Disclaimer: I don't own the Riordanverse.
Rise of a new Power
Chapter 3: A new calling
Betas: None so far, you're welcome to apply
Alabaster C. Torrington sat stiffly in his chair, doing his best to fight his nervousness as he gazed at the powerful being across from him. Currently sitting across from him in her Ogyia office, was the protogenos of Time and Space, Ophis. That alone would have been intimidating enough, if slightly tempered by her generally kindly demeanor and her favored form of a little girl. However, his fears were not helped by the fact that she was flanked by her two lieutenants, Fidi Douli and Calypso, both of which had quite well deserved reputations for being deadly.
His anxiety was only heightened by the presence of his monstrous half-sister, Lamia, who was sitting next to him. She was bound to her chair with chains made of links of alternating white and black energy, and was gagged with a piece of tape with the symbol of an Ouroboros, the symbol of Ophis, printed on top. Those restraints weren't particularly comforting though, he reasoned that nothing would be. Not when the former Queen of Libya had spent the last few months trying to hunt him down to kill him. A fact that he was reminded of as her serpentine green eyes glared bloody murder at him and the lizard-like claws that her hands her become fought against her bonds to reach out and tear him to pieces.
The only thing that kept him from losing his cool was the reassuring presence of his mother, Hecate, goddess of magic. She was wearing the guise of a young dark haired woman in a dark gown with a multitude of mystic symbols freely flowing across the fabric.
"My thanks Ophis," the goddess said, beginning the meeting and nodding towards the bound monster. "For subduing my wayward daughter without killing her."
Blushing prettily, the child-like protogenos replied. "There's no need to thank me Hecate. I was only doing the right thing."
"Do you honestly expect us to believe that?" Alabaster commented as he snorted skeptically. Despite his fear, he was unwilling to allow a statement like that to go unchallenged. Not from a divine being. "Spare us the pleasantries, and cut to the chase. What do you want us to do in return?"
"Alabaster." His mother said chidingly and the girl's lieutenants shot him stern disapproving glares.
"But I didn't do it to get something back." The primordial said with a pout.
Oh, cut the act. The demigod wanted to say but was denied the chance when his mother cut in before he could open his mouth.
"I'm certain that's the case." The goddess said reassuringly, even as she shot her son a warning look. "Though I have to ask whether you have any plans on how to deal with Lamia in the long term?"
Gesturing to the person in question, who was still futilely struggling against her chains, Hecate continued. "I take it that this is only a temporary solution?"
"Yes, and I do have some ideas for a more permanent one."
Alabaster doubted the girl had anything resembling a viable solution. He made no show of this however as his burst of anger at her hypocrisy and the courage it brought with it faded. In its wake, all that remained was the returning anxiety of being in the same room as an incredibly powerful being who he'd opposed in the recent Titanomachy.
If the immortals sensed his feelings however they took no note of it, instead choosing to shift their attention to Lamia.
"Lamia, daughter of Hecate." The protogenos addressed the monster formally. "Would you be willing to join my service?"
His half-sister stopped struggling against her restraints to shoot Ophis a surprised and interested glance.
Taking that as her cue, the Great Serpent expanded on her offer. "If you agree, I'll maintain your new life and protect you from your enemies both new and old. All you'd have to do is give up on your vengeance."
The demigod did not need to see Lamia's violent flailing to know that she'd never accept such terms. The monster's hatred for the Olympians and their halfblood children was legendary, literally so. There was probably nothing in the world that would convince her to give it up.
With a disappointed sigh Ophis sagged back into her chair. "I knew it was a long short, but…"
Calypso placed a comforting hand on her mistress' shoulder.
Alabaster shook his head. Did the girl honestly think that Lamia would have accepted her offer? Was she that naive?
Fidi Douli hissing at him angrily however abruptly reminded him of whom he shared the room with.
Right. Have to watch my thoughts when there are gods around.
"It was a generous offer, Ophis." Hecate said kindly. "But as it is clearly untenable, do you have any other alternatives?"
The protogenos took a breath to recompose herself and nodded. "Yes, I could imprison her instead."
"I take it you have somewhere new in mind now that Tartarus is no longer an option?"
"Within my coils is probably the most secure prison at the moment."
Alabaster blinked in confusion. What did she mean by that?
"That would amount to trapping her between what mortals would call the creases of reality, correct? Where she'd free to observe the world but never interact with it?" Hecate deduced even as her face paled.
Lamia shuddered in horror at the prospect and even Alabaster flinched. Mixed in with his fear of something like that, was a tinge of sympathy for his murderous sister. That was a dreadful punishment.
"I'm sorry but it's the best I could come up with." Ophis admitted. "It's only until things are resolved and we can reliably use Tartarus again. Is that agreeable?"
