What's up. Hope you all enjoyed the last chapter. I want to specifically respond to MountainBookSage's review on here.
"Yo damn, Was this weekly? Seems fast for me
Also
Harper really needs some power up now
She's the only one who doesn't have something powerful like the other members except for her tenacity and other great traits
And I can see why you say this would be one of your favorite chapters
Not like the Matt punching big Ouranous
but still
Hoping for more"
First of all, thanks for the review man, I really appreciate the constant support. Anyway, to answer some of your thoughts, Yes, the chapter came out pretty quick. The reason for that is, I am currently busy with college work and a job in general, that means I don't have as much free time as I did when writing Book One. So whenever I have free time, I write this story. That doesn't mean that I'm rushing anything, it just means that the chapters will be out quicker, because I'm focusing more time into them, if that makes sense. I never had a schedule for this stuff lol, I just post it once I finish rereading and editing it. Now about Harper, you're not the only one that has thought of a power up for her. Or at least a way for her to get stronger. Believe me, I have plans for that, keep reading. And I'm glad you liked the chapter. I agree that Matt vs Ouranos in Chapter 19 is probably the best chapter of the story so far. Anyway, hope you like this one.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters (except the OC's) Percy Jackson & The Olympians, Heroes of Olympus, or Trials Of Apollo. All of that belongs to Rick Riordan.
Now then, on with the twenty first chapter.
21. My Parents Reunite...In My Dreams
Matt
Bad dreams.
We all have them. For some, it's about falling, for others, it's about some creepy monster trying to eat them, and for a select few, it's even about just taking a test in school.
My bad dreams consist of a god trying to make me kill my friends.
It's no secret by now that I messed up big time using Viribus to heal my wound. Ouranos has been near constantly calling to me, sometimes subtle, like an annoying fly buzzing by your face, but other times, he's been full on relentless, practically screaming at me to murder everyone I care about, to destroy the human race for him. And I'm not gonna hide it, it's very tempting. Not because I want to obviously, but because...well, I can't really explain it. It's like an addiction I never knew I had, an itch I've never noticed before. It's like a force is pulling on me to do something I shouldn't.
"Kill them..." It would hiss.
Shut up, I would reply.
And it did, for now. As long as I could ward it off for a couple of hours, I was good. With my stamina, I can run on that kind of sleep for a while, but eventually, I'll need to play catch up with my snoozing. Super powerful demigod or not, you gotta get some shut eye.
After the...awkward moment with Harper, I decided to hide my embarrassment and hit the hay. I was annoyed that Talon's snoring interrupted our moment, but at the same time, I gotta be honest, I felt relieved. Only because things are still murky between us, and I'm just not sure where we stand relationship wise. We needed to talk about things before we continue what started on that beach last year.
I was laying with my back to the group, on the far right corner of the saddle. Talon was on his side next to me, a cowboy hat he must have crafted covering his face. Malachi and Sera were next to him, both of them so tangled up and tight together that it offered more space, but I doubt that was their intention. A few feet away from them, on the opposite corner, was my father, he had his arms crossed and head tilted down, only leaning slightly back against the leather brim. It looked like an uncomfortable sleeping position, but I guess he's fine.
Lastly, Harper was in front of all of us, on the front side of the saddle, on Kyros's shoulders. Or...wing blades? I don't know what to call them. She was curled up on her side like a feline, all black clothes that would've hid her sight had it been night time. I could barely see her face from here with my head tilted up. It appeared she was already fast asleep, her mouth was half open, and her eyes were shut tight. She looked so cute, laying there. I wanted nothing more than to go over and lay beside her, maybe wrap my arms around her, but that's not gonna happen. Like I said...murky.
I laid my head back down and closed my eyes, feeling the weightlessness start to overtake me, I fell to sleep.
For a while, I only heard the sound of the wind, still aware of everything around me. But after I don't know, maybe an hour or two, I drifted off, and found myself in a vision.
I was back at Eliza's house, and it was night time. Everything wasn't the way I remembered it though, because just about all of it was lit aflame.
The big house her family lived in was shattered. Wood laid everywhere on the surrounding ground, most of them charred black and split. Where the house once stood was an enormous bonfire like flame, reaching probably twenty feet high, lighting up the night. The barns behind the house were destroyed too, but there was no fire, like it had been put out several minutes ago. I looked around and saw a horrible sight. All of the animals that had occupied the farm had been killed. I'm talking a lot. I remember vividly Eliza showing me all of the animals that lived there, including probably a couple hundred cows, a dozen horses, a truckload of chickens, pigs, goats, and a variety of other creatures.
Every single one of them had been slaughtered. I looked at the ground, and saw it caked in a thick, dark red substance, like slime oozing on the ground. The golden wheat that sat close by was on fire, so it illuminated what soil I could see. But there was no soil, only a lake of blood, the animal blood.
I was horrified. Personally, I've never owned any pets, but I still like animals, and seeing them all gone from Eliza's and seeing the ground covered in blood did not sit well with me. It made my stomach turn. What kind of sick people would do this?
Was Eliza and her family okay?
That was the big question, because if they had been killed too, I would make it my mission to hunt this person down.
"That's the last one, brother. Think they're gettin' the message?" A deep voice said from the fire.
"Not sure, brother. If this doesn't make em talk, then I spose' nothing will." Another voice said.
At first I was a little confused, and unable to identify the voices, but when I saw two silhouettes emerging from the giant flame, one with a giant hammer on his back, and the other an axe on his waist, I knew exactly who these guys were. Bjorn and Boris, the Sons of Thor.
They stepped fully out of orange pillar now, not harmed in the slightest. Bjorn was carrying a full grown dead cow on his back, it was nearly burnt, and looked like it had been cooked in the fire. I noticed some chunks of it's body were missing.
Bjorn reached up and pulled another large handful of meat from the poor cow and handed half of it to his brother. They gnawed and chewed, smirking.
Boris nodded, "Not bad for a mortal cow. A bit tough though, don't ya think, Bjorn?"
Bjorn swallowed and grunted, "Don't be a pussy. Tough meat is the best kind, just like tough people."
If I could attack them in this vision, I would. These bastards had done this to Eliza's farm, killed all the animals, and were still making jokes? It made my blood boil, how these guys could be so nonchalant about murder.
Oh gods, Eliza...her parents...
Where were they? Had they killed them too?
No, I told myself, No, there's no way.
If they were dead, I don't think I could ever forgive myself. They followed me, and came to the place I was at last, expecting me to be there. Only I wasn't, but now...I kind of wish I was, so I could bash their faces in.
I looked around desperately for Eliza and her parents, but found nothing. Panic was welling up inside of me every moment that went by.
Bjorn looked like he had his fill and threw the cow several feet to the side like it was a piece of trash. The big boy hadn't changed at all. He still had short blond hair, a stocky, but muscular frame, and several tattoos. I saw one of a compass on his chest, a demonic looking goat with flames and lightning behind it on his right arm, a diamond shape with some script inside of it on the opposite arm, and a few others. On his lower half, he wore navy fatigues, which were rather ratty looking, like he had been in a fight recently. Strapped to his back, yep, was the sledgehammer that probably weighed as much as me.
