As I mentioned in the recent chapter of my Son of Thor story, I was planning to bring back my Devil May Cry/Percy Jackson series featuring my son of Dante and Artemis character. The reason I deleted the series the last time was because it was appearing too similar to a Naruto/Percy Jackson series called Son of the Huntress, so I had to get rid of it.
But now, I've got a pretty decent layout for this one this time around. OC's name is different to separate him from Damian Redgrave, my other son of Dante OC only his mother is Lucia.
This time, the OC is named Alexander Lycaeus Redgrave. I was going for the theme of having the character named after some important Greek figure or at the very least a Greek-sounding name. Alexander is a nod towards Alexander the Great, Lycaeus is one Greek word that means "Wolf" as a nod to his heritage as the son of Artemis. And Redgrave... well, he can't exactly go around using Sparda for a last name now, can he?
Plus Dante went by Tony Redgrave at one point so...
Anyway, the only trouble I'm having is the pairing. nothing is official yet but I am leaning towards Thalia Grace this time around and simply just her. If this upsets some of you, that's fine. But at the end of the day, my decision is final.
Disclaimer: I do not own Devil May Cry or Percy Jackson and the Olympians. I only own the OC Alexander Redgrave.
In the city of Manhatten, New York, in the neighbourhood of Hell's Kitchen, one would find a large stand-alone building with a bright red neon sign of the entrance and the silhouette of a woman with guns.
The sign read "Devil May Cry".
The interior is a square-shaped room, resembling a studio, with wooden floor and plaster walls, while having wooden panels on bottom part. Looking from the entrance, there is a set of simple stairs on the left, leading to a landing that spans the entire back wall and acts as a living area. Underneath the landing is a white fridge, a couple of couches and large speakers. On the left side is also a pool table, while on the right side of the room, in the corner, is an antique jukebox, with a set of drums and an electric guitar next to it.
In the back right of the room is a nook with a bar in the corner, another "Devil May Cry" neon sign above it.
In the back of the room, was a slightly elevated wooden platform, with two stairs and a carpet. On the platform, was an antique wooden desk and a chair, with a large round and wide column behind it, which acts as a support for the landing above it. On the desk was a picture of a beautiful woman, with long blonde hair.
Next to the photo was an old-style rotary phone.
And sitting at the desk, his feet propped up onto the desk, was a fourteen-year old boy with white, almost silver, hair that was brushed down. However, the eyes were what caught most people's attention, given that they were silver, like the moon. He had often been told his mother had the same eyes and he had inherited them.
He had a fair skin complexion, and was dressed in dark blue jeans, black steel-toed combat boots, a black jacket that went down past his knees a little with the image of a wolf silhouette howling at the moon on the back of it. He also wore a short-sleeved black top.
His name was Alexander Lycaeus Redgrave, but he prefers Alex, and he was far from an ordinary boy.
How, you may ask?
Well it was simple; he hunted demons.
Forget what you think you know, demons exist. While most of humanity is unaware of this threat, there are a very small few that happen to be aware of demons and fight them to protect the rest of the blissfully unaware humans that the demons seek to enslave, destroy or simply conquer. Those few demon hunters were in fact Alex and his family. Him, his father and his honorary aunts.
His father, Dante, was the son of a demon father and human mother, alongside his twin brother, Vergil. However, one day, demons attacked their home while Dante and Vergil's father, Sparda, was away, resulting in the death of their mother, Eva, and Vergil's disappearance. And from then on, Dante became a demon hunter after training himself up for it, believing his brother was dead.
That wasn't the case, but it was a long, complicated story of two brothers who were different from each other. But this is not about them, this is about Dante's son.
Alex had been trained to fight demons and defend himself, since it was the family business. But outside of demon hunting? Well, he enjoyed archery (Which he had always been a pro at, even when he was a lot younger), enjoyed the feeling of nature around him and also... he had a talent for hunting. His dad often said he got it from his mother, who had been a hunter herself, and she had even gotten Dante into the art of hunting occasionally. It was something the father and son do when they feel in the mood for something beyond eating pizza or a takeaway.
