~Hey ya chums~

Welcome back to Aeternum Vindicta! Yep, changed the name, Latin, and all. Sweet.

Read my author note at the bottom for more info :)

IMPORTANT- READ BELOW FOR OPTIONAL INFO

Ok so hi. I know I've gotten a few reviews on grammar mistakes, and all that, but whatever, I don't edit, sorry. The thing I'm talking about is my plot in the last chapter. Yeah, I know it's starting to get a bit too much "Chaos Land" and all that stereotypical stuff, but bear with me. I can fix this. Hopefully. As for the blood or ichor bending, I might have to change that. It's yeah... not realistic and not a good idea.

From now on, I'm not even marginally sure if there's even going to be a pairing. Seriously, I'm not joking here. *straight face zooms in*If you don't like the lone wolf thing, leave. Nah I'm joking, give it a read. Maybe I will do a pairing later on, but not soon. No.

I've also got a new chapter style going on, so yeah, enjoy!

Evil lurks in places you would never imagine and tries to charm its way into your life.

-unknown

Chapter 8

Emotions

Perseus POV

The wind was howling as heavy rainfall splashed onto the already moist ground outside in thick droplets. I sat up, curled under the nook of my tent, half my body exposed to the cold that bit my skin. I didn't know why. Maybe I couldn't fall asleep. Staring into the blurry abyss, I felt nothing, no emotion, nothing of the sort. Was I human? Last time I checked I was. It was if nothing mattered anymore, nothing in this world. I felt nothing.

Time moved slowly, Each blink of my eyelids was long and weary. My breathing, so slow, there were moments where I hardly breathed at all. I moved my head slightly at the rustle within the tent: only her, moving in her sleep. No use talking to her, she would never understand. Nobody could.

I'd always get through life no matter what the fates threw at me, but this was different, this was worse. The mission was on the brink of failure, no leads, no sense of determination within me, I felt like a failure.

Sighing, I rested my head against the hard wooden pole that held the tent upright, picturing myself somewhere peaceful and quiet. Somehow, I pictured myself back at the barracks where I and the man, who's name started with "A" - I refused to think of his name - had spent long nights chatting, sharing memories. Our stools halfway outside the barrack, letting the hot summer breeze itch us, the hard sand scratching at our toes, and the taste of good old wine.

That thought saddened me like never before, thoughts of friends who could never return to my life, never reunite, never have the family they wanted. After all, not everyone is born on the right side of the tracks.

I sighed in acceptance. All that live must die, and all that die live on. Again and again. again and again. An endless cycle.

I hugged my arms tightly but nothing was enough to comfort me, failing to copy the warmth my mother gave me all those years ago. Warmth. What of Hestia? She had promised to protect me, and I hadn't seen her since that dreadful day. I was just a boy, a boy who wasn't capable of taking care of himself, a boy who needed help at every turn of his life. And I hated depending on people.

Knowing the dark secrets of my failures, I realized I hardly knew myself at all. My life was just a manipulative lie, and I was lying to myself. The question was,

Who am I?

Time always slowed down when he was deep in thought, as if Chronos gifted me with time to think, to swallow myself in memories I could never have back. Time seemed to slow. The air thick and syrupy, with a coat of morning dew that covered the green grass that lay before him. A picture of grey clouds and canvasses above, an endless haze of dark ash from the campfire the other night.

My fingers tingled, and I sensed the need to further expand my powers - that day fighting Oceanus had taught me how weak I was in this world, and there was never pity in a fight. It only led to certain death. I felt angry as I thought about this, how useless I was, how I could never save anyone I loved.

"Take me home. I want to go home..." I murmured, clenching my fists.

The thin mist hardened into shapes at my anger, turning into icicles as sharp as daggers.

Rome will rise, and your petty land of Greece shall fall. Aeneas had said, his final words before death.

"I won't do what you did. Nor will I allow your legacy to live on." I frowned, now both fists tightened, my fingernails stabbing my palms.