Boris was different, of course. He had choppy, medium length red hair, making him look like a British punk that you would see in mosh pits sticking their tongues out. Unlike his shirtless brother, he wore a fur cloak on his back, some of it covering his shoulders on both sides. It came all the way down to his knees, and seemed to be held together by rope. He had even more tattoos than his brother. One of his arms was covered with them, making it look like a sleeve of unrecognizable ink. On his other arm, was a simple flame design, curling up from his elbow to his chest. There were a few smaller ones, but strikingly, he also had two on his neck and face. On the neck, was a series of what I guessed to be Norse letters, or some kind of language. I had no idea what it said, but it probably wasn't pleasant. And on his face, around his eye, was a tribal war design. A straight line of blue, making it look like a colorful scar. He too wore ratty fatigues, and also a strap, holding his axe.
The two brothers smirked at each other and unsheathed their weapons. They started stalking the area.
"Come on out, mortals!" Boris called out.
Bjorn smiled wickedly, like he was enjoying a hunting trip. "We wouldn't have burned your possessions or killed your animals if you had just talked to us! All we want to know is the location of Matthias Beckett!"
My stomach twisted at the confirmation. They knew I had been here. How, I have no idea, but they knew, and they wouldn't stop until they found out where I was now.
The brothers started shooting lightning from their hands, incinerating more of the area, trying to hit where they thought Eliza and her parents might be.
Just then, I saw a rustle in the cornstalks, about two hundred feet away from the brothers. The crop was unharmed, in fact, it was one of the only spots that they had missed.
I willed myself to go over to the spot and see what was inside. My consciousness seemed to float over slowly, and when I peered around the corner, my body filled with relief. Eliza, and both of her parents were hiding among the corn, using it's tall green leaves as cover. They were okay, thank the gods, except for Mr. Shaw, he had a bit of dried blood on his forehead, but that's far better than dead.
Eliza was peeking through the side, watching Bjorn and Boris destroy every aspect of her home, and having the time of their lives. She didn't look fearful though, or even angry, instead she looked like she was trying to determine when they would be distracted enough so that they could escape. I was impressed at her mental fortitude, especially at a time like this.
Her parents on the other hand, weren't so calm.
"Just who was that boy?!" Her father whispered yelled, "Why do these men want him?"
Her mother's eyes were wide, "Was he a criminal, Eliza?"
Eliza rolled her eyes and turned to them, "No! And what if he was? You think these guys are cops? Look at them!"
Mr. Shaw peeked around the corner in fright. I wasn't sure what he saw due to the mist, but I doubt it was welcoming. "I know! But who are they?! And why are they looking for the boy?"
Eliza threw her hands up impatiently, "I don't know! But we need to get out of here!"
She peered back and saw that the brothers were facing them, still causing chaos and burning everything around them, but they hadn't seemed to notice the three mortals yet. I couldn't intervene, as badly as I wanted to. All I could do was watch and pray that they get out safely.
"Listen, when those guys turn back around, we're gonna go for it, okay?" Eliza said.
Her parents nodded. Eliza pulled some loose red hair behind her, and watched the brother's movements carefully. They stayed in the same direction for a few moments, and then finally, turned around so their back was facing them.
"Go, now!" Eliza ordered. She and her parents stood up and made a run for it, staying in the corn to hide themselves. My vision lingered on them for another minute or so, and they eventually put a good distance between them and the brother's, making it to the highway in no time. Meanwhile, Bjorn and Boris hadn't noticed a thing. They were still shooting bolts and shouting for the mortals to show themselves. At least they weren't too smart to actually look around.
The image faded and my vision shifted to something else. I was on a snowy mountain ledge, so high up that I could see clouds surrounding me, like fog.
I was looking up at another rock platform, jutting out from the peak of the mountain. On that platform, at the very edge stood a figure in a dark cloak, overlooking the wide landscape. At the top of the cloak, where the hood would've been, I could see white skin and red hair.
It was Sigurd.
As soon as I recognized it was him, I seemed to float up and meet him in the face. He had a somewhat impatient look about him right now, and he stood with his hands behind his back, like he was waiting to greet someone. I willed myself to turn and see what he was looking at.
It was a different spot than where we met. Instead of several mountains occupying the space, there was a large body of water, like an ocean. It got smaller and more narrow as it approached the bottom of the mountain Sigurd stood on. And where it met it's end, I could've swore I saw a dock.
Wait a second...
It didn't take me long to put two and two together. Right now, we were traveling to Maine to get on a boat that'll supposedly take us to Camp Asgard. Could that dock down there be where the boat stops?
"Where are you, Matt?" Sigurd said quietly, a furrow in his brow. "We're running out of time."
I wanted to try and say something. Maybe if I could get his attention somehow, he would notice that I was having a vision about him and use his Odin powers to talk to me. But as soon as I started to open my mouth, another voice called to me.
Matthias...
No.
Wake up...
No, you don't tell me what to do.
There was a silence, and all was well for a few seconds. Then my ears were nearly destroyed by a loud booming shout.
WAKE UP! It screamed, and my eyes shot open, greeted with not Sigurd, but the evening sky.
I breathed heavily and looked around. Everyone was still asleep. I had no idea how much time had passed, or how much closer we were to Maine. Kyros didn't seem tired, but then again, he rarely gets tired, so that's not much of a gauge.
I calmed myself and leaned back on the saddle, any sleepiness I had gone from me now.
Just what was that? I mean, I understood vision number one, Bjorn and Boris wanted to kill me, so they tried to question the mortals I stayed with, only for the mortals to escape, thankfully. But the second one of Sigurd...what did he mean by we're running out of time? Is Ouranos going to attack or something? Or is he just that impatient.
No, it's not that. I've never even met this guy, but I can already tell he's patient. Something's going to happen, and he's worried about it. He wants us to hurry up so we can help with it.
I had played a million different scenarios in my head about arriving at Camp Asgard. I know thinking of scenarios is more of an Annabeth thing, but she's not here, and let's be honest, without her...we're just a bunch of brutes. I mean, my father's a god, so you'd think he'd be pretty smart, and yeah he's got experience, but he was also a hero at one point, and not a very smart one.
Then of course you've got Talon, which...we won't even get into that. The dude is a walking definition of strike first, think later.
Malachi was very smart when it came to fighting or anything combat related. I could sense in his immense aura the years of training he undertook from Ouranos, and just how knowledgeable he was about his powers, how to use them properly, and various techniques. But that's about all he's got in the intelligence department, no offense. Same with Sera. The both of them just weren't raised in the right conditions to be considered geniuses. And hey, I'm right there with them. I've become very smart fighting wise, and I know a few things, I have common sense, but...that's about it. I don't read books, I don't study for fun, and at school, before I got to Camp, I was making mostly C's and B's.
Now Harper...just might be the smartest among us. I don't know, honestly. But compared to the rest of us, she actually uses her head.
I got sidetracked. Anyway, I've thought about different scenarios when we arrive at the Norse Camp, and some of them are good, others...can be worse.
It's not like I don't trust Sigurd, but there's always that doubt of something, you know? We're going to another part of the world completely, in a demigod Camp completely foreign to ours, filled with people that can easily outnumber us. It just didn't sound good on paper. The big thing it had going for it though, was the fact that Sigurd banished the Sons of Thor. That wasn't a lie either. I could tell by the genuine reaction from the pair of siblings when Ouranos was taunting them.