Among this, he also had abilities that he chalked up to having inherited from his father, with those abilities being able to see in the dark much better than anyone else, as if it was still light if only a little dim. He also found comfort in stargazer, staring up at the full moon which always seemed to shine a bright light on him, and he was also incredible fast, about as fast as a cheetah.
He won every race in school in seconds, becoming a champion sprinter, and everyone always wondered why but he'd shrug and say "I'm just fast."
Plus it helps when he's hunting demons that think they can run away from him, or when he's hunting bears, deer or rabbits.
Alex looked up from the book he was reading, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, to see his father walk through the front of the shop.
"Any new calls, kiddo?" Dante the Devil Hunter asked as he walked over to his son.
"Nah, been pretty quiet to be completely honest." Alex replied, then levelled his father with a confused look, his brows furrowing. "By the way what's the point of having a bed if you always end up sleeping at your desk, Dad?"
Dante shrugged and plopped down on the nearby couch since his son was hogging his desk chair. "It has its uses. Plus, if a call comes in then I'm there to answer it in time or if a client comes in, then they aren't too busy waiting for me. You would not believe how some get so impatient."
Alex snorted as he returned his attention to his book. "I can imagine."
Dante tilted his head, curious. "So, where you at in your book?"
"Harry learning the Patronus Charm." Alex replied. "It's annoying how some things in the book were cut from the film."
"Well, I'd guess it was because of budget and time. Who knows what goes on behind the scenes beyond the acting." Dante said, putting his feet up on the coffee table and lounging back with his arms spread out on the head of the couch. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, though still addressed his son. "You set for your trip tomorrow?"
Alex attended a school in New York, known as Yancy Academy. Well, it was more of a part-time thing. Dante had just made up a slight lie that Alex had something to do that would cut into his time at Yancy so it was agreed that there would be certain days in the week he'd go. The reason for the part-timing thing was because of Alex's profession as a demon hunter.
Dante, Lady and Trish weren't always able to be there for a job if they already had one.
But anyway, back to the topic in conversation. Alex was set to go on a trip tomorrow to the museum as part of the current topic of Greek mythology.
Alex always had a love for Greek mythology ever since his dad had him study it and read it when he was eight years old. He'd read about the Greek Gods, the Titans, and the many heroes like Hercules/Heracles, Jason, and Perseus. Heck, one of his best friends at Yancy Academy was named after Perseus.
And when Alex didn't study on the myths, he'd watch film adaptations and TV show adaptations, well the ones that Dante agreed to let him watch as long as they didn't have anything that wasn't suitable for his young eyes so he was only able to watch Jason and the Argonaunts, Clash of the Titans, Hercules the TV show, Xena: Warrior Princess. Although Dante let up on the restrictions once Alex hit his teens and allowed him to watch the film Troy after it came out on DVD.
But, out of all the stories he had read in Greek mythology, of all the important gods, the one he enjoyed reading about was Artemis, the Goddess of the Moon and the Hunt, even though she was known to hate men. He didn't know what it was, he just loved reading about her. Maybe it was because he loved hunting, enjoyed looking at the moon and loved wolves, all of which she had a connection towards.
Wolves were the best apex predator in the world. Alex had always dreamed of having one as a companion, though he doubted it would be possible. Wolves weren't exactly found in the Cat and Dog home.
"I am." Alex nodded, turning the page in his book. "I just hope Percy doesn't get himself into some trouble, or Nancy Bobofit bullies him and Grover because then I would step in."
"Boba Fett?" Dante joked with a grin, making Alex chuckle.
"Bobofit." He corrected. His father always did that upon hearing of the bully at Yancy Academy. To be fair, it did sound like the Star Wars character.
Alex's chuckling died down and he glanced towards his father a couple of times, contemplating something that was always on his mind. He then closed his book after memorising the page and then asked. "Hey dad, do you think I'll ever meet mom?"
The topic of his mother had always been a... touchy subject for Alex. He had grown up without her in his life, couldn't even remember her face. All he could remember was silver eyes like his own staring down at him with a fond, loving look. He had asked his dad about her when he was younger, and Dante had explained that she had to go away because of important family business on her side, but the Devil Hunter had made it strongly clear that she loved him no matter what and didn't want to leave either of them. Apparently, she had refused to let Dante hold him for three days following his birth.