The icicles before him broke, shattering into pieces. My eyes jerked towards the broken pieces. I had unconsciously lost control, again.

Behind me, Zoe had woken up, and my fake smile came up. Pretending like I was still happy and positive about life, even right now. She didn't need to know my troubles, she had enough on her mind already. I had always marveled at how she could sleep without nightmares, truly enjoying the definition of sleep: rest. Snorting at that impossible though, I wriggled myself around to face her, rubbing her eyes, her obsidian eyes droopy and tired.

"Morning." We grumbled at the same time, causing both of us to laugh in a fit of giggles. The smiles wore down though, dissipating into grim looks from both of us.

"Finally! I thought you'd never wake up." I groaned, trying to hide my slight irritation of the morning serenity that faded.

"Go hunt for food, will you?" She laughed without even looking at me. Her sheets were ruffled on the side, and her nose twitched slightly, as though she was smelling for food I was too lazy to hunt.

"Yes, Ma'am." I joked, saluting her before hoisting my bow and quiver. She scrunched her nose at my lame attempt of making her laugh and plopped back onto the mattress.

"Remember, we have to get going soon. Iapetus's tracks are fading rapidly." She grunted, stuffing her face with her pillow.

I sighed, stretching my back and hearing those satisfying sounds of my limbs snapping back together in place, and breathed in mouthfuls of forest air - damp but scentful.

Bending down to check my waist, where I had both swords sheathed, I couldn't resist a grin. Dual-wielding. Sounds fun. Squirrel. Tree. I should hunt for food. Hungry.

Letting my hyper activeness take over, I bounded into the woods, my sleek bow bought out and notched with three arrows. This way, it would be effective for taking down our food in quick succession. Before long, I had shot down two squirrels, and a large bird that would probably taste good. Other than that, the habitat of this forest was pure. Trees were healthy, the animals were large in population, and there was a nice river flowing through it. Lady Artemis surely would've liked it.

My eyes scanned across the river, the steady pace of the river easing my nerves, and the reality of my situation evaporated. When I was in or near water, I always felt peace. Nearly.

The sea had always been a part of me, growing up. If someone had said this was due to my link with Poseidon, my father, I would've waved them off. My mother herself loved the sea, and she had always said the sea made her think of good memories, the calming whoosh of the waves, how beautiful it looked on a hot summer day. It was how she met my father, taking a stroll by the sea when he appeared, fully clad in his Atlantian armor. I had always imagined how that particular scene looked, imagining every single aspect in that one moment, my mother standing there in her dress, the warmth of the sand, my father holding his trident relaxingly, and the humid breeze that was accompanied by the soothing waters.

It seemed too good to be true, like a fairytale that didn't belong in this harsh world. How I awed ordinary people, oblivious to the real world, stuck in never finding the bigger picture. Sure, they might believe the gods and whatnot, but every decision in this world has consequences.

I knew the gods had taken notice to me at first as if I was the new farm pet they had gotten to play with and thrown away. I had long gotten used to this, Achilles stealing the spotlight in the war, and so I really didn't care. Which I guess was a good thing. I was starting to become invisible again and, admittedly, as much as I'm ashamed to admit it, I felt relieved and calm for once. I no longer felt like everything I did was observed by everyone around me, or that every word or action I carried out would be recorded or reported to someone.

Weren't we just pawns? Serving the greater good... There was no greater good. Zoe had told me of her kind, the Titans, and to me, the Gods were just the Titans 2.0.

Speaking of Zoe, how could she be so calm about this? It was infuriating, the way her innocence shielded her from understanding why anybody could be so cruel in this world. And it was infuriating that I hated this quality about her, it was one of the things that kept us together, but kept her vulnerable. She wasn't capable of this harsh, harsh world.

All I wanted was to keep her safely in my arms, make sure she was safe from all harms this world had to offer, even though she was way older than me.

"Stupid forgiving nature!" I yelled, unable to control myself. I got up, my fists clenching, letting go of the squirrel carcasses.