Hecate closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair for a long moment as she considered the offer. It was a terrible punishment, but there weren't any other options were there? At least none that Alabaster could come up with. His mother seemed to agree as after five minutes of deliberation, she gave Ophis a grim nod.
The moment the protogenos received his mother's agreement, Lamia vanished.
Alabaster paled at the display of power, forcibly reminded once more of just who he was truly dealing with.
For a long moment, both mother and son stared at the empty spot where the monster had once been seated. The demigod didn't know what his mother was thinking, but he was plagued with a sense of relief and fear. Relief that Lamia was dealt with and he would no longer be pursued, but also fear that a terrifyingly powerful being such as Ophis existed.
"Thank you once more, Ophis, for your assistance." Hecate said at last as she began to rise from her chair, simultaneously gesturing to Alabaster that it was time to leave. "If you don't mind, it's time for us to take our leave."
"Wait."
"You have something more to discuss?" The goddess asked with an inquisitively raised brow.
"Just one more thing." The Great Serpent confirmed, even as she waved Calypso forward. "I have something that I wish to offer Alabaster."
The ancient sorceress reached into the folder she held under one arm, drew out two stacks of paper, and handed one to himself and the other to his mother.
"What's this?" Hecate asked as she flipped through the papers.
"A proposed employee contract for your son." The daughter of Atlas explained.
Hecate looked up from the contract to look at Ophis incredulously. "You want to hire him?"
Said protogenos smiled happily and nodded. "Yup!"
"Is this your price for saving me from Lamia?" Alabaster asked angrily, convinced that this was the proof that Ophis was just as hypocritical as all the other gods were. She might have claimed that she dealt with Lamia because she believed it was the right thing to do and wanted nothing in return, but this clearly belied that.
"What!? No!" The protogenos denied vehemently. "The two things are completely unrelated."
"Right." Alabaster said sarcastically. "And you'll take 'no' for an answer."
"Of course, I would." Ophis cried, sounding distressed. Fidi Douli hissed at him once more and Calypso was eying him angrily.
"Alabaster," Hecate cut into the building tension. "Ophis is being honest."
"You can't be serious!"
The goddess just nodded.
The young man was floored. He trusted his mother, of course he did, so if she said Ophis was being honest... Then she must be. But for a powerful immortal, who was not one's godly parent, to behave in the way that the Great Serpent had so far. For a divinity to help a demigod just because it was the right thing to do and then not expect anything in return... That was a big shock to the cynical halfblood.
Alabaster took a moment to wrap his head around the idea of a good-natured immortal. Once he did, he found himself needing an answer to another question that had been plaguing him about the whole situation.
"Why?"
Ophis offered him a kind smile before replying. "Simple. You're forsaken. Exiled from Olympus. One of many that the gods have wronged or have not given a fair deal to and then forgotten. It's my duty as the newest deity in the Hellenistic world to help people like you out."
"That's just propaganda!" Alabaster countered. "I can tell. What's the real reason you want to hire me?"
Ophis silently looked at the half-blood searchingly for a long moment.
"The real reason, son of Hecate?" Ophis asked, her voice unusually grave. "Do you really want to know?"
The way she had said that was so ominous that Alabaster gulped uneasily. He had to know though, signing this contract would shape his future. He needed to know everything he could before he made such a big decision.
"Yes."
Ophis nodded.
"I want to care for these forsaken people because the Fates gave me a vision. One which showed that the world would end if they were not looked after."
Alabaster was speechless, was it that big of a deal? The Olympians had been letting people down for millennia, and the world was still spinning. What had changed?
Would Mother know?
Turning to the goddess, Alabaster found that he would not find any help there. Hecate was just as shocked by Ophis' revelation as he was. She had looked up from the contract that she had previously been going through with a fine toothed comb to look at her fellow deity with shock.
"Ophis, are you sure?" The goddess asked fearfully.
The Great Serpent nodded gravely.
Hecate gulped nervously, before turning to Alabaster.
"Alabaster, you should sign the contract."
"Mother?"
"Ophis was not lying." Hecate stated with authority, leveling her son with a stern look at the same time.
Alabaster nodded at his mother's words. He understood what his mother was trying to tell him, she was urging him to agree so as to help the Great Serpent in her quest.
"Besides this contract gives you plenty of benefits. It's a good deal for you." The goddess continued, before concluding in a way that befit her status as the goddess of crossroads. "Ultimately though it's your choice."
Despite everything Alabaster remained hesitant. The thought of entering himself into the service of another deity brought back too many memories of his service to the Titans and the war. In particular, the memories of having led all his siblings to their death. It was irrational, he knew that, but he could not separate the two things in his mind.
"If it helps, why don't you work for me for a month first. If after that, you want to leave, I won't stop you." Ophis offered.
