"Next to nothing," I replied to her question. She sighed.
"They were the divine family until the gods took over. To make the creation story nice and short-" It was not nice and short. It was nightfall when she finished. To make things simple I'll summarize. The first "it" couple, sky and earth had kids that were the titans who represent ancient elements or aspects of the world, Light, time, death, prophecy, constellations and the ocean. She didn't give a name but my father was the titan of heavenly light, strange position buts sound important. The Sky hates their next batch of kids the first cyclops and the hundred-handed ones which to be fair just sound ugly enough to be angry at. Especially if your first kids are the divine giants whose heads reach the sky. Earth got cranky and had her children fight their father. Nearly no-one had the balls to kill him except my uncle Kronus who chopped him up real good. My father and his brothers helped to restrain him so Kronus gave them the territories of north, south, east and west. All but my uncle Oceanus who didn't do shit but stay in the ocean so he got that by default. My father was the lord of the east. She stops there.
"What else? He became the lord of the east and then what?" She shrugged.
"He was the most powerful of his brothers but not more so than Atlas and Kronos himself. Honestly, he never did much of worth. Outside of giving humanity sight and most of us agree it was because wish for them to bask in his splendor. His children did more than him but the short of it. Kronos children rebelled, won and sent them to Tartarus." She said it all so calmly I started to question both our sanities. This can't be right, right? This is all a hallucination from a gas leak. Yet why do I feel that is should believe it.
"Wait you said, Children? I have siblings." She gave an even longer sigh.
"They are...were the titans of the sun, moon, and Dawn." I looked at her funny.
"Why does the dawn have its own god?"
"Goddess, Eos the rosy-fingered dawn." She said proudly. I don't know though, not that intimidating of a title. I shall smite you with morning dew. "Most gods are devious but Eos is mostly harmless. Mostly interested in her morning ride and attracting young men, so you're properly safer from her." I took the backhanded compliment in stride. Also, that implies incest so nope.
"What about the other two, the sun and the moon." I pointed upwards. Are they watching me?" I said terrified that I had siblings who properly saw everything from the sky. She seemed sad for a moment and then composed herself.
"Remember when I said that Jackson boy took down your father." She was stark serious with a guarded look, her arms crossed. I sensed something wrong with the guy but I thought he was just a dumbass, but he is something more dangerous. A powerful dumbass.
"He killed him didn't he?" I asked sincerely but she waved her hand half-heartedly.
"Yes and no, there are ways to beat divine beings in combat. They all are easy in theory but much harder in practice especially with your father. From my sources, he seemed to push your father back and the satyrs used magic to turn him into a tree." I looked at her waiting for the punch line. It was a very bad joke. She stood stone face. Oh god, oh gods whatever! She is not joking.
"What? Tree, maple what?" I scramble nearly falling over. She picked me up and put me in the passenger seat.
"I'll let that set in and get us to our next destination." I let myself sink into the car seat trying to focus on the landscape to regain stability. I saw that we were at a campsite that had peculiar markings such as purple and orange shirts and a sign saying.
Where are your gods now?
"Were avoiding the people that did that right?"
"If that makes you happy." I couldn't tell if she was joking. I have a feeling that's going to be a catchphrase. "There's one last gift, a peace offering for you."
"May I ask why? I like the necklace but what else am I getting." If there is one thing I learned it's that everything has a price. What did the next gift cost? Also, the term peace offering is not giving me the jollies.
"A general from the army your father led wanted to give recompense." I twitch slightly. That does not give me confidence that it will be a good gift. " From what I understand, he thought that a child of your father should have a chariot. Your father provided a chariot but the not the animal but he will have a selection to choose from." So, my fathers, only gift after being gone for nearly a decade is a god damned chariot. A car, no. A home that isn't in a shanty town, no. An education that isn't self-taught, no. A god damned chariot with no animal, that I probably have to feed. Thanks, dad.
"Wait how are you driving" I turned to look downward at the driver seat to meet something that had me chuckling. "What the hell are you using?" I said trying to suppress my laughter. It was a golden seat with mechanical legs that were overly detailed, cellulose, leg hair and all.
"Made by telkhines, ugly beast but useful beasts. They made that necklace you have and use actual magic." Actual magic?
"They make steam punk props?" I partly started to watch my surroundings as we went ever more south to the west to the town of ponce.
"Weapons, armor, charms depends on what you order and what you give them. They are good at making things but not finding things. You worked for one ounce." Did I? Guess with Aegle being a monster the whole time I guess a lot of the people I encountered and saw where monsters. A thought occurs thought. "The tall, waddling old man with the dog like face." I always thought that man was disfigured but being a monster properly explains his ugly face as well. Not to be mean to the man Ignacio's forge was by far one of my most filling jobs right next to the farm and second most fun right next to the flea market.
