Chapter 7

Price of a soul

At Camp Half Blood

Dean woke up in his new room in the Zeus cabin, bright and early as always. Luckily he never left anything of importance behind when he slept over at camp or else Thalia would have definitely thrown it out when she took over the main room.

Dean quickly got ready for training and walked out his door.

As he entered the hall he could see his sister's mess start from outside her door and gradually get bigger in her room.

'How does she manage to spread her mess this far? And stink up the place' Dean said waving his hand around.

Dean went to confront her about this and entered her room.

As usual her room was a nightmare. Dirty clothes, garbage, dirt, etc.

Thalia was sprawled out on her bed snoring, the sheets were practically falling off, wearing an oversized Metallica T-shirt and black panties.

Dean shook his head, "Unbelievable, hey get up, we have training"

Thalia didn't even flinch.

Dean shook her, "Hey, wake up already"

Thalia turned over and put a pillow over her head, "Go away" she muttered.

Dean pinched the bridge of his nose, "Unreal" he walked away for a moment before coming back with a bucket of water and dumping it on Thalia.

Thalia jumped out of her sleep and fell on the floor, "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

"I care" Dean said with a smirk, "I could smell you across the hall"

Thalia pushed him out, "Leave me alone!" She slammed the door behind him.

'Is this what it's like being a parent?' Dean thought.

Dean went to find Chiron by the big house.

He stood outside directing other demigods to what areas they were assigned to.

"Ah Dean, how're you feeling today?" Chiron asked.

"Ready to train, unlike some other people" Dean said rolling his eyes.

"Good, as soon as Thalia gets here, I'll have you two spar for the day" Chiron said.

Dean sighed, "Great"

Chiron didn't understand, "What's the matter?"

"I tried to get her up as I left the house but she kept going back to bed" Dean said.

"Alright, we'll wait for her together. I'm sure she won't be long" Chiron said.

"Uh huh" Dean said knowing that definitely wasn't the case.

An hour later

"This is embarrassing!" Dean shouted as he stood in the sand pit waiting for his sister.

Chiron sighed, "Be patient"

"After all I've had to do, she gets to act like this? Demigods of our caliber should be held to a higher standard" Dean demanded.

"Because of what's happened to her I don't hold her to the higher standards I do for you" Chiron admitted, "She left her home at a young age, was hunted by all kinds of monsters, and sacrificed herself to save Luke and Annabeth"

"I understand" Dean said considering her difficult life, "You think that has something to do with Luke leaving?"

"I don't doubt it, Luke always blamed the gods for his misfortunes" Chiron said in a sad tone. Maybe if he had done more he could have helped him.

"Speaking of gods and misfortunes, my uncle sent some things after me while I was in California" Dean said.

"Makes sense he would do something there, since the gates of the Underworld is in Hollywood" Chiron said.

"Yeah it was a weird time" Dean admitted.

A few Months ago in California

Dean stood across from Amaku preparing to spar. Even with his limited training and experience, Dean surpassed all the other students when it came to raw power. With the exception of Amaku. He was Yoshi's star pupil, and for good reason.

Dean went through his usual process of releasing his chi and his surroundings reacting to it before his aura flared to life and he entered his fighting stance.

Amaku entered his own stance. He faced Dean on his left side, bent his knees, his right fist clenched and held close behind him while his left clenched fist faced his opponent. Suddenly a dark magenta colored aura exploded to life, causing the surroundings to react tenfold.

According to some of the other monks, Amaku was left here at the Monastery as a child with his aura color already present. From a young age he surpassed all of the others, and according to Master Yoshi his potential and talent are matched only by Dean's.

Yoshi gave them the signal to begin.

Amaku reacted instantly by dashing towards Dean and spinning around rapidly in a tornado kick vortex.

He spun so fast that Dean blocked 3 kicks within a fraction of a second but the fourth struck him in the face and sent him flying.

Dean leapt back in so fast it looked like he bounced off the ground.

The two of them began exchanging blows at incredible speeds, each attack sending shockwaves for hundreds of feet, every blow received sending tremors through the ground.

Dean blocked a low kick with his leg and swung a powerful right hook.

Amaku ducked under it before coming back up with a spiral uppercut that struck Dean and sent him flying upwards.

