Check out Naomi's gift by MikaRauch on Wattpad to see an awesome Original Story I am writing. Here is the Synopsis.
Cursed with mortality among a sea of demigod and legacies, Naomi struggles the shine. Desperate to matter, to gain a fraction of the power and influence of her peers, Naomi applies herself to become a heroine unlike any other. One powered by ingenuity and strength of character instead of divinity and nepotism. She seeks the only form of immortality available to mere mortals like her,that which came from being remembered forever in the stories of men. Nothing will get in her way,... except maybe her nephilim brother and those that see that her place was as a breeder for the gods.
Apollo says, in The Hidden Oracle- " The Colossus was only a few steps away from the central green. I wasn't sure the demigods even realized how much danger they were in. The Colossus could do much more than just flatten buildings. If he destroyed the central hearth, the sacred shrine of Hestia, he would extinguish the very soul of the camp. The valley would be cursed and uninhabitable for generations. Camp Half-Blood would cease to exist."
This leads me to believe Hestia is a lot more powerful then we realize... and that she holds sway over the soul of a home and probably the Lares as they were House Gods.
"Can I say something?" Aaron charged his voice with magic, allowing to carry with only the tinniest traces of charmspeech. It rippled across the Dinning Hall, calming the movements of the Aurae and stopping the legion's ruckus. His pack, many in dog form, turned to him as did everyone else, looking with intense intent. Clearing his throat slightly, he offered them all a smile. " I have a proclamation, one that must be heard. As part of my creating a connection to Lord Neptune, I agreed to build him a better shrine then what is being offered him. I mean he is one of the Big Three and all he has is a literal shed, he deserves better and he will get it."
D'Anthony, at the head of the Hall looking at everyone with a lofty stare, frowned. "Such a thing usually needs to be approved by the Senate or a Go-"
Bright green light danced over Aaron's head, filling the hall with it's potency and the power of Neptune. He knew, from personal experiance with Percy and Tyson, that it was a glowing green hologram of a trident. The overt sign of Neptune's favor and power, showing his orders without actually being present. He felt a sense of smugness over flow from within his soul, matching the smirk on his face.
"Is that enough of a sign for you, Lord Praetor?"
For the tinniest moment, Aaron saw hate and rage in the eyes of the Praetor before him but it faded as quickly as it came and a cold wise expression over took him. "Yes, it is more then enough. We will organize a senate meeting tomorrow where we will discuss the specifics of the Shrines construction and the costs for it to be made. I am sure you have some ideas?"
"This isn't my first Shrine so yes I have more then a few. Most involve a fountain of some sorts, all involve representing his Wife and children along side him, All three of his wife's children if I am being precise. They all hold major sway over the sea, so I felt it was fitting."
D'Anthony let out along sigh. "We will discuss it during the Senate meeting... just... go, do something. There are no War Games today, so leave me alone for the time being."
Aaron just let out a smile then teleported away, pushing through the Mist, using the Shrine of Neptune as an anchor. He would end up offering the god a sacrifice as thanks and promise.
:::
Dressed in a lovely Grey ( The color of his fur coat) Toga of his own, signifying his postion as an Augur and Priest, Aaron happily stood in the Senate Hall. The scent of the divine blood filled his nose with a synphony of oddness, almost as much as their auras did. He kept himself strong, standing tall in the room under the baleful gaze of the various demigods and legacies and Lares. He felt their fear, their hesitation, their disgust. They were too moored into tradition to move past their fear of the Sea and Neptune to see the value of his actions...
It was kind of annoying actually.
The meeting had been going on for about twenty minutes, mostly with the various members of the Senate bitching about Neptune getting the respect he was deserved. Aaron listened with annoyance and a little rage, masking his collective annoyance with a smile. When finally a near silence broke in the room, Aaron put his finger against his lips and channeled just a tiny fraction of his power, causing his powers to echo and stop everyone's collective whining.
"As I am the one that was ordered to do this, I think I should a moment to speak, no?" Everyone glared at him, bar Alex and Jason. "This isn't up for debate, Lord Neptune had already commisoned this. I may have made the offer but he had to agree to it, which he did. We will make this shrine and some of you will help. There is no reason to fear the sea, to fear the water. Respect it, yes, but fear it? No, not at all. Feeling that fear is not an excuse to disrespect such a powerful entity, one who's power it utterly vital to all life. We all need the sea and the fresh waters to get by one a day to day level. Salacia, his wife, is the Goddess of the Springs which are used to support our Baths and wells. She and her son protect us from the Waves, the errant winds and storms. They are our friends, our allies. To them we owe a great debt, and frankly without them we would be screwed seeing as we live near the sea as it is and near where Earthquakes happen, so I think being extra nice would be a good thing...
I will build a shrine to the Royal Sea Family, with the help of those in the forges, in a central area. It will be a massive fountain, declaring the royal family as our friends and allies and they will be respected. It is that simple. How many children of the Sea or Waters live her, unable to honor their forebearers out of your petty fear? A fear that limited your anscestors from reaching their peak. No, we it will not and should not be tolerated. I for one will respect Neptune and his family and move past the petty fears of the past. Tradition has it's place but when it comes at too great a cost it must be ignored, tossed aside. Not held onto with a pointless fervant energy. "
The Lares broke out into a rage, one that made them shimmer a dark purple.
