Jason should have known something was wrong the moment he started dreaming, but in his defense he had been having Nightmares for the Last two weeks... ever since he returned from his Quest with Don. Usually he saw Aura, struggling against Bachuus... Jason always tried to help her, carving the God with such Rage that he was left shaking whenever he woke... Tonight was different. He wasn't watching Aura... he was her... and Bachuus was his Father, Lord Jupiter. He felt the same, horrible burning as his father rammed inside of him repeatedly, blood dripping down his thighs...
" Father... Stop..." He couldn't speak more as Currents of Lightning shot through his entire body, making him him convulse while his father continued his dirty works.
" Strike down the unfaithful gods... gods who allowed such atrocity... " A Voice, cold and sweet washed over him and for a moment the pain eased up enough to think past his panic. " What have they really done for you... Took you from your sister and mother... forced you to train with a Wolf as a toddler, only to be eaten should you fail... then you were locked in your camp, forced to train over and over to serve your father's demented wife, a women who forced your brother to slaughter his wife and children... who stole decades of his life and would have done the same for you had you not been made her slave... why serve them? What good have they really done for you... "
That's when he woke up, screaming... He could still feel his father's warm breath brushing against his throat, his beard scratching blood patterns into his chin and jaw. He could almost feel him inside, a gaping burning pain of being stretched way too far way to quickly. " Damn... I need to actually get some sleep..."His bones ached and his soul cried, he hadn't had a full night sleep in two weeks and it was killing him... thankfully Mika and Don both noticed, giving him a potion using both of their skills. He had kept it in his bedside drawer, not wanting to rely on it but he really had no choice at this point... " I can't believe I am taking this...I guess I should be grateful, it won't take the memories. Bad as they are, I can't loose what I Saw..." It tasted like bubblegum mixed with Mushrooms... as weird as that was, but it worked instantly. His eyes got heavey, the buzz he felt under his skin faded and his stomach was a maelstrom... he felt almost peaceful...
Laying back in his bed, Jason slowly drifted back into sleep. The Potion tightening his Spirit's hold on his body, preventing him from entering the realm of Morpheous...he knew, when he awoke, his memories of Aura's assult would fade, not entirely, but enough so he could deal with it. It would come back over time... apparently it was a weaker version of a Really powerful Potion created by the Wife of his Namesake. How Mika made it was beyond him, but apparently it used a lot of Natural ingredient's Faun's used in their Potions and Tonics.
As consciousness faded from Jason entirely, a soft white light glowed around him... rising from his Flesh, the Light swirled until it was in the shape of a women, one Jason would have recognized had he been awake. Softly she brushed his fingers, tracing his lips and scar with a gentleness fitting a mother. " Sweet child... soon enough we will meet... but until then rest..." On the sweetest of Breezes, the voice carried into the child's ears, easing the tension in his stance entirely, allowing him to finally relax... The Light however did not relax. Turning her head toward the ground, she glared. " Uncle, leave this child be. He will never serve you, we both know that."
" You would dare to defy me, I am the one who freed you from that River girl. I will put you back without hesitation." The Voice cold and cruel echoed across the room in harsh whisper, making her flinch lightly.
Shaking her head, she frowned. " You are trying to use me, you could have helped me eons ago but chose not to. Your no better then your Son or Father, we will defeat you then I will kill your Son and grandson. I will not trade one monster on the Throne for another, it is time we Immortals learned that lesson."
" Very well, Aura... but never forget, you no longer are a Titan or a Goddess... your a spirit, without power. Should I kill the boy, your Essence will fade entirely. I will enjoy watching just that happen to you...Just as I enjoyed watching it happen to your pathetic sister."
Had she been alive, Tears would have fallen down Aura's face, as it was she was wracked with horrible sadness... " My Sister sacrifice her life to prevent me from killing this child, her Love cured my mind, the sacrifice of her Soul freed me from the River... you do not get to insult her or her Memory. She is worth a thousand of you..." A Cold chuckle passed her lips. " Besides, I gave up my power, no one can tell that my soul is gone from the River. My hatred remains as well and that overpowered pretty much everything else. My father won't even notice..."
