Yo, peeps. Back so soon? Yeah I know ;) Just like I promised. I hope you enjoyed that last chapter, but that was only going to lead up to this one :D This chapter, I introduce to you another very crucial character to the story ;) Ira's not here, Shem is, and what is he going to do? He's looking Lynx, isn't he? And he's already at the Jay Walker Private Library, which could be a possible place. However, he does not know. But you'll see ;)
Thanks for all those reviews! :) :) I really love them, not kidding. THANKS. And the Follows? Favorites? You guys make me wanna go lalalala all day cuz of those notifications in my mail ;) I thank you again. You make me happy.
Happy Holidayyyys! Thank goodness school's DONE for now! Well I still have tomorrow . . but whatever!
I also just want to let you guys know that if you are reading this through Mobile version (phone, Android, Idk), then the italics might not show up on there. I don't know why, but I promise you, they're italicized! :)
VirtualViola03- Thanks yet again for another amazingly awesome review! And about that shadow. . . hmmmmm ;)
Don't forget to Review!
Thank you, and good luck!
-Olo Eopia03
- Chapter 9 ~ Lynx -
Strongly marked personalities can influence descendants for generations. You inherit your identity, and with that your history. It's like a birthmark that you can't wash off. You're basically branded with a title that you've never even asked for. Eventually, you run. Run away from your true identity. Many tend to strive to be someone else, but in order to become successful, they must accept who they are. Identity was partly heritage, and partly upbringing, but your choices are what matter most in life.
The key melted into the keyhole, and after the key shuddered for a moment, it vanished. For a few seconds, Shem almost thought that Ken had played a rather nasty little prank on him, when the door finally made a click.
So now I owe you two wet leaves, Ken, Shem thought as he placed his palm gently on the large white doors.
The door swung open, and Toby trotted in, with Shem trailing behind him.
As soon as the two of them walked through the doors, it was as if they had stepped into a completely different world.
The temperature around them had dropped by a few degrees due to the chilling atmosphere. When you looked around, you could tell that this was far from any ordinary library you've ever seen. The designs, the books, the architecture, all unique in its own way.
It was beautiful.
Shem passed a golden plaque that glinted on a shelf near the right side of the room.
The Walker Library of Human Imagination
Underneath where he stood was a clear glass bridge that led to the other side of a beautifully tiled and shining floor. Books were everywhere. They were on tables, in the rails of the stairway, and in bookshelves that had engraved themselves into the walls. The surrounding area had a nice woody color, but that did not explain the entire beauty of the room. When Shem had entered the building, he'd expected a small, old little library. But what he saw looked as though he'd stepped into the future of one of the greatest libraries in the world.
Shem walked across the bridge and saw the glass walls that had surrounded him. Underneath was another floor filled with a room of wondrous books and antique objects. The glass walls were imprinted with glowing blue images. It captured the human thought and the realms of imagination, showing pictures of the earth, the stars, and even more beautiful illustrations. Shem had seen pictures of this library in books and magazines before, but he felt as though there wouldn't be any words that were sufficient enough to describe this place.
"What a magical place to live in," Shem murmured as Toby took him across the bridge and through the display of wondrous artifacts.
But if this was a private library, not possibly owned by Lynx himself, Shem thought slowly. How could anyone else live in here besides Mr. Walker?
Toby trotted forward, sniffing and barking softly as he made his way through the Restricted Section. As they took a slight turn around the shelves, Shem suddenly noticed a staircase that led upward. The two of them were getting onto higher ground, but as Shem looked closer, he saw that the steps they were climbing on shimmered.
Just taking the effort to try to notice that staircase took as long as about 15 seconds. And that was only if you weren't . . . mortal. It was only then that Shem realized why it was impossible for anyone to live here besides Jay Walker. Why? Because it really was meant to be impossible.
It was only impossible because no one knew. Without the possibility of knowing, any ideas of the concept can be easily eliminated. Concealed from mortals' eyes, a mortal would never be able to find this staircase in a thousand years.
This staircase was covered by the mist.
Toby, you're a genius, Shem thought as he climbed up the steps. He was glad now that no one was here to spy on the two of them, but Shem couldn't help but feel that if he'd gotten the power of invisibility, it would help quite a bit.
Shem thought of the New York Yankees Cap hanging on the corner of the wall right next to the door in the Athena Cabin. Annabeth Chase had left it there for a reason, and Shem thought that he would need it one day himself in order to complete a quest. It would make everything so much easier, but in the end, Shem had decided not to take the hat with him. It's not like he needed it anyway, and he could survive perfectly without the help of anyone, so the absence of the invisibility cap wasn't a loss that would be noticeable in his eyes.
