So I'm back with the update. Things are hectic rn and finding time to write has become difficult. I barely manage 300 words in any sitting these days, and that's when I actually get into a flow. Still, hope you all enjoy.

Now here's some reviews I'd answer

Guest - I know Alabaster loves and respects his mother in Son of Magic, but there's a reason I'm choosing a different path. That story doesn't gel with everything in PJO and especially HOO in my (very personal) opinion, and this was the best path for the plot I've set. And I think this particular might clear some things up for you.

Now on to the story.

"Alabaster, child," Hecate greeted. "How are you today"?

"I am fine, mother," he replied with a soft smile. A greenish mist covered the empty cabin Alabaster occupied with her, making the goddess appear even more ethereal and mysterious than she was. It never fazed him.

"Hmm. Did you make use of your gifts?" his mother asked, a trace of warmth in her voice. And it was enough.

"I am! They work like a charm," he said, managing to keep a straight face.

Hecate's lips curled slightly, and Alabaster knew it was the equivalent of a laugh from her. The goddess of witchcraft had a reputation for being stoic and reserved. Even in a dream with her son, she usually maintained the same cool and expressionless face.

"I knew they would," her words betrayed pride "Only the best would find them useful. My protege." She added with a small smirk.

Alabaster nodded enthusiastically with the biggest grin he could muster. It wasn't often that a godly parent showered you with praise.

The small traces of warmth didn't last long, however. Hecate schooled herself to the same stoic facade she almost always carried. But Alabaster could feel the nerves on her.

"Anything wrong, mom?"

Hecate seemed to grimace for a very brief moment. "A lot is wrong, son."

Alabaster frowned, but didn't say anything.

The goddess seemed tense, almost nervous, with her pale lips pressed in a line and her dark eyes betraying internal conflict. "Things are changing. War is on the horizon."

Alabaster sneered. "And we will fight for these ungrateful bastards?" It was no secret that the Olympians didn't respect the minor gods. Or their children.

As it stood, Luke had started rallying demigods against the gods. The stunts he'd pulled were inspirational to some, and disgusting to others. Alabaster was on the fence. He wasn't loyal to the gods, but he didn't particularly care about the son of Hermes' daddy issues. Bumbling idiot, throwing away the biggest opportunities he had to gain an upper hand in the war. They literally kidnapped an Olympian goddess, only to be stopped by a pathetic son of Poseidon and some man-hating girl scouts.

Not a good show for him.

Hecate shook her head. "No."

"Then what?" Alabaster asked, suddenly intrigued.

Hecate chose not to answer, and an onlooker could see the gears turning in her head, creaking with tension. "Tell me, are you confident in your abilities?" she asked finally, "Can you effectively use those charms in combat?"

"Yes?" he replied, unsure why she was asking. She didn't answer immediately, staring at him, or something. It was an unfocused gaze, not directed at anyone or anything. She took in a deep breath, and Alabaster could only feel himself growing anxious with her behaviour.

"I am fighting against Olympus," she finally proclaimed, green eyes full of steel and determination.

He knew what he was going to do.

Newfound confidence had a very distinct impact on your appearance, and Alabaster certainly noticed the difference. He noticed that people stopped staring at this gangly teen that seemed to be searching for food and shelter. They didn't try to subtly distance themselves from him anymore, or give him thinly veiled expressions of disgust. Neither did the odd mortal give him looks of pity that made him want to run them through with his sword.

Being ignored was a blessing that demigods didn't appreciate until they hit rock bottom like the former son of Hecate. And it was a blessing that no god would give. Unless this was the Olympians' twisted way of apology. Not that the high and mighty rulers would ever apologise. It wasn't in their nature.

Even his own mother's.

But that was a matter for later.

At present he was out for a new home, because his encounter with Lamia would've certainly sent a beacon out to monsters, and maybe even the gods. Granted, the gods shouldn't care about his whereabouts. Or know of his intentions. But leaving that to chance wasn't a risk he was going to take.

The search for a new shelter was going swimmingly for the demigod. He had considered ditching the masses entirely, but without people around monsters would find him a lot more easily. And at the moment was already in a suitable neighbourhood. Not many people wanted to stay, but there were still enough of them around to mask his scent. And unlike most demigods, Alabaster had the ability to further mask himself.

The roads were rough, with indentations and patches appearing at regular intervals. A car passed by every now and then, not often in pristine condition. His nose had to inhale tobacco on occasion. It was only a matter of time before he found himself a spot.

He turned the corner to yet another street. Only to stumble against something and fall onto his back.

"Oh my god!" A girl cried out. "I am so sorry!"

"We didn't see you coming," another girl explained.

