The sudden appearance of her mortal friend startled Bianca, making her gasp. "Aaron, how are you here, I thought you were too hurt to help us?" Binaca's hand went to her throat in shock as Meggy appeared next to Aaron, both looking in wonderful shape and almost glowing with strength. Before she even got an answer, she looked around and realized that the world about her looked misty, warped and strange. Nothing was entirely clear, not even the moon high in the sky. "Is this a dream? It has to be, I remember going to bed and ..."
Aaron laughed at her. " Yeah, it's a dream, which means Nico should be here shortly. I can't leave camp right now, I am far too injured but I can astral project and watch and teach you. In this form I am entirely okay. Meggy says you two are making great progress."
"B... Bi... Bianca!" They all turned and watched Nico slowly appeared, from shadow and nothing, dumping him into existence. "Wow, how did I get here?"
Aaron laughed more. "I cast a spell that would draw all four of us into the astral plane. You have no idea how lucky you kids are. Demigods like you have protections due to your divine blood, but I don't so I had to really get into the nitty gritty of magic to protect my body from possession and strain. The magic for this came straight from the Spirits I channel, from as much of the collective as I can manage at the moment. Anything less and I this wouldn't be possible for me.
Now, to get down to the fun part, I want to see what you both have learned with your swords. You going to go through the motions against the dummies."
Bianca frowned. "What dummies?" Then, as if to answer her, a dozen dummies made of celestial bronze appeared randomly from the ground, smoothly rising from the shadows. "Oh, those dummies." Pulling out her sword, which was disguised as a simple bracelet alongside Nico's, Bianca fell into her stance. Her brother, goofy as he was, seemed to understand the seriousness of the situation and did the same.
Aaron walked over to them and nodded, hmm and haaing a few times. "Your stances are great, better then Children of Ares. You definitely understand what you are supposed to do. Let's see you act, go through the motions and show me what you can do."
Doing as she was told, Bianca flew through her stances, slashing and stabbing, rolling across the ground as if she was in an actual fight. She swore she even kind of heard and actual battle around her, metal against metal, people screaming and grunting, the smell of sweat and blood. It added to her movements, making it easier and easier to go through the motions and destroy the dummies.
"Stop." She did as Meggy said, hearing her brother do the same.
Aaron approached again, this time with a smile on his face. "Your both naturals, seriously you have a lot of talent, the both of you. Nico, your aggressive and forward but a bit too forward. More defense. Bianca, you intergraded movement and dodging and rolling...that is good, very intuitive. Why?"
"Um... I ram not sure, just felt natural..." She frowned. "I swear I heard things when I was fighting, like what I imagine would be an actual battle going on around me. Smelling and hearing things. Is that normal?"
Aaron frowned. "We are the realm of dreams, it is possible you summoned memories from others lingering here... I am not sure. Or it's just your imagination. I am not sure... but we can look into that." She realized that for the first time since she met him, Aaron looked genuinely confused and unsure. She wasn't sure she liked that expression on his face... but it made her realize that just maybe, he didn't hold all the answers like he seemed to.
'"
'Any clues as to what that could be, Agnes?'
Agnes, who was the lynchpin of the spell, echoed her thoughts into his head. 'Your assessment of it in theory could be more then right. Or she could be remembering a past life. There are many possibilities really. She is a powerful demigod, partially due to her parentage but also a great deal of her strength is due to her strong heart. Her brother is the same, I would not be shocked if this was there second life or even their third. Do not worry about it too much, child."
'I'll try not too...'
Turning his attention back onto the kids, Aaron put a warm smile on his face. "It is my goal that, by the time you are introduced into Camp, you are able to fight just about any demigod or monster of average or above strength and come out on top. At least with just your sword skills. We might try introducing some archery, which is more my speed admittedly, and see where we can go from there as well. As for learning magic, which Meggy admitted that you were interested, the use of magic would overcome the seals masking you. What I can do is teach you to theoretical aspects of magic. Why things work, how they work and so on. I will teach you what I can overall to give you your best collective chance in this world. I want you to live, which is not always a reality for demigods... "
Nico, who Aaron assumed was too young to really comprehend the danger, frowned at Aaron. " We could die?"
"Yes, many of your kind do."
"That's... terrible. You almost died recently, and your not a demigod... does that mean that your going to die soon too?"
Aaron sighed. "I might, one day... soon or one day late. I don't know but it is a reality we have to accept and move on with. There is no point in obsessing over it, for either of you. Do the best you can with the time you are give and hope you end up in Elysium, the realm of Heroes...that is all you can do. Now, let's work on some new moves, I am not a master of them by any means but I can teach the basics. Let's start with the viperbeheading strike. "
"""
After eight hours of training and then breaking the spell, Aaron woke up with a great headache. It was just another addition to the many aches and pains his body had from his recent assault. He felt terrible trying to sit up from his bed, the world swirling around him. "At least the spell was successful... What I wouldn't give to be divine...sigh." Absently, he looked about and saw the circle of salt around his bed, the magic that had anchored and protected his body. It was still intact and successfully woven, meaning he could technically project once more but knew there was no point. He released the magic holding Agnes there, and felt an instant drain that left him winded.
"You okay?" Will's voice came from across the room. " I knew I shouldn't have let you cast that spell."
Aaron waved him off. "I'm fine, just tired. I will need a nap today, some iron rich food and some meditation and sunlight. That's all. Hey, your all about sunlight, come over here."
