Fortunate Son of the Sea God
A/N: Sorry for the long delay in updates everyone I'm still new to the FanFiction world and trying to do my best. To answer some of your reviews, every character will be introduced before going through their special demigod training so be patient!
Also, a special S/O to one of my faithful reviewers: NoTearsFalling
Thanks for being so awesome!
Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my O.C
Chapter 5: Tin Soldiers
Frank POV
Frank really wondered why he wasn't in the army.
He had been craving a chance to join up and serve ever since his mom passed away during the Korean War. She was the only reason he didn't enlist as soon as he was of age. He had promised her that he would go get a college degree before he ever put his name down to go fight in the war.
Frank was working on that promise by sitting through another history lecture at his college, Kent State University, a humble college in Kent, Ohio.
"Frank, could you tell the class about the Boston Massacre?" His professor asked bringing Frank out of his military daydream.
"The Boston Massacre was an incident in 1770 in which British soldiers opened fire on a crowd of protestors in Boston killing five people and injuring others," Frank quickly responded. He rarely ever zoned out of lectures and he was lucky that he had studied the material last night.
"That is correct Mr. Zhang," his professor responded. "The Boston Massacre is also considered by many historians to be one of the events that sparked the beginning of the American Revolution." He continued.
Frank listened to his professor as he went on about how the British soldiers panicked when they were confronted by the large crowds of angry colonists. He said that while the violence was important in motivating the colonists to fight back against the British, it could have been avoided.
The professor rambled on some more until a ringing from the campus Victory Bell was heard. Strange, they usually only rang the bell whenever the football team won a big game or something.
All the students in the class stood up and walked outside to see a big congregation of angry student protestors. They were protesting the war in Vietnam, which wasn't uncommon around the country, and especially in Kent, Ohio. Frank remembered seeing the campus ROTC building getting burned to the ground the other day.
The National Guard had been called in a couple of days ago to try and stop the protesting that had turned violent. So far they hadn't done much except get people more riled up about everything.
The current masses of protestors were in a confrontation with some soldiers in a jeep who were trying to get the crowd under control. A soldier in the back of the jeep spoke over a megaphone trying to dissuade the protest.
"This is your final warning," the soldier spoke over the megaphone. "Disperse immediately or you will suffer the consequences,"
The warning was met by a volley of rocks launched at the soldiers from the crowd. The soldiers tried to shield themselves from the rocks but to little success as they retreated away in their jeep much to the joy of the crowd of people.
Frank started walking to the dining hall when he bumped into a younger looking girl who dropped her books.
"I'm sorry miss I didn't see you there," Frank apologized to the girl as he hunched down with her to help her pick up her books. It was here that Frank got a good look at her appearance, she had dark colored skin with long and flowing curly brown hair. Her eyes were brown as well and matched her appearance.
"Aren't you a tad bit young to be in college?" Frank asked the girl. She looked up and managed a smile that made Frank blush; he hadn't realized just how gorgeous the girl looked at it caught him by surprise when she looked at him.
"I've gotten that a lot," she replied with an air of confidence as if she had explained this to people plenty of times. "I'm actually eighteen just like you are Frank Zhang," she added.
Frank dropped his books out of surprise that the girl knew his name.
"How…how do you know my name?" he managed to ask bewildered. He started to back away from the girl out of fear.
"You have no reason to worry Frank, I'm not going to hurt you," she assured him. She placed a hand on his shoulder to try and help him calm down but Frank swiped it away.
"Oh really, and why in the hell would you expect me to believe you?" he spat.
The girl glanced around the school's campus as if she were expecting trouble before she diverted her attention back to Frank. "I'm like you Frank," she said in a sudden hushed tone. "I have special powers that were given to me by my family that makes me unique." Frank's eye got wide as he realized what she was saying but his expression quickly went back to a skeptical one to hide his true feelings.
"You don't know anything about me or my family so how about you pack up your stuff and get lost," Frank hissed and turned to walk away but the girl cut him off.
"I know you have endured a lot Frank but there are people out there just like you and me and our country needs us desperately right now," she pleaded.
Frank narrowed his eyes at the pleading girl and continued trying to walk past her. The girl matched his pace and walked alongside him.
"I'm a daughter of Pluto," she informed him as they walked towards the Commons area of the campus. "He's the god of the Underworld and riches."
As much as Frank wanted to get away from the girl, he had to admire how confident and persistent the girl was. He shook away the thought as he continued walking.
The girl continued rambling on about some military base in New York until Frank finally had enough.
"I made a promise to my mom that I wouldn't join the army until I got my degree and even if I did agree to this "Demigod Army" you're talking about, what's in it for me?" Frank spoke angrily at the girl.
She took a deep breath as if she had rehearsed her next words and continued speaking, "I can promise you that your mother would want this and as soon as this war is over, you can go right back to your normal life and you won't hear from the government ever again," she answered.
Frank glanced around at his surroundings taking notice on how happy everyone looked. He saw some fraternity brothers playing Frisbee and having a blast and he saw a couple lying on a towel sprawled out on the Commons area grass as a nearby radio played music. Everything seemed so peaceful and Frank had grown accustomed to it but he still had that craving in his gut to go overseas and fight for his country.