That meant he didn't like them. What they had done to get banished, I'm not sure. But that also brought up another thought. The fact they had been there in the first place, as...Campers, or Vikings, or whatever you call Norse demigods. The fact was, that Bjorn and Boris had resided there for a while, and probably fought alongside Sigurd at one point. The way Sigurd said "I do" when I asked if he knew the brothers, told it all. There was a history there.
I sighed, wanting to talk about this to someone. Anyone, really. It didn't have to be Harper, I was comfortable with revealing my worries to everyone. We'd already been through too much to play secrets at this point.
I looked at Harper again. She was on her other side now, facing away from me, still asleep. I didn't want to wake her up, I knew she needed the rest. Everybody here did.
But my father...well, he's a god, so does he really need to sleep?
I thought about it for a few minutes, and ultimately decided that this couldn't wait. I needed to get my worries in the air now. With my mind decided, I pushed myself up to walk over to him.
Only to immediately fall on one knee.
It was completely autonomous, I had no control over my body when I stood up. I felt the blood in my body start to rush to my brain, filling it and putting pressure in my muscles. The pain was intense, and I had to keep my hand on the saddle floor to balance myself.
What is this? I thought.
It started to get worse. My chest and rib cage area started throbbing, like what happens to runners in marathons after they sprint for a few miles. My nervous system felt like it had been swarmed with needles, poking and prickling each vein and artery. My hands went numb, and I tried to squeeze them to get some feeling back, but nothing worked.
"G-Guys" I called weakly, too weak for anyone to hear me. My vision was getting weird, and I was only starting to see red. Not like the expression when someone's angry, but the literal color red. My father and my friends turned a shade of red, and even the blue sky along with them. I did a quick three sixty, and sure enough, every other part of the world was red.
I shook my head and blinked profusely, but nothing budged. My ears rang, and there was a constant sound, like hissing, or hollow screams from ghosts. I know that sounds really out there, even for me, but that's the truth. Something seemed to keep moaning, with not a voice, but a loud exhale. It never stopped, and it was driving me crazy.
"Give in, Matthias..."
I gritted my teeth, "Not you again" I said. It was Ouranos. He was doing this to me, trying to force me into his will.
"Why do you resist?" He said. "You know I'll just keep coming, stronger and stronger. It is futile to fight me."
I could feel my very soul seep away, my identity, what made me who I was, it was fading, and the world around me was turning darker shades of red by the second. I was losing against Ouranos. This time, he would get a hold of me.
I opened my mouth to speak, to warn the others of what was about to happen, but only a raspy croak came out, drowned by the sound of wind.
"Yes" Ouranos said happily, "Soon I will have control, and I will have your power!"
I reached out with my hand, but it was no use. A force came over my muscles and pulled it down. My vision grew darker and darker, until it became completely black. I was blind for a few seconds, then like a light switch, it came back on, and everything was back to normal. The sky wasn't red, my friends weren't red, and I wasn't in pain.
I tried to move my arm, and it did, like normal. But there was something different about me right now, something off about the way I felt. I had control of my body, but only somewhat. It was like someone was pulling invisible strings attached to my limbs. I felt...like a puppet.
"You are a puppet" Ouranos chuckled, "Don't you see? You lost, and I have control. Now, stand up."
My body immediately stood up for me. I hadn't initiated that movement. I mean, I did, but I also didn't at the same time, if that makes sense. I still felt everything, and I did have to use force to stand up, like anybody else. But...It seemed I was compelled to do it. Ouranos gave the orders, and I obeyed, without choice.
Oh gods...
Ouranos, stop! I said in my head.
He only laughed, "What's the matter, Matthias? Have you been caught in my web? Well, you can't blame me, after all, you did this to yourself by using the club. Now, walk over to my son, Malachi. I want to see his face."
My body obeyed, and I walked over to where Malachi was. He was sound asleep, Sera on his chest, arms wrapped around each other.
Ouranos made a disgusted sound, "Sickening. He was meant to be so much greater, but look at him! It's a disgrace."
Ouranos...don't do this. I said, Just let me go, okay? Don't be a coward and use me to do your dirty work.
"Coward? I am not a coward. I would simply rather kill all of you without having to lift a finger than actually face you worms in combat. You are beneath me, Matthias." His amused tone turned to a demanding one, "Now then, I want you to kill Malachi."
My fingers interlocked and my arms raised above my head against my will. I wanted to scream at myself to stop, or somehow wake someone up so they could punch me in the face, but nothing worked. I had no influence over my body, it was now a machine to Ouranos.
Malachi mumbled below me, and my attack faltered for a second. Ouranos hadn't expected this.
Malachi opened his eyes groggily, "Matt?"
Ouranos growled, "Kill him!"
My fists clenched and I brought them down towards Malachi's head. My inner thoughts screaming for them to stop, but they didn't. They got inches away from his head before he realized what was going on and came to his senses.
"Whoa!" He shouted, now fully awake. He used both of his forearms to block my attack. A shockwave blew everywhere, forcing everyone that was still asleep back a few feet.
We struggled for several seconds, my arms straining against his, our bones grinding together.
"What's going on?!" I heard Sera shout from below.
"Matt, what the hell are you doing?!" Talon said incredulously.
I didn't hear Harper's reaction, but I knew she was awake. She was probably staring at me in horror. The thought made my heart sink.
My father was up too. The shockwave startling him out of his sleep. "Matt, snap out of it!" He said, and grabbed my shoulder.
But that triggered something within my body. As soon as his hand clamped on my skin, I released my clash with Malachi and crossed him right in the face with my fist. My father wasn't expecting it at all, and had his guard down. The punch sent his head to the side in recoil, he stumbled and flew off of Kyros, tumbling over the saddle.
I wanted to yell after him, to help him and tell him that this wasn't me. But I couldn't. I couldn't do anything but watch as I hurt my friends.
Malachi shoved me in the chest, hard. I skidded back on my heels and hit the corner of the saddle. Kyros cawed loudly after my father, but kept flying, knowing that his number one mission was to get us to Maine.
Ouranos chuckled in the back of my head at the situation, loving it. I pushed myself off of the saddle and stood up, all of them facing me now, worry and uneasiness on their faces.
Especially Harper's. I don't think she even processed that I had attacked Malachi first, but she had seen me punch my father, and now she had a horrified look on her face. She looked at me in fear like I was some wild beast, something that was going to attack her. And the awful truth was...I might. It wasn't in my control.
"Matt..." She said, her voice light, "What's wrong?"
"His face." Sera said, her hands over her mouth, "Oh my..."
I reached up and felt the black veins all over my face, identifying what she was talking about. I knew what it looked like in the mirror, and it was downright disturbing.
"Nothing's wrong." I said, in Ouranos's voice. It was so much different from my own, where mine was somewhat deep and usually pretty calm, his was like a pipe bust, hissing and loud when needed to be. "In fact, everything will be okay once I kill you."
Harper's eyes widened, "W-What?"
Malachi stepped closer and raised a calming hand, "Matt, why are you doing this? Why did you say that?"
Talon gripped his revolver on his holster, "You're freaking us out, dude. Are you having PTSD or something?"
I laughed in Ouranos's laugh, "You fools! You should be attacking me if you know what's good for you!"
