AN: Welcome back everyone!
I'm glad everyone enjoyed the last chapter!
As to some questions raised in the reviews, no, there are no Spin Users in this universe. I feel like that would be a decently difficult bit to work in and tbh I just don't feel like it's necessary. Aside from that, I think you'll find that this chapter answers a lot of those questions! While raising a few more of course, but you'll see soo enough.
As for incorporating people from other universes, the way I plan so far is that every universe has counterparts of various people. You saw this with Ernesto and his Oyecomova to begin with. Some Stand Users will be entirely new, others will be reinvented :D.
Oh the things I have cooked up for this story...
Right, enough talk.
Let's begin!
Disclaimer: I, Beowulf, do not own PJO or JJBA. I only own this plot, my OC, and the disappointing truth that I do not possess D4C. If I did, I'd be jumping around universes like a bunny on crack.
~Chapter 13~
Up on Olympus, a certain Sun God was being shaken down for information regarding a certain Stand using demigod.
"What did you find? Tell me Apollo or I will curse every last one of your children!" Athena all but screamed, her grey eyes glowing with a wildness that had never been seen before as she literally shook the Sun God by the shoulders.
"I'm telling you Athena, he's a Stand User! That's all I found out about him so far!" The Sun God said in a panic as the Wisdom Goddess glared at him, boring a hole right through his head with her storm-grey eyes.
Athena's eyes widened a fraction before she scowled and went back to her temple on Olympus with Apollo in tow, where she had put up what could only be described as the biggest link chart in the world.
"Geez, even Arthur Conan Doyle would be thinking this was a bit far." The God of the Arts thought to himself about one of his many children as he looked around at the massive chaos that surrounded the usually meticulous Goddess.
Many gods on Olympus were intrigued by the Stand Using enigma of a demigod, but none more so than Athena.
The Goddess of Knowledge was beginning to border on obsession regarding the mystery of the dark-maned teen, which Apollo could at least partially understand.
Cyrus had managed to evade the eyes of the Gods for almost six years, only being spotted a few times for four of those years, before completely disappearing from them for the last two.
If that wasn't bad enough, the few times he had been spotted by the Gods, specifically by interacting with them, he'd managed to add to his own mystery in a number of ways. Giving Thanatos and Hades the slip for one, beating Apollo in a game of sharpshooting for another.
Being the Goddess of Wisdom and Reason, she prided herself on knowing things...and well...
Athena did not look very reasonable at the moment, to say the least. Her storm-grey eyes were ichor-shot, tinged gold like a jaundice patient with small bags under them. Instead of a calculating gaze, she gave off more of the 'I'm losing my mind' mad genius vibe as she murmured and muttered out connections and ideas to herself.
"How do you even move around in this?" Apollo asked outright. The Weaving Goddess just waved a hand in dismissal, muttering to herself as she added another pin to the wall with Cyrus's face on it.
Following a thread leading from one of Cyrus's pictures, he was surprised to see that it linked up to a newspaper article, specifically of one involving Mafia in-fighting in Italy. He arched an eyebrow as he turned his gaze from the supposed connection as Athena continued to mutter about connections and theories regarding the enigmatic Stand User of a demigod.
"Are you sure there is nothing else Apollo?" Athena asked over her shoulder. She was currently looking in between the connection of Cyrus and the sudden fall in drug-related crimes throughout Europe.
Apollo winced as he went back over his memories. He'd already told her about his suspicions of Cyrus being from another world due to his strange divinity, but not from any of the Olympians. Thankfully for him, Athena had not gone and told Zeus about it, seeing as she was already entranced by the mystery of the demigod and would have very much liked to at least find the truth about him before he was disintegrated by a thunder strike.
He'd told her about his Stand, and it being the source of his amazing power. Suddenly he flinched as a dream came to him. A dream coming from one of the members of the quest for Artemis.