"Perce? What's wrong?" A woman's voice called from behind.

"What is there to know? This mission is a catastrophe, and if we keep going on like this, my violent nature would land us dead." I snapped at myself, without turning around.

"Percy? What's wrong?" She asked once more, and I could sense her eyebrows raise at my strange outburst.

"We can't keep going on like this..." I trailed off. "This issue, with my lust for revenge and how poorly we're handling this Titan issue... I don't think we have a clear purpose and vision we can maintain."

Now it was her turn to act annoyed. "We know what we're doing here, we have a goal, remember? Me, Hunters of Artemis, you, getting your revenge and then living in solitude!" She exclaimed, her hands waving around at her point.

"The thing is... Every time I kill a person, for whatever belief or reason, I feel the heaviness of the burden on my shoulders. The amount of stress that follows me every day is untouchable, there forever. Sometimes, I envy you for being so - innocent, forgiving, and nice. I can't do that, and once you leave I'm not sure what will happen to me." I informed truthfully, staring at my palms - the same palms that had the same blood of my former friends.

She stayed silent, looking sorrowfully at me from the corner of her eye. I knew she felt guilt, but pointing it out would only cause anger.

"What's the point of letting people in if they're just going to leave you?" I whispered.

Her voice finally ignited, breaking the cold silence between us. "I would never leave you, but some things are just meant to happen, like you meeting me." She murmured, whimpering a little.

I shook my head. "Don't do this." I pleaded, slowly reaching down and cupping my hands around her cheeks. It was like he couldn't bear it and neither could I.

She frowned sadly. "I'm sorry, I just... I can't." She whispered, shaking her head and letting go of me as she backed up. "I'll be leaving soon after we defeat the Titans anyway, so you might as well let me go now."

My eyes widened at that and she froze, realizing what she had just done.

Instead, she slowly reached up and brushed my messy hair out of my eyes. "Percy." She murmured, in a pleading voice, wanting to explain.

"Meeting you was one of the best things that happened in my life. But finding a new one is what I need. Keeping myself busy in the Hunt will distract me, maybe help from the grief of leaving you. You have to remember I need a new life too, a new start, a mother figure."

"Is there nothing I can do?" I practically begged. "Nothing at all?"

She smiled softly gently pulling against my wrist and I caught my breath and the closeness. "No Perce. I'm sorry but this is the way it has to be."

"Please... I'm not ready to say goodbye yet." I sighed.

"You're not." She laughed. "I'm not even leaving right now, and you're already depressed." She giggled. "Lighten up!"

My face broke into a smile - her laugh and smile were just so contagious. What would I do without her, when she leaves?

Throwing the carcasses into the hearth, I tried to sound confident but it came up more like a plea. "Try not to die before we meet Artemis, huh?"

She smiled, in pity of herself, or me, and I couldn't bear to look at her face anymore, a face that would just be a part of my memories one day.

"Let's pack up the tent. Then it's back to Titan hunting." I grinned maliciously.

You'd think that a few weeks on the road hunting for a being, a powerful being we had no idea would be was easy, but with everything going on things weren't exactly easy.

It had been as boring and horrible today as it had been the past few months. I had never forgotten that soul-crushing blow to me when she had informed me of her departure, soon. One day, I'd wake up, without the comforting presence of my companion, and feel the cold wind blow past - only me. Every moment was precious, every laugh, every battle, every joke. And I treasured these.

Even with that, every day was becoming the same - dismal, draining, walking, and setting camp. I hadn't spoken to her since yesterday, silence blanketing us like fog. Even without speaking, we anticipated each other's movements, swift and calculating, precise and timed.

Are you an effective team? My consciousness asked. (Oblivion, anyone?)

Yes. Definitely.

It felt so long ago since we spoke, and she was right in front of me, leading the way through the dense woods. I felt more like new-Perseus than the old one. At least the old Perseus was innocent of any crime, pure, and still had the audacity to laugh joyously. The new me, was just me, a nobody, talking to the voices in my head. Effective, I scoffed mentally. Effectively.

