

But good grief was this thing massive up close. Lucius had to take a step back just to keep some semblance of safety.

"Well, we're waiting for the train," Lucius admitted. "Figured we'd get as far as we could before anything else--"

"Bah, the train isn't coming for another hour or so. These are my fields anyways, let me walk you down for a bit," the beast urged, waving one hand as he gestured for the pair to follow after him as he ambled down the length of the tracks. "Names Atlas, by the way."

Lucius looked toward Feo with a loose shrug. "At least he's nice?" He said quietly, keeping his voice low, "I'm not gonna ask questions, I'm just gonna go with it."