Red Bull Horns Aren't For Grabbing (Percy Jackson/FGO - Asterios SI Chapter 4)
My office was as usual lit up only by my desk lamp. It's not like I liked the dark. Sure I could see better than a normal human now given my monster senses, and let not even get into the Servant ones.
Rather I just liked the ambiance. A room lit up only by one small light source, while the moonlight fell down from the office window, and illuminating the courtyard that I could watch from my office, along with seeing the wall bordering the school, and beyond it.
However this relaxing scene is usually only for myself. Add in other people into that scene, especially school kids, and suddenly it looks sus as fuck.
While is why I had to turn on the office lights, while actually putting effort into making a Mist Wall, you could call it, at my office door. It won't stop anyone supernatural or in the know, but for normal humans, they'd just see a dark office, and have the urge to leave it be, their mind come up with any number of realizations for why.
Man, those millennia of experience the Minotaur had in using the Mist sure came in handy, even if he never bothered to learn to use it beyond the basic. Although making obstacles like walls and the like came much easier to me. Likely a combination of being the Minotaur and my Noble Phantasm, Chaos Labyrinthos, being about the Labyrinth and my ability to control of how it manifest to a degree, according to its fame.
"M-Mr. Asterios, what did you do to the door?"
I looked back to see Bianca looking at me questioningly, her eyes trying to focus on the door.
Right, of course. Given everything, of course she's starting to see through the Mist now.
"Something to make sure the other teachers don't come snooping around. You don't want to be caught outside your dorm room after curfew." I went and placed a try with two mugs of hot chocolate with a small milk pitcher to the side, on the table in front of the demigods. I took my glass of lemon juice with milk for myself.
Side note, before anyone says anything, I like drinking milk before I became a bull-man.
"Is that wavy light stuff on the door, magic?" Nico asked, and Bianca and I had to blink and look at him in confusion for that. He just looked back at us with confused innocence in return.
I smiled, with a huff and a shake of my head.
"Basically yeah." I took a seat opposite to the kids.
"Nico, there's no such—Wait, what?" Bianca started to say, before coming to a full stop.
She looked at me, trying to see if I'm making a joke at her expense. Seeing my calm, unchanging expression as I drank my lemon juice, she just looked taken aback. She looked again at the door, the Mist Wall becoming bit by bit more visible to her, much to her distress.
"Let's get this out of the way. Magic, monsters, gods of mythology? They're all real. No, you're eyes didn't play tricks on you. You genuinely saw a monster out there, a Keres, spirit of famine and disease." I said bluntly, not bothering to hide anything or gently ease them into this because, well, what's the point?
"Mr. Asterios, we may be kids, but we're not stupid." Bianca deadpanned at me. "Surely there's an explanation. I mean, it's just a big bird or something right?"
Ah, right, that's why people ease others into the supernatural. God, I hate this modern day "skepticism". It's not even skepticism, it's just not believing something without any curiosity to preserve one's own world view.
"She shouted at us and spoke English." Nico said looked skeptical at, well, his sister's skepticalness. ...I said that word one too many times.
"M-Maybe... it was the wind?" Even Bianca didn't seem to believe that.
I sighed. Right, let's give that skepticism one last hit to bash it dead.
I removed the Mist from disguising me.
It didn't do much really.
My hair was already unfiltered for the most part and left to hang behind me. I use the excuse of it being a cultural practice to bullshit leaving it like that, so big and fluffy. Now it grew bigger behind my back, and circled around my neck, almost like a beard.
My red horns became visible.
Oh, and my height rose up ten or so inches.
The kids looked at me with much wide eyes, as before they came to my chest, now at best they were at my waist, maybe even lower, even while standing next to me.
Even seated, I still looked like I was standing, towering over them.
The demigod children were looking at me with awe and fear.
Naturally Nico was looking at me more awe than fear.
"S-Stay away!" Bianca shouted. She looked at me with more fear than awe.
"Asterios? Your name isn't actually based like the King of Crete, Asterion. You actually Asterios, the Minotaur!" Nico exclaimed. "You have 2000 attack power, and it doubles when you use Single Direction Tackle, which also gives Stun Effect. It's in your Mythomagic Card!"
"I prefer Asterios." I chuckled.
"Nico, seriously we need to go now isn't the time!" Bianca said, while grabbing her little brother's hand, as she was about to bolt. At seeing his sister's reaction, Nico lost his excitement as he saw saw her fear and worry, now looking at me with that same worry.
"Bianca." I said with a firm voice that made her freeze in place. "Sit down." I ordered, and from my tone, Nico also went quite. I hated having to scare the kids, but telling them to calm down or playing nice isn't gonna help here. I sighed, as they complied. "I'm not going to hurt you. If I wanted to I wouldn't have protected you."
"Ma... Maybe you wanted to eat us alone?" Bianca said, and I gave her the driest look I could. She blushed but didn't look away.