"Why can I see monsters then. I saw them before I knew I was a demigod." I remarked. She gave a glare.
"Demigod naturally sees through the mist, (the veil that keeps the mortals from seeing monsters and the gods.) but you are right most see most clearly after they learn their heritage. Perhaps it's one of your abilities, true sight."
"True Sight. Its at least what would I call it, to see through the mist clearer than some demigods, the disguises of monster are powerful but the magical ones you apparently see through." I guess that makes some sense, if dad gave humans sight then it makes sense my power involves that but that seem weak for the son of an elder divine. "Any more questions or do you wish to stay quiet." I think for a second.
"Why did you look after me. Why did dad have me? What do I do now." She lowered her head downward in sullen dread.
"The first is simple, the second unknown to me, the third is…complicated but your choice. I was assigned to you to make sure you lived after your mother died. Dracae is what my kind is called but I am deformed by their standards, they have two tails and I have one. I delivered messages for various groups even the gods at one point but like many things they forgot us. As for the why, I don't know. You father rarely cared about his own troops much fewer humans and his own children. We assumed that he forgot them, we joined because… we wanted justice." I saw her face distort into anger. A look one gave when remembering something painful, I let her cool off a bit after she lets slip out. She did say Helios, Eos and Selene were but she talked about Eos like she was alive so the other two are gone. Wow, not even a full day and I have not only family but dead family members. "The last thing is up to you, the boy gave you the option to go to their camp where you will get food and shelter as long as you play puppet." I shifted my head to my shoulders.
"To the gods, I'm guessing." she nodded her head keeping one eye on the road and the other on me.
"You do my old snake heart proud to know I raised you to be smart. That or you go with me."
"I aim to please. If it's all the same to you I think I'll make my decision now and go with you." She turned her head all the way to face me and stopped the car suddenly.
"Don't make decisions lightly!" She shouted. She nearly started hissing again. "I will bring you to where what remains of the army, there are some demigods still there that chose to live far from the gods in new york, they could barely fight but they do make good merchants." She seems to calm down again and decide it's not the time for questions anymore, I can't even think of any more to ask her.
"It was not a lie you know." She said sadly, her voice slightly breaks "At first I didn't like my talents being wasted to be a babysitter but you grew on me somewhat." She chuckled, her eyes starting to water. "I...I..I-" I hug her from the side, my left hand from her shoulder interlocking with my right to make a circle hug hanging from her neck.
"I know, your eyes blink three times when you lie." She returns the hug with tears dripping down her eyes with the scent of salt on them.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry-"An arrow knocked itself into the dashboard Cutting her off.
"The fuck?" I yelled as another arrow notched itself near my neck
"Dammit, they found us!" She screamed trying to dodge arrows and drive the car. I looked behind us and saw only an orange splotch in a sea of dark leaves and branches.
"Can Jackson fly?" I said frantically trying to find a projectile.
"No that would a child of Zeus, a son of Poseidon, a lord of the sea is who we face. If I have to guess a pegasus."
"Is he a good shot?" An arrow went into the roof getting only halfway in. An idea brews in my mind to get rid Jackson. Not a single shot has hit us yet, some were close but no direct hit. I take the arrows from the various places they were logged in and pile them on my lap. "Do you have poison?" She points to the glove compartment. It was a long shot but it had what I need. "May I?"
" Look I need to release some poison for my fangs and glands sometimes." She said reflexively. The poison was clear with a tinge of yellow in jam jars. Two to be precise. I take all the arrows and jam it in, pun intended. Aegle put a hand in front of me. "Try to aim it like a dart but if they get close enough to the window just toss them in their direction." She dictated. I follow her directions to the letter but decide to leave them in the jar. I lower the window so I can sit on the door. Now for the nice people or those with no sense of wisdom, don't attempt this in any shape or form because in all likelihood I will fall off and leave half of my skin on the forest floor. Maybe my neck would be broken, the bottom line doesn't replicate. I used to play darts in the employee lounge but trust me that barely helps when I'm holding poison-tipped arrows while sitting on the window of a moving car. It took all my ass clenching ability not be thrown off as Aimed at the moving black mass. In the rising moonlight, I saw a bit clearer and know for a fact that he was on a flying horse. Yet that was a low mark on my what the fuck meter today. Either I aim for Jackson or his horse? I took a better look while I saw something odd, I know the flying horse with wings would be usually the first thing I saw two but its something else. It was almost that I saw an aura around Jackson that seemed...strong. And not that it seemed that he was ready for anything but more in a literal I saw a faint glowing aura of protection around him, shielding him. A voice echoed in my mind.
