The Years Following - Chapter 2
The sounds of metal clashing rang out through the room. Two participants who were testing their strength of both body and will as the traded blows, it was a match of fierceness and skill as the fighters danced around each of other in an impressive show of strength and dexterity. The first was a tall man wearing Greek armor with a shield strapped to one arm and a sword in the other. What was interesting about this man however was while he was athletic and had a strong physique he also appeared to be nearly transparent, like his body had no substance to it. Which was entirely true as the man did not have a living body just a solidified form. The other fighter was much shorter than the man, which was not an odd occurrence since the other fighter was just over ten years old very close to their eleventh birthday. Where the man wielded a standard combination of a sword and shield, the smaller fighter wielded dual short swords and flowed from sword form to form in an elaborate set of moves.
"That's it, if you're up against someone with a shield try to get the shield into a position where it'll block the wielders vision or draw it away from the body, either by aiming for the head or their legs. While your size at the moment it may not be possible to aim for the head while fighting someone of a bigger stature than you it gives you the advantage to go for the legs since your reach is much lower." Instructed the man as he deflected a blow with his shield while also moving his sword to behind the other fighters legs to try and pull their legs from underneath them. The other fighter shifted backwards to escape the attempt while striking the sword away with the blade in their right hand.
"Ha you're going to have to do better than that if you want to knock me over like that again, you've tried that too many times now" the other fighter said while also panting through the effort of the sparring match which had been going on for over an hour now.
The man shot forward and with skill that could rarely be matched disarmed the smaller warrior with an elaborate technique to wretch the sword out of their left hand while stepping closer to use the edge of his shield to bash the wrist of the smaller fighter which caused them to drop their other blade from their right hand. This however wasn't the end of the maneuver as he hooked his leg behind the other person's and knocked them to the ground. The smaller fighter hit the ground with a groan at being beaten so easily and being thoroughly embarrassed.
"That should teach you to not get cocky during a fight and to also be on your guard the entire time. Especially while fighting a superior opponent, in situations like that you should be trying to figure out a plan of escape or buying time until reinforcements arrive." The man said standing over the downed figure. He stretched his arm out to help them up "Now come on you are expected back soon and it would not be good to be late"
The person on the ground groaned again while also accepting the man's hand and was pulled to their feet. Dusting themselves off the person picked up their weapons from where they fell and reverted them to their hidden from of a pair of bracelet's which they wore on either arm.
"Eurgh I can't believe I still get beaten that easily, I've been training like this since I was seven and I still get disarmed so quickly" the other person huffed
"I wouldn't worry about it too much little one, don't forget how much longer I've been doing this. Even after my death I continued training so it should be expected" said the man with a laugh and a humorous lilt in his voice.
"Yes it would of been to presumptuous to beat the great Achilles after only nearly four years of training now wouldn't it" retorted the smaller figure
The sheathed his sword and slung his shield across his back. "It's not about that Lea, I'm trying to impress upon that you will run into situations where you will not always be able to win, there will be of course be times where you will be face an opponent who will not take you seriously, it's during those times that you will have to strike quickly to defeat them before they raise their guards. I'm teaching you to not become arrogant so you are not defeated by a lesser opponent. Do not play with your enemy, end them as quickly as you can"
Lea huffed, the young girl who Lord Hades had adopted over ten years ago was growing into an exceptionally beautiful young woman, with porcelain skin with nary a blemish, her sculpted face with high cheek bones gave her a regal appearance, which suited her since she was a princess of the Underworld, her eyes were what stood out the most though, piercing violet eyes which held a gleam of intelligence mixed with mischievousness, her hair held into a braid was an exotic sanguine, she stood at 5 foot 2 inches tall, her back straight, standing in a guarded manner ready to defend herself. She had a lithe build tailored towards speed instead of strength, she was exceptionally fast and had reflexes to match. Airlea, or Lea as she preferred to be called, the adopted daughter of Hades, had been training since she had turned seven years old and been deemed old enough by her father to learn to fight and defend herself. Her magical training would not begin until she turned eleven and she received her letter from Hogwarts. Even though she was a demigod and more magically powerful than mortal magic users, especially since she was a daughter of Hecate, her magic core had not stabilized like mortal magic users and as such while she had power she would not be able to control it while her core was unstable. Although she could not actually use magic she had been studying the theory and the history behind the magical world and the spells.
