Death Match Drunkard: Keep in mind that Lynetta and Walt don't know about Seth's prophecy, which sort of explains why they don't understand where Seth is coming from. Lynetta's also a daughter of Athena, and her flaws (which I will be discussing here) are what led to that conclusion. Based on your comment, I'm sure you will enjoy this chapter. From the reviews I've got, you're the only one who guessed correctly what's going to happen here.
Thank you all for your reviews and support!
Warning: ACIII Spoilers
Enjoy!
Chapter 11: Connection
Lynetta had a bad feeling about this.
They were all currently in Walt's jeep, driving to the site where Seth's next exam was taking place. Walt had spent the last 2 weeks preparing this one. It had taken them awhile to find a suitable location that wouldn't attract too much notice, but in the end they found one. The previous owner had decided to sell his old property and Walt paid for it immediately. Once the property was officially in their hands, Walt had set to work with the help of his automatons.
She took a glance at the front mirror, noticing how Seth had his shoulders sagged. His hair covered his eyes completely, revealing no hint of what he was mentally going through. She could tell that his hands were over his lap, and his back was bare. This time, Walt told him to use only the weapons Artemis had given him, just to test how long he could keep them materialized. She noticed that Seth was wearing gloves, and she slightly relaxed for his sake.
The jeep came to a stop. Just 10 meters ahead of them was the three story family home, now filled with a bunch of dangerous devices. They got out of the car quietly.
Seth stood beside her, his eyes narrowing. He directed his gaze towards Walt, his eyes demanding answers.
"This is a little setup that I personally prepared," Walt told him. "Your task is to find three stuffed dummies-one on each floor of the house, and lower them by the fire escapes you see on the side. You will be given exactly 15 minutes to get all three dummies and yourself out of the house."
"What's the catch?" he muttered.
"The house is filled with traps, so be sure to watch where you step," Walt informed him. Then, he took out the activation switch from his pocket. "Also…"
He pressed the button, and there was a loud explosion. Seth flinched and stepped back, his face paling at the sight of the burning house.
"Try not to burn yourself."
Seth didn't reply. Lynetta noticed how his clenched hands were trembling.
"Your exam starts…NOW!" Walt announced.
To her surprise, Seth immediately took off in a dash, breaking open the front door quickly with no hesitation. Lynetta had already set up the stop watch, and after only 2 minutes, Seth had already got one of the dummies down the fire escape. He got the second one down in 5 and the last one went down after 8 minutes!
Once the last dummy was secured, there was a loud, shattering noise as Seth plunged himself out of the window of the third floor, launching himself in the open air with a rope he found. Lynetta pressed the stop button once Seth stumbled against the ground with a huff.
"Lynetta?" Walt asked.
"9 minutes and 32 seconds," she answered. Seth had completed the exam in less than 10 minutes, completely exceeding their expectations. Was the exam too easy?
Seth walked towards them heavily. His clothes scorched in some areas, and there was smoke all over his hair and face. Some parts of his hair were charred.
"Congratulations, Hunter," Walt began. "You passed the-!"
"Save it!" Seth spat angrily. Walt didn't respond, his eyes narrowing in concern. Then, he shot her a vehement glare. Lynetta inwardly flinched. "Why do you look so surprised? Did you guys think I couldn't do it? Well, guess what?! I just did!"
Lynetta swallowed. This was definitely not turning out well. She just knew something bad would occur from this.
"What were you guys expecting?" Seth demanded, throwing his arms up in anger. "Did you expect me to freeze up? Maybe go into some mental breakdown? Quit?" He gave a humorless laugh. "I may be weak, but I'm not that pathetic!"
She started, "we weren't expecting that…"
"Then what were you expecting?!" Seth screeched. "What were you expecting me to do…after forcing me to go through this nightmare again? Just because I can tolerate all the previous shit you've thrown at me, it does not mean I have no boundaries!"
"Don't blame this on Lynetta," Walt said calmly. Despite his cold front, Lynetta could tell he was startled by Seth's hysterical mood. "I created this exam. It was made in order to help you move on."
Seth drew a blank. "What?"
"I was told that your way of thinking is rather troubling," Walt explained. "We believe that your current mindset is caused by your past trauma, and if you happen to emerge victorious from this, you won't be hindered by your past, and your outlook won't be the reason for your lack of confidence."
Seth stared at him in disbelief. He placed a hand on his forehead, as if trying to calm down, and then he shot her a look of betrayal. Lynetta felt like her throat was sucked dry.
"Y-you told him?" he whispered. She hesitated.
