28 Family Ties
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Click. Click. Click.
It took Chion a few minutes to find the landline, but he eventually located it near the corner of the Big House, just off to the side of an adjoining room. He wasn't sure if the number given actually was gonna work since he had never really tried it before, but there wasn't anything to lose by attempting it.
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"If you ever need a ride, no matter where you are, just dial the number on the card, then hang up. It's good for three uses."
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Dialing the number, Chion waited for the tone and then immediately put it back down, following the instructions to the tee. The idea that a god would go out of his way to run a Taxi Cab Service just to pick up demigods seemed a little farfetched, but it was also a good use of time in a business sense. Especially since the person in question was immortal and could operate it as long as he wanted without human functions such as sleep. Still, despite this, Chion believed the god had a good reason for the service and thus had a few things he wanted to ask him. Namely, about the comment revolving around his unknown father.
A few moments passed after the youth had hung up before the phone began ringing.
"Hello? Chion Pagos speaking."
{{"Chion, my boy!!"}} The voice came out kinda distorted but even so, the youth could recognize the voice of Festus. {{"You reached out to me so soon. Need something??"}}
"It's been a month," Chion responded, grinning. "It isn't THAT soon."
{{"Eh. Its been a month already?? Could've sworn-"}} Festus was interrupted as a loud crash echoed from somewhere far off. {{"HEY!! DONT TOUCH THAT!! Sorry. I have an incident. I recently pulled one of my creations out of a Bay and had to fix him up. I might have made a mistake or two along the way. I'll have to go back and rework some wiring-"}}
"So, the bull I sent into Jamaica Bay, right?" The youth connected the dots almost immediately.
There was a moment of silence.
{{" When did you figure that out?"}}
"Just now. I've had suspicions, but your name isn't exactly a good alias." Chion smirked. "Hephaestus, god of the forge."
{{"It wasn't an alias. It's what your dad called me back when you were a toddler."}} Hephaestus just straight out said it, not even bothering to skirt around the edges. It was easily the most information he had gotten from a god period, even from Hestia. {{"One of, if not the best, demigod I've ever worked with. He could craft things with his hands that made me question my godly status. Honestly, I wouldn't even hesitate to call him the closest nonmetallic friend I've had in the last few centuries. Machines are usually far better, but he was an exception. But I've gotten off topic. The Bull you ran into was meant to help you, but he must've malfunctioned somewhere on the journey, hence the chase you went through. Good work, by the way, subduing him without destroying him. Very clever."}}
There were many things to focus on within that given sentence, such as the fact it was Hephaestus who had actually put the youth into the situation with the bull or that he watched Chion struggle without bothering to help. However, the main thing the white-haired individual focused on was his unknown father.
"You knew my dad?" Chion pushed the phone closer to his ears as if it would help him hear better.
{{"Quite well, actually. A number of the gods did. It was forbidden to be mentioned, especially to you, but I don't really care about any of that.")) Hephaestus sounded disinterested in the whole affair and waved it aside. {{"We can talk more when we meet. I assume you want to use one of the three free rides offered by the ticket?"}}
"Uuuuh....yeah." Chion was momentarily baffled by the information received, but he quickly recovered. "I need you to take us to where the Golden Fleece is."
{{"What the mortals call the Bermuda Triangle huh? I have a forge there, so I'm familiar."}} Hephaestus sounded slightly intrigued. More slamming and banging could be heard in the background. {{"Unfortunately, I can't do that personally for a number of reasons. However, I CAN provide you with a boat. I took an interest in the manufacturing of some mortal vessels a decade ago and have been fiddling around with one for a while. I'll pick you up in five minutes."}}
"Two of my friends are tagging along as well. Is that okay?"
A momentary pause.
{{"Hmm. Since you asked me, I'll allow it."}} Hephaestus didn't sound too pleased with the new pieces of information. {{"However, the Festus Cab Service is only for those with the card. Don't let it happen again."}}
With those departing words, the call ended with the smallest of clicks.
Chion stood in place as the conversation ran through his mind from beginning to end, mulling over every word. The bits about his dad. The fact that Hephaestus and the gods knew him. How his unknown parent had been a demigod skilled in tinkering and blacksmithing. The Khalkotauroi and its intended purpose.
So much information had been revealed in that moment, dozens of missing puzzle pieces falling into their respective spots, shining a bright light unto a myriad previously unsolvable mysteries. The reason Chion knew some tidbits about forging, such as fire and the melting points of metal, and why Festus had given him the ticket as a gift. His father had been someone capable of befriending a god, or maybe even gods, to the point they were even treating the mans offspring favorably, though it could also be looked at as they felt bad for taking away the youth memory's. But they didn't seem to have enough of a conscious for that theory to hold up, solely based on the stories Chion had read during the last month.
(("My father is a demigod. Or WAS I suppose. Assuming that his parents weren't snow related, then that leaves me with two possible outcomes for a mother.")) Chion placed the phone back onto its stand and headed back towards the ping-pong room. (("Khione, goddess of ice and snow. And Despiona. My power is far too unstable for it not to be related to one of those."))
Putting the information aside, the white-haired youth made his way into the meeting room where Annabeth and Luke were sitting around talking, though they both immediately fell silent when Chion walked into the room.
