In Life's Name and for Life's Sake

by GuardianXAngel

Where ever the Lone Power goes, Wizards follow. Their goal is to combat the spread of entropy in all its forms. What happens though when a war amongst the Powers that Be, the Gods, causes so much entropy that it masks the arrival of the Lone Power? Follow Alexander as he interacts with Olympus in an effort to stop the rise of the Titan Lord Kronos, if it is not too late already...

5. The New Normal

Chapter 5: The New Normal

A/N: First, I want to thank you so much for reading this chapter. I love to write, and I appreciate that you have taken the time to make it to this chapter. If you do not mind, I would really appreciate it if you would leave a review. I know that I am not the most excellent writer in the world. However, I do love writing.

I am also trying out a new idea of incorporating the past with the present. Essentially flashbacks which will give you all a greater understanding of who Alex is and where he has come from.

Enjoy and please review!

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July 24, 2006.

One month, it has been one horrid month: four weeks, twenty-eight days of soul-crushing work. I mean, I got what I wanted, right? The campers are learning to defend themselves. That is a good thing; it means fewer deaths in the long run and a better understanding of tactics for close-quarters combat. As well as the strategy in thinking ahead for long-term applications. The use of my alternate reality stones means we can create a plan then set it in motion to see how well it would work.

However, while I wanted so badly to prepare Olympus, I did not want to be trapped here. I mean, making friends with children was out of the question. Teenagers, more palatable, but still no. Mr. D was out for obvious reasons. He dislikes me because I am a demigod, and I am a demigod that has caused him too much trouble.

Chiron was a possibility but let us face it, he is old, a man of legend who trained legends. His ENTIRE life revolved around the Gods and training demigods. What did he know of the outside world? Of life outside the borders of the camp that had little to nothing to do with the West. I would stake good money that he knew little. Plus, I did injure a large percentage of his charges that counts as a definite minus. Maybe, he has trained practically every generation of demigods. Chances are this has happened once or twice, right?

Who was left the Naiads, dryads, and satyrs? The first two seem to have taken a dislike to me. Or at the very least an aversion to me. The satyrs I can understand, I scream the wild, so their stalking makes sense, as does their wariness. I can also understand the dryad's wariness; the forest took some damage in my one-man quest to prove everyone else wrong. The naiads, though, I do not understand. I have not harmed one of them, yet they are constantly pelting me with streams of water if I pass too close to the lake. Maybe they are just following orders…actually, that makes complete sense.

The last month has been hell. Teaching has been soul-crushing; the act of creating lesson plans has truly drained me. There is a reason that I never completed my initial degree to become a high school social studies teacher. Guard duty though that has undone me. The Gods are being an utter petty ass. They know I am on guard duty and are being (due to the potential for being read said word(s) will be emitted). Either way, being nearly punished again for my failure to protect the Hearth the correct way really irritated me.

I suppose I should clarify, I did protect the Hearth, and the charge was theft, not the negligence of duty. Lord Zeus was displeased that I had moved the Hearth without telling anyone. Apparently, the Hearth must be out in the open, or the West will begin to wither and die. Who knew I certainly did not? Zeus rescinded his command as quickly as he gave it. The work of my other divine patron, Lady Athena.

This has been one series of problems after another, and there is little that I can do. My plan to prepare the West is turning into a farce! All those faces in the camp; they would all be dead if it weren't for me. Now they have a chance to live and yet we have not even started to mobilize. Wars need supplies, safe spots, etc.

For now I do what I can, even if what I can do is limited.

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*After the Summer Solstice*

July 10, 2006

It has been four weeks since I was forced to fight for my life. ONE week since I was charged with tending and guarding the Hearth. That is on TOP of already having to help Chiron teach the next generation of demigods. Low and behold, FOUR weeks since I was forced to play attendant as Lady Athena and her children used me to test their wild theories.

I could not help but curse myself. What was I thinking! I could have just redone the stones and been done with it. Instead, I had committed myself to be the technician assistant to all her projects and her children's as well—God, what a mistake.

"Alexander, please set the dimensions too," and she rattled off some numbers. I was lost absolutely lost, and it was our first session! She used my self-created dimension to test her theories on the Arrow of Time or Time's arrow. The general point was the idea that time is reversible. A ball thrown upwards is going forwards in time and then is reversed when gravity pulls it back down. But what about when the ball stops moving? Is the moving forward or back?

Arriving at a conclusion, she moved to the relationship between the Quantum Arrow of time and the thermodynamics of time. Which in layman's turns…never mind! This is way beyond me, and while I could do some research of my own, I admit to having little interest in this.

Well, that is not strictly true; I do have a working understanding of the mechanics of time travel, just not the in-depth understanding. I did after an all-time trip back in time a few years to save the West.

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Alex, have you finished the spell yet!

I heard a distant explosion, and the building or shack instead shook. The Titans were coming. It would be now or never soon.

Not yet Milady, I was hoping Lady Alejandra would be able to go over the technical aspects one more time.

"She's busy entertaining the Titans; you'll have to manage on your own."

"Understood…" I looked up from the bright spell to face Deshana. Her face was pinched tight as if she were locked in a fierce fight. Which I suspect was true, as this was only a fraction of her power right here.

"You don't have to be here; conserve your energy."

She gave me a lighthearted smile, well, the closest thing she could do. "Yet I want to love, in an instant, you will go back in time, and I won't exist. I don't want you to forget me."

Blushing hard, I opened my mouth….

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I shook my head to clear out the memories. I needed to focus on the present. No doubt Athena had noticed my inattention, cataloged it, and moved on. -5 Reputation points. Not that my reputation was high with her anyways.

This went on for an hour before Lady Athena shifted gears. "Can you make me an owner of the dimension?"

She did not explain why but I did not need to know why—her furrowed brows, the clipboard looked like it was seconds away from being snapped. In fact, the only change to her appearance was the change from the Greek toga look to the casual researcher look. She chose to forgo a lab coat that would be cliché, just jeans and a comfortable shirt.

I thought it over, technically it might be possible, but it might not be wise.

I cleared my throat, an extreme action, but it bought me another second, and by her glare, she knew it. "I can, Milady; however, the world by its nature isn't like a computer. There is no save file. Once we leave, the settings from before are gone, and you will have to start over. Furthermore, I cannot give you the controls for the dimension per se. The way the dimension was created was that it would take me giving control over the dimension for you to do what you wanted."

She did not glare, but I could tell she was in deep thought.

"What if you were to lend me control? You would still own the dimension at the end of the day."

I thought about it and pulled out my book. I then pulled out my notebook, which had the controls on them. It was a small one but not so small that I could put it in my pocket.

I duplicated the essential portion but left out the ability to close or open the dimension. This was a temporary fix; I would need to go over it with a fine-tooth comb later. But for now, it would suit Lady Athena's desires.

I handed her a glowing ball of silver light. "This is a jury-rigged control panel that will do what you ask. I will need it back at the end of the session to refine it for next week's session."

She took the glowing ball and looked at it before putting a hand on it. The control panel was within the light, and while I could not see what she was doing, I could see the results. The space around us shifted with a piece of scientific equipment appearing out of know where. Satisfied with the results, she finally looked at me, "Satisfactory," and then returned to her experiments. No longer was she being tied down by my ignorance.

I did not take it personally; it was true, what I knew would not even be a hundredth of a percent. Yes, I had some extraordinary abilities, but that was all I had going for me. Best leave Athena alone for her research.

So that is what I did for the next two hours, well three. I was generous and gifted the lost hour back.

When it was time to leave, I was in the middle of The Naming by Allison Croggon. An incredible story in the Tolkien legacy. When the time was up, and god forbid I do anything like create a loud buzzing sound to disturb whatever experiment the Wish One had, I stretched my legs, closed the book, and got up.

Having not moved in the last three hours, it was clear what had happened. Five minutes later, the last of the experiments were concluded, and another three minutes were devoted to writing down the results. Well, I assume that is what happened. No words were spoken, nor did we talk about the experiments. After all, Athena had high standards, and I did not meet them.