Now, generally dreams were Morpheus's domain. That was true. But Demigod dreams generally had a bit of Prophetic elements to them, which is where Apollo came in. He could glean information from their minds as they dreamt.
He didn't like doing it very much because of how much of a yikes to privacy it was, so he generally limited it. But he'd left it on for this one in particular because of two things.
1. He was worried about his little sis and screw you if you wanted him to stop about it.
2. Sue him, he really wanted answers as to Cyrus's secrets.
So he'd left it on for those demigods...and he had heard some...interesting things from this memory.
"Allowing multiple universes to exist in the same location! That, is the power of my Stand, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap! No person can exist as two of the same person in the same world, save for me!"
Apollo's eyes bulged as the words clicked. That would...wow.
"Apollo?" The Sun God jolted at the sound of Athena's voice.
"U-uh, nah, nothing Athena! Hehe, n-nothing at all! Listen...I uh, gotta go do a...thing." He stammered out, struggling to think of a lie before he speed-walked out of Athena's temple. The goddess blinked once, like an owl, before shrugging and getting back to her massive link chart.
He really needed to have a talk with a demigod or two. Damn the consequences for interference, he needed answers.
"I believe we must speak." The Saint spoke, making Cyrus scratch at the back of his head nervously.
"Very well then." Cyrus replied as he took his seat upon the throne-like chair.
"You have been doing well with your time in this world. Most impressive what you have managed to do."
"Erm...thank you Lord."
The Saint gave something that was almost a chuckle. "Please do not refer to me with such honorifics. You need not fear me like this. After all, you possess my heart and my rib-cage. You are as I am, a partial divinity."
Cyrus tilted his head, thinking over it for a moment before chuckling a little nervously. "I suppose..."
Leaning forward, Cyrus continued. "But to business. You showed yourself to me on Half-Blood Hill. Why?"
The Saint's voice was as solemn as ever. "You must prepare yourself. Something dark approaches. War marches on the horizon for this Pantheon, with Gravity drawing more of this...Old Blood against you."
Cyrus grimaced, as he steepled his fingers on the desk. That wasn't good at all. "What do you suggest?"
"I am simply here to warn you Cyrus Khan. You are my emissary, but you walk your own path. I do as I did in life. I spread my message."
"Know this however," the Saint continued, making Cyrus pay heed to his words. "My corpse parts do not exist in this world...however you know what parts of me do."
Cyrus stiffened. "Y-you don't mean..."
The Saint nodded, leading the Stand User to grimace. "This is fine..." Cyrus began, "We have one, and another has been destroyed, which leaves the third as missing and..."
"The fourth. In the Old Blood's possession."
"...WHAT?!"
Cyrus yelled out as he stood up suddenly, his eye twitching as his thoughts raced.
"Please calm down Cyrus."
The Stand User did not calm down, his caramel-toned skin paling considerably. That was bad. That was terrible. "Are you telling me, that the Old Blood of Passione, who are allied with the Titans...ARE IN POSSESSION OF A HOLY NAIL?!"
Pausing for a moment, the Saint nodded calmly as Cyrus's mind continued to race. "Shit shit SHIT! If they have a holy nail that explains everything!"
And it did. It explained how Giuseppe had wielded a Stand, but had been such an amateur. One was either born with a Stand, or granted one. In Giuseppe's case, he must have been granted one...or he was just that stupid and Gravity had just put him in Cyrus's path.
If the Old Blood were in possession of one of the Holy Nails, and were allied with the Titans, that could lead to disaster. Visions of monsters and enemy demigods gaining Stands of their own filled his vision.
"That will not become true, and you know this."
The Saint explained further. "Full blooded monsters do not possess souls, so a Stand cannot be drawn out of them. As for full-blooded demigods of this pantheon and many others, they cannot attain a Stand unless they were born with them. Being pierced with a Nail would simply kill them outright due to my Holy Blood. After all, it was them who originally killed me." (1)
Cyrus breathed a sigh of relief, but still grimaced. While that soothed some of his worries, that still left the matter that the Old Blood were now able to make Stand Users of their own to send after him and his friends.
