I am back! I missed this story but I got burned out from writing so much of it... then I was dealing with Bipolar depression bad, which sucks even with Meds... so here I am, back again with many ideas and am excited and eager to make this more epic then before.
Look out!
Aaron's visions of the past, his connection to Thalia turned fuzzy the instant the scene changed to the strange yet unyieldingly vague town. Even in his weakened state, as essentially a wandering spirit trapped in a time loop, he sensed great power approaching him. The fuzzy image shifted, warping like the Mist until everything went entirely black... and yet he could see himself floating in the void. It was a familar void too, one he had been before...
"I am in Limbo... why?"
The soft, powerful voice of Hecate filled the emptiness just as her radiant magic did. He turned, and saw her in a differnet form then had ever seen. She looked like Percy and him combined, oddly enough. Tall and thick with black hair and his brown eyes. Her cheekbones were sharp and her features streamlined, yet she was buxom and heavy set like Aaron. Her clothes were odd too, at least for her, dressed in a black blouse and dark blue jeans with a necklace that depicted the starry sky atop a black background.
Her power felt different as well, more human and less Immortal... how he had no idea but that was the best way he could explain it.
Smiling, Hecate walked to him and put her hand atop his head, power surging through him. His muscles swelled, his magic aching in a good sort of way as if reflexivly. " There, with my blessing you will be able to hold the Sky longer. It would not due for the Sky to obliterate all life for miles."
"Thank you, I know we are not on the same side but I know you care for casualities. I appreciate that, regardless." He smiled to her, honesty filling him as much as her magic was. "I assume we are here for a more private chat, or am I in danger of dying once again?"
She sighed. "You are carrying the Sky without divine blood, you are lucky to be in Limbo period. As it is, traversing time to see the memories of Thalia, through your connection to her, requires you to be in Limbo. It is where Dreams are born, in the space between life and death. Your connection with Thalia exists on that same sphere, hence your presence here. Now... we do not have much time... I need to know what you have discovered to aid Kronos." Her words bit him, cold but not without mercy. It was clear from her panicked eyes she was not pleased with her own path.
And yet despite that, and her gifts of strength to him, he could not give her what she wanted. "You mean save the man who would kill us all, enslave all mortals?"
"It does not have to be that way..." She leaned in, her voice shaking with rare humility and fear. "As the Gods can be divide and imagined in many ways, so can the Titans... you know the myths, you know that Lord Kronos was said to be the ruler of Elysium by Zeus in some myths. There is some truth to that, the good in Kronos gathered into an aspect that could be imgained into existence... you have that power, that path... I have seen it, you alone can make that a reality."
Stepping back, in fear but also shock and disblief, Aaron felt his world shake. "I can invoke the good side of the Lord of Time, me a mere mortal with moderately powerful magic and an ego?"
" A young man who has fought harder then most demigods, served and aided our people more then most heroes... a young man who understands the burden of image nad invocations. You know the power mortals have over the Gods, despite the doubts to the contrary... " her image shivered and she gasped. "I cannot stay longer, you must be swift. I joined my Uncle to aid my children, blood and magic bound, and those like me neglected by the gods but a better path has opened up. You are the key to that path, your sacrifice to save Artemis, your research into Kronos' powers... they have set you up to be more. Take my words, believe in them or not... I can ask you nothing more. I will not be able to aid you again, they would discover my deeds if I did...for that I am sorry.
May the Fates be kind to you..."
And with that, the vision of the Titanness of Magic faded and Aaron felt himself falling through Limbo, through time once more, to an entirely new place. He saw Thalia and the rest of the Questers standing armed by a fire, a pink Limo approaching them with an aura of intense power radiating from it. Two auras in fact, one comparable to Hades the other the familar stench of Ares.
Aaron felt only the fainted effect of the collective auras, he felt more aggressive for sure but it was mitigated the fading presence of time and being stuck in Limbo, where memories and dreams dwelled...
The back door of the limo opened right next to Percy, who reacted with flawless skill and swatted aside the sword that came out an instant later. With skill honed from countless hours of training, thanks to Aaron and Sally forcing him to be more proactive, Percy grabbed his attacker's shirt and flung them behind him. They landed on their chest with a loud Ooomph, and Percy put his blade against the small of their back.
"Ares," He growled, making Aaron proud. "What the hell are you doing here? Do I have to beat you again? Trying to stop me from saving my brother, bad idea I promise. I will not hestiate to kill you." Percy's words were colder then ice, unlike him in general but they were close so Aaron understood it.
