SECOND INSTALLMENT
DIVINE
A NEW STORY
NEW YORK CITY
MODERN ERA
12:57 AM
The city does not sleep, always ablaze with lights and the buzz of activity, such was the nature of most of the big modern cities these days. Gone were the dark, looming pillars of manses of Greek aristocrats, and the smoke from fires of a thousand and more forges, and gone were the lush, untouched forests, full of life. Not just any life but that of mythical creatures of great wonder. Dryads of the oldest and purest of trees, nymphs of the clearest and cleanest of waters and the satyrs, happy folk prancing around the massive forests of the land, preserving them at the behest of their lord and master Pan. The constellations of the ancient world were bright for all to see. A tapestry of the gods to honor their bravest and brightest of champions. The world was beautiful, when it was young, a kind of beauty one would only find in paintings and frescoes and in the sparse untouched lands in the modern world. Not to say the world is not beautiful now, oh no. The 21st century was certainly beautiful, but its beauty was that of tall metallic structures rising into the sky and of machinery. O how the people of this eon loved their machines. Beautiful as this age may be, its looks cannot be compared to that of the past. For this beauty, the beauty of machines, destroyed the world with its fumes and sewage, while that of the past built it. All this chatter is useless to the frightened child seeking refuge in a dark alleyway. To her there is no beauty in this world. There is just darkness, pain and monsters out of for her blood. She suffered the curse of her heritage, a life full of trials and hardships meant to prepare her for a great, unforeseen destiny. The child eyed the alleyway she was approaching with apprehension. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide from the monster that haunted her. Her glowing electric blue eyes widened in terror at the sight of the blocked path in front of her. She spun around hurriedly and braced herself to confront the incoming monster. "Oh puny demigod, here you are at my mercy" the creature growled out harshly, "You pray to your gods but they do not hear, they do not save you, damning you to your own sorry fate." He continued. "No matter, I will save you from your misery. After all, there's no pain in death." He said wickedly as he flexed the doubled sided battle axe in his grip. The girl pulled out a mace canister from the pocket of her leather jacket. She eyed her opponent distastefully as she gripped a deadly bronze spear that seemed to appear out of nowhere. She took up a battle stance and prepared to kill the monster before her or die trying. "Taste my blade monster, the only one here who needs saving is you" she retorted. "Ohoh! What is this, a brave one huh" he commented snidely, "I will enjoy splashing the concrete with your entrails, tearing at your flesh, picking my teeth with your bones, and spilling your blood on the stones. A befitting offering to your father." He declared. Lightning flashed in the sky and thunder shook the entire city as if in response to his threat. "Zeus give me strength" the girl whispered under her breath, before rushing towards the monster at break neck speed. This surprised the creature. Not many demigods dared to charge at the Minotaur with such bravado. He grinned a malicious smile while deflecting the girl's initial strike. He swung his battle axe towards the girl and was surprised when she jumped unto the blade, propelled herself upwards and landed on his neck, driving her spear into his head. He struggled heavily and managed to shake her of his back. The girl landed on the ground gracefully and spun her spear in one hand at high speeds, lightning flashed in the sky above as she did so. She evaded the creature's next strike, grabbed his furry arm and drove the spear into his body once more, and wasted no time in removing it from his arm and drawing back. "What happened big boy, what happened to your taunts and your jeers?" she taunted "Come at me meat head." She finished. The Minotaur growled and charged towards the girl with anger and swung his axe sloppily, she dodged and spun around athletically. She lifted her spear to the sky and a powerful lightning bolt struck the tip, lighting up the alleyway. Just as the Minotaur turned again, she drove the spear between his eyes, finally ending the creature. The body fell to the ground with a thud and the girl stood over it victoriously. "I don't need any gods to save me, I am my own retribution." She let out with heavy breaths. Slow claps filled the alleyway as a figure walked out of the shadows. The girl spun around in alarm before she recognized the figure. "Luke" she sighed out, "I leave for a few minutes Thalia, and you pick a fight with one of the most powerful Greek monsters" the figure, Luke, said in amusement. "Well it's not my fault that he found our camp when you left" she quipped back. "Yeah well," he started as he inspected the decaying body, gray flakes of ash rising from it, "I figured that the stealth effect would hold, I guess it did not." He finished. He peered at her with concern in his bright blue eyes. "Are you hurt?" he asked, "I'm fine Luke" Thalia responded. She had never liked being doted on by anyone, even her mother. "We need to leave before any more monsters arrive." She said. Thalia stared into the fire as she finished her story. The light from the fire brightened up her features, she was beautiful, ethereally so and it was no surprise giving who her father is. Her audience were still enraptured by the tale, a young girl with blond hair and grey eyes filled with intelligence far beyond her age. The boy by her sported a curved pair of horns on his head poking through his curly brown hair, he was a satyr. "You defeated the Minotaur" the young one said in awe. Thalia nodded her