All she gave me was the following date and time. I nodded, she handed the silver ball back to me, and I canceled the containment sphere holding the dimension revealing the arena in her temple.

I wished her a good day, bowed, backed away slowly, and then turned-on heel and marched away. Once out of the temple, I headed to the Hearth.

I looked at my watch and cursed. I had hoped that I would have time to review the lesson plan for tomorrow before dinner. Now it looked like I would be doing that during dinner.

I sighed; this sucked. I mean, royally sucked. There was a reason why I never actually completed student teaching. I hated discipline issues, and I hated creating lesson plans. Working for the Park Service meant that all I had to do was memorize some facts, lots of points, remember the procedure, and all would be well.

I sighed again and looked to the heavens, for this was not heaven. I gave another laugh; this was Olympus, home of the Gods, home to the most powerful beings of the Western world. Home to this version of the One and the Powers that Be.

These are the Powers that I am at odds with; these are the Powers I am crossing. These are the Powers….and I insane! Well…. maybe…then again, so are they. I mean, all I need to do is open the Iliad, Odyssey, etc., to know how they act.

I chuckled and continued onwards. Ice cream awaited, and it would not wait for anyone. The walk to Baskin Robbins was uneventful. Well, if you call being stalked by an Empousa nothing, but we cannot have everything, right?

I was making light of my situation, my use of my phone had not gone unnoticed, and enemies were starting to close in. So far, it was alone Empousa, but that could easily change to something more dangerous. Well, more dangerous than a lone Empousa. If I wanted to eat my ice cream in peace, I would need to hurry it up. I took out my phone and turned it off. The only sure-fire way to preserve myself when I am out and about. I…suppose I did not have to turn off my cell phone. I had abilities that no other demigod had. But did I want to use my powers that way? I mean, I already have a bit of debt. Did I want to add to it? I mean, it is not like I could pay it off like a credit card. That would be nice, but it is just not the way it works around here.

So, taking out my phone from my left pocket, I turn it off. No need to waste more energy than necessary. Both battery power and given power. The added bonus was that the Empousa would not be able to track me from afar. She would have to come up close and personal to find me. I would have to assume other monsters out and about, so it would be best not to linger.

Well, linger longer than it takes to finish off my ice cream cone. Tactically it would be best to move on and leave the area. Even more brilliant would have been to abort the 'mission' and come back tomorrow. However, I really wanted my ice cream, and by god, I will have my ice cream.

The shop was not too busy, the evening crowd had not arrived yet, or it had come and gone already. All that I cared about was that there was space for me to sit down outside. All that mattered was that they had rainbow sherbet and rainbow sprinkles. Sugar cone, waffle cone, cake cone, it did not matter. Well, I would prefer the sugar cone but hey, waffle cone for the win, right?

I forked over some of my hard-earned cash, like the few remaining dollars I have left. After all, Olympus does not pay me. Pretty soon, I am going to be broke and dependent on Olympus for everything…crap!

With that terrible thought, I finished my ice cream and walked back to Olympus. This time by a different route. I took 31st street west to 6th Avenue and followed it North back to the Empire State Building and Olympus.

Entering the building fifteen minutes later, having not seen a single monster, I could not help but feel good about myself. After all, a crappy day was ended in a good way. Now it was time for dinner.

The elevator ride up was short as usual, with the music as terrible as it was going down. Lord Apollo did not select this music. When I exited the elevator, that was when the trouble started. Lord Hermes was waiting for me, or was he waiting for the elevator? Either way, "Lord Hermes," I said while bowing.

"Alex, a pleasant surprise. I have a package for you."

"Thank you, My Lord."

"Well, it is more of a message, but it still counts, right?"

"Of course."

"Excellent! By order of Lord Zeus, you are to guard the Flame of the West until further notice."

I went cold; I was sure that I had misheard him.

"Excuse me, Lord Hermes, but doesn't Lady Hestia guard the hearth?"

"Not anymore; Olympus's favorite Goddess deserves a break; no, what do you say?"

Like I could say something else. "Of course."

"Good, you start right away."

Before I could ask him for how long he was gone before the wind caught my face.

I was stunned and stood there for who knows how long. I had one full-time job now I have a second one!? How am I supposed to figure this out!?

I fast walked to Lady Hestia's temple, my home, I suppose. I needed to talk to Lady Hestia. What does she know of this?

The temple is deserted when I enter…as usual. But that is alright; I would be worried if I saw anyone here.

I do not pass Go I do not go into 'my room. Instead, I went to the central Hearth. I needed answers, and I needed them now.

I gathered some of the wood near the heart and put it in to stoke it. Well, not really stoke it more like ensure that Lady Hestia's interest would pique. To seal the deal, I found an apple and a few sourdough pancakes. A few days old but still good and, of course, still delicious once heated. Now that I had my sacrifice, I headed back to the Hearth to get some answers.

I tossed food in, "For Lady Hestia, I could use your wisdom right now…I have been told some troubling information."

"What ails you, child?"

I whirled on the spot and bowed. There was Lady Hestia behind me in child format.

"You are distressed Alexander, what is wrong?"

"Lord Hermes paid me a visit not too long ago…he delivered a message from your brother. He wants me to take over guarding the Hearth from you."

"Ahh, well, my baby brother does tend to favor me."

That is, it! That is all she has to say!? "I am already teaching at Camp Half-Blood by day; I cannot realistically be expected to guard the Hearth at night or during the day. They have set me up for failure!" That last word rang true within me. It seemed to echo within, and I knew exactly what it meant. I was being punished…

"You will just have to do the best you can, child."

"My best will never be enough. I have two full-time jobs and cannot devote enough time to fulfill either of them. Furthermore, attempting to do that will result in me burning myself out and failing at both. Would you please convince your brother to rescind his command?"

She gave me a disproving look, "Just because you have been given a second duty doesn't mean you are allowed to foist it on somebody else."

It was exceedingly difficult to keep my temper and a straight face. Hestia was the Goddess of the Hearth, not I. How dare she attempt to play off her duty like that!

"I am chastised," I said while bowing. Despite not feeling chastised at all. More like enraged!

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"You lost the Hearth!?

"I am not a war goddess Alexander."

"No, you're a wallflower goddess. You can forget about me sacrificing to you. You're clearly dead weight to us."

She gave me an astonished, hurt, enraged look. Yet I did not care, our numbers were few, and she did not dare do anything to me. Not unless she wanted Olympus to lose.

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"Good," and she smiled slightly before vanishing. Well, I turned away when she disappeared to avoid getting vaporized.

Once she was gone, I decided to eat dinner, even though I knew it would taste like ash. I was told that I was expected to guard one of the most important treasures of the West with no help. I was to create the schedule. Create any Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), plan for any contingencies.

I am so screwed, like royally screwed. Alright, alright, I get it. I am screwed but let us focus on what I can deal with.

Creating my dinner, eating it, and then reviewing my lesson for tomorrow. Then I can focus on developing my SOPs while guarding the Hearth.

Like I thought dinner tasted like ash, which was a shame. After all, I had made New Fashioned Vegetable Soup with my shepherd's pie twist to it. A beautiful winter's night meal, or an evening meal for that matter. Despite having over two pounds of vegetables in it, I had half a package of steamed veggies, sea salt, and cracked pepper, with an apple for dessert.

It was not until I started into my apple when another thunderbolt hit me. Well, figuratively, that is, I had forgotten to sacrifice to the Gods…again.

So, I put my apple down and wandered into the kitchen. I pulled out some of the soup and created two portions that I then sacrificed to Lady Hestia and Lady Hecate.

With that done, I went to my room. It was time to review my lesson plans. So far, I had gone over basic tactics and strategies on how to survive. Which totaled on dodging, running away, and using dirty tactics to live. Of course, basic tactics are more than just one-week exercises, so that is what I have been doing for the past three weeks.

