17Chapter 3
I tweaked the last chapter a bit. It's all here so you don't need to go back and check. I've decided that Egyn won't become a god. I give my thanks to those who reviewed and gave me your opinions, for I believe it's safe to say that I agree with you completely, so this chapter is dedicated to you.
Previously:
I stared at him, incredulously. "Um…a god?"
Zeus rolled his eyes. "Yes. With the consensus of the entire Council, I can make you immortal."
"Hmm," Ares mused. "That means I can smash him into a pulp as much as I want. And he'll just keep coming back for more. I like this idea."
I couldn't hold it in much longer. The mere thought of being a god was laughable enough, but being offered godhood as if it were the most amazing gift in the universe just made it even more hilarious. I even caught a glimpse of Aniki concealing his chuckles with his hand. I didn't even try to stop my chuckles from turning into full blown laughter.
I clutched my stomach, gasping for breath as I tried to speak. "A-A god? You…you're really offering…? Ha-ha, I can't believe it you-you think I'll even ask for something so ridiculous?" I was now leaning against Poseidon's big toe for support. Everyone other than myself and Samael was unsettled by my outburst.
I sobered up a bit and wiped a lone tear from my eye. "I'm sorry, but to be offered to become one with the same race who are considered children to my family is just plain funny." I patted the toe. "No offense to Poseidon," I casually stood up from the marble floor and disappeared only to reappear in front of Ares' face with a liquefied hand clenched around his neck and my body turning into a larger, more watery version of myself. I grinned menacingly at the war god, my bangs casting a shadow over my eyes. "But I just can't think of ever stooping to such a level."
The demigods gasped while most of the gods – save for Poseidon, Hestia, Demeter, and Ares (for obvious reasons) – summoned their weapons and pointed them at me.
"Unhand him, Demon!" Zeus yelled. "Or I'll blast you back to Gehenna!"
I was just about to slam Ares into his throne when…
"Einz, Zwei, Drei! Er Stopfen!"
Everyone was suddenly frozen in place. Not a single thing moved, only the eyes of every occupant were allowed to move in their sockets.
My eyes turned to Samael, and if it were possible, I and every other entity in the room would have glared at him.
Samael sauntered his way over to me while swinging his umbrella in circles – a common practice of his – as everyone's eyes followed his movements. "Oh my, Otouto. You seem quite temperamental at the moment." He grinned. "There's really no need to fight. I'm sure Egyn was just showing off how utterly redundant it would be to accept your offer." He bowed flamboyantly, now standing before the thrones of the gods. "Please, forgive him for his rudeness, we're all exhausted from this little war of yours, and Egyn's just getting re-accustomed to being himself."
Time restarted. I let go of Ares' throat with a sigh and reverted back to normal. Oh well, guess I can beat him up some other time. "Whatever," I said under my breath. I turned and walked back to Poseidon. I sat on a beanbag chair that suddenly appeared right next to his throne. I smiled right up to him, but he shook his head and pointed a finger to Hestia. I gave her a nod of my thanks and sat down.
Zeus grumbled under his breath, but sat back down, none-the-less. The other gods did the same. "Fine, let's just get this over with so we can leave."
I smirked at him. "Alright. My wish is simple and within your power, but I need you to swear on the Styx that you'll grant it."
Now:
"What?" Dionysus cried. "You don't trust us?"
"Someone once told me," I said, looking at Hades, "you should always get a solemn oath."
Hades shrugged, "Guilty."
"Very well!" Zeus growled. "In the name of the Council, we swear by the River Styx to grant your reasonable request as long as it is within our power."
The other gods muttered assent. Thunder boomed, shaking the throne room. The deal was made.
I gave Zeus a devilish grin, hearing Samael chuckling in the background. "From now on, I want you to properly recognize the children of the gods," I said. "All the children…of all the gods."
The Olympians shifted uncomfortably.
"Egyn," Poseidon said, "What exactly do you mean?"
I frowned at the sea god. "Poseidon, you know Kronos wouldn't have risen if it hadn't been for a large number of demigods who felt abandoned by their parents. They felt angry, resentful, and unloved, and they had a good reason."
Zeus' royal nostrils flared. "You dare accuse-"
"No more undetermined children," I cut in. "I want you to promise to claim your children – all your demigod children – by the time they turn thirteen. They won't be left out in the world on their own at the mercy of the Greek monsters. I want them claimed and brought to camp so they can be trained right, and survive."
