Rare trigger warning for violence and sexual assualt references ..
P.S. I hate rape in stories for the sake of drama, especially to make girls look like perpetual victims and men look like monsters... but I think it is a serious risk for certain demigods and entities especially in the Greek world.
This is a very, very different chapter then I have ever written... and it will be part of a longer arc of chapters... I hope...
"Wow, you made all of this yourself?"
Aaron smirked, looking at Percy as the boy looked at his garden. It had been expanded over the last few hours, having the literal blessing of Dionysius.
" I had help, a lot of it. Mr. D played a big part in all of this. As did several kindly Nymphs and Satyrs and children of Demeter and Dionysius. They had each planted several herbs and flowers and bushes, using their powers to help it to grow from just a singular but large rose bush into a real life garden that radiated the power of the Earth. All of this was done in a few hours, all before the sun moved past dawn. Amazing, isn't it.
I hope to use it to honor the Spirits of Asphodel and Mr. D himself, of course. The plants can be used for spells, potions and all sorts of things. Thankfully we have so much nature magic here, this garden is not going anywhere any time soon. I can't wait to see it when it's done, with the statue in the center, an Altar and a small pond. Maybe a bench or too so people can sit here and remember those that have passed."
Percy frowned. "Why Asphodel though? Why not Elysium?"
"Everyone worships and honors Elysium but the simple truth is that we are almost all bound for Asphodel. Unless you are a hero that is your fate, so I think they deserve to be honored since many of them are amazing, wonderful people. Some suck or are boring sure, but not all of them." Kneeling Aaron placed his hands on a single fallen flower a a piece of rose that had been knocked off by an over eager satyr. Drawing on the reserves of magic still stored in his body, Aaron chanted a quick spell. "Terra est a vita. Terra est a vita. Terra est a vita." The lingering power fled his cells, flooding the flower until the rose in his hand grew and revived entirely. Smiling, he turned and handed it to Percy. " Here, a token."
Percy blushed a little. "A little romantic don't you think?"
"Your my brother and we're not gods, so not really. It's just a gift, besides you were just saying you wanted to see more of my magic. I can cast small spells semi freely now, without aid or focusing on the Earth. I can cast bigger spells if I draw on the Earth and even bigger spells with the Spirits at my side. I have come far since we first came here in June."
Nodding, Percy took the rose and smelled it. "It sort of feels like you, like what I imagine your magic would feel like. If that makes any sense."
"It does, my magic is lingering in there. And I do mean my magic, magic stored from the Earth mixed with the natural power of my soul and my passive lifeforce. You must be sensitive to magical forces, you might even be a natural witch."
"Really?" Percy looked excited. "Um... hey, you said you have magic stored in your body... how? I mean I think your once said that you have a harder time with magic because your body doesn't naturally have or hold magic."
"Well, since I have been practicing magic, casting spells some of the energy lingers and mixes in with my soul and body creating my own very smell well of magic in my tissues. That is what makes me a witch actually, and would have me elevated to Priest of Hecate had things been different. My body can now hold little bits of magic that I can draw on for spells without having to draw on outside sources. Eventually I will naturally start to store greater deals of magic and be able to cast advanced spells without tapping into other forces. That will mark me as a master.
People like you, who are naturally magical due to divine blood or chance, naturally draw on nature and a secondary source. In your case you draw on the Earth and Ocean from your father's blood. Not to mention you are naturally infused with the Magic of the Earth and Sky from being a Demigod, as the gods are beings of both Earth and Sky."
"You really know your stuff, don't you?"
"I try."
The sudden sound of clopping hooves drew their attention, to where Chiron was riding to them with great speed. His face was stern but a smile crossed it as he entered the new Garden. " This really is lovely, child, you should be proud of yourself."
Aaron smiled. "I am. What brings you out here, you seemed worried or something at first?"
"Not worried, concerned perhaps... you have an assignment. A god has contacted Mr. D, they would like you to gather their child and bring them here. They are in New Hampshire. Alexandria, New Hampshire."
"Already, that was quick... well, we did agree to help so I can't complain. I'm just sad that I won't see the Garden finished... oh well. I'll go get Meggy and-"
Chiron shook his head. "She can't go, the God in question specifically mentioned that."
Aaron frowned. " That wasn't our deal... but fine. Keep an eye on my Garden, I will be back soon. Actually, when do I leave?"
"In half an hour, it was urgent apparently."
"Fine... Percy, behave yourself and kick ass in Capture the Flag Tonight. Earn me a victory, dear brother." Hugging Percy, Aaron hurried back into the Big House to Gather his stuff so he could get ready to protect the kid in question.
:::
"What aren't you telling him?" Percy asked Chiron, able to see the man was clearly holding something back.
Chiron just sighed. "I cannot say, only that your brother will likely be very unhappy if all goes as I have been informed it will."
"Why was Meggy not allowed to go, she's powerful and a great fighter and..." It hit Percy all at once. "It's a child of Aphrodite isn't it, she still hates Meggy for being born a Cyclops."
