Chapter 32:
As Markus woke up from his needed 'power nap', he quickly rose out of the water in the basin that he was in. He was suddenly aware of the time that had passed. He looked around to see his speed clone standing by, cleaning everything up. This indicated to Markus that not much time had passed. He had put enough magic in the magic battery rune to last up to an hour. Since it hadn't dispersed yet, Markus could tell that an hour hadn't passed yet. His water healing truly was broken.
He grabbed a shirt, wanting to hide the runes and tattoos from other people. If people did see them, he'd say that they were tattoos. He didn't want any children of Hecate seeing them, as they could decipher what they were and know what he did. He wasn't ashamed of what he did to get more power, but he didn't want anyone poking their nose into his business.
Mentally checking himself, he found that he felt... stronger. Lighter. As if gravity had no hold on him. Channelling magic through his body and activating his runes, his body practically glowed and hummed with power. His Κράτος, Uruz and Fehu runes were glowing brightly in particular.
Markus smirked. It worked. It actually worked. And he wasn't dead. And he was left with all of this power...
He grinned, liking his accomplishments. He nodded towards his speed clone, who dispersed into energy. Markus wasn't feeling particularly tired. In fact, he was full of energy.
Grinning, he went out of his cabin, it being free of any of his previous work. As he stepped out, he immediately went to the arena. Breathing in heavily, he made to use his super speed to make a quick dash.
Half a blink later, he almost hit the arena wall, having stopped by himself hastily.
He blinked in surprise. What the hell happened? He wasn't usually this fast! Two seconds, maybe. But that was almost instantaneous! Sure, he wanted to improve himself but he didn't think that it'd be this strong.
Getting himself focused, Markus applied less kinetic energy to his body, moving slightly slower than before but still moving faster than normal. After a few test runs, he finally managed to get a hang of his speed. After all, what was the point in speed if he had no grip on his bearings? Markus planned to learn a spell for that later on.
Satisfied with speed, Markus planned to focus on strength next. He didn't actually have super strength, but he wanted to test how far he could push himself. Clenching his fist, walked towards a training dummy and punched it will all of his might.
He accomplished what he wanted. That was not for the dummy to be broken off its post, having a giant fist-sized dent inside of it and becoming crumpled as it went sailing across the arena to the wall.
Markus blinked stupidly at his strength. Maybe the runes did too good of a job. That was so fucking awesome! He had super strength! Actual super strength! He was like a real life Hulk. Super strength. Rage. Maybe he could paint himself green. It was his favourite colour...
But with this strength, he could possibly kill a human being with a single punch! That was awesome... and a little scary, to be honest. He didn't want to suddenly get angry and kill a potential ally or friend. Again, he was going to need to learn control. This was harder than maintaining his speed since he'd never actually had super strength before.
Wait, if he had super strength, then would he need to keep using Beowulf? Since it was now kind of pointless. Or maybe he could combine his attacks with Beowulf... Markus grinned, liking the images of devastation that he could cause.
But first, control. So Markus kept on practising on his new super strength. The results weren't as he expected. He kept on making craters when he wanted to make small indents. And any training dummies that he used either had their head punched off or they were cut in half.
It got so bad that others investigated what was going on, only for Markus to wave them off, saying everything was fine. Seeing the devastation, they weren't really sure, but left him to his own devices.
Okay, so super strength was on a hold for now. Let's try magic.
Closing his eyes, Markus concentrated on his magical core. And was shocked stupid at the results. His magical reserves were massive! Way more than before. If he were to compare it in terms of normal things, Markus would compare to his reserves to that of a completely full bathtub of water. Why water? Because why not, he liked it. Anyway, spells like Sagitta Spiram or Speculum Alice didn't take as much magic, so the magic - represented as a bathtub - would lower slightly with continued use. However, powerful spells like Stella Inspiratione or his Ionioi Hetairoi spells took up a large amount of magic, almost half the bathtub depending on how much magic he poured into it.
But his reserves now? They weren't a bathtub. They were practically a fucking ocean. And he wasn't even exaggerating. His reserves had increased drastically. His magic felt like it was literally overflowing through his body. His power was raw, primal and filled with magic. Guess the ritual did its job very well. And that didn't even cover his divine core. When he talked about his divine core, it was the core of divinity given to him from Poseidon that he used for his demigod powers. He had two of them. One was his main one, as a son of Poseidon. It was like the size of a meteor (A.N. - Kind of like how Naruto's chakra was when he was training to control the Nine Tails' chakra in Naruto). Unsurprisingly, it had an oceanic feeling to it. His second was half his meteor-sized oceanic core, which represented his divine powers that he received from Savitr.
All his reserves had increased drastically. While this was good, and what he wanted, having too much power meant that he little to no control. He could pour a large chunk of magic into small spells like Sagitta Spiram and it could backfire on him heavily. So what he needed to learn was restraint.
Nodding to himself, Markus set about training his new, powerful body.
XXX
It had been a few days since he'd done the ritual on himself. And he'd made some interesting discoveries.
Due to his Κράτος rune, his skill with using his powers had increased. His energy felt more fluid when he used it, more easier to access. This made it so that he could use his powers with hardly any strain and he even used them without thinking.
For his water powers, his control over vapour and blood had increased drastically. With water vapour, he could now draw from almost anywhere to produce water from the moisture in the air, as well as turning water into vapour as well. It was the same as with ice, only instead of turning water solid, the molecules would spread out to become a gas.
A fun fact was that he could even transform his body into vapour, turning into a cloud of vapour for a good thirty seconds before he passed out in exhaustion. And then woke up again twenty seconds later. This was an excellent increase in skill in using water. He now had three ways of avoiding physical damage: phasing his body through vibration, his vapour body, and a new move that he created on the spot. For simplicity sake, he called it 'Hierro', based off the technique from Bleach. He focused his somewhat controlled magic around his body and hardened it, creating almost iron-like skin. Swords and shields practically bounced off him, depending on how much magic he put into it.
