[David's Pov]
I'm sick of having amnesia.
It wasn't like I was any good at forgetting—just like most of the things I've tried apart from martial arts.
No, my brain had to torment me with snap cuts of my past life at the most random intervals with a throbbing headache as if saying, "Hey! Do you remember this happened? Because I sure don't!"
I wish I could ignore them.
That's how Cabin 5 dealt with most problems they come face to face. Either pretend it doesn't exist until it doesn't, or personally make sure it doesn't any longer.
The latter wasn't an apt option in this case, so I have been trying to give the flashing fragment of memories cold-shoulder.
But now, on top of my jumbled up remembrance, Skaw had to run away for next to no apparent reason. No valid reason, at least.
I remembered what Zoë told me beforehand; Dragons tend to be very territorial on their land, possessions, or human partners if they had one.
And I can put two and two together, despite what Annabeth might have you believe. No doubt she threw a tantrum because I got 'too friendly' with Toffy.
For those who aren't up to speed, Toffy is a temporary name I gave the Tofu lava Turtle, temporary since I didn't own him.
Beckendorf told us that the correct term for the species was Tophuchĕlys, but I'll never be able to spell that with my dyslexia.
Speaking of Beckendorf, he wasn't with me. Neither was Silena.
Because this happened some time before:
* * *
"This is idiotic," Silena spoke in the middle of our slow ride on Toffy's back, "I'm going to go look for Skaw."
She gave me a glare when I didn't say anything. I simply shrugged and said, "Suit yourself," which frustrated the Counselor #10 even more.
"Aren't you even worried for her?" She demanded.
I had to hold back my snort, "No."
Whether I was angry at her or not, I wouldn't worry for Skaw because she was alone. I'd more worry about whoever was unfortunate enough to run into an immature metal dragon in the middle of her temper.
But Silena must've taken my lack of enthusiasm as "Uncaring" and "Heartless". She muttered some French curse words—I could tell them they were cuss even if I didn't understand them—and jumped off Toffy's back.
I glance over my shoulder at Beckendorf and asked, "What are you going to do?"
"Um…"
Beckendorf looked very much uncomfortable stuck in between our conflict.
His hands kept playing with metal scraps as he looked between us, until he muttered "Sorry," and slid off Toffy's tail to join Silena.
* * *
So, yeah. I was alone aside from Toffy ever since.
I didn't have any problem.
This was my quest to begin with, and I'm used to being alone.
Most of the short memories I had, I was alone. I didn't have a family or a friend anywhere. If anything, the past month or so of Camp Half-Blood was the abnormality from my perspective.
Besides, I'm sure I can handle it alone; I've fought Atlas One-on-one, haven't I?
Yeah, I'm totally capable of handling situation on my own.
As I concluded my thought, the sigil of Cadmus my left palm itched. I ignored it and pulled out the silver leaf.
"Might as well practice this," I said to no one.
I tried playing a few tunes, but the note keys were generally unstable. Soon, Toffy grunted in irritation and I had to put away the leaf.
Without any interactive companion, the small trip through the Junkyard quickly became stale. My ADHD certainly didn't enjoy the stale travel either.
On the flip side, however, the quiet circumstance gave me more than enough time to think—and trust me, I had plenty of problems on my hands.
The most prominent issue I had, and the one that troubled me most, was my sister, Rose.
Ever since my mother diagnosed that someone did indeed mess with my head, the few things I remembered became untrustworthy.
That naturally left the worst moments of my life to be the only trustworthy part; when I was living under my stepdad Machete.
Rose was the only reason I've managed to hold on for as long as I did. From what I could gather, she at least thought of me fondly enough to look for me even after I smashed open her father's forehead.
I needed to find her.
Rose was the only link to the past I had left. And, what Mother said during our last moment together was bothering me as well.
"I haven't had a child with a sir-name Pamadala, and I've made sure that your foster family didn't have any godly influences."
Her words made me think that Rose wasn't a demigod—certainly not a daughter of Hecate. But she was very skilled in magic.
Rose's claim that my mother was an avatar created by Hecate turned out to be false as well, but she must have heard it from somewhere, right?