He had that affect on people, a sort of corrupting effect. He was rather proud of it.
The war god glanced up, hatefully. "Let me go, brat!"
"Swear on Styx you are up to something good and you will not try for revenge, or I paralyze you from the waist down."
Shaking, Ares clearly realized he was boned. "Fine, I swear to your terms." The sky rumbled and Percy let him up. Aaron laughed, so loud he swore they would all hear him limbo or not. Ares turned to the stunned and armed questers. "At ease, people." He snapped his fingers, and their weapons fell to the ground. "This is a friendly meeting, as I've sworn... not like I had a choice." He growled out that last part before turning to Thalia. Ares looked over at her with interest. "Well, well. I heard you were back and with a connection to that Mortal witch boy to boot... interesting. Thalia, daughter of Zeus," Ares mused. "You're not hanging out with very good company."
"What's your business, Ares?" she said. "Who's in the car?"
Ares smiled despite his clear hate for Percy, enjoying the attention. "Oh, I doubt she wants to meet the rest of you. Particularly not them." He jutted his chin toward Zoe and Bianca. "Why don't you all go get some tacos while you wait? Only take Percy a few minutes."
"We will not leave him alone with thee, Lord Ares," Zoe said, making Aaron hate her a little bit less.
"Besides," Bianca said, pointing to the closed Taco place that Aaron hadn't noticed before. "the taco place is closed."
Ares snapped his fingers again. The lights inside the taqueria suddenly blazed to life. The boards flew off the door and the CLOSED sign flipped to OPEN. "You were saying, Dead girl?"
"Go on," Percy told their friends. "I'll handle this." he sounded confident, depsite his shaking hands.
"You heard the boy," Ares said. "He's big and strong. He's got things under control." Their friends reluctantly headed over to the taco restaurant. Ares regarded Percy with loathing, then opened the limousine door like a chauffeur. "Get inside, punk," he said. "And mind your manners. She's not as forgiving of rudeness as I am."
When Aaron saw her, he instantly filled with unbridled loathing. She was wearing a red satin dress and her hair was curled in a cascade of ringlets. Her face was the most beautiful He'd ever seen: perfect makeup, dazzling eyes, a smile that would've lit up the dark side of the moon. She looked like Percy, with his beautiful green eyes and kind smile, she looked like Meggy with her wholesome aura of kindness and black hair, she looked like Artemis with her flawless cheekbones, she looked like Aaron himself with her blocky features.
It was Aphrodite and he wanted her dead for what she did to Meggy... and one day he would get back at her for those crimes.
"Ah, there you are, Percy," the goddess said. "I am Aphrodite."
As Percy slipped next to her, he managed to squeeze out "Um uh gah."
She smiled. "Aren't you sweet. Hold this, please." She handed him a polished mirror the size of a dinner plate and had him hold it up for her. She leaned forward and dabbed at her lipstick. "Do you know why you're here?" she asked.
To Aaron's amusement, Percy pinched his own arm, hard. "I… I don't know, do you mean on my quest or why I am talking to you?" He managed.
"Oh, dear," Aphrodite said, then sighed. "I may loathe your brother, but even I cannot deny his importance... no, I am talking about why I am talking to you, why you are here with me."
"I have no idea... all I know is that I aim to save my brother and Artemis, both important people that need my aid."
Aphrodite rolled her eyes. "Oh, Artemis. Please. Talk about a hopeless case. I mean, if they were going to kidnap a goddess, she should be breathtakingly beautiful, don't you think? I pity the poor dears who have to imprison Artemis. Bo-ring!"
"But she was chasing a monster," Percy protested. "A really, really bad monster. We have to find it!"
Aphrodite made him hold the mirror a little higher. She seemed to have found a microscopic problem at the corner of her eye and dabbed at her mascara. "Always some monster. And Artemis has been returned to Olympus, your brother sacrificed himself to save her, he now holds the sky on his shoulders. I can sense his conciousness, it lingers in limbo even now. I have sway there, as a goddess of the Heart. I can feel him..." She sighed. "I will admit, had things been different I foresee that Annabeth would have been taken and that would have been preferable for me... however that is not the case, and yet I must still aid you if you are to go forward. Aaron saved my daughters Alex and Selena, and for that I owe him a great deal. More then that, I sense he is close to discovering something that could very well revive Kronos entirely. I must be honest, I'm the reason you're here."