"Not everything," she phrased carefully. "But what I told him was…for your own benefit," she finally said, though Lynetta suddenly realized too late how selfish that sounded.
"I'm very sure I can determine that on my own," he said coldly. "I thought you understood where I was getting at. Do you really find my ideals that odd and disturbing?"
She didn't answer. Seth gave a scoff at her silence.
"You do," he said, astonished as he turned to each of them. "You both do."
She didn't say anything, and Walt wisely chose to remain silent.
"You both think that you know everything there is about me," Seth continued. "Well, you are both wrong, DEAD WRONG!" he shouted. "You want to know the real reason why I am so 'disturbing' huh? Do you want to know why I push myself so hard? It's not because of my past! Far from it!"
He turned towards Walt angrily. "You believe that I'm not focusing on the present, when the present and the future have always been on my mind! I told you since the beginning my reason for accepting your training! Have you both forgotten? I came here so I have a better chance at survival! Why? It's not because I'm burdened by my past! It's because I have a goddamn prophecy hanging over my head that's what! I don't even know if I'll live past 17!"
"Seth-" she got cut off as Seth glared at her once more.
"My ideals are the ones keeping me alive!" Seth spat. "If you don't accept them, fine! But don't you dare force me to change them and accept yours just because you find them unsuitable to your taste! And then you pull this atrocity!" He furiously pointed a finger at the burning house. "You even dare mock my family's memory by turning their demise into a game!"
Oh my gods, what have they done? Lynetta thought. She was completely stunned. How could they be so tactless? This was all her fault. She planted the idea into Walt's mind, and now she's pulled him into doing something he shouldn't have and would not have done if it weren't for her. Even after all these years…she still hasn't improved.
"To think I even respected you both," Seth muttered. He shook his head. "That's it. I'm done. I don't ever want to deal with you two again. If this is the way you treated your past pupils, it's no wonder so many of them gave up or failed."
He pushed his way past her angrily, his face red despite the smoke apparent. Lynetta felt like she had to do something. She would never live this down if one of their best students quit because of her mistake.
"Wait, Seth," she started. Seth shot her a menacing look. "Please don't hold this against Mr. Forger. You are right. We were wrong in using this against you, but it was I who gave him the idea in the first place. He would never have done such an exercise if I hadn't told him what we'd talked about…"
"Lynetta…" Walt started, about to protest.
"It is my fault," she told them, "and for that, I am truly sorry."
"The damage is already done," Seth pointed out. "If you're trying to change my mind…"
"Just give us a chance to explain," Lynetta insisted. "If you are still not convinced of our sincerity, then you can go if you like. I'll even drive you to New York. Please."
Seth grew quiet, pondering over her words. After a few minutes of silence, Seth gave a nod.
"Fine, I'll give you both a chance to explain yourselves." Seth replied. "I at least owe you guys that for all the training I've gain so far. But if it's not good enough, I'll be packing my bags and going back to Camp Half-Blood ASAP!"
-o-
I couldn't believe they would do such a thing!
I sat there fuming throughout the entire car ride. Lynetta and Walt didn't bother to say anything, and I was still too pissed off to break the eerie silence. I haven't gotten this angry since Artemis decided to deceive me over two years ago. I already doubted Walt's sanity ever since he sent me unarmed in the middle of Boston, and like that wasn't crazy enough, he pulled this one over me!
Still, some part of me understood why they chose to do it, but they could have done it differently. If they had decided to maybe talk to me about it instead going to such lengths…I wouldn't have gone into such a rage. Not only did they disrespect my late family, but they pretended to understand me just because they got some of my background info.
I scoffed. I wasn't an open book, not anymore at least.
Speaking of info, I knew almost next to nothing about Walt and Lynetta. I knew that Walt was a Roman demigod who was in isolation for unknown reasons, and then there's Lynetta, who hasn't seen Camp Half-Blood for a decade. It wasn't fair how they knew so much about me, yet I didn't know anything personal about them. It also didn't help that they both happened to have expert poker faces.
I wished I had Artemis' mind-reading ability, but I guessed that skill was for gods only.
We eventually arrived at the Tudor house. Once the car was parked underground and we'd gone up the elevator shaft, Lynetta decided that we discussed this in her room on the first floor. I was given time to change and clean up. I took a quick shower and got the soot and ash out of my hair. When I looked at the mirror, I noticed how my fringe was now uneven, and I grabbed a pair of scissors to give myself a quick hair cut. My hair was still partially wet when I finally went downstairs.
I've never been in Lynetta's room before since she didn't permit me. She never explained why, so I had this vivid imagination of seeing guns and knives lined up against the walls. Maybe she even had a stash of dangerous weapons in the closet? When she finally opened the door, the first things I noticed were the photographs.