"You'll swear to that on the Styx?" The young man asked uncertainly.
"I swear on the Styx!" The protogenos said easily. The clash of supernatural thunder that followed her words signifying the sealing of a sacred oath.
"Then you have a deal, My Lady."
The Great Serpent just smiled.
A day later, Alabaster found himself doubting his decision. Standing atop a hill somewhere in the Sonoran desert and looking at another hill a short distance away, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. The mission that he had been tasked with by his new employer was beyond unsettling. For the other hill was no product of geological processes, it had been built by Myrmekes. Ant-like monsters the size of a full grown German Shepherd, that could spray poison, had almost unbreakable armored carapaces, vicious mandibles and a tendency to swarm their enemies. Especially if their nests were threatened.
They were not something a demigod would like to face in battle. Not at all. But here he was preparing to raid a nest of the things to recover the tons of precious divine metal that the monsters loved to steal and hoard. Alabaster didn't know why Ophis needed it. After all, there was no sign that she was running short of Celestial Bronze or Imperial Gold or even the much rarer Stygian Iron. Why then did she need them to raid a Myrmeke Nest?
The demigod sighed. He didn't know but orders were orders. And as uneasy as he was with the formidable challenge ahead, he wasn't about to quit after only a day. Not even if the job meant he had to fight a deadly battle. He was a demigod and that was exactly what they were born to do.
Turning away from the forbidding Nest, he looked over the small army that his boss had provided him for this mission.
There were dozens of demigods, all of whom he recognized as former members of the Titans' armies and who like him had joined Ophis rather than accept the Olympian amnesty. Something that he knew from talking to some of them, they all felt would have meant accepting that the Olympians had been right to treat them and the minor gods terribly for centuries. That was a line that they had been unwilling to cross, and thus had resigned themselves to lives as rogues on the run from both Olympus and monsters. Ophis' offer of matronage was a lifesaver, in some cases literally, and they had jumped at the chance to sign up.
Besides his fellow half-bloods, there was also a large contingent of the Great Serpent's monstrous subjects. At least a hundred Scythian Dracaena led by a Captain Hux stood in an orderly phalanx flanked on both sides by a dozen monstrous snakes that he remembered Ophis fielding in the Battle of Manhattan. Far less disciplined than their peers were a half dozen cyclops led by the brothers Sump and Torque that were milling about the area looking bored. They didn't worry Alabaster though, cyclopes were something that he had experience with both as enemies and allies.
What did unnerve him were the pair of strange twelve foot long creatures with snake like bodies and heads but a humanoid torso, all made out of black and white energy and who seemed to phase in and out of existence. These were Outsiders, the servants of Ophis. Despite this being the first time most had seen or even heard of these new creatures, everyone gave them a wide berth. The dracanae and snakes out of respect and everyone else out of fear. Alabaster as the one tasked with leading them into battle was one of the few that understood what they were capable of and thus knew that the fear was completely warranted.
With a shake of his head, the demigod cleared his mind of these thoughts. He had an army to organize.
In short order he had his forces split into squads, the passages of the Nest likely to be too narrow for larger groups to traverse. To ensure that there would be no unnecessary infighting, he decided not to mix the demigods and the dracanae. They may all be on the same side now, but millennia of killing each other was not something that could so easily be washed away. He also made sure that each squad had some heavy muscle in the form of either a snake, Outsider or cyclops.
With his troops organized, Alabaster addressed them one last time before they plunged into battle.
I honestly don't know what to say so I guess I'll just have to wing it.
"Alright, everyone. We all know what we're here to do. The Lady Ophis wants the divine metal in that Myrmeke Nest over there." The halfblood pointed in the direction of their target. "Now, I know some of you question the reason why we need to do this. I can't answer that." Murmurs broke out in the crowd, but Alabaster silenced them by raising his voice and continuing. "Others question why we need to do this alongside people that have been your mortal enemies for eons. That I can answer. We may have been enemies, but now we are not. Now, we are united in service to the Lady Ophis. And we put our faith in her. She wants us to do this? We'll do it. For Ophis!"
The army echoed his war cry, and if not for the magical wards he'd set up around the area would have undoubtedly prematurely tipped off the Myrmekes to their presence.
"One last thing before we set off," Alabaster continued as the cheers died down. "The Lady wants us to do this without any unnecessary casualties. So. Play. It. Safe! Is that clear?"
He was met with another round of cheers.
That's good enough I guess. At least the squad leaders know what to do.
"Then let's do this. For Ophis!"
At his battle cry, the army charged towards the Myrmeke Nest echoing the call.
Advancing on the Nest had not proved difficult. The army had set up their magically hidden muster area behind a hill within a few hundred metres from the Nest itself. As such, when they burst over the hill they had caught the giant ants by surprise. Reacting with the efficiency that eusocial insects were renowned for, the monsters rallied to their defense of their home but it was too little too late. The enemy was simply too close and the ants could not summon enough warriors in time to stop Ophis' troops from securing the surface entrances.
