29 Woes of Heroes
Previously: After spending three years within the Room of Accelerated Development, or three months in the outside world, Aemon and The Wild Hunt head to Perseus' universe whereupon they slay the Manticore, stopping Annabeth from being captured by it, and meet Artemis and her Huntresses.
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The Riordanverse Westover Hall
Westover Hall, Riordanverse
She silently stalks through the forest, her eyes never leaving her Lord Commander nor the goddess. Regardless of what Reina may claim, she will not entrust her Lord's safety to the goodwill of this goddess. Especially not to a Greek goddess. For they are fickle, vain, and hypocritical beings, not to be trusted with the safety of even the most mundane, much less with her Lord's life.
Focusing on their conversation, Evelynn can hear the goddess question her Lord's trustworthiness, and for a brief second she wonders what her ichor would taste like before banishing the thought as quickly as it came.
The damage however, is done; for all she can think of now is plunging her fangs into the goddess' jugular and draining her of every drop of ichor for her disrespect.
As their conversation comes to an end Evelynn considers approaching her Lord and offering herself to warm him in this cold night. Surely he will need to warm himself after having dealt with the virgin goddess' frigid attitude. The thought alone excites her, causing her fangs to protract and her heart to beat wildly in her chest, shocking her from her reverie.
Placing her hands on her chest, Evelynn feels the proof of life beating through. As a vampire it should not be possible. She should not possess a heartbeat, nor should she be breathing; and yet here she is.
For reasons unknown to her, she, her fey comrades, and even her Lord himself, the ritual that binds her to him also gives her a heartbeat and allows her to breathe. She did not miss her heartbeat as a vampire and she certainly does not see the point of having one now when breathing is not essential for her to live. She knows, for she has tried. Similar to any vampire from her world, she, and presumably anyone she turns, are impervious to such things as asphyxiation, drowning, or gasses.
Banishing those thoughts from her mind, Evelynn silently regards her Lord as he makes his way to the little demigods.
With nary a thought she shapeshifts into a raven, a new form unlocked after her vows to her Lord, and flies to her Lord.
"Lord, Lord, Lord." she shrieks happily as she flies over.
"Evelynn." her Lord calls fondly when she perches on his right shoulder while Huginn perches on his left.
"How, How, How?" she asks.
"Huginn is a wretched old raven my dear." he says with a chuckle, his eyes twinkling in the moonlight and his black and white hair seemingly more vibrant. "You, on the other hand, possesses the most beautiful plumage, as befitting of a Child of the Night." he says while caressing her feathers, making her preen.
Her pleasure is unfortunately cut short when the blond brat of a half-blood has the audacity to question her Lord.
"How do you understand it?" asks the demigod, Annabeth; she believes her name is.
Rather than answer the brat, her Lord merely smiles enigmatically at her before turning to the boy sitting between her and the Satyr.
"I don't care who you people are, since you're able to get under that stupid huntress's skin you're cool to me." says Thalia with a shrug.
"That's not particularly challenging. All one has to do to accomplish that is be male." replies her Lord with a smirk, drawing a chuckle from Thalia and a look of confusion from Perseus.
"Why?" asks Perseus. "Why doesn't she like males?" he clarifies with a flinch.
"It is not my story to tell, but you can thank Heracles for that." her Lord explains.
"Heracles? Don't you mean Hercules?" asks Perseus.
"No, Seaweed Brain. Hercules is what the Romans called him. His name is Heracles." Annabeth clarifies, her eyes never straying from her Lord despite speaking to friend(?) Potentially paramour(?)
The boy's emotions are clear for any with eyes to see. The girl however seems undecided.
"Wait, she hates guys because of one guy? And wasn't Hercules, sorry, Heracles a good guy?" the youngest boy, Nico, responds with a frown.
"Heracles? A good guy?" her Lord replies incredulously before laughing, confusing, the gathered demigods.
"Heracles may have been a great hero but he was not, is not, a good man. He is vain, arrogant, a cheat, and many other unflattering terms." her Lord tells them with a frown.
His words seem to deeply unsettle the children, for they remain quiet for a few minutes.
"Still, it was just one guy." argues Nico with a pout after a few moments of silence.
"Heracles was merely her own personal experience. Throughout the ages she has seen many a male hero commit treacherous acts. Heracles, Jason, and Chrysaor, to name a few. Great heroes, but horrible people." her Lord says.
"It gladdens me to see that at least one of thou knows thy history. Even if it is a male." says Nightshade's voice from behind her Lord, ruffling her feathers; for had she been an assassin her Lord's life would have been in danger.
"Down girl." her Lord commands as he caresses her plumage.
Feeling the soothing sensation of his fingers on her feathers, Evelynn's mind calms and she gently rubs her head on her Lord's cheek as she wonders how she could go about convincing him to place his fingers somewhere more pleasurable.
Before she can even begin to fantasize, she is interrupted by Nightshade's disdainful voice.
"You name three heroes, but I can name you thousands more." she says with a glare.
"Aye, and what would that accomplish other than boring us to death with a list of has beens and failures." her Lord says with a roll of his eyes. "We have already established that many a hero is not worth the parchment that their tales are written on, much less wasting our breaths verbalizing them." he adds.
Critically scrutinizing her Lord, Zoë Nightshade seems to see her Lord for the first time.
"You speak the truth." Zoë says with awe tinged in her normally indifferent tone when speaking to males.
"How can you tell just by looking at him?" asks Thalia as she looks between Zoë and her Lord.
"Fey cannot lie." Nightshade replies.
"He's really a Fey?" Annabeth says with wide eyes as she once more regards her Lord's pointed ears, his heterochromic eyes, and otherworldly beauty.