Making deductions was never my best ability, but I guessed someone was with her, feeding her dark thoughts and negative emotions.
And I didn't like it one bit.
If I could, I wanted to locate whoever it was and give them a piece of my mind.
But, frustratingly, ever since I left her behind at Niobe's castle, I couldn't find any clues on her whereabouts.
Not even Artemis had sent any news about it.
To be honest, these days, a sneaking suspension started to arise in myself; that the goddess might have had forgotten—or deliberately ignored my request for searching for my sister.
It wouldn't be the first time an immortal being went back on their promise.
...Either way, jf a huge war between gods and Titans was on its way, then I had to convince her back to our side, or at least, stay out of the matter at worst.
"Rrrr..."
Toffy suddenly stopped in his track. I was so occupied with my thoughts, I nearly slipped down the rocky forehead.
The forward path was excessively dark, even when considering it was possibly next to midnight.
Toffy growled again. His skin started to heat up. I jumpped down to his side and squinted into the darkness.
Something is there, my instincts whispered.
My hand automatically slipped into my pocket for my sword, until I remembered that I didn't have a weapon.
I swallowed a curse word and raised my hands. Not to be braggy about it, but some weeks with the Ares Cabin helped me figure out one of my given talents—fist fight.
When nothing happened, I slowly edged toward the unnatural darkness.
I held my right arm—the mechanical arm forward as I came closer and closer to the edge of the pitch blackness.
Then, something appeared in the middle of the void. A pair of purple orbs floating in the air, with a white upside-down arch with zig-zag marking over it.
I realized that the arch was a row of teeth a second too late.
The purple orbs, which were a pair of eyes, smirked as the jaw opened. A column of purple flame burst out from the open mouth.
I lunged sideways at the last second. The hem of my jacket caught the purple flame. The fire spread up in seconds, forcing me to thrust the jacket aside.
The shadow of eyes and teeth was no longer hidden in the darkness.
I frantically scanned the area. A monster that big couldn't hide in plane sight, right?
Then, the hair on my neck stood up.
"Toffy! Under you!"
Toffy the turtle growled and looked down. But before he could take any precautionary actions, the black jaw burst from the shadow beneath and clamped around his neck.
"No!"
I leaped to Toffy's aide. But even as I ran to the commotion, things weren't what they seemed to be.
The giant jaw seemed to have trouble chomping on Toffy's neck. Though blood dripped from the clampped fangs, Toffy looked more angry than injured.
"Rrragh!!!"
The lava turle let out a tremendous bellow. The volcano on his back exploded with fresh lava and melted the area.
One of the globs of lava hit the jaw, which yelped in pain and retreat back into the shadow.
I gagged from the sudden rush of extreme heat and the stench of melting metals as well, but still made my way to Toffy.
"How's your neck?" I asked.
Toffy growled and rotated his head from side to side, flexing his neck. The wounds were no deeper than a simple scratch, and were already healing up as I watched.
I turned my eyes back to the ally, now sizzling and dissolving into a puddle of hot goo.
"This takes me back," I muttered, recalling the last time I was here. "So you're still here after that event?"
Back then, Zoë and I had run into a certain character that was intimidating on first sight—only to get totally owned by the huntress.
"Are you picking on me just because we met before? Or was an arrow acupuncture to the head not enough of a wake-up call?"
From somewhere, I heard a low growl. I turned just in time to face the 15 feet tall black she-wolf lunging at me from the shadow on the wall.
The sight would've scared the most courageous bulls into a panic, but I already knew the limit of this particular monster.
I sidestepped the snapping jaw and quickly wrapped my metal arm around its closed maw.
The wolf snarled in surprised and struggled by violently shaking her head and clawing on my shoulder.
I gritted my teeth as one of the claws ripped across my flesh, but I only tightened the grip around the jaw.
Tck-Tck-Tck!
Out of the 5 enhancing gears the arm had, I cranked the dial up to 3.
The boosted strength of the arm squeezed the jowl so tight that it started to dig in to the flesh and make the bones crack.