The demigod groaned and looked up to the two girls. "It's alright," he said, "I didn't see you either. In a hurry and all that."

"Heh, then we're sorry for interrupting you," the first girl said, sweeping her shoulder length brown hair back. "Me and Josie were only on a stroll, so at least we should be paying attention to the road."

The other girl studied him with a certain nonchalance. "Are you hurt?" She asked, just in case.

"No. I'm okay." And just to prove the point he stood up, pretending that his legs weren't wobbling, and that his stomach wasn't protesting every effort he made.

"You don't look so good," the brunette remarked, steadying Alabaster with a hand over his shoulder. "My god, you look like you haven't eaten for days now."

"I have," he scoffed. It was true, he had eaten before embarking to the neighbourhood. Just not a lot.

"Don't lie," she replied, "We can tell when people are hungry. You should come with us. Me and Josie don't have much to do right now. Might as well get you patched up. As an apology."

"Susie," the other girl admonished, "you're going to invite a strange boy you just met to your home?"

"Come on, Josie, look at him," she remarked with a wave of her hand, "He needs some help. I'm sure he won't be trouble." Susie turned to give him a warm smile, "You won't, right?"

"I shouldn't be bothering you. And I can handle myself."

Alabaster didn't need distractions from his task.

"Oh, come on," Susie pressed, "I don't like owing people. Take the help," she tugged him back towards the street, "I make some lovely pancakes." The demigod found himself agreeing to the idea of some food. Against his better judgement.

"Okay. Sure."

"Let's go!" The girl exclaimed, clearly excited. Her friend just rolled her eyes and followed suit.

The girls seemed nice enough to him, so Alabaster took off with them. Some food and a decent rest would be welcome.

The house was fairly normal for the area. Not in the best of conditions, but fairly welcoming. The girls led him to a living room, complete with a TV, a couch and a few chairs. They settled Alabaster on the couch, flanking him on either side.

Susie took hold of the remote, switching between some channels at random.

The two were too much at ease with his presence, as if Alabaster lived with them every day. He, on the other hand, was uneasy. Twitching, shuffling, looking around at nothing.

He was unsure what to say. He was unsure what to do. He was unsure what the Hades he was doing sitting with these girls he had never met before. Girls who were squeezing him between themselves very weirdly. He felt heat creep up his neck, and he fought the urge to rub the back of his neck to save some dignity.

"Hey, you cool?" Josie asked, cool and collected.

"I'm fine," he said, trying his best to glare.

Both of them laughed.

"Relax," Josie said lightly, "no need to act like we've kidnapped you. You're just here for a meal."

There was a glint in the blonde's eyes that would've been considered predatory. The hairs at the back of his neck stood up, but for all they did, he did relax. Something about her voice was… soothing. He felt his shoulders loosen up, and his fingers stopped twitching on their own.

"That's better," she said, leaning into him. Any other time this act of familiarity would've raised an alarm, but Alabaster found himself unable to care.

"I'll get you those pancakes," Susie informed, practically jumping off of the couch. This left him alone with the blonde. The less excitable one among the two, who for whatever reason, was not at all bothered by his presence despite her apparent wariness out in the street.

The demigod slowly scooted away, trying to make use of the space that had been evacuated.

"Why are you running away, Alabaster?" she asked. Again, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. The demigod was conscious of every little brush of Josie's hand against his arms, and he felt a drowsiness take over his mind.

It only took a second for the words to fully register. He forced himself to assess the situation. He was alone

The Mist was heavily at work, disrupting everything around him and inside of him.

Alabaster didn't dare close his eyes to focus. Instead, he took one glance towards the kitchen. He could hear Susie's footsteps coming closer from the back.

"Hungry?" the blonde asked.

He turned towards her again, still seated in the same way and a playful and unsettling gleam in her eyes. He ran the possible names through his head. These two weren't goddesses, and they were playing with the Mist.

Or someone else was on their behalf.

They were dangerous, and he figured it was no coincidence that he bumped into them on random and was brought back for

He kept his eyes locked with Josie's, trying to lull them into complacency.

The bubbly girl walked in, presenting a tray of pancakes and to the demigod.

"Here you are!" she announced, and Alabaster took the time to study her. Was Susie a threat, or a mortal roped into this mess?

"Well?" she asked. "Aren't you going to eat?"

Glancing back at Josie, Alabaster saw her give a silent challenge.

With great reluctance, he grabbed one from the plate. The two girls were grinning, waiting for him to eat. And it was at that point that he realised that he couldn't eat the pancakes. It was all too suspicious. Letting his guard down was a mistake he would not repeat.

He jumped off the couch, sword in hand and ready to strike. The tray was knocked over and its contents crashed.