" Then perhaps I should leak that information out... I am sure my idiot son would love to learn of this... oh I can just imagine the punishment he will inflict on Leto... it will be profound..."
Bile, well imaginary bile, rose to her throat as he remembered the horrors of her own Punishment...She could not allow another person to suffer as she had. Her desire for revenge had long since past, the hopelessness a reminder that she was nothing when compared the Olympians. She was however, left with an " If he touches her, I will make him fade... then I will come for you... "
An Empty threat, one they both knew she was completely unable to make real...
" I can See the Future, me? I thought you had to be born with such power." The Mere Idea that he could see the future was almost as alarming as the future being see-able period, at least to Mika anyway. He hated the concept that the future was planned to such a degree that one could see it before it happened. It seemed wrong, cruel... and hopeless. Any action someone committed had no real value, good or bad, since it was all meant to be. Free will meant nothing...
Natalie, Daughter of Apollo and one of the Sorcerers in Camp Jupiter, nodded. " Your actually not wrong, you have to be born with that power to See the future.. See it. You can use your powers to see paths or divine answers. Confusing but cool, and very helpful. The Augur actually is a pretty good example of that, the gods channel their wishes and it it revealed by sacrifice, though..." Her face went red, chuckling lightly. " Augury is actually the art of reading the patterns of the Sky and birds, I'm not really sure why we call reading Organs cause that's a totally different thing... Anyway, you can do something similar. It isn't as potent since your asking the universe instead of a God, who we know is going to respond. If you cast die or something, the runes on them will give you a rough answer to whatever you ask. If you look into Paths, which is much easier then you'd think, you have to focus on the choice so you only see things related to that choice."
" Fair enough... How is this different to, lets say, an Oracle or a God or a Human blessed with the power to see the future?"
Natalie's eye brightened, looking eager to teach. " I'm glad you ask, no one really pays attention to that. When a God Sees the Future, if they are not an Ocular God or a Sea god, they see things tied to their domains. Like Janus sees Paths related to choices, so his powers tend to the extremes of each action. They can also see and translate what they see into their own personal oracles or any oracle that is open to their words. Oracle gods can see general futures but because they are gods with flexible consciousness, they can see a hell of a lot more then any mortal. Sea gods can see a lot, and tend to be very accurate but no one knows why, what they see is flawless though... same with those rare view mortals with the gift... Phineas is the best example of that. His Visions were perfect... Completely perfect, but only affected major events. The small things... those are easy for lesser beings to see since we actually experience them. We tend to struggle with the middle ground, things that are both important but also small... A Good example would be affairs or stockchanges. They are minor most of the time, but can do more. Last are Oracles, other then channeling the powers of their Patron, they draw on the Primal Source. We aren't really sure what the Primal Source it, but it is the source of the Fate's powers, the powers of the Oracles... this power allows them to plant futures... The Gods cannot affect or change these futures at all, they are seeds that change the world. Oracles usually draw from this place, but they can get power from their Patron and those futures are more planned for the benefit of the Gods instead of being for general change for the future.
What I teach you can be influenced by the gods, but since your in tune with Magic... you might be able to sense it... Might, It depends since Some gods are powerful enough to prevent that kind of detection. Other Sorcerers can affect your visions, as can ghosts if they are powerful enough. Or your own emotions... Future sight requires a lot of self control to ensure that your own goals do not tamper with your sight. To be perfectly honest, Divination can be accurate but always remember that you can wrong. Your powers can only detect paths and what could be, not what is and will be... And even then your limited in what paths you can see. Many paths are blocked by the Gods, The Fates, Oracles or any number of things. Sometimes it might just be your humanity restricts you from seeing paths too complex for your understanding."
