A.I. made his way to the breakfast area, the others already eating. Ayahna had a some apples, an orange, and a banana; Lily got a plate of bacon and scrambled eggs, and Max had 4 plates piled high with all of the above. A.I. smelled something delicious coming from the far table, and strolled over to see a weird looking machine. It had a timer on it that was slowly counting down, and looked like a circle made of squares. It smelled really good, like the smell of fresh bread, only… sweeter. A.I. jumped when the machine began beeping, a 10 year old boy coming over and flipping the square-circle upside down and opening it to reveal a fluffy, sweet smelling bread circle… a waffle, A.I. recalled. He looked over at the boy, his eyes wide.
"Show me how to make the magic bread, child." He whispered.
"Um, you mean how to make waffles?" The boy asked.
"Yes, that one." A.I. nodded vigorously.
"Ok, first get a cup and fill it with batter. Then, pour it in and flip the handle. When it beeps, your waffles are done." The boy explained. A.I.'s smile brightened tenfold.
"Kay! Thanks" He chirped as he grabbed one of the tiny batter cups and poured some into the steaming waffle mold, humming along to Your Love by The Outfield as he did. He turned it upside down, and watched as the timer reset itself. Although his backstory wasn't so… happy, A.I. had learned to make the best of a bad situation. He looked over at his friends as they quietly talked amongst one another, each having their own story to tell, and crosses to bear. For the first time in his life, A.I. felt that he was finally with people who understood the pain, and knew the feeling of being outcast. He finally felt like he belonged. He walked around the room, grabbing some other stuff for breakfast as well; eggs, fruit, bacon, bacon, bacon. Unfortunately, his music was so loud that he didn't even hear his waffle timer go off. It wasn't until that same boy came over and tapped him on the arm that A.I. saw the waffles beginning to smell rather… burnt.
"Oh, crap!" He cried as he bolted over to the waffle maker, turning and opening it to reveal a charred, black, smoking waffle. The young boy laughed at the sight, A.I. frowning very unhappily. Suddenly, he had an idea, smirking deviously. He grabbed a napkin, covering the charcoal circle, the curious boy still giggling and watching. A.I. snapped his fingers, and lifted the napkin dramatically, 3 perfectly cooked, toasted brown waffles sitting on his plate. The kid's eyes grew to the size of bowling balls, A.I. winking and pouring syrup all over them.
"Magic!" He whispered, the boy running over to his family's table, pulling on his mom's shirt sleeve and pointing over at A.I. He strolled over with his 2 plates, sitting next to Lily and Ayahna, who looked at him quizzically.
"Ok, now that one you've got to share. How'd you do it?" Ayahna asked. A.I. looked around to make sure no one was listening, then leaned forwards.
"It's called a Paradoxical Duplicate. Basically, I reversed time on the first waffle, making it perfectly brown. Then, I went back in time and took that same waffle from 5 seconds ago, and then did it again. Boom, stack of waffles." He explained. Ayahna calculated what he had just said.
"So.. you can go back in time…"
"Yep."
"... and bring things from the past to the present?" She asked. A.I. swallowed, gesturing with his fork much like he did his drumsticks or sword.
"Yep. Waffle from the past, brought to the present, to be enjoyed in the future." He chuckled, slamming another waffle.
"Ok, but what's to stop you from going back in time and, say, telling yourself the future?" She asked. A.I. thought for a moment, then grabbed his perfectly flat butter knife, and the salt and pepper shakers. He tipped over the toothpick holder, balancing the knife on it, creating a seesaw scale of sorts.
"So, let's pretend this is time." He explained gesturing to the knife.
"Perfectly orderly, straight, balanced." He held up the salt
"The salt represents the past, and the pepper is the future. Events in the past directly balance out the present and future." He set it on one end, he knife tilting to one side. He held up the pepper, and set it on the other, balancing the scales.
"See? Balance. Now, when I go back in time and, say, fix my waffles." He picked up one toothpick, setting it carefully on one side. The scale rocked a slight bit, but was otherwise unaffected.
"Not much happens. The scales stay balanced, because in the long run my decision doesn't alter the timeline. Me having waffles or not is really of little importance in the grand scheme of things. Now, if I go back," He picked up a large grape from his plate.
"And warn myself of any detail of the future; my death, your death, how to avoid more… unpleasant memories…" He set the grape down on the salt shaker as carefully as possible, but still it tilted over.
"Balance is lost." Ayahna whispered. The others suddenly held a new respect for A.I.; they were under the assumption that being able to manipulate time would be a non stop adventure, but in reality it seemed more like constantly walking on eggshells. He may be crazy, but he was still much more careful than originally believed.
"But, what then happens when balance is lost?" Max asked curiously, eating away at his 5th plate.
"The Olympians have their demigods to do their dirty work when things start going south, so does Papa time." A.I. explained, ripping into his final waffle.
"Time's dirty workers being…" Ayahna probed on. A.I. wiped his mouth with the napkin, looking up at her seriously.
