Capítulo 12: Understanding the World
(A/N: This is lore heavy in understanding the Rick Riordan world. This is to ease people who haven't read Percy Jackson fanfic before and a refresher to those who have read the books)
----Marcus POV----
I looked at the strangely dressed man in front of me, not understanding how to react to what had just happened. First of all, after that cyclops was hit, he had just turned into dust. Did that mean the bat could turn things to dust? How would that even work? Either way, if I had to fight this dude it was about to suck. Getting hit by a bat hurts.
I dropped into a guard stance, but as I did so I notice my glowing hands for the first time. I quickly glanced down and saw golden wraps that let out a slight glow. Where the hell did these wraps come from?
"Yo guy! You just gonna ignore me? Punk! Don't you know to respect your elders?! You're probably thinking you can handle all of this," And the beefy man gestured to himself. It wasn't super intimidating as he was a lot shorter than I was. "But guess what? I could beat the brakes of you punk! But I guess I'll spare you. The council is already mad at me and if they found out I beat a rando they'll be pissed."
I was getting more and more confused. Who was this guy? Why was he so angry? Why did he have such an unguarded stance? Who was the council? Why was his goatee shaped like that? So I called out to him tentatively,
"So... ummm... Gleeson. We chill right?"
"Unless you picking a fight!"
"Nope, I'm good... So... umm... who are you?"
"I already told you who I am punk!"
"Yea. But like. How did you turn that thing into dust?" I gestured toward the dust pile that was slowly dissipating into the wind. Did this mean that whennever I breathed there was a chance I could be inhaling monster dust? That was nasty.
"I hit it with my bat." Gleeson was looking at me like I was dumb. I didn't know how to respond to that. I mean. He was right. Did that mean monsters turn to dust when hit with a metal bat?
"I get that. Anyway, next subject. How did you know it was a monster?" I said. Again this dude looking at me like I was missing a few brain cells. A look of pity. This question seems pretty basic? The cyclops had looked human to me, how could he tell it was a monster? Am I crazy?
"Buddy. It had one eye. Mortal men don't have one eye in the center of their forehead." Then he paused, "MOST mortal men don't have one eye, there was this one guy in Texas who turned out to just be normal. But I made sure to check."
I looked between the bat and the angry dude. Poor Texas guy. But more importantly, he mentioned mortal. What did that mean? "What do you mean by mortal?"
The dude got taken aback. "You mean you aren't a demigod? You and that house reek of demigod smell." He gestured to the dust pile. "And you seem pretty proficient at fighting monsters."
"Listen, I feel like we should go inside and talk about this more. I have a lot of questions, and you seem to have a lot of answers."
"Do you have soda cans?"
What did that have to do with anything?
"Yes?"
"Then I'm all game."
I stood straight before looking at the house where Sally was looking through the blinds and giving a thumbs up. As I gave up a thumbs up I watched the wraps that I was wearing slither up to my mid forearm and they interlocked and intertwined until they formed a watch. The same watch that Nike had given me. So that was Jaya's inheritance. Cool.
"Alright Gleeson, let's go inside then." As I led him inside I saw Sally inside with a shotgun pointed at the floor watching Gleeson walking in. I didn't even know we owned a shotgun. Gleeson looked over at the shotgun and laughed loudly. As he did so Sally raised the shotgun at him, and said,
"The kids are sleeping, keep your voice down."
Gleeson paused before continuing quietly, "I like your spirit woman. So, you said you had soda cans, I'm starving." Sally lowered the shotgun as he took his baseball cap off and Sally gasped, What? He wasn't ugly? If anything I liked his hairstyle. then I heard her say under her breath,
"Satyr." Then she looked at me. "A deer/human hybrid monster from the myths."
"I don't like that word monster. Unless you're referring to these monster guns." And Gleeson flexed, before looking at me, "Were you lying about the cans?"
At this, I just sighed before heading over to the kitchen and grabbing some soda for the Satyr. I walked over to the dining table and set them down as Sally took a seat at the table.
Gleeson walked over grabbed a few cans, cracked them open, and poured the soda down the sink under my astounded gaze. Didn't he just ask for these? Then he walked over with the empty cans and sat down before doing the thing I least expected and took a bite out of the aluminum can.
Gleeson chewed before saying, "So, before you ask questions, I'm going to give you the lay of the land. It's what I do for parents who have no clue their kids are demigods. So save your questions for the end, otherwise, this is going to take forever."
And with that Gleeson's face transformed from a grumpy uncle to an upbeat tour guide uncle. As he began to speak, his previously angry tone changed to a tone, not unlike an audiobook narrator.
"You see, this world isn't what you think it is. All those ancient Greek myths you may or may not have heard about are as real as you and me. They ain't just stories to tell around the campfire. It's as real as the air you breathe.
Gods and goddesses, those big-shot divinities with powers beyond imagination, walk among us. And guess what? Just like the legends they fall in love with mortals like yourselves and have kids. And these kids, just like the legends are known as demigods.
Now, these demigods, like your child, possess remarkable abilities inherited from their divine parents. I'm talking superhuman strength, lightning-fast reflexes, control over the elements, and much more. But there's a catch to all these powers: being a demigod ain't all sunshine and rainbows.
I know you probably don't want to hear this but you see, those ancient Greek myths weren't all fun and games. They were filled with battles, dangerous quests, and mythical creatures lurking around every corner.
And you can bet your bottom dollar that demigods find themselves smack dab in the middle of all that action. Whether that be voluntary or involuntary. You see, your kids release a smell that attracts these monsters to them like that cyclops outside. Which means your child will always be pursued by these monsters.