When Shem had reached the top, he thought he would reach small, attic-sized room, but the two of them had stepped into a dark room that was the size of a great hall.
Impressive, Shem thought as he stepped quietly into the dark. Demigods these days -
In a wink of a moment, Shem was blinded.
What had used to be the dark room in his eyes was replaced by a more pure blackness. Something hard was surrounding his face, as though a helmet was covering his head. Completely taken by surprise, Shem's hand had let go of the leash that had been linked to Toby's collar.
"Greets! -"
"Di immortales!" Shem cursed under his breath, clearly startled. Never in his life would he think that things would come to this. He punched outwardly, and his fist caught what felt like someone's chest. The mysterious figure whom Shem had just injured grunted with an oof!
"Ah shit," A voice hissed from the figure in front of him. The voice was definitely higher than Shem's own, but not enough that he was under 15 years old. "Ah geez man, be easy there for a sec. You gotta understand that when someone tries to take you in, you have to work with that someone-"
Shem punched again, and this time the figure stumbled backward with another oof!
Male, Shem thought immediately.
Height judging from injury inflicted upon: 5 feet, 7 inches.
Godly parent: Unknown
Direction from which he appeared determines that he is: Right-handed.
Age: 16 to 17 years of age.
Chances of being a demigod: 86 percent.
Lack of counter attacking: shows that he is not into fighting.
However, quietness in his step shows that he could be deadly.
Shem felt a hand close around his neck, and in a moment, his whole body was backed up roughly against the wall.
"Cooperate with me unless you want to die," The voice whispered into Shem's ear. Shem gritted his teeth and aimed another punch, and the figure stuttered profusely as Shem's fist made contact with the boy's stomach.
"Fine," Shem growled. "What do you want? Unblind me."
"Heh, no can do man," The boy in front of him coughed as Shem reached up to feel the heavy contraption that was clamped onto his head. It felt like a helmet, made of a smooth material that Shem couldn't place underneath his fingers. Shem forced his senses to calm down for a moment. To Shem, he felt as though the boy was smiling. "But wow, it's nice that you're going to do this for me. Ready?"
Before Shem could say anything else, the surroundings around him had changed.
The helmet was gone, and he was no longer in the same dark room that he had entered moments before. A new environment had taken place, images piecing themselves together like blocks as he continued to look around. He was definitely not in Connecticut. He probably wasn't even in the United States.
A large building towered above him. Why was this image being shown to him, of all places?
This was just a simulation, conjured up from the helmet attached to Shem's head. Shem reached up slowly, and although he knew that the helmet had disappeared, he only wanted to confirm it. He was still wearing the same clothes . . . And he felt the same way. It was just that the scene before him was so real that he couldn't help but feel that he wasn't even there.
"Greets!" The same voice from earlier echoed into his head. Shem looked around, but no one was there. "Yeah, I'm in your head for now."
"Go to hell."
"Wow, thanks," The voice said. "Since you were able to find my secret hiding, you're a demigod, aren't you? Don't people say something like 'Go to tartarus, or the Underworld? Hades' bathroom?"
"Fuck you."
"Oh damn, I feel loved already," The voice replied. "Anyways, back to business. You probably know where you are right?"
Of course I do, Shem thought. The emerald roof, the vast courtyard that he was standing in. A collection of brightly colored mosques looked like upside-down tops that spun as the light reflected against the solid stone. There on the building: Five double-headed coat-of-arms eagles . . .
Russian coat-of-arms eagles, Shem thought. Substituting the former state emblem of the Soviet Union. The letters "CCCP" above in the facade of the building made after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
The people roaming about did not even look American. There were a few tourists taking pictures, but the majority of the people who walked around were . . . Russian.
"Why are you showing me an image of the Kremlin Palace?" Shem growled, and the voice chuckled loudly in reply. Gradually, the chuckle transformed into a small laugh.
This guy . . . Shem thought in frustration.
"Okay, believe what you want to see," The voice said. What was he talking about? Shem was looking at a generated image, a simulation. "Okay, you look pretty official, huh? Your long black coat, and that scowl on that face. Nice, nice."
"Get me out of here."
"Geez, I'm just saying that to be able to get your way around here in this kind of situation, you need to look tough," The voice said defensively.
This kind of situation? Shem thought. What was he talking about?!
"I mean, I could've done this all by myself, you know, but I just don't have the look. But you . . . You're great!"
