AN: You're girl almost forgot she promised to post this chapter today! Aren't you all lucky I finally caught up to the manga after binge reading Shadows House :) Enjoy!
Season 2 Episode 5 Jasper Dies at the End
Davey's first memories were of molten heat and calloused hands.
He was "born" into this world through fire and magic. Every breath he took carried the smell of pine and birch, his dry throat longed for the cooling sensation of water, and as he took his first steps, his body swayed like the branches of a tree in a lake side breeze.
Davey, named David upon the opening of his eyes, was Hephaestus's finest creation to date. An automaton unlike any other, with a body of enchanted metal that was stronger than Kevlar yet as soft as a plush pillow.
Having been given more free will than any other automaton before him, Davey had the capacity to live the life of any other human. Grow up with children his own age, find hobbies, make a living doing something he enjoyed, and eventually die content with the meager mark he'd made of the world.
But that wasn't in the cards for Davey. Not with this sense of purpose burning inside his chest.
Suffering from the same fate as all children of gods, Davey soon found himself alone, sent out into the world with nothing but his wits to survive and a promise of distant affection from the one who made him. Standing alone in front of the doors of a foster home, with only a backpack and two sets of clothes to his name, Davey would soon learn how horrible his creator really was.
To be given so much free will, and not granted the right to act on it.
There was no record of him anywhere, so he had no relatives to be placed with. And for some reason, no foster family wanted him. So Davey was moved from one group home to the next. City to city, and state to state.
It was through this that Davey saw how horrible the world could be.
It was through this that Davey realized the flaw in his making.
When Davey "turned" six, he and the other children were brought to a circus that'd set up shop nearby. And it was there, watching the trapeze artists fly through the air, that Davey found his dream. He wanted to be up there, flying dangerously, with no net to catch him should he fall.
He begged the principal of his group home to let him take lessons. Even though circus performers didn't make a lot of money, that he'd be risking his future livelihood following this dream, he just knew it'd be worth every hour spent practicing.
And for six glorious months, Davey joined several other hopefuls in his trapeze class, learning how to fly. His hands grew calluses from regular blistering. He'd return to home covered in bruises from fall after fall. And, if the principal was to be believed, he smiled more in those six months than he ever had in his entire time in their care.
Then one day, as Davey was making his way into the building where he'd spent the last 6 months of his life learning all he could for a passion he chose…
His stomach turned inside out.
His lungs filled with water as he gasped for air.
He stood there, frozen right in front of the door leading into the building that had brought him so much joy and yet…
His body rebelled. This wasn't why he was made.
He missed trapeze class that day.
And two days later, he quit trapezing entirely.
Every hobby Davey found, every passion his young mind latched onto in an attempt to feel even a little bit normal… rejected.
Archery. Hiking. Biking. Knife throwing. Powerlifting. Paranormal hunting. Miming. Extreme stunts. Scuba diving. Chess. Dance.
And so many more before he even hit the age of 10.
Every single one of them left his stomach in knots. Left him lying awake at night, as his body and mind fought within him. Collapsed on the ground, silently seizing as he tried and tried and tried to move.
His free will and his purpose.
His gift and his guide.
His curse.
Out of all the horrible things this world had to offer, it was his own making that left him wishing for it all to end.
Looking up at the chipped wooden sign, Davey felt his soul sing.
Breathing in the smell of pine and birch, feeling his dry throat longing for the cooling sensation of lake water, and feeling his body sway in the breeze like the branches of a tree, Davey knew.
This was where he was meant to be. This is why he was created.
This is why his dreams were constantly shattered. Why his stomach would turn against him every time he got too attached to a hobby. Why he would lay awake at night, his mind unable to quite, and his young body unable to sleep like he so desperately desired.
This lush, green landscape surrounding a crystal clear lake, nestled safely within a hidden valley. A small town, quaint and quiet and wholly protected by a fearsome and fair dragon.
Davey hated Camp Campbell.
Hated how this plot of land, this stupid little camp bulldozed over everything Davey wished for. Hated how, despite his ire, a part deep down in his soul had already made itself right at home here, amongst the sand and the trees.
Davey hated Camp Campbell.
And he'd make sure everyone else hated it too.
Looking at Jasper standing proudly on the stand, Davey felt nothing but contempt for the other boy. The olive haired, blue eyed camper who felt like doorways, passages, and the roaring '20s, despite his hip and modern attire.
The effortless way Jasper went about his life, able to look at the world without the constant scent of pine and a lake breeze in his nose irked Davey. Whereas the other campers at least struggled with finding their place in the social hierarchy at Camp Campbell, Jasper walked through the threshold of the camp's archway, groggy but exuding an aura of confidence and assuredness. He was a tad cocky and a bit of a braggart at times, but he was an overall good kid with a positive attitude that Davey himself lost the first year he spent in the foster system.
Jasper's aura may have breathed notes of transitions and passageways, but he was allowed to hold onto his deep seeded love of nature. And Davey was jealous of that fact.
It was something he could never have.
