Celestial: the Destined (PJO x WoD) [Celestial Forge]
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"Magic isn't real" and 10 other fun lies we tell ourselves
New York in the springtime, there's nothing quite like it. Rats scampering the smell of sewage from the Hudson river, and the sound of gunfire in the night. I live in the shittiest apartment in the shittiest part of town, Brownsville. You're about four times as likely to be murdered in this part of town rather than anywhere else in New York, and it shows. Crumbling edifices and extreme squalor mar the once prosperous face of this community as urban blight and the ravages of time have caused the withering of this community. On the upside rent is dirt cheap, which is perfect for a guy like me who has basically no assets, no prospects, and no future.
Let's paint you a picture of the guy that I see in the mirror every day. Ratty jeans, shirt with holes in it, gaunt and slightly emaciated face, and countless other traits that scream desperation and the ravages of poverty. At least I have my health I think to myself as I let out an exaggerated cough.All in all very Aaron Smith.
Let's be honest with myself if I don't die due to murder I'm gonna die from complications due to poverty. Between the black mold and the asbestos in my apartment and all the second hand smoke from when I was a child I'm probably gonna have lung cancer. That being said, I'm at least grateful that I can have a roof over my head and a couple of hot meals if I don't have any outstanding expenses. It's more than many people can say they have. Bicycle couriers like me at least have enough money to exist in this environment not comfortably but existing nonetheless.
Generally there's nothing more I like to do at the end of a long day than have a lukewarm shower and vegetate on the couch, but this night was different. The past few weeks I've been restless and antsy and have been plagued with bizarre dreams filled with stars that shift and writhe like the coils of some black speckled snake caught in a spider's web. With another restless night on the way and my mind muddled I slipped my shoes on and went for a suicidally dangerous midnight stroll. So here I am minding my own business when I hear a scream, normally I would just ignore it and save my own skin, but tonight I don't know what struck me perhaps it was a sick voyeuristic bent or if I subtly wanted to be a hero.
Creeping slowly towards the source of the noise through the rat infested darkness I spied a peculiar sight. In the darkness were three leather clad bikers with strange looking features cornering a petite woman. Biker gangs aren't necessarily an uncommon site, but something about these guys unsettled me to no end. It was like every instinct was screaming at me to run and abandon that woman, or to curl up and hide like a small child and wait for the dawn to bring the safety of the light. At that moment there was a loud sniffing sound from their direction, and they began to check around as if somehow my scent reached them over the ambient stink of garbage in the alley way in which I was hunched in hiding. That was when they began to speak, it was like something out of your worst nightmares, all consonants with an almost barking like quality as if the vocal cords were replaced with barbed wire. That's when I spotted the worst part, each one of them in the dim light had eyes bright and shining like a nocturnal predator ready to strike, and ready to eat.
It was all too much to bear, and I broke skittering and slipping on the refuse in the alley scrambling and scrabbling to get any purchase. Their footsteps slowly growing louder and closer yet changing, their quality. What once was the sound of boots shifted to the sound of claws and the padding of skin on concrete.The woman let out a scream and fell silent as the clear sound gurgling was heard, and the scent of blood. Finally finding purchase my overdeveloped leg muscles burst into action propelling me at speeds barely thinkable adrenaline pushing me harder and faster than ever before. I could not shake the terror of the chase, I was so focused on the fear that I could not even look back at my pursuers. Blind panic began to cloud my judgement, and I did the only thing I could at that moment, I ran. The sound of the gnashing of teeth and the hot breath of my pursuers was almost on top of me when I arrived at the destination my feet had unknowingly carried me.
Once an object of fear now a symbol of reprieve, the local gang hideout proved to be my destination, leaping blindly with raw desperation I crashed through a window that was spray painted solidly black. I landed ungracefully slipping and sliding on the shattered glass and blood babbling and ranting like a madman at the multitude of faces that stared at me confused and angry. At least they were angry while their attention was on me, stooping and tearing with claws the size of pizza boxes my pursuers came into sight. Everything was wrong: sleep deprivation, panic and blood loss all combining into what had to be hallucination as the snout bared its massive fangs in my direction. That's when I heard it, the clicking of a multitude of guns and then the deafening sound of automatic gunfire mixed with an unearthly hissing noise from my hosts. Of course, I was too far gone at that moment to truly process any of this before I began running in earnest again. My consciousness had begun truly fading as my shoes began blindly and erratically running the few blocks it would be till I was home.
The final stretch in sight I only hoped that whatever the source of my terror had finally been lost. Slipping the key into the lock of my door, that's when it happened. What should have been a shabby interior was now instead a white featureless plane. Stumbling and landing in this space the door behind me slammed shut the door vanishing. At that moment a mass of roiling stars expanded in my mind erupting in a flaming aura of light of creation and destruction. In my mind etched into the fibers of my very being was the knowledge of creation locked away but there itching to be unleashed. Simultaneously as this galaxy of stars burned into view it began to magnify until a single star came into view and in moments its radiance expanded into a supernova infusing me and escaping its confines. I now had the knowledge of an education that could not exist, and yet it did. I knew of monsters and their forms of alchemy, blacksmithing, and of magic. At this point I lapsed into unconsciousness, the cumulative stress being far more than I could conceivably handle.
______________________________________________________________________________
Coming to, in my dingy apartment kissing the floorboards is not a pleasant experience to say the very least, especially not given the fact that I know what I've done in this place. Pushing against the floor pain flared across my hands as I realized the full extent of my injuries. Shallow cuts and scrapes totally coat my hands. It seems that in my mad dash to escape the pursuing bikers l managed to seriously hurt them. Gritting my teeth and pushing through my pain successfully detach my face from the ratty and dusty wood floor. Grumbling, I head to the bathroom to take some Ibuprofen, and contemplate life. Fiddling with the bottle inspiration strikes me. Last night was insane and clearly a hallucination brought on by stress but I might as well try out some of the nonsense in my head. Making a decision I figure the best bet would be a healing potion of some sort since you know I don't like the idea of having massive infections in my hands. According to my mental recipe I can make them with three blue fruits and one blue liquid, at least whatever the fuck that means.
Shrugging I head out the door and down to the local grocery store. Once there, looking around I spied some absolutely massive blueberries figuring ehh since they're fruit and blue they're probably a good enough substitute for whatever the hell blue fruits are. Heading over towards the checkout I see it, the perfect blue liquid for the job. The nectar of the gods itself, blue gatorade. I figure I might as well make my potion as tasty as possible since there's no way in hell that it will work. Ringing my items up as well as lifting a candy bar I headed home to concoct my tasty beverage.
As I reach into my pocket I withdraw an unfamiliar key, shaped like an old timey with the thick trunk and simple prongs with the major exception being that the key was made out of the void of space glittering with stars to boot too. Blinking rapidly at this I fumble with the key inserting it into the lock of my door fitting it into an impossibly thin opening and turning it without resistance. My door swings open to a casually impossible space, a mostly white void with the exception of some of the most basic crafting tables and a weirdly complete stockpile of mundane building materials.
Like any sane person I closed the door and fished out the correct key and entered into my now existent apartment. Pulling over a chair I stared blankly at the wall and silently tore into my snickers bar as I dissociated for a moment. Slapping myself on the face I began to refocus hauling out my blueberries and gatorade. Reaching into my cabinet I pulled out my special mug emblazoned with the Monster Donuts logo and with only a little bit of lead paint. Crushing the berries with a spoon I began grinding and mixing before opening a bottle of the gatorade and pouring it, mixing it thoroughly produced a strange result. Somehow the mixture was actually becoming homogenous rather than bits of berry mixed into gatorade. Looking at my hands I steeled my resolve and downed the potion from the mug. Gazing intently at my hands I began to notice changes slowly at first but accelerating I noticed the cuts and scrapes healing before my eyes as the scabs and the criss crossing cuts sealed and faded as if they had never been there.
"HOLY SWEET MOTHER OF FUCK!" I shout as the impact of what this means comes over me. All of this is real, and most of all I'm magical, but most importantly what am I going to do with these abilities?
Thinking for a moment as I gaze around my dingy apartment, one thing jumps to mind: part of my mental database regards the creation of furniture, not just that, but furniture that increases the user's capabilities. Pulling out my key I slotted it into the door to my bathroom turning it and opening it I stepped into my workshop and set myself to working. Sawing and going to work on my projects I prioritized the special tools that can assist productivity to speed my efforts further.
As the hours passed by I grew hungrier and hungrier before it became too much for me to continue with my focus. Setting out I found myself walking a familiar path down to my favorite restaurant O'Tolley's. It's not my favorite due to quality but the fact that it's cheap and has enough grease to render any bag see through. Otherwise it's just fast food, it does have a really catchy slogan that people eat up 'A family place'.
Either way, having finished my meal I went back to work, sanding and grinding away any sharp and pointy edges, and in short order my first true project was done. A sizable workbench now stood in the room and would prove a massive asset in the future.
It was at the very moment that I completed the workbench that stars erupted in my vision, like standing too quickly after sitting for a while. It was as if my brain reached for something on the top shelf and missed giving up their arms being just a few inches short of grabbing it. I sighed and made my way back into my apartment before crashing on my bed dead tired.
______________________________________________________________________________
Falling and falling without end I am plunged into the blue abyss of the sky as I am flung far wide from some long forgotten perch. There is nothing save for the fall in this blue void. As I gaze downwards or what I think to be downwards I feel the call of the ground and the inexorable pull of gravity. Yet I resist and in doing so learn that falling is a matter of perspective, and I am beyond perspective. And In this moment I began to fly in this blue void.
______________________________________________________________________________
Waking gently something returns to my mind. In my ecstasy and focus on magic in addition to my denial of my previous experiences I have forgotten one of the most important things when dealing with monsters, weapons. Realizing this I bolt upright in a cold sweat. Those creatures or creature, in my delirium I was unsure as to their identity, might still be out there, and might still have my scent. I needed a weapon and fast. Contemplating my options and this training I did but didn't receive, I decided to make a spear. Of the options one stood out above the rest, a so-called "Partisan of Light" that would smite unholy enemies and provide healing for myself. The other thing that made it so attractive was the fact that I actually don't need any rare monster parts for this, and can compensate for the different world I'm in. Turning my thoughts to the question of armor, my vague memories are drawn to the knife-like claws of the beast that could puncture even the hardest of steels that I have access to. All of the armors save for generic steel with no modification would be out of my reach, and ineffective that I decide to forgo it to instead focus on dodging and keeping the enemies at range with my spear. Taking a quick shower I check the time and head out the door and begin biking in the direction of the nearby flea market in search of "white stone" and other crafting ingredients. Bee lining my way to the area of the market where I knew jewelry and other minerals would be sold I began glancing around at the vast display of wares. Looking up and down the rows I spotted something that sparked ideas to mind. Some simple semi-precious stones had caught my eye, but what they could be used for was the important thing. Garnets in the whole color of the rainbow for incredibly cheap prices and in decent size, the perfect stones to set into rings that can channel magical energy. Looking into my meagre wallet I picked 3 of the raw unpolished garnets for a cheap $60 leaving me with a grand total of $20 to my name, just barely enough to stretch out the last of my food for one week. Sighing temporarily but looking at my precious loot consisting of a white, green, and red garnet I smile for what I can do with them.
Eagerly I begin my work back home beginning by heating and alloying my steels in my shop. I begin the long process of forging my new weapon and my rings. Slowly raising a combination of nickel, iron, carbon and a trace amount of gold in a crucible to form a new alloy I dubbed seton steel to act as a mana conductor. In a second crucible I rapidly heat to a white hot, a combination of some of the previously made seton steel, vanadium, chromium, and titanium oxide. As soon as the titanium was added the mixture began to violently react, and in that moment I rapidly cooled the metal to form a large workable billet of albunea steel. The properties of this build off the mana conductance of the seton combined with the toughness of the other metals to create a mana reinforced crystalline layer. Carefully I began working the albunea steel on my anvil delicately shaping and moving the crystalline lattice into the shape of a partisan. Reaching into the pile of materials I withdraw gold and silver jewelers wire and begin to carefully engrave a large setting into the spear with concentric rings of runes spiraling outwards. Lastly I engrave the white garnet with runes of power designed to hold the magic in place and then carefully begin the arduous process of setting the stone. Once placed I begin to gather my meagre energy and pour it into the stone focusing on thoughts of life and protection as the magic begins to conform to the patterns I inscribed. Quietly and almost imperceptibly the spear began to glow with a warm gentle light.
Placing this to the side, I began work on my rings slowly shaping the seton steel into long thin pieces. Carefully tempering the steel as I go, I begin inducing a gentle curve until the ring is joined at both ends. Heating the joined end I abruptly hit it until it joins properly and shape the now flattened area into a robust and tough setting for a jewel. Cooling the ring I scribe incredibly small text into it producing a spiraling band of characters around each band. I carefully replicate matching symbols on the remaining two garnets and carefully lower each one into the bands. Steeling myself I channel my raw will into each, embedding the magic of strength into each.