"Bianca, Nico," I said in a gentle voice to them. "Throughout the time that you have known me, have I ever felt like a danger to either of you?"
"N-No..." Bianca said as she slowly calmed down.
"Mm, mmm." Nico shook his head, a look of fascination and curiosity returning to his eyes. Gods this kid is precious. Before he turned all emo and all that.
"But, you're a monster... aren't you?" She asked in that blunt way kids just blurt out stuff.
"Most of the time, a monster is a monster by instinct and circumstance, and they don't have a choice. As for me? Once I did, I chose not to be one." I explained.
"What do you mean?" Bianca asked, now seemingly more receptive to listening to me. Still cautious, but wanting to hear me out.
"Stories, about monsters and the heroes who defeat them. Let's just say they're more than just stories you read about in mythology books for literature class, or see a Disney adaptation of. They're real. Monsters tend to be a warning or usually, a punishment sent by the gods. Then you have the heroes that defeating them, getting, fame, glory and having their stories told for eons. Because of that those heroes get immortalized in the public conscious of mankind. Heroes for the most part, if they don't meet a bad end, get their reward with a comfy afterlife, like Elysium for Hector of Troy and the like, or even the Isles of Blest for Achilles and the like. In very rare cases, even actual immortality or divinity like Heracles." I explained.
"And what about the monsters? How are you still around? Didn't Theseus kill you?" Nico asked, firing one question after the other.
"Nico!" Bianca hissed, worried I'd be pissed but my laughter calmed her down.
"Well monsters aren't so lucky. When we are remembered well..." How to simplify this? Fuck it, just bluntly tell it as I've done so far. "Basically we're remembered as an 'archetype'. Meaning people think of a 'spider woman monster', and their mind goes to Arachne. So no matter how many times Arachne is killed, as long as the idea of 'spider woman monster' is still in humanity's mind, Arachne can be revived forever." I said. "Not instantly of course, usually it would be years before she comes back again. Heck, you might even find Arachne in multiple places, where people fear her, all those are copies created from her 'archetype'."
"Arachne..." Bianca's eyes widened. "Does that mean the events of Fate/Téras Konístra, they're..." She couldn't finish her sentence. Be it excitement or fear, she didn't know. Nico was definitely ecstatic that the game his sister had been working on and he talked with her and me about might be real.
"Completely made up." I killed that idea right away. Yes, I know counterproductive, but I need the people working with me to know that I'm bullshiting. "We all made it up, remember?"
"...Oh." Bianca said, trying not to sound disappointed.
"Awww." Nico didn't hide his disappointment.
I chuckled at their reaction. They're completely adorable.
"So..." Nico spoke up, an intrigued gleam in his eyes, as he pursed his lips in deep thought. "Are you like... a copy of the Minotaur—? Sorry, of Asterios? Are there are 'yous' running around who aren't good?"
"No," I smiled and shook my head. "Let's just say, my situation is unique. I am my own archetype. There is no other Minotaur anywhere anymore. I am them, I am me."
Nico looked at me wide-eyed. "Does that mean you're like... a hundred minotaurs in one!?" He asked excitedly.
I was about to say no, but then thought about it.
I am all the minotaurs of this world. There can't exist a copy of the Minotaur anymore for as long as I will.
...But what if I will it?
I focused on my Self, finding that core of mine that is the Minotaur and pulled at it. Pulled at that Essence and unlike when I was brought into this world, I pushed. I divide it.
From my side, almost bursting out of me, like a being made out of smoke before condensed into a solid form came a loud, roaring horned creature. Body of a man, head of a bull.
I could feel it. The being meant to be the classic image of the Minotaur. It had all the thoughts, wills, desires and rage I remembered having. It looked at the scared kids I vowed to protect, wanting nothing but to slay and devour them as the delicious demigods they are.
I killed that mind with my will and spirit. I was the Minotaur as I was Asterios.
And I will not hurt Nico and Bianca.
The Minotaur went still, looking down like it's strings were cut, before it... I blinked as I was not in two bodies. My own, as Asterios and the Minotaur.
"Huh." I said as the Minotaur as I looked at my iconic monster body.
"Guess I can do that." I finished the sentence.
With another thought, I collapsed the Minotaur's body into golden dust that was reabsorbed into my body, and I felt the piece of Essence that was the Minotaur slide back into place of the greater Minotaur whole, again as a part of me.
"Thanks, Nico. Guess you were right."
"So cooool!" He whispered.
"So, um..." My attention went back to Bianca, offering her my usual gentle smile and expression, easing and relaxing her. "Why... are you telling us all this? What does, everything that happened have to do with us?"
"Among mortals, there are two types of humans that can see through the Mist." I said, holding two fingers.
"The 'Mist'?" Bianca asked.