head grimly as she continued to eye the flames. She glanced upwards, her eyes meeting those of the girl. "Listen Annabeth, this journey we're on is a dangerous one, you have to be sharp, quick to react and on the draw, else you'll be dead before you even know it" "Thalia, -" the satyr tried to interject, "She has to know Grover"' Thalia interrupted, "We are 3 demigods and as much I like your company, it is unwise for us to be travelling in numbers." She said, "We'll attract every monster within a mile radius, she needs to be ready" she finished. "The world is not safe for our kind, you fight or you die, it's the first thing I learnt on the run." She said solemnly. Thalia looked to the heavens in contemplation, her electric blue eyes filled with distress. "I never had someone to guide me, to hold me when the nights got cold in the winter and to comfort me in the heat of the summer. When the monsters came I had to fight them, alone, until Luke came along and I finally found a home even on the run" her hard look of distress softened at the last part. "Grover and you too" she smiled softly at them. "I never want you to be alone Annabeth, alone in this world is dangerous." She held her face in her hands. Suddenly there was a sound of rustling in the trees and Luke walked out of the thicket, arms full of branches for their fire. "This is as much as I could gather without pissing off the dryads." He said. Luke rustled Annabeth hair as he settled next to her in front of the blazing fire. Annabeth blushed a deep scarlet and fidgeted shyly at the contact. Luke perused the gathered branches on the ground and proceeded to throw them into the fire one by one. His eyed shown in the glow of the light of the fire, brightening up his elven like features, a telltale sign of his lineage, a son of Hermes. He glanced upwards at the gathered group and said, "I've thrown up a stealth field, we should be safe for now" his gaze went back to the campfire, its crackling the only sound that could be heard at the gathering. "What's our next course of action, Grover" Luke said while glancing at Grover inquisitively. "We've been on the road for months now and I see no clear path in our movements, it is making we wonder whether we're actually on the right track." He finished, as his gaze sharpened on Grover and suddenly became harsher. "Lay off him Luke, he's doing the best he can." Thalia defended. Grover looked away in embarrassment, suddenly self-conscious. He had done his best so far, but leading three incredibly powerful demigods to safety at the same time is a nigh impossible feat. From the records he had seen from other guides, at least one, or sometimes even all of them die usually. "Thalia, you do not seem to understand that we need not to be urgent. On my patrols I have seen them, hordes of monsters gathering not even 20 kilometers from here. They whisper among themselves of a daughter of Zeus," he said frantically, "I am not about to risk your life because of our lack of direction." He ended, eyes wide with concern and fear. Thalia froze for a moment, processing the information she just received. She had never really feared the monsters that had haunted her in the night, she always knew she had the power to take care of herself, but this news was disconcerting. "It's Hades" Luke whispered, he clenched his fists bitterly, his anger rising with his voice, "He's been after you ever since we killed one of his underlings in Brooklyn." He cried out. "Thalia you need to break away from us-" "I'm not leaving you guys" she interjected angrily. "You have to, Thalia, the threat to your life is too great." He retorted. "Luke!" Thalia exclaimed, "I'm not going anywhere and that's final." She finished softly. Her voice leaving no room for further discussion. Luke sullenly returned his gaze to the now dying embers of the fire. He suddenly stood up angrily and walked off into the trees. "Luke" Thalia sighed out frustrated, while following him into the bushes, leaving Annabeth and Grover by the fire. Annabeth glanced at the bushes worriedly and made as if to follow them. "Don't" Grover said, Annabeth glanced at him and glanced back towards to bushes, hesitant. She finally sat down again, took another stick and began to stoke the flames, hoping to salvage the little embers left. "Bless us with your fiery light, Lady Hestia" she whispered. Grover smiled softly upon hearing the prayer, "If there's any god out there who truly cares, it is her" he told her. Sensing that she was still worried about Thalia and Luke, he tried to comfort her, "They'll be fine, Luke is just concerned" he said encouragingly. "And I suppose he's right, isn't he?" he sighed out sadly, "I have led you astray" he finished in a morose tone. Annabeth finally rose her head to look at him, "You're from the camp right?" she asked, "Tell me what it is like" she said, trying her best to change the subject to a lighter one. Grover perked up excitedly, "Oh you'll love it" he said in a happy tone. "It's called Camp Half-blood" he finished. "There's a small city off to the side, pass the western gate of the camp." He remarked. "A city?" Annabeth asked confusedly. Grover nodded his head in affirmation, "A city for out-of-service demigods and the apogonoi" he said, "Descendants" Annabeth translated. "Yep, the name we use for the children and grandchildren of the gods, basically second-generation demigods and their kids and kids' kids and so on" he said. "Wow, demigods get to live long enough to have kids" Annabeth said in surprise. "Only the only lucky, or skilled live through the required years of service" he answered. "And how long is that?'' she asked "10 years" he answered shortly, "It sounds wonderful" Annabeth whispered as she raised her head to look at the stars. Imagining growing up, having kids and dying at a nice old age. The thought just seemed too good to be true.