Percy Jackson and the Olympians::Camp Half-Blood::Semi Lit

As the nectar dripped into his wound, the pain began to deaden. The fire in him was cooling, and his strength moderately was returning to him. His breathing returned to normal, and he took his time standing up. The ambroshia in his mouth tasted weird, but it helped with the pain.


"Thanks...I owe you one." He said with relief. "Though once we're back inside, can you explain some things to-"


Suddenly, the sound of clattering and hissing sounds were heard from the other side of the car. Arthur's face dropped from relief to just plain pissed off.


"I've been beaten with a club, played around like a rag-doll for flying devils, almost cut in half and poisoned twice in a row, and now something else is thrown on our plate!"


Furiously, he withdrew his blade and picked up his bow and arrows from the ground. Walking towards the chaos, he quickly glanced at Maggie, saying in anger "Someone must really hate us, but what the hell did we do to piss them off?"
 
Maggie frowned a bit, he obviously hadn't been told the whole story, "We can talk in a bit, for now I think you should take it easy, we've got enough people on the job it seems like," she sighed and ran off to help.


Jason watched the Gorgon from the reflection in the glass of the doorway out of the train carriage. How did it know they were all going on the train, he didn't like this.
 
Sylus frowned as the boy ran from them. He kept his eyes closely on the gorgon but being watchful over Rosa as well. (Sorry for my short posts... :P )
 
Arthur began walking and stopped dead in his tracks. Listening over the rush of the wind, he could hear the sound of hissing below him. This time he had to be careful with his shots. He turned to face Maggie, putting a finger to his lips. He then took out his bow, he set the arrow and got ready to pull back fully on the string. Hopefully the roof wasn't strong enough to deflect and arrow. Thankfully, from what he could tell, these arrows weren't made of ordinary steel. Given the circumstances, he wasn't about to question what they're made of.


The hissing got louder as he crept his foot-steps closer. Attempting not to give away his surprise, he aimed at the spot where he thought the monster was, pulled back as far as he could, and prayed his arrow hit its mark when he released.
 
Maggie quietly tip toed across the rest of the train can and defended lightly down the ladder. Jason looked around, looking for some sort of inspiration when the girl with the dark hair appeared at his side as if from nowhere shortly followed by Leo coming in behind her. A ray of weak light from the winter mid-day sun beamed through the small window on the door, weak as it was it glanced off of the girl's impressive looking sword--enough to give him an idea. The three of them were hiding behind a partition next to the car's exit. "Leo," Jason whisper, barely louder than a breath, "I need a LED flashlight and a mirror,". Maggie turned her head to look at the curly haired boy, He didn't have anything with his like a back pack. What, did they blonde one think he was a boy scout or something?
 
Rosa squinted her eyes nervously worried that at any moment Medusa would turn and give her a stony glare. Somehow she knew that the others were close by but she wasn't quite sure where. Her eyelashes crisscrossed her vision as she scanned the tight space of the car but she couldn't locate Maggie. With a deep breath Rosa appeared from her hiding place her eyes focused on the blurry image of Medusa in the sheen of a picture frame.
 
Maggie watched as the curly haired boy reached into a tool belt she hadn't noticed before then. He handed the blonde one a simple compact flip mirror and a small condensed LED flashlight. The gorgon hissed menacingly out of their sight. Maggie raised an eyebrow at the boy with the belt, and he consecutively pulled out a tin of mints, and offered them to her with a grin. She looked at him incredulously, this really wasn't the time for that. "Magic?" she mouthed, he nodded in return. Meanwhile, Jason opened up the mirror and positioned himself quickly. When he was ready Jason jumped out from behind the partition, keeping his eyes averted he yelled, "Hey, Lady with the rats nest, over here," The gorgon turned around right as Jason turned on the high powered flashlight, aiming it at the mirror. The beam of light reflected harshly off the suffice of the mirror and into the gorgon's eyes. She hissed in protest as she went temporarily blind. At that moment there was a thud in the roof and an arrow flew through the air from the ceiling and implanted itself into the gorgon's tail, pinning it to the floor.
 
Arthur heard the screams from below. He must have hit his mark. Hearing the constant moving from below, he reloaded another arrow and took another shot. Constantly firing, his arrows flew through the car roof, trusting his instincts that they were hitting their mark as he followed the monster's hissing. He thought to himself it must be some snake monster this time. After his 6th shot, he reached back, only to find he was out of arrows. Curing, he slung his bow on his back, and took out his rod. Timing it and taking careful aim, he took a running start, roared as he jumped into the air, and twisted the rod right before it hit the roof, shooting the blade of the claymore out as it pierced through the metal.
 
Jason flipped his gold coin in his hand and it landed spear face up, still not sure how such a thing was possible. He shook the thought from his head, he would have plenty of time to wander over his lost memory later. Jason quickly shouldered the spear then threw it at the gorgon as a volley of arrows shot threw the roof. His spear and the arrows stuck into the monster, wailing still of blindness. Finally she poofed into a cloud of golden dust, and the screams died off. Jason let out a sigh of relief and went to retreive his weapon.


