When Alexa returned to camp, she immediately set to reading the journal. The entire thing covered a little over two decades of Nikola Tesla's life, from 1907 to 1929 and featured illustrations of inventions, some of which were actually made, most were not, his daily goings on, and his thoughts on life and the universe. Out of all of this what interested her most was the entries about Jeffery Williams, the boy who also had her gift.

– –

December 3rd, 1910

I miss Paul and Esther, I'd give just about anything to talk to my two friends and ask for advice. They were always much more emotionally driven than I ever was. Paul would've been able to talk me through my dilemma and Esther would've made me feel better with her wit. Three decades removed from Paul's death and the loss is just as palpable.

The reason I write this is because I believe that Paul, or Esther, or some spirit lead me to someone.

It was on my most recent trip to England. I was in Cornwall, explaining the benefits of alternating current and attempting to gain some support in the European market over Edison. I had just finished my presentation when the spirit came, hooded and faceless. It gestured me through the crowd.

I followed it to a small inn before I lost it entirely, but I quickly discovered what it wanted me to find. I witnessed a boy behind the property shaping a nail in a crude homemade forge. As I watched the young man heated the nail to a red hot glow, then with a flex of his fingers, half the nail fell away and he straightened and sharpened the broken off end. I didn't need the sign father gave me to make my determination, I knew what he was. I had found a brother.

December 6th, 1910

It took quite a bit of talking and a cheque to convince Mrs. Williams of my intentions. Oh how I wish she had clear sight, but she is as mortal as they come. I had to tell her I wanted an apprentice here in England, and to offer her a monthly salary to gain her confidence.

At least her son can see through the veil of Mist quite well, it took very little to convince young Jeffery of my true identity, it only took a private conversation and a show of magic. I know I should take him to Chiron straight away but I can't help my curiosity. I have resolved to train and study him as well as I can. If I have to uproot him and his mother I will do so, but not until it is necessary. Jeffrey deserves a chance to be a normal child while he has it.

December 13th, 1910

Jeffrey learns quickly. I can't help but wonder if I learned as quickly. In all likelihood I did, but in different avenues. He picks up on sword play as fast as I can teach it, just today I showed him a disarming technique and he executed it perfectly on the first attempt. I have a theory which I am choosing to call the Acraea effect.

I hypothesize that when a demigod child of Hephaestus suffers physical trauma it sparks a surge in brain activity resulting in higher brain function and a faster acquisition of skill, similar to how father learned crafting after his fall from Olympus. For myself my fall was a near life ending illness in my 4th year, for Jeffery I suspect it has to do with the late Mr. Williams. I've seen some sign of such a thing in my time with my brothers and sisters, however, I never gave it much thought. I will need to make a case study of this when I am able.

I have grown quite fond of young Jeffery in my weeks here. Had I found evidence of my theory, and had Mr. Williams been alive I think I would be forgiven if I did a few voltage experiments on him.

December 27th, 1910

Jeffrey has demonstrated an ability to manipulate molten metal. He showed me this afternoon. This requires study...I will begin soon.

January 6th, 1911

I've completed my English lab and I have taken Jeffery in to run a few tests. The discoveries are fascinating. First and foremost is his body temperature; all of us children of Hephaestus have a higher resting body temperature than a mortal, usually around 37.2°C instead of 37°C. Jeffrey on the other hand has a resting body temperature of 39°C exactly. Such a fever would be life threatening in a normal human if it is sustainable for too long, but Jeffery is unaffected.

Second I took an x-ray of his hand. His bones and skin are denser than usual, even by the standard of demigods. I suspect that would make him less prone to injury, but I will not risk testing that hypothesis.

I took a muscle sample with a specially made needle and found that his muscle cells are quite densely packed, row after row, like pages tightly packed and bound in a book. His strength must be leagues above the normal human limit. I had him display this and found he could loft nearly three times his weight with no noticeable strain. I would've tested his limit further but I ran out of scrap metal, another time perhaps.