Percy stared at her. "What?" Aaron gaped, he knew she hated him and he her... that she would help him was... well it was baffling to say the least.
"The poisoned T-shirt the Stoll brothers gave Phoebe," she said. "Did you think that was an accident? Meggy demanding you to join the quest so fervantly, Selena doing the same?"
"You did that?"
"Of course! Because really, how boring these Hunters . are! A quest for some monster, blah blah blah... boring, but a quest to save a beloved brother, one who protected my babies... that I can get behind, entirely." She sighed. "Oh, put the mirror down," Aphrodite ordered. "I look fine. "Now, you'd better go. And do be careful in my husband's territory, Percy. Don't take anything. He is awfully fussy about his trinkets and trash." She stopped, and her eyes turned deadly serious. "I mean it, I rarely am so forward... but I cannot cut corners here. Take nothing! It will be a fatal mistake."
"What?" Percy asked. "You mean Hephaestus?" But the car door opened and Ares grabbed his shoulder, pulling him out of the car and back into the desert night.
"You're lucky, punk." Ares pushed him away from the limo. "Be grateful."
"For what?"
"That we're being so nice. If it was up to me—"
"So why haven't you killed me?" He shot back. "You know I am more then skilled enough to beat you, again!"
Ares snarled. "I'd love to kill you, seriously," he said. "But see, I got a situation. Word on Olympus is that you might start the biggest war in history. I can't risk messing that up. Besides, Aphrodite thinks you're some kinda soap-opera star or something. I kill you, that makes me look bad with her. But don't worry. I haven't forgotten my promise. Some day soon, kid—real soon— you're going to raise your sword to fight, and you're going to remember the wrath of Ares."
He balled his fists. "Why wait? I beat you once. How's that ankle healing up?"
He grinned crookedly. "Not bad, punk. But you got nothing on the master of taunts. I'll start the fight when I'm good and ready. Until then… Get lost." He snapped his fingers and the world did a three-sixty, spinning in a cloud of red dust. Percy fell to the ground. When Percy stood up again, the limousine was gone. The road, the taco restaurant, the whole town of Gila Claw was gone. Percy and their friends were standing in the middle of the junkyard, mountains of scrap metal stretched out in every direction.
Aaron shuddered, feeling the might of Hepheastus so potentaly present in the air. Even through Limbo he felt it, the memory of the magic was that strong. The God of Craftsmen really was territorial here... it was startling.
The image faded once more, and Aaron fell back into Limbo, looking at his hands. " Aphrodite... thank you. For aiding my brother in finding me. Please, if you can, watch over him as much as possible."
There was no answer, but Aaron had a feeling Aphrodite was listening... or maybe that was just the insanity of hope...
"No, dear, I am listening." He gasped, turning around to see the very Goddess he just saw not a mintue before. " Most people would bow, but I will allow you to do otherwise." She sighed, looking away. "Thank you for saving my children... including Meggy. I am not proud of how I acted towards her. You helped mold her into a fierce warrior, powerful mage and generally amazing person."
Realizing he had little choice but to accept her apology and thanks, he nodded. "I do what I can. She would accept your apology you know? If you gave it, and meant it. Maybe give her a gift..."
Aphrodte's smile was soft, kinder then he expected given their past. "I may take you up on that... I cannot serve you much here, but I can strengthen you. Help your soul body link not be severed by your stay here. It is not much, the Titan's Mountain is too powerful for much else but this I can do." She blew him a kiss and pink sparkles radiated around him. He shivered as power washed over him, like a wax coating. "That is all I can do... be safe, my children would be devistated with your death..."
"I would be the same for them... My Lady... Tell Zeus this. Kronos' death is not the only means to defeat him. I sensed the good aspect within him." he lied, not wanting to endanger Hecate." It can be brought out with the right spell... if all goes wrong, then it might be another avenue to stopping him."
She nodded. "I will inform him, it is the least I can do... but for this to be true... " her eyes widened. " The prophecy said you would change the status quo, I wonder if this is what it meant? We will see, I suppose..." And then she vanished, leaving him alone once more... just in time for the world to shift once more, with the first image that appeared to him being that of a giant golden automaton glaring with loathing, filled with clear traces of Kronos' hateful magic.
"Well, fuck."
Chapter end, tell me what you think in the reviews.
This was so much fun to write, I missed this. Aaron is not entirely bound to the Fates, he is a loose canon that can sway Destiny more then most... and that means he can aid those who seek to change the world.
Love, your Ninja Overlord,
Mika.