Chiron's sigh was all the answer Percy needed but the man's words confirmed them. "I cannot say, but that may be the answer... All I can say is that Aaron will not be happy and I can only hope he knows to keep his mouth shut should things go as I predict them."
"Sigh, I'll go tell Meggy the bad news then."
Chiron nodded. "Do that... but do not tell her a new sibling is on the way. This, whatever the cause, was not due today. Something drastic and bad has happened to cause their parent to summon Aaron so urgently. I cannot say what, but I suspect something bad has happened and Aaron will be in for a very dark time."
"""
Getting to Alexandria was easy and it didn't take a huge amount of time, only about five and a half hours. Like before he took a train, cutting his time considerably. Thankfully he still had Hades' debit card, so he was able to pay for a ride directly to Alexandria, which was a huge blessing in and of itself. The train would take him directly to the very place he needed to go, a rarity enough as it was, he could not believe his luck.
To pass the time, Aaron wrote down several interesting pieces of magic in the grimoire he was making from his lessons from Agnes. He had filled about half of it and that was only the basics, Agnes was a great teacher so he had a lot to put down. He intended on passing on the Grimoire to Meggy and Will, so they could learn while he was on missions or just generally unable to help them learn magic. They were good students and deserved to learn even if he was unable to teach them. He knew they would likely go further then he could and would and he was proud of them for that.
Of course, writing for five hours was boring and Aaron wasn't much for boredom so he also spent the last hour or so meditating, drawing on the majesty of the Earth to refill his body with as much power as he could safely withstand and kept it there. He wanted to be as prepared as possible, in case he had to fight a monster or whatnot... or worse, other demigods... that was not something he would look forward too...
During the last five minutes of the trip, he took that energy he summoned and started a swift chant so he could locate the demigod in question.
"Per lineas tenebris et terra majestatis invenire divinum fontem sanguinis sum missus nisi ad. Per lineas tenebris et terra majestatis invenire divinum fontem sanguinis sum missus nisi ad. Per lineas tenebris et terra majestatis invenire divinum fontem sanguinis sum missus nisi ad." Over and over, he chanted, drawing on the Earth to fuel his spell, using the ley lines to locate his quarry.
The power shuddered through him, spurting painfully in his head until visions danced before his eyes.
He saw a girl, radiating beauty. She was tall with red hair and green eyes, her skin covered in delicate freckles... her lips busted and bleeding, her perfect cheekbones bruised and bloody. Teeth marks buried in her throat, seeping a thin veil of blood. Defiance and fear oozing from every pore in her body, she hobbled down the street with a pronounced limp.
She jumped as a car honked it's horn, throwing herself onto the grass near her. She army crawled away until she reached a small incline of a ditch, where she ended up curling into a little ball. her body heaved, shaking with the force of her agony and utter terror.
The vision shifted, moving until it a sign was visible...
Able Rd..
Aaron gasped, the vision shattered under the weight of his utter fury. He ignored that the windows near him were cracking, that the lights above him were flickering, he was pissed and he was going to kill someone to protect that girl.
He all but ran out of the train, throwing himself off of the train to the annoyance of the aide. He felt the demigods' presence as he shot off into the night, running as fast as he could. With every step he drew on more and more of the Earth's majesty, his skin actually burning with the raw power he was channeling but it didn't matter. He had to save someone and damn it he would do it.
Someone was going to die and it wasn't that girl.
Of that he was utterly sure.
"Aaron... I think it is time you learn a very specific spell... one that will come in handy here." Agnes' voice was even colder then normal and he knew exactly why.
"Do tell." And the cold magic of the Underworld overflowed within.
::
Alex tried to calm her breathing, the wheezing sounds of wind passing her bloody lips would give her away if she didn't shut up but she couldn't help it. Her Stepmom had done too much damage, the knee to her chest had probably broken something. She was bleeding out and she knew it... she wasn't going to die though, she promised herself that much. There was no way in hell she was going to give that bitch the satisfaction.
No, Alex knew she was going to life...
She just had to stop wheezing so loudly.
"Alex... Alexandria Michelle Myers, get your ass out here. Your father is worried about you, stop this nonsense now!" The sound of Andrea, her stepmother's voice was like ice in her veins, Alex almost whimpered as her assailant's voice came too close for comfort, barking out. " There you are, get your ass up." A harsh hand reached down to grab her by the arm sharp nails digging into one of the many teeth marks on her forearm, making Alex scream.
"AH!" She tried to stop herself, expecting a slap but nothing came... she opened her eyes a moment later when she realized Andrea's hand had pulled away from her. With great fear she turned to face her attacker, only to stumble back in shock when she saw the women holding her throat, gasping for breathe.
"Are you okay?" The voice was male, strong and mature but shockingly young. She looked behind Andrea and saw a boy, tall and a bit chubby and very ordinary looking holding out his hand like a Sith would use to force choke someone. "Girl, are you okay?"
She nodded. "I'm... I'm fine. Are you... doing this?"
"Yes, is she your attacker?" The boy's tone broke no argument and was filled with so much power that Alex felt it sink into her skin and yank out an answer.
