I sadly don't own either the Wardstone Chronicles- Joespeh Delaney does- or Percy Jackson& the Olympians- Rick Riordan does. Hope you enjoy this final chapter!
Lamia sighed. She was back where she had first been when she arrived on Olympus. In the throne room, surrounded by worried and confused gods and goddesses. And the reason of their confusion and worry was she. She was the one who didn't belong here after all.
They were all looking at her. While they were fifteen foot tall, so it was quite disturbing really. No one feels comfortable when fourteen gargantuan creatures with immense power are looking at them. And Lamia certainly didn't.
She preferred the anonymity she had had the past years. No one had known she was Lamia. That she had a lot of powers, including forth sight. That she could kill with a gesture of her hand. That she was a danger, if she chose to be. Her neighbors and even her own family hadn't known anything. They had never discovered the secrets she was keeping from them.
They all had believed she was just a farmer's wife. They might have noticed she was different, with her slight accent, encyclopedic knowledge of herbs and mysterious past, but she had been accepted. Had been accepted, because she had helped so many people and never let on exactly what she could. She had acted as normally as possible.
Everyone had just been nice to her and she could relax and let the past go. More or less. She could never let the past entirely go, no matter what she tried. It always bothered her. She could never forget all the things that happened, all the mistakes she had made.
She had truly changed and become a good person, but her past was still a burden to her. It had still happened and even she couldn't do anything about it. If she could, she would go back in time and change all those horrible things she had done, but she couldn't go back. No matter how much she wanted change her past, so she had never committed all those crimes, killed all those innocent people and even had created an evil race, she couldn't go back and change it. Her past was a part of her.
A terrifying, horrible part of her. Her dark side. And a painful reminder of the mistakes she had once made. Mistakes she was convinced to not make again. And the biggest mistake of all could be allowing Zeus close to me. He will never give up. He is not that kind of person Lamia thought while she looked at Zeus who was talking to Athena and Hera.
He looked worried and grim, but also determined. Determined to end this danger. To save himself and the other Olympians. No matter what the price was.
His stubbornness had always been one of the things Lamia found attractive in him. She didn't even know why. She just had. Like she had found a lot of things in him attractive. Like his charm and his confidence.
And even now all she felt for Zeus was contempt and disgust, she couldn't deny a small part of her still noticed how attractive that determined look made him.
Every time he looked like this, he radiated even more power than normally. Lamia could feel it. She felt his power, felt all the power that was stored within him and made him Zeus. It was hard to describe what it felt like, but she knew it was his power she felt.
She always felt it when a god was nearby, she could feel their power. And every god felt different. They all radiated a different kind of power. A power that fit their personalities and abilities.
Zeus power was like a electric shock, all hairs on Lamia's neck were standing straight up. His power was unpredictable, strong and difficult to control. She could understand he needed a lot of willpower and strength to handle lighting and other aspects of his job. And she didn't envy him for it.
He might be the king, immortal, handsome and able to change himself into whatever he wanted to, but Lamia felt like his life wasn't that happy. His life was full of responsibilities weighing down on him. He carried a burden.
He had to rule the earth, together with his family, and that was without a doubt a very difficult job. His marriage, although that might be his own fault, was far from happy and he had to deal with the quarrels in his family every day again. And that wasn't easy. At all.
It seemed like he had everything he desired, but Lamia didn't believe so. During the years she had been the Lamia, she had had basically the same. The circumstances had been totally different, but she had had power, beauty, immortality ( she actually still had that) and could do whatever she wanted. She had had her children and other creatures from the dark as servants and humans didn't dare to deny her anything. She had had blood whenever she wanted, she could just take it. She had had money, money she didn't even need because she could just take whatever she wanted. And her beauty had been quite legendary, her name known all over Greece.
But she hadn't been happy. She had been a thing rather than a person and nothing could have slaked her thirst, nothing could have satisfied her craving for revenge and absolutely nothing could have filled the painful hole in her heart left by the death of her children.
She hadn't been happy, even with all the power, riches, more or less thirst lessening blood, everything she craved for in those times, she had been miserable.
While with John, when she had been a farmer's wife without real status or a lot of money, when she had to work hard and raise a pair of children at the same time, when she had been ordinary or seemed to be, she had been happier than ever.
So Lamia believed that all the power and riches in the world wouldn't make you happy. They had never made her happy. Even when she had been queen and had had power and riches without having to kill, she hadn't been truly happy. She had been exhausted and tired, craving for something that would make her life less dull. And she had gotten it.
She had gotten Zeus and had spent nights and days in her company that made her shine with joy. It hadn't been his power or the satisfaction of having a god crave for her that had made her happy though. No, the love she felt for him and his presence had made her happy.
And that was the only thing that could make a person happy. Love. Love for family, friends and husband. Love in all its forms. Love that could make the most horrible war bearable because you had your beloved ones with you. Love that could make you happier than ever, that could make you smile all day and make you feel like you would never be able to stop smiling. Love, with all its ups and downs. Love, with all its mysteries. Love, with all its importance. Love that had made her happy in a time everything around her had been dark and depressing.
In a time her life had been miserable, even when she didn't know it, and she had been crazy and bloodthirsty. Love might have been the thing she had craved for all this time, because blood, murder and even her children hadn't given her the joy and peace she had felt when she had discovered love again. When she had met John and found out she could still love and enjoy life.
And that was why she almost felt sorry for Zeus. Because she dared to question if Zeus had ever felt real love, if he had ever felt so much love for someone he thought his heart would burst and had known that special woman felt the same. She didn't think so. She didn't think he had ever felt like that.
Hera certainly didn't give him love. She hadn't even give him real love in the beginning. And all the other relationships Zeus had, with mortal women and others, were too brief and shallow to really consist of love.
Lamia didn't even think he had loved her. He might have cared for her, but the reason he had visited her again and again, had been lust. He had used her to satisfy himself, to make his life with Hera bearable. To escape a marriage that had been a huge mistake and that made him feel trapped. To escape the responsibilities for a while.
Lamia understood all that, but that didn't mean she approved of his reckless and irresponsible behavior. It was just wrong to cheat again and again. It made both him and Hera unhappy.
Hera for quite obvious reasons. No one liked to be cheated on constantly. It made someone feel ugly and unworthy. It made someone wonder what the reason was for this cheating and the conclusion would often be there was something wrong with the woman if the man cheated all the time. Not that this was always the case, but you start to wonder...
Zeus, on the other hand, made himself unhappy with his cheating, because it was only momentarily. It only made him happy, if it even made him really happy, for a short period before he either had to leave or Hera discovered his betrayal again. Cheating wouldn't solve anything. It would only make matters worse. It always did.
Lamia pondered about all this while she looked at Zeus. She found it really odd to be here, so far away from her own home. She felt like she had travelled back to her past, even if they were in the future and far from Greece. Even when the circumstances were so different and she was so different from the woman she had been back then.
Seeing Zeus and Hera was enough to feel everything again, to feel the pain of the betrayal and the death of her children, to feel the anger for being unable to save her children and for their death, to feel the tremendous, all consuming pain again. The pain from anger, sadness and betrayal that made her slide towards madness, that replaced all her positive feelings, every splinter of goodness, with negative feelings and darkness. That had made her the monster she was so long ago. The monster a lot of the gods still expected her to be.
But I'm no longer that thing. And I'm going to prove it to them. Even if it costs me my life, I will stop this unknown nemesis from hurting them. A lot of gods might deserve a fate like that, but all the other people on earth don't. And the gods certainly won't be the only ones the suffer if the gods are overthrown. Besides, I would never allow that to happen to Athena and Artemis. They deserve something much better.
Lamia was determined to help the gods. She wouldn't allow innocent people to become casualties because of her again. She had already been the cause for too much suffering. She had already killed enough. She wanted to do something good now.
Zeus cleared his throat and turned away from Athena and Hera, who both were looking at Lamia now. Athena with a barely noticeable, but warm, smile and Hera with hate, disgust and slight jealousy. She apparently still believed Lamia wanted to steal her husband. Which Lamia really didn't want to. What had been between her and Zeus, would never be again. She would make sure Zeus wouldn't get to her again. He would only make her miserable. He wasn't worth the brief period of luck. The brief period before Hera would discover it.