This coming month, I will discuss more in depth what kind of monsters that one might face. Their strengths and weaknesses. While also going over the basic tactics to bridge the two topics of discussion.

Right now, I have an outline of what I want to discuss. But I would like to flush out what I wanted to discuss before tomorrow's afternoon lesson. I spent the subsequent hour flushing out the lesson before coming to a decision. I needed to move onto the SOPs for my guard duty. Which technically began today. That was going to be challenging.

Adequate support, pay, time off. Was it really so hard to be appropriately compensated for one's services?

Dinner was finished relatively quickly, and I changed into my armor. I had not worn it since the capture the flag incident. Well, not to do damage, that is. Part of my physical conditioning was the spend time running in it. Not for extended mind you, but enough that I kept up my stamina and strength. I would not build up that much muscle that quickly. However, that was not my end goal. I wanted to start reclaiming my figure…sue me. I loved being fit and having abs. If it were not a result of being hunted for many years, I would say the payoff was worth it.

Moving on…I hurriedly buckled my armor on, gathered my weapons, and went to the Hearth. From what I knew of the Hearth it was in the Council Chambers. The original, that is, all others, were just replicas of the Hearth. They carried the warmth of it, the feelings of home and safety, but they were not the same.

The journey to the Council Chambers was a long one. I had no desire to magic myself there, and frankly, that would also risk being smited by accident. The walk itself was an uneventful one, though I did not expect anything else. I was sure that I could feel the gaze of the residents of Olympus on me. Maybe wondering what I was doing. Perhaps they were just spying on me. Either way, I had a job to do.

The Council Chambers were not in use, which was just as well, I suppose. Well, it would be more accurate to say that the Council was not in session. The Hearth was easy to see, being the only source of light in the chamber. Despite being the only source of light, the room was dominated by twelve enormous chairs. These were the sources of power for the Olympians. These were what we had to move when Olympus fell. I could see the glows of the fires in the distance as the Titan army sacked Olympus. Where great statues and temples were destroyed. I shuddered; that was to be avoided. Maybe this whole guard the hearth business was not so bad?

Ignoring the chairs as they were not my business and not in danger of obliteration, I walked up to the Hearth. It was significant, which…was a problem. The Hearth was in the middle of the chamber with no natural way to protect it. Standing still as a sentinel would leave the other side vulnerable. I sighed; the answer was clear. I was to patrol the Hearth. I would always walk around the Hearth to ensure its safety.

The sound of my boots on marble sounded like a giant was walking through the area. The area had good acoustics, the musician in me noted. Well, it would not be that good. The chairs would block the sound too much for it to be that effective.

Anny ways, it was time for me to begin my rounds. I started pacing around the fire…over and over. I went…round and round until I began to feel dizzy! Eventually, without even trying to, I came up with a new plan. Do a round settle in a new place to stand. Stay there for X amount of time, never actually keeping to a set time, then pace around the fire, finding a new place to stand, etc.

Plus, the fire was HOT; I mean, I was being cooked alive! So, I stepped back a few steps to ensure that I was not char fried. Of course, the downside was that I was now a bit further from the Hearth than I would like. But what can you do? With the intense heat, I had to do what I could.

I did that for an hour and then left for home, well, my room. Tomorrow I would complete another patrol circuit. How long it would be for would vary.

I got up the next day a bit tired. Before going to be, I had to clean the soot off my armor and shower. That took almost two hours! It will take a lot less in the future because I was not going to do this every day, every other day, or every third day. But I need my sleep!

I got dressed, wistfully ignoring my Park Service Uniform. All I could do was finger the sleeve and move on. Chiron did not enforce any sort of uniform code, so I could choose my own uniform. Not like I had a great deal of variety to wear. Well, maybe I did but really, did I want to wear my Sunday best or business casual when I was going to get dirty?

Forget it, man, it is over, and I have a new life to live…I pulled on a pair of jeans and put on polo, silver-colored with stripes down the center. My armor I was going to put in an alternate dimension—sort of like a garment bag. With my armor was going my weapons.

Once everything was situated, I looked at the watch, 7:45am. For a Tuesday, it was shaping up to be a good day.

I walked over to the central Hearth, took a deep breath, and pulled on the power of the Hearth. I wanted to draw it to me and, in doing so, draw myself towards the Hearth. The trick was that all hearths of the West were interconnected. Therefore, a person like me could use the Hearth to go anywhere. Even fake hearths were hearths; the ride would be bumpier but possible. For the Hearth was as a central focus for the family.

What I was doing, though, was focusing on one Hearth in particular, the one at Camp Half-Blood. Not an easy task for me. To have to ignore all the other connected hearths. If I lapsed in my concentration, I could be torn apart molecule by molecule. Nothing would show up except for some ash, for the Hearth's fire burned as hot as the sun.

As the energy reached its climax, I held my breath, hoped that I did everything right, and pictured the campfire. One second my vision was of fire; next, I was beside the Hearth at camp. Ignoring the unsettling feeling of being cooked inside out and outside in I moved to the Big Table. Breakfast was due to begin in, and I looked at my watch at 7:50am, ten minutes. When I looked at my watch, I shrugged, flaming took time, and I still did not have it down to an art form yet.

I looked around me; a few people were already there. Cabins four and five were already present, with cabin six arriving now as I spoke…well thought, same thing!

The rest would be arriving soon or soonish. After all, there was an hour allotted for breakfast.

Either way, at 8am on the dot, the dryads began bringing out the food. THIS time I did not forget to sacrifice. I went with granola, like the world's most fabulous granola with dried fruit, almond bits, and sliced bananas for extra. I offered two sourdough pancakes to Lady Hestia, an apple to Lady Athena, and a Belgium waffle to Lady Hecate.

In the end, though, my heart was not in it; I mean, why the F*CK am I sacrificing my food for Powers that do not give a rat's ass about me? I should not even be doing so, is what! But no, here I am in limbo, my own purgatory! Woah, Alexander! Take a breath…take another one. All is okay. It will be okay. Focus on the good.

Let us see, I have pancakes with maple syrup. Some granola would be lovely, oh, and some banana slices! An apple for dessert. Maybe a chocolate croissant as a proper dessert! Oh, that would be great!

Once I had loaded up my plate with two IHOP-style pancakes, some hash browns, bacon, and eggs, I started eating. My dreams of a croissant and granola were fleeting. I had something else in mind. After all, this meal would cost me about an hour's wage. Not bad, but also not something that I would typically do. Cost and just how bad it is in general for me.

I finished breakfast within half an hour. Bit of a lazy morning if I do say so myself. I watched the campers arrive and order. I found it interesting that they were willing to sacrifice their food to those who had done so little for them. The whole I gave your life excuse means extraordinarily little after a while.

I pulled out a copy of my schedule. Well, the camp's schedule. I had Hermes cabin from 11-12. With a cabin a day, I am in a good position. The last half hour of breakfast I used to prepare for class. I also need to ensure that I knew how to transition from teacher to student. I need the works, and I am not so arrogant to state that. I never graduated from Camp Half-Blood, and as far as the camp is concerned, I survived by my wits alone.

I proved I could fight and fight hard. Ares's cabin, while hating my guts, has great respect for me. Their father was impressed with the way I fought. Lady Athena's children are more divided. However, the consensus is that I was being pragmatic while being too extreme. The other cabins ranged from neutral to outright hostility, with more in the middle of the two than anything. Being on my own for so long fending for myself excused myself partially. My punishments also meant that they were willing to let it go. This was true in the week after the incident when everyone had recovered fully.

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The infirmary smelled like death. So many of my friends were dead or dying, and it was all Hestia's fault. If only the little bitch had not been such a wallflower…

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STOP! Stay in the present!

Though it clear that Mr. Jackson and Ms. Chase were no longer strutting quite as much. Lady Hecate was pleased. I found a single moonstone that glowed with light. I could feel the divine energy in it. When I touched it, it vanished, and as it did, I felt…weird. Like energy had been removed from me. I did not know how I knew, but I knew that my debt had been assumed by Lady Hecate. I made sure to sacrifice my Lightsaber to her in gratitude. There was no other object that I had to thank her that I felt would show my appreciation.