Dante sighed and looked at his son. "You will, I'm sure of it. She's just... trust me, Alex, I didn't like it when she explained it to me when she fell pregnant with you. She didn't want to leave, that I am very sure of. I don't know when, but I know you will meet her, even if I have to track her down myself and bring her to you although she'd probably slap me for it first since she can be a bit of a prideful woman."
Alex chuckled at the thought of his dad being slapped and his dad looking gobsmacked. Dante shared an amused chuckle with his son, also finding the thought funny.
"You have her eyes." Dante said, making his son look up. "You have my hair, though it looks a little silver like the moon, but you have her eyes. Her eyes were the most beautiful that I had seen... terrifying when she's angry and glaring at me with them."
Alex snickered at that as Dante shivered.
"But I don't regret marrying her or having you." Dante smiled. "Meeting her was the best thing to happen in my life, and having you was just the greatest thing for both of us. I know her absence has been hard for both of us, but if she could see you now? She'd be so proud of you as I am."
Alex smiled, tears in his eyes. Without a word, he got up and walked over to his father, hugging him. Dante rubbed his son's back, letting him cuddle with him like he did when he was a lot younger.
Both of them were unaware of a white wolf looking at them through the window, hidden under the dimly lit street lights. The wolf had silver eyes that held a soft yet sad look as it stared at the father and son. The wolf looked to the ground for a moment, gave the father and son one last glance then pounced off into the night.
Alex walked beside his two best friends, Percy Jackson and Grover Underwood, as they walked through the Metropolitan Museum of Art with several other students from Yancy Academy.
Alex had met Percy when he first came to Yancy a few months back, and the two became quick friends. It helped that they both hated Maths, had dyslexia as well as ADHD. Neither really liked school, Percy found it as a place for troubled kids, and Alex would've rather been homeschooled than face actual school.
Then there was Grover Underwood, who looked a little older than he was if Alex was being honest. He was a disabled boy who had an accident years ago that resulted in him having to use crutches to walk along. He also was the target of bullying, which pissed Alex off when he saw it happen the first time, or any time, and he always stepped in to make the bullies back off with a simple glare.
And like that, a trio of friends had been formed.
Alex had never really had any friends growing up, although there had been three that he met when he was eight, a boy and two girls. Alex had met them when he and Dante were coming back home from a little shopping trip, and upon seeing their state, Dante gave them shelter and food for two weeks before they left, saying they had their reasons for being on the road and going place to place.
But back to the present, Alex, Percy and Grover followed everyone else through the museum, led by their Latin teacher, Mr. Brunner.
Mr. Brunner was this middle-aged guy in a motorized wheelchair. He had thinning hair and a scruffy beard and a frayed tweed jacket, which always smelled like coffee. You wouldn't think he'd be cool, but he told stories and jokes and let us play games in class. He also had this awesome collection of Roman armor and weapons, which piqued Alex's interest in the times he was here and part of the class.
He gathered everyone around a thirteen-foot-tall stone column with a big sphinx on the top, and started explaining how it was a grave marker, a stele, for a girl in her teens. He told them about the carvings on the sides. Alex was paying attention as it sounded very interesting, but out the corner of his eye he could see percy was getting annoyed with those around them that were talking, the boy also wanted to hear the story. Every time Percy told the others to shut up, the other teacher chaperone, Mrs. Dodds, would give him the evil eye.
Mrs. Dodds was this little math teacher from Georgia who always wore a black leather jacket, even though she was fifty years old. She looked mean enough to ride a Harley right into your locker. She had come to Yancy halfway through the year, when the previous math teacher had a nervous breakdown.
From her first day, Mrs. Dodds loved Nancy Bobofit and figured Alex and Percy were devil spawn. She would point her crooked finger at them and say, "Now, honeys," real sweet, which would lead to Percy getting after-school detentions for a month while Alex had his part-time arrangement as a way to get out, and would use it to also get Percy out of detention.
Although, Alex couldn't help but get the feeling that Mrs. Dodds wasn't normal. Every time he was in the same room as her, his instincts would rise and he'd feel the need to draw his weapon... the exact same feeling he'd get when demons pop up nearby.
