A/N:
Hey guyz, sorry for the long hiatus, I promise I will try to update more often startuing now. So expect some new chappies next week, and, till then, here is a short side-story for invisible, it will make sense on its own though. Love you all!
The Spear Of Patroclus
After the Trojan war and after Achilles and Patroclus died, the nereid Thetis, Achilles mom, found the spear that the two men used and died holding. She felt their spirits, struggling to leave this world and go to the realm of Hades, but, alas, a bond stronger than the calling of the Underworld was keeping them in this world, anchored by said spear. And, although the weapon rightfully belonged to Achilles, Patroclus' soul was the one out of the two that was binded more solidly to the spear.
Thetis realized that what held the heros back was Patroclus' sacrifice, and, until it was avenged and until the spirits were released, any person to wield the weapon will share Achilles and Patroclus' fate, their spirits being held back and becomng more restless as time passed by.
Still, the nymph was not cruel. She could forsee a hero that would break the bonds, a hero willing to sacrifice to release the souls. A hero that will share their fate, yet who will still live, even after the ultimate sacrifice. A hero that will be more loyal than Patroclus, breaver then Achlles, a hero chosen by a force greater than een the Fates themselves. The Oracle of Delphi saw that the hero will not be born for a long time. Also, the hero was suppsed to have a connection with the god of wine, Dyonisus.
And the spear stayed hidden for centuries. The first time it was seen again, after he Trojan war, the Roman Empire was wt its uttermost glory. And the first one to hold it again was Julia Mortula, a dauhter of Bacchus, for what connection is stronger than that of a father and his child. Her father ave it to her on the day Julia turned 16. unfortunately, Julia died, in an attempt to protect her mother, her step-father and her newborn brother, and the spar was lost again.
Marcus Vinicius followed her, a son of Apollo who was invited and took part n one of Bacchus' parties. The following morning, he found the spear right next to the place where he fell asleep. Still, he wasn't the hero Thetis and the Oracle had seen. Marcus died fighing a thief that threatened his wif and children, and the spear dissapeared again.
The next time the now dreaded weapon appeared, it was in Britain, long after the fall of the Roman Empire, and the one who recieved it was Sam Martin, a young son of Ares. After he helped an old man hide from a band of thieves, the demigod got the spear from the farmer, who was one other than Dyonisus himself, who tried to take matters in his own hands (after centuries of complaining from Hades that the spirits were spending too much time away from their rightful place in the Underworld), only to be faced with another huge dissapointment. Young Sam died protecting his wounded friend from a hoard of empousai.
His friend, Shawn O'Brien, a son of Hermes, inherited the spear in order to avenge Sam, after he was healed by Dionysus. Later in his life, Shawn got married to Sam's twin sister. One day, as Shawn was returning from a quest his father gave him, and, as he got home, he saw a man holding his only daughter at knife point. Natually, the enraged father fought the attacker, but what Shwn didn't know was that the man was a demigod son of Orcus and he managed to wound Shawn with a Stygian iron sword before the son of Hermes sent him to meet his father, Orcus. Shawn died in the arms of his daughter and the young girl, blinded by rage, threw the spear into the sea, then she ran away and left al her past behind.
Thetis found the spear yet again and kept it in her underwater palace, in spite of the Olympians complaints, beggings and even attempts to retrieve (read: steal) it.
More time passed. The centre of the world moved to North America and Camp Half-Blood was created in order to keep the demigods safe. Fast forward to the moment Dyoisus became the director of the camp and the heroes we love started popping around (about 3 – 4 zyears before Percy arrived in the picture).
The nereid felt the spirits binded by the spear grow restless. She knew that it could onl mean the hero was soon to come and release them. So she rose from the sea in Long Island, NY, on the sores where Cam Half-blood was. And as she rose from the waves, campers of all ages and heritages gathered on the beach. Still, Thetis only had eyes for Chiron, their trainer and mentor and for Dyonisus, the director.
˝The time is nearing. The hero will claim the spear and return the souls of the heroes binded by sacrifice to the realm of shadows.˝ she told the two. Then, she turned around to see the crowd of demigods watching her expectantly. ˝This,˝ she said, holding the spear in front of her, ˝is the spear of Patroclus. Cursed by sacrifice, it claims a hero to wield it and welcome whatever the Fates might throw in his path. A hero to relese the souls that are binded and to finally give them rest. Does any of you claim it?˝
The demigods shuddered. Each one of them wanted to claim the weapon as their own, but none have the courage to do so. Barely a year before, a fellow demigod, Thalia, had sacrificed herself to protect them all, and nobody really wanted to share her fate, even if it meant glory and all that. One young daughter of Athena, with blonde princess curls and stormy grey eyes was about to step forward when a voice echoed in the silence.
˝I will claim the spear, Lady Thetis.˝ said a tall boy, with dark sin, strong arms and calloused hands. Charly Beckendorf, the son of Hephaestus did what nobody else was brave enaugh to do. ˝ I claim the spear as mine and I will fight my whole life to release the souls it binds.˝
Thetis handed him the wepon and then dissolved in a light shower of silvery water.
Beckendorf started trining withthe spear. Chiron saw in him a ˝natural with long-range weapons˝, and the centaur didn't hesitate to shaer this with the son of Hephaestus. But he couldn't hide the saddnes in his eyes, nor could he ease the pang in his chest every time he saw the demigod, so diferent from the former owners of the weapon.