Once again finishing the project results in the brief field of stars reaching out and failing to grasp anything. Shaking my mind clear I look down at the beautifully created rings before slipping the green one on first. The energy begins moving outward from the ring touching each and every cell of my body, hardening them and enhancing the metabolic function of each. The feeling blossoms into a full body comfort making me feel the best I have in years. I smile gently bathing myself in the glow of comfort. Rousing myself from my stupor I reach for the red ring and place it on my left hand. If green was an immovable object this felt like an unstoppable force. Each fiber of my muscles tightened and then relaxed yet ready to act at any moment. Standing up I walked over to my anvil and began to lift. Although heavy it was not a difficult lift by any means, and by my estimation this has boosted me up to peak-human levels to say the least, with my endurance matching, but the best part is that it's additive rather than setting my body to a certain level.. Smiling I say to myself "Those bastards if they show themselves will never know what hit them."
Let's paint you a picture of the guy that I see in the mirror every day. Ratty jeans, shirt with holes in it, gaunt and slightly emaciated face, and countless other traits that scream desperation and the ravages of poverty. At least I have my health I think to myself as I let out an exaggerated cough.All in all very Aaron Smith.
Let's be honest with myself if I don't die due to murder I'm gonna die from complications due to poverty. Between the black mold and the asbestos in my apartment and all the second hand smoke from when I was a child I'm probably gonna have lung cancer. That being said, I'm at least grateful that I can have a roof over my head and a couple of hot meals if I don't have any outstanding expenses. It's more than many people can say they have. Bicycle couriers like me at least have enough money to exist in this environment not comfortably but existing nonetheless.
Generally there's nothing more I like to do at the end of a long day than have a lukewarm shower and vegetate on the couch, but this night was different. The past few weeks I've been restless and antsy and have been plagued with bizarre dreams filled with stars that shift and writhe like the coils of some black speckled snake caught in a spider's web. With another restless night on the way and my mind muddled I slipped my shoes on and went for a suicidally dangerous midnight stroll. So here I am minding my own business when I hear a scream, normally I would just ignore it and save my own skin, but tonight I don't know what struck me perhaps it was a sick voyeuristic bent or if I subtly wanted to be a hero.
Creeping slowly towards the source of the noise through the rat infested darkness I spied a peculiar sight. In the darkness were three leather clad bikers with strange looking features cornering a petite woman. Biker gangs aren't necessarily an uncommon site, but something about these guys unsettled me to no end. It was like every instinct was screaming at me to run and abandon that woman, or to curl up and hide like a small child and wait for the dawn to bring the safety of the light. At that moment there was a loud sniffing sound from their direction, and they began to check around as if somehow my scent reached them over the ambient stink of garbage in the alley way in which I was hunched in hiding. That was when they began to speak, it was like something out of your worst nightmares, all consonants with an almost barking like quality as if the vocal cords were replaced with barbed wire. That's when I spotted the worst part, each one of them in the dim light had eyes bright and shining like a nocturnal predator ready to strike, and ready to eat.
It was all too much to bear, and I broke skittering and slipping on the refuse in the alley scrambling and scrabbling to get any purchase. Their footsteps slowly growing louder and closer yet changing, their quality. What once was the sound of boots shifted to the sound of claws and the padding of skin on concrete.The woman let out a scream and fell silent as the clear sound gurgling was heard, and the scent of blood. Finally finding purchase my overdeveloped leg muscles burst into action propelling me at speeds barely thinkable adrenaline pushing me harder and faster than ever before. I could not shake the terror of the chase, I was so focused on the fear that I could not even look back at my pursuers. Blind panic began to cloud my judgement, and I did the only thing I could at that moment, I ran. The sound of the gnashing of teeth and the hot breath of my pursuers was almost on top of me when I arrived at the destination my feet had unknowingly carried me.
Once an object of fear now a symbol of reprieve, the local gang hideout proved to be my destination, leaping blindly with raw desperation I crashed through a window that was spray painted solidly black. I landed ungracefully slipping and sliding on the shattered glass and blood babbling and ranting like a madman at the multitude of faces that stared at me confused and angry. At least they were angry while their attention was on me, stooping and tearing with claws the size of pizza boxes my pursuers came into sight. Everything was wrong: sleep deprivation, panic and blood loss all combining into what had to be hallucination as the snout bared its massive fangs in my direction. That's when I heard it, the clicking of a multitude of guns and then the deafening sound of automatic gunfire mixed with an unearthly hissing noise from my hosts. Of course, I was too far gone at that moment to truly process any of this before I began running in earnest again. My consciousness had begun truly fading as my shoes began blindly and erratically running the few blocks it would be till I was home.
The final stretch in sight I only hoped that whatever the source of my terror had finally been lost. Slipping the key into the lock of my door, that's when it happened. What should have been a shabby interior was now instead a white featureless plane. Stumbling and landing in this space the door behind me slammed shut the door vanishing. At that moment a mass of roiling stars expanded in my mind erupting in a flaming aura of light of creation and destruction. In my mind etched into the fibers of my very being was the knowledge of creation locked away but there itching to be unleashed. Simultaneously as this galaxy of stars burned into view it began to magnify until a single star came into view and in moments its radiance expanded into a supernova infusing me and escaping its confines. I now had the knowledge of an education that could not exist, and yet it did. I knew of monsters and their forms of alchemy, blacksmithing, and of magic. At this point I lapsed into unconsciousness, the cumulative stress being far more than I could conceivably handle.
______________________________________________________________________________
Coming to, in my dingy apartment kissing the floorboards is not a pleasant experience to say the very least, especially not given the fact that I know what I've done in this place. Pushing against the floor pain flared across my hands as I realized the full extent of my injuries. Shallow cuts and scrapes totally coat my hands. It seems that in my mad dash to escape the pursuing bikers l managed to seriously hurt them. Gritting my teeth and pushing through my pain successfully detach my face from the ratty and dusty wood floor. Grumbling, I head to the bathroom to take some Ibuprofen, and contemplate life. Fiddling with the bottle inspiration strikes me. Last night was insane and clearly a hallucination brought on by stress but I might as well try out some of the nonsense in my head. Making a decision I figure the best bet would be a healing potion of some sort since you know I don't like the idea of having massive infections in my hands. According to my mental recipe I can make them with three blue fruits and one blue liquid, at least whatever the fuck that means.
Shrugging I head out the door and down to the local grocery store. Once there, looking around I spied some absolutely massive blueberries figuring ehh since they're fruit and blue they're probably a good enough substitute for whatever the hell blue fruits are. Heading over towards the checkout I see it, the perfect blue liquid for the job. The nectar of the gods itself, blue gatorade. I figure I might as well make my potion as tasty as possible since there's no way in hell that it will work. Ringing my items up as well as lifting a candy bar I headed home to concoct my tasty beverage.
As I reach into my pocket I withdraw an unfamiliar key, shaped like an old timey with the thick trunk and simple prongs with the major exception being that the key was made out of the void of space glittering with stars to boot too. Blinking rapidly at this I fumble with the key inserting it into the lock of my door fitting it into an impossibly thin opening and turning it without resistance. My door swings open to a casually impossible space, a mostly white void with the exception of some of the most basic crafting tables and a weirdly complete stockpile of mundane building materials.
Like any sane person I closed the door and fished out the correct key and entered into my now existent apartment. Pulling over a chair I stared blankly at the wall and silently tore into my snickers bar as I dissociated for a moment. Slapping myself on the face I began to refocus hauling out my blueberries and gatorade. Reaching into my cabinet I pulled out my special mug emblazoned with the Monster Donuts logo and with only a little bit of lead paint. Crushing the berries with a spoon I began grinding and mixing before opening a bottle of the gatorade and pouring it, mixing it thoroughly produced a strange result. Somehow the mixture was actually becoming homogenous rather than bits of berry mixed into gatorade. Looking at my hands I steeled my resolve and downed the potion from the mug. Gazing intently at my hands I began to notice changes slowly at first but accelerating I noticed the cuts and scrapes healing before my eyes as the scabs and the criss crossing cuts sealed and faded as if they had never been there.
"HOLY SWEET MOTHER OF FUCK!" I shout as the impact of what this means comes over me. All of this is real, and most of all I'm magical, but most importantly what am I going to do with these abilities?
Thinking for a moment as I gaze around my dingy apartment, one thing jumps to mind: part of my mental database regards the creation of furniture, not just that, but furniture that increases the user's capabilities. Pulling out my key I slotted it into the door to my bathroom turning it and opening it I stepped into my workshop and set myself to working. Sawing and going to work on my projects I prioritized the special tools that can assist productivity to speed my efforts further.
As the hours passed by I grew hungrier and hungrier before it became too much for me to continue with my focus. Setting out I found myself walking a familiar path down to my favorite restaurant O'Tolley's. It's not my favorite due to quality but the fact that it's cheap and has enough grease to render any bag see through. Otherwise it's just fast food, it does have a really catchy slogan that people eat up 'A family place'.
Either way, having finished my meal I went back to work, sanding and grinding away any sharp and pointy edges, and in short order my first true project was done. A sizable workbench now stood in the room and would prove a massive asset in the future.
It was at the very moment that I completed the workbench that stars erupted in my vision, like standing too quickly after sitting for a while. It was as if my brain reached for something on the top shelf and missed giving up their arms being just a few inches short of grabbing it. I sighed and made my way back into my apartment before crashing on my bed dead tired.
______________________________________________________________________________
Falling and falling without end I am plunged into the blue abyss of the sky as I am flung far wide from some long forgotten perch. There is nothing save for the fall in this blue void. As I gaze downwards or what I think to be downwards I feel the call of the ground and the inexorable pull of gravity. Yet I resist and in doing so learn that falling is a matter of perspective, and I am beyond perspective. And In this moment I began to fly in this blue void.
______________________________________________________________________________
Waking gently something returns to my mind. In my ecstasy and focus on magic in addition to my denial of my previous experiences I have forgotten one of the most important things when dealing with monsters, weapons. Realizing this I bolt upright in a cold sweat. Those creatures or creature, in my delirium I was unsure as to their identity, might still be out there, and might still have my scent. I needed a weapon and fast. Contemplating my options and this training I did but didn't receive, I decided to make a spear. Of the options one stood out above the rest, a so-called "Partisan of Light" that would smite unholy enemies and provide healing for myself. The other thing that made it so attractive was the fact that I actually don't need any rare monster parts for this, and can compensate for the different world I'm in. Turning my thoughts to the question of armor, my vague memories are drawn to the knife-like claws of the beast that could puncture even the hardest of steels that I have access to. All of the armors save for generic steel with no modification would be out of my reach, and ineffective that I decide to forgo it to instead focus on dodging and keeping the enemies at range with my spear. Taking a quick shower I check the time and head out the door and begin biking in the direction of the nearby flea market in search of "white stone" and other crafting ingredients. Bee lining my way to the area of the market where I knew jewelry and other minerals would be sold I began glancing around at the vast display of wares. Looking up and down the rows I spotted something that sparked ideas to mind. Some simple semi-precious stones had caught my eye, but what they could be used for was the important thing. Garnets in the whole color of the rainbow for incredibly cheap prices and in decent size, the perfect stones to set into rings that can channel magical energy. Looking into my meagre wallet I picked 3 of the raw unpolished garnets for a cheap $60 leaving me with a grand total of $20 to my name, just barely enough to stretch out the last of my food for one week. Sighing temporarily but looking at my precious loot consisting of a white, green, and red garnet I smile for what I can do with them.
Eagerly I begin my work back home beginning by heating and alloying my steels in my shop. I begin the long process of forging my new weapon and my rings. Slowly raising a combination of nickel, iron, carbon and a trace amount of gold in a crucible to form a new alloy I dubbed seton steel to act as a mana conductor. In a second crucible I rapidly heat to a white hot, a combination of some of the previously made seton steel, vanadium, chromium, and titanium oxide. As soon as the titanium was added the mixture began to violently react, and in that moment I rapidly cooled the metal to form a large workable billet of albunea steel. The properties of this build off the mana conductance of the seton combined with the toughness of the other metals to create a mana reinforced crystalline layer. Carefully I began working the albunea steel on my anvil delicately shaping and moving the crystalline lattice into the shape of a partisan. Reaching into the pile of materials I withdraw gold and silver jewelers wire and begin to carefully engrave a large setting into the spear with concentric rings of runes spiraling outwards. Lastly I engrave the white garnet with runes of power designed to hold the magic in place and then carefully begin the arduous process of setting the stone. Once placed I begin to gather my meagre energy and pour it into the stone focusing on thoughts of life and protection as the magic begins to conform to the patterns I inscribed. Quietly and almost imperceptibly the spear began to glow with a warm gentle light.
Placing this to the side, I began work on my rings slowly shaping the seton steel into long thin pieces. Carefully tempering the steel as I go, I begin inducing a gentle curve until the ring is joined at both ends. Heating the joined end I abruptly hit it until it joins properly and shape the now flattened area into a robust and tough setting for a jewel. Cooling the ring I scribe incredibly small text into it producing a spiraling band of characters around each band. I carefully replicate matching symbols on the remaining two garnets and carefully lower each one into the bands. Steeling myself I channel my raw will into each, embedding the magic of strength into each.