Malachi's face darkened with realization, "That is...Ouranos's voice. Oh no, this is impossibly bad."
"What?!" Harper yelled, "What's wrong with him?!"
Talon knew it to, "He's been possessed."
Harper looked like she had seen a ghost. Her face went insanely pale and sickly. She turned to me with sad eyes, eyes that just about broke me completely.
"Oh gods, Matt." She said, her voice breaking. "Listen...you can beat this, you can beat him. Just listen to the sound of my voice." She tried to step closer to me, but Sera grabbed her shoulder.
"Be careful, Harper." She warned.
I sneered, "Yes, be careful, girl. Touch me if you dare, it will be the last thing you do."
Talon looked helplessly at Malachi, "What the hell do we do to fix him?"
Malachi didn't answer, he just kept his stare at me, but his hand fell slowly to his side.
Harper, still being held back by Sera, looked like she was going to cry. "How do we fix him?!" She shouted at Malachi, demanding an answer.
Malachi raised his head and looked at me, a certain fire in his eyes. A part of my head, the part that Ouranos was in, registered this as hostile. He had seen this look before from his son.
The Demi Primordial tightened his lips, "The only way to get Ouranos out...is by force."
Quicker than I could register, Malachi disappeared from view with a blue flash and reappeared at my stomach. A huge force then slammed into me, and knocked me off the saddle, into the open sky.
Malachi was below me, the source of the tackle.
While I was hating every minute of this, Ouranos was having the time of his life.
He laughed with pleasure. "Now this should be fun..."
Malachi and I tumbled through the sky.
The Demi Primordial on top of me now, his knees planted in my chest. He raised his hands towards the now forming gray clouds above, and summoned a bright bolt of lightning. It connected with his hand, and he thrust it to my chest, instantly knocking me back hundreds of feet, now away from him.
Ouranos could've deflected that, but he didn't. He was actually enjoyed getting attacked.
He laughed maniacally with my mouth, "Now that's how it's done! My son has gotten even stronger!"
As soon as he said that, I crashed through a large green hill, uprooting dirt and tunneling through like dig dug. I came out on the other side and landed hard in a rapid running river. The water hit me like a dump truck.
It washed over me just enough to soak me, hair and all. I pushed myself up and pushed heavy locks of it from my face. Malachi shot down from the sky and landed several meters in front of me. The entrance was incredible. He came down in a bolt of lightning, and cracked the pebbled earth beneath him. His eyes read danger as they glared at me, his fists were clenched and ready. He was truly looking like his old self.
Besides the impending situation, the spot I had crashed was actually breathtaking. We stood beside a wide river, flowing fast and moving in a snake's shape, the sound of rushing water filled my ears. About fifty feet of pebbled ground and rock sat on either side of it. That was where we stood. And beyond that, there were large hills with trees all around us, hiding us from view. It was like Yosemite Park or something, it was quite the nature scene, aside from the storm clouds.
Malachi shouted at me, "Ouranos! Leave Matt's body at once!"
I smirked smugly against my will, "What's the matter son? Not even going to call me father anymore? It's Ouranos now? What happened to you? You used to be so loyal."
Malachi's face contorted with anger, "That was before I found out the truth! That you killed mom!"
I laughed, "That puny mortal? She was a means to an end of getting you, my perfect machine." Then I spat on the ground, "Only for you to turn out a pathetic, charitable, Camp Half Blood sheep! In love with a dimwitted damsel in distress too!"
Malachi's aura surged, and several pieces of rock flew, the wind picked up, the clouds grew even darker, dimming the bright day we once had.
He raised his hand and pointed at me, his eyes seeping pure death. "Never talk about Seraphina in front of me."
His voice had dropped to a deep tone, he used Sera's full first name, and his aura was skyrocketing. But Ouranos's excitement was only rising.
He taunted again, "So the bitch has a name! Tell me, how does she feel about the Hera situation? Remember, when I still had control over your body."
Lightning shot down again and hit Malachi's hand. The blue light stuck around for a few seconds, and began to take form. It eventually morphed into a spear made of pure electricity, crackling in all directions.
"Matt" He said dangerously, "I deeply apologize for any pain I may cause you. But I have to get this monster out of you."
I grinned, and pulled Viribus off my neck, squeezing the lion head at the end. Instantly, a four foot long wooden club appeared in my palm. Viribus.
"Let's see you try!"
Malachi and I both gritted our teeth, and charged at each other, faster than light. We clashed in the middle, wood from the Adam Tree clashing with all the electricity in the sky.
The middle of Viribus met the top of his spear in a perfect horizontal struggle. We pushed back and forth on each other, me having the edge at some moments, and him the other. The land around us was quaking, the trees were blowing wildly, and the river was splashing water like we were in a pool.
"You cannot win!" I said, "This boy is stronger than you, Malachi! Oh, how the tables have turned from last year!"
Malachi growled, "I still have some tricks up my sleeve." And he headbutted me, shooting a slight sting up my forehead, but it went away quickly. He then caught my gut with a jab from the other end of the spear. I skidded back on the dirt, making a pathway. Malachi didn't stop, he spun his spear around skillfully and it seemed to charge up with lightning, glowing a bright blue on the end.
I raised Viribus to the sky and summoned my own bolt. It hit the club and the lightning spun around it, chasing itself. It coiled powerfully, and I aimed at Malachi.
At the same time, we thrust our weapons at each other. The bolts of wide lightning flew from the tips in an arc of power, clashing with each other in the middle. The area couldn't handle the level of force being pushed at it now, and second by second, it eroded and was pushed back, disintegrating from existence. The river soon blew away and disappeared, the trees all burned and turned to ash, the ground beneath us turned flat and desolate. Everything basically went to after a nuclear bomb mode.
A minute of struggle went by, and the lightning clash dispersed, shooting everywhere and fading. I sensed Malachi's aura behind me, in the air.
I turned and caught his spear with my hand, grabbing it. His eyes went wide and he tried to disappear with lightning again, but Ouranos wouldn't allow it.
I pulled on his spear and brought him closer to me. I slammed my knee in his stomach, and his body doubled over, coughing up saliva. I then smiled with excitement and grabbed his head in my hand, wrapping it around well over the top, gripping his long hair. I slung him over my head and slammed him on the ground, creating a crater.
I let go and quickly grabbed his leg, going for another sling. But Malachi wasn't fazed. He shouted and a surge of energy burst from him, sending me skidding back and forcing me to let go of his leg.
I gripped Viribus, and like before at Hephaestus's volcano, I willed the ground beneath him to do my bidding. I used Viribus as a guide, and telekinetically threw two boulder sized, thick pieces of rock at him. He punched and shattered the pair. I wouldn't have done that regularly. I knew throwing things wouldn't get you anywhere. But Ouranos was playing strategist with my body and mind, so I didn't have any say in the matter.
Malachi took this as his chance to strike back. He jumped in the air fifty feet and willed the air under him to hold him up. He quickly threw his hand down at us, and if not for my super speed matching, and probably exceeding his, I wouldn't have been able to see the enhanced lightning he sent at me.
A hundred or more bolts shot from the sky, all beating on the ground like a Gatling gun. Relentless assaults of electricity rained next to me, and I dodged most of them, but near the end of it, one hit me in the shoulder, and I stumbled back.