"Yes..."
"Then you might want to turn away."
His warning was absolute but Alex shook her head. "No... I ... I need to see this." She could sense what was to happen, she needed to see it.
"So be it... Ramex." The boy's voice shot out before a loud crack filled the air, followed by Andrea's scream. She collapsed, her left knee in the wrong direction. The boy ignored her pain and walked up to her, putting his hands on both sides of her face as if he was going to kiss her. "I have never used a torture spell from Agnes, but when she saw this vision she was all to happy to teach me one. Enjoy. Resiliunt quam et vasa."
Andrea's scream filled the air as blood started to drip from her eyes, ears and nose. The screams faded quickly though before the boy tossed her aside, letting her collapse in the pool of her own blood.
Alex could not help but sigh in relief. "Good riddance... are you going to kill me too?"
"No... but I can heal you... give me your hand." She knew she could trust him, she wasn't sure how she knew it but she did. His very voice brushed aside all of her doubts, his aura easing her fears. She willingly gave him her hand. "I'll have to call to Apollo and hope he helps me... he so rarely does... sigh... Dominus Apollinis opem petere etiam rogo-ARH!" The boy screamed out, his body slamming into hers making them both stumble.
Calm panic overtook Alex and she held the boy up, only to see a single silver arrow sticking out of his shoulder. The source of his fall and cry.
The sound of a hunting horn filled the air, making Alex shudder and look up just in time to see a handful of silver camo wearing girls march towards her from the small wooded area that wrapped around the street. One girl, the one in front, stood out as an unimaginable beauty, so much so that it made Alex gasp. She had silverish eyes and auburn hair that was tightly braided over her left shoulder. She radiated power, making Alex's entire body tingle. Even if she hadn't just seen magic from that boy, she would have know this girl was beyond powerful and very, very mystical.
She could just feel it.
"Are you alright, girl?"
"Am I... you just attacked my savior, how the hell do you think I am okay?" The audacity of this girl was so great she ignored all of her pain, her fear and her joy in seeing Andrea die.
The girl recoiled in shock. "Your...savior? The boy?"
She growled. "Yes, he stopped Andrea and he... he was going to heal me... Why would you just shoot like that?" She hugged the boy close to her... she had always struggled to defend herself but for this boy that so willingly stood up for her, she would fight anyone. Usually she hated that side of herself, but in this case...
It was on!
The women sighed. "I watched him kill that other women, he is like most men. Violent and cruel with no respect for women."
"He saved me, who do you think gave me these injuries? She did, my stepmom... my father's wife. This stranger, I don't even know his name, he saved me. He killed her to save me and was going to heal me. Your the violent ones!"
"Thou Must be mistaken." A girl, another girl who was also extremely pretty in a regal statuesque sort of way, moved forward. "He was probably trying to enchant you to use you, I felt the magic in his words as he ordered you. A primitive form of charmspeech, only motivated not but love but something else. The sorcery was clear. He was trying to control you."
"Ugh... " The boy suddenly groaned, making Alex gasp in shock. "I... I'm gay and not a perv or a rapist. I serve Camphalf blood and was summoned to save her... I... am blessed by Dionysius himself. I would advise not hurting me any more... " The boy groaned again, coughing in horrible pain. "I was just channeling my power, I can't use Charmspeech... as far as I know. I am too weak for that."
Alex pulled him close to her chest, ignoring the panic that set in or the pain in her ribs. "Heal him, please... he saved me." It came out more of a command then a request, her tone powerful despite her fear.
The powerful girl frowned, but nodded. " I can see my brother's blessing, I did not notice it before... sigh... Phoebe," She turned and nodded to a bulky girl, who nodded back at her. "...you have two patients. Take care of them both and be gentle."
The bulky girl frowned. " The boy too?"
"It seems we have to, a mistake may have been made..."
"He killed that women."
Alex was pissed and shoved the powerful women aside, making the other girl's gasp. " He killed my attempted rapist. Girls can be rapists and monsters too, and boys can be victims. Stop being sexist and save him, you are the ones to hurt him so you will help him damn it!"
She could not believe it, but her voice echoed with something richer then she would ever manage again. It actually seemed to hit the other girls, even the powerful one, like a battering ram before they moved. The pretty statue girl grabbed her savior and carried him with some roughness while Alex limped with her, not letting them be separated.
She didn't trust them to heal him properly or not let their sexism over take their care. She would watch over him, like he saved her. She could feel their hate in their stares, she could taste their disgust. She would have to stand up for him since no one else would...
She owed him that much at least...
Chapter end, tell me what you think in the reviews.
I wanted a girl to be the defender of Aaron in this, as they wouldn't listen to a boy even if he was right. I also wanted to show that Children of Aphrodite's intense beauty and poor training comes as a cost.
From Earth comes life
Through the dark lines of the Earth's Majesty, find the source of divine blood I was sent to save.
Rupture
Crack the vessels
Lord Apollo, I beseech your aid and beg of you too-
Love, your Ninja Overlord,
Mika.