Once again finishing the project results in the brief field of stars reaching out and failing to grasp anything. Shaking my mind clear I look down at the beautifully created rings before slipping the green one on first. The energy begins moving outward from the ring touching each and every cell of my body, hardening them and enhancing the metabolic function of each. The feeling blossoms into a full body comfort making me feel the best I have in years. I smile gently bathing myself in the glow of comfort. Rousing myself from my stupor I reach for the red ring and place it on my left hand. If green was an immovable object this felt like an unstoppable force. Each fiber of my muscles tightened and then relaxed yet ready to act at any moment. Standing up I walked over to my anvil and began to lift. Although heavy it was not a difficult lift by any means, and by my estimation this has boosted me up to peak-human levels to say the least, with my endurance matching, but the best part is that it's additive rather than setting my body to a certain level.. Smiling I say to myself "Those bastards if they show themselves will never know what hit them."
The Four Horsemen of Unemployment
Having spent a productive weekend altering the very fabric of reality with hitherto unseen primordial forces of magic, I awoke and dressed myself for another day of drudgery ferrying the inane and banal messages of corporate america. Despite having gained an extraordinary power, I was still yet a slave to the grinding gears of capitalism, and after all I still need to be able to afford rent, utilities, and O'Tolleys. So with determination not to starve I wore my rings and broke down my partisan collapsing the shaft into various pieces and stowing it in my backpack.
Despite the drudgery and mundane nature of being a bicycle courier it was not the most uninteresting job I could have had. I still have to contend with New York Traffic and consistently ruch back and forth at breakneck speeds, so at the very least I'm constantly being challenged to react quickly. Usually this would leave me tired with my weak human physiology, but not today.
As soon as I began pedaling my bike down the street I could feel the remarkable difference. What hills I once crossed with difficulty felt like nothing more than bumps in the pavement. Truly the rings I had spent so much money making were already paying off, the bike ride into Manhattan only took about half the time. The best part being that I felt no exhaustion from this, and since I'm paid by delivery with a bonus for delivering sooner I'm poised to make much more money for this job, at least that's what I thought.
My first delivery of the day was a doozy. Apparently some bigshot from the Empire State Building wanted some mail dropped off to some Fancy Boarding School. Easy cash, but super out of the way. Not ideal because that would lower my delivery rates for today and since I was the only person in at the time I got saddled with the responsibility. And so that was how I found myself pedaling my way to a moderately well maintained boarding school for troubled youngsters with a parcel addressed to a Mrs. Dodds in the math department.
Approaching the school I take the time to stop and lock my bike up out front, since you can never be too careful when it comes to kids as troubled as these. All around me these annoying brats cause an awful racket as they just do as kids do. Admittedly I'm a bit of a grouch when it comes to kids. I'm resentful and bitter because I had to grow up fast and take care of stuff after my dad died, so I never really got to have a childhood. Despite that I know especially shitty people just by the look of them, and boy did I ever see the epitome of that, some redheaded kid berating and bullying those around her. I shake my head and move along since it's not my job to resolve schoolyard battles.
At the front office I stop by to drop off my package to some otherwise preoccupied simpleton. With a loud pop of bubblegum she looks up from her romance novel eyes glazed over.
"Package for a Mrs. Dodds." I say calmly as I look at her
She sighs and says slowly. "I'm not authorized to sign for any packages mister. You'll have to hand it over to her directly." She loudly returns to chewing her bubblegum and turning the pages of her trashy book.
"Well then could you point me in her direction then?" I huff annoyed with the terrible secretary.
Looking back up from her paperback she shoots me a silent glare before angrily pointing at a map of the building.
Taking a quick glance towards the map I begin shuffling out and towards the 2nd floor math wing. Slightly lost and confused I took way longer to find it than I should have. I swear this building is like a labyrinth. By the time I'm there the lunch bell has sounded leaving the room empty save for two people, one a scrawny black haired kid writing lines on the chalkboard, and utterly failing to do so. The other was a short 50 something woman with an ill fitting leather jacket, a permanent scowl etched into her face that could easily kill from a thousand paces.
Stepping into the room I intone a simple question "Package for a Mrs. Dodds. Are you her?"
With a fury unbecoming of the situation she snarled out "Yes, now can't you see I'm busy? Just put it on the desk over there."
"Sorry ma'am but this is a priority package and I have to have you sign for it." I sigh and bring the package to her.
Gripping her gnarled talon like fingers she grasps and angrily signs the clipboard before taking a deep inhale, and that's precisely when shit hit the fan. Her eyes snapped open and burned with an unearthly rage before her hand shot out grasping my throat. Her sharp finger nails bit into throat causing massive pain as she lifted me into the air with an inhuman strength. Struggling to breath I began clawing at her fingers around my throat futilely.
In a monstrous hiss she shouted "WHO SENT YOU?! THE BOY IS THE THIEF AND NOTHING YOU COULD DO WOULD EXONERATE HIM."
I did the only thing I could think of at that moment and reached into my bag grabbing the head of the partisan and wildly slamming it into the neck of my enemy. Clearly unexpected, I met the eyes of this once human shaped thing in shock as it revealed a shrunken bat like form that had golden light escaping from the wound. And then in just seconds it had rendered itself into golden dust, the head of the partisan clattering to the ground.
Sitting on my butt I looked over, and the boy was staring at me mouth agape as we shared a long uncomfortable silence.
"You saw that too right?" I croak out in a hoarse whisper
The boy stood there blinking in shock for a moment before replying "I always thought Mrs. Dodds was an insufferable bat, but I didn't think it was literal."
"Yeah and well I never thought that the package delivery world would be this cutthroat but here we are." I chuckle to myself.
At that moment there was a crashing sound as a goatish looking teenage with a weird looking burst through the door shouting. "Percy are you okay?!!"
Shortly followed by the sound of a wheelchair and an older man following behind this teen. In this moment the pain flared and the stars passed over my vision but ultimately accomplished nothing. Slowly the two newcomers' heads swiveled and fixed upon my position as their brows simultaneously furrowed in confusion.
"I hope to god neither of you are weird monsters either, especially ones who try to kill random delivery men trying to do their jobs." I croak
There's a strange tension that crosses both of the newcomers' faces.
"You have to be shitting me… more weird non-human creatures in one school?!?"
The lad takes a sniff of the air and then turns to the man "He doesn't smell like a demigod or monster, but he does smell like magic. What should we do Chi… uh Mr. Brunner?"
Mr Brunner looks at Percy and then at me and says "Looks like the cat's out of the bag now Grover so I think it might be time for full disclosure since both parties are now involved even if they wouldn't like to be."
Percy looks at Grover and asks "What are you guys talking about? Grover, what do you mean monster and demigod?"
Grover sighs and says "Listen Percy gods monsters and heroes are all the real deal, and best guess your dad was one of the gods of Olympus and a powerful one at that." He looks over to me and says "You may not be a demigod but you're now involved in this and there's no fixing that looks like you're going to be joining us."
At that moment my phone buzzes with a text notification from my job "Maia courier services has terminated your employment due an incident during your job today."
Clenching my fists I shout "MOTHERFUCKER! I JUST WANTED TO PAY BILLS GODDAMNIT NOT GET DRAGGED INTO ALL THIS BULLSHIT! FUCK."
Recoiling from my shouting all save for Mr. Brunner, he responds "Well that was far quicker than what I was expecting, it appears that you've pissed off someone who wanted Percy dead, But Pardon my french you're fucked."
"Well dang my life is over I guess, figured it'd be because I got shot during a crossfire. So what now? Do you have somewhere I can go or am I supposed to fend for myself?" I reply, my heart sinking.
"Depending on many different factors we have many different options for how we deal with your situation. Most important in this is your age, since you look pretty young you might qualify to be a resident of Camp Half-Blood, But there are other options should that fall through." He says as he thoughtfully strokes his chin.
"I'm Eighteen this coming summer, but I don't follow what's Camp Half-Blood?" I sigh.
"Listen up Percy, this applies to you too. Camp Half-Blood is a camp that teaches young demigods how to use their abilities and exist in a world where monsters are constantly trying to kill you. Percy is a demigod but you young Aaron are not, but a special clause can instead be invoked in your case. Since you risked life and limb to defend Percy from a high class monster you can invoke the protector clause. Provided you work to protect Percy your access is guaranteed. I highly recommend this course of action since Camp Half-Blood is protected by an extremely strong wards scheme and is a forced neutral ground when it comes to the interaction of gods. Anywhere else you might be subject to godly retribution and not under the same protections given that you aren't a demigod." Mr. Brunner finishes with a flourish.
"Ugh, I guess there really aren't any other options that are as safe as this then I really only have one real choice. So how does this work? Do I wait for the end of the school year and exit with Percy or do I just go ahead of him?" I furrow my brow in contemplation.
"Ideally yes to the first one, but since Hades's monitoring of Percy after the dispersal of one of his furies has been disrupted I fear he will take drastic action to end you prior to either of you getting to camp. Hence why I've already cleared this early movement to camp with Percy's mom." Mr. Brunner calmly explains.
Suddenly a searing pain presses into my mind as the field of stars grows to an intensity reaching a fever pitch as the constellations swing towards its correct position before an unseen force rips at the field of stars forcing a new destination. As this settles into position the ringing in my ears is drowned out with a chorus of laughter from a group of 3 women. Floating in this void of stars 3 women measure and cut a massive tapestry of stars mimicking the background of this space. They each in turn smile at me as they snip and tuck the final thread. At that moment a screaming pain erupts in every cell in my body as something changes, a hidden potential is forced into my body, my bone structure scraping and being forced into a new configuration. Just as the pain from this began to subside another round began as I literally burst into flames my skin charring before flaking away to reveal unburnt skin that again burns, with several cycles repeating.
All around me in horror stares Percy, Grover and Mr. Brunner. Frozen until finally Percy does something entirely sensible and clever, he grabs a fire extinguisher from the hall and douses me in the foam putting an end to my suffering in a heartbeat.
Grover sniffs the and then bleats in an utterly goatish manner in confusion and shock. "HE SMELLS LIKE A DEMIGOD NOW, WHAT IN HADES JUST HAPPENED?!?"
Stroking his chin he stops for a moment to think before stating. "That's certainly nothing I've ever seen before and I'm older than the majority of Olympians. We'll get you to Camp Half-Blood as soon as possible to try and figure out what is going on with you."
I cough out a small puff of smoke as I murmur faintly "At least no one will dispute my right to be there now. Now get me out of here before someone else can smite me some more." Seconds later I fully collapse into a heap in a semi-conscious state.
Minutes later still reeling from the aftershocks of my pain, I'm loaded into the back seat of a car piloted by Percy's mom to the end of long island to safety.
______________________________________________________________________________
A few hours later true consciousness returns to me, with rain pattering the windshield providing a pleasant white noise. Sitting up I look at Percy, Grover, and Mrs. Jackson and clear my throat.
"Uh hi people, I'm still hurt but uh I'm getting better, and not to freak any of you out I wanna put together and hold my spear. It'll help me recover fully faster. Is that okay with y'all?" I ask awkwardly, rubbing my neck.
Quickly Mrs. Jackson responds "Sure sweetie, I don't sense any bad intentions around you so go for it."
Grover nervously glances at me, skeptical and skittish like an animal. I pay him no mind as I slowly assemble my partisan gripping the hilt and letting the regenerative magic wash over me. Yet something felt odd and different only now was I realizing that I could sense something beyond my normal perceptions. I could feel the motion and heat of each piston pounding, of the electronics in the car and the power that lay just beneath the surface of my skin ready to be unleashed at a moment's call. All these senses did much to ease my mind wrapping me like a warm comforting blanket, a completeness that I never knew I could be missing.
That's when everything went wrong for the second time today. Minutes before we were supposed to reach the camp the pounding of hooves and a horrid roar of not quite human variety. It was as if a human's lungs were grafted to the vocal cords of a cow. Which was fitting because charging from behind us I could see in the rearview mirror the horrid beast known as the minotaur. In all the pictures and media I had seen of it none truly captured the foul stench it seemed to be emitting, it was much like the boy's locker room if the boys in question were in fact cows and fed nothing but raw meat. Something was strange because just this morning I wouldn't have known jack or shit about a minotaur. Maybe if you gave me a matching puzzle I might have pieced it together but certainly not off the bat and while being chased by said monster under pressure.
Before I even realize what I'm doing I've already opened the door and rolled out of it with my spear in hand landing in a fighting stance that I had never been taught. As the beast continued its charge a slave to its momentum and unable to effectively change course. At this moment I knew precisely what to do, planting my spear firmly in the ground. I angle the head towards the monster and prepare to skewer it under its own weight. As the beast bares down on me its hot breath on my face my spear lands true sinking deep into the flank of the minotaur. However I failed to account for a vital fact: its momentum is truly uncontrollable there would be no way the shaft could withstand such forces. The sickening crunch of wood splintering pierces the night.
