He came in the night. No one noticed him. He stayed with them for three days and was about to leave when they realized he was there.
"Hey! Who are you?" Chiron asked him.
"I don't know." He replied.
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"I do not know who I am. Do you know who I am?"
"Come with me." Chiron's jaw set as he led the kid to the big house.
"Mr. D, we have a slight problem. Possibly a new camper."
Mr. D looked up from his card game for a quick moment. "How does this concern me?"
"He doesn't know his name. Or much else."
He looked at Mr. D. "Dionysus, right? And Chiron, obviously."
"Young man," Mr. D looked up from his game for a longer moment then before. "Names have power. You say you don't know yours? Then I will give you one." He thought for a moment. "Aeson, because even us Gods forget things."
"What do you mean?" Aeson said.
"We don't remember its meaning."
"Suiting." Chiron said. "Follow me and I'll give you a tour." Chiron gave him the same tour he had given Percy a year before. "The Hermes cabin is where you'll be staying, since we don't know your immortal parent."
"I do though. I can't remember if it's my mother or father, but all I really know is that metal bends to my will and I can heal almost any wound in a matter of seconds."
"Oh really?" Chiron sounded curious. "Show me."
Aeson pulled out a small bit of celestial bronze. "I know most facts about most metals, and I know this type of bronze-"
"Celestial bronze." Chiron cut in. Once a teacher, always a teacher.
"Yeah, celestial bronze works against monsters." The metal expanded into interlocking segments of a glove and bracer. Then, obviously showing off, a blade shot out of the bracer, locking onto the back of his hand.
"Impressive." Chiron thought. "Well, you'll stay in the Hermes cabin anyways since they take all travelers."
Aeson nodded. The arm thing shrunk back into the small piece of bronze. "Colin! Travis!" Chiron waved over the two brothers. "This is our newest camper. His name is Aeson."
"What kind of a name is that?" Colin asked.
"Dionysus made it up for me."
"It's Mr. D, okay?" Travis warily looked up as thunder boomed.
"Oh, okay." Aeson replied. "I guess you can fill me in on all the traditions and such."
"We better." They chorused.
That night was capture the flag. It was Athena, Hermes and Poseidon cabins against Ares, Dionysus, Hephaestus, Demeter, and Apollo. Athena and Ares cabins had the flags.
"The rules are simple, we all know them, but for the new guy, run through them."
Chiron began speaking. "The creek is the border between the two sides, the forest is the arena. No maiming or intentional wounding. I will act as battlefield medic. Any questions?" Chiron pointedly looked at Aeson, who shook his head.
The mess hall tables began to fill with armor and weapons, which several people tried to fit him with.
"I don't need all that heavy stuff, I have my own."
"How?" they all asked. Aeson just smiled.
"Follow us." Annabeth said to him, pointing at Percy and herself. "And seriously, get some armor."
Aeson sighed and walked behind a tree and then came out from behind it. He was wearing full plate as soon as they saw him.
"Whoa!" Percy said. Annabeth stared.
"Wait for it…" the blades shriiinnnnkkeed out of his bracers once again.
"Do you know how to use those?" Annabeth asked, seriously doubting his abilities.
"Better than you." He retorted, obviously getting annoyed at her underestimations. The game started and he obediently followed them to the other side.
"Keep going." Annabeth said and she disappeared.
"Be careful, three people following us." Aeson said.
"How do you know that?" Annabeth asked from somewhere close.
"I can sense the metal." They forged on, watching their backs.
"Two ahead, bows, DROP!" Annabeth and Percy complied, the arrows whizzing over their heads. "Ambush!"
The three following them, Clarisse and two of her cronies, began to charge at them. The Apollo kids came running too.
"Different plan!" Annabeth shouted.
"Run?" Percy asked.
"Sounds fine to me, I'll hold them up." Aeson replied. "Go, I'll live."