The Styx shields, the Styx protects. You will be forced to make recompense. Okay...that was more poignant than I would like. In shows or movies, schizophrenics have this deep narrative driven voice that attacks them with personal insults. Most of the times in real life its random gibberish and loud noises, if there is a voice it can be neutral like "the sky is green" over and over again or pleasant "you're are wonderful" voices. At Least some other than instructional. So when they start to make coherent sense be very afraid especially if there negative it means it's at its worse. Bottom line when the voice in my head starts giving advice be very afraid.
"Jackson would be vulnerable to arrows, right? Does the name Styx mean anything to you?" Oh great, I'm listening to the voice now. Terrific.
"Did you say the river Styx?!" She started swerving in response. She thinks for a moment and shakes her head. "That explains how he killed your father then. He has the curse of Achilles." I understood what the meant, slightly. I remember that he was a hero from a myth that had a bad heel but from what she said it seems to be some sort of power. I thought about how it could help him beat my father. I barely knew him so it hard to think of anything concrete I guess it could give… invincibility. Oh crap. I try to think of something. Aim not for he who leads, aim for what carries the teens. And now this creep shit. Shot in the dark, I try to think it out as I throw the arrow. The arrow flew for a short bit toward Jackson but was quickly deflected by a glowing sword that was now in view. He started to fly ever closer to the truck with the pegasus ever more in my sight. It had ebon hair and raven-like wings with empty eyes. Who the hell looks at that and thinks "that's a great mount". It was definitely majestic in its movement and manner but its actions, its stare, its look, that stare gave off the aura of rebellion. Like it would kick off most rider given the chance. Kick off the rider! Of course. The Pegasus came closer now with Jackson and the blond girl. I didn't see the satyr but the sounds of pan flutes were within the air and the trees moved slightly. Guess that makes sense, nature creature, nature magic. I kept my eye on the winged horse and tried to ignore both of the Blancos.
"What are you doing?" Percy Jackson screamed.
"We can give you sanctuary. The camp is the only place you can be safe." The girl added. I ready my jar as they increased velocity with the horse nearly neck and neck with the car.
"Consider this my answer in the form of a toxic hail mary." I held the jar sideways as the contents blew in the wind, the arrows, the venom, all going in the direction of the raven pegasus. The horse started to convulse and bucked off Jackson and his girlfriend off its back. I would be lying if I said I didn't take pleasure in the way the jackass fell straight on his ass in the dirt. It was like a stunt gone wrong. I was sorry for the horse, it didn't deserve the arrows and venom to the face but I needed an escape. I think he tried to yell something before we got out of earshot but we manage to escape into the wilderness. Hopefully, that will be that last of them for a while.
"W-w-w-we manage to lose them." The realization slowly reached Aegle as an I climb, precariously back into my seat.
"Don't be so sure. I remember three of them being at the hotel."
"Oh your right, that means goat boy might still pursue." She had an angry way about her when she said goat boy. Didn't she say something about satyr's against my father?
"Now what?" I try to ready for a nap. This amount of excitement has left me worn out.
"Nacho, he runs the ranch nearby or at least keeps the animals running rampant." Oh yeah. An animal to pull my chariot. Glad to know that this is my new normal from now on. "Remember Ignacio from the forge?" I close my eye as I strain to remember where that name felt right. Not a common name to say the proper way, most people go by Nacho with that name and I swear if you bring up those cheese covered chips I will deck you in the schnoz. Then something came to me in a haze. A bright forge, a roaring flame, a small ugly man with great skills in making repairs and creating jewelry.
"Wait! That Nacho!" The general that was gifting a war beast was my old boss. I worked for him for three years in Ramos, a small town north of El Yunque. I helped at his forge and learned some skill in bending and manipulating metal. It wasn't my longest job or my most enjoyable one but it was the most fulfilling. There is no other feeling like making tools with your own hands and saying that you know how to make half the things people things people need day to day. It's like you are above them in a certain way like they always need you no matter how much they pretend to be better than you.
"Yes. That Nacho, he was the leader of the Telkhines for a bit before your father dismissed him."
"Wait why was he dismissed?" She started to sway on the road, we properly lost a wheel so it was actually quite astounding that we are still driving semi-properly.
" He had a habit of ...Questioning authority." She said casually now resting her head on her fist. From her tone, she explained this plenty of times. " He questions some of your uncle's tactics and by you fathers authority he was moved to this outpost."
"Wait for outpost!" I yelled jumping from my seat.
"This isle is far away enough from the gods that they barely notice anything that happens here. It's the same for Alaska except that Poseidon sends the occasional hurricane." Annnd she let that bombshell drop. " He hasn't done it in a while but...watch your back when near the sea. It should only be 20 minutes away from the ranch." With that, I sunk back into my seat wide-eyed. Apparently, one of the worst kind of disasters that can befall the island is caused by the father of the guy I just threw poison at. Maybe the ranch will be nice and quiet, Nacho was always level-headed. Maybe a little nap to keep me going later.