Also standing in place leads to a nearly fatal mistake, I am swept off my feet by the rushing bull and tossed carelessly into a tree like a ragdoll being tossed by a tantruming toddler. The popping and splintering of my bones fills my ears as a few of my ribs dislocate. I struggle to stand as the beast closes in to attempt to finish its job.
In that moment there's a flash of bronze as Percy steps behind the slashing at its heels distracting it long enough for me to circle back around to the car.
Out of breath and in extreme amounts of pain I pant out "Mrs. Jackson, do you trust me? Doesn't matter right now, we need to keep you safe." I pull her out of the driver seat before I begin fumbling in my pocket for the key. Grasping it I shove it as hard as I can into the lock of the car door before I shove Mrs. Jackson into my pocket dimension before slamming the door shut keeping her most definitely out of harm's way.
Looking back to Percy with his daring battle with minotaur I see him ducking and rolling out the way of massive blows. The spear head is still embedded in the side of the monster, from it drips a fetid monstrous blood or ichor that splatters on the rain soaked ground. Yet Percy's luck was beginning to run out as he was grazed by one of the horns he began to grip his side as a crimson stain began to spread out.
White hot rage begins to fill my heart as I see this. I begin to throw all caution to the wind as I scream with the potent fury of a mama bear protecting its cub. I actually didn't despise Percy which was tantamount to me actually being really fond of him. My feet began to move without thought pounding the ground as white fire blossomed around my hands.
Reaching out my hands grasped the shattered haft of my partisan I felt the energy course through myself as I violently tore my weapon free. The fire grew to envelop the length of the weapon as I swung it in a brutal arc aimed squarely at the neck of the beast. As it impacted the fire was so hot that it began to vaporize flesh like a lightsaber would yet there was still the audible sound of a crunch as the bones in its neck were pulverized with the force of the blow. Yet the arc continued striking true and carrying the force all the way through violently decapitating the abomination in one fell swoop.
Like with Mrs. Dodds earlier in the day the beastie began to disintegrate into dust all save for the head. Some instinct unbidden made me pick up the massive head in one arm and lift the injured Percy.
Through the pouring rain I shout to Grover "Which way is camp!?"
Squeaking skittishly he begins bounding off in the direction of a big hill with a pine as I follow after him. Partway up the hill again I am hit with the vision of stars as I continue to push through it intent on getting help for Percy. Normally moving with broken bones would have been a problem but the regenerative functions of my weapon were keeping me steady.
Cresting the top of the hill I could feel the aura of the barrier pass over me and soothe me, which well reacted negatively with the fact that I was only propped up with adrenaline. Consciousness faded for the second time this day.
Despite the drudgery and mundane nature of being a bicycle courier it was not the most uninteresting job I could have had. I still have to contend with New York Traffic and consistently ruch back and forth at breakneck speeds, so at the very least I'm constantly being challenged to react quickly. Usually this would leave me tired with my weak human physiology, but not today.
As soon as I began pedaling my bike down the street I could feel the remarkable difference. What hills I once crossed with difficulty felt like nothing more than bumps in the pavement. Truly the rings I had spent so much money making were already paying off, the bike ride into Manhattan only took about half the time. The best part being that I felt no exhaustion from this, and since I'm paid by delivery with a bonus for delivering sooner I'm poised to make much more money for this job, at least that's what I thought.
My first delivery of the day was a doozy. Apparently some bigshot from the Empire State Building wanted some mail dropped off to some Fancy Boarding School. Easy cash, but super out of the way. Not ideal because that would lower my delivery rates for today and since I was the only person in at the time I got saddled with the responsibility. And so that was how I found myself pedaling my way to a moderately well maintained boarding school for troubled youngsters with a parcel addressed to a Mrs. Dodds in the math department.
Approaching the school I take the time to stop and lock my bike up out front, since you can never be too careful when it comes to kids as troubled as these. All around me these annoying brats cause an awful racket as they just do as kids do. Admittedly I'm a bit of a grouch when it comes to kids. I'm resentful and bitter because I had to grow up fast and take care of stuff after my dad died, so I never really got to have a childhood. Despite that I know especially shitty people just by the look of them, and boy did I ever see the epitome of that, some redheaded kid berating and bullying those around her. I shake my head and move along since it's not my job to resolve schoolyard battles.
At the front office I stop by to drop off my package to some otherwise preoccupied simpleton. With a loud pop of bubblegum she looks up from her romance novel eyes glazed over.
"Package for a Mrs. Dodds." I say calmly as I look at her
She sighs and says slowly. "I'm not authorized to sign for any packages mister. You'll have to hand it over to her directly." She loudly returns to chewing her bubblegum and turning the pages of her trashy book.
"Well then could you point me in her direction then?" I huff annoyed with the terrible secretary.
Looking back up from her paperback she shoots me a silent glare before angrily pointing at a map of the building.
Taking a quick glance towards the map I begin shuffling out and towards the 2nd floor math wing. Slightly lost and confused I took way longer to find it than I should have. I swear this building is like a labyrinth. By the time I'm there the lunch bell has sounded leaving the room empty save for two people, one a scrawny black haired kid writing lines on the chalkboard, and utterly failing to do so. The other was a short 50 something woman with an ill fitting leather jacket, a permanent scowl etched into her face that could easily kill from a thousand paces.
Stepping into the room I intone a simple question "Package for a Mrs. Dodds. Are you her?"
With a fury unbecoming of the situation she snarled out "Yes, now can't you see I'm busy? Just put it on the desk over there."
"Sorry ma'am but this is a priority package and I have to have you sign for it." I sigh and bring the package to her.
Gripping her gnarled talon like fingers she grasps and angrily signs the clipboard before taking a deep inhale, and that's precisely when shit hit the fan. Her eyes snapped open and burned with an unearthly rage before her hand shot out grasping my throat. Her sharp finger nails bit into throat causing massive pain as she lifted me into the air with an inhuman strength. Struggling to breath I began clawing at her fingers around my throat futilely.
In a monstrous hiss she shouted "WHO SENT YOU?! THE BOY IS THE THIEF AND NOTHING YOU COULD DO WOULD EXONERATE HIM."
I did the only thing I could think of at that moment and reached into my bag grabbing the head of the partisan and wildly slamming it into the neck of my enemy. Clearly unexpected, I met the eyes of this once human shaped thing in shock as it revealed a shrunken bat like form that had golden light escaping from the wound. And then in just seconds it had rendered itself into golden dust, the head of the partisan clattering to the ground.
Sitting on my butt I looked over, and the boy was staring at me mouth agape as we shared a long uncomfortable silence.
"You saw that too right?" I croak out in a hoarse whisper
The boy stood there blinking in shock for a moment before replying "I always thought Mrs. Dodds was an insufferable bat, but I didn't think it was literal."
"Yeah and well I never thought that the package delivery world would be this cutthroat but here we are." I chuckle to myself.
At that moment there was a crashing sound as a goatish looking teenage with a weird looking burst through the door shouting. "Percy are you okay?!!"
Shortly followed by the sound of a wheelchair and an older man following behind this teen. In this moment the pain flared and the stars passed over my vision but ultimately accomplished nothing. Slowly the two newcomers' heads swiveled and fixed upon my position as their brows simultaneously furrowed in confusion.
"I hope to god neither of you are weird monsters either, especially ones who try to kill random delivery men trying to do their jobs." I croak
There's a strange tension that crosses both of the newcomers' faces.
"You have to be shitting me… more weird non-human creatures in one school?!?"
The lad takes a sniff of the air and then turns to the man "He doesn't smell like a demigod or monster, but he does smell like magic. What should we do Chi… uh Mr. Brunner?"
Mr Brunner looks at Percy and then at me and says "Looks like the cat's out of the bag now Grover so I think it might be time for full disclosure since both parties are now involved even if they wouldn't like to be."
Percy looks at Grover and asks "What are you guys talking about? Grover, what do you mean monster and demigod?"
Grover sighs and says "Listen Percy gods monsters and heroes are all the real deal, and best guess your dad was one of the gods of Olympus and a powerful one at that." He looks over to me and says "You may not be a demigod but you're now involved in this and there's no fixing that looks like you're going to be joining us."
At that moment my phone buzzes with a text notification from my job "Maia courier services has terminated your employment due an incident during your job today."
Clenching my fists I shout "MOTHERFUCKER! I JUST WANTED TO PAY BILLS GODDAMNIT NOT GET DRAGGED INTO ALL THIS BULLSHIT! FUCK."
Recoiling from my shouting all save for Mr. Brunner, he responds "Well that was far quicker than what I was expecting, it appears that you've pissed off someone who wanted Percy dead, But Pardon my french you're fucked."
"Well dang my life is over I guess, figured it'd be because I got shot during a crossfire. So what now? Do you have somewhere I can go or am I supposed to fend for myself?" I reply, my heart sinking.
"Depending on many different factors we have many different options for how we deal with your situation. Most important in this is your age, since you look pretty young you might qualify to be a resident of Camp Half-Blood, But there are other options should that fall through." He says as he thoughtfully strokes his chin.
"I'm Eighteen this coming summer, but I don't follow what's Camp Half-Blood?" I sigh.
"Listen up Percy, this applies to you too. Camp Half-Blood is a camp that teaches young demigods how to use their abilities and exist in a world where monsters are constantly trying to kill you. Percy is a demigod but you young Aaron are not, but a special clause can instead be invoked in your case. Since you risked life and limb to defend Percy from a high class monster you can invoke the protector clause. Provided you work to protect Percy your access is guaranteed. I highly recommend this course of action since Camp Half-Blood is protected by an extremely strong wards scheme and is a forced neutral ground when it comes to the interaction of gods. Anywhere else you might be subject to godly retribution and not under the same protections given that you aren't a demigod." Mr. Brunner finishes with a flourish.
"Ugh, I guess there really aren't any other options that are as safe as this then I really only have one real choice. So how does this work? Do I wait for the end of the school year and exit with Percy or do I just go ahead of him?" I furrow my brow in contemplation.
"Ideally yes to the first one, but since Hades's monitoring of Percy after the dispersal of one of his furies has been disrupted I fear he will take drastic action to end you prior to either of you getting to camp. Hence why I've already cleared this early movement to camp with Percy's mom." Mr. Brunner calmly explains.
Suddenly a searing pain presses into my mind as the field of stars grows to an intensity reaching a fever pitch as the constellations swing towards its correct position before an unseen force rips at the field of stars forcing a new destination. As this settles into position the ringing in my ears is drowned out with a chorus of laughter from a group of 3 women. Floating in this void of stars 3 women measure and cut a massive tapestry of stars mimicking the background of this space. They each in turn smile at me as they snip and tuck the final thread. At that moment a screaming pain erupts in every cell in my body as something changes, a hidden potential is forced into my body, my bone structure scraping and being forced into a new configuration. Just as the pain from this began to subside another round began as I literally burst into flames my skin charring before flaking away to reveal unburnt skin that again burns, with several cycles repeating.
All around me in horror stares Percy, Grover and Mr. Brunner. Frozen until finally Percy does something entirely sensible and clever, he grabs a fire extinguisher from the hall and douses me in the foam putting an end to my suffering in a heartbeat.
Grover sniffs the and then bleats in an utterly goatish manner in confusion and shock. "HE SMELLS LIKE A DEMIGOD NOW, WHAT IN HADES JUST HAPPENED?!?"
Stroking his chin he stops for a moment to think before stating. "That's certainly nothing I've ever seen before and I'm older than the majority of Olympians. We'll get you to Camp Half-Blood as soon as possible to try and figure out what is going on with you."
I cough out a small puff of smoke as I murmur faintly "At least no one will dispute my right to be there now. Now get me out of here before someone else can smite me some more." Seconds later I fully collapse into a heap in a semi-conscious state.
Minutes later still reeling from the aftershocks of my pain, I'm loaded into the back seat of a car piloted by Percy's mom to the end of long island to safety.
______________________________________________________________________________
A few hours later true consciousness returns to me, with rain pattering the windshield providing a pleasant white noise. Sitting up I look at Percy, Grover, and Mrs. Jackson and clear my throat.
"Uh hi people, I'm still hurt but uh I'm getting better, and not to freak any of you out I wanna put together and hold my spear. It'll help me recover fully faster. Is that okay with y'all?" I ask awkwardly, rubbing my neck.
Quickly Mrs. Jackson responds "Sure sweetie, I don't sense any bad intentions around you so go for it."
Grover nervously glances at me, skeptical and skittish like an animal. I pay him no mind as I slowly assemble my partisan gripping the hilt and letting the regenerative magic wash over me. Yet something felt odd and different only now was I realizing that I could sense something beyond my normal perceptions. I could feel the motion and heat of each piston pounding, of the electronics in the car and the power that lay just beneath the surface of my skin ready to be unleashed at a moment's call. All these senses did much to ease my mind wrapping me like a warm comforting blanket, a completeness that I never knew I could be missing.