"Do you know where they are? They have something of yours after all." Cyrus asked. The Saint shook his head.
"While they were once mine, I am not of this plane anymore. I cannot interfere too much; you are my emissary for this reason."
Cyrus pinched the bridge of his nose as he paced back and forth. The Saint continued on.
"I have already interfered quite a bit with my blessings upon you through my Parts within your own body. My brand of divinity sets you partially out of their own jurisdiction, where they cannot outright track you down. Your dreams are not subject to normal demigod propheticism, as well as the healing factor and the superhuman capabilities that my Rib-Cage bestow upon you."
"And for that I am forever grateful." Cyrus said wholeheartedly.
"Nevertheless, you must brace yourself for the coming war. It shall be fierce. Brutal even. But I shall say this to you. Hold true to your comrades and do as you have always done."
Cyrus nodded. "Fate shall always reward the Just Path."
"And so it shall...and I shall give you one more bit of advice."
"?"
"You hold too many secrets my friend. Especially from her."
Cyrus stiffened as his face colored red, an image of a certain punk girl flashing in his mind. "This is irrelevant."
The Saint tilted his head. "Are you sure?"
The young Stand User narrowed his eyes, refusing to answer. "Why does this matter?"
Cyrus could have sworn he saw a small smile in the shadows covering the Saint's face. "I simply want the best for you, my friend. Even I found love during my time on Earth in the form of my beloved Mary Magdalene." (2)
"Love is a force greater than you realize Cyrus Khan." Cyrus's face colored a tint of red as he turned away, looking out of the window. He bit his lip.
He wanted to tell her...he wanted to tell her everything.
But he couldn't, not yet. And he said as much.
"I want to...but I can't. There's so much to tell I-I don't even know where to start..." His voice, usually so filled with such confidence and often mischievousness, was now quiet and hesitant.
"In time, all things are revealed. Follow your heart. If it wavers, do not press forward; because then, the door to a new path will open for you."
As Cyrus turned back to the Saint, he watched as the room dissolved into blackness, and he knew nothing more.
Cyrus's eyes cracked open slowly with a groan as he awoke from his slumber. He rubbed the sleep dust out of his eyes, before recalling what the Holy Saint had spoken of.
So, the Holy Nails were the play that the Old Blood were going for. He grimaced.
He had to get back into contact with Razione and his other agents in Italy. If the Holy Nails were the play, Passione would have to respond with equal force.
The issue would be trying to sneak away enough to relay a message to his subordinates. He frowned a bit.
"...I wonder how difficult it'll be to confess that I'm the Boss of the largest Underground Empire the world has ever seen..."
Passione couldn't really be called totally criminal anymore...so he just called it an Underground Empire. His brows furrowed as he thought as he looked up at the ceiling of the Cadillac. This would not be a pleasant thing to work through, that was for sure.
As his gaze lowered from the ceiling of the car, it fell upon the sleeping face of Thalia Grace. His frown softened slightly as he took in her surprisingly soft features as she slept. When she wasn't being all 'hardcore punk rebel' she was so cute. His hand reached out to tenderly put a wayward lock of hair from falling on her face as he recalled what the Saint had said.
All of that just made him think more and more about his feelings for his fellow raven-haired demigod.
She was...something. For sure.
Strong, brave, and had a deep ferocity within when it came to those she cared for. She had a good heart, surprising considering all the pain she had been through.
She was clever as well, and damn if some brains weren't hot as hell in a girl.
And...okay Cyrus had to admit it. She was beautiful. Her time in that tree had definitely helped her keep a solid figure.
"Although, I probably won't say that to her face ever. She'll probably kill me on the spot. I'd have to use D4C to resurrect myself after that. Again..." He thought to himself, shivering at the thought.