Annabeth and Percy broke off and Aeson stood, waiting for the attack. When the others were roughly ten feet away, Aeson charged the Ares. The tactic took them by surprise, but being Ares, they didn't break. If Aeson was surprised, he didn't show it. (LEEEEEEEERRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOYYYYYYYY JJJJJEEEEENNNNNNKKKKKIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!) With his arm blades, he deftly began to fight all three of them at once. Finally, he got a good hit on one of their shields and rent it.
"Hey!" the guy shouted. Aeson's reply was to retract one of his blades and give a strong punch. Clarisse got in a hit on Aeson's flank, but it was knocked aside by his thick armor.
"Surprise." The shards of bronze on the ground began to grow into two warrior automatons. The Apollo kids that were about to join the fight turned around and ran. Aeson chased them as the automatons took out Clarisse and her sibling.
Aeson looked around. He was in an empty clearing with the flag. "Don't mind if I do." Aeson said as he lifted it.
"Well, I do." Beckendorf stood up behind him, his armor stone gray.
"Doesn't matter." Aeson said as his two automatons emerged from the trees, carrying the Apollo and Ares demigods. "To them or me." Beckendorf stared at them. "I wouldn't stare too long; they'll attack you in a moment."
Beckendorf went on the defensive, and Aeson ran to the border holding the flag. An arrow flew straight at Aeson and knocked him hard on the ground. Another of Hephaestus kids stepped out of the shadows in brown armor and pointed his sword at Aeson.
"You're my prisoner. Let's go."
Aeson smiled. The captor became uneasy and looked around. It was lucky he did because Percy slammed his sword at him.
"Go!" Annabeth said from somewhere near. Aeson readily complied, meeting the Apollo kid that had shot him and gave her a good clout. Aeson held up the flag in triumph as he crossed the border. Most kids, seeing as they were on the other team, grumbled about helping Clarisse "smash the punk".
Meanwhile, the Hermes, Athena cabins with Percy, and Chiron congratulated him. "Great job, for your first time."
Aeson shrugged modestly. "I just got really lucky."
Chiron stared at the disintegrating automatons. "We'll see."
Aeson enjoyed his time at the camp. He liked canoeing at the lake, the dangerous climbing wall, the Thalia tree with the Golden Fleece, the prospect that one of his parents was immortal. He also liked his new friend from the Apollo cabin. Her name was Elaina. She had sandy hair like Apollo, and almond shaped chocolate brown eyes. She was slight, but strong, and an excellent archer. She was the first person to talk to Aeson as a friend and have him feel calm around.
"So you don't remember anything of your past?"
Aeson shook his head. "I only remember about two or three things, like a battle with a chimera, and when I was forced to eat a dragon's heart."
"Ewwww, that's gross!"
"It actually tasted kind of like cheerios. I haven't touched them since." Elaina looked at him, and then realized what he was doing.
"You're mean!" She said as he burst out laughing. She wouldn't say it out loud, but he was really good looking, with silky black hair that reached his shoulders and color shifting eyes. He was slight, but he was not to be underestimated. He had obviously worked out for a long enough time to keep his well-defined muscles. His dexterity and endurance was astounding, able to run for a day and hardly break sweat, deftly moving with grace and balance, and other feats. Except for the unerring ability to sense moods and thoughts, he was fun to hang out with. Also, he would randomly create things for his friends. A hairpin, a longer, sharper dagger, fixed armor, or armor that actually fit.
Aeson had a sly smile on his face. "Your mean!" She repeated, and then sat down, on a dish of cold water.
"Best part is you put it there!" Aeson laughed. Elaina gave a grudging smile, and then tackled him. After rolling a fair distance, Elaina let go. She stood up, and promptly slipped down on some wet grass. She grabbed Aeson and they slid into the canoeing lake.
"Nice." Aeson said as some naiads giggled at them. "Now imagine the rumors that'll be going around."
Elaina shivered. "I can't swim!" She then began to sink, despite her thrashing.
Aeson swam behind her and helped her up. The naiads just laughed and watched. After a while, they made it to shore.