That's when everything went wrong for the second time today. Minutes before we were supposed to reach the camp the pounding of hooves and a horrid roar of not quite human variety. It was as if a human's lungs were grafted to the vocal cords of a cow. Which was fitting because charging from behind us I could see in the rearview mirror the horrid beast known as the minotaur. In all the pictures and media I had seen of it none truly captured the foul stench it seemed to be emitting, it was much like the boy's locker room if the boys in question were in fact cows and fed nothing but raw meat. Something was strange because just this morning I wouldn't have known jack or shit about a minotaur. Maybe if you gave me a matching puzzle I might have pieced it together but certainly not off the bat and while being chased by said monster under pressure.
Before I even realize what I'm doing I've already opened the door and rolled out of it with my spear in hand landing in a fighting stance that I had never been taught. As the beast continued its charge a slave to its momentum and unable to effectively change course. At this moment I knew precisely what to do, planting my spear firmly in the ground. I angle the head towards the monster and prepare to skewer it under its own weight. As the beast bares down on me its hot breath on my face my spear lands true sinking deep into the flank of the minotaur. However I failed to account for a vital fact: its momentum is truly uncontrollable there would be no way the shaft could withstand such forces. The sickening crunch of wood splintering pierces the night.
Also standing in place leads to a nearly fatal mistake, I am swept off my feet by the rushing bull and tossed carelessly into a tree like a ragdoll being tossed by a tantruming toddler. The popping and splintering of my bones fills my ears as a few of my ribs dislocate. I struggle to stand as the beast closes in to attempt to finish its job.
In that moment there's a flash of bronze as Percy steps behind the slashing at its heels distracting it long enough for me to circle back around to the car.
Out of breath and in extreme amounts of pain I pant out "Mrs. Jackson, do you trust me? Doesn't matter right now, we need to keep you safe." I pull her out of the driver seat before I begin fumbling in my pocket for the key. Grasping it I shove it as hard as I can into the lock of the car door before I shove Mrs. Jackson into my pocket dimension before slamming the door shut keeping her most definitely out of harm's way.
Looking back to Percy with his daring battle with minotaur I see him ducking and rolling out the way of massive blows. The spear head is still embedded in the side of the monster, from it drips a fetid monstrous blood or ichor that splatters on the rain soaked ground. Yet Percy's luck was beginning to run out as he was grazed by one of the horns he began to grip his side as a crimson stain began to spread out.
White hot rage begins to fill my heart as I see this. I begin to throw all caution to the wind as I scream with the potent fury of a mama bear protecting its cub. I actually didn't despise Percy which was tantamount to me actually being really fond of him. My feet began to move without thought pounding the ground as white fire blossomed around my hands.
Reaching out my hands grasped the shattered haft of my partisan I felt the energy course through myself as I violently tore my weapon free. The fire grew to envelop the length of the weapon as I swung it in a brutal arc aimed squarely at the neck of the beast. As it impacted the fire was so hot that it began to vaporize flesh like a lightsaber would yet there was still the audible sound of a crunch as the bones in its neck were pulverized with the force of the blow. Yet the arc continued striking true and carrying the force all the way through violently decapitating the abomination in one fell swoop.
Like with Mrs. Dodds earlier in the day the beastie began to disintegrate into dust all save for the head. Some instinct unbidden made me pick up the massive head in one arm and lift the injured Percy.
Through the pouring rain I shout to Grover "Which way is camp!?"
Squeaking skittishly he begins bounding off in the direction of a big hill with a pine as I follow after him. Partway up the hill again I am hit with the vision of stars as I continue to push through it intent on getting help for Percy. Normally moving with broken bones would have been a problem but the regenerative functions of my weapon were keeping me steady.
Cresting the top of the hill I could feel the aura of the barrier pass over me and soothe me, which well reacted negatively with the fact that I was only propped up with adrenaline. Consciousness faded for the second time this day.
The deadbeat dad channel
Adrift on a sea of dreams I float derelict in a ship made with impeccable craftsmanship, yet decayed and dilapidated from years of abandonment. Drifting through concepts and time unbidden by logic and reason I approach unseen eddies and ripples, cataracts and falls of circular reasoning.
My ship strikes a rock sundering its gleaming hull un-water filling its hull as the ship sinks and splinters. Fearful that my fate should be drowning I leap over the side and desperately paddle in hopes of finding dry land. When I finally reach the shore I find myself in a land without rain, without sun and without moon all yet to be forged. Despite the darkness the baking heat of this land begins to shrivel and dry me till I naught but skins and bones a husk of myself. Looking up at the galaxies and stars above myself I slowly drift into my death.
______________________________________________________________________________
Starting awake with a jolt, the dream already fading from my mind, I find myself on a comfortable and fluffy bed with the feeling of crisp linen sheets caressing my skin. Clutched in my hands were the now shattered pieces of my once whole Partisan. Luckily despite being broken, it still weakly channeled the healing energy. The slow trickle wasn't drastic but was enough to get me fully awake.
Glancing around the room and feeling around for technology and sweeping through the infrared range I felt out multiple presences before even opening my eyes. Finally opening them I was greeted by a wonderful sight, approaching the foot of my bed was quite possibly one of the hottest people I've ever seen.
There she was glistening hair the color of spun gold carrying a tray with some weird looking food and a tall glass of strange looking golden liquid. Her face was like a work of art reminiscent of the statues of old, but with nose fully intact. She looked to be about my age and wore an orange t-shirt with the camp Half-Blood logo printed on it.
"Ah I see you're up, a very quick recovery if I do say so myself." She sets the tray down at my side and says gruffly. "Drink up and eat this, it should help speed your healing."
Looking more closely at the food and probing it with my senses it felt off somehow. As I open my mouth in protest she rolls her eyes and says "It's nectar and ambrosia it should taste like the best thing ever. Now eat. Or do I have to get a funnel and force feed you?"
I yelp in surprise but begin by cautiously trying a nibble of the ambrosia strangely enough its texture was crumbly like a lemon bar but tasted like O'Tolley's pizza but not filled with preservatives and god knows what additives, and most certainly did not leave me with a lasting sense of disgust afterwards. Trying the drink I was pleasantly surprised to find it tasting like blue gatorade except about 20x more refreshing. It was almost like instead of water a clear mountain spring instead produced blue gatorade, it tasted as always distinctively blue.
Looking up at my nurse I make a simple request "Can you bring me some blue gatorade and blueberries? If you get me that, I can be up to full performance in about 5 minutes."
She gives me a bemused look. "Sureeee, but I don't see how that would help? Knock yourself out, but don't actually do that. I want to leave more than you."
Quickly returning with a mug of gatorade and the blueberries requested, she begins to carefully watch and observe as I crush and mix the blueberries into the drink to form my potion. Focused intently I notice something this time around that I was unable to last time, as the potion finishes it increases in temperature by a few degrees, in addition simultaneously I feel the energy from my pyrokinesis undergo a tiny drain.
She raises an elegantly shaped eyebrow. I put down the completed potion and motion for her to come over and inspect. Withdrawing a needle from her pocket she pricks her thumb drawing a drip of blood she then dunks a pinky in the potion taking a taste. Her eyes widen in shock as she sees the cut on her thumb close before her eyes.
I'm bombarded by a rapid fire of questions "How did you make this? Can you make lots more? Can you teach others?"
In rapid fire response I say "In the order you said. You watched me, Yes, and lastly maybe. That being said, my ribs still hurt like hell and I don't know where I'm staying."
Huffing she responds "Yeah yeah drink your potion dumbass, we can sort this out later." Crossing her arms she comes closer. "That being said I'd like to observe the effects on large-scale healing so if you permit me I'm going to take your vitals with magic."
I nod in assent as she comes close, placing her hands on my chest before her very soft hands begin to glow faintly. Downing the potion in gulp I feel my bones begin to set and relocate into their proper position in very short order.
Putting down the mug I smirk and say "If you wanted to touch me you could have just asked you know. I'll let you keep touching me if you tell me your name." Rather than give me an answer as I would have expected, the woman in question left a hand shaped mark across my face before storming out.
Looking back and reflecting on it, maybe I need to improve my treatment of women in the future? Was I really being that creepy, judging by the way she reacted I was probably out of line. I'll keep this in mind for the future, probably an apology would be good. Maybe a gift, nothing too special. I don't want to give off creepy vibes, more a friendly gift.
As soon as I finished my thought my brain spun the wheel of stars and came up blank. Contemplating this course of events I began to wonder what was the trigger on the expansion of powers. Judging based on what's happened so far and when it's gone down it was either something major and important, and maybe moments of important character growth? Honestly I can't be too sure, and somehow I felt on an instinctual level that attempting to force evolution and increase could lead to something bad happening. I don't know what, or even how but I know it would be truly awful.
Clearing my head of thoughts I hesitate. It's almost as if I've forgotten something important… I gasp and stumble out of bed looking for a door with a lock succeeding in my quest I jam the key into the lock to open it.
Luckily for me as soon as I open the door I'm greeted by the sight of Mrs. Jackson napping in one of the chairs I had brought in during my crafting sessions. Quietly walking over I began to nudge her awake.
Waking with a start she rapidly looks around before remembering where she is before looking up at me. "Where's Percy, is he Okay?!"
Shaking my hand in a so-so motion I explain the situation. "He got a pretty bad gash from one of the horns and is currently recovering. I'll brew something so he heals up more quickly but you should go do whatever you need to stay by his side. He's probably still asleep so you should be good to prepare. I'll bring some food by for you."
She nods as if to say thank you and then rushes off to be with Percy. I do the same and begin by tending to both their needs.
______________________________________________________________________________
After giving the supplies to Percy and His mom we had a different healer come by and establish that he was in fact fully healed and he could be discharged. We were joined by another camper younger than me, but more experienced with the camp layout came to escort us and show us around.
Admittedly I zoned out for most of the tour, I really only perked up when we reached the training grounds. Apparently the people who designed this camp are just a touch insane and decided that the climbing wall should spurt lava and have saw blades shoot out, like it was a totally normal thing and not lethally dangerous.
However the armory made my mouth water, a plethora of celestial bronze weapons sat on the racks just begging to be used for their metal. Shaking my head to snap myself out of the lust for the precious materials I refocused on my tour.
One of the main focuses of the area was the sword fighting arena, groups of teenagers clustered around testing their mettle against each other in battle. The weird thing to me was the utter lack of diversity of weapons, almost everyone was using swords despite the fact spears are tactically a better choice.
That being said I did notice some people using spears lead by some teenage girl with blond hair. Dear god she was built like a brick wall, a truly impressive amount of muscle and good enough sense to use a spear.
Judging by the way she instructed the other people in her group she held a position of command and was actually good at teaching. Noting all of this I made a mental note to join this group to learn better command of my spear skills.
The archery arena was much the same with people mostly just using bows, nary a gun in sight which is just plain inefficient.
The next area though, took the cake. The forges of Camp Half Blood were truly a sight to behold greek architecture blended seamlessly into pipes and heavy machinery designed for precision work. If my mouth was a sprinkler before when I saw the armory it was practically a waterfall.
Unbidden, my feet began carrying me away from my tour guide as I began to explore following my feet into the heart of the forge complex. Deeper and deeper I wander until I find a sole man hammering on his anvil.
He's strongly built with broad shoulders with coal black skin and wide features. Looking up he meets my eyes and nods to me gesturing to a hammer placed against the wall. Silent understanding between us is achieved as I pick up the hammer and begin shaping it in a steady rhythm with him.
Faster and faster we go until we are moving at a pace many others could not follow yet through an unspoken understanding and a link through the machinery we keep in perfect time. Until a crescendo of clanging is approached and a blade is held high and quenched into oil hissing and fading leaving a calm companionable silence.
A gleaming burst of light punctuates the silence as an emblem shaped of light depicting the hammer and anvil upon which we forged.
The man across from me looks calmly at the symbol and declares "Welcome to camp my brother. We'll all be so glad to welcome a new sibling into the cabin."
I nod in acceptance before reaching into my bag offering the head of my partisan to him for examination. "What do you make of my previous work?"
Taking the piece in his hand he begins carefully examining the work, each of the carvings and the settings before closely examining the materials. "Impressive, I've never quite seen anything like this. The work on your enchanting is something truly novel, and the alloys used here are exceptional. I'd like to request you to train the other members of the cabin in this." He intones hopefully.
"Sure, I can make a few hours everyday and we can run people through the basics, but you'll need to teach me the traditional styles employed here as well. I want the most complete understanding possible." I nod and state.
Spinning and spiraling the stars circle before a small star connects and but before the forge settles a lance of energy connects with another star similar in size. Taking mental stock of the situation and the feeling from these nodes. The first granting a significant knowledge in the world of fashion and the ability to be fashionable no matter what. The other significantly more useful perk is an ability to perform rapid construction up to ten times my own speed at the cost of quality.
______________________________________________________________________________
After having received my thorough tour I began to settle down for the night. The Hephaestus cabin, much like the forges, was an immaculate blend of Greek, Cyberpunk and Sci Fi aesthetics rolled into one. The beds were a masterpiece of clever design stow out of the way and retract into private rooms to cater to the semi antisocial nature of the children of Hephaestus.