"Damn it-"
"Okay, okay, you see that small mechanism there in front of that large building wall near the middle of the courtyard?" The voice murmured quickly.
Shem scanned the environment, and saw a small orb that shimmered in the middle of the whole courtyard.
"Covered in mist?"
"So is that what you call it?" The voice said. "I've been wondering about it for some time now. I called it shimmery-poop for a while, then I dunno, I just -"
Shem ignored the rambling comments as he walked toward the center and looked into it. There on the ground was a small electronic box. A lens was poking out from one side toward the building, and on the surface was a very hand made and explosive looking control panel.
"- then after the fire hydrant I decided to call it shimmery-poop. It didn't really look like poop to me though-"
"Okay what do you want," Shem said. "Why are you making me do this? Bring me back out of this simulation."
"I told you. You look tough. Check. You look smart. Check. And I'm lazy. Check. I'll get you out when I want to, and when you finish the job. Please?"
It would take a while, but Shem knew that he would find some way to escape this place if he tried. But there was something in the voice that made him want to comply. It sounded as though this person could be trusted. It sounded illogical, but sometimes it might be best to put logic aside.
"Fine, tell me what you need." Shem said. He looked around, and the people didn't notice what he was doing. To everyone else, it looked as though Shem was just kneeling on the ground to pick up a coin or tie his shoe.
Sooner or later, though, they're going to start wondering why he was in that position for such a long time. Shem looked around again, and saw a few Russian guards standing nearby. The Kremlin Palace was probably the most famous building in Russia, and if anything suspicious were going on, there would be guards, even though there were more guards than usual.
"Okay. It took me a hell of a long time just to construct that device, let alone set it onto the ground here in Mother Russia," The voice said. "You see right there to the right of the device, a pair of wire clippers."
Shem picked up the pair of clippers, analyzing the spot where it looked like it had clattered to the ground. Briefly, Shem scanned the details of the location of this device, what it looked like it was about to do, and what would happen.
"I'm making the conjecture that you were just about to perform one last action on this mechanism, but you ran out of time, and had to leave immediately. The reason why there are more guards than usual around here is because you were doing something illegal here in this simulation and they were getting highly suspicious." Shem muttered under his breath.
Any time now, people would start to wonder what a lone teenager was doing here in the middle of the courtyard talking to himself. The voice in his head was silent for a few minutes.
"How did you know?" The voice said quietly.
"You're not the only special one here, so stop acting so cocky," Shem said. He looked at the control panel. "Geez, there's so many wires on here."
"Uh . . . Yeah. That's where the problem is," The voice said slowly, as though trying to regain its composure. "Too many wires. The guards noticed before I was able to activate the shimmery-poop -"
"Mist."
"-And when they were about to catch me, I skedaddled," the voice finished. "Tough life, huh?"
"And?" Shem said, rolling his eyes.
"So the thing is," The voice said. For some reason, Shem could identify a sheepish tone in the speaker's voice. "There's a wire you need to cut . . . And . . ."
"And?" Shem pushed. This person was starting to get onto his nerves.
" . . . If you don't cut it in time, the device in front of you will start to act similarly to a highly reactive nuclear reactor."
The silence between them was palpable, and the people around Shem were strolling the area, not knowing that a bomb was in the middle of the courtyard. Shem stared at the device again.
"We're in some pretty deep poopy here, aren't we?" The voice asked, and for once, Shem agreed with him. Shem didn't understand just why he needed this device here in the first place, and why did it matter if it blew up in a simulation?
"What was this supposed to be, anyway?" Shem asked.
"A high definition three-dimensional hologram projector," The voice said. "H3DHP. Sorry, first time trying this out myself, but I really really want it."
"Want it?"
"Badly." The voice said. As soon as the voice had said that word, Shem saw the guards closing in on him. They were already about twenty feet away. He looked at the device again with the clippers in his hand, and heard the voice again in his head. "Oh shit. The device has 20 seconds before it blows."
Shem felt his knuckles tighten around the pair of clippers. The guards were 10 feet away.
"Dammit, which wire?!" Shem said, trying to restrain the volume of his voice as he glanced at the array of wires.
"Sorry, hold on. Hold on," The voice said frantically. In his head, Shem heard a series of clicks, like a keyboard being typed on stunningly quick. "Uh-"
"Any time now. You built this, didn't you?" Shem said, gritting his teeth. The guards were circling him. A new glowing rectangle formed at the top right hand corner of the control panel, with gleaming numbers that signified the current countdown.