Blushing, Will walked over and sat next to him. "Are you sure your okay?"
"I'm fine, the spell was designed to keep me strong despite my injures and focused despite my mortality. It even let me bring alongside me someone without a soul, like Meggy, allowing her potent aura to anchor and fuel the spell even more. Speaking off, Meggy, you okay?"
Across the room in her own bed, Meggy raised her hand and waved it. "Just tired, you were right, this spell wears you down."
"Told you. Our project went well, our first secret demigods are excelling and will be tremendous forces to be reckoned with when they come here."
Will sighed. "If you say so... now come on, it's bath time and you stink. You sweated the entire night, both of you did. Thankfully the showers are empty so I can wheel you in there without too much of an issue."
"Always appreciated."
"""
"So, your first reading sensed a powerful negative coming towards Camp? Anything more specific?" Chiron asked the newly showered Aaron, as he presented his story and stones.
"Frankly, no though I wish I had something more concrete. I am too new to divination and honestly not that good at it. My powers have grown a lot. maybe I compared to a deminymph in terms of natural power, but this is beyond me at the moment. What I can do and tell you is that something negative will happen towards summer and it will cause a great change here. That is all I know."
Aaron turned to the rest of the council, the kids in charge of each cabin, who he had called to this meeting. They were Charlie, Lee Fletcher, Silena, Clarisse, Castor and Pollux, The Stoll Brothers, Miranda Gardener and Malcom Pace. They were, other then his more specific friends, not too happy to be summoned by him but they came when called and he appreciated that.
"What could constitute something negative? I mean could it be something so vague?" Charlie asked, looking genuinely worried.
"I don't know." Aaron answered. "but this is why I am not telling everyone, just the head counslers. What I predicted is vague and unclear, that means what could happen is just as unclear. I just need you on the lookout, keeping your eyes peeled for anything that would fit when the summer comes."
Silena smiled. "We can do that, after what happened last summer, it would be foolish to be anything less then vigilant."
"Yes it would." Chiron said, smiling at the girl.
Clarisse just huffed. "You sound like a coward, all of you. Negative things happen all the time, you just face them when they come. All there is too it."
"Your not wrong, well you are about the cowardly part, but that is all we can do. Again this is playing a part in why I am only telling a handful of people. I just rather we be prepared and aware, if only mentally, for when disaster strikes. It is up to you to act." Aaron smiled at the group, trying to not pretend he was annoyed with how little they were taking this seriously. "We have five months until summer, there is plenty of time to enjoy ourselves, train and ready for the problem. I just thought you were prefer to be prepared, even a little. If you choose to do nothing, that is on you."
Chiron nodded. "Thank you for your warning, Aaron, it is appreciated."
"No, but it will be." Aaron said before wheeling his chair back. "When it is either too late or we have no choice but to fully accept the disaster to come. Now, go, enjoy enjoy your days and live your lives. This wasn't told to you to keep you down and miserable. It was told so you could be careful for when things do happen."
He wheeled away after that, annoyed but hopeful that they listened to enough of his warning to make a difference. That when disaster came, life wouldn't be out of control for them all...
It was all he could hope for...
'''
Time passed quickly for Aaron after that...
They finished the Shrine to the Sea, which was met with a wonderful glowing show and a seafood dinner. The weather, which was always good, seemed to improve even more then normal afterward. A gift from the Sea perhaps? He didn't know but he appreciated it. The Shrine quickly became a makeout place for errant demigods but everyone knew to throw in some coins before hand as tribute, and soon the fountian was glistening with pennies and drachma. Money that vanished occasionally, going straight to those that they were meant for.
After a few weeks he was healed enough to go into rehab to regain his strength and skill with his weapons. It took about a solid month, even with his healing and meditation, but eventually he was free and able to start up helping on a grander level. While he was healing he ended up creating another shrine plan, this time for the messenger gods as a whole, namely a series of windchimes carved to honor the gods in question tied to a new building they would attach to the BigHouse on the left. A mailhouse of sorts that would have rainbow making objects everywhere to honor Iris, Conches to honor Triton and Caduceus to honor Hermes.
Over the next few months his life fell into a pattern of train with Will, hang out with Charlie and Silena and Meggy, train in magic or archery and swordplay, practice necromancy with Agnes or Diane and just live his life. So much changed and yet so little did. He finally, after almost a year, managed to gather enough power to cast evolved spells on his own. He managed to beat Charlie at Swordplay, though barely, and was getting pretty damn good with a bow to the point he moved to the advanced class Chiron taught. He brought six more demigods to camp and trained Nico and Bianca almost weekly... though they lost a good four demigods, he presumed, to Luke's side.
Life just seemed to be hitting a stride and it finally hit summer... when a scream and magical shudder washed through the camp. Anyone with any intution would have felt it and Aaron was no exception. It was like a ripple that made everyone want to vomit, mixed with a loss of... something.
Everyone walked out of their cabins to see the source of the shock and boy did they...
Thalia's tree, mighty and tall, now had a gaping wound oozing poison from it's center.
Aaron wanted to laugh as today was a summer day and there on the tree was a disaster. The kind of Negative he had foretold. Any posion to the Tree would weaken the barrier and endanger them all...
So, though he was vindicated, he had no idea what to do now... He could only hope Chiron could heal the tree and save them all.
Chapter end, tell me what you think in the reviews.
This year went on too long...
Love, your Ninja Overlord,
Mika.