A/N - Hello and welcome to the first chapter of this story. For those who have seen my previous stories… well sorry, you had to see those. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the read!
Discord - D iscord . gg (slash) 5wPYfF4
Beta - Slim a Lou Prime
If one traveled through the forest at night they may see three people sitting around a fire a tall elderly man sporting a gray beard and fit frame, as well as a young man with a head of red hair and no facial hair to speak of, the final member of this trio is a young-looking woman with hair of a similar color as the young man. These three were the odd grouping of old Timothy Bernard, young Aurther Fionna, and Aurther's mother Ainetta Fiona. The three were gathered to celebrate Aurther's 16th birthday and the day he left to meet his ancestors and find his destiny.
"Lad come over here," Tim called Aurther over patting the log next to him.
Aurther slowly walked around the fire making sure to not bump anything as he sat facing Tim as he spoke again.
"I know yer' leaving soon and I won't ask why but I have two last gifts to give." As he said this, he put a black leather sheath with a black-handled knife in it onto the stump between them before reaching around his neck and taking off a small bronze pendant and chain.
"That knife there served me well in Vietnam and long after, so now I am passing it on to you so that it may once again serve, and as for the pendant it is a reminder for you to always trust your gut and take advantage of every situation."
Hearing this Aurther brought the pendant up to his face to see it. The pendant was bronze with displaying a carefully balanced scale backed by two crossed feathers. Aurther's mother Ainetta watched this exchange with a small smile on her lips before she turned away to grab a canvas bag behind her.
"Aurther, son could you come over here," She called to him as she hefted the bag onto her lap.
Hearing this he moved back over to her, looking questioningly at the bag on her lap.
"Like Tim, I also brought one last gift to help you." Saying this she handed him the bag in her lap.
"What is it?" Aurther said looking thoroughly confused at the surprisingly heavy bag.
"Open it, lad," Tim called out from over the fire in an impatient voice.
"Fine, fine, slow down ya old geezer," Aurther said.
He slowly undid the knot keeping the bag closed. He pulled back the bag he could see what was inside. There was a beautifully preserved M97 Trench shotgun. It's wood furnishing carved with decorations of mythological creatures.
"That gun has been on my side of the family for… decades, it has served me, your grandfather, and his father before him well, now may it aid you on your journey," Ainetta spoke softly as she looked up at him holding the gun. "Well… it's getting late you should go sleep you leave at first light."
After this final meeting of the three, Aurther left heading for his tent to set in for the night.
—Line Break—
Ainetta sat in her tent with her legs crossed and eyes closed as she considered what had occured that night. She knew with certainty now that Tom was a demigod, she may not be one herself but she did easily recognize Celestial Bronze when she saw it. She only hoped that it would be enough to save Aurther if he got tangled up with them.
"Hello Ainetta," A man's voice came from behind her prompting her to turn where she saw one of the Fionna's messengers.
"What do you need," Ainetta bit back sharply.
"Nothing I am just here to remind you against aiding the boy on his journey," The man responded his voice sounding almost sad.
"Yes, yes, your kind made sure to remind me of that fact all the time when I was there," Ainetta responded before turning her back again to the man signalling for him to leave.
"I am sorry about how everything has turned out," The man seemed to have a sad look on his face as he once again disappeared like he had never been there.
—Line Break—
Tom lay in his tent considering the day. He thought of all the times he had taught that kid.
"Hah, guess this really will be the next chapter of Greek Mythology," He muttered to himself as he pulled a coin from his pocket.
He was one of the oldest demigods still living yet he knew that would end soon. He had lived and fought through the Vietnam war using the gifts from his father to stay alive. Now, he felt one last feeling to give this kid the best odds.
—Line Break—
In the middle of a beautiful summer forest, animals were running about and a young man was trampling through the forest.
"This fucking forest sucks," Aurther swore loudly as he stumbled over yet another twisted tree root.
He had been walking for almost 4 days camping out in forests every night except one where he got a room in some shitty motel so he could shower and restock on food. He had the shotgun on his back with the knife still in its sheath on his hip. He kept walking until he heard a piercing shriek and the growling of dogs come from the bushes ahead of him. He moved quickly at the dropping his backpack and unslinging his gun before he charged headfirst into the woods. As he powered through the last of the shrubs he emerged into a small clearing facing the back of a frankly giant black hound.
"HELP, HELP," A small child's voice came out from the other side of the dog.
"Hah, just a dog nothing difficult," Aurther smirked and said to himself as he pumped the slide on his shotgun before firing two slugs into the animals back
Much to his dismay the gun seemed to do nothing to the dog with it simply turning around and growling at him. He fired the gun two more times with two slugs embedding themselves in the dogs face but it didn't seem to affect the creature in the slightest. The dark dog as he had decided to call it due to the black fur charged at him with a growl bowling him over and forcing the gun out of his hands and several feet away.