" Silence everyone! We will start the meeting now. Does everyone know why I have asked for your presence?" Zeus shouted.
Poseidon sighed. " Because you are a paranoid idiot, who was once again thinks his position as our drama king is being threatened?" he offered.
Zeus narrowed his eyes at Poseidon. " No brother, we really are threatened. All of us. And I would stop insulting me already unless you want to be thrown into Tartarus".
" I would want to" Athena mumbled. She spoke really soft, but Lamia could hear her perfectly with her heightened senses. And Poseidon clearly did as well. He rolled his eyes and bent forward until his shoulder touched Athena's, to whisper something in her ear. Her eyes went wide and she slapped him.
" You wouldn't dare!" she hissed.
Poseidon only smirked and sat straight again. " I definitely would, owl head" he whispered.
Zeus cast them an annoyed look. He clearly didn't like them talking while he was talking. " All right. So as you all know, Lamia has suddenly appeared here. We have no idea why, but Athena and Artemis suspected she is used to create chaos and confusion. To divide us".
Athena stood. " Exactly. Like Abraham Lincoln, who was another son of mine may I add (A/N I don't know if this is true, but it could be possible. In this story it is true), once said; a house divided against itself cannot stand. We will have to cooperate and agree with each other, otherwise our nemesis will have a chance to overthrow us. Is this clear to everyone?".
Ares spat on the ground. " Not really. Why on earth would we agree with each other? That is boring. Besides, all you need is me. I will destroy that punk. Besides I cannot believe that woman is dangerous. Although she is pretty". He winked at Lamia.
Lamia rolled her eyes. " I highly doubt my appearance is of any significance right now. It won't aid us in the war that might come from this situation. And I'm a lot more dangerous than I appear. I am capable of helping you, if you will give me the chance" she said, giving Ares a look of contempt.
He narrowed his eyes. " Don't look at me like that! I am the god of war, you punk. And you're not beautiful enough to be able to insult me".
Lamia rolled her eyes again. That man was annoying and arrogant. " All right. Firstly, again my appearance is trivial at this moment. Even if I was the most beautiful woman in the universe, and I'm aware I'm not, it wouldn't give me the right to insult you Ares. I have the right to insult you, because you are obtuse and think beauty will aid us in this matter. It won't. And didn't a twelve year old beat you?".
Ares bolted upwards, his eyes glowing orbs. " You stupid insect! How dare you insult me like that" he screamed.
Lamia sighed. " I dare to insult you like that, because you gave me the right and opportunity to do so. If you hadn't said something as obtuse as you have, I wouldn't have felt the need to tell you the cruel truth and insult you in the process. Will you now please sit down? Save the fighting for the enemy".
Hera laughed bitterly. " You are the enemy".
Lamia turned towards her. " I am not. Look, I know we have had our differences in the past, but we will have to cooperate now. If we have beaten this unknown nemesis we share, you can continue being mad at me. Does that sound good to you?".
Hera hesitated, clearly torn between her desire to make Lamia suffer and her common sense telling her it would be wiser to cooperate with Lamia now. She sighed. " Fine. I will cooperate with you. We will need a good bait. And if it is a man, you will obviously now how to distract him. You are very good with using your body to get what you want, aren't you?".
Lamia had to bit her lip to avoid screaming at Hera and attacking her. She couldn't resist a silent insult though. " Well, of the two of us, I'm the only one who actually possesses a body that appeals to men, am I not?" she said, her voice sweet and innocent, just like her expression.
Hera obviously got the message; her eyes narrowed and she gripped the arms of her throne tightly. She managed to smile somehow. " We will see that soon enough. You did use it a lot during the past centuries didn't you? If I remember correctly, you used it to lure men and drink their blood. Among other things you used them for".
Lamia narrowed her eyes when she realized Hera was implying she had had sex with all the men she had killed. Which she hadn't. It hadn't even been really possible and she hadn't been interested in it. " You mean I used them to actually made me smile instead of turning into someone depressed, bitter and broken? That would be a real crime, right? To be happy?".
Zeus cleared his throat, obviously uncomfortable with this verbal fight. " Yeah well, now that has been decided, we have to improve our defenses. I propose some of us stay on Olympus to defend it and others will search for this enemy. We will have to find it before it finds us".
" I believe it has already found us father. It sent Lamia to us after all. And I'm not convinced it would be wise to divide the Olympians. We are unaware of the identity of our nemesis. Whoever he or she is, she is definitely strong, but his true powers are unknown. We might need all the Olympians in order to defeat our nemesis" Athena said.
" Smarty pants" Poseidon mumbled.
" Obtuse illiterate person" she whispered back.
" Arrogant know-it-all".
" Arrogant don't-know-anything-at-all".
" Narcissi".
" Pot. Kettle".
" I have already said that to you!".
" Well, now I am saying it!".
" You can't do that!".
" Can!".
" Can't!".
"Can!".
"Can't".
" Ca-" "POSEIDON! ATHENA! STOP THIS BICKERING!" Zeus yelled and Poseidon and Athena jumped in surprise. They had been too engaged in their bickering to notice they weren't whispering anymore and Zeus had something to say.
" My apologies father" Athena said with a slight bow.
Poseidon rolled his eyes. " Daddy's girl".
" Well, at least my dad didn't devour me!" Athena spat.
" He actually did. He swallowed your mother and you were in her stomach, so he swallowed you as well. Told you there were times you were wrong".
" I am not wrong!".
" You are! He did swallow you! He is just like Cronus!".
" Liar! He isn't!".
Poseidon counted on his fingers. " Fact one; Cronus swallowed his children, except Zeus who managed to escape his father thanks to Rhea. Zeus swallowed your mother and thus you, his child. Fact two; Cronus overthrew his father and became leader. Zeus overthrew his father and became leader. And fact three; Cronus married his own sister Rhea. Zeus married his own sister Hera. See, your daddy is exactly like his daddy! And you are like him too! Arrogant, bossy and annoying!".
" That there are some affinities between dad and Cronus doesn't substantiate my dad is like his dad! It only substantiates my father has inherited some of the characteristics of his dad, which is perfectly normal! And you were counting on your fingers! You can't even count. My dad has some sense in that thick head of his, unlike you!".
" Substantiate? You are making that up!".
" I am not! Maybe, if you would read and gain knowledge instead of spent your time making everything explode, you would actually perceive it implies prove! Urgh read a dictionary you idiotic, annoying, infuriating god!".
" I won't! Not unless you know the meaning of the word fun by experience instead of you know it because you have read it in a dam dictionary!".
" Shut up! I perfectly comprehend what amusement is".
" I highly doubt it".
" You.. You Argh! You are impossible, completely hopeless! A rock has more brain cells than you and a rock doesn't even possess brain cells!".
" I do have a brain! I wouldn't even be alive if I didn't. And even if I didn't have one and I still lived, squids are highly intelligent!".
"SO WHAT!".
" Well, they don't have brains either! They don't even have bones and they are really smart!".
" But you aren't a squid you idiot!".
" I am merely pointing out your point that I don't have a brain and am stupid, doesn't make sense!".
" It does!".
" Doesn't!"
" Does!"
"DOESN'T!".
" DOES!".
"DOESn't"!
" DOES-".
" ENOUGH! BOTH OF YOU , STOP IT!" Zeus yelled. His face was really red and he had his lightning bolt in his hand. Basically, he looked ready to blast both Athena and Poseidon if they continued bickering.
Ares sighed. " Too bad. If this had continued for a few minutes, they might have been actually fighting. Someone might even have died!".
" WE CAN'T DIE YOU IDIOT!" Athena and Poseidon screamed at the same time. And looked at each other, surprised they had spoken at the same time again.
Zeus sighed. " That's it. I have enough of this constant bickering. In order to destroy this nemesis, we have to cooperate. You said it yourself Athena. So you, Poseidon, Lamia and Artemis are going to find out who this enemy is and you better cooperate!".