"Now, wait just a minute," Apollo said, but I was on a roll.
"And the minor gods," I said. "Nemesis, Hecate, Morpheus, Janus, Hebe – they all deserve a general amnesty and a place at Camp Half-Blood. Their children shouldn't be ignored. Calypso and the other peaceful Titan-kind should be pardoned too. And Hades-"
"Are you calling me a minor god?" Hades bellowed.
"No," I said sharply, giving him a warning glare. "But your children should not be left out. They should have a cabin at camp. Nico has proven that. No unclaimed demigods will be crammed into the Hermes cabin anymore, wondering who their parents are. They'll have their own cabins, for all the gods. And no more pact of the Big Three. That didn't work anyway. They are to be trained and accepted instead. All children of the gods will be welcomed and treated with respect. This is my wish."
Zeus snorted. "Is that all?"
"Egyn," Poseidon said. "You ask much."
I raised my forefinger as a proclamation. "I hold you to your oath." I gave them all a good stare. "All of you."
I got a lot of steely looks. Strangely, it was Athena who spoke up: "The demon is correct. We have been unwise to ignore our children. It proved a strategic weakness in this war and almost caused our destruction. Percy Jack-ah, Egyn, I have had my doubts about you, but perhaps" – she glanced at Annabeth and then spoke as if the words left a sour taste – "Perhaps I was mistaken. I move to follow his plan."
Zeus gave a 'humph'. "Being told what to do by a creature from another realm. But I suppose…"
"All in favor," Hermes asked.
All the gods raised their hands.
I nodded at them, choosing to hold back a triumphant grin. I stood up from the chair but before I could leave, Poseidon called, "Honor guard!"
Immediately the Cyclopes came forward and made two lines from the thrones to the door – an aisle for me to walk through. They came to attention.
"All hail, Egyn," Tyson said. "Hero of Olympus…and my big brother!"
*Line break*
Samael and I were on our way out when I spotted Hermes in a side courtyard of the palace. He was staring at an Iris-message into the mist of a fountain.
I glanced at Sam. "I'll meet you at the elevator."
He merely raised his eyebrow, but said nothing and left to the elevators.
Hermes didn't seem to notice me approach. The Iris-message images were going so fast I could hardly understand them. Mortal newscasts from all over the country flashed by scenes of Typhon's destruction, the wreckage our battle had left across Manhattan, the president doing a news conference, the mayor of New York, some army vehicles riding down the Avenue of the Americas.
"Amazing," Hermes murmured. He turned toward me. "Three thousand years, and I still never get over the power of the Mist…and mortal ignorance."
I chuckled. "Believe me when I tell you that you haven't seen anything. Mortal ignorance can do many things. You know how the saying goes: Ignorance is bliss."
Hermes looked at me curiously, then returned his attention to the Iris-message. "Look at them. They've already decided Typhon was a freak series of storms. Don't I wish? They haven't figured out how all those statues in Lower Manhattan got removed from their pedestals and hacked to pieces. They keep showing a shot of Susan B. Anthony strangling Fredrick Douglass. But I imagine they'll even come up with a logical explanation for that."
"How bad is the city?"
Hermes raised his eyebrow. "Pretty bad. The mortals are shaken. Either way, I imagine New Yorkers will be back to normal in a few months; and of course, I'll be helping."
"You?"
"I'm the messenger of the gods. It's my job to monitor what the mortals are saying, and if necessary, help them make sense of what's happened. I'll reassure them. Trust me, they'll put this down to a freak earthquake or a solar flare. Anything but the truth."
He sounded bitter. George and Martha curled around his caduceus, but they were silent, which made me think that Hermes was really angry. I kept quiet.
Samael was waiting for me at the elevator. "You took your time. What were you up to, Otouto?"
"Nothing you'd be interested in, Aniki."
Samael hummed. He pressed the elevator button and we waited. As expected, the elevator didn't take too long to reach us. We entered and pressed the Lobby button. The music was calm but it was still boring, and I found myself fidgeting in place. I could feel my tail twitch uncomfortably under my shirt, and it tickling my belly didn't help stop my fidgeting.
Samael seemed to not really care, but I could tell he was kind of annoyed with me not staying still. My assumption was further proven when he asked about it. "You seem very jumpy, Egyn. Is there something wrong?"
I was looking at my tapping feet when he asked. I lifted my head up and gave him a sheepish smile. "No, there's nothing wrong. I guess I still have ADHD. Probably because my vessel is actually a demigod."
