"His vitals are stabilizing again, sir." My eyes slowly blinked open. A harsh light shining above me forcing my eyes to adjust before I could see.
"Good that means we can run it again." As my eyes adjusted panic started to fill me. This place was familiar but I couldn't remember where I was. What happened to the kids? To the monsters? To the arrow in my heart?
My body began to move on its own accord. Thrashing and straining against the chains that held me in place which I failed to notice before.
"NO! NOT AGAIN!" The words escaped my mouth without me even meaning to say them.
"Impressive, we knew you would survive but to already be active and speaking again..." I tried to turn to see who was speaking but my body wouldn't comply and instead started thrashing harder.
"We're moving straight to the whole body. The results from the claw transformation prove he can handle it." Slowly I began to remember where I was, what was happening. This is the place that stole my memories I was sure of it. And I knew exactly what was about to happen next.
"But sir, this is-" The voice was cut short by a loud bang which I could only assume was the other mans hands slamming against the table.
"I SAID DO IT! We have no choice but to rush it and hope for the best. So do it... NOW!" Pain flooded my body and my vision darkened. As it did the man appeared in the corner of my eye.
I couldn't make out much beyond a strange ring on his finger that seemed to be composed of the same metal as my bronze claws and a intricate sun tattoo on the inside of his wrist.
"This is for your own good... Perseus."
I woke up again. This time on a much more comfortable surface with no chains around me.
This didn't stop me from jolting up in the bed and ripping away at the cords and IVs attached to me.
"I assure you, my boy, that those are not there for your harm." I quickly traced the voice to a man in a wheelchair by the door. He didn't look like anything special but something about him was... off.
"Do you always sit beside kids waking up from a near death experience to creep them out?" Although I was covering it up with humor my body was pumping with adrenaline. I still couldn't place where the feeling was coming from but I knew this wasn't an ordinary man.
He smiled at me knowingly and began to wheel himself closer, "I would hardly call that a 'near death experience'," he paused and looked me up and down with a curios look in his eyes, "at least... not for you."
I looked down at my bare chest and noticed there wasn't a scratch, scar, or any kind of mark indicating a bunch of arrows were just sticking out of me.
"Yea I'm not entirely sure about that. People usually die when they get shot in the heart right?" He raised an amused eyebrow in response, obviously not satisfied with my answer.
I reeled back in shock when an unusual scent hit my nose. Suddenly I knew why this man seemed so strange to me. He smelled like a... "Horse." He looked at me in shock but didn't say anything.
"Why the fuck do you smell like a horse? And don't try to bullshit me with some story of you taking care of horses." I took a deep sniff of his scent to confirm my thoughts and then continued, "this isn't a smell on you... it's the smell of you."
If possible his shocked eyes seemed to open even further to almost comical sizes. "How did you... but..." he stopped an let out a deep sigh. Then began to do something I wouldn't have imagined in my wildest dreams.
He began to stand up. Getting taller and taller. First to a normal height, then to a height few humans reach, and then beyond. The stranger part was that as he stood the blanket sitting on his lap slowly slid off revealing a horses body?
"You're a centaur?" He gave an impressed nod while using one of his hoofed feet to slide his wheelchair back out of the way.
"Indeed, but I figured a young boy waking up from a 'near death experience," cue the sarcastic air quotes, "would be much more comfortable with a man in a wheel chair." I gave a small shrug showing my indifference. Not long ago I was shot through the heart after being chased by an army of monsters so a centaur didn't seem out of the ordinary.
"My name is Chiron, trainer of demigods and protector of camp half-blood, and you are?" I looked him up and down, a little more than shocked that he was the legendary trainer of heroes that I somehow knew about.
"Perseus."
He stared at me a moment in what appeared to be deep thought and then began to speak, "Now you already know what I am, Perseus, but perhaps you could tell me if you know what you are?"
Something about the way be said it sparked a rage deep inside me. He made it sound like I wasn't human... and it was an oddly familiar feeling, like he had just struck a nerve. Judging by his wince it seemed he noticed his mistake.
"I'm a human you four legged piece of shit." He gave me an apologetic look and tried to explain himself.
"I apologize, young one. Most humans don't heal like you do, or smell things you seemingly can, and nothing I know of has celestial bronze blades that come out of their hands." Celestial bronze? I shook of the confusion and glared slightly at him.