Athena paled and Poseidon froze. Their expression was very amusing. They looked both equally disgusted and terrified. " I have to cooperate with that?!" they yelled at the same time.
Aphrodite squealed. " Aw! Blooming romance. Sooooo cute!".
" Shut up!" Poseidon and Athena yelled.
" Father, you can't possibly expect me to cooperate with that" Athena yelled, pointing at Poseidon. She looked at him like he was something slimy and disgusting.
Poseidon rolled his eyes. " Please, you would be lucky if you got to work with me smarty pants! I, on the other hand, have done nothing to deserve this horrible fate. I am not doing it brother!".
" He! Cooperating with me would only be a punishment for me, because I would have to spent time with you!".
" No, it would be punishment for me, because I would have to listen to your useless lectures all the time!".
" They aren't useless! Unlike your interminable tales about yourself!".
" Only boring people would say that!".
" You don't even know what interminable means!".
" It means you!".
" That doesn't even make sense! You are hopeless! You will never be able to absorb even the tiniest splinter of knowledge because your head is empty! Even if it would hit you in the face, you wouldn't know the meaning of something!".
" I do!".
" Don't!".
" Do!".
" Don't!".
" DO"!
" DON"T!"
"DO"! "
"DO-"
" ENOUGH! STOP IT! THE TWO OF YOU AND LAMIA AND ARTEMIS OUR GOING TO DO THIS TOGETHER! MY DECISION IS FINAL! GO PACK!".
Both Poseidon and Athena became even paler than first." But-" they tried, only to be cut off by Hera, who was smirking. She clearly enjoyed their discomfort. " You heard the king. Now go" she said.
Poseidon sighed. " Fine. I will cooperate with missy know-it-all".
Athena rolled her eyes. " Fine. I will cooperate with the man who fell from the stupid tree".
" That's a new one" Poseidon muttered. Athena ignored him. She didn't even acknowledge his presence by looking at him, but looked at the wall instead.
Zeus sighed. "Very well, Athena, Poseidon, Artemis and Lamia, go pack your bags. The rest of the gods-".
" Wait a minute! I'm not allowing my little sis to leave without me! What if she got captured again" Apollo suddenly said.
Artemis sighed. " I won't Apollo. And I'm not your little sister!".
" Yeah but sissy, you thought that the last time too and it barely cost you your life!".
" We can't die vlacas! How often do we have to tell you before you understand that?".
" Well, you came pretty close to it sis. And it must have been horrible that a boy had to save your life. Considering you hate boys so much".
" First of all; we can't die, so he didn't save my life. He merely aided me when I might have needed some help. Secondly; he didn't save me, I saved myself by tricking Atlas in carrying the sky again. And thirdly; YOU ARE AN IDIOT!".
" Ouch. Harsh much. What is with the bad mood sis? PMS or something?".
Artemis narrowed her eyes, actually baring her teeth like some animal. She looked very dangerous and frightening. Even Apollo wasn't stupid enough to miss the murderous look in her eyes.
" Ehh sis, why do you-".
" Stop calling me sis! And I'm in a bad mood, because you still exist and are destroying my life!".
" Definitely PMS" Apollo muttered.
" Argh! You are the exact reason I despise men. They are vile, obtuse, useless, annoying creatures that all deserve Tartarus! They should hang all the man or castrate them or make them immortal and torture them the rest of their lives!".
Zeus shifted uncomfortably. " Artemis, my daughter. You do realize I'm a man too? Don't you think that is a little emm harsh". Artemis ignored him. And continued her rant.
" Seriously Apollo! You are the most annoying, obtuse, pigheaded male ever!".
" I just want to protect my little sis!".
" I AM NOT YOUR LITTLE SISTER! I HELPED MOTHER GIVE BIRTH TO YOU".
" Whatever. The point is, I don't want my cute, innocent-"
" I'm also not cute!".
" Like I said, cute innocent sister to be save. So I will have to go with you".
" I won't be save, because you are capable of incidentally setting us on fire when you drive that stupid car of yours! And if I have to hear one more of your stupid Haiku's or see you flirt another time with my hunters, I'm either going to kill you or myself".
Apollo paled. " Sister. Do you.. do you want to commit suicide?". His eyes were filled with tears by now, his expression full of brotherly worry.
" Oh me, I didn't know it was that bad. Calm down sis, we will help you, you don't have to commit suicide and-".
" I don't want to commit suicide! I just don't want you to bother me anymore! Argh!".
" Calm down both of you. I will protect her Apollo" Poseidon said, trying to stop the fighting. It didn't work of course. Nothing would make them stop.
" I don't need protection! I'm perfectly capable of protecting myself!" Artemis screamed.
Poseidon raised his hands. " Wow calm down Artemis. I didn't mean anything with it. I know you can protect yourself, but if it satisfies Apollo..".
Apollo seemed to think about this. " Well, I would prefer to protect her myself, but I understand no one wants to miss my awesomeness here on Olympus. It will do I suppose".
Poseidon sighed. " Oh joy. You are okay with that Artemis?".
" Are you" Athena corrected.
Poseidon sighed again. "whatever. Are you okay with that Artemis?".
Artemis shrugged. " As long as my brother stays away from me, I'm happy".
Apollo pouted. " Ah come on Arty. You know you love me".
" Correction, I would love to use you for target practice. And don't call me that! My name is Artemis".
Zeus sighed. " All right. We have little time, so go and pack your bags. Use IM to contact us if there an emergency or something".
Athena nodded. " All right father". She got of her throne and became as tall as Lamia.
Artemis and Poseidon changed their height too. They all walked out of the throne room. Towards Athena's house to pack their belongings.
" Well ladies, I am going to my palace to get some things. I will come to your house Athena when I'm ready" Poseidon said.
Athena merely gave a nod and walked away, Artemis and Lamia following her. " Can you believe father? Sending me and Poseidon on a quest! I hate that sea god. He is despicable. Horrible. Hopeless. Annoying. Unpredictable. A danger to everyone, including himself. How can father possibly contemplate it is a sensible idea to force me to cooperate with that senseless excuse of a god, Poseidon" Athena ranted while they were walking back to her house.
" Really, it is likely we will assassinate each other before our unknown opponent get the chance to do so. What was father thinking?".
Lamia shrugged. " Maybe he hoped the two of you would stop fighting if you were forced to by circumstances to cooperate. He might just have enough of the arguments between you and Poseidon. Besides, a house divided against itself cannot stand, can it Athena?".
Athena sighed. " I suppose so, but it is completely unjust to punish me while I have always been a reasonable and obedient daughter. Couldn't he have sent someone else?".
" Of course not. Without you, Poseidon would likely ruin everything. And even with you, he is a loose cannon" Lamia said.
Athena smiled. " That one is true for certain. That sea god is the most annoying creature on earth".
" Sorry I have to bring the news to you Thee, but Poseidon isn't. My irresponsible twin already is" Artemis said, sighing. She was obviously still annoyed.
Athena shrugged. " Or they are both equally annoying".
Athena kept ranting while they packed their bags and Lamia was a little bit relieved when Poseidon arrived. Athena finally stopped her rant about why Poseidon was a complete idiot. And continued screaming at him.
They left Olympus together, took a cab and were dropped off at some park (A/N I have never been to New York, but I'm convinced there are parks there. Just choose one). They all said down to make plans.
Poseidon sighed. " All right Athena where are we going?".
" Why do you ask me kelp brain?".
" You know why".
" Of course I comprehend why, I just want you to say it first".
" Fine. Immature, but fine by me. Because you are the person who has got all the answers. So tell me".
" We are going to camp half-blood. Lamia arrived close to it, so we are going to investigate the surrounding. There might be indications that could lead us to our mysterious opponent".
"All right. Let's go then". They all got up again and rented a car to get to camp half-blood. Which wouldn't take that long hopefully.
After a long drive- long because Athena and Poseidon couldn't stop bickering. Athena kept saying Poseidon was driving like the mindless idiot he was and was going to get them in an accident- they arrived close to camp half-blood.