Leaving behind a quarter of his forces - including all the snakes who wouldn't have fit into the tunnels - to secure the tunnel entrances, their only escape routes if things went south, he ordered the remainder into the labyrinthine colony. Leading a a squad of six other demigods and one of the Outsiders he entered the underground maze.
"It glows to provide us the light we need to see and it can shrink down like that? What can't it do?" Kaiya Tendo, a Japanese-American daughter of Apollo commented as she gestured at the Outsider that was taking point with her free hand while she fired a Celestial Bronze bolt from her crossbow and killed a Myrmeke in the tunnel ahead.
"Why'd you think I wanted it in our team?" Alabaster, standing right beside and directly behind the Outsider, said with a shake of his head. He had known the girl from their time serving the Titans and was on reasonably good terms with her. He knew that she was one of the few claimed children of the Olympian Twelve that had fought against them and had done so because of something to do with her birth and how she grew up. She was cagey about the details though, so Alabaster imagined it couldn't have been good.
Outside of that, she was an exceptionally skilled archer who favored crossbows for their portability and increased penetrating power compared to most conventional bows. Her skill had even been recognized by the Titan of the Hunt, Lelantos, during the Titanomachy and earned her a magical crossbow which fired Celestial Bronze bolts that always returned to the user and which thus effectively had unlimited ammo.
"Yeah, Kaiya, use your brain a little." Michael Royston teased.
"Oh shut up. Mike. You didn't know they could do any of that either." His twin, Michelle, shot back as she smacked him in the arm.
Michael and Michelle Royston, were a pair of fraternal twin children of Janus. Both of them were typical sword and shield wielders who were pretty average in skill. Both favored an Imperial Gold gladius but while Michael paired his with an oval scutum, his sister used a smaller buckler. Their lack of skill was why they were in the middle of their formation. That and because it was one of the best spots for them to be kept safe in battle while still allowing them to use their power.
The twins could manipulate probability. It was a powerful ability but they could only do so when they were touching each other, which made it difficult to use in combat. That and their poor control often led to unforeseen outcomes when they used it made them something of a liability.
Thankfully, they had learned to always team up with their friend Lucas Ortega, son of Tyche. The Mexican's own limited probability manipulation complimented the Royston twins' well and greatly reduced the chance of their power backfiring. He was also the physically strongest demigod in the squad, one of the strongest who didn't outright possess super strength that Alabaster knew, and was a very skilled rapier user too. A fact he used to defend the twins when they needed to channel their power.
"Don't tease the girl with the crossbow Mike." Lucas said in warning, though it was somewhat spoiled by the mischief shining brightly in his eyes. "Not unless you want her to put a bolt in your backside."
Playing along with Lucas, Kaiya aimed her crossbow in Mike's general direction, as Alabaster took his turn to take care of the Myrmekes ahead. Something he did by roasting them in white hot flames whose heat bypassed their thick armor and cooked them alive.
"Ok. Ok. I'll stop." Mike replied, his hands up in the universal sign for surrender.
This was met with giggling from the team's other archer, Vera Weber.
"You're such a dork, Mike. You know that right." The daughter of Cupid teased her boyfriend as she got herself under control.
Vera was German by birth but her mother had moved to the States when she was just a baby to escape the more numerous and powerful monsters in the Old World. As an archer she would have taken a turn at clearing the tunnel ahead except she was only limited to six arrows a day. Taking into account that these were some of her father's Arrows of Romance and allowed her to make her targets fall in love with her, saving those arrows for later was the best option. Typically she used it to make monsters fall in love with her and fight by her side. Though she never used it on people, citing previous bad experience with a stalker as an explanation.
Despite how impressive this power was, it was still annoying that the restrictions on the Arrows meant she could not use conventional arrows. For her, it was either or, not both. She made up for it with decent skill with her Imperial Gold gladius.
"You are all too relaxed." Hakim Saleh, son of Leucothea said from the rear. "Did you forget that we are in the enemy's lair?"
He was an African-American with the power of hydrokinesis. Unlike the infamous Hero of Olympus, Percy Jackson however his power was not about large scale manipulation of water but instead about fine control. In fact, his level of control had grown to the point that he'd developed Toxikinesis which he used to manipulate a vat of mercury that he carried around which he could then shape into shields of various shapes. He occasionally used it offensively as well, but mainly relied on manipulating vials of other poisons like Hydra acid for that.
"You're too stiff, Hakim." Michelle replied. "It's not like anything is getting past that glowing giant."
"Yeah, the ants have tried biting it and spraying it with acid and it's not even flinched. I don't think we have anything to worry about."