So easy it was, to keep that figure up, that personality, to prove to the gods he was worthy of their attention, not some old toy. This is for Zoe. This is for Zoe. This is for Zoe. I always repeated to myself. The sake of the mission didn't matter. What mattered was getting her there safely.

I didn't complain though, In a way - I was used to it. Just not to the extent but I could bear it. It helped me forget about things I didn't want to think about. It was a distraction. She was a distraction.

"His tracks and godly scent end here." She abruptly spoke, cutting through the long silence they had endured for so long.

I kneeled, my fingers trailing against the damp dirt before me, callous fingers feeling the indent of the ground, Iapetus's sandals most likely.

"He could've teleported away Zoe." I rolled my eyes at the obvious answer and was rewarded with a punch on the shoulder.

"Quiet!"

A deep-throated laugh could be heard, not the hearty-old man laugh you'd hear, but a raspy, deep laugh you'd expect from an angry Fury.

"If it isn't the two little godlings." The shadow laughed, shaking the nearby bushes.

"You really have to quit that evil guy hidden in the shadows thing" I pointed out, at his poor attempt at acting like a criminal mastermind. "We know it's you, Iapetus."

"Wrong."

I gulped, eying the shadow critically, my fingers already grasping at the handle of Judgement, ready to strike. Zoe seemed to be agitated too, glaring nervously as she clenched her jaw, arrow already nocked.

"As always, none recognize me, nor know me." It introduced, spreading his arms, and I noticed, he had a fine bow and quiver slung on his back. When we didn't answer, he sighed and continued.

"Lord Lelantos, Titan of Air and Hunting Skills." Smirking when he added the "Lord", obviously for extra effect.

Pieces clicked together at once, he was the Titan who had an agreement, a contract with Iapetus, most likely to take down demigods or Gods with an army, most important with Gaea at their side. This much I knew, from the letters back at Delphi. These Titans were treading on thin ice, skipping around to different places in order to what? Create a distraction? Muster an army?

What was the point of controlling the godly world? What control could they afford to use, but control always lead to a rebound, and I wasn't even sure what use of control was going to be implemented when such large forces were at hands reach - all the gods and demigods.

What way could control be implemented? The use of resources could be one, warfare, especially this had no rules. One could starve out resources such as weapons, godly metals, or food. If Gaea was the earth, surely she had control, right? An uprising or a takeover could always be possible, not out of mind. Turning once-loyal supporters of Olympus over to the other side, and destroying from the core. It was all possible, right?

"You were foolish trying to stop us," Zoe remarked, her fingers straining on the arrow, still notched. "You all are nothing better than the Gods, thinking you're all superior and better rulers."

Instead, Lelantos laughed once more, hurting my ears.

"My, My, Zoe Nightshade. See what you've become? Just a shell of your former self. Former Hesperide, an immortal Daughter of Atlas, forced to seek shelter from Artemis, who won't even find you!" The Titan laughed, his voice echoing deeply.

She gritted her teeth and glared at the amused Titan, her strain on her arrow becoming even tighter.

"Don't," I whispered to her ear. "He's only trying to aggravate you, to bring your rashness out. Remember, keep calm and mask your emotions."

She took a breath and nodded, and we resorted to watching Lelantos finish his laughing. Titans, what idiots.

The Titan's straight, sudden stoic face brought us back to reality not long after. "You'd think I was here to report to my elders of all your pesky interferences on our great plans." He laughed. "Fear not, my mission here is only to end both of you." He smirked, swinging his crossbow out from mid-air. Perks of being a Titan.

"I guess we're lucky he can't attack us, with the Ancient Laws and all," I whispered to Zoe, testing my ammunition. Was this Titan stupid, brash, decisive, or calculating?

"Pah! Screw the Ancient Laws!" He snarled, hefting his crossbow to level us. "Those petty laws do not stop your coming death!"

