35 Spear Boy Fulfills A Promise

(Cao Cao POV)

As I arrived at Camp Half-Blood, I saw that the areas around the camp had been damaged as some trees had been uprooted and some flooding had occurred in the surrounding areas near the camp. It does make me feel a twinge of guilt as those trees might have had nymphs attached to them, but it was unlikely.

I stayed in my presence, concealed state and watched as the demigods trained with one another, but I could tell that Apollo's anger was getting to his kids as they seemed tired and a bit irritable. I assume that Apollo must be sending them dreams to eliminate me, which definitely doesn't help a mortal mind or a developing mind.

I could see Luke training a group of demigods at the training fields, but he seemed to be finishing up. His eyes then widened as I allowed him alone to see me behind all of them. I gave him a little wave, and he gave me a serious look in return.

Looking at his fellow Hermes Cabinmates, he says, "Well, all of you did well today other than you, Connor, and Travis. You two really need to get into shape. I expect more from you both other than pranking the Athena kids by making all their smartboards play Baby Shark all night."

I could see the two twins cross their fingers as Connor said, "Right, we will. Besides, we need time to think of a new idea." Luke just sighs as he sends them back to the eating area for lunch.

As they cleared out, Luke walked over to me, and as he approached, I asked, "So, have you made your choice? I will not fault you for turning me in to gain recognition."

Luke looks at me up and down, to which I say, "Luke, I know I have a body to kill for, but I do not swing that way." He only narrows his eyes as he explains.

"In all honesty, your offer is very tempting, but I have a couple of questions. If I am going to join up as well, are you keeping your promise?" Luke then takes out a notepad that he seemed to have prepared all week.

"I can answer three questions. Other than that, you will need to join up." he nods, accepting the condition as he starts out by asking.

"Why go after Artemis and Ares as they haven't told us the whole story other than a small abridged version? I want the other side." I nod as I show him my memory through using telepathy.

"The gods themselves were the ones that started this conflict, as before I even came to this country, I was besieged by the god of thunder in China who sought to test me. Luckily, I was able to escape the country before they locked it down or the Jade Emperor himself decided to make an appearance. I took up residence in Washington, the small abandoned house outside of town that I could use to start my training, and only after a couple of days did my luck strike again as the goddess of the hunt found me and tried to bid me into her service."

Luke doesn't seem surprised as he says, "Yes, gods can be a very assuming lot on the very few times I've been able to visit Olympus. I was always looking as if they were expecting me to Surf every whim of theirs, but so is the nature of power."

I then showed him the battle with Ares after exiting the Land Of Shadows, to which he asked, "What was that inside the gates? I haven't seen anything like it?"

Looking to the Grand Temple, I explain, "After managing to gain the approval of my teacher, she allowed me to gain Authority over the Land of Shadows, and when I took over, it began to remodel itself to look like this, and now it is connected to me like a reality marble. It gave me other things, but that is for later."

Luke seemed almost entranced by it, but he seemed to rouse himself as he asked his last question, "Can I trust you?" A simple question but one more loaded than most.

"No, you can't, as we haven't spent time forming a bond or fighting with each other or against one another. Like my own teacher told sometimes you gotta take a leap of faith. Regardless of your answer, I will leave in peace." He then looks at me and nods, and I shake his hand.

"Well, to start, try to inform others of my presence if you trust me, and after a week, take those you trust and smash this on the ground." I hand him a pearl meant to teleport them to the Land Of Shadows, and he nods, but before he leaves, he says.

"Thanks for giving us a chance." But I grabbed him before he left, and as he looked confused, I explained to him my reason.

"Well, since you joined, I think you deserve a reward." I then grabbed him and teleported both of us to his former home, Westport, Connecticut. And as he sees his old home, his eyes begin to mist up, but he rubs his eyes and looks at me.

I then walk up to the door of his home and ring the doorbell, and soon enough, a frazzled old woman comes out with frail arms and legs that looked thinner than sticks as her hair, which may have looked nice, was falling out and whitened to a ridiculous degree.

Her eyes were unfocused and green, and as she saw me, her eyes began to glow and fade in equal measure, but before the spirit of the Oracle could mess with her mind more, I grasped the sides of her head.

"You are not needed here, begone." I then use my magic in combination with telepathy to force the Oracle out of her mind. In regard to her soul, I use my Holy Affinity to force the foreign presence out. Since my magic is that of a high-tier god, without trying, it was overkill, but I wanted to put on a show for my new companion.

But I did put up bounded fields using my magecraft to block out any noise or magic from the property. She initially tried to struggle against me, but I literally felt nothing from the punches as she screamed her head off.

But as the light faded, we saw her eyes come back into focus as she seemed to get younger somewhat as her hair, once white, filled out again and returned to being blond as we let go; she fell onto a nearby chair as she starred at the ceiling.

Luke went to his Mother's side, sat down near the side of the chair, and waited with bated breath. As his Mother began to breathe after the shock from the experience, she looked around as if taking in a foreign environment. As she saw me, she said, "Who are you? You can't be Hermes as he doesn't wear blindfolds."

Chuckling, I said to her, "No, I am not Hermes, but I am a friend of your son who I recommend you look at as he has missed you." The woman seemed confused as she looked at her son with wide eyes.

