Marcus stared out the window, trying to focus on the stars and the sound of the bus on the highway. Usually, he'd be trying to block out the noise his companions were making, but now… Not a sound. They had slipped out of Boston, barely avoiding the Red Shirt ( New Olympian… ) patrols that scoured the city looking for them. Thankfully with Marcus' disguise and the others' head start, they managed to escape without being located again. Now, the bus carried them home, away from one danger… But there's no such thing as safety in the life of a half blood… you just got reminded of that…
Marcus turned and looked around at the rest of the group, all as silent as he was. Jason and Joel sat together, though that was more Joel's idea than Jason's. Poor kid had nearly broken down when he got back to the bus, blaming himself for not being able to just use his illusions to get them out of harm's way. "Not your fault" I'd told him… not that he believed me. Maybe Joel will have better luck.
A little further up, Chastity was sitting with Phillip. He seemed to be comforting her in quiet tones, but from where he was sitting in the back he couldn't hear what was being said. None of my business anyway… Let the boyfriend try first. If she still seems off later…
With that, he turned his attention to the girl next to him. Maddie was quiet, staring off into space, though what was going on in her head, Marcus could only guess. He knew she had taken Kelly's death hard when it happened, and she was close with Joey at least and now Elliot… It's too much… Too much all at once.
"Mads?" He said quietly.
No response. Maddie's hands were clenched together in her lap, and the strength of that grip had made her knuckles white. What's going on with you Maddie…?
"Hey, Maddie Madness." Marcus tried again, a little bit louder this time, placing his hand on hers without really thinking about it.
"H-huh?" Maddie seemed startled back to reality by the contact, and she turned to look at Marcus.
"Talk to me." He said quietly.
"Talk…? B-but last time you… you didn't want to talk when.."
"This is different, Mads." Marcus had to fight to keep the bitterness from his voice. She didn't mean it like that, dumbass. Don't get angry. "This time it… you were there. Joey and… and Elliot were…"
"Killed." Maddie's voice came out in a whisper, though Marcus heard the shift in it even so.
"...Yes." Marcus bit off the word. I should have been watching Joey… Held him back…
"Why… why would he do that…?" Maddie asked, her voice breaking a little.
"Because he's impulsive and so Gods damned loyal to the Olympians…" Marcus muttered.
"You say that like it's a bad thing…?" Maddie replied.
"When it drives you to be suicidal? It is." Marcus tried, he really tried, to keep his temper in check, but it was flaring moment by moment.
"He wasn't… He was just-"
"Was just defending a group of Gods that don't care about him… That didn't save him, though he was defending their name…"
"Marcus, you know the Gods don't work like that…"
"And that Elliot… Gods what the hell was he thinking…" Marcus could feel himself getting consumed by the heat of his anger. I should have been the last through. Maybe then… How could Aaron do this? Why would he do this? Why would he kill other half bloods, what is this plan…
"Marcus, the Gods aren't to blame-" Maddie seemed to be latching on to something, anything, to try and make sense of what was happening. He could hear her holding back tears.
"No. They never are, are they?"
"What do you mean…?"
"They weren't to blame before. Even though it was a Goddess' quest that got Kelly killed. So of course, they aren't to blame now. After all, this was just another quest right…"
"Marcus please!" she couldn't hold back the tears now. Her hands released their death grip on each other to grab his own and hold it tight.
"Now you see… All those years begging me to take you with me whenever I left, see what happens? This is the reality…" Marcus felt his anger fade just as soon as it had started, calmed by Maddie's touch. "No matter what we do, there are times when we don't all make it back… You know that as well as I do…" Marcus looked up from their hands to see the tears streaming freely down Maddie's face, and he gently pulled her close to him, wrapping an arm around her to comfort her. He felt her tears wet the front of his shirt, and he gently placed his hand on the top of her head. He expected her to cry out, but her tears were silent. The grief of a girl who's seen too much, lost too much in too short a time. He gently messed with her hair, hoping that their gesture would bring some small level of comfort.
Olympians… All of you who can hear me, this is what your neglect has caused. Your Fringe and your Camp. The Olympian sense of superiority… The hatred you thought had died with the end of New Rome just changed… What will you do now, when it's not just half blood against half blood, but God against God..? What will change… and what sides will be drawn?