For blood control, he could now control other people through blood with more ease, as well as manipulate his own. This was shown when he took control of the Stolls with his blood control and made them make stupid gestures as well as embarrass them by practically manipulating them like a puppet. Though he couldn't do this to everyone. Controlling other people's blood was hard because a person's body naturally fought against the flow of their blood. This could even be done deliberately. So he had to have a greater will than the person he was controlling. And he wasn't even sure he could manipulate ichor, so he wasn't sure about controlling gods. Still, mortals and half-bloods were fair game.
For his other powers, he unlocked a new ability: storm control. Specifically lightning and minor wind control. After realizing that Poseidon was known as the Stormbringer, he guessed that he could summon storms as well. Markus had seen proof of this when he was angry at Chiron and unconsciously summoned a small hurricane.
So he got to work. His divine core was more welcoming and easier to use that unlocking his new powers were much easier. After only an hour of concentrating, he could use lightning and a small amount of wind no problem. His lightning was almost on the level of Thalia, and were steadily increasing. This was shown when he offered another spar with Thalia, and trounced her by practically cancelling out her lightning with his own. Of course, she wasn't really happy about this, but whatever.
With his level of concentration, he could produce small amounts of lightning from his fingertips and use it as a long-ranged blast. Or even channel lightning to his hand, encasing it in electricity. Or even channel it through his sword. He had fun creating some lightning based attacks from anime, and even covered his body in lightning when he ran, so he was similar to the Flash.
With wind, he could produce a small current. He couldn't fly (both because his wind affinity wasn't strong enough yet and Zeus was still a stingy bastard) but he could use small gusts and could almost channel wind through his weapons, coating them in a sharp wind aura. Though this was harder to do than lightning.
He could summon a hurricane at will, but tended not to. He was still in camp, and didn't want to accidentally destroy it through training.
With his earthquake control, he had improved greatly as well. He could now make small-scale quakes in the ground to large-scale ones that would go very high on a Ritcher Scale. Not only that, but by channeling earthquake energy in his hand like he usually did, he could cause this to explode with energy, doing something similar to how Whitebeard did it in One Piece. He could now somewhat crack the air, or disturb or disrupt the air currents with the vibration from his energy. But for his sake, he called it cracking the air.
For kinetic energy use, he could now steal energy from objects in motion and add it to his own power. How this worked was that any object or person in motion had kinetic energy. So what he did was basically coat his hands in kinetic energy, and then catch that person or object. This disrupted the kinetic energy in them/it and then he absorbed it into his body. With this, he could basically catch arrows out of the air, after being launched from their bow string. Or even bullets. But this was harder, since they moved faster. As evidence by having a speed clone shoot at him with his gun and him trying to catch the bullets, using his heightened reflexes as a demigod. He ended up with bloody fingers from his tries, but he managed to catch one, and that was enough.
He could also use kinetic energy similar to how speedsters in DC are able to use the Speed Force, though not the most overpowered powers. He could, however, rotate his arms to create somewhat vortexes (A.N. - Like how Flash sometimes does it in the CW shows), vibrate his voice for intimidation or badassery, use kinetic energy to form small weapons, due to it actually being energy - like small knives or something - or to create energy constructs. The last part was his most favourite power out of his kinetic energy, since he planned to create a speedster suit out of kinetic energy and be that speedster. It was a tie between Flash and Godspeed, but Godspeed won out.
For magic, he just practiced on the spells that he knew or tried to make them better, or creating his own spells that he wrote down using just pure magic. He didn't learn any new spells since he needed to learn control. If he learned a new spell, he probably would overshoot it and end up with it exploding in his face. He also focused more heavily on runes, and not just Greek ones. He learnt a few Japanese, Norse and Chinese. Though his Chinese rune knowledge was limited.
He also found out that, due to the Yin and Yang symbols on his back, he had slightly powerful affinities for umbrakinesis and photokinesis, given what both tattoos represented. Though he was more used to using his photokinesis since he knew a few more light spells than he did darkness spells, though he planned to get around this.
He was also able to recreate Second Gear that was based off of One Piece. He knew how the technique worked, but the process was hard. He was essentially increasing his blood flow to make him move faster, well, faster than normal, and make his strikes more powerful and faster. It might not do much, but he planned to use the technique quite often. He didn't know what he was going to for Third Gear, but he'll come to it later. Maybe use lightning.
Was he overpowered? Yes, and he had no shame in exploiting it. However, there was one downside to his upgrade via runes.
That downside came into light when he was walked around camp one day. He was planning on asking Beckendorf something when he saw Katie walked by. She waved at him. He was going to wave back when his eyes were immediately drawn to Katie's appearance. More specifically, her bust.
This wasn't him experiencing puberty. He knew about puberty and wasn't shy to checking girls out when given the chance. But this was different. He could usually could control his hormones. Now he felt them swirling inside of him, like his perverted thoughts bunched up into one giant thought and exploded. And he couldn't control it. Desire literally overcame him, making his eyes light up in a lustful manner, different than his lust for power, as his eyes raked over Katie's form. She was wearing a camp t-shirt that did nothing to hide her developing bust. She also wore shorts that displayed her long, muscled and beautiful legs. Lust was literally the only thing on his mind as he kept gazing at his friend, almost missing her snapping her fingers in front of his face.
"Markus? Markus!" Katie shouted, worried and annoyed. She blushed as she saw him staring at her body. Why was he staring at her like that.
"W-what?" Markus asked, snapping out of his daze. He cleared his throat. "Sorry, I... I just remembered something."
"Was it on my shirt or chest?" she asked, annoyed. Her embarrassment showed though as she was blushing heavily.
"N-no!" Markus exclaimed. "Sorry, just feeling... different. I got to go, see ya!" And with that, he disappeared instantly, making Katie blink in surprise.
As Markus went away, his face was red. What the hell was wrong with him?! Why the fuck was he staring at Katie like a piece of meat? He appreciated girls, but this was totally different.
But this wasn't the only instance that this happened. When Markus went to see Percy, who was training himself, he also saw Annabeth with him as well. Usually, he steered clear of Annabeth since he was still a little angry from before. But now he stayed and watched the two, mostly Annabeth. His eyes lit up with desire and lust as he observed her: her wavy blonde hair, her athletic frame, her budding figure, her tan legs that seemed to go on-
"Markus? Hey, Squid Head!" Annabeth exclaimed, creeped out and embarrassed at his staring at her. Did she have something on her face or something?