"Aeson, there you are!" Chiron shouted. "We need you! You too, Elaina."
"Sure, in a minute." Elaina said, and started for the cabins.
"No, as in NOW!"
Aeson and Elaina shared a look and then followed Chiron.
"We've decided to give Aeson a quest." Mr. D said as they arrived. "He is to find and collect a sphinx's hide."
"Okay. Is that it?"
"No, it's gathered a lot of followers, so that's why you need to kill it." Chiron said.
"So, where is it?"
"Somewhere in Michigan." Aeson tensed.
"THAT sphinx. Yeah, I know where she is. Why do I need to kill it?"
"It's been interfering with other quests and there have been fatalities. So this will be our test for you, pretty much."
Aeson nodded. "Will it just be me? Or will I take some others along?"
"You're allowed to take two others along."
"I just need one. Elaina, you want to come?"
Elaina smiled. "Sure!" Aeson nodded, and smiled back.
"So how are we going to get there?"
The bus was to take them from long island to Springfield Illinois. It didn't make it that far.
"How often do you go to camp?" Aeson asked Elaina.
"Every summer. My mother lives in Springfield."
"Then you might get to see her."
"Yeah. She's always worried about me."
"Well, that makes two of us. Chimera to the left, it's going to slam into us as we pass it. Stay calm, deep breaths, relax and…"
The chimera Aeson pointed out slammed into the side of the bus. Aeson grabbed the window and Elaina as the bus began to roll. In a desperate attempt, he kicked open the window and pushed Elaina out.
Elaina slowly stood up and grabbed her dagger from the sash she wore around her waist. She didn't have time or range to use her bow on it. With a sweep of its paw, the chimera knocked her aside. Elaina rolled as the snake tail blew fire at her. Her side caught fire, but she put it out as she rolled. The goat's head snapped at her as she stood, Elaina rolled again. Suddenly, the chimera roared and the lion and goat heads blew fire wildly.
"Run! We don't have big enough weapons to kill it, only sting it!" Aeson shouted. As he spoke, the severed snake head began to reform.
Elaina ran and Aeson was quickly next to her.
"Keep running, I'll stall it for a long while."
Aeson turned and concentrated. The chimera saw him and charged. As it closed, a massive bronze spike flew out of the ground and impaled it. It roared in anger. Aeson ran.
As soon as Aeson saw Elaina's burns, he refused to let her go on under her own power alone.
"Second and maybe third degree burns? Not a chance. I need a pool of some sorts to heal them."
As soon as Elaina's battle adrenaline wore off, she was glad Aeson was there to help her. The pain was amazing, in some places. She began to sag and soon, Aeson was pushing her along with a wheelchair he made out of some iron he had with him.
"Is that Springfield?" Aeson asked.
"Yeah, it is. I live on the borders, over there."
Aeson pushed her. Thankfully there wasn't a lot of traffic, so nobody confronted them. When they finally reached her house, Elaina was near fainting from the shock.
Aeson knocked using the brass knocker, noting the slight jab it had to his hand. The door opened and he found himself face to face with a small Asian woman.
"Hello?" she said, then saw her daughter. "Elaina! Get her in quick!"
Aeson pushed the wheel chair in the house and set her down on the sofa. "Do you have ambrosia or nectar?"
"No, I just ran out. You?"
"I couldn't find the bag in the wreckage. Okay, plan B, I can heal her, she just needs to be in water."
She nodded. "We can put her in the pool out back."
Aeson nodded, and then blushed when he remembered something. "She can't have anything but the water touching her wounds. Can you do something about that?"
She looked at him suspiciously, and then nodded. "Yeah, I know something."
A short while later, Elaina was floating in an in ground pool wearing an oversized t-shirt. Aeson pulled all her hair to the other side of her body, and then pulled the t-shirt away from the wound. Her mother carefully watched and took note of the caring way he treated her. Suddenly, before she could react, he sliced his wrist and let the blood fall into the water. He put in his other hand and then concentrated. The blood expanded and settled on the wounds of Elaina. It frothed underwater somehow, and then vanished. In its place was unblemished skin.