Dean backflipped in the air until he faced his opponent with his guard up, fully expecting him to continue attacking but he simply stood on the ground patiently waiting for him to land.

Dean never looked away as he fell back down and landed safely.

In the seconds before he landed, Amaku quickly cupped his hands together by his side before projecting them forward and releasing an energy projectile that resembled a raging magenta flame.

It flew at Dean with blinding speed as it carved a small trench in its wake. It came at him so fast he barely had enough time to raise his arms as it exploded on contact.

Dean lowered his arms so he could try and see through the dust cloud and as he did another flame exploded in his face.

The benefit of training with Amaku was that Dean didn't have to hold back, he could try as hard as he could. However, the problem was that Amaku wouldn't hold back either.

Dean quickly rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding an explosion. He hopped to his feet and moved around erratically avoiding a few more explosions.

In the midst of his confusion, Amaku jumped up and began rapid firing magenta flames.

Dean quickly became overwhelmed as the area around him erupted in one big explosion.

Amaku landed on the ground and waited as the dust cleared. He couldn't sense Dean's energy which probably meant it was depleted. He entered an odd stance, standing on one leg, the other bent, both his arms held to his side.

A lightning bolt flew out of the dust cloud and struck Amaku, stunning him for a moment.

Dean dashed out of the dust cloud, his aura was focused around his right arm.

Right before he was hit, Amaku zipped back 60 feet in an instant.

Dean struck the ground and made a small crater. A few seconds later his aura faded completely.

"Damn" Dean muttered angrily, that was the closest he's gotten so far.

Amaku looked disappointed, "You thought a cheap trick like hiding your energy could work on me? You're a fool"

"It came pretty close to your face" Dean pointed out, "How the hell did you dodge without moving?!" He asked flabbergasted.

"Perhaps if you trained harder, you'd understand how to use your chi better" Amaku scolded him.

"That's enough" Yoshi intervened. He never understood what it was, from the first day Dean arrived he's felt the need to demean him.

"He needs to train more" Amaku insisted.

"That is true, but he also needs guidance. Something you still need to learn about" Yoshi reminded him.

Amaku spat on the ground and stormed off.

Yoshi sighed, something is going on with him.

"Not sure what crawled up his ass" Dean wondered.

Yoshi shook his head, "He can be a strict teacher at times, but he means well"

"Doesn't seem that way most of the time" Dean noticed, "So how did he do that?"

"It's a difficult technique" Yoshi admitted, "Very few have ever utilized it"

"Explain it to me" Dean pleaded.

"Once you've reached a certain level of control, you can project a steady amount of energy from a certain part of your body. Almost like slowly pushing it out, and that act creates a propelling force that can defy gravity or even gain momentum.

Yoshi sat on the ground and then levitated a few seconds later, "With enough practice it becomes second nature"

Dean sighed, "There's no end to what chi can do"

"Take a few days to rest and reflect on these lessons" Yoshi advised him.

"I'll do that" Dean agreed.

Dean sat in his room, watching videos and scrolling through YouTube. He clicked on a thumbnail that showed guys riding around on dirt bikes.

"We've seen big moves and big crashes. But ask these riders who it is they look up to, and the answer's a man who's not even competing here, Johny Blaze!"

They showed a compilation of his crazy stunts and crashes.

"We all know he's the greatest stunt rider of all time but what we don't know is how much longer can Blaze cheat death! His critics call it pay-per-view suicide as he performs each jump with seemingly no regard for his own life. They call him Mr. Invincible and he'll have to be at his next jump when Johny Blaze will attempt to clear the length of a football field from field goal to field goal!"

Dean raised his eyebrows, something like that could be fun.

Later at the Stadium

Dean parked his bike in the parking lot and went straight to the ticket booth.

Thousands of people were making their way inside, this guy must be pretty popular.

After buying his ticket he made his way into the stadium and found his seat. Everyone was cheering, drinking, shouting at the top of their lungs. Everyone seemed to be having the time of their lives.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Johny Blaze Leap of Death!" The announcer spoke, "Please find your seats, the main event will underway momentarily!"