The group nearly fled off the bus, though they were still silent as the grave. Randy, poor mortal that he was, hadn't even been able to recognize that one of them was missing, but still somehow knew that his passengers needed time out from traveling. He had pulled into one of those small rest stops along the highway ( A "text stop"? ) and told them all to get off and stretch their legs. They had all been too tired, or too wrapped up in their own minds to argue. The moment they stepped off the bus however, each half blood went their own way, even Maddie and Marcus split ways.
"Not the Gods fault"... Where had I heard that one before..?
Marcus stormed into the trees, happy to be away from… Well, all of them. To cut himself off from the half bloods, from the Greyhound, from Randy, from Boston, from the New Olympians, from the Gods…
"Careful, my Marcus. You're starting to sound more and more like your 'brother' by the minute."
Without a thought, Marcus lashed out, flicking his watching into a whip and cracking against a tree near where the voice had come from. "You choose now to show yourself?! Now to come back and show interest in our lives?!"
"I never left your side." Aphrodite said calmly, leaning casually against the tree he had just struck, unperturbed by his outburst. "Temper, temper, my Marcus. We must teach you to keep that in check if you're ever-"
"No. Don't say it! Don't you dare start spouting off like you have any say in the course my life takes!" Marcus pulled his wrist back again, preparing to crack his whip again at the Goddess, to take out all of his pain and frustration at the being in front of him, the one to blame for-
Marcus froze. He could feel another presence, there in the forest clearing with them, though he knew that they were the only two there. Lowering his hand, he let his weapon shift back into its watch form. He felt the.. disappointment of the other presence there, though he thought it might be his own imagination, before the feeling disappeared again, and with it, all his wrath. Now all he felt was the sadness. The loss.
"Very good, my Marcus." Aphrodite cooed softly. "You've learned to tell when she's influencing your mind…"
"Wh-What?"
"Let's not play these games tonight. I haven't the patience, nor do you, I expect." Aphrodite walked over to him, looking him up and down, her arms crossed. "Oh, Marcus… I had such hopes for you… I warned you, didn't I? I told you that these half-bloods were important, that they had to be kept safe at all costs…"
"I tried-!"
"And you failed. You tried to do things your way, to not rely on those around you, and you failed." Aphrodite cut him off with a wave of her hand. "Enough excuses, Marcus. You couldn't protect those dear to you. Again. And that makes you angry."
"I wonder why." Marcus spat back through gritted teeth, wondering whether he should summon his weapon again.
"And now, instead of aiming that anger where it belongs, you are once again lashing out at those around you, whether they deserve it or not. Your… Maddie, and now me, the one Goddess who has been on your side since the beginning."
Her comment about Maddie stung deep. He knew he hadn't exactly been kind but… lashing out? "Is this the part where you tell me the Gods aren't to blame…? I feel like we've done this dance before." Marcus turned away, biting back another wave of anger.
"Don't turn your back on me, Marcus." Aphrodite said quietly. "Out of all the Gods, I am the only one who is helping you. You don't have any hope without me."
"It's not like you've been much help to this point…" Marcus muttered, though he turned back to Aphrodite. I need all the help I can get… to get revenge… to bring Aaron back…
Aphrodite graced him with a sad smile, and despite himself, Marcus felt himself flush. "My sweet Marcus… I know that you're angry. At yourself, and at those who hurt the ones you care about… That anger is born out of love, and is to be embraced. But don't lose yourself to it. That's when you fall prey to Her…"
"Lyssa…" Marcus said quietly.
"Yes. The Goddess of Mad Rage. She will twist you, if she can. Turn that anger that is your most powerful weapon against you, and use it to control you. Don't let her do it Marcus. Don't let her manipulate you."
"And what exactly have you been doing?' Marcus said. "The whole reason you've been by my side-"
"-Is because of my daughter. Yes, I know that's what you think. But you're special Marcus. All of your group is. Which is why I told you to protect them."
"And look how well that went…" Marcus sighed. He knew what he sounded like, but at that moment, he didn't care. Maybe if she loses trust in me… What? What did he think would happen if Aphrodite decided he was no longer of use? Even if she stopped using him for her own agenda, she'd just find another half blood to carry the burden…
"All is not yet lost, sweet Marcus." Aphrodite said, gently taking Marcus' chin and turning his face to hers. "We lost a battle, but the war is not over."
"What do you mean?"
"Just like in love, a war is won with patience, and with shifting plans. True, we lost one half blood, but what have we gained in return? We now know what we're up against. We know that there are some… minor Gods…" Aphrodite's voice dripped with deadly sweetness at the last two words, "who have turned against the Olympians. Two of which being…?"