Maggie looked around and stared, shocked at the ceiling. There was a shuffle of people inside their compartments, all curious to what the racket was. Thinking on her feet, Maggie used the butt of her sword to make a dent in the wall, then quickly put her sword away and strung it around her neck once more. She picked up a hunk of metal that was bent and looked like a rock then threw it down around her feet as she plopped to the floor. Maggie held her head in her hands and curled into a ball. She already had a minor cut on her head and the blood visibly got on her finger. People started coming out into the hall asking what happend and seeing the massive wreckage. Jason jumped in, noticing the rock and realizing what the dark haired girl was doing. He pointed at the rock then the dent in the wall, "A meterorite crashed through the ceiling, bounced off the wall and hit that girl!" There was a commotion as people started talking, looking at the peice of metal and seeing a rock. Jason helped her up, "I'll take her to the med-aid car," he announced. He escorted her to the platform outside the train car, "Nice improve, by the way," she smirked, "Thanks, my name's Maggie for the record," "Jason," She nodded, "Well, Jason, we'll have to talk in a minute, I have something I need to check on, how about you get the others and meet in a compartment two cars up or so?" she gestured in the opposite of the car where the gorgon was killed. Maggie didn't wait for his answer but climbed up the ladder onto the roof of the car. She saw Arthur, "Are you okay?" she demanded worriedly, she didn't know what kind of strain he was under while he still had the effects of the poison.
 
Arthur looked behind him to see Maggie and her friend. Twisting the rod, he drew back his blade as it withdrew. At first he began walking causually to them, though staggering a bit from the fatigue. "Yeah, just a bit under the weather..." His eyes began to flutter, and his face paled. "...oh, crud."


The venom caught up with him, though it wasnt enough to kill him thanks to that stuff he added to the wound. But that didnt stop him from collapsing face first at Maggies feet.


"Ow..."
 
Maggie's eyes knit together, and she helped him up gently. She put her arm under his for support, "I told the others to meet in a compartment down the way, it isn't by chance that this many demigod meet together on one train, there has to be outerly influence going on. They walked through the cars. Arthur's arm was strategically around her shoulders as a front, it made them look like they were together, but it attacked less attention to them. Maggie blushed at the thought and bit her lip nervously.
 
Arthur began to come round while he was being lifted. "Demi...Demigods? You mean the...oh, us...are...are you blushing?" His eyes went from her face to where her arm was. At first he began to get ideas, until he noticed a few people not giving them awkward looks. "Ok, say no more." He said with understanding. Though he wasnt in much of a rush, he was betting she was after all that happened. "By the way...you got puffed up about me asking about Artemis. Who is ​she anyway?"
 
Maggie ignored his first question but tensed a bit, she quietly so the people around them didnt hear, "I did not get 'puffed up'," she told him defensively, she sighed, they were walking at a pace that didn't look rushed or suspicious, "Why were you asking about Artemis anyway?"
 
"Some bum mentioned my name and spoke to me like he knew me, then he went up in a blaze of light. Had golden eyes by the way..." at first he was silent for a moment, and then the gears went to work in his head. "Now that i think about it he said I was so much like her...either thats Artemis or just some other poor soul." He shook his head to get himself together, and started talking defensively himself. "Look, you guys have a good idea whats going on, I on the other hand dont know jack at the moment. Just who or what are you people?"
 
Maggie stopped on the platform outside the next car and faced him, holding his arm just in case he collapsed again, "Apollo," she mumbled to herself, glancing to the side, then looked him in the face, "What exactly do you know about your heritage? As in--" with her free hand she released her sword from the necklace around her neck, the blade still had a bit of gold dust on it, she nodded in reference to the sword and the monsters they had just faced.
 
At first, Arthur's face was blank, then his eyes darted below him. "My father died in a war-torn part of Europe, all i know of my mother is she was some chick he met and i was the result. next thing you know, i was found as a baby in Central park in New York. Got the bow for my 12th birthday, started seeing the monsters at 13, and it didnt stop for a while. Once I started looking for my mother, these things never stopped." After catching his breath, he looked at Maggie in the eye. "Look would you just answer my question? Who or what the hell are you people?"
 
Maggie looked at the track passing below their feet, processing information, "Your mother? A bow?" Maggie murmmered, she shook her head, "Impossible..." She ran a tired hand through her hair, a common gesture she did out of habbit when she was stressed, "Demigods are the children of gods, Greek gods, meaning one of their parents is mortal and the other is immortal. Monsters are attracted to us--I guess we have a scent--the more important your godly parent is, the stronger the scent, the more monsters come after you. Its impossible, from what you've said, your godly parent was your mother. The man that appeared to you have golden eyes, a trait of Apollo, god of archery, the sun, and a few other things. But he can't be your father." Maggie took a deep breath, "When demigods turn about 12 years old, monsters start coming after you, the only safe place we demigods have is a place called Camp Half Blood--where I'm from," she pointed to her orange tee-shirt under her jacket, "They teach us about monster, how to fight them, and how to survive while providing a place where monsters can't get in. A lot of demigods live there, since it's hard to have a normal life if your being chased down all the time." She gave him time to absorb the information, knowing it could be an earful.
 