Dean looked at the distance, the jump was from field goal to field goal. That distance would need a lot of speed to cover, one wrong move and any ordinary human being crashing at that speed would surely die. Then again Johny Blaze is known to crash hard from the time to time and always gets back up.

In the dressing room

A tall man with dark hair, aviator sunglasses, and a white leather biker outfit with flames all over it stood in front of a mirror.

Johny Blaze stared at himself, it was an empty stare, like he was searching for a reason. A reason to do the jump…to get up in the morning…to go on living.

Ever since he made that deal his life became hell. His father died, the once love of his life left.

All the money and fame he's amassed counts for nothing when he has no one close to share it with.

He's carried this fear inside of him, that anyone he let close to him might end up the same. Fear..of the creature inside of him that every so often takes over.

One of his crew, Mack, walked in and quickly closed the door to keep out all the noise, "Hey JB"

Johny grabbed a pot of hot coffee and started chugging it.

"I just ran a second check on the ramps, they look good. Crowd's kinda out of control" Mack said sounding nervous.

He noticed Johny still drinking the coffee and not acknowledging him.

"Johny you know you don't have to do this, don't you?" Mack asked, every time the stunt gets crazier.

Johny put down the pot, "Does this suit fit alright? It feels a little loose"

Mack looked frustrated, "The suit's fine"

"I'll be out there in a bit" Johny assured him.

Mack nodded and went back outside.

Johny looked back into the mirror, and stared intensely, "You can't live in fear"

A few minutes later Johny walked out of his room and there was paparazzi everywhere taking pictures and asking questions.

"All right, JB we're just up here on the right" Mack said leading him to where he has to go.

"Mr. Blaze, Amy page, event publicity. I wonder if you have time for a quick interview?"

"Look I don't know how long you been doin your job, but Johny Blaze don't do no interviews, ok?" Mack said keeping her away.

"Not even for an old friend?" A sweet voice cut through the sounds of the paparazzi.

Johny immediately stopped in his tracks and looked to his left.

A tan woman with a curvy figure and light brown hair smiled at him, "Hey Johny"

Johny lowered his sunglasses and couldn't believe his eyes. Roxanne, beautiful as ever, it was like a dream.

"I'll do it" he said with a smile.

Dean got a drink and a hot dog before sitting down. The show was taking longer than he thought so he grabbed a snack.

As he began to eat, his senses picked up on something faint, something dark.

Dean put down his food and openly searched.

It felt like there was a light fog of darkness all around the stadium. Something, or someone was manipulating…well something.

Dean got up and walked towards the exit. All the halls were empty but they echoed the roaring crowd.

He kept walking, following the darkness to its source under a different section of the stadium.

An old man draped in shadow stood in the doorway. His silhouette was tall and slender, he had pale white skin, hair so blonde and bright it was almost silver. He held on to his black cane with a giant crystal skull at the top of it with both hands, and his eyes…eyes blacker than the night…darker than any abyss stared right into his soul.

He smiled showing off his bone white teeth, "Well if it isn't the son of Zeus. You lost?" his voice was low and cold, and his words echoed over the wind that ominously howled ever so slightly.

Dean clenched his fists and lightning sparked in his eyes, "Who are you?"

He shrugged and took a few steps towards him, "I go by many names, most call me Mephistopheles, but I prefer Mephisto"

Dean's heard that name before in ancient folklore, can't remember details but it had something to do with being an evil entity. He sniffed the air, "You smell like the underworld, you work for my uncle?"

Mephisto laughed, "I don't work for anyone" he said that with a bit of hatred in his voice, "However, I do align myself with certain powerful deities, and I choose to support whichever choice serves me best. For example your uncle wants me to dispose of you, he believes you're a threat and wants you out of the picture"

Dean never knew it was that bad, or that he was even a threat to a god.

"But, on the other hand. Someone else thinks you're too important to take off the board" Mephisto said.

Dean looked confused, "Who?"

"That voice you hear in your head sometimes…trying to twist your mind…" Mephisto pointed out, "He's very interested in you"

Dean remembered that weird moment in the underworld, "That thing in the pit that tried to pull me in. But why?"

"He has plans for you" Mephisto said ominously, "And it's my job to bring you to him"

"Why're you telling me all this? And why didn't you grab me in the underworld when you had the chance?" Dean asked.