"Phantasms. Legendary, even by mythical standards. Trust me, you do not want to mess with them. Kronos himself supplies them power… making them practically unkillable. So few have ever seen them that most don't even know they exist. Even among the gods they are a whisper. The few that have say that they are demons, but they're not." A.I. shook his head, almost completely done eating. For a few moments, all was silent, until Lily spoke up.
"Well, what ARE they then?" She asked. A.I. looked like he had suddenly lost his appetite, moving the remaining food on his plate around with his fork.
"Ever wonder why you don't see any other half-human children of Kronos running around? Why there isn't a turnt up kids of Kronos posse in the Underworld?" A.I. asked, and suddenly the room felt colder.
"So… so they?" Ayahna began asking, A.I. staring at his plate and nodding glumly.
"Yep. Daddy sold our souls to the devil… well, actually to himself, but still. He's a bit of a control freak. And what he does control, he wants to keep that way. So, he has children with mortal women in exchange for one desire of their heart; wealth, power, a lost family member raised from the dead. Boom. No strings attached. All he asks is for the child's soul. When we die, we don't go to Elysium or even the Underworld, oh no. We become Phantasms, hideous creatures with the singular goal of enforcing time, and making sure it goes exactly as dear old pappy pa wants it to. Wonders never cease, huh?" A.I. asked sarcastically. When he saw the sour mood, he coughed, looking out the window at their car.
"Well, we have nothing to pack… what say ye we get back on the road, start goin' up the country to somewhere we've never been before?" He smirked, the joyous energy infectious as they all got up and headed out the door. Ayahna asked where she could sell her drachma for normal currency, and was told of a 'pawn shop' down the road a ways. They thanked the lady, hopped into their ride, and rolled off down the street once again, 'Goin Up the Country' by Canned Heat thumping out of their speakers.
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Camp Half-Blood was roaring with excitement; The summer breeze was wafting in from the ocean, and it was a beautiful warm day which could mean only one thing; Beach day. Practically all the campers were on the shores. Some of the younger kids built sand castles, others were laying out and catching a tan, and still others were swimming and playing beach volleyball. One young man in particular was enjoying himself. None other than Percy Jackson; twice savior of Olympus and hero of Camp. He was currently sprawled out on a beach chair next to his best friend and girlfriend, who of course had her nose buried in a textbook. He rolled over, propping his head up with his hand and sighed.
"When are you going to look up from that book and take in some of this gorgeous day, Wise Girl?" He asked, raising his eyebrow. She didn't even look up.
"One of us has to take school seriously, Seaweed Brain. Some of us have goals, you know?"
Percy chuckled, rolling over and sprawling out once again.
"My goal is to enjoy some of this peace and quiet while we can get it. It feels so refreshing to-" He was interrupted when a beam of water caught him off guard, hitting him in the face. He looked up. Leo standing in front of him with a Super Soaker, smiling like a 2 year old.
"Come on, Jackson." He commanded, his expression hardening.
"The war is upon us."
Percy looked over at Annabeth, who sighed and waved her hand.
"Go have fun, Percy. I think I can handle myself." She said. Percy shot up, reaching out and willing a bunch of water behind him.
"Jason and Frank are over there. They built quite the sand fort. How about we go blow it down?" Leo asked. Percy laughed, he and Leo running off to 'fight their enemy.' Chiron was in his office, filling out paperwork for the campers, when suddenly he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He knew the feeling, looking up and seeing Zeus standing in front of him.
"Lord Zeus, what a surprise." Chiron greeted. He instantly recognized the look of concern on Zeus' face.
"Is something wrong?" Chiron asked. Zeus sighed, pulling out a chair and sitting down.
"Do you remember about a thousand or so years ago, when that mercenary boy simply vanished without a trace? And a few hundred years later, when the same thing happened to the gladiator?" Zeus asked, Chiron nodding.
"Yes, I remember clearly. Those were the ones you commanded we kept an eye on… the potential threats?" Chiron asked, Zeus nodding. His brow furrowed; Chiron rarely saw him look this troubled.
"They have somehow managed to survive all this time, and are now with the other 2 missing demis." He stated. Chiron's eyes widened as he leaned forwards.
"The other 2 assassins? They're all alive? But-But how? They should all be dead, unless they were with the Lotus Eaters; but they were told to inform you of any serious threats, were they not?" Chiron asked.
"Yes, and they said nothing. Regardless, they are all alive and well, roaming around freely in the modern era. And it gets worse; they are traveling together." Chiron about fell out of his seat.
"Those four are together? If they are working as a unit, there is no telling how much destruction they could bring." Chiron whispered. Zeus looked over at Chiron, a serious and sharp look in his eyes.
"They are a danger to the mortal world, so we need to… handle them." He explained.
"You mean kill them?" Chiron asked.
"If necessary, yes. But I would prefer they be brought back here, so that I can question them myself." Zeus suggested.
"A quest then?" Chiron affirmed.
"Send Ms. Chase, Tyson the Cyclops, Mr. Valdez, and Percy Jackson. And be sure to warn them of the danger of this quest; these are some of history's deadliest killers." Zeus warned before disappearing in a flash of light. Chiron sighed, leaning his head in his hands. So much for peace.