Sensing the centaur's discomfort, Beckendorf stopped trening. He dedicated himself to the work in the forges. He tamed the giant bronze dragon for the first time in the history of the camp. He met, fell in love with and started dating Silena Bauregard, daughter of Aphrodite. He supported Percy Jackson in the fight agaist Kronos.
Then Percy and him planned to blow up the Princess Andromeda, Luke's yacht. And, the day the two went to fulfill their plan was the day Beckendorf took the spear again in his hand.
But,once again, the spear claimed a hero's soul. Beckendorf blew up the ship and got himself killed in order to save Percy, Silena and each and every demigod in Camp Half-Blood.
After his death, the waves carried the spear to the camp's beach, where Silena mourned for her boyfriend. The daughter of Aphrodite picked it up and swore revenge for his death.
So, later, when Clarisse refused to help in the Battle of Manhattan, Silena took the problem in her own hands. She dressed in Clarisse's armour and led the Ares cabin into battle, spear in hand. And sacrificing herself just like Patroclus did was what binded Silena's soul to the spear.
Clarisse, arriving just in time to see her best friend killed because of her war daughter's stubborness, swore vengeance. She singlehandedly killed the drakon and turned the Tide of battle in favour of the demigods.
After the monsters retreated, after the war was won and after they all returned home, Clarisse found the spear Silena used. But, in stead of using it, the daughter of Ares called out to her father, rage filling her as she spoke:
˝Ares! Father! Curse this spear for it has brought us only sorrow! Make it so that no mortal can use it before the Hero arrives!˝ Clarisse paryed to her father, as she thrusted the weapon into the wall of the armoury, with Chris Rodriguez as the only witness to her rage and hatred towards the weapon.
And, as a reddish glow surrounded the girl, Ares listened to her prayer and the spear kept it's place in the armoury, awaiting the hero that will claim it once and for all, the hero who will wield it's power and, at last, release the souls that sacrificed.
The eight spirits inhabiting the spears were growing more restless as time passed. Ever since Clarisse had cursed the spear, no demigod was able to pick it up. And, in the silense of their sanctuary, they talked.
„The time will come soon," Achilles said. „Millenia of waiting will finaly come to an end."
„Indeed, my friend, the hero approaches," Patroclus replied.
„But who is this hero?" asked Shawn.
„And how exactly are we supposed to recognize him?" Marcus kept the questions flowing.
„Hey! The hero might as well be a girl! Just because there were fewer girls to try and use the spear…" Julia rambled.
„Julia" Silena tried to calm her. Being the only two girls whose souls were binded by the spear they developed a strong friendship.
„Silena is right," Beckendorf agreed. „There is no point in arguing, we can't change what the Fates decide."
„But what if we can?" Sam said. The son of Ares was quite a quiet fellow, completely opposite to his fater's loud and obnoxious self. „I mean, shouldn't we be able to decide who is going to save us?"
„You are proud, son of Ares." Patroclus nodded to himself.
„Too proud," Marcus sneered. The roman son of Apollo had a rather rocky relationship with the son of Ares. And all Marcus Vinicius wanted was to reunite with his wife and two children.
„The hero was chosen a long time ago. The Fates saw a thread brighter than the others when we died" Patroclus started.
„Yeah, maybe they've gone blind in the meanwhile," commented Julia. She had been trapped in the mortal world longer than anyone else, excepting Patroclus and Achilles, so she wanted the most to finally fiind her rest in the afterlife.
„But, to the eternal comlaint of the gods, they refused to weave it," Patroclus ignored the comment and went on retelling the same story they have head for so man times they all already knew it by heart. „Only a little while ago, maybe a few years, the Fates fount it fit to start unravelling the thread. The hero roams the world right now as we speak. And, soon, this spear will be picked up for the last time and we will be free. Any day now, tht door will open and…" the spirit topped mid-sentence, stunned.
Achilles rested a hand on his friend's shoulder, just as surprised as Patroclus was.
„It is time, my friends. Finally, our time has come, our time to leave this place." he said.
Eight pairs of eyes turned towards the door, where two half-bloods were chatting.
„Who? The son of Apollo who was eyeing us a few moments ago?" Sam asked, not pleased at all at the prospect of a son of Apollo being his hero and saviour.
„Of course not! It's the other boy, the son of Hemes!" Shawn stood up in defence of his brother.
„Cecil?" Silena and Beckendorf asked incredulously.
„He's not a fighter, more like he'll team up with the Stolls and win a fight through trickery rather than go into direct combat!" the daughter of Aphrodite said.
Achilles shushed them down.
„Look more closely," he urged them.
Just as he spoke, the two boys parted, revealing a slightly shorter girl, with dark-blonde hair and blue-grey eyes, looking around in amazement.
„It cannot be…" Shawn started, but he felt the vibe the girl was spreading around, just like all the other spirits had.
„Is she…?" Julia left the end of question hanging in the air.
The girl made her way to the wall and picked up the spear, holding it with confidence, like she knew that the spear was meant for her. Like she had been born with a spear in her hand.
„Heroes of sacrifice," Patroclus called to them. „Behold our saviour."
Soooo, like it, love it, hate it, tell me anyway!
- Damy :))