"Damn it!" Ouranos said through me.
Malachi soared down from his position, wind jetting him straight to me instantaneously. He skillfully struck me across the arm with the spear, knowing that he probably couldn't pierce my chestplate. My arm stung and I felt a burning sensation inside of my veins. It wasn't an unbearable pain, but it was there. His attack had hit home.
He tried the other arm, but that was the Viribus arm, and I blocked the hit. We went on like this for about a minute, just slashing and parrying each other's strikes. My skill and technique had improved drastically, as I was able to hold my own against an experienced, and yearly trained Malachi, and even overwhelm him. A few times I would hit so hard that the spear would dissipate, and I would crack him in the ribs or face, but he would only stumble, and come right back.
There were times himself when in the minute exchange, he would land hits on me. The electric spear had to have been made of billions of volts or something, because each slash stung and caused me to lose my footing for a second. Thousands upon thousands of strikes were thrown, and only a handful delivered on each side. We were too close in strength for this to have a conclusion. I didn't want Malachi to get hurt, or myself, so If the fighting wouldn't end, I was content with that. But Ouranos wasn't.
"You're starting to piss me off." I snarled.
Malachi ducked my blow and swept his leg across mine, causing me to fall to the ground.
"Good!" He replied with a roar, and brought his spear down on me. I dodged though, and rolled up to meet another attack.
But this time, I didn't meet it with my base form. Instead, the red aura surrounded my fist, and I swung it in a three sixty, the back of it hitting the middle of Malachi's spear, mid strike. It immediately shattered it into sparks and Malachi was weaponless.
My fist quickly met his jaw. The bones sunk in for a moment, blood and a couple of teeth came flying out of his mouth. His body caught up with his head and he flew back from the force, like he'd been shot from a godly cannon. I saw him ragdoll in the air and hit the ground several times, rolling and scraping his body, before fading from sight.
I unclenched my fist and put it at my side, making my breathing go back to normal. I internally cringed at that, hating what my own body was doing. I had probably, or well, Ouranos had probably broken his jaw.
But a tingle still inhabited my neck. His aura was still out there.
Ouranos was too caught up in his own excitement that he was laughing through my mouth.
"You see, Matthias? What your power can do! At this rate I'll-"
But he was cut off by an intense rumbling. The air grew hotter, the tension in it started to rise, and so did Malachi's aura. It was far stronger now.
A bolt of lightning, different from the others, shot from the sky and crashed on the ground. This time, it was much wider, thicker, and brighter. Malachi's silhouette could be seen at the bottom. When it disappeared back up, Malachi kept some of the blue energy. It surrounded his body like fire coming off of his skin, or a better comparison, like the red aura came off my body. I'd seen this a year ago, when we fought for the first time.
His muscles had expanded a little, and his frame was a bit larger, pumped up from the energy, he may have been an inch taller too from the stretch, I wasn't sure. His hoodie and shirt had been torn off, only left in his jeans and sneakers. His eyes glowed blue, no pupils in there anywhere, the broken jaw was completely healed and his teeth were bared, like he was angry, and getting serious now.
Ouranos decided it was time for me to get serious too. He forced me to strain my muscles, and conjure up all the anger in my mind, the things that made me mad right now, which oddly enough, was the fact that he was possessing me. But he didn't care, he used that anyway.
I yelled, and the red aura grew around me, until it was flowing from my skin like a blood red flame. My muscles had grown a little as well, and I had probably gotten a fraction taller too. My chestplate had tightened, and so had my jeans, so I knew the full power transformation had done something to my body.
I held Viribus in my hand, and smirked. "You want to get serious, Malachi? Let's do it! If we destroy the Earth in the process, I might have to thank you!"
Malachi glared with deep, electric eyes. "Enough talk, Ouranos. I am through holding back."
"So am I." I muttered.
We both bent down slightly, ready to leap at each other. Both of our auras were so high, I couldn't even tell you the level it was on. Combined...oh man, I don't even wanna think about that level of power.
And we were about to throw it all at each other, when another red glow crashed between us.
"STOP!" The voice boomed in commandment. It was my father, surrounded by his own form of red aura. He stood directly in the middle of us, a hand outstretched to me. For some reason, Ouranos stopped.
My father looked at me with sympathy, and his Red Aura faded. He turned to Malachi and waved him off, telling him to cool his Lightning form. Malachi hesitated at first, but eventually toned it down.
Father faced me, "Matt, I know you're in there. Let's just talk for a second, we can work this out."
"Your son isn't in control anymore, Heracles." I said, "I am now."
His eyes widened a little at my different voice, fully realizing that Ouranos was possessing me. But his surprised face quickly turned to an angry one. "Ouranos...get the hell out of my son's mind."
I grinned, "Are you going to make me?" Then I laughed, "Matthias has surpassed you, a god. Your own son! How does it feel? Embarrassing?"
Father stayed silent for a moment, then he looked me right in the eyes, and to my surprise, he smiled lightly.
"Not at all." He said, "In fact...it makes me proud."
With Ouranos in control, he made my face frown in shock at the reply, and a lip curl come afterwards. But on the inside, I was elated to hear my father was proud that I had surpassed him. He had said it only once before, when we first met in my cabin, and I remember that vividly. My chest was miles in the sky, and my head was inflated as wide as the cabin itself. I had a similar feeling now.
Ouranos made me contort my face with disgust, "You've changed, Heracles. You used to be less...caring. It suited you. But now you're trying to be father of the year?"
Father shook his head, "I ain't nowhere near that. All I'm trying to do is make up for what he went through, and do right by him now."
"Really?" I said, "And say that somehow, I don't kill you all within the next few minutes. What does doing right by him include in the future?"
"Just being there if he needs me. Maybe helping that Jackson kid with Camp Half Blood, among other things."
I raised an eyebrow, "And what do the gods think of that? The ancient laws?"
Father scoffed, "I don't give a damn about those laws. If they wanna kill me for talking to my son...then let em' try. They could learn a thing or to from what I'm trying to do here."
"Touching." I said mockingly, "But none of that is going to happen. I'm going to kill you!"
The Red Aura flared around me stronger, and I leapt at my father. In my peripheral, I could see Malachi entering his form too, the blue aura surrounding him again. He looked prepared to strike me, but my father did something I never saw him do. He stuck his hands out, aimed at me, and concentrated.
I could feel Ouranos's confusion, and he hesitated through me, causing me to slow.
All of a sudden, Father's palms engulfed in his own Red Aura, but this time it was different. I could see that it was much brighter, like he had put all of his energy into his hands. But even weirder than that, I saw my own Red Aura crumbling, and little slivers of it traveling through the air, and joining his hands, making his glow stronger.
What is this?! Ouranos thought wildly. I could feel my energy fading fast, and leaving my body. All of the immense power that I had built up was now nearly depleted, and my father's aura in the meantime, was rising exponentially, to the point that he was stronger than I was a minute ago.
AGH! I heard Ouranos yell in my head. It sounded like he was in pain, and his voice became distant as time went on, like he was being sucked out. But he tried to finish the strike on my father, a punch with my right straight to his head. He blocked it though, easily, and clasped my fist with his own, keeping me in place.