"It is so writ that the final step is for the leader to guide the young one into the unknown wilds and acquire a branch from the sleepy pine tree using nothing but one's wits and wisdom of the land."
Shoving aside Samual (who felt like harps and sunshine), Davey made his way to the front of the pack of children, relishing in their looks of discomfort and fear.
(After so many years of dealing with those looks from potential foster parents, he's grown numb to the pain of rejection they imply.)
"Who cares about going out into the dang woods to get closer to dang nature anyway?"
Campbell waves a finger in reprimand, "Whoa, careful about throwing those dangs around, Davey."
Or what, Davey thought, you gonna throw me out of camp? It'd be a blessing. (It'd be so painful, he'd break). Or would you rather I actually curse, instead of this watered down shit the teachers at school hesitantly compromised on? I've got a field manual full of them. Go right ahead and kick me out. I dare you.
"Davey," Gregg interjected, trying to mediate before Davey started biting (again), "you have so much potential. If only you would apply yourself."
"Yeah, Davey if you actually tried, maybe you could be as good a camper as me, Jasper, the best camper!"
Davey was tired of trying. If there was one thing Davey was good at, it was trying. Applying himself to whatever task he'd set his mind to. But you can only go so long with puking your insides out or feeling like your muscles are too tired every few months before trying wasn't worth the pain. Davey didn't want to "try" at Camp Campbell. He'd been disappointed too many times.
(Or even worse, he'd find that he enjoyed being at this place. That the tress sung a tune he'd never want to end. That being around and helping these other campers (Susan, who glowed a blood red hue, Sleepy Shane who felt like pillows and a glass of warm milk, and all the others) was the one thing his body wouldn't deny him. He wanted his body to fight back. Because if it didn't, what was the point of his free will? Where was his choice?)
But neither Gregg nor Jasper knew any of this. No matter the sound of opening passageways that ghost the other boy's every step, he wouldn't know how tired Davey is.
So instead, Davey replied, "There's more to life than camping, Jasper."
Lifetimes worth of life that Davey would never get the chance to explore. Not like they could.
"I have an idea, Mr. Campbell," Darla cried out, her eyes alight with something Davey couldn't discern, "Why don't we have Davey join you and Jasper on the trek too?"
Those were not the words Davey wanted to hear.
Reaching out to Jasper as the other boy clings desperately to the branch over the cliff's edge, Davey felt his heart of magic and metal seize. Jasper cannot fall. He can't. If he falls, he almost certainly dies. And while the morality of the situation dictates that Davey save Jasper, that part of Davey's soul that he so vehemently despises screeches in fury.
If Davey lets Jasper die, he'll have failed. His creation will have been meaningless. So Jasper will not die here. His story isn't over yet.
Jasper's fingers brush against Davey's….
And he falls.
Those speech classes Davey took a few months ago proved to be well worth the subsequent migraine and aching bones when he successfully convinced Mr. Campbell to help in his search for Jasper.
Despite how the woods around Camp Campbell resonate with Davey, he doesn't know them well enough to feel comfortable in navigating them alone without someone else. Davey's metallic body may make him nigh indestructible, but Jasper is all too human, no matter his divine ancestry. Davey didn't have the physique to protect Jasper once he was found, and that's why Cameron Campbell had to join him on this hunt. If there's one thing Davey and his makers can agree upon, it's that Jasper needed that protection.
Like the river he now runs beside in his search, Davey will follow the path of least resistance. He'd find a way to complete his purpose.
But he'd do it his own way.
AN: Oh boy, another hard one to write. There's a lot I could say about David's situation in this author's note, but I guess I'll just keep everything to the basics unless one of you asks.
So, as stated in the chapter, he is a sentient automaton (the Greek Mythology equivalent of an animatronic, basically an android) created by Hephaestus at the request of Artemis. He was created because Artemis didn't trust Cameron to create a proper camp that could house, defend, and nurture the Godlings and Legacies, so she asked Hephaestus to create David with her, Hestia, and Hebe's help. He was given the looks and free will of a normal human so that he could better empathize and care for the campers when he "grew up". But, in order to ensure he'd end up at Campbell, he was given an unavoidable purpose which is the cause of all of his internal conflict. His personal wants constantly conflicted with what he was made to do, so his body rebelled. This is how we get the angry and spiteful Davey in this episode. He knew he needed to stay at Camp Campbell, knew his reason for being alive was there, but fought tooth and nail to make his own decisions. After the Order of the Sparrow incident with Jasper, he slowly grew to accept his duty and resolved to find a way to do both what he wanted and what he needed.
That basically sums up Davey's past, and the logic I try to follow whenever I write David as an adult. He grows into his empathetic nature, but because of both his birth and upbringing, the nuances of human interaction are sometimes lost on him. Max in particular seems to confuse him sometimes with how prickly the boy is. If you see any inconsistencies with my explanation and my execution in-chapter, feel free to tell me.
If you have any questions about what the heck is going on in this story, leave a comment. If you don't have questions and just want to say something, leave a comment. If you want to bash on my horrendous writing, leave a comment! All comments are welcome in this household!