17 Another Enemy For A Spear Boy?
(Luke Castellan POV)
-Camp Half-Blood (Boys Restroom)-
In a world of magic and monsters, most would enjoy something that makes them unique, that makes them special, whether that unique trait be magic ability, the blood of a deity running through their veins, a sacred gear, or even being of another race entirely.
Yet, in that same world, the enemies have the same advantage. But what makes the enemy different is that they live forever and cannot truly die.
I have watched as hundreds of demigods have wandered into this Camp, lost and alone or on the brink of death. The last one happens much too often. Even after all of these years of being trained at this Camp, it still hurts to hold someone in your hands, telling them they're going to be okay when I see the life fade from their eyes. The blood on my hands never goes away.
The Hermes cabin holds all who are unclaimed, the rejects, and those who feel abandoned or without love. Most of them learned of this Camp off the streets or were kicked out of their homes when their mortal parent learned of the consequences of hosting a demigod in their home, and I would not blame them. Regardless of being a demigod or a mortal, we are all inherently selfish, and we all seek to keep our lives in some semblance of normality.
I have heard stories of mortals that kept the kids only to be torn apart and assaulted by creatures they could not harm or run from forever.
Yet the sadness and the despair just never seem to end, and nothing seems to change. When my father Hermes sent me to retrieve apples from Hera's sacred garden, I felt proud to be noticed. It was pathetic as such little attention was enough to satisfy me.
Most normal children would not be satisfied unless they saw their parents every day or at least once every couple of days, yet we demigods exist to not see our parents for months or years.
Sadly, gods do not often pay child support. Although, for some odd reason, the children of Demeter would receive cereal or some plants for their birthdays, and Athena's children would receive books or art, it held no meaning if they did have a face to give to the gift.
Ares, if he liked you, would somehow send a weapon or an explosive to your house, and some of the Ares kids may have received some brain damage from that. I do not want to even mention what Hermes gives for his children's birthdays for the few he actually cares about. (Hermes is known to be tricky, so take a guess.)
When I arrived at the garden and met the dragon Ladon, he taught me humility as I saw how weak I truly was and how I was simply walking in the steps of someone greater. It felt less than a pittance, but even then, I failed and returned. No one blamed me for failing, as most were simply happy to see me return alive, but it still felt hollow. The scar on my right eye was a reminder that I could not succeed when someone else failed.
Looking at myself in the mirror after a training session, the Voice in my mind spoke to me again, and its primordial Voice almost made me flinch by its mere presence.
(You must understand, great grandson that they shall never accept a world where demigods are free of threats as you exist as their entertainment. Stories must have their protagonists, after all, and Greeks do love their tragedies.)
"Be quiet. I will not listen to you. I would be a fool to listen to voices in my head." As I washed my face and began to return to my cabin, the Voice spoke much more loudly as he yelled.
(Do you not understand, you small-minded fool?! The Olympians will always be the cause of a demigod's suffering. Look to the past and find that most of the monsters that exist were caused by the Olympians, if not indirectly. Think of your family, Luke, of what they did to your mother and what little they have done for her after what happened.)
"Get out of my head!" I yell as the Voice goes silent. I walk into my cabin and see the lack of space, with most of the kids no older than 10 sleeping in sleeping bags on the floor. One of the children then walked over to me and said, "Luke, can you help me fall asleep? I'm scared." Giving him a small smile, I walked over to my bed and tucked him into it. I then sat next to him as he asked me, "Hey Luke, will I be able to see my mom again?"
Sighing, I looked him in the eye and said, "Of course, you just need to wait a little longer, little guy." I truly wish that this wasn't a lie.
He then smiled and soon fell asleep as I walked over to the wall, placed my back on it, and sat down, prepping for some severe back pain tomorrow. But before I could rest my eyes, I heard a knock at the door and saw one of the nymphs holding a message.
After grabbing it and giving her a drachmae, I read it, and it was summoning all the counselors from all the cabins to the Big House for a meeting.
Regretting going to bed so late, I walked up to the big house and found Chiron and Mr. D waiting around the large meeting table in the shape of an omega symbol, and after taking our seats, Chiron began to speak.
"I apologize to all of you for interrupting your rest, but this is a meeting of grave importance. The Spear of Longinus has found a new wielder that may be turned against Olympus, so I wanted to let all of you know to remain vigilant as while the spear wielders of the past have not been against demigods, they often get into conflicts with their godly patrons."
Mr. D then scoffed as he said, "It's just another brat with delusions of grandeur, nothing to take too seriously, and besides Old Thunderbeard up there is having Uncle Bones down below gather an army where they believe he will show up the kid is as good as dead." Thunder then rumbled after Dionysus called the two old gods such titles, to which he simply scoffs and returned to his drink, which was a coke, as he was cursed to remain sober for one hundred years after going after a nymph Zeus was eyeing.