Poseidon parked the car- Athena once again said he did it all wrong and started a lecture on how to do it right- and they all got out. " So what now?" Lamia asked.
Athena frowned. " Can you show us the place where you arrived?".
" I was unconscious, remember?".
" Yes, but they told you where they found you didn't they?".
Lamia shrugged. " They did. I will try to find it". Lamia started walking, looking at the surroundings to guide her. When they reached the place she had landed, they all gasped. They was an enormous circle of burned plants, resembling a grain circle. You could almost think aliens landed there.
Athena kneeled, placing her hand on the grass. " That should be impossible" she said. She sounded very surprised and slightly wary.
" What should be impossible owl head?". " The grass is still warm, hot even. If Lamia arrived days ago, it should have cooled down already. No matter how hot it was. It couldn't have been too hot or else Lamia should have burned. The only explanation for the grass still being warm is-".
" Someone else has arrived in the same way Lamia did?" a voice behind them suggested. They all turned, Athena immediately drawing her sword. Poseidon gripped his trident tighter and Artemis raised her bow.
Lamia, on the other hand, could only stare at the creatures in front of her. She recognized them immediately. And they recognized her, she saw.
" Children" she said calmly, although her heart was racing. The three lamia witches smiled at her and nodded. " Mother".
Athena looked at Lamia. " Mother? Wait a minute, what does this-".
Lamia sighed. " It's a long story, but they are my children all right. From the time I was a monster".
" From the time you belonged to the dark, where you still actually belong. The light will bring you nothing but misery" the three witches, identical in appearance said. They were all in their feral form, with long talons, wing and dangerously sharp teeth and claws. They were capable of talking though. Unlike most lamia witches in their feral form.
Lamia hadn't seen them in a long time, they had been separated when the triplets reached the age of thirteen, but she recognized them immediately. She would never be able to forget them.
Them. Her children. Another mistake of hers. A mistake that created an entire evil race that fed off humans. Like she had done long ago. And the triplets were still doing it, Lamia saw.
Whatever force had transported her to this time and place, the same force had transported her long dead children towards this place. Three different ages. Her present, her past and the future. All coming together.
She inhaled deeply. "You don't what you are talking about girls. It made a lot of mistakes and my biggest one was turning to the dark. I won't do that again. The light has already brought me a lot of happiness".
" Do you mean those weak human sons you blessed that even weaker human with mother?" one of the witches said.
Lamia suspected it was the oldest, Alpha, the leader of the three. The three witches looked identical, but their voices were slightly different. Just like their behavior.
Alpha was the oldest, even if she was only minutes older than her sisters, and took on the role of leader. She was calm, patient and sly. She could wait for hours before she killed while the others who get impatient and try to rush things. She was great at strategy. And loved to play with her prey before she killed it.
The middle daughter was called Alcippe and was aggressive, impatient and the most bloodthirsty of the three. She had always loved the hunt and the slaughter that followed. She liked to show her strength and fight. She was also extremely fast. Even for a lamia witch.
The youngest daughter was called Ambrose and was the best fighter. She could both plan or be ruthless. She seemed to be invincible, surviving the toughest situations. She was also really smart and liked to test her intelligence. She would catch humans, but not kill them. She would keep them prisoner and spent time with them until she looked almost fully human. Then, she would ask them a question and if they couldn't answer it, she would kill them. If she could answer it, she would allow them to kill one of the others to save their own lives. If they refused to kill, she would cut off a finger and give them a second chance. If they still refused, she would kill them. She liked to play games like that. And that made her the most dangerous one. The others just killed or played a little, she like to experiment. In the most gruesome ways.
Ambrose narrowed her eyes at her mother. " I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see if with my own eyes mom. Not only have you betrayed us and dad by going to the light, you are also spending time with the some creatures that took away everything you cared for. Haven't you told us how you would hate them forever and wouldn't rest before they paid for their crimes?".
Lamia sighed. " That was a long time ago. We all changed. I am no longer what I once was. And you shouldn't live like this anymore either. Please girl, don't make the same mistakes I did. I don't want to kill you, but I have to if you try to harm innocent mortals".
Alpha stepped forwards. " That was once one of your greatest pleasures mom. Why did that change".
" Because I saw that what I was doing, was wrong. Just like you might see".
Alcippe growled. " That is nonsense. Humans are nothing but food. You made that quite clear. Why do you suddenly think like this? Why would you care for mortals? They never seemed to care for you either".
Lamia swallowed. " Because I once cared for them. And I met one I cared for too".
" You actually liked that incompetent sailor?" Ambrose said, nonplussed.
Lamia straightened. " I don't know how you know John, but I did like him. I loved him even. He gave me love and happiness and made me comprehend I had been wrong all these centuries. Had been wrong to kill innocent people to slake my thirst or at least try to. Both my thirst for blood and revenge".
Alpha narrowed her eyes and bared her teeth slightly, but didn't come nearer. She was contemplating what the best course of action would be, Lamia knew.
Besides, her daughters wouldn't try to attack her. They might try to kidnap her and convince her she should become that monster again, but they wouldn't attack her. Not without her attacking them first.
" So you chose a stupid mortal instead of our dad?" Alpha said. She sounded mad.
Lamia sighed. " He wasn't stupid Alpha. I loved him. And you that whatever there was between me and your dad, it didn't last long".
" It could have" Ambrose said in a small voice. No matter how monstrous the three were, they did have feelings. And Ambrose had silently longed for their family to be complete. She had even met their dad once and had immediately liked him. Not surprisingly since their dad was a real monster. And Ambrose loved cruel games.
" How do you even know which one is who? They are identical" Artemis whispered, her bow still aimed at the three lamia witches.
" I'm their mother. And I would appreciate it if you didn't try to shoot my daughters Artemis".
Athena raised one of her eyebrows. " How exactly did this even happen".
Lamia rolled her eyes. " How do you think? We can't all have brainchildren you know. Some have to do it the old fashioned way, with sex".
" Yes, I comprehend that, but you didn't have legs or an ehm".
" Vagina?".
" Eh yes. So how.. never mind. I don't think I won't to know. There is a limit to my thirst for knowledge".
" It was possible, because our father was special" Ambrose hissed at Athena.
Athena raised one of her eyebrows. " How so?". She looked genuinely curious, even now she was in danger.
" Look behind you, goddess of wisdom and you will see". Athena slowly turned, gesturing at Artemis to keep an eye at the three lamia witches. She clearly didn't want to turn their back to them. Smart.
Athena took one look at Chaemog, the enormous spider-thing, paled, almost dropped her sword and yelled. " IEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK! SPIDER! ENORMOUS SPIDER! IEK!".
She jumped into Poseidon's arms, trembling. " Kill it! Kill it! Kill it! Poseidon, do something! It is going to eat me" she said, trembling.
" So she is really arachnophobia. Interesting" Alpha said while looking at the hysterical goddess of wisdom who was still screaming at Poseidon.
Poseidon tried to calm her, but she was beyond calming. " ARGH! Do something! Do something! D-do something!" she yelled, burying her head in Poseidon's shoulder. Even looking at Chaemog made her freak.
Lamia stared at him, baffled. " Chaemog? What the-". Chaemog took a step forward, looking exactly as she remembered.
Artemis swallowed nervously. " Why exactly is there an enormous spider in front of us". Lamia groaned. " Oh great and I had hoped I never had to this. Chaemog, Artemis. Artemis is the goddess of the hunt, virgins and the moon, among others. Artemis, Chaemog. Chaemog used to be my ehh well lover. I bore him triplets. Who shouldn't be here!".
Lamia looked at her three children, who flinched, and murmured " Sorry". Even though they had parted long ago, they knew they shouldn't cross their mother. Unless you are a complete idiot and don't value your life. Lamia had always made it clear even her children couldn't cross her without consequences.
Chaemog smiled and Athena started yelling even louder. She tried to run away and Poseidon grabbed her. " Calm down! We are gods, we can easily defeat them if necessary. It's just a gargantuan spider Athena".
