A/N: Garrott's appearance is based off of Hera's description in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, so don't go telling me in the comments, "You got this wrong!" or whatnot. Also, I am going on vacation for spring break and won't be able to update chapters. :(
Chapter Eleven
I woke up to the sound of yelling and thumping. With blurry vision, I make out the faint outlines and crackles of a fire. Two silhouetted figures appeared to be arguing. As my vision focused, I could see a handsome young man yelling at the manticore.
"Little boy," the manticore was hissing. "You have lots of guts for someone who hid his face for ten years."
The man's face goes red a mutters something like, "Don't you DARE to mention my childhood."
The manticore sneers and points a gnarled paw towards. "You can take here. I can't smell any god essence in her. Must be another mortal who can see through the Mist."
The man grunts and starts towards me. He unties my rope and I find myself flung over his shoulder like a sack of nothing. I decide to wake up and whisper, "Take the blonde with you."
He seems unfazed with my sudden awakening and asks the manticore, "Will you be needing any of the other demigods?"
The manticore shakes his shaggy mane. "You can take the Athena girl. Her blood won't revive me as much as the Hades kids."
I'm slightly taken aback. Hades? I had heard about the deal that the three major gods had made. The kids didn't look very old. Were they recently born or were their lives interfered with magic?
My space on the man's wide shoulders suddenly shrinks when Mia is also hoisted up. We bounce and shift slightly as he trods over the bumpy path. It's comfortable, not walking but just hanging limp from someone. After a while, I get bored and ask, "Where are we going?"
This is the man's cue to set me down and command me to walk. As I slightly trot beside him, he tells me that we are going to Hera's golden apple garden. "I'm well-known there," he assures me when seeing the look of terror flashing across my face. I'm skeptical, though. The apple garden is guarded by the terrible dragon Ladon and Atlas' imprisonment not so far.
"You sure?" I question.
He sighs and says, "I'll tell you my childhood. It'll explain everything.
"Not so long ago, Hera decided to give birth to another child. Her first one was horrid. Hephaestus was a constant reminder of her failure to make Zeus jealous. When they made the deal to not have any more children, it was Hera's cue to give birth again. It was hard for her, but she succeeded.
"I turned out to be even uglier than her previous baby, so she chucked me out her apartment window. Athena happened to be passing below, and I fell right into her arms. I got extremely lucky. Athena felt pity for me and nursed me for many years. I was ashamed of my face, though. Athena disagreed and said I was beautiful. When I was eleven years old, she decided to give me a birthday present by presenting me to Aphrodite.
"Athena told her story from her point of view. Aphrodite agreed and gave me as many good looks as she can. Athena prevented Aphrodite from changing my personality, thankfully. In the end, I turned into a good-looking boy and was ready to use my minor god powers. However, Hera found out my whereabouts and told me to not tell anyone I was her child. She threatened to make me mortal if I did. I didn't listen and told Athena my secret parentage. Hero uncovered this mistake quickly and performed the spell that got rid of my powers. It didn't work and I became a demigod. I still have enough Hera essence for the dragon to recognize me, and my human "parent" is Hera's favorite hero, Jason. I know, the guy who existed thousands of years ago."
I'm speechless at this story. Hera had another baby? It would make sense that she didn't tell anyone else. I studied him and realized despite given new looks from Aphrodite, he still looked extremely like Hera. The man had wavy hair that shined and was the color of obsidian. His eyes were large and brown. They were shaped like an ox's, sad and warm and regal. His skin was pale and body built like a muscular hero. I guess that came from his small connection with the hero Jason.
His voice is like Hera's, too. It's sweet and tender, like a mother talking to her baby, and it's also regal and proud, like a queen (or king) addressing her/his subjects. However, his is deeper and has hints of sadness.
Mia stirs after a while and starts jogging beside us. The man soon gets impatient and summons a golden cloud, which we jump on. I spot Cloud and whistle for her. When I get off the cloud to mount the griffon, the man sighs in relief.
"You people add weight to the cloud. It makes it go slower," he explains. "Follow me if you don't wanna get lost."
We ride silently for the rest of the journey when I ask him his name.
"Garrott Céleste, supposed to be roughly modified from the translation 'heavenly boy'," the man says. "I was born during the gods' stay at Paris. Athena wasn't feeling creative and just called me 'boy'. It was Aphrodite who gave the 'heavenly' part."
I smile. He probably fell from the higher rooms 'heaven', and his makeover probably impressed the goddesses.