10 seconds.
Yeah, that helped calm things down a bit.
"Hello?" Shem asked, raising his voice.
"Uh, the green wire. The green one!"
"WHICH GREEN WIRE?" Shem said furiously, looking at a bundle of green wires on the left side. 6 seconds.
"Dammit, sorry. Not green, not green." The voice was talking so quickly to himself, that Shem could only catch a few words.
3 seconds.
"Crap-"
"The white one! There's only one white one!" The voice cried out, and Shem saw it. A thin white coil bound at the very corner of the control panel.
2 seconds.
His hand darted toward the wire.
1 second.
There was a flash of turquoise-colored light, and it seemed to swallow Shem whole. He couldn't see anymore. Then suddenly, the light had been cut out from his eyes.
What happened?
Shem felt his knees slam into the cold hard floor, and immediately, he knew he was no longer in the simulation. The helmet on his head fell off immediately with a resounding clang onto the ground, and Shem looked around, rubbing the sides of his head. He was back in the great hall, in the attic of the Jay Walker Private Library.
He was back.
"Greets!" The voice that had appeared in his head cried out from the other end of the hall. The voice was more tangible, and Shem saw a figure in the distance. "Damn! That was pretty close, wasn't it?"
The huge room was dark and empty except for a small beam of light from where the voice was coming from. Shem walked toward it, and as soon as he was about 8 feet away, he saw the back of a rolling leather chair. In 5 feet, the black leather chair in front of Shem had spun around, revealing a face of a young teenager.
The lanky kid was sitting cross-legged on the leather seat, with a sleek laptop on his lap. He looked up at Shem from the glowing screen, revealing a pair of light gray eyes. And if his eyes were not pale enough to begin with, his hair was even lighter. His hair was blond, but light enough to almost think that it was close to white. His tousled hair wasn't as messy as Shem's, but it was slightly longer. He had a sly, but intelligent face, and he wore a black hoodie, jeans, and a set of high tech, glowing, white headphones slung around his neck.
His voice was not as deep as Shems, as said earlier, but the way he spoke was enough to know that he was probably around 16 years old.
This is probably him, Shem thought. He saw that to the right side, Toby was lying flat on his side, wagging his tail, with his tongue hanging out as he looked up at Shem with a bright gleam in his eyes. Toby licked the boy's shoe. Shem sighed, slightly annoyed. Thanks for helping me out there when I was ambushed by this kid, Toby.
The dog in front of him continued to wag his tail.
"Damn," The boy said, his eyes glowing as brightly as the computer screen near him. His headphones pulsed with a beaming light. Every time he spoke, Shem felt like he was talking to a boy who'd been raised on the streets due to his foul language. "Meeting you in person - well, of course not counting the time I jumped you - you look way more tougher than I expected. Wanna see what you did?"
The boy turned around and scooted his chair over to the left – as though suddenly occupied – and there were two computer monitors and a television screen on the black table in front of the both of them. Shem heard the clicking of the keys of a keyboard, and saw the boy's fingers flying across the board.
Shem looked at the two monitors, and on one of them it showed a display of a Tetris game on the screen. The boy seemed to be playing that game while giving long-winded instructions to the other monitor.
To Shem's disbelief, a news broadcast suddenly popped up onto the Television screen, displaying the Kremlin Palace. On the flat wall, there in front of the courtyard that Shem had been standing in only a few minutes before, was a holographic display of a Tetris Game.
A hundred people had come to watch, and even the police officers had decided to stand there as well and gaze at the glowing program.
Mysterious Holographic Display of Tetris on the Wall of the Kremlin, The caption read on the bottom of the screen.
Shem looked at the TV, then at the boy's second monitor. The two Tetris Games were mirrors of each other . . . as if the boy was controlling that exact Tetris Game onto the Kremlin Palace.
"I-it wasn't a simulation," Shem murmured.
"No shit, Sherlock," The boy said, not looking back. Shem winced for a second. "Did this just for fun, though. I told you it was an HD3DHP right? High Definition 3-Dimensional Hologram Projector? Geez, you're forgetful."
"I was in Russia," Shem said. The boy nodded. And there really was a control panel in that courtyard . . . And Russia would've literally blown up if they hadn't gotten there in time.
"Yeah, beamed you there in only a few seconds. The Spatial Device actually works," The boy said casually. When Shem didn't say anything, the Tetris Game went into Pause Mode, and the display on the Kremlin Palace disappeared. The boy spun around in his chair. "You know, Spatial Device? The helmet on your head?"