Luke then said, "Mom, what the last thing you remember?" She then seemed to be deep in thought as she replied.

"I was inside the Big House, and the Oracle entered my body, and then all I felt was pain and silence. Like I was on some form of hellish autopilot. How long has it been?" She asks Luke as she begins to cry.

"That was in 1987, Mom it's 2005. You have been in an insane state for nearly 18 years." The news causes her to sob and cry incessantly as she realizes that she missed her son's entire childhood. Personally, I am somewhat happy that she doesn't remember the fact that Luke ran away and possibly abused him.

The two then hug each other as I feel another presence near the bounded field, and I say to Luke, "Stay here and reconnect. I need to attend to another matter."

Luke then looks at me as he says, "He's here, isn't he?" I nod as he then stands up and closes the door behind me.

I then leave the bounded field and see the God Of Messengers waiting outside, and wow, he actually looks like Nathan Fillion from that trash live-action Sea Of Monsters movie or that's just how I imagine him.

His gaze never leaves me as he says with a dangerous edge in his voice, "It seems that nothing is sacred to you, God's Slayer. You are attacking an innocent woman now?"

He begins to gather his power, and I scoff and reply, "Don't be so arrogant, Hermes. I don't need to harm an innocent woman to hurt you. I was doing a favor for your son. Something you wished you could have done for years. Right now, Luke and his Mother are having a nice chat that has been over 18 years late, and you are unwelcome."

I then open two portals with one beneath us both as I use telekinesis to force us both into them. I then landed on the ground as I took us to the Land Of Shadows. He tried to get up, but I just increased the force on him with my mind.

"Why…do this?" he asks as he is forced into the ground.

"Oh, it's simple. I'm just trying to keep you busy while they have a nice chat. The last thing Luke needs is to see your dumbass. You know, it's almost embarrassing that a God that prides himself on being a messenger and knowing a lot wasn't able to tell the curse placed on the oracle, but now it doesn't matter, so since I have you here any questions for me?"

I then summon a table and chair from the ground as I sit down.

"How did you get so strong? No normal mortal should be able to do this, even with a sacred gear like yours?" I then thought of an answer.

"Push-ups, sit-ups, plenty of juice, and a lot of pain. And that is all I will say to you. I have no quarrel with you, messenger god, but for my news, friend, I will do what I must." My answer seemed to infuriate him further as he tried to enter his divine form, to which I snapped my fingers, and his form dissipated, leaving him shocked.

Dimensional ruler may have been a lot, but it was so worth it as long as I was stronger than my opponent. I am almost invincible in this realm, but luckily, Hermes is nowhere near his prime strength, and I caught him off guard.

"For now, we wait until my new friend decides to let you meet her. I know she was your wife or at least perspective spouse, but you have really bad timing ." Hermes continues to struggle as I use my telekinesis to hold him in the air.

"How did you separate her from the Oracle that spirit should only be able to be manipulated by the Fates? Do you not fear their wrath?" To that question, I almost did a full Gilgamesh laugh as those three crones always seem to show up somewhere and somehow.

"I am not bound by their strings, God of Messengers, at least not anymore. I have ascended beyond normal human status, but I can understand your confusion in this matter. But for now, we wait for at least another hour. Don't want to be the third wheel, right?" My comment causes him to look down in shame, remembering what happened.

Although it wasn't technically Hermes' fault, and it was more the pride of his wife that got her essentially mind raped by a cursed Oracle of Delphi spirit, he still could have done something. Regardless, I hold him aloft in the air for around thirty minutes before he stops struggling.

"So you ready to talk now?" I ask him in a manner similar to how a parent would ask an impatient child, which seems aptly fitting, but he nods, and I place him in a chair I summoned.

We then sat in silence as I saw the two snakes on his staff hiss in my general direction, to which I summoned a few rats I found near Luke's house and threw them into their mouths, to which they ate and winked at me before returning to normal.

"Traitors," Hermes says as I chuckle.

"I am surprised you don't seem angry at me killing Aries or Artemis. Is there a reason for that?" I ask, to which he scoffs at the question.

"Trust me, Slayer, while Ares is a cool dude during the war, in between, he's an insufferable twat while Artemis always hung out with her band of lesbians, and they even killed some of my clients on their hunts. Do you know how bad a business that is? Short story short, no one really liked her either other than her brother, of course, and might I say he is chomping at the bit to kill you. You're lucky that Ama and Quetz are willing to hold him back from burning the world to a crisp."

I shake my head at this stupidity, but I can't really say much knowing me because anyone who is able to harm Scathach would get glassed immediately.

After I feel Luke calling for me, I look to Hermes and say, "Well, I'm going back since you didn't try to kill me. You will be able to leave with me, but when we get there, let Luke let it out. And show some damn decent parenting skills like Jesus, man. Like seriously, you Gods can be in multiple places at once, but you can't take care of all your kids?"

Hermes neglects to say anything as I portal us back to Luke's home and find him and his Mother waiting at the door. And with speeds faster than a bullet, Hermes is already kissing his wife as Luke looks at them with disgust and a bit of relief.

He then sees me and bows, but not before saying, "I swear on the River Styx to never betray the will of the God Slayer before me. My life shall be in his hands."

Thunder rumbles as the oath is made, to which I just sigh as Hermes looks ready to kill me this time, and his Mother remains very confused.