new story yaaaaaaaaay. this is gonna be a multi-chapter of some length, I don't know how much though. my preyna fic is still in the works and will more than likely end up being a two-shot. BUT. That is a different matter.
Some content warnings: this is not a happy story. this is dark and depressing. the main character, Xander, is based on the Death Korps of Kreig from Warhammer 40k; very nihilistic and fatalistic and all that fun stuff. kudos to you if you know what I'm talking about and if you don't, also kudos because you haven't fallen down the rabbit hole. there's going to be quite a few references to 40k throughout the story too, so heads up i guess.
Lets get into it.
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Xander wanted nothing more than to die. He wasn't suicidal, not by a long shot, but he wanted to die in the sense that death would give his life meaning.
He slammed his hammer down on the red-hot sheet of Celestial Bronze, relishing the vibrations that ran through his arm. Not for the first time, he wondered how it sounded. It felt similar to how a sword would hit against a shield, maybe it was like that.
A hand on his shoulder urged him to look over his shoulder. Carlton, the head counselor, was standing there and the rest of the cabin was lined up. Xander looked up at the clock. Dinner time. Carlton's lips moved and Xander nodded. He set aside the metal and hammer, pulled his shirt back on, and fell in line next to Sandra. She made a few hand signs.
+What are you working on?+
+Power fist.+
+Fun.+
+Very. I got an Intercessor Squad the other day and I'm going to give the sergeant a power fist.+
+Have you ever considered making normal weapons, X?+
+Yes. They are boring.+ Xander saw Sandra smile and laugh, but of course, he didn't hear it.
Xander and his siblings made their way out of the forges and towards the dining pavilion. The sun was setting over Long Island Sound and it was brilliantly orange, as if the skies themselves were blazing with fire. Xander closed his eyes and felt the warmth on his face and breathed in the scent of the sea. For a son of Hepheastus, Xander enjoyed the ocean.
He grabbed a plate and cup and made his way through the pavilion, taking a seat towards the back, Sandra following suit with Kali and Jackson. They sat down and began chatting animatedly, signing along for Xander's benefit whenever they noticed he was paying attention. He would jump in occasionally, adding a joke that would make them laugh or an opinion that would start a whole new discussion, but as usual, he slipped into his own thoughts.
I should have done more for them.
I'm sorry, Mom.
I'm sorry, Steve.
I'm sorry, Joey.
Forgive my sins, Father.
I wonder if there's justification for Krieg Space Marines.
Would a shovel be a good weapon?
Should I carry a shovel around so I can be buried where I fall?
That sounds like a good idea.
Some quick tapping on his shoulder made Xander look up.
+Chiron has an announcement.+ Sandra signed and Xander looked towards the front of the pavilion where Chiron was speaking. +C-T-F is canceled tonight.+
+Why?+
+The monsters in the woods are more agitated than usual. No one is allowed to go in until the satyrs figure out what the issue is.+
+Great.+
+Fantastic. I was looking forward to shitting on Ares cabin,+ Kali signed, an angry expression on her face. +Douglas and Patrick were talking shit about us the other day.+ Jackson said something that Xander couldn't make out, but he figured the other demigod was asking what the Ares campers said.
+They called us cowardly shit-eating magicians,+ Kali answered. Xander snorted and smiled.
+Want to borrow my chain-sword?+ He gestured to the weapon slung over his back and Kali shook her head despite the smile on her face.
+Thank you but I'm good.+
Xander looked around the pavilion, taking in the faces around him. As his gaze brushed over the woods, he thought he saw a tall, cloaked figure. Normally he wouldn't be bothered by that, but the figure seemed to be staring directly at him before it turned away and faded into the shadows of the forest. Weird, but he put it out of his mind. Weird things happened all the time in a world where ancient deities try to overthrow each other or ancient emperors establish a Forbes 100 company.
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Screams.
Fire.
Blood.
Unimaginable pain.
A leering empousae holding two bloody things in her hands.
Absolute silence.
Xander woke up. Once upon a time, he would have woken up panicked and in a cold sweat but he clung to the dream now. It's a reminder of how he failed.