" Argh! You said it! Kill it! Pleeeease!" Athena said, trembling even worse. Poseidon sighed. " Just calm down and- auch!".
Athena grabbed Poseidon roughly at his shoulders, still in his arms. " It is a gigantic spider! What is so hard to comprehend about that! I can't calm down. Kill it!".
While Poseidon was trying to calm down the hysteric Athena ( what would never happen of course), Chaemog took another step towards Lamia. Artemis aimed her bow at him and the triplets hissed and took a step towards her. They didn't like the fact she was getting ready to kill their father.
" Don't even think about it little goddess" Ambrose said.
" Mmm. I wonder what ichor tastes like. Have you ever drunk it mom?" Alcippe said, licking her lips while looking at Artemis' neck. She looked extremely eager to drink Artemis' ichor.
Artemis just rolled her eyes. " I'm sure she hasn't. And you won't either".
" I was asking my mom, not you! Shut up dinner".
" Technically it's lunch. Or brunch. It isn't evening yet" Ambrose pointed out.
Alcippe rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I'm going to eat it, that's all that is important".
" No, you aren't. Neither of you is going to eat anything. I won't allow anymore deaths" Lamia said sternly.
Chaemog made a weird sound. It was barely audible, but it became clear he was laughing. " You surprise me Lamia. You were always so deliciously bloodthirsty. I had a lot of fun with you in my realm. Remember?".
Lamia shivered, disgusted by the memory and one of his long legs that was resting on her face. She shoved it away. " Sadly, I do. But I'm not in for round two, so disappear again Chaemog".
" KILL IT!" Athena yelled. She was still screaming and yelling in Poseidon, who looked very panicked, arms.
Artemis rolled her eyes. " She isn't scared of Typhon, but she is scared of a big spider. Unbelievable".
Lamia smiled. " You can say that. And Chaemog disappear. I don't feel the need to kill you. Not today".
Chaemog took another step forward. "Oh but you won't" he said and aimed at Lamia, trying to tie her to the ground with a spider web. To either eat her or convince her to come back to the dark no doubt. His spider webs were almost impossible to escape from.
Lamia jumped away and focused. She had been anticipating this moment. Her hands changed, turning into claws astonishing fast. Her nails were talons. She could feel her clothes being ripped apart when her snake tails appeared. Her teeth became longer and sharper and her wings grew, making a groan of pain escape Lamia's lips. The transformation had never been this fast before.
But Lamia didn't pay attention to it. She was too busy fighting. Just like Artemis, who was shooting arrows at the lamia witches and Chaemog. Chaemog didn't seem to be bother by them. The lamia witches hissed every time an arrow hit them and hurt them. They were still advancing though.
Poseidon tried to fight, but Athena was still in his arms, so it was really hard. He couldn't exactly move a lot with the goddess of wisdom still clinging to him like he was her life line.
Alcippe sped towards Artemis, who had her back towards her while firing arrows at the other lamia witches, and tried to sink her fangs in Artemis' neck. Lamia was even faster though; a second before Alcippe reached Artemis, Lamia reached Alcippe and grabbed her hair to pull her away from Alcippe.
Poseidon was busy with Chaemog and Athena had recovered and sped towards Ambrose to tackle her to the ground.
Ambrose was fast, strong and smart, but Athena even smarter and stronger. She was on top of Ambrose, ichor streaming down her face, and planted a knife on Ambrose's throat, ready to finish her. Ambrose somehow managed to dodge the knife and knock it out of Athena's hand and rolled over. They started rolling over the floor again.
Lamia still held Alcippe's hair and threw her against a tree. She used her own body to keep Alcippe, who was struggling furiously against the tree. " Surrender and stop killing innocent people daughter and you will live" she said.
Alcippe growled and tried to push her away, but Lamia was stronger. " I think I prefer death above a life as a weak human" she spat.
Lamia sighed. " so be it". Lamia pushed her hands on Alcippe's throat, strangling her. Alcippe struggled, but she became weaker and weaker until she stopped struggling at all.
Lamia sighed and gave her a kiss, a few tears streaming down her face. " May you rest in peace daughter" she managed. She couldn't cry now. She had to fight. She could cry later, when she was alone.
She turned towards the fight and sobbed when she saw Alpha was dead too. Artemis had finished her off. A dozen arrows struck out of Alpha's limp body, all silver.
Chaemog lay on the ground, his legs cut off and Poseidon used his trident to finish him. He soon stopped moving and his blood was everywhere on the ground.
The only one that was left was Ambrose, who was held by Athena. She was kicking and screaming, but couldn't escape Athena's death grip. She was getting weaker, Lamia saw.
Ambrose saw her look and sobbed. " M-mam" she managed to say. She looked desperate, with big, pleading eyes.
Lamia bit her lip and hesitated. Was there still hope for her daughter? she wondered. She wanted to help Ambrose, but didn't know if she should. Ambrose had killed thousands of innocent people after all. Just like she had.
She saw Ambrose got weaker with every passing second. It would be better if she allowed Athena to kill her, but Ambrose was still her daughter. And if Lamia could change for the better, Ambrose might be able too.
" Stop" she shouted. Athena looked at her, puzzled, but she let Ambrose go. Ambrose fel to the ground, shivering and gasping. Blood was streaming down her face in a steady stream. She looked horrible. Beaten.
Lamia ran towards her, unconsciously regaining her human shape again. " Ambrose. Are you all right, dear?".
Ambrose nodded, still shivering. She looked around her and let out a small sob when she saw her sisters and father. Despite her gruesome ways with humans, she had always been the sensitive one. And she had truly loved her sisters and father, Lamia knew.
Lamia sighed and inspected Ambrose's throat. The skin was quickly turning purple. Lamia sighed. " Oh dear. Do you think you are able to take on a human form?".
Abrose looked at her. " Yes, but that will take weeks mom and I -".
" I am able to transform much faster in this place. Maybe you are too" Lamia interrupted her.
Ambrose nodded hesitantly and closed her eyes. She slowly started to change. Wings disappeared, leaving feathers on the floor. Her talons changed into nails, her claws into hands. Her teeth became less sharp. Her face changed from that of something monstrous to that of a young girl. Her slightly green and weird shaped legs became normal.
After a few minutes, there was a shivering, naked, beautiful young girl laying on the ground instead of the dangerous, cruel lamia witch that had been there before. Lamia witches were often benevolent in their human forms. Ambrose posed a lesser threat now.
Artemis, Poseidon and Athena looked grimly. " Are you sure this is a wise decision?" Athena asked, looking down at the shivering Ambrose. She had a cut on her forehead and ichor was steal streaming down her face. Ambrose clearly had managed to hit her a few times.
Lamia sighed. " No. But I have to try it. I can't just kill her Athena. If I deserve a second chance, she does too".
Athena sighed. " All right then. Just pick her up. We will have to bring her to camp half-blood. She is in shock".
Artemis frowned. She had a few cuts and bruises too, at her arms and her cheek had a scratch. Alpha had apparently managed to hit her a few times before Artemis killed her. " You know, we will have to remove the bodies. And we still have to find the person who sent them here".
She looked at Lamia. " Why didn't you tell us about this?".
Lamia picked up the shivering Ambrose. " Because I don't like to talk about that time. And I hadn't anticipated this would happen. Obtuse, I know. Anyway, does anyone has something to cover Ambrose with?".
Athena shrugged. " I believe I brought a sweater with me. You can't walk in armor all the time".
She walked towards the bags and looked in one of them. " Oh, there is also a blanket.
Lamia put Ambrose down and put the sweater on. " Here darling. Put this on".
Ambrose looked at her with big, innocent eyes. She was still shivering violently. And looked completely human. She had the same color hair Lamia had with orange-brown eyes. She was very beautiful and seemed to be around sixteen years old. Lamia caught Poseidon looking at Ambrose, his eyes holding admiration. He was covered in spider web and there were finger prints from where Athena had grabbed him. He also had a few cuts and bruises, but he didn't look too hurt.