"Because Hades would have known about it. That's why I put up this fog you see everywhere, so no one can spy on us. Now you can come quietly…or I can send one of my enforcers to collect you. Your choice" Mephisto warned him.

Dean put his hands up, "Doesn't matter who it is, I'm not going in that pit"

Mephisto smirked, "Have it your way" he stomped his cane and he vanished in a puff of smoke.

Dean coughed as he looked around with no sight of him, 'Its even more potent than Kurt's'.

"Well thank you for this revealing peek into the life of Johny Blaze. I'm Roxanne Simpson on scene" She spoke staring into the camera.

"And were out" The camera man said turning it off.

"You're gonna stay for the jump, right?" Johny asked as he lost himself in her eyes.

"Oh, you know we gotta get back. Plus I never liked watching you jump, ugh" Roxanne trembled for a moment before walking away.

Johny watched her walk and felt his heart shrink with every step, "Roxanne" he called out with a sad voice.

She turned around and had this expression like she was expecting something.

Johny couldn't find the words his heart was telling him. Even though she was right there somehow she still felt out of reach.

After a moment of silence she had this look of disappointment before turning around to leave.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you two had some kind of history" Mack guessed.

"Ancient history" Johny clarified as he hurried to where his bike was waiting for him at the top of the ramp.

Mack looked on the field, didn't see any trucks, and felt relieved, "Thank god you listened to me and took the cars out, would've been suicide otherwise. This way if you come up short, see, you'll uh, come down on some nice, soft green…"

The stadium roof began to open.

"Grass" Mack was afraid of what was about to happen.

"Ladies and gentlemen Johny Blaze will not be jumping 50 cars today as scheduled, but instead will be leaping six UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters! Never before has any man attempted such a death defying stunt" The announcer shouted.

The helicopters landed on the grass adjacent to each other in a straight line.

Mack looked back at him with a horrified look.

Johny smirked, "I took the cars out

Mack grabbed his own hair and felt like pulling it out, "Why? Why JB? Why wouldn't you tell me?"

"Well because you would have thrown a fit" Johny said.

"Call me old fashioned I'm funny that way. Human sacrifice makes me uncomfortable!" Mack shouted.

Johny had this bright smile on his face, something Mack had never seen before.

"Why JB? Why helicopters man?" Mack started to panic.

Johny thought back to something his father told him once.

You know what I've been thinking about? A new stunt. But instead of the cars or the ring of fire…a helicopter.

His father looked so excited at the idea of it.

"My dad thought it'd be cool" Johny admitted.

Mack sighed, you can't even say anything bad about that, "He was right"

"Yeah" Johny agreed.

"Ok, this is the deal man. Halfway down the ramp I want you to hit the NOS, ok? Do not hit it too early? If you hit it too early you are screwed. You got that?" Mack made sure he remembered.

"How much NOS did you put in the tanks?" Johny asked.

"Enough to shame a space shuttle" Mack said as he tapped his back and gave him some space.

Johny stared down the ramp for a few seconds before closing his eyes.

To hype up the crowd even more the song Crazy Train, by Ozzy Ozbourne started playing.

At this point Dean had returned to his seat since there was no sign of anything coming for him.

'You can't live in fear' Johny thought. He opened his eyes and went full speed down the ramp. When he was halfway down he hit the Nos like Mack said and that sent him flying off the ramp at an incredible speed.

Dean watched as he flew over the helicopters one by one in slow motion, at least in his eyes.

As Johny landed on the opposite ramp he leaned forward too much and fell off the bike, smashing his helmet against the front wheel and sliding down the ramp all the way to the edge of the arena. Where there were barriers set up which he collided into head first.

The crowd screamed in horror knowing something like that would be fatal.

Immediately an ambulance drove up to where Johny was along with his crew.

"Ladies and gentlemen please stay off the field to allow paramedics through" the announcer said.

"Oh god. Oh god. JB!" Mack said as he took off his helmet that was smashed to bits.

Johny's face appeared to be fine but he was unconscious.

"JB talk to me man!" Mack tried to shake him.

After a few seconds his eyes slowly opened.