A genius computer programmer, Shem thought. And no one from Camp Half-Blood could trace a boy like this. How?
"Helloooooo?" The boy asked, standing up to see Shem. The boy was about an inch shorter. "Earth to Smarty over here? The one who can figure out what I actually did in Russia with the clippers? Clipper boy?"
The boy reached up to wave a hand in front of Shem's face, and Shem swiped it away in annoyance.
What a nuisance, Shem thought. He'd make great friends with Ken.
"Ah, there we go. A response from Clipper Boy," The boy said brightly. "The name's Lynx, by the way."
Shem looked at him, and knew all along that this was the boy he was looking for. No wonder he had every location of almost every demigod in the world. This boy was a crazy Computer Tech Savvy.
"Shem," Shem said. He was still holding his black cane at his side. "Shem Baker."
"Yeah, for me it's just Lynx," Lynx sighed. "Wow, I'm cruel, huh? You think this place looks like a ditch. Hold on."
Lynx waved a hand, and the once dark Great Hall no longer looked like it was an empty dark room.
One by one, a large collection of screens switched on, until the whole room was glowing a light shade of neon blue. It was as if the two of them had stepped into a world in which computers were dominate everywhere. Glass screens of holographic images towered towards the ceiling. There were no more screens, just images of displays, and conjured up glowing touch screens everywhere.
Glowing objects were floating around the room as well. Lynx got out of his chair, and the room glowed a brighter blue, as though the very surroundings pulsed and revolved around him. A long, black glass table started to build itself up on the ground with a series of clicks, glowing pixels merging themselves together in the center of the hall to form the obsidian table. It was a slick, floating slab of glass, and when Lynx jumped on it with amazing agility, the table was suddenly filled with glowing figures, words, and images that Shem couldn't make out.
More holographic displays turned up, and the table was filled with more images. Shem looked around, and saw the floating objects around him. They were ordinary objects such as cups, books, and maps, made with holographic images, but some of the objects floating were just numbers.
They were code.
The glowing room was filled with a kind of magic that Shem had never felt before, and a mysterious atmosphere had taken place.
"Nice, right?" Lynx asked, grinning slyly. "Welcome, to my realm. You like?"
"Is Lynx your true name?" Shem asked, feeling very impressed by the scenery around him.
"Hm," Lynx said, adjusting the headphones around his neck. "Let's just say not a lot of people know my real name. So no. But Lynx sounds way cooler."
"No one comes here."
"Hey, with a bit of computer engineering, fused along with some shimmery-poop," Lynx said, jumping off the table and waving his hands up in the air to make contact with the many displays around him. "I apparently never exist in this place of the library, nor does this restricted section."
"Are you aware of your true identity?" Shem asked. "I'm the son of Athena."
"Know my identity?" Lynx snorted, adjusting the headphones around his neck. "Very damn well. You know, if you're a demigod from like, a place full of other demigods, then you should realize that there are a bunch more kids out there who prefer to take it solo, and they are much more powerful than all of you."
"I see that," Shem said quietly. It was odd that Lynx was so confident in himself, when in reality, what he might be saying wasn't true at all. You do not know how powerful we are.
"Also son of Athena, bro." Lynx said, waving a hand.
"So we're on the same side," Shem said, smiling. If he was going to ask something from Lynx, they might as well be friends.
"What side is there?" Lynx said, shrugging. Shem felt amused by his answer. "I don't know what you know, but I'm not just a son of Athena, Clipper Boy. Just Wisdom? Naw. Ya need the computers in life, dude. The technology. My dad's the son of Hephaestus."
"Hephaestus?"
"Yep," Lynx said, turning around and touching more screens with great dexterity. "He was a pretty smart software programmer. Fell in love with her, of course, since the two of them had the same brainy qualities. But you know the thing with Athenian children,-"
"They're evoked from her skull," Shem said. "Not quite made the way humans would think."
"Yeah," Lynx said, keeping the tone as though he's accepted that concept a long time ago. "Drove dad insane, you know. I don't get why he was so surprised, since he was also a demigod, but he left me anyway. He's probably dead."
He talked of it as though he didn't care. As though things like this were normal.
"Was he a demigod who lived by himself as well?" Shem asked.
"Yeah."
That was the problem with stray demigods, Shem thought. They think they're invincible, but some don't bother to do any research on Greek Mythology. Then, they'll have no clue what to expect later on. And that's why his dad did not know that a child could be born that way.
"And you've been living in the streets?" Shem asked. Lynx nodded.
