Magic is a fun thing to play with. I love this chapter and it sets things up even better.
Getting to Las Vegas was the easy part for Aaron, he just took a long train ride there, studying his grimoire and working hard to memorize and learn from it's godly contents and often crafting spell bags from his first grimoire and this one, modifying spells slightly with more potent herbs grown from his own or demigod or Satyr magic. His primary goal was to craft a spell bag to mask the kids' auras until they were safe. Speaking of magic, He had realized, only recently as in the last few days or so since he gained his own true magical life force, that the book itself was a source of power but he knew better than to use it willy nilly. The book's magic, a blessing from Persephone and the innate magic of having spells collected together in a book, were intense. It could and would likely burn up his lifeforce, or sear him from the inside as he cast spells from it's pages. No, for now, he would merely learn from its pages, and only use the spell book for power in the direst of circumstances.
It took him a few days to reach Las Vegas but as soon as he stepped onto the soil of that land, he felt a tremendously potent magical presence. It was overwhelming, tasting of ecstasy and something almost timeless. The energy was heady and numbing, like wine, and was so strong he saw it's aura without any focus or spell. It was like an Aurealis Borealis in the freaking desert!
"Wow, that is... terrifying, that anything could be that mystically powerful." Shivering, he hurried towards it, armed with his magical bag and spell bags, his own weak magic and a sword only a third as powerful as a demigod blade... he could do this.
Everything was going well for the first twenty of so minutes, until he was smashed into by something strong and rose scented the moment he entered an alley two blocks from the Lotus Hotel. In an instant, Camp training kicked in and he rolled away, landing on his feet, he focused his magic with a breath and summoned his blade.
"You arrogant whelp!" He heard, a hissing breath and saw it's source. It was a woman, with firey hair and a beautiful face. Another empousa, only this one had a stronger aura than the one he fought first. "You killed Cassie, my poor baby sister, her scent is all over you, mortal!" It was then that he realized how similar the two looked, they almost had the same face... it was eerie. How she managed to find him was beyond him, but hey it happened and he had to deal with it.
He didn't hesitate, he swiped at her with his blade, twirling and slicing as he was taught by the children of Athena. Only when he got close, his blade locked against her claws, did he call out. "ABI!" And he felt a portion of his life force, now magical, burn away as it created a force that shot her away from him into the alley wall. He moved fast, stabbing down, his blade piercing her stomach and pinning her into the wall.
She screamed once, before dispersing into fire that forced him back, his arm hairs burning off.
"Damn it..." he cringed, hating that power of theirs. "I hope she is dead and not just pissed and readying herself to kill me." Groaning a little, he hurried away to the Lotus Hotel, knowing that somehow despite it's power, it was the safer option at the moment.
"Hello there, may I welcome you to the Lot-" The Front Desk man started, a young-looking fellow with nice skin, but Aaron was not in the mood and took one look at him and said.
"Somnia." And threw a small purple spell pouch at his feet. A spark of purple energy rippled out, and the man collapsed, knocked out by the simplest application of Underworld magic that Aaron had never attempted outside of Astral projection ( Which had failed every time he tried, his soul was just not flexible enough yet). Moving into the Hotel proper, he focused hard, and saw a flurry of lights, auras of all types. He knew what to look for, Hades' kids would have immensely powerful auras, and frankly, they would be dark and earthy, and likely feel a little like Persephone's.
Or so he imagined.
It took an hour or so of looking, resting his poor eyes every so often until finally, he found them. They were in a table, chatting with each other animatedly, their hands moving wildly but with purpose as they ate. They were cute kids, the boy Nico had cute tuffs of black hair and fair olive skin. The girl was the same only her hair was silky and long, her head covered by a green hat. Their auras were as potent as Percy's, Nico's especially.
Aaron smiled, his mission had some success at least. "Hey there," he said, approaching them. "My name is Aaron Mathews, what are you two up to?"
The girl, Bianca, smiled at him nervously. "We were just debating how... weird this place is...oh how rude, my name is Bianca, and this is Nico. Di Angelo." She held out her hand and he shook it, Nico's as well.
Grabbing a spell bag, the one that would mask their presence for a short time ( it used up a lot of magic to make over the last few days), he readied it with a sharp charge of magic. "I admit I already knew that, I was sent to retrieve you by your father."
They both gaped. "Our dad, but he's dead!" Bianca said. " A bank trust pays for our... well, life."
Aaron sighed, and held out his hand, a soft purple glow covered it as he channeled the tinniest bit of magic. "I am a witch, and you two are demigods. Children of a Greek God. I was sent to escort you out to safety."
"Not exactly, honey!" A dark force, a familiar force, Alecto, spoke from behind him and made them all jump. Her dark aura startled him, as did her rapid appearance. "I was sent to gather them, you were sent to ensure no one can find them until it is time for them to be revealed." Alecto was dressed up in a suit, like a lawyer.
Aaron sighed, turning to the startled kids. "This is a... well, I cannot tell you as you are not allowed to know your father's name until it is time, but she is a servant of your father."
The girl frowned. "Gods and magic..." She shivered. "How do I know you aren't lying?"
"Your blood will tell you, instinct will tell you... you are more powerful than you know, Bianca, and you too Nico. You can do things you would never believe, and frankly... you should be able to sense the veracity of my words."
They both nodded, eyes wide. "Cool!" Nico said, excited.
"No, not cool Nico!" She hissed. "Do we have to go with you?" Both Aaron and Alecto nodded. "Fine... but we go under duress."
"That's fine, for now. I am assuming you have provided me with my supplies for this masking spell, I know what you're talking about, it's in my grimoire." he turned to Alecto, who nodded. "Brilliant, let's get started."
"Upstairs, there is a room ready for us with the supplies, then we must part, You have your own new mission in Phoenix."
"Let's get started, I guess."
A few minutes later they were in the room, with the kids sitting in the middle of a ritualistic circle, with Sigils in the language of magic for obscurity and repression and mist and shadow in center. The runes were made of marigold, rowan and rose ash, drawing on the power of masking and protection and the earth itself. Lifitng his hands skyward, he breathed in the power of the Earth, of nature and of his lifeforce.
"Congrega et larva, numen subprime!" He uttered and watched as the purple light seemed to rise from the sigils and sink into the kids, who seemed to fade off, their divine auras muffled and masked from all view.
He swayed, but did not faint a sign he was indeed more powerful.
Alecto sniffed at them, before smiling her cold smile. "It worked, I can barely detect their aura... very good... now go, go obey Hera's order and find the demigod she bids you seek."
Aaron nodded, but as he went to leave, he turned to the kids and saw their fear and doubt. It broke his heart. "Listen, if your father allows, I will visit you, either physically or astrally... maybe show you how to fight, give you some edge in the days to come. Demigod lives are often uneasy, and very short... you deserve better."
The kids nodded, eyes brighter. " Would you?" Nico asked.
"Yes, I really would... now I must leave... my friend, ask their father and your lord if I can help them as I suggested, would you?" He really hoped she would say yes, that Hades would say yes, these kids really, really deserved better especially given the oath and the dark story he knew as behind their imprisonment in that Hotel of all places.
Alecto nodded. "I will see what I can do, I think my lord would appreciate your help in that regard, anything to increase their chances at life and destiny. " With that, he left, moving out of the hotel and back to the train station, ready for the next leg of his journey.
Chapter end, tell me what you think in the reviews.
This was a joyful chapter to write.
Love, your Ninja Overlord,
Mika.