"Wha?" Markus blinked. He then scowled. It happened again! What the fuck was happening to him?! Why the hell was he staring at almost every girl that he saw?! And why was he almost always thinking of his second head?!
Markus sighed. "Nothing, Annabeth," he replied, making Annabeth a little sad that he didn't call her Annie or Wise Girl, even though she hated the first nickname. This meant to her that he still didn't forgive her. Before she say anything, Markus zipped away to check something.
His final instance was when he was sparring with Thalia, for like the tenth time. Seriously, did this girl not know when to quit?! But that wasn't what he was focused on. As they sparred, Markus watched her. Only, instead of watching her in terms of fighting, he was looking at her figure. She seemed to be the most developed of the girls that he'd observed. Which made sense since she was older. Her chest heaved as she panted in exertion, showing some sweat trailing from her neck to her cleavage. Markus almost leered as he watched her breasts. He also looked at her long legs, which looked like they would rip the jeans that she was wearing. Markus thought that since she had large and supple thighs, that they led up to a beautiful and delightful as-
Markus was so very thankful for his water sensing ability. He'd activated it as he was forced to avoid looking at her ugly shield, Aegis. Which he deemed as a stupid hax. His sensing ability helped him snap out of it and dodge the surprise attack from Thalia's attack and disarming her again. When she got frustrated and stormed off again, Markus was proved right. She did have a beautiful ass. It was so big and jui-
Goddammit, not again! Markus almost screamed in frustration as he snapped out of his lust-filled thoughts. As he left the arena and dashed to his cabin, he dropped onto his bed. He placed his head on his pillow and screamed into it in frustration.
"Why the fuck is this happening to me?!" he screamed into his pillow. His voice was muffled, but he didn't care. "Since when did I turn into a fucking creep?! Every time, it happens ever since a few days ago and-" Markus' head rose from his pillow from shock and realization.
A few days ago. When he got his runes...
Markus sped across his cabin, looking up the words that he'd inscribed into his runes. He eventually landed onto one that answered his questions.
The Fehu rune with the word 'virility' circled. He'd thought that it just simply meant strength and vitality. But no. Looking it up properly, he saw that it meant that he would have strength, energy, and... a strong sex drive. It also symbolized manliness.
With his problem answered, Markus almost wanted to pull his hair out of his head in frustration. Why. The. Fuck. Didn't. He. Check the meaning of the words that he was going to use?! Because of the Fehu rune, as well as the Uruz, he was basically experiencing another heightened version of puberty. The fuck?! He didn't want to be a walking creeper wherever he went! He already went through puberty once, he damn well didn't want to experience it again.
He growled, almost wanting to reach forward and destroy the wall in front of him. Markus blinked. The hell? He usually had more control over his emotions and anger. Why... oh, right. His emotions and hormones were out of control. Great, now he needed to control his previously controlled emotions as well as his powers.
Markus sighed. Maybe these runes were more trouble than they were worth.
XXX
Markus was in the forest, wanting a quiet place in where he could train his emotions. He left three magically energized speed clones to start working on the Hestia cabin. Hey, he had to start somewhere. He sent them to ask the Hephaestus cabin for help.
He headed towards a clearing that showed the Fist of Zeus. As he walked through, he heard someone panting. Curious, he went past the rows of trees to see Thalia training.
The daughter of Zeus was sweating from head to toe. She had taken off her jacket revealing her tank top underneath showing of her powerful arms and her amazing toned body. The way she moved almost looked like she was dancing, there was a certain grace in each of her steps that was hard to understand. Her jeans were skin tight showing off her long muscular legs and wide hips as she used them to turn and twist her spear around. Her chest rose and fell from her deep breaths showing off her large perky breasts.
Markus almost drooled, before snapping himself out of his daze. He was seriously going to stab himself if he kept acting like this.
After the feelings of lust settled down Markus focused on Thalia again, this time he looked at only the way she moved the weapon.
He was to guess she would probably be better at using the spear than any other demigod around. He hadn't really faced many spear fighters before, but Markus could honestly say Thalia was the best spear using demigod he knew. It was a shame, since he wanted to ask her for help in using a spear, but he doubted that she would help, since she was acting bitchy when around him.
He was mesmerized as she trained. He saw that she must've trained for years using the spear. Markus could respect that.
He didn't want to interrupt, but he couldn't exactly train with her here. And he wasn't going to leave, since he needed to train.
Thalia eventually grew too tired to train as she turned her spear back into a can of mace and sat down on the Fist of Zeus rubbing the sweat off her body. She looked up at the sky and sighed as suddenly her stomach grumbled in hunger.
Wanting to at least get on her good side so that he could train in peace, Markus zoomed to the mess hall and picked up some barbecue and two drinks and sped down to the forest in less than three seconds. Yes, he was that fast.
"Hungry?" Markus called out, startling Thalia. When she saw that it was him, she scowled.
"Henderson. What do you want?" she asked gruffly.
Markus sighed. This was going to be harder than he thought. "And here I thought that you wanted food," he said wistfully, showcasing the barbecue and drinks in his hand. Thalia stared hungrily at the barbecue. This was followed by her stomach grumbling loudly.
She growled to herself. "Fine," she bit out.
Smirking, Markus stepped forward and sat next to her, offering her a piece of barbecue. She took it greedily and wolfed it down greedily. She must've been training for a while. She took the offered drink and gulped it all down.
She smiled in satisfaction, now a little full. Then she blinked, seeing her piece finished. "Uh, do you have any-" Thalia started, now more hungry. She was interrupted by Markus speeding to the mess hall at super speed and reappearing near her, holding out several drinks and more plates with food. "-more?" she finished a little dumbly, shocked. Then she looked at the food, and then to him. "How the hell do you have super speed? You're a son of Poseidon! I thought speed was Hermes' domain!"
Markus shrugged. "Magic," he lied casually.
Thalia frowned. "Magic is bullshit."
"You have no right to talk about bullshit when you have a shield that people literally can't look at. Who has that?"
"It's perfectly fine!"