A muffled howl of pain escaped between the tightly clasped jaw. Now the wolf wasn't trying to attack, insteading putting all of her might on pulling out her snout from my grip.
I fastened the clutch even harder and said, "I don't intend to kill you if you don't. We're going to have a truce. How about that?"
The wolf nodded as much as she could.
"Alright then," I grunted, "We both swear on the Styx s that we don't attack each other for now."
She nodded again. Thunder boomed from far away. I let the wolf go, and she instantly hobbled backward with her paws on her nose.
I traced over the deep cut over my shoulder. As much as it badly stung, it was nice that at least one of my arms were still capable of feeling pain.
The whimpering wolf glared at me through watery purple eyes.
"How's it been, Hecuba?" I asked with a smirk.
Hecuba the she-wolf growled.
"Last time we met," She snarled, "Your wreched hunter fired an arrow through my chin and out of the top of my head. And you have the gall to ask how I've been?!"
"Yeah, because you're the one that tried to kill us first," I replied, "And you're also back alive. Some of us aren't that lucky."
Hecuba huffed. Her glare made it clear that she would try and tear me to shread if not for the mutual oath on the Styx.
I, however, wasn't too worried by her hostility.
Maybe it was because I've seen Zoë mop the floor with her beforehand, or maybe it was because I managed to befriend most of the monsters I'd met during the quest.
Heck, if I made amend with Dr. Throne, I could certainly befriend a big bad wolf.
Toffy trudged next to us with a low growl. His scarlet eyes glared at the intruder with such intencity that I wondered if he could shoot heat vision out of his eyes.
Hecuba huffed in indignation, but her eyes wavered with fear under the burning gaze of the lava turtle.
I may now be bound by the Oath on the Styx, but Toffy was still fully capable and willing to melt the trespasser into a puddle of goo.
"It's alright, Toffy. She won't harm us for the time being," I pat him on the head.
Toffy rumbled his throat. It strangely felt like he was doubting if that's the right course of action, but he lifted the deathly glare anyway.
Meanwhile, Hecuba seemed aghast at the small interaction I just demonstrated.
"You tamed a Tophuchĕlys?" She asked.
"I wouldn't say tamed," I said, rubbing the side of Toffy's head, "We're friends."
"Friends?!"
Hecuba repeated the word as if I said something completely nonsensical. Her purple eyes were wide as dinner plates as she gaped in shock.
"Aren't you a demigod? A son of Ares, at that?" She demanded.
I nodded, "Yeah, why?"
The she-wolf huffed and paced around in circles. Toffy growled when she started to move again, but Hecuba was too flabbergasted that she didn't notice the snarl.
After a few minutes, she stopped pacing around and stared at me; with the hostility replaced by genuine curiosity.
"You are an odd...being, son of Ares," She said.
"Yeah, I get that alot," I climbed on Toffy's back, "My name is David, by the way."
"David..." Hecuba muttered. She figited with her front paws, "...Perhaps, may I join in whatever quest you are currently carrying out?"
"Why would you want to join?"
"I am a wolf, young demigod," Hecuba gracefully jumped on Toffy—much to the turtle's frustration, but she nestled on the spot to my right, "We don't like being left alone."
I pondered over the idea.
On the obvious hand, it was a very bad idea. Hecuba may be lacking in brute strength, but she was cunning enough to set up a trap in the Junkyard—and cruel enough to wield Zoë's past friends against her.
With the usual demigod luck, she would reveal that this was a trap in the next hour or two.
On the other hand, however, I could use a company. Besides, the Oath on the Styx made it impossible for us ti harm each other. That's a binding contract if I've ever seen one.
"...Yeah, alright," I said with a shrug.
Hecuba smiled and buried her head under her front paws.
Toffy grumbled some more, being the logicak one between the two of us, but he shifted his foot and trudged onward again.
[Line Break]
[3rd Person's Pov]
Beckendorf met his father, Hephaestus only once in his lifetime.
It was during one of the rare occasions when a few camp members were allowed to enter Olympus during a solstice. He exactly remembered how their interaction went.
"H, Hello, father."
"…You're my son?"