"Perhaps." Anything else the elder demon would have wanted to say was stopped when the elevator doors opened. We stepped out into the Lobby to see Sally and Paul arguing with the security guy, who returned to his post.
"I'm telling you," she yelled and the security gulped when he saw me. "We have to go up! My son-"
Then she saw me and her eyes widened. "Percy!" and proceeded to hug the breath out of me. I had to bite back a cry of pain when she squeezed my tail. "We saw the building lit blue," she said. "But you didn't come down. You went up hours ago and we heard you fought Kronos in his true form."
I nodded, but my eyes were welling up with tears. She was squeezing harder!
Samael seemed to notice my distress and decided it was his responsibility to make sure my tail didn't snap in half from over-affection. "Hello, ma'am. Seeing that you are currently hugging the boy to death, you must be the famous Sally Jackson."
Sally slowly let me go, observing Samael suspiciously. The Demon King simply gave off that kind of vibe. "Yes, and you are?"
'Mephisto' removed his hat and gave an exaggerated bow, "Mephisto Pheles. I'm a close relative of his."
Sally looked at him curiously, with a little bit of confusion. "Really, who's your godly parent?"
I shifted nervously and was about to tell her what was going on when Nico ran in from the street, his face told me something was wrong.
"It's Rachel," he said. "I just ran into her down 32nd Street."
I frowned. "What did she do this time?"
"It's where she's gone," Nico huffed, still slightly out of breath. "I told her she would die if she tried, but she insisted. She just took Blackjack and-"
"She took my Pegasus?" I demanded. I felt my body shake in rage.
Nico gulped nervously but nodded. "She's heading to Half-Blood Hill. She said she had to get to camp.
I grabbed at Samael and Nico's shoulders and used my water abilities combined with the powers of Poseidon's son to vapor travel us right outside the camp orders.
Nico, Samael, and I ran forward. Nico made it through without a problem, but Sam and I slammed face-first into the barrier.
Nico quickly turned around to see what happened and saw me and my brother clutching our foreheads in mild pain and annoyance. He raised his eyebrow at that, probably mentally laughing at the fact that two powerful demons had been bested an invisible wall.
I growled at him, subconsciously letting my tail free itself, twitching and curling in agitation. "Let us in, Nico."
He did, and we continued running after taking tentative steps passed the magical wall.
Rachel was already at the big house. She held out her hands. "You have waited too long," Rachel said, "But I'm here now."
The sun blazed more brightly. A man appeared above the porch, floating in midair. The man was blond with a white toga, wore sunglasses, and a cocky smile.
"Apollo," I muttered, settling with frowning at the sun god.
He winked at me but held up a finger to his lips.
"Rachel Elizabeth Dare," He announced. "You have the gift of prophecy. But it is also a curse. Are you sure you want this?"
Rachel nodded. "It's destiny."
"Do you accept the risks?"
"I do."
"Then proceed," Apollo said.
Rachel closed her eyes. "I accept this role. I pledge myself to Apollo, God of Oracles. I open my eyes to the future, I embrace the past. I accept the spirit of Delphi, Voice of the Gods, speaker of riddles, and seer of fate."
Then a green mist that was always around the mummy shot at Rachel and the mummy dissolved to nothing.
Rachel's eyes shone green with the mist before returning to normal.
Apollo drifted down from the porch. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce you to the new Oracle of Delphi." As soon as those words left his lips, Rachel doubled over.
When she stood, her eyes glowed serpent green.
When she spoke, her voice sounded like three Rachels. One of the past, one of the present, and one of the future. Similar to the Fates.
"Six half-bloods shall answer the call.
To storm or fire, the world must fall.
An oath to keep with a final breath.
And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.
Without the help of Satan's second, fifth, and ninth son,
Olympus will fail when all is won.
Demon of Water, Demon of Time,
Beware of the ones who bear will of rhyme.
A memory lost is a memory gained,
But do not fall to Memory's game."
I growled. "Damn, another one."
Samael didn't look very happy with knowing that he was being pulled into the gods' mess either. His eyes were set on glaring at the redhead, and his gloved hand was crushing his umbrella's handle.
Apollo gave me an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, dude." Then flashed out.
Rachel said her goodbyes and left right after.
We stood there for a moment to reign in our anger. I turned to Samael. "You want to head to the Poseidon cabin? We can discuss coming events there in private."