"Bullshit! It's a hax and you know it!"
Thalia smirked at his annoyed expression, before digging into the food. Markus joined in soon after.
As they ate, they talked. "So, training hard?" Markus asked.
"None of your business, jackass," Thalia said, looking angry.
"No need for name calling, princess. Just asking."
"Why? So you can rub it into my face?" she retorted with a sneer.
"Okay, what the fuck is your problem with me?" Markus asked, annoyed. "It was a little funny for a few days but now it's annoying. What have I done to you?!"
Thalia huffed and turned her head to the side. "None of your business."
"I think it is my business when you act as if I killed your puppy! What is your problem with me?!"
"It's because I'm jealous, alright?!" Thalia retorted back in his face. Calming down, Thalia sighed a defeated sigh. "I'm... I'm jealous of you."
Markus looked shocked. "Jealous? Of me?" He looked confused now. "What exactly do I have that you don't?"
"You..." Thalia looked embarrassed. "Don't make me talk about it aloud!"
"Oh no, princess. You're the one who's apparently jealous of me. So spill."
She looked resentful, but relented. "I'm jealous of how strong you are, okay? I'm jealous that a kid almost two years younger than me is stronger than me, the daughter of Zeus."
Markus looked at her, not laughing at her. This was serious to her, so he wasn't going to be inconsiderate. As he looked at her, he noticed that she smelled like ozone and pine wood. He filed that away for later. "Just because you're the daughter of Zeus, doesn't make you automatically strong."
Thalia scoffed. "So says the son of one of the Big Three."
"My dad has nothing to do with my strength," he said, annoyed. All his effort, all his gains for power. That was all him. His dad had jack shit on what he'd done. "I may be stronger than most demigods in terms of power, but I'm at the level I'm at due to training and my drive. I could be a child of Aphrodite and still be considered the best at camp with how I am now, parent aside. My dad has nothing to do with my strength. It's better being the strongest demigod child of a minor god than be the weakest child of the Big Three, simply because I relied on my powers alone."
Thalia scoffed again. "Yeah? Well, I'm the daughter of Zeus, and that hasn't worked out for me."
"Let me ask you something," Markus said to her. "If you hadn't trained the way you did just now, if you'd simply relied on your demigod powers and with no training or drive, do you think you'd be at the level that you're at now?"
"I-" Thatlia blinked, thinking on it. "No, I wouldn't."
"Exactly. Our parents don't matter. Katie Gardiner, a daughter of Demeter, who's considered a meek and pacifist goddess, is one of the strongest demigods I know in terms of power at this camp. And that was true training. My point is, it's the drive to me that matters, not the power."
Thalia mulled over what he said, thinking. Then she asked, "What is your drive?"
"To become the strongest and to gain enough power to protect myself and those I love," Markus said firmly. "To do that, I'll become the most powerful demigod ever, and surpass those in the past, present and future."
Thalia looked stunned at his response. She didn't think that was the reason that he was training so hard. She just thought the he did it to show off and act arrogant, but he did it to protect himself and those he cared about. That was an admirable goal, if a bit selfish. But Thalia didn't judge him.
"So why are you training to get strong?" Markus asked, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Is it to escape the prophecy?"
"Prophecy?" Thalia's ears perked at that. "What prophecy?"
Markus stared at her in shock. S-she couldn't possibly not know of the prophecy. Right? Chiron had to at least have mentioned it to her. "You know? The prophecy that pertains a child of the Big Three?"
Thalia blinked in shock, surprise and confusion. "Chiron and Mr. D mentioned that, but didn't expand on it. What was the prophecy?"
Markus looked with wide eyes. No. It wasn't possible. Annabeth had to have told her, if not Chiron. She was Thalia's best friend. She had to.
Markus glared, but not at Thalia. He was angry, no furious. They were making the same mistake with him. This was her damn prophecy and she didn't even know about it?!
Markus breathed through his nose, trying to calm down. His anger was reaching new heights but he needed to calm down. It wouldn't do anyone good if he were to freak out.
"Markus?" Thalia called out, getting a bit curious and nervous. "What's the prophecy? Do you know it?"
"Yes, I know it," Markus answered her. "The surprising thing is that you don't. It goes like this: A half-blood of the eldest gods, shall reach sixteen against all odds. And see the world in endless sleep, a hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap. A single choice shall end his days, Olympus to preserve or raze."
Thalia was wide-eyed at what he revealed. Markus guessed that it was probably the same expression he had when he found out about the prophecy: feeling shocked and betrayed. "I... I-I'm going to die?" Thalia whispered, a tear coming into her ear.
"Thalia-"
"So that's it? All that effort from saving me from dying, and I realise that I'm fated to die anyway, so it doesn't matter anyway." Now Thalia was raising her voice. She was angry, rightfully so. And she was also sad. She looked to the sky and yelled, "So was it not enough?! Dealing with my mother, losing Jason, living on the streets, dying and becoming a tree! That wasn't enough?! Now I'm doomed to die?! What more do you want from me?!"
The sky boomed with thunder. Lightning flashed and streaked across the sky. Markus wasn't sure whether it was Zeus' or Thalia's doing. Judging by how angry she was, he guessed it was Thalia.
"Thalia," Markus said quietly, reaching to comfort her, but she stood up, stepping away from him.
"Why? Why didn't you tell me?!" Thalia yelled out, her body streaking with lightning. "Was I such a nuisance to you?! Were you so eager to get the glory in the end that you-"
"Do not dare finish that sentence," Markus said lowly, standing up to meet her, ignoring the flickering lightning as it had no effect on him. Well, not too much of an effect. "You think I wanted this? For you to be bound by a fucking prophecy? News flash: I was in your place before. I know how you're feeling. I know how it felt to feel trapped under the prophecy, to have no escape except your death. I was in your shoes, thinking the exact same thing you are now."
Thalia's eyes widened. "Then why-"
"I didn't tell you because I assumed that Annabeth or Chiron would've told you, but it looks like they're making the same mistake as with me," Markus said bitterly. And he thought they were smart. If it didn't work the first time, why would it work the second time?