"There." Aeson said. "She's better. Now she's just asleep."
Elaina's mother nodded, grateful. She looked at Aeson, then Elaina, and then back.
"You're not gonna tell her, are you?" he asked, looking fairly uncomfortable. "I know what you're thinking."
Elaina's mom smiled. "No, you can do it your own way sometime. In the meantime, help me get her on a sun chair."
After they finished laying her comfortably on the chair, Ms. Cheung led Aeson into the kitchen and began to fix some food for him.
"Elaina's told me a lot about you." Ms. Cheung said.
"Really? Like what?" Aeson sounded surprised, which he was.
"Like how you won the capture the flag game, how you made her that dragonfly hairpin, and other things…" Ms. Cheung trailed off, turning to him and winking. "And how did you heal her anyway?"
Aeson shrugged. "It's just something I can do, not sure how, but I can do it."
Ms. Cheung nodded. "Well, what's your quest?"
Aeson looked out the window, west. "Go to Michigan and assassinate a sphinx that's gathering followers. This in particular sphinx gave me a nice scar to show off."
"Where is it?" Ms. Cheung asked.
"The back of my neck. Right here." Aeson showed Ms. Cheung a large white gash on his neck. "It'll be gone soon. After this quest."
Ms. Cheung nodded. "So where's your gear?"
Aeson gave a rueful smile. "My back was being used as Elaina's pillow, and I couldn't find her bag in the bus wreckage. A chimera hit us. Hard."
"Uh huh." Ms. Cheung obviously didn't know what that was.
"Umm, lion's body, snake's head for the tail, goat head in its side."
"Oh, now I remember. But didn't a Percy Jackson kill it?"
"No, he was nearly killed by it."
"Oh."
"Unnggghhhh." Someone said.
Aeson looked out the window. "I think Elaina's awake."
After getting some mortal money, golden drachmas, and more supplies in general, Aeson and the recuperated Elaina left Springfield to get to Detroit. They took a train this time to be safer, but it didn't stop Aeson from staring out the windows looking for monsters that might attack them. After a while, he got bored and fell asleep. Elaina looked at him, and softly brushed some of his hair out of his face. She turned and came face to face with an old lady.
"Oh, excuse me." Elaina said.
The lady shrugged and walked off. Her, presumably, granddaughter following her gave Elaina a very hostile look, then smiled.
Elaina sat down in the seat next to Aeson and pulled out a sheaf of papers. On it was a short song she was composing to be played by some stringed instruments. She reviewed it, and then began to write more.
A short while later the granddaughter returned. With her were two others. They waited several minutes before they realized that Elaina couldn't see them, she was asleep. One of them smiled when she saw her head resting on Aeson's shoulder, but was quickly silenced by a hard glare by their leader.
"We should kill them now, while they won't fight." The last one said.
"No, there's no fun in that." The leader said. "Half-blood, what do you think?"
The one who had smiled, the half blood, shrugged. "Why ask me, Kronos told you to kill them." She froze. Aeson's eyes had snapped open at the word Kronos.
"What are you?" He asked, glaring at the two others and ignoring the half blood.
"We are Empousa!" the second said.
"Oh, okay. By that I take it-" Aeson carefully extricated himself from the seat so to not wake Elaina. "Your monsters sent to kill us." They nodded. "Except for you, daughter of Aphrodite." The half bloods lips curled menacingly.
"Who're your parents?" She sneered.
Aeson shrugged unconcernedly. "Doesn't matter. The only thing that does is that you're trying to kill me and I don't feel like going to meet Hades. So, can we get this over with?"
The empousa glared at him and began to slowly morph. Blood red eyes, normal heads and torsos, but one leg goat and the other metal. Aeson didn't wait and he slashed them to dust before they were finished. The half blood glared at Aeson, then drew her sword which had suddenly appeared at her side.