"Yes, that seems adequate." He loosened his grip on his umbrella. He raised it in front of him and waved it around as if to say 'Lead the way'. Which is exactly what I did.
We passed the Volley Ball court and crossed the river, then passed the Arena until we made it to the cabins.
"This Camp Half-Blood is rather large, Otouto," Samael said as he whistled, and swung his umbrella in circles.
"Yah, but it's nice. Especially when you're not worried about a war." I told him about each of the cabins and who they belonged to. "The Olympians need to get their acts together. Especially Zeus." Thunder rumbled indignantly, but I didn't bother with acknowledging it. "He needs to get his priorities straight. To lead a successful kingdom without fault is difficult, I know, but to alienate an entire group of his subjects won't make it any better. If this war didn't show him that, then I don't know what will."
We reached cabin three. Sam began to talk as I opened the door to let us in. "You seem quite concerned for these gods, Egyn. You got your memories back, so why do you still care?"
I narrowed my eyes at him, "Call it wanting to return the favor. Their children took me in as a demigod, even though my vessel was a son of Poseidon. I made friends in these last few years, and I've also lost friends to death. Some of their deaths could have been prevented, but I wasn't able to stop them. They risked their lives to save their home, and it's my turn to return the favor." I stated, challenging him to try and put me down.
But he didn't do that. No, he just smiled faintly. A kind of foreign warmth in his emerald irises. "You always were the more passionate of us, Egyn. I'm truly glad you're alright."
I returned the smile. "Well, I won't be going anywhere anytime soon." I plopped onto my bed with a sigh. "What are you still doing here anyway? I would have thought that you would go back to that school in Japan. What was it called…something about a cross-"
"True Cross Academy, yes." Sam sat down at the edge of my bed. "I wanted to make sure you were fine here before I departed, but that little prophecy has peaked my interest. Although, I would have rather not been involved with the problems of Olympus."
I shrugged. "What can I say? I've been dealing with their problems for years." I made myself comfortable by crossing my arms behind my head. "You kind of get used to it." My eyes narrowed at Samael's smug face. He seemed to be mentally laughing at my expense. "Shut up."
Samael gave a gasp, and dramatically put his hand against his heart, looking pained. "Brother, you wound me. I have said nothing to you."
"Not verbally," I grumbled. We both laughed together for a few seconds before it ended.
Sam frowned. "This is nice and all, but we have more pressing matters to discuss, like the prophecy. Why are we being involved?"
I shifted in my bed so that I was on my side. "I don't know why, but apparently we're supposed to fight with our brothers. This will be so annoying, I already know it. We'll have to convince them to help while the Greeks deal with whatever threat is to come. I already know that Amaimon follows you around like an obedient dog, and Lucifer is probably with his little organization. What I'm worried about, though, is convincing Iblis, Beelzebub, Astaroth, and Azazel to help. Iblis and I never did see eye-to-eye."
Samael grinned. "You're forgetting something, Otouto~" He sang.
I glared at him. "What?"
"The fifth line of this prophecy specifically says that the Ninth son of Satan needs to help us. Not the sons of Satan. The others don't need to be involved."
"What?" I shot up into a sitting position. "Ninth son? We have another sibling?"
"Siblings, actually. Twin males that were born and raised in Assiah. Quite the interesting duo, might I say." He began kicking his legs into the air without a care in the world. "Though, only one of them inherited father's flames."
I gapped at Samael. "Impossible. None of our brothers have inherited his power. Not even Iblis."
"Oh, but 'tis true. The eldest twin, Rin Okumura, inherited father's power. He and his twin are currently attending my school. Well, Yukio Okumura already graduated the Cram School and is now an exorcist."
"Exorcist? Why would he want to be an exorcist? Wait, I thought you said that Rin was the eldest? How did Yukio graduate before him?" I asked.
"So many questions." Samael stood up from the bed and approached the door of the cabin. "Questions that will be answered upon a later date." He stepped out and I rushed to follow him. I didn't even realize that he was headed towards the Mess Hall.
"Come on…" I groaned out. "Aniki, tell me~"
"No~" He sang, swinging his umbrella leisurely.
"Why not?"
Samael stopped at the entrance of the Mess Hall. He turned around to face me with cool eyes, and a smile. He grabbed my shoulders and guided me towards the Poseidon table. I noticed that all conversation ceased when we entered.