"Vera and Michelle are right, man." Lucas added. "That thing is a perfect living shield."
"Living? Is that thing even really alive?"
"I don't know Mike," Alabaster said irritably as he cooked another Myrmeke. "Does it matter?"
The boy shrugged.
Suddenly the Outsider stopped.
"What's going on?" Hakim asked. "Why have we stopped?"
"It looks like we're entering into a larger chamber." Kaiya informed the group as she peered over the Outsider's shoulder cautiously. "I think it's some kind of intersection. There are tunnels branching out in every direction."
"The perfect place for an ambush." Alabaster noted, the others nodding in agreement.
"We'll have to risk it." Lucas said, as he pointed to the far side of the chamber. "The path to the queen's chamber is that way isn't it?"
Alabaster consulted the enchanted compass he'd created (each team had one) and nodded grimly. "The most direct path is that way, yes."
"I say we go for it." Kaiya added her vote. "I'd rather not spend too much time down here if I can help it."
"Agreed." The twins said in unison.
"Vera? Lucas? Hakim?"
"I go where the twins go."
"Yeah, I'm not about to leave Mike in the lurch." Vera added.
Hakim just nodded.
"It's agreed then." Alabaster concluded. "Everyone be careful. We'll sprint through to the tunnel directly across from us. Once we're inside they won't be able to gang up on us."
The others nodded.
"Let's go."
The Outsider gave no sign that it had been paying attention to the demigods as the conferred but it nevertheless heeded Alabaster's order without question and slithered into the chamber, the halfbloods running right behind it.
Almost immediately, Myrmekes swarmed out of the various tunnels that led into the chamber save for the one behind the group.
Without breaking her stride, Vera nocked her Arrows and let fly. Even if the arrows had not been supernaturally blessed with unerring accuracy, she couldn't have missed. There were so many Myrmekes that the whole chamber, roughly a hundred meters long and thirty wide, was almost completely full of them. As the Arrows worked their magic, six of the largest Myrmekes abruptly began attacking their fellows. Clearly caught by surprise by this turn of events, dozens of the giant ants died as Vera called her thralls to the group's side to act as a moving wall of protective chitin.
The twins meanwhile were holding hands as they ran, channeling their power. To the unaware observer, it didn't seem to be doing anything. But Alabaster knew that their power ensured that every blow the team made had the maximum impact even as the oversized insects' own attacks missed their mark.
Keeping to the flanks, Lucas and Hakim kept the whole group safe. The latter with his mercury shield and by lashing out with whips of hydra acid that easily ate through the tough Myrmeke carapace and reduced two or three of them into piles of gold dust with each pass. Lucas meanwhile picked off any ant that got pass his comrades with lethal and precise thrusts of his rapier.
They were halfway across the cavern in under a minute but then their progress quickly slowed as the swarming ants managed to bog down even the Outsider. They could not hurt it, but it was soon forced to slow down to smash the ants into dust with its heavy blows just to clear the way. A task that caused it to hiss in obvious irritation. Just behind it, Kaiya and Alabaster helped it out as best they could. Alabaster with blasts of white fire and Kaiya with bolts from her crossbow.
"Hurry! Get in!" Alabaster shouted as the Outsider slithered into the tunnel they needed to go through and began clearing a path for them by smashing any unfortunate giant ants in its way. "Kaiya, help me cover them."
"You got it, boss." The daughter of Apollo replied cheerily as she began firing into the horde of Myrmekes as quickly as she could reload and pull the trigger, which as it turned out was incredibly fast. It was almost like watching a machine gun.
Even as the son of Hecate admired his friend's skill, he too added his firepower to the suppressing fire. Subvocalizing his spell words, a new trick he'd developed to help hide his choice of spells from his enemies, Alabaster unleashed a storm of lightning into the sea of monsters. It was risky using lightning like this, with his comrades still within the area of effect but it was the most cost effective spell he had in his arsenal at the moment. They were still a ways from the Queen's chamber and he'd need to conserve his strength till then. Besides, he was confident in his ability to control the lightning.
That didn't stop it being nerve wracking to stand there channeling the raw electricity and watch his comrades escape to the relative safety of the tunnel. Time seemed to slow as first the twins and Luke, then Hakim and finally Vera and her controlled Myrmeke made it in. Finally, after what must have been only a minute but felt like an hour, Alabaster let go of his spell and joined Kaiya in running past the pair of Myrmekes Vera had left as their rearguard and rejoined the group.
Once they were about ten meters from the chamber, Alabaster turned around and cast another spell. Immediately, the earth shook violently and the part of the tunnel that led back the way the group came caved in.
"Damn." Vera cursed as the tremor stopped and she counted the number of thralls she still had under her command. "I've only got two of them left."