" Huh... That is a lot more complicated then I expected." Turning away, Mika looked out the window to the sprawl of New Rome's Nightlife. Even now it was filled with unbridled tension, the Cold War between the Various Gods had sapped the unity from the Camp and City. Jason and Don's quest had only made it worse, what with the sudden changes regarding the Fauns. The Traditionalists couldn't handle it, and so they added their own vitriol into the Sparks of distrust and fear. The children of the Water, Underworld and Sky were at each other's throats... the Children of Fear and Panic and Chaos relished the sudden anger and anguish and only served to make it all the more painful for them all. Waves of that emotion slammed into the Villas that made up the School of Sorcery, so they were forced to place up powerful Wards and innact calming spells to keep the magic from being tainted. " I Hope it will come in use, before we break out into a Civil War."
Natalie shivers, the Romans hated the mere thought of Civil War, their ancestors had fallen far too often from Civil War. Actually the thought made shivers run through his own body, it seemed that by Practicing Magic of their Realm had allowed some of their innate fears to bleed into his personality. Little things mostly, and it was starting to piss him off... if he started to blindly respect Authority or fear Swimming, he would loose his mind... and Stomach. " I can only pray that it never comes to that... it is time to practice. We'll start with the basics, using Dice to conjure simple answers. It's actually pretty basic, roll the dice and read the runes. Not the most expressive kind of fortune telling, but a good one for quick info on most subjects. The Dice are already covered in Runes, which are innately mystical, so you really don't have to waste your power."
" Nice..." Grabbing the Dice and Cup, Mika shook them vigorously, thinking only of the Camp and what was to come... " Yahtzee! " He screamed as he tossed the dice onto the Table, cringing as he read the familiar runes. " I Don't imagine it is a good thing to get Conflict...Chaos and Uncertainty in the same roll... it is... " For a moment Mika shared a concerned look with Natalie, only to flinch when the table and dice started to rumble. Looking down, Mika cringed once more... he knew this was a message, meant for him. " I need to go... I'll be back soon Natalie..." Grabbing the Dice and Cup, Mika hurried out of the School, ignoring Natalie screaming out at him.
" What was that... Mika, What Promise did you make!" He chugged along, shaking ever so slightly at the memory of the dice...
Ocean, Promise, Summons, obedience...all delivered through a miniature earthquake... Neptune's not so subtle call, a reminder of his Oath and how so far he had accomplished nothing to help bring the Ocean Gods into a respectful view. Not without effort of course, he wasn't stupid enough to make such a promise to a God and Not keep it, but the Romans were difficult to change. Even Jason, praised and Loved by much of the Camp, could not convince the Camp to Change their name to the First Legion instead of the Twelfth. They were too into Tradition and the old Ways to Change, much to their own suffering...and his.
Taking a sharp turn, Mika drew the Mist to his Body, cloaking him entirely from sight. He didn't want to be interrupted while he spoke to Neptune... the less casualties the better... Anyway once he found the Shed that passed for a Temple, he sat against the Wall, Closing his eyes as he focused on the Soft but undeniably Divine strength of Neptune's Might. The Small hut was filled with it, along with the scent of a Sea Breeze... the warmth of the sun basking against his skin... a gentle rocking... luring him ever closer... into Sleep...
" Awaken child, your Summons has been answered." Snapping Forward, Mika had his Sword in hand, whipping forward to defend himself from the soft voice in his ear. He Managed to stop himself, when he realized that he was no longer in Neptune's Temple... He was in a Massive Palace, Made of Obsidian and Coral. Water washed around hum, heavy and pure, glowing a soft green that made his skin tingle and bone shiver. The Women in front of him was as beautiful as Proserpina, maybe more so in her own way. Obsidian hair wrapped in a Coral Comb, Strings of Pearls throughout her hair and around her neck. Her Skin was a bluish green, contrasting with her Pure black eyes and Purple lipstick. Every feature made her hard to look at, she was too beautiful for mere human standards... Cheekbones raised, A thin Hawkish nose and muscle covering her entire body like an MMA fighter. It was clear that unlike Proserpina, this women was a Warrior and would be just as likely to gut him with her bear hands as she was to blast him with her clearly divine power." Welcome to Atlantis child, my Name is Salacia... It is an Honor to welcome you in my house. It has been so long since I have agreed to take on an Ambassador."