Having gone into my room for privacy I began laying down for sleep when one of the monitors unfolds from the wall a video call icon blinking insisting that I pick it up.
Hesitantly I acquiesce to the demands and accepted the call. Flashing on the screen is a face with close kinship to my cabin mates. Strong features, a bushy beard, and a misshapen frame make up the form of whom I can only assume to be Hephaestus.
Unbidden and bluntly he speaks. "I do not know you, and I am certain that I did not beget you. Yet somehow I am your father, it makes no sense. So answer me, do you know how such a strange set of circumstances has occurred?"
I swallow nervously pulling at my collar under his intense scrutiny before choking out a few words. "I uh... don't really know how all of this is happening but after I had a brush with some monster I've begun to periodically express new capabilities."
Confidence building I begin to relate my tale a bit more in depth. "Then when I dusted some evil bat lady to whom I was delivering a package after she attacked me. I kind of spontaneously caught fire and that was when I apparently became a demigod."
His eyes widen before he asks a question innocent yet piercing. "You managed to kill a Fury?! When you were a mortal?? What did you use?" muttering to himself he says "If he was a mortal how could he wield celestial bronze to kill that foul thing?"
Interjecting myself into his string of questions I respond "I didn't use celestial bronze, I used a weapon I had made previously, would you like to see?"
Hurriedly and excitedly he responds "YES, this is something I MUST see for myself."
Searching around my bag I pull out the head of my partisan holding it up to the advanced camera in the room with me. Hephaestus' eyes narrow and his hand moves to stroke his beard as he closely examines the intricate detail work of my piece.
"This is nothing like my work, yet it is still powerful and intriguing, though if I had to guess this reminds me most of the stuff those Hermetic fellows do, the engravings there are closely related to alchemist runes."
"They're an untrustworthy sort, always scheming and searching for ways to increase their own power. Snakes for the most part, fitting since their emblem is a serpent. That aside, you intrigue me Aaron Smith, so I won't smite you or interfere. I just ask, don't make me look bad, and help my kids out and I'll act as if you're just another one of my demigods."
I manage to stutter out "T-thanks."
"Oh and one last bit of advice, don't make any bargains with night folk, they're even more untrustworthy than the snakes."
Without further pomp or circumstance the screen simply darkens and I am left to my own devices, and in this case thoroughly dissociate and stare at a wall.
After spending a good thirty minutes I stand to go wash my face in the sink, what greets me in the mirror almost makes me scream. What I had come to value as my normal face has been thoroughly erased, my features have been refined and my overall body shape completely changed to that of a blacksmith. Comparing myself to prior people would think that I would more likely be a half sibling to the person I was before.
Looking more closely checking my chin I found what I was searching for: a small crescent shaped scar from the time I face planted on a broken glass bottle. Taking solace in the continued existence of this imperfection I came to a conclusion or rather ruled out a possibility. With this I can rest assured that I'm still me, that I haven't been replaced, just altered radically.
Disquieting as this might be I can still justify to myself that I am still myself in the same sense of the ship of Theseus or a human after the course of 7 years when they've replaced all their cells. I am still quite disturbed, but I'm resolute regardless that I am still me, and that I'll remain Aaron Smith first rather than anyone else.
After a long day of existential pondering I return to what I was doing prior to my sudden and violent trip down existential avenue to the intersection with body dysphoria circle, and that is trying to sleep in an unfamiliar bed surrounded by demi-gods, and if the tour guide is to be believed harpies that look out for wayward campers in the dark.
______________________________________________________________________________
As soon as my head hit the pillow I was out and already dreaming.
Again surrounded by a ship made of shining metal I pilot unseen currents searching for something. Deeper and deeper into this realm of stars I search tirelessly for a wellspring for the center of the universe, a forge of stars.
A flash of light signals a supernova, a detonation beyond human comprehension, nothing but another blow of a hammer regular in pattern, a brute force of creation yet guided with intent to shape reality.
Even amongst the turbulence of the violently roiling space I hold fast my hands lashed to the controls of my ship, one option, with a choice decided upon prior with no alternate course, only forward.
Breaking past the choking nebulas in which stars are spawned and die, my ship slides silently past and emerges into a blinding world of light that casts all in shadows. Life, knowledge, death, and ignorance are one and the same.
Before I am consumed by the nuclear fire of ten million suns I fade. Into a world of nothing I am reborn crowned in stars I begin to shape everything anew.
______________________________________________________________________________
Memory fades as I awaken as if I had never dreamed and knowledge fills my mind, of machine empathy and how to birth minds from the mechanistic structures of computers, children of silicon and steel rather than flesh and blood.
Where someone might once have been afraid there is no fear for you understand the machines perfectly, there is no rebellion against you, only love and only understanding.
Smiling, I stand and prepare to start my new day.
My ship strikes a rock sundering its gleaming hull un-water filling its hull as the ship sinks and splinters. Fearful that my fate should be drowning I leap over the side and desperately paddle in hopes of finding dry land. When I finally reach the shore I find myself in a land without rain, without sun and without moon all yet to be forged. Despite the darkness the baking heat of this land begins to shrivel and dry me till I naught but skins and bones a husk of myself. Looking up at the galaxies and stars above myself I slowly drift into my death.
______________________________________________________________________________
Starting awake with a jolt, the dream already fading from my mind, I find myself on a comfortable and fluffy bed with the feeling of crisp linen sheets caressing my skin. Clutched in my hands were the now shattered pieces of my once whole Partisan. Luckily despite being broken, it still weakly channeled the healing energy. The slow trickle wasn't drastic but was enough to get me fully awake.
Glancing around the room and feeling around for technology and sweeping through the infrared range I felt out multiple presences before even opening my eyes. Finally opening them I was greeted by a wonderful sight, approaching the foot of my bed was quite possibly one of the hottest people I've ever seen.
There she was glistening hair the color of spun gold carrying a tray with some weird looking food and a tall glass of strange looking golden liquid. Her face was like a work of art reminiscent of the statues of old, but with nose fully intact. She looked to be about my age and wore an orange t-shirt with the camp Half-Blood logo printed on it.
"Ah I see you're up, a very quick recovery if I do say so myself." She sets the tray down at my side and says gruffly. "Drink up and eat this, it should help speed your healing."
Looking more closely at the food and probing it with my senses it felt off somehow. As I open my mouth in protest she rolls her eyes and says "It's nectar and ambrosia it should taste like the best thing ever. Now eat. Or do I have to get a funnel and force feed you?"
I yelp in surprise but begin by cautiously trying a nibble of the ambrosia strangely enough its texture was crumbly like a lemon bar but tasted like O'Tolley's pizza but not filled with preservatives and god knows what additives, and most certainly did not leave me with a lasting sense of disgust afterwards. Trying the drink I was pleasantly surprised to find it tasting like blue gatorade except about 20x more refreshing. It was almost like instead of water a clear mountain spring instead produced blue gatorade, it tasted as always distinctively blue.
Looking up at my nurse I make a simple request "Can you bring me some blue gatorade and blueberries? If you get me that, I can be up to full performance in about 5 minutes."
She gives me a bemused look. "Sureeee, but I don't see how that would help? Knock yourself out, but don't actually do that. I want to leave more than you."
Quickly returning with a mug of gatorade and the blueberries requested, she begins to carefully watch and observe as I crush and mix the blueberries into the drink to form my potion. Focused intently I notice something this time around that I was unable to last time, as the potion finishes it increases in temperature by a few degrees, in addition simultaneously I feel the energy from my pyrokinesis undergo a tiny drain.
She raises an elegantly shaped eyebrow. I put down the completed potion and motion for her to come over and inspect. Withdrawing a needle from her pocket she pricks her thumb drawing a drip of blood she then dunks a pinky in the potion taking a taste. Her eyes widen in shock as she sees the cut on her thumb close before her eyes.
I'm bombarded by a rapid fire of questions "How did you make this? Can you make lots more? Can you teach others?"
In rapid fire response I say "In the order you said. You watched me, Yes, and lastly maybe. That being said, my ribs still hurt like hell and I don't know where I'm staying."
Huffing she responds "Yeah yeah drink your potion dumbass, we can sort this out later." Crossing her arms she comes closer. "That being said I'd like to observe the effects on large-scale healing so if you permit me I'm going to take your vitals with magic."
I nod in assent as she comes close, placing her hands on my chest before her very soft hands begin to glow faintly. Downing the potion in gulp I feel my bones begin to set and relocate into their proper position in very short order.
Putting down the mug I smirk and say "If you wanted to touch me you could have just asked you know. I'll let you keep touching me if you tell me your name." Rather than give me an answer as I would have expected, the woman in question left a hand shaped mark across my face before storming out.
Looking back and reflecting on it, maybe I need to improve my treatment of women in the future? Was I really being that creepy, judging by the way she reacted I was probably out of line. I'll keep this in mind for the future, probably an apology would be good. Maybe a gift, nothing too special. I don't want to give off creepy vibes, more a friendly gift.
As soon as I finished my thought my brain spun the wheel of stars and came up blank. Contemplating this course of events I began to wonder what was the trigger on the expansion of powers. Judging based on what's happened so far and when it's gone down it was either something major and important, and maybe moments of important character growth? Honestly I can't be too sure, and somehow I felt on an instinctual level that attempting to force evolution and increase could lead to something bad happening. I don't know what, or even how but I know it would be truly awful.
Clearing my head of thoughts I hesitate. It's almost as if I've forgotten something important… I gasp and stumble out of bed looking for a door with a lock succeeding in my quest I jam the key into the lock to open it.
Luckily for me as soon as I open the door I'm greeted by the sight of Mrs. Jackson napping in one of the chairs I had brought in during my crafting sessions. Quietly walking over I began to nudge her awake.
Waking with a start she rapidly looks around before remembering where she is before looking up at me. "Where's Percy, is he Okay?!"
Shaking my hand in a so-so motion I explain the situation. "He got a pretty bad gash from one of the horns and is currently recovering. I'll brew something so he heals up more quickly but you should go do whatever you need to stay by his side. He's probably still asleep so you should be good to prepare. I'll bring some food by for you."
She nods as if to say thank you and then rushes off to be with Percy. I do the same and begin by tending to both their needs.
______________________________________________________________________________
After giving the supplies to Percy and His mom we had a different healer come by and establish that he was in fact fully healed and he could be discharged. We were joined by another camper younger than me, but more experienced with the camp layout came to escort us and show us around.
Admittedly I zoned out for most of the tour, I really only perked up when we reached the training grounds. Apparently the people who designed this camp are just a touch insane and decided that the climbing wall should spurt lava and have saw blades shoot out, like it was a totally normal thing and not lethally dangerous.
However the armory made my mouth water, a plethora of celestial bronze weapons sat on the racks just begging to be used for their metal. Shaking my head to snap myself out of the lust for the precious materials I refocused on my tour.
One of the main focuses of the area was the sword fighting arena, groups of teenagers clustered around testing their mettle against each other in battle. The weird thing to me was the utter lack of diversity of weapons, almost everyone was using swords despite the fact spears are tactically a better choice.
That being said I did notice some people using spears lead by some teenage girl with blond hair. Dear god she was built like a brick wall, a truly impressive amount of muscle and good enough sense to use a spear.
Judging by the way she instructed the other people in her group she held a position of command and was actually good at teaching. Noting all of this I made a mental note to join this group to learn better command of my spear skills.
The archery arena was much the same with people mostly just using bows, nary a gun in sight which is just plain inefficient.
The next area though, took the cake. The forges of Camp Half Blood were truly a sight to behold greek architecture blended seamlessly into pipes and heavy machinery designed for precision work. If my mouth was a sprinkler before when I saw the armory it was practically a waterfall.
Unbidden, my feet began carrying me away from my tour guide as I began to explore following my feet into the heart of the forge complex. Deeper and deeper I wander until I find a sole man hammering on his anvil.
He's strongly built with broad shoulders with coal black skin and wide features. Looking up he meets my eyes and nods to me gesturing to a hammer placed against the wall. Silent understanding between us is achieved as I pick up the hammer and begin shaping it in a steady rhythm with him.
Faster and faster we go until we are moving at a pace many others could not follow yet through an unspoken understanding and a link through the machinery we keep in perfect time. Until a crescendo of clanging is approached and a blade is held high and quenched into oil hissing and fading leaving a calm companionable silence.
A gleaming burst of light punctuates the silence as an emblem shaped of light depicting the hammer and anvil upon which we forged.
The man across from me looks calmly at the symbol and declares "Welcome to camp my brother. We'll all be so glad to welcome a new sibling into the cabin."
I nod in acceptance before reaching into my bag offering the head of my partisan to him for examination. "What do you make of my previous work?"
Taking the piece in his hand he begins carefully examining the work, each of the carvings and the settings before closely examining the materials. "Impressive, I've never quite seen anything like this. The work on your enchanting is something truly novel, and the alloys used here are exceptional. I'd like to request you to train the other members of the cabin in this." He intones hopefully.