"At least we're alive." Mike said tiredly as he wiped the sweat from his brow. He and Michelle looked exhausted, far more than the intense but brief skirmish could account for even with how tiring he knew using their power could be.
"What do you mean?" Hakim asked, sounding like he didn't really want to know.
"That cave in?" Michelle replied pointing to the pile of rubble created by Alabaster's spell. "It should have killed us. It took a lot of power to avoid that."
Alabaster couldn't help flinching at the realization that he'd almost killed everyone.
"Good job, fearless leader." Kaiya said mockingly as she patted the son of Hecate on the back.
"Right, sorry about that." Alabaster said with a apologetic shrug. "Mike, Michelle, you guys good?"
Mike nodded as he handed his sister a canteen. She took a long drink before sealing it and putting it away.
"We're good." Michelle said with a confidence.
Alabaster nodded. "Then onwards."
They forged ahead down the tunnel, sniping Myrmekes ahead of them and occasionally those that tried to flank them from adjoining tunnels. Thankfully, they didn't come across anymore major intersections and thus were able to quickly fight their way through and seal the path behind them. They would have a hell of a time finding a way out later, but that was a concern for another time when they didn't have a Nest full of giant ants out to kill them. It took half an hour of this grueling trek, and almost a whole canteen of nectar to heal their injuries and as a boost of energy, before they made it to the destination.
The Queen's chamber.
It was however far from a sight for sore eyes. The whole massive cavern, it was at least the size of a football field, was completely full of Myrmekes. The only consolation being that they seemed smaller than the ones they'd been fighting so far, though their sheer numbers - there must have been hundreds of them - more than made up for it.
Worst of all, the ants were supported by their Queen. A massive creature with a forebody the size of an elephant, with huge snapping mandibles to match, diaphanous oval wings folded over a distended translucent abdomen filled with glowing eggs that Alabaster couldn't be sure the size of and onyx eyes that exuded deadly intelligence. It was spitting acid and lashing out with barbed appendages.
Its targets, fortunately, were not the newly arrived squad of demigods but rather a contingent of dracaena - roughly two squads worth if Alabaster's count was correct - that had formed up into a circle and were cutting its way through the horde alongside its remaining heavy support, a lone cyclops. However, just as Alabaster took note of its presence, said one-eyed giant was hit dead on by a blob of acid from the Queen. The creature screamed in agony as the acid ate through its body all the way to the bone before the damage proved too much and it dissolved into gold dust.
At the sight, the Outsider gave a furious hiss and charged into the fray. It smashed Myrmekes aside with a speed and fury that the surprised ants couldn't counter and within moments it quickly closed the considerable distance between it and the dracanae.
The halfbloods didn't need orders to know they needed to follow the monochrome giant, it was their best protection against the sea of angry arthropods. Unfortunately, they couldn't exactly keep up with it and they started to lag behind. Alabaster reacted quickly however and before the ants could fill the gap in their ranks that the Outsider had created, he called on the Mist to confuse and distract them. He conjured mirages of hundreds of other warriors assaulting the chamber. In response, the ants swarmed away from his squad to confront this imagined threat instead. Those that weren't fooled, the team easily dispatched.
The Outsider meanwhile had somehow extended its serpentine lower body immensely and used it to coil around the dracanae like a protective bulwark. That could be a problem.
"Run on through!" Hux called from inside the coils, "It'll phase to let you in."
With a horde of ants at their backs, the halfbloods didn't need to be told twice. With only a hint of hesitation, the group ran through the Outsider's coils. It was a truly strange experience doing so, passing through it gave Alabaster the same feeling as being teleported - something he had the pleasure of experiencing once or twice - but without actually going anywhere. A odd combination of feeling like he had traveled a great distance but knowing that he had not.
Alabaster shook it off, he had more important things to do than try to pin down the best way to describe the experience.
"Captain Hux, good to see you." The son of Hecate greeted the dracanae leader. "Ideas?"
"To the point, I see? Good." Hux hissed approvingly. She was dressed like her kin in a set of Greek style armor and helm adorned with many symbols of Ophis that protected her humanoid upper body, with the only sign of her rank being the gold inlays in her armor in contrast to the silver ones of her troops. Like them, she was equipped with a large shield - which Alabaster noted had patches that had been discolored by contact with the Myrmeke's acid - and a long spear tipped with Celestial Bronze.
"Well?"
"We need to kill the Queen obviously." Vera pointed out. "She's controlling the colony with pheromones I think. Send her to Tartarus and the control snaps and the whole swarm will scatter. It's their natural instinct to flee when without their Queen."
"And that's why Lady Ophis ordered us to kill her as our first objective." Hux said with a look of understanding.
"You learned that from your thralls, Vera?" Mike asked curiously.
"Yup." Vera said with a proud nod.