"Ok well do you know what I am?" My question was met with a small sad smile, almost as if he was pitying me.
"As far as most of the people here are concerned, you're a threat." His statement caught me completely off guard... a threat?
"All I've done was kill a few monsters and get some arrows put through my chest by girls in silver, shouldn't they be the threat?" I was beyond confused at why I would be considered a threat.
"Those 'girls in silver', as you put it are hunters... they're sole purpose is to kill monsters," I nodded along waiting for him the acknowledge the fact that they shot me along with the monsters. "which you technically are."
As if I wasn't confused enough before now I was shocked as well.
"Me? I'm a... monster..." I trailed off and stared down at my hands, remembering the blades that came out of them and the way I healed rapidly.
"Yes, my boy. Not a full monster, there's a new breed of beings appearing... mutants." He paused and gauges my reaction before continuing, "as far as we can tell they're mortals with monster DNA that awakens at a certain age. They don't appear to be born in the... normal fashion, nobody's quite sure how they show up honestly."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This man was telling me I had a monster's DNA inside of me.
"But... so why were the monsters trying to kill me then? Shouldn't they have been more... welcoming? Since we're family or something." He chuckled and little bit and shrugged his shoulders.
"Usually that's the case. Most mutants possess more intelligence than the average monster, but besides that they behave just like them. Hunting demigods and living out their life without reacting to the mortal population while living alongside monsters." It sounded to me like he was getting at a point of some kind.
"Which means," he began again, "that you're an anomaly among them, so I've been able to convince them that you're possibly a great ally and not a threat."
One word he said really caught my attention, "Them?"
"Ah yes, the gods of course."
Before I could respond the door was kicked in with a loud bang, and standing in the doorway was a lethal looking girl. Her long black hair was tied back in a single braid with silver string weaved into it. Volcanic black eyes scanned the room before landing on me.
In an instant a bow was in her hand with an arrow already notched... and aiming right for me.
"Chiron, what are you doing standing there? This abomination must be destroyed." A low growl escaped my throat as all of my claws shot out of my hands.
"If that arrow comes anywhere near me I'll show you what this abomination can do." Her eyes narrowed and the muscles in her forearm began to twitch in movement. My eyes tracked it all, waiting for the moment her fingers released the taught string. The odd feeling from before was back. I wanted her to let go. I wanted to fight; to spill her blood on the floor.
Before either of us could make a move a startling flash of light in between us made us freeze, "Zoë, lower your weapon!" Standing where the light appeared was a young girl. No older than my fourteen year old self, actually it seemed she was younger. Her hair was a dark auburn shade and she had vibrant silver eyes.
Whoever she was she had raw power rolling off of her, and made the girl, Zoë, put her bow away faster than a thought and lower her head in a slight bow.
The newcomer turned away from Zoë and looked me up and down for what felt like an eternity before finally speaking, "you're lucky I got here when I did, boy." Although 'boy' was a much better insult than abomination it still pissed me off.
"I could've taken her out in under a minute." The silver eyes girl laughed softly without any amusement.
"While I believe you could have; it would've taken longer than a minute, and I would've torn you apart before you could even touch me." A pulse of pure power came off of her, so strong I could almost taste it as it rolled over me. For some reason it seemed no one else could feel it, but if the girls look was anything to go by she noticed that I could.
"I have a way of healing after being 'torn apart'," Sure, I was keeping up the smartass facade, but something about this girl made my bloodlust go away. I wasn't necessarily scared but I had no urge to start a fight with whatever she was.
She ignored my comment and proceeded to introduce herself, "My name is Artemis, goddess of the hunt, the moon, and many other titles, and I am here to deliver a message to Chiron and my lieutenant."
I opened my mouth to say something to her but she turned away and spoke to Chiron, "As I'm sure you're aware, you're... insight to our most recent issue proves to be quite helpful. The boy may stay here for now, but if you train him he will be powerful. And if he... well you're life would become quite unpleasant." she locked eyes with Chiron who gave an understanding nod. I was beyond confused at this point. A goddess had to come to deliver news about me, along with a threat to the old centaur?
"That is all," she spun on her heel and marched over to Zoë, "come, my lieutenant, we have much to discuss." Zoë looked up at me with one final glare before following the goddess out of the building.
"What the fuck just happened?"