They were everywhere: spread out on every wall and table. Lynetta's bed even had stacks of photo albums, and I noticed at least three different cameras. I never knew Lynetta liked photography.
"This is my room," she said with a bit of difficulty. "You may take a seat, Seth."
I nodded slowly, glancing at some of the photos more studiously once I sat down on a stool. I realized that many of the photos were taken at Camp Half-Blood. Lynetta was younger here, around 12 years old by the looks of it. There were pictures of her standing with her friends and siblings. There were even some with Chiron and Mr. D, when he wasn't looking that is.
I moved on, and I noticed how the images laid out a whole life story. In these latter ones, Lynetta was older. She was standing next to this tall, handsome guy with dark brown hair and a nice smile. He had a sword tied around his waist, and his arm was wrapped around her waist tightly. He appeared in most of the photos. I also noticed how Lynetta was always smiling, like actually smiling- with her teeth revealed and all- whenever she was with this guy.
"That's Matthew," Lynetta said quietly when she noticed where I was staring. "Matthew Walker. He was my boyfriend."
"How did you guys meet?" I asked. I noticed how she spoke of him in the past tense, but I decided not to bring that up.
"Here, actually," she said. "It was during the middle of my training when Matt dropped by. He was a son of Hermes, very quick-witted and charming." she said, smiling a little. "A hard worker too. We had a lot in common so we became best friends easily. It was during our later years here that he asked me out, and I agreed."
"I see," I said slowly, wondering what she was going with this. "Did something happen to him?"
She nodded. "He's…not here anymore. We um, we were given this mission in Louisiana. Things…didn't go as planned. We were supposed to destroy this monster hideout, and we planted these Greek bombs that were set to give us both enough time to escape. Matt and I were delayed, and because of that…I was the only one that managed to get out alive."
"I'm sorry," I said, only because it seemed right. So that's why she had so many photos of him- she was still in mourning. "But Lynetta, why are we in here? We could have gone to my room to discuss instead."
She lowered her gaze, sighing. "I wanted to appear sincere, and what better way to do that then let you come in here? This room is my life, Seth. These photos are the embodiment of my memories here and at Camp Half-Blood. Even if I stored them away like in those photo albums…it wouldn't feel the same. What I'm trying to say… is that I'm still living in the past, Seth. Even after all these years, I still haven't moved on. So when you asked me the other day why I haven't left this place…"
"This is why," I finished. Lynetta nodded, her eyes looked a bit watery. "So when Walt thought I was still burdened with my past…"
"I was the one who gave him that impression, which is why he decided to reenact your past horror." she answered stiffly. "I thought that you were like me, and my horrible judgment is what caused your ire. My narrow-mindedness is my fatal flaw, Seth. Unless I've experienced what others have gone through, I won't be able to comprehend it. It's partly the reason why I decided to become Mr. Forger's assistant in the beginning. My job allows me to live vicariously through the students. It's…Mr. Forger's way of helping me overcome my fatal flaw."
"But I thought you were done with his training," I questioned. Lynetta shook her head.
"I may have passed the physical part in less than a year, but my fatal flaw training is an on-going process. My misunderstandings cause me to make quick, irrational verdicts, just like what happened this morning."
I didn't say anything, still trying to comprehend what Lynetta told me. After hearing her personal story, I felt like I could finally see Lynetta more as a human being, and not just the stoic trainer I saw every day.
"Again, I want to apologize," she told me earnestly. "Not just for that exam, but for belittling your ideals. It's still very hard for me to accept other views that aren't my own, and you reminded me just how lacking I am in that area. It doesn't help that my mother is Athena either, since we have a reputation of being very stubborn in debates and practically everything else."
"I can't say that's not true," I muttered, reminded of how Annabeth would more or less shove her game plans on me even when I protested.
Lynetta smiled briefly. "So that is my 'excuse'. But it is all I can give you since it is the truth."
"I know," I said. I was unconsciously listening to her steady heartbeat this whole time. She wasn't lying at all. "I can tell that you are sorry, and honesty is a trait I highly value. For that, I will forgive you for your rash actions. However…why is Walt not here? No matter how much you say it is your fault, Walt also played a role in orchestrating this fiasco."
"I asked him to give us some space," she admitted. "I think that's why he's going to talk to you later rather than now. It's still hard for me share this in front of one person, much less two- even if Mr. Forger already knows about this. So does this mean you will stay?"