"Sam? What are you doing?" I asked. I didn't understand why he chose to come here, or why he forced me to sit at table three.
He didn't say a word as he shoved me into the seat with a jester's grin. "Like I said, Otouto, 'no'. All in good time." And he disappeared in pink smoke with a poof.
I sighed in exasperation. He can be so annoying. My tail lay limp at my side. The nature spirits began to bring in the food for everyone, like usual. One of the younger Nymphs approached my table tentatively. Fear in her eyes as her hands was trembling, shaking the tray of food. Everyone in the Hall was watching us with mixes of curiosity, nervousness, and fear for the Nymph.
She quickly placed the tray in front of me with an 'Eep!' and scurried away. I huffed in annoyance. Was I really that scary? I looked in the direction the Nymph went. She was currently huddled with a group of nature spirits. Some were giving me weary glances while whispering amongst themselves. I could only catch snippets of the conversation. It was in Ancient Greek, though. "Eínai tóso tromaktikó" (He's so scary) one said. "Ourá tou eínai tóso goúnino!" (His tail is so furry!) Another said. I blushed at that one, looking down at my exposed tail.
I heard a soft giggle behind me. My ears perked up at the sound. I turned around to see Annabeth standing there with a small, baby blue pastry box in her hands. She gave me a shy smile. This kind of made me worried. Annabeth never giggled, nor was she ever shy. Her pride as the daughter of Athena didn't allow her to be shy.
"Annabeth?"
"H-Hey, Per- er, Egyn." She said. She stumbled over my name and looked down at her feet. Something must be wrong, so I asked.
"What's wrong?"
Her head shot up. "N-Nothing! Nothing's wrong. I just, er, wanted to say…" She shoved the box towards me. "Happy Birthday…I think." Her face went red in embarrassment upon realizing that it might not even be my real birthday.
I chuckled at her and gently took the pastry box from her. "Thanks, Wise Girl."
If it was possible, her face went redder. "It was nothing." She stood there, looking down at her shuffling feet. It was kind of awkward with her just standing there, all nervous. Knowing her, she probably had loads of questions.
"Annabeth." She flinched. My eyes narrowed at the demigoddess' action. Something's bothering her. "What is it? I know something's wrong."
"I-," she began but closed her mouth when she looked in the direction of the Athena table. I followed her gaze and saw that her siblings were frowning. She frowned at them and turned back to me with determination. Her attitude quickly changed from nervous to determined. "I wanted to ask you if you would meet me at the beach later."
My mouth was left slightly agape from surprise. "Erm, sure. What time?"
"After dinner, if you don't mind."
I smiled at her, my small fangs peeking through my lips. "Okay, see you later."
She smiled right back and left to her table.
Dinner continued for a few more minutes before I went ahead and walked to the beach.
I walked with my hands in my jean pockets and my tail swaying freely towards the beach. 'I wonder what Annabeth wants. She seemed pretty nervous. Is it because of what happened? Is she scared to approach me knowing I'm a demon?' I shook my head in refusal. 'Nonsense, she's not like that. She's a tough cookie, probably just wants to ask me questions like any normal child of Athena would.' I kept on walking on the sandy shores of the beach until I saw her a few feet away from me. She was sitting with her knees close to her chest facing the sea.
The wind made her hair sway and the moon's light illuminated her stormy-grey eyes. She looked absolutely stunning. "Hey," I said as I stood a few feet away. Her head snapped in my direction. "You wanted to see me?"
She seemed to snap out of whatever trance she was in as her slightly startled eyes steeled themselves. "Right," She patted the spot in the sand next to her. "Please sit." Which I did. She seemed to hesitate for a second before she continued. "I wanted some clarification if you don't mind." I nodded and motioned her to go ahead. Annabeth inhaled deeply – as if to prepare for something – and exhaled before asking her questions without skipping a single beat. "Are you really a demon? How old are you? What are all the other demons like? In Christian and Catholic texts along with other religious documents and demonologies, demons are often portrayed as evil and deceitful, is this true? Is Mephisto really your brother? He's the Demon King of Time, right? Also, who's the ninth son of Satan? When Mephisto was listing the names, I only noticed eight were–."
Annabeth would have continued if I hadn't covered her mouth with my hand. She mumbled in my palm for a few seconds before realizing it was there. She gave me a scalding glare, but I smiled right back at her.