Of course, I did not have my sword, so I selected a simple Bronze sword from the armory. It was a hand and a half, so I could use it one-handed or two-handed if necessary. I wore it on my back. I found that when climbing that the sheathe would clank against another object drawing attention to myself.

Lady Alejandra was the one who came up with the idea. Else, I would still be using a side sheath. I do say, though, that I really like it. I look badass. Well, I looked badass; my request for a sheath that fits on my back was denied. Apparently, the Children of Hephaestus do not 'do' that. I call bullshit, but not being able to do it myself, I must let it go…for now. With a great deal of free time on my hand, I can investigate, creating my own. For now, though, I will use what they provide.

I looked at my watch and stood up. It is time to get ready for my first lesson.

Every week I had the same lesson for all cabins. Last month we went over the basics of using your terrain to your advantage. How to analyze a situation, physical endurance, dodging, dirty tactics, etc. This month, we will add onto last month while encouraging teamwork using a lone Empousa as the first example.

I walked at a fast pace to the combat arena. As usual, that has become my new classroom. I pulled out a sphere and then put it back. I had pulled out the wrong one. I investigated my pouch and pulled out a sphere of light that glowed with an internal bronze color. Surrounding it were ribbons of solid white. I touched those ribbons and began to move them.

It is not clear to an outsider what was happening as all they could see was me holding a ball of light and looking straight into it. What they wouldn't see was me pulling up a screen? Well, the equivalent of a computer screen. This screen is like seeing it in my mind, which lets me make changes to it. For me to create this universe, it is part computer code and part visualization. Say, for instance, I want to have them fight on a sandy beach. I type in the code and visualize my intention. The combination of the two gets it to work…. All alright, fine, there is a great deal more coding involved than I would like to admit. But visualization is paramount as well.

Once I had the setting that I liked, I flattened it like a pancake and then opened my hands wide like throwing something. The next thing I know, a sandy beach for miles and miles is around me. I can hear the lapping of the waves, the light breeze tasting of sea salt in the air—the cry of the gulls. To my right is the island beyond the beach. With the palm trees filled with coconuts.

Sometimes I was able to reuse older programs by adjusting them. Other times I had to start from scratch. This time was the latter; I needed to create an entirely new program. This meant that I had to edit the program many times. Each time I was making it better, hopefully.

I would also create many variations of a program. In this case, it was variation 1.2 Beach. With the very first beach being the one the beach near Yorktown, VA. It was not much of a beach, no endless sand, no dunes; what it had was a cliff of compact dirt. Maybe they were dunes at one point but not any longer. It was a beach with a history of warfare and trade. Control both sides of the river, and you control the port city of Williamsburg, the second capital of Virginia. Fun fact, until the capital moved to Virginia, it was the only colony that lacked the means to ship/receive goods on-site. Hence needing a port, hence Yorktown.

Moving on, from that one variation came the beach in Hawaii. Well, I admit that it was a Hawaii that I wanted to see. After all, lapping water, coconut trees, blue-green water. Maybe it was not accurate, but it worked for me.

Of course, part of my class was knowing how to handle a wide variety of terrains. Mountains, beaches, forests, plains, hills, ocean, villages, and cities. The plan was to work my way up to urban warfare as I saw that type as the ultimate creation scenario. So far, I had my classes work in forests, plains, and beach variation 1.1. This week would be beach 1.2. Next week I would introduce the desert. The very first lesson was nothing more than a block of a city. I wanted them to be able to do more.

I had to be careful though, the first few months are the basics so that by the end, the campers who leave will know how to handle a wide variety of scenarios. I chose places they might visit. Thus, I picked the major geographic zones of the county. Yes, I was missing the mountainous areas, and I had yet to go over a city landscape. But that would come later.

I looked at my watch; I still had half an hour to go. I love the time dilation effect of my sphere. I was able to conduct a two-hour lesson in a one-hour time slot. Essentially one minute here was thirty seconds in the real world. The downside, well, I have not discovered one yet. There were no records within the instruction manuals, and I had not located one in using it before. Though I do admit not using it that much before. The energy requirements were severe, and the signature was immense. With such a signature, there was no way I could hide this. Even a non-wizard would know that something was up!

However, now that I was in a stable, safe location, I could use a pocket dimension to teach, study, and practice. Not just for the campers but for me as well.

With half an hour left, I needed to create my monster, the empousa. A creature that, over time, gave rise to the myth of the vampire. It has 'vampiric' teeth, has only one leg and one leg of bronze. The one 'natural' leg could be of a donkey. They are known to suck the life out of men, and they have harsh voices when they scream. Deceptively swift, despite having only 'one leg, they can create throwable fire. They can charm speak the unprepared, manipulate the mist, ability control dreams, and of course, seduce people.

I created my monster; it was not too hard. The most complex park was developing her powers, which would be part of her soul. How does one go about creating a soul? To create a soul and body means you have made life. Do I have it in me to create a life knowing their sole existence will be within a construct that I can destroy at any given time? Is this what it means to play god?

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. Having no desire to play god, I decided to use a memory of an Empousa that I had fought. We never exchanged any names, but we did fight quite a few times. I swear she had it out for me. Yes, I cut off her leg but really, did she have to put a spell on me? It had to have been a spell; after all, how else would she find me so often?

She nearly killed me a few times; if it were not for Steven, I would not have lived. He warded her off before she could finish me off. His actions convinced me that I could do better with others than by acting alone. Not that I had a choice. By that time, Lady Demeter had strong-armed me into working as a team. To be fair, I knew the value of teamwork. I just did not want to involve myself in combating Powers that Be directly. I was afraid of the results of the consequences. Lady Demeter made it clear no more delaying would be tolerated.

To create my empousa, I needed to pluck those memories from my mind, let them guide me to create a shape for her. The memories of her seemed to radiate from me and swirled around me. They were sharp, tangy(?), and had a hot taste that seemed spicy? I moved my right hand in a half twirl and allowed a spell to appear. The magic was like what I had done earlier. However, this time I was limiting it to just one entity. What I was going for was a hologram that could think for itself while limited to this universe. Not sure how that would work out. My previous attempts were more generic and were reactionary and proactive. They blocked and countered an attack but did not actually make the first attack. I created a hologram that attacked you if you came within range once but beyond that did not seek you out as an opponent.

While a good learning tool, it was a limited one, hopefully, one that would be fixed today. I would have to keep an eye on her, though. There would not be any accidents on my watch. I am not sure my life would survive if there was one.

I looked at my watch; I had less than ten minutes to go in the real world. I took a deep breath…in…out…in…out, okay, I can do this. I can do this; this is important.

I raised the spell one more time, and in an instant, the magic collapsed, and I was back in the arena.

I looked at my watch. I had less than ten minutes to go before my first class of the day. I felt my heart skip a bit. I hate being late; I find being punctual to be of great courtesy—my first class of the day, Ancient Greek with Annabeth Chase in the Big Room. I would need to hustle if I were to reach it there on time.

As I ran towards the Big Room, I could not help but think of how lucky I was. I know what a thought. But it was true. The very Gods, the Powers that Be who created the universe, are here! A bit big in the head, but if you literally made everything, then it is understandable.

Well, they did not create the universe, or did they? My book says that the Powers that Be created the universe and everything within it in the beginning. When all the Powers were busy creating everything within it, one stayed their hand. Instead, that Power that Be, the Lone Power, eventually created death. Like Death Death. Horrified, the other Powers that Be rebelled and threw said Power/God out of Timeheart, where all goods people go. So, the Isle of the Blessed for me. However, despite throwing the Power out of Timeheart, the other Powers that Be could not get rid of death.

Determined to combat death everywhere, the Powers that Be created Wizards to be their foot soldiers. In every world where intelligent life blossomed, the Powers were there with a new story variation. Combating the Lone Power in their neck of the universe.