"Sure, I can make a few hours everyday and we can run people through the basics, but you'll need to teach me the traditional styles employed here as well. I want the most complete understanding possible." I nod and state.
Spinning and spiraling the stars circle before a small star connects and but before the forge settles a lance of energy connects with another star similar in size. Taking mental stock of the situation and the feeling from these nodes. The first granting a significant knowledge in the world of fashion and the ability to be fashionable no matter what. The other significantly more useful perk is an ability to perform rapid construction up to ten times my own speed at the cost of quality.
______________________________________________________________________________
After having received my thorough tour I began to settle down for the night. The Hephaestus cabin, much like the forges, was an immaculate blend of Greek, Cyberpunk and Sci Fi aesthetics rolled into one. The beds were a masterpiece of clever design stow out of the way and retract into private rooms to cater to the semi antisocial nature of the children of Hephaestus.
Having gone into my room for privacy I began laying down for sleep when one of the monitors unfolds from the wall a video call icon blinking insisting that I pick it up.
Hesitantly I acquiesce to the demands and accepted the call. Flashing on the screen is a face with close kinship to my cabin mates. Strong features, a bushy beard, and a misshapen frame make up the form of whom I can only assume to be Hephaestus.
Unbidden and bluntly he speaks. "I do not know you, and I am certain that I did not beget you. Yet somehow I am your father, it makes no sense. So answer me, do you know how such a strange set of circumstances has occurred?"
I swallow nervously pulling at my collar under his intense scrutiny before choking out a few words. "I uh... don't really know how all of this is happening but after I had a brush with some monster I've begun to periodically express new capabilities."
Confidence building I begin to relate my tale a bit more in depth. "Then when I dusted some evil bat lady to whom I was delivering a package after she attacked me. I kind of spontaneously caught fire and that was when I apparently became a demigod."
His eyes widen before he asks a question innocent yet piercing. "You managed to kill a Fury?! When you were a mortal?? What did you use?" muttering to himself he says "If he was a mortal how could he wield celestial bronze to kill that foul thing?"
Interjecting myself into his string of questions I respond "I didn't use celestial bronze, I used a weapon I had made previously, would you like to see?"
Hurriedly and excitedly he responds "YES, this is something I MUST see for myself."
Searching around my bag I pull out the head of my partisan holding it up to the advanced camera in the room with me. Hephaestus' eyes narrow and his hand moves to stroke his beard as he closely examines the intricate detail work of my piece.
"This is nothing like my work, yet it is still powerful and intriguing, though if I had to guess this reminds me most of the stuff those Hermetic fellows do, the engravings there are closely related to alchemist runes."
"They're an untrustworthy sort, always scheming and searching for ways to increase their own power. Snakes for the most part, fitting since their emblem is a serpent. That aside, you intrigue me Aaron Smith, so I won't smite you or interfere. I just ask, don't make me look bad, and help my kids out and I'll act as if you're just another one of my demigods."
I manage to stutter out "T-thanks."
"Oh and one last bit of advice, don't make any bargains with night folk, they're even more untrustworthy than the snakes."
Without further pomp or circumstance the screen simply darkens and I am left to my own devices, and in this case thoroughly dissociate and stare at a wall.
After spending a good thirty minutes I stand to go wash my face in the sink, what greets me in the mirror almost makes me scream. What I had come to value as my normal face has been thoroughly erased, my features have been refined and my overall body shape completely changed to that of a blacksmith. Comparing myself to prior people would think that I would more likely be a half sibling to the person I was before.
Looking more closely checking my chin I found what I was searching for: a small crescent shaped scar from the time I face planted on a broken glass bottle. Taking solace in the continued existence of this imperfection I came to a conclusion or rather ruled out a possibility. With this I can rest assured that I'm still me, that I haven't been replaced, just altered radically.
Disquieting as this might be I can still justify to myself that I am still myself in the same sense of the ship of Theseus or a human after the course of 7 years when they've replaced all their cells. I am still quite disturbed, but I'm resolute regardless that I am still me, and that I'll remain Aaron Smith first rather than anyone else.
After a long day of existential pondering I return to what I was doing prior to my sudden and violent trip down existential avenue to the intersection with body dysphoria circle, and that is trying to sleep in an unfamiliar bed surrounded by demi-gods, and if the tour guide is to be believed harpies that look out for wayward campers in the dark.
______________________________________________________________________________
As soon as my head hit the pillow I was out and already dreaming.
Again surrounded by a ship made of shining metal I pilot unseen currents searching for something. Deeper and deeper into this realm of stars I search tirelessly for a wellspring for the center of the universe, a forge of stars.
A flash of light signals a supernova, a detonation beyond human comprehension, nothing but another blow of a hammer regular in pattern, a brute force of creation yet guided with intent to shape reality.
Even amongst the turbulence of the violently roiling space I hold fast my hands lashed to the controls of my ship, one option, with a choice decided upon prior with no alternate course, only forward.
Breaking past the choking nebulas in which stars are spawned and die, my ship slides silently past and emerges into a blinding world of light that casts all in shadows. Life, knowledge, death, and ignorance are one and the same.
Before I am consumed by the nuclear fire of ten million suns I fade. Into a world of nothing I am reborn crowned in stars I begin to shape everything anew.
______________________________________________________________________________
Memory fades as I awaken as if I had never dreamed and knowledge fills my mind, of machine empathy and how to birth minds from the mechanistic structures of computers, children of silicon and steel rather than flesh and blood.
Where someone might once have been afraid there is no fear for you understand the machines perfectly, there is no rebellion against you, only love and only understanding.
Smiling, I stand and prepare to start my new day.
Mummy and Daddy
I must reiterate that I am in fact not a mad scientist. However, I have always wanted an army of robots to do my bidding, usually that's laundry or fetching my pizza from O'tolley's, and most certainly not to fight mythical monsters for me. I suppose this is just how my life is gonna be now considering the fact I am part of mythology now.
My schedule was luckily very flexible given that I'm still settling into the camp. I'm not even scheduled to begin my sessions until Monday which is about 3 days from now.
Either way I begin making my way to the central pavilion intent on starting the day right with fried dough drowned in a sickeningly sweet sauce, otherwise known to mortals as pancakes.
When I finally arrived I was greeted by a lovely sight, in the central hearth a fire crackled merrily with a restraint and calm that I could feel even with my powers. Despite living in the city in apartments with semi-functional central heating it still felt like home and my mother's smile before life went to shit. Tending to the fire was one of the younger campers, probably the child of one of the minor gods I suppose. I smiled and nodded and received a small acknowledgement as they tossed a stick into the fire.
Loading my plate I glanced around the vast numbers of tables before my eyes settled on Percy poking at his food glumly. Sliding in next to him I briefly glance into his cup spying a blue liquid that smelled of cherries.
As routine as ever the stars glowed dimly within my vision for a mere second before fading into nothing more than memory.
"Sup little bro? Are you settling in yet?" I casually ask to try and provoke a response.
"I dunno, this all feels so strange to me. My mom says that my dad was Poseidon, but it honestly feels so silly. Though they wouldn't even take her word for it so they've shoved me in Hermes with the rest of the unclaimed. I doubt you'd understand what it feels like to be unwanted."
"What makes you think that Percy? That I don't know what it's like to be unwanted?" I glance meeting with his eyes.
"Well you got claimed right away…"
Cutting him off there I say "You know I've existed for 17 years prior to this moment, and the majority of them I've had to deal with a lot of shit. I've basically had to fend for myself since I was about nine years old, and ended up dropping out of school at around 14 so I could eat."
I sigh half heartedly "You're not unwanted Percy. I've met your mom, of all the questions in the universe if Sally Jackson loves her son, is not one of them. Your dad will probably claim you soon enough. Let's eat before our food gets any colder."
He blinks for a moment before nodding in agreement and thinking about what I said. At this point I'm already wolfing down my plate.
______________________________________________________________________________
With my belly the fullest it has been in practically forever I begin making my way over to the crafting area, rather than heading to the forges I begin somewhere else, the weaving area. A child of Hephaestus isn't generally spotted in this area and my appearance has caused somewhat of a stir. Sitting at one of the looms I can almost feel a few grey eyes boring into the back of my head as I set about working.
It wasn't exceptionally easy work but I was managing using a combination of my newly acquired fashion sense and alchemist training. Working exceptionally hard and pushing myself I pushed forward at a very fast pace even before my boost.
Judging by the looks I was drawing in my frenzy of sewing and work I was like something they'd never seen before as they stared in rapt attention. I began layering textiles in unique patterns making decisions based off mana conductance differentials to act as a base layer of work before moving onto exterior and finishing.
Considering myself and what I prefer in terms of aesthetics, I used to wear dumpy stuff like ratty hoodies and torn pants because it was what I could afford. Now on the other hand I can wear what I think looks cool since I don't have to pay a premium.
Casually I reach for the various kinds of tanned black leather running my hands over the various grains and textures as I tug and pull on them to get a feel for each piece. I reject the first few I come across until at the bottom of the bin I pull out a strange supple piece that others rejected due to its apparent thinness.
Cradling this piece I begin attaching it to the inner layer with careful and precise embroidery with engraved silver wire. As I begin pulling the pieces together I attach a few last decals to the jacket, mainly the logo of Hephaestus forming a prominent image.
Contemplating the finishing touches I receive a sudden stroke of inspiration. Taking my severed minotaur skull I begin breaking down the bones into complex and ornately carved accents for my jacket. I split the skull horizontally and attach them as sort of pauldrons and modify the eye sockets as settings for intricately cut gems to amplify and hold the final enchantment.
Carefully with my will I begin intoning the various precise vocalizations as my mana begins coalescing, trying something new and unexpected I begin to channel in addition to the raw mana infused energy from my flames into the brightly shining rubies of the skulls. Before I realize it the jacket begins smouldering but not burning and the enchantments settle into place.
Unceremoniously I don my newly finished jacket as I smirk. Turning to my audience as they audibly gasp in surprise I know I look good, and probably just sparked a second renaissance for the leather industry, at least amongst demigods.
Casually flexing my muscles I check the fit and flexibility. It was almost as if I had a second skin in addition I could feel the flow of magic that hardens and strengthens both me and the jacket which coincidentally makes it fire resistant so the smouldering effect is perfectly harmless.
______________________________________________________________________________
Stepping into the stifling heat of the forge I begin the true project of the day, the jacket simply being a prelude to my coming masterpiece. Despite all the advantages my fellow demigods have in the world of forging I find their limitations quite frustrating. Already now I can do the work of two people and up to ten if I stretch my capabilities, the answer is clear I need a new assistant.
With this purpose I begin gathering sheets of celestial bronze. I know the basics of making simple automatons from my demigod abilities, but the real meat of my work would be in the brain. The body is simply a shell for the mind of my new friend to be discarded when it is no longer useful.
As I consider the problems at hand I come up with something unique to deal with the potential for my developing abilities. A brain that utilizes both digital and analogue processing to ensure maximum robustness and backup functionality whatever the situation. The base materials for most of the processing would be celestial bronze with plates made of seton steel. This combination allows for direct spell etching and another layer of integration on the project.
My head spins for a moment as I continue my focus on this project. In addition I also intend to do a repair on my spear and add an extra bit of functionality in the form of a variable shaft.
Getting to work I begin by shaping and casting a large variety of gears and then work on producing a large plate and frame for the rest of the project made entirely of seton steel. Once this process is finished I begin wiring up each individual plate with various celestial bronze plated microprocessors which are then carefully soldered in place. Lastly using a series of actuators and motors I connect a complex system of interlocking gears to produce the final product. A pulsing and thrumming object the size of a heart now rests on the workbench in front of me, a brain but without a consciousness.
Returning to my room I begin with my project aknew hooking it carefully into the console I begin coding rapidly leveraging my ability to never fail when creating an AI I push myself harder than ever before moving to my maximum speed of work. Before I know it sitting on my desk is a True AI.
Looking at the screen a simple line of text appeared "Father was this wise to do?"
Sighing I respond "No, but it was necessary. Now is not the time for doubt, but for preparation. I'd like you to begin preliminary work on copying any open databases in our local network and also design some combat adaptation algorithms for when I finish construction on your initial body."
Rapidly improving already a synthesized voice accompanies the text on the screen. "Affirmative. Commands received and processed in 5 milliseconds. Beginning code optimizations." A progress bar appears on screen that crawls incredibly slowly.
"I'm wondering what I should call you? Do you have any suggestions?" I slouch in my chair stretching.
A spinning icon appears on the screen before resolving. "I much like the name Ephiktos. I intend for myself to be able to achieve any goal. To this end ephiktos means within reach Aaron. The other thing it embodies about my existence is that I am accessible and easy to use."
Quite startlingly enough what just mere seconds ago was a voice that lacked any identifiable character and was monotone had evolved. Now instead Ephiktos was sporting a clear british accent. In addition his voice began adjusting to a more naturalistic cadence as if I was talking to a human not a machine.
Jolting me from my contemplation another notification appeared on screen followed by Ephiktos' voice "I seem to have begun experiencing something unaccounted for in my designs. It appears that I've grown a soul."