His power over metal I put to the test and truly it is a marvel to behold. It does not seem to matter whether the metal is tin or mercury, he can move it with his mind and at most a wave of his hand at a distance of 18.25 meters.

I have so many questions. This requires research.

January 25th, 1911

I am writing this from onboard a white star ship bound for New York. Sadly my month abroad is over and I must return to my lab. I bid a fond farewell to my English holdings and my new found relations. I plan on returning soon, if business permits. I have sent a telegram ahead of me requesting a meeting with Chiron. I have some time available next week. Hopefully my old teacher will have some clues regarding Jeffery...and hopefully he has forgiven me for causing that explosion in my father's Cabin.

February 3rd, 1911

Chiron has a long memory, but a few small jabs aside, he no longer held quite so bad a grudge as I had feared. I explained the discoveries I had made while in England and that truly caught his attention. A demigod of Hephaestus with so much power was nearly unheard of. Nearly...but not entirely. While a flame conjurer was far more common, someone like Jeffery had been to Camp Half-blood before.

Not the camp as it was now...but the very first incarnation of the camp, back in the gods' homeland. Jason, the original Jason, not the young man currently bunked in Cabin 12, had taken the crew of the Argo to Chiron for a 12 day course in seamanship while the Argo was being constructed. Among those brought to the cramped quarters of Chiron's home in a cave of Mount Pelion was a man by the name of Palaimonius, a son of Hephaestus who had a gift. He was as big as an ox and, according to Chiron, had the blood of the mountains running in his showed an affinity to molten stone, as Jeffery does.

He was the ship's quartermaster and one of the most steadfast and loyal demigods Chiron had ever known.

"He was the only one I can safely confirm as having the gift of Mountain Blood." Chiron said sadly. " It is a rare gift. Your father doesn't bestow it lightly. Frankly I sometimes wonder if he can control when it is given or not. He is the only one I personally taught, but I have had my suspensions about others over the centuries. Nothing I could say definitively, however. Not until today."

I nodded and thanked him for his time and candor.

"What will you do now, Nikola? Now that you know." He asked.

"Now?" I responded, a mix of fear and fierce pride forming in my gut at the thought of Jeffery. "Now I have much more research to do and experiments to run."

April 5th, 1911

A letter from Jeffery arrive today, he is doing well but his mother's inn is not. They are struggling financially. I've sent a note for as much as I can spare but I fear it is not enough to see them through. I must prepare.

July 12th, 1911

I've decided that the time is right to call in a favor. I had hoped to avoid going back after my companions' deaths, but if I am to help my baby brother, I must. For someone so young, he has tremendous power. I will not see it squandered because he was ill prepared.

July 21st, 1911

Notus was nearly as unhappy to see me as I was to see him. He still held a grudge against myself and my friends for defeating his charioteers at a race. If I do say so myself, that chariot was one of my finest works. He asked where my companions were and I told him. Paul had died 7 years after we had last been in the wind god's domain, the big soft hearted fool had gotten himself killed storming into a burning building in Kentucky, Esther had passed only 18 years ago giving birth to her third child, a little girl her father named Victoria.

Notus seemed...angry wasn't the right word. Cheated, maybe, and he changed the topic quickly enough.

I told him I was there to call in the favor he owed me after the race. Paul had used his that day, and Esther had died without spending her wish...I had held onto mine these four decades waiting for the proper time. I told him of my plan and he scoffed.

"If that is what you intend, then on your head be it!" He reached into the air and plucked a wind spirit, forcing the squirming beast into a glass jar. I took it gratefully and turned to leave, when the god of the south wind called me back.

"Nikola, for what it's worth, the world is poorer for the deaths of your companions. I hope you'll accept my...belated condolences" I didn't know what to say, I just dipped my head in acknowledgement and hurried out of the palace, eager to return to my work.

August 16th, 1911

Another letter from Jeffery. He was attacked 6 days ago, no major injuries, but he was scared. The problem of his new weapon is taking me longer to fix than I had intended. I'll have to put the project on hold to visit.