"Annabeth knew? But why didn't she tell me?" Thalia was shocked. To think that the person that she deemed as a little sister kept something like this from her...
"Because she thought that she was protecting you," Markus replied angrily. "Her heart's in the right place, but she's being stupid about how to go about it." Markus looked up to Thalia, only to see her breathing in sharply. He realised that she was having a sort of panic attack. Or hyperventilating. It was perfectly understandable with what she just learnt.
The sky reflected her mood. There were odd bits of lightning flashes and thunder sounds. If this wasn't solved, there was a good chance of a storm coming their way. Stepping forward, he put his hands on her shoulders and made her look at him directly.
"Hey," he said softly. "Look at me. Thalia, look. Look - I said - will you look at me?!" he snapped at the end, seeing her turning her head all the time. He grabbed her face and made her look him in the eyes. "Listen. I understand perfectly how you're feeling. I was in your place before. I knew how choked you feel, and how you feel there's no escape from the prophecy. I get that. I understand that. But you aren't alone, ya hear? I-I'm... here for you." He said that part uncertainly because he wasn't used to wanting to save someone. Before, he was happy that someone had taken his place as the child of prophecy. Now, he felt sadness for her. He couldn't stand to see her feeling betrayed by the ones who she believed in. As if learning about Luke wasn't enough. This could possibly break her and destroy any semblance of trust she would ever have to camp, or to anyone.
He didn't know why he felt so strongly about helping her, but planned to. That he promised. "Thalia, you are not alone. You have me, Percy, camp, the others. You won't face Kronos alone. You won't face the prophecy alone. We are with you. I am with you."
"How are you so sure?" Thalia asked in a whisper. Tears fell freely from her eyes now. "How can you be so sure that you'll be with me? My mother, Jason, Luke. They all left me. How are you so sure?!"
Markus smiled. He pressed his forehead against hers gently, leaning towards her. The smell of ozone and pine was stronger now. "Because I'm sure. You're my family, Thalia. As well as my friend. I will burn the world to cinders to save you and anyone I cared about. So you know that I will protect you from the prophecy. You put your trust in me, I put my trust in you. I won't ever leave you, Thalia. I'll be with you every step of the way. That's a promise."
Both didn't move from their spot for a few moments. And then Thalia stepped forward and hugged him. Nothing was said as she held onto him as if her life depended on it, and she cried. She wept into his shoulder. Markus just held her, rubbing her back softly as he comforted her, letting her cry and sob on his shoulder. He didn't mind how much she cried or wailed. He held onto her.
Markus didn't know how long they both stood there, but he continued holding onto her. He now knew what to do since this scene was similar to how he comforted Clarisse after dealing with Ares. Thalia's cries turned to sniffles. And then silence. Markus knew how much this meant to her. Like Clarisse, Thalia didn't seem the type to show any weakness. To expose herself to him must've been big for her.
After a while, Thalia rose from his shoulder, furiously wiping at her eyes to get rid of the tears. Markus smiled seeing this.
"Thank you, Markus," she said after a moment. Markus smiled at that.
"No problem, cuz," he smiled, getting her to smile too. She slowly removed herself from his side, traces of her tears gone. "Sorry about your shirt."
"S'okay," Markus shrugged. This feeling was nice.
"So, uh... about the prophecy..." she said after a moment. Markus nodded, indicating for her to continue.
"It said. A single choice shall end his days," Thalia recited thoughtfully. "And since I'm a girl..."
"Debatable, but okay," Markus muttered jokingly, getting a punch from Thalia while he chuckled.
"Anyways, since it said 'his', it indicated that the child of the Big Three would be a boy. So it wouldn't necessarily be me." She said this part hopefully.
Markus sighed. She had a point. "Look Thalia. It could be you or possibly me. Trying to wrap your head around it and deciphering it is just going to make you go insane. Prophecies are confusing as fuck. Trust me, I tried. But if it is me, even though I hope against all odds, you'll have my back, right?"
"Absolutely," Thalia said firmly, making Markus smile. "You have my back, and I got yours."
"Thanks," Markus said, smiling. "Uh, you mind helping me in spear wielding? I could use the help."
"You just know exactly how to ruin a mood, Barnacle Brain," Thalia muttered sarcastically.
"One of my many talents," Markus stated proudly.
Thalia scoffed. "Whatever. You are pretty shitty with dealing with a spear."
"And you can't aim for shit with lightning," Markus retorted cheekily.
"Bastard!" Thalia yelled out, trying to skewer him with her spear, with him dodging each time with super speed. But through it all, both of them were smiling at each other.
XXX
Markus was busy spear fighting with Thalia in the arena, him using a practice spear while she used her regular spear.
Since they're little heart-to-heart conversation the day before, they seemed to be able to converse with each other easily. The others were shocked at this. Since they met, the two have been at each others throats. Or Thalia wanting to bite his head off. So to see them actually talking with one another, and not fighting with ill intent was... quite a surprise.
Though Markus and Thalia just ignored them. Since spending time with her, Markus had learned things about Thalia, things that she wouldn't tell anyone else. One, she like eating burgers. Specifically cheese burgers. That was nothing really surprising, since he loved pizza himself. Though they did get into arguments as to which food was better. Which led to spars, to shouting matches, though they had no ill intent. Two, she was deathly afraid of heights. At this, Markus admitted that he broke down in laughter and teased her about this. This caused her to launch a bolt of lightning at him in anger. He survived, thanks to his rather strong lightning affinity, but it wasn't fun. He was so confused as to why the daughter of Zeus, the sky god, was afraid of heights. He found this out when he questioned why she never flew, being the daughter of Zeus. She trusted to reveal it to him in secret.
He had no plausible, logical reason why she was afraid of heights, but Thalia was deathly afraid of them. And having a fear was reasonable, even though hers wasn't. So he respected her fear and never told anyone about it, to which she was thankful. Though he did plan to help her overcome her fear.
And three, he discussed with her what her fatal flaw could be, and Markus deduced that it was power lust. While she seemed ashamed of it, Markus told her that it was fine. He told her that his fatal flaws were anger and greed, and he usually followed his greed. He explained to Thalia that there was no shame in falling prey to her fatal flaw, but you had to control it and not let it control you. Markus admitted that he was kind of a hypocrite, but he still advised her about it. Thalia suddenly felt a lot better about her flaw and was trying to overcome it, but with minimal progress.
