I chose Charles to be a main character as I rarely ever see him used. I really liked him and I like another character who will get some chapters and scenes to himself...
Can someone draw Aaron's Talisman? I want to use it on my Profile for this story. Both of them I think, the coin and the new one.
"Well, who is this pretty girl?" Charles Beckendorf couldn't help but say as he saw the pretty young Cyclops girl walk into his Cabin along side Aaron, who looked rather beat up with his left arm being black and blue and slightly swollen.
Said girl flushed and turned away. "Meggy, Meggy's name is Meggy, handsome boy. Are you the Nice boy, Brother Aaron said would help me?"
"Yes, he is. He might help you learn to make even prettier bangles Meggy." Aaron's smile was soft, softer then Charles had ever seen. The boy had always had a stern look about him, not unlike a child of Athena, only his was marked with a sadness that seemed to suggest a miserable past. Looking at the Cyclops seemed to fill him with a sense of warmth and purpose he never seemed to carry before and it made him cuter then before. "Meggy, Daughter of Aphrodite and my adopted little sister, meet Charles Beckendorf, son of Hephaestus and general badass. Meggy here was tossed from Olympus by her mother for being a Cyclops, so I adopted her and had her swear and oath that she is a good person. So don't worry about her being evil or anything. Oh and she is three months old."
Beckdendorf nodded, hiding his rage at the notion that she was treated like his father had been so many years ago, then held out his hand, shaking Meggy's hand when she grabbed his. " It is nice to meet you, Meggy. So, have you been creating? Building things?" he kept his tone soft, sweet, trying to reassure the girl he meant no harm.
Meggy nodded, looking excited. " In Meggy's Dumpster, she made lots of things with trash. Bangles and pretties, like earrings and necklaces. Aaron has magic, can we make magic bangles? I like the idea of helping Aaron and nice boys like you with my pretties."
"Well of course, my friend. Follow me and I'll show you around." He stopped Aaron. " You need to get your backside to the Apollo Cabin, your arm looks terrible. I'll keep your sister company, trust me."
Aaron nodded, smiling at him warmly. " You do that. Meggy, be good for him. Maybe you can help him with my talisman, It would be awesome to wield something you've made for me."
"Meggy would like that... Um... Meggy's still hungry, can Meggy get some food?" She tipped her head like a bird, making Charles smile brighter.
He laughed. " I have some stuff you can nibble on, sis. Come with me and we'll test out what you can do . Your brother got us a lot of Bones to work with, so I imagine you'll make a lot of bangles and pretties."
"YAH!" She squeezed him into a very warm hug, shocking him with her strength. She was tiny for a Cyclops, even for her age, but she was still plenty strong and it showed. "Meggy likes Pretty Charles Boy. Lets go make pretties!"
:::
Aaron chuckled all the way to Apollo's cabin, the sight of Meggy all but dragging the massive Charles Beckendorf like a doll was hilarious. Thankfully Charles didn't seem to mind and chatted the entire way, until he was out of Aaron's line of sight or hearing. That Charles seemed to like his adopted sister as much as he did was uplifting, the girl needed friends more then just Aaron. Maybe people would open up to him more with her present, with Charles caring for them both. Aaron hadn't paid much attention to the campers, he didn't have patience for them and their cruelty, but he noticed how much everyone respected Charles. It was impossible not to...
"What did you do?" Will Solace, a cute blonde haired boy, gaped as he walked into the Apollo Cabin. "I can feel your pain from here, how are you not crying?"
Shrugging, Aaron had only one real answer. "Really High pain tolerance. What's the damage?"
"What happened?"
"Hellhound yanked my shield from my arm while it was through the latches. Oh and I adopted a baby Cyclops, so spread word she is to be treated well and that she swore an oath that she was good and not eating us."
Will's eyes widened, but he nodded. It sort of hit Aaron, in that moment, that Will was very young. Aaron was fourteen, having turned a year older August first, making Will three years younger then him. It felt wrong to make a child a medic, but from what little he knew about the kid he was apparently the best healer by far in then entire Camp.
"Why did you adopt her? If you don't mind me asking?" Will walked away from him, grabbing a few supplies from a cabinet. "Your pretty much a loner, I think I've seen you a dozen times since you've been here and that's counting when you first got here, when you came back from your first Quest and when you burned your shroud. You don't even eat dinner with us always. What makes her so special that you would chose her over us? I mean it cannot be healthy to be alone so often. To be honest, I'm worried about you. "
There was no jealousy in the boy's words, only genuine curiosity and a healers worry, so Aaron felt that maybe he could open up. " Honestly, most Demigods were and have been pricks to me. Some were jealous that I was claimed by Hecate in a way, others were made that I got a quest and succeeded. I actually like kids, I like people when they are kind. I have no issues with you personally, I would be happy to be your friend to be honest, but I am hesitant with how I've been treated." He sighed in comfort as Will put a soothing paste on his arm, a magical paste he was familiar with though it was far beyond his skills. "She was alone, and abandoned by her mom. That wasn't right, so I took her in. Simple really."
Will bit his lip and looked up. "Do you really want to be my friend?"
"Why not, you've never been cruel to me."
Will actually blushed. "I'd like to be your friend too. Not everyone is mad at you, a lot of people admire you... I think some of your problem is that you judged all of us for some of us. If you took the time, you might make some friends and allies."