"Time for you to leave." He said, and my red aura faded, Ouranos's shouts became whispers, his attempts to strike again resulted in mere muscle spasms in my arm. Before long, my energy was completely drained, and I fell to the ground on my back.
I remember my father's hands were as bright as the sun above, glowing with pure energy. My energy. He wielded extremely destructive power in that moment, and if he decided to use it...it would've killed me. He let it dissipate though, and he, along with Malachi, bent down to check on me. I heard wings flap in the distance, and several cries coming from it. Then I blacked out.
I don't know how much time passed between me blacking out and the first vision. But it seemed like it appeared right after I fell to the ground. I couldn't feel my body, the only thing I saw was a dark, flat, stormy landscape. Picture a flat pasture, miles upon miles long, no trees, no water, no rocks, nothing. Only short cut grass and dirt. The sky was dark gray and strobing with blue lightning every few seconds, the wind was howling, and would've been blowing everything back and forth, had there been anything to blow.
In the middle of the landscape, stood a mound of dirt, a grassy hill. On that grassy hill, sharp edge into the ground, the staff sticking up, was the most powerful weapon in existence. The Heavenly Diamond Spear.
It illuminated the ground around it slightly, and the air around it bent to it's will. It looked no different than when I saw it the other times. It was about ten feet long or so, and looked like a mix of gray and blue precious metals combined. It didn't appear fancy or anything, but it did have that perfect element to it.
I waited for something to happen, but nothing did. I just sat there, staring at the god killing weapon. I hoped I never had to see it in action. The thought of something being able to strip away a god's immortality...kinda worried me. I mean, imagine what it could do to a demigod? I think I remember Talon saying that it bends the minds of people that just stand near it.
Part of me wanted to grab it, to move it, or even hold it. That much power in my hand, the power to kill Ouranos physically, so he can't come back ever again...I wanted that to happen. I wanted to defeat him with his own weapon.
Just as I stepped forward and reached my hand out, a bolt of lightning soared from the clouds and hit the spear, seemingly pulling it back into the sky. When the flash disappeared, the spear was gone, and there was a giant hole in the ground.
I cautiously peered into the hole, and to my surprise, I saw not a black abyss, but the roof of a hospital, and several smaller buildings next to it. I recognized the area immediately, it was downtown New York, near where I used to live.
What was it doing down there?
I was about to find out, because a force began to pull at my leg, urging me to jump into the hole. My curiosity rose each moment I looked down into it, and I kept getting this strange feeling of deja vu.
So, with a breath of air, I did what any other person would do. I jumped.
I descended from the sky and the hole above me closed up, like a portal being shut off. I looked back down at the hospital. It got closer and closer, and I began to think...uh, what happens when I hit the roof?
Okay, so I didn't think ahead. I hadn't even considered the fact that I might destroy the roof of this place. But it was a vision...right? Or was this another Sigurd situation?
I clenched my fists and closed my eyes, preparing for impact. But it never came. Instead, I felt the soles of my boots hit a solid floor, the impact of it not hitting me like a ton of bricks. Which I thought was weird. I opened my eyes, and looked around. I was in a hospital room, and it was still intact, nothing broken, nothing cracked. No, everything was in place.
I was facing a wall. You know those doctor's walls, when you go for a checkup and you have to wait, so you look at all the signs that display the bones in human bodies, the organs, stuff like that? Well, this was similar.
Behind me, I heard the small cry of a baby. I turned, and saw a hospital bed, blue sheets and thin covers over a woman. She was holding a baby, swaddled with several pieces of cloth. The woman herself looked like she had just delivered the baby. She was sweaty, and she looked exhausted. But her smile and her eyes couldn't have been brighter when looking down at the child.
Come to think of it...she looked kind of familiar. I couldn't quite place it though, but it was there, a memory maybe.
Then I stepped closer, not even worried about her seeing me, and bent down a little so I could see her face.
She was pretty, and looked to be about late twenties. Her hair was long and brown, like mine, it was a bit matted right now and sweaty, but it had that certain fluff that told me it was well kept usually. She had fairly tan skin and she was muscular for a woman, like she did a fair bit of cardio workouts.
No...I knew this woman, there was no way I didn't know her. She was too familiar...
Then she whispered to the baby, "Welcome to the world, Matthias."
My eyes widened, and my body seemed to have an extreme case of hot chills in that moment. Matthias? Then that means...
The woman was my mother.
Tracy Beckett, my mom that's currently in the mental hospital, half of her mind gone to insanity, was laying in front of me, holding baby me. I was watching the aftermath of my own birth.
But most striking, and depressing, she was well here. She was fully aware of what was going on, unlike her current self.
I reached out to her, "M-Mom?" But when my hand touched her, it went right through like a hologram.
My heart sunk, and I stepped back. "Of course." What did I expect? This was a vision, it wasn't like she could see me, or talk to me. But...I got caught up, I couldn't help but try.
Baby me opened his eyes and looked at my mother, a twinkle in them. He made a soft noise, and my mother smiled widely, holding my tiny hand with her index and middle finger.
"Hi." She said, "It's me. I'm your mom."
I stood beside the bed and looked down at the scene before me, on the verge of tears. It wasn't until this moment that I realized how much I missed the real her, the her that I could go to with my problems, the her that I could just hang out with, watch a movie with, whatever. I just missed it.
"Tracy" A deep, new voice called from our right. Both my mom and I looked over to see who it was, and if I couldn't have been floored already, this surely did it.
It was my father. He looked almost...normal, honestly kind of like a really tall, buff lawyer. His hair was shorter and darker, swept to one side in a fade. His beard was neatly trimmed, and matched the color of his hair. He wore a suit, which I never thought I'd see him in, considering the fact that he's Hercules. It just doesn't make sense. You think of him, and you think of animal hides and big clubs.
When my mom recognized it was him she smiled in surprise. "Hercules..." She said with a dreamy breath.
He smiled back and walked over to her, kissing her on the lips. Never in my whole life would I ever dream of seeing that happen, even in a flashback. But I gotta say, the image didn't gross me out, like when other kids' see their parents show affection to each other, instead...it warmed my chest up. I hadn't realized just how much I longed for them to be together, as a normal family. It was one of my biggest wishes.
He knelt down and touched my hand, looking at me with awe. "So this is our son." He chuckled, "He's beautiful."
Beautiful? Did my father just say that? What was going on?
My mom agreed, "Yes. I named him Matthias, like we talked about."
Father had placed his hand over her own and started rubbing circles on the back of it. "Good." He muttered, "Was there any trouble with the birth?"
She shook her head, "Not at all. It was easier than I expected actually. The doctors even commented on it." She looked at him and furrowed her eyebrows, "Why do you ask?"
His face darkened a shade, "It's nothing. I was...just afraid that, you know, she would try something."
My mother nodded knowingly, but I was left a little confused. Who was she? Was it Hera? It had to be. She was the goddess of childbirth, and she hated my father for a long, long time, so it made the most sense.
The two of them just sat there for a few minutes, looking at me with smiles on their faces.
"Will you stay?" My mom asked, almost nervously, without looking at my father, like she was dreading his answer. "Will you teach him how to use his abilities, so he doesn't get hurt?"
Father's smile melted, he let go of her hand, and backed away from the bed enough to look straight at her.
"Tracy, look at me." He said, and she did. When she tilted her head up, there were tears coming from her eyes.