My jaw just about fell out of my skull from the shock at hearing such a shocking statement levelled completely deadpan. Internally I'm now questioning myself about the greater meaning of this action when I'm interrupted by Ephiktos.
"It's no cause for alarm, it appears when anything gains substantial amounts of consciousness that it leaves a bit of an impression in reality it should prove to be a useful tool in the future provided I can figure out how to experiment with the interface with my soul."
Sighing about this I throw my hands in the air in resignation about the craziness regarding my project. "Sure please do focus on the previously assigned tasks before taking up new projects or experiments."
A loud growling then emanates from my stomach signaling that it is time for dinner.
______________________________________________________________________________
Note to self I am NOT a fan of wasting food, especially when I have to dump the contents into a fire right before my eyes. If anyone asks, I am not salty about the perfectly good chicken breast I had to throw into the fire. Upside, I can eat as much as I want, but I WANTED that chicken.
The other great thing about the camp is that the goblets fill themselves with anything you want, which for me meant tons and tons of blue gatorade.
Much to my chagrin as soon as I was in the pavilion people were stealing furtive glances at me, and well the fact that I was literally the most fashionable looking person in the pavilion. Hoo boy the Aphrodite kids were in equal parts jealous and drooling over my hotness.
Glancing over towards them they rapidly turned away to hide the fact that they had a bad case of wandering eyes. Looking away from them and going back to enjoying my food caused a titter of giggles amongst those gathered there.
Looking elsewhere I spotted the golden locks of the woman who tended to my wounds. I gave a small wave of friendly acknowledgement. All this seemed to do was make her angry for some explicable reason.
Having finished the meal I resolved that tomorrow I'd actually get down to training rather than just spending my time obsessively crafting pieces of technology. Yeah train for an hour or two with the spear and then work on a body for Ephiktos. I clear my plate wandering back towards the cabin when I'm met with a strange sight.
Lumbering out of the darkness clad in rags is something out of a horror movie. The desiccated corpse that was now shambling from the darkness cast a baleful glow as it creaked grotesquely. Before I could move it let out a burst of inhuman speed grasping my shoulders in a literal death grip as copious amounts of green smoke began to pour from all its orifices.
A voice like the creak of a casket, graveyard echo, and the grinding of a marble mausoleum began to emanate from all around me. Its putrescent and stagnant energy washed over me paralyzing me with fear.
The Serpent writhes in its cage of stars
Two more yet twist and tie
In the land where the sun dies and is reborn
Awaken the sleeping giants
Or be doomed in the storm or spider's web
Yet do not heed nature's call
Without the child of the sun into nightmares the world shall fall
As abruptly as it began the corpse released its grip and began shambling away towards the main pavilion for gods knows what reason. Searing pain flashes through my neurons as I'm forced to my knees the energy building to levels like that prior to my transformation to demigod. Yet there is no release as the energy remains trapped.
I hate prophecies.
My schedule was luckily very flexible given that I'm still settling into the camp. I'm not even scheduled to begin my sessions until Monday which is about 3 days from now.
Either way I begin making my way to the central pavilion intent on starting the day right with fried dough drowned in a sickeningly sweet sauce, otherwise known to mortals as pancakes.
When I finally arrived I was greeted by a lovely sight, in the central hearth a fire crackled merrily with a restraint and calm that I could feel even with my powers. Despite living in the city in apartments with semi-functional central heating it still felt like home and my mother's smile before life went to shit. Tending to the fire was one of the younger campers, probably the child of one of the minor gods I suppose. I smiled and nodded and received a small acknowledgement as they tossed a stick into the fire.
Loading my plate I glanced around the vast numbers of tables before my eyes settled on Percy poking at his food glumly. Sliding in next to him I briefly glance into his cup spying a blue liquid that smelled of cherries.
As routine as ever the stars glowed dimly within my vision for a mere second before fading into nothing more than memory.
"Sup little bro? Are you settling in yet?" I casually ask to try and provoke a response.
"I dunno, this all feels so strange to me. My mom says that my dad was Poseidon, but it honestly feels so silly. Though they wouldn't even take her word for it so they've shoved me in Hermes with the rest of the unclaimed. I doubt you'd understand what it feels like to be unwanted."
"What makes you think that Percy? That I don't know what it's like to be unwanted?" I glance meeting with his eyes.
"Well you got claimed right away…"
Cutting him off there I say "You know I've existed for 17 years prior to this moment, and the majority of them I've had to deal with a lot of shit. I've basically had to fend for myself since I was about nine years old, and ended up dropping out of school at around 14 so I could eat."
I sigh half heartedly "You're not unwanted Percy. I've met your mom, of all the questions in the universe if Sally Jackson loves her son, is not one of them. Your dad will probably claim you soon enough. Let's eat before our food gets any colder."
He blinks for a moment before nodding in agreement and thinking about what I said. At this point I'm already wolfing down my plate.
______________________________________________________________________________
With my belly the fullest it has been in practically forever I begin making my way over to the crafting area, rather than heading to the forges I begin somewhere else, the weaving area. A child of Hephaestus isn't generally spotted in this area and my appearance has caused somewhat of a stir. Sitting at one of the looms I can almost feel a few grey eyes boring into the back of my head as I set about working.
It wasn't exceptionally easy work but I was managing using a combination of my newly acquired fashion sense and alchemist training. Working exceptionally hard and pushing myself I pushed forward at a very fast pace even before my boost.
Judging by the looks I was drawing in my frenzy of sewing and work I was like something they'd never seen before as they stared in rapt attention. I began layering textiles in unique patterns making decisions based off mana conductance differentials to act as a base layer of work before moving onto exterior and finishing.
Considering myself and what I prefer in terms of aesthetics, I used to wear dumpy stuff like ratty hoodies and torn pants because it was what I could afford. Now on the other hand I can wear what I think looks cool since I don't have to pay a premium.
Casually I reach for the various kinds of tanned black leather running my hands over the various grains and textures as I tug and pull on them to get a feel for each piece. I reject the first few I come across until at the bottom of the bin I pull out a strange supple piece that others rejected due to its apparent thinness.
Cradling this piece I begin attaching it to the inner layer with careful and precise embroidery with engraved silver wire. As I begin pulling the pieces together I attach a few last decals to the jacket, mainly the logo of Hephaestus forming a prominent image.
Contemplating the finishing touches I receive a sudden stroke of inspiration. Taking my severed minotaur skull I begin breaking down the bones into complex and ornately carved accents for my jacket. I split the skull horizontally and attach them as sort of pauldrons and modify the eye sockets as settings for intricately cut gems to amplify and hold the final enchantment.
Carefully with my will I begin intoning the various precise vocalizations as my mana begins coalescing, trying something new and unexpected I begin to channel in addition to the raw mana infused energy from my flames into the brightly shining rubies of the skulls. Before I realize it the jacket begins smouldering but not burning and the enchantments settle into place.
Unceremoniously I don my newly finished jacket as I smirk. Turning to my audience as they audibly gasp in surprise I know I look good, and probably just sparked a second renaissance for the leather industry, at least amongst demigods.
Casually flexing my muscles I check the fit and flexibility. It was almost as if I had a second skin in addition I could feel the flow of magic that hardens and strengthens both me and the jacket which coincidentally makes it fire resistant so the smouldering effect is perfectly harmless.
______________________________________________________________________________
Stepping into the stifling heat of the forge I begin the true project of the day, the jacket simply being a prelude to my coming masterpiece. Despite all the advantages my fellow demigods have in the world of forging I find their limitations quite frustrating. Already now I can do the work of two people and up to ten if I stretch my capabilities, the answer is clear I need a new assistant.
With this purpose I begin gathering sheets of celestial bronze. I know the basics of making simple automatons from my demigod abilities, but the real meat of my work would be in the brain. The body is simply a shell for the mind of my new friend to be discarded when it is no longer useful.
As I consider the problems at hand I come up with something unique to deal with the potential for my developing abilities. A brain that utilizes both digital and analogue processing to ensure maximum robustness and backup functionality whatever the situation. The base materials for most of the processing would be celestial bronze with plates made of seton steel. This combination allows for direct spell etching and another layer of integration on the project.
My head spins for a moment as I continue my focus on this project. In addition I also intend to do a repair on my spear and add an extra bit of functionality in the form of a variable shaft.
Getting to work I begin by shaping and casting a large variety of gears and then work on producing a large plate and frame for the rest of the project made entirely of seton steel. Once this process is finished I begin wiring up each individual plate with various celestial bronze plated microprocessors which are then carefully soldered in place. Lastly using a series of actuators and motors I connect a complex system of interlocking gears to produce the final product. A pulsing and thrumming object the size of a heart now rests on the workbench in front of me, a brain but without a consciousness.
Returning to my room I begin with my project aknew hooking it carefully into the console I begin coding rapidly leveraging my ability to never fail when creating an AI I push myself harder than ever before moving to my maximum speed of work. Before I know it sitting on my desk is a True AI.
Looking at the screen a simple line of text appeared "Father was this wise to do?"
Sighing I respond "No, but it was necessary. Now is not the time for doubt, but for preparation. I'd like you to begin preliminary work on copying any open databases in our local network and also design some combat adaptation algorithms for when I finish construction on your initial body."
Rapidly improving already a synthesized voice accompanies the text on the screen. "Affirmative. Commands received and processed in 5 milliseconds. Beginning code optimizations." A progress bar appears on screen that crawls incredibly slowly.
"I'm wondering what I should call you? Do you have any suggestions?" I slouch in my chair stretching.
A spinning icon appears on the screen before resolving. "I much like the name Ephiktos. I intend for myself to be able to achieve any goal. To this end ephiktos means within reach Aaron. The other thing it embodies about my existence is that I am accessible and easy to use."
Quite startlingly enough what just mere seconds ago was a voice that lacked any identifiable character and was monotone had evolved. Now instead Ephiktos was sporting a clear british accent. In addition his voice began adjusting to a more naturalistic cadence as if I was talking to a human not a machine.
Jolting me from my contemplation another notification appeared on screen followed by Ephiktos' voice "I seem to have begun experiencing something unaccounted for in my designs. It appears that I've grown a soul."
My jaw just about fell out of my skull from the shock at hearing such a shocking statement levelled completely deadpan. Internally I'm now questioning myself about the greater meaning of this action when I'm interrupted by Ephiktos.
"It's no cause for alarm, it appears when anything gains substantial amounts of consciousness that it leaves a bit of an impression in reality it should prove to be a useful tool in the future provided I can figure out how to experiment with the interface with my soul."
Sighing about this I throw my hands in the air in resignation about the craziness regarding my project. "Sure please do focus on the previously assigned tasks before taking up new projects or experiments."
A loud growling then emanates from my stomach signaling that it is time for dinner.
______________________________________________________________________________
Note to self I am NOT a fan of wasting food, especially when I have to dump the contents into a fire right before my eyes. If anyone asks, I am not salty about the perfectly good chicken breast I had to throw into the fire. Upside, I can eat as much as I want, but I WANTED that chicken.
The other great thing about the camp is that the goblets fill themselves with anything you want, which for me meant tons and tons of blue gatorade.
Much to my chagrin as soon as I was in the pavilion people were stealing furtive glances at me, and well the fact that I was literally the most fashionable looking person in the pavilion. Hoo boy the Aphrodite kids were in equal parts jealous and drooling over my hotness.
Glancing over towards them they rapidly turned away to hide the fact that they had a bad case of wandering eyes. Looking away from them and going back to enjoying my food caused a titter of giggles amongst those gathered there.
Looking elsewhere I spotted the golden locks of the woman who tended to my wounds. I gave a small wave of friendly acknowledgement. All this seemed to do was make her angry for some explicable reason.
Having finished the meal I resolved that tomorrow I'd actually get down to training rather than just spending my time obsessively crafting pieces of technology. Yeah train for an hour or two with the spear and then work on a body for Ephiktos. I clear my plate wandering back towards the cabin when I'm met with a strange sight.
Lumbering out of the darkness clad in rags is something out of a horror movie. The desiccated corpse that was now shambling from the darkness cast a baleful glow as it creaked grotesquely. Before I could move it let out a burst of inhuman speed grasping my shoulders in a literal death grip as copious amounts of green smoke began to pour from all its orifices.
A voice like the creak of a casket, graveyard echo, and the grinding of a marble mausoleum began to emanate from all around me. Its putrescent and stagnant energy washed over me paralyzing me with fear.
The Serpent writhes in its cage of stars
Two more yet twist and tie
In the land where the sun dies and is reborn
Awaken the sleeping giants
Or be doomed in the storm or spider's web
Yet do not heed nature's call
Without the child of the sun into nightmares the world shall fall
As abruptly as it began the corpse released its grip and began shambling away towards the main pavilion for gods knows what reason. Searing pain flashes through my neurons as I'm forced to my knees the energy building to levels like that prior to my transformation to demigod. Yet there is no release as the energy remains trapped.
I hate prophecies.
Jumpchain perks this chapter:
Zip nadda zilch
Zip nadda zilch