His eyes moved over her face, taking in her features. "But there's...so much I've done..." His gaze moved to his own hands, clenching them into fists.
Cyrus had done things, bad things. Of that there was no question. He had tried so hard to do as the Joestars had done, to walk the Just Path...but there was still blood on his hands.
Would she accept that? Could she accept that? Hell, even he couldn't accept it fully.
As he agonized over his own past, he didn't notice a video forming out of a rainbow in front of him.
"OI BOSS! (WE GOT N-)" Stiffening suddenly, Cyrus turned to the source of the noise, giving a glare that could have set fire to the oceans and reduced it all to nothing but steam.
"Ghiaccio, (what have I told you about volume)?" He hissed out, stealing a glance at Thalia and breathing a small sigh of relief that she remained asleep.
The blue-haired Italian stopped there, gulping slightly at the hiss his Boss had given him. "Uh..."
"(Give it here) Ghiaccio, (I'll inform the) Boss." A rich baritone voice sounded somewhere off to the side. Reluctantly, the bombastic blue-haired man stepped away, only to be replaced with someone new.
He was a tall man, and definitely a bit older. He looked about forty years old, with a long brown mane of hair streaked with grey and white. His skin was quite Caucasian, resembling something out of Scandinavia, even though he was born and raised in Italy. He had a rich beard worthy of a Northman as well, reaching down to the middle of his sternum. His eyes were a kind, but powerful shade of purple, immediately demanding attention and instilling authority.
He wore a large double-breasted green great coat that looked like something an officer would wear out of World War Two. It was absolutely covered in military medals, but unbuttoned to reveal a black vest underneath that was covered in what looked like individual steel plates on his pectorals and abs. The Iris Message did not show anything past his waist, but Cyrus knew he wore black dress slacks and business shoes under those slacks. (3)
"Razione. (Report)."
Vladimir Razione ran a hand over his face and chuckled emotionlessly. "(I can't tell you anything you don't already know) Boss. (I managed to decode a few communications and notes that the old bastard had. Something about helping with a client that only went by the name of 'Storto'. The Old Blood are in league with him it looks like, considering they went rogue once we took over)."
Cyrus scowled at that. That just confirmed everything else. "(Storto is an alias, I'm sure you've figured out)?
A nod answered the young Stand User. "(Aye, I'm sure no one calls themselves 'Crooked' and nothing else. We're trying to track down and eradicate any others that are working for the Old Blood and this 'Storto'. Right now) Risotto (is busy with recruitment while) Illuso (and I are working on expanding more. We've reached out past Italia) Boss."
The wielder of D4C nodded as he mulled over the information. The expansion was good, it allowed Passione more power over Europe and therefore more effectiveness...but that shouldn't be the priority, especially with what Cyrus now knew.
"(I want you to put efforts in expansion on a backburner) Razione."
Razione's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Boss?"
"(We have bigger fish to fry. I know what the Old Blood are up to. They have a Nail)."
The normally stoic man's eyes widened in shock before narrowing. "Boss (are you sure about this)?"
"(As the plague. This is confirmed information)."
"(Shit)."
Cyrus grimaced. If Razione was swearing outright, then he knew this was definitely bad news.
"(We already have one Nail already, and I destroyed another myself when I joined. There is one more Nail unaccounted for) Razione. (I want you and anyone else you can spare to dredge up anything you can to find the last Nail. Leave nothing unturned. I don't care if you have to rough up the fucking Pope for this. This is a direct order from me. Is that clear)?" He spoke firmly, his eyes fixed on the other's.
Razione simply bowed his head. "(Orders received) Boss (You can count on us)."
The caramel-skinned young man nodded, before disconnecting the call with a swipe of his fingers.
"...shit, I should've asked if he had more information on the Stand Users after us..." He murmured with a frown on his face, rubbing his forehead from the headache that was beginning to form. "Fuck it, I need another nap..."