Lamia gave him a stern look and he looked away, mumbling " sorry". Lamia focused on Ambrose again, deciding she needed her help.
Ambrose accepted the sweater and managed a weak smile. " T-thanks m-mom" she said.
Lamia smiled at her. " Don't thank me. It's all right".
" I-I d-don't mean j-just for the cl-lothes, al-so b-because y-you saved m-me" Ambrose said, still shivering.
Lamia didn't say anything, but wrapped her in the blanket and picked her up. Ambrose lay her head on Lamia's shoulder. She was sobbing softly, no doubt heartbroken over the loss of her sisters and father.
"We have to get her to a warm place" Athena said.
Artemis nodded. She had made sure the bodies disappeared. Lamia didn't dare to ask where they were now. " I could use some warmth and rest too. We can stay a few hours at camp, before we search the surroundings for more clues".
Lamia sighed. " What about Ambrose? She won't be recovered from the shock by then".
" We will leave her at camp. She can stay at the Athena cabin" Athena said.
Lamia smiled at her. " Thank you so much. And I'm sorry i didn't say anything".
Athena shrugged. " It doesn't matter. You couldn't know this would happen".
She shivered. " Although I fail to comprehend how anyone could bear that thing children. Seriously, how crazy exactly were you?".
Lamia laughed softly. " Really crazy. Let's go".
They walked to the camp in a comfortable silence. Ambrose soon fell asleep in Lamia's arms, exhausted from the fight, transformation and general shock. They soon arrived at camp and Chiron ran towards them.
" Lamia, lady Athena, lady Artemis, lord Poseidon! What happened?".
Lamia smiled at him. " I will explain that later. We will need a place to stay for a few hours and Ambrose needs some warmth".
Chiron nodded. " That's all right. Just follow me. We will go to the big house , to my office".
Lamia sighed. " Thank you so much. That's a relief".
Chiron smiled at her. " You're welcome. What exactly happened"?
Lamia sighed. She didn't want to tell it, but she couldn't keep it a secret forever anyway. So she told Chiron what had happened to her when she had been the lamia and how Cheamog and their children had suddenly been here.
By the time they reached the big house, Lamia's story was finished. Chiron nodded. " I understand. This is very serious indeed. Who do you think this opponent can be, Lady Athena?".
Athena sighed. " I'm not sure actually. I contemplate it is either Chronos or Chaos. Chronos is lord of time, so that makes sense. He could easily, well relatively easy that is, sent Lamia here. And Chaos would be able to do it too and this seems like one of his schemes. It sure causes a lot of mayhem".
Chiron nodded, politely listening to everything Athena was saying. They finally reached his office and Lamia put Ambrose down on a couch. " I will get you some food and drink. I'm right back" Chiron said and turned to leave.
" Ehh Chiron? Would you be so kind to get Tom too? I have really missed him" Lamia said.
Chiron smiled at her. " Of course lady Lamia".
Lamia laughed. " You don't have to be so polite. Seriously, after all I have done, I wouldn't be surprised nor angry if you made me leave and sent an angry mob to chase me".
Chiron merely smiled and left.
Lamia sat down next to Ambrose, softly singing to her, while Athena and Poseidon were arguing- this time about Chaemog, and Artemis was just sitting quietly on her chair and listening to the bickering gods.
" I saved you! You were completely frozen when that spider thing showed up! It could have easily killed you if it hadn't been for me!".
" Oh please, you didn't even kill it, like I politely asked!".
" Politely asked? You kept yelling at me and even hit me. Look at the little wounds you have left at my shoulders!".
" Oh, you are so immature!".
" Well, you cannot admit I have saved you. That's also immature".
" It isn't! You didn't save me! I saved you, when that thing tried to wrap you up like a sausage and drug you with his poison ( A/N I believe this is what spiders do. If I remember correctly, they have some sort of poison in their teeth that they use to drug and paralyze their victims after they have wrapped them up). You would have been eaten. Again!".
" I had everything under control!".
" Urgh, you didn't"!.
" I did. You were the one freaking out, not me!".
" It was a GARGANTUAN spider!".
" So you aren't afraid of Typhon, but you are of big spiders?".
" So what?".
" Nothing. It's just weird".
" Says the man who loves the little mermaid!".
" Says the woman who has a stuffed owl named Hedwig and can't sleep without it".
" Says the man that has a stuffed lightning bolt!".
" Says the woman who has some very interesting books in her library. Like fifty shades of grey!".
" Says the man with a collection of puppets"!
" They are action figures, I only have three and they are childhood memories!".
" You spent your childhood in Cronus stomach, you vlacas!".
" So what, you spent yours in Zeus' head. There is nothing in there! You must have been bored like hell".
" Well, at least I wasn't stuck with you!".
" Well, at least I wasn't stuck with you".
" You would be lucky if you were! I might even borrow you Hedwig!".
" Well, I uh I that is very nice of you?".
" Yes! Because Hedwig doesn't even like you!".
" It is a stuffed animal!".
" I was talking about my owl Hedwig!".
" Your stuffed animal is a owl!".
" I meant the one that is alive. Jeez".
" Oh. Wait a minute. Why doesn't she like me?".
" Because you made her feathers wet that time we both were on the beach!".
Lamia looked at Artemis, ignoring the two other gods." How come they even know that much about each other?".
Artemis shrugged. " Don't ask me, I'm clueless". Lamia shrugged and watched the two bickering gods again.
" I'm sorry all right! I didn't mean to make your owl wet!".
" Good, because she hates it!".
" Just like you apparently! Which idiot goes to a beach and refuses to swim?".
" I'm not an idiot! And I burn really fast".
" Then you shouldn't have slapped me when I tried to rub sunburn into your skin!".
" It was inappropriate!".
" Jesus Christ, it was on your back. I didn't ask you to remove your bikini or anything".
" Pervert!".
" I didn't do anything!".
" Well, you tried to!".
" I merely tried to protect you from the sun!".
" Well, I can protect myself!".
" Then why do you have asked Hades to bring back Lancelot from the death ?".
" Because I like Arthur and the knights of the round table!".
" You seemed to be rather fond of him. Why aren't you that nice to me?".
" Because we are enemies, vlacas!".
" Will you stop calling me vlacas already? For the goddess of wisdom, you aren't very good at coming up with insults".
" Fine, you pathetic, annoying, poorly excuse of anything resembling something godly and important!".
" Huh. Not bad. Miss stubbornness. You know if you had just allowed me to rub that sunburn into your skin, you could have avoided all that pain!".
" I'm not going to allow you to rub sunburn into my skin!".
" We aren't even on the beach! Why would I want to do that now?".
" I'm just saying it!".
Chiron walked inside the office, looking at the two bickering gods. "When did this start?". He looked shocked that a verbal fight like this could happen in the short time he had been gone. But then again, we are talking about Poseidon and Athena. They are always fighting.
Artemis shrugged. " Basically the minute you left".
Chiron sighed. " Of course". He cleared his throat. " Lord Poseidon? Lady Athena?". Athena and Poseidon just continued bickering of course, completely oblivious to the rest of the world. He tried it again. And again. And again. But they didn't react.
Artemis sighed and stood up. " Just let me. I will get their attention".
She raised her bow and aimed at the two gods, who were sitting on two chairs, facing each other. She shoot an arrow that passed meters from their faces. They stopped bickering to look at Artemis.
" What on earth are you doing? Your arrow almost hit us!" Poseidon exclaimed.
Artemis shrugged. " The next one will hit you if you don't stop bickering and listen to Chiron".
Athena and Poseidon both looked at Chiron. " What do you want to verbalize Chiron?" Athena asked.
Poseidon rolled his eyes. " Dictionary".
Chiron sighed. "Well, there are a few people waiting outside who want to talk to you. After that, we will have dinner. will you all join"?
Everyone nodded and Chiron smiled broadly. " Good! I will let them in then". He opened the door and ushered the people standing behind it in.
Annabeth, Tom and Mr.D walked in. Annabeth looked at her mom and smiled while Tom immediately ran towards Lamia. " Mom! Are you all right? Did they hurt you? Are you going to be punished? Do I have to help you?".