It didn't help when one day, after she had made Percy erase answers out of old math workbooks until midnight, he told Alex and Grover that he didn't think Mrs. Dodds was human. And Alex had agreed with him, partly joking and partly serious. But then, Grover had looked at them, real serious, and said, "You're absolutely right."
Needless to say, that made Alex ten times more cautious around the woman.
Right now, Mr. Brunner kept talking about Greek funeral art.
Finally, Nancy Bobofit snickered something about the naked guy on the stele, and Percy turned around and said, "Will you shut up?" But it was a little louder than he probably meant.
The whole group laughed. Mr. Brunner stopped his story.
"Mr. Jackson," he said, "did you have a comment?"
Percy's face went red and he said, "No, sir."
Mr. Brunner pointed to one of the pictures on the stele. "Perhaps you'll tell us what this picture represents?"
Alex took a look at the carving, and recognized it. Thankfully, Percy did as well judging from the look of relief on his face. "That's Kronos eating his kids, right?"
"Yes," Mr. Brunner said, obviously not satisfied. "And he did this because ..."
"Well..." Percy racked his brain to remember. "Kronos was the king god, and—"
"God?" Mr. Brunner asked.
Alex nudged his friend and whispered. "Titan."
"Titan," Percy corrected, giving his friend a quick nod. "And ... he didn't trust his kids, who were the gods. So, um, Kronos ate them, right? But his wife hid baby Zeus, and gave Kronos a rock to eat instead. And later, when Zeus grew up, he tricked his dad, Kronos, into barfing up his brothers and sisters—"
"Eeew!" said one of the girls behind them.
"—and so there was this big fight between the gods and the Titans," Percy continued, "and the gods won."
"Correct." Mr. Brunner nodded. "And from then on, the Twelve Olympians were formed, with the most powerful of them being the three son of Kronos, Zeus, Hades and Poseidon. And at times, the gods would come down from Olympus and... how should I put this?"
"Hooked up because they couldn't keep it in their pants?" Alex suggested with a grin, earning laughs from everyone, even Mr. Brunner and Mrs. Dodds.
"That's... an accurate way to put it, Mr. Redgrave." Mr. Brunner chuckled. "And what was the term for the children of a mortal and god, Mr. Redgrave?"
"Demigods."
"Correct again. Could you name some of the well-known demigods?"
"Hercules, or rather Heracles in the Greek stories, he was the son of Zeus. There's also Perseus, another son of Zeus who slayed Medusa, Codrus, son of Poseidon, and Theseus, another son of Poseidon. Most demigods happen to be sons of Zeus because he cheats on his wife a lot."
Mr. Brunner nodded. "Very true, Mr. Redgrave. I see you know your Greek mythology very well."
Behind him, Alex could hear Nancy Bobofit mumble to a friend, "Like we're going to use this in real life. Like it's going to say on our job applications, 'Please explain why Kronos ate his kids or name a famous demigod.'"
"And why, Mr. Redgrave," Brunner said, "to paraphrase Miss Bobofit's excellent question, does this matter in real life?"
Alex furrowed his brows. That was a good question, but no clear answer came to Alex's mind. So he simply shrugged. "I don't know."
"Mr Jackson, how about you?" Brunner asked, but he got the same answer from Percy, which made Brunner look disappointed. "I see. "Well, half credit, Mr. Jackson. Mr. Redgrave. Zeus did indeed feed Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine, which made him disgorge his other five children, who, of course, being immortal gods, had been living and growing up completely undigested in the Titan's stomach. The gods defeated their father, sliced him to pieces with his own scythe, and scattered his remains in Tartarus, the darkest part of the Underworld. On that happy note, it's time for lunch. Mrs. Dodds, would you lead us back outside?"
The class drifted off, the girls holding their stomachs, the guys pushing each other around and acting like doofuses.
Alex saw this and rolled his eyes at their ridiculous antics.
Grover, Alex and Percy were about to follow when Mr. Brunner said, "Mr. Jackson."