"You'll pay!" She said. Aeson's eyes flickered between her and Elaina. The half blood turned and saw her. "Oh, forgot your girlfriend, did you?"
Aeson's face flushed. "She's not my girlfriend."
She smiled. "Could have fooled me!" She grabbed Elaina by the scruff of her neck and held her sword to her neck.
"That won't do any good." Aeson said. He gave the still drowsy Elaina a wink.
She frowned, puzzled. "Why not?"
Aeson smiled and snapped his fingers. Suddenly, Elaina was encased in a thin sheet of bronze. It began to creep up her arm until she let go.
The half blood screamed and raised her sword. Nearby passengers looked around, then seeing that suddenly three girls had turned into one and some other strange things thanks to the mist, they screamed too, in fear instead of anger.
The demigod charged Aeson who remained still until the last possible second when he whirled his blades around so fast, she never felt the pain when they slashed her.
When it was done, she fell to the ground. Her sword had been chipped into fragments, she had lost two fingers on her sword arm, there was a shallow gash on her stomach and a deeper one on her other shoulder and twin stab marks on her thighs.
Aeson released Elaina from her shield of metal and then gave the thumbs up or down sign. Elaina looked at the unconscious demigod, and then gave the thumbs up.
"If you can, that is."
"I can. But I'll make her think that her muscles are still near useless so that she won't fight." Aeson knelt down and pushed away the sliced edges of her clothing to sprinkle water and mutter words. When it was over, her fingers were reattached, her thighs and shoulder were healed, but the stomach cut was still there. "To remind her who will win." Aeson said.
As he lifted her on to the seat across from them, the conductor and two large men came rushing down the aisle.
"Is that her?" he asked.
"Her who?" Aeson asked.
"Is she the one that tried to hijack the train?"
Aeson laughed. "No."
"Really?" the conductor asked. The nearby people that had seen what happened looked puzzled.
Aeson snapped his fingers. "Yes."
The conductor had a dazed expression on his face, and then he snapped back. "Then who was?"
"They jumped out the windows."
"Really?"
Aeson snapped again. "Yes."
The conductor and nearby people came out of another daze. "Good riddance." And then they left.
Aeson sighed. "You watch her. With healing your burns, the chimera, healing her, whoever she is, the fight, and manipulating the mist, I'm tired. Wake me up when it's your turn." With that, Aeson sat back down and fell asleep. Elaina continued to work on the music until dark. The demigod had woken in the late afternoon, but said nothing. When Elaina looked over, she was asleep again.
Aeson slowly woke up, and then realized what his head had been resting on. "Sorry Elaina." He said, and withdrew.
"Feel better?" she asked.
"A little. I'm gonna get something to eat. You want something?"
"Sure. Umm, something light."
Aeson nodded and left to get the food. Elaina looked at the captured demigod and found her awake and looking at her. "You like him?"
The question caught her off guard. She was expecting insults and challenges, not a simple question that she was unprepared to take.
"Huh? Umm, as a friend…"
The demigod shook her head. "No. Face it, you like him." She grinned at her. "Maybe I should tell him…"
"Do it and I'll make sure you actually do fall off the train!" Elaina threatened.
She smiled further. "It was a wild guess, but you certainly proved I wasn't wrong. My names Akilah."
"Elaina." Elaina turned her head away from her and began to work on the music again. A short while later Aeson returned.
"She's awake?" Aeson asked and then confirmed it with a glance. "I sent an Iris message to Chiron. Told him we had one of Kronos's servants. And the chimera. She tell you anything?"
"Some things. Her name's Akilah."
Aeson nodded as if it confirmed something. "And you know who we are?" he asked Akilah.
She shook her head. "No, it was the empousa's job to know and lead."
Aeson shook his head. "You're lying. About the not knowing who we are. You volunteered for this, didn't you?"
Akilah looked stunned. "Ummmm…"
"And Kronos promised you something in return, right?"