Now the war has reached me, or rather now, I have recognized that the war is ongoing and am doing my part.

I reached the Big Room with about two minutes to spare, ran up the stairs of the patio, into the house, and stopped short. It would not do anything but in perfect presentation…*I snorted* I acted like I was someone special. I was not I was just an older demigod teaching the younger ones how to live. The special one was Chiron. He chose this; I was forced into this.

Now that I could relax and accept that I was messy, my lessons could begin. I walked through the Big House to Room 101. In the room was Annabeth, Percy Jackson, and me. I was the last to arrive. "Sorry, Annabeth, I was preparing for my class later on."

"No matter, Alex, we were just about to begin."

I hurried to my seat and pulled out a One subject notebook and a black pen from my alternate dimension. As fast as I could, I opened the notebook to the right back and then set the book down and looked up at Annabeth.

It was a bit hard to decipher her expression. I was sure I saw some exasperation, maybe some annoyance, or the why so early?

Either way, I did not want to cause any more fuss, so I promised myself that I would try extra hard…

"Last time we went over simple words, today we are going to use those words in a sentence…."

*Later*

"For homework, please write down ten sentences using the words we have learned so far. We will go over the next week."

Percy and I nodded, "Good, see you next week."

With that, I gathered up my materials and put them away. I had…twenty minutes, according to my watch, to polish my armor.

My armor, compared to the rest of the camps, was different. When it became clear that speed was my primary factor, Chiron advised me to wear as light armor as possible. It took me some time; with a great deal of help from Cabin 9, I had two sets of armor to choose from. The standard Hoplite armor the Greek soldiers used just would not work.

The first set was a two-piece all-leather suit, except for shin, knee, elbow, and neck made of bronze. A thin layer of metal was fused with the leather belt to prevent being cut in two, and that was it.

The armor that I chose was made up of many pieces. This time I was wearing a more hunter-Esq-inspired suit of armor. In fact, it had truly little metal in it. There was the ribbed gorget that would prevent my throat from being slashed. Ribbed arm vambraces with a few hidden stiletto knives included. To protect my ankles all the way to my knee, I wore a ribbed shin guard. The bulk of my protection was a gambeson made of quilted cloth stuffed with cloth and wool. Not the most comfortable suit of armor, but all it had to do was protect me. Over that went a piece of hardened leather with the symbol of a full moon with two wands crossing it to symbolize my profession stamped just below my neck.

If I wanted to wear something lighter, I would forgo the gambeson and just wear a shirt instead. Either way, I was faster and more maneuverable than the standard hoplite.

Equipment-wise I had the standard belt, and then I had two sheaths. One was attached halfway between my armpit and waist on the right-hand side. The other one was tied at the waist on my left side.

Equipment-wise I had (not sword belt, the two knives ride higher up and can be hidden or drawn quickly.)

Everyone assumed it was to represent Lady Artemis, and in part, it was that. However, when you combine the moon's light with a branch, you get the most basic Wizard tool. That tool could do so much, and it was unfortunate that I had been unable to replace it after losing it on the trip to the future. I mean the journey to the present.

While everyone else had to polish their armor, I had to polish my leather. For armor that was not maintained wore out, and worn-out armor endangered its user. So, I dutifully polished my armor, knowing that I would smell like leather and polish soon enough.

I did not have much time to make a lot of progress, to be honest—this more than a twenty-minute process. Try at least an hour. I any case, I made progress on my left vambrace and did not spot any damage on the rest of the armor. Thus, the armor was safe to be worn later. I would still need to polish it, but I knew no abrasions and other weak points.

At 10:45, I set down the brush and rag and began cleaning up. I needed to start heading toward the arena no later than 10:50.

Thankfully, I had not taken all my armor off of the stand, only one piece at a time. All I had to do was put up the arm brace, rag, and polish. Then I could head towards the arena. In less than five minutes, I was jogging to the stadium.

I passed campers, satyrs, and an odd nymph or two as I jogged to the arena. I made it with about two minutes to spare. Excellent!

Around me were the campers of Cabin 11, Hermes. An odd collection of campers, where everyone who was not part of the Big 12 and or was not claimed by their parents, and of course Hermes went.

They reminded me of myself, to be honest, an odd group, a bit angry due to being neglected, run-down, overcrowded, and overworked.

When they saw me, they stopped talking and turned to face me. In a few seconds, I was surrounded by campers all facing me. They did not seem that surprised; well, the person I nearly collided with did. They were used to my random appearances by now. Still loved seeing them jump through,

Welcome! Class will begin in less than ten minutes. If you must go to the bathroom, please go now.

I saw a few people head off that way, but most people stayed where they were. I started to mingle. "Hey Connie, how are you today?"

"Fine."

"Did your cabin win the canoe competition yesterday?"

"No."

"That's a shame; according to the grapevine, your cabin was really hoping to win. Will you be trying again this week?"

"Maybe."

"Good luck," and I continued smiling.

She turned away; I raised an eyebrow.

Ignoring her, I turned to the next person I saw—a girl with a hand on the pommel of her sword.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, why do you ask?"

Given the slightly hostile attitude, I knew that I might have a problem. "You're gripping your sword like I am about to attack you."

"Are you?"

I wanted to smile even more at her; instead, I just looked at her in a slightly grave expression. "While my class is dedicated to surviving monster attacks, and it is expected that I 'attack' you. You need not worry. Class hasn't started yet, and you will be warned before any monster attack."

"Is that supposed to comfort me?"

"This is the safest way I know to confront a monster, and my goal was to be as realistic as possible."

"I know…"

I would like to say teenager, but this goes beyond that. I am going to talk to the consular before the class ends. I want to prepare them for the real world, not traumatize them.

"Thank you for that assessment; if you don't want to participate in this lesson, stick close to me."

She gives me a look that is part anger, part skeptical. As if she cannot believe what she is hearing.

I move on, and as I do, I look at my watch; it is close enough to make my way to the front of the arena. Technically it may not really be considered the front, but directly in front of it was the entrance and exit to the stadium. With the left and right sides of the arena being the same, this was the only identifying mark. Thus, the entry was south, and where I was north.

It was not true, but the point stands.

I looked at my watch, less than a minute to go.

When the clock finally struck nine, I began. "Welcome to another Monster Assault Class. I hope you are well rested for today we begin a new lesson. Last month we went over basic strategies to survive. Namely, conditioning, dodging, and running away. This month I would like to continue where I left off. Instead of attacking a dummy. This time you will be attacking an opponent that will attack you back."

I took a breath and waited for a second to gauge the class's reaction. I saw a determined look on their faces. As if they had an idea of what to expect. Maybe they thought it would be a repeat of the 'Incident.' If so, then I would have to prove them wrong. Today's lesson was not going to be anywhere near as chaotic as that.

I have not gone over in-depth too many monsters. Today that changes, for knowledge is power. Knowing what your opponent can and cannot do will help you plan a strategy for victory. The opponent you will face is an empousa."

There was a stir among the crowd as they began to fidget and talk to each other. I paused to let my words sink. "You will be facing only one empousa, and you will do so in teams of three. This is deliberate; we went over squad tactics earlier as well as solo tactics. The empousa will react to your presence when you get within a certain range by either going on the attack or defensive. However, expect to be attacked and be prepared."

At the sound of agitation, "this is no different than the monsters you faced to get here or one quest," I consoled them.

The murmurs of agitation ceased. Some looked intrigued, others doubtful. A fair assessment, to be honest, of me if there ever was one. Though the weight of good deeds would eventually overturn that. Forcing a shift, so to speak. Of course, these are children I am talking about, so who knows what will happen?

"Here is how this will go down. You will group up into groups of three. Once you are in those groups, I will show you the terrain you will be fighting on. After that, each group will practice what we were working on in previous lessons. How to defeat an opponent as a group. Each group will get five minutes to defeat their opponent while the other groups wait for their turn. Those who are waiting for their turn, please observe and note what worked and didn't work."