A fight was coming, and we all knew it. But would the Ancient Laws really restrict him from attacking, or was he bluffing? Mother Earth, Gaea was on his side, and it technically was possible for her to not abide by Ancient Laws. She was a primordial, after all.

The wind blew at faster speeds now, obscuring my vision into a hazy hurricane. Oh yes, Titan of Air. Quite Obvious.

I felt for the moisture, the water droplets so small they were part of the atmosphere, suspended in the air. Millions of droplets surrounded us, and each molecule bent to my command, and this was what power at your fingertips felt like.

Lelantos growled at my display of power, and the winds quickened. It was if a hurricane was brewing right in my face. Well, two can play at this game.

Fist crushed, the water molecules bent together and erupted, merging into my personal tornado. I smiled inwardly at the numerous times I had practiced, tornados were difficult compared to raising waves, or creating shapes with water.

My personal tornado acted as a barrier against the harsh winds, pushing it to the brink of my tornado, until all I could see and hear were the roaring of the winds, and my clenched fists, holding it together. Barely. How did I even scare of Oceanus?

An arrow was shot, though who shot it, I couldn't make out. For all I knew, Zoe could've been shot, and bleeding out, and I was unable to help her in time. A glimpse of black shot by inside my tornado, and I turned to catch the head of an arrow, Lelantos's arrow. If he had really attacked, that meant Ancient Laws no longer restricted all Titans supporting Gaea, and the Demigods would now be at even greater risk.

"Perce! Watch out!"

With that warning, I dropped onto solid ground, and rolled to the side, my tornado dissipating. It was getting tired anyway. Three arrows shot in quick succession, too quick for the human eye. An arrow embedded itself into my thigh before I could comprehend, and another scraped my shoulder. Gold ichor leaked out, staining my chiton.

I stood, not in acceptance, but in the role, I had to fill. When I had started out, all I knew was to defeat the enemy, and that was it. Within years my inner curiosity found that the enemy was just one small part of warfare. Warfare was defined, decisive, and solely revolved around logic and tactics. You needed to find the reason for outrage, of sudden anger towards whatever it was. To find the core was to find the solution. But as always, warfare is war. And war is death. Around and around. Basically, warfare was just the first step towards peace, and things had to be sacrificed to make things right. No matter what. And this was what I needed to fulfill. Fighting for the greater good.

I ripped both arrows out, ignoring the burst of pain, in time to block another three arrows with Judgement, keeping Riptide in paperclip form just in case. Zoe didn't need another word as she hailed Lelantos with arrows, mercilessly aiming for weak points such as his knees, elbows, neck, and exposed points.

"NO! Stay back! He's MINE!" I roared, pushing forward through the winds while cutting down more arrows. "I can't let you get hurt. Much less, die." Goals needed to be fulfilled, and Zoe was one of them. A look of pain settled across her face, but her mental shields went up just as fast, and she focused on her shooting. With the strong winds, I had no idea how she managed to do that.

"Weakling..." The Titan of Air hissed, pulling Zoe's arrow out of his abdomen. "You think that a mere child can defeat me? Then you are sorely mistaken." He whispered, an arrow grazing my cheek and setting it on fire. On instinct, a primal roar escaped my lips, the water around me blowing the Titan to the ground, and the air slowed down back to normal as he lost control of his element.

A shallow breath escaped my lips, the dire situation implementing itself into my mind. The groaning winds, Zoe standing ready behind me with arrows notched, the rustling of the tree branches, and my heavy breathing from my wounds. I gritted my teeth and gently touched the cut on my cheek, my fingers coming off with golden blood, ichor.

The first time I had ever lost blood - or ichor since, well, ever. The wounds reminded me of how powerless I was, how unprepared I was, how naive I was to overlook a Minor Titan. My chest pounded painfully as I blinked back tears - no, not now! Not another flashback!

"Your heart, as deep as iron."