While Cyrus was busy getting a bigger and bigger headache over various issues, Percy was currently in the midst of a dream, of ages long since gone.
There was this...strange girl in that dream, that was almost familiar. He wasn't himself in that dream at all. He was saying things that he would have never said in a voice that was not his. He was acting bold, brash, and cocky to the point that it was almost nauseating.
He awakened suddenly, when in the dream, he received a strange blade...which was his own blade. His own Riptide.
Who was he? He definitely wasn't himself, that was for sure. Another thing that was for sure...the girl in his dream was Zoe Nightshade.
Percy jolted up from his dream. He groaned, rubbing his eyes a little.
"Had nice dreams?"
The Son of Poseidon would have hit the ceiling and made a hole in it if he had jumped with how startled he was. Instead, he stiffened and turned in his seat, ready to uncap Riptide.
The homeless man that had helped them earlier was sitting next to him, wearing a crooked smile on his face. "You know, that reminds me of a haiku I made once to Morpheus. I had Hermes look over it before he delivered, but he returned it to sender. Weird huh?"
Percy blinked. "Apollo?"
"Shh! Don't blow my cover! I'm incognito right now, just call me Fred, 'kay?"
"...a God named Fred?"
Apollo winced at that, rubbing his head. "Eh...okay fair point, but Zeus insists on some rules...which I am bending right now, but that's not the point."
Percy rubbed his temples at the budding headache he was getting. "So why are you here?"
"Well..."
The disguised God looked out the window at a Cadillac. The Cadillac, Percy remembered, that Cyrus and Thalia were in.
"You don't trust him huh?"
Percy wrinkled his nose for a moment. "...He's kind of a jerk."
Apollo stifled a chuckle. "Heh, you're quite right about that. But I'm sure he means well. As much of mystery as he is."
"Why is he so secretive?" Percy asked the God. Surely the Sun God who saw pretty much everything had to know something right?
The God shook his head. "I wish I could tell you kid. I've met him a few times...including that one sharpshooting thing...but he's remained an enigma. Hell, he's a mystery to nearly all of Olympus. We couldn't track him for a number of years too. Your Dad spread out his senses through all the oceans, and nothing."
Percy looked awestruck at that for a moment, before shaking himself out of it.
"But," Apollo interjected, "I believe you can trust him in spite of that. He's a good guy, as you've noticed."
And on that, the Son of Poseidon had to agree.
Actually, now that he thought about it...during the fight against Ernesto, the insane bomber had said something to Cyrus to make him look at them for a moment...did he threaten them?
If so, that made sense, and if there was anything Percy respected, it was loyalty. Cyrus had fought on their side, literally ripping himself apart to fight for them.
"...okay maybe he's not like Luke." Percy admitted to himself. "But why does he hate my guts?"
Apollo studied him for a moment, before shrugging. "No clue," he put out bluntly, making Percy facepalm a little. "But, if I had to guess, its to do with his little sister."
When Percy made a confused face, the God continued. "Your little girlfriend?"
Percy went beet red. "I-what?"
"Oh come on, you know who I'm talking about. You know, Athena's favorite daughter? The one you have the hots for?"
"N-no I don't!" Percy protested weakly, even as his face's color continued to graduate from beet to fire engine in color.
Apollo smirked, tapping the side of his nose. "Anyway, you could just ask him why he's so tough on you. My guess is he wants to make sure you're a good fit for his little sis."
"Which I can respect..." The Sun God trailed off, before shaking his head. "I'm getting off track, I came here to ask you some questions about our resident mystery. Specifically his Stand."
Percy raised a few eyebrows. "So you know about Stands?"
Apollo winced. "It's...complicated. Most Stand Users have tended to stay away from us ever since about...eighteen-hundred years ago? Give or take five or so decades..? Us Gods know they exist, but we've kept our distance a lot. But this is the first time that Stands have become relevant to us." (4)
He continued. "The biggest reason why Cyrus is a mystery has to do with his Stand. If we know that much, we can learn more about him as a person..."