Percy paused and looked back, then at his friends. "We'll wait for you outside." Alex assured him, getting a nod from Percy before Grover and Alex followed the others.
As they walked down the corridor, Alex was looking at the displays with a keen eye, until his eyes landed on a statue in another room and he stopped in his tracks before going in to get a closer look, curiosity getting a hold of him.
The statue was of a woman with long hair that fell past her shoulders, clad in the traditional Greek togas that went to her knees. She had a bow in her hand, a quiver of arrows on her back, and at her side was a wolf.
Alex knew who it was right away, not even needing to look at the plaque. "Artemis..."
"The Goddess of the Moon." A voice said, making Alex turn to see Mr. Brunner wheeling himself into the room. "As well as Goddess of the Hunt, Wilderness, Archery, Maidenhood and Childbirth. Also known as the Lady of the Forests and Mistress of the Animals."
Alex looked back at the statue. "That's a lot of titles." He couldn't help but comment, making Brunner chuckle.
"She is one of the Twelve Olympians, and one of the three Virgin Goddesses next to her aunt Hestia and her sister Athena." He explained.
Alex nodded. "I know. I always enjoyed reading about her when I was younger, when my dad told me to study Greek mythology. She's my favourite Goddess."
"Really?" Brunner looked intrigued. "Not many claim that, given that she is known to have a distaste for man. But it is nice to see that despite that, she is still a favourite figure to talk about. I'm sure she'd appreciate it."
Alex snorted. "You speak as if she's real."
"Well, all legend and myth have to originate somewhere, no?" Brunner gave him a wink, making Alex frown a little. But Brunner wheeled himself around. "Come, let's go for lunch We don't want to keep everyone waiting."
Alex followed him, but stopped to take one last glance at the statue of Artemis, then left.
The class gathered on the front steps of the museum, where they could watch the foot traffic along Fifth Avenue.
Overhead, a huge storm was brewing, with clouds blacker than any Alex had ever seen over the city. He couldn't place why the weather had been the way it is, as it's been like this all across New York state since Christmas. There's been massive snow storms, flooding, wildfires from lightning strikes.
Nobody else seemed to notice. Some of the guys were pelting pigeons with Lunchables crackers. Nancy Bobofit was trying to pickpocket something from a lady's purse, and, of course, Mrs. Dodds wasn't seeing a thing.
Alex rolled his eyes as his leg brushed against the guitar case that he always carried around with him as it contained his sword. Not many actually question it, save for Percy and Grover, but they hardly see him take the 'guitar' out of the case. Alex always made up an excuse, because it was there with him in case a demon pops up nearby and he has to take care of it.
"Detention?" Grover asked Percy after he had joined them from speaking with Brunner.
"Nah," Percy said. "Not from Brunner. I just wish he'd lay off me sometimes. I mean—I'm not a genius."
Grover didn't say anything for a while. Then, when Alex thought he was going to give Percy some deep philosophical comment to make him feel better, he said, "Can I have your apple?"
Alex snorted a little, lips quirking into a small smirk as Percy let him take it.
Alex looked out at Fifth Avenue, his mind turning to various things; the job he dad and aunts in all but blood were on, his mother and where she was, and the annoyance that was Nancy Bobofit because she was coming towards them right now.
Before Alex could even say anything to make her go away with her ugly friends, she dumped her half-eaten lunch in Grover's lap.
"Oops." She grinned at them with her crooked teeth. Her freckles were orange, as if somebody had spray-painted her face with liquid Cheetos.
Percy looked ready to get up and deck her, but Alex placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head. "She's not worth it." He told his friend.
Both boys' attention snapped back to Nancy when, all of a sudden, she was now sitting on her butt in the fountain, screaming, "Percy pushed me!"
"He didn't even touch you." Alex said, a frown on his face. How did she fall into the fountain? Nobody pushed her and she didn't trip.
He couldn't think on this further because Mrs. Dodds practically appeared right next to them, making Alex's danger senses act up again and he almost revealed the hidden weapon he had on him.
Some of the kids were whispering: "Did you see—"
"—the water—"
"—like it grabbed her—"
'What are they talking about?' Alex wondered with his frown deepening.