He hugged her. Lamia hugged him back and smiled. He was just such a nice person, always concerned about others. Just a really sweet and generous person. " I'm fine Tom. They didn't hurt me, someone else did. I don't think I'm going to punish and I don't need your help. But thank you for offering it".
Annabeth walked towards her mother and bowed. " Mom. Lord Poseidon. Lady Artemis. What are you doing here?".
Athena smiled. "We will explain that later Annabeth".
" Exactly sunburned" Poseidon said.
Athena rolled her eyes. " It is really unbelievable how arrogant, annoying and immature you are".
Poseidon smirked. " Oh really? Well, your arrogance is a lot worse. Spending the day at the beach, with a light skin and not using sunburn".
" Better than having your filthy hands on my back". " You could have rubbed it in yourself smarty pants".
"Well, I had, but it wasn't waterproof and someone thought it would be funny to throw someone else in the water".
" You liked it! You were laughing so hard you almost drowned. I had to keep your head above water".
" I only laughed, because you were behaving idiotic again. It was slightly amusing".
" Liar. Can you not just admit you liked it?".
" There is nothing to admit".
Tom looked at the two gods and frowned. " Who are those two? And why are they arguing constantly?".
" Poseidon, god of the sea and Athena, goddess and wisdom and battle strategy. And they are arguing constantly, because they fail to agree about anything" Lamia explained, smiling. Those two would never stop bickering.
" Oh. Well, whatever sunburn is, if the tone of that man is any indication, Athena isn't very smart for a wisdom goddess if she forgot to rub it in".
Poseidon and Athena both stopped arguing to look at him. Poseidon smiled and slapped Tom on the back. " Exactly boy. So what is your name".
Tom frowned and took a step back, placing himself between Poseidon and Lamia. " Keep your hands of me! And stay away from my mother. I don't want any of you gods close to her".
Athena got up and walked towards him. She looked down at him. " And why would that be boy? And who do think you are, insulting me like that?".
Tom straightened. " I am Tom, I am Lamia's son. And if you think you can hurt her, you will first have to get past me".
Athena smiled slightly. " All right". She pushed him aside and tried to walk closer to Lamia, but he immediately pulled her away from Lamia. Athena freed herself and turned to face him . " Hands off boy".
" Keep away from my mom, you monster"!.
It remained silent for a few tense seconds and Lamia cursed and got up. " What did you just call me?" Athena hissed.
Annabeth face palmed. " Oh great. Now he is dead".
Lamia stepped in front of Tom, who looked furious. He obviously didn't like the idea of having all those gods close to his mother. " Calm down Athena, Tom didn't mean to insult you. The situation is very different where we are from" Lamia said.
Athena calmed down a little. "What exactly is different?".
Tom pushed his mother behind him and faced Athena. " I have no idea what the situation is here, but where I am from, you are a monster! A despicable thing from the dark that demands blood offers".
Athena stared at him and then at Lamia. " He isn't serious, is he?". Lamia smiled. " Afraid so. They view all of you as monsters in my country".
Artemis got up and stood next to Athena, looking down at Tom like he was some sort of experiment. " Well, that's interesting. Can I turn him into a jackalope?".
" Artemis! He is my son, of course you can't!".
" Artemis? You are in the bestiary! You are that monstrous hunter goddess that wants maidens to sacrifices!" Tom said, staring at Artemis. He looked like he was about to kill her, but knew that was a bad idea.
Artemis narrowed her eyes at him. " What did you just say boy . Did you just say I demand blood sacrifices? Of maidens ? I protect them ! I don't kill maidens, you little-". Artemis stepped forward, but Lamia stopped her.
" Okay, I get the two of you are mad at him, but I didn't have time to explain everything to him. Everything is different in our home all right? He would normally never say things like that".
She turned towards Tom. " I thought I had raised you better than this! That was extremely rude Thomas Ward!".
Tom looked at his feet. " Sorry mom. So they aren't evil?".
Lamia laughed. " No, they aren't. They are really nice actually".
Tom looked at Artemis and Athena. " In that case, I'm sorry if I have insulted you. In the bestiary you are described very different. Sorry for my prejudice". He blushed furiously.
Athena hesitated, but smiled at him. A small smile, but a genuine one. Artemis just gave him another disgusted look and sat down as far away from his as possible.
" It's all right. What is there in this bestiary?" Athena asked, walking towards Tom. She seemed very interested, like always when there was a chance to gain knowledge.
" Oh a lot. All the creatures from the dark that spooks have encountered over the centuries. Lamia witches, skelts, boggarts, sirens, the old gods and so on. My master let me read it sometimes. I also have to make copies, because it is very valuable and he is afraid to lose it in a fire or something".
" So what exactly is there in about me?".
" Nothing actually, but all the Greek gods are called evil, so I thought you were too. S-sorry". Tom stuttered a little. He looked really nervous. And with good reason. I wasn't actually smart to insult a Greek god.
Annabeth rolled her eyes and walked towards him. " You are an idiot to insult my mom, you know".
" Ehm I'm sorry?".
" Yeah well, be glad she didn't blast you".
Tom swallowed nervously. " Can she do that?".
Athena nodded. " I can. But I won't. If Lamia is your mother, you must be a good person" she said with a smile towards Lamia.
Tom smiled brightly and gave his mother another hug. " She is a very good person. And the best midwife I have ever known. My.. my father used to say it too".
Athena sat down on the couch. " Lamia mentioned something about him. How long has he been death?".
Tom sighed. " Almost two years. My brother Jack inherited the farm".
Lamia smiled. " But you inherited my room".
Tom looked at his mother. " I also inherited your secrets. Are we ever going to tell them? I don't like deceiving them like this".
Lamia sighed. " Me neither, but they wouldn't understand Tom".
" I understood it".
" Yes, but you are special". She gave him a kiss on his cheek. " You are my special little boy".
Annabeth snorted and Tom gave her an annoyed look. "Eh thanks mom. So you are all right? What happened?"
Lamia smiled. " I will tell you at dinner".
"Which is now, by the way" Mr.D said.
Annabeth cursed. " We have to get to the dining pavilion. Come on, hurry!". She grabbed Tom's arm and tried to pull him along, but he pulled his arm back.
" Will you stop doing that already? You have been doing that for the past few days. My arms is going to fall off if you continue that".
" Fine! just follow me!".
" Fine. And I want my staff back!".
" You are doing fine with a sword!".
" I want my staff! It is one of my only belongings!".
" Can you stop complaining about the obtuse staff already? A sword is better".
"That staff saved my life! Three times!".
" How on earth did it save your life. It is just a piece of wood!".
" It's Rowan wood. Witches can't stand it".
" You really have to tell me more about these creatures".
" I can't, that Mr.D keeps me occupied".
" Seriously, what has he forced you to do these past days?".
" Play for bartender mainly. And tell stories. They seemed to amuse him. And I had to fill his glass. And I also had lessons of course".
Lamia listened to her son with a smile on her face. He seemed to like Annabeth. She even reminded Lamia a bit of Alice. Maybe that was why Tom liked her. He really liked Alice after all.
Talking and laughing, they all arrived at the dinner pavilion. They sat down at a separate table, which was the center of attention for the rest of the meal, and Athena told what had happened. Tom frowned when she had finished her story. " That sounds very dangerous. But mom, didn't your daughters die centuries ago. Well, not in this time, but at home".
" They did. And the last time I saw Chaemog, my daughters were five years old or something. I don't understand it either. It seems a distraction to me".
" Or maybe he was testing you" Tom commented.
Athena looked at him. " Testing her? ".
Tom nodded. " He probably has had plenty of time to study all the Olympians, but he didn't have the time to study mom. He barely knows her. Maybe he used the fight to discover more about her powers. And if she was willing to kill her own brethren".
Annabeth punched him. " You actually are smart! That's not a bad idea you know".
Tom frowned. " Thank you, but could you please stop punching me every time I say something sensible? I am developing a fear of opening my mouth this way".