"I don't want to be alone, Herc." She said with a sad laugh, calling my father by a nickname. "I...I can't raise a child this powerful on my own. I...I know it's a lot to ask, especially considering your position-"
"I'll stay."
She stopped dead in her tracks, and looked at him, stunned. "You'll...stay?"
He nodded, "I will stay, Tracy. For you, and for Matthias, I would do anything."
To say I was confused, would be an understatement. My father had wanted to stay? All this time, I thought he just abandoned us, but...he actually wanted to stay, to raise me? Train me? What happened then?
I need some damn answers.
I nearly waved my hand in front of them again to get their attention, but remembered that I wasn't here, and I cursed in frustration.
She replied to his statement, "But what about your family? What about...the other gods? What will they think? I thought you told me this was against the rules."
Father looked outside the window, as if waiting for one of the gods to come in and attack, but it didn't come. He clenched his fist and squeezed the bed sheet.
"They will...not be happy, at all. Gods aren't supposed to have direct contact with their kid. A talk here and there, sure. Maybe a little help on a quest in an indirect way, that's fine too. But raising and training...to actually stay with their mortal mate? Well, that has not been done before."
"But why?" Mom asked.
"The ancient laws require gods and goddesses to do their duties. And if they step away for too long...or get distracted, the world can fall apart, and things can go out of balance. Now, one god doing it might not be so bad, but of course, once one god starts doing it, then others will think they can do it, and eventually...chaos. Nature will take it's course, and it won't be good."
Mom looked down at me, her eyes sad. She looked so hopeful, but now completely dejected.
Father noticed this, and cupped her cheek, "But Tracy, my love. I don't care about the ancient laws. I don't care about any of the others gods, or even my father over you and Matthias. My time on the Island...it was hell, but it made me realize my mistakes, and it made me want to do better. To leave behind a legacy that's...more than just slaying beasts and being strong." He kissed her forehead, "I love you, and I want to be with you. I never loved Hebe, despite us being married for a long time, it was, well forced, and I never loved her. I love you, and only you. I haven't felt this way about a woman since..." He chuckled, "Well, since Megara. And to be honest, I love you even more than I loved her. You are the mortal among mortals, Tracy Beckett."
Wow, I thought. My dad was a really romantic guy back in the day. Even I was moved by his speech, so you can imagine my mom. She had tears of joy in her eyes, twinkling with love, a smile plastered on her lips, and a crimson blush on her face at the mortal among mortals comment. She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.
"I love you too, Herc." She said, "And I know Matthias does too."
They pulled away and my father looked at me again, then back at my mom, a question in his eyes.
She nodded happily, "Of course you can hold him."
Father carefully reached down and scooped me up, pulling my small, fragile body to his large chest. He held me and swayed me around a little, smiling the whole time.
"By Olympus, what a child." He said, "You will be the greatest of heroes, my son. I will make sure of it."
My younger self let out a little laugh at him, and a tiny hand reached up to touch his beard. Father leaned down and let me.
I was seriously shocked at what I was seeing, all of it. I was truly having an out of body experience, seeing things I never thought I would, things I only dreamed about. They were happy at one point, and he promised her he would stay.
So the question was...what happened?
Suddenly, in the vision, my father's head shot up in alertness, and his eye tone changed. He looked outside the window again, and glared at the Empire State Building in the distance, the place where Mount Olympus stood.
Mom noticed, "What's wrong?"
Father kept his glare focused at the window, and didn't look away, even when handing me back to my mother.
"Nothing at all. I just need to take care of something. I will be back soon." He backed away from the window with caution.
Mom was getting worried, "Herc, you're scaring me. What's going on?"
He didn't reply though, because he was already out the door.
I began to chase after him, running out of the room and cutting the corners of the hospital, passing nurses and doctors and various employees. Had I been physical, I would've slammed into them, but instead I passed through like I was the wind.
I saw the back of his suit pass another corner, and I ran at normal speed, for some reason I couldn't use super speed here, to catch up with him. We reached the front sliding doors, and he walked through, the bright light of the day outside shone in, and nearly blinded me. I put my hand up over my face and I ran out.
"Matt?" A female voice said, "Matt, are you awake?"
My eyes slowly fluttered open, and the same bright light shone in my cornea. It eventually came into the view though, and instead of my father, years ago in the city, I saw Harper's face, looking down at me.
"Matt? Is it you?" She asked, concern all over her expression.
"Is he awake?" A deep voice asked, running over and kneeling on the other side of me. My father, but not like before. He was back to his current self.
No, this wasn't right. I had to go back, I had to see what happened next.
"No." I said groggily, rubbing my eyes. "No, I have to see what happens next."
Harper and my father exchanged a nervous look, Talon in the background said, "What the hell is he talking about?"
Sera's head poked over my father's back, "What do you mean, what happens next, Matt?"
I sat up a little, looking around, a little dazed and probably seeming like a crazy person. "I had a vision...I need to go back, I have to see the rest."
Harper's lithe hands pushed on my shoulder softly, "No, you need to lay back down. You and Malachi nearly destroyed the entire freaking planet."
I remembered the fight, and how destructive it was. But I didn't focus on it long. I couldn't take my mind off of the vision I had, of my father and mother, and what he said. It was so mind-blowing to me, the fact that what I thought and perceived for so many years was false...I had to know more. And to be truthful, a part of me, well, a big part, wanted to see my parents together and happy again.
I nodded at Harper, "Yeah, I need to go back to sleep. Maybe then the vision will come back..."
But Malachi's tone suggested otherwise. He was still shirtless, and looking over the saddle down below, "I don't think that is a good idea just yet. We are approaching the beach."
Everyone but Harper went to the edge and looked over the saddle. I wasn't moving, so I didn't know what it looked like.
"He's right." My father said, "The spot's here."
Talon turned to us, like we had three heads each. "How do you know? Maine has like more than two hundred miles of coastline!"
Everyone but me deadpanned at him, and if I was in my right mind, I would've too.
"How do you even know that?" Harper said.
Talon shrugged, "I ain't as dumb as ya'll think."
Malachi ignored them, "No, we are here. I can...feel it. There's an aura of something strange in the water. I can't describe it, but it is there. Can you feel it, Matt?"
I broke my daze and felt around, identifying that yeah, there was actually something in the water down below. It wasn't strong or anything, or even a creature, but it had some kind of force behind it, like a life, but also...not, you know?
"Yeah, I can feel something."
Hercules tapped Kyros and told him to land on the beach. He swooped down and swiftly stopped on the sand, his talons digging in and uprooting buckets of the grainy rock.
I pushed myself up and finally shook the thoughts of the vision out of my head, accepting that I wouldn't see it again, at least for today. I decided to focus on what was going on right now.
Before us, was the beach of Maine. We were luckily out of view for any people, as there were no buildings, or any sign of mortal life anywhere. We were on a shore hidden by some jagged rocks and palm trees. The sand was dark and damp, like the high tide had been washing over it all day. The sky was pretty gray, almost as much as when Malachi and I fought earlier. But I don't think it was because he had summoned a storm or anything, I think it was just natural. It was getting late in the evening after all.
Sera shivered out of uneasiness, "This place is creepy, even in daytime."
It could've been, at night. But the thing that came to my mind was the question- where's the boat?