As soon as Mrs. Dodds was sure poor little Nancy was okay, promising to get her a new shirt at the museum gift shop, etc., etc., Mrs. Dodds turned on Percy There was a triumphant fire in her eyes, as if he'd done something she'd been waiting for all semester. "Now, honey—"
"He didn't do anything." Alex came to his friend's defence.
"I pushed her!" Grover added, making Alex blink and look at him while Percy was stunned Grover was trying to cover for him. Mrs. Dodds scared Grover to death.
She glared at him so hard his whiskery chin trembled.
"I don't think so, Mr. Underwood. Mr. Redgrave." she said.
"But—"
"You—will—stay—here."
Grover looked at Percy desperately while Alex looked ready to speak up again.
"It's okay, man," Percy told them both, stopping Alex from doing something that might get him into trouble as well. "Thanks for trying."
"Honey," Mrs. Dodds barked at him. "Now."
She led Percy away into the museum, and Alex mentally cursed himself for not doing more. Something was wrong, his instincts and danger senses were still high even with Mrs. Dodds no longer in his presence.
"I'll be back in a minute." Alex told Grover, picked up his guitar case and jogged off into the museum before Grover could stop him.
"Where the hell are they?" Alex muttered to himself as he searched the exhibit display rooms for Percy and Mrs. Dodds, even using his sense of smell to sniff them out. He didn't know how, but he chalked it up to his dad's demonic genes, but Alex had heightened senses. He could smell better than most, his hearing like that of a cheetah or a wolf. He wasn't sure how to explain it, but he wasn't really complaining.
His ability to understand animals, however, was something he couldn't figure out and his dad didn't seem to know the answer as well.
Suddenly, a scream from up ahead snapped his attention as he recognised it. "Percy?!"
Without wasting another second, he ran in the direction the scream came from, idly noting how no one was around which was odd. This was a museum, it should be at least filled with a group of people. But there was no one. Not even security guards.
"Alex!" Alex looked ahead as Percy ran out of a room up ahead and ran straight towards him. "Run!"
"What are you-!" Alex was about to start but stopped when something inhuman screeched.
"Where is it?!" The thing in question came around the corner like a bat out of hell... and that was one way to describe whatever the hell was chasing Percy. The creature's eyes glowed like barbecuq coals. The fingers were sharp talons. It also had large, leathery wings. This thing was a shriveled hag with bat wings and claws and a mouth full of yellow fangs.
"What the hell is that?!" Alex shouted as he ran alongside Percy.
"It's Mrs. Dodds! She... She turned into that!" Percy said, stunning Alex for a moment. He knew she wasn't human! But what was she? She didn't look like any kind of demon he's met and killed.
Alex glanced back to see Mrs. Dodds was gaining on them and he cursed before he grabbed Percy and practically took off with his almost cheetah-like speed, running into another room that was clear of big displays.
"Alright, Percy, I'm going to do something and I need you to save the questioning for later." Alex said.
"What-?" Percy stopped when Mrs. Dodds flew into the room and in that moment, Alex reached underneath the back of his coat and drew two silver-plated 50 cal Desert Eagles. Both of which had names engraved on them. One was named 'Eclipse', and the other was named 'Phantom'. The one called Phantom had a noticeably darker silver appearance compared to the other gun.
Without hesitating, Alex fired at Mrs. Dodds who screeched in alarm as she flew around, avoiding the bullets. Alex was careful to not aim towards the displays as the last thing needed was questions on why the displays were filled with bullets.
"You have guns?!" Percy gaped at his friend.
"Explain later!" Alex said back to him before his eyes narrowed as he focused, waited, and then fired off a single shot. The bullet sailed through the air and struck Mrs. Dodds through the wing, making her shriek like a banshee as she went crashing to the floor but got right back up, examining her wing while Percy gaped at Alex in shock.
Mrs. Dodds glared at Alex then lunged straight at the Demon Hunter, whose eyes widened as he holstered his guns and flipped over the... whatever the hell Mrs. Dodds had turned into. In mid-air, he threw the guitar case off his back, having had it partially zipped, and from it came a sword that glistened in the light. As Alex landed on his feet, he clutched the sword in his right hand, leaning it on his right shoulder.