"Yes, my name is Beckendorf."
The forge god stayed silent for excruciating seconds, then snatched the palm-sized radio he had been working on for weeks.
The god improved the sound quality and the bandwidth of the radio in seconds, tossed him the machine back and walked away.
Beckendorf never saw him ever again.
Frankly speaking, he wasn't sure if he wanted to after that interaction. Clearly, Hephaestus didn't think too much of his skills as a blacksmith, and that seemed to label him worthless in the god's view.
He had tried to dissect the radio, to at least use that as a leverage to improve his ability, then perhaps he would earn some acknowledgement from the anti-organic/social god.
However, he was too afraid to put the radio apart.
What if he broke it, fail to understand the internal structure, and lose everything? The radio was literally the one thing he received from his father. He didn't want to destroy it without any gains.
Beckendorf ran his fingers over the exact radio in his pocket.
Added with the dream he had been having for days, he had wished the trip to the Junkyard might give him the breakthrough he needed.
Currently, all it led was the one thing he dreaded above all else: Emotional conflict.
It was hardly a surprise to anyone that most of the Hephaestus Cabin—if not all—were bad at socializing.
They preferred working in forges, which required a long time in solitary. The simple fact that there were more hammering than talking in the large cabin was proof enough.
It came with Pros and Cons of their own, but one of the downside was that most of them were clueless on what to do when there was an argument.
Beckendorf, even though he was the most open member in his Cabin, had little to no idea on how to resolve a conflict between people.
One of said people being his crush, Silena Beauregard only made the situation worse.
He walked half a step behind from her, his hammer out in case of an surprise attack from a rouge automaton or the mysterious thief. Either situation he welcomed with open arms.
Anything that would distract Silena from fuming over what a stubborn child David was, he'd accept.
Meanwhile, Silena was stomping through the Junkyard more aggressively than ever.
Contrary to many camper's belief, Silena wasn't simply an all-caring, benevolent figure. At the least, Silena herself believed that she wasn't.
Normally, a child of Aphrodite had deeper wants and needs than other demigods, which was the prime reason why most of her cabinmates were considered as nuisance around the Camp.
Silena shined above her step-siblings because she knew how to keep her urges under control.
She didn't Charmspeak people to be quiet, she learned how to control a crowd with only her tongue.
She didn't avoid any hard tasks heading her way, instead taking them head on, whatever may they be.
The Stable duties was one of many, and it was how she gained attention and soon, built friendship with one of the most belligerant figures in Camp Half-Blood—Clarisse La Rue.
'Ah, yes. Such an achievement.' Her inner-self sneered, 'But where did all those efforts led to?'
Silena winced. Her fingers clasped the hidden necklace burried under her shirt.
The silver scythe felt heavier, pressing down on her chest, reminding the daughter of Aphrodite of where she swore her loyalty.
'No,' Silena shook her head, 'I didn't—I'd never betray my friends. I'm saving them. It'll make sense in the long run.'
Silena waited for her inner voice to retort. However, she either managed to convice it or made it gave up—neither option lifted her mood.
She was caught deep in the quarrel between self-loathing and self-excuses untill someone suddenly yanked her to the side.
When she blinked, Beckendorf was suddenly an inch away from her face with a serious expression.
Heat rushed up to her cheeks as Silena stammered, "W-what—"
But Beckendorf pressed a thick finger against his lips, not even daring to make a small 'Shh!' for indication.
Then, Silena caught a voice comming from the other side of the junk wall.
"And you don't have any idea where the wolf may be?" The voice asked.
It was soft and welcoming, like a bed made out of finest silk that made one giddy simply by lying on it.
Silena sighed in ecstasy. She nearly answered loudly that she hadn't seen any wolf like creature in the Junkyard.
Fortunately, she managed to stop herself before she blew their cover. Her expression scrunched up into a scowl as soon as she made out what the voice was.
"He's using Charmspeak," She mouthed to Beckendorf. He nodded with a strick expression, holding his hammer with one hand.
As Silena drew her blade as well, she noted that Beckendorf seemed to be less affected by the persuasive tongue than she was.