"Uh…"
"And you are pulling out a small dagger from your back pocket. Did I read that right or-"
Akilah jumped up and tried to stab Aeson, but her weakened muscles failed her and she fell back down on the chair, dropping her dagger too.
Elaina picked up the dagger and fit it in her pocket. "Didn't you try to plan that through?"
Akilah smiled. "Yes."
Aeson looked left and right. "Two Cyclops, two empousa, some dogs, and you. Kind of a large force for two demigods."
She sneered. "You were deemed important."
"We're flattered." Elaina said, drawing her bow.
"You want to know something?" Aeson said to her.
"What?"
"Your not!" a hard left to her temple knocked her unconscious. "Chiron wants her alive. It might be on Aphrodite's request though." Elaina nodded. She shot at one of the hellhounds, but missed it.
"Ah! I missed!"
"How?"
"I don't know!" She snapped, frustrated.
Aeson looked out the window. "Oh gods, we're detached from the train! And the next is about five minutes away!" Elaina looked horrified.
"Any plan?"
"No."
"I have one; RUN!" Elaina did so nearly immediately, slashing at obstructing monsters. Aeson soon followed, carrying Akilah.
Elaina stopped at the end of the train. "We're going to fast! We can't get off yet-" Elaina was flung away from the exit as the brakes set in.
"No choice, jump!" Aeson did, landing heavily from Akilah's weight. Elaina followed.
"Let's go!" she said. They ran, Aeson grunting with Akilah's weight. A good distance away, they collapsed, unconscious.
"Sleeping… potion…" were Aeson's last words.
Aeson slowly came to his senses. When he was able to look around clearly, he saw mostly darkness, but also the mouth of the cave, a large stone slab in the center of the cave, Elaina, and Akilah. What surprised him was that Akilah was also chained. And that there was a large burn where Elaina's pocket had once been. The knife! Was it magic? He would have to find out. Aeson concentrated and then shattered the shackles that held him. Aeson walked over to the others and shattered Elaina's chains, but not Akilah's. Aeson caught her than gasped. Elaina's face was bloody, and she had a lot more blood covering herself.
Was she tortured? Aeson thought. Is she dead? No, that's a pulse and she's breathing. What did they do to you?
"If you're done caressing your girlfriend, it's your time."
Aeson's face turned red as he turned to face a Dracaena, the Sphinx he was sent to kill, and four Cyclops. "She's not my girlfriend."
"That's what she said. Really, she did say it." The sphinx purred.
"Well she's not. She's just my friend."
The sphinx sighed. "That's what they all say."
"Whatever. What did you do to her?"
She shrugged. "Ask the Dracaena."
"Fine. What did you do to her!"
"Wrong Dracaena honey."
"Then where is-" Aeson turned just in time to avoid a trident thrust.
"Let's see, Billy here used her as a club target, she's pretty fast, and Joey used her as a dart board."
Aeson roared in anger. The Dracaena paused, and a large stalactite of celestial bronze flew upwards from the ground, smashing her against the ceiling. Aeson then charged the group at the mouth of the caves; his customary arm blades already out. The Cyclops closest swung his club at Aeson, which Aeson deflected into the one next to him.
"Kill him!" the Sphinx screamed, pounding away from the cave as fast as she could. Aeson ignored her and fought the converging monsters.
Aeson quickly decided that range was his choice. So he grudgingly sheathed his blades and instead held shuriken. The Cyclops Joey received two to his eye and stomach. He disintegrated on the spot. The other Cyclops received similar fates. The Dracaena had armor and a helmet, so Aeson manipulated it into a full body prison. Then he stuck in a small dagger and rolled her off the cave lip. On its way down it crashed into the sphinx, breaking its hind legs. Aeson smiled and approached for the kill.
Yup, always a cliffhanger. Sorry about the immense wait for me to publish anything. But I've been busy. Anyway, tell me what you think! And remember Leroy Jenkins!