The girls didn't seem fazed by the slightest, only eyeing the sword with care.

"Who are you two?" he asked.

"Tch, tch," Josie clicked, "You aren't supposed to know that."

"But we'll tell him why we're here," Susie added. "It is the goddess of crossroads that set us on this path. We could not deny her."

Alabaster's eyes went wide and mouth agape.

Hecate? She wouldn't do this. Would she? She… she wouldn't try to kill him. That wasn't how this was supposed to work. She can't.

He shook his head, glaring at her. He refused to believe them. A smirk was playing on her lips, and his nostrils flared. That was a dirty move.

"I don't believe you," he growled.

"Don't, then" Josie rasped, and she started to change form.

Her fair lit up on fire, and her eyes morphed into red. Her legs turned into a mismatched pair - one donkey's leg each along with one of celestial bronze.

Empousa, his brain supplied.

Susie kept her gaze directed at him but didn't turn into a monster like her friend. His eyes narrowed at her when she pulled out a dagger of celestial bronze, hilt adorned with a single kappa charm.

He didn't have time to study her further, as Josie lunged at him with her claw-like fingers. Alabaster stepped out of the way, barely. She had almost slashed his face, and tried again. He'd known empousa were tough to fight, and if he was honest this one wasn't the best. Maybe why they were trying too hard to get his guard down. He slashed his sword, only to be evaded by the empousa. He found a rhythm, avoiding Josie's claws and putting her on the defensive. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Susie preparing to strike. Before she could have her way, Alabaster took the initiative and struck the other girl.

A curse flew out of her lips, the sword almost catching her side. He turned his attention back to the empousa. Again he was in a rhythm, striking and parrying. Clearly, he had the upper hand. Pretty soon, Alabaster had her cornered.

And he killed her. Yellow dust settled around the place she was dissolving in front of him.

So why was he feeling like things were about to go south?

He gasped.

He tried to get out of the way, but a knife left a gash on his forearm. Luckily, it wasn't his sword arm. He spun around, getting a proper slash on her arm. The brunette was sent stumbling back.

Before he could press the advantage, a pair of arms grabbed him from the back, encircling his neck and resting hands - claws on his chest.

"Mmm," he heard Josie the empousa, "you aren't getting rid of me that easily." He stiffened, realising what just happened. He'd been beaten at his own game.

Susie gave him a grin, still clutching her arm. Blood was oozing out of the wound, and the girl wasn't able to hide the pain.

He gained a level of satisfaction at having done this, even in his trapped position.

"Now, Torrington," she began, smug in her victory. "We only wanted to feed you some pancakes. You look like you need some nutrition. Perhaps a proper workout as well." She gave him a once-over, feigning disgust. The demigod felt his blood boil. How dare the bitch insult him like this?

The brunette went back and bent over, wincing in pain. Still, she picked up one of the pancakes from the ground. "You are going to eat these," she said, "I made them so enthusiastically for you."

Alabaster tried to free himself from the clutches of his captor, but her grip was quite steely. The claws were digging into his chest, applying pressure and making him more uncomfortable.

A new idea popped up. He slowly snuck his hand into his pocket. The empousa didn't notice the movement and Susie was too busy to focus. Feeling something solid, he fished it out and let it go.

He grit his teeth, shutting off every part of his body. The grip on his sword tightened to the point that his hands were shaking.

The impact was not audible, but the effect was. All company present immediately covered their ears, even Alabaster despite having prior warning. On the plus side, Josie had finally left him, and he was more than prepared to end her. He was able to bear the screech enough to snap out of it earlier than the other two. In one swift motion he ran the monster through with his sword. And this time he was confident the image was real.

"Josie!" the other girl cried out. She sent Alabaster a determined look, but he could feel the fear behind her eyes. Alabaster, licked his lips, a very sadistic grin on his face.

"Stay away!" she exclaimed, pointing her dagger at him. It was useless.

Alabaster lunged, knocking away her weapon and slamming her against the wall. He held the sword at her throat, with the other hand pressing her shoulder.

"Leave me alone!" she whimpered.

"I would, if you answer my questions." He wasn't planning to. "Hecate didn't send you, did she?"

She tried to shake her head, but the feeling of metal against her throat prevented her.

"I don't know," she answered, voice straining.

Alabaster tensed.

"You don't know?" he asked.

"Josie said it was Hecate, and she also suggested using her name to unsettle you," she gave an apologetic and fearful glance at Alabaster. His eyes had hardened, but otherwise remained impassive, "but… I'm not sure. She could be someone else. Josie was never on good terms with the goddess. And she didn't really seem like she thought it was her either."