I held up my pointer finger and counted off from there. "First off, yes, I am a demon. Second, I'm older than old, so let's move on. Third, Mephisto is my brother – second oldest – and yes he is the Demon King of Time and Space. Now, it kind of depends on who's King the demon belongs to, so I can't speak for all of them. But I will tell you this, not all of us Kings are kind or benevolent. Amaimon, for example. He's childishly insane and always shows it. He's very brash, and quite carefree, but hates losing and will go through anything to win. Even if it means killing someone. Samael would be considered a very…tricky being. He has this innate ability to act as if he knows more than he's letting on. He's careful and meticulous, like a chess player, always ahead of the game, so be careful around him. Of course, the Kings and their kin can differ greatly in personality as those lower in level are more or less violent, but it all still depends." I explained.
She nodded in understanding but raised her eyebrow in question. "What about you? What kind of King are you like?"
I imitated her position on the sand and stared out at the ocean, basking in the sound of the water flowing over the sand, and the salty scent of the sea. "I consider myself a just king, one who places the lives and interests of his subjects before his own. I also owe them a great deal for something that happened a long time ago." I wrapped my arms around my knees and looked at the sand near my feet. "I believe you heard about how Poseidon and I met, right?"
"Yah, you were captured by Oceanus and Poseidon and your people saved you," Annabeth stated.
"Exactly, but before that, the majority of my kin here in Assiah were killed and sent back to Gehenna. I was unable to save them, Annabeth, and it warmed my heart so much to learn that the survivors risked their lives to get me back."
"You must really care about them if you feel that way."
"Of course I do, they're like children to me. Birthed from our descendants and made into entire civilizations." I lifted my head back up and grinned at her. "Anyway, anything else you want to know?"
Annabeth smiled right back. "Yah, according to the prophecy, you and two others are involved. Have you thought of anything?"
I leaned my head to the side in a thoughtful manner. "Well, Sam and I kind of discussed it earlier, but we're still not sure what the lines mean. We know that the ninth son is in Japan, though. Apparently, I have a new sibling, well siblings. Rin and Yukio Okumura. Rin was the only one of the two who've shown any indication that he's Satan's son."
Annabeth hummed, "I see. I'll have to report this to Chiron during the next counselor meeting. We might have to have them come to camp to help us."
"Good idea. I think he'll even send a quest to Japan to retrieve Rin if the gods allow it. I'm kind of hoping to meet these new brothers of mine. Samael said that one of them is an exorcist, can you believe it? And here's the kicker, it was the youngest twin. The older one is enrolled in my brother's school to become one. Who'd have thought they'd get such strange ideas, like, who wants to become an exorcist?" I said but realized that I was going off on a tangent. "Sorry, I'm getting off track." I lied down on my back and stared up at the night sky. The curfew would start soon, so we'd have to leave before the harpies found us. "We should get going. Don't want the harpies to eat us."
"Or try to," She chuckled.
I sighed, pleased. "Or try to." My eyes widened, and I shot back up, startling Annabeth. I pushed myself in front of her in a flash with my hands shaking her shoulders back and forth. "Wait, you seem too calm with knowing any of this. Are you sure you're okay?"
Annabeth tried to speak, but my continual shaking didn't allow for the words to flow. She grabbed my wrists and tore my arms away. "Stop doing that. Yes, I'm fine!"
I sat there, shocked beyond belief. "So you're not scared of me?"
She chuckled out a no.
I grinned so wide, that I swear it would split my face in half if it were to widen. Quick as a bee, I lifted her off the sand in a hug and swung her around in circles. "Really? Yay!"
"Egyn!" She yelled in surprise.
I stopped and set her down onto her feet, my hands on her shoulders while still wearing my grin. "You're the best, you know that?" My tail was wagging excitedly like a dog getting ready to play. "No one's gonna ever be better than you, Wise Girl!"
Annabeth blushed at my words. It was the cutest thing. "Well, it wouldn't be the weirdest thing I've ever seen. If anything, it's ranked in my top ten, but not number one."
I scrunched my eyebrows. "What's your number one?" (This is a moment in time where I realize that I dislike 1st person POV. I can't display other character's thoughts.)
Annabeth looked at me seriously and spoke with an even tone. "Something that should never be discussed."
I raised my arms in surrender. "Alright, alright. I won't ask," I looked back up at the sky. "But we should be going back."
She looked up as well and deduced that I was right. We said our goodnights and left to our respective cabin.