"This, Is revenge for the war, and for my brothers."

"Then Die fighting, if that is what you wish."

"Death follows you both until the end"

"Your end comes near, and so do your sons."

"Death commands your death, and I dearly hope you suffer for your crimes."

I may be savage, I may be bloodthirsty, but I agreed I was merciless, only to my enemies.

I gasped, at the influx of memories, but also at broken promises. It reminded me of revenge, not yet complete, and that death was nothing compared to what I was going through. All that live must die. Immortality was never truly real, it could always be taken away. And all I wanted right now was to go to sleep, an eternity of rest.

WAKE UP! My brain screamed, and I jolted back to consciousness again, in time to dive to the side to avoid a close stab from a spear. Zoe's shouts were background noise now, and my elbows were grazed from the packed dirt. Hyperness kicked in, and I felt the need to renew the promises of vengeance, in order to eliminate the rising threats of the Son's of Aeneas.

Shakily, I stood up, with both Riptide and Judgement comfortably settled in my palms. Lelantos looked incredulous, his eyes glowing blue as he spun his dual spears at each hand. Zoe looked ready to help, her twin knives unsheathed but I stopped her, determined to take on this fight myself.

"Your chances of leaving this fight alive aren't good, Zoe," I explained, keeping a distance from Lelantos. "I swore an oath to myself to keep you safe."

She opened her mouth to protest, but Lelantos chose that moment to strike. I growled and steadied myself for the supposed blunt force from the Titan. Until I noticed how he moved. Quick and light, his feet placed in speedy steps but also steady. Our weapons clashed, spearhead against Riptide and Judgement. I never pictured a fight between dual swords and dual spears, but this was definitely new to me.

His strikes were evenly placed, all perfectly proportioned in force and agility. He never spent too much force and power in one strike, instead he spread his energy out, it seemed, using my swords as a rebound to fight back faster. I guess this was probably a fight I expected from a smarter opponent, such as Athena or Artemis. Not him.

Well, guess I underestimated him.

I backtracked, heaving in breaths of cold air as I looked at my opponent dead in the eye. With elation, I realized I still lived. Grinning, I crouched and slammed my palm against the ground, sending shockwaves and causing Lelantos to reel back and roar angrily as he charged.

"I'll admit demigod, you surprised me there." He hissed out, lazily sending a gold-tipped spear at Zoe who tried to roll away from being skewered, but she cried out in pain as it struck through her thigh. "I wasn't expecting you to have earth-shaking abilities."

"Guess I'm just awesome." I snarled in response, unsheathing two daggers at my belt and throwing them with precision. Even then, it bounced harmlessly off the silver armor he wore. When was he even wearing armor? "Okay, that's bullshit."

"Language young man!" Lelantos scolded before cackling. "And I think I've played with you two long enough."

My hands were sore already, yet I stood shakily and snuck a peek at Zoe, who was withering on the ground where blood - mortal blood flowed freely from the wound. No.

Stunned, I was barely able to tackle Zoe out of the way of the hail of arrows the Titan sent as one punctured my shoulder and another went through my shoulder. I let out a scream, as he was on us in an instant, arrows now peppering my back as I shielded Zoe from harm. I was immortal, but she wasn't.

"Percy!" Zoe cried out, screaming in rage as she threw her remaining daggers at Lelantos who merely scoffed at the attempt, blocking each dagger with his spear.

"Loyalty. How cute." The Titan of Air sneered, kicking my ribs as I groaned and shakily closed my fist around Judgement, which lay before me. I had to go down fighting. "I think I'll be nice and let you two die together."

Gritting my teeth, I tried pushing myself to my feet ichor dripping down my arm from torn flesh. "I won't die so easily, Titan." My mouth forced out, forcing the ichor running down his flesh to obey me, the liquid glowing gold2 before freezing into a lance in my hand.