Cringing, Mika shook his head as respectfully as he could. " I am sorry my Lady, but I cannot accept that. I am already tied to Proserpina, I serve her now and forever. I cannot be both of your Ambassadors AHHHHH"
The Soft green light exploded, power crushing him so harshly he couldn't even think about reacting... all he felt was a suffocating agony. " Then I am afraid, you will not survive the Day."
Proserpina could just barely pull her jaws from the ground as she took in her realm... it was... just... Just... Just so different. Lively almost... A heavy smile crossed her face as jealously washed over her, she had not managed to accomplish this in the Eons she had been Queen but in less then a few months her Younger Sister had changed so much. Anger shot through her jealousy then faded away to a mere burn in the back of her mind. " I am being foolish, countless mortals have fallen to their pride, I refuse to join them..." It was a mantra she told herself often, though to be honest she failed more often then not... but today felt different. She felt like for the first time, she could actually change...it was a strange sensation... " I will take this well, my realm is better then it has been in countless years... I helped my Sister Descend here in the First place, so I played my own part..."
Done reassuring herself, Proserpina opened her eyes and took in the beauty of her realm, of the many changes she could see and sense. It now had a wall, the Wrapped in and around the River Styx, Forty Feet High and made of pure Obsidian. Magic, clearly Hecate's work, oozed from each stone, as could the familiar energy of her Husband, Sister and Pallas...She knew that her own power would be added to the Walls, making them almost as indestructible as the Foundation of Olympus.
Across the Tops of the Walls she could see countless Warriors, many familiar faces, it seemed her husband had employees his own children and Juvantias' to Mount the Walls. Bows and Arrows were locked on her presence for a moment before turning away with a respectful Nod. Almost immediately, a Drawbridge was lowered and Gate was raised. The River splashed, it's mist peppering Proserpina's dress, for once not smelling horrible. " Is that Cinnamon?" She couldn't help the small giggle that escaped her throat, it just seemed so silly for the River of Hatred to Smell like Cinnamon of all things. " Wait... Styx, are you Back!" Hope shot through her chest as she ran to the edge of the Draw bridge, brushing her fingers in the River, amazed at how clean it looked. It clearly wasn't completely healed, but Much of the Garbage was gone as was a lot of the Oil. It looked considerably clearer, almost healthy... but she could still sense weakness, Damage... a faint whiff of Shattered Oaths... Proserpina knew, the only way to help this River Goddess recover fully was to enforce the Broken Oaths, as Helios had done in the past. The Problem there, was that no god would willing accept that they had grown far too used to Helios' absence... the freedom of being able to freely break oaths on a whim. Thalia, Jason and Persus were perfect examples of that..." My Friend... One day, you will rise and be well again... "
" I hope so, My Dear." A gruff, Familiar voice made her stand with a nervous Smile. Turning, she confirmed her suspicions... Pallas was standing just behind her, looking powerful and regal in a way that most Immortals believed they were but failed to express. He wasn't as tall as she was, oddly enough, but made up for his smaller size with Perfect lean Muscles that covered his Willowy frame. Shadows stitched his once broken skin, fading into what looked like Tattoos. His Armor had changed, now being made of stygian iron filled with Writhing souls of the Dead, she knew that they were Half of the Probatio Souls he had cleaning his wife's river. " You Look well... If I am correct, you are here to answer the Summons your husband sent?
She nodded, eyes tightening. " Yes... Why he would summon me to the Underworld now of all times is concerning, is all well?" She couldn't hide the nervousness in her tone... Her Husband was rather by the Book, he wouldn't take her from her Mother knowing it was against the Rules during the Spring. " Or was I summoned to see the changes to my realm?"
The War Titan sneered for a moment, or maybe it was a smirk... she wasn't sure, he was kind of ugly... it made reading his expressions difficult. " Your Husband is in the Sick bay, but with all of the changes I will need to take you to him. I am sure you have noticed that you cannot teleport straight to his side?" She nodded, fear tickling her senses. " Hecate and I used old Magic to create a webbing using these Bricks, the Dead can no longer leave without being Noticed. It is quite effective and works on Gods and Titans...We even managed to place some of these Bricks near the Entrance to Tarturus... though the malevolent essence is wearing at the spell, we will need to strengthen the spell later on... " The Titan held out his elbow, a smile crossing his face. " Follow me?"