Frank managed a sigh as he returned his attention to the girl who was still standing there waiting for his decision.
Frank opened his mouth to respond when he was interrupted by angry shouts coming from a newly formed angry mob.
They were only a couple of yards away from Frank and the mystery girl as they faced down more National Guardsmen.
The National Guardsmen had come better prepared this time as they were armed with rifles, shotguns, and tear gas.
Frank and the girl started to back away from the confrontation until Frank's heart dropped when the soldiers trained their weapons on the crowd and opened fire.
It was unlike anything Frank had ever seen as he saw his fellow students getting cut down by gunfire. The crowd quickly dispersed to get away from the violence and Frank started to turn and run when he felt a sharp pain from his side. Frank looked down and with a look of horror he saw blood stained through his shirt from a gunshot wound.
Frank's vision started to swim, as he got nauseous from the wound. He glanced around for help and noticed the girl he'd been talking to was lacking flat on her stomach in a puddle of her own blood. Frank looked back over where the soldiers were and saw that they were advancing in their direction with their guns still raised ready to kill anyone who opposed them. Frank needed to get himself and the girl to the hospital fast.
He slowly stood back up grimacing in pain before picking the girl up and standing her up on her feet. Her wound was much more worse than Frank's as she had taken a bullet directly to her chest.
Frank weaved her arm with his and started carrying her away from the scene of all the chaos.
There were several times that Frank wanted to collapse from all the pain, he felt as if someone was using a blowtorch on his side and they weren't letting up either.
They'd made it to the edge of campus before Frank realized that the nearest hospital was several blocks away, they'd never make it in time. Frank cursed himself for not thinking about that sooner until he felt a strange feeling from his body.
He looked down at his arms and noticed that his free arm had started growing feathers. Frank was shocked initially until he remembered that his grandma told him a long time ago that he would bear his family's gift once his mind was prepared. This must've been what she was talking about.
Frank then closed his eyes and quickly focused his energy into completing the transformation.
When he opened up his eyes he glanced down and where his feet were supposed to be he saw a pair of talons. Frank had transformed into one of the beasts that he remembered studying in mythology class, the griffin.
Once Frank's initial euphoria at his newfound powers had passed, he felt the searing pain from the bullet wound return. He quickly scooped up the girl and started flying towards the nearest hospital.
Frank felt majestic as he soared through the air feeling the breeze ripple through his feathers.
"Stay focused," he thought to himself. "Remember the task at hand."
Frank continued flying until he spotted the local hospital much to his relief.
Unfortunately, Frank's relief didn't last long as a local news helicopter clipped him with one of it's steel blades sending him careening towards a nearby building.
Frank barely had time to shield the girl he was carrying from harm before he smashed through the glass of a third story window. Frank's form returned to normal as he landed on his stomach in a pile of glass. Frank's vision started to darken as he glanced up and saw several people around his age standing around a table looking over at him in awe.
One of them, a girl with blonde hair in princess curls, came running over to help him and the girl that Frank had lost his grip on when they crashed through the window. Frank looked up at the girl and they last thing he saw before he blacked out was a pair of stormy grey eyes looking back at him in amazement.
When Frank regained consciousness, he was laying on a hospital cot in an abandoned room. He tried to sit up but the searing pain from his gunshot wound came back with a vengeance and Frank had no choice but to lie back down.
"You were quite the trouble to get a hold of, Mr. Zhang," a voice spoke up from the darkness.
"Who are you and what do you want with me?" Frank asked the darkness.
A uniformed man in a wheelchair emerged from the darkness and made his way to Frank's bedside.
"My name is Lieutenant Chiron and I'm pretty sure our friend Hazel has already informed you about our little army," the man answered in a calm and friendly tone that made Frank a little more comfortable.
Frank stared at Chiron for a brief moment before deciding to speak.
"Is she okay?" Frank asked with concern.
Chiron nodded his head with a smile and Frank took a big sigh of relief. He felt better knowing that the girl, Hazel must've been her name, had survived such a horrific injury such as a gunshot wound.
Chiron wheeled his way towards the door but stopped once he got near and turned to look at Frank with a caring expression. "I'll let you continue to rest until you make up your mind on whether or not you will join us or not," he spoke as he opened the door and left the room.
Once the door closed after Chiron left Frank started pondering on what Hazel and Chiron had told him. He had already been promised that he could go back to his normal life once the war was over. He also had to remember what he promised his mom in that he wouldn't join the army until he finished college. He continued weighing his options before he stood up from his bed, ignoring the pain from his side, and dressed himself with some clothes that Chiron had provided and started looking around the floor for Chiron himself.
He stumbled down a hallway until he came upon a door heard voices from behind it.
"We don't know how powerful he could be and where his loyalties lie," a female voice spoke.
"Annabeth, I understand your concern but after all the trouble Hazel has gone through and after speaking to the boy myself he is an absolute necessity for the army," Chiron's voice responded.
Frank wasted no more time and pushed the door to the room open, much to the surprise of the people Frank recognized from earlier.
Frank stared around the room at everyone until he made eye contact with Chiron.
"Where do I sign up?" Frank asked Chiron who managed a smile before motioning Frank into the room to join the other demigods.