Alabaster nodded his head thoughtfully. Yes. She couldn't. "And what did that woman, whoever she is, want?

The brunette bit her lip nervously, "She gave us a few drachmas and, and asked us to, uh, knock you out and deliver you to her."

A beat passed. "Where?"

"Here," she gestured around the house, "She would arrive to collect you in the evening."

"Good," he stated, and tightened his grip on the sword.

The girl sobbed. "P-please don't kill me. I'm human."

Alabaster sneered.

She looked at him pleadingly, "Please."

Alabaster could feel his resolve breaking. He inched it further towards her, almost digging into her soft flesh.

A tear escaped her amber eyes, which were twitching and blinking rapidly. "I - I -" she touched the sword with her free hand. "P-p" she sputtered.

He sighed.

"Thanks," she murmured when he let her go.

"Why shouldn't I kill you?" He fixed her with a murderous glare. It was deadly enough to make her flinch.

He was bullshitting, he'd already let her go. But he wanted to know what Susie could offer.

"I can help you out," she said. "I know magic, and can be good backup. You'd never need to worry about your back."

Alabaster smirked. "And why would I trust you? You've already tried to kill me. For some cash and drachmas." He brandished his sword, playing with it casually.

She bit her lip, fear clearly eating away at her.

"You could," she answered hesitantly, trying to form a convincing argument. "I have nowhere else to go. Josie's the one that got us deals, and she needed me to make up for her weaknesses in magic. She… wasn't the most powerful."

"I noticed." Alabaster sheathed his sword, giving her a pointed look. The tension in the girl's shoulders eased a little, and her face showed some relief. "But that doesn't answer why you shouldn't be killed."

And like that her shoulders dropped, "Please least don't kill me," she played up his sympathy, "I don't want to die. Just let me live, I won't bother you again. There is no way I will be able to get you without Josie, and she's gone."

He stared at her, and with every second she seemed to grow more anxious.

"I won't," he decided, "but any attempts to sell me out, and I'll kill you and your partner." He wiped the blood off his arm - the gash was nasty.

She gave some hurried nods, "I won't."

Alabaster waved her off. He held her knife in his hand, studying it.

"Do you need to patch that up?" she asked, pointing at his wound. "I have a first aid kit."

Alabaster hesitated initially but nodded. "Thanks."

The girl opened the door to her room. She was back with a red box. Alabaster let her do the work, already planning how to confront this mystery woman.

Was it Hecate? And if she wasn't, who was it? Who wanted him dead? Or alive, if Susie was to be believed?

The mystery woman didn't come to collect him, which either meant Susie was lying, or she already knew of Alabaster's triumph.

He paced around the house, having taken some food from his current… host? Hostage? Whatever. He didn't trust the girl, but the demigod needed to sate his hunger. And she was his only source.

He replayed the look of disgust she'd sent him, and it stung. Alabaster knew he looked like shit, and for the most part she was playing it against him and not a real insult. But it didn't stop it from hurting his ego.

He shouldn't even care, but hey, he had some pride.

"It seems your contact isn't coming," he asked her.

"What?" Susie asked, looking up from her table, apparently having been spaced out..

"She isn't coming."

Susie shrugged, "Maybe she knows you're holding me captive and that Josie's dead?"

He nodded. "That's what I thought."

A silence passed between them.

Alabaster started walking again, planning. That is, until something caught his eye.

A certificate, it seemed.

"What's this? he asked Susie.

Her eyes widened. "NO! Don't touch that!"

Alabaster wasn't interested in touching it. He wanted to study what sort of certificate this sorceress was keeping.

It was a simple enough certificate, stating her name and how she had passed from… C.C. Academy of the Crafts.

He squinted. C.C…

Susie stood next to him, looking like she would intervene if Alabaster made a move to grab it.

"What's this certificate about?" he asked bluntly.

Susie took a glance at it, before sighing and facing him.

"This certificate is for passing through the academy. It teaches us magic and stuff. Where I learned everything."

"Hmm…" Alabaster mused, "And this… academy - who runs it?"

Susie looked at him pointedly, "You seem to know."

He nodded. "So it's Circe?"

"Yeah."

Alabaster gave this some thought.

Circe. A goddess of sorcery. Child of Helios and Hecate. And by virtue of that, his sister.

"Can you take me there?"

Susie nodded. "It will be nice to visit her again. Circe was an excellent teacher."

As always, review and leave your thoughts. Do you like Alabaster so far? All sorts of feedback is welcome.

I've also created my own Discord server, so if any of you are interested here's the link for the next week:

discord gg / FMGrch7E (Remove the spaces,)

I'll have the link updated in my profile in case you missed.