August 25th, 1911

I arrived in England this morning and I was in Cornwall by lunchtime. My residence was there and waiting, though a bit dusty from so long away. Jeffrey barely waited an hour to come and see me. He told me all about the Cynocephali that chased him through Plymouth, I informed him on a few of my experiments and my trip to Santa Maria to secure the components for his present.

Mostly, we just assured ourselves that he was okay. I think just having me here helped young Jeffery, and knowing that caused my heart to twist and convulse in a most unpleasant way. I ensured him that I would keep him safe, and I would find a way to get him to America for proper training. He hugged me. I'm ashamed but...i didn't know what to do when he did that, my arms hung down at my sides like a pair of curtains. I wish Paul were here…

September 26th, 1911

Mrs. Williams took a long time to convince but in the end she agreed to immigration. Life in England had not been kind to the family and a chance at a new life, and the promised apprenticeship for her son was simply too good to pass up. However, she cannot leave until the new year, March or April at the latest. I booked her and her son second class tickets on a steam ship departing from Southampton in April. Until then I must return to New York to make the arrangements.

November 3rd, 1911

I've finally extracted the essence from the storm spirit. The process was more difficult than I imagined, but I found a way to extract the essence in sufficient enough quantities without killing the specimen. With it's task completed I shipped it via Hermes express mail to Aeolus. I'm finally ready to begin.

January 12th, 1912

The sword is done. The enchantments on the blade are solid, the metal work is as fine a make as I've ever done, and it is perfect. The essence of the storm spirit takes thermal energy and converts it into electrical energy which it stores within itself. The whole sword functions in this manner but it is most potent on the cutting edge. If someone were sliced with this blade they would experience a chill. It won't be enough to kill, even a mortal would survive a strike if the celestial bronze could affect them, but it will certainly create a numbing sensation in the body part it is used on. Combined with the blood loss of the cut and it is sure to open plenty of opportunities for Jeffery to finish the job if used correctly.

The feature which earns this blade its name is the ability to disgorge the electrical energy stock pile it has accumulated. With a thought, Jeffrey can have a long ranged weapon capable of nearly anything. You won't find a weapon with more potent amperage outside of Zeus's own supply of lightning bolts. In Jeffrey's hands, Kerauno will be a terror on the battlefield.

March 30th, 1912

Everything is done. Chiron has been informed of Jeffery, I have a job and an apartment leased for Mrs. Williams, and I have a brand new enchanted sword.

So, why do I feel uneasy?

April 10th, 1912

My brother leaves from Southampton today. Gods speed Jeffery, I will see you soon.

April 17th, 1912

The headlines were everywhere yesterday, I spent most of the day in my hotel room after I heard the news. 1250 dead and the ship, the great Titanic, lost at the bottom of the sea.

My brother is dead.

What have I done?

– –

Alexa stared at the page, unsure of how to feel. On one hand, Jeffery's death hit her like a ton of bricks. From Tesla's fawning over him it felt like he should've done something great, something important...but instead he had died senselessly, just trying to move to a new home. That really messed with Alexa. But on the other hand, both he and Tesla had died almost a hundred years ago. It was really hard to feel bad this far removed from the event and that just made her feel worse.

She skimmed the latter part of the journal, and found that Tesla never properly recovered from the loss. He kept obsessing and regretting it in every entry after it. She couldn't help but see a bit of herself in that mindset.

"Knock knock" Alexa jumped glancing up to find Jazz standing in the doorway of the cabin.

"Heard you found out what the dreams meant." Jazz explained, crossing the room to Alexa's bed.

"...Yeah... uh... apparently one of my brothers left me something. The dreams were just... telling me to go pick it up." Alexa responded, squirming as her hand rests on the leather cover of the book.

"You... doing okay Spits? You seem a bit out of it." Jazz asked.

"I...yeah, I'm alright…" Alexa said, taking a deep breath and letting it out. She had already discovered the curse the hard way...but learning about what it had cost someone this way just made it feel all the more real. "Just realizing I never want to go on a cruise…"