Lea turned and began walking back to the palace after saying farewell to her teacher. It was currently quickly becoming winter, though the weather did not effect the Underworld, that meant that Persephone would be returning soon, she got on quite well with her adopted mother, even though she would never replace her real mother who still visited fairly often, Hecate of course had a tendency to spoil her daughter, compared to most Gods and Goddess' at least, her swords were an example of this, while they were made by her father from Stygian Iron they had been enchanted by her mother to return to her when lost, to be even sharper than they normally would and to never dull, they would also cut through magic shields and wards. They were virtually unbreakable as well.
She strolled through the gates to the palace greeting Alecto and her sister's on the way in, she walked through Persephone's Garden and towards then throne room where she would no doubt find her father. Sure enough when she got there she saw the man sitting there doing paper work while in an expensive tailored suit with a frown sitting upon his pale face.
"Father what is aggravating you so much you are glaring at the paper so hard I fear it's about to combust?" Lea said while also announcing her presence as walked up to Hades sitting on his throne.
"Ah daughter of mine it seems as if you had another entertaining spar, did you manage to beat Achilles this time? And to answer your question I not long ago received your Hogwarts letter while you were out training" Hades replied
Lea scowled at the mention of the spar but her expression shifted into an excited one at the fact her letter had arrived. "Well of course I wasn't able to beat him this time, but I'll beat him sooner or later, I think I was a lot closer this time than my other spars so I'm definitely improving. If my Hogwarts letter has arrived I don't see why you are frowning so much" she replied
"I have no doubt Airlea that you will defeat him eventually" Hades replied with a slight upward tilt of his lips "The reason I'm frowning much at the letter is because it seems like yesterday you were a tiny bundle and now you're growing up into a young woman, I guess it's just parental melancholy, I was like this when your sister's grew up as well. Now you're going off to a boarding school for most of the year" he said
"You have nothing to worry about Father, I'll be back for the holidays and it's not like I can't just shadow travel down here at anytime" Lea said
Hades released a sigh knowing his daughter was right. It still didn't stop him feeling slightly anxious. Just as he was about to reply another presence appeared in the throne room. They both turned to look at the newcomer. Lea realising who it was launched herself at the person who in turn wrapped Lea up in hug.
"Mother I didn't know you were coming today" Lea said excitedly
"Ah my daughter I thought I would come and see if your letter has come yet if so then to give you an early birthday present" Hecate said with a smile on her face as she looked down at her daughter.
Lea beamed up at her mother "Yep according to Father it came not too long ago while I was training with Achilles" she replied
Hecate smiled "Well then it seems gifts are in order then" She said while reaching into her cloak and pulling out a bundled gift. "Now you're going to have to be very careful with this, it is for your eyes only, since most of the spells at Hogwarts are in Latin I thought you would appreciate some in Ancient Greek as well, now the book is locked to your current skill level and age, that means no skipping to the end to read the really dangerous spells, first you must be able to use the ones at the front and progress through the book. As you get older and stronger the book will give more spells or variations of spells or useful knowledge that I feel you might need"
Lea's smile if possible grew even more thinking about the amazing gift that her Mother was giving her. "Wow that's really amazing Mother" She exclaimed while paper off the gift and running her hand over the cover
"Yes it's your very own compendium, I expect you to take good care of it, it will only open for you though" Hecate replied
"Well then it appears it's time for my gift, although you may not feel it is as good as your mother's I hope you like it none the less" Hades said while standing from his throne and pulling a package out from a shadow, he walked over to his daughter and placed the gift in her hand.
Lea turned and placed the book she received from her mother into a shadow, moving it into her room, then she eagerly tore open the gift and pulled out a black cloak, she turned and look inquisitively at her father.