This is the only way. My mind calculated as I stood to full height, desperately trying to look brave against the prospect of this fight. Panting, I rolled forward, despite my agonizing wounds, and came up right in front of him, forcing the lance into his guard and we left off from where we were. A never-ending duel. Except these kinds were ones that wore you down, whoever died of exhaustion first.

"Zoe. Run. Save yourself." I managed to choke out. No time to look back.

My lance broke and I lunged in a final ditch effort, parrying the spearheads that came and slicing his body where I could. There was truly no way of winning, I knew it, but Zoe needed time to run. One of his spears struck the side of my thigh, and I cried out, not in agony, but in sadness. This was my end, and It would take centuries to reform again, possibly never meeting Zoe again.

"You might have won this fight." I coughed out ichor, eyeing the Titan who loomed over me.

"Not just the fight, but, do go on, this should be entertaining." Lelantos snorted, wiping ichor from his chest from his wounds I served him.

"Your day will come, Lelantos," I vowed. "One day your head shall mount my spear and your fellow brethren armor shall adorn my wall. This I swear to you, upon my blood, my mother, and my father's name."

"You seem to think you're actually going to survive." He chuckled. "That's cute. Deluded, but cute." I didn't say anything to that, preparing myself for the worst as I closed my eyes. I had close to no energy for blood controlling, so there was no point in trying to freeze Lelantos. But what mattered was if Zoe made it out, ran as far as possible away.

The heavy footsteps slowly trudged nearer.

The scraping of his spears.

And his heavy, mechanical laugh that sent shivers down my spine.

Father. Please.

Please.

And for the first time, he responded.

Cracks opened up, destroying the soild dirt ground that lay for millennia at this very spot. Torrents of water poured out, encircling the Titan who stumbled back in surprise, and in a heartbeat, he was sucked into the ground, probably into Tartarus. I wasn't sure.

The first drop of water invigorated me, and I smiled mentally at the will of Poseidon. A father, who for once, actually listened for one dang time!

"Perce!"

Zoe was there, and her voice was faint and disordered by the roaring waters but I leaned back, wincing slightly when the water rushed down my throat and smothered my body, my cuts, wounds, and injuries all healing. The shock of cold water opened my eyes as I gasped, water cocooning my body and ripping away the rest of the ichor as I felt my skin stitch itself back together.

"We weren't strong enough to win." My voice sighed. The wounds were the only thing that damaged my pride today. "I won't let that happen again." I felt a dry humorless smile stretch upon my face. "We've got our work cut out for us, don't we?"

"Yeah." She gave him a shaky smile, her eyes showing relief as I manipulated the water to heal her wounds. "But we wouldn't want things to get too easy, might get boring."

"Believe me, children. Things will only get more difficult as you continue to meddle with my plans". A feminine voice slurred as the ground rumbled. This wasn't my father, it couldn't be. It was someone older, more powerful than him, to control the earth this way.

Gaea.

Her senses wasn't fully awakened yet, but when she woke, it would be absolute chaos.

That night, believe it or not, I cried myself to sleep, for the first time since his mother died.

Vengeance had its toll.

So... not updating for 2 weeks is kinda sus. Ngl. I sincerely apologize for not updating and creating depression for those who actually enjoyed the story. This chappie is for you guys. The first week fo holidays were basically vibing at a seaside house, then coming back to the second week, is like, oops, might've not written anything. Writing's not a priority for me, but it's a somewhat guilty feeling when you leave readers hanging at Chapter 7. Not good.

I am kinda excited about this chapter because I've spent quite some time on it. No, really, I rushed it through. Suggestions are open, though. I know, my fanfic ISN'T as good as the actual peak writers but I like ending my stories either sweet or cliff-hanging. Or with an emotional quote. So-so.

On other matters, I'd like to thank SpartanBoi and Jasper25 for giving me a bit of advice. Especially you, Spartanboi. I've changed what you thought didn't make sense, such as javelin in close combat, parried instead of blocked. Thank you.

READ- I've updated my profile, on the rules of reviewing. It's serious. No joke bro.