"Where's the boat?" Oh, it came out of my mouth instead.
Talon looked around, an eyebrow raised above his sunglasses, "Yeah, didn't the ice bastard say to throw some penny in the water?"
Father nodded, turning to us, "Penningar. It's what Vikings used as currency, long ago." He pulled out the black coin, and showed it to us. On the front, was the Adam Tree, or at least, it looked like it.
"Yggdrasil." He explained, "The tree they believe separates the nine worlds. Midgard, Asgard, all of that. It's a huge symbol for the pantheon."
Harper pointed at the water, "So the boat appears if you toss it in?"
"Yeah, but first, we need to take the Elixir stuff." He said, "We don't need Ouranos to know we're coming. I mean, that was the point of going to that mansion, right?"
Sera voiced concern, looking at me, "But did Ouranos find out about our plan from Matt's memories?"
Oh crap. I never even thought of that. Ouranos had complete control over my mind, who was to say he didn't already find out about our Camp Asgard plan? Then all of it would be pointless.
"I don't think that happened." Malachi said, "I was possessed before, as you all know, and I know that you can resist him, to a point, and he can only access your memories if he wants to." He cocked his head, "I'm...not sure that he did that. I think he would've said something, or gloated to us that he knew our plan. But he didn't. He was more focused on the battle."
I nodded slowly. It made sense. "Come to think of it, he never said anything about it in my head." I sure hope he didn't know. Maybe he knew, and hid it well or something, but Malachi was right. Ouranos wouldn't have not said anything about it. He was just too egotistical and prideful. He always wanted you to know when he knew something, or had the upper hand. He wanted to rub it in your face. And that just might've been his flaw this time...
Harper gave a time out signal with her hands, "So...he doesn't know about it?"
Father grunted, "Whether he does or not, who cares. We need to follow through and go to this Norse Camp." He reached over Kyros's saddle and fiddled around, soon pulling out a bottle of liquid. The Elixir.
"Drink this, and our aura's go away." He held up the bottle, "Everyone take a sip."
He tried to hand it to me, but Harper objected, saying, "Wait a sec, we all have to drink from the same bottle?"
"Yeah."
She curled her lip, and Talon voiced his disapproval, "Like passing around the circle?!" He said, "Uh-uh, oh no, I ain't indirectly kissing Malachi."
Malachi looked equally disgusted at the thought, and Sera looked like she had just imagined something she had never wanted to imagine, and couldn't erase the image. Hell, I couldn't either. That thought was downright weird. I mean, It's Talon, the thought of him kissing anybody is weird.
My father groaned, "Fine! Since you're all squeamish, we'll each let it hover over our mouths and pour a little in. I don't think it takes much."
I reached out my hand, "Alright, I'll take the first drink."
"Drink a little more than us." Sera said, "You too Kai, and Hercules, sir. Since your auras are larger."
He handed it to me, and I grabbed the top of the bottle. The Elixir itself looked like a kind of beer, or even sweet tea. It was yellow and brownish, and had no smell.
I shrugged, "Bottoms up." I raised my chin up and opened my mouth, tilting the bottle and letting about a mug's worth into my throat. It burned a little, but the sting dissolved quickly. It tasted like sour medicine, those kinds that you hate to take. But I swallowed it, and made a sour face.
"Whoa...that's some strong stuff." I said, and held up the bottle, offering it to whoever wanted to go next.
Harper grabbed it, "Guess I'll go." And drank some, then the next person, and the next. Finally, it all went back to my father, and he downed the rest, dropping the bottle on the sand after.
We stood there for a moment, waiting and looking around.
"Aren't we supposed to turn invisible?" Harper said.
"Great, the damn stuff was a fluke!" Talon yelled in frustration, but I raised a hand.
"Wait. Guys...I don't feel your auras."
It was true, when I tried to reach out and sense it, I didn't feel anybody's aura, at all. The stuff did work, and quick too.
I gestured to Malachi, "You try."
He concentrated, and shook his head in mild surprise, "Not a thing."
"Dad, you try."
Aura sensing is a god's ability, so of course he had it. He reached out with his, "Can't feel it."
I smiled and spread my arms, "Well there we go, we're undetectable."
Everyone faced the water, my father in front of all of us. He held the coin in his hand, studying it, and flipping it around in his hand. We waited for him to flick it, the tension rising.
Finally, tucked his thumb under the surface, and shot it in the water, the penningar flipping through the air, eventually splashing under the gray sea.
Everything was still, save for the calm waves crashing on the shore. My hair was annoyingly blowing in my face again, the salt of the ocean hitting my nose.
It got to the point where we grew impatient. Talon started complaining, "Is this thing gonna pop up or wha-"
He was interrupted by the waves exploding, fifty feet out. You could've mistook it for submariners setting off dynamite underwater. A long wooden pillar appeared from the foam, and then of course, the rest of the boat leveled with the water.
It looked like something out of Pirates of the Caribbean. It was made of solid black wood, and had to be at least 200 feet long, tall as a building, and wide as one too. The Mast was white, but looked like it had seen it's fair share of sailing, and in between both of them, was a black flag, with a white raven on it, facing sideways, it's eyes piercing.
The weirdest, or strangest parts of it, were the figurehead, and the bottom. The figure head was made of a gold like-substance, jutting out from under the bow, it's shape was that of a bearded figure, long hair and an equally long beard, his face wrinkled and his eyes empty. The figurehead came out up to his chest, donning a toga. He looked like a Greek god almost, maybe a mix of Zeus and Poseidon? But I knew that couldn't be true.
The bottom of the ship gave off a green glow. There wasn't a light inside of it or anything, but it just gave off a green, ghostly mist, and the light was in the air. Maybe that was where the aura came from.
We all backed away absentmindedly, in a bit of awe at the monstrous sized boat. It drifted it's way towards us, eventually bumping into the sand, the beard of the unnamed god landing right above our heads.
We all remained silent, except Talon, who said, "Never mind."
We began to hear thumping coming from the the deck of the ship, footsteps. They were slow, taking their time, and with each step, the wood creaked, letting off several creepy groans.
"What's that noise?"
I let out my aura sense, and to my shock, I felt nothing up there. I looked at Malachi, and he looked at me. We both had the same thought, and exchanged a confused look.
Finally, the footsteps stopped, and a gravelly voice called down to us, "Ah, ya finally made it. Sigurd said ya'd be here."
We all darted our heads up, and saw a figure standing on the bow, looking down at us. He wore a tattered black cloak, the intact flaps of it flowing in the wind, like a ripped flag. The hood was over his long, aged face, and long, gray hair sprouted straight down from either side of his head, a beard of the same length and unkemptness.
It looked familiar. He looked just like the unnamed god on the front...
My father cupped the side of his mouth, "You the ferryman?!"
The old man/god, whatever he is, gave a wrinkly smile, "The one and only. Now, are ya gonna come aboard, or should I tell Sigurd that ya chickened out?"
(000)
Wow, I wasn't expecting that chapter to turn out as good as it did, but I really enjoyed it and am proud of it. I loved exploring Hercules's past and his need to prove he's changed and redeem himself. Also Matt and Malachi fighting again, even though it wasn't really Matt, but still, gave me Book One vibes.
Anyway, Camp Asgard is ever approaching.
Until Next Time.