"Ahh, fucking asshole," Aurther spat out as he too was knocked into a tree by the dogs forceful charge.
Aurther landed on the ground gasping for breath as he was again slammed into by the dog, this time hitting the ground as it put its massive paw on his chest. He just barely stopped it from biting his head clean off by putting his armored fight arm in its way but the leather was not even close to enough to stop it from hurting like a bitch. As he felt the mouth crushing down on his forearm he knew that unless something changed and fucking quickly his journey would be over before it even began.
"Think idiot, think," Aurther muttered to himself as he desperately tried to keep the drooling mouth from feasting on his corpse.
It was then that he remembered the bayonet sheathed on his belt. No sooner had he thought of this when his left hand dropped down to his waist wrapping around the hilt of the knife he whipped it out and jammed it into the left side of the dogs head and surprisingly unlike the shotguns slugs the knife cleanly slide into the monsters skull killing it instantly.
"Goddamn finally," Aurther sighed out as the pressure on his right arm quickly disappeared.
Much to his shock though when he looked again he saw the reason the pressure had decreased as the dog, monster, whatever it was disappeared into a gold dust. As it disappeared he looked at his mangled arm he could see on his once over two large holes in the arm guard which were slowly oozing blood. That was good, it meant the hounds teeth hadn't cut anything too important and he would probably live.
"Is the doggie gone?" A small girl peeked out from behind the tree the dog was facing when Aurther first arrived.
"Well, less gone and more dead but yeah," Aurther replied as loud as his bruised chest would allow, when he said this the little girl who looked no more than nine years old came out from behind the tree.
He reached into the bag on his thigh pulling out a bandage and some clips. Once he had these out the little girl started walking over and looked at his injured arm curiously as he carefully undid the straps and tossed the ruined bracer off to the side and rolling up his sleeve revealing the pale skin and smaller holes in his arm.
"Guess I got lucky the bracer stopped most of the teeth," He muttered to himself as he began rolling the bandage around his arm before binding it together with two of the clips.
"Ohh, what happened there?" The little girl cocked her head to one side as she looked at his arm.
"That dog, monster thing that was attacking you bit me,"
"Oh, mommy told me it's a…" The little girl seemed to pout as she tried to remember what it was called, "I can't remember, but she also told me how to help wounds" She seemed to brighten up telling him that.
"Uh huh, sure, how did she say you could help," He didn't really believe her but what harm was there in humoring a child.
"LIKE THIS," The girl practically bounced in excitement before putting her hands together and squeezing her eyes closed like she was concentrating really hard.
As she did this ever so slowly a thick green mist came out of her hands and wrapped around his arm. He could feel a light sting begin in his arm and slowly increase into a burning sensation as the Mist closed in on his arm pouring into where the holes would be. Then suddenly it disappeared and he could feel nothing, not even the injury in his arm. When the sensation disappeared he looked at the little girl who was noticeably more tired but still smiling with all the brightness of the sun. He slowly looked down and unwrapped his arm revealing fresh scar tissue and dry caked blood where he once had puncture wounds.
"Well I'll be damned you can help," Aurther looked stunned at his arm before turning back to the little girl, "Wait… what is your name?"
"I'm Magie," The little girl now named Magie beamed while looking at him, "So who are you?"
"Well Magie, I'm Aurther Fionna, son of Ainetta Fionna," Aurther said looking Magie in the eyes.
As they were talking a green mist flowed out from behind Aurther slowly mixing together and thickening into a vaguely human shaped form.
"Mommy's coming," Magie jumped up from her crouch and ran behind Aurther throwing herself at the Mist.
As Magie impacted the Mist it peeled back revealing a pale woman with green eyes and black hair smiling kindly down at Magie wrapping her little arms around her legs.
"Hello there little one," Hecate spoke to her daughter before looking at Aurther, "Why don't you rest for a little while Aurther and I have a little chat."
As Hecate spoke she gently put her finger against Magie's forehead causing the nine year old to lay down and sleep.
"So, you're that one's mother," Aurther asked Hecate looking at her with his eyebrow raised.
"Yes," Hecate looked seriously at Aurther, "How did you find her, last time I saw her she was happily playing with her father."
"Then I guess you haven't looked recently," Aurther slowly stood up turning his back to Hecate and started looking through the bushes to the right of where the monster had knocked him down the first time.
"Generally when a god speaks to a mortal that mortal faces the one they are talking to," Hecate replies to Aurther with an almost amused tone to her voice as though he is simply entertaining and poses no threat, much to Aurther's ire.
"So that's what you are," Aurther stops for half a second hearing her statement before resuming his search.
"Yes but for us that is irrelevant, now will you answer my question"
"Fine, she was being attacked by some dog, monster thing. I heard the scream and came over to investigate, and in doing so I killed it," Aurther bent down as he said this and wrapped his hand around the barrel of his gun picking it up and dusting off the dirt and grass that was clinging to it.
