Chapter Two - I have a bout with a Child Of War!
I looked at the beautiful buildings and luscious greenery, it was scarred from battle but still amazed me.
Not even kidding when I tell you that I still had my mouth open and a bug flew into it. Not a normal bug either, the size of my finger.
My brain felt a shock and I instantly began panicking, ripping the bug out of my mouth with nothing but my fingertips and throwing it on the ground.
"AGH WHAT IS THAT?" I screamed and backed up, still staring at the giant glowing bug.
"That?" He looked at me and frowned. "That's just a firefly."
"That is not a firefly!" I looked at him with nothing but pure terror.
He laughed and picked the bug up, it was still covered in some of my spit, "Go on little guy."
The firefly glowed once and just zoomed off, it weaved and bobbed through figures in the distance, its glow slowly disappearing as I watched it go.
"Now let's go." Andrew grinned.
I could feel my lip twitch a bit, "Seriously, what's wrong with you?"
We walked and he looked at me offended, "There's nothing wrong with me, in fact I connect with everything natural…on some basis."
He then faced forward and kept walking as I just looked at all the greenery and Gods around me, then he continued explaining my background and that either I was a special mortal who could see through the mist or a DemiGod.
Most likely a DemiGod though he said because I already have the rotten luck of one. Yeah, he's kind of a bedwetter.
"But anyways that's the history and stuff," He stopped and I looked around just to realize we were on top of the staircase leading into the Great Hall. "Now, let's go enjoy our victory!"
"Not really mine." I muttered and followed him as he skipped into the building.
The inside was very well built, the walls made of marble and stone that must've been crafted by the most skilled of beings. Many Gods were staring at me with unwelcoming glances.
"Are you sure I'm welcome here?" I asked nervously.
"Yeah totally," He nodded and waved at many of them. "Just ignore the ones that look at you like you're garbage."
I smiled weakly at many of the Gods, "You mind picking up the pace?"
Couldn't see his face but I'm pretty sure he sighed.
We continued down the gigantic halls of Olympus and stopped in a giant room that held comically large…chairs?
I looked around and frowned, "Why are they so big?"
"You'll see." He grinned and pointed at a group of scrappy looking campers. "Join us."
He left me standing there and began chatting with his fellow campers, at one point I saw one of them glance at me with a slight scowl. It was a girl, her hair was black with green highlights.
I shrugged it off and sat next to some slightly lit Hearth, the coal in it was soft and warm despite me being so close.
"Congratulations on the Victory," A delicate voice spoke from behind me. I turned to look through the flames and found a small girl with brown hair and fiery eyes.
Not even kidding, her eyes looked like they held flames so either she's a super angry Goddess or I've had the longest day in history. "You seem new."
"I am," I laughed. "I don't even know why I'm here."
"You are a Child of Olympus," She snickered and put her hand in the flames, twirling the flames around before moving coal around. "This victory is because of you and your brethren."
I shook my head, "I actually had nothing to do with them winning."
She stopped and glanced at me, the flames in her eyes flickering with what I assumed was curiosity. Retracting her hand she looked at me and I swear that her mouth twitched.
Feeling uneasy I moved to cross my arms and blinked and when I opened them she wasn't on the other side of the Hearth anymore. I frowned and turned to ask the group of campers if they saw her, nearly having a heart attack.
She was standing right in front of me, my arms were frozen in place and she took one.
"You are…not one of the Olympians Children." She looked down at my palm and traced it. "But you are of Godly Descent."
She looked up at me and stared into my eyes, "Stay here…I will speak with Clio."
I blinked again and she was gone, it made me feel uneasy.
As my eyes adjusted I saw the girl with green highlights from earlier was now walking over to me with two cups.
"Newbie," She approached me and handed me a cup. "I don't like you."
I raised my eyebrows as she sat next to me, crossing her legs and sipping her cup.
"Why are you sitting next to me then?" I asked and she glanced at me from the corner of her eye.
She put the styrofoam cup down and I thought about it, my add getting the best of me.
Why didn't the Gods just give us regular cups or the ones they use? Budget?
"Because Hestia has taken an interest in you," She turned her head and stared into my eyes with her green ones. "And that means you're not that much of a problem that I thought."
"Wait, why did you think I was a problem?" I frowned.
She raised her eyebrow and pursed her lips, "Maybe because you did nothing to help with the battle?Or maybe the fact you popped up out of nowhere?"
I scrunched my face up, "One I didn't help with the battle because I barely understood what was going on and two, what was I supposed to do?Lie down and wait for everything to resume?"
She cracked her neck and sighed, her olive skin was shining because of the dancing flames.
"Anyways I'm tryna like you okay?" She popped her fingers. "So fight me and I'll forgive you for being a coward in the middle of wartime."
Suddenly the feeling of heat on my back intensified, almost searing hot.
"What?" I asked.