I threw myself onto my bed and sighed, tail hanging limply off the edge. Today was a long day, and I just wanted some rest. It didn't take me long to succumb to the darkness of sleep, but my dreams were not black.
I opened my eyes to see that I was in a black-boned cradle. A black nursery mobile chandelier thing with a wooden skull, coal tar, leaper, and hobgoblin looming over me. I raised one of my hands and saw that it was small with black nails that barely reached the fingertips. It dawned on me that this was I in my younger years. The room I was in seemed to be the nursery in my father's palace.
There was the sound of a door opening and slamming shut, followed by grumbling. A very pale face appeared at the edge of the cradle. The face belonged to a man whose long white hair hung over his shoulders, and whose horns were wreathed in the blue flames of the King. There was no mistaking those cold blue eyes, much like the flames of their owner, and the long white tail that swayed from behind him. Standing before the cradle, staring down at me with blank eyes was Satan, the King of Gehenna. The same foolish being who declared war on the Almighty before the creation of Assiah.
Unwillingly, my arms raised towards his face. He offered me a clawed finger, which I took hold of in an iron grip. He didn't seem to care, though. Satan just looked down at me, but I could see the faintest of smiles on his lips. "You will be strong, I know it. I can already feel the strength to slaughter hordes single-handedly." He reached into the cradle with both hands and lifted me into his slender arms. Satan began to rock me around and humming a lullaby, like a caring father lulling his child to sleep.
My head moved to the side to see the rest of the room. It was rather large, with three other empty cradles, one in each corner. There was a furred carpet the shape of an ox and a rocking chair at the center. Parallel to the chair was a tall mirror facing Satan and I. I could see us in the reflection; Satan standing tall and proud with a baby in his arms. His tail swayed and blue fire flickered at the tuft. He wore black and blue robes that contrasted greatly with his skin and pure white boots, seemingly untouched by dirt and grime.
The baby in his arms was small and slightly chubby, with a tuft of black hair and a much shorter black tail compared to the father. There were no clothes on the child, so it remained as nude as the day it was born, as was custom in Gehenna to not dress an infant until it could walk properly. So that it wouldn't be hindered by the cloth when the child was to take its first steps.
My head turned back to his when I felt him jolt me a bit to adjust my place in his arms. I reached my arm to his nose with a coo. Satan grunted and adjusted me so that I was being supported in one arm while he used the other to play with me. He wagged his finger in front of my face and made circular motions so that I would follow. He pointed his index finger at me and a small spark of blue fire ignited, making me giggle and coo in amazement.
Satan chuckled and waved the flame in circles above my face. "I'll admit, you're kind of cute," I continued to giggle while my tiny hands reached to touch the blue light. Satan frowned at the display and put out the fire as quickly as it came. "But it won't be long before that innocence is replaced by damnation, as is normal in Gehenna for all demons to harden their hearts and fight each other for survival. No creature of this world has ever been left truly sane, and your time to join their ranks is nearer every minute." He shifted me again in his arms so that I was now held at his hip, parallel to his body. I had begun to cry when he put out the light, so he was bouncing me up and down in an effort to soothe my tears. "But worry not, for you will never live amongst the poor, and will forever know what satisfaction feels like. Never will you need to fight to survive, but you will rule your own kingdom with the pride and benevolence of a King. I've seen your future, my boy, and the road will be difficult, but it is also a pleasurable one."
And I saw darkness once more.
There was a loud knocking on my door. I grumbled in my sleep, and burrowed my head under my pillow, trying, in vain, to muffle the disruptive noise.
The knocking quickly turned into banging, and there was panicked shouting at the other side. I sighed and got out of bed, lumbering my way to the door. I yawned and stretched my arms over my head, shirt riding up my stomach and tail fidgeting before I dropped my hands and opened the door.
I rubbed at my eyes as I spoke, voice hoarse from lack of use. "What?" I opened my eyes properly and gave a hard stare at a camper in full battle armor. She was short with brown hair and hazel eyes. She pointed a spear at me and glared. I raised an eyebrow at her, thoroughly unimpressed. I raised my finger and placed it at the edge of the sharp tip, slowly bringing it down as I spoke. "Why are you pointing that at me? Also," I scanned the surrounding area to see that there was no one else around. Weird. "Why are you dressed for battle?"
The girl's glare hardened. "You have visitors at the pine. Chiron sent me to get you."
"And you are?" I droned.
"Despina, daughter of Hebe."
"Right, so everyone's on the hill?" I said.
