When I left, I thought I'd go down. When I took the fall, that I would splatter. When I burned, I would be reunited with the past, and reborn with it. My redemption. My heart. I did avenge the one who loved. I should no longer be here. I stand without a purpose. Even freeing all loose ends, releasing those wrongly imprisoned, what else was there for me to do? Why not let me die? Why add another curse to my being?
Did I have a say? No. Of course not. Why would they? Last time they had offered, it was denied, and they were made fools of. So they gave it before I could see Hades' gates. Why me though? The others were better. More important. But perhaps the fates decided I hadn't suffered enough. So I would suffer for all eternity. That's not what the Boread's had said. No it wasn't suffering. But what else was it when he was going to be left alone again? And this time there really wasnt a way to run away.
Not when you'd have to run forever. Not when you had no one to be with.
It was just the sad tale of Leo Valdez, the newest immortal.
Sitting in an office in the Empire State Building, sat a young once independent and still mechanically brilliant mind. He didn't like how he had to interact with "normal" people until he had his own forge. He could have entered his father's now that he was no longer a mortal demigod. He only entered when he was really upset. When he needed the grinding gears and the cyclops who walked through his fire as though it was the very air he breathed. But they weren't going to last forever. He didn't want to bond with someone he was undoubtedly going to lose. Maybe that's why his dad was such a recluse. He wanted nothing more than to go off into some secluded area and build his own forge, helping traveling demigods when the gods were being pricks, as they undoubtably were.
The gods wanted him close though. He was a new immortal and was Gaea's destroyer. A very dangerous forever sixteen year old boy. A boy who had a lot of influence from the queen of Olympus herself, Hera as well as equal acceptance from her Roman counterpart Juno. A boy who went beyond the usual hatred when it came from the hunters of Artemis.
He tried to ignore it all and focus on his designs. They were simple, and perhaps a little childish, but every other engineer he had shown them to had said they were revolutionary and new. The only good thing about this phone was the little feature he had been working on during his new free time to build a special demigod app. Not that any of the engineers really noticed.
Hopefully that would be good for any preteen that hadn't been claimed. No sense sending a signal asking for them to be killed. It just seemed unpleasant.
Finalizing the design, he sent the message to whatever company was actually directly funded by the gods that dealt with that stuff. He stretched his arms and stepped out of his little hideaway. Ignoring the looks of many of the elder employees who had heard the rumors of the youth, he stepped into the elevator. He jabbed the first floor button wanting to step out and just leave for a bit. Grab a hot dog perhaps and pretend for a moment he was as mortal as he was born. Of course, the elevator he was on was empty. And it didn't go down. It went up. He groaned in irritation. Of course the gods wanted to speak with him. Maybe they found a new way to torture him.
As the doors opened, he walked into a marble hall. Within the hall were a few of immortal children of the gods who had been blessed over the centuries.
A red necked cowboy son of Ares Eurytion stood with a trace of pity in his eyes. He had regretted immortality after accepting it from his father. Leo had met him shortly after he discovered his... Blessing.
One grouchy husband of Hebe, Hercules... Heracles? Whatever. A son of Zues with daddy issues. Well, what child of Zues didn't? Though that was usually because of Hera. And yet he was favored by the head goddess herself. Yay. Lucky him.
Cal and Zethes, sons of Boreas. One small and lanky, the other large and meaty. Both colored in frigid blues and icy white, with large feathery wings sprouted out of their backs.
The four looked at him with curiosity and pity. Leo didn't have time to respond before they were all standing before the gods. Leo stuck his chin out defiantly. His father seemed distracted and perhaps a little worried. They had taken away his choice of the end of his life, so Leo wasn't too worried. If anyone had a complaint they could just go to Hera.
"Leo," Hera greeted, far warmer than he had heard her greet any of the other demigods. His mother's culture held great respect for heritage, something Leo did out of respect for his mother. Hera had loved it, with such devotion to his mother, herself being the "motherly figure" of the gods.
"Tia," he responded hoping to ruffle her metaphorical feathers. Her smile only grew slightly larger. Damn.
"Did we really have to call them here?" Artemis grumbled, "My handmaidens are more than capable."
"Of fighting yes. But with building a forge to the far north, they are not," Hepheastus commented in a nonoffensive tone.
Leo's jaw dropped slightly. His eyes widened. A flutter of joy called out in his chest.
"A forge?"
"You five are to build a forge near Boreas' home."
"Us five?" Leo asked looking over at all the gathered immortal demigods. Demigods were dangerous together. And he wasn't all that close with any of these guys. Maybe Cal and Zethes wouldn't be too bad. He'd build and they'd fight in their own territory. As it was, he had never met the son of Ares, and he wasn't too keen on beginning the long building of a godly forge with total strangers.
"Yes. You five," Zues spoke with his signature thunderous voice, as if daring Leo to argue. While Leo may have been a hyper active and a little crazy according to those who knew him, he knew not to anger the King of the Gods now that he was stuck as an immortal. He didn't need any more chaos. He'd save it when he was more bored and possibly suicidal. He was sure Hades wouldn't mind a show in attempt to enter his realm.
As it was, he was just glad for a distraction. And a long one at that.
Eurytion's jaw clenched but he didn't say anything. Hercules was a bit more bored and far more relaxed. Cal and Zethes seemed to stand tall, proud that they would be sent on a quest once more, even if it was in their own backyard.
"You all will work to protect Leo as he builds the Northern Forge."
I was bored.