Arthur just stood there blankly. Greek Gods? Apollo? Demigod children?


"Your telling me i'm the son of a god?" He asked, confusingly. He couldnt believe what he was hearing. Hell, he couldnt believe what his eyes told him when he took up his weapons for the first time against a monster. "So what? Zeus? Posiden? Hades? Everything from Greek mythology is true...Dear God and He-" His eyes widened. "Dammit, there is no...wait a minute, then..." He unslung his bow and held it out for Maggie to see. "Ok, what what you say is true, and I'm having a debatable time believing it, can you tell who made this or sent it? If i remember a few legends, a god may leave a message, a marking or whatever to show...j-just tell me if you see anything. please!"
 
"From what I can guess by what you said, then yes, a son of a goddess," Maggie corrected, then frowned slightly as he showed her his bow. She recognized the design, it was like an Apollo bow but somehow different. Then Maggie realized what it was, after staring at it for moments, she saw that it had a faint irredescent glow, "Like the moon," she whispered, her words where lost in the roaring wind around them. She shook her head and said louder, "Impossible...It can't be...It looks like the representatives of Artemis,"


Maggie traced her finger along a path of the bow, so similar to the ones she admired in the weapon's shed, "Artemis and Apollo are twins, we only have the sons and daughters of Apollo at camp, and this looks like their standard bow...but there are certain things that are unfamiliar to any style I have ever seen,"
 
Arthur noticed how surprised Maggie was at the sight of the bow. For him, surprise was never a good thing.


"Representatives?"


After taking in the rest of what she said, a few things began to piece together on Arthur's mind. "So what your saying is...Artemis is my mother...ok...so i know my heritage..." He looked at the bow in his hand, remembering how it felt the first time he held it. Like it was made specifically for him and no one else. How he thought himself second to none in archery, and did it all to prove it with little training. He wanted to puke from the stress at first.


Arthur was having a tone of trouble digesting everything that was happening, considering he just killed two monsters in one day, found out the existence Olympian Gods, and that his mother was one of them. After a moment of silence, he replaced his look with a new determination. "Ok, how do i find her? Or are there like some brothers and sisters i can talk to?"
 
Maggie bit her lip again, "Well, see, that's what makes all this so impossible...Lady Artemis has no children, shes a maiden goddess, meaning she has vowed never to bear children. It's like this; she leads this pack of young woman who have given up their personal love life in return for immortality to serve under their goddess....So she has given up hope on the male race..." Maggie picked up the bow and looked at it again, she turned it over in her hands a few times before noticing there was a small inscription, "Woah, was that there before?" her eyes scanned the short message and her eyes widened, all her suspicions were confirmed , "It--it says," Maggie stuttered and pointed to the tiny message of ancient greek letters, "'I belong to the son of hunt, from moonlight and beyond,"
 
Arthurs eyes widened. Before any more words came out of his mouth, Maggie translated the inscription, and he just looked blankly at the bow. It was the proof of him being the son of Artemis. But from what Maggie said, it was all too much to bear. And Arthur's look of determination changed. And soon, tears of hate began to trickle down.


"So that's why I was abandoned...if I stayed, she would have been disgraced or worse...and i guess i'd be dead...which also means, if the Olympians found out, both her and I would be open season targets for some people..." At first, he wanted to take the bow and break it in two, but from the inscription, something was worth keeping those words close to him. "At least she recognises me as her son."


He took back his bow and opened the door back into the train-car, keeping it open for Maggie to follow. His steps were heavy, like he had the weight of the world dragging behind him. He then opened the door to his empty cublical, and sat himself down, but not before slamming his fist on the side table in frustration.
 
Maggie saw how upset Arthur was and followed him into his compartment; she sat next to him and touched his am lightly, "I know this may not be comforting, I'm not all to good with my words, but this happens to every demigod, in reality to them, in comparison to our lives from them, we are insignifica--dammit," she stopped herself short, realizing what so was saying was downright depressing, "Gods have laws that restrict their intervention into mortal lives, partially to control issues of favouritism, like if a god grants more favours to one of their children and blatantly ignores everyone else. Which means most of the time, their kids feel abandoned. This isn't the first time it's happened, it's not just you, and this definitely won't be the last time for sure."
 
Arthur was becoming more tense before she realised what she said. But that wasnt what was bothering him. She made her reasons clear. but it didnt help the tears. He just sat there looking out the window. Eventually, he turned to face her, his eyes red from the tears, but he didnt wail, or moan. They just trickled down his cheeks.


"At least she saw something in my father..."


He didnt like crying. He despised crying in front of others. But what else could he do. He hung his head, but let his free hand hold hers. It didnt keep the pain away, but knowing he wasnt the only guy with the same problems out there, it helped him endure it.


Soft skin. Kind heart. Wonder if she's Venus' daughter. No wait... Aphrodite. Thats the name.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 3 (members: 0, guests: 3)
Back
Top