"But you know, I have that magic touch," Lynx said, smirking. He gestured to the holograms and technology around him. "Been building these things since I was five. Everyday I see technology that mortals make, and I can build the same things three times as fast. But that technology's not good enough for me. Give me some parts, and I can make them into something better than a machine. Machines' too clunky, you know?"
That was probably what made him different from a child of Hephaestus. Lynx seemed to be a more refined demigod; a demigod from a different generation.
Monsters were dangerous creatures, but it seemed that in a time like this, a new component was being introduced to this magical world. A new generation of rogue demigods, which seemed to be new and interesting enough to keep Shem entertained.
"I understand who you are," Shem said. "And I believe that not very many people can see through you. But with my own skill, I can give you a lot of things about you that no one would know."
"Okay, genius," Lynx said. "Seems like you're more than just a Clipper Boy, huh? I can tell. What is it that people call it? Oh-"
"Deduction."
"Nice," Lynx said, a look of amusement crossing his face. He sat down on the obsidian table. "But why should I care about you?"
"My mind," Shem said, "rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram or the most intricate analysis, and I am in my own proper atmosphere. I can dispense them with artificial stimulants. But I abhor the dull routine of existence. I crave for mental exaltation. That is why I have chosen my own particular profession, or rather created it, for I am the only one in the world."
"Damn," Lynx said, staring at Shem for a moment until a gleam flashed into his pale gray eyes. Clearly, he was impressed.
"I require something of you," Shem said, and waited for an answer. Instead, Lynx burst out into laughter.
"Me? You want me to give you something?" Lynx choked out, chuckling nonstop. "What would a genius want from me? You seem pretty talented for just a son of Athena."
"You owe me," Shem said, shrugging.
"Doesn't matter," Lynx said.
"I already told you why you should help me." Shem said angrily, and Lynx raised up his hands in surrender. Shem really wanted to take out his sword.
"Hey, whoa there, punk," Lynx said. "The past is the past. That Tetris Game? Done. If you want something from me, then I guess I'm going to need something from you too."
"What is your problem!?" Shem snapped. Lynx, who had stood up for a while, backed up a few steps.
"Wow, keep your cool," Lynx said, though his voice sounded smaller than before.
"I need something," Shem said, trying to calm down. "Now."
"Okay. Promise, cross my heart or something, that I'll repay you," Lynx said, and a gleam flashed into his eyes. The holographic images flickered slightly as Lynx said this. Lynx glanced around, nodding to himself. "I could really use you. One more time."
"You don't seem to understand how important this is, do you?" Shem asked, and unclasped the emerald necklace from around his neck. He held the dangling cord in front of Lynx, whose eyes widened in shock. The black cord flickered under the bright light.
"T-that cord," Lynx said quietly. He turned around for a moment, as though concealing an expression that had just appeared in his eyes. "Where is she?"
"You will help me." Shem said defiantly, with Lynx's back turned to him. Lynx closed the laptop that was sitting next to him on the table, and the shining holograms faded away until there was only a faint glow between the two of them. Toby trotted toward the two of them and leaned himself on the cold floor. "We found you through her."
Lynx turned around, and in his hands was a long, sword, glowing a bright shade of pale gray, almost the same hue as his eye color. Shem felt his own cane start to elongate into a sword in his hands. The thin black sword was just noticeable beneath the light compared to Lynx's own sword.
Lynx pointed his sword at Shem.
"So, you wanna tell me why you're actually here?" Lynx hissed, and Shem held his sword up. Shem didn't want this, but if Lynx was going to attack, he might as well defend himself.
"Information," Shem said calmly. "For something I really, really need."
Lynx lunged toward Shem in one swift motion, and Shem raised his sword.
"Stop!"
The word pierced through the air, the voice crying out of desperation. The word seemed to have a force behind it, because as soon as the word was said, Lynx immediately slowed down and fell off balance. Even Shem decided to lower his sword, and for a split second, the two demigods looked at each other, both feeling slightly confused.
Shem glanced to the right, near the very end of the hall. Lynx smiled.
There, the one who was panting out of exhaustion from climbing the flight of stairs with a panic stricken expression flashing in those bright blue eyes. She was the reason why Shem felt as though a mysterious shadow had been following him all the way from the ferry at the Long Island Sound. The one whom anyone would least expect to be here at this very moment, for the poppy seed powder should've knocked out a normal demigod for more than a few days.
Ira Vagler stood at the entrance of the Great Hall, with the New York Yankee's Invisibility Cap clutched tightly in one hand.