"Aren't Fey from Northern Folklore? How come they exist?" asks Annabeth, causing the demigods to look towards her Lord and the lieutenant with interest.
Unable to contain her amusement at the pair's predicament, Evelynn lets out a squawk.
"Um…Well…That is—" stutters Nightshade in search of an answer before her Lord interrupts her.
"Have you learned nothing these past years, little owl? Myths are not the end all be all in terms of knowledge for the supernatural. Fey, nature spirits, same myths, different fonts." her Lord says nonchalantly with a shrug.
As expected of a daughter of Athena, she does not completely believe her Lord but knows better to press on at this time.
"My Lady wishes to speak with you, Annabeth." says Zoë.
Before Annabeth can respond Thalia jumps between her and Zoë, "No." says the daughter of Zeus with a glare and lightning sparking around her body.
"It is not thy decision to make." replies Zoë as she returns Thalia's glare, undaunted by the lightning.
"Thy, thou… speak properly." mocks Thalia.
"I am. This is english." Zoë responds.
"Sure, if this was Victorian England. This is the 21st century, get with the times." rants Thalia.
Before the argument can continue, Annabeth intercedes.
"It's fine Thalia, I'll be back soon." she says before walking towards the Hunters' camp, leaving Zoë and Thalia to glare at one another.
While the demigoddess and the huntress glare at one another, her Lord stares at the son of Poseidon before indicating to him to follow as he silently steps away from the camp and deeper into the forest.
"How do you feel?" her Lord asks Perseus once he finds the distance sufficient.
"Me? I'm fine, I'm worried about Nico if his sister joins the Hunters of Artemis." the son of Poseidon says while glancing towards their camp where the mentioned demigod plays a card game with the Satyr.
"That is kind of you." her Lord compliments. "And hearing you say so makes me glad, for it shows that you care for those under your care. It is an important quality for a leader."
Rightfully so, for her Lord's compliments mean much, the demigod blushes at the praise.
"Yes, well tell that to Thalia." Perseus mutters under his breath, drawing an amused smile from her Lord.
"The Chinese have a saying; one mountain cannot contain two tigers." her Lord counsels Perseus.
"What?" asks Perseus as he regards her Lord as if he possesses two heads.
His confused expression is so adorable that it draws a caw from Evelynn.
"Nominally, this idiom refers to Chinese thoughts and worries in a political setting, for those in power tend to view those rising in power as a threat. However, this idiom can also be applied to your present situation." her Lord explains.
"Why would she see me as a threat, we're literally on the same side." argues Perseus.
"Perhaps, however, like her father, Thalia is ambitious. In her absence, not only have you accomplished what she failed to do, but you have also outshone her. To her you are a rival, whether she is aware of it or not." her Lord says.
"That's so stupid, I don't even want to be a leader or whatever. I just want this war with Kronos to be over and to be left alone." Perseus rages, not noticing the drop in temperature when he names King of Titans.
Her Lord easily notices this and frowns while surveying the area around them.
"You may think it stupid, but it is the way of the world regardless of the universe or dimension. Nuanced interactions drive all civilisations no matter how primitive or advanced" her Lord says as he places a soothing hand on Perseus' shoulder
"Someday, when we have the privacy and the time, I will educate you on such matters. Today, however, I will leave you this to ruminate over; Politics is merely human interactions taken to its most extreme. Regardless of the civilisation, primitive or advanced, mundane or divine, patriarchal or matriarchal, if one wishes to live their life under their own command, free of the machinations of others, they must understand politics. As a bastard prince the importance of your understanding of politics cannot be overstated, for your mere existence affects the supernatural world in ways you cannot even begin to imagine." her Lord counsels the demigod, causing her to nod her head in agreement.
Looking into her Lord's eyes, Perseus seems to momentarily be struck speechless before quickly recovering.
"Bastard prince?" Perseus asks incredulously with a raised eyebrow.
"Is that all you understood?" her Lord asks in exasperation.
"No, no, no, I got all of that. But seriously, bastard prince? Did you have to call me a bastard? Also, prince? Prince of what?" Perseus says.
"Your father is King is he not?" her Lord asks with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, but that's different. It's not like I'll be ruling any land or anything." Perseus argues.
"Perhaps, perhaps not. Did you ask him? I am sure that if you asked your father you could receive treatment befitting of your station."
"Yeah, but I don't want it." Perseus says, causing her Lord to grimace, something Evelynn makes sure to not in order to inquire on later.
Before her Lord can respond, the goddess interrupts them.
"Perseus Jackson, I need to have words with Aemon." she says, dismissing him.
"Right." Perseus says before leaving.
"Should I worry that you have taken interest in him?" the goddess asks with a raised eyebrow, causing Evelynn to bristle in indignation.
"Control your servant." warns Artemis with a glare.
"Whether I take interest in him or not is none of your concern." her Lord replies with a glare of his own while flaring his magic, causing the temperature to plummet.
With narrowed eyes, the goddess regards her Lord before eventually relenting.
"You claim to have no malicious intentions towards us, prove yourself and come on a hunt with me. It is too dangerous for my huntresses, however, I would like some reinforcement." the frigid goddess says.
"How vicious of you." her Lord says with an approving grin. "Why sacrifice your own people when there is a perfect sacrificial lamb right there." he says.
"Very well, we shall accompany you." her Lord replies with a bloodthirsty grin.
Not far, Evelynn hears the howl of the werewolves, as if sensing their Lord Commander's excitement.
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Author's Note: I'm back guys. Sorry for the long wait but my laptop broke and I only got a new one last month. So here's the newest chapter, enjoy and don't hesitate to comment. I also have a functioning patreon with advanced chapters,one shots, WIPs that I plan to publish eventually, and more if you guys are interested. patreon.com/servantambrosius