"That doesn't help us come up with any plans for our current situation, does it?" Hakim said as he eyed the regathering swarm warily. The Myrmekes had obviously taken the time that Ophis' warriors were using for a breather to regroup and from the looks of it call for reinforcements.
"We'll need to split their forces." Lucas suggested.
"The son of Tyche has a good idea." Hux agreed. "One group of us can distract the bulk of them, while the other takes out the Queen."
"How though?" Michelle asked worriedly. "We have only one Outsider. One of the teams would be very vulnerable."
Said Outsider was lashing out at the Myrmekes with its suddenly grossly extended arms. The ants had previously been giving it a wide berth, apparently unnerved by their inability to harm it but had now regained their courage thanks to their bolstered ranks.
"We'll have to risk it." Alabaster concluded. "It's the best plan I can come up with it."
"The Myrmekes are especially attracted to the Outsider." Hakim noted. "It would be best to use it as the distraction."
"I agree." Hux noted, she shot Alabaster a look and then gestured to her battered fellows. While they all looked ready and willing to do battle, their armor were chipped and discolored all over the place. They had taken quite the beating.
Alabaster got the hint.
Forcing down his fear at the prospect, the son of Hecate turned to his squad. "Guys, we'll take out the Queen."
"The Outsider?"
"The dracanae need it more, Mike. They need it for the distraction."
Mike didn't buy it, nobody did. They nevertheless all nodded.
"Lead the way, bossman." Kaiya said with an encouraging smile.
Alabaster leveled his Imperial Gold sword at the horde of Myrmekes and subvocalized a spell that sent a massive fireball flying through their ranks and reduced dozens of the giant ants to dust. The Queen, Alabaster's primary target, weathered the fireball by raising her heavily armored appendages in defense. The Queen hissed, in what he hoped was pain, but nevertheless successfully survived the flames.
The son of Hecate had not expected the fireball to take it out though, it however did serve the purpose he intended. It cleared a path through the swarm.
"Go!"
The others heeded Alabaster's command and charged down the opening he'd created. The ants tried to intercept them but the Outsider lashed out with it's arms squashing and sweeping aside dozens of ants, helped along by spear thrusts and javelin throws by the dracaenae within its coils. The son of Hecate added the weight of his magic to this effort, using "Incantare: Stulti Carcer" to make the ants' legs feel like lead and glue them in place on as many targets as possible.
It was draining and he was barely able to keep up with the others.
Damn! I won't be much use from-
Alabaster didn't even finish the thought before he felt a surge of energy that filled him with strength. He easily recognized the source of the energy, he'd been exposed to it plenty over the past two days. It was Ophis'.
"Huh? So she's a more helpful matron than I'd thought she would be."
"Alabaster!"
Kaiya's call shook the son of Hecate out of his distraction, only to find a Myrmeke had taken advantage and was charging him. It's mandibles spread wide and ready to cut him in half.
"Shit!"
Alabaster was about to burn it but was saved the effort when Lucas counter charged the giant ant and proceeded to skillfully stab his rapier through a weak point in the attacking Myrmeke's armor behind its head. The creature promptly collapsed into a pile of gold dust.
"Pay attention."
"Sorry." Alabaster said as he sent a fireball behind Lucas to take out a pair of ants heading his way. "Thanks for the save."
The Mexican just nodded and gestured to the Queen, before running off in the same direction with Alabaster following behind him. Occasionally, they were forced to kill the odd ant that strayed into their path, but it was nothing they couldn't handle.
The others meanwhile were busy engaging the massive ant sovereign. Kaiya was firing at it at top speed, but the Queen's armor was proving resilient. Hakim was sending tendrils of mercury and his toxins whipping all over the place. Meanwhile, the twins took on dozens of ants that were trying to support their Queen with occasional help from Kaiya and Hakim.
"Lucas, help the twins. I'll deal with the Queen." Alabaster ordered as they closed with the monstrous Queen.
"I hope you have a plan, Al." Kaiya asked as she edged over while not letting up on her barrage of bolts at a joint in the Queen's forearm that moved to stab Alabaster but which Hakim parried with a tendril of mercury.
"Please tell us that you do." Hakim agreed, as he walked over.
"I do." Alabaster told them even as Hakim blocked a glob of acid that the Queen lobbed their way. "Incantare: Templum Incendere"
As the spell took effect, the Queen's abdomen spontaneously caught fire. The monster screeched in absolute agony and began writhing. It's massive bladed limbs were swinging dangerously in all directions but Hakim acted quickly, transforming his mercury whips into a protective dome over them.
"Kill it!" Alabaster ordered. "While it's distracted by the pain."
"On it!" Kaiya shouted back. "Hakim!"