Percy grumbled. "He told us, but it doesn't help a lot..."
The Sea God's offspring told Apollo all he could remember about what Cyrus had mentioned about his ability.
Rubbing his head, Apollo grimaced, muttering to himself.
Thunder rumbled in the distance, making the God wince. "Shit, out of time. Alright, listen. I can't say much, but I'll tell you this. Find Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea. He has knowledge that can be beyond even me sometimes."
"Nereus?" Percy repeated in confusion as Apollo smiled. He heard Grover snoring a little louder in the backseat, making him turn to look. When he looked back, Apollo had vanished.
Cyrus returned from his romp in the land of Dreams, waking with little sound. He cracked his neck, hearing bones pop, before stretching as much as the back seat could allow.
He hummed to himself faintly as he absently summoned D4C. The horned Stand, formerly belonging to Valentine, floated with only the upper half of its body manifested above his shoulders.
Checking out of the car window, he noticed that the train had come to a slow stop. He made to get out of the car, stopping when noticing that Thalia was still asleep in the shotgun seat.
He sighed softly, before gently nudging her. "Thals, time to get up."
"Mmm, nu few m're minutes Bunny..." She murmured before snuggling back into the seat.
Cyrus's eyebrows raised in confusion at that. "Bunny...?" He asked himself quietly before shaking himself out of his confusion and nudging her again. "Come on Thals, we gotta get going."
She groaned, cracking open her electric blue eyes. "Mm? Cy? What time is it..?"
"Not a clue, probably morning. Either way, the train's stopped, so time to get off." He said as he clambered out of the car. He discreetly put a mark on the car with a small prayer to Hermes, saying something about a "favor", before walking around and opening the door for her, giving a teasing smile as he held out a hand. "Milady~?"
She blushed faintly, before scowling and getting out, punching him in the arm as she did so. He grumbled as he rubbed his sore arm. "Rude. You know if you keep doing that, I'm gonna bruise."
"Oh boo hoo." She mocked, before taking notice of the Stand floating above his shoulders. "Why'd you bring it out?"
"Hmm?" Cyrus looked up, noticing his power made manifest hovering above him. He shrugged, "I dunno. Sometimes I just let it out. Makes it easier to access it if I need it, plus it's my soul. It just feels right."
Thalia smirked at him a little, looking up at the Stand. "You know, I still can't get over all this weird stuff. This is your bizarre world huh? With things like your Stand?"
He chuckled a little, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked away. "Yeah...but I'd never trade it for anything. It feels right having D4C. It's a part of me. Ya know?"
"I don't, but if you say so." She said, before looking back up at D4C. She inwardly giggled a little as she smirked up at the bunny-ear like horns that the Stand sported.
"Why are you laughing?" Cyrus grumbled out as he continued to look away. Thalia raised an eyebrow as she looked to him, then back to the Stand, who was regarding her with its fuchsia eyes, which (strangely) were starting to grow on her a bit.
"Wait...can you see what it sees?"
Cyrus gave her an eyeroll. "C'mon Thals. You keep forgetting. The Stand, is a manifestation of my soul. It is me. So I can see what it sees, feel what it feels, all that jazz."
She stood there quietly for a moment, before putting a hand behind her back. "How many fingers am I holding up?"
"...really Thals?"
"Humor me."
Cyrus shook his head with a chuckle as D4C floated until it was behind Thalia.
"Five. Four. Three. Now it's two. Four. One. Zero. Fi-one. You can't change it while I'm saying it." He chided near the end as he continually said (correctly) what fingers Thalia was holding behind her back.
Thalia gave a low whistle before smirking at him again. "That's actually kinda cool." By now, the rest were starting to get out of their cars. Zoe and Phoebe reached them first, followed by Percy and Grover.