" Perhaps we could bring down some Lavender and other calming flowers, they might be able to slow down the Wearing of the Spells?" She turned her gaze to where she could sense the Pit of Tarturus... she couldn't see it, thanks to the Fifty foot high Brick Wall wrapping around it, but she could still feel it. She could always feel it, so much malevolence concentrated like that was a practical Five Alarm Fire. " I Would bless them, but that Power cannot last here." She tried to keep the bitterness from her words, but it was just too hard... she missed flowers and Fresh air whenever she came down here.
" I wouldn't think that My Lady, Lady Juvantias has discovered a way around that limitation. It seems her Powerful Lifeforce, as per her control over Youth, can hold off the Power of the Underworld, so that you can grant Fertility to the ground and have your own Garden. They had hoped to surprise you, but I don't really care about that. Create your Flowers and see if they can hold off the Might of the Pit."
Stunned, and deeply annoyed that he was giving her orders, Proserpina flicked her wrist towards the Walls surrounding the pit... and watched in amazement as Several Flowers grew along the edge, climbing ever higher until they actually outgrew the wall itself. Lavender, Sage, Orange Blossoms, Marigolds... all growing and radiating a subtle power only those tied to nature could feel. Blessed by her strength, they glowed softly and began to purify some of the Negativity oozing from the Pit. On the Winds, winds that always blew softly from the Pit, she could smell the Flowers washing over her with their subtle power. " I may have to thank my sister yet... " Naturally she had some trouble hiding her tears, crying wasn't very Roman, but to be honest neither was she. Proserpina and Persephone were not that different, in fact the only real difference between her aspects was that her Greek Half was more Likely to be cruel and hold grudges, while her Current self was more of a team Player and was able to let her pride go to protect her people ( and the Seeds of course). It was that part of her identity that she drew from as she turned to the Titan. " Now, Pray tell, what is wrong with my Husband? Has he worked himself into a near heartattack again?"
That was far too often a path her husband was forced to endure, especially after major conflicts...
Pallas didn't bother to turn towards her. " You will see... Just, bear with it. Hecate is here, taking care of him... you must make a choice, as must your Husband... as must we all.. Hecate has foreseen many new paths, paths that will change everything but you must make your choice now. I already have."
Somehow, Proserpina didn't feel very secure with those words...
Mika was pretty sure he was about to die, crushed by Salacia's power, in the Depths of the Sea. All he could really focus on, other then the Pain and fear, was how deeply annoyed he was. He was being punished for Loyalty, for honor, for all that Crap Romans were so fond of... how fucked was that? His Magic was boiling beneath his skin, lashing out against the Goddess's power as best it could, fueling itself on pure fear and panic, though to be honest it wasn't doing much. Salacia was a Spirit of the Sea as well as the Goddess of Seals, Springs and Fish, ontop of being the Queen of the Seas... she far preceded the Gods. Her power was not to be trifled with or ignored... She could easily classify as an Olympian, hell she might even be strong enough to fight one of the Big Three, at least if she was in the Sea while she did so.
So naturally, he was surprised when the Pain ended and Salacia's face was split with a massive smile. " It is rare, to see loyalty... The Romans speak of Loyalty, prize it above most ideals, but are often the first to break fealty. They ache for conflict for it was conflict that made the empire so powerful. This was a test child, one you passed beautifully. For that you must be rewarded, and I have the perfect reward for that." Green light pooled around her, focusing all of a sudden into her palm, shimmering away to reveal a beautiful Harpoon. It was longer then his Arm and A Shiny white, but to be honest he wasn't sure what it was made of. '
" Thank you my lady, but... what is it? I cannot touch divine metal yet, my powers are not great enough." He tried to be respectful, not wanting to die by the Queen's hand.