I stopped talking to see if everyone understood.

"The first group will go after me; that way, you can critique me and know what you will encounter. For now, get in groups and spend the next fifteen minutes deciding on tactics."

With that said, they began to group into groups of three. That meant that there should be about six or seven groups.

I looked down, or instead, I looked to my left and saw Connie. She looked at me. I looked at them and then looked up. If there are not enough campers to make a whole group, you may have a group of four. But now more than four is allowed."

I saw Connie's startled look on her face. She honestly believed that I would have forced her to participate. I could not get that feeling out of my mind.

In the end, there were four groups of three and two groups of four.

I wait the required fifteen minutes. "Is everyone ready?" I either got silence or mumbled yeses. With that, I took out the ball of light. Everyone's gaze sharpened and focused on what was in my hand. They know what was about to happen. They knew what it could do and by whose hand created it.

If one could slow down time, one would see a flash of light followed by an intense whiteness. Then as if being brought in super-fast, cartoon fast, the landscape arrived. First, there were the trees that seemed to bend like they were experiencing hurricane-force winds. Then the sand came like it was being sucked away in a straw. Next, the sea, no longer calm but wavy. Perfect surfing weather.

That is not what everyone saw, instead one second, there was nothing next there was the beach.

"Welcome to the beach; there will be no more time to talk amongst yourself. Instead, you will watch me as I move against today's appointment."

I turned to Connie and realized the problem immediately. I pulled out the ball of light again. In front of me was a bracelet, a simple bracelet made of silver. I took the hovering bracelet and held it out to Connie. She took it and put it on her wrist and looked quizzically at me. "I know it doesn't look like much, but this will protect you. While you are wearing it, no creature in this world will harm you."

She looked at the bracelet with skepticism.

"I get it, it doesn't look like much, but it will work."

I gave her another glance before turning to the group. "Looks like I'm up," I pulled out my sword from…well, nowhere, but I pulled it out.

There was a sound of movement in the underbrush, and my head snapped up and to the left. I gave a grim smile. The empousa was nearby; I could hear the motion—the crunch of twigs, of the leaves of the trees breaking. I gripped my sword tighter, flexing my fingers to avoid cramping. My breathing started coming out ragged, forcing me to try and regain control over them. Not sure if it was working, I did not feel relaxed. In fact, I felt tightly wound. In fact, I felt like something was lacking…. like this was not what I should be doing.

I sheathed my sword, and I could hear the confusion of the campers. What was I doing? They were no doubt wondering. In fact, part of me was wondering that very same thing. However, another part of me had different plans. It knew what I should be doing and was making corrections instinctively.

I closed my eyes, and for an instant, I could feel it all! The veins within the leaves, the breath of the campers, the repetitive thud of their heartbeats. The 'blood' of the empousa as she finally appeared. It was exhilarating! Was this the effect the wild had on Mother?

I could not see anything, yet I 'knew' where the empousa was. It was about six steps in front of me, five, I opened my eyes, and if I had a mirror, I would have seen solid silver-grey eyes. If I could have seen them, I might have done the same thing they did and taken a step back.

Because I did not see them, I did not make that crucial mistake. Instead, I lunged forward with a snarl on my face while handling the twin silver knives in each hand. If I were honest, I would say it was a near thing. Rolling underneath the outstretched claws that would have gouged out chunks of my flesh. Instead, my role brought me underneath her guard, allowing the two-silver arm-length knives to gouge out long cuts in her flanks. The cries of pain were heard from a distance as I threw myself backward in another roll. This time, I avoided the counterattack and spun around to block her second attack with my two blades. I could feel her weight press against me, and then I ended up on the ground. Her 'bad' leg made of bronze had hit me in the side. I could feel a sharp pain in my chest. Goody, I had broken a few ribs.

I rolled to the side to avoid her second attack and then moved back onto my feet to prevent the third attack.

Now on my feet again, albeit unable to go to my full height without wincing, my second offensive could begin. This time I would be more cautious. A wounded animal is a dangerous animal, after all.

Injured, I took a more cautious stance. I circled or attempted to for my enemy circle as well. After one whole lap, I knew that something had to give. I decided to fake an attack, I moved forward, and the empousa surged forward to meet me. I halted, though, just before reaching the middle leaving me able to swing my sword in a diagonal slash to the upper left. She turned it away with her right hand though injuring it.

I was forced to jump to the side to avoid another mule kick. I did not make the novice response of stepping back. That could have led to me tripping and dying. Wouldn't that be embarrassing?

The result, though, was not in question. I had managed to mangle my opponent's hand. With an injury draining her of her lifeblood and energy, victory was mine. Assuming, of course, that my injury was just a few broken ribs and not an internal injury. Then it might very come down to who can stay conscious.

I looked to my left and charged for a strand of palm trees. A cover would prevent her from having easy access to me. Though it would hinder my offensive ability a bit. However, I was not going to use my knives. Instead, I was going to use my bow. It was a simple curved bow made up of a whitish-colored wood that seemed to glow with an inner light. Pulling the string back to its fullest, an arrow of purse silver appeared.

Taking aim, I exhaled to steady myself. The empousa was charging forward, torso bent forwards, desperately trying to close the distance as fast as possible. Before my opponent was within striking distance, I had released the arrow.

My vision changed from its previous slow mode to regular. The arrow hit the empousa between the eyes, a clean kill, with a shower of golden particles slowly falling to the ground.

I took a deep breath, in…out….in…out. The bow vanished, though the knives did not. I looked at them. There were silver, the length of my arm, and curved to match the rough contours of my arm. The top third of each blade was serrated, and the edge looked to be wicked sharp. I assumed this was Celestial Bronze; it was the only thing that made sense. Regular steel would not work against an empousa.

I turned towards my class and began heading my way while looking at my watch. Five minutes, not bad, not bad at all. Felt like it was longer, though.

I clapped my hands, not to get their attention, well it was, but it was also, and I am fantastic; I did well clap. "Take a moment to think over what you have seen. Then I want an honest assessment. How did I do? What went right, wrong? How could I improve, and what could be considered a strength? If you are ready to speak, go ahead and raise your hand."

Nobody raised their hand, and for about a minute, we just stared at each other. Eventually, a girl with dark brown hair of modest height started talking. "You achieved your objective of killing your opponent; however, you were reckless. You did not have to go ham on him. You should have been patient and looked for an opening. Attacked retreated and then moved in when it was opportune. Your skill with your blades and bow and arrow was good, though I do not know why you did not use your bow initially. It would have saved you an injury."

She stopped talking and looked at me. "An honest review and much appreciated." I then addressed the class, "did everyone hear that?" They gave me an affirmative either by a verbal cue or nonverbal cue. "She addresses my strengths, weakness, mistakes, and success. I am looking for this in a review, and in all seriousness, I appreciate it. While it is true that the older you are, the wiser you are. That does not mean I do not make mistakes. I rushed in with minimal thought before and nearly paid the price. You will need to learn from my mistake if you wish to avoid my fate."

I gave a second clap of my hands, wincing in pain. "Now, which group wishes to go first?"

Nobody raised their hand; I raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I am injured; however, you will not die, and mortal injuries will cause the empousa to freeze."

"This is too realistic, sir! You cannot expect us to this; this is insanity!"

I sighed, "You are right and wrong, and hear me out." You are safe while here at camp. When you leave camp, though, you are going into the wild West. The Gods cannot and will not fight your battles for you. There are exceptions, of course, but those are a rarity. If you are going to live, you will need to learn how to fight in the real world with actual rules. Combat classes here are a great starter. However, there is little consequence. There are no do-overs in real life. You run out of arrows without hitting anything at the practice yard. You collect your arrows and try again. Do that in real life, and you limit your combat effectiveness. Drilling in combat forms is a must, yet enemies will not follow drills. You will need to know how to adapt. I am giving you that chance."

"That doesn't mean we have to like it."