Most of them leaned away from the Stand warily, after having learned its power from the battle against Ernesto. Thalia just kept talking, smiling up at the bunny-eared Stand.
"Now I kinda want one." She said off-handedly, which made her pause for a moment, her eyebrows scrunching together in thought. "How do you get a Stand anyway? Are they rare or something?"
Cyrus rubbed his neck a little. "Very rare. There are only two ways that I know of to get a Stand. One is that you're born with it, and the other is that you're granted one."
Percy yawned a little before chiming in, "Well how do you get granted one?"
The Stand User grimaced. "Through a very iffy process. Lets just say that ninety-nine percent of the time, the person trying to obtain a Stand dies..."
Everyone winced at that even as Cyrus continued. "Hell, some of the people born with them will still die. Stands require a certain amount of mental strength to use, otherwise they turn on their users and...well yeah."
Thalia's spirits dampened a bit at that. Well, there went her chances at a Stand...though she did wonder, which was it for Cyrus? "Time to add that to the list of questions for Bunny-boy..."
Phoebe's eyes narrowed suddenly. "If that's the case, and these Stands are so rare, why are we encountering so many?"
"Well aside from some old enemies of mine deciding to put a target on my back...there's two little somethings you guys should know about Stands in general." Cyrus spoke, his eyes lingering on Thalia's for a moment, communicating that this was important.
"See there's this...strange force between Stand Users. I don't know how exactly to explain it. It's kind of like Fate but a lot of us call it Gravity in a way. Stand Users attract other Stand Users, even if they've never met."
Thalia frowned. So that was 'a part' of the reason why he didn't come back? Well that was stupid...until she thought about it.
Giuseppe had been an amateur, and an idiot. But he had been a Stand User and nearly killed all of them.
Ernesto, had been a Stand User and had left them almost helpless.
Combine all that with what Cyrus had been telling them and now it was starting to make sense...
But she didn't have to like it.
"So we'll have to deal with more of these guys?" Percy groaned, getting a small glare from the girls and Cyrus.
"Perhaps we shall. It does not matter." Zoe said with a scowl.
"Besides, if we run into any of them, Cyrus can take care of them right? I mean his power is nuts!" Grover exclaimed with a smile, only to falter when Cyrus shook his head.
"D4C's strong, but I'm not invincible Grover. Discounting the fact that I can still die if my death is instant...the other thing you need to know about Stands ties into what I said about damaging them. Just like if most Stands are damaged, so is the User...if a Stand dies...so does the User. So if D4C is destroyed..."
He didn't have to finish the sentence. Everyone winced at that, with Thalia biting her lip nervously before shaking her head. It wouldn't come to that.
"We should get moving. We gotta find Artemis still...hopefully a coffee shop as well." Grover grumbled that last bit, which definitely distracted them from the relatively somber mood beforehand.
"Yeah yeah, we got it." Cyrus groaned out good-naturedly. He didn't recall D4C, instead opting to let it drape itself over his shoulders with the upper half of its body visible, "Let's go get our bearings."
And with that, he led his way off the train, trailed immediately by Thalia, followed by Zoe and Phoebe, and with Percy and Grover bringing up the back. The former seemed to be deep in thought while glancing at their enigma of a leader, while the latter was just muttering about needing coffee.
As they left, Cyrus caught out of the corner of his eye the Cadillac vanishing in a muted flash of light and smiled. "Good good...some wheels for little ol' me. Now we're even Hermes."
Hopping off the train, a sign greeted them, welcoming them to the quaint little town of Cloudcroft, New Mexico. Cyrus was busy playing with a yo-yo he'd somehow managed to keep with him from his coat, doing multiple tricks and loops with D4C helping to form elaborate shapes and forms. Thalia walked alongside him, holding back a smile at her best friend's antics. Zoe was looking at the Stand User with annoyance while Phoebe watched with mild amusement.