I sighed. "Honestly? I think I said those words out of anger. You're not the only one struggling with a fatal flaw: Emotion is something that I need to work on still. You should know by now that I'm not one to do things halfheartedly. Completing Walt's training is also one of my goals, and I intend to achieve it."
She gave a genuine smile. "I'm glad to hear it."
-o-
"I see you sorted things out with my assistant?" Walt asked. We were now in his work room. Walt and I were sitting down facing each other. There was a table to act as a barrier between us.
I nodded. "Yes, but I'm still waiting for your apology, sir. You still played a major role in this. No matter how much Lynetta influenced you, you did come up with the idea."
"That I have," Walt admitted. "I'll start by telling you this: you remind me a lot of one of my previous students. From what Lynetta told me, your ideals and his are almost the same."
I narrowed my eyes curiously. "How so?"
"Like you, he also lost everything he had due to an unfortunate event," Walt said. "He shared some of your cynical views, and he made it his life's mission to be the very best at everything he does. Just like you in a way. In the end, he realized too late that he never actually achieved anything."
"What do you mean?"
"He strived for something that was out of his reach: perfection. You can say that was his flaw. He wanted to be perfect so his godly parent would be proud of him. Alas, you and I both know that perfection does not exist. He spent his whole life chasing after something he couldn't ever have or hope to obtain, making his life meaningless in the long run."
"Is he…still around?" I said hesitantly. Walt shook his head.
"He's dead," Walt said, his tone betraying the sorrow he felt. "The point, Hunter, is that I do not want you to end up going down that path. You have no idea how many similarities I see between you and him. You may not strive for perfection, but you are aiming for something that is just as impossible. If the impossible is what motivates you, fine! I don't have anything to say against that. But remember to also enjoy the life you have now. When you eventually finish my training, make sure to spend time with your little Greek friends, play video games, something fun. Don't just train all day long and shut everyone out. Believe me, you will end up regretting it, and that's what I'm trying to help you prevent, Hunter."
"Is this why you ordered me to do all those things?" I wondered. Walt looked confused. "You know, the video games, piano lessons, cooking, and even the chores? You wanted me to live my life?"
"Partially," Walt answered. "Those chores though, I couldn't believe how poorly you did them during the first few weeks! I don't even want to imagine how much of a slob you were before meeting me."
"Hey," I said. "If you think I'm a slob, you should meet my friends. No offense sir, but I think you're way too OCD."
"Blame my Roman gene," Walt muttered. "It's our way to abide by order and simplicity. It's how I'm brought up. If you Greeks want to be lazy bums, go right ahead. But while you are under my roof- you follow my rules, no exceptions."
I only rolled my eyes.
"Anyway, I do apologize for my miscalculation," Walt said. "If I had figured out how your past isn't your barrier, I would not have thought up such a test and have it spectacularly blow up in my face. It's also my fault for linking you with my previous student, which is why I was apprehensive about your ideals. I understand the significance of honoring dead relatives, so you have my sincerest apologies. I do not mean any disrespect towards your family."
"Apology…accepted," I said calmly. Again, I could tell Walt was being honest, and that made it easier for me to forgive him.
Walt nodded, his face not revealing anything. But from what I could hear, his heartbeat had slowed down to a normal beat. It sounded like he's actually relieved. That's nice.
"There's something else I want to discuss more in depth with you, Hunter," Walt told me seriously. "You can choose to tell, or you may not. I won't be offended."
"What is it…sir?"
"You mentioned your prophecy," he specified. I felt my heart sank. "Have you given any thought about what each of the lines mean?"
"Sort of," I said. "Since the prophecy is about my whole life, some parts have already been revealed."
"Could you tell me what those lines are?" Walt inquired. "The ones that have already been fulfilled."
I hesitated, thinking. It's not like he's asking for the whole thing, and it's already revealed anyway. There's probably no harm in telling him.
"I think it went like this: On winter's day, the Huntress' Heir shall appear." I began. "I was born on the winter's solstice as Artemis' heir. The second line 'And endure a life of deception and fear' is about my conflict with Artemis over the truth of my family's demise. Those are the lines that have happened already."
Walt appeared thoughtful, "I see, and do you have any idea where your prophecy goes next?"
"The war," I whispered. "The rest of the prophecy occurs during the war. I'm sure of it."
"When is this war going to happen?"
"Next August," I answered. Walt was taken aback.
"That's very soon," he said. "It has gotten that bad. Are you sure about this?"
I nodded. "The Great Prophecy predicts that it will occur around my friend's 16th Birthday. His birthday is in August. So I have a little more than a year. This is why I train so hard, sir. I want to be fully prepared before it happens."