"No, you don't, yet I would ask that you bear with it. This is a once-a-week class. Lessons learned can apply to other classes. You will know where you are weak at. Where you need to improve, and your other teachers can help you, as can your fellow campers."

I paused to see how they were taking my words. Some were still looking at me mutinous other thoughtful.

I moved in for the 'kill,' "it is clear that you are worried about the reality of injuries, so I will add a feature allowing you to end the battle if you wish."

There was a long pause; I could tell they were surprised at that.

I gave them a smile, "I want you to learn how to adapt, to test strategies alone and in a group. You can't do that if you are afraid of being grievously injured."

"That…would be of great help…."

"Then I will create that feature right away; leftover time will be used as discussed earlier."

"Are there any other concerns? Please speak up; remember before her question, I didn't even consider allowing you to bow out in the middle of a fight."

"I don't want to do this!"

"Then you do not have to do it. In fact, if you do not want to do this, raise your hand."

"One, two, three, seven…ten. Alright, if those who are not interested in fighting this week, move over to your right. Those who are still interested move to your left.

There were ten people left, ten! How was I supposed to conduct a lesson like this! I could not help wanting to sigh. I resisted; I had to; anything else would show a critical weakness.

"I turned my attention to those that remained. Please take a moment and reorganize yourself into two groups of three and one group of four. Once you have your group start discussing potential strategies."

"Those who wish to watch, please take mental notes. I would like you all to provide honest critique to your fellow campers. We will begin once I have added the new feature and the groups have had a chance to form a strategy."

Having said that, I got to work on the new feature I promised them. The wrist band I gave Connie prevented an attack. What if I reversed it? Instead, the empousa would only attack you if you had the band on? Then make it easy to remove, and then you should be safe. Well, safe-ish. I am not blind to see the faults. To create something else will take time, something I do not have the right moment.

Anything I do will be a duct tape effort, nothing less. It took me ten minutes to create ten wrist bands. They were red in color and easy to rip off yet impossible to be torn off by an enemy. The wearer had to pull it off. It was too difficult to make it unique to each person. When I had finished it, I had a nasty thought. The injuries that we take in here do not reflect the damages on the outside. When this 'universe' collapses, all our wounds that are tied to that universe vanish. However, is it even possible to die in this universe? I am confident that I stopped the empousa from going after a killing blow. Yet, that does not eliminate the possibility of death. Did I dare continue the exercise?

The answer was clear, no I did not. This was going to be awkward. No one else could help me construct the universe. However, we could brainstorm ways to make it safer. For there is great potential in my idea. Now though, is not the time to test new features.

I gave a little sigh and looked up from the ball of light.

"Alright, I know we've already had one chance to the lesson plan for the day. Now we are going to have one more. Next week will be a group combat demo. This week will be me showing off various tactics and you all critiquing me."

There was complete silence at my announcement. However, it was not my duty to give all the reasons. Only Chiron and Mr. D could demand them. A consular had some sway, but even they answered to Chiron and Mr. D in the end.

"Instead, we will use this time to practice tactics. What I mean is this. You gave me wonderful advice on what to do. Now come up with a strategy to help me do even better. No two strategies should be the same."

They were giving me stares that we were bordering on disbelief. I could understand that they were expecting a lesson now the teacher is changing that lesson up to the point that the whole week's class has changed. Give me some slack though, being a teacher is hard! I know; I tried and failed to become a teacher. Creating lesson plans was soul-crushing, discipline was non-existent.

*End of the Lesson*

I dropped my bag by my door. With this being my only class of the day, I was finished. Well finished until my lessons later. Thankfully as an instructor, I did not have to pick strawberries or clean the Pegasus stables. That left me with at least two hours of free time. In this case, I had one hour after my class to prepare for the rest of the day. As it was Tuesday I

The rest of the lesson went as expected; the people who wanted to fight were disappointed that they could not. Those that did not want to be happy but not going to show it. Combined, they were unhappy that I changed the lesson. Overall, I was just DONE with this. I was just done.

The one silver lining was my epiphany earlier. I made a point to talk to Cabin 11's Head Counselor. Well, in this case, co-leader. Connor and Travis Stoll, twins, who had replaced Luke when he went traitor. I could see the potential for mischief in their eyes; they were the same shade as their father's. Both were tall and had messy brown hair. Easy to get along with, at least that is from what I can tell. I have not actually worked with them before. The conversation was surprisingly light and downright festive.

*Flashback

"Connor, Travis, do you have a moment?"

They looked at me and then at each other. I could 'see' the thoughts going back and forth between them. 'Do we say yes do we say no?' Finally, Connor spoke, "We have a moment, yes."

"I was hoping for an honest assessment of my activity. Not in how the lesson overall ended but the beginning. How did people take my activity?"

They gave each other another long look. Travis spoke this time; at least, I think it was Travis.

"Can we be honest, sir?"

I nodded my head while wincing inside. Sir? Really, I mean, I am used to that designation; I was a Ranger after all. However, the fact that they were not calling me by name was telling.

He sighed and ran his hand through his head. "Your program is divisive," he saw me open my mouth, "let me finish," I closed my mouth and nodded. "The idea of facing monsters in real-time without the chance of death is interesting. However, to others, the idea of facing a monster is terrifying."

"Today's lesson drove that point home."

I looked at the other brother and could not help but agree. Yet I stayed silent; I wanted to know more. When nothing more came, I spoke up again. "Thank you for your help, both of you. My goal is not to traumatize, never that…Chiron…he never taught me. You are getting something that I never got. I learned from trial and error." I rubbed my right side where a moderate size car was.

XXXXXX

I could not help but scream as the hellhound bit my right side. I could feel my ribs break, the skin punctured, and blood flow. I was in so much pain…I felt like I was going to die. Was I dying?"

XXXXXX

"Lots of errors. I figured if I could give everyone a healthy dose of theoretical and practical yawl's chance of survival would increase. I am sure it is clear to all that today's lesson was a failure. I will not do another one like this until I have time to talk to Chiron. There are too many safety concerns that I am uncomfortable with to allow this to continue. If someone asks you about today's lesson, please tell them that the live-action demo is on hold until further notice."

"Sure, thing Alex."

"Thanks, by the way, I admit that I am having trouble telling you apart. Could you give me your names one more time?"

I gave them a sheepish grin, and they just laughed at me. It felt good that the two were laughing. "Well, since you asked so nicely…."

I could not help but laugh and give a chagrined smile.

"I am Travis," "no, wait, I thought I was!"

"No, I am, your Connor!"

"I'm Connor, but I thought that we agreed that I was to be Connor every other day?"

"That was last week; now it's every third day."

"But that was today."

"Not it wasn't that's tomorrow."

"Then what was yesterday?"

I watched them argue for a solid five minutes before interjecting. "Please stop. You are making me giddy!"

Cue more laughter, "I'm Travis; he's Connor." He pointed at his shorter brother.

"Thanks, Travis, thanks, Connor. I appreciate your candid advice and will take those comments to Chiron today."

"Will do…and listen, Alex."

I looked at him and tilted my head in question.

"Not everyone is against you."

I gave a slight smile that did not quite reach my eyes but did not respond. Instead, I moved on to my next class, Greek' Mythology, which was run by a satyr named Grover. The final member of the quest to retrieve the Master Bolt. A younger satyr he had the reputation of…well, he had the reputation of being a bit half-baked, to say the least. The Council, non-Olympic Council, that is, would call him a dreamer, incompetent, etc. He failed to bring Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus, to the camp. He failed to get Percy Jackson to camp by himself. He did, though, help Percy Jackson recover the Master Bolt. He even sacrificed his Ocean Pearl so that Percy's Mom Sally could escape the underworld.

Given that I was the newest arrival to the camp, I would have a class with Percy at the arena. Wonder if there would be any pictures like there was yesterday?

I looked at my watch, it said 12:00. My heart stopped; I was late! I took off running from the arena. I did not care that I looked like a fool; I hated being late.