His crew and the paramedics stood there waiting to see what would happen.

"Mack, is the bike okay?" Johny asked nonchalantly.

Mack stared at him in annoyance, "Yeah, yeah. The bike fine, oh god, whew" he sighed with relief before handing him his sunglasses.

Johny took them and put em on his face, "Thank you"

They helped him up.

The crowd cheered even louder than before.

"Let's hear it for him folks. The amazing Johny Blaze!" The announcer said.

Dean stared at Johny from his seat, 'He shouldn't be alive right now, must be one tough son of a gun' after a bit of time he cleared out of the stadium and went to find something to eat.

Later on

Johny sat outside the building where he was staying, wondering about today.

He took his wallet out of his pocket and pulled out an old picture of a beautiful girl. Roxanne.

Flashback

Johny finished his carving in the tree in front of him, J FOREVER.

Roxanne sat on one the overgrown roots of the tree staring out into space.

Johny took notice of her distant gaze and sat next to her, "Hey" he gently caressed her hand, "What's wrong Roxie?"

She stared at the ground for a moment before looking at him with a sad expression, "I'm leaving"

Johny had a perplexed look, "What?"

"My dad is sending me to live with my mom" Roxanne said with teary eyes, it was obvious this wasn't her idea or her choice.

Johny understood right away, "When?" He asked hoping he might have some time to think of a solution.

Roxanne stood up and looked away from him, it was too painful to face him, "Soon"

Johny stood as well but stayed where he was knowing she was trying her best to keep it together, "What about us?"

Roxanne wiped away a tear, "He says you're not good enough for me, that you're just a phase"

Johny ran his fingers through his hair, her old man really never liked him.

"So what're we gonna do Johny?" She asked hoping he would have a solution.

Johny walked in front of her, determined, "We'll leave. We'll jump on the bike and just keep going"

"But what about your dad? What about the show?" Roxanne asked knowing how much he loved it.

Johny gently held her hips, "He doesn't need me. He doesn't need anybody" he assured her with a bright smile.

Roxanne smiled back as she stared into his eyes.

"Tomorrow, noon. We'll meet here" Johny said before they kissed with a fiery passion that very few ever experience.

End Flashback

But it didn't work out that way. He made a deal with the devil, his father died anyway, and then he ran away out of fear of hurting her.

Lights began to flicker and burst.

"Johny Blaze" someone spoke his name with a sinister tone.

He looked behind him and saw Mephisto.

"Caught your show today" Mephisto said.

Johny glared at him, "You…stay away from me"

"A little late for that" Mephisto said as he approached.

"Why are you here?" Johny moved away from him as he got closer.

"Oh I've always been here Johny, all along" Mephisto said as he slowly walked around him in a circle.

"It was you, keeping me alive" Johny guessed.

"Oh no Johny, it's all you. You're the best, and I'm your greatest fan. The posters, the video games, the crowds screaming, chanting. Johny. Johny" he leaned closer and he heard his demonic voice whisper, "Johny"

A chill went up Johny's spine.

"It makes me so proud. It's like watching an investment that keeps growing and growing until the day you cash it in. That day is today Johny" Mephisto said sounding pleased, "Find the son of Zeus and bring him to me, alive"

Johny didn't even bother making sense of what he said, "Find him yourself"

Mephisto sighed and a second voice, much deeper and darker growled for a moment, "Doesn't work like that, you're under contract, remember?"

Lightning crackled in the sky, creating a flash of light. Behind the old man the flash of light made a shadow appear behind him, but it didn't match his body. The shadow was taller, with unruly hair and a pair of horns.

"I'll even sweeten the deal for you. If you succeed, I'll return your soul" Mephisto promised.

For a moment Johny considered doing it willingly but then he remembered things are never as they seem with Mephisto, "I'm not doing it"

Mephisto laughed, "You don't have any choice" he stomped his cane and all of a sudden Johny's body wasn't responding to him, "You're mine Johny Blaze"

Author's note: Yeah it's been a while, what else is new eh? Lol still going. If it wasn't apparent already I tend to write small arcs and then post them in parts. Hence why you'll have to wait less for the next couple chapters. Hope you enjoy the read, please review, and see you soon ;)