"I think I've done that with Charles... and you I hope." Will nodded. " Lovely, two new friends." He bent down and kissed the boy's cheek softly. "Your a sweet kid."
"I try." The boy blushed more. " Anyway, your arm. You've strained the muscles and are just really bruised up. Thankfully it isn't severe. I can heal it with a hymn." As if to make his point, the boy started to utter a soft prayer that Aaron, having been studying Greek for a few months, knew translated too "Oh Father Apollo, guide us with your light and take away this mortals pain. Ease what hurts, heal what has been lost and return him to normality."
It was actually very, very sweet and interesting to listen too, he could feel the surge of what he assumed was Apollo's power as it flooded his body, soothing his pain and allowing the muscles to stitch together and slowly return to normal. His arm started to deflate, the bruises fading as if they were much older. After a solid minute Will was panting and Aaron felt wonderful.
"Thanks kid... " Something, an idea that was actually pretty brilliant, started to blossom in his mind with the boy's offer of friendship. He was hesitant, truly, but if it worked out he would really benefit. Gathering his courage, he took a deep breathe and plowed on. "Hey, tell you what. In return for hanging with you, could you teach me some healing? I am never going to be a front line fighter, my mortality it too much of a burden. Healing though, that would be better fit. I would be a big help when it comes to capture the flag and whatever fights come out way. I have been thinking of making healing my specialty for a while, but it is so specific I never gave it the old college try, you know?"
Will nodded, his blonde hair bouncing. "I'd love too! With your magic you could heal things on a more specific basis then I can, my powers are too general sometimes. It would make it easier to heal monsters, Satyrs and even Chiron or yourself."
"Lovely. That will give me something to do when Meggy, my sister, is with Charlie."
"Come around... dawn? That's usually when I get started."
"Good and in return I will teach you some magic, or swordplay. Your choice."
The boy's eyes widened, he all but shook. "I really want to learn magic, but I wasn't sure if I could... if I have the aura for it. Do I?"
"Everyone can learn a little magic, not everyone can learn the advanced stuff. At the least you can learn to wield the Mist and do some simple stuff. As for if you have the aura, I don't know but we'll find out won't we?"
"I guess we will!" Then will stopped. "But aren't you really busy?"
"I am, but I need to make myself more useful. An hour a day for archery and Swordplay each, two hours for Latin and Greek, three hours for Regular Magic study and practice. Then I need to cool down, do something more productive while I deal with the recharge especially now that I have a new source to play with. If I just use magic constantly without a break I am endangering my body and soul, especially since I am a necromancer now. I have to practice Necromancy at night, when the Moon is out, for at least two hours. So as you see, I have a lot of time open since I do not participate in the other activities. This will be good for me."
"""
After setting the time and stuff up with Will, and adding more to his schedule, Aaron hurried away from Will and the Cabin that he would now be spending a few hours a day in. He hurried down to the forges, where he knew Meggy and Charlies were waiting for him. He could almost feel them, and felt a surge of excitement knowing that his talisman would be done soon, allowing him more focus and protections in his necromantic magics. It would also serve to prevent Agnes, who had been oddly quiet but it was day so he wasn't shocked, from possessing him... or so was his hope.
The warmth of the Forges hit him as he walked into the building, a comforting feeling filled with the potent magic invoked by both passion and inspiration. It lifted his spirits almost as much as the sound of Meggy's delicate, deep laughter. He followed that laughter until he saw his newly adopted sister, almost bent over with Charles doing the same. Several of Charlies' brothers and sisters were doing the same, a sight that made Aaron worry far less about the fate of his sister.
"What's got you chuckling so hard?"
Meggy whipped around. " Oh this and that, Meggy is funny. Look what she made!" She thrust her hands forward, showing something... something he had trouble focusing on for a moment... then he saw it, a gasp on his lips.
"Is this... already? But I wasn't gone more then half an hour?"
It was his talisman, a a piece tear shaped bone carved with runes for strength, focus and peace in a spiraling ring wrapped in an iron setting . The bone was hooked on a chain of natural but clearly enchanted metal, iron probably, that would let it sit on his collar bone. It was simple, beautiful and amazing... but not quite complete. He would need to bless it tonight, under the last night of the full moon in a bowl of his blood. He would need to lay of magic for a few days while he recovered from such advanced magic.
"Does Brother Aaron like it? Meggy helped with it, Nice Brother Charles made it at dawn but Meggy carved the runes in it."
He nodded, slowly, taking it from her hands and putting it on his neck, feeling it's subtle dark power wash through his body on contact as it searched and tried to connection with the Underworld magic in his body. "It it's perfect. Thank you, Meggy... really, I cannot express how much this means to me."
She blushed a deep pink, but it was Charles who spoke up. "She's unusually skilled for a Cyclops. she has a really good eye for small detail, More Artisan then Blacksmith. She will not be making swords and shields, but she will make jewelry and enchanted objects like no one's business."
"Wonderful... do you feel better, Meggy, did I fulfill my promise of giving you a home?"
The girl nodded, proud and happy. "Yes, Brother Aaron... you did."
Chapter end, tell me what you think in the reviews.
This was so much fun, powerful and interesting.
Love, your Ninja Overlord,
Mika.