She merely nodded, and brought her weapon back up, pointing it towards my chest.
I sighed, still tired. "Let me guess, you don't like me very much."
"Not at all."
"May I inquire as to why…?" I motioned my hands in the go on manner.
"Monsters killed my father, you're a demon, so you're also a monster." She growled, her glare intensifying.
"Racist," I mumbled.
"What?" She snapped.
"I said, racist," I said, now choosing to walk out the door and down the steps of the front porch.
Despina made a grrr sound and poked my arm with the spear hard enough to feel a tingling sensation, but not hard enough to break the skin. I whipped my tail at her head. "Don't do that, Racist."
"I am not racist!" she argued.
"Yah you are. You said that you don't like monsters because they killed your dad, then you said that because I'm a demon that I'm a monster, thus making you a racist." We walked passed the cabins and made our way to the Big House. "You will now be christened Racist, as so sayeth the demon." I mocked.
"Oh just shut up!" she shouted, making my ears ring, but I ignored them and continued towards Thalia's Pine.
"Your wish is my command, Racist," I said calmly.
I could see in my peripheral vision that her face was red with anger and her nostrils were flaring. It was quite comical if I do say so myself.
"Egyn!"
I turned to the left to see Annabeth in her armor running towards us. I also took notice of all the other campers at the borderline, all in full battle regalia. This peaked my curiosity as to why everyone seemed to alert.
I waved at her half-heartedly. "Hey Annabeth, what's everyone doing?"
She stopped in front of me. "I don't know. Chiron just sounded the horn and I can't get past everyone to see what's going on. I asked around and the campers just said that there were these weird creatures at the edge of the forest."
I frowned. "Weird creatures, huh? Where's the old horse?"
Annabeth motioned to my right where I could see a crowd of demigods surrounding Chiron, seemingly asking him about what's going on. "He's over there. If I were you, I'd go and ask him about it."
I nodded and waved at her, but I didn't leave without one final thing to say to my "new BFF". I grinned mischievously at Despina. "Goodbye Racist. Thanks for the chat." And I ran off towards Chiron. I could faintly hear Annabeth questioning the daughter of Hebe about the nickname, and Despina ranting back at Annabeth about me being an evil monster and deigning her a new name just to spite her. Oh, how I just love messing with people.
I ran up to Chiron and pushed past the campers. "Chiron, what's going on?"
He noticed me right away and sighed in relief. "Egyn, you're awake. Perfect," He turned and addressed the surrounding campers. "Everyone, wait by the tree, please!" in which they listened, albeit reluctantly. He turned back to me, and draped his arm over my shoulder, leading me towards the tree. "Listen, there seem to be multiple unidentified creatures hiding in the forest and I was wondering if you may or may not be familiar with them. They haven't shown any signs of hostility, but I had the whole camp gear up just in case."
I nodded in understanding. "So you want me to find out who they are?"
"Yes. I'd hoped that you would know if they were residents of Gehenna like you and Mr. Pheles mentioned yesterday."
I dusted my hands. "Alrighty, then." And I jogged towards the border to get a closer look, pushing past campers to get to the front. Once at the front, I saw that there were a few campers with swords and spears guarding the tree, ready to attack anyone who posed a threat to Camp. I looked back at the forest and expanded my senses. I sensed about twenty or so different entities in the trees and behind bushes. Not taking another second, I launched into the air and landed three yards away from the tree line in a crouched position. I growled at the forest and made my tail sway slowly behind me. I also made my demonic features reappear.
The talking by the pine ceased at the sound of my growls. Everyone just watched as I confronted the possible threat.
My voice became deeper, more like a creature from the deepest pits of Hell. "Who are you? Show yourself!" The voice itself made the earth vibrate with every syllable.
I heard a small gasp from the trees and caught a glimpse of eyes widening before an octopus-like figure stepped out of a bush.
I immediately ceased my growls when I saw who it was. My scowl was replaced by an excited expression, and my tail began to wag in happiness.
"Lord Egyn?" said my most trusted general.
"Isamu!" I shouted, leaping towards him and tackling him in a long-overdue hug.
There we go! An update. So Percy (Egyn) is not going to be a god thanks to the combined efforts of multiple Guests and I think a few other users. I'll be updating soon, hopefully, my classes don't assign too much homework because I've been doing better with my grades (take that Chemistry! "B") and projects just make me cranky.
Anywho, I'm not ofreakingk out!