Markus noticed that the two of them were very similar: both lost their mothers (though Markus loved his mother while Thalia hated hers, for reasons she wouldn't share yet) and ended up living on the streets. Both were children of the Big Three and knew the burdens that came with that. Both would protect their friends and the ones that they loved. And both had similar fatal flaws. They were perfect for each other. Maybe that was why they bonded so well.
As both fought in the arena, they were caked in sweat. Markus didn't mind, though he was extremely thankful for this. He could see Thalia's sweaty form as her T-shirt clung to her frame as she breathed in deeply, and absolutely loved the form of her breasts. While he could somewhat control his increased libido, he still went crazy around Thalia, whom he'd been spending the day with.
Thalia disarmed him with her spear and held him at spear point. "Yield?" she said smugly, finally happy that she was beating him at something.
Markus rolled his eyes, phasing his body and passing through her spear and her, getting her to jump in shock. "I hate it when you do that," Thalia said, annoyed. Markus smirked behind her, having picked up his spear through his phasing and collecting it.
"It's called playing to your strengths," Markus muttered, smirking.
"You just can't beat me in a spear fight," Thalia retorted back.
"True," Markus agreed. "You are better than me at wielding a long, pointy spear. Truly, you are the best at using long sharp objects to pierce your enemy, making them moan in pleasure or pain, depending on how you use it." Markus had to avoid her trying to take his head off in embarrassment while he kept on laughing.
"Perv," Thalia muttered with a blush on her face.
"You're the one who stated that I fall short of you using your long and pointy-" Markus had to vibrate his body to phase from her attack that could've possibly skewered him. The spear passed through his body. "-spear. Honestly, Thalia. You have such a dirty imagination."
"One more word. I dare you," Thalia threatened, her body sparkling with electricity.
"I'm just stating the truth. Although you can't beat me when I use my long, thick, heavy-" Markus had to dodge to the side to avoid her trying to pierce him. He cackled as she tried chasing him across the arena and camp.
"Henderson! Come back and take your punishment like a man!" Thalia yelled in fury.
"But you already know I'm a man. In battle, I always showcase my sharp and pointy-" Markus ducked as he dodged her spear that was thrown at him. "-sword! Damn, woman. Calm your tits!"
"I'm going to kill you!" she screamed as he just cackled.
XXX
Markus was in the sword arena, training with Percy in sword skills. Percy wielded Riptide while Markus wielded a new sword that Beckendorf created for him, with his guidance, of course. It was called Red Queen, ripped straight from Devil May Cry 4 (A.N. - Again, I know that during this time period, the game hasn't come out yet, but screw it. Just imagine that it does). It had the same abilities as the one that it was based off.
When Beckendorf made this, he questioned why he or another Hephaestus child couldn't use this, since it had the fire-revving ability. Markus replied by saying that he asked for it first and and had the rights to wielding it. While Beckendorf was saddened, Markus made up for it by helping him forge the Wrath Hammer from the Mortal Kombat games. Beck was pretty happy about that.
As the two brothers fought, they had an audience. Katie, Annabeth and Thalia, along with other demigods who came to watch, watched the spar with rapt attention. Though Thalia was standing far away from Annabeth, while Annabeth looked sad.
When Thalia confronted Annabeth about the prophecy, it was with shock and sadness that the daughter of Athena confessed the truth. Since then, Thalia didn't want anything to do with her. This made Annabeth almost break down in tears. When she tried to explain why, Thalia just ignored her. To have the girl who was practically a big sister to her want nothing to do with her, it slightly broke her heart. Now both Markus and Thalia were angry at her.
"It looks like Percy's getting better at using a sword," Katie commented as she saw both brothers clash. Percy kept on trying to either overpower or disarm Markus, but Markus just kept on blocking.
"Shouldn't Percy be winning, since Markus has a bigger sword?" Pollux asked, watching in the crowd. Annabeth shook her head, watching the fight with a critical eye.
"No. While the size of the sword would normally weigh someone down, Markus seems to wield it with no problem," Annabeth explained as Markus kept on hitting Riptide near the hilt with his sword.
It was quite a sight. Both brothers wielded their weapons with grace, finesse and ease. Percy was dedicated to training with Chiron in swordsmanship while Markus continued training in spars and self training. While both were natural swordsman, Markus had somewhat of a headstart due to his early training as well as experience in kendo. While Percy was closing the gap quickly, Markus continued training, so the gap was still quite thin.
Both sons of Poseidon got their swords locked, trying to overpower the other. While Markus could easily do this with his super strength, he wanted to see how far Percy had come. So he limited his strength to roughly normal but still above average.
He smirked as the two continued clashing. "Give up?" he questioned with a smirk as Percy gritted his teeth.
"Never!" he grunted, trying to throw the balance of the two off. The problem was the larger sword. It was much heavier and longer than Riptide, so Percy was having difficulty.
Smirking, Markus disengaged from the struggle, almost throwing Percy off balance due to the sudden loss of balance. Markus stepped back and performed a Stinger (A.N. - During fights, I'll sometimes use moves that are in popular media, e.g. anime, video games, TV shows, etc). Percy quickly drew back Riptide to block, but almost lost his grip on his weapon due to the heavy blow. Markus followed up with a quick swing that Percy immediately blocked, but was left open to the quick slice that Markus dealt by swinging Red Queen at a surprising speed for such a heavy weapon. The cut was made at his shoulder, and Percy grunted at the wound.
Markus didn't stop to taunt or chat. He kept at it with wild but controlled wide overhead swings that Percy almost failed to defend against numerous times. This resulted in Percy getting large cuts on his forearms. The crowd looked worried, but still watched as Percy was getting hit almost repeatedly. He was putting up a good fight but still got injured.
Markus finished the combo by grabbing Red Queen by the hilt with both hands and drove the tip of the blade at Riptide's hilt, knocking it out of Percy's hands and causing it to skid across the floor. Holding the blade in both hands, Markus held the tip against Percy's undefended chest, signalling the end of the duel.