Back at Camp, some of her siblings mocked Cabin 9 for being dense as the metal they were forging; They couldn't pick up a signal of love if one was waving under their nose. Silena wondered if that was truely because they were slow in the relationship department.
From the other side, a series of clankings came as an answer.
When Silena tilted her head in confusion, Beckendorf silently explained that the man was talking to automatons, which was an impressove feat.
"I see, you don't know," The voice sounded crestfallen.
Even though their was no charmspeak in it, Silena has to surpress the sudden urge to jump out and comfort the man.
Her thought was inturupted by a small sound of metal scraping against metal—a sword getting unsheathed from its scabbard.
Then with a swift slicing noise, a machine let out a shirek, and something rolled onto the ground.
"And for those from the other side," The voice continued.
By the time Silena understood what he said, it was too late. The wall of junk sliced open with ease, and the swordsman from the otherside stepped in between the two demigods.
"I bid you hello," He said with a heart-melting smile.
[Line Break]
Silena was used to seeing handsome boys.
She wasn't prepared for this.
For a split second, she wondered if Eros was present for whatever reason, because the man looked exactly like her dream-man.
Tall, handsome, broad shoulders, shinning white teeth and just the exact amount of tan—the entire package murged into a perfect sculpture.
The man smiled as soon as his eyes landed on Silena.
He reached out and took her right hand, slipping the dagger to the ground with ease and pressed his lips against the back of her hand.
"Bonsoir, ma dame,(Good evening, madam)" He spoke in French.
Silena made a small squeaking noise—her best shot of answering, "Yes, Good evening. How are you?"
But then, she violently shook herself. Silena snatched her hand away and hurridly picked up the dagger.
"Who are you, and why are you here?" She said, hoping that her tone was demanding enough.
The man's smile didn't waver even for a second. On the contrary, his smile seemed to grow slighlty, as if he found Silena's sudden swtich in atitude quite adorable.
His expression soured when he turned and found Beckendorf with his hammer held high.
"I'll ask the same question she had," Beckendorf gestured to Silena, who felt guilt swelling in her chest. How could she get distracted by someone else when Charile was right next to her?
The man didn't bother to filter his distaste as he looked up and down Beckendorf.
"Détestable, fils de flamme,(Detestable, Son of Flame)" He spat, "Votre existence sur terre est un péché!(Your exsistence is a sin on the earth!)"
"Hey!" Silena protested.
Beckendorf furrowed his brow further, thought it was more out of confusion than anger, "What did he say?"
"He said your exsistence is a sin on earth!" Silena fummed, now holding her dagger at heart-level.
To her irritation, Beckendord was unfazed by the man'a insult.
He leveled his hammer and asked in a calm voice, "We're yet to get answers from our questions. If you're not going to answer, we can't let you go.
This is a Junkyard sacred to Hephaestus, God of the Forges. One doesn't simply walk in here by mistake."
The man spat at the front of his foot, then turned back to Silena.
His expression softened as soon as his gaze landed on Silena.
"Ma princesse(My princess), surely you wouldn't be a part of this...vile being," He waved his hand over his shoulder to Beckendorf.
However, his lustrous charms no longer had effect on her. She spat next to the man's foot.
"Great, you can speak English," She said, "Explain yourself before it gets too late."
For a split moment, thee man's expression turned into a snarl. Silena caught the subtle change before he switched back into his basic graceful face.
"Very well," He agreed, "My name is Travenon, Son of Venus."
"You mean Aphrodite," Silena pointed out. She also swallowed the disgusting realization that she swooned over her sibling.
Travenon shrugged, "Same difference. But more importantly, I am a proud member of [Ageli Lykon]—servants of Orion. A Carnifex(Butcher), to be exact."
Beckendorf's frown deepened, "Orion? Like the Hunter from the Myths?"
Travenon ignored his question and continued, "I am here in seeking of one of the other members of the hunting circle.
Her name is Hecuba. She is a tall black wolf and we are all, very worried about her whereabouts. So there would be no reason for us to fight, yes?"