Soft laughter rippled through the air, as she smiled at him. " I am sure you are Familiar with the Story of Persus, slayer of Medusa and a Massive Sea Monster? Well that Sea monster was slain a few years ago, it's remains fell into the Sea and I collected it. The Cyclopes forged this Harpoon and I blessed it, with my blood and magic. It will always return to you and it connected to the Sea. It can always find water and if you use it in tangent with your magic, it can purify Water. I give it to you as part of my blessing, along with the Titles of Pontifex and Champion."
" Ahc... your serious, you want me to be a Priest and your Champion? I can see the Priest, since I am helping to heal the rift between Rome and the Seas and Underworld, but Champion... are you sure you want me to be your Champion? I am not the greatest fighter in Rome, not even close." He was strong, yes, but countless others were better then he was. Jason for one...
The Goddess kept her smile, only now it turned sad. " Did you know that all of the Gods can forsee the future? At least to some degree anyway... children of the Sea have a far greater tie to the Future. I admit, that was one Gift I did not develop as much as my sisters, mainly Thetis the Leader of my Sisters. However I can see the Future well enough, for like Time the Sea is constantly shifting... and the future has shifted entirely. It has not been this unclear since we first became Roman... War is on the Horizon, and your actions have allowed for a new path to grow. You can help ensure that the growing conflicts do no doom us all... I have already spoken to Prospina, she has allowed me to label you as a Champion. We will share you as both Ambassador and Champion, you are our voice and our Sword... and your first duty shall be to grow in power and eventually find another to act as my Ambassador along side you, same for Proserpina. Our voices have been ignored for far too long... as our Priest, your duties are to restore our names with the Romans. I will pubically label you as my champion, but not now... In one month, once you have time to get a grip on your Skills with the Harpoon, during the Wargames... I will bestow upon you the Title... However until then, your Probatio Slate shall be burned with my symbol and Proserpina's, all will know you as our Pontifex, this way they cannot hamper your restoration of our Temples.
Finally, Mika nodded and took the Harpoon, feeling it's powers hum through him... bonding to his power, so it would always return to him. Focusing on the Mist, he imagined the Harpoon shrinking until it disaperaed with a pop, stored in the Mist for safe keeping. " Thank you, my lady... it would be an honor. Does being a Champion, Ambassador and Pontifex help me escape Probatio status? I would rather like not having the clean the Latrines..." A Slight shudder shot through him, even Magic didn't help clean the toilets and sewers of the Romans...
" Sorry, but not quite... It could, but I would rather you gain a name for yourself with a noble deed. It would keep the Airheads on Olympus from having a fit, the last thing we all need is my brother in law seeing you as a threat or being jealous... " Her eyeroll was pretty dramatic, so much so he couldn't help but giggle. " I cannot sustain this connection for Long, your Mortal frame would burn up... I guess this is farwell."
" Farwell, My Lady, I promise to serve you well." The Urge to vomit just barely was suppressed as he was returned to his own body. How many gods were going to take interest in him... granted it was kind of his fault, he did make a big promise to Neptune and Pluto... still he didn't expect this to happen so soon. All he could really do was behave as best he could and try not to get blasted into Nothing...
Hopefully it would all work out, but Mika knew well enough... when the Gods favored you, suffering was only around the corner... Thesus, Hercules, Odysseus, Julius Cesaur, Aneaus... they all suffered horribly throughout their lives, all because they caught the Eyes of the Gods. He refused to share their fate...
Chapter End, Tell me what you think in the Reviews.
Yes, Mika is a Champion, Ambassador and Pontifex... the Priest was really a tag on, I realize that he was basically just that while rereading the Blood of Olympus. Honestly it fits, I think this is by far the best Idea I have had in a while. Jason was a Champion of Hera, Son of Jupiter and Pontifex all at once... I think it is possible since he isn't getting massive blessings, just responsiblities. He will have to earn to other parts... the Good parts. Perks like pay, and political protection and more...
Lastly, I should mention that Mika is more connected to Salacia's domain over Fresh Water then he is to her Sea aspect... that is kind of important...
Love, your Ninja Overlord,
Mika.
P.S. Do not forget that since Mika is not divine, the gods have less restrictions when it comes to contact...