Hades gave a small chuckle at the look on his daughter's face and proceeded to explain what the cloak was. "Now I know you are wondering what the cloak is and you have probably guessed it is not a simple cloak, the cloak takes a few features from my Helm, while wearing it you will be able to melt into shadows, also it will allow you to pass through walls like my Helm, nor can you been seen, touched or heard by anyone who is not me or your mother, it is a very powerful item so you must be careful with it, I named it the Cloak of Shadows, whether you want to keep the name or not is up to you"
Lea stood there completely gobsmacked by what her father had given her. "Father are you sure? I mean this cloak is really really amazing but doesn't it seem like a really dangerous weapon" She replied
"I am perfectly sure my daughter, I would not have given you this if I did not have complete faith in you, I had it made to make sure you can get yourself out of any sticky situations you find yourself in" said Hades
With a massive smile on her face Lea hugged her father tightly as a thank you for the amazing present. "Thank you Father, thank you Mother, this gifts are amazing" She said after releasing her father and giving her mother a loving hug.
"Now you can wrap the cloak around your shoulders and fasten it, when you put the hood up and concentrate it's power will activate, you can have the hood up and stay perfectly visible, the power of the cloak will not activate until you will it too" Hades told her. "Since you have another school year to finish until you are ready to go to Hogwarts we will go fetch your school things next summer"
While still studying the cloak in her hands she turned to her father having heard what he just said and pouted at him, she did not want to wait another year to get her school things, there was going to be a lot of interesting stuff to read in the books. Hades appeared not to be at all affected by the expression she was now throwing at him, after all he had seen it many many times in his long life. Hecate chuckled at the expression on her daughter's face. Lea sighed knowing that the pouting was not going to work, she would have to buck up and wait till next summer, she could tell that this was going to be her longest school year ever.
"I must go now my dear, I have duties to attend to and while I do very much want to stay I do not want my workshop to explode from failed potions" Hecate told Lea
Lea turned to her mother and gave her a hug. "Okay Mother, I shall see you soon, I love you" She said
"I love you too Airlea" Hecate replied before she faded away like an afterimage
"What do you wish to do now Airlea?" Hades asked his daughter
"Well I think I'm going to bathe then go on a small shopping trip" Lea replied
Hades sighed knowing his daughters penchant for shopping, and it was not usually clothes shopping which was stereotypical for a girl, rather it was a fascination with loud music and strange plush toys, gods knows how many she has collected of them now. Hades bade his daughter farewell and returned to his throne to carry on working on that blasted never ending paperwork.
Lea walked through a shadow and into her bedroom, she really enjoyed the benefits of being able to shadow travel, she placed her new cloak down on the bed and made her way towards to the bathroom where she bathed and got ready for outing into the surface world. Picking a pair of black jeans and a cream blouse with a long coat that went down to her thighs and a pair of sunglasses. She slipped on some comfortable shoes and made a shadow wrap around her and disappeared from her room in the palace in the Underworld and reappeared in an alley near a mall in Los Angeles, another figure appeared out of a shadow behind her and turned to see Alecto.
"Come Alecto there is plenty of shopping to be done on this glorious day" Lea called out cheerfully
"Yes Princess I am sure there is" She replied in a tone that indicated she wanted to be anywhere but here right now.
Lea turned on her heel and made her way towards the mall looking through the shops that interested her, she greeted the employees at the shops that she visits frequently, mainly the shop that sells her plush collection, disappointed that they didn't have any new of her plush collection she checked her watch and noticed it was nearing noon so she decided to grab some lunch and continue after she had sated her appetite. However as she was eating she noticed Alecto sudden become rigid next to her, turning she looked questioningly at her companion.
"What is wrong Alecto?" Lea asked
"I smell demigods nearby my Princess" Alecto replied
"Are you sure? Because I do not see anything out of the ordinary" Lea questioned
"I am perfectly sure Princess, they are close, what they are doing here though is another matter" Alecto answered
"Hmm could they possibly have noticed me while I was up here? Or possibly noticed you, I mean you are rather powerful?" Lea proposed
"I do not believe so Princess, we have not been here long enough for them to respond so quickly, we would of been long gone before they sent out demigods to locate us" Alecto responded
Just then Lea got a mischievous look in her eyes and a smile spread across her lips. "Well then let's go observe them shall we, I am guessing they are Roman since Camp Jupiter is nearby" She told her companion, she then reached into a nearby shadow and pulled out the Cloak of Shadows. "Plus it would be a really good time to test out this present my Father gave me now wouldn't it?"