He offered his hand to Silena, who didn't take it for obvious reasons. She edged around her new sibling and joined Beckendorf.
"What do you think?" She asked out of the corner of her lips, her eyes still wary of the newcommer.
Beckendorf shrugged, "I don't know...It doesn't seem like he is lying as far as I could tell."
Silena nodded. She was apt in telling who is speaking the truth and who's not, and she can confirm that, at the very least, this greasy attitude sibling of hers was not deceiving them.
"Excuse me," Travenon called, "Now that I've explained who I am and what I'm here for, the least I can get is the same from the two of you?"
Silena and Beckendorf shared glances with each other. They didn't trust the man enough to spill the beans of there quest, but it felt like he had a valid point.
Only much later did Silena realize, he had used Charmspeak in a more subtle sense; making it harder to detect and resist.
"My name is Silena Beauregard, daughter of Aphrodite. He is Charles Beckendorf, son of Hephaestus.
We're here to find a thief that has infiltrated the Junkyard and smuggled out materials."
"Lies." Travenon said.
Silena flinched, "What?"
The Son of Venus smiled again. However, this time, instead of swaying her over, it sent a cold shiver down Silena's spine.
"Both of you," Travenon pointed between the two demigods with his sword, "You're both here for different reasons. I told my story without any lies, so I would appreciate if the favor was returned."
Silence fell between the three demigods. Travenon waited with his sword still drawn, waiting patiently his
And finally, Beckendorf opened his mouth.
"...I'm here in hopes of finding a breakthrough that would impress my father," He said.
Travenon nodded, showing a smile at him for the first time, "Very understandable."
He turned to Silena, "And how about you?"
Silena tenced. Her lips twitched from the effort to keep herself from exposing everything in front Charlie.
The silver cresent shaped ornament seemed to seize around her neck.
"I..." Her voice trembled slightly, "I'm here to look for a sentient metal dragon."
Travenon's eyes flashed with excitment, "A sentient metal dragon, you say? Mes dieux(My gods), this is a much more exciting encounter than I'd assumed!"
Then, the gentle swordsman sheethed his sword and bowed at both Silena and Beckendorf.
"I would be honored to accompany with your quest."
"Why would we agree to that offer?" Silena demanded. She didn't bother hiding her disgust, yet the Son of Venus replied with a certain grin on his face.
"Trust me, la demoiselle; It would be wiser to make friends rather than enemies on this ground."
The swordsman pointed at the thick wall of junk he had sliced opened like cheeze. It was simultaniously a proof to his abilites, and a nonverbal threat to how tough of a foe he'd be.
"He has a point," Beckendorf muttered.
"Charlie, he called you a "Sin on earth" as an introduction," Silena pointed out.
The Son of Hephaestus considered the point for a moment.
"I'm fine with it," He decided with a shrug, "It's not the worst insult I've heard."
Silena frowned and opened her mouth to retort, only to realize that she knew nothing about his family or his backgrounds.
"But if he makes you too uncomfortable, it won't be an optimal choice either."
Silena grunted while looking over the newcommer—her supposed half-sibling, who was also the aggregation of everything she disliked about her godly parentage.
"...Fine," She finally spat, "But this is very temporary."
"Certainly," Travenon agreed, which didn't make Silena feel any better.
Nontheless, the trio continued to hike through the Junkyard.
Hey, so it has been like...a month? Month and a one or two weeks?
It feels like this was my longs hiatus since forever. Sorry about that.
There are multiple reasons for this, mostly connected with my family issues and Univercity, which is subjects I'd rather not get too personal on a public site.
There is also the fact that I had to alter this storyline a lot, and it became more bigger an intricate than I bargained for.
I had to scrap 2-3 full on chapters I've written because none of them flowed like I wanted to.
I'm worried on how this chapter is going to turn out, especially because I'm worried that during the month old blank, I've lost touch on my writing abilities.
But hey, at least I'm back writing; which is one of my favorite ways to cope, no joke.
And thank you for everyone who popped in through the long, long wait. It means a lot.
I hope you all had a fun time reading, and I'll see you all in the next chapter; hopefully sooner than later.
Ta ta~