Grover yawned as he walked over to the group alongside Percy, getting the group's attention. "Man I would kill for some coffee right now. You think there's a-" The satyr stopped mid-step as a wind feeling like a breath of crisp spring air, out of place in the winter they were in, washed over the group.
Zoe and Phoebe stiffened up for a moment as well, their eyes going unfocused.
Cyrus's eyes widened, dropping the yo-yo as he felt the surge of power wash over the area. He knew that feeling...
The image of an elderly satyr flashed across his eyes for a moment. "So he's near here...didn't know he decided to hole up in New Mexico."
He let D4C's enhanced senses envelop him as his chest began to twinge slightly in pain, and his eyes widened as a translucent image of the Saint appeared about ten feet away from him.
The Saint pointed to the woods, before disappearing.
A thwack resounded as Thalia whacked him on the back of the head. "How many times will you zone out on me Bamf-boy?"
He glared a little. "Would it kill you to just shake me once?"
She just pointed at Grover and the two hunters, the latter of which had jolted out of their trance at the sound of Thalia's slap. They immediately pulled out their bows, aiming where the Saint had been pointing. Grover on the other hand...
"Grover? G-man, come on bud. Wake up!" Percy said, shaking him with increasing violence as the satyr refused to refocus.
Suddenly, Grover shook himself awake, before turning to that same area of the woods and grinning like a child that had gotten enough Halloween candy to rot his teeth and then some.
"A gift..." Cyrus's enhanced sense of hearing caught the distant sound of a squeal, and he whitened and swore under his breath.
"Uh, what?" Percy tilted his head in confusion, before Grover repeated himself louder.
"A gift of the Wild!"
The mighty squeal of a pig echoed in the air as trees suddenly went flying. Shielding their faces from splintered wood, their faces (excluding Grover) quickly began to rival the snow around them in paleness.
A boar as tall as a bus was long, with tusks as big as canoes snorted loudly before turning its beady little eyes on the company of quest-goers.
"REEEEEEEEEEEEET!" It shrieked as it began to charge.
"Time to go!" Cyrus yelled out as he grabbed Thalia and ran (scooping up the yo-yo as he did so), towards the West.
AN: Phew. Done.
A decently long chapter, hopefully with a decent bit of substance for you guys.
Lots of expositional material in here huh? The Saint is truly an enlightening force and a half, haha.
Hopefully I did a decent job going through the various perspectives and threats that seem to be piling up against our merry gang.
And Passione. Passione, oh how many plans I have for you. Here we have the introduction of Razione, an OC that I came up with early on in this story, and now I get to use him a bit more!
Notes:
(1) While the Holy Corpse's parts only existed because of the Saint's travels to America, that didn't happen in this universe. Instead, I opted for something different. One of the Arma Christi, the Holy Nails, used in the Crucifixion of Christ.
As for the reasoning as to why a demigod (at least from the Greco-Roman Pantheon) can't have a Stand from said Nail, it's fairly obvious from what the Saint's saying haha.
(2) Call this heresy if you wish, but I quite liked the idea that Mary Magdalene was the wife of Jesus and that they had children. So I tried to have him here giving Cyrus tips. Jesus is best JoBro, tied with Gyro at least.
(3) Vladimir Razione is an OC that I managed to come up with. I will say that he is based off of a specific person/band. I wonder if you guys can figure it out. The name Razione, comes from the Italian word for "Ration" as in Military Rations. Hint: They currently have a song that is trending on Youtube in the US as of the time I am writing this, which is August 25th.
(4) A bit of an explanation on Stands from the Gods' perspective, albeit a very crappy one. It will go a bit more in depth later, but I will say that the timing that Apollo mentions is particularly important.
Alright, that does it for the notes!
Hopefully you guys enjoyed the chapter as much as I enjoyed making/struggling with it.
Remember to leave solid reviews if you would be so kind. The criticism and feedback sustain my mind.
Cheers!
Beowulf