"A hell-hound probably, I thought I smelt dog here," Hecate said looking at the gun in his hands. "Though, that raises the question of how you killed it."
"Well I stabbed it in the head… …" Aurther seemed confused at her implication.
"Yes, and usually that would be all, however, mortals shouldn't have the means to injure creatures like that," Hecate looked at him pointedly as she said this, "And you are clearly mortal, I sense none of my family's blood flowing through you."
"You mean godly blood right," Aurther spoke slowly beginning to understand what she meant.
"Yes, I suppose you have earned enough to know, but yes I am known to mortals as Hecate, Goddess of Magic," Hecate seemed to almost glow as she said this but that quickly faded as she spoke again, "Now tell me how you defeated the hell-hound."
"Hmph, fine, this is what I used," Aurther, still skeptical of the 'goddess' pulled out his knife again flipping it in his hand to present it hilt first to her.
Hecate carefully reached one hand out to take the knife before moving it closer to her to look it over.
"Celestial Bronze… where would a mortal get a celestial bronze knife," Hecate looked accusingly at him.
"An old friend gave it to me, why do you care?"
"Because that would make you the first mortal in 40 years to knowingly possess such a weapon," As she says this she spins it in her hand passing it back to him, "Wield it well."
"Hmph," Aurther took the knife back from her putting it back onto his belt before folding his arms, "So, what do you want?"
"How do you know I want something?"
"Why else would a goddess talk with me?"
"Clever aren't you," Hecate looked him up and down before replying, "Yes, I do need something, you seem like a fighter so I ask that you guide my daughter here to a specific location."
Aurther pushed for a moment, weighing his options. "Ok, and if I agree what's in it for me?"
"Information and I can improve your weapon, I'm sure you noticed your gun did nothing to the hell-hound right?"
"Yeah, still don't quite understand how that works."
"Well that is because it is a mortal weapon, I can fix that if you do this job"
"Ok that is one part of my payment what is the other?"
"Glad you asked, I will give you all the knowledge you could need to properly fight these monsters."
Aurther stood silently considering his paths, he could go along with it and possibly learn much more or he could risk angering a god.
"Alright, say I accept, where do I have to take this kid?" Aurther said.
"It's a camp for people like her near New York."
Aurther hesitated for one last moment before answering.
"I'll do it" he said unknowingly plunging himself headfirst into a mess of gods, titans, and giants.
As he unknowingly signed away the next few years of his life Hecate smiled before the green mist surrounding her once again moved sucking in and causing whatever form she previously held to disappear. In the place of her a book with a single business card lay on the ground, All You Need to Know About Greek Myths by Hecate.
A/N -
Slim A Lou Prime throws himself into the room with a mixer in his hands, the cosmic being entrance was rather poorly footed and he ended up landing on his face after stumbling in. After slightly forward for a few feet, he came to a stop before shooting up to his feet like nothing happened.
"WE HAVE RUN OUT OF MARGARITA MIX FOR THE MIXER!" Slim Prime yelled, shaking the mixer at Ze Kaiser.
Ze Kaiser jumps out of his seat in surprise.
"WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME THIS SLIM!" Ze Kaiser yells back at Slim scared shitless by his appearance, "AND HOW DID YOU EVEN GET IN HERE!"
"I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T EVEN DRINK THE STUFF!" Slim yelled back before pausing. "WHY AM I SHOUTING THIS!? ALSO, I HAVE CONTROL OF THE SPACE CONTINUUM I CAN GET ANYWHERE!"
"THAT DOESN'T EXPLAIN WHY YOU ARE HERE OR WHY YOU ARE ASSAULTING ME WITH A MIXER!" Ze Kaiser paused before taking a deep breath, "Now if you can control the space continuum why can't you summon more margarita mix?"
"Because I don't like relying on my powers all the time… it helps remind me of my humanity you know." Slim replied putting the mixer under his arm. "Beside assault implies that I am hitting you with said mixer."
"You are assaulting my ears, besides you don't seem to have any problem with using your powers to break into my room or steal my cookies."
Slim Prime pauses from eating said cookies, before hiding them behind his back. There is a flash of red light before he brings his hand back to his front. A set of keys dangled from a key chain.
"You seem to forget that we are on my ship right now." He was about to go on when his phone started to ring. "Yello?... What do you mean you lost it?... How can you lose it is literally built into the ship…" Slim Prime looks back to Ze Kaiser. "Hey R.O.W. lost a part of the ship and I need to go looking for it." Slim prime then runs into a red portal that opened beside him.
"I should really move back to my palace." All though in all seriousness thank you, everyone, who takes the time to read this. I can't promise I will be very consistent with updates for this it is a project that I do cause I like it.