However, there is one place that can protect your children. To keep demigods safe and help them understand their true nature, there's a special place called Camp Half-Blood. It's like a summer camp, but with a whole lot more monster-fighting and divine training.
At Camp Half-Blood, demigods learn to control their powers, hone their combat skills, and discover their unique gifts. But most importantly it's guarded by a barrier that prevents monsters from getting in and the smell from getting out.
But it ain't all about swinging swords and shooting lightning bolts. At camp, demigods form lifelong friendships with other demigods who understand the challenges they face.
The camp is one of the few places on Earth where they share stories and laughter while being almost completely safe. It's a community that becomes a second family, united by their extraordinary heritage.
Without going to the camp the kids usually die before they reach adulthood. But at camp, they receive the right training, guidance, and a good helping of luck, they can face any challenge head-on.
So, there you have it--a glimpse into the true nature of this wild world. It's a place where ancient myths are alive and present a real danger."
Sally and I looked at each other, this was a lot. But at least it was somewhat helpful. It filled in a lot of the gaps in our knowledge. Sally then looked at Gleeson and spoke,
"Thank you for the information." Sally said as she looked concerned, "Is there any other method other than shipping our kid off to Camp Half-Blood? Or is that the only place that can keep our kids safe? If we send them there when can we see them again?"
Gleeson was back to his angry uncle-like manner of speaking as he said, "Well, as of right now, you should be good. I only smelled your house from a block away. But as your kid grows bigger and stronger they release a stronger and stronger scent. To the point where they can be smelled from miles away. And Camp Half-Blood is a summer camp, but if you want it can be a year-long camp." Gleeson held up four fingers. "There are four solutions for the scent problem if you don't want them to go to Camp Half-Blood.
Solution one, move every single year or more. Constantly be on the run so that the scent cannot stink up the place as the smell will be diffused in the air and dispersed. But this solution means that your child will be quite frankly stupid and you would need to be rich to do this.
Solution two, if you want your child to go to school you can send them to a different one every year and have them home in the summer. This way by the time the scent is fused into the school your child is gone. But this solution presents the risks of you not being able to protect your children as they are away from home.
Solution three, get someone that smells disgustingly human to mask the smell of your kids year-round. The down part to having a disgustingly human smell means that they are just a horrible human all around.
Solution four, you kill the kids. If they are dead, they cannot be smelled anymore. But that's not a solution that many parents employ.
Those are the best options that you have available. However, you are going to have to pick one of them soon. As the kids approach their teens their smell begins to rapidly grow and monsters can easily kill them as they are still young."
I looked over. Which solution is the best? I can't spend my entire life with Jaya, I only have until she is 12. So which one is the best? Before I could talk Gleeson spoke up once more,
"Anyways, it's honestly none of my business what you choose to do. But I do ask that you send them to Camp so they can be trained and aren't killed indiscriminately. And while you look like you can fight, there will be more and more monsters and you can't kill all of them forever.
No matter how good you are, or how good that watch weapon you have is, one day you will fail. Everyone does at some point." In that last sentence, Gleeson had a somber tone. Also, what did he mean by watch weapon? Like the wraps that came from the watch?
"Either way, I have to get going, I'm on an assignment. I've said my spiel. If you need to get in contact with me here is a leaf. Tear it and it will contact a satyr I know to come and help. He's currently on another assignment, but he helps demigods get to camp safely. His name is Grover and he's a great kid. But I'll see myself out... Can I have these cans?"
I nodded as I watch Gleeson get up, and pack his bags. As he finished I spoke up, "What do you mean by watch weapon?"
Gleeson glanced at my hand, "That watch can transform into celestial bronze wraps. Celestial Bronze is one of the only metals on this earth that can hurt and kill a monster. Like what my bat is made of. Your watch is very well made, to say the least, but my bat is better. Anyway, I've given my job of informing you, but I need to head out." Then Gleeson left out the door quickly.
Sally and I looked at each other for a bit before I spoke up, "Well. That helped fill in some gaps. But what do you think we should do about the smell problem?"
Sally looked incredibly defeated, "I don't know what to do Marcus. I knew about the smell problem but I didn't know how bad the situation was. I want to raise my child normally. I want him to have a childhood that I didn't get. But at the same time, I don't want him to die. I want him happy."
I felt defeated as well. I wanted to keep my daughter and teach her all the skills I learned throughout my life. But I also needed to make sure she was safe.
"Sally, I think the best course of action is the boarding school and keeping them home during the summer. I... I don't want to send them away. But at the same time if what Gleeson was saying, keeping them home is more dangerous than not." I reached over and held her hand comfortingly, "Listen, we can still Skype them throughout the year and send them lots of letters. But I think this is for the best."
Sally leaned back in her chair and just sighed. "For the best." Then she looked over at me and said inquisitively, "What's with the watch? Where did you get it?"
I held up my watch a bit and said, "It's a gift from Nike, I was told it is for Jaya's inheritance," I hesitated and didn't know whether to tell her that it was counting down to my death, but I decided she deserved to know what was going to happy, "It also delays my death." Sally looked at me very concerned.
"I have very late-stage leukemia. Like the kind, you don't recover from." Sally gripped his hand tighter as she looked very concerned, "Nike gifted this to me so that it could transform the month I had to live into years. It's currently counting down the years I have to live," and then I glanced at my watch's hands for the first time since I had fought and I froze.
Shit.
The minute's hand which signified the months I had to live had increased by 10 minutes. The fight and the wraps that could damage the monster had cost me life force. Time with my child. I had lost two months with my child...
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A/N: Hey y'all, I will not be able to post for the month of June. I am not dropping the book, but I have a training camp that I have to attend. At the training camp, I have no access to electronics. But as soon as I get out, I will try and release chapters on schedule once more.
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