She stood quickly and grabbed my arm, swinging me towards the crowd of campers. I rolled to a stop just in front of them and they grinned at me, my friend Andrew had a face of…I don't even know how to describe it.
Maybe, 'Ouch that looked like it hurt' and 'Sorry bud, didn't mean to get you beat up.'
Yeah! That's perfect!
I scrambled to my feet just in time for the girl to kick me in my stomach, sending my into the campers this time. They sidestepped and I landed on a guy and girl who groaned when we ended up on the floor.
"I'm Ivory by the way," The girl walked through the cleared path towards me. "Now get up and fight."
I rolled off the two and stood, everything felt like it was clearing up, my vision,hearing,instincts, all of it.
Pretty sure it was adrenaline.
She jabbed at my face and I dodged, then she struck my stomach with her offhand. I winced and looked at her, my anger was starting to rise.
"You need to be ready to fight for what you love," She scowled and put her on a sheath that hung from her jean beltline. "I will forgive you for your cowardice once you show me you can."
She unsheathed a long sword made of Gold, it had an engraving of two spears crossing on the side of the blade. Its grip was made of leather and the butt was pure gold.
"That's too far Ivory!" Andrew shouted.
"Shut up, you said it was cowardly that he stayed in that closet too." She barked at him and charged me.
I looked left and right to find a weapon, luckily there were a pair of daggers made of silver and some other material, kinda purple.
Quickly grabbing one and parrying the downward slash that Ivory tried to hit me with I grit my teeth as she pushed down hard.
I could barely hear due to the grinding of metals but a camper murmured in the crowd, "Isn't that her dagger?"
Glancing over there for a moment to see Andrew, his face drained of color.
I quickly kicked Ivory back and she stumbled a bit, taking advantage of that I rushed over to the other and grabbed it. She charged me, a stoic face stared at me as I ducked below her swing.
"Stop evad-" She started and I kicked her legs up from under her but she recovered inhumanely fast, using her offhand to push off the floor. The muscles in her slim arms flexed and I saw just how outmatched I was, the push off sent her about one or two feet off the floor and four feet in the opposite direction.
She stood tall and grinned at me, either impressed by me or as a sign that I was doing absolutely terrible.
I got up off the floor and blinked once, that's when I felt it.
Quickly I opened my eyes and found Ivory was standing in front of me, her sword at her side and a searing pain in my side.
I looked down and found a gash just on the outside of my hip, it burned and yet the only reaction I gave was a wince before Ivory tried to give me another. I swiped away the swing of her sword and the metals clinged loudly in the echoing hall.
My vision began to get blurry and I stumbled back a bit, she pressed on and jabbed at me with her offhand, landing a hit on my wound. I cried out and swung back blindly, missing her shoulder by a large amount.
She then jumped in the air and kicked me back with both her legs, the kick sent me flying back in the direction of the Hearth. I landed a foot in front of it, my eyes slightly blurry and I snapped them back open when I found two feet dangling over the edge of the Hearth.
It was Hestia.
She extended her hand and I took it, as she helped me up there was nothing but silence.
"Well?" She asked, and both I and Ivory looked at her. "You may continue…however Percy and the other Gods may be back soon."
I grimaced and glanced back to find a sword approaching me, everything slowed down and my vision blacked out for a moment. I was in a dark area, in it was the man with a coat.
"You're doing pretty well," He smiled, his pale skin wrinkling. "Do not yield…use your power."
I tried to speak and heard nothing, his eyes held regret.
"I've done something that may affect you after they find out who you are, my son," He clamped his hands together. "Stay strong…and get stronger…once you are strong enough you will be able to speak here."
My voice refused to penetrate the silent air, "Get stronger son…when you are strong enough we will talk…and you will understand why I've done what they will tell you."
He snapped his fingers and my vision of Olympus returned, still standing in the Great Hall.
The campers stared at me, some in shock, others in anger.
My eyes focused on a giant figure in spartan armor in front of me, his skin, armor, and weaponry was all black with an outline of white.
"F-Father?" Ivorys voice croaked and I looked down, she was on the floor about six feet away and missing her weapon.
I looked around confused, finding her weapon in the hand of the shadowy figure.
Suddenly there were footsteps and I turned slightly to see, the shadow man followed my lead and we found a group of people in robes. Only two of them were in regular clothing and even then it was camp attire.
I found a man that looked like the shadow staring in awe, the others glanced at each other.
Then the area around us was illuminated by a dark, black color. I looked up still confused to find a symbol of pure black with a white outline identical to the shadow man.
"Behold, Morf Lane," Hestia's voice echoed throughout the hall. "Son of Morpheus, God of Dreams, Lord of the Subconscious, and the famed Sandman among mortals…Welcome the Son of Dreams."
A/N - (Sorry this one is slightly shorter, it has a lot more action in return!)