"Yield?" Markus asked, no taunting needed. Percy grit his teeth, but relented. "I yield."
Markus removed Red Queen from his brother's chest and helped Percy up. "You did good. You're getting better."
"Yeah," Percy muttered. He scowled at the blade in his brother's hand. "Though it wasn't really a fair fight since you had that sword."
Markus scoffed. "Fair? You had a blade that is perfect for you while I had a heavier one. If anything, you had the advantage. Hell, this is my first time actually wielding the blade, so I don't want to hear you bitching. Now stop being emo and get better." Markus manipulated the water vapour in the air and produced large droplets of water. He directed them on top of Percy, dropping them and allowing him to heal his cuts and wounds.
"Thanks," Percy said, picking up Riptide.
"No problem," Markus replied. "And remember, if you need help, come to me. I'm not going to push you away. No shame in asking for help."
"Kind of hypocritical coming from you," Percy muttered, getting Markus to scowl. "But thanks."
Markus nodded. Shaking hands, both went to the crowd, meeting the others. Most congratulated both of them on the fight. Thalia and Katie met Markus, smiling. He smiled at them both while ignoring Annabeth. After remembering something, Markus sped off, saying goodbye to the others.
He sped off to the central hearth, meeting the one who he wanted to meet. "Hello, Aunty Hestia," Markus greeted, smiling at the goddess in her child form. After contemplating on what to call her, Markus decided to call her 'Aunty', since she was his aunt. Hestia liked the name very much.
"Hello, nephew," Hestia said brightly, smiling.
Markus had taken to visiting Hestia almost every day since he'd spoken to her. To him, she was exactly how a typical aunt acted: caring, helpful, someone you could talk to when in need, etc. She was also wise in what to tell him and how to go about things. Seriously, Hestia was awesome. And to think she was ignored by everyone in Olympus. They're were idiots.
But another reason that she was produced a plate of pizza for him as well as a couple of drinks. It was an ability she had as the goddess of the hearth. She could produce home-cooked meals that anyone thought of. Markus promptly hugged her because of this and proclaimed her as the best goddess ever.
"How are you?" Markus asked.
"I am fine. I always tend to the hearth," Hestia responded.
"Don't you have anything else to do, aunty?" Markus asked with a raised eyebrow. Hestia simply smiled.
"No. My job is simple, but it is something I enjoy. That is all I need to do."
Markus shrugged. If she enjoyed tending to the hearth, that was fine. She was happy, and that is all that matters.
"May I advise you on something, nephew?" Hestia asked, peering into his eyes with her fiery ones. Markus nodded, waiting to hear her question.
"Why is it that you still hold grudges against the daughters of Athena and Aphrodite?" she asked. Markus' eyes went wide at that. He wasn't expecting that. He didn't question as to how she knew about that. She was never going to tell him about things like that.
"I... I felt betrayed by them," Markus answered simply. "I felt angry at the fact that... one of them was a traitor while the other kept a secret that practically determined my life."
"Are you sure that it is not your anger speaking for you?" Hestia asked knowingly. "Do not let your anger cloud your judgement, nephew."
"How else am I supposed to feel, then?" Markus asked angrily. "Should I feel happy? Should I forgive them so easily?!"
"I am not saying that you shouldn't feel betrayed," Hestia said, frowning. "What I am saying is that you shouldn't hold a grudge. You will soon find that it will hurt both you and your friends."
Markus frowned. "Then let me ask you something, aunty. Do you forgive the Olympians for the way they treated you since you stepped down?" It was a low blow, but Markus was annoyed that he was told to forgive so easily. This wasn't something that he was going to forget so easily.
"Yes," Hestia answered instantly, making Markus gape in shock. She forgave her family? After everything they did to her?
"But why?" Markus asked incredulously. "Why are you so willing to forgive them?"
"Because, as you said, they are my family," Hestia answered with a smile. Markus' eyes were wide with shock. "I agree that they have treated me very unpleasantly, but I cannot say the same for all of them. Your father, Demeter and Hades are my only siblings that do talk and welcome me."
"Then what about-" Markus was about to ask, but Hestia interrupted.
"Zeus and Hera do not treat me like family, for their own reasons," Hestia agreed. "But that does not mean I hate them. I still love and care for them. Because they are my family. And I will continue loving them."
"But why?" Markus asked, confused. "Why are you so eager to forgive?"
Hestia smiled. "Forgiveness is a powerful thing, nephew. It could help unite kingdoms and strengthen allies. It is not an easy thing to accept, but the benefits are worthwhile. Trust me on this. Your father and Hades are known for their anger and grudges. It is something that has been passed down through my family. But I am the one known for my forgiveness. I pray that you do not fall prey to the same emotion."
Markus was silent for a moment. Then he asked, "Then how do I forgive Annabeth and Silena?"
"The daughter of Athena hid the truth from you because she cared about you," Hestia said. "While she may not have gone about it the right way, she still did it because she cared. Try to see it from her perspective. As for the daughter of Aphrodite, she is regretful and heartbroken. She has suffered the consequences of your anger as well as others. Please do not keep your anger directed at her for her actions. The past is the past. Do not cling to it relentlessly, or you may destroy yourself." She reached forward, touching Markus' shoulder. "Please," the goddess pleaded, her fiery eyes showing warmth and care. "Let go."
Markus was in turmoil inside. He had no reason to deny what Hestia was saying. She was wise. Wiser than him and probably any Olympian, even Athena. And he knew what she was talking about. But it was so hard. Fatal flaw aside, it was not so easy to forgive and forget everything that happened. And he wasn't one to forgive so easily. He couldn't! He can't!
But at the same time, he looked into Hestia's eyes, and he understood what she was saying. And he knew that she was right.
Licking his lips, Markus asked a final question. To cement his decision. "Do you hate Kronos for eating you and for all the things he has done?"
"No," Hestia answered instantly again. "I admit, I am disgusted and heavily disagree with what he has done. But hating family is not in my nature. I partially blame my domain for that, but again, it is who I am."
With a nod, Markus made his decision. "Thank you, Aunty Hestia," Markus thanked, smiling a little.