"Nike and Lyssa. And the Titan, Phoebe." Marcus replied.
"Exactly. And we know that Nike has granted her blessing to her son, and Lyssa is seeking a champion to bestow similar power to."
"And how exactly are we supposed to fight that? Don't suppose you have any blessings you're willing to hand out…"
"Oh Marcus, the only blessing I can give you, I already have. It's not my fault that you insist on rejecting her." Aphrodite let go of Marcus' chin as her mood seemed to shift. Aphrodite… Her ever fickle moods never fail to catch me off guard…
"So what exactly do you suggest? We can't all bathe in the River Styx to get Achilles' blessing!" Marcus scoffed.
"True, but not far off the mark. Aaron's sword… A weapon created to match the power of the Artifacts of Old… Annabeth's Cap of Invisibility, an Artifact from the Age of Jackson… Have you seen the pattern yet?"
I hate playing guessing games with Goddesses… "Artifacts… Is that the New Olympian plan?"
He saw Aphrodite bristle at the utterance of the name, though he supposed that would make sense. "Yes. They seek to augment their power with Artifacts. I haven't yet been able to figure out what they want with them… but you must do the same. You must seek out Artifacts of power, arm your group. I don't know what exactly Apollo saw in your group, but he insists you each have a role to play in the upcoming conflict…"
"Apollo… What are the other Gods doing? Why haven't we heard anything from them?"
"The Gods have their own preparations to make, Marcus. I'm giving you as much guidance as I can. Find artifacts Marcus." With that, Aphrodite turned and started to walk away from Marcus, but not before turning with one final remark. "Oh and, don't think I haven't noticed you getting more comfortable with my daughter. Don't be afraid to let that grow." WIth that, Aphrodite walked between a pair of trees and before Marcus could follow, she was gone.
"What the fuck…" Marcus sighed and leaned against the nearest tree. "Aphrodite, you really need to sort your priorities if you're worried about me and Chastity right now…"
"Marcus…?" A voice came from behind him. Turning, Marcus saw Chastity standing feet away. "Was… Was that…?"
Shit. "Chastity… Where's Phillip?"
"Answer me Marcus. Were you just… was that… My mom ?!"
Marcus flinched. "Chastity, don't be-"
"Don't be what Marcus? Mad? Upset? Fucking livid? I've been trying to get her to answer me for weeks , and now, when I need her most, when I need her to be a fucking parent , she instead decides to come talk to you. And not just talk to you, but talk to you about me?! "
This is going well… "That's not exactly what happened…"
"Oh, so she can't even be bothered to do more than mention me in passing. Awesome."
"Chastity-"
"Speaking of people letting you down, what the hell is wrong with you Marcus?!"
"Excuse me?"
"In Boston. How many times did you go off of your own? I'll tell you how many. Three times! "
"And?" Marcus was thrown by the sudden change of topic, hardly able to keep up with the outburst of anger from one of his closest friends.
"And?! And?! I'm supposed to be your watcher Marcus, how do you think it makes me feel when you just run off on your own, doing stupid shit! And the last time, right after… right after Joey and... Elliot…" Marcus thought he heard Chastity's voice catch for a second, but she recovered quickly if he had. "What if something happened to you?! What would I have d… What would I have told Chiron? 'Sorry Chiron, but you know Marcus and his hero complex, he just had to run off on his own and abandon all of us and oop, wouldn't you know it, he got killed. Sorry!'" Chastity's voice grew louder and louder with each sentence until she was screaming at him.
"Abandon?! I was trying to buy us time!" Marcus shouted back. "And if something had happened to me, that would have been my own fault and Chiron would have known as much! But what does it matter?!"
"What does it matter…? Marcus we had just lost two of our fr… our group! And the one who we're supposed to rely on, the one who argued with Chiron to be put at the head of this whole quest keeps leaving behind those he's meant to be with!"
"Now you sound like Aphrodite…" Marcus muttered before he could stop and think. A crack rang out throughout the clearing, and Marcus put a hand to his cheek.
"Not that she's one to talk apparently, but I think she has a point there, Marcus. For somebody who's so insistent on playing protector, you have a bad habit of abandoning the ones you supposedly care about."
Without another word, Chastity turned on her heel and stormed off, leaving Marcus speechless, his cheek stinging still from the force of Chastity's slap. But more than that, Marcus was left with her stinging words that seemed to still linger in the air.