"Why I never!"
"Such disrespect!"
"What could you expect from a mortal!"
Unable to mask rolling his eyes, Aaron gathered his strength and sent out a pulse of silence, a powerful command that silenced all of the Spirits. Their mouths closing as if they were being glued together. It wasn't all that tiring, he was a strong mage and necromancy was more about willpower then mystical strength as it was. This spell was actually almost easy... almost. A rush of cold did wash through him, but that was normal due to the sheer number of Lares.
"My mortality is not just a a weakness, but a strength as well. I am not bound by pointless traditions that serve no one. I am not bound by your repeating past. I can respect the past and look to the future. Enough of this pointless argument, it is time for you to agree to fund this project, then set up a space for it. We can move on from there. Simple and easy, no one gets hurt and we all benefit from the increased protection of a bevey of powerful Gods that actually will have a reason to be our allies instead of resenting us for forgetting them."
D'Anthony shared a look with a very annoyed and pale Octavian. "Very well... and where would this fountain be placed?"
Aaron could not help but smirk, this victory would cost him the support of many campers but it would also gain him the allegience of those of Water based blood and a vareity of gods. It was a victory he could tolerate.
""""
Jason was envious of Aaron, the boy had managed to do in one day what Jason had been trying to do for years. Change tradition! He could see it with the boy's words, the powerful effect they had on the crowd. Jason had been trying for years to change one tradition or another, like changing the legions names to the First Legion instead of the Twelfth. That had nearly caused a riot all by itself! It was ridiciolous how much Romans held onto tradition, he had always chafed under that unfortunate weight.
He saw quickly the reason Aaron was so successful, he just didn't care enough for tradition or the respect of others to maintain enough pressure to hold onto the weight of tradition. Most others, Jason himself was included in this, could not help but fold under the heavy gaze of the Lares, fellow Legionares and of course D'Anthony. Aaron was free of that pressure, entirely void of the desire to obey the power of pressure and tradtion. It was enviable...
Jason yearned for this ability, more then anything. He would go as far as to say that he needed it even. One day he would get it, he just didn't know how...
'Maybe I should ask Aaron for help, maybe he has something to share that could help me gain the flexibility needed to overcome this... One could only hope.'
Gathering his courage, Jason stood from is seat. "He is right." They all turned to him, putting painful pressure on his soul. "Aaron is right, there is no point in clinging to those traditions that actively hurt us. We need to strive to move forward, hold onto those things that serve us and push away that which causes us harm. Lord Neptune does not deserve our disrespect." He gulped, hiding his shaking well. Why was it easier to fight monsters then doing this? "It is time we Romans embraced the sea and it's bounty, it could very well be the key to our restoration."
Many people stared at him, but the eyes he was focused on most was Aaron's, whose eyes were twinkling warmly towards him. Almost mystically so, filling him with pride and strength.
D'Anthony sighed. "Very well... we are not here to debate the creation of this new Shrine, Lord Neptune has already shown his support... instead what we will do is vote on the support we will give for this. All in favor of offering our total support, raise you hands." To Jason's shock, more then half of the senate raised their hands, moved by his and Aaron's words. " Those against?" Less then half raised their hands, including Octavian. " Very well, Aaron you will have full access to the typical funds and supplies needed to create a shrine. May Lord Neptune and his family appreciate your deeds."
Aaron smiled and bowed low. "Thank you kindly, my dear friends. I will honor you all with this creation, and of course that of our Patrons in this instance Lord Neptune and his family. I cannot wait until my next project, you will love this one. I plan on forcing the Fauns into actually becoming of value to us all. They have immense mystical power, can act as healers, protectors, trackers and so many other things. That is for another time however, until then let us focus on this first task. I will need to proof of this acceptance to the bank and the forgers. I have some preliminary sketeches built already, they will more then likely adjust it."
Jason smiled then, and felt a rush of ... well, something, not unlike his father's power, wash through him. He knew, right then, that it was the might of Lord Neptune thanking him for his support. He wondered if this really was the right choice, and prayed that it was.
Just to whom he was praying too was unclear... he just hoped they were listening to it.
"""
Cursing, the Lord Praetor saw something he hated. 'The mortal is gaining far too much influence. Soon he will eclipse even my power. He is a priest, he is an augur in training... he is a powerful witch, a skilled combatant, ruler of the Weredogs... he has Neptune, Pluto and Juno's protection! He needs to be stopped before he swallows us all!'
Angry, he all but stomped out of the Senate hall, not caring how he looked. He had to do something! His first idea failed, making Aaron even stronger and more secure. He needed to find some way of dissuading the boy's influence...
But how?
Chapter end, tell me what you think in the reviews.
This was great, simple but great.
Love, your Ninja Overlord,
Mika.