It's almost funny how the god of revelry has been reduced to such a despicable old man, and what's even sadder is that he has a wife, and many would kill for such a relationship in the supernatural world.
Personally, I wish Mr. D would just disappear, as he does nothing but rate campers and disintegrate some for stupid mistakes. But we can do nothing to him.
Soon enough, the Athena counselor Lance Kenway asked Chiron, "So what did the kid do? If this Spear is dangerous, as you're talking about, why aren't they trying to take it for themselves or at least get the kid on their side?"
Dionysus then laughed as he said, "You expect Zeus to allow for an equal? Are you really Athena's kid? Because that's some true stupid shit you're talking about."
Lance eyed the god in simmering anger as the pride of Athena's children was well known, as it was pretty much all they had of their mother. But I gave him a look, and he sat down as I asked, "In all seriousness, what did the kid do, Mr. D, that would warrant such a response from Olympus?"
Chiron then said, "The actions of the council are but precautionary as most Longinus wielders are rather volatile, and Lady Artemis may have threatened his life after he defeated one of her huntresses in combat." Ahh, so he got on her bad side, which ruffled the Olympian's feathers, but that can't be it.
Chiron then continued, "But that is not all as it seems like the child, seeing that he had little place to go due to the presence of his sacred gear, went to the godslayer or at least to her realm in anger or fear we do not know." The mention of her name even made Mr. D start to sweat as I could feel the voice in my head grow interested in this conversation.
"So what exactly are we supposed to do, simply remain more vigilant, and we already are? If this Spear is so dangerous, I don't believe any demigod here would be able to match up to him." My statement does cause most at the table to nod as Chiron intercedes.
"Well, you may be right, Luke. It is not unknown to the gods to send their children to fight sacred gear wielders whom they hold a personal grudge, as I remember a user of the Boosted Gear who angered Hades after invading the Underworld after the God Of The Dead claimed his wife. Hades then sent one of his children to deal with him, and he did not survive the Wrath of the Red Dragon Emperor. While the precedent is not positive, it is there, so I simply wished for you all to be aware of this."
He says that statement with more heaviness in his voice than I have heard before as I wonder how he has been able to cope with the loss of so many heroes and so many children. He is more of a slave to the gods than even we are sometimes. But his response sent Clarisse La Rue into a rage.
"While I am always up for a fight, you truly believe that our parents would send us to die?!" Oh, you dear, sweet summer child.
Mr. D then uses his divine presence to make her sit back down as he says, "You all exist because we made you, and while you may all be our children, you are not irreplaceable. Do not get it in your head that you are special. We will not be sending you first, but don't assume that your heads aren't off the chopping block if this kid goes nuclear."
After such a proclamation, my own fists began to clench, and blood began to drop as the Voice spoke again in my mind. This time, it spoke with a more understanding and empathetic tone.
(Don't you see, great grandson, this is how little they view you. They see you as replaceable and little more than their tools so that their cycle of entertainment can never end. Is this truly how you wish your brothers and sisters to live to be cannon fodder for Gods you shall never see.)
I say nothing, to which Chiron notices the look on my face, and he says, "I understand if you all may be irritated at the fact that you may all be sent into battle, but do know that the gods are always watching you. And remember, they will not send you if the threat cannot be contained. Do not fear, as the gods have not abandoned you."
The meeting then ends, and Chiron bids me over as he asks, "I noticed your state of being during the meeting, Luke. Is everything all right?"
Looking him in the eyes, I nod and say, "I'm all right, Chiron. I am simply worried for everyone else because the way they make the spear sound, the user should be invincible. I mean sealing, holy light, the ability to pierce nearly all forms of defense and even kill immortals sounds absurd."
The old teacher then nods as he says, "The main weakness of the users of such weaponry is that they are often very proud individuals and rarely back down from a fight, and many have taken advantage of their weakened state to eliminate them. I will not say that their deaths were not unfounded, but some were legitimate threats to the world."
Yet, do we truly know the whole story? Based on how he made it sound, it seems like this kid got into some bad luck, and the gods are simply taking out their frustration on him after he made a decision for his own self-interest. Truly, hypocrisy is the bane of both mortality and immortality.
Chiron then sent me back to my cabin as I pondered this new information because if this Spear is as powerful as they say, there may exist an opportunity here. Looking at my small cabin, I lay against the wall and wondered what to do next.
(You must understand, great grandson, that we can use this opportunity to be rid of both of our enemies. Search your feelings, Luke. You know this to be true. When you are ready, come find me, and I will show you a possibility.)
The Voice then faded from my mind as I tried to go to sleep and saw images of every single person in this Camp dying to a man wielding a spear, and I tried not to scream.