"You are welcome, nephew. I wish you well in your decision," Hestia smiled warmly.
Nodding, Markus stood up. He was about to go, but not before saying, "Oh, your cabin's nearly done. You can bless it afterwards. You'll enjoy it, promise." And with that, Markus grinned, before zipping off. Missing the large smile on Hestia's face.
Markus decided to head to the Aphrodite cabin first, to apologize to Silena. It was a hard thing to do internally, but Hestia's words kept ringing in his mind. And he trusted her.
With a sigh, Markus knocked on the cabin door. It took a few seconds, but the door opened to reveal a son of Aphrodite.
"Hey, is Silena here? I need to talk to her," Markus said.
The boy narrowed his eyes. "Why should I? You were the one that caused her to be like this. I'm not going to let you hurt her again!"
Markus growled, his Uruz rune lighting up. He couldn't fault the guy for wanting to protect his sibling, but he was annoyed that this guy was stopping him. He was going to knock this guy out of the way when another child of Aphrodite, this time a girl, stepped in and put her hand on her brother's shoulder. "Michael," the girl said gently. "Let him in. I can tell that he's here to help Silena."
Michael frowned, but finally relented. He glared at Markus, before stepping aside. Nodding in thanks to the girl, Markus was about to enter, but the girl spoke. "I don't know what's going on between you two, but please. Help her. She's-"
Markus interrupted her. "I will. Don't worry."
Stepping fully inside, Markus ignored the heavy smell of perfume and the stench of pink. He saw, in one of the cabin beds, Silena wrapped up in her blankets. Seeing her face, Markus almost winced. He saw that her eyes were almost fully red and very puffy from crying. Tear streaks were lined on her cheeks. Her previous silky black hair was a mess, and she kept shaking, indicating that she was still crying slightly.
While he was furious at her before, the sight of her made Markus' heart ache. After Hestia's words, as well as Silena's state, he couldn't find it within himself to hate her completely anymore.
Both Michael and his sister stepped out of the cabin, giving the two some privacy.
There was no one else in the cabin. It was just the two of them.
Silena sat up on her bed to look at Markus, but she was still sobbing. Even under her bloodshot eyes, he could tell that she had a pleading look in her eyes, still yearning for him to forgive her.
Making up his mind, Markus spoke before she could. "I'm sorry." Her eyes widened. He could see a slight amount of hope in her eyes. And Markus' runes now activated, at the worst possible time. His 'virility' kicked in to high gear, making Markus look in slight lust at Silena's form. Even in her messy state, Markus still was able to see her that her camp shirt constricted against her body very well. Despite not wanting it to kick in, a part of Markus' brain took note of the fact that her figure was the most developed of the girl's that he'd seen. Large breasts that he could fit his hands in and squeeze properly, Markus didn't know the size but he didn't care, wide hips, slim waist, and long legs-
Markus bit the inside of his cheek harshly to snap himself out of his state. He then focused on apologizing to her. "I know that you regretted what you did before. I could tell. And..." Taking a deep breath, Markus continued. "While I'm still angry at you, I know that it wasn't fully your fault. I'm sorry for how I acted towards you."
"No, it's not your fault," Silena croaked. Clearing her throat to make her voice firmer, she continued. "I was the one who was easily convinced. I betrayed camp. I-I was the one who sold out the camp. I'm-I'm pathetic. So stupid. So useless-"
Not wanting to hear her self-loathing, Markus quickly moved and embraced her. He felt her freeze up under his touch, but Markus didn't let go. "Shhh. It's okay. I forgive you, okay? It's fine."
After a moment, Silena didn't say anything. Then, seeing her best friend forgive her for being a traitor, broke down in tears and embraced him back. Silena sobbed and cried loudly as she kept repeating, "I'm sorry", "I'm sorry", over and over. Markus just kept on rubbing her back and whispered back to her in response to each sentence. "It's okay", "It's okay."
As he held her shaking form, Markus was wondering how he kept on comforting females. First Clarisse, then Thalia and now Silena. And when the hell did he get so good at it? Sighing, Markus pushed it out of her mind as he kept comforting his friend. After what felt like an hour, Markus pushed back gently to look at her. She still had tears, but there were tears of happiness mixed with self-loathing.
Markus smiled, getting her to smile lightly too. She looked much more beautiful when she was smiling.
Markus blinked. Okay, he needed to get these runes under control. Suddenly, a wave of desire washed over him as he held onto Silena. He could feel her body pressed up against him, and he felt hot. Like, really hot. A stirring in his groin followed after, getting him to groan lightly.
"Markus?" Blinking back tears, Silena was concerned for him, wondering what was wrong. "Are you okay? What-" But she was interrupted as Markus. suddenly filled with large amounts of lust, desire and want, pressed forward and kissed her straight on the lips.
And I am finished. Long chapter, this one. And ended on a potential make-out session. Yippee.
So, saw the results of Markus' ritual. The good and the bad. For the good, he's extremely powerful now, almost OP. And he's going to continue growing more OP as the story progresses.
As for the bad, well... if you think about it, it's not really bad. The 'virility' attribute that he included in his ritual is rearing it's head, making him experience a second puberty which is more powerful than a normal one. That lucky/poor bastard.
His increased lust and libido is going to play a good part in the story. Makes forming the harem much faster. And he'll be very explicit and forward about it.
Lemons and a lot of romance will be written in the future, but heads up. They might be poorly written. I'm not good on both departments. So hopefully, given enough time, they'll be good. Emphasis on hopefully.
So Markus and Thalia are much closer now. The fact about finding out about the prophecy for Thalia was something that I definitely wanted to include, since I wasn't sure she was even aware of it in canon.
Now, answering reviews:
For one of the Guest reviewers, the topic of Phoenix Ashes is creative and very interesting. So I can possibly add it. Very good idea, by the way. And immortality or godhood as a topic that I might consider.
Another Guest reviewer. Thank you for the praise for the chapter. And, as it's seen in this chapter, he's already noticed the jealousy and basically tell everyone to get better because envy won't do anything for you.
Now, without further ado, I wish you all reading a goodbye. For now.
Read and Review!