He looked over at the red numbers on the clock next to his bunk and scratched the side of his head. Not for the first time, he ran a finger over the bumpy and scarred flesh where his ears used to be. Sometimes he regretted cutting off his ears, but they didn't work, so what was the point of having them? New and old campers would give him startled looks or their eyes would flick to the sides of his head. Even Sandra, Kali, and Jackson would do it, even though they would try to hide it. Xander didn't blame them; he thought it was a bit weird too.
Five pictures stared at Xander from the bottom of Will's bunk. Individual pictures of his mom Maggie, his half-brother Joey, and his stepfather John, and then two pictures of their whole family. Xander reached a hand out and took down the family picture closest to the wall.
It had been taken the day before they all died. Xander had Joey on his back and the two of them were laughing at the camera. John had his arm around Maggie's waist and he was kissing the side of her head as she smiled into the camera.
When they all died, a part of Xander had died with them too. He lay his hand and picture on his chest and stared at the bottom of Will's bunk. Small etches in the metal marked how many days it had been since they'd died.
Two thousand, one hundred and ninety days. Six years. Xander was nineteen now. On a whim he got out of bed quietly, pulling out the bag he'd packed a year ago. Mortal clothes lay in it, nicely folded up, along with a carry-on forge, materials, tools, a pouch of golden drachmas, and a few hundred dollars in mortal cash. He placed the few Warhammer models he had into a small case and set it into the bag and pulled off his camp shirt, folding it up before placing it on his pillow along with a hastily scrawled note.
Don't bother looking for me. I will be safe. My sins need to be rectified. -Xander
A mortal shirt was pulled on and Xander slung Hephaestus' Fire onto his back and he took a breath as he picked up the bag.
When he opened the door, a hand touched his shoulder and Xander jumped a little bit, but he still turned all the same. Carlton was standing there, an expression of understanding and sorrow on his face. His sign language wasn't the best, but he still made the effort.
+I. S-O-R-R-Y you leave. You are good brother. Miss you.+ Xander nodded, feeling a tear prick at his eyes.
+Tell Sandra I'm sorry. She will be upset but she will understand.+ Carlton nodded before extending a hand. Xander shook and stepped away from the door, closing it as he left.
He headed for the camp border, feeling his arm hairs prickle in the cool night air. Just before he crossed the border, he looked back at the camp.
Lights on the fronts of each cabin glittered in the night and the moon reflected off the canoe lake. The Big House's windows had a few lights shining through it and he saw Chiron's silhouette facing his direction. The centaur raised a hand in farewell and Xander did the same. He passed Pelus, who snorted and shifted as Xander walked by.
Walking through the magical border felt odd, but Xander knew it would be the last time he did. He took a deep breath and headed down the hill towards the road.
At the base of the hill, he looked left and right for a car, but seeing none, he started following the road, the glow of Manhattan in the distance. Xander thought he saw Mount Olympus itself, but it might have just been a cloud.
As he walked, he wondered what he would do. Kill monsters until he wound up dead himself? Lost in thoughts, Xander wasn't fully paying attention until he almost ran into someone.
It was the cloaked person he saw in camp and Xander took a step back, raising his hand and taking hold of his chainsword. The cloaked person lifted his hand and signed in perfect sign language, +Easy there. I am not going to try and hurt you unless you try and hurt me. I am guessing that you wouldn't want that.+ Xander frowned and let go.
+Who are you? What do you want?+
+To help you. You seek repentance and atonement from your sins, don't you?+
+What is it to you?+
+I, too, have sinned. Many others have sinned. I offer you safety.+
+Who are you?+ Xander signed aggressively. +I don't know you.+ The person took off their hood.
He was an older, slender Japanese man, small scars criss-crossing his face. A stubble beard covered his jaw, close-cropped glossy black hair rested on his head, and his nose looked like it had been broken quite a few times. Most notable was a faded black eye patch covering his left eye.
+I am Ethan Nakamura. Come with me for forgiveness.+
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HOLYSHIT REFERENCE AHHHHHHHHH
but yeah this is my first story where an OC is the main character yaaaay.
Peace, Love, and Donuts: 8Ball3