Some people stopped to watch; others did not. I suppose people being late were a known quantity. Unfortunately, I had a bit of running to do, like a good ten minutes of running. Ugh, I needed the exercise.

I could get there 10 minutes late; no doubt they knew I was coming as I thundered up the front stairs. The classroom was in the same room as the Speaking Greek 101 class. Percy was already there, as was Annabeth. I could hear their voices.

As I entered the room, I saw them at the front of the classroom. At the sound of my entrance, they looked up at me. I gave a sheepish grin, "sorry I am late; I had some issues with my class that needed to be dealt with."

"No worries, Alex, grab a seat," said Annabeth.

I hurried to get to a seat. The standing desk was remarkably similar to the ones that I used in grade school. It had a chair and a square table with room underneath for storage. Wild, I know!

"Alright, since you arrived a bit late, Alex, why don't you summarize what we just discussed, Percy?"

"Ugh"

With that, I knew how this lesson would go…alright, I was being majorly unfair. However, I was not having a good day, so I was justified in being a bit crabby. Well, no, I was not, but still, it made me feel better.

*Later*

I threw myself onto my bed. "What a cluster fuck." All my progress was undone, or rather, all the progress I thought I was making was undone. The campers were giving me a wide berth. No doubt remembering my actions during the game.

Chiron was sympathetic yet firmly agreed with my decision. No more live-action demos until I could answer my concerns and his. No more participation from the campers. If there were any demos, I would be the one doing them.

I just lay there, stewing in my own thoughts, staring into the bedding, then the ceiling, the floor, and then I stood up. I had guard duty. I shuffled over to the Hearth. Oh, how I hated that duty. This time though, this time I would fix Hestia's fuck up. This time she would not be able to screw up. I pulled out a jar from my other space. I then pulled out a piece of wood.

When Olympus fell, I was charged with leading a group of Demigods to spirit away the chairs of power and the Heart of the West. The way we retrieved the Hearth was with a torch and a jar. That was precisely what I did. I went to the Hearth; Hestia was nowhere in sight, AS USUAL, and so I took the Hearth into my protection.

I was in and out in less than a minute. I brought the Hearth back to my room, layered it under a spell that was part protections, part alarm. No one was taking the Hearth without my leave.

I went about my evening routine, and nothing of note happened until the evening. That was when shit hit the fan…again.

In the middle of the night, I have literally whisked myself to Olympus. The results went as expected.

Here I was in the Council Chambers once again with the full might of the Council bearing down on me. Well, more like glaring, and it was not the whole Council. Just Zeus, his wife, and Athena. What was I supposed to bow or something? Their glares intensified when I yawned. So, sue me, I was tired.

"Explain yourself!"

I pulled out a watch; it said 2am. "Well, Milord, I went to be five hours ago and was summoned to be in your presence for an unknown reason."

I could tell by his darkening face that he was not happy.

"Explain this!" and he showed the jar with the Flame of the West.

"Well, Milord, that would be the jar holding the Flame of the West."

"Why is it in a jar!"

"Well, I needed some way to protect it, and a jar seemed like a handy container. Easy to move, store, protect, you get the point."

"So, you admit stealing it!"

"Stealing…why Lord Zeus, I wasn't stealing; I was protecting the Flame. You charged me with its protection, after all.

"I charged you to protect the heart, not hide it away like a thief!"

Man, he's going all out on the thief part.

"If I am to be the guardian of the Hearth, then the Hearth needs to be always near me. I see, in that case, I have grounds for dismissal with Lady Hestia."

"The Hearth isn't meant to be hidden demigod. It has to be out in the open where its effects can spread throughout the West."

"I see; well, in that case, I will create a schedule where it will be available to the demigods to sacrifice upon. The rest of the time, it will be in my care."

"That isn't good enough, fool!"

"Then maybe a compromise can be reached?"

"What do you mean?"

Finally, the voice of reason speaks! Let us see how good her patronage really is.

I looked at Lady Athena.

"It is very simple Milady, when I complained to the previous guardian of the hearth about being overworked, specifically mentioning having taken over her duty, I was told that I wasn't allowed to get shed a duty because it was impossible."

"Hmm," She leaned over and whispered something to her father.

"Right, your guard duty is canceled. Return the Flame to its proper place."

A most reasonable decision. I was stunned, was this what competent leadership looked like? Woah, Alex, let us not get ahead of ourselves. This was not actually good leadership; I am done with this. Let's move on to the following situation…. I hope his wife catches him cheating again.

XXXXXX

"Your Father is the reason we are in this mess in the first place, and you want him to lead us!?"

"He is the reason we won the first war. He has the power and strength to do so."

"That may be so, Lady Athena. However, strength and power win battles, not wars. Wars have a diplomatic point to them. Do you deny the fact that he fractured Olympus's order of battle and put us in the unenviable situation where we had to conduct diplomatic deals from a weakened position?"

"He is still the rightful ruler…."

"For now. Assuming we win, I expect a new Council to debate the worthiness of his continued rule."

XXXXXX

I bowed in thanks. "You have my most sincere gratitude Milord, Milady."

He waved his hand, and the next thing I knew, I was waking up in my own bed.

"God, I hate this shit, I really do," and then I flopped back down on the pillow to go back to sleep. Hopefully, there would be no more midnight summons. Those were always the worst…...

When I woke up the next day, there were no changes. I mean, I made sure to return the Hearth to its proper place. I do not believe anyone noticed or if they did, they did not say anything. Beyond that, there were not any changes that I anticipated to happen.

However, this time I decided to take a stand. I do not support incompetent leaders, and Hestia is right there besides, well below her youngest brother. From now on, I sacrifice only to Athena and Hecate. The ones who deserve my sacrifices.

If she did not like that, then fuck her. The woman whom I have dealt with had better temperaments and even better figures. Not that I want to do that again, if you know what I mean.

It felt liberating to be able to choose who I was and was not going to support. I knew it was a little thing, but when you are being crushed, it is the little things that matter the most. I suppose I was lucky to have found relief so soon. The stories of Tantalous, Echo, Narcissa, Ixion, and his wheel all echoed the potential for a harsh response if the Gods felt that it was necessary. The cruelty of the Gods is legendary, and they had turned their cruel gaze upon me.

Was this something that Zeus or Hera had concocted? Or was this something that Hermes had created? What part did Hestia have on it? All worrisome questions, all

I…I am so tired, I want out, I want to relax, I want to go back to my cozy lifestyle. I've earned a credit; I am sure of it. The Powers always pay their dues even if certain ones do not want to…and our gift does not dwell in an unwilling heart. I could do it; I could give it all up…I would not have to do any more suicidal tasks anymore. I would not have to worry about anything but my budget and my next day's work. Of course, I would lose the powers given, and just as that occurred, I would know that my actions had helped the universe die just a bit quicker in my heart.

I could not help but dwell on that with some seriousness. Every step was heavy, every breath was labored, my physique was bent as if a severe force was pushing against it. Serious thoughts are reflected in diminished spirit and form.

It was when I felt that I could not go any lower than I felt it, a breeze that whipped around me. As it did, it seemed to caress me, and I could not help but feel a deep-seated longing that left me panting. This was what I wanted. This was what I had been denied.

But where did it come from? Who sent it?

Everything seemed to have changed. I was no longer drowning in black waters; I was no longer carrying the sky. I was free as a bird. I am a wizard charged with the protection of the universe. I am given the tools to succeed. I have allies, and I will never give up.

I tentatively cast a ball of light. Wondering if I had lost the ability to use my magic and found to my delight that I was wrong. I had been tested but, I was still a wizard.

Gods, I needed a vacation, I honestly do, for I really hate my new job here. Maybe I could leave?

I gave it a thought and just laughed; what a stupid idea.

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A/N: Man, this chapter took a long time! I know you may find it rambling, but that was the point. Alexander is a veteran of a war who experienced terrible things. He survived, and now he is expected to reacclimate into society as nothing happened? That does not happen.