Kaiya fired her bolts directly into the Queen's vulnerable eyes, which it was too distracted by her pain to properly defend and successfully adding to it's agony. Hakim whipped hydra acid across the giant ant's body, leaving deep cuts all over it. Something that he capped off by decapitating it, finally reducing it to golden dust.
"We did it!" Kaiya cheered.
As the Queen died, the remaining Myrmekes suddenly froze and turned to flee, even biting at each other in their haste to get away from their mother's killer. Something that sent a cheer ripping through the ranks of Ophis' warriors.
An hour later, Ophis teleported to the site of the battle. The first thing that caught her eye were the pair of Outsiders. Her two creations were busy carrying out the spoils of the operation from the remains of the Myrmeke Nest. There were huge piles of Celestial Bronze, Imperial Gold and odd Stygian Iron weapons, trinkets, and artifacts that the Myrmekes had collected over the years.
"Fidi, go take a tally." The Great Serpent ordered, gesturing to the growing pile of treasure.
"Yes, Lady Ophis."
Ophis nodded, she was not particularly concerned with the spoils. She was more worried about her men and so walked towards Hux and Alabaster who were standing at the head of her army as they milled about recovering from the battle.
"Casualties?" Ophis asked without preamble.
"We lost six of the cyclops and thirteen dracanae, and chalked up dozens of injuries." Alabaster reported dutifully.
Ophis nodded, then raised her hands and channeled her power. In flashes of black and white light, her dead subjects reappeared in the open desert next to their surviving comrades. At the same time, the wounds on all her soldiers spontaneously healed.
"Lady Ophis! Thank you!" Hux said genuinely, falling to her knees in her gratitude. The monsters in her ranks did likewise.
"Rise." Ophis said with a wave of her hand and a regal nod. Or at least she hoped that's what it like. She'd been practicing how to act regally, with help from Fidi and Calypso, but she honestly didn't know how well she was doing.
"Why?" Alabaster breathed disbelievingly from the side.
Ophis felt a little angry at that, and turned to him and hissed at him. "These are my people! If I can do it, why shouldn't I tend to them?"
The son of Hecate paled at her anger, and quickly raised his hands in surrender. "I apologize, Lady Ophis. I was just shocked, is all. I never expect a divinity would be so… Err… Caring?"
"Would you expect any less from the Great Serpent?" Hux replied before Ophis could respond.
Alabaster just nodded, looking chastised.
"My Lady." Fidi said before the demigod could say anything. "I've finished the tally."
"And?"
"There's approximately two tons."
Ophis pouted at the news. "I knew this was a new and small Nest but I was hoping for more."
"To be fair, My Lady," Alabaster cut in. "It's precisely because this nest was new and small that we chose to target it. It made things easier."
"I know that." The young protogenos said with a frown, even as she stepped towards the pile of loot.
She examined the pile for a moment before she spread her arms over it and called on her power, causing the two tons of precious metal to glow with her signature black and white energy. As her power coursed through it, the metal started to melt and start to mix together before rapidly transforming into ingots of a new monochrome metal.
As the ingots cooled, Ophis turned to her troops and addressed them.
"This is what we fought so hard for!" She gestured towards the ingots. "Primordial Electrum. A metal twice as deadly to supernaturals and mortals as Celestial Bronze or Imperial Gold and which grows ever more deadly by absorbing the essence of its foes like Stygian Iron. The metal by which we will forge our weapons. Weapons that will make us the greatest force in the world!"
Her gathered troops cheered.
"Decent speech." Alabaster commented.
Ophis shot him a sheepish smile. "Thanks. Calypso wrote it."
"Figured as much." Alabaster said with a smirk.
The Great Serpent just shook her head in amusement at the boy's snark. It reminded her of Nico. That reminded her, there was one last thing that she needed Alabaster to do for her.
"Mind passing me an ingot."
"Sure." Alabaster said with a shrug as he walked over to do just that. "Why couldn't you get it yourself though?"
"It needed to be from you. Otherwise, it wouldn't have the symbolic value of that I needed." Ophis explained.
"Those conditions…" The son of Hecate said as his brilliant mind worked out her plan. "Those quests you sent your brother and the Son of Jupiter on... Are you forging a symbol of power?"
And that's done.
This was hard to write. Work had made it hard to write on this story for a while so I took quite a hiatus before I could pick this up again. I hope the quality has not dropped too much.
So this chapter has offered a little more insight into what Ophis is doing. Also I hope you guys like the alternative route I took with Alabaster. He was tough to keep in-character because we have so little from canon to go on. Besides that, I hope the OCs were interesting too, without being too distracting, since they are unlikely to make much of an appearance again. I included them entirely because Alabaster would at least know the basics about his comrades/subordinates, at least in reference to their combat ability.
I hope all that proved interesting.
I guess that's all I have to say. Till next time.