Annabeth sighed. "Sure. It was a good observation though. I wonder who this opponent is. Chronos or chaos".
" I think Chaos" Tom said, swallowing a piece of chicken.
Artemis looked at him, her hand on her bow. " And why would you think that boy ?".
Tom shrugged. " I simply cannot understand what the advantage for Chronos would be if he sent my mother to this time. But Chaos would benefit from it. I assume he gets his power from causing mayhem and that that is his purpose? If it is, this could make him more powerful. And have a lot of fun. They could be cooperating too, of course".
" Not bad" Artemis admitted reluctantly.
Athena nodded. (A/N bold will be either thoughts or Greek. This conversation between Athena and Artemis is Greek. Sorry, but I don't speak Greek, so I can't write it in actual Greek) " He is quite bright, isn't he?".
" I suppose, but you don't have to be that nice to him. He is a boy! And one that called us monsters".
" Only because he doesn't know better. He apologized, didn't he?".
" I can't believe you are actually defending him. Why do you like him that much".
" Well, he is good with weapons and strategy, but he is also intelligent. I like people who use their wits".
" He is still a boy".
" And why is the fact I'm a boy such a horrible crime" Tom suddenly said in perfect Greek.
Athena and Artemis stared at him. " Are you capable of vocalizing the Greek language? Who taught you?" Athena asked. She sounded nonplussed, but also excited.
" My mother. I'm the only one she taught the language. I can write it too. And I'm also learning Latin and the old language. But that is really difficult".
" Which classes do you have at home?" Athena asked, sounding really curious.
"I have Latin, Greek - but I already speak that, the old language and just other lessons all spooks get. Some are physical, like how to fight with my staff. Others consist of studying books about witches, boggarts and others. I also have to practice throwing my silver chain".
" Silver chain? Where do you need a silver chain for?" Artemis asked.
" To bind witches with. But why is it so horrible I'm a boy?".
" You won't give up, won't you?".
" Well, I don't intend to be rude , but I'm curious".
" I despise boys".
" Why?".
" They are pigs".
" Oh. But not all of them are, right ? I mean, there are always exceptions to the rule".
" I suppose. Percy Jackson is more or less a decent person, even if he is a boy".
" The boy with black hair and sea green eyes?".
" That's him".
" He is nice, I suppose. He helped me in my first few classes".
Tom suddenly felt someone tapping his shoulder and he looked behind him. Annabeth was standing behind him with his staff.
Tom got up. " Here , your staff" was all she said.
" Amazing! Thank you so much. How did you get it?".
Annabeth shrugged. " Chiron gave me permission to get it".
" I will thank him later" Tom said, smiling.
Lamia smiled at him and ruffled his hair. " You do that Tom. Did you brain that chain I gave you?".
" Yes, why?".
"Well, as long as we are stuck here, I though you could use it to practise with ".
" That is a good idea. How long will we be stuck here?".
" I don't know. But I am done eating. Athena, Artemis, Poseidon, let's go".
Athena nodded. She smiled at Annabeth. " I will see you later Annabeth. Be careful, all right?".
Annabeth nodded. Athena gave Tom a small smile. " It was nice to meet you Thomas. You have a very interesting mother. Try to listen to her all right?".
Tom, blushing slightly, nodded. He clearly felt uncomfortable.
Artemis gave Annabeth a small smile and Tom an even smaller one. " Night" was all she said before following Athena who was already walking away.
Poseidon smiled at Tom and Annabeth. " Have fun at camp. And say hi to Percy".
Lamia gave Tom another hug before she followed the rest of the group.
They went into the wood, hoping to find a clue there. But they didn't find anything. Not even a small one, not matter how well they searched.
They searched for a few hours before sitting down to take a short break. Lamia sighed. "We have been searching for hours and we didn't find anything. What are we going to do now?" .
Athena sighed. " Search the other parts of this forest. We will have to find something".
" Not necessarily. What you search, often comes towards you" a deep voice suddenly said.
Artemis cursed. " What is that every time we take a break, someone suddenly appears out of nowhere?". She got up, her bow already in her hand and aimed at the mysterious voice.
The voice chuckled. " You won't hurt me with that little bow of yours moon goddess".
Poseidon and Athena were standing on their feet, weapons ready too. They looked around warily.
Lamia listened carefully. She could hear soft breathing, from them, but also the mysterious voice.
Without saying a word, she pointed to the tree he was standing against. He was a tale male, dressed in black. He wore a cape, jeans and a black t-shirt , together with black boots. He also had a sword and bow.
He strode towards them and put his hood back. His skin was a odd mix of black and silver with tattoos on it. His eyes were like melting silver or mercury and looked beautiful.
And his hair was long, long enough to be worn into a ponytail like right now, and was black with silver stripes. He looked intimidating, dangerous and beautiful. Like some dark angel.
" Who are you ?" Lamia asked, unable to take her eyes of the man. He smiled at her and walked towards her. He bent forward until she could detect the little spots of gold in his silver eyes. So close she could feel his warm breath on her dry mouth. She could feel his power, which was cold and hot at the same time, pull at her. She suddenly felt dizzy.
He smiled, a blinding smile that could have made Apollo envy him and took her hand. " Most people call me Chaos beautiful" he said and kissed her hand.
He turned towards the gods who were watching him and made a small obeisance. " Pleased to meet you all".
Athena smiled. " So I was right. You were behind this".
" Actually you said it was either Chronos or Chaos, so you wasn't entirely right" Poseidon remarked.
Athena rolled her eyes. " Well, you didn't have a clue at all, so shut up barnacle beard".
Artemis sighed. "All right, we know who is behind all this. But why? And why have you decided to show yourself now".
Chaos shrugged. " Easy. I did it because I hoped it would cause some chaos under the gods. Not a lot of people think of me nowadays. And I was bored. Besides, I thought it might be interesting to watch Lamia's reaction to this. It was, by the way. And I have decided to show myself to you, because Lamia has to get back to her time. She can only remain here for a certain amount of time. I enjoy chaos, but not total destruction. And that is what happens if I keep her here for too long. So you will have to say goodbye".
Lamia sighed. " So I have to go?". Chaos nodded. " Afraid so Lamia. But you might be able to come back, if you wanted to".
Lamia frowned. " How?". Chaos walked towards her and took her hand in his again. Lamia felt a weird sensation in her fingers and Chaos cool hand suddenly became very hot. Blue sparks flew from his hands towards hers and Lamia staggered. He caught her and smiled. " There. Now you can visit whenever you want. A gift from me to you".
Lamia pulled back. " And what would you ask in return?" she asked warily, looking at her faintly tickling hand.
Chaos smiled. " Not every gift needs something in return. Just use my gift. I would like to see you more often. And now please go and get your son. The two of you have to leave soon".
Lamia ran back to get Tom, who was very disturbed when he heard what had happened, but he obeyed without asking too many question.
After some quick goodbyes, they left. Just like the first time, they were pulled towards a spiral of fire. It was confusing and frightening. Lamia soon blacked out, no matter how much she tried to stay conscious.
When the world was no longer filled with black, Lamia noticed they were back in the county. Exactly where they had started. She searched for Tom and found him nearby.
Together, they walked towards the farm. Lamia started running, going faster and faster. She hadn't realized how much she had missed the farm. She opened the doors and found Ellie inside.
Ellie who stared at her. " You are back!" she said, crying and laughing at the same time.
" You have been gone for days and we were out of our heads with worry!" she said.
" Calm down. We are back" Lamia said, laughing.
They stayed up late that night, telling them they didn't know exactly what had happened. They only told pieces of what happened and acted like it had been hallucinations. They couldn't tell what really happened, they both knew.
From that day on, Lamia and Tom visit the Greek gods and demigods once every month. Lamia learned everything about the future and she told the gods about her past and present. Ambrose went with them too, becoming a farmer. She often went with them to visit the Greek gods and demigods. Everyone was happy that way.
I officially suck at writing endings. But to my defense; I have written this in one day. I might add something to it, but I don't think so. And I could have done a fight with Chaos, but come on. He is pretty much unbeatable..