"And the son of frost returns," Luke said heartily as Chion closed the door behind him. "How'd the phone call go?"
Chion grinned. "Better than you can imagine. We got a boat and transportation to said boat. Courtesy of Hephaestus."
"So it WAS Hephaestus," Annabeth replied. "I saw the card in passing and assumed as such."
"What's in it for him?" Luke asked, an eyebrow raised. "He's going out of his way isn't he?"
"There's....extenuating circumstances." Chion wasn't too keen on telling them anything just yet until he managed to get the full story on his past and what everything meant. "The point is, we have a free ride to the island. From what Hephaestus said, it's located in a place known as the Bermuda Triangle."
"The Bermuda Triangle? You mean the Sea Of Monsters?"
"Sea Of Monsters?" Chion was slightly confused.
"Anyone got a map?" Annabeth immediately moved to the door.
"I got one, but Festus said he'd be here in around five minutes." Chion tightened the straps to his backpack and readjusted Katavro's sheath on his back hip. "Just fill me in on the car ride there. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can get back."
"Guess we're leaving now. Thought we'd have more time." Luke rose from his seat, grabbing a backpack of his own. "Let's get going."
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It took a bit longer than intended, what with all the goodbyes and last minute things from the camp, but the trio eventually made it to the roadside where Chion had first been dropped off. There, parked on the side of the road, was a black cab completely different from the one the white-haired youth had road in before. The only similarity was the overly large man shoved into the driver seat, the familiar face of a rather rough looking man peering through the windows. Painted onto the cabs side was a picture of a large Bronze Bull, the words FESTUS' CAB SERVICE plastered just beneath it.
(("Festus Cab Service,")) Chion said as he climbed into the front passenger seat. Annabeth and Luke took the time to put their extra bags into the trunk. (("Forging a path to your destination. It's such a catchy slogan, honestly."))
The inside of the cab was reminiscent to that of a park bench, plenty of leg space but with no real cushioning whatsoever, the seats themselves being made out of pure metal. The seat belts were like monster trucks' harnesses or a Nascar racer, with enough straps and buckles to keep one from so much a twitching even an inch to the right or left but with none of the added comfort. Oil and metallic odors filled the air, causing Annabeth and Luke to plug their noses within a few minutes of entering, though Chion himself didn't mind it that much, as if his body was used to such a thing. Scattered across the floor of the cab were various trinkets and tools one would find in a workshop such as hammers, bits of metal like nails, pliers, saws, and so on.
In all honesty, to the white-haired youth, it could have been much worse. He could've been walking the entire way. So he said nothing as Hephaestus cranked the cab to life, a normal sounding engine bursting into bloom.
"Hephaestus." Annabeth bowed the best she could from her seat. "Thank you for the lift."
Luke didn't give the same lines of courtesy, but he did give a small bow.
Hephaestus waved his hand, dismissing them. "Honestly, I have no interest in such things. I had a project I was working on and I happened to be in the middle of break when Chion called. This little sidetrack is nothing to me."
The white-haired youth let them conversate for a brief moment as he took out the world map, one he had managed to snag from the Athena Cabin before leaving. Reaching back, he offered it over to Annabeth and Luke, seeing as they seemed to know more about the so-called Sea Of Monsters than he himself did. He didn't know where the Bermuda Triangle was, and he wasn't about to make wild guesses.
"The Bermuda Triangle is a place that is mostly hidden from the mortals by the mist. By demigods and other entities though, it's known as the Sea Of Monsters." Annabeth quickly explained the basis of their destination. "A number of beings make their home there such as sirens, sea monsters, and so on. We'll not only need a vessel but a way to navigate it without getting ourselves lost."
"Where're we going?" Chion asked, noticing only then how fast they were going. Mainly because he was now being flung in various directions. "We're going pretty fast, Hephaestus."
"Napeague Bay," the god responded. "I have my boat there since mortals don't usually tend to steer in that direction. Also, feel free to call me Festus. When you were little, you used to call me that all the time and even as you got older, you would still address me as Uncle."
"You knew my father for THAT long?" Chion glanced at him from the side of his neon blue hues. "You said you were close but-"
"Didn't think gods could make mortal or demigod friends?" Festus swerved through a few more lanes of traffic. "For the most part, you're right. None of the gods took any favorites, but your dad. Your dad was probably the only exception to the rule. Even my own father took some delight in hanging with him, which is odd since Jack treated everyone as an respected equal, even if it was a god or goddess. Regardless, he had a certain magic to him that drew everyone together and made them....happy. With the family dynamic amongst us gods, that's a feat no one could replicate before or after Jack's existence."
"How fast are we going?" Amnabeth spoke up, referring to the unreal speed they were traveling at.
"Enough to get us to the Bay in about five minutes." Festus glanced back in the rearview mirror.
"So, what IS the Golden Fleece anyways?" Chion glanced back towards the two demigods, of whom were getting tossed back and forth like hackie sacks. "I know it's Golden and it's a Fleece."
"Did you not read about it during the last month?" Annabeth questioned. "Were you slacking off? That should have been one of the first ones you read about."