"Right," I almost hit my head. "I didn't explain that. The Mist is a sort of energy field created by the Greek Goddess of Magic, although I suspect all Gods of Magic of all pantheons are responsible in part in creating and maintaining it."
"Other pantheons?!" Nico exclaimed. I swear I could almost see stars in his eyes, like I opened a whole new world for him. More than just telling him gods and monsters are real.
"One thing at a time." I waved him off. "It's not important for now, only the Greek Pantheon should be what concerns you. I'll get to why in a second." I told them. "So the Mist is the reason why mortals don't see monsters, or god walking among them. Why if you see something in the news about a big accident or something big, it's usually demigods fighting monsters or something of that nature. Mortal minds can deal with seeing something that break their world view like that, so the Mist shows them a reasonable explanation to what they saw. What's that? The minotaur? Name it's just some body builder wearing a viking helmet. A fury? Nope. Just some old lady in a leather jacket. Cyclops? Obviously you saw wrong, it's just a normal guy who lost one of his eyes, and is wearing an eyepatch. And so on and so forth."
"Right." Bianca nodded. "And you said two people can see through it."
"Yeah," I nodded. "The first type are clear-sighted mortals. Very unfortunate individuals that are very blessed with the gift of see the world as it actually is. They see all the monsters as they are. They see through all disguises. They see gods as they truly are."
"How are they unfortunate?" Nico furrowed his eyebrows. "That sounds awesome."
"Because they sound like crazy people seeing things, no one else is seeing." I explained.
"Oh, you mean like the guys with the horns driving a bus I saw once. Or the shadow puppy in your shadow." Nico nodded in understanding.
"Yes, exactly like... wait what?" I blinked at that.
"Nico, what are you talking about?" Asked Bianca.
"The... shadow puppy." He said like it was obvious, but thinking that I'd know what he's talking about. Seeing my confusion he elaborated. "You know, the puppy, although it's very large, and it lives in Mr. Asterios shadow. I saw it a few times. Tried to wave it to come play with me, but it's shy. Although it has been coming closer and closer to me lately so we play from a distance. When I woke up at night I thought I heard a ghost or something, then noticed it and followed it. I saw it follow you and enter your shadow." Seeing the absolutel bafflement on my face, Nico started to look concerned. "Is it... not yours?"
I looked around, tried to look and see where this "shadow puppy" was. I focused on myself, trying to see anything different. Focused on my shadow and...
My Stygian Iron sword was there. The Stygian Iron sword that around my waist right now!
Without waiting for anything, I thrust my hand at my shadow.
It went in.
"Woah!" Nico cried out, as Bianca's eyes widened.
I felt something. I grabbed it. It tried to bite my hand. It tickled.
I pulled my arm out, holding the thing in my shadow.
It was a puppy. A black puppy. A black puppy on fire.
It was a hellhound puppy.
"Rwoof!" It barked, spitting a sprite of fire in my face.
"Careful!" Nico cried out, holding his arms out, not sure how to help, or if to caught the puppy if I dropped it. I'm not sure how he'd manage. While I did say puppy, this thing was the fight of a fully grow mastiff.
Bianca looked thrown off by the whole scene, but from that slight twitch of her lips, I'm thinking she's holding back a laugh.
"Shadow, no! Don't breath fire on Mr. Asterios' face." Nico said to the puppy. It looked at him and whined. "No. Bad. Mr. Asterios is a friend!"
It whined some more. Looked at me, growled for a second, then whined and looked down, giving me puppy dog eyes.
I wasn't buying it.
"Here." I slowly set the puppy hellhound on Nico's lap, who eagerly hugged it.
"Is, is that safe?" Bianca asked, yet she was already moving to pet the dog, who barked happily at the attention.
"Of course it's safe, given who your dad is." I sighed, resting my face against my palm.
Both kids froze as they slowly turned to look at me with wide, disbelieving, yet hopeful eyes.
"O-our... our father?" Bianca asked.
"Is our dad alive!?" Nico more hurriedly asked.
I nodded. "Yes. The thought of him dying would be pretty hilarious once you find out who he is."
"What do you mean? Who is he?" Bianca asked.
"I told you there are two types of mortals that can see through the Mist, correct?" I asked as a non-sequitur, much to their confusion. Nico nodded though "The second type that can see through the Mist are Demigods." It took them a few seconds for that to click. "People that are also called Half-Blood. Meaning Half-Human, or Half-Mortal." I looked at them pointedly. "And Half-God."
"G-God as in..." Bianca uttered. Nico's eyes widened as he looked between the hellhound and me a few times, starting to connect the dots. Heh. Smart kid.
"Creatures of the Underworld are vicious to all demigods, just like any other monster. Except for those of a certain linage. The only demigods that can command beings of the Underworld are the God of the Dead and those of his blood." Bianca and Nico's eyes widened. "Your dad is Hades, kids."