The sword was a silver-coloured longsword. The blade is long and double-edged, and connects to a guard that is Greek-designed in origin as it was almost based off a greek xiphos sword. At the area where the blade connects with the grip of the sword was the silver head of a wolf with it's mouth there was a Greek inscription along the blade.
Lukoktónon. Which was Greek for Wolfsbane. (AN: Think the DmC Devil May Cry Rebellion but replace the grip with that of a Xiphos sword and add the wolf head to where the blade and guard meet)
Dante had mentioned that Alex's mother had Greek roots, so the sword was given a Greek name and Greek style. He had explained that the sword was created not long after Alex's mother had gotten pregnant with him, and it was meant to be a gift for when he was ready to start fighting demons.
Alex shifted his shoulders while leaning Wolfsbane on his shoulder, shooting Mrs. Dodds a smirk and made the 'just bring it' gesture. "Come on!" He taunted.
Before the fight could get underway, they heard the screeching of wheels and when they both looked over they saw Mr. Brunner there in his wheelchair, holding a pen in his hand.
"What ho, Percy!" He shouted, and tossed the pen through the air.
Percy snatched the ballpoint pen out of the air, but when it hit his hand, it wasn't a pen anymore. It was a sword—Mr. Brunner's bronze sword, which he always used on tournament day.
"Huh..." Alex tilted his head, surprised to see a sword disguised as a pen... like how his ring disguised his sword.
"Die, honeys!" Mrs. Dodds snarled, drawing the attention of the two boys just as she flew straight at them.
Alex fully focused his attention on her and met her halfway with Percy shakily following after him. Alex slid across the ground and drove both boots into Mrs. Dodds' stomach, throwing her over and straight towards Percy who swung the sword while Alex got up in seconds and stabbed his sword forward.
Both swords made their mark, with Percy's slicing through Mrs. Dodds, and Alex's going through her back.
Mrs. Dodds was a sand castle in a power fan. She exploded into yellow powder, vaporized on the spot, leaving nothing but the smell of sulfur and a dying screech and a chill of evil in the air, as if those two glowing red eyes were still watching them.
"Jesus..." Alex breathed as he put his sword back into the guitar case, while Percy's sword had transformed back into a pen.
Mr. Brunner wasn't there. Nobody was there but them.
"What... What just happened?" Percy looked to his friend.
Alex shook his head. "I don't know. Come on, we better meet up with everyone else. I'll explain my side of things later."
They went back outside.
It had started to rain.
Grover was sitting by the fountain, a museum map tented over his head. Nancy Bobofit was still standing there, soaked from her swim in the fountain, grumbling to her ugly friends. When she saw the boys, she said, "I hope Mrs. Kerr whipped your butt."
Alex frowned while Percy said, "Who?"
"Our teacher. Duh!"
Alex and Percy shared a confused look. They had no teacher named Mrs. Kerr. Percy asked Nancy what she was talking about.
She just rolled her eyes and turned away.
Alex asked Grover where Mrs. Dodds was.
He said, "Who?"
But he paused first, and he wouldn't look at them, and Alex wondered if he was messing with them.
"Not funny, man," Percy told him. "This is serious."
Thunder boomed overhead.
They saw Mr. Brunner sitting under his red umbrella, reading his book, as if he'd never moved.
Percy went over to him.
He looked up, a little distracted. "Ah, that would be my pen. Please bring your own writing utensil in the future, Mr. Jackson."
Percy handed Mr. Brunner his pen, not realizing he had been holding it.
"Sir," Percy said, "where's Mrs. Dodds?"
He stared at him blankly. "Who?"
"The other chaperone. Mrs. Dodds. The pre-algebra teacher."
He frowned and sat forward, looking mildly concerned. "Percy, there is no Mrs. Dodds on this trip. As far as I know, there has never been a Mrs. Dodds at Yancy Academy. Are you feeling all right?"
Alex and Percy shared a look. What was going on?
And that's it for the first chapter of this remade, revamped series. Quite a big chapter this was, but it makes for a good start by going over 6,000 words. Can't say all chapters will be this long though.
Anyway, let me know what you all think in the reviews, please.