"Do you believe your side can win?"
"I don't know," I said. "Right now, it can go either way. We have the gods' help and since last year, they've already started on war preparations. But then on the other side, the Titans are rising in numbers, minor gods and demigods are defecting to Luke- he's the traitor leading the defected demigods- to his side. Plus, they have a whole army of monsters that can regenerate."
"That doesn't seem balanced to me," Walt commented. "It appears the Titan army has the advantage in numbers and resources."
"It sure seems like it," I said, shrugging. "Either way, even if we are outmatched, we still got to fight. We can't just let the Titans take over."
"So does your prophecy tell you what your role will be?"
"I think it does."
"You think?"
"It doesn't say explicitly," I told him. "It's the next line that's been bothering me. It states that I will 'walk between the shadows and light'. Does that mean I will be a neutral party? Shadows probably mean the Titans, and the light means the gods."
"That's one way to put it," Walt replied, "but tell me Hunter- Are you a neutral party? Will you remain neutral in this war?"
I shook my head. "I don't think so. I will fight, and it will be for Camp Half-Blood."
"Then there's your answer," Walt said. "That definition is not the right one. Perhaps the symbols represent something else? Light could easily signify Lord Apollo, and for Shadows, it could mean Lord Pluto or even Lord Thanatos. Or maybe light and shadows could mean life and death."
"But that wouldn't make any sense!" I replied. "Walking between life and death…Lord Apollo and Lord Hades. No, I don't think that's it."
"Just exploring your options," Walt said. "Prophecies are tricky things, but if there's one thing I learned about prophecies…it is that all the lines are connected. Think Hunter: you know that you will fight for the gods. Your prophecy already preordained your relation and conflict with Artemis. Why would the Fates choose a child of Artemis, and a male one at that? Does Lady Artemis' deception bear any significant meaning? How would you connect all those together?"
"I-I don't know!" I exclaimed. "I don't know how all those things are supposed to connect!"
"Then you better start thinking long and hard about it, Hunter," Walt warned. "You have only a year, maybe sooner before the war officially begins. It is only until you know what role to play, then you can use my training to prepare yourself."
I nodded slowly. "Yes, sir."
"Call me Walt, Hunter," he told me. I blinked in surprise. He did mention in the beginning how I could address him by name when I reached a certain point in my training. That meant I was making good progress in his eyes.
"Okay, Walt."
-o-
As much as I hate to admit it, Walt did have a point.
I had to figure out what that third line meant, yet I felt like I was getting nowhere on that. What reason could there be for my birth? Why was Artemis chosen to be the parent? Why was the deception justified? I struggled to think up an answer for the next few days. I thought so hard on it that even my insomnia was making a comeback, just when I was starting to look 'normal'.
Of course, the Fates apparently didn't like leaving me in the dark for too long. I found my answer eventually...
…In the form of an Assassin's Creed game.
It's funny what video games could do.
I was nearing the end of Conner's (and Desmond's) journey. Everything was in chaos at the end. Juno turned out evil (no surprise there), the MC actually got off out, and it turned out that one of his friends was a Templar spy, and she got killed off too.
"That's what she gets for spying," I muttered absentmindedly, closing the TV. A moment later, my mind made sense of the revelation.
Spying…oh gods, I was suppose to-!
Suddenly, I was screaming curses at the Fates, the gods, everything. Even the video game didn't escape my wrath. In my anger, I slammed the game controller I was holding towards the wall with such force, it shattered into pieces upon impact. I wrenched my hands in my hair tightly, my eyes wide.
There's got to be another alternative! There has to be! Any alternative would be better than this!
Despite my mental pleas, I knew that there wasn't any. I didn't spend the last few days thinking up meanings for nothing. This was the first one that actually made sense. Was this why the Fates had Artemis deceive me? Why I was born male? It was all so I would have the perfect alibi.
Eventually, my chaos attracted some attention. Lynetta came in to see what was wrong. Her face grew pale at the sight of me. I didn't blame her. I probably resembled a madman with anger management problems. I was now on the ground, my arms wrapped around my knees, my mouth still mumbling 'No' repetitively.
"Seth…" she started. "What happened?"
I didn't answer. I felt my body trembling with dread. When I said that I wanted to help out in the war, I wanted to fight with my friends beside me. Not like this! I heard Lynetta knelt down beside me, placing a tentative hand on my shoulder.
"Seth?"
My voice sounded raspy when I spoke, "I…I finally figured it out. I found the connection. It all makes sense now…"
"What makes sense?" she asked.
"My role. I finally know what role I am going to play."
-o-