Alecto just gave an exasperated sigh knowing that no matter what she did there was no way should could convince her charge to change her mind. "Yes Princess it would be a very good time to test it out"
Lea just smiled victoriously and slipped the cloak over her shoulders, flipped the hood up and willed the cloaks powers to activate, suddenly she disappeared completely from view currently melted into the shadows and stalked towards the demigods intrigued in what they were doing here. As she got closer she began to pick up their conversation, there were four demigods altogether and they were scanning the crowd as if looking for someone or something.
"Are you sure this is where we are meant to be?" One of the demigods asked, a tallish boy with sandy blonde hair with blue eyes, a son of Mercury.
"Yes this is where the Augur said we should be so yeah" The only girl in the group answered, she was obviously the leader, she was a muscular looking girl and looked to be itching for something to fight so clearly she was a daughter of Mars
"Well I don't see what we are looking for do you?" A plump boy asked, his face was flushed and he kept taking sips from the bottle in his hand every so often and his eyes appeared unfocused, so it was safe to bet a son of Bacchus on that one.
"Sister what did the Augur specifically say?" The last boy asked, obviously a son of Mars, even if his build didn't give him away.
"A daughter of war shall meet a child of magic who is bathed in shadow who will take back what was once lost" The girl replied
That peaked Lea's interest, what could of possibly been lost that she had to return?, she ran through a list of things that could of possibly what was lost. The things she came up with though were highly unlikely.
"You mean that stupid book that none of us can even open? We don't even know what it is." The son of Mars replied
Now that Lea's was well and truly peaked she decided to announce her presence to the group of demigods, it was probably a silly thing to do but apparently it was something she needed to do, since there were probably no other children of magic around which she gathered to mean Hecate or in this case Trivia, her mother. Making her way to a where the group didn't have vision she willed the cloak visible again, almost immediately Alecto was by her side.
"Well did you learn anything significant during your testing Princess?" Alecto asked
Lea turned to look at her guardian. "Yes actually I did, apparently they have something that I need to retrieve" She replied. Without another word she turned and made her way towards the demigods who were still looking around. Once one of the boys, the son of Mercury, had spotted her approaching them he alerted the others and they all tensed and stood on guard. With careful, slow and deliberate actions to show she meant no harm she made her way towards the group.
"Hello there, I believe you have something for me?" Lea asked in a calm and clear tone
The group stared at her for a moment for the girl cleared her throat. "Yes well, we were supposed to deliver something that we found on our last quest to a child of magic, I'm guessing that means a child of Trivia, but we don't exactly know you are who you say you are, if you really are a child of Trivia" She said
That was a completely valid concern, she prayed to her mother hoping she would send a sign to prove who she was, and sure enough the symbol for her mother appeared above her head a few moments later. The group of demigods let out a collective sigh of relief. The daughter of Mars slipped the bag she had on her back off and carefully took a book out of it and handed it to Lea.
"Here that's what we are supposed to give back, we don't have a clue what it is we couldn't even open it" She said
Meanwhile Lea was just staring down at the book with a dumbstruck look on her face, she couldn't believe what she was holding, and the demigods from Camp Jupiter had no clue whatsoever, she was mentally laughing hysterically, what she held in her hands was the fabled Necronomicon, not the mortal one, this one was the real deal, since her mother was the goddess of Necromancy she could understand why she would want it back.
Looking up at the demigods she put the book in her bag. "Thank you for delivering it safely, my mother would thrilled to have this back, now I must return home, safe travels" Lea said, with that she turned and walked away activating her cloak and heading back towards where she knew Alecto was waiting. As she met back up with Alecto, deactivating her cloak, she told her of what had transpired and how they needed to return home right away to make sure the book was given back to her mother. Alecto looked fairly happy to be returning to the Underworld. With that a shadow consumed them and they disappeared from where they stood back into the entrance of her father's palace where she took another shadow to her room to put the things she had bought away, once she had finished she picked up the Necronomicon and made her way towards the throne room where she guessed she would meet her mother, she guessed correctly as she could see her mother standing there waiting for her. Once she entered her mother smiled at her and made her way over where she gave Lea a hug and thanked her for retrieving her book from the Romans. With the excitement over for the day Lea decided to spend the rest of the day relaxing in her room wondering what tomorrow would bring.
